A/N: When I came up with this idea I thought it was original but then I saw another story when Rory did something very similar and it got me upset. Well, even though I apparently have unoriginal ideas please read and review, because I love my loyal reviewers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thoughts are in italics! The bonged up part is dedicated to my strange but best friend Mariel, love ya Hun!

Chapter 3: Something Unexpected

When he got upstairs Jess picked up the phone thinking about weather or not he should call Kira, but before he knew it his fingers were dialing the all too familiar number.

Ring. Ring. Ring. On the third ring he was about to hang up, forget he ever tried to call and start his life new, the life his Mom and Uncle Luke were forcing him into. But Jess Mariano have a "happy ending"?! Hearing those words put together would make even the coldest person laugh, Kira picked up and her voice filled Jess' ears.

"Hello?" She said a little loudly, Jess could hear someone shouting and laughing in the background.

"Kira, it's me." He said wondering who else was there.

"Oh, hey baby. I miss you already and it's only been what, six hours?" Kira stated. Jess could practically hear her pouting through the phone.

"I miss you too. It's a hell hole here I cant take it, if I see another smiling face I feel like I'm gunna punch 'em!" he said kicking his air mattress, there was a faint hissing noise coming from it "Fuck." He said under his breath.

"When are you coming home?" Kira asked sadly.

That was a good question, when was he going to see his friends again and be back in that free city he once took for granted.

"Soon Kira, soon." He said reassuringly.

"Wait a second; Tom wants to talk to you." She handed the phone over to her best friend.

"Dude, sorry I missed your bus. But you got my going away present right?" He barked out a laugh.

"Yeah, jeez Tom I don't know how I'm gunna survive in this town without something in me. I swear it's so cracked here, even your more normal than them!" Jess said laughing.

"Just remember, if you need a fix call me. I'll hook you up!" Tom said giving the phone back to Kira.

Jess heard something crash to the floor and break on the other end. "What the hell was that?" he asked.

"Oh it's just Tom he's a little bonged up now. You know how he gets." Kira said giggling.

"Sorry babe, I gotta go out. I'll talk to you soon." Jess said.

"I love you." Kira said softly into the phone.

Jess hung up quickly. Who was he trying to kid, he knew this long distance thing wouldn't work between them so while he's here he might as well have fun. He threw himself down on the semi- deflated air mattress ran his hand through his hair, and picked up a deck of cards. I wonder if anyone around here gambles. Jess started shuffling the cards and lit up a cigarette.

Luke walked into the apartment and sat on the couch across form the air mattress.

"Lorelei the woman you just met, she invited us to her house to have dinner. You know, so you can meet the very few normal people in this town. We're going over at 6:30 so get ready." He said getting up.

"You wanna play some poker? Five bucks a hand." Jess said taking a drag from his cigarette, he stopped shuffling the cards and went to hand them to Luke.

"No." He replied.

"Ten?" Jess asked again raising his eyebrows exhaling.

"No." Luke said a little more forcefully.

"Fifteen. I can't go any higher than that." Jess said smirking he knew he was getting under his Uncles skin.

"NO, I don't want to play poker!! Now go get ready so we can go out!" Luke said raising his voice.

"Aye, aye, captain!!" He said in a mocking tone smirking and saluting.

xxXXxxXXxx

Jess glanced over at the clock in the bathroom; it read 6:27 P.M. He put some gel on his hands, ran it through his hair and smirked.

"Finish…..whatever your doing in there Jess were gunna be late!!!!!!" Luke yelled knocking on the door for about the fifth time in three minutes

"I'm doing my hair, how about we're fashionably late?" Jess suggested laughing fixing his hair in the mirror. He knew he was pissing Luke off and was loving it.

"NO! We're not going to be fashionably late just for your hair! We are going to be right on time!!" He said angrily.

"Sorry Uncle Luke but it's already 6:34." Jess brushed past him and out of the apartment, leaving his Uncle dumbstruck.

xxXXxxXXxx

"Rory Hun, they'll be here soon!! What are you doing?" Lorelei had been running around the house since they got there trying to get everything together, and was now attempting to get a heel on her foot and chop carrots for Sookie at the same time.

"Homework, I'll be done in a minute!" Rory replied continuing to type on her computer.

The doorbell rang as Sookie started worrying that Jess wouldn't eat cheese.

"Coming!" Lorelei said running to the door.

She opened the door to see an angry Luke and a very quiet Jess.

"Sorry were late, we had a little misunderstanding with what time to come." Luke said throwing a glare at Jess and his hair.

"Oh its okay come in." Lorelei said smiling moving to the side to let them in.

Jess felt uncomfortable already, he walked over to the mantel which held many pictures. He picked one up of a young woman and a small girl, both of them sticking their tongues out at the picture taker with their arms around each other. The picture showed love and friendship, two things that Jess had never really felt he put down the picture and sighed. He followed Luke and Lorelei into the kitchen.

"Do you eat cheese!?" A short pudgy woman questioned him.

Jess was caught off guard by the random questioning "Uhhh…..yeah." He said it was the best answer he could muster.

He turned around and saw Rory in her room.

"Hey, told you I'd see you soon." Jess said walking in with his hands in his pockets.

She smiled and gestured to her bed "You can sit if you want, I'll be done in a minute." And turned back to her computer.

"Are you planning on going to Harvard?" Jess asked sarcastically sitting on her bed, taking notice of the wall covered completely in Harvard paraphernalia.

"Oh, that. Yeah ever since I was little it's been Harvard all the way." She smiled warmly.

"Hey kiddo, were taking Jackson and Sookie away from the lemons now, meet us in the living room!" Lorelei had to practically shout over Sookie and Jackson's lemon craze.

Jess walked over to her desk and looked at the window "Does this open?" he asked fiddling with the handle trying to push it open.

Rory laughed seeing him struggle with the window "Yeah switch the latch and push out. Why?" she asked curiously, wondering why this dark haired boy had such a sudden interest in her window.

Jess pushed it open "Ladies first." He said gesturing to the window.

Now, on no normal occasion would Rory ditch an evening with her mother, Sookie, Jackson, and Luke, but she felt as if she would never get to know the real Jess with all of them around. She just couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Rory threw one last glace through her bedroom door before climbing out her window. Once she got out she fell right on her butt as Jess landed beside her closing their escape route shut.

"I guess ballerina is out of the question for a profession then." He said playfully holding out a hand for her to grab.

"Hey, are you making fun of my graceful actions?" Rory said getting up with the help of Jess and wiping the dirt off of her pants. They both started laughing like they were old friends.

"Come on, I want to show you something." Rory said taking his hand running and laughing.

Taking a girl's hand and being lead off somewhere unknown was a new experience for Jess; he was usually the one leading some innocent girl off somewhere.

"Where're we going?" He asked suspiciously.

Rory stopped dead in her tracks and looked him dead in the eye "Do you not trust me?"

"Well……. I've only known you for a day and my mother always told me not to go off with strangers." Jess said jokingly.

"That's what I thought." She said walking again.

xxXXxxXXxx

"Well here it is." Rory said sitting down on the wooden bridge and taking her shoes off.

"It's nice and quiet, I like it." Jess thought out loud taking a seat next to Rory.

Rory swung her legs back and forth over the water her toes rippling the water lightly. She stared up at the night sky dotted with stars and back at Jess.

"So tell me about yourself." She cocked her head to the side giving him an honest look.

"What's there to tell, I'm a hoodlum kid whose mom couldn't deal with him so she sent me to live in this precious town with my Uncle." It all sounded rehearsed, except for the hint of sarcasm he added. His eyes flickered with some kind of emotion; Rory just couldn't put her finger on.

"I'm sure that's not all. Tell me about your friends, school, hobbies, I want to know about you. Not the you in a nutshell. You talk I'll listen, no interruptions I promise." Rory took her feet out of the water and sat facing him Indian style.

Jess sighed and started to talk "New York City, the meanest people in the world, but somehow I managed to find an amazing best friend and the sweetest girlfriend. I'd known Tom since I was in second grade, that's a long time to have the same best friend especially in the city. He's a complete pot head and a drunk but the best friend you could ask for, you get into trouble he won't open his trap for anything." Jess bit his lip and stared at the reflection of the moon in the water and continued.

"Kira-" He laughed to himself the words came out slow, almost painful. "Probably the reason why I wound up here. Too much happening too fast, according to my mom, too many girls and too much booze. But no, when my mom does all of it, the booze, the guys it's perfectly fine. Even when it got to the point when one of her boyfriends tried to kill me 'He's really a nice guy, you just gotta give him a chance.'" He mimicked his mother giving him a pep talk, but Jess caught himself before he went any further. He had never told anyone that much about his life, not even Kira or Tom. Maybe it was because she actually looked interested and trustworthy.

He took a shaky breath remembering the cold steel of the gun digging into his temple. Jess shook the memory from his head taking out a cigarette about to light up.

"Do you mind?" He asked gesturing to the cigarette.

"I guess not." Rory replied shrugging.

"Okay, so um…..where was I? Oh yeah, mother dearest." He said it with such venom it chilled Rory to the bone.

"She doesn't realize that I'm the one who takes care of her while she's passed out piss drunk, or stands up to those abusive son-of-a-bitches, risking everything. Without me there something bad may happen, she needs to wake up before something does." He flicked the butt into the water.

Rory was sitting there mouth slightly open, she had never heard about stuff like this, you could say she lived a very sheltered life in Stars Hallow.

"Next subject is school I guess?" He continued unfazed by the look on Rory's face. "Well I personally think it's a waste of time, but I'm almost certain there will be no cutting school while I'm here. I get horrible grades, not because I'm stupid but because I just don't care." She snorted, school was almost the most important thing in her life, and he just didn't care. Jess exhaled smoke through his nose and threw it into the lake.

"I guess that my E! True Hollywood Story for ya." He said sarcastically, standing up putting out his hand for Rory to grab onto.

She sat there and gave out a slight "Wow." Staring at the reflection of her and Jess in the calm water. She took his hand stood up and looked into his eyes; she could now place the emotions she didn't know before. Hatred, affection, excitement, and most of all fright, looking like a little dark puppy that's been kicked too many times. (The Outsiders anyone? I love Johnny Cade! P)

"Oh jeez. I think I should get you home, it's already 11:30." He said glancing at his watch.

xxXXxxXXxx

"Calm down!" Luke said standing in the kitchen watching Lorelei pacing around the room.

"Calm down!? My daughter ran off with your nephew, and your asking me to calm down!?" She stopped pacing to shout at him.

"Its okay, what's the worst that could happen?" Luke asked but he wanted to take his comment back as soon as it came out of his mouth. Lorelei gave him the coldest, meanest face she could muster.

A rush of air came out of her mouth loudly as she stormed out of the house, Luke following her closely behind.

"Are you sure you're ready for this whole, I can be a father figure thing? 'Cause so far you officially suck at it!" She yelled at him. "Why couldn't you have just left him in New York? Do you always have to play the hero?!"

"He's my nephew I have an obligation to care for him no matter what!" He yelled right back at her, getting fed up with everything.

"Yeah but now their off together doing God knows what! I can't believe you could be

so-"

Jess and Rory saw and most defiantly heard them fighting through the town square. They both decided to go their separate ways to their "homes".

"Bye Jess. I'll see you around." She said turning and walking away.

xxXXxxXXxx

As he lay in his Uncle's bed, (his Uncle sleeping on the floor) all he could think about were those two bright blue eyes staring at him honest and caring, making him feel like the only person in the world she would want to sit and talk with. He now knew for sure the long distance thing with Kira would not work out.

xxXXxxXXxx

As she lay in her bedroom staring at the ceiling all she could think about were those dark flickering eyes staring at her, honest and caring, making her feel like the only person in the world he would want to sit and talk with. She thought about how it took her awhile to place the feelings she saw in his eyes, thinking that must be his defense mechanism 'if they can't tell what I'm feeling, they can't use it against me.' Rory fell asleep with those dark eyes haunting her.

A/N: Okay it took a really long time for me to update but it's a long chapter so I hope that makes up for everything!!!!!!!! I really like the way this turned out, and I hope you did too!!! Please review, and give me any advice you would like to share, or just encourage me to write more!!!!!!!! Thank you once again for reading!