Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the words that flow from it...which eventually lead to the plot. :-)

A/N: Hey! :-) It seems like I have neglected this story which is true in a way, but since I want this story to turn out satisfactory to me I want to take all the time I need to work on the chapters. Plus, I'm also working on a few other things and there's school so... Anyway, the point is that I updated so I hope you'll like it. :-) Oh, and thanks to Alexia for beta-ing! :-)

Colorblind

-x-

For some reason, rain gives me a different outlook on life, a new perspective to see the world from, a chance to rediscover everything I already know. When it rains, I can see the colors fade with every drop that slithers down my window, perfect and pearl shaped as it steals a pigment of color, slowly streaking my world gray and temporarily covering the lively town with somberness. People stay home, hidden away from a world they don't get to live in often, shops close early and only the ones whom don't know what to do with themselves dare to go outside. I disagree. I think that it's the other way around; the ones whom don't know what to do with themselves stay home, looking at the rain from behind their window. I believe that they don't know what they are missing out on; they are too stubborn to change their ways, too attached to the routine of locking themselves up in their houses as soon as one drop of rain has been spotted. They won't get the chance of seeing all that I see on those days - on days like yesterday...

Yesterday is still as fresh on my mind as a wet painting, probably because I haven't stopped thinking about it, meaning not the day per say, but a particular moment in it at a time I can't remember, though I do know that it was late in the afternoon. I was on my way home when the clouds burst open. I was soaked through and through within a single minute and my clothes were heavy from the water that had drenched them. It was cold and I wanted to get home as quickly as I could so I sped up, not noticing in my haste that he had caught up with me. (I like to believe that he had been watching me, though I know that he just happened to be in the right place at the right time.) He was holding an umbrella, one that was big enough for the both of us. In the back of my mind I knew that it didn't matter because I was already cold and wet, but I didn't care; it was a kind gesture on his side, although we both weren't exactly nice to each other. Every word seemed harsh and unkind like the weather. We had to get used to each other; we haven't been that close in a while and I miss it. I miss being able to just turn around and look him in the eye without feeling awkward about it as if he's someone I barely know. I want my hand to be able to brush against his without feeling embarrassed, like I did something wrong and I don't want to be surprised every time he decides to come near me. I want...I want him.

Just looking at those words scares me because I don't think that I myself know what I mean with them. I admit to missing him, though only to myself. I don't think I could ever tell him something like that; I wouldn't want to risk the chance of him not caring while I pour out my heart to him. He's so different from Dean and I haven't figured out yet if that's a good or a bad thing. I do know, however, that Dean will listen to me when I speak and tell me when something is on his mind. He looks at me like no one ever does and he cares. I am blessed to have him and I love him, though I often wonder if it's still in the right way.

I feel clueless and unsure of everything. All I do know, is that last night, I dreamt about the rain.

-x-

In her dream, it had been pouring and the rain clattered loudly against every surface it found. The sky had been colored pitch black by her imagination, lit only here and there by a handful of silver stars. The moon had been full and stood as high as Rory had ever seen. She had been walking through the icy drops of water as they rushed to the ground and despite the way her clothes had clung to her, she couldn't remember feeling anything, maybe the cat-and-dog-weather had already frozen her to the bone, made her numb, unable to feel anything. All around her, there had been nothing to hide under, nothing to shield her from the downpour of water. All she had been able to do was walk and hope that he would show up, bearing an umbrella.

Rory smiled, though her smile faded quickly once she became aware of the rays of sun that found their way through the cracks of gray. When she had woken up this morning, it hadn't been raining anymore. Puddles reminded her of the day before and so did the gray shade of the horizon - a shade that became lighter and lighter as the day progressed. She had found herself sitting in class, just looking out the window a variety of times, wishing that it would start to rain again. By now, the sky had almost entirely cleared up, leaving but a small cloud here and there for her to see. The sun stood halfway across the sky, letting her know that late afternoon was fast approaching.

The bridge creaked as she leaned back, resting her weight on her elbows which were resting upon the dark wood. She was out there alone and had been for about an hour, wishing not to seek out company of any kind. She looked up at the sun through hooded eyes as if she was silently telling it to go away, a childish request, but one that crossed her mind nonetheless. She wanted to feel the droplets of rain against her skin, taste them on her lips once more. It was easy to pretend that she was sitting in the rain if she closed her eyes. The small drops came down gently upon her lips and slid off slowly, giving her the illusion that fingers were lightly fluttering against her skin.

A silly grin spread across her face as she continued with her daydream. She was caught up in her bliss and tried to hold on to it even when her cell phone started ringing. It was a fight she was bound to lose; she knew that and opened her eyes with a sigh. She blindly reached for her phone, taking her time to flip it open before bringing it up to her ear.

''Hello?''

''Sweets? Sweets, where are you? Are you still at school?''

''No,'' Rory said while glancing down at her watch. ''No, mom, I'm not at school.''

''Well, if you aren't at school, at home or here then...''

''Wait,'' Rory interrupted. ''Where's here?''

''On the other side of the rainbow,'' Lorelai answered in a singsong voice.

''And you're wondering why you can't find me...''

''Or is it the other way around? The rainbow is hard to find, you know, especially the other side.''

Rory smiled. ''I'm at the bridge.''

''Got lost on your way to Luke's? I told you that you shouldn't wander around Stars Hollow; you'll find yourself lost before you know it.''

''Yeah, I think you need to get me one of those town maps they sell at Doose's.''

Lorelai lightly chuckled. ''Yeah, we can use different colored markers to color in all of the shortest routes to get from our house to Luke's.''

''And if all else fails, we can use it as wrapping paper.''

''Because nothing says 'Merry Christmas' more like the four sights and two tourist attractions of Stars Hollow,'' Lorelai added.

''Yeah...so I'll meet you at Luke's since you're already there and all?''

''Well, you could meet at home, but I would have to walk all the way back first and...''

''I'll see you in a couple of minutes.''

''I'm giving you five,'' Lorelai said.

''I'll be there.''

Rory hung up and slid her phone into her pocket before getting up. The back of her jeans was wet from sitting on the bridge too long, but she didn't seem to notice as she walked over to the other end of the bridge, her hands slipping into her back pockets as she headed for Luke's. She stepped off the sidewalk and started to cross the street, passing the gazebo on her way. Movement caught her eye and she turned her head a little to get a better look, not expecting the sight she was confronted with. It was the black hair she recognized.

''Jess.''

She slowed down and eventually came to a halt so she could stare at him. She removed her hands from her pockets, rubbing them against the sides of her legs as she took in his horizontal position. He was lying on top of the bench in the gazebo, a girl willingly trapped between it and him as he covered her body with his entirely. She couldn't see his face; it was hidden from her by his dark locks as they lay sprawled out against the girl's forehead. A gasp escaped her lips as she saw him slide his leg in between hers, causing the girl to press herself even tighter against him and he allowed it, doing nothing as she alternated between running her hands through his hair and slipping her hands in his back pockets, clinging to him even more.

''Must have forgotten to bring a book,'' Rory murmured, biting her lip and looking away.

As she hurried over to the diner, almost running, Jess became aware of the sound her sneakers made as they bounced off the sidewalk. It took him less than a second to pull away from Leah and raise his head, knowing instantly in what direction to look. He ignored the pair of hands that were urgently pulling at his shirt as he watched Rory open the door and enter the diner hastily. For a few seconds, his mind was racing with thoughts he wasn't familiar with - thoughts that made him turn his head away from her and finally lower his eyes back down to the girl he was straddling. Her hazel eyes curiously looked up at him. ''Hey, are you okay?''

Jess didn't answer immediately, instead he glanced at the diner once more.

''I...I didn't do anything wrong, did I?'' Leah asked, her tone almost shy.

He returned his gaze to her and smiled, shaking his head. ''No, I was just thinking...''

''About?''

Her sincerity made him look away once more as he wondered what he had gotten her into. Yeah, she liked him, but she had only seen one side of him - the side Rory knew only from a distance. ''...about how wrong this is,'' he finally answered.

A panicked look crossed her face. ''What?'' He could feel her tense up underneath him.

''This is wrong,'' Jess repeated. ''The gazebo isn't a proper place to do this, we should go inside.''

Leah's eyes locked with his and he soon found him copying her smile. ''You mean I finally get to see your room?'' She ran a hand through his hair, moving it away from his face. He didn't know her that long, but he did know that she liked to do that a lot. He wanted to ask her about it, but he refrained from doing so, afraid of crossing the boundaries he had set himself. He shrugged. ''Actually, I don't really have a room per say, but it's better than this...if you want,'' he added as an after thought.

''I'd like that.''

-x-x-x-

Rory closed the door behind her and headed straight for the counter where she had spotted her mom the moment she had come in. She greeted both her mom and Luke while sitting down, getting a smile from Lorelai and a simple nod from Luke before they continued with the conversation they seemed to be wrapped up in. This had happened the last couple of times she would meet her mom at the diner: she would walk in on them having a normal conversation. She never had the heart to interrupt them, knowing that they enjoyed their time together, even if it was just talking. Rory understood because she used to have that with Jess, back when he still had time for her.

A sigh left her without a warning, making her reach for her cell phone. She thought about calling Dean; she needed someone to be with for a little while. She fished her phone out of her pocket, but didn't flip it open, instead she placed directly in front of her on the counter, hoping that Luke would notice so she wouldn't feel so left out. Her mom laughed, the door of the diner opened and Luke's face shot up, making her believe that another customer had entered.

''Where were you?'' Luke's voice boomed through the room.

''I was on my break.''

A shudder ran through Rory's body as she heard him speak, wondering if Luke saw through the lie and if he ever got sick of dealing with Jess's antics; she did.

''You were gone for the entire afternoon,'' Luke pointed out, irritated by how Jess could walk through the door without giving any explanation at all for his actions.

Jess shrugged. ''I lost track of time.'' He reached for Leah's hand and started to lead her towards the stairs, passing by Rory without acknowledging her.

''Who's your friend?'' Lorelai asked, always curious to new names and faces.

Jess wanted to say 'no one', but he stopped himself from doing so. ''Leah.''

Leah looked at him, a bit of surprise visible on her face. He avoided her gaze and let go of her hand, bringing his own to his pocket. Leah looked at him for a few seconds before turning to the others in the room. ''I'm Leah King... It's my fault Jess didn't make it back on time; see, we have to read this book for Literature, something I'm so not good at, and he offered to help me. So...sorry.''

''Did she just introduce herself?'' Lorelai asked while looking at Luke.

''You heard her,'' Luke answered. He cleared his throat before continuing. ''Well, Leah, was it? It's nice to meet you. I'm Luke, his uncle.''

''Uncle?'' Leah whispered while leaning in a little closer to Jess.

He dismissed her question without giving it a second thought, not wanting to get into it.

''And I'm Lorelai, if anyone cares and that's the younger version of me, Rory.''

''Her daughter,'' Luke quickly added.

Leah let her eyes wander off to Rory whom looked up briefly to throw her a smile before lowering her gaze back down to the counter. ''She's even more shy me,'' she softly said.

Jess didn't respond as he brought his eyes over to Rory, giving her a quick once over before returning his gaze to Luke. ''Well, now that she has meet the happy clan...we're going upstairs.''

''If that's okay?'' Leah asked thoughtfully.

Luke nodded.

''Thank you.''

Jess nodded turned his head a little to look at Leah, though his gaze kept switching from her to Rory and back again. ''Listen, you go ahead, okay?''

''But...''

''I'll be up,'' Jess promised. ''Just give me two minutes.''

''Yeah, sure.'' Leah said, her voice trailing off thoughtfully as he looked at Rory over his shoulder.

''She's nice,'' Lorelai remarked as soon as Leah had disappeared through the curtains and up the stairs.

''Yeah, almost too...''

Jess rolled his eyes. ''Thanks for the support, Luke.''

''You can't blame me, Jess. Most of your girlfriends were, well...''

''They didn't wear any pants,'' Lorelai said. ''If they sat down or leaned over you could see straight up their...''

''Lorelai,'' Luke warned.

''What?! You could! I swear! Right, Ror?''

''Mom,'' Rory said, lifting her head slightly.

''What?! Girls who dress like that are bound to be talked about behind their backs,'' Lorelai defended.

''Nice,'' Rory commented.

''I'm with her on that,'' Jess said.

Rory still didn't look at him. ''It's Jess's decision whom he dates or not, though I like Leah better than the other ones; she seems nice.''

One simple comment on Lorelai's side got her back into an argument with Luke to both Rory and Jess's relief. They both looked at each other briefly, unsure of what to do with the awkward silence they found themselves wrapped up in. Rory thought of breaking it, but ended up looking at her cell phone instead, deep in thought. Jess watched her for a couple of seconds before he reached for an empty coffee cup. He interrupted her cycle of thoughts by placing a cup that was filled to the rim with coffee in front of her. His simple action made her look up. ''Thanks.''

''Same here,'' Jess said.

Rory threw him half a smile. ''I meant it, she seems really nice.'' Her eyes found his, though still partially hidden behind a few strands of hair.

He reached out his hand, too quick for her to follow, and wiped the stray locks aside. While he pulled his hand back, Rory softly laughed at his sudden action. ''Was it bothering you?''

''Somewhat,'' Jess said before turning around and also disappearing through the curtains, leaving Rory sitting at the counter, alone.

She looked down at her coffee, getting up soon after. She said something to her mom about going home and left. Outside, she shook her head until the strands Jess had brushed aside were hanging in front of her face again. She caught her reflection in one of the puddles. Frustrated, she jumped into it.

REVIEW! Please? :-) I know that some people may dislike Jess because of how he treated Rory and what not, but I still think that his character was one of the most intriguing ones on the series and I think that he is a decent actor with even better looks. :-) Anyway (!), I really hope you liked it because I actually did this time! I was happy with most of it. :-) What do you think of Jess's character so far? (and Leah's?) I know that he might be a tad OOC, but I like him like this. Lemme know! Oh, and of course I have to thank all of you that took the time to review! I definitely appreciate it and it gives me a bit more confidence about my writing. So, thanks! :-)