AN: Thanks for all of the reviews. Now, I had originally wanted to make this a story in Rory's point of view, but I feel this more effective.. so yeah. ) I'm still looking for Beta readers... please?

Also, casting. Brad is played by none other than Chris Lowell from Veronica Mars and now "Private Practice". I'm really trying to cut down on other characters, but its slightly unrealistic for Rory to not have any friends. Or persuers. :-) -shock- And I promise, more Jess in the next chapter. Just because I love you all.

If you are intersted in Beta Reading, please email me at xxfluteangelxx (at) yahoo (dot) com

Semi-Charmed Kind of Life
Chapter 1
Coffee and Confrontations

The groan that escaped the mouth of the wispy brunette was not at all becoming. Fighting sleep deprivation and a sugar crash that would tip the scales in the contest that her mother and she had been waging since birth, Lorelei Leigh Gilmore hid her face underneath her comforter. But that damn alarm clock was persistent. And Rory knew that if she didn't surface from the abyss that was her bed that she was going to be late. And late on the first day a good impression does not make.

Yes. Today was Rory's first day at the Philly Daily News. She'd been in town for a week, but yesterday was the first day she'd been alone. Up until then she had numerous visitors, from her mother to Paris. But to be honest, Rory was thankful for the company. People let her think. And people brought her coffee. Luke type people, to be specific.

Crawling out of bed, Rory's habit of morning caffeine explosions propelled her to move towards the kitchen, before even showering. After the coffee was brewing, and a sigh of security and relief, the brunette made her way into the bathroom of the tiny apartment she had leased. It was one bedroom, one bath, with a combined living room/kitchen area. Nothing like what she lived in with Logan, but she liked it this way. It was her own, and no one else's. She wasn't relying on someone for the first time in her life. No tuition being paid off in mandatory dinners and definitely no living with a boyfriend who happens to have a large trust fund. It was just her. And she was okay with that.

In all honesty, Rory knew she'd never be truly alone. Too many people cared. Too many people nosed into her life. But, as she walked out in simply a towel to the kitchen, she didn't know if that was such a bad thing. In fact, it might even qualify as a good thing. And it was a comforting thought as she sipped her coffee in solitude.

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After several different outfit changes and one very panicked call to her mother, Rory finally managed to make it out of the apartment and in her car to the office. Lacking a decent stereo system, Rory's thoughts drifted as she listened to mediocre mainstream music and sipped what was now her 2nd cup of coffee.

Drifting thoughts were not exactly a good thing for Rory at the moment. Neurotic tendencies were taking over. Even with the security of the job, she still was freak-out girl at the moment. Every little scenario popped into her head of what could… no what would go wrong. Finally, as yet another red light popped up in front of her, the jittery one forced her self to calm down. Even she could tell she was acting ridiculous. Considering another 20 minutes of driving in this awful traffic awaited her, she coached herself through this minor mental breakdown. "Come on Rory, you're composed. Just… focus on the music." Then listening to the overplayed song repeat itself once again, she muttered "or anything else."

Unfortunately for Rory, the "anything else" turned her thoughts on a certain subject she'd been avoiding. Jess Mariano. Even just thinking the name gave her a certain sense of unfinished business. She hadn't yet decided what to do about him. She'd have to tell him about her living in Philadelphia, but Rory didn't exactly know how to do it. A phone call would be insufficient and probably seem cold, but a personal visit would be uncomfortable and maybe give him the wrong idea. "Mental note, make a pro/con list when you get the chance."

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Arriving at the office, Rory was immediately greeted by a bubbly blond receptionist whose name had the unfortunate luck of ending in a double-consonant-y. Confining it to an internal chuckle, Rory made yet another mental note to mention the stereotype to her mother that night. After being led upstairs by the woman (who couldn't be older than 20), Rory met some of the people in the office. There were very little names she actually remembered at that moment. A lot of information was thrown at her in a very short amount of time.

Getting settled in at the tiny little desk she had been given, Rory took a moment to look around and take in everything that was happening. And for a moment, it felt like the rush of the newsroom had taken half-time. And a crash of a very large stack of papers from the desk next to her had caused the daydream to end.

"Crap," muttered the shaggy haired man who seemed to be at his wit's end. Rory bent over to help clear up the clutter, and half-smiled at him.

"Rough day?" She asked, handing him a pile of papers that were slightly more organized than they were in before the fall. And she couldn't help noticing the green eyes that pierced out at her.

"Try rough week. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, new girl." He said, shaking his head. Despite the young age, he looked pretty haggard around the edges.

Rory scoffed. Of all the nicknames that she had been graced with in the past few years of being the "new girl", that one was the least original. "Mary" was at least perplexing, and "Ace" was just kind of endearing. "How original. I can see that the brightest of the minds have been gathered at this office." She turned back to her desk, although cute, his wit didn't exactly match what she'd been hoping.

Rolling his eyes, the green-eyed man said quickly. "Look, I didn't mean to offend. I'm just saying, its not exactly all fun and games."

"I have a bed to sleep in, instead of a bus seat. And I'm not up at all hours interviewing candidates. Trust me, at the moment, this place looks like heaven. And I'm talking the coffee-filled kind" She retorted. Everyone always expected her to roll over and take everything like some little meek rodent. And she lived to surprise each and every person who thought like that.

"Well newbie, I may have misjudged you." He smiled and looked over at her desk. "Or should I say, Lorelei."

"Call me Lorelei only under punishment of death. By my mother. She wouldn't want us getting confused. I go by Rory." She looked at him slightly playful. "Unless you're a glutton for punishment, "she said, pausing only to look at his desk plate, "… Bradlee".

"Its Brad." He said, and then turned back to his desk, only looking back once more to say "Unlike some, I have to get back to work, Lorelei."

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Unbelievably dull.

That was the only opinion Rory had of her first day. Other than the second-rate encounter between Brad and her, there wasn't really much to interest her on her first day. And once again the active mind, bored with the first day tasks such as filling out employee paperwork, slipped into a daze of complex thought and contemplation. And as 5 o'clock drew closer and closer, Rory's mind became much clearer on her decision.

She had to go see him. That was really the only way that it would be okay living in the same city. But she didn't know when. Idly typing up the last on her tax forms, Rory looked around. The office was less bustling from when she had arrived and people were leaving. It must have been a slow news day. Even the Yale newsroom was never this quiet. At this exact moment, there must have been no more than 6 or 7 people left in the office.

Throughout the day, Rory had learned more names. Unfortunately, the only one left that she remembered was Brad; he was sauntering out of the lounge looking much more at peace than he had earlier. As he sat down at his desk he looked over at Rory. "Look, I feel bad that we kind of got off on the wrong foot. The stress levels can be daunting at times, and not everyone can be the Donna Reed of the newsroom. Let me apologize by way of coffee. Maybe not now because of the fact that it seems you've already had…." He paused to count, "five cups. But sometime. You know. "

The Donna Reed reference struck her slightly. It made her giggle slightly. And made Brad a little flustered, and slightly embarrassed. He started stammering out excuses that he didn't mean it like that. Rory giggled again and smiled, "I'm laughing at the fact that 5 isn't even close to being an outrageous amount. I'm in. And frankly I could use a little pickup at the moment. Filling out forms all day is kind of in the world of boring. And I'm talking War of the Worlds levels here."

He smiled as he shut down his computer. She followed suit and did the same. She could wait until later to visit Jess. Or even tomorrow. She's still only been in town for a week.

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Walking down the streets of Philadelphia was definitely a new experience for Rory. They had decided to just walk, since it was really close to the office. Really close seemed to be a bit of an understatement, but Rory sucked it up and kept walking.

"This place is a must see. Its one of those places that you only know about if you live here kind of thing. It's been unnamed forever, but it's really cultivated a big following," Brad spouted off. Rory nodded and smiled. A weird sense of the unfortunate was creeping up on her. They walked up to the outside and he smiled. "Its not a coffee shop, per say, but on open house nights they serve coffee, and artists present their work and all of that."

Rory shook her head. "I can't go in there…" A lump started to twist into formation in her throat. This was Jess's shop. And knowing fate's games, he'd probably already seen her.

Looking down, Brad said "Oh… alright then… um… well there's another coffee place that um… we passed on the way. If you want…" He was perplexed at her sudden… cold attitude.

"Look… maybe… we should, call it a night. Its nothing you've done, trust me. Rain check? I promise to follow through. I just... kind of have to take care of something." It was now or never.

"Do you… want me to walk you back to the office? I mean, its far and Philly's far from safe. I don't want you to get..." He stopped, feeling he was obviously getting nowhere.

"I'm fine, I'll get a cab. You should probably get one too." She looked down; this was not how she had wanted the night to go.

"I-I understand." He took out his phone and dialed the number for a cab. "Um.. Yeah. I need a cab. 143 2nd Ave south. 10 minutes? Alright." He sighed. "I guess waiting in there for the cab would be a no?"

She sighed. Standing outside was stupid. But she didn't really want to go inside the Truncheon Press with a guy. An attractive guy. That would just confuse things even more. And God knows she couldn't handle it. "No… That'd be stupid. Um… I'll meet you inside."

He shook his head. Confusion had taken over his night. She'd have to explain it. Eventually. But it was a way bigger story than she felt like dealing with at the moment. But he went inside and Rory waited. She leaned against the outside wall, trying to think of what to say once she went inside. But maybe she was making too big a deal of the whole thing. She didn't even know. All she did know was that her heart was racing, and nerves were starting to take control. With a resigned sigh, Rory opened the door was surprised to see Jess standing there at the door.

With a soft voice, she managed to get out, "Hi… Jess."