Chapter Seven

Author's Note: Sorry guys, but the dinner will actually be next chapter… This one turned out a little different than I expected.

While Emily was busy planning things for Friday night, Richard sat amongst the chaos of various maids, special cleaning services and florists, attempting to read. Though he was failing, it wasn't the fault of the army of people rushing about. Richard's thoughts were on the dinner party ambush. He was beginning to think that giving Rory some type of warning would be for the best. She did deserve that much courtesy at least. "Emily, I will be in my study, if you find you should need me."

Richard didn't need to hear Emily's reply. She thought of him as useless in the planning stages in most events. Once he was behind his great desk, Richard began to think of the best way to go about this warning. He sighed heavily, thinking that informing Lorelai would be the most prudent option. She would know how to prepare Rory for this. After all, she had been at the brunt of most of Emily's mischievous, well- intentioned, plans.

"Hello?" Lorelai answered her phone, still slightly out of breath. She still hadn't found the girls and was beginning to feel slightly nervous about their disappearing act.

Richard wanted to keep this call as positive as possible. He was enjoying a new found relationship with his daughter that had be come much more pleasant than the hostility surrounding their past. "Hello, Lorelai. How are you?"

Ever since the fight with her mother, Lorelai had begun to make an honest effort to talk to her father more. But today was already stressful enough, without having to listen to a lecture about her treatment of Emily last night. "Hey, Dad, now isn't really a good time. Can I call you back?"

Richard knew if he didn't have this conversation now, he would talk himself out of having it at all. "I promise this will only take a minute and it is some what important."

"Ok then, shoot." Lorelai told him only half listening. Her mind was still wondering where the girls had gotten off too. She'd searched every where she could think of and still no sign of them.

"Emily has decided to invite the Huntzburgers to dinner Friday night. And I'm not sure that she has told Rory. Or if she is planning on telling Rory, to be honest."

Lorelai stopped and stood right where she was. Which was the middle of the street. "She, what?"

Richard could already hear the storm brewing from Lorelai's tone. He had to quickly remind himself if this dinner happened with no warning Lorelai's wrath would be at least twice what he was facing now.

Richard wanted Lorelai to be reasonable so he tried to explain the practical merits of introducing Rory to the Huntzburgers. "Mitchum owns several very well known papers, he will be an excellent contact for Rory, Lorelai."

That sounded too easy, too logical. "Dad, as true as that may be, this dinner has 'Emily Gilmore Meddling' written all over it. What's the catch?" Lorelai was trying to calm herself down. Blowing up at her father would serve no purpose in the end. Especially since he was doing the right thing by warning Rory, in a round about way, but warning none the less.

"I believe Logan will be in attendance, as well as his parents. After Rory mentioned that Luke's nephew is back I noticed Emily did not seem as pleased as Rory was." Yes, Richard had noticed. Being married to Emily for forty years had taught how to tell when there was trouble in the mist.

"So, let me guess, Mom decided to invite the Huntzbutts so she could wave golden boy, Logan, under Rory's nose in a pathetic attempt to manipulate Rory into becoming the paragon of Gilmore socialites?" That would be so like something her mother would dream up. Hell, Lorelai would take a bet that Emily was already picking out the wedding announcement and the venue for the ceremony. Emily must be in control of everything. If her control was lost for a single moment everyone would pay, dearly.

"She's not trying to manipulate Rory, Lorelai. Emily just… well… You of all people know how your mother can sometimes be. She truly believes that she is doing what is best for everyone." Richard had always tried to find peaceful resolutions like this between his daughter and wife. The problem with the two women was, in many ways, they quite similar. Both women were stubborn, bold, ferocious and independent. Living with the two, while Lorelai was growing up had been filled with drama and at times insanely comical. Richard was sure that the reason his hair had turned grey was because e was almost constantly mediating their many quarrels.

"I know what she thinks, Dad. I'll tell Rory and we will figure something out. Fair warning though, I don't see this going well. No matter how positively I try and spin it, for your benefit not Mom's." Lorelai sighed. Her mother would never change, but sometimes she thanked the heavens above that the father tried to be sympathetic.

Richard chuckled, remembering how much Rory was like her own mother. "I shall brace myself accordingly."

With a small chuckle Richard put the phone down. He knew he had done the right thing.

Lorelai rushed inside her house wondering if the girls had decided to continue the movie marathon without her. "Rory?!"

Jess ran out of Rory's room nearly tripping over his own feet and put his fingers to his lips, "SHH! I just got all of them to sleep and I swear to God, if you wake them up, you're the one dealing with them!"

Lorelai was slightly concerned that Jess was talking about the girls like they were triplets and was their sleep deprived mother. "What are you talking about?"

"SHH! Jess said again more forcefully while motioning for Lorelai to go back to the porch He could deal with three drunk girls, easy. But three upset drunk girls, that was a whole different ball game. Who knew they had so many disparaging names to call men? And being the only man present, they had hurled every insult they could think of at him. There were some that even he hadn't heard of and some that even made him blush.

Once outside, Jess turned and looked at Lorelai. This was going to be difficult, telling Lorelai that her perfect angel daughter was drunk. "Now we can talk."

Lorelai couldn't take it anymore. "What the hell is going on? Why did you tell me to 'shh' in my own house?"

Jess decided that if he had to deal with the three female stooges, he should at least get a little fun out of it too. "I found the girls. Hopefully, before they did too much damage."

"Damage?"

"Well, they were all upset, so I am assuming that they took their anger out on something or possibly even someone."

The way this conversation was going was making Lorelai incredibly nervous. "What happened? Where were they?"

"Rory and Friends decided to take their chances with Ms. Patty's punch. Let me tell you, they lost." Jess was starting to see the amusing side of it all now. Before, all he saw was the crying, screaming and vomiting.

"Oh no!" Lorelai finally understood. The girls were drunk. Poor Jess had been trying to take care of all of them. And if she had to guess, Lorelai would say they hadn't taken it easy on him, either. "Why didn't you call me?"

Jess laughed like the question was the funniest thing he had heard in years. "You think they left me alone long enough to even get near the phone?"

Lorelai slowly caught up. The three hadn't been in the best of moods. She was sure the punch only compounded everything. "Yikes! Bad?"

"Oh yea." Jess really didn't feel like relieve the details any time soon.

"They are going to need hang over supplies in the morning." Lorelai thought out loud. Already starting a list in her head. Strong coffee, eggs, tacos, water, aspirin, mouthwash….

"Oh yea." Jess agree. The headaches had started just before the vomiting.

"Rory's is not going to like the news I have to give her on top of this hangover." Lorelai muttered.

"What news is that?" Jess was enjoying the banter-sharing thing he and Lorelai had going and he wanted to continue it.

"The glorious Emily has decided to have a 'suitable' male at next Friday's dinner. She doesn't think Rory is with acceptable company at the moment. Gee, I cont imagine why…"Lorelai was smirking.

"Ah geez, She remembers me?" Jess had hoped that time had faded the first impression he had left with Emily. Evidently not.

"Of course she remembers you. Yu did leave quite an impression. Stand proud, my friend." Lorelai patted his shoulder,

Jess wanting out of this particular art of the conversation, so he tried to redirect Lorelai's focus. "Who is Emily forcing on Rory? Poor buy probably doesn't know what he's in for. I should send him my condolences."

Lorelai hadn't expected Jess to take the idea of Rory being set up with someone else very well. Yet, here Jess stood cracking jokes about the whole thing. "Logan Huntzburger."

When Jess heard that name he couldn't stop the laughing fit. 'Casual Logan' at diner with the Gilmore's. The imaginary picture itself was priceless.

"Why is that funny?" Lorelai was yet again lost. Jess was always defying her preconceived expectations. Last time he did so in the worst possible way. Now, he was blowing Lorelai away in the best way possible.

"Just picturing casual Yale boy at the table trying to carry on a conversation with Emily. He will be so uncomfortable, Maybe Emily will have china patterns for him to discuss so she know what wedding gift to register them for." Jess was still doubled over with laughter.

Seeing the picture in Lorelai's mind caused her to join in the gaiety. "Poor kid, he's going to be a deer trapped between headlights and hunters."

A wicked idea came to Jess. After all Emily had put Lorelai, Luke and Rory through, Jess was beginning to think a little pay back was in order. And he knew the perfect way to rattle Emily's guilded cage. He would need Lorelai's help to pull this one off though. "I've got an idea, if you're up for it."

Lorelai looked at Jess trying to decipher what his fast paced brain had come up with. But it was no use, "Fill me in."

Lane came back to reality on the bathroom floor. Her head was still spinning and she still could quite form a coherent thought. All she could think was 'I want my mom'. She had to still be drunk.

"Kim's Antiques. We are closed. Call again tomorrow." Mrs. Kim's voice filled the phone that somehow magically appeared in Lane's hand. It was too late to just hang up "Mama?"

Mrs. Kim heard the sadness and distress in her daughter's voice and was immediately ready for anything. "Lane, what's wrong?"

Lane started to cry and she completely unloaded her problems on her mom. Everything about Zach lying and then seeing him with Sophie. Even if Lane's mother wasn't as warmly loving like Lorelai, she still loved her daughter just as dearly as Lorelai did Rory. Just in a Mrs. Kim way.

"This boy, Zach, he lied to you?" Mrs. Kim growled. She detested lies. Especially ones that hurt her daughter.

"Yes, Mama." Lane told her still crying.

"He hurt you?" Mrs. Kim wasn't interested in the details. All that mattered to her was her Lane was hurting.

"Yes."

"Where are you?" Before Mrs. Kim did anything about this boy, she had to make sure that her daughter would be taken care of.

"I'm at Rory's." Lane answered, thinking that any moment her mother would burst in the door.

"Good. Give the phone to Lorelai."

Lane had sinking feeling, maybe telling her mother hadn't been the best idea in the world. "Why?"

"Lane Kim, you give the phone to Lorelai, right now." Mrs. Kim ordered in the tone that allowed no room for argument.

Lane got up to find Lorelai, panicking slightly at what her mother was going to say. Lane was still loopy from the punch so she didn't think anything of finding Lorelai and Jess talking excitedly on the couch. Well, Lorelai was excited. And Jess was being more involved in the actual conversation. "Lorelai, my mom wants to talk to you."

Loroelai took the phone with great trepidation. Mrs. Kim had always and would always make Lorelai nervous. And the only reason Mrs. Kim would be calling at this hour was because of the punch drunk debacle. "Hello, Mrs. Kim."

"Lorelai, I need you to take care of Lane." Mrs. Kim and Lorelai may be almost exact opposites, but there was no one else on the face of the planet that Mrs. Kim would trust to care for Lane. Mrs. Kim knew that Lorelai thought of Lane as a daughter, and loved her dearly.

Lorelai thought Mrs. Kim was talking about the hangover that was sure to be headed Lane's direction. "So you heard about the dr-"

Mrs. Kim cut Lorelai's question off. "Of course. I hear everything. But I am not talking about that." Lane's drinking was actually not a big deal to Mrs. Kim. She knew that girls at Lane's age rebelled and experimented. Lane was living on her own. And Mrs. Kim was more proud of her daughter than words could say.

The theme of Lorelai's night was back. She couldn't understand what was going on at all. "Ok, Take care of her how?"

"She is hurting right now and she needs you and Rory to take her mind off of everything. Like you used to do when they were growing up." Mrs. Kim explained like this should be obvious.

"Ok, now that I can do. I promise." Lorelai would always take care of Lane. Even when Lane thought she didn't need the help, Lorelai would be there.

"I will handle the rest." Mrs. Kim hung up the phone and marched out of her house.

When Lane had interrupted Jess and Lorelai's plotting, he's decided to make himself useful and get the thing on Lorelai's long list of insane hangover remedies. He read the paper and shook his head in amazement. Taco? Why, tacos? Who eats tacos with a hangover?

Jess hit the market first for the things like aspirin, toothbrushes, mouthwash, pop tarts and coffee. He was hoping he would run into Taylor. Maybe give him a few things to scream about. Jess could use the laugh. But instead he found Dean in on of the isles stocking the shelves. Jess just couldn't resist, "Wow, moving up in the world. Taylor's actually letting you touch the breakables, now. I'm sure your parents are so proud of you."

When Dean heard Jess' voice behind him the jar of spaghetti sauce he'd been holding crashed to the floor and began spewing its contents all over the floor, him and everything within four feet. Dean felt like he was in a never ending nightmare.

Jess hid the laughter at the perfect timing under a façade of disinterest. But he looked at the clearly angry Dean covered in Ragu. "Oops, guess I spoke to soon, huh?"

"Shut up." Dean growled, while trying to wipe some of the mess off his apron. This had to be one of the most upsetting and embarrassing moments in Dean's life. Many of the worst moments Dean had involved Jess in some way.

Jess tried to walk around Dean and the mess on the floor. He had more important things to do than waste too much time harassing Dean when Jess heard Dean mutter, "What have you done that's so special?"

The question may have really bothered Jess in the past, sometimes it still plagued him. But Jess knew in his heart and soul that he was actually accomplishing something. He had worked hard and gotten farther in life than many thought was possible for him. This was an attack he couldn't just shrug off, "Well, I haven't done my part to feed the masses, but then again, that's your thing right apron boy?"

Dean starred at Jess with loathing. Thinking that there was no way this loser had done anything with his life. Why else would he be back in Stars Hollow? "At least I have a job."

"I'm wounded, market boy has cut me to the core. How shall I ever recover?" Jess mocked.

"You're such a jackass." Dean never could quite match up to Jess' wit. He knew this and still always tried to do so.

"So I've been told. I'd rather be a jackass than a philandering imbecile. But that's just me."

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Dean's voice started to rise. He'd been so sure Jess would disappear after what happened on the bridge. He was supposed to leave Rory. Nothing was going right at all.

"I have a fair idea. Rory filled a few blanks in for me." Jess realized that Dean was getting more and more upset, Dean was also expecting Jess' level of anger to match. And was thrown off by the calm Jess' was projecting. So the best way to handle this situation was to just stay cool. 'Frank at the Sands' cool.

Dean couldn't understand how Jess was being so calm, almost disinterested. Jess was supposed to be the one to be upset and yelling. "Then you know she is just as bad as I am."

Jess shook his head. Rory may have made a mistake by being with Dean but she owned up to it. Dean however was trying to push the blame on everyone else, while playing the victim. "You really don't get it, do you, Dean?"

"Don't get what?!" Dean was at the end of his rope. Jess was talking in circles and Dean just couldn't keep up.

"If I explain it all to you, then you wont have the experience of learning on your own. Everyone knows how I value education, so you're just going to have to figure it out all on you own." Jess said holding his hands up.

Jess turned to leave again, as much as he enjoyed needling Dean he had supplies to get or be brought up on war crimes at the Gilmore house. But Dean once again stopped him from carrying on by taking a menacing step forward and glared down at Jess.

Dean still like to imitate Frankenstein, Jess smirked up at him, "What?"

"You know you wont get to keep her, either. You don't deserve her."

Dean may be right thinking that Rory deserved better. Jess could easily agree with that fact. No one was good enough for Rory. No one would ever be good enough for Rory. But Jess would try his hardest to be someone that Rory was proud of. "Do you, honestly, think that you're good enough for her? Divorced, cheating, stock boy, who doesn't have a goal and lives with mommy and daddy is the right guy for the beautiful, smart and ambitious town princess? Yea, I don't see it. But I'll let you dream."

"Shut up!" Dean yelled with his fists balled at his sides.

"Oh, snappy come back, did you think of it all on your own?" Jess waited a beat to try and give Dean a fair chance at walking away with some semblance of dignity. When all Dean could do was continue to glare, Jess sighed, "Look as much fun as this whole 'catching up' thing we're doing is, Lorelai needs me to pick a few things up for the girls. Because in a bizarre twist of fate, I'm the good guy and the drunken loser who yells at people in the street."

Dean stood there covered in marina sauce, watching Jess fill a basket with things clearly intended for Rory, simmering with rage. His entire world was crashing around him. Lorelai was suddenly ok with Jess? Jess wasn't running away? Rory wanted Jess?

Dean felt the burn of embarrassment when he noticed that everyone in the market had their eyes glued to him. They were watching him, just like they used to watch Jess. Dean decided that he was the only one who actually cared about Rory. He would convince her that Jess didn't deserve to be in her life. Maybe, he could convince her to come back to him.

After Jess got everything on Lorelai's crazy scribbled list he headed back to the house. Even after his mini-confrontation with Dean, Jess' spirits were high. He and Lorelai had reached a playful truce, Rory had decided to give him a chance, and they were starting work on his store tomorrow. Things had definitely taken a turn.

Jess quietly dropped the bags in the kitchen, not wanting to wake the house. Lorelai had fallen asleep on the couch with Lane. Paris had taken over the floor in the bathroom and Rory was passed out on her bed.

Jess looked in on Rory and smiled. Even in sleep she was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld. He would do everything he could to become a kind of man she deserved. Or at least close to it.

"Jess?" Rory had half opened her eyes and saw a blurry figure standing in her doorway.

"Hey." Jess walked over to sit on Rory's bed, just to be closer to her.

"You stayed." Rory smiled. Having Jess here made her feel like she was waking up in a dream.

"Of course, I stayed. You think I would miss Act II of Founder's Day Punch and Friends, It should be the best part."

"Yea, I'm starting to feel the headache already." Rory pouted, putting a hand to her on her forehead. How could people handle doing this to their bodies every weekend? Or, in Logan's case, every day?

"That I can help." Jess went back to the kitchen and grabbed a few aspirin and a glass of water.

"Oh bless you!" Rory gushed when he her handed the first step in dealing with a massive hangover. She swallowed the pills and gulped the rest of the water down.

"Well, while I'm on your good side, it's been delegated to me to warn you about something."

Rory suddenly got a very bad feeling. And lost what little color she had. "Warn me about what?"

Jess smiled at her panicked look and gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Logan will be making an appearance at your nest Friday night dinner. His parents too." The idea still made Jess chuckle slightly.

"What?! How did you find that out?" Rory's panic quickly become anger. Not a huge help to the brewing migraine.

"Calm down, your grandpa told Lorelai. And while you were doing a great impersonation of Sleeping Beauty We came up with a plan." Once Jess had explained the idea to Lorelai it had really taken off. It was now a full scale battle plan.

"Plan? To get me out of it?" Rory was still so upset with her grandmother, knowing immediately that she was the one who was doing this, that she couldn't see the humor in Jess' eyes. In the back of Rory's mind she was wondering if she would actually have to break a bone or just say she did to escape this barely veiled set up.

"Nope, you're going. But Lorelai and I will also be at this little shin dig." Lorelai had agreed it was about time for Emily to get a taste of her own medicine and since she despised Jess, it all worked out perfectly.

"What? How?" Rory knew her grandmother would rather eat at a soup kitchen for a month then deign to invite Jess into her house. And Lorelai would rather volunteer to do a season of Survivor than ever step foot in that house again.

Jess smiled and spoke in a very innocent tone. "Well, you know ho your mom and Luke have been dying to make amends with Emily. And of course, what better place to do that is there, than Friday night dinner? But Luke will, sadly, come down with a nasty case of the flu and be unable to go at the last minute. So, I will have to take his place. We cant let the extra place setting go to waste, now can we?"

Rory digested this. She could see how this would pan out. "Does my mom know about your diabolical plan?"

"Oh, she helped plan it." Lorelai and Jess had discovered they could easily get along when they were using their brains to put together a way to irritate certain people. Jess considered this a step in the right direction.

"So let me get this straight…You are my mom will be at Friday night dinner?"

Jess answered slowly, drawing out the word like you would do with a small child. "Yes."

"With Logan."

"And his parents."

"But my grandma know that it's you coming?"

"Good to hear you catching up, Gilmore. I always knew you were sharp." Jess kissed her forehead, showing her he was affectionately teasing her.

"This is going to be an interesting dinner." Rory began imagining the different ways her grandmother would react to Jess' presence.

"Very interesting." Jess agreed, looking forward to it.

Author's Note: Sorry I couldn't get to the dinner to this chapter. There as just a lot of other stuff that needed to happen to lead up to it.

Random Question: Where is Lane's dad? They talk about him in the first episode of the second season, but you never once see him? Does he just hide in his room?