Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all it's characters and situations are property of Amy Sherman-Palladino and The WB/The CW. I do not own anything and will not make any profit from this story.

A/N: Here you go. hope you guys enjoy it. Review! And thanks for all the reviews on the previous chapter. They're much appreciated. :D

Jess sat impatiently at the kitchen table, waiting for Rory to come home. The food was in the microwave, waiting to be warmed up as soon as she arrived. Before coming home he had stopped at Doose's to pick up some ice cream, knowing Rory would be needing it. As much as she got frustrated with her grandmother he knew she loved her no matter what.

Rory opened the front door and tore through the hallway to the kitchen. She knew Jess was there as she'd seen the light glaring at her when she walked up the driveway. Jess stood up and she flung herself into his arms, crying, the tears not having stopped since she'd started at her mother's house.

"Rory..." Jess said comfortingly. He had gotten a lot better with his emotions and dealing with other people's emotions, but he'd never fully gotten the hang of it. That's just who Jess was.

"She could d-die," Rory said, hiccuping slightly.

"I know."

"I don't want her to die."

"I know," Jess stroked her hair. "I got ice cream."

Rory chuckled, "The Jess Mariano remedy for anything," she smiled into his chest.

Jess grinned, "Yep. Now dry those tears, Mrs. Mariano. You can't help your grandmother if you're falling apart yourself." He reluctantly let go of Rory so he could get the ice cream out of the freezer. "Besides, I don't think she'll go anywhere and miss the chance to pick at my flaws," he added, grabbing a spoon from the drawer.

"I thought you guys were okay now?" Rory answered, accepting the spoon as he sat down next to her, "what no spoon for you?"

"You know I'm not a huge fan of ice cream without cones, and yeah we are, but she's not going to invite me for high tea anytime soon."

Rory laughed, "high tea?"

Jess glared at her, "you know what I mean."

Rory smiled, "no. Do tell me about this secret high tea fantasy of yours? Does it involve scones too? Tell me, are there dancing teacups?"

"At least I made you smile," he shot back triumphantly.

Now it was Rory's turn to glare, "well, as payback, you must eat ice cream," she stood up and opened up the drawer, pulling out a spoon, "with a spoon."

"Rory, you know I can't do that," Jess answered playfully, enjoying the banter.

"You must," she replied solemnly, causing Jess to smile.

"Look at me, abandoning all my morals for you."

"It's why I love you."

"You better."

"Hey, honey," Sookie greeted timidly as Lorelai entered the kitchen. She shot Lorelai a sympathetic smile.

"Hey, Sookie," Lorelai replied, equally timid. She knew she had to apologize for her behaviour the other day.

"Sookie, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Sookie immediately dropped her knife on the kitchen counter. "Sure, honey."

Lorelai took a deep breath, "I'm sorry about the other day. When I snapped at you and Michel. I already apologized to him but I just told him I had a bad day."

"It wasn't just a bad day, was it?" Sookie asked gently.

Lorelai shook her head, "no," she replied shakily, "It wasn't just a bad day."

Sookie put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"My mom has cancer," Lorelai blurted out, while she did her best to hold in her tears.

"Aww, sweetie, I'm so sorry," Sookie pulled her best friend in for a hug.

"And she might not make it. It's serious, Sookie. It's real bad."

"I'm so, so sorry. Everything will be fine, you'll see. I know your mother, she'll make it. I guarantee you."

Lorelai nodded and dried her tears, "yeah, I hope so."

"She will," Sookie said forcefully.

Lorelai forced a smile.

"Well, honey I'm glad you're talking to me about it, but what about Luke?"

"What about Luke?" Lorelai replied as she plopped down on a stool while her friend got her coffee.

"Well, he seemed upset when he tried talking to you and you brushed him off. And Jackson was in the Diner and he heard him snap at Kirk. He was grumpier than usual. You guys okay?"

Lorelai shrugged, "We're fine, I just haven't felt like talking."

"I know, but maybe you should just let him know that you know he's there. I'm sure he feels quite helpless right now."

Lorelai sipped at her coffee, "since when did you become dr. Phil?"

"Oh, I've always had it in me," Sookie deadpanned, causing Lorelai to smile.

*Ding Dong*

"Jenny, the doorbell!"

*Ding Dong*

"Jenny! The doorbell! Oh, for heaven's sake," Emily said, annoyed, and she huffed off to answer the door herself.

"Pay them a million dollars and you still can't get decent service- Rory, hi!" she greeted brightly when she saw her granddaughter. Her face changed when she saw the grave concern written all over Rory's face.

"Your mother told you didn't she?"

Rory nodded, "she just really needed to talk to someone."

"She should've talked to her husband," Emily pursed her lips and motioned for Rory to follow her to the living room.

"Grandma-" Rory started, but was cut off.

"Would you like something to drink, Rory?"

"No, grandma-"

"How was Australia? You must tell me all about it, I hear it's wonderful this time of the year."

"Grandma, stop," Rory said forcefully.

Emily looked at her sympathetically. "Rory, I'm going to be fine."

"But... what can I do?" she asked, her voice a little shaky. She still didn't trust herself to broach this particular topic without crying or at the very least tearing up.

Emily smiled and moved to sit next to her granddaughter, "you can not worry for me. Tell me about your life. How's Jess?"

"Grandma..."

"Rory, listen to me, from now on it's all going to be serious talk, doctor's jargon and your mother worrying and stuff like that. I need you to help keep everyone sane. Your grandfather is worrying, I'm sure your mother is too-"

"She's flipping out, actually," Rory added.

"-well then, all the more reason for you to keep everyone sane. Tell me about Australia," she smiled at her granddaughter.

Rory smiled back, "Well, we first went to Sydney.."

"Okay, guys, I really need you guys to sleep, okay? It's nap time," Lane said softly to Steve and Kwon.

Zach watched from the doorway as Lane tucked the boys in for their nap.

"Okay, now mommy is going to go relax a little bit. And she would really appreciate it if you two could sleep for at least an hour."

Lane gently closed the door behind her, leaving it slightly ajar.

"Hey, Lane, can I talk to you for a minute?" Zach asked, sitting on the couch as Lane entered the living room.

"Sure," Lane replied, unsure if this would end up in another screaming match or if something productive would actually come out of it.

"Euhm... things haven't been going so well for us lately," he started tentatively.

"I've noticed," Lane replied somewhat coolly.

"And I think I may have found a solution to all our fighting."

"You have," Lane asked sceptically.

"Yeah, Gil mentioned the other day that couple's therapy might not be such a bad idea."

Lane stared at her husband, "couple's therapy?"

Zach nodded enthusiastically.

"You want us to go to couple's therapy so some stranger can tell us what's wrong with us?"

"Well, we can't seem to be figuring it out on our own," Zach replied, somewhat incensed by her reaction to his suggestion.

Lane was taken aback by his reaction, "Euhm... okay, then. If you really think it'll help, I suppose, we'll do that then."

"Okay," Zach replied.

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Stop."

"Hello, this is Mr. Titty's house of fun, how may I help you?" Lorelai answered the phone.

"What right did you have telling Rory? When I told you that I wanted to tell her!"

Lorelai looked confused for a moment before she realised who she was talking to, "Mom? What-"

"Lorelai, I know you don't approve of how I handle things, but I wanted to be the one to tell my granddaughter I was ill," Emily said angrily.

"Mom, look-" Lorelai tried to explain her side of the situation, how she had needed to tell Rory.

"It wasn't your place to tell her, you had no right-"

"Mom! I didn't mean to-"

"I can't believe you can be so mean sometimes, Lorelai. All I asked of you was one small thing and you couldn't even manage that."

"Mom, I-" Lorelai tried again. In vain, it seemed.

"See you on Friday," Emily said curtly before hanging up.

Lorelai sighed, "Oy with the poodles already."

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Jess asked for the fifth time as Rory folded some of his shirts and placed them in his suitcase.

"Jess, we've been over this, it's two days, I'll be fine. I'll stay at mom and Luke's house so I'm not all alone."

Jess sighed, "I just don't wanna leave you alone when all this is going down."

Rory dropped his shirt and straddled him," Jess, you're going to Philadelphia for two days to help your two businesspartners, Matthew and Chris, like you promised when you went into business together. Now suck it up and be a man."

Jess chuckled, "I know, okay. And I love Truncheon, I wanna help the guys, I just love you more and wanna help you more."

"And I appreciate it, but there's nothing you can do here anyway."

Jess smirked, "Well, actually," he kissed Rory gently, "there's a lot I can do here."

Rory rolled her eyes, "not what I meant," she kissed him back before standing up and folding the shirt she had dropped earlier.

"You are going to Philly, and you are going to bring me back a cheese steak, okay? No arguments, mister."

"Ay, ay, captain," Jess said, standing up and coming to help Rory fold his stuff. "Why do you want me gone anyway?"

Rory smirked, "Because we both know the sex will be ten times hotter when you come back."

Jess groaned. "Don't make me go," he whined childishly.

Rory laughed and headed for the bathroom to get his toothbrush and some toothpaste.

"Hey, sweetie, you comfortable?" Lorelai asked from the kitchen as Rory settled into what was once upon a time her room, but now housed a similar teenager, who happened to be her stepsister.

"Yeah, everything's fine, mom!" Rory yelled back while she shoved her bag into a corner and heard her stepdad make dinner in the kitchen.

She heard them laugh at something ridiculous and sat down on the bed with a sigh. She missed Jess. God, she was pathetic. She couldn't even be without her husband for two days. And to think that just 5 hours ago she was the one who was doing the convincing, telling him to go, that she would be fine.

Lorelai entered the room and saw her daughter's sombre face. She smiled knowingly. "Sweetie, it's normal to miss him."

Rory rolled her eyes, "but not when he's been gone for only 5 hours."

"It's normal," Lorelai repeated, "I felt the same way when we'd even go off to work, and that was when I knew I could just walk down the street and see him if I wanted to."

Rory smiled, "you guys made up I see."

Lorelai looked down guiltily, "yeah, I talked to him. And not that way Lane talks to her mom, I mean really talked."

"Good. That's good, mom."

"Yeah," she looked at her daughter and a smile crept unto her face, "you know what'll help take your mind off Jess?"

"An OC marathon? But Lane still has all my DVDs-"

"No. Helping me bug Luke."

Rory smiled, "that might do the trick."

"I miss you," Rory said, careful not to sound too whiny or pathetic as she lay down on her bed, her cellphone pressed to her ear. It felt good to hear Jess' voice.

"I miss you too," he replied, "but hang in there a little longer, I'll be back tomorrow evening."

"Yeah, yeah," Rory grumbled, causing Jess to chuckle.

"So how does it feel, staying with the parents?"

"Oh, you know, just glad my room isn't next to theirs," she replied.

"Yeah, our kid won't be having his room next to ours either."

Rory smiled, "our kid?" She could practically feel Jess getting nervous all the way in Philly.

"Yes, our kid," he said firmly after a good 20 seconds of silence.

"I like that," Rory replied, her smile taking on gigantic proportions, not even known to a Gilmore girl.

"I'm glad."

"A little Jess, running around Stars Hollow, terrorizing Taylor and Kirk, with your cute brown unruly hair from back in the day-"

"- getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we? What if it's a girl? A little Rory, with her minions and followers carrying her books around Stars Hollow-"

"I do not have minions!" Rory exclaimed, laughing.

"Sorry, my mistake, your adoring fan-base-"

"Much better," she replied.

He let out a low chuckle, causing Rory to sigh.

"The bed is cold."

"Rory, it's a single bed, you'll be fine for one night."

She pouted even though she knew he couldn't see it, "fine, but you owe me for this abandonment. I am going to be traumatized for life and have serious abandonment issues."

"I'll make it up to you, promise."

"You'll burn a Hemmingway book for me?"

"Okay, now I'm traumatized."

Rory smiled, "I guess I should act like a big girl, huh?"

"That would be what an adult would do," Jess conceded.

"Okay," she sighed, "have fun, Jess. Say hi to Chris and Matt and I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"I will. And I love you too."

Rory was about to hang up the phone when Jess spoke suddenly, "oh, and Rory, big girls miss people too."

She smiled, "G'night, Jess."

"Night, Ror."

She put her phone on the nighttable when Lorelai burst through the door.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Rory asked, sitting up, surprised by her mother's presence, although she knew by know that she really shouldn't be.

Lorelai slipped into bed with her daughter, "I missed you is all," she said.

Rory smiled.

"You're off living with the hoodlum now, and I don't have anyone to have a midnight girl-talk with."

"You can always come over," Rory said.

"Not the same thing," Lorelai replied, taking one of April's stuffed toys and toying with it.

"Mom, is grandma-"

"Why do they always make bears holding hearts? I mean, now I've never seen a bear, but I'm pretty sure, they don't run around holding hearts."

Rory touched her mother's arm, "Mom."

Lorelai sighed and put the teddy bear away, "I'm scared, Rory."

"I know, mom. So am I. But just imagine how scared grandma is. And grandpa."

"I hadn't even thought of that."

"That's okay. Neither had I untill this morning."

Lorelai picked up the teddy bear again and began playing with his ears.

"You think maybe we should do something?" Rory asked tentatively.

"Like what?" Lorelai asked, still focused on April's bear.

Rory smiled, " I know."

"Hey, mom!"

"Hi, grandma!"

Emily looked up from her book to see her daughter and granddaughter enter the living room.

"Girls, this is a wonderful surprise," she said, getting up to hug them, "did we plan something for today?"

"No, no. We just thought we'd stop by," Lorelai said.

"Well, come in, come in," she sent the maid to fetch them drinks.

"Actually, grandma, we can't stay long," Rory said.

"Oh, that's a shame, where are you off to?"

"The mall!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Oh, how lovely," Emily replied.

"And you're coming with us," Rory added.

"Oh, right," Lorelai said, "you're coming with us!"

"And is there a special occassion I should know about? Perhaps baby clothes-" she looked pointedly at Rory.

"What?!" Rory's eyes widened, "Oh, God, no!"

"No, mom, Rory's got no oven in the bun, we're going shopping for you." Rory rolled her eyes at her mother's blunt answer.

"For me?"

"Yes, we figured you're gonna be in the hospital a lot, so you won't have a lot fo time to go shopping, plus you're gonna need new clothes to impress all the hospital people, and pretty scarves for your head, for you know..." Lorelai finsihed awkwardly.

"Kylie Minogue wore them when she had her chemo, so it's al very cool, grandma," Rory interjected quickly, saving her mother.

Emily smiled, "well, I suppose this all makes sense. Let's go." She took her purse and followed the girls out.

"We are going sho-pping. We are going sho-pping," Lorelai sang.

"Lorelai, it's going to be a very long day if you continue doing that," Emily said, closing the door behind her.

"Oh, grandma..."

Sorry if the characters seem a little OOC in this chapter.

Review! Review!

Milo is asking. :D