Disclaimer: This could actually be happening on screen if I owned anything, which I DON'T...
Summary: Rory Gilmore has been running her grandfather's publishing house for a year now. She is surprised when she gets a phone call by her mother's ex-boyfriend Luke who asks her a certain favor. Starting from there, her life starts to alter rapidly. AU
A/N: Thank you, LitLove, for inspiring this! And to my wonderful beta - Ara May, YOU ROCK and I'm lucky to have you!
Okay, this chapter contains a few (or more) cliches, but it's all in the name of a certain cause... Hope you enjoy!
8:03 a.m., Monday, October 8, 2012
Literati Ltd. Office Quarters, 6th floor (a.k.a. Ant Floor)
'Here she comes,' Chris announced in conspiratorial theatrical whisper from the door and then hurried to take his place behind his desk.
Less than two seconds later, Rory entered the room, holding a messenger bag in one hand while balancing an enormous coffee jug in the other. She headed directly towards her cubicle, her former employees' eyes burning her back.
Jess looked up and his chin rested over his knuckles while he watched her openly. They exchanged a nod and he didn't miss the flair of dignity that she still seemed to have around her, Managing Director or not.
As she passed by the other employees, they bent their heads lower and started to type faster, as if trying to grow smaller, busier under her scrutiny.
The initial fear of the boss. Finding comfort in your own insignificance.
Mitchum Huntzberger's idea of justice was a Prince and the Pauper version of revenge for her, sending her back at the base of the pyramid, here on Ant Floor.
'Miss Gilmore?'
Rory looked up from her cubicle. The delivery guy nodded back and took out a bunch of manuscripts that was considerably thicker than the ones he had just handled to the other employees.
'Due tomorrow morning,' the guy mumbled, putting a tick in his notebook and moving on to the others. 'Next, Laura Leeds.'
Rory took the bunch and started sorting the files over her desk, putting colored labels over the different manuscripts in a neat, organized manner. She didn't grunt, didn't sigh, didn't comment, she didn't practically react. This was more work than most employees could do in three days, let alone one. Chris, whose cubicle was closest to hers, watched her mesmerized.
1:50 p.m., Monday, October 8, 2012
Literati Cafeteria, 1st floor
'She's a machine, man,' Chris commented enthusiastically later in the cafeteria, during lunch break. 'Even you don't read that fast, dude' he nudged Jess' elbow, winning an irritated growl. 'No, seriously. Even he doesn't read that fast,' Chris gave Matt a meaningful nod.
'We can easily figure this out,' Matt grinned over his tea. 'We should run a betting contest - starting with three hundred pages each.'
'Four hundred each and fifty bucks for the blue horse,' Chris said enthusiastically.
Jess gave him an annihilating look.
'Okay, then,' Chris put a hand up in defense, 'And twenty bucks for the black horse,' he added generously. 'But only cuz' we mingle in lunch breaks and sometimes you buy me coffee.'
'Man, you can't bet for both horses,' Matt countered vigorously while chasing a carrot with his fork around the plate.
'Sure I can!' Chris replied with equal enthusiasm.
'No, you can't, man, just pick a horse!'
Jess coughed and each cast an absentminded glance towards him, registering a grimace that could be generally interpreted as threatening.
'Sorry, but did you both just call me a horse? Multiple times?'
'Eh... no?' Matt suggested diplomatically.
'Good.' Jess huffed and took a bite of his sandwich. 'Good.'
3:25 p.m., Monday, October 15th, 2012,
Literati Ltd. Office Quarters, Ant Floor
'A book's missing from my desk.'
'How sad.'
''Howl'. Ring any bells?' Rory crossed her hands before her chest expectantly.
'Nope.' Jess continued typing, ignoring her presence.
'Interesting,' an amused grin started its way up her lips.
'What is.'
'You've got it under your thigh,' she pointed out, nodding towards the dog-eared pamphlet, one end of which was showing under Jess' thigh.
'Huh! Were you checking me out?' he turned up to face her, cocking an eyebrow.
She blushed but also quirked her eyebrows provocatively above the black rims of her reading glasses.
Really, Mariano? Flirting with your ex-boss-was-to-be-your-cousin-gonna-kick-your-ass-so-badly?
'Maybe, and you do have my 'Howl' under your thigh.'
Jess rested his chin on his knuckles and smiled tightly.
'No, I don't,' he shook his head.
'Seriously?'
'As a heart attack,' he blinked back, his smile stubbornly in place.
'Whatever you say, Dodger,' she shrugged and turned to leave.
'Dodger.'
'Figure it out,' she turned back and gave him a nod.
'Sure, Mrs. Corney,' he muttered under his nose before returning to his work.
6:04 p.m., Monday, October 15th, 2012,
Literati Ltd. Office Quarters, Ant Floor
Rory packed her stuff in the messenger bag, ready to go home, when she felt her phone ringing. It jumped over her desk, Logan H. flashing from the screen.
She paused, the bag swaying forth and back from her shoulder. She bit a lip, staring at the smiling picture on the screen. The mobile kept vibrating and Rory finally grabbed it, shoveling it in her bag with a sigh.
08:05 a.m., Monday, October 22nd, 2012,
Literati Ltd. Office Quarters, Ant Floor
'Delivery time!' the two delivery guys announced, pushing a trolley between the cubicles.
As they finished distributing the new scripts and taking away the old ones, both employees headed towards the elevator, but stopped in their way as a young blond man in an expensive suit stepped out of the elevator.
'Hey, guys,' the blond smiled and passed them by, hardly hearing their surprised 'Hello, Mr Huntzberger.'
They exchanged confused looks behind his back and shrugged, waiting to see if something interesting was going to happen. Boss figures coming to Ant Floor was always a promising start of the day.
'What's Goldenlocks doing here?' Chris elbowed Matt while eying the shiny blond.
'His father must've put Vader Junior in charge,' Matt whispered back.
They threw a glance towards Rory's desk. She was sitting straight up, her features frozen in an unreadable expression.
Logan Huntzberger stopped in the middle of the room and suddenly the air stilled with silence and anticipation. He swallowed hard and threw an anxious look towards Rory's cubicle, his eyes pleading when they met hers, meeting blue indifference. Then he forced a smile and began.
'Hello, I'm Logan Huntzberger,' he began, 'which you most probably know, judging by how silent you are right now,' he continued with a nervous smile and a couple of employees chuckled politely.
'As current Executive Director of Literati Publishing,' he continued awkwardly, 'I want to welcome any new entries for this year's Literati Scholarship contest. Remember, every intern has a shot, so make sure all candidates are enlisted. Teams can consist of two to five members, your scripts and presentations will be accepted until Thursday next week, right after the Halloween party.'
Then he made a few steps towards Rory's desk, lowering his voice discreetly.
'Rory,' he took a breath, seeking eye contact, 'I hate to have to ask this but, as ex Managing Director, do you have an entry to make?'
It was a tradition for each Managing Director to suggest an intern for the scholarship. And she would have, had a certain feeble minded spineless creep's bossy ass father not taken that chance away from her, by organizing a witch hunt and stealing her position.
Rory's lips had formed a thin white line and she swallowed once before she opened her mouth to speak.
'Yes, she does,' a male voice cut in, making people turn their heads towards the place where it had come from. Chris had stepped forward, his fingers curling into a nervous fist.
'What?' Rory turned to face him questioningly in a 'You out of your mind?' fashion.
'Good Lord,' Matt shook his head, resting his forehead against his knuckles.
'Huh,' Jess' eyebrows quirked up.
'I'm Christian Gibson,' Chris continued, gaining courage with each word, 'that's Matthew Patterson,' he nudged Matt, making the red-headed man straighten up immediately, 'and the dangerous looking guy over there is Jess Mariano. We're Miss Gilmore's team,' he finished, ignoring Jess' cutthroat expression.
Logan's gaze pondered between Rory and the three guys, not sure if the man was joking or simply delusional.
'Rory?' Logan asked, leaning towards his cubicle.
Rory's mouth was still slightly open but then she lifted her chin and cast him a dazzling smile.
'That's right,' she confirmed, 'Mister Gibson just wanted to make sure our team was enlisted along with the others,' she said in her closing tone, winning an appreciative nod from Chris, a confused smile from Matt and a 'What the fuck?.' stare from Jess.
8:30 a.m., Monday, October 22nd, 2012,
Literati Ltd. Office Quarters, Ant Floor Toilet Room
'Man, what the hell got into you?' Matt pointed a finger at Chris, shaking his head in disbelief.
'What?' Chris put his hands up in defense. 'He was gonna enter the contest, anyway,' he nodded towards Jess, who was leaning over the door frame, looking up at the ceiling, hands crossed before his chest, foot tapping nervously over the tiles.
'Don't even get there,' Jess snapped between gritted teeth, casting him a stung look.
'You were?' Rory, who had been pacing to and fro, turned towards Jess, suddenly interested.
'Whatever,' Jess hissed frustratedly, chewing on the inside of his cheek, looking up again.
'So, you do have something,' Rory said more to herself than to anyone in particular. 'Guys,' she added a minute later, 'I think we have a shot here,' she concluded pensively.
7:35 p.m., Monday, October 22nd, 2012,
Literati Ltd. Office Quarters, Rooftop Terrace
'Huh.'
'What?'
'Nothing,' he shrugged with a smirk and looked back at the dark rooftops.
'Oh, come on,' she huffed, quivering as the chilly air pricked at her skin. With another step she leveled him next to the safety rail.
'It's just...' he threw her a sideways glance and then shook his head, deciding against the thought.'... nothing.'
Rory stepped from foot to foot and brought her arms up around herself, rubbing her sides, trying to warm up. He took a pack of cigarettes out of his jeans pocket and lit.
After a while, she turned to look at him and met his gaze. He was holding the smoke between his fingers and he was watching her. Studying her, like... like he saw right through her.
She had caught him do this a couple of times before, on Ant Floor. Once in the cafeteria. A silent observer, watching from a distance, trying to prove some point, known to him only, ready to deny it right away, if caught.
She could imagine him standing on one of the high stools at Luke's, a ruffle-haired teenager with band T-shirt and baggy jeans, pretending to be reading, completely bored with the rest of the world, while in fact absorbing everything, from the quirky manners of Stars Hollow population to the way his uncle's look turned towards the door every time the bell rang and someone entered the diner laughing.
Right now, he looked something between surprised and amused. She couldn't hold an inner smile at the thought that, for once, he was the bemused one.
Okay, I agreed on lounging for your new book, so what?
'Okay,' Rory shrugged and reached out. Her fingers brushed his briefly as she sneaked the cigarette out of his hand. She kept his gaze as she took a drag, her eyes narrowing as nicotine caressed her receptors, an unexpected wave of relief washing through her.
It felt refreshing not to care. Those three weeks she had spent on Ant Floor were the closest she had gotten to freedom in the last couple of years. Losing everything could mean so little. Or maybe her everything had just not been worth it.
'Okay,' Jess nodded slowly and sneaked the cigarette back out of her hand, taking a deep drag. Their eyes met again and this time he held her gaze for a little longer than usual, long enough for her to catch a glint and reflect it before averting her eyes.
A couple of windows in the opposite building went dark, one by one. Rory imagined someone walking in the corridor, turning the lights off. She reached out to take the remaining of his smoke.
'Don't be a Scrooge,' she said, taking another drag, bumping her hip slightly into his, letting a lazy smile creep up her lips as he bumped her back.
'Dodger, wasn't I?' he smirked, sticking his hands deep in his pockets, slowly rocking on his heels.
Freedom. It had been such a long time. More than she could imagine.
4:16 p.m., Monday, October 29th, 2012,
Literati Ltd. Office Quarters, Ant Floor
'Whoa, whoa... Easy there, Rambo.'
Ignoring her comment, Jess continued making circles round his desk, kicking it occasionally.
'Color me intrigued,' she mumbled, pausing a few feet away, watching him in surprise.
He took a drawer out and emptied it over the desk surface.
'Hey. Jess.'
She took him by his sides, turning him towards herself, her eyes leveling his for just a moment before he slipped out of her grip, continuing rummaging through drawers, emptying them over his desk. Rory leaned over his shoulder, trying to figure out what the fuss was about.
'Whoa, Houston, what's going on?'
'It's gone. It's fucking gone,' Jess huffed and kicked his desk yet another time.
'What's gone?' Rory's brows furrowed.
'My script,' he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
'Your script,' she blinked.
'Are you gonna repeat everything that I say, or are you gonna help out?' he asked agitatedly.
She paused and studied his expression again. He was really upset. She didn't think she would ever see him really angry. Or confused. Right now, he was both. Heck, his script was really missing. Heck, his script. The script. Their only shot at the intern contest so that she could get it back at Mitchum...
'What am I looking for?' she came back to her senses, concentrating over the task at hand.
'Grey memory card or blue flash,' he answered, his eyes wandering around the mess over his desk. 'They were here this morning. So was the file on my hard.'
After another twenty minutes of fruitless search, he sat down on the floor, resting his head back against the desk, eyes closed.
'Forget it, not gonna find them,' he sighed.
'You think...' she bit her lip and sat on the floor next to him, 'you think someone took them?'
'Of course someone took them,' he shook his head, hands curling into fists. 'I'm a complete idiot,' he snarled, pressing both fists together at the knuckles.
'Hey, hey,' she put a hand on his elbow, 'you're not an idiot.'
'Wasn't any good, anyway,' he shook his head with a sour smile.
'It was,' she countered quietly, and he looked up. She held his gaze for a while before she stood up abruptly and clapped her hands twice. 'Come on, chop-chop!' she made him an impatient gesture to get up. 'Library. Now.'
She took his laptop along with the charger and started towards the elevator. Jess blinked a couple of times, not sure what was going on, but followed, anyway.
In the elevator he threw her a sideways glance. She looked perfectly composed, determination coloring her features.
'Come on,' Rory chirped once she had settled on the sofa, the laptop open on the coffee table before her.
'Come on what?'
'Come on, we're gonna restore your script!' she informed him, a crazy glint in her blue eyes.
'Oh. Oh, oh, oh,' Jess laughed, making a step back. 'No way. Not gonna happen.'
2:33 a.m., Monday, October 29th, 2012,
Literati Ltd. Office Quarters, 12th floor (Olympus), Gilmore Library
'My eyes are about to start bleeding,' Jess shook his head, stopping in the middle of the path he had rubbed into the floor.
'That's because you've decaffeinated,' Rory explained wisely, lifting the coffee jug up without tearing her eyes away from the screen. 'Come on, all we need to do is go on like this for the next twenty-four hours and we're about to finish this.'
'Jesus Christ,' Jess hung his head back, closing his burning eyes.
10:40, October 31st, 2012,
Literati Ltd. Lobby Bar, -1 floor
'Can I join the family?' she whispered conspiratorially, leaning over his shoulder.
Jess smirked and turned, scotch in one hand, fedora hat in the other.
'What have you got for us, child?' he asked, making his voice low and husky, stretching the words.
Rory chuckled at the sight of his trouser braces and mobster mustache but then composed herself into a dead-serious expression.
'I can sing in a way that can make all people in this room faint,' she whispered in a low, secretive voice.
'Then welcome to the family, Sparrow,' he played along. 'Or should I call you Edith?' his eyebrows raised questioningly.
'As long as I can call you Vito,' Rory replied with an amused quirk of her eyebrow.
'Now, Miss Piaf, I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse.'
"Every damn fool thing you do in this life, you pay for," Rory recited, trying to pull off a French accent. 'All ears, my Italian fellow.'
'Rory, we have a problem,' Matt (dressed like a mummy) cut in, making her a gesture to follow him.
They broke eye contact and brown anchored away from blue. Hers was a dangerous shade of blue, one that could easily get you drowned, if not careful.
Jess rubbed the back of his head as he watched Matt and Rory go towards a corner where a Ramses-lookalike Chris was sitting in an armchair, typing on a laptop vigorously, editing the script for tomorrow morning.
'Trick or treat, Mr Mariano,' an unpleasantly patronizing male voice sounded behind him.
Jess turned to face Joseph Stalin. Or at least a Mitchum Huntzberger version of him.
'I must say I was intrigued,' Mitchum purred, looking like a cat who got away with a whole hen. 'The Subsect. Very original.'
Jess' eyes flashed dangerously.
'It's really inspiring to see such enthusiasm in young people,' he continued with clear knowledge of how unwelcome his presence was. The philosophy of a predator. Scare your pray shitless. Drain its brains out of rage, if not out of fear.
'I felt an inspiration myself,' Mitchum shared with fake awkwardness. 'So I decided to make an entry.'
Jess blinked, smiling tightly with emphatic politeness, feeling a familiar tingling run over his palms.
'A young talented lady has taken onto writing my memoirs,' Mitchum finished proudly, evoking a wave of laughter mixed with anger in Jess' chest.
'I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, Jess,' Mitchum shook his head with a broad smile. 'The Subsect. Philosophical challenge, I would say. The dedication got me moved...' he sighed. 'Well, Jess,' Mitchum touched his temple with his point and middle finger, 'I'll be seeing you.'
Mitchum Huntzberger turned and headed for the other end of the room. Jess stood, his thoughts racing rapidly. He could see it happening, the images clear in his mind. A few brief steps forward, he grabs Stalin by the collar of his coat and an uppercut says all he has to say.
Jess took four brief steps forward.
His fingers started to curl into a fist, but something laced through them. A hand. In the end, he ended up freaking holding someone's hand. He jerked his head to the side, ready to land his fist on whomever had decided to mess with him right now, to meet a familiar pair of blue eyes.
'May I have this dance?' Rory smiled when their eyes met and made a step towards him, thus blocking his way to Mitchum.
Before he could pull away, he found himself swaying, his arms finding their place on the small of her back.
If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me...
What the... For a moment the slow rhythm of her fingertips brushing his nape overtook his brain function. His heart was still racing, partly with anger and partly with surprise.
Uh uh uh uh no baby please don't go...
Huh? Chicago? Really? This was absurd. His brows knit in an attempt to conduct indignation, but at the same time his palms had found a place they fitted and didn't want to leave.
How could we let it slip away
We've come too far to leave it all behind
Jeez. He should've waved her off and punched the bastard, anyway... He continued swaying.
'Nice touch with the villain mustache,' Rory whispered, making him smirk against his will.
'You should've waited to see my villain uppercut,' he noted sulkily.
'How could we end it all this way...'
She moved her lips along with the song, making him roll his eyes.
'Uh uh uh uh no baby, please don't go,' she sung along so incredibly out of tune that he let out an unconscious chuckle.
'You weren't joking about that singing until people faint thing, eh?' he smirked.
'Nope,' she shook her head with a childish grin.
His eyes paused over the red lipstick on her lips. The song ended and they stopped swaying. It took him a moment to remember how to use his feet again and he stepped away, his palms leaving the place they had found so comfortable just seconds ago.
'Well,' he breathed out, trying to nudge his brain into forming something coherent.
'Well,' Rory flattened an invisible rumple over her La Piaf dark blue sleeve dress.
'Big day tomorrow,' he noted.
'Yeah,' she agreed.
'So...'
'So.'
'See you, Rory.'
'Yeah. See you, Jess.'
5:00 p.m., November 1st, 2012,
Literati Ltd., Ant Floor Conference Room
'And the winner of this year's Literati Scholarship is... Lizzy Fines and Mitchum Huntzberger with "Memoirs of a Lion".'
'What?.'
'Heck.'
'Huh.'
'Surprise, surprise... It doesn't really matter, guys.'
'Oh yeah?'
'Yeah, Chris, it doesn't... or maybe it does. Come on, let's grab some coffee. My treat.'
7:55 a.m., November 2nd, 2012,
Literati Ltd., Ant Floor
Rory held her coffee before her lips, trying to hide her grin.
There was something sprayed on the floor between the cubicles. The outlines of a dead body, holding a book. Memoirs of a Lion.
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