Chapter Eight: Pen to Paper

Rory placed a cup of coffee down in front of Jess, staring at it as she did. Two weeks had passed since they'd had lunch together and Jess was becoming a frequent visitor, he came over most days, helped out with Anna and had started working on the book with Rory. Today was one of their work sessions, and he'd arrived an hour early so Rory could get some sleep while he watched Anna. Now that she was rested she sat across from him, while Anna sat in her carry cot on a spare kitchen chair.

'You ok there?' Jess asked, Rory pulled her eyes away from the coffee cup and nodded.

'Caffeine withdrawal, it kicks in sometimes and right now is one of those times, but I'm sure I'll be great, at least I will be once I get to drink more coffee, still it's worth it.' Rory smiled at Anna.

'You're something special Anna, it takes something very precious to make a Gilmore give up their coffee.' Jess smirked. Rory laughed a little and sipped her decaf coffee, pulling a face at the taste.

'Shall we get to work?' Rory asked, picking up the pages he'd brought over. 'You do realise when you're writing a book you might want to try actually putting pen to paper, or fingers to keys, not pen to whatever happens to be lying around.' Rory scolded, sifting through the piles of napkins, pizza boxes, sheets of paper ripped from books and other surfaces he'd written on.

'You won't be to impressed to know that part of chapter two is on my arm then.' Jess smirked.

'Tell me you're kidding.' Rory's eyes went wide. He simply smirked at her and pulled the sleeve of his black shirt up, revealing three lines of words scribbled on his arm.

'Jess!'

'Sorry.' He smirked. 'I was driving to the store in Hartford to pick up the stuff you needed for Anna because Doose's was out of the kind of diapers you use and they didn't have some of the other bits, anyway I suddenly had an idea, pulled onto the side of the road and didn't have any paper or any good substitute so I wrote it down here.'

'That's sweet you didn't have to go all the way to Hartford this morning for those things.' Rory smiled.

'I don't mind, you had your hands full here.' Jess replied. 'So am I forgiven for writing on my arm?'

'Depends what you wrote.' Rory laughs, leaning forward she takes his arm and starts to read the words that are barely legible. A smile tracing her lips as she does.

'Your judgement?' He asks.

'Write it out onto some proper paper.' Rory says keeping her tone neutral.

'Ah you liked it.' Jess smirked.

'I didn't say that.' Rory shook her head.

'You didn't need to say it.' Jess shrugs his shoulders and starts to write out the words from his arm.

'Oh I forgot you can read my mind.' She laughs softly.

'Something like that.' He says quietly. A moment passes before Rory returns to the work in front of her, reading through the first chapter he'd written and marking correction on it, though she was finding it difficult to be critical of his work, still to her it was completely amazing that Jess had managed to write a book, and that he was working on a second. Looking up from the pages she laughed softly.

'Something funny? Because if I remember right the first chapter of this book was pretty depressing, so either you have a really sick sense of humour or your thinking about something else.' Jess raised his eyes to meet hers.

'I was just thinking about the last time we were sat at a table surrounded by papers and books.' Rory smiled.

'Uh the failed attempt at tutoring me.' Jess smirks.

'It seems a million years ago now.' Rory replies.

'Not everything has changed.' He smirks handing her a page he'd just finished, she casts her eyes down to it.

'Jess!' She warns, though she is trying hard to keep the laughter from entering her voice. 'You're meant to be writing your novel, not lyrics to a clash song.'

'Old habits.' Jess shrugs, liking that she's smiling.

'You're infuriating.' Rory shoots him an annoyed look, tucking her feet under her, trying to balance on the kitchen chair.

'Some may call it charm.' Jess stares at her.

'Get back to work.' Rory says sternly.

'You're no fun.' Jess teases, but goes back to work anyway. They continue like this for the next six hours, taking frequent breaks to talk about books, change or feed Anna, debate music and generally talk about their lives since they last saw one another.

'You still working?' Luke's voice breaks into their concentration as he comes into the lounge, where they relocated to after three hours sat in the kitchen.

'Yeah, we've been debating over this one section for the past hour.' Rory replies, a small smile lighting her eyes.

'Sounds about right.' Luke nods, 'You hungry?'

'Starved.' Rory says dramatically.

'Well I brought home food from the diner, your mum told me to let you know that she's got to work late, she said to tell you goodnight.' Luke replied.

'Oh ok.' Rory nodded, slightly pleased that she wouldn't have to have another talk with her mum about Jess, which seemed to be Lorelai's main focus these last few weeks, since she'd come home and found them cooking lunch.

'Jess you sticking around for dinner?' Luke asked.

'Uh I don't know.' Jess looked toward Rory.

'Yeah stay. We can work more later.' Rory smiled jumping up off the couch and following Luke to the kitchen.

They ate dinner with very little conversation, though Luke picked up on the glances that were thrown between the two younger people at the table. When Rory got up to go see to Anna, Luke turned to Jess and stared at him.

'You got something to say Uncle Luke?' Jess asked.

'She's relying on you too much.' Luke shook his head. 'You help her with Anna, you watch Anna when Rory needs sleep, you call her every night don't think it's gone unnoticed because it hasn't. You've been doing shopping for her and helping her cook, the other day I get home and the two of you are cleaning. You won't be around forever Jess, and then what's she meant to do?' Luke said sternly.

'I like helping her out, I like spending time with her and Anna. I don't see a problem, Rory knows that I won't be staying forever, we talk about that, she knows where I am with the plans to get Truncheon back up and running, which is a long way off at the moment.' Jess replied trying to stay calm.

'Don't get too attached Jess, and don't let her get to attached.' Luke warned. 'I don't want to see her get hurt again.'

'I know.' Jess sighs, 'I'm not planning on hurting her.'

'You never do.' Luke replies.

'I'm not that guy anymore Luke! I'm not going to take off without telling anyone, I'm not going o mess everything up, not again. Me and Rory are friends and as her friend I want to help her out anyway I can, she needs someone and I'm fine with that someone being me.' Jess replies, the comment worrying Luke.

'Ok I got her back to sleep.' Rory says brightly, not noticing the tension between Jess and Luke.

'Shall we get back to work?' Rory asks, clearing her plate from the table and leaving it in the sink. 'I'll wash those later Luke.'

'Alright.' Luke nods as Rory and Jess head back to the lounge to work, where they stay till they bath fall asleep a few hours later, Rory resting her head on his shoulder, a blanket thrown over her and Jess' arm slung around her shoulders. Which is exactly how Lorelai found them when she got in after midnight. She shook her head sadly and went up to bed.

A/N- Hope you like.