Incoming
Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. Not even the computer I wrote it on.
Summary: Jess shows up at Richard and Emily's vow renewal. Luke has something to say about it. Rory is less than happy. Lorelai has to deal with Christopher. And the day is definitely not everything Emily hoped it would be.
Feedback: Reviews are fun. Like a barrel of monkeys. Why anyone would put monkeys in a barrel…I don't know, but it's supposedly a lot of fun.
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"Rory, pull!" When he didn't get an answer he leaned his head against the mattress in front of him. "Look, I know it's heavy, but there's only a few more steps!" Still no response. "Ror, I can't hold this here forever!" Nothing. "Rory!" Finally he put his shoulder against the mattress and pushed as hard as he could, stumbling up the last few steps as the mattress slid into the apartment. "Ror, what are you do-" He stopped abruptly when he saw the reason Rory wasn't helping. She was frozen in the middle of the apartment staring at…everything. The place was completely furnished. From the newly installed ceiling fans, to the matching couch and loveseat, to the pictures covering almost every wall.
"Wow." She breathed, turning in a slow circle so she could see everything.
A loud crash had her spinning around to face Jess. He was standing in the doorway looking at the mattress that had fallen over taking a floor lamp with it. "Oops."
"Jess! We've been here for two minutes and you're already breaking stuff."
"I said oops."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, well then."
He gestured around the apartment. "Someone broke into my apartment and decorated it."
She looked around carefully then turned back to him. "It was my mom, Luke, and…my grandfather. There's a couple little things that were other people, but it was mostly them."
He tilted his head and looked at her. "How do you know that?"
"Well, I've lived with my mother for twenty years, Luke's tastes are very distinctive, and my grandparents had me and my mom go around their entire house and put post-its on everything we wanted when they died, so I've seen the kind of things they like." She leaned over and picked up a piece of paper from the coffee table. "Also, my mom left a note."
He grinned and shook his head, lifting his end of the mattress. "Can we just get this into the bedroom? Then we'll deal with this."
"Fine." She sighed overdramatically, picking up her end.
He smiled gratefully as they started for the bedroom, but realized he reacted too soon, as she dropped the mattress after taking two steps into the room. "Ror?"
"Oh my God." She quickly rushed out of the room and into the bathroom…then the guestroom…then the kitchen. She finally stopped back in the living room and let her jaw drop. "They did every room. I mean the bathroom has all my soap and lotion and everything. And, there is food in the kitchen."
He let go of the mattress, finally giving up on ever getting it into the bedroom.
"I am so staying here tonight." She said happily.
He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorjamb. "Well, you'll be by yourself because I promised Luke I'd be back in Stars Hollow tonight."
"Whatever." She shrugged, heading back to the kitchen to find something to eat.
"Whatever?" He repeated, following her.
She shrugged. "Yea. I mean, the fridge is stocked, the TV is right over there, the bookcase is packed. I can't think of any reason I'd need you to stick around."
"Really?" He said, advancing on her.
She couldn't hold back her grin when she found herself backed against the refrigerator. "Not unless you know something I don't."
He leaned in, letting his lips brush lightly against her ear before speaking. "If you come pick up your end of the mattress, I'll show you something you need me for." With that, he stepped away and walked back to the bedroom doorway.
She rolled her eyes, but followed him. She lifted her end of the mattress, again. They carried it into the bedroom and Rory unceremoniously let her end fall onto the box spring. Jess put his side down gently then moved to the foot of the bed to straighten it out. Once he was satisfied that it was straight, he stood up and walked to the door. "Alright, I'm gonna get going. You can handle the sheets?"
"Whoa." She ran out to the living room and jumped in front of him. "Where the hell are you going?"
"Stars Hollow."
"Now?"
"Yea. I mean, we moved the mattress, so what else would you need me for?"
She smacked his arm. "You're an ass."
He smirked at her. "What'd you think I was sticking around for?"
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Lorelai sat down at the counter and held out a stack of envelopes to Luke. "Here. Kirk keeps dropping the diner's mail at my house."
He took the pile from her and looked through a few of them before pausing. "Half of these are addressed to you."
"Yea." She shrugged. "I got tired of sorting them, so I just left them there."
"So I could sort them." He added knowingly.
She smiled. "Ahh, smart and sexy. I knew there was a reason I liked you."
"Kirk and Ralph sort your mail. Does that put me on the same level as them?"
"Oh, not even close. I mean Kirk's IQ would put Paris to shame. Mmm, and the way Ralph's legs look in those shorts he wears in the summer…Heaven." She tilted her head to imagine it.
"Stop."
"Why?" She asked innocently.
"Because I can't get Ralph's legs out of my head, and it's creeping me out."
She smiled widely. "You're so easy."
He shook his head and went back to the mail, tossing every couple letters onto the counter. He stopped when he got to one addressed to Jess and frowned at the handwriting. It looked familiar but he couldn't place it and there was no return address. He shook his head and went to put it at the back of the pile when the postage stamp caught his eye. Venice Beach. California. Jimmy. Damn it.
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Jess's eyes immediately went to the clock as he walked into the diner. 3:24. He yawned and cursed Lorelai for passing on her pout to her daughter. Rory had convinced him to stay for dinner and to watch two of the longest movies he had ever seen. Then she pouted until he agreed to stay with her until she fell asleep.
He cursed Lorelai one more time for good measure then made his way upstairs. He pushed the door open quietly and looked over to Luke's bed. He wasn't there. He sighed in relief and flipped the lights on. "Thank God I don't have work tomorrow" He said to the empty apartment as he opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. He took a sip then put it down when he saw an envelope with his name on it on the table. He picked it up and smiled at his father's handwriting.
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Lorelai and Rory sat at the counter watching Luke and Jess move around the diner, not even talking to each other.
"So," Lorelai whispered to her daughter. "When did they turn into me and Emily?"
"I don't know." She answered.
"Seriously, I don't think either of them has said one nice thing to the other all day."
She nodded. "Especially since they stopped talking to each other about four hours ago."
"Four hours? How long have you been here?" She asked.
"Since this morning. I came in for breakfast and got a free show."
She grinned. "What do you think would happen if I asked for coffee?"
Rory rolled her eyes at her mother. "I wonder what happened."
"You didn't ask?"
"Yea," She said sarcastically. "I wanna get in the middle of that."
Lorelai frowned. "Well, I can't take much more of Paris and Nicole here."
"Fine. You take Paris and I'll take Nicole."
Lorelai walked around the counter to grab the back of Luke's shirt and push him into the storage room.
"Lorelai, I don't have time for this."
He tried to get past her to leave, but she slammed the door shut and leaned against it, blocking his path. "What's going on?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, come on, Kirk's starting to hand out parkas at the door. Hell, Taylor was looking a little chilly on the other side of the window."
"He runs an ice cream shop." He shot back.
She rolled her eyes. "That's beside the point. I'm out there waiting for you to tell Jess he threw his life away getting pregnant at sixteen."
Luke sighed heavily and sat down on a crate. "He got a letter from Jimmy on Monday."
"Ohh," She said knowingly.
"What?"
"Someone's eyes are looking a little green."
He narrowed his eyes. "I am not jealous."
"Hon, you really are."
"He's not leaving again." He said determinedly. "I'll handcuff him to that counter if I have to." He gestured to the door leading to the diner. "He's not going back to California."
She crouched down in front of him and took his hand in hers. "You know you can't keep him here if he wants to leave."
"Rory can. No one can resist that face. With the big eyes and that sad pout thing she learned from you."
"Luke…"
"I know." He sighed. "But he seems happy, right? Settled?"
"Honestly, I really don't think he's going anywhere."
He nodded. "Good." He let out a breath. "Good."
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Jess didn't even resist when Rory grabbed his arm and dragged him up the stairs to Luke's apartment. Or when she commanded him to sit on the couch.
"What's going on with you and Luke? You've been at each other's throats since I got here."
"I don't know."
"You've been fighting with Luke all day and you don't even know why?"
"He's been mad at me all week. I asked him about it on Tuesday but he wouldn't tell me why."
She sat down next to him. "Is he mad that you were late on Monday? I'll tell him it's my fault."
"He's never cared when I was late before."
They both looked up when the apartment door opened. "Hey." Lorelai smiled. "I talked to Luke."
"I have no idea what's going on." Jess told her.
She picked up the envelope Jimmy's letter came in off Jess's nightstand and dropped it on his lap. "That's what he's mad about."
"What is it?" Rory asked.
"It's a letter from Jimmy." Jess told her. "I called him the night we stayed at your grandparents' house. Why is Luke upset about this?" He asked Lorelai.
"Oh, oh." Rory said. "He's jealous."
"He's-" He cut himself off as he stood up and marched out of the apartment.
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"Here." Jess pulled the letter out of the envelope and thrust it at Luke.
Luke looked down at the letter then back up at Jess. "What?"
"Read it."
He took the paper out of Jess's hand. "What is this?"
"Read it." He repeated.
He sighed but did as he was told. He frowned as his eyes skimmed the words and his face turned red as he realized what he'd done.
"I needed money." Jess explained. "We both know I can't afford this club, and this job at the publishing house isn't exactly making me rich, so I called Jimmy. His business has been doing really well for the past couple years and he had some extra cash, so he sent it to me. That's why I have a letter from Jimmy. I don't have some secret pen pal father-son relationship with him. And I'm not running away. Alright?"
"Jess…"
"You've been more of a dad to me in the past few years than Jimmy has ever been, so stop being such an ass and stop acting like you have something to be jealous of."
Luke smiled and pulled Jess into a hug.
At the foot of the stairs, Lorelai put her arm around her daughter's shoulder and leaned her cheek against her head. "Life's good, huh, kid."
Rory's arm went around Lorelai's waist. "Yea it is."
