I Can't Get You Out Of My Head

"Jess!" Luke yelled as Rory and I made our way into the diner.

"Yes, Uncle Luke? I asked him impatiently. I was soaking wet and starting to freeze to death.

"Why are you wet?" he asked me.

"Fell in the lake," I replied and Rory laughed.

"Well get upstairs and change your clothes," Luke demanded. "I don't want you catching hypothermia."

"Sure," I replied as I headed for the stairs with Rory following me.

"Rory," Dean said. We immediately turned around.

"Dean," Rory faltered. "What are you still doing here?"

"Was the circus in Woodbridge closed today?" I asked him in mock sadness.

"I was waiting for you," Dean said, completely ignoring my comment.

"Well…" Rory faltered.

Dean got up from the counter and came over to her.

"I was thinking we could go somewhere and do something," Dean suggested.

"Well, I would," Rory said. "But I really need to get Jess upstairs and out of his wet clothes."

"What?" Dean asked, anger rising.

I smirked at him. I knew Rory didn't mean it to come out that way and she'd realize in 3, 2, 1…

"Damn," Rory muttered. "That's not what I meant. I meant that… I was… Damn."

I'm all but laughing at the matter at hand. Poor Dean, Rory's leaving him to undress another guy, so funny. I thought he was going to turn into The Hulk any minute, but then again that probably would've been me with my new strange abilities and all. I suddenly felt a sharp pain go through the front of my forehead and right to the back. I grabbed the wall for support.

"Jess?" Rory asked me frantically. "Jess, are you alright?"

I would've answered if I could. All these images were flying through my head like a flip book. They suddenly stopped on one picture, a picture of a man in suit behind a podium, talking to a group of people. Then the pictures flipped fast again and it stopped on the same man. He was far down; I must've been standing on a building ledge or something. He looked up at me and smiled, then everything went black and I slumped to the ground.

"Jess?" Rory said, shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes. "Are you alright?"

"What's going on here?" Luke asked. "Are you alright, Jess?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reassured him as I stood up slowly. "I'm going to go get changed."

"Then get in bed," Luke said. "This could be the onset of something and I don't want to look after a sick kid."

"Sure," I replied. I was too exhausted and confused to come up with a witty remark. I started walking up the stairs. Rory didn't follow me so I stopped to listen in.

"Do you believe me now?" Rory asked Dean.

"He's probably just under the influence of something," Dean retorted.

"He isn't," Rory defended. "He needs me right now and I'm going to be there for him."

"No," Dean said. "I'm your boyfriend you do as I said."

"No," Rory replied. "Let go of me, Dean."

I was about to burst through the curtain when I heard Luke.

"Dean, you better leave," Luke said, holding back his anger. "And don't come back here again."

"Fine," Dean huffed. "Rory you have to choose me or Jess."

"Right now," Rory asked confused.

"Yes," Dean replied. "Right now."

"Jess," Rory said softly. "He needs me and you won't even let me hang out with him."

"Fine," Dean said. "You've made your decision, there's no need to justify it to yourself. Just so you know, I'm not going to wait for you."

"Dean," Luke warned. "I thought I told you to leave."

I heard the diner door open and slam shut.

"Rory, are you alright?" Luke asked concerned.

"Yeah," Rory answered in shock. "Umm… Jess needs me."

"Is he alright?" Luke asked Rory even more concerned.

"I don't know," Rory answered. "He just has to work some things out."

"Okay," Luke accepted. "Look after him for me."

"I will."

I hurried up the stairs and walked into the apartment to make it seem as though I hadn't been listening, but then again they were yelling, so it wasn't hard to hear. I grabbed some warm clothes and changed into them quickly. Once done, I sat down on the couch with my head in my hands.

What the hell had just happened? Was that a vision or something and who was that guy? He looked familiar, but I couldn't place his face. What did this mean? It was in New York, I could tell that much. The guy was wearing a suit, maybe a businessman or politician. Yet I could swear I'd run into him before, back when I was living in New York.

"Jess?" Rory asked as she sat down next to me.

"Yeah?" I asked, turning my head in my hands so I could look at her.

"What was that downstairs?" she asked nervously.

"It looked as though Dean broke up with you," I joked and she glared at me.

"You know what I mean."

I took a deep breath and returned my head to my hands.

"I don't know what it was," I answered truthfully. "It was like one of those slide projectors on high speed, just a bunch of images rushing through my mind."

"Did you get a good look at any of them?" Rory asked.

"Two of the same guy," I responded. "He looked familiar, but I can't place him."

"What was happening in these shots?" Rory asked. "Maybe we can figure out what this means."

"In one he was standing at a podium," I explained. "And the other one he was in an alley below me."

"New York?" Rory guessed.

"Yeah."

"What was he wearing?" Rory asked. "Or maybe there was something in the background of the picture."

I closed my eyes and tried to remember the pictures.

"He was wearing a suit in both shots," I explained carefully. "It was navy blue with a white shirt and red tie. His brown hair was short and neat, gelled back from his face professionally. He was short-ish and had kind of a mean look to his face."

"Was there a blue backdrop?" Rory asked knowingly.

"Yeah," I agreed excitedly. "How'd you know?"

"Have you read the New York Times today?" Rory asked me.

"No," I replied confused. "Can you even get the NY Times here?"

"Yeah, down at Bootsy's newsstand," Rory answered. "Anyway, the exact picture you're describing was on the front page. It was former senator Nathan Petrelli, does that name ring a bell?" Rory asked me.

"Not that I know of."

"Well the headline was 'Re-elect Petrelli for State'," Rory explained. "He's running in the New York election. He won it a year or so back, but then there was some accident or something and he dropped out."

"Hmm, I was still in New York around the time of the last election, maybe I ran into him out on the street. He probably asked me for my vote or something."

"Probably," Rory agreed. "So why are you dreaming up/having visions of this guy?"

"No idea," I replied. "Why can I fly?" I countered

"Maybe they're related," Rory suggested.

"Yeah," I said sarcastically. "Me, a politician, and the ability of flight, I don't think so."

"You're probably right," Rory agreed. "It sounds pretty ridiculous."

"That's a bit of an understatement," I replied as I moved my head from my hands and sat with my back against the couch.

"So you can fly?" Rory asked me in disbelief.

"Well I can apparently hover," I corrected her. "I'm sure flight comes later."

"So how do you hover?" Rory asked confused. "Do you have to concentrate on something?"

"I don't know," I replied thinking about it. "It just happens."

"Maybe it's like a reflex to danger," Rory suggested. "Like down at the lake."

"Yeah," I said, "but it'd be good if I could control it. I don't wanna accidentally hover in front of Luke."

"Yeah," Rory agreed. "Maybe we should test it then, see if we can find out what triggers it."

"What's your suggestion?" I asked her skeptically.

"Maybe you could jump off the gazebo in the town square," Rory said mischievously. "See what happens."

"Maybe I should start with something a little lower first, just like learning to walk," I suggested. "I don't want to end up in the morgue."

"Okay," Rory agreed. "So where are you suggesting."

I thought about it for a minute.

"The park," I said triumphantly.

"The park?" Rory asked confused.

"Yeah, I'll jump off the top of the swings," I said growing more excited as I told Rory my plan. "If I hover then great, but if I fail then I land on the soft sand. It's a win-win situation."

"Okay," Rory agreed. "So when are we doing this?"

"Tonight," I told her. "When it's dark. It's going to look strange to anyone who sees me jumping off the swings again and again with no success."

"And if you hover… that'd probably be weird too," Rory pondered out loud. "Okay tonight it is."

"Rory," I hissed as I tapped on her window, it was just after midnight. "Rory."

"What?" she asked groggily, appearing at the window. "Oh, yeah," she said, remembering immediately. "Just give me a minute."

"Okay," I said as I climbed through the window and laid on her bed without her noticing.

Rory grabbed some clothes and turned around.

"Jess," she hissed, noticing me on her bed. "I meant wait outside."

"It's cold," I defended. "I might catch hypothermia," I added a fake cough for her.

Rory sighed. "Close your eyes then."

I did as she said. I had a vivid imagination anyway.

"Jess, you can open your eyes now," Rory said, minutes later. I opened my eyes. "Were you having another vision thingy?"

"No, I was just imagining," I replied flirtatiously. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure," Rory answered. I helped her out the window. "So what are these things… visions?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I think it relates to the dreams I was having."

"So you can see the future?" Rory asked. "Is that how you knew you could fly?"

"Maybe." I shrugged. "But then again I saw that Petrelli guy and that was from the past."

"Maybe it was from the future," Rory suggested.

"But the picture in the paper," I argued. "That happened before I dreamed… visualized it."

"Maybe you're just slow," Rory said while laughing.

"I'm not slow," I replied annoyed as we walked into the park. "I'm just crazy."

"You're not crazy," Rory defended. "And if you are then I am too because I believe you."

"Well we did see it with our own eyes," I replied as we stopped at the swings.

"Are you ready?" Rory asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I replied nervously as I climbed to the top of the swings. I was glad they were children's swings and therefore only around seven feet off the ground.

I focused all my thoughts towards what I had to do and leaned forward.

"What do we call your vision things?" Rory asked me breaking my concentration. I fell face first into the sand.

"Great," I mumbled as I stood up, brushing the sand off of me. "How about you let me concentrate," I said kind of harshly to Rory. She winced. "I'm sorry," I apologized, going over to hug her. "I just don't like falling face first into the sand, it itches."

Rory smiled and laughed.

"You can call them visions," I said to Rory as I pulled out of the hug and climbed up on top of the swings again. "At least until we find something more concrete."

I focused again and leaned forward, this time Rory didn't speak I don't think she even breathed in fear it'd ruin my concentration again. I left the swings and landed face first into the sand again.

"You're a distraction," I said to Rory, lifting my head out of the sand, but otherwise staying where I fell.

"I didn't say anything," Rory defended.

"Yeah," I replied. "But that didn't stop you from invading my thoughts."

"Oh," Rory said surprised. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I replied. "I was the one who thought of you."

"Maybe this would work better if I wasn't here," Rory suggested. "I could leave."

"No," I practically yelled. "I can't do this without you. If you weren't here I would think I'm going crazy and if I am going crazy then you're right here with me."

"Okay," Rory said. "I'll stay, for your sanity."

"Thanks," I replied. I stood up and gave her another hug.

"Time to try again?" Rory asked me.

"Do I have to?" I pouted.

"You don't have to," Rory replied. "You probably can't even do it."

I knew she was using reverse psychology on me, but I didn't care because it was working. I climbed back on top of the swings for my third attempt.

"Try thinking of nothing," Rory suggested. "Clear your mind."

I closed my eyes and tried to think of nothing. Clear your mind, I repeated to myself. I breathed in and out slowly, and leaned forward. I hit the ground once again.

"This is going to hurt in the morning," I mumbled as I picked myself up and climbed on top of the swings again.

"Try concentrating really hard," Rory suggested. "Think of the matter at hand. Visualize the outcome you want."

"Sure," I replied as I closed my eyes, I'd try anything at this stage. I was almost ready to give up.

I imagined myself leaning forward slowly and floating gently through the air. Falling in slow motion, I was so lost in my thoughts that I was suddenly jolted out of my weightlessness by the hard ground.

"I'm guessing that didn't work?" I asked Rory as I once again picked myself off the ground.

"It had promise," Rory said. "Maybe you should stop for tonight."

"Maybe," I replied. "We're probably not going to get anywhere tonight."

"How are you?" Rory asked as I walked on the raised edge, that kept the sand separate from the grass.

"I'm fine," I replied as I stumbled on the raised edge. I grabbed onto Rory's shoulder for support.

"What are the chances of you flying when you can't even walk along a four inch wooden board?" Rory asked as she grabbed my hand to support me, I immediately entwine our fingers.

"I'm sure you don't need balance to fly," I said to Rory as I walked along the board easier with her support. "I'm doing fine with you by my side anyway."

"But I can't fly with you," Rory said disappointedly.

"I could always carry you," I said, getting lost in my thoughts.

I let my thoughts wander again; I had been doing that a lot lately. I thought about the politician, Nathan Petrelli. What did he have to do with any of this? I met him once, maybe, I think I did. I have this image of him bumping into me on the street and saying vote Petrelli, I didn't even get an apology, but then again I might have just made up this false memory. I break out of my thoughts and look for Rory. She was behind me, frozen solid, our arms stretched out fully, still holding hands.

"What?" I asked Rory.

"Umm," Rory said as she motioned down to my feet.

I looked down confused and noticed that my feet are off the ground by about a foot. The wood railing, which I had been walking on, had finished a good three feet behind me.

"Huh?" I said out loud trying not to freak out. It turns out I didn't need to jump from the top of the swings. All I had to do was walk off a ledge and a small ledge at that.

"What were you thinking about?" Rory asked.

I lost my concentration, but landed safely on the ground.

"That guy," I replied as Rory walked over to me. "Nathan Petrelli."

"Ah," Rory said in realization. "So he's connected to this?"

"I guess," I replied, still confused. "Somehow…"

"Wanna try the swings again?" Rory asked me excitedly.

"Sure," I said, mainly for Rory's enjoyment. "What have I got to lose? Apart from my dignity and boyish good looks." I smiled at her.

"You can do it," Rory said. "I know you can."

"Okay," I replied as I got up on top of the swings yet again. This was starting to get tiresome, I hated failing over and over again.

I closed my eyes and pictured Nathan Petrelli. I tried to immerse myself fully in him and nothing else. I pictured what he looked like and my possible fake memory of him. I leaned forward quickly, knowing that if I hit the ground again I'd rather it be sooner than later. I felt as though I was floating, like before when I had visualized the outcome I had wanted. I opened my eyes slowly and noticed that I was about seven feet in the air. I was still on a lean, but my feet had left the swings and I was frozen in midair. It looked like this Petrelli guy was the key, the guy Rory found for me. Rory… I hit the ground.

"What happened?" Rory asked confused. "You were doing so well."

"What do you think happened?" I asked sarcastically. "I thought of you again."

"Oh," Rory said analyzing it. "So I'm like a deterrent to your abilities?" Rory asked sadly.

"No," I replied. "It's just, when I think of you my mind is full and there's no room left for any other thought."

"Oh," Rory said happily. "So what are the chances of you not thinking of me for an extended period of time?"

"Pretty slim," I replied truthfully. "But we can work on that later. I better get you home, we've been out here for a while."

"Okay," Rory said. I put my arm around her.

"So are you broken up with Dean?" I asked Rory on the way back.

"I guess," Rory replied. "He was pretty angry."

"What would you say if your boyfriend was a freak?" I asked Rory suggestively.

"You're not a freak," Rory said. "You just have some extra abilities that no one else possesses."

"Did you just call me your boyfriend?" I asked Rory smartly.

"Not in so many words," Rory stuttered.

"Because I don't mind," I said quickly, trying to reassure her. "It would be good actually."

"Really?" Rory asked, avoiding the question.

"Really," I said as we stopped at her bedroom window. "Now go to bed." I kissed Rory softly and helped life her through the window. "We can discuss this more tomorrow morning at the diner."

I walked away with a smile on my face.

"Jess," Rory called from her window. I turned around.

"Yeah?" I asked her.

"Don't go jumping off anything without me," Rory said.

"I wouldn't dream of it." I let out a little laugh. "But then again I probably would dream of it… Ah," I said frustrated. "You know what I mean. Now go to sleep."

"Night, Jess. Sweet dreams," she added softly before closing her window.

"Yeah, real sweet," I mumbled, heading back towards the diner.