Hey, thanks for all the reviews!! If you want steady updates, keep them coming. This week might be a little slow because I've got midterms but i'll do my best. I'm having fun with this story. K, Hope you like this chapter. Let me know!!

A week later the three of them had basically fallen into routine and gotten used to each other's presence.

Jess sat at the table upstairs, with a plate of fries, reading a book he had stolen from Rory's room. Rory came home, and threw her backpack into her room. She stole a fry before Jess could stop her. He noticed that she hadn't taken off her coat.

"Going to meet Dean?" he said, dragging out the "Dean" in a teasing manner. Rory nodded, swallowing the fry. "Give him and extra smooch for me," he said, turning back to his book.

"I'll be sure to," Rory said, rolling her eyes. "If you bend the spine I'll kill you," she warned referring to the book, as she went out the door.

"Sure," he called after her. He finished the fries and stood up to throw it out. He glanced out the window in time to see Rory running out to meet Dean, who was waiting outsidefor her. They shared a short kiss and then continued walking into the park. Jess tuned back to the table and continued his book. He was at the end, and in fifteen minutes he was done. Jess got up to put in back in Rory's room, and steal another book. Her room was very neat. Her Harvard paraphernalia was pinned up along one wall, her bookshelf and desk line up along another, and her bed was under a window on the third wall. Her dresser stood next to her bed, with her clock radio illuminating light from its numbers. He went straight to the bookshelf. He dumped the book haphazardly on the shelf, knowing Rory would yell at him later for ruining her very meticulous system of organizing her books. He resumed looking for another book.

"Got it!" he pulled one out for a flourish, a book he had been meaning to read for a long time. In his haste he dropped it on to the floor. He bent down to pick it up, and he eye caught something. Stuck in the space between the last shelf and the floor, was an album. Jess found this curious, since all of Rory's other albums were on the third shelf, neatly arranged by year. Either it had fallen without Rory's notice, or she had put it there. The possibility of it being the second case aroused Jess's interest. He reached under and pulled it out. It was a simple album, with a navy binding. In a pink paint pen Rory had inscribed on the front, "MOM" in fancy script. Now Jess was really curious. Rory had steadily avoided any questions about her past since that first day. He sat on the floor and cracked it open.

On the first page was a picture of Rory as a baby. Jess smiled down at it. She was wearing a short blue dress that made her eyes pop out. She was in the arms of a girl who couldn't have been more than a teenager herself. She had long brown hair down her back, and blue eyes that matched with Rory's. There was something in the way she smiled that reminded him of Rory, and also in the way she stood. The next picture was of the same woman, except this time she was laughing as Rory jumped on top of her.

All the other pictures were of Rory and the same woman, who Jess assumed could only be her mother. She looked very young and full of life, doing something crazy in every picture. He smiled at a picture of Rory as a toddler, holdeing a mop and wearing a bucket one her head, her mom standing beside her in a maid's uniform. He turned the pages as Rory grew older and older, and finally came to the last picture. Rory looked about thirteen, which was confirmed by a cone shaped birthday hat with the number "13" on it. She was smiling a wide sparkiling grin, her arms thrown around her mother, who was wearing a matching hat. In the background Jess saw all the weirdoes from the town. There was Mrs. Patty and Kirk, Mr. Dosey looking stern, Gypsie, and all the others, all donning the same hats; even Luke stood stoically to the side. Jess had never seen Rory looking so happy, all though truth be told, he had only known her for a week. Still, the happiness in that picture was more than he thought her capable of.

"What are you doing?" a small voice said from behind him. Jess jumped around and saw Rory standing in the doorway.

"Stealing a book," Jess answered, trying to match Rory up with the happy girl in the picture. "I thought you went out."

"Yeah well, I forgot something. And that's not a book." Rory strode over to where he was and grabbed the photo album out of his hands. When she saw which album it was, all humor left her face, which turned to ashen stone. "Get out,"" she said quietly, but firmly.

"What happened to her?" Jess questioned boldly.

"Please just leave," Rory repeated her request, sitting down on her bed. Jess, sensing the delicacy of the subject, didn't question her further, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"What happened to Rory's mother?" Jess asked Luke later, when they were cleaning up after closing the diner. Rory had gone to sleep early, claiming she had a headache.

"That's for Rory to tell you," Luke answered. "Why do you asked?"

"Found some pictures," Jess told him, wiping the tables down with a rag. When he looked up, Luke was standing over him, his expression serious. "What?"

"You were going through her stuff?"

"What? No! I just… I just found it okay?" Luke took a hold of his shoulder and looked him square in the eye.

"You stay out of her stuff, you got that? Leave Rory alone," he demanded. Jess stepped back, his hands held up in mock surrender.

"Alright, Alright. Cool down." He finished cleaning and went upstairs, where his book awaited him.

The next day at breakfast Rory was subdued, picking at her pancakes.

"You alright?" Jess asked, playing the part of submissive.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she insisted, but she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Liar," he said. She glared at him. "Alright, alright!" he said, backing off. Luke rolled his eyes.

"I've gotta get to school," she mumbled, grabbing her bag. Rory turned to Luke. "I'm gonna be home late today," she said. Jess didn't miss the meaningful look she gave him.

"Yeah sure," he nodded.

"Where you gonna be?" Jess asked her curiously. She glared at him again.

"Visiting," was all she said.

"Visiting who?" he pressed.

"No one Sherlock," she shot, aggravated. Jess threw up in hands in mock surrender.

"Excuse a guy for being curious!" he protested. Like gave him a look. Jess laughed. Luke turned back to Rory.

"Have a good day," he told her. He turned to Jess. "You, get ready for school."

"So much love," Jess sighed.

"Hello Rory," the white uniformed nurse greeted her.

"Hi Anna. How have you been?" Anna the nurse looked at her sympathetically.

"I've been fine dear," she answered gently. "How about you?"

"I've been good," Rory said.

Anna smiled. "That's good dear." Rory smiled back and continued on her way past the nurses' station. She went all the way to the end of the hall and made a right, and the found her way to the second door on the left. She took a deep breath before entering.

"Hi mom," she said, sitting next to the lifeless figure. "It's Rory. It's been a couple of weeks since I came, and I miss you. Things at school have been the usual. Paris has added a few more things to the long list of reasons why she hates me, including that I sit in front of her in English and my hairclip gives her a headache. Dean's really good. I know you would love him; he's so good to me. I know he really wishes he could meet you." Rory smiled to herself, and continued. "Luke's nephew moved in. His name is Jess. It's a little crowded with three people in the apartment, so I think Luke might go look for a bigger place. Especially Since Jess takes up a lot of room because he just sits upstairs all reading and listening to really loud music. I might be horrible for saying this, but it's kind of funny when him and Luke fight. Babbette told me to tell you hi. Everyone really misses you mom." The smile left Rory's face. "You need to come back to us okay?" she squeezed Lorelei's hand and stood up. "Ok, I'll see you next time mom. Don't party too hard while I'm gone." Rory leaned down and kissed her forehead, smoothing back her hair. "Seriously, someone needs to brush your hair." Rory made her way outside, saying goodbye to Anna as she left.

Jess was sitting on the bench by the bus stop when Rory got off.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry," Jess said. "I'm also not allowed to sit on park benches?" Rory rolled her eyes, hitching her backpack higher up her shoulders. "Luke kicked me out. Apparently his costumers don't share my feeling about Metallica." He closed the book he was reading and stood up, falling into step with Rory.

"So, are you ever going to tell me where you were?" he asked her once again.

"Probably not," she admitted. Jess nodded in concession.

"So how do you know Luke anyway? I mean, you must have some sort of really good connection with him if you live with him."

"He's a friend of my mom."

"Your mother who you refuse to talk about." Rory nodded."And why is that?"

"Cause I just don't want to talk about it," she said with a note of finality, and even Jess was smart enough not to push it.

He would just have to figure it out for himself.

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