Alright, it's starting to get intense... tell me what you think!

The fury on Rory's face mingled with hurt confusion.

"What are you doing her?" she practically yelled at him.

"I…I…" Jess stuttered, desperately trying to figure out how to calm the situation down.

"Did you follow me here?" Rory demanded.

"Well, It depends what you define as following?

"You, spying on me, and then following me to this hospital!"

"Ok, fine, I followed you," Jess confessed. "You would've made it easier on both of us if you had just told me about this," he added. Rory looked incredulous.

"Are you serious? This is my life, Jess!" she yelled at him. "You don't earn the right to know everything about me just because we live in the same apartment! If I don't want to give you my life story, then you just have to deal with it!" She turned and ran down the hallway, all the way out of the hospital.

"Rory, wait!"

She ran down the block and around the corner. She didn't stop running until she reached the bus stop, where the bus was just pulling up. Jess, out of breath, got on the bus after her and followed her to her seat. She turned her face towards the window as he took the seat next to her.

"Rory, I'm sorry." She refused to look at him. "Don't do that," he pleaded. "You can't stay mad at me forever. That would make living together pretty complicated." This too, received no response. Jess lapsed into silence for a few minutes.

"I'm really sorry, Rory," Jess tried again. "You're right. It's your life and I have no business butting in where you don't want me to." Rory turned her head slowly, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her coat.

"Well, now you know," she said simply, betraying no emotion.

"Yeah I guess I do," Jess conceded. "Why wouldn't you tell me? It's not like it's something to be ashamed of… unless it's your fault she's in there."

"No! No, it's not my fault. It was a drunk driver," she told him. "I just don't like people feeling sorry for me," she confessed. Jess raised his eyebrows.

"Rory, come on. My mother begged Luke to take me, because she didn't want me around anymore. I'm too busy feeling sorry for myself to feel sorry for you," he told her, provoking a small smile. The atmosphere relaxed, and they rode the rest of the way in a solemn silence.

After they had dinner that night, and Rory had disappeared somewhere with Dean, Jess approached Luke.

"So, I know about Rory," he admitted. "About her mom and everything." Luke turned to him, clenching his jaw.

"Dammit Jess I told you to leave her alone." Jess ignored this.

"Where's her dad?

"All over the place," Luke said, cleaning the table with a rag. "He and Lorelai-that's Rory's mom- were never married. She got pregnant when she was sixteen. He shows up every six months or so and calls every now and then, but she wouldn't have been able to live with him, he's still trying to find some stability."

"You don't like him very much," Jess observed.

"I just don't like seeing Rory disappointed," Luke allowed, throwing the rag over his shoulder. "Half the time he doesn't show up when he says he will, or shows up for a day before being whisked away to who knows where, and every time she pretends that she's not hurt, but she's terrible at covering those things up."

"So how'd she end up in a prissy school like Chilton?" Jess asked, leaning his arms against the table.

"That was her Grandparent's doing. Frankly, I think it was a good idea, which is about the only thing I have ever agreed on where they're concerned. Rory is very smart, and a school like this one will help her get into a great university."

"Cool," was all Jess responded he turned to go back to his mattress and music.

"Jess," Luke asked.

"Yeah?" Jess responded.

"Don't press her or anything ok? Her and her mom, they were really close. It's harder for her to cope with all this then she lets on."

"Whatever you say, Uncle Luke," Jess said, remembering the monologue he had heard back in the hospital room.

Jess did back off. Now that he knew the whole story, it didn't irk him so much that there were pieces missing. Dean still annoyed him like crazy, but he knew he had to live with it.

He was surprised when Rory came down one Sunday and asked him for a ride.

"Where to?" Jess asked, pulling a skull-and-bone shirt over his head.

"The hospital." Jess, who was reaching for his comb, stopped and turned to look at her.

"The hospital?" Rory nodded. "Where's Dean?"

"He has to work."

" I don't know Rory…"

"Come on! Please?"

"Alright, you want to go now?" Another nod. Jess grabbed his keys. "Let's go."

Soon they were on their way, jess leaning back, one hand on the steering wheel. Jess turned his head to Rory.

"So what, do have some sort of schedule? Or do u just pick up and go whenever you feel the urge?"

"I go when I miss her," Rory answered. "I mean, I miss her all the time, but I go when it gets bad.

"Like now?"

"Yeah." Rory stared out the window. "Something about this weather maybe," she speculated. "She loved the snow. When I was seven, there was this huge snowstorm, like three feet of snow. And she bundled me up, and we went outside and made our own winter playground. We built a snow fort, and a snow clown, and even a big hill that we could sled down. We stayed outside until we couldn't feel our fingers and toes anymore. And then we went inside and had hot chocolate with marshmallows and ice cream and whipped cream, and we watched Barbra Streisshand movies for the rest of the night." Rory was smiling at the memory, and Jess couldn't help smiling himself.

"She sounds like a cool mom," he said.

"She is," Rory said. "We're best friends."

When they arrived at the hospital, Rory fell into a pensive silence. They traveled once again through white corridors, the florescent lights beaming down on them. When they got to Lorelai's room, Jess stopped by the doorway to let Rory go in by herself. Roy paused as she passed him.

"You want to come?" Jess did a double take.

"What?"

"Come." Rory grabbed his hand and led him into the room. They neared the bed, Rory sat on the edge of it; Jess remained standing. Rory's mom lay still on the bed, her brown waves framing her face. The heart moniter beeped steadily in the background

"Hi mom," Rory began. "This is Jess, you know, Luke's nephew that I was telling you about." She looked up at Jess expectantly.

"Um, hi," Jess said uncertainly, but this seemed to satisfy Rory.

"I think you would like Jess if you got to know him," she continued. "He's got good taste in music, and food too. And he's really nice to me," Rory smiled at Jess. "He even drove me all the way here even though it's the middle of a Sunday. And he knows how important you are to me, and he respects that. And I know you might not have liked how sometimes he has an attitude about some things, and how he sometimes tries to block himself in and won't open up to anyone, but he's opened up to me, and he's let me see that he's really a good person."

Jess broke away from Rory's gaze, his cheeks blazing red.

"I think I need some air," he said. "Meet you by the car."

Rory went on talking for a couple of more minutes, and then came out to meet Jess. As soon s she saw him she could tell that he had been crying.

"Jess, what happened?" He looked down, ashamed that he had been caught in a moment of weakness.

"Did you mean those things that you said?"

"To my mom? Of course I meant them. Jess what's going on?"

Jess moved closer to her.

"You see… right through me," he said, his dark eyes bearing down into hers.

"I…" Rory struggled to say something. Jess leaned forward, and softly kissed her, as kiss that soon turned passionate.

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