Life: 2.0

Chapter 14: Always Unexpected

Author: knowhere

Rating: Pg-13

Disclaimer: Nothing.

AN: Sorry about the delay. I've been super busy with other things. I'm hoping to finish Chapter 15 soon.

Thanks for reading. As always, please review when you're done. Thank you.

Summary: Literati. Life doesn't always turn out like you expect. Jess and Rory meet as adults when their lives are at a transition period. Life, love, and everything else: Version 2.0. AU.

Jess stared blankly at the wall as he tried to sleep. But she was missing. Rory. He always slept on his side and would cuddle Rory into his chest. He got used to the familiar weight of her lulling his senses to sleep. The smell of her clean soap filling his nose while her baby-soft hair would rest loose and unbound, spilling onto his chest and pillow. The bed felt empty and cold. It was too big for him.

He replayed that last conversation with Rory again and again in his head. The logical part of him yelling at him to fix things and that he got upset for no big reason. Like Gabe and Rory had both pointed out, he was pinning sins onto Rory that she didn't commit. It wasn't her fault that he instantly thought of bad memories when he knew she was hiding something from him. It wasn't her fault that he was dealt a shitty hand of cards in his relationship with Ann. Plus, if he were being entirely honest, he would tell his logical side that he would have eventually broken up with her anyways. Like he once told Rory, he and Ann had good chemistry in bed, she had a body like a centerfold, but the chemistry was nothing he had with Rory.

With Rory, it was more than chemistry. Yes, their chemistry sparked and electrified every time he got his hands on her. There was something about being with her that made every nerve-ending stand up on end. To say nothing of the level of arousal she was able to bring out in him. He'd never felt like that. Jess was certain that he wasn't so easily aroused even when he was a horny teenager. No, Rory wasn't built like what contemporary culture said that men covet, but her modest curves and her larger-than-life blue eyes struck his gut every single damn time.

What he knew for certain was that he was afraid that he had ruined something good all because of the fear of the unknown future and the past hurts that he was unwilling to let go.

No matter what the logical side of his brain told him, his heart was torn. It had been a week since that fight with Rory. For seven nights, he'd been unable to sleep, this thoughts constantly replaying the good memories he had with her, but his mind would inevitably land on that last fight. Jess considered himself as rather secure in his own self-image. But what he realized after a week of being without her was that maybe he wasn't. In the little things, the inconsequential things, he had no problem. Since he rarely gave a damn as to what others thought about him, he always considered himself as having a healthy self-esteem. He did what was best for him and whatever responsibilities he answered to, but he didn't care if he wandered off the beaten path.

When he got custody of Gabe, some co-workers and acquaintances had actually suggested that Jess let one of their distant cousins who lived in Southern California take Gabe. Some said that Jess just wasn't up to parenting a pre-teen and certainly not full time. But Jess hadn't given another thought to the daunting task. And when they moved here, Jess had simply gone to his editor and laid out the facts: that he couldn't continue to work in the city and he needed help in transferring to a new job.

However, when he was honest with himself, Jess could see how much Ann had damaged his ego and confidence. Jess never had a problem with infidelity. Granted, he only had a handful of women he called 'girlfriends' in the past, but cheating as never an issue for him or the girl. No matter how flip he tried to be in the ending of the relationship with Ann, it damaged him more than he was willing to see. But having those insecurities whisper in his ear when he completely shut down during the fight with Rory forced Jess to understand that he was lugging his unopened baggage from Ann into his relationship with Rory.

He had demanded honesty from Rory but perhaps it was him that wasn't being honest. Jess knew he needed to fix things because Rory was worth it and he owned it to himself, to them, to try and patch things up.

Rory heard her bedroom door open and she tensed for a moment before recognizing that particular cologne. When the bed dipped, she felt an unfamiliar body, but she still welcomed the arms around circled around her. "It's really late."

She was used to feeling bare skin behind her in bed, but was met with jeans and a t-shirt instead. Warm breath brushed the nape of her neck. "I got your SOS text."

Turning, she snuggled into his chest, burrowing deep. "I'm pretty sure we broke up."

"I'm sorry."

She sighed, not knowing what to say. She wanted to tell him everything but at the same time, she didn't know what happened. "I hate him." Suddenly, tears welled up in her eyes and she pounded on his chest.

His arms tightened even more around her, hugging her close, heartbeat to heartbeat. "If that were true, it wouldn't hurt like it does right now."

"That idiot just gave up on us. One tiny mistake and he gives up!"

"What happened?"

"Logan called a while back. And then showed up a few days later without telling me."

"Logan?" Bram's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Rory could hear the hurt in his voice.

"I didn't want anyone to know. It was like if I didn't say it out loud then maybe it wasn't true. But it hit me today that he's not here."

"What happened?"

"I've been trying not to think about it and just concentrate on going on, but today in the teacher's lounge some of the other women were talking about their boyfriends and husbands and when they asked about me, it really hit me. I'm not with Jess anymore."

"Was Logan calling about that fight he had with Maggie?"

"Yeah. He was wondering about what to do but I made it clear that I wouldn't be with him anymore." She shrugged. "I didn't want to make it into a big deal, you know? It was just a phone call. And I thought that if I convinced myself it wasn't a big deal, then I wouldn't have to tell Jess and I wouldn't have to do anything about it."

"Your ex-finance calls and you don't think it's a big deal?"

"Bram," she sighed. "It was just a phone call. That's it. I wouldn't go all crazy on Jess if an ex-girlfriend called him." Bram compressed his lips and Rory scowled. "What?" she asked.

"Well," he treaded carefully. "I'm sure you wouldn't go crazy, per say, but you wouldn't be happy about it either. I think Jess is one of the first boyfriends you've had that is a bit more possessive than the others. Remember that dinner with your grandparents?"

She thought back to the incident and thought about it. "That's ridiculous. Jess knows there's nothing to worry about. And what does it say about him if he gets insecure about every little thing?"

"He's not perfect, Ror. He's allowed to have some flaws, you know. Maybe this is his. You did tell me that his last girlfriend cheated on him and he's already not prone to commitment. You can logically see how that would affect him. Especially if he went as far as to say he loved you."

Rory gnawed on her lower lip. In the past, she was so adamant that Jess not put her on a pedestal that maybe she was doing the very same to him. Sometimes, she saw his responsibilities of taking care of Gabe, plus the house, career, and everything else and she saw him as such a grownup. More so than she felt she was at times. Maybe in doing so, she thought he would be immune to the little things like jealousy.

"I'm thinking that he needs reassurance."

"Hey," Rory wrinkled her forehead. "He broke up with me. You should be on my side! Not defending him."

Bram rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I'll go and hire someone to beat him up tomorrow."

"Shouldn't you be volunteering to do it yourself?"

"And ruin my pretty face?" Bram shook his head. "I don't think so."

She didn't bother even grinning at his attempt at levity. "What's the point in this conversation? Shouldn't we be trashing everything Jess Mariano is and stands for? He broke up with me. We're not together anymore. Even if I could see the logic in this screwed up situation, I can't force the guy to be with me."

His arms tightened around her again as he gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. "That's true. But at least you can begin to understand how you might have contributed to the breakup."

"Bram!" She so didn't want to hear that. But if she had wanted her best friend to coddle her and tell her that it was all Jess's fault, she shouldn't have called him. Bram might joke around and have a carefree attitude, but when it came to analyzing problems, he was very good at pinpointing the issue. Sometimes that worked in her favor and other times, like this, it forced her to see the whole picture, not just what she wanted to see.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but no couple breaks up all because of one person in the relationship. It takes two to make it work and two to break up. Even if you're only responsible for 2% of the problem, you should take 100% responsibility for that 2%."

"Sometimes I hate talking to you."

Bram chuckled, uncaring of her statement. "No one else tells you the truth. People see you as fragile or unable to handle the truth and they wrap it up in pretty lies for you. You don't need that. You need someone to kick you in the ass once in a while."

"I apologized for not telling him the truth right away but he still couldn't handle it. I can't be with someone where I'm constantly worrying if their insecurities will get the best of him. I can't be afraid of making a mistake because he'll break up with me. Mistakes are going to happen."

"He probably saw this as a precursor for what might happen in the future. He's obviously still hurting from the cheating girlfriend. And if he does come back, you've gotta decide if you can handle his insecurities. They're not going to go away completely even if he sees them. But I will say this. If he doesn't open up his eyes and see what a great girl you are, he really is an idiot and he doesn't deserve you."

Her smile was wobbly but a smile nonetheless. "That's what I wanted to hear."

"So what are you gonna do?"

Rory sighed, scared of doing anything. Scared of moving. She was content to stand still. Even though she wasn't happy with the status quo, she felt safer pulling the covers over her head and blocking out the world. "Sleep."

Bram shook her. "And then?"

"Think."

"You're being stubborn."

She flopped over, scowling at Bram's expectant face. "You just want me to be with him because then you can live vicariously through me."

"You're deflecting onto me because you don't want to face the truth." Bram actually sounded hurt, his usual carefree attitude gone.

"And what truth might that be?"

"That the idiot next door might be the one. He'll keep you on your toes like no other guy has before. He'll dirty up your pristine little compartmentalized life and trash your small town princess persona. He'll make you crazy both good and bad but at least he'll get a rise out of you. You'll experience life with someone like him instead of hiding in your little turtle shell."

That hurt. But best friends apparently felt entitled to speak their mind. Damn him. "Shut up."

"You should talk to him. At least give him the chance to apologize and explain."

"Who said he even wants to do both? Or either one for that matter?"

Bram slanted a disbelieving look. "I'm a man, Ror. And just because I find your man just as hot as you do, doesn't mean I can't spot when a guy is head over heels. He loves you. He's said it and I've seen it. He watches you when you're not looking and trust me, he's in love. He tracks your movements as if he can't take his eyes off of you."

"Really?" Rory couldn't help that hopeful tone in her voice.

"Your insecurities are really unfounded, you know," Bram said, rolling his eyes.

Jess pulled open the front door to find the stoop occupied. "If you're here to yell or scream I'm gonna call the cops."

Bram slipped off his aviators and tucked them into the front of his shirt. "Not necessary. Besides, I'm pretty sure which one of us will win in a fist fight." His eyes roamed over Jess's exposed arms and lingered. "What is your exercise routine anyways? Because I got this new trainer and he's doing a lot of cardio and not a lot of weights. But I read in a fitness magazine that using only five pound weights can really do a lot of muscle definition and heavier weights isn't always the best thing to use."

Jess gave him a look of incredulity. "You're a little insane, you know that? No wonder you and Rory are friends."

At the mention of Rory's name Bram snapped up in attention. "Right. I'm here about Rory."

"Figures."

"Listen, I'm not here to defend her or to yell at you. I just want you to realize that Rory's very special and you kicking her to the curb like yesterday's trash was not only uncalled for but a total idiotic move on your part."

Jess scowled. "Why don't you mind your own business?"

Bram sighed. "You're going to regret it." He paused and examined Jess's appearance even closer. Mumbling, he added, "Maybe you already do." With that parting remark, he turned around and left.

Jess watched Bram walk down the driveway and get into his car. When the tail lights were no longer visible, Jess stepped out and just stood, watching the house next door. He heard a brief barking and figured it was Wes's 'take me outside' bark. Jess closed his eyes and breathed deeply, wanting things to just go back like they were before. But when he opened his eyes again, he was still standing on his front porch and alone.

Bram was right. He already regretted it.

When a particularly female-empowering song came onto the radio, Rory decided that enough was enough. She wasn't going to keep doing her ostrich impression anymore. Three days had passed since Bram had spent the night comforting and confronting her. Afterwards, she admitted to herself that she really was being stubborn. Sure, she still felt like it was Jess's job to seek her out and apologize if he wanted to. He had, after all, initiated the breakup. Wasn't that common courtesy?

Her compact car slowed to a stop at the intersection and she thought back to her past relationships. Some of her past breakups were mutual, if such things even existed, and others were more painful. However, she realized that she'd never really stood up and fought for a relationship. When she perceived the end, she didn't fight what she thought was the natural progression of things.

But she wasn't going to let Jess delude himself into thinking that he could protect his heart by being alone all the time. They were good together, damn it, and she wanted, no needed to know for certain that things were over between them.

She'd hate to toss away their relationship when it could have been patched up easily with a lengthy conversation between them. If he was willing, she wanted to work things out. And knock some sense into his thick skull.

Rory's thoughts were running a mile a minute as she plotted and planned what she was going to say to him. She imagined calling him once she got to school, leaving him a message requesting that he come over to her house today after work so they could talk. And if he didn't come over, she would just go over to his place. She would do her best to settle things and if in the end, he still didn't want to be with her, well then her conscience would be clear. She tried and did her best. She might fail, but at least she fought for what she wanted.

Rory was distracted, thoughts of Jess and the possible permanency of him not being in her life swirled around, nipping her self-esteem. Driving on autopilot, she didn't see the mangy large dog crossing the street. By the time she caught sight of the matted brown fur, she swerved too late. A patch of ice slipped against the car's tires, not allowing her to steer with precision. In that moment when she knew she would hit the tree, time stood still. She could hear her heart beating loud in her ears. Strangely enough, it beat regularly. Not erratic. Not crazy. Her body had not downloaded the surge of adrenaline yet. As she slammed on her brakes to try to avoid the tree, she had one thought...I'm not ready for this to be it.

Jess doodled on his yellow legal pad. He heard what the others were saying in their weekly staff meeting but his mind was somewhere else. Ten days. Ten days since he watched Rory walk away. Even in that single moment when he uttered those words that ended their relationship he knew instantly that he'd made a mistake. Ten days he let his wounded pride get in the way of marching up to her and apologizing. For ten nights, he'd tossed and turned, unable to sleep and wanting what was just next door.

Well, no more, he decided. He was going to put an end to things. He'd had plenty of time to think about the fight and he knew without a doubt that he did it in some stupid misguided attempt to not feel hurt or pain. He also knew that he was afraid. If Ann had the ability to hurt him like she did and his heart wasn't even involved in the relationship, what would happen with someone like Rory who had cleverly wormed her way into his entire heart?

But he wasn't a coward. Well, not anymore. And he was going to fight for what he wanted. He wanted Rory.

Gabe would probably be happy, Jess noted with a wry smile. The kid had been giving him the silent treatment ever since the fight, his allegiance obviously firmly with Rory. Jess never even got the opportunity to sneak some insider information about how Rory was doing or how she seemed in class because Gabe refused to talk. He had a stubborn streak that would make any Mariano proud.

The door to the conference room opened and one of the front desk receptionists poked her head in. "Jess? A call came through for you on the main line. He says it's important and that you're not picking up your cell or your desk phone."

Jess's head swung sharply around. "Who is it?"

"He says he's your brother."

A quick glance to his editor who cocked his head in the direction of the door sent Jess out of his seat and into the corridors, making his way around the cubicles like a mouse in a maze to his own desk. He checked his phone, seeing that he had accumulated five missed calls from Gabe and that his landline was blinking in indication of a voicemail. He clicked onto line 1.

"Gabe?" His heart caught in his throat.

"Jess! Where the hell have you been?"

He didn't bother answering. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes," Gabe's voice was a clear sound of impatience. "Where have you been? I've been calling you."

Jess unclenched his muscles when he heard Gabe's voice. He couldn't be hurt if he still had the ability to loose his patience. "You scared me! What is so important that you had to call my cell, desk, and the paper's switchboard for? If it's just because you've thrown up again, I'm going to throttle you."

There was a very brief silence. "It's Rory. There's been an accident."

"What?" His voice sounded small and scared and he was suddenly transported back to a few years ago when he felt so alone at hearing the news of his parents' deaths.

"I heard it from the guy who has his locker next to mine who heard from his girlfriend that has Rory for first period English. She got into a car accident this morning on her way to school and the principal is trying to find someone to fill in."

Jess only heard 'car accident.' "What happened? Is she hurt? Is she okay?" Jess's heart thundered and all he heard was the roaring of blood in his ears. Please be okay. Please.

"I don't know." Gabe sighed. "I've been asking around and my science teacher who usually has lunch with Rory said that the front office got a call from the hospital and that Rory was rushed in. Her car slipped on some ice and hit a tree or something. I don't know."

Jess heard Gabe's voice get thicker towards the end and he tried to clamp down on his own rush of fear. "It'll be okay. I'll go over to the hospital and check it out. I'll call you once I find out."

He dropped everything. On the way out, Jess bumped into his boss and with a hurried explanation said that there was a family emergency and that he needed to leave right away. His hands shook when he jammed in his keys into the ignition and peeled out of the parking lot. Jess tried to keep his mind off of the worst case scenario. He didn't want to think of it. He didn't want to even imagine what he would do if he had to relive his past nightmares all over again, only this time it was with someone he had imagined the possibility of spending his life with.

The way to the hospital felt like trudging through mud. It seemed like he hit every light and that every slow and horrible driver was right in front of him. Jess breathed deeply and when some stopped when the light was still yellow, he threw up his hands and gave the other driver a rude hand gesture. He prayed that everything was okay. He wanted to walk into the hospital room, see Rory, and grovel for her to give him another chance. He knew firsthand how short life could be and he couldn't believe that he let something as trivial as his pride get in the way. He just needed one more shot. He needed to see her, touch her, kiss her, and know that she was all right.

Jess rushed into the emergency room entrance, skidding on the slick floors. Almost colliding with the tall receptionist counter, he winced as the particular brand of hospital antiseptic hit him with a vengeance.

"I'm looking for Rory," Jess checked himself. "I mean, Lorelai Gilmore. There was a car accident and she would've been rushed in," he turned his wrist, checking his watch, " about an hour and a half ago."

"Are you a relative, sir?"

Oh shit. He should've foreseen his problem but his frustration easily gave way to despair. He needed to see with his own eyes that she was safe with all arms, legs, fingers, toes, and every strand of hair intact.

"I'm her—" What was he going to say? Should he lie and say he was her husband, fiancé, brother, or cousin? Or tell the truth and say that he was a maybe ex-boyfriend who had plans to reclaim status as her current boyfriend? He settled on the most basic truth. "She's mine."

The receptionist gave him a questioning look.

"Listen, I really need to see her. She was in a car accident and I need to know that she's okay. Please tell me where I can find her." He wasn't above pleading or groveling.

Something in his eyes must have softened her because she clicked a few keys her computer and said under her breath, "Room 213."

"Thank you." He rushed to the elevators and waited impatiently as it filled with other passengers. No matter how many times he hit the button marked 2, it didn't make it go any faster.

Her head was pounding and her entire right arm was throbbing in dull pain. She suspected that her new friend, the drippy IV filled with drugs, was taking the pain down several notches.

"Follow my finger." A penlight shined in her eyes and she tracked the doctor's finger. "Good. Well, Miss Gilmore, you seem to be doing fine. You're going to have some pain from your broken arm but this prescription should take care of that. You have all the aftercare instructions in your packet."

Rory nodded, the details of the accident filtering through her memories. She remembered the sound of the collision and that horrible crunching of metal. The airbags had deployed and had given her a second shock since she'd never been in an accident before. She must've passed out briefly and woke to a passing driver who had witnessed everything and stopped, called 911, and stayed with her until the firemen and paramedics had arrived.

She had been too shocked to be scared initially but when she had arrived at the hospital and waited for her cast to be placed on her broken arm, fear started to set in. She started to shake uncontrollably until the nurse tweaked a button on her IV to quell her rising panic attack.

"Do you live with someone Miss Gilmore?" At her shake, he continued. "The reason I ask is because I don't need to keep you overnight as long as someone will check on you every hour to make sure you're okay."

Rory would rather go vegetarian for a month than stay any longer than necessary in the hospital. "I'd really like to go home."

"Do you have a husband or boyfriend? Family? You need someone to keep a close eye on you. You're sustained a mild concussion and will need someone where with you through tonight."

"Not really." She thought of Jess instantly but felt too unsure of their relationship to bring something like this on him. She didn't want him out of pity or some sense of misplaced guilt. She couldn't call Bram because he was away on a business trip to Vancouver and wouldn't be home for a couple more days.

"She's going home with me."

Both her and the doctor turned at the low voice from the door. Her heart skipped a beat and tears rushed to her eyes. Rory suddenly felt much safer and no matter what happened between, seeing Jess gave her an instant sense of comfort. "Jess."

He strode into the room quickly and took her outstretched hand, gripping it so tight almost to the point of pain. "Rory. Thank god you're okay." His voice was hoarse. He brought her hand up to his mouth, pressing kisses into her open palm.

She was taken aback at the sight of tears threatening to spill in his eyes. "How did you know I was here?"

"Gabe called me and said that he heard from someone, who heard from someone that you were in an accident."

Loopy from painkillers and the rush of emotions, she brought their linked hands up to rub against her cheek. "I'm glad you're here."

"I'll give you two a moment." The doctor drew their attention. "The nurse will be in soon with your discharge papers and your aftercare instructions." He smiled kindly. "Take care, Miss Gilmore."

She heard him but she couldn't take her eyes off Jess. Apparently he felt the same. "Thank you."

"Rory," Jess half sat on the edge of the bed. "You scared me to death."

Rory winced knowing for a fact that this must have brought back too many bad memories for him. "I'm sorry."

"No, no. I'm the sorry one."

She nodded, but even through the pain of her throbbing arm, she knew that her and Jess had issues to work out and she didn't want guilt or this unexpected accident covering up their problems. "We'll talk about that later, Jess." She tried to look serious even though she started to feel sleepy. "We need to."

He nodded. "I was planning on seeing you tonight anyways."

"You were?" A hopeful tone entered her voice.

"Yes."

"But later. After all this," she gestured her arm that was decorated with a hot pink cast, "is done."

Jess kissed her and she felt his tension as he moved his mouth on hers. The kiss was too hard to be deemed passionate but after a moment, he turned tender, kissing her softly as if he were worshiping the feel of her. "I want to be with you. Know that, Rory. I'm going to take you home, tuck you up in my bed, take care of you, and then when we're both ready and you're not high on pain meds, we're going to talk about what happened and how we're going to fix things, okay?"

She smiled and even though she hurt all over, she felt better than she had in the last ten days. "Sounds doable."

AN: Read? Please review; Chapter Notes will be sent.