Thanks for your reviews – I love getting them! They make me incredibly happy! (Hint: I want more!)

I decided to change the tense in which this story is told from present to past for no other reason than that I just accidentally started writing this chapter in the past tense and then was too lazy to go back and change it. But I think I'll stick to the past tense in this story, it felt better to write that way! Hope it's not too confusing!

And I know this is a really short chapter, but I figured it's better than nothing, right?

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Jess sat in his car and watched through the window as Luke walked around the diner, refilling coffee and taking orders. This was ridiculous. What was he really doing here anyway?

This was stupid. It was a stupid whim and he should turn the car around and go back to New York and forget what he possibly, maybe thought he saw at that art show.

No, that wasn't right – definitely, certainly knows he saw at that art show.

He sighed and got out of the car. He wasn't here because he wanted to know where she lived or because he wanted to go search her up. He was only here because he needed to know. He needed to know whether he should prepare himself for running into her every time he left the apartment. That's all there was. Knowledge – that was all he needed.

He took a deep breath and strengthened himself before pushing the door open and entering the diner.

"Hey" A surprised Luke looked up from his order pad when Jess entered and made his way to the counter.

"Hey" Jess nodded as he took a seat.

"Was I expecting you?" Luke asked, looking confused.

"Nope" Jess answered. "I just thought I'd drop by"

"Oh, okay" Luke looked at him suspiciously. "Have a seat, I'll be right there"

Jess nodded and pulled a book out from his back pocket and began to read while waiting for Luke to finish attending his customers.

He found it rather hard to concentrate on the reading though, there was too much memories floating around this place; memories of stolen glances between the pages of a book and quick kisses across the counter.

He put the book down and looked across the diner. At least this town didn't seem to change, it was still the same customers drinking the same coffee and ordering the same food as always. Somehow he took comfort in that fact. It felt good knowing that you could always come back here when things got to be too much somewhere else. He would never admit that out loud though.

"So" Luke said from across the counter, interrupting his thoughts. "What brings you here?"

"Can't I just drop by for a surprise visit to my dear, old uncle?" Jess tried.

"You can" Luke answered. "But it wouldn't sound very much like the Jess I know"

"Well, people change" Jess stated and picked his book up again, not quite ready just yet to jump to the reason for his visit. He wasn't even sure it was a good idea to bring it up. Luke would probably tell Lorelai he asked him about Rory, and then Lorelai would tell Rory, and… He wasn't quite sure what would happen next, but it was probably better to leave it alone.

"Yeah" Luke said and took a long look at Jess before heading back to attend to a customer.

A little over an hour passed while Luke ran around the diner as usual and Jess tried to concentrate on his book, still pondering whether he should ask about Rory's presence in New York or not.

"You want anything to eat?" Luke offered as he passed by.

"I'm good" Jess answered without taking his eyes of the book.

Luke sighed and ripped the book out of Jess' hands and leaned across the counter. "Why are you really here?" He asked and fixated Jess' eyes with his own.

"I told you: I'm here for a surprise visit" He answered sarcastically.

"Yeah, you told me, but I don't believe you"

Jess sighed. "I saw her" He said quietly and Luke stirred, obviously immediately catching on who Jess was referring to. "In New York" He added.

"Yeah. I-I didn't know if I should tell you, if you wanted to know…" Luke started, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Hmm" Jess nodded. She was back. She was in New York. This changed everything. Everything and nothing.

"Look…" Luke looked suspiciously around the diner and then bent down towards Jess' head as he continued in a low voice. "I don't know what's happened, but she's changed. She's not the same anymore. I think you'd better stay out of it." Jess looked up at him with a curious look on his face and Luke added. "For your own sake"

"The table's turned, huh?" Jess asked.

"What?"

"You used to tell me to stay away from her for her sake, now it's the other way around?"

"Well…As I said: she's changed"

"Changed how?" He shouldn't be asking. He should turn around and go back to New York and ignore all this. Ignore her. But he couldn't help himself, he wanted to know. He needed to know.

Luke looked around the diner again and then gestured for Jess to follow him upstairs. "The walls have ears" He explained as he started up the stairs.

Jess closed the apartment door behind him and watched as Luke paced back and forth in front of him.

"It's that guy" Luke muttered as he paced. He looked at Jess and pointed his finger in the air, as to underline his words. ""That Logan guy" The way he said 'Logan' left no doubt in mind that Luke wasn't the guy's biggest fan. "He has changed her. She's not even Rory. She's like an evil clone, pretending to be Rory. I don't what happened; she was herself when they got back from California, but then…" Luke stopped pacing and shrugged his shoulders, looking defeated. "…I don't know…something happened"

"What does Lorelai say about it?" Jess asked, not knowing how else to respond to his uncle's rant.

Luke looked completely miserable when he answered. "She's beat. They hardly even speak anymore. Can you imagine that?"

Jess sat down at one of the chairs around the kitchen table and shook his head, trying to take the information in. Rory and Lorelai – not speaking? No, he couldn't imagine that.

"And you know what else?" Luke continued and Jess got the feeling that he had a pent up need to discuss this matter with someone. Someone other than Lorelai. "I bought her a book for Christmas. I bought her a book. I actually went into the bookstore and asked Andrew which shelf she used to spend the most time at, and he helped me pick out a book for her" Luke turned to face Jess and his face was turning red as he continued. "You know what she said? You know what Rory Gilmore, the girl who used to carry a book with her everywhere, you know what she said?"

Jess shook his head, even though Luke's rant offered a few conclusions.

"She said: 'Thanks Luke, but you know, I don't really have that much time to read anymore' and then she put the book aside"

Jess stared at his uncle with eyes wide open. This couldn't be true. Sure, people can change, but Rory wouldn't let go of her books, she wouldn't stop reading. It was part of who she was.

"Don't have that much time to read" Luke repeated. "That's not Rory" He said, putting Jess' thoughts into words.

"Huh" Jess said, completely lost for words.

"Oh, and she was here yesterday" Luke continued his rant. "Came driving into town in this fancy little newly-washed silver Porsche" Jess pondered for a second how newly-washed could be a bad thing, but decided he better not comment on it. "She invited us to some charity event she was throwing in Hartford tonight. Lorelai said we were seat-fillers, now I don't know what that means, but obviously it's not a good thing, so we said no. You know what she said then?"

Jess shook his head.

"She said we could at least come to the party afterwards, 'cause there they would probably even serve beer. You should have heard the way she said beer, just like her grandmother; as if it were a poisonous drink. How could you judge someone based on their preference in beverages?" Luke finished his rant and sat down on a chair across the table from Jess.

"Huh" Jess said again. He couldn't think of anything else to say. This was too much to process. Not only was Rory back on the east-coast, but she had changed, tremendously.

They sat in silence for a while, each of them preoccupied with their own thoughts. They both stirred when they heard a soft knock on the door and Lane's voice as she called Luke's name.

"Yeah, in here" Luke said and stood up from the chair.

"I'm sorry to interrupt" Lane said and casted a glance at Jess. "But Kirk's downstairs and he refuses to let anyone other than you make his toast" She rolled her eyes at Kirks silliness.

Luke looked at Jess.

"Go" He said. "Looks like Kirk needs you"

"Yeah" Luke said. "So…you're okay?"

Jess nodded and Luke left the apartment.

Lane, on the other hand, lingered around, shuffling her feet in front of her and looking at Jess. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and a questioning look on his face.

"I'm sorry" She said as she made her way over to the table and sat down next to him. "Umm…" She hesitated for a few seconds, but then continued. "I kind of overheard you downstairs…did you meet Rory?"

"Yeah, well I sa–" Jess started but was interrupted by Lane.

"How was she? Did she look okay? Did you talk to her?" Lane threw the questions at him with a rapid speed.

"I didn't talk to her" He said and saw Lane's face dropping. "So, you're not talking to her either?" He asked confused, referring to the 'hardly speaking' thing Luke described between Lorelai and Rory.

"Well, she…I…" Lane started. "No" She continued and let her shoulders drop. "We kind of had a fight"

"Huh" Jess said yet again. That seemed to be the only response he could come up with at this time. This was the last thing he ever expected.

He had gone over it in his mind a thousand times, how it would be to see her again. What her life was like now. A thousand different scenarios, but this one didn't even slightly resemble any of them.