A/N- Wow it's been awhile since I updated this, hasn't it? I just kinda fell in love with Always and had a mental breakdown regarding this fic. But, thanks to reading several awesome JavaJunkie fics lately (which have inspired me to finally decide that I do in fact prefer JJ to BB), I finally got some inspiration for where I wanted the next chapter to go. So here we are (also, I blame watching Luke Can See Her Face about five thousand times for this chapter).

Also- JEEZ did my lyrics get out of control in this chapter! I love including these lyrics at the beginning of every chapter, but it's sometimes hard to find something that fits. But whatever. I'm a music freak. (Shoutout to Peter, who loaned me his beautiful, beautiful vinyl collection when I was a kid. I mean, you have to be a freaking SAINT to be willing to trust an eight-year-old with your copies of Abbey Road and London Calling! You're the best big cousin ever, Pete!)

5. Mending Broken Hearts

"I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate.
Perhaps that's what no one wants to see.
I just want to scream...hello...
My god, it's been so long, never dreamed you'd return
But now here you are,
And here I am..."

-Pearl Jam

Jess shook his head as she finished her story. "I think you've officially surpassed me in the delinquent department, Miss Gilmore," he said, gently teasing her. "At least I managed to avoid getting arrested!"

"Aw, and here I thought we could compare stories from the slammer," Rory pouted, and for the first time, he saw a hint of her old self shining through. It gave him hope. Rory would be okay, he was sure. It would take time, and more than a little reassurance, but she'd be okay.

"Yeah, well, I can tell you all about the time I got caught shoplifting cigarettes, but that's not really as good of a story," he said. Rory raised an eyebrow at him and he realized suddenly that it was the first time in all the time they'd known each other, that he'd told her much of anything concerning his life outside of Stars Hollow. The thought made him a little uncomfortable. He had been forced to confront his past long ago, and he could talk about it now, but he wasn't sure she'd really want to know anymore. He quickly changed the subject. "Rory, you've got to go back to school. You know that, right?"

Her eyes dropped abruptly away from his. "I..."

"Look, I don't know the full story. I only got the abbreviated version from Luke, so I don't know why you dropped out in the first place, but it was really stupid of you. You're brilliant, and you and your mom both have been working for this your whole life. Eighteen years of your life you dedicated to this dream, and you're just gonna toss it out? I'm not gonna lie to you, Rory. That's stupid. What the hell was going through your head?"

Rory bit her lip. "I... I don't have what it takes," she said numbly. "I got informed in no uncertain terms that I'm crap as a journalist."

"By who?" Jess asked, flabbergasted. "Who could honestly read some of the pieces you've written, say that, and still maintain a shred of integrity?"

"Mitchum Huntzberger."

The name chimed in his brain and Jess saw red. "Oh, for the love of-- Your boyfriend's daddy said you weren't good enough? Is that what happened?" He was disgusted, and his tone came across more condescending and disdainful than he had intended.

Her face took on a strange expression. "You know about Logan?"

"Yeah, your grandfather mentioned him," Jess spat, not so much angry with her as much as failing to process all the emotions that had built up in him over the course of the past few days. "Seriously, Rory, what the fuck has been going on with you lately? Dating some rich jerk with a Porsche, letting his rich jerk father convince you that you're not good enough... this isn't you! This isn't you at all!"

Rory crossed her arms defensively. "Mitchum was speaking in a purely professional capacity!" she said hotly. "He's one of the most important, most respected newspapermen in the country, and I would think he would know. I worked for him as an intern, he saw my work, he didn't think it was any good. End of story. And just for the record, Logan and I aren't exactly dating anymore!"

For a moment, Jess only registered the last statement, and something dangerously like hope swelled up in his heart. "What?"

She shrugged, still shielding her body with her forearms. "We broke up the day before I moved out of my grandparents' house."

"Is that why you... why you were the way you were last night?" He couldn't bring himself to get into the details of it all. She knew what he was talking about as well as he did. And the idea of Rory falling apart because of some guy made him want to hit something. He'd thought she was better than that. She hadn't fallen apart when he'd run out on her, had she? And even though he hadn't been the best boyfriend, he knew for a fact that there had been something pure and real in their relationship. Losing it had just about killed him, and he wasn't stupid enough to think that Rory had gone skipping happily away from it either. But she had survived that. What was different this time, with this other guy? Jess felt sick to his stomach at the thought that maybe she just loved the rich guy more. But his fears were put somewhat to rest when she spoke.

"It was part of it," she admitted, voice breaking a little. "As ashamed of it as I am, it's part of it. We parted on very bad terms. But mostly it was just... everything. The DAR and the Russian teas and Grandma being annoying and I wasn't speaking to Mom and I couldn't talk to Lane or Paris, not really because they both thought I should be going back to school--"

"Which you should, by the way," Jess interrupted. "I don't care what Mitchum Huntzberger says. He doesn't know a damn thing about you, Ror." Her words from the night before- You always did know me better than anyone- came roaring back to him, and on their heels came a wave of memories, and it brought a sudden flash of inspiration. "Tell you what. If you want, you can cash in on that promise."

She looked up at him, eyes a little bright with the tears she had successfully prevented from falling. "What promise?" she asked, confused.

"Well, over the last couple of years, I've had to pick up a little Spanish to deal with this psycho poet..." Noting the growing bewilderment in her expression, he said, "Never mind. It's a long story. Point is, I know some Spanish. And I have a car that's slightly better than that old rust bucket..." He trailed away, waiting for her to getting, wondering if she actually remembered that night.

Her eyes suddenly lit up in a way he hadn't seen in years. "Driving straight at me screaming in a foreign language..." she said softly, a hint of a smile playing around her mouth. He thought about ice cream and the heady rush of being alone with her. "You'd still do that for me?"

"'Course I would," he assured her.

"Oh." She stared at her shoes.

Jess reached out and touched her shoulder gently. He wondered if she was as hyperaware of the contact as he was. "Rory, you're gonna be fine. Whether you're a foreign correspondent or something else... you'll be the top of your field. This whole thing- no Yale, being in the DAR, it's not you. You can do more." They lapsed into thoughtful silence, staring out at the water. After a long pause, Jess let out a bark of laughter and said, "Dejá vu?"

She giggled. "Yeah, except this time you're the one with the pom-poms."

"No pom-poms, just the truth."

Rory hesitated for a minute, then said, "I guess so."

Jess had to fight to repress a wide grin.

They sat there like that for a long time, just watching the crisp autumn morning light glitter across the rippling water and processing the surreality of sitting next here to each other as if no time had passed. Neither of them spoke, but neither of them really felt they needed to.

Eventually, though, Rory's stomach did the talking for her, announcing lunchtime with a very audible growl.

Jess smirked. "Luke's?"

Rory nodded. "Luke's."

He stood up and helped her to her feet in turn, and together they left the bridge and made their way across the square to Luke's, where Rory consumed an amount of food that Jess found to be equally disturbing and comforting. If she could still put away this much food, he was reassured that she had suffered no lasting harm from the last few weeks.

When she had cleared her plate of everything but a single fry and a half a tomato slice, Jess asked, as casually as he could manage, "Do you want to walk up to the Dragonfly?"

Sitting on the stool next to her, he felt more than saw her entire body tense. She didn't look up. "I... um, I was thinking I'd go visit Lane after lunch." Jess met Luke's eyes across the counter; the older man just shrugged and went back to wiping down the counter.

"Okay," Jess said slowly. "You want company walking over there?"

Before Rory could answer, Luke chimed in, "Actually Jess, I... uh, I wanted to talk to you about something before you go."

Jess glanced at Rory for confirmation. "Yeah," she assured him. "You stay. Talk to Luke. I'll be fine." She hesitated, then added, "I'm not running away again."

"Good to know." He watched as she slipped off her stool and walked out of the diner, and he couldn't help but think that she moved with purpose.

"Something happened a couple days ago and I just... it's crazy," Luke said.

Jess leaned against the doorframe, watching his uncle pace around his apartment. Eventually growing irritated, he said, "Hey man, you were the one who wanted to talk to me. Just spit it out already!"

Luke sighed and planted himself in a chair next to the table. "Um, this is hard. I... I feel like this giant weight's been sitting on me, I just- I just need someone to talk to."

"So talk!" He joined Luke at the table.

"I have a kid."

For a second, Jess did not comprehend what he'd heard. "A kid?" he said blankly.

"A little girl. She's twelve. I am her father." When Jess didn't speak, Luke continued, staring at the Formica tabletop. "She came to the diner out of the blue and she was testing to see who her father was. Not for money or anything, it was for this science fair she was in. She's smart."

"And you're sure the DNA test is legit?" Jess asked archly.

Luke smacked him on the arm. "Don't be a smartass. This is serious."

"Sorry. So... twelve. And you didn't know?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Anna- her mother- and I didn't part too well. But then April- that's her name, April- comes into the diner with this stupid pink bike helmet and she's going on about paternity tests and she yanks out a bunch of my hair and walks out, just like that. So I went down to the fair and there she was. You know, and there I was. My picture, the DNA test." Luke let out a nervous laugh. "She's mine."

Jess stared. The man who was more of a father to him than Jimmy, more than any of Liz' various boyfriends or husbands, had a kid of his own. It was a lot to take in. "Wow. So the mother really never told you?"

"No. That's the thing. She hasn't contacted me. I mean, why hasn't she? She could have called me. What? Does she think I'd be a deadbeat?"

He shook his head, smirking at the tabletop. "She'd have to be insane to think that," he said. It was a weighty statement, but Jess passed it off lightly.

Luke was still avoiding his gaze, just looking at his own hands as if he'd find answers there. "April doesn't seem to want anything either. You know, it's all just very scientific with her. I couldn't even get her to go for ice cream with me." After a moment, he seemed to come to a resolution. Then he began speaking, and it was obvious to Jess that he was trying to talk himself into whatever he'd decided. "She didn't have any interest. You know, that's the thing. Why should I feel burdened? I mean, they're not reaching out. Neither one of them. So why should I? I mean, the girl's got her life. She seems very adjusted, a little weird, but thriving. Anna's got her life, I've got my life, you know. I shouldn't worry about this. I mean, why should I? There's no reason to." He looked up and noticed Jess looking at him for the first time. "What?" he demanded.

"Take it from someone who knows," Jess said in his most serious voice, "Growing up without a father? It really sucks. Did you ever think maybe the whole science fair thing was just a cover? This Anna woman obviously didn't want you involved in your daughter's life- which, in my opinion, means she's cracked- but the kid made an effort to find her dad. That means something, one way or another. Maybe the science fair was her California."

It seemed to make an impact, and Luke winced. "Ugh. Don't compare me to Jimmy!"

"Believe me, I'm not," Jess said with a shake of his head. Luke and Jimmy were about as different as two father figures could be. "All I'm saying is, you've got this little girl out there. She's made contact. Think about it before you just ignore that."

Luke nodded slowly, apparently deep in thought.

"Look, what does Lorelai think?"

Jess didn't miss the guilty expression that crossed his uncle's face.

"You haven't told her." It wasn't a question.

"We're engaged, we're on track here, her and me. And Rory's back, so that's settled now. Or at least, it will be. We're in a good place! You know, this could wreck it."

It was ironic, how things were coming full circle, Jess thought. "Luke, you're a moron."

"What?"

"Once again, I'm gonna say: take it from someone who knows. Opening up to a Gilmore girl is infinitely better than the consequences. I learned that the hard way. She'll be pissed as hell if she finds out later and you didn't tell her. That's more likely to wreck it than telling her."

"We talked about having kids," Luke said quietly. "What if she... doesn't want to anymore because I wasn't there for April?"

Jess groaned. "Ah jeez," he exclaimed. "When did you turn into such an insecure idiot? You honestly think Lorelai's gonna think you're some deadbeat because your ex-girlfriend never bothered to inform you that she was pregnant? That's logic too twisted even for a Gilmore! You're probably the best father a kid could ask for!"

Luke looked up at him. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. God knows I'd probably be in a ditch somewhere if it weren't for you."

It was the closest Jess would probably ever come to telling Luke that he loved him like a father. But he thought Luke knew anyway.

A/N2- Because Liz? Yeah, she gave really crappy advice in the original version of this scene. You can bet if Luke had been talking to Jess here, the entire April Mess and the horrifying JavaJunkie breakup would never have occurred. CRISIS AVERTED! Not all, but the Big Major Mess That's Way Too Difficult To Sort Out has been sidestepped. However, there are other things coming the ways of both of our favorite couples...!