A/N: thank you so so much for the reviews already! You have no idea how happy it makes me that within hours after posting chapter one, I was already getting some! As a present, I have chapter two just days later so I hope you all like this one too and there's lots more to come!
"Finally!" Chris shouted when Jess walked into Truncheon books. "I thought you not living here was supposed to be a good thing but instead it just makes you late."
"Sorry about that," Jess smirked. "I overslept."
"Which wouldn't have been a problem if you still lived upstairs," Chris finished.
Jess shook his head. "I can't stay up there forever."
"Just until you stopped working for us?" Chris asked.
Jess laughed, clapping his friend and coworker on the shoulder. "Again, sorry."
He went to go get a cup of coffee and his friend followed. "What kept you up? Jen?"
Shaking his head and sipping his coffee, Jess sighed. "Nope."
"A girl though?" Chris kept going.
He shrugged. "No. My uncle called late last night with news. That's all."
Chris got excited. "Is he gonna bring the baby by? The kid is cute."
"He's not a baby anymore, Chris," Jess laughed. "He's five."
"Still a baby."
Jess was about to reply to Chris' grumblings when Matt walked down the stairs, surprised as Chris to finally see Jess there.
"Hey, man," Matt greeted. "Chris being a hassle?"
"Always," Jess smirked.
"I'm right here!" Chris exclaimed.
"We know," Matt and Jess said together.
Chris grumbled off to the back of the store. "I need a better job."
"How's the new writing coming?" Matt asked Jess.
Jess shrugged. "Its not, to be honest."
"You said you were working on something," his friend told him. "Your past books have been selling so well."
"Maybe I want it live up to the expectation," Jess joked then turned serious. "I feel stuck. Everytime I sit down and try to write, nothing of substance comes out."
Matt nodded. "I get it. I mean, not really, I'm not a writer myself but I can try to."
"It's not as easy after three books, I guess," Jess said.
"Well, we can't all be Hemingway," Matt teased.
"Oh, not you too," Jess groaned. "I've had too many conversations like this before."
"You've spoken to people who don't think Hemingway is the greatest author?" Matt held his hand over heart in surprise.
"Dated someone, actually," he smirked at the thought of a certain blue-eyed brunette.
"Color me stunned," his friend chuckled. "The girl must have been something if you dated her while knowing of her Hemingway dislike then."
Jess looked down at his feet. "She certainly was something."
"Now I must ask who it was," Matt smirked. Jess finished his coffee and said nothing more but he took the hint. "Oh, it's her, isn't it? The one that got away?"
"Don't know who you're talking about," Jess replied as he walked away.
"Of course you do!" Matt followed. "It is her! She's the one who was here for the open night all those years ago!"
Jess shook his head again. "I'm not talking about that."
"Just give me a yes or a no," he pleaded. "Tell me if it was her. I don't even need a name though I'm sure it will come to me if I think hard enough."
"Fine," Jess groaned. "It was her. You happy?"
"Ecstatic," Matt answered. "But you're still not off the hook about a new book."
"I know, I know," he sighed.
Matt laughed as he walked away too, seeing a woman walk in. Jess looked over and saw it was Drea, who had been working with them for over two years now. She and Chris had gone out a few times but it didn't work out and they remained friends.
Drea greeted Jess as she passed and he nodded a hello at her. Jess decided while it was quiet right now at work, he would try to get some writing done. He pulled out his laptop put of his bag and sat in one of the seats.
The cursor blinked at him in a mocking tone. Everytime he tried to put a thought into writing, his mind went back to last night. Ever since Rory had called him, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He had hoped it meant maybe writing could happen just like she had helped with The Subsect but nothing did.
He was just stuck with thought of her and what she had told him. One particular day came to mind, over five years ago.
...
The elevator chimed to tell Jess he had arrived on the right floor. Luke had called him franticly, telling him Lorelai was in labor and he didn't know what to do. Jess had calmed him down enough to stop screaming and told him he would come down.
But now as he got off the elevator, he remembered why this was a bad idea. The waiting room wasn't too far from where he stood and right there where he could see them, stood the two people he didn't want to see together. Rory was pacing back and forth over the same part of the floor while Logan talked to her. Jess didn't hear them yet but his mind went right to he was being a jerk. He figured that wasn't fair because the two were married now but he couldn't make himself not think it.
He took a deep breath and walked forward. Seeing more of the waiting area, he saw his mom was also there with Doula. There was no TJ to be found but he preferred dealing with him to Rory's husband.
Liz shot up in her seat when her son approached. Both Rory and Logan looked over at him, neither wearing a readable expression. Jess hugged his mother and little sister.
"Where's Luke?" He asked his mom.
"He's in the delivery room with Lorelai," she answered. "He got too anxious sitting out here before she asked for him anyway."
"How is everything?" He asked, trying to think of appropriate things to say. "With the baby?"
"They're not saying anything," Liz told him. "And its been five hours."
"That's good right?" Jess questioned. "I thought most labors can take really long."
"They can," she agreed. "But I wish they'd say something."
He was about to turn to Rory and ask of she could find out anything since it was her mother in there, after all. But when he turned around and looked at her, words got stuck in his throat. Jess was glad Logan wasn't looking at him just then.
Rory noticed though. "Hey."
"Hey," he awkwardly said back to her.
Logan now was watching them, probably remembering the one and only time they met before years earlier. Rory didn't pay attention to him and walked forward, hugging Jess. "It's good you're here. Luke will be glad to see you."
"Maybe," he smirked as he hugged her back then let go just as soon, nodding at her husband. "Logan."
"Jess," he nodded back.
Liz came baside her son, her daughter hanging onto her leg. "I didn't know you had met yet. You haven't really been home for holidays much, Jess."
"Busy," he replied simply.
"Too busy for your family?" she asked.
"I have a business, Liz," Jess replied, smiling. "The place would fall apart without me."
"Sure," she agreed, smiling back.
"We actually met some time ago," Logan added, saving Jess from his mother's questions whether he knew it or not.
Liz looked between the two of them. "Really? When was that?"
Rory stepped in. "It was right before I came back to Yale."
"When your book came out!" Liz gasped. "I must have so many copies of it by now."
Jess almost blushed and was grateful to see Luke come down the hall. The five of them all looked to him as he walked straight to them.
"What's happening?" Rory was the first to ask. Her worry for her mother written all all over her face.
"I have a son," Luke happily told everyone.
"Oh my god," Liz exclaimed. "I'm an aunt again!"
"Congratulations, Uncle Luke," Jess told him and gave his uncle a hug.
"Thanks, Jess," Luke told him. "I'm glad you got here in time."
"Me too," he told him.
Rory hugged Luke next, saying how excited she was he and her mom had a kid of their own now. "When can we see him?"
"I'm not sure," Luke answered. "In fact, I should be heading back. Your mom would kill me if I'm gone too long."
"Of course," Rory laughed.
Luke waved to everyone and raced back to his wife's room. They all let out a sigh of relief as they relaxed and went to sit down. Jess sat down by his mother and sister while Rory and Logan sat next to each other by the other wall. He tried to ignore Rory leaning her head on her husband and closing her eyes. Logan's arm was around her and rubbing her arms. Jess looked at his little sister's drawing she was working on to distract him.
...
Seeing Logan that day had brought up everything for him. When they met outside her grandparents' house, his words in the bar, Rory defending him outside. Worst of it all was that night at Truncheon and believing Rory had fixed everything only to hear not only was she still with Logan but he had cheated on her.
Hearing her say she loved him despite all the bad he'd done was a sharp knife to his heart. Jess knew he wasn't the best boyfriend in the world, definitely not to her, but he had never cheated on her or done whatever else bad she included in her words. And yet he still only got "I think I may have loved you." He felt the years old knife twist again.
Suddenly, thinking of that horrible open house, seeing them together at the hospital and her words inspired him. Jess started typing and typing, the words flying out of his mind. He only stopped when Chris came up to him and told him a customer wanted to personally talk to him about his books.
...
Rory unlocked the door to her mother's house and stepped right in."Mom? Are you home?"
"Rory?" She heard her mother yell from upstairs.
"What other person calls you mom that has a female voice?" She rolled her eyes, laughing as she took her jacket off.
Lorelai appeared at the stairs. "Well, Evan has been doing some pretty good impersonation skills lately."
Rory nodded, smiling. "Sure he is."
"Not that I'm not happy to see you," her mother started, a huge smile on her face. "But what are you doing here?"
"My mother calls me at ten pm to tell me she's having another baby and I can't come over to see her?"
Lorelai's smile got even bigger. "Having another baby. I love how it sounds."
"Wait until you call me at one am to say you hate your child and wish you never got pregnant because they're screaming," Rory pointed out.
"Hey," Lorelai pouted. "No raining on my parade!"
"When you get a parade, I'll be sure to be more sunny," Rory laughed.
"I'm having another baby," Lorelai sighed happily.
"I know," Rory agreed. They went to sit down on the couch. "It's so exciting."
"And scary," her mom chuckled. "The doctors weren't sure I could."
"But you did," Rory pointed out. "You and Luke get to have another child."
"Kid, I'm so happy," she smiled at her daughter. "I've never been happier."
"I'm so glad for you, Mom," the younger woman told her.
"Not that I'm trying to speed it up," Lorelai spoke. "But have you ever thought about kids? Getting married again?"
"Mom," Rory breathed out a laugh. "Being single again still feels new. I barely had time to adjust to my new apartment let alone pick a new husband."
Lorelai put her hands up in surrender. "Got it. But, kid, you know I just want you happy, you know that?"
"I am happy, Mom," she told her, smiling. "Really. I have my dream job, I have a great place to live, I'm gonna be a big sister again. Everything is great."
"Okay," she nodded. "Do you want to help me drive Luke crazy and come up with crazy names for the new baby?"
Rory laughed, nodding as her mother pulled put the book of baby names.
...
When Rory was done visiting her mom, she went to stop by Lane's. The door opened as soon as she knocked, Rory was happily surprised to see a eight year old boy in front of her.
"Kwan!" Rory exclaimed. "How are you?"
"Aunt Rory!" The little boy yelled as he went to hug her.
"I've missed you!" Rory told him as she pulled away from the hug.
"Me too!" He told her. "Mom will be excited to see you."
Rory smiled. "Is your mom here?"
He nodded. "She's with Steve." Then be lowered his voice. "He's in trouble."
"What'd he do?"
Kwan zipped his lips to not tattle on his twin. Rory laughed just as Lane came out of her son's room and hugged her best friend.
"God, they grew up fast," Rory told her.
Lane nodded. "Believe me, I know."
They both laughed as Lane got into the latest hijinks of her boys.
...
By the end of the day, Jess had written pages and pages of words. He wasn't sure if Rory's call inspired him or just thinking of where he was when he wrote The Subsect. He remembered words coming to his mind once he got back home after that dreadful moment in her dorm room.
Matt had walked up to him as Jess was leaving for the night, a smirk on his face. "Were my eyes deceiving me or did I see you writing?"
"You saw fine," Jess said. "It wasn't that busy today and words just came to me."
"It's because of that girl, isn't it?" He asked. "I'm not pushing anything. I know you too well for that. But it's her, right?"
Jess nodded. "She called me last night. Told me some news, actually."
"And...?"
"And I don't know," Jess answered honestly. "I just started writing."
"Good," he clapped his friend on the back, smiling. "I hope the news was good?"
"Sort of," Jess chuckled.
Matt nodded. "I'm glad you wrote something, then."
"Me, too," he nodded back. "Night."
"See you tomorrow."
Jess walked to the door and opened it. "I'll try to be on time tomorrow."
"You better be."
Jess laughed and walked out the door.