"Luke, we need coffee and food!" Lorelai yelled as soon as she opened the door to the diner. Rory followed closely behind her, a smile on her face at her mother.

Luke came out of the kitchen and walked straight to his wife. "I'm giving you decaf."

"But -"

"No arguements," her husband told her. "Find a seat and I'll be back with your cups."

He walked away and went straight to the kitchen. Rory pouted, looking after him. "He didn't take our order."

"He'll be back," Lorelai told her. "He can't resist feeding me."

"Aha," Rory grinned.

"Aha what?" Her mother asked.

Rory smiled, looking right in her face. "After akk this time, the truth of why you married Luke comes out."

"There's that and he has these special skills in the -"

"Daughter present!" Rory shouted, covering her ears.

"I was gonna say in the construction business," Lorelai added. "Gee, who has their mind in the gutter?"

"You're just lucky Evan isn't here right now," Rory teased. "Then there'd be two of us screaming and covering our ears when you start sentences like that."

"Liz wanted some time with her nephew," Lorelai defended. "What kind of sister-in-law would I be if I took away time with his aunt and cousin?"

"A less crazy one," Luke answered as he placed the mugs down in front of them.

Lorelai grinned. "Thank you, husband of mine." Then she took a sip and made a face.

"What is it?" Luke asked her.

"Decaf," Lorelai said as if the word was a curse.

"I told you I was giving you it," Luke defended. Rory looked between the two of them, trying not to laugh.

"Yes, but, I didn't think you were serious," Lorelai said.

Luke opened his mouth to respond when Rory spoke first. "Don't bother. You know mom."

"Sadly, I do," he smiled at his wife.

"Hey!" Lorelai objected. "First decaf -" she made a face at the word then continued -"now insults? This is not as fun as it used to be."

She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. Rory looked up at Luke. "Are you taking our orders now?"

"Yeah," Luke replied as he grabbed his paper and pencil. "What'll you have today?"

...

"How's my cousin?" Jess asked over the phone.

"He's good," Luke answered him. "He spent the day with your mom though so he might be excited."

Jess laughed. "Is being with Liz really any crazier than being with Lorelai at the point?"

"I'm not sure," his uncle said. "I have to pick him up soon, though."

"Say hi to him for me?"

"You know I will."

"How are you doing with all this, Uncle Luke?" Jess asked. "I mean, this is big. You've got to be thinking something."

"I'm good," he told him. "We both wanted another kid so I'm happy."

"How's April?" Jess asked. "Does she know she's gonna be an older sister again yet?"

"I called her right after I called you the otber night," Luke answered. "She was very happy to hear there would be a new baby around."

Jess laughed. "Getting tired of Evan already?"

Luke made a face. "I don't think that's it."

"Relax, Uncle Luke," Jess said. "I was kidding. I'm sure she loves her brother as much as she'll love the new baby."

"Thanks, Jess," Luke said. "Now what about you? You been writing?"

"I have," the younger man nodded. "Trying to at least. I got some writing do e the other night, actually."

"That's great, Jess!" Luke said happily. "Does this mean you're gonna have another bestseller on your hands?"

"None of my books are bestsellers," Jess said.

"Really?" Luke questioned. "Have you not checked the lists in the past years?"

"Not really, no," he shrugged. "We don't make too many copies, Luke. There's no ways they're on a bestseller list."

"I'm not saying its number one with the amount of copies you guys print but it's on there," the man told him.

"Maybe I'll check," Jess sighed.

"Good," Luke smiled. "I'm really proud of you, Jess. I don't tell you that enough."

"Thanks, Luke," Jess said, trying not to let on what the words mean to him.

...

"Everbody gather around!" Matt yelled from the front of the room. "We have a very special part of the night planned for right now."

Jess hid his face and looked down at the ground. This was the part he'd been dreading. He waited for Matt to finish explaining and then finally, introduce him.

"And now, the unveiling of the latest book of one of our own, Mr. Jess Mariano and his third book, All the City Lights!" Matt yelled louder.

People all around the room clapped as Jess walked to stand beside Matt on their make-shift stage. Matt clapped him on the back and Jess stood in front of the microphone.

"I never really know what to say at these things," Jess laughed. Everyone else joined in. He even saw some people in the front nodding as if agreeing they wouldn't know either in his position. "But I'll say that I'm really glad you all could make it and I hope you like the new book."

He stepped down from the stage and Matt rolled his eyes. "That's Jess for you," he joked.

Chris laughed from the other side of the stage. Jess walked up to him, half-smiling, half-glaring. "You guys don't have to make a big deal everytime I write something."

"Of course, we do," he disagreed. "Our co-worker is a published writer! Me and Matt, we just try to live through other people's work."

Jess definitely laughed now. "So you're living through me too?"

"Just the writing," Chris answered.

Matt walked up to them. "Jess, there's a guy here who's looking for you. There's a girl with him, too. Says he knows you."

"Finally," Jess grinned as he started to walk away. "A good excuse to get away from you two."

"Hardy-har-har," Chris laughed.

Jess walked away and instantly found who he assumed the man and the girl was. "Now this feels like déjà vu."

Luke turned around and looked at his nephew, remembering that first open house. "It does a bit. Sorry I didn't make the last one."

"That's okay," Jess told him. "You were a little busy with your wife having a child and all."

April laughed. "Dad did have a very good excuse that time. Hi, big cousin."

"Hey, little cousin," Jess smirked at her then hugged her. "I haven't seen you since your graduation."

"I wasn't sure I was going to make it," she told him. "My classes have been crazy but I knew I wanted to come."

"How is Princeton, by the way?" Jess asked her.

"It's amazing," she gushed. "I could probably go on and on about all the great things about there. I know its only been a few months but I love it there."

"That's good," Jess said then smirked. "Uncle Luke, what's it like having a daughter who's in college?"

Luke grimaced. "I'm still in denial over it. She's still that kid I met with the helmet in my mind."

"Oh, gosh, the helmet," April groaned. "I haven't worn that in forever."

"It can't have been that bad," Jess said.

"Maybe," April said. "Can I look around? You guys always release such good books and there's nowhere else to get them."

"Sure," he agreed. She started to walk away but he added in before she left. "Stay away from my co-workers!"

April laughed, turning back to her father and cousin before disappearing into the crowd. Luke turned back to Jess, no longer smiling. "Do I need to worry about them?"

"Nah," Jess shook his head. "They're mostly harmless. Besides, Chris has a girlfriend and Matt is...Matt."

"How comforting," Luke mused. They started walking around and stopped in front of his second book, Directly Darkly. "I really liked this one."

"You did?" Luke nodded. "I don't know if I like it too much anymore."

"How come?"

"I was in a dark place when I wrote it," he said, remembering what he had recieved in the middle of writing it.

Luke nudged him. "If I remember right, you said the same thing about The Subsect."

"What can I say?" Jess joked. "I'm always in a dark place."

Luke smiled at his nephew. He had missed him though he'd never admit it. "Is Rory here?"

Jess looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"She was here the other time I came," Luke answered. "I figured maybe she would be here again..."

Jess was shaking his head. "No. She's not here."

"Busy?"

"I don't know."

"Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"Did something happen...betweem you two?" Luke asked, almost wincing. They had never really discussed him and rory much after high school.

"No," Jess answered. He grabbed a beer from the cooler that was out. "Nothing happened."

"You two seemed friendly the other time I was here," Luke pushed. "Now you two barely speak."

"Being friends doesn't work with us," Jess said as he took a drink.

Luke said. "You were friends before."

"Barely," Jess smirked. "It's too complicated."

...

Rory woke up groggy. She didn't know why she felt so tired then she rolled over and fell to the ground. Rory looked around and found she was in her mother's living room.

She sighed, remembering why she was there. Last night was her second night in Stars Hollow since coming back for her mom's news. The first night Luke had offered his apartment for her to stay in. Rory had accepted, grateful for somewhere to stay since Evan now had her room.

...

Rory put her bags down in the room as Luke walked her in. "Thanks so much, Luke," she told him.

"Its nothing," he shrugged at his step-daughter. "You know where everything is. Bathroom, kitchen, beds."

Rory nodded, smiling. "Yes, I know. Luke, I'll be fine."

"You never stayed here before," he pointed out.

"I know," she smiled still. "Don't worry about it."

"We would have gotten a place ready for you if we knew," he apologized.

"This is fine," she nodded. "Really. I don't mind."

"Okay," he nodded back. "Call if you need anything, all right?"

"I will," she agreed.

Luke walked out of the apartment with a wave and she turned and looked into the big room. Rory remembered back when it was smaller and then to when it was bigger. She had more memories post construction than preconstruction. Sighing, she walked around and saw Luke's bed and almost shivered at the thought of staying there. She loved Luke but she didn't think she could handle staying in the bed her mother had been in with him.

Walking to the other side of the apartment, she stopped short. Jess' bed. Well not anymore it wasn't but back when she used to frequently come up here, it had been. Now it was April's bed when she visited.

When it came too late to not sleep any longer, she crawled into the bed she refuses to think of as Jess' and snuggled herself in. At first she could think of nothing but him falling asleep in this exact spot then her thoughts turned to falling asleep with him here. That shot her right up.

Rory grabbed the blankets and the pillow and went to lay down on the couch. Of course, that definitely brought back memories since they had for sure been on there together. She groaned, mumering to herself. "Why am I thinking about Jess?"

Instead of staying on the couch, she went back to the bed and put headphones on and went right to sleep.

The next morning, she went right to her mom and told her she couldn't stay up there again. Lorelai asked why but Rory just said it was nothing against the apartment, its a great apartment. Again, Lorelai asked then what's wrong and all Rory could say was "I just can't stay up there." Lorelai nodded, a sort of grin on her face and said okay.

...

Evan jumped on top of Rory before she managed to climb off of the couch. She laughed at her little brother. "Evan!"

"Rory!" He shouted, hugging his sister. "Did you have a sleepover?"

"Kind of," she smiled. "I wanted time with you and Mom!"

He smiled at her. "Me?"

"Of course, you, silly," she pulled away from him and looked at his light brown hair and blue eyes. She was glad to see their trademark eyes had passed down to her little brother. "I don't see you enough, Mister!"

Rory started tickling him and Evan couldn't stop laughing. Lorelai came downstairs to see her two kids - she refused to call Rory an adult even at her age - playing together. It took a moment for her to come down because she loved what she saw.

"Evan, what are you doing to your sister?" She teased her son.

"She started it!" He exclaimed, pointing at Rory.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Lorelai laughed at them. "How about we get ready for breakfast? Evan, you want to go see Daddy?"

"Yes!" He yelled. Rory laughed now too as he jumped off of her and raced to his room.

"He loves going to the diner as much as I ever did," her mother said once her son was out of the room.

"Yeah he does," Rory agreed. "And both of you go just for the owner."

"Hey!" Lorelai gasped. "There's coffee and pie, too!"

"Right, I forgot," Rory answered.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Are you sure you're my daughter? I don't think any of my kids would forget coffee and pie."

"Sorry, the test said I'm yours," Rory shrugged.

"Rats," Lorelai groaned.

A/N: Again, thank you SO SO much for the reviews! It means so much to get them and that people are reading, following, reviewing and most of all, liking it.

I don't know how much I like this chapter but I needed those flashbacks in there and I don't want to rush too much either so I hope you all like it too :) And I wasn't sure on what a good title for any of Jess' books might be so I hope they're not too bad lol.