A/N: Another crazy busy week! I feel terrible about not getting one up sooner and I've been feeling sick the past two days but I'm determined! Lol. I hope you like it!
Rory smoothed out her dress as soon as she shut her car door. She checked her hair in the mirror and made sure she looked all right. She wasn't really sure what she expected when she entered but she wanted to at least not look terrible. These ladies would not hesitate to tell her if she looked terrible.
The door opened fast once she knocked on the front door, a new maid standing in front of her. "Hello."
"Hi," Rory replied. "I'm -"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Greta," a familiar voice screeched. "Let her in."
"I'm sorry," Greta said in a whisper.
Rory smiled at her in apology as she took off her coat and handed it to her. The girl was quickly gone from sight. "Hello, Grandma."
"Rory," Emily smiled big. "Its so good to see you, darling."
"It's good to see you, too, Grandma," Rory smiled. And it was despite her first thoughts. She had forgotten how much she liked being there. "Is everyone here?"
"Not yet," she rolled her eyes. "It seems they got stuck in traffic the opposite way you come from. So it may be a little while."
Rory looked down. "Oh, I'm sorry."
"Its all right," Emily smiled at her granddaughter. "It gives us girls a moment to catch up."
"It does," Rory smiled. She didn't really have news to share unless realizing how you feel about a long ago ex-boyfriend counted which she was sure wouldn't.
Emily made drinks and handed Rory white wine. She looked at it then sipped it, not wanting to tell her she'd prefer something else. "How is everything, Rory? Still in New York?"
"I am," she nodded with a smile. "The Times is amazing."
"I've read some of your recent articles," Emily told her. "They seemed different."
"Different how?" Rory worried.
Emily took a sip of her drink and did a little shrug. "It didn't have your usual flow."
"My flow?" Rory asked. "What does that mean?"
"It didn't sound much like you," Emily explained. "Is everything all right?"
"Of course," Rory answered. "Its been busy with mom's pregnancy but -"
"What?"
"Huh?"
Emily shook her head. "Your mother's pregnant?"
"She didn't tell you?" Rory asked. She wondered if the guilt showed on her face. Emily shook her head again. "I'm sure she meant to."
"How long ago did she tell you?" Emily asked, ignoring her reassurances.
"Um..." Rory thought for a moment and did the math in her head. "Close to a month, I think."
"A month!" Emily exclaimed and stood up. "My own daughter didn't tell me she's having another child while she's been telling people for a month!"
"She only told me and Jess," Rory tried to explain.
"Jess?" Emily asked then her face looked like it was in disgust. "That nephew of Luke's who showed up here with a black eye?"
"Yes," Rory said. "That's not that many people after all. I'm sure you were next."
"Of course," she replied, hurt.
Rory set her drink down and tried to save the time they have before others show up. "Grandma, what do you think about me coming for dinner more often?"
Emily's face brightened. "Really?"
"Yeah," Rory smiled. "Its not impossible for me to get here and maybe it won't be every week but it would be really nice to see you more often."
She smiled at her granddaughter. "That would be lovely, Rory. I've missed you, too."
Before either could say something else, there was a knocking on the door and everyone had arrived.
...
Jess cleared another plate as he wiped down the table it was on. His uncle was closing his diner soon for the night and then everyone was going to retire upstairs, him included. Evan was at the counter coloring and he smiled at his cousin before returning to work.
"I'm heading home," Lane came besides him.
Jess stopped wiping the table and turned to face her. "Big night?"
"Oh, huge," she smiled. "I got to pick up the boys and Christina from my mom's then me and Zach are gonna try to get a good night's sleep."
"Sounds jam-packed," Jess teased.
Lane laughed. "Sadly there might actually be jam."
"Night," he told her as she went for the door.
She turned around to face him first. "Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"I didn't always like you," she said. Jess gave a confused look then nodded in understanding. "But you and Rory were good for each other. And I'm glad you're here for Luke."
"Thanks," he said and she nodded, leaving. He stood there and wondered why she told him he and Rory were good together. Luke walked in mid-thought and Evan jumped off his seat.
"Daddy!" He exclaimed.
"Hey, little man," Luke told him as he hugged his son. "Jess watching you okay?"
Evan nodded. "He gave me crayons."
Luke looked over to where Evan had been sitting and groaned. "Jess, did you happen to actually watch him as he colored?"
"No," Jess said hesitantly. "Why?"
Luke pointed to the now colored spots on his diner counter. "That's why."
"Shi - shoot," Jess corrected. "I didn't know."
Evan laughed. "I heard a bad word."
"No, you didn't," Jess told him and he laughed more.
"Jess?" Luke nodded towards his sonsw art.
"On it," Jess said before he could add more. He went to go get the special spray they only break out when Evan draws on something he shouldn't have.
When he was done cleaning up, Jess walked to the upstairs apartment and sighed. Luke sat at the table with Evan. "Lorelai still at Sookie's?"
"Yeah," Luke answered with his eyes on his son. "She said she'd be coming here soon."
"That's good," Jess nodded. He kneeled beside Evan and whispered, "Give me and your dad a couple minutes?"
"Okay," he nodded and got off his seat. His crayons and paper were a mess all over the table and it made both men smile.
"What'd you want to talk about that you tried getting my son away?" Luke asked him.
Jess sat up and into a seat at the table. "I actually had a question."
"Oh yeah?" His uncle said. "What's that?"
"What's this like?" Jess waved his hands around the apartment. "Married, kid, another coming...happiness."
Luke sighed. "Why? You got news to tell me, Jess?"
Jess laughed. "No. No news. Just curiosity."
"Well..." He leaned back in his chair. "Its pretty great, actually."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Luke smiled and looked over to the direction Evan went in. "I wouldn't trade it for the world."
"Good," Jess smiled and gave one nod. "I'm happy for you, Uncle Luke."
Luke made a face. "Didn't I ask you enough times not to call me that?"
"Not enough yet, Uncle Luke," Jess smirked.
...
Something hard yet soft hit Jess in the head. His eyes peaked open and the blurs in front of him faded to people - Matt and Chris to be exact. He groaned and turned his face into the pillow.
"We know you're up," Chris told him. Jess just groaned more and stayed in his position. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."
"Well, actually we only have the one way," Matt pointed out.
"Shut up," Chris hit him.
Jess smirked into his pillow and turned face up. "What are you idiots doing?"
"Do you not know what today is?" Matt asked.
Jess groaned. He did. "I try to pretend I don't."
Chris pulled his hands from behind his back and he had a cupcake with a candle in it. "Happy birthday!"
"Ugh," Jess groaned again. "Why would you bring me a cupcake by the way?"
"It seemed appropriate," Chris told him.
"For me?" Jess questioned.
Matt leaned to Chris. "He's got a point."
Jess got out of bed. "I really wish I hadn't crashed here last night. You two would have had a much harder time getting into my own apartment."
"It's your fault for crashing here then," Matt added.
Chris hit him lightly. "Dude, shut up."
"Why?" Matt asked which was quickly followed by an, "Oh."
Jess walked past them and out into the hall. "Great job at not reminding me how I was dumped. And you reminded me on my birthday of all days."
Matt and Chris followed behind. "Shit. We're sorry."
"I didn't say anything," Chris said. "This is all on Matt."
Jess nodded in agreement as he took a cup of coffee. "That is fact."
Matt stood between the two of them. "This is not fair."
"Damn straight," Jess agreed. "Now give me my cupcake."
Chris passed him it as the two of them sat down. Matt pouted as he watches them. "Ugh, sit down, Matt."
"You're done blaming me for stuff?" He asked cautiously.
"For now," Jess smirked and drank some of his coffee. "The day is still young after all."
Hours later, Jess went out to take a walk and bumped right into someone. "I'm sor - Jen?"
"Hey," she said in a quiet voice. "How are you?"
"Fine," he answered. "Birthday."
"Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed. "I almost forgot!"
"If we didn't bump into each other, you actually would have," he teased.
"Jess," she said in a serious voice. "I'm sorry. About what happened."
He shuffled his feet. He really didn't want to do this today. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."
"It's just..", she started then continued, "Its obvious you still feel strongly about her. I'd kill for someone to love me that way."
"I did love you that way," he defended. "But I guess it wasn't enough."
She smiled. "No, you didn't. But thanks for saying that."
Jess nodded but not agreeing. "I wanted to."
"I know," she just said.
There was a pause of silence. He kept his head down and she watched him. Finally, she spoke again. "I found another job."
"Oh?" He asked. They had been taking different shifts at Truncheon just to avoid each other.
"Yeah," she smiled softly. "I was actually coming to give my notice."
"Consider me noted," he smirked at her.
She nodded this time. "Okay. You'll tell everyone?"
"Yeah, I will," he confirmed. "Don't worry about it."
"Thanks," she told him and started to walk away.
"Hey, Jen?"
"Yeah?"
"You'll be pretty hard to replace," he told her.
She smirked his own back. "I'm sure you'll have no problem finding someone."
As she walked away, he wasn't sure if they had meant her job or as his girlfriend. The further he walked however, the more he believed girlfriend was what she meant and job was what he did.
...
"Mom, don't kill me," Rory said as soon as he mom picked up the phone.
Lorelai was instantly suspicious. "What did you do?"
"Remember I had dinner with Grandma and her DAR friends tonight?" Rory asked.
"Yes?" Lorelai said then gasped. "You didn't!"
"I did," Rory winced.
"Rory!" Lorelai shouted. Then her voice lowered. "I will only resist raising my voice right now because I am outside and I can see Kirk and Taylor."
"I'm so, so sorry," Rory told her. "I thought you told her. When you had that dinner you brought Evan to, especially."
"No, we didn't," she shook her head. "We were waiting."
"But she knows now," Rory sighed.
"She knows now," Lorelai repeated. "Nothing we can do now, hun. And who knows? Maybe she'll be happy for us."
"Evan grew on her," she pointed out.
Lorelai laughed. "Sweets, I hate to break it to you but you were the first one who had to grow on her."
Rory opened and closed her mouth. "I don't know what to say to that."
"Tell me you're still coming," she stated.
Rory smiled. "I'm still coming. I'm on my way now. Stopped for coffee first."
"That's my girl," Lorelai smiled.
...
Jess stayed up past when Lorelai finally came in. He laid on the couch with his laptop on his lap and typed out another chapter and a half before his hands cramped up. Evan was fast asleep on his old bed and Luke and Lorelai were resting peacefully in Luke's old space. He wasn't sure why he couldn't sleep. Maybe it was all the excitement from Lorelai rushing in and telling them her mother knows. Luke's face was pretty priceless he had to admit.
He got up for a glass of water and noticed the drawing Evan bad showed him the other day on the fridge. He stared at it, at the fictional version of himself and his family and of Rory next to him. He'd be lying if he said he never thought she was his future. Now it felt like a literal chest pain to see how she's apart of his life no matter what and he felt guilty as hell.
He downed the water and walked away from the fridge, not daring a look back at just a drawing. Tomorrow he would do better. Tomorrow he would man up and not let Rory get to him. He laid back down on the couch and reread what he wrote. Finally his eyes got heavy and he turned off his laptop, closing his eyes for the night.
A/N: I hope you liked the new update! I'm gonna try to plan ahead for time to update because I miss giving two a week! Being busy sure takes away lol.