"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lorelai asked her daughter as the two of them stood in front of the grand entrance of the Gilmore mansion.
Rory nodded in reply. "Yeah. I'm the one who asked grandma about restarting Friday night dinner and I'm here so it makes sense to go."
"If you're really sure," Lorelai smiled then knocked on the door. A young girl answered. "Hello. We're here to see Master Gilmore."
The girl nodded at them and moved aside for them to enter. She didn't speak and the two of them looked at each other curiously. The maid took their coats and scurried off.
"Well, that was quick," Lorelai commented.
Emily walked into the foyer with a big smile on her face. "Girls! I'm so glad you could make it."
"Hi, Mom," Lorelai smiled right as Rory began "Hi, Grandma."
"It is lovely to see both of you," Emily remarked. "Come in, come in."
She escorted them into the huge living room. Each sat on the couch while Emily made them drinks. She handed lorelai a soda this time which made her very happy it was not water.
Emily soon sat down as well in her usual chair facing not the couch but enough to still see it. "Lorelai, I must say you are absolutely glowing!"
"Thanks, Mom," Lorelai smiled bigger then grabbed her purse. "I actually have something to show you."
Rory looked over her shoulder to see what it was. She gasped in surprise to see her mother hadnt shown her the sonogram yet. "Why have I not seen this?"
"Because we went the day before you came," Lorelai answered as she handed it to her mother. "I thought it might be nice to show you together."
"Oh, Lorelai," Emily gasped as she looked at the picture of her new grandchild. "Its precious."
She stared at the picture for a little longer then handed it back to her daughter who in turn handed it to hers. "Oh, how adorable!"
"Do you have any names planned out?" Emily asked.
Lorelai shook her head. "Not yet. We've got a list of possible names but since we're waiting to find out the sex, it's not decided yet."
"Why not find out now?" Emily asked. "Its nice to know what you're having beforehand."
"We like surprises," Lorelai replied. Rory almost spit out her drink at the thought of Luke liking surprises.
Emily crossed her legs and sipped her own drink. "Well, if you insist..."
"We do insist," she smiled. "Its fun."
"Its nice that you don't know yet," Rory piped in. "That way, we can get two banners for when you bring the baby home and frantically change it in case we put the wrong one up."
"I bet Jackson will be the one who has to change it," Lorelai added with a laugh which made Rory laugh with her.
Emily rolled her eyes but also smiled at their interaction. It was nice to have them behave like they normally would, even if it was crazy behavior in her opinion.
When they stopped laughing about the arrival party for the baby, Emily decided to speak again. "Rory, dear, its so nice you came to visit this week."
Her laughter stopped abruptly as she worried about the following questions. "I thought it would be nice to come see my mom and Evan."
"And where is Evan tonight?" Emily asked. "With his father?"
"Yes, he's home with Luke," Lorelai said.
Emily made a saddened face. "Oh, how I wish you'd have brought him."
"He'll see you next time, then," she nodded.
Emily lit up. "Wonderful! Maybe Rory will come as well and I'll get to see both of my grandchildren at once. Won't that be nice?"
"Very nice," Rory agreed.
"Are you on vacation?" Emily asked Rory. "I can't imagine you get all these days off when your birthday was only last week."
"I'm not on vacation," she answered. "I'm working on articles from here right now."
"And your boyfriend?" She continued. "Is he here as well?"
"No," she shook her head. "Jess isn't here."
Her face fell dramatically. "Isn't he staying in New York as well? Why wouldn't he come?"
"He's actually not in New York right now," she explained then added on a half-truth. "He went to see family on California so I thought it'd be nice to see my own family while he's one."
Lorelai gave her a sympathetic look while Emily eyed her curiously. "What family does he have in California? I thought his mother moved closer."
"His father lives there," Lorelai answered for her daughter.
"I always thought he didn't know his father," she replied skeptically.
"He didn't," Lorelai answered again. "He only met him when be was eighteen."
"Oh," she sipped. "How convenient."
Rory sighed. "What do you mean?"
"Just that he's a published author now and his father appears," she remarked.
"Its not like he only appeared now," Rory said.
Lorelai tried to cut in. "Hey, Mom, what are we having for dinner?"
Emily didn't fall for the change. "I just don't see how he'd rather visit a man who was virtually out of his life for eighteen years rather than be with his girlfriend."
"It's because we broke up," Rory half-shouted.
Emily looked at her stunned and Lorelai put her head down. "My, that's good soda."
"I knew it," Emily accused. "I knew this would happen."
"What?" Rory asked.
"I knew he'd pull something like this," she shook her head.
"Grandma, he didn't pull anything," she defended. "And technically,
we're not broken up."
"You just said -"
"I know what I said."
"Then what is it?" She wondered. "Are the two of you still together or not?"
"I don't know," she replied, a defeated edge to her voice.
Emily set down her drink on the table and uncrossed her legs with a scowl on her face. "He's not cut out for this family, Rory. He may try, what with the party or moving to New York but in the end he's just not the one."
Rory looked over at her grandmother in surprise. "So you were only pretending to accept him?
"I accepted him because you seemed happy," she clarified. "Now, you don't seem as happy so I don't have to accept."
The maid scampered into the room and Lorelai exclaimed in relief, glad for a possible subject change. "Oh! Dinner's ready! I'm starved."
"Very well," Emily checked the time. "Right on time, too."
Rory was the last to stand, following behind as slow as acceptable.
...
Jess typed along on his laptop. For some reason, he couldn't stop the ideas from coming at him. He found it almost impossible go keep track of all the thoughts in his mind.
As another chapter was finished, he clicked through what he had. So far, it seemed like it would be longer than his other three books. Jess even felt proud of how he'd been doing so far. He picked up his phone, instantly wanting to tell Rory than stopped.
He stared at the phone in his hand and hesitated. The first person he always thought of telling stuff to was Rory, even before when he was writing. Now was the first time he wrote a book while they were together.
They were supposed to not really be broken up, just taking space, he told himself. It wouldn't be completely put of the blue to call her with something he's happy about. She would be happy to hear he's writing after all.
Without further thinking, he called her phone. It rang and rang and it wasn't until he got her voicemail that he hung up. Jess didn't want to talk to a machine. He wanted to talk to her.
"Damn it," he said as he put the phone down and stared at the laptop screen. Now the cursor seemed like a tease, blinking at him to remind him of Rory, how one minute she was in his life and the next he went to California.
There was a soft knock on the door and he looked up to her, telling whoever to come in. He wasn't exactly in the mood for company but he needed a distraction.
Sasha slowly opened the door and peered inside, wondering what state she'd find Jess in. She was pleasantly surprised to see he sat up straight with his laptop in front of him. There was a notebook on the side with crossouts written all over it. "Hey."
"Hey," he leaned back so he wasn't so straight. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," she shook her head. "I'm just wondering what's going on with you."
"Nothing's going on with me," he shrugged.
"Jess, you doubt how well I know you," she grinned and it made him laugh for a moment. "Come on."
He shrugged again, not really wanting to get into it. "There's nothing to tell."
Sasha decided it was her place to start. "One week ago, you showed up at our door. You said you wanted to visit all though you haven't just visited in a long time."
"I came for Lily's graduation," he objected.
She put a hand up to let her finish. "Then suddenly, your girlfriend shows up here. A girl we never met before knew our address and was looking for you. A girl you had been with the first time you came here."
He shook his head. "I wanted to visit you and Lily. Maybe see Jimmy in the process."
"That may be true," she nodded and made a thoughtful face. "But also I think you're running from her again."
"I'm not running from her," he closed his laptop and stood up.
"Uh-huh," she nodded and crossed her arms. "I've lived with a Mariano man for a long time, Jess. I know the signs."
He sighed and walked out of the room into the kitchen. Sasha followed behind him and waited for a response. He grabbed a drink out of the fridge and leaned against the counter. "I followed after her but her flight was gone."
"So?" She shrugged.
"So I missed her," he explained. "She left so fast that not only was she gone from the hotel, but the state."
"Oh," her face had a sympathetic expression on it. Jess wanted to he anywhere but there as he looked at her pity. He nodded. "Exactly."
"Well, maybe, she really did have a flight that time," she tried to comfort him.
"She had a flight less than an hour after I visited her and didn't tell me in case she could miss the flight?" He questioned.
She almost snapped back. "I'm just trying to help."
"Don't bother," he told her. "I blew it there so there's not much to help."
She just nodded once and watched him as he finished his drink. "So what are you gonna do?"
"I'm gonna go home, I think," he answered. "To Philadelphia."
"When?"
"I'm not sure."
"You're welcome back anytime you need it, you know," she said.
"Thanks, Sasha," Jess smiled.
...
"Come on, let's go," Lorelai pulled her daughter's arm to move her forward. "We already skipped breakfast at Luke's. We have to get lunch."
"Come on, Rory," Evan pulled on her other arm.
Rory let herself by dragged by her mother and brother reluctantly. "I don't want to."
"Well, I do," her mother said then looked down at her son. "Don't you want to see daddy, Evan?"
"I do!" He screamed then looked to his sister. "Let's go see daddy."
"Your dad is always surrounded by people at the diner," she pouted.
"Yes, that's what we call good business," Lorelai added. "Come on. They're not gonna ask."
"This is the third day I'm here," she said. "I only avoided this because I went nowhere. You're making me go somewhere, therefore making me deal with whatever's coming."
Lorelai and Evan pulled her closer the diner. They were just a few feet from the door. "It'll be fine."
"If its not, I'm blaming you," Rory threatened.
"I will have to accept that, then," she nodded and pushed open the door. Luke looked up and a smile swept his face as he saw them. "Hello, husband!"
"Hey," he said as Lorelai walked over to him and kissed him quickly.
Evan shielded his eyes. "Ew, gross!"
Rory laughed at her brother and slid into a seat at a table. "Welcome to my world, little brother."
Mother and son followed and sat at the table as well. Luke came and took orders from each of them then disappeared onto the kitchen. Lane watched from behind the counter and waved at her friend. Rory felt guilty for talking to her while she was around.
Lorelai made chit-chat during their meal and Evan eventually moved to a stool at the counter. Like gave him a coloring book and crayons while the mother and daughter talked.
"I told you it would be okay," Lorelai pointed out as she was getting ready to go back to the inn.
"Maybe you were right," she agreed. "But it just feels weird. I feel like I'm being watched."
"You're not being watched," she remarked. "Maybe by me but that's understandable."
"I'm getting an eery déjà vu to Thanksgiving 2002," Rory smiled softly then her face fell. "About the town watching me and Jess."
"What did I tell you back then?" Lorelai asked, trying to draw it away from Jess.
"That is was biologically pre-determined you watched me," she answered.
"Exactly," she nodded. "Everyone else, well if they watch, then so what? It's none of their business."
"You're right," she agreed then looked around. "But I do wish they'd stop ducking their face when I look at them."
"Don't worry about it, sweets," she smiled softly. "I got to go to work. Sookie and Michel have been alone without me for long enough."
Rory smiled. "Have fun."
"Oh, I will," she grinned. "There's an accordian symposium in town. Michel must be through the roof."
Lorelai hugged her goodbye and went over to kiss Evan on the head. After a quick kiss with her husband, she waved and walked out the door. As soon as she was gone, Lane came to sit at the table.
"Hey," Rory smiled at her friend. "When did you get back from Boston?"
"This morning," she replied.
"How did to go?" She asked. "I know the band rarely gets together anymore."
"It was good," she smiled. "We played some of our old songs. Did some covers like we used to, too."
"And Brian went back home?" Rory asked.
"Yep," she nodded. "Kyon being pregnant is definitely a change but he didn't want to be away from her too long."
Rory was happy for them. They had gotten married five years after Lane and Zach had and were having their first baby. "Good. That's good."
"What about you?" She nudged her friend.
Rory shook her head. "What about me?"
"Where's Jess?" She asked. "Did he stay in New York?"
"No, he's not in New York," she answered. She had these answers memorized as if a script at this point. "He went to see Jimmy."
"Oh," she sighed.
"Its not a big deal," she rushed to defend though she wasn't entirely sure what she was even defending. "He's just visiting family so I am, too."
"And you guys are okay?" She wondered. "Jess doesn't just visit Jimmy."
"We're okay," she lied.
Lane made a face. She wasn't falling for it. "That didnt sound very convincing."
Rory laughed, trying to wave it off. "Well, is it more convincing if I tell you I went down there and met Jimmy?"
"Wow," Lane was surprised at that admission. "You met Jimmy? What was he like?"
"Well, he reminds me a lot of Jess," she smiled. "Not the way he thinks but little things. They look a little alike and the way they talk."
"Was he nice?" She asked.
She nodded. "He was. I'm a sad I didn't meet his girlfriend but I met her daughter."
"Well, why didn't you meet the girlfriend?" Lane wondered. "You were visiting so you could have."
"I had pre-planned tickets," another lie slipped from her mouth.
Lane nodded suspiciously and grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her towards the back room. "I'm going on break, Luke!"
They heard Luke from the kitchen shout, "Okay!"
They stopped and shut the door behind them. "Okay, I don't know why you're lying to me but don't forget I'm your best friend and I can tell this kind of stuff."
"I didn't mean to lie," Rory sighed and sat on a crate. "I did meet Jimmy and Lily though."
"Tell me what's going on," she pleaded.
"Me and Jess are sort of broken-up, sort of together," she admitted.
Lane looked confused. "What? How can you be both?"
"I don't know," she agreed. "But we are."
"So what does this mean?" She asked.
"I don't know," she repeated. "After I saw him and agreed with him this was a good idea - I don't know why I did that, by the way. I got the hell out of there."
"Wow," Lane commented.
"I called the airport and asked about flights," she continued. "There was one in ten minutes to here if I could get there in time and one seat left. I told them I'd take it and grabbed all my stuff."
"And what about Jess?" She asked. "Have you talked to him?"
"No," Rory said and stared at her fingernails. "I've been too chicken to call him."
Lane sat down too. "But I'd you're not officially broken up..."
"I know," she sighed. "But I miss him. And after what we had now, I don't know if I could pretend I'm not in love with him and make small talk about how everyone is."
"So tell him that," she urged. "Tell him you want it all in or all out."
Rory looked defeated. "What if he chooses all out?"
"What if he doesn't?" She asked.
Rory sighed again, as she tried to figure out which was the right decision.
...
Jess stuffed his clothes into the duffel bag when a knock came at the door. He looked up from his bag, it was almost full. "Come in."
Jimmy opened the door and let himself in. "So Sasha tells me you're leaving."
"Yep," he nodded. "Got a flight in a couple of hours."
"Going to...?" He trailed, expecting New York.
"Philly," he finished. "Gonna go work on the zine, read over a book I'm editing. Who knows? Maybe I'll finish mine."
"Are you ever gonna go back to New York?" He asked.
"Eventually," Jess shrugged. "I got to get the rest of my stuff anyway."
"And?"
"And what?"
"Come on," he leaned against the wall. "What about Rory?"
"What about her?" He asked. "She left here so its a little hard to thinks she wants to see me if she ran so fast."
"Maybe she was following your lead," he suggested.
"On, that's rich," he replied. "Coming from you."
"Hey," Jimmy leaned up straighter.
Jess looked at him. "What?"
"Don't take it out on me," he told him. "Whatever you're going through, you'll work through it. No need to take it out on anyone."
"Anyone but me you mean?" He began stuffing the last space in the duffel bag up.
"Thats not what I mean," he pointed out.
"Its fine," he said. "Its my fault anyway. Can't really blame her for leaving."
"There was a time when I thought I'd lost Sasha," Jimmy recalled.
Jess actually smirked at that. "Lily did mention there was some break-ups."
"There was a lot of them," he laughed. "Probably way more than the two of you."
"Yeah?" Jimmy nodded. "What happened?"
"I got off my pride and begged her to take me back," he grinned. "She didn't want to hear from me. The last fight felt like the final fight. But I knew she was what I wanted and I couldn't let her get away."
"So what convinced her?" Jess found himself asking.
Jimmy just shrugged. "She loved me. The rest just kind of fell into place after that."
"You know," Jess remembered an earlier conversation, the day Rory left
California to be exact. "Lily said something about love being enough."
"I think she's right," his father told him as he began to back out of the room. "Think about it, will you?"
Once Jimmy was out of the room, Jess finally replied to him. "Yeah. I will."
...
Rory walked out of the diner and held her coat closely together. It was getting chillier in the Connecticut air and she felt the winter approach.
It felt like she was being followed as she walked to the gazebo to make her phone call. Finally, feeling paranoid, Rory looked behind her just in time to see Babette not too far behind.
"Doll!" Babette shouted. "I was wondering when you'd notice me and stop walking."
Rory chuckled. "You could have called my name."
"Doctor said I shouldn't yell so much," she said once they were closer. "Turns out, I yelled a lot in my lifetime."
"Imagine that," Rory smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"I was just wondering about that beefcake of yours," she told him and Rory froze. "How come he didn't come back with you? Especially after that big birthday bash he threw last week for you?"
"He's visiting family," she answered automatically. "In California."
"Jeez, California," she blew out her breath. "When will he back? Patty misses seeing him around."
"It's kind of undefined right now," she made up. "There's not an exact return date."
"And you're gonna see him?" She wondered.
"Uh-huh," she nodded. "In fact, I've already been down there."
"Wow," Babette replied. "Is it nice?"
"Very nice," she nodded. "He really liked it there."
"Good," Babette nodded. "I'm glad to hear that. A bunch of us thought you being here without him and all, we thought it meant the two of you were no longer together anymore."
"No worries about that," she said with a smile though she didn't even believe her words.
"Oh, good," she repeated.
"You can tell everyone me and Jess are absolutely fine," she urged.
Babette smiled. "Will do. Thanks, doll."
"Anytime," she said and started to walk away.
The gazebo no longer seemed like a safe place to make her much-needed phone call. Instead, she made a detour to the bridge and dangled her legs over the edge as she sat.
It rang a few times and went straight to Jess' voicemail. Rory sighed.
She should have figured. When the beep came on, she decided to leave a message.
"Hey, Jess," she started. "It's me. Obviously. I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for leaving so fast. Just everything felt like...like I was suffocating. I had to get out of there. And I didn't go back home. I'm actually in Stars Hollow. I don't know for how long yet but it's nice. Um, I miss you. I don't know how this thing works. What we decided. But there it is. I hope I see you soon and talk soon even. Bye."
She hung up quickly and almost regretted it. A part of her didn't because she knew she couldn't lose contact. Rory stayed at the bridge a little while longer and just waited.