AN: Ok, so, I said I liked this chapter more than the last one? Well, that was true until I read it for the fifty billionth time. I really liked the idea for this story, and I still do, I just think, I'm going to be struggling for a bit, till I get to the bit that in my head is very exciting. It may only be like that in my mind, but, anyway, we''ll get there, and I will try to make this better than it's been, I hope you're enjoying it.

Also, there are large amounts of dialogue you'll recognise, I have changed bits and pieces, but, yeah, I don't own it, I just had to borrow it.

"I just… I still don't understand this Luke. Why is this girl suddenly your responsibility?" Liz asked again. Ever since she was told her brother was taking in a teenager she'd questioned him about it, she had been out of town for a few days and was limited to nagging him over the phone, but now she was back. "I mean, I know what-"

"It's complicated, alright," Luke told her, his standard answer. There were a very limited number of people who knew the real reason that he had agreed to this situation, and he planned to keep it that way for as long as possible. "Can you just trust me on this, for now, please, trust me?"

"Ok, alright." She nodded and put down the necklace she was making, to pour herself a cup of coffee and get Luke another tea. "I'll let you keep your secrets, but, if she's really going to be living here, in a room you made up for my kid, I think we should get to know her. Bring her over for dinner tomorrow, Sookie and Jackson can come too, and if Lane's here that should show her that there are some relatively normal kids in town, right?"

"You're basing your normalcy ratings on Lane Kim?"

"Well, when you compare her to Brennan, and Todd… that jerk Chuck Presby, that girl is pretty solid."

"I guess so. Ok, well, I'll ask. But I wouldn't hold your breathe, Rory's still in that really angry stage where she hates everyone that looks at her. It's making work a real challenge."

"Don't push her, just ask, if she's not up for it yet, maybe we'll try again another time."

"I'll do that." Luke lifted his tea and took another sip as Liz sat across the table, studying him.

"So, you're really not going to tell me-"

"No!"

"Ok, ok. Sorry." Liz held her hands in defense. "Forget I asked."

'This is stupid!' Jess thought as he fixed his hair with a little gel. 'You're being so stupid!'

He'd been working with Rory at the diner for just under a week when his mom suggested a dinner. Liz was pretty hopeless in the kitchen; she once tried to make Thanksgiving dinner in Luke's apartment, before they had the house and a real kitchen. But the turkey somehow melted, and she forgot the rolls too. Luckily Sookie had plenty of food and they headed over there, all agreeing to never again speak of the melting bird.

Fortunately Sookie was cooking this meal as well, and Lane was also invited, 'so she knows there are sane kids here,' Liz explained.

Luke and Rory would be arriving any minute, Lane was back in his room, reading through his history assignment and Sookie was freaking out about the food.

'And I'm being stupid!' he told himself. It had already been established that Rory didn't like him all that much. She had been softening just the tiniest bit in the last two days, but she still clearly had her hard, New Yorker shell on. Jess was holding out hope that the resentment over the move was all that was keeping her in that mood. Once she got used to the idea, then she would start to relax a little more. At least that was what he told himself.

With a final glance in the mirror, Jess walked out through the kitchen to his room and plopped down on his bed, waiting for Lane to finish.

"It's good," she finally praised. "I can see why the genius school had to snatch you up."

"Thanks."

"Hey, you guys, they're here." Liz announced, popping her head through the door. "So we're moving the festivities to the living room. I'm not sure it's a good idea to have Jackson near the lemons anymore."

"Ok, we'll be out in a sec." Jess replied standing up and taking his paper off Lane to put it away in a folder.

"I can't believe I haven't officially met her yet. I mean, she lives above the diner, works with you and we have a bunch of classes together. Does that seem weird?"

"I guess she's just good at dodging people," Jess shrugged and they made their way out of the room.

"… I think it looks great. Really nice." Sookie finished as they came into the room and Jess noticed what she was talking about.

"So this is new?" Liz asked, gesturing at Rory's head. Where previously she had hair falling down her back, there was now nothing. Well, not nothing, Rory had taken a pair of scissors and hacked away at her hair, leaving it in a jagged line just below her chin.

"Very new," Luke replied. "As in, this afternoon, new."

"I was bored," Rory supplied.

"Well, it's nice, I like it. I should apologize though, that we haven't met yet. I was in Boston for a, um…" she stopped speaking when it became apparent that Rory was no longer listening. "Who's hungry?"

"I am," Jackson piped up.

"Starved," Lane added.

"Ok, great. Well, we're all set here, did you guys want drinks?" she asked the three kids.

"Uh, yeah, I'll get them," Jess volunteered and Rory stared to follow him.

"I'll come too," she decided. They made their way through to the other room and Jess opened the fridge, "I'll get mine," she told him as he took one each out for himself and Lane.

"Sure, I'll see you in there," she smiled tightly and he left the room. Rory opened the fridge door again and removed a drink, but instead of returning to where everyone was waiting, she headed in the opposite direction to the back porch.

'This is so stupid.' She thought. 'This stupid town and the stupid people, I shouldn't be punished like this because my mother doesn't know how to raise a child properly. She is so incredibly unfair.'

"Hey, there you are. Is that for me? Thanks." Liz walked out and took the beer out of Rory's hand before taking a sip. "Mmm, refreshing. So what, you're not hungry?"

"Nope."

"Well, Sookie made you some grilled cheese if you don't like pot roast."

"Oh, well, if I'd had known that…"

"So, from what I've been told about your brief time here, I've deduced that you don't really want to be here, right?"

"No one really cares what I want, so, there's not much point in you asking. The ones that have control aren't so good with the listening,"

"Not just at my house, but here, in Stars Hollow."

"Well geez, Ms. Danes, why would anyone not want to be here in Stars Hollow? That just sounds plum crazy."

"Ugh, look, Rory, the whole 'my parents don't get me' thing, I've been there." Liz replied, leaning back against the railing as Rory inspected her nails, pretending not to listen.

"Have you really?"

"Yes, I have. I've also done the 'chip on my shoulder' bit. Ooh, and the surly, sarcastic, 'the world can bite my ass' bit. Everything you're feeling might be totally justified, maybe you are getting screwed. But Luke is a really special person. He really wants to take care of you and make things better for you. I know that if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be where I am today. You are incredibly lucky to have him and Sookie looking out for you. If you give this situation half a chance, you might be surprised at how good it can be, how much you like living here, and how comfortable it feels to have these people you can really depend on."

"Is he paying you or something?"

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know. The whole starry eyed 'you're so much better off, just give it a chance' speech. You're either really naïve, or you're getting paid, or something that sounds like paid, but would be totally gross, considering he's your brother."

"And on that note, I think we're done here, don't you?"

"You know, you don't know anything about me, or my life, or my mom, so why don't you Doctor Laura someone else?"

"I'm going inside, stay out of my fridge." Liz instructed before storming off through the door. Rory took a deep breath before following her inside. She really was hungry, there was something about the Gilmore genes; they could pretty much eat at anytime, she'd just been trying to uphold her James Dean-like image. But now she was going to have to go in there and face all those people if she wanted to silence her stomach.

Dinner was over, but apparently Rory was in for more torture, as Luke wanted to spend a little time with his friends before heading home for the night. Which translated into, 'you kids run along now, let us grown-ups talk about how to deal with your raging hormones and all the other issues associated with being a teenager.'

Lane – what kind of a name is Lane?!? – had suggested heading outside, to sit on the porch and eat the individual baked Alaska's Sookie had made. She really had gone completely mad with this meal, but it was amusing to watch.

"So, you haven't said, is this is your girlfriend?" Rory asked Jess, indicating the Korean girl who was busy breaking up her after dinner treat. "Because, it's funny, you never mentioned her before." Rory decided to finally stop the weird silence. The noises inside were starting to bug her. She knew exactly what was going on in there.

"What? No! Not girlfriend, no. Friend, and girl, but not… No."

"What Jess means to say is that we are strictly platonic." Lane interpreted. Watching him get flustered like that was great. It didn't happen too often. "I'm not allowed to date, but if I were, I definitely wouldn't waste the opportunity on the likes of him."

"Right,"

"We've known each other since kindergarten, and the things that I've seen him do, would cure any girl of her crush. I mean the amount of things he's shoved up his nos-"

"Lane!" Jess shot her a look. He knew that she knew he liked this girl, and as his best friend, it was her job to talk him up, not make him look like a total loser. He could do that all on his own.

"So… Do you like Stars Hollow High?" she asked, meekly.

"Not really." Rory replied honestly. She liked school, enjoyed reading and learning new things, but what they'd been covering for the last few days at this school and for months in her last one, she already knew all of that stuff. What was the point of going to school to re-learn what you already knew? It didn't make sense.

"Oh, well… That's too bad. Coz it's about to get a whole lot worse."

"I doubt that,"

"No. Really, Jess is leaving. He got into this fancy private school so he'll be starting next semester there, leaving us less intelligent people behind."

"You're not less intelligent," Jess argued. "It's just that you're mom probably knows that Chilton is full of loser society kids with no morals, and she doesn't want you mixing with them."

"As apposed to the loser townie kids with no morals she forces me to spend each and every day with at my current institution?"

"Exactly." Rory bit back a smile. This was kind of nice; as much as she would have liked to have kept up the… how had Liz put it? 'The surly, sarcastic, the world can bite my ass bit', on the other hand it may have been even more enjoyable to have people to talk to. For a little while at least, until she worked out a way to get back home.

Rory settled herself a little more comfortably on the porch swing, listening to the two friends banter. Maybe living in Stars Hollow wouldn't be all bad. 'But if it is, I can always run away,' she decided.

"I don't want that girl around my son!" Liz yelled as she rinsed things to put in the dishwasher.

"Liz, come on, she-"

"No, Luke, I'm sorry. That kid is way more screwed up than you think she is."

"What are you talking about?" Luke demanded, pulling the plate out of her hand, forcing her to look up at him.

"I caught her outside with a beer, I didn't even bust her on it, I just…I tried to talk to her…"

"What do you mean, you talked to her?" Luke demanded; Sookie looked panicked at Jackson across the table; they had been banned from helping clean up. It was normal for siblings to fight, or so she'd heard – she was an only child. But still, she'd always hated to see Luke and Liz like this. "What did you say?"

"I told her she has a good thing going here with you and she shouldn't blow it, and then, well then she just became delightful." Ignoring his attempts at stopping the cleaning process she stepped around him and began to gather more things to be washed.

"What are you doing talking to her? I told you I can handle this."

"I heard you, but I'm sorry, you're wrong. I'm trying to help you, big brother."

"Oh, here we go again with this 'I'm not prepared for this' crap."

"This is not crap, Luke, it's the truth. You should've heard the way she was talking. It was-"

"I don't need to hear her talking, she's had it tough. I am trying to help a friend. You know why I-"

"No, actually, I have a pretty good idea, but you've chosen not to share that portion with the class. So, let's just say, for conversations sake, no, I don't know why you're doing this."

"I'm so sick of your condescending…"

"I am not being condescending!"

"Oh, you have a kid, so you know everything, right?"

"I have a kid, so yeah, I know a little more than you do."

"In case you forgot, I've been with you and Jess everyday. No, scratch that, I've been with Jess everyday of his life, giving you the time you need to go off and enjoy your little projects whenever you fancied. And do you ever think maybe you just got lucky with him? I mean, you did get pregnant at seventeen. That doesn't show the greatest decision making skills, now does it Liz?"

"Get out of my house," Liz replied evenly glaring daggers at him. Sookie grabbed Jackson's hand and he squeezed back. This really wasn't good. "Go, now. Take that kid and just go, I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Fine!" Luke grabbed his jacket and charged towards the door, slamming it behind him and barking at Rory that it was time to go.

"Mom, this is ridiculous." Jess argued the next morning. All night he had been trying to get his point across, but Liz refused to listen. "If you just gave her a shot-"

"I am not going to give that girl 'a shot', Jess. She had her chance with me and she screwed it up."

"So that's it? You're only giving people one chance now?"

"Yep."

"What about that time that Kirk was checking for termites under the house, and he found a mouse? Remember how he screamed so loud and crashed up through the floor to get away from it?"

"Yes…" she shrugged on a coat and they started outside, heading for the diner as they did everyday, even though they both knew Luke most likely wouldn't serve Liz when she came in.

"Well, you gave him another chance. Even last month when he swallowed a whole lot of your beads you didn't stay mad at him for long."

"Well, that's because he can't help it, honey. He's Kirk."

"You never know, Rory could have tourettes, and she didn't know what she was saying last night." Jess reasoned, he knew he sounded stupid, but he had to try something.

"You really think that?"

"No… I'm just trying to make things better. I've never seen you and Uncle Luke fight like this. And if you don't forgive Rory, he won't forgive you and then we won't ever get coffee again. Well, I will, because I work in there and I know where the coffee is and how to use the machine, but you…"

"Are you trying to tell me you wouldn't bring coffee home for your sweet, adorable mother, the woman who gave you life?"

"Not if it would get me into trouble with the man who could so easily take it away."

"Oh, that's rich. If my father were alive to hear the way Luke spoke to me last night, he would… Probably actually agree with him. God damn it! Why do I have to apologize to him? He yelled at me, in my house."

"You just do, you should be the bigger person and show him how mature you are."

"I don't wanna." Liz stamped her foot and pouted, Jess just shook his head.

"Well, we're here now and I have to go inside, so you gotta. Or you won't get any breakfast."

"I could just go see Sookie."

"Inside!" Jess instructed, reaching for the door handle.

"You heard the things he said, didn't you? It was so not Donny and Marie; it was more Abby and Ann."

"I'm sorry, which one is Luke? Ann or Abby?"

"Shut up!" Liz growled at her son before stomping through the door.

That night Rory waited until she heard Luke snoring in the other room. He snores, mom snores… God, why can't I ever live somewhere where there's no snoring? When she finally heard it, she quietly climbed out of bed and walked over to her window.

The streets were completely deserted, for once there was no activity whatsoever on the streets of Stars Hollow. And that thought was amazing. She could go out there and no one would bother her.

'Thank God!'

She had tried sleeping, but that was near impossible without her music blasting, and Luke had put a stop to that after her first night in town, so until she could find a walkman, or mp3 player or something, she was screwed. Opening the window, she stuck her head out and took a quick look around. It wasn't a real fire escape, but there was a ladder attached to the side of the building and that was good enough. As long as she could get out of this room, out of this apartment, everything would be ok.

As Rory dropped to the ground, she landed with a thud and felt a familiar shock through her legs. 'Much better,' Every night that she snuck out at home she'd felt that, and having that here in this stupid town, made her feel so much more at ease. 'Time to find a new Washington Square Park,' she decided, randomly walking. Within a few minutes she found herself back at the bridge she'd walked by the day she'd first started school. 'Ahh, good times…' she thought, sitting down.

"What are you doing here?" Rory looked up to see Jess walking over and sitting next to her.

"Contemplating breaking Luke's rules by getting myself more cigarettes. What about you?"

"Just felt like taking a walk. Why do you want cigarettes?"

"There's just something about this place… Makes a person want to indulge in a little cancerous fun, you know."

"Sure, sure." Jess brought one of his legs up and rested his chin on his knee, before turning slightly to look at Rory.

"I actually kind of like this place." She remarked, trying to ignore his intense gaze. Those dark eyes were a little unsettling.

"Really?"

"Yeah, see, right over there, that's where Luke wanted to push me in the lake."

"I doubt that." Jess objected.

"No, really; it was right after my first day at school, and we were walking back to the diner. He got really mad at me, I could see he was about to explode, his fists were clenched, and his neck was turning red. He was practically shaking."

"That sounds like a new level of crazy. Mom and Sookie have been torturing him for years; mom's been doing it her whole life, and Sookie… I think I remember this story about the two of them having these two other friends in high school. Sookie and this other girl used to torture him. The four of them were practically inseparable, until… I actually have no idea what happened, there."

"Maybe there was a love triangle or something going on."

"Maybe, Uncle Luke doesn't really share too much about his youth with me, and there aren't many people in town brave enough to anger him by revealing his past."

"I bet I could get it out of him." Rory mused with an evil smile.

"You think so?"

"Definitely. The man can't stand me, I could badger him so bad that he would cave and spill the whole story to me; it should only take a few minutes."

"I think you're overestimating yourself just a little." Jess replied.

"We haven't known each other long, so I'll forgive you for having so little faith in my abilities. But I'll have you know I've watched my mother for years and while the woman may have been lacking in certain areas – she definitely wasn't going to win mother of the year anytime soon – she's almost always been able to get what she wants out of a man. Luke doesn't stand a chance against The Lorelai Method." Rory finished triumphantly and Jess looked at her appreciatively.

"You have a name for it and everything? That's impressive, sorry I doubted you."

"Yes, I'm sure you will be." Rory nodded, tapping her fingers against the wood, 'I need a cigarette, I need something…' her nerves were going haywire and she figured if she could just get a little nicotine she would be fine. "What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you be at home, tucked away in bed like a good little boy?"

"Probably, but I didn't really feel like sleeping. I think I've been working in the diner too long and the coffee has begun seeping into my skin."

"I would love for that to happen, not the working in the diner for an eternity part, but I'd love to absorb coffee just by having it in the air. That would be amazing."

"Can I ask you… what, why you're… What did you do?"

"Climbed out the window." Rory replied simply. That wasn't what he was really asking, but she wasn't about to give everything away that easy.

"No, I mean, what did you do to get sent here?" Jess clarified.

"Uhm, nothing really major, just stupid stuff."

"Well, if it wasn't a big deal your mom wouldn't have sent you here, right? There had to be something that ticked her off really bad."

"I sneak out at night, I drink, smoke. I have on occasion been known to abuse certain substances that wouldn't sit well with Nancy Reagen, And to top it all off, two weeks ago I was busted trying to break into a library so I could have somewhere warm to read for the night, since our gas bill hadn't been paid and the apartment was freezing. When I called Lorelai from the cop shop, she wasn't all that pleased with me and so I found myself on a bus, headed for Snoozeville. So, you're mom was probably right. I'm screwed up, and Luke shouldn't allow me to be anywhere near you. There's a good chance that I'm too far gone for his help anyway, so we're all just going through this hell for nothing."

"I love my mother, but she doesn't know what she's talking about. She's never really lived anywhere besides this town, and the closest she came to leaving was when she met my father. But then he split and we were left here. She doesn't trust too many people now, I guess there was just something about you that reminded her of him. She's been traveling a bit the last couple of years, but she never goes far and it's always for some sort of work related thing. "

"Thanks for the pep talk, but you probably should just listen to her. She actually cares what happens to you, and you're really lucky to have that," Rory finished, before standing up and walking away. She had to do something, had to go somewhere; sitting still really wasn't working for her anymore.

AN: Review, please.