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Chapter Four - Siblings

Bee struggled to find her voice. "You love her? She finally said, "You love her? While I can say, yes, she is very beautiful, you haven't even known her a week. This isn't love, Jess."

"How'd you know?" Jess countered.

"Well how do you?"

"I don't." Jess ran his hands through his hair. "But I know that I've never felt this."

Bee's face softened and walked to Jess, standing behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "She has a boyfriend."

"I know." Jess snapped, standing abruptly, knocking Bee slightly off balance. "I know that Belinda. I'm going home. I have to pack. I'll see you later."

Jess crossed the room in a few heavy strides, pulled the door open and slammed it shut.

"Yeah, see you then." Bee said to the empty room, her knuckles white from the grip on the chair.

"You still hate me?" Bee pushed open the door to Jess' bedroom, to find him sprawled out on top of he bed, his right arm covering his eyes.

He didn't move. "I don't hate you."

"Pizza?" Bee offered, coming into the room, and sitting on the edge of the bed, held up a plate of pepperoni pizza.

"Sure." Jess pushed himself up, and sat back against the headboard, crossing his legs at the ankle. Bee handed him the plate, and then sat beside him at the head of the bed. Jess picked up the slice of pizza and took a bite, before letting out a sigh and leaning his head back against the headboard.

"Sorry I called you Belinda earlier."

"It's fine. But, you know I'm just worried about you, right?"

"Yeah. I know. I just, I really like her." Jess stared at the half eaten slice of pizza and threw it back on the plate. "It'll be good to get out of town for a while. Take my mind of her."

"Yeah." Bee smiled, nudging him with her shoulder. "You looking forward to heading back to Boston?"

"Well literary conventions are always dull, but I'm meeting Paris and Jamie for dinner."

"They're still together?"

"Engaged." Jess nodded.

"He proposed?" Bee was shocked. She had never fully embraced Paris. She had been abrasive and rude and Bee never quite knew how to take her. She also never understood how Jamie had put up with her long enough to propose. After Jess had befriended her when she joined the paper at Harvard, Bee questioned the friendship, and finally put it down to that they were both from Hartford Society, and both coming from Chilton had linked them.

Bee hit Jess upside the head. "Wait. Paris went to high school with Rory!"

"So?" Jess glared at his friend, rubbing his head where she had hit him.

"So, you're gonna bring her up, get inside information. Find something to try and get rid of the boyfriend."

"No I'm not. I'm not trying to break her and the boyfriend up."

"Really?"

"Really. I might like her, but he met her first. I just have to accept that."

"That's very mature of you Jess. I'm proud."

"I'm twenty eight. It's about time I grew up, right?"

"Right." Bee laughed. "Oh, and hey a new girl joined my yoga class. Her name's Clarke-"

"No." Jess interrupted her. "No set ups. Please."

"Okay." Bee reached across and kissed his cheek. "I'm gonna take a shower and then go to bed. Wake me before you leave tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Jess squeezed her arm, "And hey, thanks."

"For?"

"Just for being Bee."

"What, fabulous and awesome?" Bee grinned.

"No, not it."

"Concerned and preachy?"

"Yeah. I like when you preach."

"Any time. Night." She smiled and lifted the plate from the bed before leaving.

Jess glanced at the restaurant door and then at his watch. Paris was ten minutes late, something he was not used to. Paris was always on time. Annoyingly on time. He lifted his glass and downed the remainder of whiskey, heavily diluted due to the melted ice.

"Sorry we're late, it took forever to get a cab!" Paris arrived at the table, with Jamie following close behind her.

"It's fine." Jess assured her, standing, giving her a kiss on the cheek. He turned to shake Jamie's hand, before the three sat down at the table.

"You look good Mariano. New York still agrees with you." Paris smiled.

Jess nodded at the waitress to come take their drinks order. "And being engaged seems to agree with you. Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you." Paris replied as the waitress reached the table.

"Can I take a drinks order?"

Paris flipped through the cocktail menu as Jamie ordered a Grey Goose screwdriver. "A vodka martini with a twist." Paris ordered and then continued to glance at the cocktails as Jess ordered another whiskey. "I never know why I look through these things, I always order the same drink." She put the menu back as the waitress walked away and picked up her food menu. "So, Jess, how is New York? Business good?"

"Business is great. How's med school?"

"Graduated. I start my residency in a few weeks."

"Well, congrats Doogie." Jess grinned as their drinks arrived and the waitress asked to take their dinner order.

Paris twirled a strand of spaghetti around her fork. "So, we've covered work and family, and Belinda, anything else new in your life Jess?"

"Well, actually, I met Rory Gilmore. We're friends now."

"Rory from Chilton? Wow, I haven't thought about her in years. How is she?"

"She's good. She's in publishing."

"Publishing?" Paris scoffed, and then caught Jess' reproachful glance. "Sorry! I mean, it makes sense for you. But Gilmore? I never saw her in publishing."

"Just like anyone who knew you had a fear of sick people never saw you as a doctor."

"Touché." Paris raised her glass towards Jess.

"Hey, is this the Rory that was in Washington when we meet?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah," Paris nodded, "She actually helped me get ready for our first date."

"I don't remember her being there when I picked you up."

"I made her hide in closet." Paris said before taking a sip of her martini.

Jess rolled his eyes, smirking at his friend's matter-of-fact manner of speech. "Right, 'cause all girls love being shoved in a closet."

"Well she's very date-able looking." Paris argued.

"I have to agree." Jess nodded. "She is very date-able looking."

"So, you're dating her?" Paris grinned.

"No." Jess sighed. "Friends. She has a boyfriend. Some British lawyer guy. Adam Something."

"Adam Whyte?" Jamie asked.

"I think so. Why, you know him?"

"Yeah, I think. There's an English guy in our New York office. Was he just in London?"

"Yeah. So you do know him. I've just met him briefly. What's he like?"

"Not who I pictured Rory with. I mean, I haven't seen her since she was in high school, but that guy's a total douche."

"Total douche?" Paris smiled at Jamie. "That's very eloquent for a future Supreme Court Judge."

"I don't wanna be a Supreme Court Judge." Jamie countered.

"Yes, you do."

Jess smiled to himself as he listened to the couple arguing. It had been a feature of their relationship that Jess had always enjoyed. They had been on-off-on again during Paris first two years at Harvard. But at the start of Paris' junior year, Jess' first year of his post-grad course, she had shown up on his doorstep a mess. They were off for good, and Paris threw herself into her studies, volunteer work and finding Jess a career. It wasn't until Jamie had graduated from Princeton and relocated to Boston to attend Harvard Law School the next year, that the two saw each other again. They went for a coffee and finally admitted that they had missed each other and hadn't looked back since.

"We should stop. We're making Jess uncomfortable." Paris glanced at her friend, giving him a small apologetic smile. "We were talking about Rory. So she has a boyfriend?"

"Yeah." Jess quietly confirmed.

"And you like her."

Jess picked up that Paris had stated a fact and not asked a question, and glared. "It doesn't matter."

"You're not gonna cry, are you?"

"No." Jess rolled his eyes. "But I do have to go. I have to get back to New York first thing tomorrow. It was great seeing you two again."

"Yeah, good seeing you too man." Jamie stood and shook Jess' hand.

Paris stood and pulled Jess into a hug. "You could've cried. If you wanted to." She smiled.

"I'm fine, but thanks." Jess kissed her cheek, and then pulled on his jacket.

"Tell Belinda I said hello." Paris smirked. "And Rory too."

"I will." Jess nodded. "Bye guys."

He was nervous. Jess Mariano didn't get nervous about going on a date. And this wasn't even a date. It was a movie. With a girl he was potentially in love with. He was so screwed.

Jess knocked on Rory's door and waited for her to answer. She pulled open the door, out of breath, her hair falling out of it's elastic and what seemed to be red finger paint on her grey Yale sweatshirt.

"Jess?"

"Hey, we're supposed to go-"

"Oh, my God!" She cut him off, her right flying to her face, to cover her eyes. "The monster movie. I completely spaced. Come in, come in." She invited him into the apartment, with a frantic wave of her arm. "Excuse the mess."

"What's going on?" Jess stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him. Her previously neat home was now covered in sheets of painted paper, toys and books.

"It's my mom and step-dad's five year anniversary this weekend, so I, completely forgetting about our movie, agreed to take the twins, so they could be alone."

"Twins?" He asked, just as two small children come running into the room.

"Rory! We found you!" They shouted in unison, stopping dead when they noticed Jess. They both had brown curls and big blue eyes, like their big sister Jess thought.

"Who's he?" The little girl asked.

"Beth, Will, this is my friend Jess. Jess this is Will and Beth, the Gruesome Twosome." She laughed, and shaped her hands to look like claws, causing the twins to laugh.

"What's he doing here?" Beth smiled up at the two adults.

"Just here to see me. Go play." Rory shooed them both. "I'm sorry, I really did forget."

"What age are they?" Jess nodded at them.

"Four."

"So, we can't take them to see a monster movie." Jess stated.

"Nope." Rory shook her head, smiling slightly. "My mom would kill us. She wants to show them their first horror movie."

"Okay." Jess nodded, and then remembered something Bee had told him over breakfast. "Hey. Have they seen 'Willy Wonka'?"

"First movie they ever saw. Why?"

"It's playing in the Errigal. We could take them to that?"

Rory face broke into a wide grin and she launched herself at Jess, hugging him. "Hey guys!" She turned to Will and Beth. "Jess is gonna take us to see 'Willy Wonka!" She grinned and threw her hands over her head, when the twins started cheering. "And, he's gonna buy us popcorn and snacks! Woo!" She laughed and winked back at Jess.

"Really?" Will asked, his eyes wide.

"Sure." Jess nodded, and Beth launched herself at him, in a similar fashion to Rory a few minutes earlier, hugging Jess' right leg.

"Okay, we have to hustle guys, go get your coat and shoes!"

"Can I wear my duck boots?" Will asked.

"Absolutely!" Rory laughed, pulling her hair out of the bun, and brushing it with her fingers.

"You know I never agreed to buying snacks." Jess raised one eyebrow.

"You can't take it back. It'll break their hearts!" Rory pouted. Looking down, she noticed the paint on her top. "I'll just be a minute, I wanna change my sweater."

"Okay." Jess nodded, sitting on the arm of the couch.

"Hey, Jess?" He heard a small voice, and looking down he saw Beth, with a pair of pink Chuck Taylors on, the laces untied. "Can you help with my laces?"

"Sure. Jump up." Jess stood and lifted Beth so she was sittting on the arm, and placed her foot on his thigh, taking the laces in his hands. "Now you gotta loop, swoop and pull." Jess said, showing her how to tie the laces.

"My mommy uses bunny ears."

"You're mom's been doing it wrong for years kid." Jess winked, " It's loop, swoop and pull." He finished tying her second shoe, when Rory appeared with Will.

"Rory, Jess said bunny ears is wrong. You have to loop swoop and pull!"

"Oh, jeez, my mom's gonna kill you." Rory laughed. "Well, double trouble, you ready to go?"

"Yip!" They said together and Rory ushered them out the door and into the elevator. "Okay, so we have to hold hands when we get onto the street okay? New York is not like Stars Hollow."

"'Kay." Beth chirruped, taking hold of Jess'' hand.

Rory grinned and winked at Jess. "I thinking someone has a crush." She sing songed in his ear.

"She's four." Jess rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I wanted to marry Prince Philip when I was four."

"Jess, what was your favourite part of the movie?" Beth asked her, what Rory guessed, fifty third question of the evening.

"I liked the fizzy lifting drinks." Jess told the little girl.

"That they stole?" Beth frowned.

"Yeah. That's why I liked it." Jess grinned.

Beth squinted. "Have you ever stole anything?"

Jess glanced up and caught Rory violently shaking her head at him, "No. Stealing's bad and you shouldn't do it."

"Okay." Beth nodded.

"Hey, Bethy, I think it's time for bed. You must be tired. I know that Will is." Rory nodded at her brother, who was struggling to keep his eyes open. After the movie, Jess had suggested they go to the park, where he and Rory had run around with Will and Beth, pushing them on the swings, chasing them down slides, and Will was now exhausted.

"But, I'm not tired. I'm a Gilmore. Will is a Danes."

"You're both Danes, and you're both going to bed." Rory stood and picked up Will. "Come on Will." She kissed his hair.

"Not fair." Beth pouted. "Can Jess read me a story?"

"Jess has done enough. Now scoot." Rory nodded towards her room.

"I don't mind." Jess shrugged, lifting a book from the coffee table. "How about 'The Avocado Baby'?"

"Perfect." Rory smiled, but Beth shook her head. "I want Jess to read me his book. The one in his pocket."

Jess pulled his book out and shook his head. "Sorry, kiddo, I don't think 'Catcher in the Rye' is age appropriate, maybe when you're older."

"Promise." Beth held out her pinkie to him.

"Promise." Jess smiled and took her pinkie in his own. "So, 'Avocado Baby'?"

"Sure" She sighed.

"You wanna ride?" Jess sat on the edge of the couch, and let her climb on to his back, carrying Beth and the book into Rory's room.

"So where you sleeping?" Jess asked as he closed the door to Rory's room behind him.

"She sleeping?" Rory offered Jess a beer from her seat on the couch.

"Out like a light." Jess sat beside her and took the bottle, twisting off the cap and taking a drink. "So where are you sleeping?"

"Crashing in Katie's room. She's at home in Rhode Island for her mom's birthday this weekend."

"Oh." Jess nodded.

"Hey, thanks for being so great today." Rory smiled at Jess. "They really loved you. I have a feeling all my mom and Luke are hear about is how amazing Jess is."

"They're great kids. Easy to be nice to." Jess shrugged.

"You must have loads of kid experience."

"Nope. I'm an only child. And both my parents are only children, so no cousins. All natural talent you saw today." Jess smirked.

"Well, you were great."

"It must be weird being so much older than them."

"Yeah, I mean, my mom and Luke got married when I was twenty one. But I have my other half sister, Gigi. She's my dad's kid, she's nine. And Luke, my step dad, has a daughter too. April, she's eighteen. She's starting Columbia in a few weeks, I'll introduce you. She's a total brain. And she like Hemingway, so you'll get along famously."

"Can't wait." Jess nodded, taking another sip of beer. "Hey, Rory, can ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You said you forgot we had plans?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, why wasn't Adam here with you?"

"Oh..." Rory's eyes widen and she searched for something to say. She had asked Adam to come hang out with her and the twins, but he'd said no. Kids weren't his thing, and he never knew what to say to them. "He had work to do." She smiled uneasily at Jess. "Couldn't get out of it."

"Okay." Jess bit on his lip and then gave her a small smile.

"I'm glad though. I had a lot of fun today." She gave him a bright smile, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Jess fought every urge he had to kiss her. He took a drink of his beer, finishing the bottle and then checked his watch. "Listen, I better head. I had fun though."

"Yeah, me too. I'll give you a call about actually going to see our crap horror movie." Rory grabbed his coat for him and walked him to the door. "Night Jess." She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Night Rory." He grazed his thumb across her cheek, before opening the door and quickly exiting.

"Rory?"

Rory turned to see Beth, standing at the bedroom door, leaning on the door jam. "Can I get a glass of water?"

"Sure sweetie." Rory smiled, getting the drink for her sister and then leading her back into bed.

"Hey, Rory?" Beth asked as Rory pulled the sheets up over her, "Is Jess a friend, like Adam's your friend?"

"Different kind of friend, Bethy."

"Oh. So you're still friends with Adam too?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing, I just like Jess better. He's way more fun. Night!"

"Night." Rory kissed her head, and turned off the light before returning to crash back onto the couch. She couldn't help but think that she liked Jess better too.

Crap.

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