Review, people! Even if it's mean... okay, not if it's mean, but still...

Chapter 13

It was a strange moment between Jess and Lorelai. There was no gentle, warm embrace; no shoulder to cry on; no 'everything will be okay'.

"Tell me what happened."

"Oh... where to begin?"

"Preferably at the start..."

"Rory?" Lorelai asked tiredly when she woke up in her bed to find Rory sleeping next to her. Her eyes were red and puffy; lines of mascara stained on her smooth-like-a-baby's-ass face.

Her innocent, puffy eyes opened drowsily and she groaned, then Rory squeezed them shut again, refusing to accept that there was a world out there beyond her own.

"I'm with you there, kid," Lorelai said, then slung an arm over her daughter who looked as upset as she did last night.

"Thirty grand?"

"Yep."

"Huh..."

"That's it? That's all you have to say?"

"Well, there's only one response that will please you, and I can assure you, I'm not going to say it."

"Ha...! Cheapskate..."

"Call it what you want."

"God, everything's just falling apart..."

"It's good to see you, kiddo." Lorelai's muffled voice said through the pillow.

Rory scrunched her eyes up. "Huh?" Lorelai rolled her head to the side and said, "I said it's good to see you..."

"Oh."

"...Grandpa..."

Rory laughed and dropped her head back on the pillow. "It's good to see you too, mom."

"Everything's just falling apart! I'm a failure!"

"You are not a failure."

"Yes I am..."

"Rory. You are not a failure."

"How am I gonna succeed in life if I can't even pass my courses?"

"You will... but that's not all that's bothering you, is it?"

"Okay, time to get up," Lorelai told Rory, tapping her on the shoulder. Rory replied with a groan of refusal. "Rory, c'mon... I need coffee..."

Eyes still closed, she said "Then you get up and get it." She hugged her fully clothed body from the cold. The winter snow continued to fall.

Lorelai pulled the blanket closer to her, lifting it a little more off Rory. "Please?"

Rory half opened one eye only to glare at her mother's drooling, tired face. "I'm not your butler."

Lorelai opened her eyes and grinned innocently in the joking way she sometimes did. "Says who?" Rory snorted. "Hey, I didn't go through 40 hours of labour for nothing," she kidded.

"Yeah, love you too, mom."

"Oh, I'm only kidding, sweetie... You were also the perfect excuse to try baby food."

"What?!"

"What, the mashed banana in a jar looked good!"

Rory dropped her head back on the pillow again. "You're insane."

"What, with Miss Regular over here?" Lorelai insinuated, pointing a finger in front of her face. The two of them were now wide awake and both very capable of movement, yet because of their regular ways, they both refused to move.

"Get your own darn coffee," Rory mumbled before rolling over, turning her back to her mother. Lorelai gasped and scoffed, mouth wide open with her eyebrows stitched together. Of course, she wasn't upset.

There was a comfortable silence.

"So... what happened to you last night?"

"What do you mean?" Rory grumbled. Even with her back to Lorelai, she could still tell her daughter was frowning adorably. "Your eyes are puffy. What were you crying over?" Lorelai asked, concern tangled in her words.

"What do you mean?"

"Rory, I'm sure it must suck to be forced to drop a class – especially for you – but that can't be the only thing that's wrong."

"Yeah, it is."

"Rory, I know you. You're strong enough to handle school work. It's the other stuff you have difficulty with."

"What other stuff?"

"The stuff that you can't read about in text books."

"..."

"Who is it that you're crying over?"

Rory rolled back over. Usually, she would lie to her mother about these situations, to protect her, but she just didn't have the energy to lie. Rory sighed. "I have to drop a course at school."

Lorelai made a small, almost sympathetic gasp/sigh. "Oh, hon..."

"No, but it's okay," she interrupted. Lorelai raised a brow. "You sure?"

"Jess."

"Oh."

"I know, I'm sorry... I shouldn't be talking to you about this—"

"No, it's okay. I heard he was back in town."

"I'm just so..."

"Confused."

"No... I'm scared."

"Did he hurt you?"

"Ha ha... No, not this time..."

"Well, I would ask what happened, but I think I can assume."

"He loves me."

"..."

"Dean?"

"...Do you love him back?"

"I'm sure," Rory said honestly. "How about you?" She asked sincerely, then she noticed the red nose, puffy eyes and dried mascara lines down her cheeks. She was practically a mirror... but with more wrinkles.

"Actually," Lorelai said with a genuine smile, "I'm good." She rolled on her back and looked up at the white wooden ceiling.

"Really...?" Rory questioned with uncertainty. "What happened?" She asked with those doe-eyes and innocent smile.

"Trust me: nothing is falling apart."

"Really? Cos being thirty thousand dollars in debt sure as hell disagrees with you, Jess."

"Hey, I've been in situations a whole lot worse."

"And how did you get out of them?"

"I left the only person who ever really took care of me like a father to go find my biological one... Then I slept on his couch for awhile..."

"Gee... Helpful, thank you."

"I'm not trying to be helpful, I'm trying to be honest."

"Well, that's not what I want to hear."
"But it's what you have to hear."

"Your people skills are really improving."

Lorelai smiled again. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Rory copied her mother; she rolled on her back and rested her arms underneath her head. "Yeah, same goes for me..."

The two of them grinned, both seeing through their feeble lies.

"Should we get up, now?" Rory asked the head of the household.

"...Not just yet..."

"Look, I don't know if you'll find a way, but if someone like me can find a way to solve my problems, you sure as hell can."

"And did you do it on your own?"

"Nope. I had help."

"From your father?"

"From Luke."

"...I thought you guys stopped talking when you left."

"We did. But it doesn't mean he didn't help me."

"So... telepathically?"

"No. He just... whatever. This isn't about me."

"God, I don't even know where to start."

"Well, what was your plan?"

"...To ask Luke for thirty thousand dollars..."

"Huh."

"God, I hate it when you do that!"

"...The verbal thing comes and goes."

"Any thoughts on my idea of desperation?"

"You should ask him."

"What?"

"Luke has the money and would do... anything for you."

"That is not true!"

"Look, I don't care enough to argue with you about that, but yeah, he would do almost anything for you."

"I can't do that..."

"Okay."

"..."

"But it's the best way. And knowing you, your business will be a good enough success to pay him back eventually."

"Thanks. Funny, I didn't think you were capable of compliments."

"Yeah, the world goes quiet; animals start acting funny..."

"Hah. Thanks, Jess."

"Huh. That sounded genuine."

"It was. So thanks."

"What for?"

"You made me see the truth."

"...So you gonna ask him?"

"No. But I know I'll be okay. Goodbye, Jess."

"Goodbye Lorelai."

"Hey—were you telling the truth before?"
"About what?"

"Did you really pull your act together?"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Lorelai."