Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, characters, or any original dialogue from our lovely ASP — this is for fun!

Rated M for swearing, suggestive themes, and sexual content in later chapters.

...

Chapter 5: Best Laid Plans

Soundtrack: Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds 1985 | Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths 1984

"Thank God I'm graduating, and this is the last time I have to cram like this because my pursuit of higher education has led me to a very interesting discovery about myself," Lorelai yells to Rory in her room. "Do you wanna hear it?"

Rory has been hearing Lorelai's groans of frustration since after the hospital incident. Finally, everything had calmed down enough for Lorelai to refocus on her business college finals. Rory comes out into the kitchen, "Sure."

"I despise academics. Yup, learning, knowledge, it's all worthless. I have no idea in what you see in any of it."

"Oh, I am so telling Jess you said that. Learning is fun, plus for me, there's that whole 'I'm a minor, so it's mandatory' thing."

Lorelai definitely couldn't blame Jess for his stance on school right now. "That's what kills me. This is self-inflicted. I'm a masochist. I might as well be carrying a switch and periodically lacerating myself with it."

"That diploma hanging on the wall will make this all worthwhile, trust me."

"I guess unless I turn into John Nash and start drooling on people."

"Hey," Rory looked over her at her mom reverently, "you're graduating."

Lorelai couldn't help the pride on her face, "I know."

Rory couldn't be prouder for Lorelai. She had seen how hard her mom had been working to finally achieve this. She wanted to celebrate and fawn over Lorelai at a ceremony, but it took some arm-twisting for Lorelai to agree. At the invitation to their friends & family, Lorelai excitedly accepted Sookie and Jackson but balked at Richard and Emily. Rory had a plan for them later. Then Rory asked the loaded question, "What about Luke and Jess?"

Lorelai turned monosyllabic, "Oh…."

How Jess-like Rory thought. Silence descended between the two.

Lorelai finally found the courage to say what she had been trying to all week. "I think I'm dating Luke."

Rory gasped, "What?"

"I'm not sure. It's just a possibility. I could be wrong."

"But how? When?"

"At the hospital… I was considering hunting down Dean to reenact the end scene from Texas Chainsaw Massacre because I've been practicing my Leatherface impression, but then Luke thanked me for being there for Jess, and then… we kissed."

"You kissed? Like a peck on the cheek, or the nurses thought you were practicing CPR?"

"No peck, no CPR. It was a first kiss — a great first kiss." Lorelai didn't feel like she needed to elaborate too much about the details but couldn't help the smile that crept onto her. She even blushed and emphasized, "Luke can kiss."

"Ew, Luke can kiss?!"

"Luke can kiss," Lorelai said while she wagged her eyebrows.

"Oh god, look how you just said, 'Luke can kiss.'"

"I'm just saying, I'm surprised that Luke can kiss… like that."

Rory was grossed-out and engrossed simultaneously, "That sounded more like, 'I'm surprised I still have my clothes on.' What else happened?"

"Nothing like that, obviously, you guys were there. We talked while you and Jess were getting x-ray'd. We drove back together. He walked us to the door, you went inside, and then he asked me to a movie. All of these things individually do not add up to dating, but together, I don't know."

"Did you say yes to the movie?"

"Yes."

"That sounds like dating to me."

"But maybe he didn't mean it as a date thing. Maybe he was just trying to distract me from Dean and feeling gooey about Jess, and since I'm currently one of the women sitting home, thinking, "If I could only find a man like Aragorn," he picked me."

"Okay, whoa, this is Luke. Our Luke — the town Luke. We see him every day. He's a part of our lives."

"I know."

"I mean, everyone will know. The town will know if you're together. And they'll know if you're not together."

"I know."

"You can't just date Luke. When you're with Luke, you are with Luke. And if it doesn't work out, it will be awful — for both of us." Rory thought back to the night that solidified how she saw Luke. If he were to be with Lorelai, her dream could be coming true. But if he and her mom didn't work out, where would that leave Rory? "I mean, how do you feel about this? Do you want to be dating Luke?"

"Okay, we're getting ahead of ourselves here. I don't even know if this is what he's thinking. This could be a totally innocent situation, and then we've done all this what-iffing for nothing."

"Okay," Rory contemplated telling Lorelai about Jess. She didn't want to take away from Lorelai's excitement, but she had also been savouring her kiss from the same night. It had been nice to keep it for herself for a little while, but now it was eating away at her. As a result, she nearly said it so that all the words ran together, "I kissed Jess that night too."

Lorelai's mouth fell open, "I knew something was up! You're a sweet kid and all, but that was a lot of hand-holding for two teenagers who aren't together."

Rory blushed and pushed her hair behind her ear nervously. Were she and Jess together together? She should be in the same boat as Lorelai, questioning whether she and Jess were dating, but she had felt confident that they had been since the kiss.

Lorelai leaned forward, "Well…."

Rory couldn't hide her smile, though she tried to hold it by biting her lip. Rory reminisced and realized she understood the connotation her mother had used. She took a cue from Lorelai, "Jess can kiss."

Lorelai parroted Rory's earlier response, "Oh god, look how you just said, 'Jess can kiss.'"

"Well, apparently, both Danes guys can kiss… like that."

Lorelai was grossed out and engrossed at the same time, "That sounded more like, 'I'm surprised I still have my clothes on….' Lorelai caught the implications of what she had said. She felt a heaviness in the pit of her stomach. Rory had never talked about Dean this way. Even after the night Dean became Narcolepsy Boy, Lorelai wasn't too concerned about Rory getting into trouble with Dean. She tried to shake the worry but was anxiously curious, "What happened?"

"We were studying, and then we went for ice cream and walked around. I was just looking at Jess, and I couldn't stand it anymore. So I grabbed him and kissed him. That's when Dean flew by us. The rest you already know."

"So that's why he did it?! Narcolepsy Boy needs some serious help. Do they have a Girl, Interrupted for the male persuasion? Boy, Interrupted?" Lorelai redirected to the issue at hand, "So, you couldn't stand it anymore, huh?"

"You should get back to your studying," Rory tried deflecting as she stood up from the table. She thought she might avoid giving away too much between her and Jess. How could she tell her mom that she felt like her body was on fire when Jess held her and that she was desperate for the next time it would happen? They had talked on the phone every night, but the subjects were what they could discuss in public — books, music, school, and town craziness — even though the images playing in her head made her blush and babble. Rory had helped Jess with his shifts at the diner after the accident. She wasn't the greatest waitress but they were all aware it was so she could be near Jess. Unfortunately for both, they hadn't had time to spend alone. She was thirsty again — parched.

Lorelai knew more thoughts were going through Rory's head. Rory was holding back. Rory wasn't secretive — Lorelai knew this look. T minus three, two, one… The look of new love. And we have lift off! She had watched them in the hospital. She knew that Rory had something different with Jess. It was deeper — more dangerous. Houston, do we have a problem? She didn't want to push Rory too much because that could make her turtle, so she went for a blanket statement, "Hey babe, promise me that you still tell me anything, everything… whatever. I want to know."

Rory was startled by her mom's request. Lorelai could read her too well, so with her head ducked Rory assured, "I will."

"Good." Lorelai took a deep breath, sighed, and looked back to her books, "Oh, great."

"What?"

"I think I've already forgotten everything I read in the last two hours."

Rory "No, you haven't."

"Yes, I have. In fact, I may have forgotten everything that I've ever known. Child, what be your name?"

Rory chided Lorelai, "Study."

...

The diner was deserted as Rory finished her tasks at the diner. Jess sat at the end of the counter reading The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Rory threw down her cleaning rag and propped her arms on the counter in front of Jess. She loved that she could openly study him now. Her eyes landed on his cast, which was embellished with an Emily Strange sticker Lane had given him amongst other band decals — Fugazi, The Clash, The Misfits — and book titles & quotations he had scribbled — Howl, A Farewell to Arms, "It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist." - Burroughs — which were all favourites but on his cast for cheeky humour. The latest Jess had penned on his cast was from his current book: "I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismograph." Jess wholeheartedly agreed.

After his life-threatening make-out with Rory, Jess considered it a fair tradeoff to fracture his wrist to be able to kiss her like that again. They had been a lightning rod. They had attracted the energy and withstood its intensity. He had invisible burn marks all along his body down through the soles of his feet. Jess had dreamt of Rory vividly every night since and had taken cold showers begrudgingly every morning after. His madness was getting worse since Rory had been so busy lately. The last thing he wanted to do was be any kind of Dean-clingy, but he understood now the guy had had a fantastic reason to be that way.

Rory hooked her finger over the top of his book and pulled it down with a mischievous grin. Jess matched her expression with one of his own. Rory leaned in and whispered, "I have an idea, but I need your expertise."

Jess twitched. Oh, I'll show you my expertise. He tried to keep his thoughts clean, but he was unsuccessful. He would rather live behind the 'Rory curtain' instead of in front of it anyway.

Rory conspiratorially added, "I want to skip school tomorrow." Jess pinched his brows together, intrigued. Rory continued lowly, "I want to get mom a gift for her graduation, and I'd like to go to New York to find something."

Jess bit his lower lip. Rory Gilmore wanted to skip school and go to New York… alone? "You want to go to New York on your own?"

"No, I want us to skip school and go to New York. You'll know your way around. That is, if you want to go with me?"

Jess considered Rory's proposition. Of course, he wanted to go with her, but he was supposed to be getting his act together at school. He cringed as he realized he didn't want to be caught skipping school & skipping town with Rory. Everyone would assume it was his idea and that he was corrupting her. But he definitely didn't want her going to New York by herself — she wasn't Christiane Amanpour yet. A few months ago, he would have leapt at a proposition like this — hell, it really would have been his idea. Now he was at a loss for what to do. This plan could have some hefty consequences.

Suddenly, a new idea emerged from his fog of worry. Jess saw himself and Rory strolling the streets of New York hand-in-hand away from the Orwellian eyes of Stars Hollow. He felt himself breathe easier at the thought.

Luke walked out of the kitchen and cut into his thoughts. "Hey, it's pretty quiet here if you want to take off?" Luke looked at the teenagers ogling each other and rolled his eyes. Rory couldn't hear Luke through her starry eyes, so he emphasized, "Thanks for your help… Rory."

Rory snapped out of it, "Oh, gotcha, yeah, thanks Luke… uh, I'm mean, you're welcome." Luke just shook his head and chuckled.

Jess needed more information from Rory to work out a solution, so he came up with a guise on the fly, "You know, I've got that book upstairs."

Rory clued in immediately to Jess' ploy, "Oh, the book we talked about?"

"Yup."

"Great."

"We could go upstairs and look at it."

"Look at the book, sure. Let's go upstairs and look at the book."

Rory and Jess darted behind the curtain and bounded up the stairs. Luke watched the interaction, questioning which was truer: whether the two thought they were actually good liars or whether they thought Luke was dumb enough to believe their skit.

Rory walked into the apartment upstairs, and Jess closed the door behind them. "So, you want us to skip school."

Rory looked around at the renovations to the apartment she hadn't seen yet, "Yup, and go to New York to find my mom a present. I haven't been able to find anything remotely good enough around here, and I mean, it's my fault that she didn't get to graduate in the first place."

Jess had walked up behind Rory while she was looking toward his room and rambling. He was annoyed that Luke had not enclosed it completely — no wall or door. He reasoned that Luke was used to sleeping in an open room, so he didn't consider a teenager may want more privacy. His eyes drifted along Rory's frame, and his mind drifted along with them. This was the first time they had been alone together since their kiss. "I thought I was supposed to be becoming a perfect student," Jess' words came out breathier than intended. "My tutor would be disappointed if I skipped."

It wasn't the words Jess spoke but how he spoke them that made Rory's hair stand on her neck. Rory turned in place and found herself face-to-face with Jess. He reached to her waist with his un-casted hand and gripped her firmly. Her hands reached up to his biceps to steady herself. But as their lips grazed each other, Luke came through the door, "Rory, I've got your cut of the tips."

Rory stepped back, flustered. She nearly ran to the door and grabbed the money from Luke on her way out with a quick 'thanks.'

Once Rory had scuttled back down the stairs, Luke barked, "What was going on up here?"

"Nothing," Jess grumbled. Because you interrupted us, he thought.

"Nothing? I walk in here, and the two of you are like shrapnel."

"Your timing is perfect, by the way." Jess saw another cold shower in his future, which, in his words, was a bitch because of this stupid cast. Frustrated, he added, "Next time, I'll hang a sock on the door."

"Hey, there will be no hanging of socks on the door in my house. Do you hear me?"

"Relax, I was kidding."

"Oh, really? Hanging socks on doors, that's your idea of funny."

"Depending on the sock design, it could be hilarious."

"Okay, that's it, sit down," Luke was furious.

"Why?"

"It's time to lay down a few ground rules, sit. All right, first off, when she's up here, that door stays open."

Jess raised his voice at Luke's ridiculous rule, "Excuse me!?"

"You are not allowed on either end of this apartment. You are, instead, to remain here in the middle portion of the room. You may sit on the couch or on the chair as long as you two are sitting on separate seats, i.e., when you're on the couch, then she's on the chair. When she's on the couch, then you're on the chair."

"I get it, thank you."

"On weekdays, you will have her home by nine. On weekends, you will have her home by eleven. Any evidence of alcohol, cigarette smoke, or anything else that Nancy Reagan would find unacceptable, and you will not be allowed near her without an adult present. Are these rules clear?"

"Yes."

"Good."

"May I speak?"

"If you must."

"Do you want me to have you committed, or would you prefer to check yourself in?"

"I'm not joking here, mister."

"You know you're my guardian, not hers, right?"

"You don't need a guardian."

Then why am I here if I don't need a guardian? Jess snorted, "What do you think is gonna happen?"

"You know what I think is gonna happen."

"No, I don't. Tell me. Tell me what I'm gonna do to her," Jess goaded. He smirked at Luke about to blow a gasket over an almost kiss. Good thing he wasn't there for the last one.

"You're not gonna do anything to her because when you're at her place, there's Lorelai, and when you're here, there's me, and when you're out there, there's Taylor."

"Romeo and Juliet had warring families, and they still managed to do a little damage, you know?"

"Well, as soon as I catch you in a pair of tights, I'll get worried. Until then, do your homework." Luke turned to walk out, satisfied that he had imparted some paternal wisdom.

Jess stopped him, "Luke…." Luke turned and saw Jess' face drop. Then, curious, he came back to the table and sat down. After taking a clear breath, Jess' words tumbled out, "Rory is going to skip school tomorrow. She is going to New York to get Lorelai a gift for her graduation, and she wants me to go with her. That's what she was up here asking me."

Luke couldn't help but be snarky, "Did she ask through lip osmosis?"

Jess dropped his head in his hands, slightly defeated. "Luke, please. I'm being a fucking snitch right now! First time in my life. Rory is set on this idea, but I, of all people, am thinking twice about missing school and getting caught. And I'm actually hesitant about going to New York. New York, Luke! Seven months ago, all I wanted was to go back there. Now… well… I don't know what now. I just know I can't let her go alone."

Luke took in Jess' confession. Rory was a miracle worker. Jess Mariano didn't want to skip school!? Jess was sharing a problem with his uncle? Luke didn't know where to start except to agree with the last point, "No, she can't go alone." They nodded together. Jess had learned to let Luke sit with information before he would speak his mind. Luke finally said, "Okay."

"Okay, what?"

"You go with Rory tomorrow to New York. I will call the school and say you're sick. You will make up all schoolwork missed immediately. You will call when you get there and let me know — you can be covert about it if you need to — but you have to call. You will not try anything with her while you are down there. I mean it. The rules I just listed still stand no matter how far away you are. And you will leave Lorelai a note letting her know what's going on that I will give her after you leave. She can't find out later because she would eat us alive," Luke shuddered.

"I have to write the note?" Jess questioned.

"Yes, because you are in charge of this plan."

Jess sat up straighter as Luke looked him in the eye. He not only felt a tremendous amount of responsibility but also trust. Luke trusted him. This communication thing is actually beneficial after all. Jess was skipping school tomorrow — with permission. The universe was full of irony.

...

Later that evening, Lorelai was at the bottom of her third margarita, "I am feeling so good, sista, because it's over! No more finals, no more studying, no more school. The pressure's off. Do you know how much pressure I felt, do you? All last week I felt like a giant man and his brother were sitting on my chest."

It was becoming more challenging for Rory to follow Lorelai's party train of thought, "A giant man?"

"And his giant brother."

"Did they have names?" Rory egged her on.

"Clem and Clem. Same names, which did not reflect well on the imagination of their mothers."

"Mother."

"Mothers. There were two Clems."

"Yeah, 'cause they were brothers."

"Yes, so they had mothers."

"Okay, you're drawing me into your drunken world."

"It's not a bad place to be, my friend. Mnh-mnh, tank's empty," Lorelai skipped into the kitchen for another drink.

Rory held up a book from the table, "Hey, what is this, uh, life plan book thing."

Lorelai answered from the other room, "A little gift for the grads from the happy people at Hartford Community College. Hey! How many margaritas are too many margaritas?"

"Um, if you can't remember where the living room is."

Lorelai stumbled back into the living room carrying the blender full of margarita mix, "Haha, I'm still good."

Rory flipped to a random page, "Okay, here's an interesting question for you 'Have you given any thought to how children will work into your future plans?'"

Lorelai sat down on the coffee table and sipped her fresh margarita, "Oh, well, uh, they're not gonna stand in my way, that's for sure. I mean, I plan to have some, of course, but I'm just gonna knock 'em out and, uh, have Nanny catch 'em and care for 'em, make sure Mick Jagger doesn't come anywhere near them, and then just return them to me when they're twenty-one."

"Well, what about me?"

"You are my favourite eldest child. You get to stay by my side."

"Oh, I feel so privileged," Rory fawned but felt a twinge of guilt about her plan for the next day. But then, the phone interrupted her rumination, "I'll get it."

"Hey, now, if that's Mick Jagger, hang up and blow that whistle I gave you."

Rory answered, "Hello?"

"Hi," Jess didn't receive a response, so he said again, "Hello? Is this a bad time?"

"Um, no, just hold on a sec?" She motioned to Lorelai that she was taking the call in her room, "Um, the music. . . uh, I'll be right back." She turned her attention to the phone with a brighter tone, "Hi."

"You said that already."

"I did. You're right, sorry."

"So, what's up? Sounds like you got a party going on there."

"Mom is celebrating being done with classes. What about you?"

"Just planning."

"Planning what?"

"Our trip to New York tomorrow."

Rory broke out into a toothy grin, "Oh yeah." She was impressed that Jess would even make a plan. He seemed more like the 'fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy,' but she was learning new things about him everyday. "Where are you going to take me?"

"We can hit a few stores and then go to the park."

"Ooh, Central Park?"

"Washington Square Park. It's cooler."

"Yeah?"

"It's where David Lee Roth got busted."

"Right, right. I hope he's got it together now."

"Right." Jess chuckled. He remembered that he needed to get started on the note to Lorelai, "Okay, well, I'm gonna go, but I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay," Rory felt like squealing, but she held it in, "see you in the morning." When they hung up, Rory slid into her bed and excitedly fluttered her legs.

Jess set the phone down and glanced at Luke across the apartment. Luke nodded, and Jess pulled out his battered spiral-bound to start writing. Jess quoted in head, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." He knew semantics were important — often, not always.