A/N: I do still have folks reading this thing, right? Hmm, maybe I'm making it too happy and y'all like the drama better? Ah, well, I'm in the mood for largely cute fix-it fic right now, so I'm afraid that's how it's going to be. Thanks to the one lovely person who did leave a review. If I'm only writing this for me, my beta, and the one guest now, I'm okay with that, but if anybody else is out there, please do let me know! :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 19

"The extra bread that they forgot to deliver yesterday should be here before noon, and if you run out of pickles, use the box on the right shelf first, not the left. Oh, and the register is a little short of dimes, so..."

"So, people will get extra nickels!" said Jess, unable to handle anymore of Luke's notes and addendums. "Geez, Uncle Luke, we're nineteen, not nine," he reminded him, gesturing between himself and his new work-mate.

"I promise we'll be fine," said Lane with a wide and genuine smile. "We will not burn down the diner. We will also take in the delivery, use the correct pickles, and make appropriate change, wherever necessary. You can trust us, Luke."

Jess ought to have been offended that his uncle seemed to take Lane's word more than his own, but honestly, he understood the reason. The way Mrs Kim raised her daughter meant she would doubtless have been trained from birth to be steadfast and true, whereas Jess was raised by Liz, and what a crap show that had been. Lane was the honest type, it came naturally to her, except for the part where she had been leading a second life for years now that her mother knew nothing about, but that was a whole other thing.

"Okay, so you guys will be fine," said Luke, almost as if he was trying to convince himself of the fact. "I should just head over to New Haven, meet Lorelai and Rory and their folks."

"Not that I don't understand the real want to delay, but you should probably get there before the game actually starts," Jess told him with a look.

Checking his watch, seeing the actual time seemed to give Luke the final push he needed to finally get out. As the door clanged shut behind him, Jess huffed out a long breath.

"Geez, I thought he would never leave."

"He's just nervous," Lane told him, lifting the lid off the doughnuts and picking up the tongs, taking the time to spread the baked goods out nicely before replacing the lid again.

"Like I said, we're nineteen, not nine. We'll cope just fine."

"Actually, you're nineteen, I'm only eighteen, for another couple of months anyway, but I take your point. Anyway, I didn't mean that Luke was nervous about the diner. I think he's nervous about meeting Rory's grandparents."

"Pretty sure he met them before," Jess told her, crossing behind her to put on more coffee before the next rush.

"Oh, I know, but this is different. He's not just Luke anymore. Now, he's Lorelai's boyfriend. You know as well as I do what a big deal that is."

Of course, Jess knew. He was well aware that meeting the folks was a huge deal, especially when dating a Gilmore girl. Lorelai had pretty much hated him from the start, but when he had the misfortune to be fast-shuffled into dinner with the grandmother, Jess really did feel like he was headed for the gallows. That woman truly hated him and he knew it from the first second. Sure, she pretended to be polite and all, but he knew better. He was not the kind of guy a blue-blooded old lady wanted her granddaughter to be dating.

"I'm surprised they didn't invite you to the football game too, although I guess it would have been tough for both you and Luke to go. I don't think I could handle the whole diner alone, especially not on my first real shift."

"Nobody was going to ask me to go," said Jess, turning around from the coffee machine and leaning on the counter. "They don't know yet that me and Rory are back together."

"What? Why?" Lane shook her head. "That's just... Why?"

Jess smirked at her strange reaction. "Rory didn't tell them yet, which is totally fine by me. I'm perfectly happy not being invited to dinner or a football game or any other fruity Gilmore family event, thank you very much. Besides, Emily already can't stand me. Last time she saw me, I had a black eye."

"Ah, yes, the infamous black eye. The one that was not caused by Dean."

"That's the one." Jess nodded. "Anyway, some day, I guess Rory will have to tell them about me, but personally, I'm hoping maybe she will have graduated or something before then."

Lane laughed, which he supposed was to be expected, though of all people she ought to know what it was to hide things from family members who wouldn't approve. She and Dave certainly had enough problems getting started thanks to Mrs Kim, not to mention she was still hiding her rock band, her drums, and a whole lot of CDs, make-up, and other assorted unapproved items from her mother.

The bell over the door rang then, as customers began to file in. Lane swung right into action, proving herself to be just as capable and perfectly suited to her new role as Jess suspected she would be. As it turned out, they made a really good team, something she told him a couple of hours later, when the rush had simmered right down to a dull roar and they had time to talk some more.

"You know, when you left for California, I was like, 'Good riddance,' because that's how Rory needed me to be, but the truth is, I always thought you were good for her. That you were good for each other, I guess," she considered, staring at Jess a little too hard for his liking. "Don't get me wrong, at one time, I thought Dean was good for her too, and boy, was I wrong about that?! I mean, he's a nice guy, but I'm pretty sure he has issues of the jealousy kind, which can be good, in some ways. Who doesn't want their boyfriend to be at least a little jealous if there's another guy hanging around? But Dean just went a little too far, you know?"

Eager to get off the subject of Rory's ex, as he always was, Jess plumped for the topic of Lane's latest romance instead, though even he was aware he would have to tread carefully if he was headed that way.

"From what I heard, you loved when Dave was jealous of your little Korean set-up."

"Young Chu." Lane sighed. "Poor Young Chu. He was just so hung up on me, but I never saw him that way, because there was Dave. Of course, now there is no Dave anymore."

"He went to college in California, Lane. It's not over... right?" he checked, trying to see her face, but she seemed determined to evade. "Lane? Aww, geez, you're not gonna cry, are you? I didn't mean to-"

"I'm fine." Lane quickly waved away his concerns and made herself look at him - there were no tears falling, but Jess was pretty sure he could make out water welling in her eyes through the thick lenses she wore. "Well, not fine, but I will be. We will be, at least, I hope so. It was so stupid, fighting over a marriage jug that wasn't even a thing."

Jess opened his mouth to reply, then realised he didn't actually know what to say. The marriage jug. Rory had explained about that, sort of, but all that she had said didn't really fit with Lane's fighting with Dave or her tears about it now.

"Anyway, let's talk about something else," she said, before he had a chance to think about it too much. "You think the Gilmores and Luke are having a good time at the game?"

Jess checked his watch. "From what Rory said, the kick off isn't for another hour yet. God only knows why they had to be there so damn early."

"Aren't there a lot of rituals and traditions that go with big sporting events?" said Lane thoughtfully.

Jess shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. You're the one that used to be the cheerleader."

Lane shuddered at the reminder. "Please, I'm trying to repress!"


"When you said we were going to a football game, I did not expect all this," said Luke in a low voice, very much aware that Lorelai's parents could all too easily overhear.

"Nobody expected all this," she assured him, tilting her Bloody Mary in his direction. "But it's my parents. By now, we should all know to expect the unexpected, and hey, at least, there's booze, and food, and the sight of my mom in that outfit has pretty much made my whole year. Don't you feel lucky to get to see such a sight?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm just glad that neither of your parents seem to hate me so far. That's literally all I'm concentrating on right now."

"Well, I think you're doing great," Rory assured him from the opposite side of the table. "I know my grandparents can be a little judgey sometimes..."

"A little judgey?" Lorelai echoed, eyes wide with shock.

Rory poked out her tongue and then carried on regardless. "But they have no reason not to like you, Luke, and that's why today is going so well. Welcome to the family," she said with a grin that seemed slightly too big somehow, making him wonder if maybe she had been sipping from the fun flask instead of the Rory flask at some point.

He didn't get a chance to question her about it, when suddenly Emily returned to the table, offering Luke one of the Fig Newtons Rory had supplied.

"Thank you," he said politely, taking one, and then another, when she didn't immediately take the plate away. "Uh, this is all... great. Thank you, again, for inviting me."

"It was no trouble at all," she told him, with a wide smile that freaked him out even more than Rory's grin had. "It's such a shame we haven't had the chance to do something like this sooner, but Lorelai only bothered to tell us the two of you were dating just yesterday, even though you've apparently been seeing each other for some months already."

"Oh, well, not really." Luke shook his head. "I mean, yes, it has been a while since we first thought we might try being more than friends, but then Lorelai went to Europe, and after that..." he trailed off on realising Emily probably didn't care for the details and that he didn't really want to get into them anyway.

These people made Luke so uncomfortable, but he knew he was going to have to suck it up and just deal. After all, hadn't he been the one to tell Jess last year that dating a Gilmore girl meant being in with her whole family? Of course, he was fine with Lorelai and Rory being a package deal, but the parents were something else entirely.

"Ooh, who do you think that is?" asked Lorelai then, her voice low and her looks all sideways as she stared at her mother glaring daggers at some other woman she was clearly only pretending to be polite to.

Rory leaned across the table towards her mom and Luke. "I think they just called her Pennilyn."

"Pennilyn?" Lorelai echoed. "As in Pennilyn Lott? My dad's ex? Oh, my God! That woman could have been my mother in another life! I have to tell her."

"Lorelai." Luke grabbed her arm and kept her firmly in her seat. "Please, don't," he urged her.

Whether he meant to stop her causing a potential ruckus or just didn't want her to leave his side at all, Luke wasn't sure himself. He figured it didn't really matter. He had probably solved two problems in one by convincing her to stay put.

"Aww, poor Lucas," she teased him, her hand at his cheek as she planted a quick kiss on his lips, while her parents were looking elsewhere. "I promise to stay close and protect you from the big bad Emily monster," she said softly, then giggled. "Well, until we have to go to the ladies' room, but then I'm guessing Mom will come along with. Don't worry, I'll try to time it to when my dad is Whiffenpoofing or something, so you can just sit here alone and blend into the RV or something."

"Thank you, I appreciate that," Luke told her, even though he knew she was mostly joking.

At least, he hoped she was. Either way, he had a feeling it was going to be a very long day!


"Hey, football fans!" Lane greeted Luke and Lorelai with genuine enthusiasm when they rolled into the diner just after dinner time.

"Oh my God, don't even joke!" Lorelai complained, collapsing into the nearest chair.

Luke was barely a beat behind her and looked completely exhausted. It was so bad that Jess wasn't even sure he could make a joke about it. Instead, he poured out a coffee for Lorelai and made tea for his uncle, while Lane went over to ask them how the day had gone.

By the time he got over there, putting the drinks down in front of each of them, they looked more than grateful for the gesture, taking turns ranting about the evils of both the Gilmore elders and football games too.

"On the upside, no bloodshed, and my dad even wants to take Luke golfing sometime soon." Lorelai smiled at last.

"Well, that's good, right?" said Lane, her smile slipping a little when she saw her boss' expression, but she rallied fast. "Also, in the good news category, we had a pretty good day here."

"Yeah, the new girl's not half bad," Jess teased her. "No breakages, no wrong orders. Honestly, she was almost making me look bad."

"So not true," said Lane modestly. "I just wanted to do a good job, and I'd like to think that I did. I would never want to let you down, Luke."

"I don't think that would even be possible," said Lorelai, taking another sip from her coffee cup. "Jess, you're saintly," she told him, gesturing with her then empty cup, "but I really have to be going. My feet are complaining about all the standing, and my brain is fried after so long with my mom. I need sweatpants and mindless TV, stat."

"I wish I could join you," Luke told her, "but I should really-"

"Go," Jess told him immediately, amused by the look of shock on his uncle's face. "Seriously, me and Lane have this. The dinner rush is already over, and I can absolutely lock up. You know I've done it before, so just go. You deserve it."

"I've been out all day," Luke protested weakly.

"You've suffered all day," Jess corrected him. "Like I said, just go. Make use of me while you still can," he added pointedly.

Luke didn't need much more convincing than that. Getting to his feet, he patted Jess on the shoulder and smiled. "Thanks, nephew," he told him, before turning around to help Lorelai up.

The moment they were gone, Lane turned to Jess, a questioning look on her face.

"What?"

"'Make use of me while you can'?" she repeated, shaking her head. "Are you going somewhere?"

Jess opened his mouth to tell her a lie, but changed his mind at the last. He and Lane had become pretty good friends, somewhere along the line, and he definitely trusted her. He hardly would have recommended her for the job at the diner if he didn't.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you cannot tell Rory. It's going to be a surprise, assuming it even works out..."

To Be Continued...