A/N: Sorry for the long wait, finalls and studying for them are kicking my ass, so updates will be slow for the next few weeks! But then I'll have a full month off and hopefully be able to make up for it. Anyway, enjoy this chapter I managed to finish!

Rory was working hard not to take it personally, she really was. But, if she was being honest, she was completely failing. It'd been a week since Jess' mom came to town, a week since he came over and her mom let him spend the night because he couldn't imagine being in the same room as his mother, a week since they were introduced, a week since he left her at Lane's door so she could have her best friend time. And she saw him a total of two times since. Once, later that day, he came over and showed her the car he had bought on a whim. It was a junker, but she was happy seeing how happy he was about the car. The other was a few days later, in the morning before school, when she went to Luke's, they talked for a total of three minutes before he told her he had to leave for school. Oh, and there was that one ten-minute phone call on Saturday night. She always promised herself she wasn't going to be one of those girlfriends who waited around the phone waiting for her boyfriend to call, but when someone does such a complete 180 from how they've acted the last few months, it's a little hard to wrap your mind around.

Don't take it personally, she reminded herself again. When she did manage to talk to him on Saturday, he told her how uncomfortable he was while Liz was there and how he was picking up as many shifts as he could at Walmart so he didn't have to be there. Plus, owning a car and paying for insurance was expensive, and Walmart paid a whole two dollars more an hour than Luke. So he cut his shifts back at Luke's to spend most of his time there. Luke didn't mind because he knew the relationship between Jess and his mom was fragile at best. Knowing all that, Rory knew it wasn't her he was avoiding, it was his mother, but she couldn't help but feel avoided all the same. What made matters worse was that Liz didn't seem like she had plans to leave anytime soon, so Rory had no idea how long this was going to last.

She missed Jess. She knew that was cheesy, and she was supposed to be a strong, independent woman, but she just wanted to see her boyfriend and hug him and maybe even sneak in a few kisses. Was that too much to ask? You can still be strong and independent while being in a relationship, right? She thought so, but she didn't really feel that way when she checked her phone every time she came home for missed calls and messages or had her beeper on her constantly, or she kept making weak, at best, excusses to go to Luke's and hopefully run into him.

"What's wrong, kid?" Her mom asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"What do you mean? Nothing is wrong."

Her mother looked at her disbelievingly and then let out a big, dramatic sigh, "You hear that loud annoying sigh I just made? You had to, it's loud enough to shake the house. Well, you've been sighing like that every five minutes on the dot. I know, I've been counting."

"No, I haven't!" Rory huffed.

"Yes, Sweets, you have."

"Oh."

"So, what's wrong?" She asked again.

"Nothing, I'm being silly."

"Rory,…" Lorelai said before trailing off and sighing again, this time more naturally, "Okay, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. But you know what happens to mommy when you leave me guessing, I go down a rabbit hole of crazy theories. First, I think you're hiding a secret relationship with a prince. Then, I decide it's probably not a prince, but an underground Fight Club situation. And before you know it, I'm Googling how to negotiate with the Yakuza."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Why would the Yakuza care?"

"I don't know, but it always comes back to the Yakuza. So, please, save me from my spiraling imagination."

Rory laughed, "You know what, I think I've read that somewhere."

"Rory…"

Rory sighed again, "Okay, okay, but don't make fun of me, I already said it was silly."

"Cross my heart," Lorelai said, making the hand motions to go along with it.

"It's just Jess. He's been MIA for the last week, and I know why he is, and it's completely reasonable, but I still feel, I don't know, neglected."

Lorelai looked at her daughter somehow both comfortingly and understandingly. Rory wasn't sure how she did both at the same time, but her mother managed it, and it always made Rory feel safe and loved. "Oh, kid. I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to call then hasn't?"

"No, he told me he was going to be working as much as possible, and I get the feeling he's staying away from home as much as he can to avoid Liz."

"Oh," Lorelai said, kinda confused, "I thought they were working things out."

"I don't know; I really haven't had the chance to talk to him about it." Rory felt even more needy when she couldn't help but pout. "This is stupid; I shouldn't be waiting around for a phone call, I'm better than that!"

Lorelai smiled at her in a way that made Rory feel like a child, she was looking at her as if she had no idea how the world works, "That's true, you are. Relationships go through this sometimes, though; you each get busy for one reason or another, and you see each other less. It doesn't mean you don't love each other anymore or anything, it just means you're busy. His schedule will slow down again soon, and he'll be back to being here so often I'll have to consider charging him rent again. It's okay to miss him, though, that's normal, too."

"I know, I just feel dumb waiting for him to call. I haven't even had a chance to take a ride in his car yet!"

"Well, thank god for small favors, that hunk of junk is one pothole away from the wheels falling off and one good rain away from it completely rusting over."

"Hey, it's not that bad! He worked really hard for it."

"Hey, wait, why would he think working so much would get him away from Liz? And why wouldn't you just go hang out at the diner while he's serving customers, I'm sure there's time in between tables to talk. You two have done that enough times already."

Rory's face heated up, she didn't mean to say that, no one other than her, and she was pretty sure Lane knew he had another job. Rory opened her mouth, unsure of what to say, but her mother cut her off before she could figure out the right answer, "Rory, I know when you're about to lie, you have a tell, so don't even bother."

"I don't have a tell."

"Sure you do."

"Thank what is it?"

Lorelai laughed a little darkly, "Yeah, right, as if I'm going to give that information away, it's my ace in the hole."

Rory crossed her arms and huffed, "I don't have a tell."
Lorelai shrugged, "Whatever you say."

Rory stood up, happy that she successfully changed the subject and talked her way out of giving up Jess' secrets. She cringed when her mom stopped her, "Not so fast, Rory. You really didn't think you could fast talk your way out of this, did you? Do you even know who your mother is?"

She sighed as she sat back down, "Okay, but it's not really my story to tell."

Lorelai looked at her daughter long and hard, trying to decide if she should push the issue or not. She wanted to respect her privacy and Jess's, too. Well, most of the time, as long as that privacy didn't involve them getting private together. But this also sounded like something that might be important, something that Luke might have to know. She crossed her arms and leaned back, tilting her head slightly, "Rory, I know you have a better memory than that. Remember? The prince, the fight club, and the Yakuza? Wild theories are already brewing, and I'm currently considering what outfit I'm going to wear on the steakout I have to have when I follow him. Speaking of, did you take my black boots? They'd go perfect with the camouflage dress, gloves, and hat I'm picturing. I know what you're thinking, you're thinking, 'Mom, how could you ever think you're going to blend in when wearing that camo dress, it just looks so damn good on you.' And you'd be right, but I'll be in a car the whole time, so no one will get a full look at my figure, making it easier to blend in."

"He's got a second job, okay?" Rory finally admitted exasperatedly. She could keep up with Lorelai like no other, but she knew well by now that going by the way her mom was going on, she had no intention of dropping the point of the conversation, even if Rory did banter on with her. Plus, she didn't like lying to her mother, and really, she talked herself into a corner, so she had no choice.

"What? Why? When does he have the time? He already works a lot of hours at Luke's, and he goes to school. Plus, I know better than anyone how much time you two sit together on that couch 'watching movies, '" She said, quoting the words.

"What's with the finger quotes? There should be no finger quotes, when we're here, we are watching movies."

"Uh-huh, and I'm Julia Roberts undercover doing some research for my next role. I don't even want to think about how many times I walk into the room and see you two jump to opposite sides of the couch."

Rory's blush gave away the truth, even if her words didn't admit it, "Julia Roberts? Really?"

She nodded seriously, "Julia is a method actor, you know, I wouldn't put it past her to get pregnant because she's playing a woman with a baby. That's how you came along."

"Okay, Julia, whatever you say," Rory said, done with the conversation. "I have some homework to do before bed. Just…" She sighed and felt dumb again, "Just let me know if he calls, okay?"

Lorelai looked at her daughter with sympathy, "Of course, kid."

Rory smiled a little half-heartedly before making her way to her room and closing the door. Lorelai leaned back on her chair and sighed, not knowing how to help make this situation better for her daughter. Sure, when it happened, she had her reservations about Rory and Jess becoming more than friends, but she knew Jess was committed to Rory and that the last thing he'd want to do was hurt her. Hell, she knew that about him back before they got together, and he proved it even more over the last few months. Plus, she couldn't even imagine what Jess was going through right now, he was right that first night they met. When she stupidly tried to tell him she understood why he acted that way, that she had a bad childhood too, and he said they were nothing alike. Sure, her childhood wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but she knew her parents loved her even if they didn't know how to show it and expected her to live a life that was one she never wanted. She knew he had it a lot harder than that, and now, after he was finally settled in and had a home with people who loved him, his mom showing up must be a lot to handle.

That being said, Rory was her baby, and she wasn't going to let her little girl sit there hurting because her boyfriend was too caught up in his own troubles. Especially if he's been dealing with those troubles by avoiding his house as much as possible, he could just as easily come here to be all avoidy; she thought she made it clear when he came over the night his mom arrived in town that he was welcome and they were there for him. So she knew what she was going to do: tomorrow, bright and early, she was going to Luke's and was going to talk to Jess, hinting that he had been neglecting his girlfriend, and give him a way to fix that by inviting him over for movie night. Yeah, that was a foolproof plan where no one got hurt, there was no way it'd blow up in her face like some of her plans did. Feeling a little lighter now that she knew what she was going to do to help Rory, she started up the stairs while yelling goodnight to her daughter. She'd better go to be early if she was going to be at Luke's early enough to catch Jess this week.

About two hours later, Rory put down her pencil with a sigh, she was done with her homework, checked, and double-checked. Normally, that made her feel better, but it just didn't tonight. She decided to have a quick shower, and one of her books from her 'Makes Me Smile' pile would do the trick, so she quickly grabbed her clothes and left her room. She did feel a little more relaxed after the shower, and she knew she'd be able to fall asleep after a chapter or two of reading. As she was walking back to her room, she was mentally going through the list of potential books to read, so lost in thought she didn't realize that her bedroom door was closed even though she left it open when she left for a shower.

She worked hard not to scream when she looked up after closing the door behind her. In fact, a loud squeak did come out, but she was able to use her hand to cover her mouth quickly enough. On her bed, laid out, relaxed, as if he owned the place, was Jess, reading a book, she couldn't see the title because he folded the book over. He looked up at her with his signature smirk that always looked a little softer when it was aimed at her. Slowly, he placed the book down on the bed, not bothering to save his spot as he sat up.

She wanted to be mad at him for pretty much breaking into her room, and she probably would have been if it was any other time, but she couldn't now. She had missed him, and really, she was just happy he was there with her. So she smiled and walked over to him, Jess standing up as she did. When she made it to him, he automatically wrapped his arms around her, and she did the same, nestling her head on his shoulder and holding him close. She felt him hold her even tighter after that, breathing in deeply.

"Hi," Rory said lowly, muffled into his shirt.

"Hi," He answered, and Rory could hear the smile in his voice.

She pulled back just enough to see his face so she could kiss him, Jess made sure to meet her halfway. When she broke the kiss, she pulled away from the hug, too. She sat on the bed and made herself comfortable, leaving room for Jess to do the same, and he did without a second thought.

"Don't you look cute," he said in a half-sincere, half-teasing tone.

Rory looked down and felt her cheeks heat up; she was wearing her Happy Bunny flannel button-up pajamas, "Hey, don't make fun of Happy Bunny!"

He held his hands up in surrender, which was a little weird, considering one arm was wrapped around her shoulder. In a serious tone, he replied, "Oh, I'm not. She says exactly what I'm thinking."

Rory giggled and turned her head, quickly pecking his cheek before feeling silly again, feeling too clingy, she had seen him a few days ago, she shouldn't miss him this much, want to keep close to him this much, it was strange, maybe even wrong. She prided herself on being independent, but she didn't really feel that way right now. She decided to speak, just to get her mind to stop running in circles, "So what are you doing here?"

Jess looked away a little uncomfortably, he cleared his throat, proving to Rory all the more that he wasn't comfortable with whatever it was he was going to say, "Uh, I'm sorry, you know, that I haven't been around as much lately."

"Oh, it's okay, I get it." She said, and she did. Even if she wasn't happy with the situation, she understood why it was happening.

"Yeah?" He asked, turning to her with a small, hopeful smile.

"Yeah." She said, nodding her head decisively. "How much longer is your mom going to be in town?"

"She's leaving the day after tomorrow."

"Why don't you sound as happy about that as I thought you'd be?"

He stayed quiet for such a long time she was starting to get worried. His nervous fidgeting wasn't doing anything to calm her fears either. She reached over and rested her hand on his thigh, rubbing her thumb up and down reassuringly. He looked at her for a moment before looking straight in front of him, "She asked me to come with her."

Rory inhaled sharply, not expecting that at all. Now she was the one nervously clearing her throat, not looking at Jess, "Are you going to?"

God, this silence was even longer than the first, Rory did not think that was a good sign. Of course, she'd support him, she wanted Jess to be happy and even have a relationship with his mom. She'd never want to be the one to take that away from him, but that didn't mean she'd be happy; it didn't mean it wouldn't hurt.

"I-I don't know." He stood up and started pacing the width of her room back and forth, "I mean, she's my mom, right? And fuck, she's done more than enough for me to wash my hands of her, but she's clean. And it seems like she's actually getting her shit together, I can't let her go through that alone, can I? Especially if she's asking me to come? She keeps saying she needs me, needs a reason to stay on the straight and narrow. But I've heard this all a hundred times before, and she always does good for a while until one day I come home and she's passed out on the floor, fucked up on one thing or another, and I'm the one that has to clean her up. Then the cycle starts again. And believe me, Rory, the Liz partying and getting high part of the cycle always lasts a lot longer than her clean times. Not to mention, I don't want to leave, I don't want to leave you, and I'll kill you if you ever tell him this, but I don't want to leave Luke either. I have a life here, friends…"

Wow, Rory was sure she never heard Jess say that much at once, especially when what he was saying was so emotional. She stood up and blocked his way, so when he came back on the most recent pace, he had no choice but to stop in front of her. She hugged him again, hard. She was learning more and more about Liz every day; Jess would let small things slip here and there more often, especially now that she was here, and Rory had to admit, the more she learned about her boyfriend's mom, the more she didn't like her. "I can't make this choice for you, Jess, but maybe you should remember that she's the mom, it's not your job to take care of her, it's supposed to be the other way around. I'll support you in whatever you decide. I hope you know that, but maybe it's time to think about yourself for once. Think about what's best for you, not for her."

Rory felt like crying when she looked up at him and saw his eyes shining like he was about to cry. He didn't, though; he inhaled through his nose deeply, and by the time he exhaled, he looked more clear-eyed. Although when he made eye contact with Rory, she swore she could see love shining back at her, and it made her smile slightly. She grabbed his hand and led him back to the bed to sit him down. He seemed a little frantic at the moment, definitely confused, and Rory knew she had to calm him down. She'd seen Jess do some crazy things when he felt backed into a corner, and she didn't want that happening right now. So, she decided the best thing she could do was change the subject and get her mind off of things, she said her peace, and even though she wanted to press harder, maybe even ask him to stay, she knew now wasn't the time. She needed to do a lot of thinking if she was going to ask something so drastic of him, she was talking multiple pros and cons lists, maybe even making charts type of thinking.

She put her hand on his chest when he sat down next to her and pushed so he was lying flat before lying down next to him and cuddling around him, her head on his shoulder and hand on his chest. He was stiff for a few long moments, still lost in his problems, but he calmed down and relaxed, and she leaned forward and chastely kissed the underside of his jaw. She relaxed into him further when she felt him lift his arms up to rest around her and hold her close. He didn't say anything when she reached over and turned her bedside lamp off.

Lorelai woke up the next morning, even more motivated to talk to Jess if that were possible. So she jumped up and quickly ran downstairs to get the coffee started, it was an ungodly hour to be awake, so she'd need a lot of coffee today, more than the normal amount of a lot. She trudged her way back up to her room, damning the world for not yet having the technology or imagination to invent a coffee maker that prepped itself and had a portable button that you could press in your bed so you didn't have to get out before that sweet, sweet smell of the caffeine gods filled your nose.

She spent most of her shower thinking about said invention and wondering how much money she could make by bringing the idea to the smart people who create things. She eventually shook her head no, knowing them, they'd steal the idea for her and not give her a penny, let alone name it after her. Damn smart people. Then again, it'd be a worthy sacrifice if she got to have such a creation. She shook her head again; she had more important things to worry about today, she had to help her daughter, she could focus on her million-dollar idea after she saved the day for her daughter. God, she was awesome. Normally, she'd wake Rory up and have her start her day, but it was still an hour before her daughter had to get up, so she left the house, trusting that Rory would wake up on her own.

Rory jumped awake, hearing the front door close, and noticed the very early morning sun shining through her windows. "Oh no! Crap, crap, crap!"

"Mhmnmgh?" Jess made an unintelligible sound that she was sure had a question mark at the end while burrowing into her pillow deeper.

"We fell asleep, and it's morning now! My mom is awake, too; I just heard the front door!" Rory explained in a hushed whisper, the anxiety clear in her tone. Hearing the worry from his girlfriend was enough to wake him up completely. "What?" He asked, opening his eyes and looking around, once he realized what time it was, he didn't need any more explanation, "Fuck."

"Yeah, you can say that again," Rory said, getting up and looking out of her window, feeling confused when her mom's jeep wasn't there. Her mom was never up this early, and for some reason, if she managed it, she was moving at a snail's pace around the house, cranky and complaining about how wrong it was for humans to be awake at this hour. It made no sense, where did she go? She thought back over her conversation with her mom from the night before and was sure Lorelai said nothing about an early morning.

"Fuck," Jess repeated, half to be a smart ass and half because he felt it was warranted. He followed Rory's suit and stood up, quickly grabbing his jacket, slipping on his shoes, and looking around to see if he left anything else.

Rory was much more calm when she turned to look at him, "It's okay. My mom went somewhere, so I think we're safe. You do have to go, though; I have no idea when she's going to be back."

"Bummer," he said, meaning it, as he lifted his hand and tucking a stray hair behind her ear before resting his hand on her cheek, stroking it with his thumb, "I've barely gotten to see you this last week, and when we finally got to hang out, we slept through most of it."

Hearing that made Rory feel a thousand times better, she wasn't the only one who was upset that they hadn't seen each other much. It made her more secure about all she was feeling and saying last night to her mom. So she smiled and kissed him quickly. "I know, it is a bummer. Maybe you can come over after school?"

He looked up as if he was seriously contemplating the invitation, "Well, I was offered another shift at Walmart, but I suppose I can say no and make some time for you instead."

She laughed then joked, "Good, you better. I was starting to feel neglected."

His playful mood turned more serious, " Rory, I didn't mean to…"

"I know, it's okay, I told you last night, I get it."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have…"

"I know you didn't mean anything by it. I just, you know, missed you." She said, looking anywhere but at him, hating her stupid genetics for whatever gene she received that made her blush so damn much.

He used his hand that was still cupping her face and moved it down to her chin, moving it so she was facing him again. For a second, she stayed stubborn, moving her eyes to the side so she was still not looking at him before letting out a long breath and making eye contact with him. When she did, she saw that he had a small smile on his face, "You missed me, huh?"

She rolled her eyes, "Don't let it go to your head."

"I missed you too. I tried to call when I could, but normally, by the time I got done work and made it home, I knew you'd be in bed already."

She smiled and kissed him, this time more passionately, wrapping her hands around his neck as his hands made it to her hips and pulled her closer, so close there was no room inbetween them. She didn't realize he was moving them until she felt her bed hit the back of her knees, and she fell back on it, Jess following her. She let herself get lost in the kiss for she didn't know how long and only came back to herself when his lips left hers, traveling lower, first her cheek, her jaw, then her neck. She felt her breath quickening and her head automatically moving to the side without her permission, giving him better access.

"Jess…" She managed.

"Mhmm?" He answered only half listening, too focused on what he was currently doing.

"We… we have to stop. You have to go… remember?"

He groaned into her neck, causing pleasant shivers to go down her spine, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Jess's breathing was just as frantic as hers, he stopped kissing her but left his face where it was, his hot breath on the now-wet spot on her neck made her shiver, too. He stayed there as his breathing gradually evened out, wanting more than anything to take Rory somewhere for the weekend where they didn't have to worry about parental supervision and the crazy town of theirs interrupting them. "Yeah, I remember."

He gave her one last long sensual kiss on her neck where he noticed she reacted to the most before pulling back completely and standing up, offering her a hand to help. She took it and smiled at him shyly, the way she always did after they did anything more intimate than kissing, he was growing to love that look on her face. "So I'll see you tonight?"

Her smile grew brighter, "Yeah, I don't have anything after school, so I'll be on the normal bus home. I'll meet you at the bus stop?"

"Or maybe I can come to your big fancy school and pick you up. You know, if my crappy rusting car wouldn't be too embarrassing for you with all your rich friends." He said it as a joke, but Rory knew him well enough by now to hear the self-consciousness in his tone.

"I'd love that, Jess, especially because you still haven't taken me on a ride in your new car. But how could you pick me up? You have school, too."

"I have a free period last period. Normally, I just sit in my seat reading; I think this is a much better way to spend my time."

She smiled even brighter, if that was possible, "Okay, then I'd love to have you pick me up."

He smiled a little, too, "Good, I'll see you after school, Rory."

"Bye," she said, leaning in for one more kiss. After he pulled away, he nodded at her and made his way out of the window. He had to walk quickly if he wanted to make it home before everyone noticed he was gone. He left his car in front of Luke's, knowing driving to Rory's and parking there would have been stupid, considering he was sneaking in.

Lorelai was bummed that Jess wasn't at Luke's, she was sure getting there almost two hours before school started would be early enough to catch him. When Luke nonchalantly said he wasn't there and that he hadn't seen him since before school the day before, Lorelai had to work hard not to get mad. Both she and Luke knew he was avoiding the apartment and diner, but shouldn't Luke be more worried that he hadn't heard from his nephew? Did he even come home the night before? You had to wake up pretty damn early to be up earlier than Luke. If he didn't make it home the night before, where did he stay? Lorelai only saw him with a few kids his age around the town, Rory, Lane, and Paris, when she came around. Lorelai knew for sure that Mrs. Kim wouldn't let a boy sleep over, even if it was a platonic relationship and he was in the middle of an emergency. And he wasn't at her house? So, what options did that leave him? He better not be stupid enough to stay at some other girl's house, she'd kill him, like really kill him, she considered the potential jail time completely worth it. Her earlier thoughts about how he'd never hurt her daughter flew out the window.

She was driving back to her house, stewing in the anger she knew she had no right to have, she didn't think he did anything wrong, after all. And when she wasn't stewing, she worried about how she was going to tell Rory about everything that happened that morning when she saw Jess walking down the street toward the diner. She pulled over the Jeep without thinking things through and got out to stomp over to him. She had a bone or two she had to pick with him, and if things went how she was thinking they might, those bones would be coming straight from Jess' legs… or arms, maybe ribs, she hadn't decided yet, but they'd be his.