The Wedding

[rlyzitzmollz]

A/N: Don't own it. Gilmore Girls fic. Luke/Lorelai, Rory/Jess, a little Christopher/Anna in there too, maybe...

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Chapter I
Arrivals

***

Lorelai was sitting at the counter at Luke's, the local diner, jittery from too much coffee and bouncing from excitement. She was tall and pale, with a curtain of dark hair framing her face. She wore a flowery top and khakis. Her blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Luuuuke," she sang. "More coffee!!!" Luke was a scruffy guy who only wore plaid flannel shirts and backwards baseball caps. He looked up from the counter and sighed. Ever since he first met her, Lorelai had been the most unhealthy eater. Well, she and her daughter, Rory, were tied. And they were both java junkies. And he loved it. He had liked her from the start, and everyone could see it. And now he finally had her. He had her before, but it had ended just before the wedding.

They had been engaged for a while, but then Luke found out about April, his long-lost daughter to Anna Nardini. Things started happening too fast, and they had to postpone the wedding. Lorelai had given him an ultimatum, now or never, it turned into never, and when he changed his mind, it was too late. But not this time. This time it was for real.

"You know, once we're married, I am legally obligated to keep you alive. To get you to eat healthier," he said sternly.

"But we're not married yet, wise guy, and this isn't eating, it's drinking!" Luke was about to come up with a rebuttal when someone in the diner screamed. Turning around, Lorelai practically dropped her mug. "RORY!!!" She squealed, running to meet her daughter. Rory was wearing a blue jacket and white pants. Her hair was straight again, her bangs windswept. Luke stepped out from behind the counter to stand by while Lorelai smothered Rory with hugs.

"I missed you!" Rory said.

"I missed you more. I have been up, like, all night, I was so excited."

"It's true," Luke cut in. "She drank like 3 pots of coffee."

"Did not."
"Did too."

"Hi, Luke," Rory said before it got all mushy. Luke hugged her and then let go. Rory looked at the two of them for a moment. Finally, she said, "So? Let me see it!"

Lorelai stuck out her hand and smiled at Luke as Rory "oohed and aahed." He put his arm around her and she kissed him gently. Rory smiled. Then she heard a commotion behind her. She turned around to see her best friend and her husband coming towards the door. Well, more like running. Lane was running, anyway, pulling Zack along as best she could. Out of breath, she shoved open the diner door. Lane was short, Asian, and wore thick glasses today. Sometimes she wears contacts. She and Zack were in a band together. He was tall and blond. They were allowed to be married because Lane's very strict mother thought that Zack could make money from his music.

"Rory!!!" Then there was a bunch of screaming and giggling and then Lorelai joined in and Zack and Luke sighed and retreated to the counter. After a while or this, someone popped out from behind the curtain that led to Luke's appartment.

"Oh," Rory mumbled. "Um, mom? I think I'm gonna go drop my stuff off...I'll call you? Or I'll come back..."

Lorelai was confused for a moment, then she noticed who was talking to Luke behind the counter. "Oh. Right, yeah. Just call me when you're all settled and we can meet up."

Rory nodded and ducked out of the diner before he could see her.

Jess.

As she climbed into her car, Rory tried to collect her thoughts. Why had she booked out of there so quickly? Maybe things had changed? Maybe he had a girlfriend now, or was married! And didn't she still have the power to say no to him? Or was it that she knew she just didn't have the willpower? No, no. It wasn't that. But she couldn't help thinking about the year. Before she had left to follow Obama on his campaign trail, Logan had proposed to her. She had said no, because she thought that the distance would make it difficult. And she had been right, because she completely forgot about Logan.

But she hadn't forgotten about Jess. She never had, never would. But she would never forget about Dean or Logan either, right?

Uh-huh.

To put it simply, Jess was the most...significant of her relationships. He had been the bad boy type on the outside, the sensitive bookworm on the inside. He had gotten her to come out of her shell. But he wouldn't show the inside to anyone but her.

***

Rory was pulling up to her mom's house. Getting out and pulling her bags from the back seat, she smiled. She missed this place.

Rory unlocked the door and stepped inside. It looked nice. She walked over to her room and opened the door. It looked exactly the same. Comforting. She had first met Jess while sitting in this very room, at that very computer. Stop it, she told herself, You don't need this!

She threw her bags onto her bed. After looking around her room for a minute, she left and trekked up the stairs. She peeked into her mom and Luke's room. She laughed at the mess. After heading back downstairs and grabbing a snack, she went back to her room to unpack.

Once she had created some orderly chaos, (just the way she liked it), she sighed, picked up her cell, and called her mom.

"Hello?" Lorelai said.

"Hey, mom, I'm all set and with nothing to do."

"Alright, heeeeyyy! Wanna see the dresses? I can bring April over and you guys and try on your bridesmaid dresses and I can try on my dress!" Lorelai suggested. April was Luke's newly 14-year-old daughter.

"Yeah, sure!" Rory said, excited since she hadn't seen her dress yet.

In about ten minutes Lorelai and April came through the door.

"Hey, April," Rory said.

"Hi, Rory," April said. The soon-to-be stepsisters hugged. Then the three of them headed upstairs to try on the dresses. April and Rory wore bright turquoise satin dresses. Lorelai stepped out of her room into the hallway where the girls awaited her anxiously.

"Ohmigod!" Rory squealed. "Mom, it's perfect!" It was a white hoop skirt with an open back. Just brimming the beginning of the skirt were cream and pink pearls and sequins in a blooming pattern.

"You like it?" Lorelai asked anxiously.

"Love it."

"It's beautiful, Lorelai," April said.

"Thanks, you guys."

"Oh my god, mom, you're getting married! To Luke!" Rory gasped.

"What?? I thought I was marrying Kirk!" Lorelai giggled. Kirk was the town nerd. Rory laughed, then punched her mom's arm.

"Mom, I'm being serious. This town has been waiting to see this for, like, our whole life!!!" It was true. Luke had always loved Loreai, and everyone could see it. Now it was finally happening. In two weeks, it would be official. They were going to be together forever.

***

A few days later, Lorelai and Luke were out, finalizing things and making sure everything was set. Rory decided to head over to Luke's to get some coffee. It wasn't very busy, with only a few people scattered here and there. Jess was sitting behind the counter on a stool, next to the curtain leading up to Luke's apartment. He had his eyes fixated on the laptop in his lap. He wasn't typing, just staring. He seemed to be somewhere else. Rory took a deep breath and walked up to the counter.

"Hey, Jess," she said, sitting down. He jumped, fumbled with the laptop for a moment, quickly slammed it shut, shoved it behind the curtain, and looked over at Rory.

"Uh, he-hi. Hi. Um, can I get you anything?" he stuttered.

"Just some coffee?"

"Coming right up!" he said. As he made her coffee, Rory tried to make small talk.

"So, what have you been up to? I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to you since I got back..."

He brought her coffee over and stepped away from the counter. "Oh, you know, not much...I, um, well, I'm writing a book," he said.

"Really?? Wow!" Rory exclaimed. This would be Jess's second book. "What's it about?"

Jess looked uncomfortable for a minute. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, looking at the floor. "Um, well...you can read it and find out..."

"Yeah!" Rory said immediately. She was always in the mood for a book. Jess smiled, then stopped.

"But I've hit some writer's block..."

"I'll read what you have and help you with the ending! Like, give you ideas and stuff."

Jess looked at her for a moment. She looked so eager, and maybe this could help. And she was talking to him now apparently, so...no. No, it wouldn't help him with that. Just finish the book by your deadline, he told himself. He nodded.

"Yeah. Sure, sounds great. My deadline is next month, but I'll probably be gone before then...when do you think you can be done reading it?" Rory tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. "Oh, right. I'll go get the printed one. I'd email it to you, but there's all sorts of computer hacker trackers and theives out there."

He disappeared behind the curtain for a minute, then returned, in his hand a very thick stack of papers, bound together with a report binder.

"I haven't made many changes since I printed that, just a few spelling things, but that's about it."

"Great," Rory said, handing him some money for her now-gone coffee, taking the book. "I'd better be getting home, but I will have this read for you in no time, and I'm sure I'll have tons of ideas." As she started to leave, she turned back and handed him a few more bills. "You know, I think I'll take another coffee to go."

***

Later that night, Rory opened the book and started reading. By the third chapter, she knew exactly what was going on. It was an autobiography, unofficially. All the names were changed. She guessed no one would ever know, except those that were in it. Here is what she figured out:

Liam (main character, takes place from his perspective) = Jess
Amy = Rory
Jake = Luke
Melody = Lorelai
Rob = Dean

And so on.

It was kind of cool. She was getting a perspective on all of Jess's thoughts. Everything from when they were dating, when they weren't dating, his home life, his school life, everything. It was the first time it really hit her that he had loved her all along, even after they broke up. When she had seen him all those times, it wasn't just rekindling old love, he was trying to get her back because he still loved her.

***

Luke and Jess were working the diner when Jess's cell rang. Following the "No Cell Phones" rule of Luke's, he stepped outside to take the call. Luke was paying no attention, but he happened to look out the window and see Jess freeze. Then he threw a hand up. Luke could hear him yell something. Then he calmed down and just ran his fingers through his hair.

"Alright, man," Jess said into the phone, sighing. "Yeah, I'm cool. Yeah. I, um...I guess I'll talk to you later. Or see you around, maybe. I'm fine. Are you okay? Alright, bye." He sat down on the bench and put his head in his hands. Luke stepped outside.

"Hey, you okay?"

Jess looked sideways at him. He looked like he was about to cry, but held it back. "Yeah," he said, choked.

"What happened?"

Jess sat up straight. "We lost the house. The guys and I. We've been getting statements, but...come on, we're starving artists, none of that stuff means anything to us! Aw, man, I'm screwed." He sighed.

"Wow," Luke said, letting it sink in. He had been really proud of Jess when he had started his business. It was in Pennsylvania. He showcased local artists and poets. Jess had even written a book. He was just starting to take control of his life and outgrow that rebel phase. Now what? Would they start up the business elsewhere? "What are you gonna do?"

Jess sighed again. "Charlie just got married, and so he's trying to focus on Elizabeth, so...we're just gonna end it, I guess. It was falling apart anyway."

Luke thought for a moment. "You know how I said you were welcome to stay as long as you want? That we're not necessarily kicking you out after the wedding?" Jess nodded. "Well, I'd have to talk to Lorelai about it, but if you want, you can stay here, you know, permanently..."

Jess stared at him blankly for a minute. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'm not using it. Like I said, I'd hafta talk to Lorelai because what's mine is hers now, but I'd be willing to let you stay. I was gonna sell it anyway."

"I'm broke..."

"You can pay it off by working at the diner. You've already started."

"I, um, I don't know what to say." Jess pressed the palms of his hands together and rested his chin on his fingertips. Looking back towards Luke, he said, "I'll get another job too, on the side. To help pay. I--" He broke off. The tears were coming now, and he didn't try to hold them back. Luke took him in his arms and hugged him. He could see Jess's shell fall to the ground in pieces.

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[rlyzitzmollz]

Chapter II
The Wedding

***

The air in the church was buzzing with excitement. Everyone in the town had showed up for the wedding. Emily and Richard, Lorelai's parents, were there. Christopher, Rory's father, was there. Anna Nardini, April's mother, was there. In fact, the two were sitting next to each other.

"Hi," Anna said to Christopher. He looked at her sideways.

"Hey."

"How do you know Luke and Lorelai?" she said, gesturing to their second row seats.

"I...I am the, uh, maid of honor's father."

"You're Rory's father?"

"Yeah. How do you know them?"

Anna laughed. "I'm the mother of one of the other bridesmaids. April? Luke's kid."

"Ahh..." Christopher said, smiling. They were both remnants of the soon-to-be-newlyweds past lives. "Well, it's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, same here." Then the music started and they looked back at the entrance to the church.

Luke stood at the altar. He wasn't nervous at all. All he could think about was Lorelai. Behind him stood Jess, the best man. He was more nervous than Luke. Jackson was behind him. Opposite them stood Rory, Sookie, and April in their bridesmaids dresses. Rory kept glancing at Jess, and he kept glancing at her, but they somehow managed to miss the other person looking at them. Jackson winked at Sookie and she giggled. As all this was happening, Lorelai was stepping through the double doors, accompanied by Richard.

Luke's breath got caught in his throat. The same thing happened to just about every other person in the crowd. Christopher peeked out of the corner of his eye to watch Luke. Luke seemed completely oblivious to the time and place, and someone could have been having a heart attack and he wouldn't have noticed unless it was Lorelai. Christopher looked over at Anna sitting next to him and then at Lorelai. She had eyes only for Luke at that moment, and he could tell she would have eyes only for Luke from now until forever.

Luke took Lorelai's hand as she finished the walk. Richard stepped behind Lorelai. The priest told them to read their vows. Lorelai started, taking Luke's other hand in hers.

"Luke, I love you. And I am really glad that horoscope I wrote for you hasn't come true yet, and I promise it never will." She was remembering the time they had first met. On their first date, Luke had reminded her of it. She had come into the diner begging for coffee, but Luke told her to wait her turn like everyone else. So she asked him his birthday. When he finally told her, she wrote something on his horoscope from the paper, ripped it out, and handed it to him. It said "You will meet a crazy woman today. Give her coffee and she will go away." She told him to hold on to it for good luck. He had kept it in his wallet ever since. Lorelai continued speaking.

"Because I told you that if you gave me coffee I would go away. You have consistently given me coffee all these years, and now you are legally obligated to continue doing so for the rest of your life, but I promise, I will never go away." She squeezed Luke's hand and smiled. He laughed, then began his vows.

"Lorelai, ever since you moved here, it's been clear to everyone that I felt something for you. I guess you could say I was "pining," but I'm not so crazy for the term." Lorelai laughed. "I told you this day would come. We've faced a lot of obstacles, but it's finally here. And I'm all in."

The priest then read all the richer or poorer stuff, but Luke and Lorelai were somewhere else. They only heard enough to know when to say "I do," and finally, they heard "You may kiss the bride." Luke pulled Lorelai towards him and she wrapped her arms around his neck. And in that kiss, they were promising each other more than they could fit in their vows, or in any words at all.

They were promising to be there forever, for every time they were needed and every time they weren't; they were promising to hold on during tough times, promising to share a bathroom and try not to fight about it. They were promising to take care of their two children and possibly more to come, promising to take care of their dog, Paul Anka; they were promising to share everything and kiss goodbye when they left, promising to tell dirty jokes out loud in libraries. They were promising to make each other laugh and receive blank stares from each other and people around them, promising to fight but always make up; they were promising to be a shoulder to cry on, promising to love each other forever, and they were promising to give coffee always and take coffee accompanied by a kiss.

***

After the ceremony, there was a party in the central park of Stars Hollow. There were food tents, tables, and Christmas lights everywhere, plus a huge dance floor. The gazebo was all lit up as a romantic makeout spot. Rory and Lorelai sat at one of the tables, talking.

"You know that feeling you get when you have a crush on someone, or you've just started dating?" Lorelai was saying. "Where, whenever you see them, your heart skips a beat and you get butterflies in your stomach?"

Rory nodded, and without thinking, looked towards Jess, who was sitting on a stool at the bar, watching the party absentmindedly. She thought about how she had felt when she was with him. Then she thought about how she felt when she was with Logan and Dean. She got the feeling with Dean, but not anymore. She had never gotten it with Logan. But with Jess...even looking at him now...she snapped her attention back to her mother, who was oblivious to any conflict going on within her daughter.

"Well, I still get that with Luke. And whenever I think it couldn't get any better, I see his face." She sighed, smiling.

"I'm really glad that you're happy, mom." Rory said. "You and Luke belong together."

"Yeah, we do...you know, kid, it really could not get any better that this." Then, as if on cue, Luke came up behind Lorelai carrying two martinis. As he set them down on the table, Lorelai said, "Oh wait, it just did." And she wasn't talking about the martinis. She stood and wrapped her arms around Luke's neck. "I love you," she said kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist. Rory quietly got up and made her way over to Jess.

"Hey," she said, approaching him. He looked up. It seemed as if he was breaking free from a trance of some sort.

"Hi," he said. "Great wedding, huh?" Rory nodded. "They seem really happy," he said, gesturing towards where Lorelai and Luke were in the middle of an intense makeout session.

Rory laughed. "Yeah, I think they are. I think they were made for each other. I mean, my mom's not exactly the most serious person, and when she's around him, it's like...forever has a meaning." She sat down beside him.

"Yeah. Their vows really showed that love can bring out a different side of a person," Jess said as the band called the happy couple out to start the first dance.

Rory watched her mom and new step dad dance for a minute, then turned to Jess. "Yeah, which brings me to the topic of your book." Jess looked over at her.

"Did you finish?" he asked apprehensively. Rory nodded. "What did you think??" He was nervous, Rory could tell. She tilted her head and looked at him sideways.

"I'll tell you if...hmmm...would you like to dance?" she asked, tilting her head back upright. He stared at her for a moment.

"Um, yeah," he said as she stood and held her hand out to him. He took it and they walked up to the dance floor, which was semi-crowded by now. Rory placed her hands on Jess's shoulders and he took her waist like they had been doing this forever. They began to sway with the music.

"Well?" he asked. "What did you think?"

Rory smiled. "I loved it. Jess, you're a really talented writer," she said, looking into his eyes, searching him.

"Thanks," he said looking back. trying to find the meaning behind her words. They were both thinking of the same thing. In his book, the main character, Liam, had always been in love with Amy.

The book was a biography of a boy named Liam. When he was young, he got bullied. They said he wasn't tough. So he put on a shell of strength and carelessness and from then on nobody messed with him. His mother got fed up with him and sent him to live with his uncle, Jake. Jake lived in the small town of Moonlit Grove, Kansas. He owned a hardware store there. Some of the characters Liam encounters are Melody, a woman whom Jake has a bit of a crush on, and Amy, her 16-year-old daughter. Liam falls for her immediately.

Jess's story is this: When he was young, he got bullied. They said he wasn't tough. So he put on a shell of strength and carelessness and from then on nobody messed with him. His mother got fed up with him and sent him to live with his uncle, Luke. Luke lived in the small town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. He owned a diner there. Jess meets Lorelai, whom Luke obviously loves, and Rory. her daughter. And he still loves her, 5 years later.

"I really liked Liam's character," Rory continued. "How, what he tells people isn't at all what he's thinking and feeling...."

"You take me here, away from my home, my friends, you stick me in a chool that says the Pledge of Allegiance in 6 different languages, 3 of which I've never even heard of, and now you want WHAT from me???" I yelled at Jake. We were arguing about my behavior. Again. I don't want to be saying this. After all Jake has done for me...Thank you! I want to say. I love you, you're a great uncle, I'm sorry I can't pay you back! What is wrong with me? Why can't I just say what I'm thinking? Why do I do this? I don't have the courage. I always want to say something nice to him, to anyone, and I can't. I'm pathetic.

"Except for with Amy. She seemed to be a release for him. He always talked to her about everything," Rory said.

"Yeah," Jess said. "Do you have any ideas for the end?"

"Tons. And they all comply with my idea that you should stay true to form." Jess gave her a confused look. "Write the truth. And I think....Amy and Liam should get back together in the end."

"You're giving me two conflicting statements." Jess would have said more, but Rory shook her head, leaned in, and kissed him for the first time in 3 years. When she pulled away, he looked shocked for a second, then smiled. He pulled her back in and kissed her again. Then, as a ballad of love turned on, she rested her head on his chest. They were completely oblivious to everyone else at the party. They just swayed back and forth, eyes closed, together again, both with butterflies in their stomachs. They were the last two on the dance floor, and everything was cleaned and packed away, except the floor. The guys clearing the place alerted them to this, and they stepped away. They kissed goodbye and both started to their own homes feeling dazed. Then Rory realized what was probably going on in her house.

"Jess!" she called, running after him. He turned around. "I'm scared to go home." He laughed and they walked back to the diner. They decided to pull an all-nighter and finish Jess's book. So Jess made coffee and grabbed his laptop. Then, they wrote all night. As Jess finished the final copy on the computer, Rory grabbed the ice bucket from the freezer. He typed the last sentence.

"Done!" he said, dunking his hands into the bucket.

"Wow," Rory said. "There should be an award for fast typer."

"I think there is," Jess laughed. Rory laughed, too.

"I'm gonna print this out and get it in the mail," Jess said. "I'll send it to my editor then he can get it to the publisher." He clicked the print button and went upstairs, motioning for Rory to join him. She happily obliged.

"Hey, Jess," she said as they took a seat by the printer. "You don't think...I mean, are we...related?" Jess looked up. They both had the same expression on their face. Nervous, confused, slightly grossed out.

"Nah," Jess said. "Well, I mean, not by blood...right? Like, this," he waved a hand between them, "won't be weird or anything, cause we're not technically, physically, related..."

"Yeah," Rory said, relaxing her face. He did likewise. "It's still, you know, yeah..."

So, with that, they stayed up the rest of the night, sitting by the printer and talking, because Rory didn't want to go home and walk in on her mom and Luke. And together was where they belonged.

[Katheyrn Mae Wilson MD♥]

Oooh. The vows were so sweet. I love the fortune cookie thingy ... priceless.

[rlyzitzmollz]

Chapter III
Epiphany

***

"Michel!" Lorelai groaned. "Phoooooooooone...!" Michel grumbled some curse words in French and picked up the phone.

"Dragonfly Een, Meeshel speakang?" he said in as polite a voice as he could muster. "Eets for you," he said, holding the phone out to Lorelai. She took it.

"Hello?"

"Lorelai, it's your mother." Dang.

"Hi, mom," Lorelai said, examining her fingernails.

"How was the honeymoon?" Emily Gilmore said.

"Fantaaaastic, mom, as far as honeymoons go, we had a blast! We were not bored one second!" She bit her lip, fighting back giggles.

"Oh, that's nice." Then Lorelai heard the gears in her mom's head turning and the little lightbulb turn on. "Wait a--"

"You asked, anyway, is there any other reason you called?" Lorelai smirked.

"Yes, I was wondering if you were coming to Friday night dinner tonight, and if so, who else is coming?" Double dang. She had the option to say they were just too tired after their vacation and she could send Rory...

"Uuhh, yeah mom, we're all coming. Um, me, Luke, Rory...oh man."

"What?" Lorelai hadn't thought of the fact that Rory and Jess were dating now. Wait...that gave her an idea.

"Hey mom, can I call you back?" Without waiting for a response, she hung up, picked up again, and called Luke.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey, how 'bout a movie or something tonight?"

"What about Friday night dinner?" Luke asked, confused.

"Well, I just got off the phone with my mother, and she asked if we were coming, as in, she phrased it like a question!" She heard the static confusion and could practically see the expression on Luke's face.

"Uh-huh..."

"If I told her we were 'too tired' from our trip we wouldn't hafta go. Aaaaand it would give them a perfect opportunity to meet Jess! Again. And I know that sounds evil, based on his past experience with them, but I don't know, the thought came into my head and I was feeling evil, and it felt like a good idea. And they deserve their Friday night dinners, well, I mean, they hold me to it so I hafta give it to them."

"So you're saying Rory and Jess should go?" Luke asked.

"Yes!"

"Shouldn't we ask them?"

"Yeah, well, is Jess with you now?" Luke grumbled but agreed to ask Jess if Lorelai asked Rory. So, once again, Lorelai hung up, picked up, and dialed a new number.

"Hey my wonderful lovely daughter Rory," Lorelai said in her sweetest voice.

"What do you want?"

"Go to Friday night dinner with Jess."

"Fine."

"Really?"

"I agree to crazy things when I'm bored. Now if you'll excuse me, I will go back to watching The Wizard of Oz," she said in a monotone.

"Oooh, have fun! Bye," she said, hanging up. She called Luke.

"Jess said fine if it's fine with Rory."

"It is."

"Well, then I guess you and I are free tonight," Luke said, a smile in his voice.

"Yay! What do you want to do?"

"Anything."

"Well, I'll come by later and we'll decide then."

"Kay."

"I'm gonna call my mom back. Love you, bye." She hung up and called Emily. Her mom didn't seem to pleased about the plan, but went along with it. Lorelai felt pretty pleased with herself for the rest of the day.

***

Through the window of Luke's, Lorelai saw a girl leaning on the counter, talking to Luke. He was nodding and smiling. He looked out the window as if he had been doing so every five minutes, looking relieved when he saw Lorelai. She stepped inside, the little bell on the door jingling.

"Hey," she said, leaning across the counter for a quick kiss. They girl at the counter scooted away. "Gosh, you are just so in demand! Whatever will I do? One of them might steal you away!"

Luke laughed. "One of who?"

"One of the many fangirls you have, of course!" she giggled. "I am just sooo lucky that you picked me first." Luke kissed her again. "Can I have some coffee? For here," Lorelai said. Luke poured her some and handed it to her. "So wanna just hang out and watch movies?" she said, referring to their evening.

"Sure," Luke said, just as the diner door opened, in walking Jess. He threw his bag down behind the counter, said hi to Luke and Lorelai, and rushed back outside to meet Rory. He was wearing a button down in honor of his second ever Friday Night Dinner. Luke looked down. A book had spilled out of the bag. He leaned down to pick it up.

"I always learn things about Jess like this," Lorelai commented, thinking about the time she saw a self-help book in Jess's bag. Then she noted the name on the bottom of the cover. "Jess Mariano? He wrote that??" The thickness of the book surprised her. Luke gave her a look and she shut up. He turned the book over to read the back.

"I have gone through life waiting. It's like I'm in the hospital, in the waiting room, with my life dying in the ER. They won't let me in, they won't let me visit, but I can't go home, so I sleep here. I just want my life to be cured, fixed, to get out of this awful hospital. Praise for 'Waiting Room.' This beautifully woven second novel is a compelling tribute to the life of the average (or not-so-average) teenager. All of Mariano's hand-crafted characters seem to take on a life of their own, so the reader can see the background of each character without actually knowing what happened to them. -The New York Times. Wow," Luke said softly. "When do you think this is supposed to be out? This is a final copy, it's already been reviewed...I wonder why he didn't tell us."

"Huh," Lorelai contemplated. "Maybe he's shy." Luke looked at her. She shrugged.

"Maybe...I wanna read it," he declared.

"Me too. Let's do that tonight. There's no good movies playing anyway. We can order food. Of course, Jess might freak out a little bit when he comes home to find his book gone..."

"We'll leave a note," Luke said, grabbing is order pad and scribbling down on it. " 'Jess-Your book fell out, we saw it, we're reading it. Sorry, our curiosity overcame us. Love, Luke and Lorelai,' " he said, grabbing Jess's bag and bringing it upstairs. Lorelai followed. He placed the bag on the couch and the note on the bag. "There," he said.

"Perfect," Lorelai giggled. "Let's go." They rushed home to Lorelai's (well, now their) house and settled in on the couch. Lorelai ordered pizza. Then she snuggled into Luke's arms and he opened the book.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Luke asked.

"I dunno," Lorelai contemplated. "We could read in our heads...or out loud. Whichever."

"Let's go with in our heads, you know, being us...we're not very good 'out loud' readers," Luke commented truthfully. Lorelai giggled and nodded and they began to read.

Luke and Lorelai suspected right away that it was an autobiography, just because of the sheer honesty with which it was written. They were both shocked at how Jess had been treated as a kid. Luke had never thought that Jess would be the one being bullied. And Lorelai had not expected that he had ever been close to his mother, much less respected her. For these reasons, they figured it couldn't be the story of Jess's life. That is, until he got too tough for his mom and she sent him to live in Moonlit Grove, Kentucky. Sounded a little familiar...(Stars Hollow, Conn. much?)

"I'm not graduating!" I exclaimed, fed up with keeping the secret.

"Oh. yes you are!" Jake said firmly, turning on me. I tried to stand my ground. Saying this was breaking me, but I couldn't let it show. Be strong, I thought to myself.

"No, I'm not. I flunked out."

"Here's how this is gonna work," Jake said after a long pause. "You're gonna stay here another year. You're gonna go to school. You're gonna quit your job and you're gonna graduate!!" he shouted.

"No way!" I said. I could NOT go through it all over again.

"What are you gonna do?" he asked me, mocking. "Get a second job? Get another blue vest?"

"I'm not going back to school!" I gritted my teeth. Jake faltered. The finality in my tone frightened him. It frightened me that I frightened him. I tried not to show that I was scared.

"Then you gotta go," he said finally. I felt my life fall apart. I watched it leave me, stand in front of me, and break as it pointed and laughed. My life, standing in front of me, laughing. I didn't actually see anything, I'm just using it as a literature device. But if I had seen something, seen my soul, I can imagine what it would have looked like. Black eyes, a tortured face. A good little boy, screaming, trying to get out of this monster's body, but the black-eyed monster is too strong. Too worried about its reputation. Woah...it looks just like me.

First, I thought of how upset my mom would be, how upset Jake was. Then, I thought of Amy. God. I was letting her down so much....

The next morning, I was on the bus, ready to go. I sat in the back, all my stuff in the one duffel. Then Amy came on. She sat down next to me.

"I thought you took the earlier bus?" I said. She told me how she missed it, or something, I wasn't paying attention. I was trying to decide whether to tell her I was leaving or not. I didn't. But I did say, "I can't go to prom. I couldn't get tickets. Sorry." She said she understood. I could see she wanted to cry. God! Why am I suck an ass??? It was her stop.

"You'll call me?" she asked hopefully. I agreed and watched her get off. She looked at me for a long time before stepping through the doors. She was gone. I pulled my duffel from the other side of me to in between my legs and pulled out a book. I replaced my duffel and tried to read. It was useless.

Luke and Lorelai looked up at the same time. Luke's heart was pounding.

"I love you," Lorelai said. "Apparently, he did too." Luke nodded and sighed. "Coffee time?" Luke nodded again. They took a break to get coffee. With their mugs in hand, they continued to read. About a chapter after Jess arrived in New York City, Rory, or Amy, came to visit him.

"I'm surprised she has time to do anything other than shoot flaming arrows at pictures of my face," I said to Amy from down the aisle. Her rebuttal was quick and witty, like most of the things she and her mom said were. She was such an amazing girl. Why did I have to have such a bad relationship with her mom? And with Jake? And every other adult in my life? And all the other kids, while we're at it? If I didn't, I'd have a chance with her.

As we moved to the checkout line, I thought about Melody. She was a really nice person, and hilarious. She raised Amy the best she possibly could, and her best was perfect. But this god damn rebel thing in my brain won't let me get through a civil conversation with her. Maybe it's because I knew she only wanted Rob to be with Amy. It made me mad, I guess, that she didn't think I was good enough. Or maybe she's the one that started it. Maybe she hates me. Maybe I reminded her of herself, or of that Kris guy. Yeah, that must be it. I reminded her of Kris and she didn't want me to turn Amy into herself. Amy will never do any of the things Melody did. I know that. I'll make sure of it. Whether Melody likes it or not.

And she didn't like it. I stopped caring. No. That's a lie. But that care just got shoved into everything else that just waited around.


"What part are you at?" Lorelai whispered.

"He cared about you."

Lorelai took a shaky breath. She would have been different toward Jess if she had known what he was going through. She had always thought of him as the bullier, not the bullied. He had acted so hostile toward her...they continued to read. They learned of the times he came back for Rory, only to find her with another man. Lorelai realized that he wasn't just a heartless punk.

[leyana]

It's great! Are you planning on writing more? Please do. I'd definitely read it!

[rlyzitzmollz]

thanks!! i will. its just ive been at summer camp for 7 weeks and just got back today and oh how i miss it

[rlyzitzmollz]

woah wait is this leyana dessaur???

[Katheyrn Mae Wilson MD♥]

(same from FB) OMG. THAT WAS LIKE, THE BEST EVER. Luke seemed heartbroken, even though you never really said how he felt. I LIKE, OMG, it made me sad. I'm gonna go do my french now.