Rory stretched as she reached over and shut off her offending alarm clock.  She looked around the room, and sighed.  Today was her first day back at Chilton.  She had been dreading and anticipating this day all summer.  She got out of bed, and ran into the bathroom, splashing some cold water on her face, in an effort to wake up.  She finished washing, and ran back into her bedroom, and threw on her uniform.  She ran a brush through her long dark hair, and braided the sides, bringing them together in the back.  She looked at her reflection and smiled.  She was almost ready to face the wolves.  All she needed know was a nice caffeine jolt.  She walked into the kitchen, and smiled at her mom and stepdad.  Lorelei handed her a cup of hot coffee, ignoring the look her husband gave her.  Rory took the cup and smiled.

          "Look what you have done to her.  She can't even get ready for school without coffee.  Its not natural, Lor."

          "Its completely natural, babe.  Coffee comes from beans, which comes from trees, which grow in nature.  Hence, the consumption of coffee is a completely natural phenomenon, " she said while grinning at him.

          Rory laughed at the look on their faces.  She was so happy for both of them.  They had been married for a little over a year now.  It was Mr. Medina that did it.  After he started dating Lorelei, Luke couldnt just sit back and hide his feelings for her and Rory anymore.  He had shown up at their house, and set it out for a very astonished Lorelei.  She had discussed it with her daughter, and then decided to go for it with Luke.  Within six months they were engaged.  And now they were married, and Rory had two dads who loved her, and a mom who was finally giving her the little sister she had always wanted.  Lorelei had found out last week that she was three months pregnant.  Luke had practically thrown a party when he heard the news, actually Emily and Richard had thrown a party.

          Rory downed the rest of her coffee, and gave them a hug good-bye before running to catch her bus.  Luke and Lorelei watched her run out of the house and smiled.  He walked over to her, and kissed her.  She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer to her.

          "God, I love you, Lorelei." He whispered against her hair.

          She smiled and looked up at him.  "I love you, too, Luke."

          He smiled down at her.  Lorelei went upstairs to get ready for work.  He watched her walk up the stairs, and began to clean up the kitchen.  The room was littered with boxes, evidence of their recent move.  After Lorelei found out she was pregnant they had begun house hunting, and had found the perfect house.  It had four bedrooms, one right next to the master bedroom, for the coming baby.  Rory's room was down the hall, close enough that Lorelei wouldnt feel seperated from her, far enugh that they, and Rory, could enjoy some privacy. 

          He looked up and frowned as he heard the phone ring.  He quickly dried his hands and reached for the receiver.  "Hello?" he said.

          "Luke, its me."

          He groaned as he heard his sister's voice.  She only called him when she wanted something.  "Liz"

          "How are you?"

          "Fine."

          "How's married life?"

          "Good."

          "And your diner?"

          "Liz...we both know that you could care less.  What do you want?"

          "Always the blunt one, huh?"

          "Liz..."

          "Oh, okay!  I need you to take Jess."

          "Take him where?"

          "No, take him.  Take care of him.  I cant deal with him right now."

          "What about his father?"

          "I have no idea where he is."

          Luke sighed.  "Well, I'll need to talk it over with Lorelei."

          "Why?"

          "Because she's my wife.  And this effects her and her daughter as well as me.  I'll call you later, ok."

          "Fine.  Just hurry up, will you?"

          He disconnected the line and ran a frustrated hand through his hair.  'Great', he thought.  Just when everything was going well.  He knew that he would take care of his nephew, he was family after all.  And God knew that Liz wasnt exactly a model mother.  She was always too self-centered to care about anyone else, even her own son.  He looked up as Lorelei came down the stairs, and stopped when she saw the look on his face.

          "Whats wrong?"  she asked, growing concerned.

          "We need to talk."

          Rory walked into the Independence Inn, and looked around for her mother.  Today had been awful.  Paris had been Satan, and right now, Rory needed nothing more than her mother.  She didnt see her in the lobby, so she went into the kitchen, and saw her in a huddle with Sookie.

          "Whats going on?"

          "Honey!"  Lorelei shouted.

          "Whats going on?"

          "Luke's sister called this morning."

          "Okay."

          "She asked if we would take care of her son, Jess."

          "Oookay."

          "So he's coming on Friday."

          Rory just raised an eyebrow at her mother.  "And this is what the huddle is about?"

          "Pretty much."  Lorelei smiled at her.  "How was your day?"

          Rory sighed, and threw her bookbag on the table.  "Terrible.  Paris was awful, so were Louise and Madeline.  Tristan kept learing at me, again."

          "Did you tell him that you and Dean broke up over the summer?"

          Rory shook her head.  "What for?  That would give him even more reason to hit on me."

          "Good point."  She hugged her daughter close, and then looked down at her.  "Are you sure you're okay with Jess coming to live with us?  It will be a big adjustment for all of us."

          "I'm totally okay with it, Mom."

          "Good."

Part 2

          Jess Mariano looked down at the paper in his hand, and then back up at the colonial house standing before him.  He groaned and shoved the paper back into his pocket, and walked up the stone steps to the front door.  He couldn't believe where he was.  As he approaced the door, he noticed that the white door was open, with only a glass screen door seperating their house from the outside world.  Jess huffed, you would never see that in New York, not even when it was 100 degrees outside.  He rang the doorbell and rocked on his heels while he waited for someone to answer.  He had never met his Uncle Luke.  He didn't know anything about him, and was willing to bet all the money he had that Luke could care less about him.

          He looked up as a woman with long dark hair and bright blue eyes answered the door.  'So, this must be Luke's new wife' he thought to himself.  'Not bad, Luke."

          "Hi,"  Lorelei said, as she opened the screen door.  "I'm Lorelei, you must be Jess."

          "Yup."

          "Well, come on in."

          He walked past her, and surveyed the room.

          "Yeah," Lorelei said.  "We just moved in two weeks ago, so the place is pretty much still a complete mess."

          "Huh."

          "Yeah, so are you hungry, or thirsty or anything?"

          "Nope."

          "Well, okay.  Why don't I show you to your room.  Its not much, but it was the only extra room in the house."  She started walking up the stairs, and he followed silently behind her.  "You're at this end of the hall, next to my daughter, Rory."  She opened the door to the room, and Jess followed her inside.  He looked around the room, and noticed how bare it was.  There was only a bed and two dressers in the room, and the walls were a sterile white.  "Like I said, its not much.  But we can fix it up.  If you want, there's an antique shop in town.  Its actually owned by the parents of Rory's best friend, Lane.  So, we should be able to find some stuff there.  Plus, seeing Mrs. Kim in sale mode is a riot."

          "Thats fine, whatever."

          "Okay, well, I'll let you get settled.  Rory should be home soon, and Luke gets home around six, so make yourself comfortable, whatever you want."

          "Cool."

          "Okay, well, I'll be downstairs unpacking if you need anything."

          "Great."

          Lorelei left the room, and Jess sighed as he surveyed his surroundings. He had only packed the essentials.  Liz was supposed to send the rest of his stuff later, that was if she remembered.  His mother never ceased to amaze him in her capacity to be self-centered.  Most days, he was shocked when she remembered she even had a son.  He put his clothes in the dresser under the window, and grabbed a book from his duffel bag, Ernest Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea."  He knew it a was pretty generic Hemingway, but it always calmed him.  And right now, he seriously needed some peace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rory walked inside the house, and sighed as she walked past the boxes lining the walls.  They really needed to finish unpacking.  She walked into the kicthen, and stiffled a giggle at the expression on her mother's face.  Lorelei was staring at the contents of the cupboard, a determined look etched on her face.

          "Everything okay?"  Rory asked as she walked towards her mother.

          "Rory!  God, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

          "Sorry, so what are we doing?"

          "I wanted to make dinner tonight, but there's nothing in here that I could even remotely make."

          "Mac and cheese?" Rory suggested

          "Nope, all gone."

          Rory shrugged.  "Well, I'm fresh out of ideas.'

          Lorelei sighed.  "Yeah, me too.  I guess Luke will just have to cook."

          "That would probably be best."

          "What is that supposed to mean, missy?"

          "Come on, Mom.  You are like, the worst cook in the world."

          "I take offense to that!  The world is a very big place."

          "Yes, and you are still one of the worst cooks on the planet."

          Lorelei stuck her tongue out at her daughter in response.  "So, how was your day?"

          "Wonderful."

          "Really?  Do tell."

          "Well, Tristan completely left me alone.  It seems he's found a new conquest.  Yay!  And, Mrs. Hutchinson, the advisor for The Franklin, absolutely LOVED my story.  You know, the one on the repaving of the parking lot that Paris dumped on me?  She couldn't stop raving about me.  Paris looked like she swallowed a frog.  It was great!"

          "So Kermit went bye-bye."

          "Kermit went bye-bye."

          "That is so great, hon.  Oh!  Jess is here, in his room."

          "Yeah?  So, whats he like?"

          "Not big with verbal communication."

          "Huh, interesting."

          "Isnt it?"

          "Well, I'm going to say hi to our non-verbal houseguest, then do my homework."

          Lorelei pouted.  "All work and no play, doth make Rory a dull girl."

          "Yeah, well, what can I say?  I'm dull.  Bye, pregnant lady."  Rory said as she grabbed her bag and headed for the stairs.

          Lorelei stuck out her tongue at her daughter's retreating back.

          As Rory walked down the hall towards her room, she noticed the closed door of the bedroom next to hers.  She thought about knocking, but decided to change before she made her introductions.  She opened the door to her room, the only room in the only house, besides Jess', without any boxes lining the walls. 

          She threw her bookbag on the chair of her desk.  And quickly changed into a pair of blue jeans, and pink tank top.  She took her hair out of her ponytail, and let it fall down her back.  She smiled at her reflection, and walked the small distance to Jess' room. 

          As her feet brought her closer to the door, she felt butterflies stir in her stomach.  She raised her hand and knocked on the door, waiting for a response.  Her eyes widened when the door opened, and she came face to face with Jess.  His brown hair was mussed, and he had removed his shirt earlier.  He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

          "Hi..." she said once she had regained her voice.

          "Hey."

          "I'm Rory."

          "Kinda figured.  I'm Jess.  Come on in."

          Rory smiled as she walked past him, and into the room.  Suddenly, the bareness of the room struck her.  They would need to get him some posters to liven up the place.  It was depressing.  "So, this must be quite a change for you."

          "To say the least."

          Rory looked at his bed, and saw the worn copy of Hemingway lying on the comforter.  "Hemingway, huh?"

          "Yeah."

          Rory made a face in response.

          Jess laughed.  "Do you like to read?"

          "Not Hemingway, but I am definitely a reader.  My room is like a library."

          "Really?"

          "Yeah.  What about you?  Do you read much?"

          "What is much?"

          "Good point,"  Rory smiled.

          "Rory!!  Lane is here!!"  Lorelei called from downstairs.

          "Oh, I should go."  She turned and headed towards the door.  When she was almost there, she turned around and smiled at him.  "Hey, why don't we do something tonight?  I know Stars Hollow isn't much, but it has its moments."

          "Yeah, I'd like that."

          "Yeah, me too."

          "Rory, there you are."  Lane said, breathless from the hall outside Jess' room.  "I REALLY need to talk to you."

          "Ok, um, Lane, this is Jess.  He's Luke's nephew.  Jess, this is my best friend, Lane Kim."

          "Hi."  Lane said, as she began to drag Rory into the hall."

          Jess nodded in response."

          "So, is seven okay?"  Rory asked him as Lane continued to drag her towards her room."

          Jess laughed at the picture she made.  "Perfect."

Part 3

          "Okay, Lane," Rory said as she sat on the bed, next to her friend.  "What is this earth shattering news?"

          "I have a band?"

          "What?"

          "Yup?"

          "When did you get in a band?"

          "No, its my band.  I formed it!  AHHH!!!"

          "What?  How?  When?"

          Lane took a deep breath.  "Okay.  I put an ad in the paper, and told whoever was interested to call between 7 and nine on Tuesdays..."

          "While your mom is at bible class, good move."

          "Thank you.  So anyway, I got some calls, and then I meant this guy last night, his name is Dave, and he's a guitarist, and can I just say, "Oh My God."

          Rory laughed.

          "So then, we agreed to meet me after school, and he introduced me to two friends of his, who just happen to be a bassist and a singer.  So we all agreed to start rehearsal next Tuesday at Sophie's.  Then, Dave and I hung out for a little bit, just the two of us.  I really like him.  He's really cute, and really nice.  He's got amazing taste in music, and I think I'm in love."

          Rory laughed.

          "So thats my news.  Now, its your turn.  Spill about the hunk I saw you flirting with."

          "We werent flirting."

          "You were totally flirting."

          Lane rolled her eyes.  "You like him."

          "I don't even know him."

          "You like him."

          Rory threw her pillow at Lane, and the two girls started giggling.

          Rory was sitting on her bed, working on her history assignment.  The had to write a paper on some aspect of the Eliad.  She figured that since she had read the Eliad about a million times, she could get started early.  She looked up as she heard a knock on her door.  Jess was standing there, smuiling at her.  He was wearing dark blue pants, that were baggy, but tight in all the right places.  He had thrown on a black t-shirt, that clung to his chest.  She felt her breath catch in her throat as she looked at him.

          "Hey.  You almost ready?"  He asked as he walked into her room.  He immediately took note of the massive bookshelf lined with books, and supressed a smile.  It was a library.

          "Oh!  Is it seven already?"

          "Yup, a little after, actually."

          She closed her notebook, and hoped out of bed, throwing on a pair of sneakers.  "Sorry, I lost track of the time.  Let's go."

          Jess smiled as he followed her out into the cool night.  He hadnt been able to stop thinking about her all night.  Meeting her had been like a a warm breeze on a cold night.  For the first time in his life, he had felt home.  He wanted to see more of her, know everything about her.  He wasnt naive enough to think that Luke and Lorelei wouldnt give him a problem, but he would find a way around them.  He wasnt going to let them stand in the way of him being with Rory.

          "Where are we going?"  He asked.

          "Well, Stars Hollow isnt very big.  We should be able to see most of it."

          Jess raised an eyebrow in response.

          "So," she said as they approached an intersection.  "This is the center of town.  Thats the park, with the gazebo.  That is Luke's Diner."

          "Whats with the sign?"

          "Oh.  When your grandfather was alive it was a hardware store.  Luke inherited the store, and decided to turn it into a diner, but wanted to leave the sign in memory of his dad."

          "Ahh.."

          "Do you want some ice cream?"

          "Sure, as long as it comes with a cone."

          "I'm sure we can wrestle up a cone for you, city boy."

          "Well, lead on, Country girl."

          Rory laughed, as she took his hand and led him down the street.  They stopped at a little ice cream parlor, that was filled with people.  He watched as she ordered herself a chocolate cone, and looked at him.  He ordered the same, and paid for their ice cream before she could object.  They went outside, and went to sit by the gazebo in the park.

          "So, is it as bad as you thought it would be?"

          "Jury's still out."

          Rory nodded and smiled at him.

          "Although," he said.  "It definitely does have its perks."

          "Oh yeah?"

          He grinned at her.  "Yeah."  He took a lick of his cone.  "So, tell me about yourself."

          "What do you want to know?"

          "Everything."

          "That could take a while."

          "So start small.  Do you go to the high school?"

          "Not anymore.  I used to, but then I got accepted at Chilton, its this elite private school in Hartford."

          "Wow.  How does your mom afford that?"

          "She doesnt."

          "Scholarship?"

          Rory shook her head.  "My grandparents are extremely wealthy, Mom asked them to help, since it was for my tuition, and they agreed, with the stipulation that we have dinner together at their mansion every Friday night."

          "Interesting."

          "They are."

          "I'll bet."

          "So, where's your dad."

          "Boston.  He lives with his girlfriend, Sheri, there."

          "Do your parents get along?"

          "Oh yeah.  They grew up together.  He actually proposed when Mom got pregnant with me.  But, she said no, since they were only 16 at the time, and all."

          "Interesting."

          "We should get back.  I have to catch a bus to Hartford in the morning."

          "Okay."  They stood up and walked down the street.  He took her hand, and entwined it with his, as they continued to walk down the street.

          Rory hid a smile, as she looked up at him.  They walked up the steps to the house, and saw that Luke and Lorelei had fallen asleep on the couch, their arms wrapped around each other.  Rory smiled, at Jess, and they silently walked up the steps.  Rory opened the door to her room, and Jess followed her inside. 

          "They're so cute together."

          Jess shrugged.

          Rory looked at him with a confused expression on her face.  He walked over to the bookcase, and examined the shelves.  "Wow, a lot of good books here."

          "Thanks."

          He turned to look at her.  "Rory, I..."

          "What?"

          He shook his head, as if clearing his thoughts.  "Nothing.  I had a really good time tonight, small towns not withstanding."

          "See!  We're not so bad."

          "No, you're not."

          "Good-night, country girl."  He said, and then he was gone, leaving Rory with her thoughts.

Part 3

      Jess walked into the kitchen, where Luke and Lorelei were eating their breakfast.  He opened the refrigerator and took out the orange juice, pouring himself a glass.  He wondered where Rory was.  She hadnt been in her room, and she was no where downstairs. 

          "There's some french toast, if you want some, Jess."  Lorelei said to him from across the room.

          "Not hungry.  Where's Rory?"

          "Oh, Dean came by earlier and they went to have breakfast."

          "Who's Dean?"

          "Her ex...they broke up over the summer, but they're still really close.  He's very protective of her."

          "Huh.  Well, I'm gonna get dressed and head out."
          "Where are you going to go?"

          "Just out."

          He went back upstairs, and Luke and Lorelei looked at each other shaking their heads.

          Jess walked down Main Street and looked  at the people passing him by.  He had been in Stars Hollow for a month now.  He had slowly found himself liking the small town, mostly due to Rory.  She challenged him at every turn, both emotionally and mentally.  For the first time in his life, he found himself looking forward to seeing someone.  For the first time, he felt home.

He sat on a bench, and watched the people walk by, fall in Stars Hollow was in full effect.  He had never really noticed the change of the seasons in New York, with the exception of the temperature. 

          He looked across the street, and saw Rory sitting at Luke's Dinner, in a table in front of the window facing the street.  She was sitting with a tall guy, 'a pretty boy', Jess thought.  She was holding his hand, and laughing at something he was saying.  Jess suddenly felt desolate with the need to get away, he turned away from the sight of her, and walked back to the home.  The beauty of the day, mocking him as he went.

          It was almost one in the afternoon by the time Rory walked in the front door.  She saw her mom in the living room, sorting through the last of the boxes.  She smiled at her Mom, as she walked into the cluttered living room.

          "Hey, Mom."

          "Oh!  Babe, you're home!  Yay!"

          "Overexcited much?"

          Lorelei made a face.  "Augh.  Well, Mom and Dad have decided to come over here on Friday, since they are renovating their house.  So, the house needs to be unpacked.  I mean, can you imagine the field day my mother would have if we still hadnt unpacked?"

          "Mom...you're freaking out.  Take a deep breath."
          Lorelei sat on the couch, and took a steadying breath.  "I know, its just that Emily Gilmore has a way of doing that to me.  How was your breakfast?"

          "Good, I'm really glad that we decided to stay friends.  Then, he took me to the new book store in town, and got me this."
          "Wow...massive book."

          "Yup, its the complete works of Shakespeare.  He said it was an early birthday present.  Well, I'm going to go upstairs and get my homework done.  Where's Luke?"

          "Oh, he went to help Caesar with the lunch rush.  He should be back in about an hour or so.  He could help unload the rest of the stuff."

          "Good.  By the way, when are you going to tell Grandma and Grandpa that you are pregnant?"

          "I figured we could tell them on Friday."

          "Yeah, you cant put it off much longer."

          "Well, duh."

          Rory stuck her tongue out at her mother, and then ran up the stairs.  As she approached her bedroom, she heard the Clash coming from Jess' room.            She frowned before knocking on the door.  She waited there, tapping her foot.  When there was no response, she opened the door, and saw Jess sitting on his bed, writing in a book.

          "Jess, hey."

          "I knocked, you didnt answer."

          "Sorry."

          She walked into the room.  "What are you doing?"

          "Writing."  He looked up at her, and she felt his gaze sear her.  "So, where were you this morning?"

          "Oh, my friend, Dean, came over and took me to breakfast."

          "Friend?"

          "Yeah, in a manner of speaking."

          "So where'd you get the book?"

          She looked down at the massive volume clutched in her hands.  "He bought it for me."

          "Pretty expensive gift for a 'friend'."

          "Okay, well...I see you're busy.  We can just talk later."  SHe turned away, and ran to her room.  He was so cold.  He had never been like that with her before.  As if he hated her, as if she were a pest, rather than a friend and confidante.  SHe went back into her room, and hit the play button on her stereo, within seconds, Coldplay filled the room.  She sat on her bed, throwing her book on the table beside it, and picked up the phone.  She needed Lane.