Chapter 9 : Here's To The Night

Jess closed the window and grabbed his jacket. He wondered what Rory was doing there so late at night.

He made his way downstairs as quietly as he could and unlocked the door to the diner. He opened it and stepped back to let her in.

"Actually, can we take a walk?"

"Uh...sure."

He came outside and pulled the door closed behind him. They started walking in complete silence, until Jess finally spoke up.

"You couldn't sleep?"

"No."

"So you decided to wake me up?"

"Well--"

"How come you didn't wake up Lorelai? Wouldn't it have been more convenient?" Jess asked.

Rory blushed. "I tried; she wouldn't get up."

"So I'm second choice. Good to know."

"I shouldn't have woken you up. Sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking."

"No, it's okay. It's only--"

"Uh, midnight."

"Midnight," Jess echoed. He nodded his head to the right. "This way."

Rory followed him and stopped on the bridge.

"It's so...nice out here at night."

"I come out here sometimes when I can't sleep," Jess confided.

"Really?"

"Yeah, well...It's not the worst place in the world," he shrugged.

She smiled. "No, it's not."

"Does Dean ever come out here?"

"Jess, don't," Rory pleaded.

"I'm just wondering," he assured her.

"I don't think he does."

He nodded. "Wanna go for a swim?" he joked.

"No," she laughed. She sat back and propped her elbows behind her.

Jess turned his head and looked at her. "Did you really try to wake up Lorelai first?"

Rory grinned. "Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know," she teased. "Look at the sky...It's so beautiful."

Jess sat back, propping his elbows behind him like she did. He raised his eyes to the sky and smiled.

"Yeah, it is." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw her lay all the way back, sighing contentedly.

"I wish I could stay out here, like this, forever," she whispered.

Jess lay beside her. "Me too."

Rory awoke in her own bed the next morning, wondering if last night had been a dream. Had she really gone to Luke's diner and thrown rocks at Jess's window to wake him up?

She threw her covers back and got up, just as Lorelai knocked on her door and poked her head into the room.

"Hey, hun."

"Hey."

Rory followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the table as Lorelai got the coffee.

"What happened last night?"

"What do you mean?" Rory asked nervously.

"I heard you typing away on the computer really late last night. Couldn't sleep?"

Rory shook her head. "I just figured the computer might help. I didn't feel like reading."

"Okay. Next time, if you want company..."

Rory smiled at her mother. "I know, thanks."

"No problem." Lorelai replied, standing up. "Okay, Mommy has to go to work now...Hey, what are you doing today?"

"I don't know, I might go to Lane's. I'll probably go to Luke's in a bit, too."

"Alright. Well, have fun."

"Will do."

Lorelai bent down and kissed Rory on the cheek. "Bye sweets."

"Bye."

Lorelai left and Rory glanced around, sipping her coffee. She picked up the morning paper and started to read. Someone banged on the kitchen door and she jumped nearly a foot.

"Hey, open the door!"

Rory sighed in relief, walking over and unlocking the door. She opened it and Lane hurried in.

"Since when do you lock your doors? Oh my god, I am so hungry." Lane opened the refrigerator and sighed. "You have no food."

"Yeah, Mom hasn't been to Doose's in awhile. I was about to go to Luke's..."

"I'm there."

Rory led the way to the front door. "Why are you so hungry, anyhow? Doesn't your mother feed you?"

Lane pulled a package of M&Ms out of her coat pocket and started popping them into her mouth. "My mom's on a health food kick again."

"Your mom's version of health food, or normal people's version of health food?"

"My mom's."

"I'm so sorry," Rory told her. "I'll treat you to breakfast at Luke's."

"Thanks. I appreciate your sympathy."

Luke looked up as Rory and Lane entered the diner. He then glanced over at Jess, who was leaning against the counter, reading a book.

Rory and Lane sat down at a table near the door, and Luke went over to take their order.

"Hey, Luke," Rory greeted.

"Rory," he replied. He gave Lane an acknowledging smile and nod. "What'll it be?"

"Coffee and a cherry danish for me, and..."

"Scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and pancakes for me."

Luke raised an eyebrow.

"I'm really hungry," Lane explained.

"Ah." Luke nodded, walking off to get their breakfasts. He cleared his throat as he walked by Jess, who immediately closed the book and stood up, grabbing the almost-full coffeepot and walking over to Rory and Lane.

"Hey Jess," Rory welcomed.

His mouth curved in a smile that made her blush. "Hey." He turned to Lane and said hi to her, too, and poured their coffee.

"Hi," Lane replied, a confused look on her face.

Jess looked at Rory another moment before walking off.

"What was that?" Lane demanded.

"What was what?"

"That look you two exchanged. I felt the urge to say 'Get a room'."

"I almost got the 'Get a room' phrase? What is wrong with me?" Rory joked.

"You so like him!" Lane teased.

Rory blushed. "Can we keep it down? He's right there!" she exclaimed, adding as an afterthought, "And I do not."

Lane looked at her friend knowingly. "Right. You have the same look on your face that I did when I talked about Henry!"

"How do you know, did you talk about him to the mirror?"

"Just the once. But...my mom came into my room and demanded to know who I was talking to. She didn't believe that I was talking to myself, so she searched my whole room--"

"Your closet?" Rory cried.

"No. I convinced her not to. But it was close. It was very close. She finally believed that I was talking to myself, but then she wanted to take me to the hospital, because she thought something was wrong with me. Can you believe that?"

"Well...I don't talk to myself. Maybe there is something wrong with you."

"Hey! There is nothing wrong with me."

Luke walked back with their orders, setting the plates in front of them.

"Thanks Luke," Rory called as he walked off.

Jess grabbed a danish and walked over, pulling up a chair across from Rory. He sat down and Rory and Lane stared at him.

"What's up, Jess?" Lane asked finally.

"Just eating breakfast," he replied, taking a bite of his danish. "Oh, don't mind me."

Rory grinned, shrugging at Lane when Jess wasn't looking.

Lorelai came into the diner and walked over. She stopped for a second when she saw Jess. He jumped up, offering his chair.

"Here, I'm done anyway."

"Thanks...Jess," Lorelai said, exchanging looks with Rory.

"No problem. Coffee?" he pressed.

"Uh...that would be great."

Jess left to get the coffeepot and Lorelai sat down, leaning forward.

"What was that all about? Was he making fun of me before I came in, then trying to cover it by being nice?"

"No, he was just...being nice," Rory answered.

"Can Jess just be nice?" Lorelai wondered aloud. Rory frowned and she apologized, "Sorry, but why all of a sudden? That boy's weird."

Lane ate another bite of her toast and stood up. "I've got to go before my mom comes looking for me. She doesn't know I'm eating here. As far as she knows, I'm borrowing a book from Rory."

"Bye," Rory called as her friend left. She turned to Lorelai. "What are you doing here?"

"Having coffee?" Lorelai replied as Jess came back with a pot of freshly brewed coffee. He poured some into a mug and set it in front of her.

"Want me to just leave this here?" he joked, referring to the coffeepot.

"No, no, that's okay. I really need to get back to the inn. I just took a short coffee break."

"Doesn't Sookie keep a coffeemaker in the kitchen at the inn?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, but it's broken. And you know how much I need my coffee."

"Oh, it's your lifeline," Rory agreed. "A world without coffee would be unheard of."

"Oh, I know. No more coffee--I get chills just thinking about it." Lorelai shuddered exaggeratedly, taking a drink from her mug.

Rory pat her mother on the back. "It's okay."

"You two are weird," Jess remarked.

They looked at him and his smirk disappeared.

"Uh, I mean--"

"We like being weird," Rory interrupted.

"It makes us feel special," Lorelai added.

"Well, good."

Lorelai frowned as Jess went to help Luke pass out other people's orders. "Seriously, what was that all about?"

Rory shrugged, glancing over at Jess. He caught her eye and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he nodded at her. Then he broke eye contact, grabbing a rag and wiping the counter.

Friday evening, Lorelai and Rory stood in front of Lorelai's parents' house. Rory rang the doorbell, and the door immediately flew open. A new face greeted them. The girl, about twenty or so, looked nervous. She looked just plain lost. Not in the physical sense, though. Lost as in she didn't know what exactly to do with herself, what to do first.

"Hi, we're the daughter and granddaughter," Lorelai explained.

She and Rory walked into the room as Emily walked over.

"Hello Lorelai, hello Rory."

"Hey Mom," Lorelai replied.

"Hi Grandma."

"Your father is in Hartford. He won't be joining us tonight."

"That makes sense."

"Excuse me?" Emily asked.

"Well, you said Dad is in Hartford. So it makes sense that he won't be here tonight."

Emily stared at her daughter until Lorelai shrunk under her gaze.

"Something smells good..." she said, glancing at Rory and rolling her eyes. Rory stifled a laugh.

"Yes it does, doesn't it. What would you like to drink?"

"White wine."

"Rory, we have soda, water, and tea."

"Soda sounds good."

Emily poured each of them a drink.

"Now, Rory, how is school?" she asked, sitting in a chair across from the girls, who sat together on the couch.

"It's the summer, Grandma."

"So just because it is summer, you completely forget about school?"

"Mom. Give her a break. She reads a book a day as it is. She isn't going to forget anything. Let her spend her summer how she wants."

Rory sat silently, looking down uncomfortably.

The rest of the night went pretty much like that.

"That was fun," Lorelai said sarcastically.

"It wasn't that bad," Rory responded.

"Wasn't that bad? Were you at the same mansion I was?"

Rory laughed. "Yes."

"Back me up here, Ror. Don't you think I must have been switched at birth?"

"No."

"What? No? How could you not back me up? That is not a back up. Where's the backing up?"

"Let's go back up to Luke's. You need coffee. I'll pay."

"Clever. Back up to Luke's," Lorelai repeated, grinning.

"The offer is only good for five more seconds. Four. Three."

"Ooh, let's go!"

Not long later, they were sitting at Luke's, at a table in the far right corner of the diner.

Luke came over to them. "What are you doing way over here?"

"We like to change tables every so often. You know, to keep you on your toes."

Rory grinned at her mother. Luke looked at her like he thought she was strange.

"Did you want something? Besides coffee," he added, as Lorelai started to open her mouth.

She closed it again and just stared at him until he gave in, sighing.

"I'll go get your coffee."

"That's a good boy," Lorelai said. She turned to Rory. "So. What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

"I don't know. Lane wants me to go with her to some show to see some rock band. I might go to that."

Luke came back and poured their coffee.

"What about you? Are you working this weekend?"

"Not tomorrow. I've got nothing to do tomorrow. Oh, except going to Doose's. We need food."

"Yup."

Luke paused after pouring their coffee. The girls looked up at him expectantly, and the expression on his face resembled one of confusion, fear, and anxiety all in one. He almost looked like he was going to pass out.

'If she's not doing anything tomorrow, maybe--'

"Luke, are you okay? You don't look so good," Rory said, frowning.

"Yeah, you're looking a little green there," Lorelai added.

"I'm fine," he replied, setting the coffeepot down and hurrying off.

"Free coffee?" Lorelai cried, refilling her mug after drinking about half of its contents.

"You're paying for that!" Luke called over his shoulder as he disappeared upstairs.

"Drat."

"I'm going to be online for awhile, okay?" Rory called as she and Lorelai walked into their house.

Lorelai nodded as she put up her coat. She smiled wistfully, watching Rory hurry to the living room.

Rory turned on the computer and waited for it to load. Then she signed online. Her friend wasn't on, so she checked her mail.

Rory swallowed. He wanted to meet her? No way her mother would go for that! But what should she tell him? Surely she couldn't tell him her mommy said she couldn't go...

She thought for a second before replying.

 SEND MESSAGE