POKING NORMALCY IN THE BACKSIDE

By Oregano

                Rory let out a breath as her mother played around with the keys to the front door.  She was pooped.  After that long ride home with Paris, any mere mortal would have exploded.  Good thing she wasn’t normal.  Sort of.

                “It’s so good to have you back, Rory!”  Lorelai finally got the door open.

                They lugged all her luggage into the house.  Rory looked around and smiled.  Six weeks away from home was a doozy.  She missed this house.  Well, what was left of it.

                “Mom, what did you do while I was gone?”

                “I, ah, I had a party with those road hogs from the other town.”

                “How impolite of them to not clean up after themselves.”

                “I know!  I told Rex to wash the dishes, but he just didn’t want to!  But they did stay out of your room, though.”

                “Good to know.”

                Having a pajama-relax day was exactly what she needed, and it was exactly what her mom suggested.  They were now both in their sleep-wear and eating the kind of food Luke would have cardiac arrests just looking at. 

                Then the doorbell rang.  Rory stood up to see who it was. 

                “Miss Patty, hey!”

                “I just wanted to welcome you back, dear.  I hope being gone that long didn’t do any serious harm.”

                “No, I’m fine.  Thanks for dropping by.”

                “You’re welcome, honey.  Bye!”

                Rory returned to the couch and grabbed a bag of chips on her way.  Just as she sat down, someone knocked on the door.  Rory heaved herself out of her seat once again and answered it.

                “Taylor.  Hey.”

                “Hello, Rory, I’m glad to see you back to Stars Hollow.  I hope your absence made you appreciate this town even more.  Those big cities are so dirty, you know…”

                “Dirty.”

                “Why, of course!  All that trash and pollution…”  He shuddered.

                “Huh.  Okay.  Thanks for letting me know that, Taylor.”

                “Okay, Rory.  Anyway, I just wanted to say, ‘Welcome home’.”

                “Thank you, Taylor.”

                After her strange encounter with Taylor, Rory went back to her mother who looked at her tiredly.  She put an M&M in her mouth and said, “I don’t think this pajama-relax day is working out, kid.”

                “Me neither.”

                The day passed and, sure enough, more and more people came over to say, “Hey, there!” and, “Welcome back!”

                Someone knocked on the door again later that day.  Rory sighed and opened it.  When she saw who it was, she jolted upright.

                “Hey, Luke!”

                “Rory.  Welcome back.  Here, I brought you some coffee.  Figured that the whack-jobs would slow you down with all the visiting.”

                “Thanks!  Come inside!”

                She motioned him into the house.  Without looking back, she added, “I’ll just go and put this in the kitchen.”

                “Don’t give any to your mom!  That’s only for you.  She’s had seven already,” Luke called out to her as she went into the kitchen. 

                “Hey, I resent that, Luke-o.”

                Uh-oh.  Mom.  Now the bickering starts again.

                “Don’t call me Luke-o.”

                “Why not?”

                “O-kay…”  Rory froze when she saw who Luke had come in with. 

                Jess smiled slightly at her, looking from under his bored eyelids.  “Hey.”

                Rory felt her face heat up and her chest pound.  Jess had come to see her.  He wasn’t mad at her.  Did he still l-ike her?  Jeez, even her inner voice was starting to crack from that look he was giving her.

                Taking her time, she marched towards him.  Reason once again deserted her, and Impulse reigned in her body.  Without thinking, she grabbed Jess’ face and gave him a kiss with an intensity that could have blown up a small country.