Chapter Notes: Just another little something to keep my brain occupied. And, because it never made sense to me that Jess came all the way from Philadelphia to show Rory his book in Hartford, but didn't stop in on Luke in Stars Hollow. And, also, Jess's lack of surprise when Rory first tells him she left Yale always made me think that Luke had already spilled the beans. I want to clarify that this is a stand alone chapter of 'deleted scenes' from the episode as opposed to a real continuation of this story. This chapter contains references tp past events from the show that were deviated from in earlier chapters of this story. I hadn't thought about this until I received a comment from a reader. Thank you for pointing this out, Brit, and apologies for the confusion. Hope you guys enjoy. Reviews, as always, are very welcome. I hope you're all doing well and staying safe.

Disclaimers: I own nothing except my own obsession with Gilmore Girls

Luke was moving quickly through the closing process, cashing out the register drawer, sanitizing the food prep surfaces, cleaning the grille, his mind already jumping ahead, looking forward to seeing Lorelai. Having someone he could count on seeing most evenings after work never got old. Not after so many years spent on his own, with no relationship, no family in the area, no one who really cared about how his day had gone. Luke thought about how his life would change even more in the upcoming months, when he married Lorelai and moved into her home and he would be able to look forward to going home to her every night. He was thinking about how much he already liked the sound of that, going home to her, when he heard a knock on the diner door. He looked up to see Jess on the other side of the glass, fist still raised from knocking, fingers uncurling into a tentative wave once they made eye contact. Luke felt himself grinning as he crossed the dining room and unlocked the door.

"Jess! What are you doing here?" Luke pulled the door open and stepped aside, giving Jess room to enter. "Get in here! It's good to see you!"

"Hey, Luke." Jess closed the door behind him, dropped his duffel bag on the floor and let Luke pull him into a hug. The warm welcome felt good. Jess was glad that he had come to Liz's wedding and reconnected with his uncle, leaving on significantly better terms than when he had blown out of town with angry words and an envelope of Luke's cash the time he had come to pick up his car. The guilt and shame had weighed heavily on him for weeks after, every time he had wanted to reach out but wasn't sure he should, until Luke had shown up at his door in New York. As much as Jess had pushed back about attending Liz's wedding, he'd been grateful that Luke had wanted something from him. It had felt like a chance to make amends. Jess had liked that for once, he had been able to do something for Luke, to be the one giving instead of taking. This time being apart had felt much better, with semi-regular phone calls and occasional care packages from Luke, containing random small things that Luke thought he might appreciate, hair gel, or a stick of deodorant, a package of socks, a new toothbrush, or modest gift cards to CVS or Barnes and Noble, and homemade cookies, always homemade cookies. Jess had protested the first package on the grounds that he was an adult who could buy his own toiletries, but Luke had said he enjoyed doing it, and when the next package arrived during a week when Truncheon hadn't been able to meet payroll, containing among other things, a much needed roll of quarters for laundry, Jess had appreciated it enough to stop objecting.

Luke let Jess pull back from the hug first and then took a step back to look at the boy, a broad smile still on his face. "This is such a nice surprise, Jess. What brings you to Stars Hollow?"

Jess picked up his duffel. "I was in the area for a work thing, so I figured I'd drop by."

"I'm glad you did." Luke clapped Jess lightly on the arm. "Come sit down. You hungry? You want something to eat? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

Jess followed Luke over to the counter, setting his bag down on the floor and perching on a stool as Luke walked around to the other side. "It was a last minute thing. I wasn't sure if I was going to have time to stop in, so I didn't want to say anything in case I couldn't make it." In truth, the route of independent bookstores he had carefully mapped out with the guys at Truncheon hadn't been planned to take him any further east than Poughkeepsie. He had looked up a couple of stores in New Haven on his own, so he would have a cover in case he worked up the courage to pay Rory a visit.

"Well, I'm definitely glad you're here. Are you staying with me tonight?"

"Uh, yeah." Jess felt suddenly apprehensive, despite his uncle's warm welcome. He knew Luke was dating Lorelai now and maybe the guy had plans with her tonight. For all Jess knew she was upstairs, wearing one of Luke's flannel shirts and knee socks and waiting for him right now. The thought made Jess's stomach clench. It's not that he didn't try to accept his uncle's relationship. He did. It was just hard to come to terms sometimes with the person who cared the most about him aligning himself with someone who could barely tolerate him and made little effort to hide that fact whenever she saw him. "If that's ok? I'm sorry, I really should have called from the road to give you a heads up and ask if it was ok."

"Of course it's ok. It's more than ok. You're always welcome here, Jess. Anytime."

Jess nodded his thanks. "But, if you have plans…..or….."

"I don't have plans, Jess. I was going to head over to Lorelai's after I was done here, but I'll call her and tell her you're here. I can see her tomorrow instead."

"You sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure. How often do I get to spend time with my favorite nephew?" Luke was still smiling. "You want something to eat? I can make you something."

"No, that's ok, I ate on the road."

"Then talk to me while I finish cleaning up. Get me up to speed on this trip. How long are you here for?"

"Uh, I'm not sure." It depended on how things went with Rory, if they went with Rory, but he wasn't about to tell Luke that.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you like. You going to stop by and see Liz while you're here?"

Jess let out an exaggerated sigh. "Yes, Luke. I'm not going to come all the way to Stars Hollow and not see Liz."

Luke smiled in amusement. "Sorry, just checking."

"I'm shocked you'd even ask. I mean, gee Luke, how could I not after all the swell visits she made to Stars Hollow to see me during the two years I lived here with you? Or after she decided to move back to town about five minutes after I left for California? I mean, what kind of son would I be if I didn't return the favor for all the thoughtfulness she's shown me over the years?" It was an old fight between them, with Luke always expecting Jess to be a disappointing son to Liz and Jess feeling frustrated that Luke didn't share his view on why his often disappointing behavior was justified. It was familiar enough terrain to help Jess get over his discomfort from dropping in on Luke unannounced.

Luke held him hands up, palms out, grinning. "All right, I'm sorry I brought it up. You want a coke or something?"

"Sure. You need any help closing up?" Jess started to rise from his stool.

"No, I'm good." Luke turned back from the soda machine and set a cardboard to go cup down in front of Jess. "Sit. Drink your soda. I'm almost done." Luke started to take apart the coffee machine behind the counter to sanitize it. "So, tell me, nephew, what's new with you."

Jess could feel the slim rectangular volume in the pocket of his jacket. The novel was his biggest 'what's new with him,' the thing he came to share with his uncle and possibly, maybe Rory…...but he felt too awkward pulling it out now, that maybe Luke wouldn't see it as a big deal or it would feel too much like bragging. He pulled off his jacket and laid it on the stool next to him to stall for time, then went with his old friend, deflection.

"What's new around here? What small town hi-jinks have I been missing out on by living in the big city?"

Luke chuckled. "Same old same old around here, my friend."

"No way, there's always something crazy happening in this town. Speaking of crazy, how are things with Lorelai?"

Luke huffed out a laugh and scolded without heat. "Jess."

"How is the engaged life treating you?" Jess asked more out of respect for his uncle than out of any real interest in Lorelai or desire to hear about their relationship. He hoped Luke would get that and move on quickly. For about the millionth time, he wished Luke had met someone new, a woman Jess didn't share so much baggage with, who would be easy to charm in the present because she hadn't known him at his worst in the past.

"Things are….." Luke smiled warmly and Jess felt a spike of guilt over trying to wish away a relationship that made the man so genuinely happy. "Things are good with us. She's been remodeling her place. So that's been keeping her busy. She's painting the downstairs and expanding the master bedroom."

"Ah, you guys needed extra space for all your rollicking love making?"

Luke laughed lightly. "More like we needed a bigger closet and room for a second dresser for when I move in. Lorelai has an insane amount of clothes and isn't too good about sharing her storage space. I told her I was fine with just a drawer or two and a couple of inches of close space, but I think she was looking for an excuse to make some changes, anyway."

"How's the remodel going?"

"It's going. TJ's working on the crew with Tom and his guys, as kind of a second contractor, so there have been all kinds of hijinks over there, let me tell you, some more frustrating than others."

"Why would you hire TJ? Granted I know nothing about his carpentry skills, but his thinking and judgement skills leave a lot to be desired, and those seem important for a contractor."

"You're not wrong, but he has his license now…..and he's married to your mother…...and." Jess smirked and Luke laughed at himself….."And I'm a big, dumb masochist, is that what you want to hear?"

"Hey, you said it. I would never." Jess feigned seriousness.

"It's good, though." Luke said, his grin settling into a more subtle smile. "The remodel. I didn't think it was necessary when Lorelai first brought it up, but it's been good having a project to work on together, even with TJ involved. And, it's giving Lorelai something to focus on to take her mind off things with Rory, so it's definitely worth it." Luke looked suddenly uncomfortable, like a child who had spilled a secret.

"What do you mean?" Jess asked. "What things with Rory?"

Luke hadn't told Jess anything about Rory taking a break from Yale or her fight with Lorelai. Luke felt torn between loyalties sometimes, wanting to share certain things with Jess or Lorelai about the other, since they were both so important to him but never wanting to cross the line and tell one of them something that would make the other person angry. And, he didn't always trust himself to understand where that line was.

"Oh, uh….they've…..been having some problems."

"What's going on, Luke? Are they ok?"

"Oh, they're fine. It's nothing to worry about...I mean, they'll work it out. I know they will. But, they haven't been talking for a while. Or seeing each other."

"No way. Those two aren't talking?" Jess couldn't think of a less likely scenario.

"Yeah, and well, you know as well as anyone how close they usually are, so it's been really rough on Lorelai."

"Huh." Jess said. "I'm intrigued. Tell me more about this rift."

Luke frowned at him in reproach. This was another reason why he hadn't told Jess, knowing that his nephew would take joy in something being rough on Lorelai.

"I don't want to make it sound worse than it is. It's just…...Rory got in some trouble. With the police."

"Rory? Rory Gilmore? Are we talking about the same Rory?"

"Don't be a wise ass."

"Ok. Next question. Are you referring to the real police, or the Stars Hollow police? Are you making this story more dramatic than it needs to be when she really just pissed off Taylor by breaking some ridiculous town ordinance like sneaking a burrito into one of his stupid meetings or disparaging the town's founding fathers on a Sunday?"

"This was definitely the real police. The Coast Guard, too."

"The Coast Guard?" Jess tried to wrap his mind around a story that was becoming increasingly surreal. "Luke, don't string a guy along like this. It's cruel."

Luke leaned forward palms resting on the counter and lowered his voice slightly, despite there being no other occupants in the diner. "Don't mention this to anybody. Ok? Do I have your word?"

Jess nodded solemnly. "I won't say anything. To anybody. I swear."

"Rory stole a boat."

"Rory stole a boat?" Jess repeated the phrase in something that felt like low-grade shock.

"Well, I guess technically it was a yacht. She got arrested. Lorelai had to bail her out of jail in the middle of the night. It was this whole thing."

"Rory stole a yacht? I feel like you're speaking some crazy language right now. I understand the words you're using, but not the combinations you're putting them in. Are you really telling me that Rory stole a yacht?"

"Yes, nephew. That's what I'm telling you."

"Does Rory even know how to…..pilot a yacht?" Jess paused. "Is that what you do with a yacht? Pilot it? Like a steamboat?"

"I have no idea. And, no, I don't think she knows how to do it, whatever it's called. I'm pretty sure the guy she's dating helped her out with that part."

"Huh." He should have known there was a guy behind it, a clearly unsuitable guy. His mind flashed back to the last time he had seen Rory, standing in her dorm room at Yale at the end of the semester, begging her to come with him and let him be the unsuitable guy in her life. He might not have had a well thought out plan, but at least life with him wouldn't have included a crime spree. "Do you know what precipitated this uncharacteristic yacht theft?"

"From what I understand from Lorelai, Rory got a bad performance review from her boss at the newspaper where she was interning. He told her that she didn't have what it takes to be a journalist. She kind of….had a meltdown, I guess. She stole a boat, and left Yale."

"Left Yale? Rory dropped out of college?" This seemed even more impossible than Rory stealing a boat.

"I think she's technically taking a break, to figure stuff out. That decision, Rory leaving Yale, kind of sent Lorelai over the edge. I wasn't happy about it either. But, Rory's grandparents let her move into their house and they're supporting her while she…..finds herself…...and figures out how to move forward. Lorelai is pretty upset and she hasn't been talking to Rory or her parents. It's been a really tough situation."

"Wow. This is a lot." Jess tried to process everything he'd just learned. "Hey, you think it's ok if I go see Rory while I'm in town?"

"I don't know, Jess. I heard about when you went to her dorm room after Liz's wedding…"

Jess felt a wave of embarrassment and pushed through it, trying not to let the shame he still felt about that night show on his face, knowing that if Luke heard the story from Lorelai, it likely featured a version of Jess that really leaned in to how pathetic and unhinged he had been that night. "It wouldn't be anything like that. Just a concerned old friend, checking in and catching up. Do you have her grandparents address?"

Normally Luke would want to run this by Lorelai, but he didn't think the idea of Jess getting to see Rory when she couldn't would go over well with Lorelai right now. "Jess…"

"C'mon. Trust me a little, will ya? Plus, I have something for her. Something that I want to show her. I was going to ask you for her address anyway?"

"What is it? This thing you want to show her." Luke hated how suspicious he sounded, but he didn't like the idea of Jess visiting Rory when she was already going through so much and wasn't at her most stable. It felt akin to throwing a lit match into a puddle of gasoline.

"It's actually the same thing I want to show you." Jess reached into his pocket and pulled out the copy of his novel, handing it to Luke. "This. No pressure or anything, but if you ever want to expand your selection of reading material beyond invoices and expiration dates, you might want to give it a read."

"The Subsect." Luke read. Jess watched the uncomfortable expression on Luke's face at being asked to read a book, then saw recognition hit as his uncle's eyes scanned down to the bottom of the cover. "Jess, you wrote this?"

"If that's what it says, it must be true."

"You wrote a book?"

"I did."

"And, you got it published? This is amazing!"

"You might want to read it first before you start throwing around too much praise."

"I'll definitely read it, but I know I'm going to like it." Jess smiled at that. Luke's literary opinion would likely be biased to the point of worthless, but it felt good having someone always on his side. "I'm so impressed with you, nephew."

Luke leaned over the counter and gave Jess a one-armed half hug, still holding the book in his other hand. "Can I borrow this copy? I can read it and then send it back to you."

"That's yours. You can keep it."

"Thanks, Jess. Can I give you the money for it? I mean, you're trying to sell these, right?"

Jess smiled at Luke's earnestness. "That's the general idea, but totally unnecessary in this case. It's a gift."

"Thank you, nephew. I don't think I've ever been this excited about getting a book before." Luke studied the cover, a grin on his face, before looking back up at Jess. "So, this is what you want to show Rory?"

"Yeah. I've got a copy for her, too. We spent so much of the time we were together talking about books…..She was the first person I had in my life that I could really do that with….. I….thought she would appreciate it."

"She would. She will. I think she'd really like seeing this. I'll write down the address for you."

Luke ripped a page off his order pad and flipped it over, writing down the Gilmores' address. "But, don't say anything about Lorelai, or Yale, or anything else unless she brings it up. And, even then, don't say I told you anything. Ok? You have to act surprised if she tells you."

"I will clutch my pearls and fall to the floor in horror when she gives me the news. Will that work for you?"

"Jess." Luke warned. "I'm being serious here."

Jess saw the real trepidation on his uncle's face and didn't like it. "I know you are, Luke. Relax. I won't say anything about anything. To anyone. Ever. You have my word." Then more seriously. "I wouldn't do that to you."

Jess took the piece of paper and started to get up.

"What, you're going over there now?" Luke asked.

"I was going to. Is that not ok?"

Luke frowned. "It's late, Jess."

Jess smirked. "It's not like it's a school night for Rory or anything."

Luke's frown deepened. "Not funny. I'm not sure how excited the Gilmores are going to be about you dropping by this late."

"I'll take my chances. Is that ok?" Jess knew how interconnected the Gilmore family was and as much as he wanted to see Rory, right now, while he had the nerve, he didn't want to cause trouble for Luke. Even during the cold war that Luke had described, he couldn't picture Rory's grandmother not picking up the phone to let Lorelai know that he had stopped by inappropriately late to visit her daughter.

"Yeah, I guess. Let me give you Rory's number, too." Luke took the paper back and jotted down her cell phone number. "Maybe call or text her first to make sure it's ok to knock. I don't want her grandparents getting upset."

"What are they going to do, release the hounds on me?"

"Maybe, or, I don't know, mistake you for a burglar skulking around their property late at night and call the cops."

Jess felt himself smile at the opening. "Hey, I'm not the one with a criminal record, Luke. I really don't think I'm the one you need to worry about here."

Luke handed the slip of paper back to Jess. "Stop enjoying this."

"I'm not. I'm just saying. Who would have thought when we were in high school that I would end up being the one who's yet to see the inside of a jail cell?"

"Just go if you're going, Jess. Before it gets too late. And be careful."

Jess gave him a questioning look, feigning innocence. "Wow, you're really worried about those hounds, aren't you?"

"With everything." Luke clarified, his expression serious. "Just…...be careful, with everything."

"Will do." Jess held up the piece of paper in his hand. "Thanks. I'll see you later tonight, ok?"

"Yeah, sure, Jess. Hey, if I'm asleep when you get back, the spare key is still above the door, and I'll leave the light on for you."

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Luke was lying in bed unable to sleep, an unusual occurrence for him after a long day on his feet in the diner. He couldn't seem to turn his brain off tonight. He really hoped he hadn't made a mistake by giving Rory's address to Jess, or by telling his nephew what was going on between Lorelai and Rory. Luke felt like things were very good between him and Lorelai and he didn't want Jess to do or say anything that would stir up any trouble between them. He felt guilty for assuming Jess might. But, knowing the bad blood that still seemed to exist between his nephew and his girlfriend, it was hard to believe Jess's visit with Rory wouldn't have any negative ramifications. Luke could admit that Jess has seemed good, lately, stable. The kid had a job he liked and now he's even written a book. He was doing ok, better than ok. Luke was proud of him.

What worried Luke were the obvious feelings that Jess still harbored for Rory, and how volatile Jess seemed to become around her. Luke thought about Jess cornering Rory in Stars Hollow when he came to retrieve his car, telling her he loved her before abruptly driving off, leaving a confused and hurt Rory in his wake. Then appearing at her dorm room after Liz's wedding asking her to run away with him. He can still remember hearing the story from an outraged Lorelai, how Jess had 'ambushed' her daughter and effectively tried to ruin Rory's life by pulling her away from Yale. It wasn't lost on Luke that her very next boyfriend had helped her get there anyway.

Luke turned to glance at the alarm clock on his nightstand. 1:35. He sighed and rolled over. He wasn't sure if Jess not returning yet was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, he felt relieved for the boy that Rory hadn't tossed him out or refused to see him, but on the other, he wondered what they were up to and worried about their reunion going too well. He felt that it was naive to assume that Jess and Rory were having a carefully platonic conversation this late into the night, especially if they had gone out and drinks were involved. He worried about Jess and Rory getting back together, or even just hooking up tonight, and how those actions could ripple out to affect him and Lorelai. If the kids started dating, Luke could see how any tensions in their relationship could easily spill over into his and Lorelai's, with Lorelai hearing more details than was healthy from Rory and weighing in on every dumb thing Jess would possibly do. And, if it didn't work, if the kids dated briefly and it ended in hurt for one of them, that would be even harder to navigate. Luke didn't want to be put in the position of having to defend Jess to Lorelai, or vice versa, not again, not when things were going so well and he was so close to having everything he'd always wanted. He wanted Jess to be happy, of course he did, he loved the kid, but what he really wanted was for Jess to find another girl to love, someone in Philadelphia who wasn't deeply intertwined with Luke's happiness and who didn't have the power to tear his world apart.

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Luke had just set down plates of pancakes and bacon and eggs at a table of late morning customers, when Jess entered the diner from the apartment stairs, his jacket on, a reusable shopping bag hanging from one hand. Luke felt himself smile at the sight. It felt so good to have Jess back, even if it was only for a couple of days. And, right now was perfect timing for Jess to come down. The post-breakfast, pre-lunch lull was just starting, and Luke would have time to spend with Jess while the kid ate breakfast, or lunch if that's what he wanted. It was already after ten. Luke walked behind the counter to greet his nephew. "Hey, good morning, Jess. You want something to eat?"

"Maybe just coffee. To go." Jess said.

"You sure?" Luke asked. "It's slow right now. I've got time to make you something. Whatever you want. I ran over to Doose's this morning to pick up some walnuts so I could make you those banana walnut pancakes you used to like so much. You can fill me in on how last night went with Rory. I can't wait to hear what she thought about your book."

Jess frowned, feeling slightly guilty. "I'm actually on my way out to hit a few local bookstores. I figured I might as well try to peddle this thing in the area while I'm here." He raised the hand holding the shopping bag, indicating the copies of his novel inside. "I'm going to go by Andrew's store, and that little place in Woodbury."

Jess watched disappointment quickly flicker across Luke's face, before his uncle recovered and hid his feelings. "Oh, ok. Well, I'll grab you that coffee, then." Luke grabbed a to go cup and poured from the coffee pot, adding a dash of milk, like Jess liked, stirring and sealing the plastic lid. "Here you go, Jess." Luke held out the coffee.

"Thanks." Jess accepted the cup. "I figured we could head over to see Liz and TJ after I get back, if that's ok."

"We?" Luke registered pleased surprise at being included.

"Yes, Luke, we." Jess took a tentative sip of his coffee. He hadn't planned on making a big thing of his visit to Liz, had really been hoping to just catch Liz for a few minutes on his way out of town the following day, so he could use the I should really be getting on the road excuse to make a quick escape. But, he knew that getting their whole family together would make Luke happy, and he wanted to give him that. "If you want me to go over there, the least you can do is come with me and act as a buffer for their crazy."

"That I can do, nephew." Luke smiled warmly at him and Jess knew he'd made the right call. "Maybe we can all have dinner together at Liz and TJ's. I can call Liz, and pick up groceries, and cook for us. Cesar can handle things here."

"I was thinking more of a late afternoon visit. I'm actually meeting Rory for dinner tonight in Hartford."

Jess watched Luke's expression momentarily shift into something he couldn't read. "So, it went well then? Last night?"

"It went ok. It was brief. We didn't get to really catch up, hence tonight's plan."

"Brief?" Luke scoffed. "What are you talking about? You were gone for hours. You didn't get home until almost three o'clock in the morning." Luke had been asleep by then, but had woken up long enough to glance at the clock when Jess had let himself in.

Jess wouldn't cop to chickening out on texting Rory, or to how long he had waited outside the Gilmores' house, staking out their driveway from the street, hiding in the shadows, willing Rory's car to pull in, questioning the validity of his plan and wondering if she was already sound asleep inside, her car stashed out of sight in the fancy garage that must exist somewhere on the property.

"I wasn't with her the whole time. We weren't able to meet up until later. I just kind of killed time before that." Jess felt a pang of guilt of how it must sound that he hadn't killed that time with Luke instead. "I didn't get ahold of her until I was already at her grandparents' house, so I just hung around in Hartford until she was free." Not technically a lie if his words were taken at face value, but Jess still felt a measure of shame at how he was purposely misrepresenting his evening. He knew he was too old to feel the need to lie about his whereabouts or life choices, but he was afraid of how things would look, that he would be laying his feelings bare to be pitied, exposing himself as a pathetic loser still pining for the girl he had been too stupid to hold onto back when he had had her.

"Oh. All right." Luke was studying Jess carefully, and Jess tried not to squirm under the scrutiny. "Well good luck with your book stuff. I'll see you later." Luke lifted the lid covering the pastry dish on the counter. "Hey, you want to grab something for the road? It is Danish day. I've been told it's the happiest of all days."

Jess made a quick decision. It's not like he had an appointment with Andrew. He had just been hoping the guy would be available when he dropped by. It was all a crapshoot anyway. And, he had come all this way, driven over three hours from Philly, was planning to see Rory for a second time tonight and had yet to give his uncle any real quality one on one time. And he knew the time at Liz and TJ's wouldn't really count since Liz would likely monopolize the conversation about whatever she had been up to since Jess had last spoken to her. It didn't feel right. Jess set the bag of books down on the counter and started to pull off his jacket.

Luke looked confused. "All this prep just to eat a Danish?"

Jess huffed out a soft laugh. "You know, I'm thinking I might actually have time for pancakes if the offer's still good."

Luke smiled, and Jess felt another swell of pride at having made the right choice in regard to someone he cared about, a relatively new but welcome feeling for him. He had forgotten how little it took to make his uncle happy. "Of course, it's still good, nephew. It's always good. Go sit down. I'll be right back with those pancakes."

Jess started to walk around the counter, jacket in hand, his stomach growling at the thought of the banana walnut pancakes that he hadn't had in ages. He called toward the kitchen. "Any way I can get a side of bacon with those, too?"

"You got it!" Jess could hear the enthusiastic affection in Luke's voice. He sat down on a stool, laying his jacket across the one next to him and sipped his coffee as he started coming up with anecdotes from Truncheon and his life in Philly that he thought his uncle would appreciate.

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Luke frowned as he watched Jess walk into the diner. The place was quiet, only a few customers finishing up late dinners, but it was still over an hour from closing time. It was much too early for Jess's dinner with Rory to have gone well. He stopped wiping down the counter and threw the cloth into the bussing tray behind him as Jess approached. Luke could himself tense in anticipation of bad news.

"Hey, you're back early." Luke greeted his nephew, debating on asking how everything went but not wanting Jess to feel like he was being too invasive.

"Yeah, I had to bail on dinner."

Luke felt his concern growing. This couldn't be good. "Why? Did something happen? Are you ok?"

"I'm ok. But." Jess turned to scan the diner, satisfying himself that he didn't recognize any of the customers and that none seemed to be paying attention to their conversation. "Her boyfriend's a total dick."

Luke laughed out loud, feeling relieved. "That does seem to be the consensus."

"You don't like him, either?" Jess asked.

"I've only met him once, very briefly." Luke said. "Lorelai and I kind of…...walked in on them." Luke made an uncomfortable face. "Making out, at the Gilmores's vow renewal ceremony a while back."

Jess made a face. "Gross."

"But, Lorelai's met him a few times and she's not too crazy about him. I think the phrases entitled little shit and real piece of work were thrown around when she described him."

Jess nodded. "Well, for once I agree with her completely."

Luke smiled. "She says he doesn't seem to take anything seriously. Like school, or his future. That he parties all the time and he's part of some secret club at Yale where all these rich kids pull these elaborate stunts and throw these wild parties in the woods instead of studying. He just doesn't sound like the right guy for Rory." Luke paused, thinking. "And then there was something about him stealing Mrs. Gilmore's sewing box."

"Wait, what?" Jess asked as he processed the unexpected allegation.

"I'm not really sure of the details on that one. Lorelai was mad, and talking very fast and I don't always catch everything when she's really worked up like that."

"Huh." Jess figured there had to be a decent story there.

"What did he do to piss you off so bad?" Luke's tone was playful. "He steal your sewing box, too?"

Jess huffed out a laugh. "The guy was just a dick from the jump. He was totally antagonistic toward me. Rory and I had plans and he showed up unexpectedly. He clearly didn't know about our plans, and he went all passive-aggressive asshole about Rory having dinner with another guy. He invited himself along for what felt like the sole purpose of giving me shit. He kept trying to bait me, about my book, my past with Rory, my ability to pay for my own dinner, everything. It was like he was trying to get me riled up enough to take a swing at him. It was ridiculous."

"But you didn't? Take a swing at him, I mean, right?"

Jess gave his uncle a disapproving look. "Of course I didn't, Luke. I just walked out."

"Good, that's good, Jess." Luke gave his nephew a pleased smile.

"Don't get me wrong, I wanted to. I mean I really wanted to. I don't think I've wanted to punch anyone so badly since Dean."

Luke worried about the comparison, knowing that the only source of contention between Jess and Dean had been Rory, and not liking the idea of how much Jess must still be into Rory to get equally worked up around her new boyfriend.

"Well, that's ok. You can't get charged with assault for wanting to." Jess huffed out a quiet laugh. "I'm really proud of you, Jess."

"For not getting into a fight with that blond dick? Thanks, Luke. My favorite thing about you has always been your low expectations. I'm pretty sure they're the reason we get along so well."

Luke laughed, then smiled warmly at his nephew, thinking about how much Jess had matured from the angry, impulsive boy who had first come to live with Luke at seventeen, to a man who was composed enough to walk away from trouble and who no longer felt the need to hide behind sarcasm in every conversation.

"Not just for that. For everything. How much you've grown up. How well you're doing in Philly with your job and your book. All of it. For the mature, responsible man you've turned into. I'm proud of you."

Jess glanced down at the counter. He never knew what to say when Luke was this earnest. He looked back up and nodded, lifting one corner of his mouth into a small, appreciative half smile, hoping it was enough to convey everything that was too difficult to say.

"Oh, hey." Luke started talking again and Jess was grateful that the awkward moment hadn't been allowed to linger. "I started reading your book when it got slow in here this afternoon."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yep, and I have to tell you, I am really enjoying it."

"You are, are you?" Jess smiled in amusement at his uncle's enthusiasm.

"Of course I am! I mean, I only got through about twenty pages, but I like it. It's really good, Jess."

"Thanks." Jess knew Luke would honestly like whatever he wrote, just because he wrote it, but he had spent too much of his childhood not having that kind of unconditional support to ever take it for granted now. "For reading it and for saying that."

"Of course I was going to read it, Jess. My nephew wrote a book!"

Luke's enthusiasm was contagious and Jess settled in to listen to Luke's thoughts. "Any first impressions on those twenty pages you read that you want to share?"

"I'm glad you asked." Luke said. "'Cause I gotta say, I know it's supposed to be fiction and everything, but there's no way you're gonna convince me that that weird guy that works in the laundromat isn't based on Kirk, at least loosely. I mean, c'mon! I'm right, right?"

Jess smiled. "You may be onto something there. Art is always influenced by real life."

"I knew it!" Luke said. "Oh, hey." Luke tapped a palm to the counter in front of Jess as if remembering something. "You didn't have dinner yet. What would you like to eat?"

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A few days later, Jess was walking back to his apartment with a plastic bag of takeout when his phone vibrated in his jacket. He dug it out of his pocket and glanced down at it, smiling as he put it to his ear. "Hey, Luke."

"Hey, Jess." Luke's voice had a pleased, happy quality that lifted Jess's mood after a long day. "I have some news that I thought you might be interested in."

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"Rory's back at Yale." Luke declared proudly.

"Huh." Jess felt more of a positive reaction to the news than he would have expected. His first instinct was to stall for time until he could ensure his happiness wouldn't be reflected in his voice, leaving his feelings open to mockery or judgement. "Well, that's good."

"It's very good, my friend. She made up with Lorelai. She moved out of her grandparents' house. She's back at school. Things are feeling back to normal around here."

"That all sounds good. I'm glad everything worked out."

"Me too, Jess. And, I'm thinking maybe it had something to do with your visit."

Jess huffed out a laugh. "I think you're giving me way too much credit. Rory got into Yale all on her own. I'm sure she was smart enough to find her way back all on her own, too."

"Yeah, I guess so. It's just…...Lorelai had talked to her. Her dad had talked to her. Even her grandfather had started talking to her about going back. I think he realized it was a mistake to support her dropping out to begin with. And, nothing happened. Zip. Then you show up. You guys see each other two nights in a row and a few days later, bam, she's back at Yale."

Jess was glad Luke couldn't see his self-satisfied smile. "I'm flattered by how influential you think I am, but I really don't think it had anything to do with me."

"I'm not so sure, Jess. I'm not saying you gave her a Hoosiers style pep talk or anything. But, I'm thinking even if you didn't mention it directly, you might have influenced her thinking." Jess's mind flashed back to that night, standing on the street in front of the bar, his voice plaintive with censure, asking Rory why she dropped out of Yale. And, Rory, looking hurt and defenseless, telling him he didn't know her anymore instead of justifying her decision. "Maybe just showing up like you did with the book you wrote helped. You achieving something while she was floundering around at her grandparents' house. I think maybe that was good for her to see, to get her motivated to want to do more."

"I don't know." Jess went for nonchalance. "I think Rory's always been motivated to do more. She just had a temporary lapse in judgement. She would have come to her senses eventually, with or without me."

Jess wondered if he really had helped Rory remember her old self, the person she had been when they were together. He liked that idea and tried to wrap his mind around the possibilities of what it could mean. That after all the crap he'd put Rory through, this time he had been good for her, even if he hadn't gotten what he'd wanted out of it.

"Well, whatever you did or said, I just wanted to thank you. I feel a huge weight lifted now that she's back at Yale and Rory and Lorelai are back on good terms. This all makes me very happy."

"And, to think." Jess kept his tone playful, not wanting to give anything away. "You almost didn't trust me enough to give me her address."

Jess listened to Luke chuckle. "I learned my lesson, nephew. I won't make that mistake again."