From The Beginning

Synopsis: A retelling of each episode from Nick and Nora, Sid and Nancy. Showing a different version of Rory and Jess' relationship.

A/N- Some of you (if you've been around on the GG FanFiction page for a while) may recognize my username and this story title. This is a story that I started writing a few years ago, but I lost the login to my account for ages. So now that I have it back I decided to start writing this story again. So I read it through to see what had happened, and I hated how it was going, so I decided it needed to be rewritten. Hence this new version. The old version is still up on my account, and it will be for a while, but this is the first chapter and it's going to be totally rewritten. The first few chapters will go in a similar way, but overall it's going to be very different.

I hope you enjoy it, please review and let me know.

Chapter One: Nick & Nora, Sid & Nancy

'Oh my goodness Rory are you serious? Can you please stop studying, it's perfect already and they're going to be here any second.' Lorelai sighs heavily as she passes by Rory's room for the third time in the past ten minutes.

'Perfect?' Rory questions, 'It doesn't even have a conclusion yet.'

'Well...those fancy teachers at Chilton should be able to draw their own conclusions.' Lorelai responds.

'I'll be out soon I promise.' Rory says soothingly, then turns her attention back to her laptop screen, tapping away to try and get her conclusion written, a task which would be much simpler if her mom didn't keep coming in.

'Do you think he eats cheese?' Sookie's voice floats through from the kitchen, another query about the dietary needs of Luke's nephew who is coming over tonight. Rory shakes her head and smiles, trying to focus as the doorbell rings.

A few minutes later Rory feels someones eyes on her, she finishes typing her sentence and turns in her chair, expecting to see Lorelai there telling her that Luke and his nephew have arrived. Instead of her mother she finds herself looking at a guy her with dark slightly curled hair, who is leaning against the door frame and watching her.

'Oh hey, I'm Rory.'

'Yeah...I figured.' He nods casting a glance around her room, his eyes landing on her bookshelves, he doesn't wait for an invitation to step inside, he just walks in and starts running his hand across the shelves.

'You must be Jess.'

'Uh-huh.' He says keeping his eyes on the books, 'Well,' he says, 'aren't we hooked on phonics.'

'Oh yeah...I read a lot.'

'I can see that.' He replies picking up a copy of Howl.

'Do you read much?'

'Nah, not really.' He replies still holding the slim book.

'Oh well...you can borrow that if you like, it's pretty good.'

'No thanks.' He replies laying it down on the top of her cabinet, his glance finally leaves the book and her starts walking towards the window, 'These open?'

'Oh yeah you just have to unlatch it and push.' She replies as he begins to open the window.

'Shall we?' He nods towards the unlatched but still closed window.

'Shall we what?'

'Bail.' He replies catching her gaze.

'What...no.'

'Why not?' He queries.

'Because,' she falters, 'it's Tuesday night in Stars Hollow, there's nowhere to bail to, the 24 hour mini mart just closed 20 minutes ago.'

'So we'll walk around, sit on a bench and stare at our shoes.'

'Look Sookie just made a tonne of really great food and I'm starving, and though it may not seem like it now it'll be fun, trust me.' Rory smiles.

'I don't even know you.'

'Well,' she smiles again, 'don't I look trust worthy?'

'Maybe.'

'Well then,' she starts heading for the kitchen, 'you want a soda or something?'

'I'll get it.' He says.

'Yeah ok.' Rory nods and heads into the lounge, not entirely convinced that he'll follow, after all he doesn't need her to go with him to bail, if he wanted to he could slip out the back door, or go back into her room and climb through the window.

'Hey Rory where's Jess?' Luke asks as soon as Rory takes a seat.

'Jeez I'm right here Uncle Luke, lengthen the leash ok.' Jess says sarcastically, taking a seat across from Rory who smiles over at him.

'Well good everyone's here so...tuck in.' Lorelai says eyeing Jess suspiciously.

'So Jess I hear you come from New York.' Sookie says with a bright smile.

'Yup.'

'I have some friends who live there.' Jackson pipes up.

'Huh.'

'Did you like it in New York?' Lorelai asks.

'I guess.' Jess shrugs in response.

'I bet Stars Hollow seems a little different.' Sookie smiles.

'Really? Because I could have sworn I passed Broadway on my way here tonight.' Jess replies sarcasm dripping from his voice.

'Well New York has it's own quirky vibe and so does Stars Hollow, so they have that in common.' Rory says calmly, Jess' eyes rest on her.

'Yeah I guess they do.' He replies, 'I passed three stores selling ceramic cats on the way here, and yet there doesn't seem to be a book store.'

'Oh there's a book store.' Rory says excitedly, 'I couldn't live in a town without one, I could show you after dinner.'

'Sure.'

'Though I thought you didn't read much.' She says.

'Well,' he smirks, 'what is much?'

The rest of the evening passes with Jess answering questions either with one word answers, or sarcastic comments, expect whenever Rory directed a question at him, and then at least his answers wouldn't be sarcastic, though they never reached more than five words total.

'So uh mom is it ok if I show Jess where the book store is?' Rory asks when they're out in the kitchen together, stacking dishes in the sink which will most likely still be there the next morning.

'Oh uh sure just...'

'Just?' Rory prompts.

'Be careful I'm not getting the best vibe off of him.'

'He's probably just adjusting to being here.' Rory replies.

'Yeah maybe.' Lorelai shrugs, 'Be back by ten ok?'

'I will.' Rory kisses her mom's cheek and heads back into the lounge.

'Ready?' Jess asks sounding eager to get away from the conversation which has once again turned towards the fruit Jackson grows.

'Yup.' Rory nods, 'See you later.' Rory smiles to Luke, Sookie and Jackson.

'Jess?' Luke calls, Jess pauses but doesn't speak, 'Aren't you going to thank Lorelai for inviting us over, and Sookie for making the food?'

'Oh sure, it was swell.' Jess sighs and heads out of the door.

'Sorry.' Luke sighs looking over at Lorelai.

'Oh don't worry about it he's...charming.' Lorelai rolls her eyes.

'Now I should warn you that the book store is a little small, but it's got a pretty decent range of books and if there's something specific you want Andrew is normally pretty good at getting it in.' Rory says as they walk through the streets side by side.

'Ok.'

'So...I'm guessing you don't want to be here.'

'Didn't have a choice.' He shrugs, 'My mom couldn't cope so she shipped me off here.'

'That must be rough.'

'It is what it is.' He shrugs. 'So is everyone in this town crazy?'

'Well...a bit I guess, but they're great I love it here.' Rory smiles.

'I don't know how you stand it.' Jess says shoving his hands in his pockets deeper.

'It's honestly not as bad as you think, we have our quirks for sure but the people are great and the school's not bad.'

'I heard you went out of town for school.'

'I do, to Chilton which is in Hartford, but that's just because I'm aiming for Harvard and I'll have a better shot at it if I attend Chilton. The school here is great though, my best friend Lane goes there, she would have come over tonight but her mom is super strict, so as soon as she heard a boy who she hadn't met was going to be there she said Lane couldn't go. I don't see why because you'll probably meet her at school tomorrow anyway, I mean Lane wanted to meet you so she'll probably try and find you at school. She's great, Lane I mean, she's completely obsessed with music, which she of course has to hide from her mother, because Mrs Kim doesn't approve and...I'm rambling, sorry.'

'It's ok.' Jess smirks at her with amusement. 'You talk as quickly as you eat.' He laughs.

'Yeah,' she blushes, 'the whole talking too fast and too much thing, and the eating too fast and too much thing, it's a Gilmore trait. Sorry.'

'You don't have to apologize.' He shrugs.

'So...this is it.' Rory comes to a stop outside the book store.

'Huh.'

'What?'

'It's not as bad as I was expecting.' He replies.

'What were you expecting?'

'A store selling ceramic cats which had a shelf of used books.' He smirks, she laughs.

'Nope no ceramic cats in here I promise.'

'Good to know.'

'So...I should probably be heading back, my mom will wonder where I got to.'

'Sure.'

'Can you find your way back to the diner?'

'Are you serious?' Jess laughs, 'This town is the size of a postage stamp, I think I'll be able to figure it out.'

'Right,' she nods and smiles, 'so I guess I'll see you around. I'm in the diner practically every morning so...'

'I guess I'll see you tomorrow.' He says and then walks away.

'Good morning.' Lorelai smiles brightly at Luke as she sits at the counter with Rory.

'Prove it.' Luke grumbles.

'Whoa someone got out of the wrong side of the bed.' Lorelai replies.

'I didn't sleep.' Luke replies.

'Why?'

'Because someone,' his gaze shifts to Jess who is sat at a table towards the back of the diner, 'decided to keep the light on all night reading.'

'What was he reading?' Rory asks curiously.

'I don't see how that's relevant.' Luke replies.

'Well because if it was a good book then it's understandable.' Rory replies.

'I don't know something small, Howl I think, or something wolf related. He must have read the thing twenty times, each time scribbling away in it.'

'Howl.' Rory says getting up and walking over to his table, sitting opposite.

'Hey.' Jess drops the copy of Howl onto the table.

'I said I'd lend you that, why'd you buy a copy?'

'It is yours.' He replies watching her carefully.

'You stole my book?'

'I borrowed it.'

'Ok that's not called borrowing, that's a felony.'

'I wanted to leave some notes in the margins for you.'

'You wrote in my book?' She asks opening it up and scanning what he'd written.

'You've read this before.'

'About six times.'

'You said you didn't read much.' She points out before remembering she'd already said that to him the night before, she blushes and he smirks.

'Well like I said,' he replies getting up and slinging his bag over his shoulder, 'what is much, I gotta get to school, goodbye Rory.'

'Goodbye Dodger.' She replies also standing ready to grab her coffee and head for her bus.

'Dodger?' He queries, she spins around and smiles.

'Figure it out.'

'Oliver Twist.' He says after a beat, she grins at him and goes back to reading the notes in the margins.

A/N- So for any previous readers of this story I really hope you like this new version, please let me know by reviewing. To any new readers, I also hope you like this story.

Reviews are always appreciated.