Chapter 1:

In a quiet corner of Brooklyn, Jess Mariano was sprawled across a sofa, sleeping soundly. His hand still lightly gripping the book that now lay on his chest. The only sounds in the apartment were the hum of the refrigerator and the quiet static coming from the baby monitor on the table beside the sofa. That is, until the piercing ring of the phone tore through the silence. A startled Jess jumped up and cursed, trying to get to the phone before it woke up the sleeping infant just down the hall.

"Yeah." He barked in to the phone. He rubbed the blur from his eyes and looked at his watch. Who the hell would be calling him at 10:30 at night.

"Jess?" He froze at the familiar voice. Luke. The same luke, he recalled, he hadn't seen or talked to since he was last in Stars Hollow. A wave of guilt washed over him.

"Jess, you there?" He briefly thought about hanging up the phone or acting as if Luke had gotten the wrong number.

"Yeah, yeah it's me. How did you get my number?"

"Nice to know I was missed." Luke quietly muttered, "I called information, with the hopes you had finally joined the rest of mankind with a telephone number."

"Right, sorry, I just..." Jess tried to collect his thoughts. "So, how's it going?" Jess paced around the apartment, biting his thumbnail.

"Well, that's kind of why I'm calling you. Lorelai and I needed your address to send you an invitation. I just wanted to call, but she keeps insisting everyone gets one" Luke began to ramble,"even Babette, through the mail, you think she could just walk-"

"Luke, is there point? What exactly am I invited to?" Jess had a million more questions running through his mind, most pertaining to the 'Lorelei and I' he had just heard.

"A wedding, my wed- well, Mine and Lorelai's wedding. We're getting married." Jess paused in his pacing. The news caught him off guard but he couldn't say he was surprised.

"When did this happen?"

"Right after your mom's wedding" Luke paused and Jess could hear him shuffling around. "I also wanted to know if you'd be my best man."

"Your best man."

"It'd really mean a lot to me. Not to mention it'd save me from having to ask one of the doofuses from around here."

Jess paused to consider it. He never admitted it to anyone, barely himself, but he missed Luke. More than anyone else, even his mom. And this would be his chance to introduce Luke to Jacob. He wanted his son to know Luke.

"Sure."

"Really?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, I mean...it's been a long time since I've been around for a visit."

"Thanks Jess." Both were quiet for a moment. "Well, when can you come down? 'Cause Lorelai's been badgering me about tux's and table settings."

"I could come this weekend. I usually work from home anyway." Jess worked as a freelance editor, picking up work from a few independent publishing companies in New York. He loved his job. He could actually have a job he enjoyed and still be home with Jacob.

"Wow. You have a steady job. Is it legal? Or should I start making a paper trail for my alibi?"

"It's legit, geez. Lorelai's really rubbing off on you, huh?"

"Yeah, well, it isn't so bad." Jess could hear the goofy grin on his uncle's face."I'll tell her to make reservations at the Dragon Fly."

After getting Jess' address and setting up which days Jess could visit, Luke hung up the phone and found Lorelai in the kitchen of the Gilmore house. The table, nowhere in sight, was buried under stacks of name cards and pictures of table settings.

One very tired Lorelai Gilmore collapsed on top of it all.

"I give up!" Her muffled shout rang through the house.

"You said that last week." Luke grunted as he began to sort through the pile of invoices, invitations and schedules. At least once a week Luke would organize the mess that was currently at odds with his wife-to-be. She wanted to plan the event herself, but insisted on asking Luke about every inane detail. He refrained from pointing that fact out, and instead helped when she wasn't looking.

"So did you find him?" She asked, finally pushing herself off the table.

"Yeah, he's still in New York. Has a job and everything."

"Really?" Lorelai remembered Luke's mentioning of the squalor that was Jess' last residence.

"Yeah, and the weird part is he actually sounded happy." A small smile appeared on his face and she smiled back. Lorelai knew how happy this made Luke. He wanted the best for Jess. She stood up and wrapped her arms around Luke's torso and rested her head on his chest. He began rubbing circles absentmindedly on her back.

"So he said yes?"

"Yeah. He's coming down this weekend. Said he was bringing someone with him, wouldn't tell me who though."

"I'll make the arrangements. That's good. You know, that he met someone." Luke only nodded in reply.

The two made their way upstairs to get ready for bed, both with thoughts of the coming wedding and Jess' return.