A/N: A pretty randomly written short littleone shot here. I've always thought that Lorelai and Jess were incredibly similar and I've always wanted to try and explore that. So now I have. I was trying to make this longer, but it just didn't want to work with me. I like reviews a lot.

She sees her reflection, sometimes, in that darkened young man. A reflection of herself at a time when the world was infinite and so was she. Before Rory. Before life stepped in and made everything come to a halting stop at the same time that it was throwing her violently forward. She sees those lost years of her youth, all of those romances that never were. She sees in him missed opportunities.

They are so much alike that it frightens her to see him with her daughter. She had been reckless and he is surely the same way. She can tell by the way he handles her, rough but affectionate. That danger so perfectly tinged with love. It makes her feel lightheaded, remembering that feeling. She watches them together and feels something turn inside of her. If she were on the outside looking in, she would call it jealous. But, she is on the inside looking out and so she simply calls it worry.

This is why she can't stand him. Or why she pretends that she can't stand him. She knows what he is capable of, what she had been capable of. Always running from life. Always looking for something better, something that won't stifle him, something that will feel like home. She knows that sort of running all too well. Maybe this town is where people like us end up, she muses. Maybe this is some sort of black hole for lost souls. Some sort of vacuum that is filled with unadulterated happiness that feels comfortable and welcome, not forced and terrifying like the same happiness had felt other places.

She sits in the crimson glow of the town's lone streetlight, waiting. She can see him through the glass as he wipes down the counter. Her eyes move to the strength in his arms as he moves the towel in repetitive circles. Even this far from him, she can see his eyes swimming in darkness. His gaze focused intensely on the counter. His jaw clenches and then suddenly it stops. His entire face, falling. And he rests his forehead on the counter for a moment. When he lifts his head up, his eyes meet hers. And he looks at her as though he has been caught. He freezes there behind the counter. But, he doesn't look away and the feeling that passes through her then is something similar to heartbreak.

His eyes dart in the direction of the stoplight. Red turning to green. She turns back to the road and presses down on the accelerator. She cannot shake that feeling. The way his face had changed so suddenly. Had she witnessed some sort of breakdown? Maybe she had just seen him caving in. She feels as though she has just barged in on some personal moment. She feels guilty. She knows the feeling of reservoir walls finally bursting. She knows the difficulty of letting go. She fights her sudden urge to turn around and go back to the diner. She fights her sudden urge to love this boy, to take care of him. She thinks of her daughter and knows he doesn't need that from her.

She sees his face in the darkness of her bedroom that night. Anger giving way to sorrow giving way to helplessness. She stays awake, trying to understand why this boy is haunting her, why she is suddenly so concerned about him. Why a simple facial expression hurts her so much.

His face changes to her own suddenly in her mind and the reasoning is clear.