Disclaimer: I Own Nothing.

Back At One: Chapter Two

Jess stared at her from across the room, absentmindedly whipping down tables, ignoring customers that were signalling him to come over and take their order. Luke just shook his head at his nephew, and waited patiently for him to make a move towards his old girlfriend. He felt like shaking him, and saying for him to hurry up, because just standing there, not being able to say what he wanted, because he promised himself that he would like jess work it out when he was ready to.

"So Jess, why you back?" Lorelai asked him, he hadn't even realised that she was sitting right in front of him, just staring up at him.

"Decided to drive five hours here because my arms where in need of a workout" he replied seriously, still eyeing Rory.

"Ah I see, and all this exercise huh? Even your eyes are having a good work out as well?" she asked him bluntly, hoping that his sights weren't on her overly sensitive daughter.

"It gets its own work out, don't you worry. Now my other arm. See how it works?" he asked her in the same tone as before. Lorelai wasn't budging until she knew what his intentions were.

"Ah I see…" she pretends to take interest in what he is showing her, not letting the younger man win. "Lukie, watch you nephew at work. He has learnt a new form of exercise. Have you seen it? It's amazing!" Lorelai exclaims in mock excitement.

"Leave the boy to do his chores Lorelai!" he scowled the older woman, not deterring her from the task at hand, she stayed put in her spot.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Rory now sat next to her mother, watching the interaction, or lack of, between Jess and her mother.

"Jess, here is showing me the new form of exercise I want to try out when we get home. Did you know that he is so keen, that he drove five hours to do it… see how it works?" she eyes her daughter mockingly. "He moves his hands that one, and back, that way and back. And then wait for it, wait for it… he switches hands!" she throws her hands in mock amazement.

"You are missing out on some wonderful craft Luke! Your nephew is a genius…!" she yells at Luke, who is in the kitchen. A grump sound comes from the kitchen.

"Leave the boy alone Lorelai!" he yells in response.

Kurt now stands where the two Gilmore girls are, wanting to knowing what all the commotion was about. "The new form of exercise?" he questioned the three of them.

"Apparently" Jess quipped at the older man.

"Look at the expertise Kurt!" Lorelai mocked, and stood up from her chair. "See you later Luke!" she yelled at the man. "Tell me what you learnt okay Kurt, we'll exchange notes later? You might learn something new that I missed out on okay?" she told him, and kissed her daughter on the cheek and headed off to work. "See you at dinner Luke!"

Rory sat for a while just staring at Kurt and Jess, and then stood up herself. "Wishing everyone a good day" she said loudly to everyone.

Jess grumbled at Kurt to go away, and go back to his seat.

"Luke, I'm going up stairs for a bit. I need some serious time!" he yelled at his uncle and threw the cloth at his uncle, who caught it just in time.

Rory was busy thinking about how she would approach her grandfather about the plan of opening up a newspaper in Stars Hollow. On him maybe consider helping her out with the project, by backing up the whole thing. She knew that she had to present a good case, which would see him winning profits and having a good solid case that he wasn't going to turn down.

She wanted to open up a printing press, and a weekly newspaper that would be sent out each week, providing the town with current and up to date information about the town and its neighbouring towns, and a bit about the world as well.

She bit the bullet and decided to call her grandfather.

"Rory, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked her proudly, always happy to speak to his only grandchild.

"Can we meet up? I have a proposal for you, and I want to ask you in person"

"Sure, is everything okay?" he asked with deep concern.

"Yes everything is great. When would be a good time for you?"

"How about a lunch date?" he asked her.

"Thanks Grandpa!" she beamed with happiness. "See you tomorrow!"

"I'll meet you at your favourite café!" he told her, curious to what she had in mind, but he wasn't going to press on.

"Okay Grandpa! See you then! Love you!"

"Love you too Rory" he put down the phone and went back to work.

Jess climbed out of his window, a force of habit that he had done many times in his youth, so it only seemed natural to do the same thing. His feet brought him to stand at the bridge that they both liked so much. It was his most favourite places as well, probably because Rory loved it so much. He sighed as he looked down at the water, deep thoughts of where he wanted his life to go, going through his head.

"No! NO! Don't jump" he heard a familiar say to him in amusement.

"Hey Ror, what's going on?" he asked her curiously, she only ever came down here when she wanted to have some alone time to herself, or she had something mauling in her head.

"I saw you climbing out of you window" she said with a laugh, remembering all the times he had done that in his youth. "You do know that Luke can't ground you any more right?" she joked at him, and he rolled his eyes at her.

"You caught me…?" he said with a laugh, bringing his hands up to his hair in embarrassment.

"Yup" she nodded her head in amusement at the boy she had once loved very much as a teenager.

"So what's the news?" he asked her, knowing something was up with her, he watched her glance at her watch and then back at him.

"I'm meeting my mum at Luke's for dinner, you going to come along?"

"Yeah why not? Nothing better to do in this town" he quipped, the stood in silence for a minute before making their way down to the diner.

"Hey Mom!" she greeted her mum happily, her mum instantly knowing that something was up with her by the sounds of her voice. She knew her daughter like she knew herself.

"Hey Honey" she greeted her back, hugging each other for a few seconds. "Oh hey Jess" she looked at the boy behind Rory.

"Hey" he simply said to her, wondering what kind of things the older woman thought about during the day. He didn't want to know, he decided.

"Always the talker aren't you, Jess?" she joked at him with a smile.

"Yup" he conceded to her, and went to see his uncle in the kitchen.

"Wash your hands Jess" they heard Luke bellow in the kitchen.

"Okay okay, Uncle Luuu-ke" Jess said to annoy his uncle further.

"So why are you so happy daughter of mine? Spill!" she looked at her daughter.

"I have a lunch date with Grandpa tomorrow at Café La Cherie!" she grinned at her mother.

"Oh that's wonderful!" she hugged her daughter tightly, glad that things were moving along for her. She really wanted to see her daughter happy, and if this was it, she was all for it! She would hound her father until he gave in.

"I know isn't it!" the mother daughter duo spoke in words that only they knew what they were talking about. Jess heard every word of it, making sure that he did.