Lorelai's Graduation Gift (a Gilmore Girls fanfiction)

[faithfighter]

summery: Jess finds something that could change his life...and maybe Lorelai's too? An alternate ending to a graduation that could have gone better. Jess, Lorelai, Luke centric with Literati hints
Spoilers: major ones for Lorelei's graduation day (obviously) and minor ones for Teach Me Tonight
-----
Jess stared at the ceiling of Liz’s run down apartment. His thoughts were miles away in a little town called Stars Hallow with the girl who’d surprised him with a visit just the day before. His life in New York had been simple. He’d taken what he wanted and fought for what was his. He had simply been…drifting. Happy? No, but simple. Then he was sent off to a little back water town and after that he was never the same. For years he had been building a wall between himself and the rest of the world. He had been laying bricks of bitterness and anger to keep people at bay. His finely crafted wall began to crack the day a blue eyed brunette first smiled at him. With her and his uncle Luke both taking hits at that wall it slowly began to crumble.

Then with one mistake Jess ruined all of it. He came back to New York firmly believing there was no going back, it was over. He was sure that with time life would return to normal, but it hadn’t. Not a day went by that he did not think about her and not a night passed that she did not fill his dreams.

To his surprise he even missed Luke. The very things that were so annoying about his uncle were the things he missed the most. Like making Jess help out at the diner, bugging him about school work and even the constant yelling. He realized all these things simply showed how much Luke cared.

Jess got up from his desk and walked out into the main room. He glanced at Liz, who was sitting on the couch watching TV. He observed her for a few wistful seconds.

“I’m going out,â€

[faithfighter]

----

Five smart aleck exchanges, three loud ‘discussions’ and a mutual Taylor bashing fest later all was right with the world, or at least Luke’s part of it. The diner owner was taking orders and Jess was cleaning off the counter. Every once in a while Luke would glance up and smile.

Jess was really back.

A bell rang signaling the arrival of more costumers. Luke looked up and saw a distraught looking Lorelai followed by a confused looking Rory enter. Rory’s eyes bulged when she saw Jess, but he was still unaware of their presences.

Lorelai marched over to the counter and slapped her hand down on it. Jess looked up in surprise, as did everyone else in the diner.

“Why would you do this?” Lorelai asked, her tone unreadable. Luke stepped forward wondering if intervention was necessary or a death wish. “this was really, really…” she walked around the counter and stood beside Jess. Luke was amazed at Jess’s ability to stand his ground despite the unpredictable woman confronting him. Or maybe he was just paralyzed by shock. “…really…nice.” Jess’s jaw nearly hit the floor and Luke’s along with it.

Lorelai stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the unsuspecting teenager. He cringed visibly at the touch.

Lorelai realized that Jess was not used to such tactile acts. She remembered mentions of his negligent mother and felt a wave of sympathy. Not only that, she felt guilty. She knew so little about this kid because she had never stopped judging him to find out. She felt him shifting uncomfortably under her embrace. Lorelai released him and met his eyes.

“You ran off before I could say…thank you Jess.”

He recovered slightly from the shock and sent her one of those rare genuine smiles.

“You must really like the Go Go’s.”

END