Time After Time - A Gilmore Girls Fanfic #1

Chapter 9

And in moments like these, her heart broke for the man who still carried a torch for her daughter even after all these years.

"She loved you, too, you know," Lorelai said, trying to offer him a sliver of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he was the Luke to her daughter's Lorelai. If only she could keep him from running again.

He took in a deep, ragged breath, looking unconvinced. "That's just it though," he said, beginning to step away, back towards the road. "I only exist in the past tense."

~

"You sure you want to do this?" Logan asked.

Rory nodded. This past year she'd been so unsteady, as if standing on straw and could fall through at any moment. She had second-guessed every decision, had hesitated when she should have just jumped. But as she stood there that evening, facing the father of her unborn child, she knew without a doubt that she was making the right decision. "I'm sure."

Logan touched her face, the ever-present smile in his eyes even if his voice didn't reflect it. "I don't know how many more times I can take you leaving me."

"This is the last time. Promise." She covered his hand with her own, tears prickling her eyes. "Get married, Logan. Be happy."

"And you?"

She gave him a hopeful smile. "I'll get there."

He pressed one final kiss to her forehead before pulling away. "Take care of yourself, Ace."

"I will," she said, taking a few steps back, towards the airport security line.

"Keep me updated with the baby." He shook his head, chuckling. "It'll never not feel weird saying that."

"Give it time."

She joined the line and soon she was swallowed up by the crowds, everyone around her either traveling to or away from their loved ones. And as she took her seat on the plane that would take her back to Stars Hollow, she felt a warm glow inside knowing who was waiting for her back home.

As soon as Rory's plane landed in Hartford, she went straight home and fell into bed. She slept for hours, possibly days. And she dreamed.

In one instance she was in her blue Chilton uniform, reading on the bus on the way to school. Lane was beside her, talking about Hep Alien's latest gig at Madison Square Garden, formulating a plan on how to get to the venue without alerting Mrs. Kim or the twins. On Rory's other side sat Paris Geller, looking over her notes for a debate a few months away while simultaneously criticizing the youth of today for the blatant abuse of acronyms.

While the two talked, Rory looked up and noticed a dark-haired boy in the back of the bus. With her heart in her throat, she stood up and made her way over to him. In his hands he held The Subsect, his head cocked while he scribbled notes in the book's margins. This time she noticed the duffel bag sitting by his feet.

"Can I sit?" she asked.

He looked up at her, a pen cap caught between his teeth, and grinned. "Sit where you like." As soon as she sat down, he slung an arm over her shoulder and drew her close, kissing the top of her head.

"Come on," he said, taking hold of her hand after a few blissful minutes. "This is our stop."

The house was silent when Rory finally emerged from the dream world. When she looked over at the clock, she saw that it was almost ten in the morning. She had slept through most of yesterday and, apparently, a good portion of today. It was the best damn sleep she'd had in a long time.

Desperately needing to wash off the funk of travel, she took a long, hot shower. Afterward, she got ready, smiling at her reflection in the mirror as she applied a light layer of makeup. Then, with her heart on her sleeve, she stepped out the front door and set out to find the boy from her dreams.

Her footsteps felt light on the concrete as she walked through the streets of Stars Hollow and, though the air was nippy, the bright sun lent a warm glow to her beloved town.

"Good to see you up and about," Luke said when she entered the diner. "Your mom kept checking in on you to make sure you were still breathing."

"I guess the ol' body doesn't bounce back from two international flights in one day as quickly as it used to," she said with a shrug. "Hey, is Jess around?"

"Haven't seen him," Luke said, walking past her with two full plates.

Her stomach rumbled as she looked longingly at the food, reminding her she hadn't had anything to eat in a long while. As if sensing her hunger—or perhaps, hearing the loud percussion section that was her stomach—Luke took a donut from the cake stand, wrapped it in a napkin, and handed it to Rory.

She took a bite and almost moaned in relief. "Oh my God, thank you," she said around a mouthful of donut.

He grinned. "Go on up and check on Jess. He's probably still asleep."

With only half a donut left in her hand, Rory went upstairs and rapped her knuckles on the glass. Hearing no answer, she tried the knob and found it unlocked. "Jess?" she called out, sticking her head in the door. When there was no answer, she entered and stopped in the middle of the place.

The apartment looked as if it had recently been cleaned. Dishes sat in the drying rack by the sink, the tables were cleared, and there were no books laying around haphazardly.

A strange sensation washed over her as she approached the old desk by the window, finding its scuffed surface bare. She walked past the bed and into the bathroom, finding the counter cleared of all signs of life. Nothing was left, not even a water droplet in the sink.

Her throat tight with dread, she wandered back out, eventually finding herself in front of the window. Her eyes scoured the streets below, knowing in the pit of her stomach she wouldn't find the face she was looking for.

Jess was gone. She knew this tale all too well.

She let out a breath, fighting back the tears as she headed downstairs. As soon as she stepped back inside the busy diner, her eyes met Luke's across the room. He took one look at her face and knew. Ignoring the calls of customers, he walked over to Rory. "I'm sorry," he said with a sigh that dragged his shoulders down.

"Me too."

He led her over to the nearest empty table and pulled out a chair. She sank onto it, grateful to be off her feet. With unfocused eyes, she looked down and realized she was still holding onto half a donut. By this time the icing had melted, seeping into the napkin and sticking to her fingers. She ripped a napkin out of the dispenser with more force than necessary and tried to wipe her fingers clean, but the sticky residue remained.

She didn't know how long it was before a plate of food appeared before her, like a peace offering from the heavens in the form of scrambled eggs, bacon, and waffles. If nothing else, at least she had her appetite back.

Immediately, she picked a strawberry off the waffles and popped it into her mouth. When she looked up to thank Luke, the fruit almost lodged in her throat. "Jess," she gasped.

He looked down on her, an unfathomable expression on his face. "You need to eat," he said, motioning to the plate with his head.

"But..." She looked around and spotted his big green duffel bag leaning against the counter. She looked up at him, relief blurring her eyes. "You stayed."

His eyebrows were knotted but he tipped his head. "Yeah," he said. "I stayed."