Do You See Her Face? (A Jess Mariano Fanfiction)

In the Company of Anne Sexton

But, her voice followed him up the road as he made his way for Luke's. He hoped to sneak past his uncle without having to endure an interrogation. "I'm trying to help you, jackass! What the hell was that?!"

"Peter Smith's an asshole, that's what that was! Now, I suggest you run along!"

She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "No, Jess, you don't get to walk away from me! Rory just reamed you for that stunt you pulled at Doose's! I thought you were gonna get it together for Luke!"

"Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint!" Jess roared, winded but maintaining his fury.

As she swallowed down her irritation, the redness began to drain from her face. She knew it was no use to argue with him when he was in such a fiery state. For a minute, she debated leaving, going back to find Lane as she planned. Instead, she grabbed his wrist and spoke again in a calm, resigned tone.

"Jess, stop."

He whipped around to face her again, pulling his arm back from her grasp, hiding a wince at the throbbing pain in his raw knuckles. "Don't touch me right now!"

Ella held her hands up in surrender instantly, though she stood firm. "Okay. I'm sorry. But you're not gonna get past Luke like this, if that's what you're thinking. You're gonna need to at least cool off a little first."

Sighing through his nose, he stayed silent. At that moment, it was as good as a verbal concession or agreement. He was just beginning to catch his breath, his pulse thumping loudly in his ears.

"You wanna go get some ice? I'm sure the nurse has some," she offered, and Jess felt his confusion growing at her kindness.

He shook his head, stuffing his hands in his pockets despite the pain. "No."

"Alright. Look, I'll go clock in. I'll tell Luke you had some test to make up or something. Go fix yourself up somewhere and you might be able to fool him," she suggested, working out the kinks inside her head. Luke was a good guy, but he wasn't the most observant person she knew. She suspected if Jess could get the bleeding to stop he might get by unscathed. Though she was more doubtful about the bruise on his cheek, she decided it was better for Jess to be placated before he returned to work anyway.

Jess nodded as Ella turned back to go find Lane. She felt slightly better, but still a little anxious about the possibility of a fight between Jess and Luke which still remained. It was one thing to work with them when they were at their usual level of bickering. She didn't know if she could handle an entire shift of them screaming at each other.

"Thank you," Jess muttered when she turned on her heel, only just loud enough for her to hear.

She sighed a little in relief, tossing a glance at him over her shoulder. "You're welcome."

. . .

Ella licked the last bit of melted marshmallow from her thumb, having eaten more than a few of the s'mores they had prepared with skewers over the stove burner. Instead of Die Hard, they had elected for the 1950s version of A Christmas Carol. They were watching as the ghost of Christmas future showed Scrooge his own grave. Lorelai sat above her on the couch, french-braiding her hair, while Lane and Rory shared a bag of chips on the floor next to her. Ella loved the Gilmore house, with its homey decor and welcoming atmosphere. Many times, she envied Rory for the kind of mother she had. All times, Ella felt more love in the Gilmore house than in the Stevens house.

"What do you want written or your gravestone?" Lane asked, her eyes trained on the screen, the picture reflecting back on her glasses.

Humming thoughtfully, Ella went with the first idea that popped in her head: "Here lies Ella Stevens, soon to become the world's best ghost."