Disclaimer: Yup, I own nothing.
A/N: So, this is the first in a series of one-shots I'm planning to do which I'm titling "Alternate Scenes for the Literati Lover". This one is the way things could've gone if Rory and not Lorelai had found Jess on the porch during the dinner party in the episode Nick & Nora/ Sid & Nancy. Enjoy and please let me know what you think!
Oh, and credit for the title goes to a song by the band OF MONTREAL.
So Begins Our Odyssey
"Do you want a soda?" Rory asked Jess, opening the fridge and selecting a can for herself. She turned back and looked at him expectantly.
"Oh, I'll get it." Jess said, waving at Rory dismissively.
Rory shrugged and nodded, closing the refrigerator. She opened her soda can as she walked past Jess into the living room.
Jess opened the refrigerator again and looked at the contents dully. He noticed a six-pack of beer and nodded to himself in approval. He pulled a beer from the pack and closed the fridge. He looked at the back door, back at the party going on in the living room, and to the door again. Shaking his head in annoyed disgust, he walked out the door, closing it quietly behind him.
Rory filled her plate with food, watching amusedly as her mother piled mountains of food onto Luke's plate. In the background, she heard a soft noise. She turned towards the kitchen just in time to see the curtains on the door rustling as though it had just been closed.
"Hey Rory, where's Jess?" Luke asked, looking around.
Rory put down her plate and said, "I think he went outside to get some air. I'll go get him."
Lorelai nodded, smiling uneasily. "OK. Hurry up, before Jackson starts a love affair with the salad too."
Rory nodded and walked through the kitchen and out the door. She closed it quietly behind her and watched Jess silently for a moment. He was standing against the railing, attempting to open a bottle of beer that she recognized as her mother's.
"Aww, how sweet of you." Rory said, finally making herself known.
Jess's head shot up and he turned around, the unopened bottle of beer still in his hands.
"You found a lost bottle of beer and decided to hold onto it until you could return it to its home. That is so thoughtful." Rory smiled at him and took the bottle from his hands.
Jess rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but be amused by her.
"The party's inside." Rory said, placing the bottle on the railing and looking at him.
Jess shrugged. "Potlucks and Tupperware parties aren't really my thing."
"Too cool for school, huh?" Rory said, smiling at him and shaking her head.
Jess looked at her, intrigued. "Yes, that is me."
Rory walked over to the steps of the porch and sat down, silently suggesting that Jess join her. "You don't wanna be here, do you?" She asked.
Jess raised his eyebrows at her audacity. He sat down next to her and said, "It doesn't matter. Luke didn't give me a choice."
"No." Rory said, shaking her head. "Here in Stars Hollow."
"Well, geez, Miss Rory, why would anyone not want to here in Stars Hollow? That just sounds plum crazy." Jess said, putting on a hillbilly accent.
Rory shrugged, not allowing her amusement to show. "You remind me of my mother."
Jess rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"You do." Rory insisted. "She was just like you, doing the whole "oh, I'm such a total rebel, bite my ass" thing when she was a teenager. Do you know what it got her?"
"No, what?" Jess asked, not really interested.
"Me." Rory proclaimed with a proud smile.
Jess smirked. "So you're saying that good things come from being a rebel, huh?" He looked at her, smiling for the first time since he arrived in Stars Hollow.
Rory blushed deeply, looking down at her hands. "You're from New York, right?" She asked, feeling awkward.
Jess nodded. "Good old NYC." He said, leaning back and looking up at the sky.
"So why are you here?" Rory asked.
Jess sighed and shrugged, not willing to speak on the subject. After a long moment he said, "My mom thinks I'm trouble. She didn't want to handle it, sent me here to live with Luke."
"That stinks." Rory stated, finally looking back up at him.
"Yup." Jess said, still looking at the starry night sky. "We don't have a lot of stars in New York."
"No?" Rory asked. "Oh, that's right. Ambient light. I think I'd be really upset if I couldn't see the stars every night. You know, I'd be willing to bet that your acts of rebellion correlate directly to the lack of stars you've seen in your lifetime. I bet there have been studies on it."
Jess rolled his eyes. "You're one of those really big dorks that gets picked on a lot, aren't you?"
Rory shrugged. "I'm just me."
Jess smirked at her response. This girl had a lot of self-confidence and a sharp mind, which were two very admirable qualities in his book. "Cool."
The two sat in silence for another moment before Rory asked, "Do you still want to bail?"
"Desperately." Jess said, though his voice held no emotion.
Rory stood and said, "OK, I'll make you a deal. We go back inside and eat. You can nod politely if someone asks you a question, and limit yourself to monosyllabic responses if necessary. We spend fifteen minutes eating, and then…I'll bail with you."
Jess raised his eyebrows at her again. "You wanna sit on a bench and stare at your shoes with me?"
Rory smiled at him and offered her hand. "I'll even wear my hot pink Converse so I can have something pretty to look at."
Jess looked at her hand for a moment before taking it. "Alright. Why not?"
They both felt the electricity pass between them as they touched, and Rory and Jess spent a long moment staring at each other intently before turning around and going back inside.
"See, that wasn't so bad now was it?" Rory asked as she and Jess walked down the street.
"The food was good." Jess offered, jamming his hands into his pockets.
"Sookie's an amazing cook." Rory said. She pointed and said, "That's the church-slash-synagogue. The reverend and the rabbi share the building. They're best friends."
Jess rolled his eyes. "Of course they are. Geez, could this town get any smaller?"
"Probably not." Rory said. She pointed again. "That's Stars Hollow High. I guess that's where you'll be going, right?"
Jess shrugged disinterestedly.
"It's not a bad place. I used to go there." Rory said, looking around for something else to show him.
"You don't anymore?" Jess asked, trying not to sound disappointed.
"Nope." Rory said, shaking her head. "I go to Chilton. It's a private school in Hartford."
"Huh." Jess said, looking around at the picturesque town contemptuously. He spotted a bench and started to cross over to it.
Rory lagged behind a little when her gaze focused on an object protruding from Jess's back pocket.
"Hey." She said, snatching the book. "This is my book."
"Is it?" Jess asked innocently, pulling a coin out of his pocket and toying with it.
"You stole my book?" Rory demanded.
Jess shrugged. "Just a little disappearing act." He said, quickly moving his hands and revealing that the coin had disappeared.
"I told you I'd lend it to you. You didn't have to steal it." Rory said. "Oh, and if you ever want to speak to me again, don't pull that out of my ear."
"Nose out of the question too?" Jess asked.
"Oh yeah. Anywhere you wouldn't naturally find a coin." Rory said. "Now, can we focus on why you stole my book?"
Jess shrugged. "I was just going to put some notes in the margins for you." He said.
"What?" Rory asked, confused. "You've read Howl before?"
Jess nodded and sat down on the bench. "About 40 times."
Rory stared at him. "I thought you said you didn't read much." She finally moved from her spot and sat down next to him.
"Well, what is much?" Jess asked with a shrug.
Rory smiled at him. "Whatever, Dodger."
"Dodger?" Jess asked, tilting his head at her in confusion.
"Figure it out." Rory commanded loftily, thumbing through her book.
"Oliver Twist." Jess replied almost instantly.
Rory looked up at him with a bright smile. She nodded, and the two looked at each other for a long moment. Rory felt something pulling at her that she'd never felt before, and she felt an electricity that she hadn't felt since…ever. All of a sudden, a thought of Dean popped in her mind, breaking the spell that Jess seemed to have her under.
Rory stood quickly. "I-I've got to go." She sputtered nervously.
Jess nodded and stood too. "OK. I'd still like to put notes in your margins." He said, extending his hand.
Dirty. Rory thought to herself. Cursing herself for the thought, she handed the book to Jess. "OK."
"So, I'll see you around?" Jess asked.
Rory nodded. "Yeah. You'll see me around."
"Cool. G'night, Rory." Jess said.
"Good night, Dodger." Rory responded, smiling at him once more. As soon as he had turned around to walk towards the diner, Rory sprinted in the direction of her house, both pleased and confused as to what had just transpired.