Just Jess

The Funeral

The three Gilmore Girls walked into Luke's looking busier then normal. Luke was on the phone while customers rudely tried to gain his attention. The girls noticing how stressed he was decided to jump in a help out delivering orders and refilling coffee cups. Sabrina noticing Jess' absence stormed upstairs.

"Jess, open up! I know you're in there" Sabrina banged on the door

Jess answered the door with messy hair, slightly yawning

"jeez what are you a rooster?" Jess said rubbing his eyes open

"Did you just wake up!?"

"Yeah why?"

"Luke needs you downstairs"

"Why?"

"Because he's on the phone with someone and Caesar's off today and the place is packed and he needs help."

Jess squeezed his eyes shut before opening them up and staring into Sabrina's, he placed his hand on the side of her face, cupping her cheek.

"I'll be down in a minute"

"No, now" Sabrina grabbed him by the arm and yanked him downstairs

Jess stumbled down the stairs as Sabrina pushed him along.

"Well, you're very graceful today" Lorelai remarks refilling a customers coffee cup

"She pushed me" Jess accusingly points at Sabrina

"Sue me" Sabrina sticks out her tongue

"I could've broken my neck"

"Well as long as it's not your arm, we need your arm."

Luke ended up having to run errands all the way in Hartford, stressed out about his Uncle Louie's funeral Lorelai offered to take care of the diner while he was away.

Sabrina eventually pulled Jess away to go to school. Afterwards he tried to escape working at the diner to play basketball so he cut school early, however Sabrina found him. Jackson was freaking out to Lorelai about his wedding with Sookie, when Sabrina dragging Jess by the shirt walked by.

"Watch the shirt!"

"Cork it!"
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"Well, it seems the right thing to do, Taylor." Miss Patty says

"I concur. When one gazes at Stars Hollow, one can easily overlook a vital component of its beauty and that's the humble yet spunky twinkle light." Taylor says up on the podium at the town meetings

"Holy cow." Jess shakes his head

"It doesn't get fruitier." Luke quietly remarks to Jess

"Harry's House of Twinkle Lights has been an integral part of this time for twenty years, so it's only right that we honor his retirement. So I hereby designate next Tuesday, Harry the Twinkle Light Man from Harry's House of Twinkle Lights Day." Taylor continues

"Well, that just trips off the tongue." Jess leans back in his chair crossing his arms

Just then the three Gilmore Girls walk in.

"Late again, are we?" Taylor rolls his eyes

"Yes, I hope I'm not pregnant!" Lorelai jokes

"What?"

Ignoring Taylor, the three girls take a seat next to Luke and Jess. Luke caught them up on what they missed, and Sabrina silently switched seats to be next to Jess.

"What brings you here? I didn't know you cared about this town" Sabrina teased

"Well, Corky's Country Cavalcade on public access was pre-empted, so I thought I'd check out the next best thing." Jess joked, and Sabrina took his hand into hers.

Sabrina rested her head on Jess' shoulder as they listened to the rest of the town meeting nonsense unfold. Taylor complaining about the new farmers market the old town troubadour opened up across his store, Babette calling the vegetables sexy, and of course Lorelai and Rory making obscure references.
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Luke and Lorelai walk back to the diner after Uncle Louie's funeral, they were the only ones who attended but got pleasantly surprised by the towns war reenactors.

"Hi." Lorelai greeted her two daughters inside the diner

"What's going on?" Luke questioned looking at all the people and food set up

"It's kind of like a wake." Rory replied

"A wake?" Luke was surprised

"For Louie?" Lorelai asked

"We thought you set it up" Sabrina confusedly looked at their mother

"I didn't set it up."

"Well, it's going well, anyway. People brought a ton of food if you're hungry." Rory and Sabrina walked off

"Huh." Lorelai stated

"This is unexpected." Luke looked around

"Very."

"Don't you have wakes for people you like?"

"I think it might be for you."

"Am I dead?"

"Face it, Luke, people like you."

"Shut up."

"And with charm like that, how can they resist?"

Sabrina walked over and sat next to Jess at one of the diner tables.

"Nice spread."

"People have too much free time in this town."

"You did a good thing, thank you Jess"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought my mom set this up. Turns out she didn't."

"So? Wasn't me."

"It wasn't?"

"Nah, no way. It wasn't me."

"If you say so."

"Look, the crazy ballet teacher called and asked when Luke was getting back from the funeral, if I could unlock the door. I came down, I unlocked the door, then went back upstairs and back to sleep"

"So you did do a little something."

"I unlocked the door."

"So that people could come in here and put this together. Nice."

"Nice for them, not for me."

"You facilitated it, you made it happen, so I guess that means that you're officially apart of our town now."

"Hey, wait a minute."

"Welcome."

"I am not part of this town."

"See you for some tree planting over at the Arbor Day Festival, buddy." Sabrina patted Jess on the back

"Yeah, well maybe I can knock over a liquor store while everyone else is planting those stupid trees."

"As long as it's a liquor store in town, neighbor." Sabrina teased