Work Text:
December 2002
It seemed like a coincidence at first as Jess drove to Rory’s house and found another car right on his tail the whole way.
“What are you doing old man?” Jess muttered to himself, before pulling up onto the Gilmore driveway.
Lo and behold, the other guy did the exact same thing. Jess got out of the car, wary of what the other guy was going to do. Maybe he had the wrong house or something, in which case Jess was more than happy to give him directions and send him on his way.
“Can I help you?” he asked, from the porch steps, as the man got out of his flashy car and came towards the house.
“I rather doubt it, thank you,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “I have come to see my daughter and my granddaughter.”
“Huh,” said Jess, glancing up at the house and then back. “Does Rory know you’re coming? Because I’m supposed to be picking her up...”
“Ah, you must be the new boyfriend. James?” he tried.
“Jess,” he corrected him.
Inside the house, Rory was just finishing getting ready when she was startled to hear both a knock followed by a ringing of the doorbell. Frowning at the strange demand for her attention, and wondering if it was Jess come to pick her up already, she moved quickly towards the front door. Once there, she reached to open it but then stopped at the last moment, listening to the voices beyond.
“You mean to say you’ve read all of Hemingway’s novels already?”
“Yes, sir. The Old Man and the Sea three times.”
“Do you know, that is my favourite also? You know Rory was trying to convince me to read The Fountainhead, but I confess, Ms Rand is not really to my taste.”
“I know. The words ‘political nut’ spring to mind, but I guess I’ve read worse.”
“Ah, now tell me, where do you stand on the Russians?”
Rory opened the door at that moment, shock evident on her face. There was her boyfriend in deep literary debate with her grandfather, who seemed to be bearing gifts.
“Um, hi,” she said eventually.
“Rory, my dear” said Richard, reaching to hug her. “I just came to drop off these gifts for you and your mother, and to wish you a Merry Christmas once again before your grandmother and I leave for our trip. Now I have met your young man here, I’m twice as glad I came over.”
“Oh, thank you,” she said, unsure which part she was truly answering for, the gifts to the approval of Jess. “Um, do you want to come in?”
“Oh, no, no,” he insisted. “Must dash, but we’ll see you when we return for Friday Night Dinner. Jess, we would love for you to come along some time. Please, any Friday you’re free.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He nodded, before looking at Rory with eyes that said,‘No way!’ “Er, Merry Christmas, Mr Gilmore,” he said then, figuring he should.
“Yes, indeed. Merry Christmas, Jess,” he replied in kind, as he went back to his car.
“That was surreal,” said Jess, looking to Rory then.
With a huge grin on her face, she shook her head.
“You and Grandpa getting along? That’s not surreal. That’s the greatest Christmas gift ever!”