[Room #213]
After returning from the common room, Rory put Yoda back in his tank and set the nearly-unconscious Vladdie on the end of her bed, and began to get ready for bed.
She had just changed into her pajamas when the phone rang - not her cell phone, mind, but the land line, which she almost never used.
She frowned at the phone, and tentively picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey," came a somewhat gruff male voice that Rory instantly recognized, her heart instinctively skipping a beat as that rush of adrenaline came back at once.
"Jess," she answered softly. "Hi. You - how...how did you get this number?"
"I have my sources. You're not exactly hidden. Only so many Rory Gilmores in the greater 'Fandom' area." And thanks to him being...well, being Jess, those quotes were more than evident in his voice.
"Oh," Rory replied, swallowing and willing herself to calm down.
"So, how've you been?" he asked conversationally. "Read anything worth writing on?"
"Jess - " Rory said, her voice a little firmer.
"Did you ever read Hunter S. Thompson? I know we covered the need for Kerouac and Ginsberg, but Fear and Loath - "
"Jess, why are you calling?"
Silence.
Then, "I felt like it."
"You felt like it?"
"Yeah, I felt like it. Let's repeat it a few more times, shall we?"
"What do you mean, you felt like it? You haven't called and actually spoken since you - "
"Since I left."
And now it was Rory's turn to be silent.
There was a sigh on Jess's end of the phone, and finally, a mumbled statement that Rory would have given her eye teeth to hear six months ago.
"I miss you."
Rory exhaled sharply, running a hand over her hair. "It's...no. Too little, too late, Jess. I told you that."
A muttered curse, and Jess answered, "Fine. I'm in town, if you care."
And the flutters were back. "Town? You're in Fandom?"
"Alexandria, actually. Thrilling beyond words, let me tell you."
Rory thought for a moment. "How long?"
"Few days."
"Hmm." Rory actually smiled, settling onto her bed, the receiver cradled against her shoulder. "Interesting. Why are you in Alexandria?"
"Oh, you know how things are. Siren call of the sea."
Rory rolled her eyes. "Alexandria's a bit inland, and you were in California."
"Right. So, what are you doing this week?"
Rory bit her lip. "It's kind of a bad week. I have a bunch of stuff."
"Of course you do," Jess answered immediately. "You always have a bunch of stuff."
Rory glanced over at George the stuffed Ewok on the bed beside her, and picked him up. She gulped. "How's your Friday?" she finally asked.
"I can stay at least that long," Jess said, something almost akin to affection in his voice.
"Great. Maybe I'll see you." Rory hugged George close.
"Right." Another pause. "Looking forward to it."
Rory chewed a bit more on her lower lip. "Me too, I guess. Good to hear from you, Jess."
"Likewise...Rory."
There was a click.
Rory looked down at the phone in her hand, and wondered what exactly she was getting herself into.
She had just changed into her pajamas when the phone rang - not her cell phone, mind, but the land line, which she almost never used.
She frowned at the phone, and tentively picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey," came a somewhat gruff male voice that Rory instantly recognized, her heart instinctively skipping a beat as that rush of adrenaline came back at once.
"Jess," she answered softly. "Hi. You - how...how did you get this number?"
"I have my sources. You're not exactly hidden. Only so many Rory Gilmores in the greater 'Fandom' area." And thanks to him being...well, being Jess, those quotes were more than evident in his voice.
"Oh," Rory replied, swallowing and willing herself to calm down.
"So, how've you been?" he asked conversationally. "Read anything worth writing on?"
"Jess - " Rory said, her voice a little firmer.
"Did you ever read Hunter S. Thompson? I know we covered the need for Kerouac and Ginsberg, but Fear and Loath - "
"Jess, why are you calling?"
Silence.
Then, "I felt like it."
"You felt like it?"
"Yeah, I felt like it. Let's repeat it a few more times, shall we?"
"What do you mean, you felt like it? You haven't called and actually spoken since you - "
"Since I left."
And now it was Rory's turn to be silent.
There was a sigh on Jess's end of the phone, and finally, a mumbled statement that Rory would have given her eye teeth to hear six months ago.
"I miss you."
Rory exhaled sharply, running a hand over her hair. "It's...no. Too little, too late, Jess. I told you that."
A muttered curse, and Jess answered, "Fine. I'm in town, if you care."
And the flutters were back. "Town? You're in Fandom?"
"Alexandria, actually. Thrilling beyond words, let me tell you."
Rory thought for a moment. "How long?"
"Few days."
"Hmm." Rory actually smiled, settling onto her bed, the receiver cradled against her shoulder. "Interesting. Why are you in Alexandria?"
"Oh, you know how things are. Siren call of the sea."
Rory rolled her eyes. "Alexandria's a bit inland, and you were in California."
"Right. So, what are you doing this week?"
Rory bit her lip. "It's kind of a bad week. I have a bunch of stuff."
"Of course you do," Jess answered immediately. "You always have a bunch of stuff."
Rory glanced over at George the stuffed Ewok on the bed beside her, and picked him up. She gulped. "How's your Friday?" she finally asked.
"I can stay at least that long," Jess said, something almost akin to affection in his voice.
"Great. Maybe I'll see you." Rory hugged George close.
"Right." Another pause. "Looking forward to it."
Rory chewed a bit more on her lower lip. "Me too, I guess. Good to hear from you, Jess."
"Likewise...Rory."
There was a click.
Rory looked down at the phone in her hand, and wondered what exactly she was getting herself into.