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Chapter Text

"Alright, spill. What did your bonehead twin brother do now?" Eleanor St. James sat down across from her best friend at a table in Luke's Diner.

Addison Forester rolled her eyes at the raven haired girl playfully. "He's built a car for Rory. A car, Nora."

"It's a sweet gesture, but why waste the time along with the money when she'll probably get a brand new one from her rich grandparents?" She questioned with a shake of her head.

"Because love makes you do stupidly crazy things. Especially when you're a teenage boy. What can I get you ladies?" Luke Danes interjected as he approached the table.

"Well you're not wrong there. Um, grilled cheese with a side of fries, please, and a coke. Thanks." Nora smiled at him.

She laughed softly at that. "Yeah true. I'll have the same. Thanks, Luke."

"No problem, ladies." He took their orders down then walked away to put them in.

"Anyway, I wouldn't worry too much about it, Addie. So what author did you pick for your senior thesis?" She asked as she pulled some books out of her messenger bag.

Addie smirked playfully at her as she grabbed a pen from her denim backpack. "F. Scott Fitzgerald, obviously. A focus on The Great Gatsby and what exactly makes it the Great American Novel."

"Oh god, that'll be a breeze for you since that's your favorite book. I went with Mary Shelley." Nora flipped her notebook open as Luke set their drinks down on the table.

"One for you and one for Daisy." The dark haired teenage boy followed behind his uncle setting their food down onto the table.

She gave him an exasperated look, but found herself smiling a bit anyway. "Thanks Jess."

"No problem." He gave her a lopsided smile and walked away.

The raven haired older woman sat down nearby with her daughter. "Daisy huh?"

Addie blushed slightly. "It's nothing. He's just been calling me that ever since he found out I love the Great Gatsby."

"Oh hey Lorelai. Can you talk to Aunt Sookie for me? She's gone all bridezilla over the menu for the reception and I haven't been able to get through to her yet." Nora glanced up and smiled at her aunt's best friend.

Lorelai Gilmore smiled over at the younger girl. "Don't worry about it, sweetie. I'll handle it. Oh and don't worry about the dresses. I talked Sookie out of going with my mother's crazy plans."

"Thank goodness! I don't think any of it really fit Sookie and Jackson. Especially the yellow dresses." She took a sip of her drink glad that she didn't have to wear that to her aunt's wedding.

The younger Forester twin laughed softly. "That would have just been bizarre. Oh Rory, would you be able to tutor me a bit for this upcoming math test I have?"

"Yeah sure. How about tomorrow afternoon around four?" Rory Gilmore smiled at her boyfriend's sister.

Addie gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks Ror and that sounds great. Where should we meet up?"

Lorelai chuckled at the girls. "You two can just study at our house. It would probably be quieter than here."

"Thanks Mom. Addie, how about we meet here tomorrow at four, get some food to go, and then head over to my house?" Rory suggested to her.

She nodded her head at the younger Gilmore. "Sounds like a plan. I'll see you then."

The tapping was incessant as she lay in her bedroom later that night sifting through college pamplets. It was hard for Addie to decide where to apply to when she didn't even know what she wanted to do with her life yet anyway. Finally annoyed by the tapping, she set the pamplets aside and got off of her bed. Addie walked over to one of her windows only to be surprised when she came face to face with Luke's nephew.

She slid open the window against her better judgment suddenly glad that Dean's room was at the other end of the hallway. "Jess, what the hell?"

"Hey Daisy." Jess Mariano leaned against her house giving her a lopsided smile.

Addie gave him a bewildered look unsure of what to think. "What are you doing here?"

"I need an excuse now to visit my partner in crime?" He raised his brow at her.

The brunette rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Helping you with one prank at Doose's Market hardly makes us partners in crime."

"Doesn't it? Alright fine. I was bored and I know you've been stressing over colleges so I thought, I don't know, maybe we can hang." Jess admitted with a shrug of his leather clad shoulders.

Addie eyed him curiously for a few moments then let out a sigh. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well I have a few ideas. Nothing illegal though, I promise." He assured her with a chuckle.

She considered it and smiled slightly. "Alright fine. Meet me in the driveway in five minutes."

Jess nodded giving her his signature lopsided smile and she shut the window. She straightend up her room a bit and packed an overnight bag. Addie left a note knowing Nora would cover for her if either of her parents called the St. James house. Grabbing her keys, she turned off the light then quietly made her way downstairs and out of the house. Addie locked the front door then walked over to the driveway where sure enough Jess was waiting for her. She gestured to the small SUV that was sitting in the driveway and then unlocked it allowing them both to get in.

"I didn't take you for an SUV kind of girl." He chuckled lightly at her.

Addie laughed softly as she started the car. "It was my older sister's car, actually. She gave it to me for my sweet sixteen. Our parents were going to gift Dean and I a car to share, but our sister said I deserved to have something of my own."

"Well she wasn't wrong." Jess smiled as the car pulled out of the Forester's driveway.

She nodded her head in agreement as she drove through Stars Hollow. "She got pregnant right out of high school. Luckily for her, our family and her now in laws were very supportive. They actually live in our old house now in Chicago."

"A city girl huh? Must have been hard moving to a small town like Stars Hollow."

Addie scoffed as she continued driving. "It was the worst or at least that is how I felt about it at first. My sister offered to let me stay with her family in Chicago, but ultimately I realized I didn't want to finish school without my twin brother."

"I know what you mean. Well not the twin brother part, but I know what it's like to not want to leave the city you call home. Though I'm sure your homelife was probably better than mine." Jess admitted as they drove out of Stars Hollow.

They continued talking and driving until they found themselves at an all night diner. The two of them ordered sodas and a plate of fries to share between them. A comfortable silence fell between the two and neither knew what to do about it. Their food arrived and it was Jess who broke the silence between them.

"So what's got you so stressed out about college? I mean, if you don't mind me asking." He ate a fry then glanced over at her.

Addie took a sip of her soda then sighed. "I don't know. Just feels like everyone around me has this general idea of what they want to do career wise so they know what they want to major in to get there. I have no idea what I want to do or what to major in."

"I think that's pretty normal, Addie. Not everybody knows what they want their major to be or what they want to do. That's why some people take a year off or even just get the basic requirement classes done their first year of college." Jess pointed out to her.

She nodded her head as she ate some fries. "What do you plan on doing after high school?"

"Get a job and a place of my own. Preferably not in Stars Hollow." He admitted with a smirk.

Addie smiled softly at him. "You know, somehow that just doesn't surprise me. At least one of us has a solid plan for the future."

"You'll get there, Daisy." Jess chuckled softly.

After they finished eating and paid their bill, Jess took the keys and drove them back to Stars Hollow. Addie fell asleep along the way resting her head against his shoulder. He parked beside his uncle's truck and shut the car off before falling asleep himself. It was a loud knock against the car door that startled them awake the next morning.

Addie groaned rubbing her eyes a bit. "Shit! What time is it?"

"About six thirty in the morning." Luke spoke out catching their attention again.

She froze swearing inwardly hoping she didn't get into too much trouble. "Uh hi Luke."

"Hi Addison. Why don't you go upstairs and freshen up? I'll make you breakfast when you come back down." He offered her.

The brunette nodded her head as she grabbed her bag getting out of the car. "Alright. Thanks Luke."

"Do I even want to know what you two pulled this time?" Luke asked once she was out of earshot.

"We didn't do anything. Honest. Just went to an all night diner and talked." Jess got out of the car locking it.

"You can't just run off in the middle of the night like that without telling anyone."

"I know! Look, she was stressing about college and now she's not." He admitted as he walked into the diner.

Addison walked back downstairs in a different outfit before could argue too much further. "Hey."

"Hey." Jess gave her a lopsided smile handing her the keys to her car as he walked past her heading upstairs.

"Look, I won't tell your parents if you promise me no more late night trips. You're a good kid, Addison. I'd hate to see you get caught up in any trouble or get hurt." Luke sighed looking at her.

Addie nodded her head frowning slightly. "I promise. We honestly weren't trying to get into trouble or anything. I get it though. Really."

"I hope you do." He moved behind the counter walking back into the kitchen to start cooking.

"Nice of you to come home." Her twin brother's voice called out as she shut the front door behind her.

Addie turned around to see him standing there. "You're not mom and dad. Cut it out."

"Maybe not, but I am your older brother." Dean pointed out.

She scoffed rolling her eyes at him. "Older by sixteen minutes, Dean."

"Still older, Addison. You were with Jess again, weren't you?" He folded his arms across his chest.

Addie started to walk past him only to stop when she heard what he had asked her. "Oh no, I am not getting caught in the middle of you and whatever issues you have with Jess. I have college applications to finish filling out."

"You know he's probably just being nice to you in order to get under my skin." Dean warned her.

She rolled her eyes at him and approached the stairs walking up them. "Jess and I are friends. It has absolutely nothing to do with you. Not to be rude, bro, but get over it."

Chapter Text

Addie furrowed her brows as she looked over the equation that she had just written down. "Okay wait so x is seven which would make y... five?"

"Yeah exactly. I think you're getting it." Rory nodded her head and smiled at her.

She sighed in relief tucking her hair behind her ear. "Thanks Rory. Math was never my strong suit once they started adding letters to the equations."

"No problem. I'm glad that I could help. So how are the college applications coming along?"

Addie smiled at her. "Actually not so bad. I still don't know what the heck I want to major in, but I've picked some colleges that I think I'll like."

"Well hey you could always transfer if you decide on a major and realize there's a better suited school for you." The youngest Gilmore pointed out.

She nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah I could. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks. So how are you doing with colleges?"

"Not bad. Still aiming for Harvard, but grandpa thinks I should really consider Yale." She admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

Addie sighed giving her a look. "I think you're going to do great regardless of which college you end up at, Ror, but it should be your decision. I just don't want you to end up miserable because you chose a school that someone else really wanted you to go to instead of one you really wanted to go to, you know?"

"Yeah I know. That's why I'm weighing my options very carefully. So enough about that, what's going on with you and Jess?" Rory glanced over at her curiously as she took a sip of her juice.

Her eyes widened a bit in surprise and then she laughed softly. "Nothing is going on with Jess and I. We're just friends. My brother hates it , but I'm not going to end our friendship because of that. I don't know. I think if people just gave Jess a chance instead of automatically assuming the worst then they would realize that he's actually not that bad."

Helping her Aunt Sookie with her wedding plans made Eleanor think of her own possible future wedding. Sure there was still many years before that probably ever even happened, but one detail still weighed heavily on her mind. She had no idea who would walk her down the aisle. Traditionally it would be the father of the bride, but she was raised by two moms. Not that she minded that. It wouldn't be a problem at all to have them give her away. She loved her moms, but the idea of her father was still a curious one.

"If you think any harder, smoke's going to start coming out of your ears." Jess quipped as he passed by her in the diner.

"Oh hey Jess." She waved slightly at him.

"Hey Nora. What's on your mind?" He asked curiously as he took a seat across from her.

"My father. I know it shouldn't be a big deal. Lots of kids raised by two gay women don't know who their biological father is and it doesn't bother them. I love my moms. I just can't help being curious. I blame Aunt Sookie's wedding." Nora admitted with a sigh.

"Ah. Well that's not that bad. It's only natural. Do you know anything about him or was he just like an anonymous donor?"

"A little bit. Mom was living in Brooklyn at the time. It gave her space, but she was still close enough to visit Aunt Sookie a lot. So mom meets this guy and she falls hard. They're together for like almost a year then she finds out that she was pregnant with me. He ended things and she never saw him again." She explained then took a sip of her soda.

"Wait I thought your mom was gay?" He looked at her confused.

"She's bisexual. Aunt Sookie and my mom's best friend Tessa who ended up becoming my second mom really helped her out during the pregnancy. Mom and Tessa ended up falling in love then got married. Tessa adopted me and my biological father never came back." Nora shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah I see. Well maybe you're better off without him then. If he really cared, he wouldn't have left." Jess pointed out to her.

"Yeah I know. I just can't help being curious. I brought it up to mom today and she got upset. Pretty much said the same thing you did. I'm not saying I want to meet the guy, but.. it would just be nice to know."

"How'd you end up going from Brooklyn to Stars Hollow anyway?" He asked her curiously as he ate one of her fries.

"I was bullied for having gay moms so I rebelled and partied hard to cope with it which only led to my grades slipping. My parents thought that I would be better off if I lived closer to Aunt Sookie and they were right. I've straightened out and I got to meet Addie who is now my best friend. So Stars Hollow isn't so bad after all." Nora smiled softly at that.

"How is Addie doing?" Jess raised his brows at her.

"She's good. Her parents announced that her family is going back to Chicago to visit her sister and grandparents for a bit. Unfortunately the trip is around the same time as Aunt Sookie's wedding, but thankfully her parents said that she can come back early to attend and she gets to stay with me. So it's not as bad." She giggled at that.

"Oh yeah? Good. Well at least she won't miss the wedding." He nodded his head.

"Yeah true. Oh hey are you going to prom? You should take Addie." Nora smirked playfully at him as she finished her food.

"I don't dance and I'm not going to wear a suit." Jess rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, just ask her. We're all going as a group, but we'll have dates. We're renting a house afterward for the afterparty which will probably just be us hanging out with music playing and a bunch of snacks. It'll be fun, Jess." She tried to convince him.

"I'll think about it, alright? No promises. I should get back to work." He stood up from the table giving her a lopsided smile before heading back behind the counter.

The weekend flew by, but it didn't take long for the news to spread through town. Addison made her way over to the Gilmores carrying a little get well basket she had put together for Rory. It was Lorelai who answered the door though.

The older woman smiled softly at her. "Hi Addie. She's resting right now."

Addie nodded her head handing over the basket. "I made her this. It's some of her favorite snacks, a mixed cd, a book of crossword puzzles, and a few other things. How is she? What happened if you don't mind me asking?"

Lorelai took the basket with a grateful smile. "Thank you. That's so sweet of you. She's doing pretty well. Her wrist is broken, but other than that, she's perfectly healthy. Thank goodness. As for what happened, she was supposed to be tutoring Jess, but they went out for ice cream. He was driving her car and they got into an accident. She said they swerved out of the way of a squirrel, but I don't know."

She frowned biting her lip a bit. "He's driven my car several times and he has always been a safe driver. I really don't think Rory would lie about what actually happened."

The older woman made a face then sighed softly. "Right now I honestly don't know what to think. We appreciate you coming over. I'll let Rory know you stopped by."

Addie nodded her head and turned around walking away from the Gilmore house. She made her way back into town. It didn't take her long to reach the diner. Luke was there working, but to her surprise she didn't see Jess.

The brunette frowned moving to get Luke's attention. "Hey. Um, is Jess around?"

"Uh no. He left actually. He went back to New York. We got in an argument and he just left." Luke admitted with a sigh.

Addie tried not to show her disappointment. "Oh. Alright. Look I know what happened was terrible, but Jess is a safe driver. Honest. I've let him drive my car a few times."

"I appreciate that, but they shouldn't have been out there on the road. She was supposed to be tutoring him. Not out getting ice cream." He huffed at the thought.

She shook her head biting her lip slightly. "Yeah and even the best tutors know that sometimes you just need a break."

Before he could respond, Addie turned around and left the diner. She spent the rest of the night at home in her room. The sound of her phone ringing pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up from the book that she was reading. It rang twice more before she picked it up.

Addie lifted the phone to her ear and bit her lip. "Hello?"

"Hey Daisy." Jess smiled slightly when he heard her voice.

Her eyes widened then she sighed in relief. "Jess? Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. It's been a crazy day and a half. Listen, I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye." He admitted with a sigh.

Addie tucked her hair behind her ear as she sat down on her bed. "Yeah I heard about it. Hey it's not goodbye. I mean, you're coming back. Right?"

"I don't know. They all hate me now." Jess rolled his eyes leaning against a wall.

She laughed slightly at that. "They don't all hate you. Nora doesn't hate you. Luke doesn't hate you. He's just... Luke. I don't hate you."

"Alright. I get it. Look, I make no promises, okay?"

Addie smiled softly as she laid back on her bed. "Okay. I know I can't force you. Just stay safe, alright? If you don't come back then maybe I'll see you when I go to New York for the tour of NYU."

"Alright I'll try. NYU huh? I could probably give you a better tour than they could." Jess chuckled softly.

She laughed shaking her head a little. "Don't tempt me, Mariano."

"I just might. Look, I got to get going, but uh, I'll try to keep in touch. It's good to hear your voice." He smiled running his fingers through his hair.

Addie smiled softly at that. "Please do. It's good to hear your voice too."

Chapter Text

Much to no one's surprise, a town hall meeting was held in the town square the next day. The meetings were mostly attended by the adults of the town though sometimes a teen or two would sit in as well. Addie had no intention of attending today's meeting, but she walked by it with Nora anyway. It wasn't hard to hear Taylor admonishing Jess' behavior and the townspeople conversing about him. Just hearing it made her blood boil. Her brother was there sitting beside the Gilmores, but Addie didn't seem to care.

The brunette approached the podium where Taylor stood. "Excuse me. Hi. Do you mind if I say something?"

"Oh. Hello Addison. Of course. Go right ahead." Taylor seemed surprised as he stepped aside to let her speak.

Addie looked out at the townspeople who were gathered there and cleared her throat. "Jess Mariano's parents failed him. His father abandoned him. His mother was addicted to drugs and had the worst taste in men. You know, some of her boyfriends even hit him. Yeah he got into some trouble, but being sent to live here with Luke probably saved him."

"He really isn't bad once you get to know him." Nora admitted.

She nodded her head in agreement. "You just instantly wrote him off as trouble instead of giving him a chance. Jess loves to read. Did you know that? Probably not. He's actually one of the smartest guys in this town. You'd know that if you ever bothered to treat him as anything other than trouble."

Before anyone could respond, Addie turned walking away from the town hall meeting with Nora. It felt good being able to defend their friend when he wasn't there to defend himself. The two girls went back to the Forester home and just hung out allowing Addie the chance to calm down.

"You what?" He appeared surprised as he adjusted the phone in his hand.

Addie sighed as she fell back onto her bed. "I know. I'm sorry for putting all of your business out there, Jess. I was just so annoyed by the way they were talking about you."

"It's okay, Daisy. I'm not mad at you. Just not used to someone defending me." Jess smiled softly at that.

She relaxed pushing her hair away from her face. "Well we're friends and I always defend my friends."

"How thoughtful of you. So other than you defending my honor, how's everything going?" He sat down glancing around.

Addie smiled softly at that. "It's going alright at the moment. I did some serious thinking about college and decided that I'm going to stick to schools that are somewhat close to home. It will be easier to visit Clara that way. How's everything with you?"

"That makes sense. I'm sure she'll appreciate it in the long run. I'm okay, Daisy. I did see my mother, but I'm staying with friends." Jess admitted to her.

She sighed in relief. "Good. I'm glad that you're okay, Jess. Stars Hollow just isn't the same without you."

"Thanks. Oh I'm sure it isn't." He chuckled softly at that.

Addie shook her head smiling slightly. "It really isn't although apparently this lady named Sophie bought that empty building in town and she's turning it into a music store. Lane is thrilled."

"Cool. Instruments or records?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Both I think. It should be a fun addition to town once it's open. You'll have to come back and check it out."

"Addie..." Jess sighed.

Addie bit her lip. "I know, I know. Wishful thinking. I'm not trying to pressure you into coming back or anything like that, you know. Even if it does kind of sound that way."

"Yeah I know. Maybe one day I'll check out that store. Only if you go with me though." He smiled softly.

She smiled a bit at that. "Well that can be arranged."

Sookie glanced over at her niece giving her a knowing look. "What's on your mind, sweetie?"

"What do you know about my father?" Nora asked her aunt curiously.

She took a breath before sighing softly. "Oh boy. I knew this day would come. I honestly never met your father. All I know is whatever your mother would tell me about him which wasn't much."

"Why didn't he want me?"

Sookie walked over and wrapped her arms around the younger girl giving her a hug. "Aw honey. I don't know why, but he missed out on such an amazing girl. Your mom told me that he was divorced so my best guess was that he just wasn't ready for that kind of committment. I mean, they weren't even living together."

"Thanks Aunt Sookie. I guess the wedding made me realize I won't have the option of having my father walk me down the aisle and I just got curious. Don't get me wrong, I love my moms. Knowing I actually did have a father for a brief moment in time and seeing my friends with their dads just made me want to know more about mine." She admitted returning the hug.

She nodded her head in understanding as she pulled away. "Talk to your mom about it. I can't promise that she'll give you a name, but she'll at least try to discuss him with you."

"Alright I will. So, um, how's the menu coming along?"

Sookie laughed softly as she clasped her hands excitedly. "Taking into consideration dietary restrictions and any potential allergies of the wedding guests, I think I have the menu set. We just need to decide on the cake flavors."

"Oh I have an idea! Why don't you get cake samples and you can sit down with Jackson to try them?" Nora suggested with a soft grin.

She smiled feeling herself get even more excited. "That's a great idea, Nora. I'll get everything set up for that. We compiled a list of cake flavor and filling combinations that we like, but I'm not sure if they all are viable choices for a wedding cake."

"It's your wedding, Aunt Sookie. I don't even have to see the list to know that they're all good choices for your wedding cake. So try not to stress over it too much." She assured the older woman.

Chapter Text

Addie and Nora were excited to finally be in Manhattan touring NYU. It was definitely a college that they both wanted to attend. After the tour, they had plans to meet up with Jess over at Washington Square Park. It surprisingly wasn't that hard to spot him once they arrived at the park. The sight of Rory Gilmore beside him was the surprising part.

"Uh, shouldn't she be at Lorelai's graduation?" Nora whispered to her best friend.

Addie nodded her head whispering back. "Yeah. What the hell?"

Rory walked away from Jess oblivious to the two girls watching them. Once she was out of earshot, they approached him. Jess' face lit up and he greeted them both with a hug. They hugged him back, but Addie tensing up caught his attention. He pulled back eyeing her questioningly.

She sighed at him. "We saw you with Rory. Dean might be annoying, but he's still my twin brother and he doesn't deserve this."

"Hey no, all we did was talk and walk around. I didn't even know she was coming here." Jess assured her.

Addie relaxed realizing he was telling the truth. "Okay."

"So how was NYU?" He gave them a lopsided smile.

"It was great! We both really like it. Right now we just have to play the waiting game and see which schools accept us." Nora smiled at him.

Addie nodded her head in agreement. "We're thinking that if we do go with NYU, that we'll spend at least a few semesters in the dorms then maybe get an apartment if we're lucky."

"Sounds like a good plan although the apartments can be expensive. You guys eat yet? I know a good pizza spot nearby." Jess chuckled softly.

"Actually we didn't get lunch yet so pizza sounds perfect. Lead the way." She grinned softly at him.

Jess led them over to the nearby pizza place and, true to his word, the pizza was really good. They hung out with him for a while until it started to get late. It was Jess who invited them to just stay with him for the night. The two of them agreed and went back with him to the apartment he was sharing with friends. His friends were out of town at the moment so at least it wasn't awkward. They watched a movie until they fell asleep. Nora was the first to wake up the next morning and she was amused when she saw that Addie was asleep in a sleeping Jess' arms. She quietly snapped a picture then moved to get ready for the day. Nora was even more amused when she returned only to see them both awake and her best friend blushing. Addie hurriedly went to get ready then Jess followed suit. After breakfast, he went with them over to the bus station.

"Hey wait. Um, I know your birthday is really soon and I'm probably going to miss it so I just wanted to give you this." Jess handed a small wrapped box over to Addie.

She looked at him in surprise as she took the box from him. "Oh Jess. You didn't have to, but thank you."

"You're welcome. I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to, Daisy." He gave her a lopsided smile.

Addie opened it only to giggle softly when she saw the daisy pendant that was attached to a necklace. "It's beautiful."

"C'mere." Jess took the necklace and moved to put it on her.

She turned around lifting her hair up letting him put it on. "I love it."

"There. Perfect." He smiled as she let go of her hair and turned around.

Addie smiled and leaned in pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."

"Alright we really have to go, but it was great seeing you again, Jess." Nora smiled taking her best friend's hand dragging her away.

She laughed squealing softly as she waved goodbye to him. "Nora!"

It was two days later when the Foresters headed off to Chicago. Addie was excited to spend time with her sister, her sister's family, and her grandparents. She had a good time and was reluctant to leave early. Addie didn't want to miss out on Sookie's big day though so she made her way back to Stars Hollow. The wedding itself was going to be at the Dragonfly Inn which was owned by Lorelai and Sookie. Addie stopped at home to get her things then went straight over to the Inn. She got changed then Nora helped her with her hair and makeup. Then they went to go check on Sookie.

Addie gasped softly when she saw the bride. "Sookie, you look beautiful!"

The bride to be grinned softly at her. "Thank you. I'm glad you made it."

She smiled at her. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it."

"I got the waterproof mascara." Delilah St. James entered the room handing the tube over to her sister.

Sookie smiled taking the make up and moved over to a mirror starting to apply it. "Thanks sis."

"Hey mom. Alright well we're going to go make sure everyone is ready. See you out there." Nora smiled taking her best friend's hand and leaving the room just as Lorelai walked in.

Sookie and Jackson's wedding was beautiful. The girls were very happy for them. The reception was also held at the inn. At one point, Addie stepped outside to get some air only to see a familiar face. She smiled walking over to him.

"Wow! You look... amazing." Jess smiled at her.

Addie smiled softly at him. "You came back."

"What? No. I'm just.. uh.. passing through." He chuckled softly.

Her smile grew at that. "You came back."

"Okay yeah. I came back. It's not that big of a deal." Jess shrugged his shoulders.

Addie bit her lip slightly. "It is to me. Does Luke know you're back?"

"Yeah I stopped in and saw him first."

She nodded her head at him. "That's good. Did you want to go into the reception?"

"Uh no, I'm good."

Addie smiled slightly at him. "Alright. I should get in there before Nora sends a search party out for me. It's great to see you back, Jess."

Her brown hair bounced a bit as she turned and headed back into the inn. It was a short while later that Addie walked out of the inn again this time with Nora at her side. To their surprise, Jess was still out there, but he and Rory were kissing. Nora tried to move her friend in a different direction, but Addie's anger got the best of her.

"Daisy..."

Addie huffed at the pair. "Don't daisy me, Mariano. I told myself that I wasn't going to get involved. That my brother was just being a jealous idiot. But he was right, wasn't he?"

"No. I.. I'm sorry. It's complicated." Rory admitted to her with wide blue eyes.

She scoffed at her. "Complicated? We saw you with Jess in New York when you were supposed to be at your mother's graduation. Now we see you kissing him? You're lucky this is Sookie's special day or I would have hit you."

"Okay calm down. It'll be okay." Nora tried to soothe her.

"Dean's my first love, but... Jess is different." Rory looked at her boyfriend's twin sister.

Addie took a deep breath calming herself. "That right there is why you should just end things with my brother. He deserves better than to be cheated on and Jess deserves better than to be kissed by someone else's girlfriend."

Before anyone could respond, Addie turned storming off away from them and the reception.

"It's that twin bond. They're very protective of each other even if they do get on each other's nerves at times. You should tell him before she does." Nora observed before looking at the pair.

"I'm just trying to figure out how I feel." The youngest Gilmore spoke softly.

"Dean's the safe choice. He's your first choice and your family loves him. No one can blame you for clinging to that. Then you meet Jess who is rough around the edges, but you have more in common. But do you really like him? Or is he just a way for you to break out of that perfect shell everyone has placed you in?" Nora remarked sighing softly.

"I'm standing right here." Jess pointed out.

"I know." She quipped then turned walking back to her aunt's reception.

Chapter Text

It was a few days after the wedding when the Foresters returned to Stars Hollow. Addie was happy to have her family back in town. She felt guilty for not telling Dean about seeing Rory kissing Jess, but she wanted to give the girl a chance to do the right thing. The more that she saw them play the happy couple, the more annoyed she got at Rory though. It didn't take long for Dean to pick up on that. They were twins, after all.

"Hey Addison, you know you can tell me anything, right?" Dean sat down in her desk chair looking over at her.

She sighed sitting up in her bed to look at him. "Yeah I know. I appreciate it."

"So what's going on? You keep getting upset around Rory and I. Did something happen?"

Addie frowned pushing her hair back away from her face. "Look, I wanted to tell you because you absolutely deserve to know. I was just giving Rory a chance to own up to it first."

"Addie..." He frowned giving her a look of concern.

She bit her lip feeling bad for her brother. "Remember when Nora and I went on our NYU tour? We met up with Jess afterward. Rory was there even though she was supposed to be at her mother's graduation. Nothing happened. They just walked around and talked. Jess... he came back to Stars Hollow the day of Sookie's wedding. I went outside with Nora and we saw Rory kissing him. I'm so sorry, Dean."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. I was right. I knew there was something there." Dean shook his head and sighed.

Addie gave her brother a sympathetic look. "I don't think she actually knows how she feels. You're her first love. The guy her family adores. Jess challenges her in different ways than you do and part of her likes that. Sure she went about it in the completely wrong way, but it's not like she ever had an example of a healthy relationship growing up."

"That's still no excuse, Addison. I should have just ended things, but I stupidly thought we would get through this." He scoffed.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I know it's not, but you should still talk to her. Calmly if you can. Don't hit Jess. I know you're hurt and you just want to take your anger out on him. Fighting him won't help anything and will only make you look like a jerk."

"Of course you're protecting Jess. Fine. I won't fight him."

Addie touched her daisy pendant gently. "I'm protecting you. I'm still mad at him too."

"Hey have you seen Addie?" Jess asked a few weeks later as Nora stood at the counter in his uncle's diner.

"Yeah of course. She's still avoiding you, huh?" Nora gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Unfortunately. I don't know what to do. I feel like I've tried everything." He sighed rubbing his neck lightly.

"Well not everything. The basket auction is coming up. Win her basket and she'll have to talk to you." She pointed out taking a sip of her coffee.

"She hates that auction though. it's archaic." His brows furrowed at her.

"Yeah I know, but Miss Patty will put in a basket for her regardless so Addie's learned to just go with it and make her own." Nora shrugged her shoulders.

"Right. Thanks for the advice."

"No problem. Don't worry about her brother. I'll make sure he doesn't cause a scene." She assured him smiling softly as she turned and left the diner.

Doose's market was quiet as Nora walked in grabbing a basket. She walked further into the store smiling softly when she saw Dean. Taylor wasn't in the store at the moment so Nora took the opportunity to move over toward Addie's brother. She looked at a row of shelves considering a few last minute items for her own auction baskets.

"Hey Dean. Can we talk for a moment, please? You can just continue working while we talk so you don't get in trouble." Nora spoke up getting his attention.

"Uh yeah sure. What's up?" He gave her a curious look as he stocked one of the shelves.

"It's about Addie. No one can blame you for not liking Jess, but even you have to admit that he is important to your sister. She's been kind of miserable since she went off on him and Rory." She remarked to him calmly.

"Yeah I know. As much as I don't like it, he's been a good friend to her." Dean sighed shaking his head.

"Exactly. She's been avoiding him and he just wants to talk to her. So I might have given him the bright idea of bidding on her basket." Nora explained biting her lip.

"And let me guess, you don't want me to make a scene? Fine. I do owe my sister one anyway. Why are you so invested?"

"Because she's my best friend and her happiness means the world to me. Besides he's my friend too. There's also this and before you freak out, our parents knew. It was late and he kept us safe. That should count for something." She assured him as she pulled up the photo on her phone of Addie asleep in Jess' arms.

"Huh. It's like I want to be mad, but I appreciate that he kept you guys safe." He nodded his head then focused on stocking the shelves.

"Why haven't you been applying for any scholarships or to any of the really good colleges?" Nora couldn't help asking curiously.

"I did apply for scholarships, but the sports related scholarships. Yeah I have good grades. I didn't want to take away from Addie's chances though. Our older sister got pregnant her junior year of high school. She had the baby and got married. Don't get me wrong, I love our older sister, but I just want better for Addie, you know? We can't afford two expensive college tuitions at the same time so I'd rather it go to her than me." Dean admitted shrugging his shoulders.

"You're a good brother, Dean. Thanks. I'll see you around." She smiled at him and then made her way over to the registers to check out.

Addie fidgeted as she sat in the town square beside Nora. "I hate this town tradition."

"That's the fifth time you've said that since we got here. Relax. It's almost over." Nora reassured her best friend.

She relaxed a bit knowing her friend was right. "Yeah I know. I'm sorry. Oh god that's my basket."

"Twenty five." Jess called out bidding on the basket.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she heard his familiar voice. She waited for her brother to interject causing a scene, but it never came. It wasn't long before her basket's auction ended and sure enough the winner of it was Jess Mariano. Nora was relieved that it had all gone according to the plan. Now it was time for the hard part. Getting Addie to actually talk to Jess.

"Hey Daisy." He gave her his signature lopsided smile as he held her basket that he had won.

Addie bit her lip unsure of how to react. "Hi Jess. Should we just get this over with then?"

"Yeah sure. I know a good place." Jess shared a look with Nora before turning to lead her best friend away.

"Just give it a chance. Have fun. Tell me everything later." Nora whispered to her with a smile then walked away.

Addie nodded her head letting Jess lead her out of the town square. They kept walking until they reached the lake. The pair sat down and Jess opened the basket taking food out. Sandwiches, chips, and sodas. Jess took a bite of his sandwich and looked impressed.

"That's really good, Daisy."

She shrugged her shoulders at him. "Sookie's been giving Nora and I cooking lessons as a thank you for helping her with her wedding."

"Well you're doing really good." He smiled at her.

Addie sighed taking a sip of her soda. "What do you want, Jess?"

"Other than Nora and maybe Luke, you're the only one in this god forsaken town that thinks I'm worth a damn. I just.. I miss you." Jess admitted.

She bit her lip. "It's not that easy. You kissed my brother's girlfriend."

"Okay yes, I did flirt with her, but I never made an actual move on Rory while she was with Dean. I was caught off guard when she kissed me, but I kissed her back believing that they had broken up. I mean, come on, I didn't think she would actually kiss me where you could easily see us if she hadn't broken up with your brother first." He explained to her.

Addie frowned thinking it over as she ate. "It just hurt. I defended you to him and then you guys just proved him right."

"I really am sorry." Jess reached out touching her necklace gently. "You're still wearing it."

She blushed lightly at that as they finished eating. "Why wouldn't I? Just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean I'm going to stop wearing it."

"Good." He smiled helping her clean up then stood walking with her over the bridge.

Addie looked at him in surprise when he suddenly dropped down to one knee in the middle of the bridge taking her hand. "Mariano, what are you doing?"

"Daisy, will you go to prom with me?" Jess gazed up at her.

She gave him a look that was a mix of confusion and amusement. "Uh, don't you have a girlfriend?"

"Well yeah, but she goes to Chilton so she can't go to our prom. She's totally okay with this." He assured her only to get hit in the face by a passing swan.

Her jaw dropped at the sight then she helped him off the bridge. "Are you okay?"

"No. That hurt!" Jess winced lowering his hands only to be relieved when he didn't see any blood.

Addie reached out looking at his face. "Let me see. Hold still. I'm not a doctor, but I think you'll be okay. It's going to leave quite the shiner though."

"That's a joke right? Ugh! I'm supposed to meet Rory at her grandparents' house tonight. I can't show up with a black eye." He relaxed at her gentle touch only to groan in annoyance.

She shook her head smiling softly at him. "I could try to cover it with concealer."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'll just have to deal with it." Jess sighed at the thought.

Addie nodded her head then pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Fine. I'll go to prom with you. It'll be fun."

"So we're good?" He gave her a hopeful look.

She bit her lip then sighed softly. "Not yet, but we'll get there. I just need a little time."

"Hey it's not a no so that's good enough for me. Take all the time you need." Jess assured her.

"Everything alright?" Luke asked as he poured her a cup of coffee.

"No. My daughter's father decided to waltz back into our lives. Damn it, Jimmy." Delilah huffed before giving him a grateful look for the coffee.

"Jimmy? Oh Delilah, please tell me his last name isn't Mariano." He gave her a knowing look.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"He's my ex brother in law." Luke admitted.

"But that would mean... oh god." She looked stunned as she sipped her coffee.

"Exactly. How did you even get involved with him?" He leaned against the counter.

"We met at a bar. It was just a weekend fling at first, but then we kept seeing each other. He told me that he was divorced."

"He lied, but that's not surprising." Luke rolled his eyes at that.

"The kids are only nine months apart. I feel terrible." Delilah frowned shaking her head.

"Hey you didn't know. It's not your fault. He's the one that decided to cheat."

"So what are we going to do about Nora and Jess?" She asked feeling a bit unsure.

"We tell them the truth. They deserve to know that they are siblings. We can't keep that from them now that we know." He assured her.

"Okay. I definitely agree."

"Good. We'll tell them tomorrow. That'll give you time to calm down and tell Tessa. I know it'll be hard, but try not to worry about it too much. It'll be okay." Luke gave her a slight smile patting her hand before moving to a table to take someone's order.

Chapter Text

"Uh hi. What's going on?" Nora asked as she walked downstairs the next day only to see Luke and Jess were there.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Apparently they have to tell us something." Jess greeted her shrugging his shoulders.

"Actually it's about your father, Nora. I think it's time that you knew the truth." Delilah spoke up gesturing for them all to sit down.

"Am I a Danes?" She gave her mom a confused look as she sat down beside Jess.

"No, but how about we let your mom explain before you two ask questions?" Luke suggested.

"Thanks. Alright I was living in Brooklyn when I became pregnant with you, Nora. I met a man named Jimmy and we had a fling. I fell hard and we kept seeing each other. I never saw him again after I told him that I was pregnant." Delilah admitted.

"JImmy..." She sounded it out nodding her head at her mother.

"What I never knew was that your father was already married... to Luke's sister. I found out I was pregnant not long before she gave birth to Jess."

"That means that Nora and Jess, you two are half siblings." Luke explained.

"Why are we only just finding this out now?" Jess asked as he and Nora sat there unsure of how to react.

"I was venting to Luke yesterday about Jimmy which led to him putting two and two together." She admitted.

The two teens looked at each other still unsure of what to think. Nora took the first step, so to speak, and pulled her newfound brother into a hug. He tensed up for a moment caught off guard. After a few moments, Jess relaxed and wrapped his arms around her returning the hug. They stayed like that for a few moments then pulled away.

"So does this make me taking your best friend to prom all weird now?" He smirked at his sister.

"No. Shut up." Nora laughed nudging him playfully.

Addie eyed them both for a moment before nodding her head. "Yeah I see it. You two do have a bit of a resemblance."

"Maybe a little. So you guys don't think it's weird?" Nora asked.

Lane Kim shook her head smiling at them. "Not at all. I think it's cool that you two are siblings."

"Yeah at least you guys found each other now instead of way later." Rory agreed.

"Thanks I think." Jess rubbed the back of his neck.

"Maybe you can get him to tell us how he got that shiner." The youngest Gilmore commented.

"I told you it's not that big of a deal." He sighed.

Addie bit her lip tucking her hair behind her ear. "He's right. It really wasn't that big of a deal. We were walking across that little bridge in the park and he stopped to tie his shoe. I didn't realize and like half turned to look at him behind me. My elbow swung back and collided with his face as he was standing up. I offered concealer to help him cover it up, but he was too macho to use it."

"I wasn't too macho to use it. Concealer's just not for me." Jess countered going along with her partial lie.

The younger Forester twin smirked playfully at him. "Sure you're not."

"Anyway, so yeah we're siblings and we're going to get to know each other as siblings." Nora smiled giving her best friend a knowing look.

Lane tucked her dark hair behind her ear and smiled at them. "That's great. So is anyone taking part in the town talent show?"

"No, but I'm trying to convince Addie to take part in it." Nora smirked playfully at her best friend.

Addie blushed shaking her head at her. "I don't think so."

"Wait what would she be doing?" Jess asked clearly amused.

"Singing and maybe playing the guitar." His sister answered with a giggle.

Lane nodded her head at them. "She's pretty good. We've had her sing with the band a few times for fun."

"Daisy, have you been holding out on me?" Jess chuckled at her softly.

She shook her head again and laughed softly. "Not really. I'm just shy when it comes to performing."

"Well it's just a talent show. You should give it a go. It could be fun." Rory suggested with a smile.

Addie shrugged her shoulders at her. "Maybe I will. We'll see."

Lane got up to leave. "Well if you want to rehearse with the band, just let me know. Anyway I got to get going back home before I miss curfew."

"Yeah me too." Rory smiled standing up as well.

"I'll walk you girls." Jess stood up smiling.

Addie nodded her head smiling at them. "I will, Lane. See you guys later."

It was a few days later when Addie was sitting in the gazebo in town square writing. Rory spotted her and walked over while her mother Lorelai headed into Luke's Diner. Addie smiled at her brother's ex girlfriend and continued writing. She had somewhat made peace with what happened between the two.

"Hey, um, can we talk for a moment?" Rory spoke up looking a little nervous.

Addie lifted her head appearing a little surprised. "Uh, sure. What's up?"

"It's about you and Jess. I don't really like how close you guys are, you know?"

She stopped writing and laughed softly at her. "It's just how we are, Rory. We clung to each other as the newbies to this town and we've been close ever since."

"Yeah I get that, but I'm his girlfriend now. I just think you guys might be a little too close." She shrugged her shoulders.

Addie scoffed at her. "That's rich coming from you. Didn't you cheat on my brother with Jess?"

"That's not the point, Addison."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes it is the point. I'm not going to stop being close to him just because you're dating him now. Jess is one of my best friends and I'm not giving that up just because you feel insecure."

"I'm not asking you to give that up. Just ease up on it a little. That's all." Rory frowned at her.

Addie shrugged her shoulders at her. "It's not that simple, Rory. He's in a good spot right now and I'm not going to disrupt that balance just to make you happy."

"I'm sorry that I don't like how close my boyfriend is with you, Addie." The youngest Gilmore sighed at her.

She stood up gathering her things and smirked softly at her. "Oh Gilmore, if I was romantically interested in Jess, you wouldn't stand a damn chance. That is what scares you and why you don't like us being so close."

"Addie..." Rory huffed watching as she walked away.

"Hey Daisy." Jess gave her a lopsided smile as he climbed through her window later that night.

Addie smiled softly at him. "Hey Jess. What's up?"

"Rory told me about what happened earlier."

Her smile faded slightly at that. "Oh. Is this the part where you tell me we have to stop being so close?"

"God no. I would never suggest that. I get where she is coming from, but I'm sorry that she had to bring it to you." He admitted with a sigh.

She shook her head smiling a bit at him. "It's fine. Really."

"So if you were romantically interested in me, she wouldn't stand a chance?" His brows raised at her curiously.

Addie blushed tucking her hair behind her ear. "Okay I might have gotten a bit cocky there. She got on my nerves so I just called it how it was, you know?"

"Uh huh. So you're a singer."

She laughed softly at that. "Not really. Just for fun."

"Let me hear you." Jess chuckled softly at her.

Addie shook her head at him. "Oh no. Not happening. You'll have to wait for the talent show."

"So you are going to do the talent show." He smiled at that.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so."

"That's great, Daisy."

Addie gave him a look. "So how do you really feel about the whole siblings thing?"

"Weird. Angry at our dad for abandoning us both. I'm not mad at Nora's mom. She's a nice lady who obviously didn't know about my family. Nora is cool to have as a sister." Jess admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

She smiled softly at him. "Yeah well it's his loss, Jess. He missed out on getting to raise two great kids. Now you and Eleanor get to make up for lost time getting to know each other. Screw him."

"Yeah I know. Thanks. So what else is going on in that head of yours?"

Addie sighed softly at that. "Dean's dating again. She's a really nice girl. I just think he's moving a little fast."

"It's understandable to be concerned. He's your twin, after all. But if he feels ready then he's ready." Jess shrugged.

She nodded her head snuggling against him a bit. "Yeah I know. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Of course it will and even if it's not, he's still young." He assured her pressing a kiss to her head.

Addie bit her lip in thought. "If I thought it would make you happy, I'd ease up a bit to make things easier for you and Rory. But selfishly I can't let go, Jess. I need you in my life too much."

"I know. I need you too, Addie."

Chapter Text

Addison bit her lip as she paced nervously. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Addie, of course you can do this. I know it's scary, but it's just singing. I'll be there in the crowd the whole time." Nora assured her.

She shook her head at that. "I know. I'm glad you'll be there. It's not the performing that scares me. It's the lyrics. I feel like I'm baring my soul to everyone."

"It's okay if you sing a different song, but I think you'd be missing out if you didn't sing this one. It's the risk you take when you perform an original song." She grasped her shoulders stopping her pacing.

Addie sighed softly at her. "I know. You're right. I just..ugh."

"Just focus on me while you're singing if that helps." Nora suggested with a soft smile as she let her best friend go.

She took a deep breath running her fingers through her dark hair. "Thanks."

Nora smiled a bit more at her and finished doing her best friend's make up. Addie then fixed her hair running a brush through it, but leaving it loose around her shoulders. She was wearing a flowy pale blue sundress, heeled sandals, and her daisy necklace. They walked over to the town square where the stage for the talent show was set up. Various talents were shown off including Kirk playing an accordion. When her name was called, Addison froze for a moment. Nora gave her a little push toward the stage and she snapped out of it.

Addie approached the microphone taking a deep breath as the music started. "Everyone needs inspiration. Everybody needs a song. A beautiful melody when the night's so long. Cause there's no guarantee this life is easy."

"You got this." Nora mouthed to her and grinned softly.

She closed her eyes for a moment as she sang. " Yeah, when my world is falling apart. When there's no light to break up the dark. That's when I... I look at you. When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore. That's when I... I look at you."

"She's good." Rory smiled.

Addie looked out at the crowd again. "When I look at you, I see forgiveness. I see the truth. You love me for who I am. Like the stars hold the moon. Right there where they belong and I know I'm not alone."

"Yeah, she is." Nora watched her best friend proudly.

She gripped the microphone smiling. "Yeah, when my world is falling apart. When there's no light to break up the dark. That's when I... I look at you. When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore. That's when I... I look at you."

"Yeah." Jess looked up at the stage giving her a lopsided smile.

Addie's eyes met Jess' gaze and she swallowed hard. "You appear just like a dream to me. Just like kaleidoscope colors that cover me, all I need. Every breath that I breathe. Don't you know you're beautiful?"

"Oh my god." Nora whispered to herself.

She took a breath before finishing the song. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. When the waves are flooding the shore and I can't find my way home anymore. That's when I... I look at you. I look at you. You appear just like a dream to me."

The crowd applauded and she blushed taking a bow before leaving the stage. Nora greeted her with a hug praising her performance. Addie laughed softly returning her best friend's hug. As they pulled away, Dean pulled his twin sister into a hug spinning her around a bit. She laughed even more returning the hug.

"I'm so proud of you. That was amazing!" Dean smiled at her as he pulled away.

Addie shook her head smiling at him. "Oh please. You guys are going to give me an ego if you keep that up."

"It's true though. That was great, Daisy." Jess grinned softly handing her a bottle of water.

She blushed taking the bottle from him. "Thanks Jess."

"I don't think I'm familiar with the song though. Who sings it?" He gave her a confused look.

"Oh no one sings it. Addie wrote it." Nora grinned at her brother.

Addie nearly choked on the water as she drank it. "Nora!"

"Huh." Jess gave her a look that neither girl could decipher.

"You wrote it? That's impressive, sis." Dean smiled at her.

She shook her head and turned back toward the stage cheering Lane on as she went on with her band.

"You wrote that about me, didn't you?" Jess asked later that night as they hung out in her room.

Addie raised her brows at him then rolled her eyes playfully. "Well it couldn't be more obvious."

"You think all of that about me?" He looked at her surprised.

She sighed softly at him. "It's true though. When I'm in a bad mood or stressed, you're the one that always cheers me up. You're the one that calms me down. Jess, you just walked into town one day and turned my life upside down in the best of ways. I'd be lost without you."

"Yeah same. You were always like the one person besides Nora who had my back when everyone else in this town were against me. I'd be lost without you too." Jess pressed a kiss to her head.

Addie smiled softly. "Well someone has to defend your ass. Might as well be us."

"Ha ha. I've been good lately. I even got a job." He paused cringing slightly at that reveal. "Just don't tell anyone. I don't want to make a big deal out of it."

Her eyes widened a bit. "You got a job? Really?"

"Yeah. It's just stocking at Walmart. It's really not that big of a deal." Jess shrugged his shoulders at that.

She smiled softly at him. "It's a job. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks. Just don't tell anyone. Rory and Luke don't even know."

Addie's brows furrowed at that. "Why not? They'd be happy for you."

"I know, but like I said, I don't want to make a big deal out of it." He sighed.

She nodded her head in agreement. "Alright. Your secret is safe with me."

"So are we good now? You know, since you were mad at me before?" Jess glanced over at her.

Addie smiled slightly at him. "Yeah, I think so. I just needed a little time to be mad."

"Understandable. We still going to prom together?"

She laughed softly at that. "Of course unless Rory suddenly has a problem with it."

"It'll be fine. We'll have fun." He assured her with a lopsided smile.

To everyone's surprise, a car appeared parked by Luke's Diner a few weeks later. It was even more surprising when it turned out to be owned by Jess. Addie was amused as she knew he had a job and hadn't expected him to use his paychecks to buy a car. She walked by the day after the car appeared only to see an upset Jess looking at his car. The windows, hood, and roof were covered in eggs. It was only when she got closer that she realized that they were deviled eggs. Who would trash a car with deviled eggs?

"Can you believe this crap?" Jess groaned gesturing to his car.

Addie shook her head in disbelief. "No I can't. That's crazy."

"It's so messed up!" He kicked one of the tires.

She sighed grasping his arm gently. "Alright calm down. We can clean it up. It'll be fine."

"If you say so." Jess pulled away and went into the diner to get cleaning supplies.

"Oh my god. What happened?" Rory stopped looking shocked at the car.

Addie looked over at her. "Someone trashed Jess' car with deviled eggs. Crazy huh?"

"Yeah pretty crazy."

"Oh hey." He nodded at his girlfriend as he brought out the cleaning supplies.

"Hey. Sorry about your car." She smiled softly at him.

"It's okay." Jess shrugged as he started to clean the car off.

Addie grabbed a rag and started to help him. "I can already feel Sookie and Nora's disappointment at the wasted food."

"Okay. Alright. It was me and my mom. I'm so sorry, Jess. We were coming back from my stepmother's baby shower and she had given us the extra deviled eggs to take home. We walked by your car and I don't know... it all just happened so fast." Rory cracked under the guilt and admitted what she did.

"Rory..." Jess looked over at her.

The anger built up in her, but she remained calm. "Grab a rag and help clean it off then. It's the least you could do."

"Okay." She took a rag and started to help them clean the car off.

"Thanks." He said to her then gave Addie a grateful look.

They cleaned quietly for a bit before she couldn't help speaking up. "You know, I get your mom doing it. Lorelai never liked Jess or even gave him a real chance. But you? The girl who risked her whole reputation by cheating on my brother to kiss Jess? The girl who is now dating Jess. I just don't get that part. If it's because of me then that is super pathetic."

"It wasn't because of you. I just.. I don't know." Rory shrugged her shoulders.

Addie rolled her eyes at that. "We don't all have rich grandparents to give us cars, Rory. Some of us get them handed down by our older sibling or some of us like Jess work our asses off to make enough money to buy a used car."

"Daisy, relax. I can handle it. Thanks for your help. I think we got it from here." Jess still looked at her gratefully, but still knew he needed to defuse the situation.

She stopped cleaning nodding her head in understanding and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Alright. No problem. I'll see you around."

"Yeah sure." He gave her a lopsided smile and continued cleaning his car as she walked away.

"They did what? That's crazy. I knew Lorelai didn't like him, but to get Rory to egg his car? That's messed up." Nora shook her head annoyed at the situation.

Addie nodded her head eating a fry. "I know right? I kind of went off on Rory and Jess sent me away. Not in a bad way. I think he was just trying to keep things from escalating too much."

"That's understandable, but still. Wait so are we still friends with her?" She asked taking a sip of her soda.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I still consider her a friend. She's your brother's girlfriend so that is up to you. I did tell them that I could feel Sookie and your disappointments over the wasted food."

"You're not wrong. Wasted deviled eggs is a shame. When they're made right, they're delicious." Nora smiled at her.

Addie laughed softly at that. "I knew you'd say something like that."

"So what else happened?" She asked as she picked up a fry and then ate it.

She blushed slightly. "I might have kissed his cheek to annoy her when I said bye."

"Addison! Oh my god. Do you like my brother?" Nora squealed slightly at her.

Addie laughed a bit at that. "I'm just protective of him, Nora. That's all. Someone has to be."

"If you say so, Addie." She giggled softly at her best friend.

She smiled taking a sip of her soda as they sat on Nora's couch. "Anyway, yeah, so that all happened. I'm not sure if she was actually mad at Jess or if Lorelai just got to her. It's weird."

"Yeah it is weird. Should I talk to Aunt Sookie about it? I just might." Nora considered.

Addie nodded her head in agreement. "It wouldn't hurt to bring it up to her. If anyone can talk some sense into Lorelai, it would be Sookie."

"Alright I'll bring it up to her then." She smiled at her.

Chapter Text

College acceptance letters were arriving in Stars Hollow. It was a time that Addison was both excited for and dreading. She entered Luke's Diner only to smile when she saw the excitement on Nora's face. Addie walked over greeting her friends who were already sitting at a table. She sat down joining them and smiled when Nora squeezed her hand.

"Well? Did you get your letters yet?" The raven haired beauty smiled at her best friend.

Addie laughed softly squeezing her hand in return. "I just got them today. I got in! NYU accepted me."

"Addison! That's amazing! I got in too." Nora hugged her happily.

She returned the hug then pulled away. "That's awesome!"

"So does that mean what I think it means? Are you ladies going to college together?" Jess smiled at his sister and their best friend.

The two girls looked at each other then nodded at him. "Yeah I think that is exactly what that means."

"Nice." He chuckled softly at that.

Addie smiled and looked over at Rory. "So how did you do?"

"I got accepted to most of the colleges I applied to, but I think I'm going to go with Yale." She admitted with a soft grin.

Her eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Rory, that's great! Are you sure though? I know you had your heart set on Harvard."

"I'm still giving it some thought, but yeah I'm pretty sure. I went to see Yale and I could actually see myself there, you know?"

"Yeah I get that. Plus it's not that far from here so you'll still be able to see your family when you want." Nora nodded her head in understanding.

"Exactly. I promise I'm not going to Yale because my grandfather wants me to go there. It's my choice one hundred percent." Rory assured them.

Addison smiled at her reassuringly. "Hey if Yale is what you want, you have our support, Rory. At least New York and Connecticut aren't that far from each other."

"Stop fidgeting. You're going to wrinkle your suit." Luke told his nephew.

"I told you that I hate wearing these things." He made a face at his uncle.

"It's just for one night. Two or three hours the most. Then you can change right back into your regular clothes." Delilah assured him as she adjusted his tie.

"I'm only doing it for them." Jess admitted as his cheeks were tinged with a light blush.

Tessa St. James walked downstairs just then and smiled at everyone. "The girls will be down in a second."

As if on cue, the two girls walked downstairs catching everyone's attention. Nora was in a red dress with thin straps. Jess' breath caught in his throat as he caught sight of Addison behind her though. The top of her dress had a sweetheart neckline and was covered with champagne colored sequins that sparkled in the light. A decorative belt lay around the waist of the gown. Below that, the sequins gradually sprinkled down the tulle skirt of the dress until they faded away half way down. The skirt then flared out a bit just reaching the floor. Her brown hair was loose and she had put a sparkly headband on.

"You look... beautiful. Damn. I should have gotten a better corsage." Jess gave her a smile as he approached her holding the daisy corsage in his hands.

Addie blushed then noticed what he was holding. "Jess, no, that corsage is perfect. I love it. Thank you."

"Alright. You're welcome, Daisy." He carefully put the corsage on her.

Sookie then entered the house waving a camera around. "I'm here! Sorry I'm late. Oh my goodness, you girls look beautiful."

"Thank you, Aunt Sookie." Nora smiled at her aunt.

She giggled softly at the older woman. "Thanks Sookie."

After many pictures were taken, the girls headed off to prom with their dates for the night. They met up with Lane, who had changed out of her very conservative prom dress into a dress she actually wanted to wear outside of the dance. Dean also approached them with his date Lindsay.

"You look beautiful, sis." Dean smiled at his twin sister.

Addie smiled back at him. "Thanks. Look at us all dressed up. Crazy huh?"

"Eh, not that crazy. Oh you remember Lindsay right?" He gestured to the pretty blonde by his side.

Her eyes widened a bit as her smile grew. "Of course! Hi. You look amazing."

Lindsay giggled softly at her. "Thanks. So do you."

"Yeah we all look great. Let's get inside." Jess muttered placing his hand on the small of Addie's back.

Addison smacked his chest playfully. "Alright we're going. Don't be a brat, Mariano."

"To you? I would never, Daisy." He quipped back as they walked inside.

Dean and Nora shared a knowing look as the rest of them followed the pair inside to their prom. It was a fun night overall for the group. Even Jess found himself having fun though he adamantly refused to dance. At least he did until the final song of the night was a slow song and he couldn't take Addie staring out at the dancefloor longingly.

"Come on." He held out his hand to her.

She looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"This is one time offer, Daisy. Take it or leave it." Jess smiled at her.

Addie took his hand laughing softly. "Alright I'll take it."

"Good." He led her out onto the dance floor then pulled her to him swaying along to the slow beat of the song.

She smiled at him teasingly as they swayed. "See? This isn't so bad."

"This is about all I can do dance wise. I can stop if you want though." Jess chuckled softly at her.

Addie shook her head no and giggled softly. "No, that's okay. This is nice."

"Yeah it is." He smiled and continued to sway with her.

The after prom plans had changed just a bit since Nora first brought the idea up to Jess. Now it was just a hangout and sleepover at the St. James house which no one seemed to mind. Jess was thrilled to be out of his suit and back into his regular clothes. The girls were a little sad to change out of their dresses, but got over it soon enough. The two girls returned downstairs only to see Dean and Jess talking calmly.

Addie couldn't help laughing softly. "Are you two getting along? Did hell freeze over?"

"No, you twerp. We still don't fully like each other, but you're important to both of us so we're trying to be civil." Dean explained smacking her with a throw pillow playfully.

She shook her head laughing a bit more. "Whatever, dweeb. Thanks though. I appreciate it."

"I think me telling him that he's a good brother went to his head." Nora giggled softly at that.

Lindsay smiled at that as she joined them. "Probably. If it weren't for Addison, he and Jess would probably still be fighting."

Addie turned to look at her. "Oh you can call me Addie. I don't mind."

Her smile grew a little. "Okay. Thanks... Addie."

Lane walked in with Rory and both were carrying a bunch of food. "Alright we got pizza, snacks, and drinks."

"Ah, you're the best!" Nora grinned at them and moved to help set the stuff down.

"Hey you made it." Jess smiled greeting Rory with a kiss.

A wave of disappointment suddenly washed over Addie though she wasn't sure why so she turned away trying to distract herself. "Oh hey Lindsay, we should hang out sometime."

The blonde gave her a surprised look. "Uh yeah sure. That sounds great. Do you always try to make friends with your brother's girlfriends?"

She nudged her playfully. "Only when they're nice."

Chapter Text

"Sorry we're closed." Jess called out to the man who was sitting alone in one of the diner's booths.

Jimmy Mariano cracked a smile. "That's alright."

"Do I know you?" He furrowed his brows as he stared over at him.

The older man chuckled slightly. "Well you probably should. I'm your father."

"Like I said, we're closed." Jess swallowed hard and turned away.

Jimmy sighed shaking his head as he stood up. "Alright, I can admit that I deserve that."

"You deserve a whole ass kicking which you'll get if you don't get the hell out of my diner, Jimmy." Luke spoke up as he walked in.

He frowned at that then walked toward the door. "It was good to see you, Jess."

"What's going on?" Nora asked as she walked obliviously a few moments later.

"Just our sperm donor paying a visit." Her brother scoffed.

"Dad? Oh he stopped by our house earlier. Mom read him the riot act." She filled him in.

"So you're calling him Dad now?" He gave her a knowing look.

"No. I don't know. Look, I know he's a total jerk, but it was just nice to put a face to the name, you know? Please don't be mad at me." Nora admitted.

"I'm not mad at you. I get it. Him coming back doesn't change what he did though." Jess shook his head and sighed.

Addie blinked trying to comprehend what her best friend was saying to her. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I know we were talking about having the full college experience by staying in the dorms, but for NYU the dorms aren't even mandatory. The student meal plans are expensive. If we lived off campus, we could save money on food while also getting to eat healthy." Nora explained to her later that day as they sat in the diner.

She smiled softly at her. "That's all well and good. How are we going to afford living off campus though? Apartments are ridiculously expensive in Manhattan."

"Actually that is where we potentially lucked out. My mom Tess' cousin owns a three bedroom apartment in the city. She used to live there until her family out grew the space. Anyway, she rents out the apartment to students now. It's currently being renovated, but it should be finished by the time semester starts." She revealed excitedly.

Her brows raised at that. "It sounds great, Nora, but where are we going to find a third person to split the rent?"

"I'll do it." Jess offered as he sat down with them.

"You sure that you want to live with your sister?" Nora arched her eyebrow looking amused.

"Yeah if you're going to live in the city." He nodded his head in agreement.

Addie bit her lip in thought. "I guess it wouldn't be that bad. How are we going to pay the rent at first though? It's not like we have jobs over there yet."

"We'll figure it out. My moms already said they would talk to your parents about it. I just wanted to talk to you about it first." She assured her.

She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I mean, if we can make it work then yeah I'm okay with it."

"Great! Thanks Addie. I'll let my moms know." Nora grinned softly at her. "Oh hey, are you going to Kyle's party tonight?"

Addie nodded her head. "Yeah I'll be there. I think Dean is bringing Lindsay too."

That night Dean's friend Kyle threw a party at his house while his parents were away. Addie arrived with Nora while Jess arrived with Rory. Dean showed up not long afterward with Lindsay in tow. The party was in full swing and the group spread out mingling with other people. At one point Addie went upstairs to use the bathroom. When she was done, she walked back down the hall toward the stairs only to stop when she heard Jess' voice. He was in one of the bedrooms with Rory. The door wasn't fully closed and Addie could see them start to make out. She went to turn away only to stop when she heard Rory's voice. Jess looked hurt yet understanding though he quickly covered it up with anger. She heard him yell at Rory to leave him alone. The girl started to cry and Addie moved away just in time to see her friend leave the room. She debated whether she should go after her or see what was up with Jess.

"Daisy?" He looked surprised as he walked out into the hall and saw her.

Addie was caught off guard, but she covered it up quickly. "Hey. I was just heading back downstairs. Everything alright?"

"Uh, yeah. Everything's fine. Just snapped at Rory when I probably shouldn't have." Jess rubbed at the back of his neck and sighed.

She shook her head smiling slightly at him. "Dummy. I'm sure you'll make it up to her though."

The two of them made their way downstairs only for Addie to nearly get knocked over by her brother as he made a beeline for Jess. It was Lindsay who got her out of the way. They could only watch in horror as the two guys fought each other. The brawl ended outside where Kyle's fence was broken. Kyle and a few other guys got them pulled apart just as the cops arrived. Addie was relieved to see that Dean and Jess were relatively okay. It was when she heard what Dean had assumed that she grew livid at her twin brother.

She scoffed at Dean. "Are you kidding me? You see Rory crying and automatically assume the worst? Look, I appreciate you looking out for our friend, but I was upstairs. She cried because he yelled at her."

"She was really upset, Addie. What was I supposed to think?" Dean sighed at her.

Lindsay looked him over and sighed in relief. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Sorry you had to see that." He gave her a sheepish smile.

The blonde smiled softly at him. "It could have been worse. At least I know who I'm marrying."

Addie blinked as she listened to them. "Uh, I'm sorry, did you say marrying?"

"Surprise?" Dean looked over at his twin sister.

She was unsure what to say to that. "I should probably go give my statement to the cops."

"I am okay, you know. We both just have to chip in to pay for repairs." Jess assured her the next day as they sat in the apartment above the diner.

Addie shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah I know. I just didn't think you guys would break out into a fight."

"Well I wasn't actually trying to fight him. I was just defending myself. I know fighting him would upset you."

She bit her lip in thought. "Why were you upset with Rory last night?"

"I wasn't upset with her. I just took it out on her. Addie, I'm not graduating." Jess admitted with a sigh.

Addie softened a bit toward him. "What? Why not?"

"I spent more time working extra hours at my job than I did at school. Principal said I could retake the year, but I don't want to." He shook his head.

She ran her fingers through her hair. "There's always a GED if you want."

"Yeah I know. So because I didn't graduate, the deal I had with Luke is broken which means I have to move out. He's letting me stay until graduation for Nora's sake." Jess shrugged his shoulders.

Addie smiled slightly at that. "That's good that you get to stay for a bit longer. Where are you going to go between graduation and when we move to New York?"

"Actually Nora and I were thinking of going to California to see our father."

Concern was clearly apparent on her face. "Is that even a good idea? Hasn't he hurt you guys enough?"

"Probably not. Yeah he has, but we have questions we want him to answer. I promise we'll be back in time for the move to New York." He assured her as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

Addie smiled softly at him. "You better be. Ugh I didn't tell you what happened last night. So after the fight got broken up, Lindsay went to check on Dean and let slip some shocking news. They're getting married."

"Wait what? You're joking." Jess chuckled softly at that.

She gave him a look. "I wish I was joking. They're really getting married. At least she's not pregnant. I'm doomed, Jess."

"Wow. You're not doomed, Addie."

Addie laughed softly at that. "I kind of am. My grandparents, parents, and older sister all married young. Now Dean is getting married. What if I'm next?"

"Hey relax. You're not them. You'll break the cycle." He reassured her.

She calmed down a bit. "I guess you're right. It's not like I even have a boyfriend right now."

"Yeah." Jess gave her an indecipherable look.

When she walked into her house later that day, Addie wasn't surprised to find Lindsay and Dean there. She greeted them then went about doing her own thing. Addie walked back downstairs after a bit making her way to the kitchen. She got herself some water then took a sip as she strolled back out.

"Hey sis, you got a minute?" Dean called out giving her a hopeful look.

Addie raised her brows walking over to the engaged pair. "Yeah. What's up?"

Lindsay smiled brightly at her. "It's about the wedding. We're going to have it in the fall. I was hoping that you would be my maid of honor."

She looked at her future sister in law completely stunned. "Me? You want me to be your maid of honor? Are you sure that you don't want it to be your best friend or something?"

The blonde giggled softly at her. "Yes you and of course I'm sure. I think it will be a great bonding experience for us. I promise no ugly poofy dresses."

Addie thought it over then smiled at the girl. "Alright I'll be your maid of honor. At least New York isn't that far from here."

Lindsay gave her a hug and grinned softly at her. "Thank you! I'm so excited."

She returned the hug and smiled brighter. "You're welcome. Also I want to apologize for my initial reaction to your engagement. I was just surprised by it. I am very happy for you guys though."

"Thanks. Yeah we figured you were definitely surprised by it. I know what you're probably thinking too. Yeah it is a bit fast, but this is what we really want. I love her and she loves me." Dean assured his sister with a smile.

Addie nodded her head and hugged her brother. "Then you have my support. Just don't go making me an aunt any time soon."

Chapter Text

Days turned to weeks and soon enough it was graduation day. It was happy yet bittersweet at the same time. This was the end of Addie and Dean going to the same school. It was the end of them living at home with their parents and their younger sister Clara. They were adults now and it was a bit overwhelming to say the least. The graduation ceremony itself went by smoothly. After it was over, the twins hugged tightly having a moment before congratulating Lindsay and Nora as well. Jess hugged his sister congratulating her. When she stepped aside, Addie hugged Jess tightly. He reluctantly let go of her as she pulled away afterward. They also congratulated Lane. After their families congratulated them and lots of pictures were taken, they finally got to leave high school behind for good.

They celebrated that night, but it was the next night when Addie found herself at the bus stop in town. Nora and Jess were there with their bags waiting for their bus to California. Rory approached them looking none too happy with Jess so his sister and Addie stepped aside giving them space to talk.

"You're leaving." Rory stated gesturing to his bag.

"Uh yeah. Nora and I are spending the summer in California with our dad." Jess admitted sheepishly.

"I'm still going backpacking in Europe with my mom. Look, Yale's not that far from Stars Hollow. We can still see each other a lot."

"Rory, I'm not coming back. I didn't graduate which broke my deal with Luke." He sighed.

"Where are you going to go? Are you going to stay in California?"

"No. Of course not. I'm going to go back to New York. The girls need a roommate and it gives me time to get to know my sister more." Jess explained to her.

"New York isn't that far from Connecticut. I just don't know if I'd have the time to travel there. I want to still see my family regularly, you know? Plus I don't know how busy I'll get with Yale." Rory admitted with a sigh.

The rest of the conversation which didn't last much longer was quiet. Rory then walked away from him appearing sad. Jess sighed running his fingers through his dark hair. He swore under his breath then shook his head. The girls gave him space to process what had just happened with Rory. The bus arrived soon afterward. Addie hugged Nora then hugged Jess tightly. He lingered in the hug just soaking in her embrace for a few moments. Jess then reluctantly pulled away giving her a lopsided smile before following Nora onto the bus. Addie waved watching the siblings leave then sighed softly.

Jimmy Mariano appeared surprised to see his children approach him three days later after they arrived in California. "I didn't think you guys were actually going to show up."

"Yeah well here we are." Jess quipped clearly unimpressed.

"I'm actually kind of hungry. Why don't we go sit down somewhere and eat? I'm sure we have a lot to discuss." Nora interjected.

Their father nodded his head locking up his merch hut. "Yeah sure. That sounds like a good idea."

Jimmy led them over to one of the restaurants near the boardwalk. They ordered food then sat down with it at a table outside near the beach. It was quiet as they ate. You could cut the awkward tension between them with a knife. Nora suddenly wished her moms were there, but she knew this was something that the two Mariano kids had to do on their own.

"Why did you ditch us?" She blurted out before she could stop herself.

He sighed taking a sip of his lemonade. "I'm sorry. Liz and I got married way too young. We were blinded by what we thought was love. I realized it was too much and I wasn't ready for the commitment. Then we found out that we were expecting Jess. I brought up adoption, but Liz threw a fit. I started coping by drinking and then I met Delilah. She was like a breath of fresh air. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't stay away from her. When she told me that she was pregnant, it was like someone had thrown ice cold water over me."

"Yeah you were young and scared of commitment. That doesn't make it right." Jess huffed at him.

Jimmy glanced over at his son. "I never said it made it right. I know what I did was wrong. You kids deserved so much better."

"I don't know why we wasted our time coming out here." He shook his head.

"Who are they?" Her hand gestured to the picture on the screen as his phone lit up from a notification.

He smiled softly at that. "Oh, uh, that's my wife and stepdaughter."

"I can't do this. I'm sorry." Nora teared up leaving the table only for Jess to follow her.

"Hey wait up. It's alright." He tried to calm his sister down.

"No it's not. He's staying around for a daughter that isn't even his. Why am I not good enough?" She cried once they were far enough away.

"Don't think like that, Nora. You're more than good enough. Jimmy is the one that sucks. You don't need him in your life and neither do I." Jess reassured his sister wiping her tears away.

"I want to go home." Nora pouted sighing softly.

"Why don't we sleep on it? If you still want to go home in the morning, we'll go home." He smiled lightly at her.

"Okay deal." She nodded her head.

Addie was walking through town the next day only to be surprised when she saw one of her best friends. "Jess? What are you doing here? I thought you were in California with Nora."

"Hey Daisy. Uh yeah, California was a bust. Nora wanted to come home so we came home on the next flight out. She was pretty upset about the whole thing. Her moms are with her right now." He explained to her.

She appeared concerned by that. "I'll have to check in on her later then. Wait where are you going to stay? We're not moving for another month or so."

"Delilah knows about the whole situation with Luke and everything. She and Tessa said I could stay in their guest room until moving day." Jess assured her with a slight smile.

Addie relaxed a bit after hearing that. "Oh well that's good at least. Is it weird that you refer to them by their first names?"

"Not really. We're pretty much family now since Nora and I are siblings." He shrugged his shoulders.

She nodded her head walking alongside him. "Ah right. That makes sense, I guess."

"So where were you headed off to?"

A soft giggle fell from her lips. "Well I was going to get something to eat, but I couldn't decide what food to get."

"Why don't you eat with me? I mean, I'm getting a bunch of takeout to bring back to cheer Nora up. You're more than welcome to join us." Jess offered.

Addie smiled softly at him. "I'd like that. You know what? I'll go back to my house and pack an overnight bag just in case. I'll meet you at Nora's."

"Alright then. Uh yeah sure. I'll see you there." He gave her a lopsided smile before they parted ways.

"Okay I'm stuffed. Thanks guys. I'm glad you're here." Nora smiled at her brother and their best friend.

Addie giggled softly at her. "You're welcome. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

"I can't believe you made a blanket fort." Jess chuckled softly as he laid back against the pillows.

"I did and it's comfy. You're welcome." She stuck her tongue out at her brother playfully.

The lighter haired brunette smiled in amusement at their antics. "We should totally make this a tradition or something when we move."

"I love the way you think. I'm in." Nora grinned at her best friend.

"Count me in too. New York's got the best takeout." Jess smiled.

Chapter Text

Lindsay and Dean had decided to push back their wedding date so Addie chose to just spend the summer relaxing before she had to move to New York. She grew more unsure of everything the closer it got to moving day. It even reached the point where she even stopped packing for a bit. Despite everything going on in his life, Dean wasn't so distracted that he didn't notice something was off with his sister. So one night he specifically spent time hanging out with his twin hoping to sort out whatever was bothering her.

"So how come you haven't finished packing yet?" He asked as they walked inside the Forester home.

Addie shrugged her shoulders. "Just taking my time to make sure I don't forget anything."

"Addison, we're twins. I can tell when you're lying." Dean chuckled softly at her.

She made a face then sighed. "I don't know. I'm not ready. This is the first time we're really going to be apart and it kind of scares me. I knew it would happen eventually, but it just got here so fast."

"Hey no, it's alright. We'll be okay. I'm going to miss you too. Look, we can always call or visit each other. Twins deal with this all the time. It'll be fine." He assured his sister then pulled her into a hug.

Addie returned the hug relaxing a bit. "I know you're right. It's just hard, but it does feel good to get that off my chest."

"Well I think I know something that might help." Dean chuckled softly as he pulled away.

She gave him a curious look then followed him upstairs to his room. Addie stood in the doorway watching as her brother went through his stuff. Dean pulled out a hoodie then handed it to her. She smiled softly and took it from him.

"So now I'll be there even when I can't physically be there." He explained to her.

Addie smiled at her twin brother. "Thank you. I do feel a little better now."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that." Dean smiled in return.

"So are you ever going to tell me what went down with you and Rory before we left?" Nora asked glancing over at her brother.

"No not really." His brown eyes rolled at her question.

"Jess, c'mon. We're supposed to be able to talk about this stuff."

"Alright fine. We broke up." Jess admitted with a sigh.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." She gave him a sympathetic look.

"Look, I love her. She said she loves me. We just couldn't make it work. I don't know if it was the timing, her family, or..." He trailed off.

"Addie." Nora gave him a knowing look as she knew that his friendship made Rory uncomfortable.

"Don't tell her. I don't want her to feel bad about it." Jess sighed rubbing the back of his neck.

"I won't tell her. So what are you going to do now?" She asked him curiously.

"I don't know. Move back to New York and find a job. I'm not really worried about dating right now." He assured her.

"Alright. Just promise me that you won't do anything stupid because you're sad that you guys broke up."

"I promise. You worry too much. It'll be fine, sis." Jess gave her a lopsided smile then hugged her reassuringly.

"Mom likes to joke that it's the Aunt Sookie in me." Nora laughed softly as she returned the hug.

The Gilmore girls returned from their European backpacking trip at the beginning of August. Rory, Lane, Eleanor, and Addison all agreed to meet up for one last get together before they went off to college. The four of them met up in the park where they had a picnic and caught up on everything. It was great to just have a little bit of girl time again.

Lane smiled at her three close friends. "I can't promise I'll be able to call or email. I'll definitely send you guys letters though."

"As long as we still stay in touch, that's fine." Nora assured her.

Addie giggled softly at them. "You're always welcome to come visit us in New York."

"Maybe we will. It's going to be so weird being off at Yale and not seeing you guys." Rory admitted.

Lane shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. College could be cool. We'll all probably meet lots of people. I'm sure I can't be the only kid going to my school who doesn't want to go there."

The girls hugged it out then continued to talk a bit more. When it was near time for them to go their separate ways, it was Rory who pulled Addison aside. She was caught off guard, but willing to hear what the youngest Gilmore had to say.

"Look, I just wanted to say that I know things have been weird between us and I am sorry for that." She admitted apologizing to her.

Addie bit her lip nodding her head a little. "I appreciate that. Thanks. Whatever happened between you, Dean, and Jess... let's just put that all behind us. We can let this be our fresh start."

"I'd like that." Rory smiled at her.

She smiled letting herself relax. "Great!"

As moving day fast approached, there was one person that Addison really wanted to spend some quality time with and that was her little sister Clara. It reminded her of a few years back when their older sister was getting ready to move out. The two younger Forester sisters spent time hanging out and having fun in Stars Hollow. That night they had a sleepover in Addie's room like old times.

She smiled softly as she finished braiding her sister's hair. "Hey I'm always going to be around if you need me. You have my number. All you have to do is call."

"I know. Thank you. I'm going to miss you, but I know you'll come back to visit a lot." Clara admitted with a slight pout.

Addie softened toward her. "Of course I'll come back to visit you, kiddo. That's exactly why I chose a college that wasn't too far away."

"Are you excited about living with Nora and Jess?" She asked as she began to paint her sister's nails with a sparkly light blue polish.

She smiled at the thought. "Yeah I am. I'm a little worried that we might get sick of each other, but between classes and work, I think we'll have enough space too."

"I think you guys will be okay. Are you going to date Jess?" Clara asked as she focused on painting her sister's nails.

Her face warmed a bit from blushing. "I don't know. He just got out of a relationship. I'm not sure he is even looking to date right now."

"Well if you do date him, I think he's cool." She gave her big sister a nod of approval.

Addie smiled softly at her. "Thanks. What about you? Any boys on your radar?"

"Eww no. Not yet anyway. Maybe when I'm a little older. I'm focusing on school and horses right now."

She nodded her head knowing how much her sister loved being a young equestrian. "There's nothing wrong with that, Clara. Never let anyone rush you, okay? You'll figure out boys or girls in your own time."

Moving to New York was interesting, to say the least. Sookie made them food then got emotional when it came time to say goodbye. The three teens had help with the move from Nora's moms, Luke, Addie's parents, and Dean. With so many people helping, they had everything inside their new apartment in no time. As they started to say goodbye, it was Dean who walked over to where Jess was standing.

"You know for eighteen years I've been Addie's protective big brother even though we're also twins." He remarked.

"She's perfectly capable of taking care of herself." Jess raised a brow at him.

"Oh of course she is, but it's a big city. I'm glad she has you looking out for her." Dean extended his hand to him.

"I'll always look out for her." He assured him then shook his hand.

The sight made Addie smile softly. Soon enough their families left and she was alone with her two best friends. The three of them began to unpack. It was Addie who broke down first. They stopped unpacking for the night and checked on her. Compared to the two siblings, she had grown up in a big family so it was really hitting her hard that she had moved out. Jess ordered takeout then helped Nora make a blanket fort in the living room. Addie had calmed down by then, but they still wanted to cheer her up. She curled up between them in the blanket fort enjoying some pizza while watching some of their favorite movies. Nora smiled to herself when her best friend fell asleep in Jess' arms later that night.

Chapter Text

College life was a bit of an adjustment, but the girls were doing their best to make it work. Going to college while also having jobs was a bit tough at first though the girls grew used to it. Their schedules were of course different, but they weren't completely alienated from each other. More often than not, Nora would come home to find Jess and Addie talking. They were only in the city for about three months when Jess brought a girl home. It was also the day that Addie was really stressed out and in a bad mood.

"Oh uh sorry. Addie, this is Shane. Shane, this is Addie." Jess had pulled away from the short haired pretty blonde and introduced the two girls.

She eyed her for a moment then nodded her head. "It's Addison. Nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too. Jess doesn't shut up about you. Uh look, I should probably get going. I've got stuff to do. Call me." Shane smiled at her then gave Jess a kiss before leaving.

"Okay." He watched her leave then turned his attention back to Addie.

Addie looked through the mail and then sighed. "What?"

"Nothing. You just seem really upset. What's wrong?" Jess gave her a concerned look.

She tucked her hair behind her ear frowning at his words. "I'm just really stressed out which is putting me in a bad mood."

"Well what's got you so stressed out?" He took her hand leading her over to the couch where they sat down.

Addie sighed softly at him. "I feel stupid and overwhelmed. I'm barely passing math. Everyone seems like they know what they want to do with their lives and I just don't."

"Hey you're not stupid. You're one of the smartest girls I know. Math sucks. Not everyone is good at it. They don't, Addie. They just act like they know what they want to do." Jess assured her.

She sniffled lightly. "Yeah maybe. I don't know."

"Just give it some time and if you still feel the same way then maybe college isn't for you which is fine. It's not for everybody. There's nothing wrong with not going to college." He comforted her.

Addie nodded her head leaning against him. "I know. Okay. I'll do that. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Daisy." Jess pressed a kiss to her head.

The three of them returned to Stars Hollow for Thanksgiving. Addie was thrilled to be back home with her family again. It was a welcomed break that she had needed more than she had realized. When the three of them returned to the city, she felt reinvigorated and gave college another shot. Addie and Nora also went all out on decorating the apartment for the holidays much to jess' chagrin. They had even agreed to have a little get together right before the holiday break. Nora chose to be sneaky though and put up mistletoe when her two roommates weren't looking. It was all part of the holiday fun or at least that was what she had told herself. Besides the three of them, there weren't going to be that many people at the get together. Just a few of their friends from school and Shane.

"Oh Dyl, this is my brother. Jess, this is Dylan Grey." Nora introduced her brother later that night to a handsome blond.

"Older brother. Nice to meet you." Jess shook his hand.

"Don't start." She shook her head playfully.

Dylan gave him a mega watt grin as he shook his hand in return. "Nice to meet you. Hey no, I get it. I've got a little sister too."

"You go to NYU?" He raised his brows at him.

He nodded his head. "Yeah I do. Majoring in business."

"We share a few of the same classes actually." Nora smiled softly.

Before Jess could interrogate him further, Nora led Dylan away from her brother. Of course Dylan was also the last person to leave when the get together was over. When Nora returned from walking him out, she couldn't help giggling a bit. Addie gave her an amused look while Jess just looked confused. It wasn't until she pointed above their heads and they glanced up that they realized why she giggling at that moment. Jess rolled his eyes at his sister while Addie blushed a bit.

"What? It's tradition." Her shoulders shrugged at them.

Addie shook her head lightly. "He's seeing someone though."

"Well it is tradition and I'm not seeing anyone. Shane is just fun. It's nothing serious." Jess gave her a lopsided smile.

She leaned up pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Jess."

"Merry Christmas, Daisy." He smiled softly at her.

Unfortunately for Addie, she came down with a cold right in time for New Year's Eve. Nora already had plans to go out with Dylan, but she was more than willing to ditch them to stay home with her best friend. Addie insisted that she go out and have a good time though. She considered it then gave in happily going out with her new beau. Addie remained at home content to stay in her pajamas after a nice hot shower. She curled up in bed preparing to watch some movies until she fell asleep. To her surprise, there was a knock at her bedroom door and she looked up only to see Jess standing there holding a tray.

"Um, hey. I know you have a cold so I just thought this might make you feel better. It's, uh, chicken soup. Luke's recipe. Also some juice, cold medicine, and tissues." He explained.

Addie smiled softly at him. "Thanks. I appreciate that a lot, Jess."

"It's no problem." Jess shrugged after setting the tray down for her. "So what are we watching?"

Her eyes widened a bit. "No! You'll get sick. Don't you have plans with Shane?"

"I told you it wasn't serious with her, Daisy, and no I don't. I'll be fine. Now let's watch something." He gave her a lopsided smile.

She rolled her eyes and relented by putting on The Breakfast Club. Addie ate the soup finding herself impressed at how good it tasted. She then took some medicine and spent the rest of the night watching movies with Jess. When he realized it was after midnight, he looked over at her only to be unsurprised when he saw that she had fallen asleep. Jess cleaned everything up taking the tray back to the kitchen though leaving the tissues and medicine in her room. He came back turning her TV off and tucked her in.

"Happy New Year, Daisy." Jess pressed a kiss to her head then turned off the light on his way out of her room.

Chapter Text

"Do you trust me?" Jess asked staring at her curiously a few months later.

Addie raised her brows at him as she took a sip of her coffee. "Of course I do. Why?"

"My friends have this annual literary party and I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go with me." He shrugged his shoulders.

She smiled playfully at him. "Your friends?"

"Shut up, I have friends! I have you, don't I?" Jess chuckled nudging her playfully.

Addie blushed smiling brightly at him. "Yes you do. Yeah sure I'll go. Just let me know when."

"Great. They're still finalizing things, but I'll let you know when there's an exact date." He gave her a lopsided smile.

"Hey guys. Addie, I want to know everything. How was the date?" Nora greeted them then sat down excitedly.

"Date?" Jess gave them a confused look.

"Yeah she went out with Austin again. He took her to that new restaurant on the west side." His sister smiled at him.

"The one that has a several months long waiting list? He only got in because his dad owns the place." His brown eyes rolled at that.

Addie gave him a look. "Really, Jess?"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Daisy, but that guy is a first class loser. Austin McKay goes through girls like the Gilmores go through coffee." Jess pointed out with a huff then walked out of the room.

"Damn I have to go. You'll have to fill me in later." Nora said as she noticed the time and stood up.

"Okay I want to hear everything." Nora grinned as she laid down on Addie's bed later that night with a pint of ice cream and handed her the other pint.

She laughed softly at her best friend. "Well the food was absolutely delicious. The portions were a bit small though."

"Yeah somehow that doesn't surprise me." She nodded her head.

Addie tucked her hair behind her ear. "The atmosphere was great. We had good small talk. Afterward, we went for a walk and we actually talked. He admitted that he feels like most girls go out with him for the money and the notority. There was one girl that he actually truly loved. She goes to college in California. Austin let his parents talk him into breaking up with her."

"That's so sad. Wait how does that explain him dating a lot though?" Nora gave her a confused look.

She ate some of her ice cream. "It's him rebelling against his parents. The playboy thing is all an act to get back at them."

"How do you know he's telling the truth and not just leading you on?" She looked concerned for her best friend.

Addie smiled softly at her. "We went back to his place and his parents showed up. I excused myself to use the ladies room, but I overheard them anyway. They brought her up. They.. they asked him why he keeps falling for girls that are below him. I know it sounds terrible, but he actually stood up for us."

"Well that is just bull. You are not below him. I'm glad he stood up for you though." Nora shook her head.

She played with the spoon in her hand. "Yeah me too."

"God, it's like a romantic comedy. Now all he needs is to go back to California and win her back while you realize that you're really in love with your best friend." The raven haired beauty teased.

Addie laughed at that. "Nora, I adore you, but you're like a sister to me."

"Not me, you dork. I was talking about Jess." She laughed as well.

The lighter haired brunette bit her lip. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, Addie. You wrote a song about him. You guys are practically inseparable. You defended him against a whole town. Also you can't tell me that you two don't look perfect together." Nora showed her the picture that she still had saved of her asleep in Jess' arms.

Addie froze staring at the image then snapped out of it. "He doesn't like me in that way."

"Oh please. My brother wouldn't be bitching so much about your relationship with Austin if he didn't want to be the one dating you. Okay I'm sorry if I'm being pushy. You know I just want the best for you, hon." She assured her.

"Everything is good. I guess I'm just worried about Addie. She seems happy with Austin even though I still say she could do so much better." Jess pointed out as they sat down at a picnic table in the park a few days later.

"So what's got you worried then?" Dean raised a brow at his former rival.

"I don't know. She's just been acting kind of weird around me. I mean, she's normal around Nora, but then she sees me and gets all awkward. I just don't get it." His shoulders shrugged.

"Well it probably doesn't help that you've been vocally displaying your dislike for her boyfriend." The taller of the two pointed out.

"Okay true, but I've been trying to be nicer for her sake since the last time I called him a loser." Jess admitted.

"You like my sister as way more than a friend, don't you?" Dean asked smiling slightly at him.

"Is it that obvious?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Just a bit. So why haven't you asked her out yet?" His brows raised at him.

"I can't. She can do a whole hell of a lot better than me." Jess frowned sighing softly.

"Bullshit. I hate to admit it, but you'd be great for her, Jess. I hated your friendship at the start because I stupidly believed that you were just using her to get under my skin, but it wasn't that hard to see that you guys actually care about each other. I'm telling you that if you get a chance, you should ask her out." Dean encouraged him.

"Huh. I never thought that you of all people would be telling me to ask Addie out." He chuckled softly.

"Yeah well I've learned to trust her judgment and again as much as I hate to admit it, she was never wrong about you." His shoulders shrugged.

Chapter Text

Addie frowned watching Jess grumpily walk around their shared apartment. "Okay you've been acting grumpy for like a week now. What's going on with you?"

"His mother is getting married in Stars Hollow and wants him to attend." Nora blurted out.

"Seriously, sis? Alright fine, yes, she is getting married. I'm not going though." He rolled his eyes at them.

She softened toward him. "Well that's understandable. What does Luke have to say about the whole situation?"

"He said she's clean and that she seems happier than ever. Of course he's not happy about her having the wedding in Stars Hollow. Apparently her fiance' is nothing like any of her exes. I don't know. She's done this before and it's been too good to be true." Jess rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

Her arms slid around his waist as she hugged him comfortingly. "We'll stand by you no matter what you decide, Jess."

"She had dinner with Mom. They hashed out everything. Then Mom told her that you might be her son, but that she was never going to let her hurt you again." She admitted with a smile.

"Yeah I know, Daisy. Wait, really? Huh. I appreciate that." He returned the hug then pulled away smiling a bit at Nora.

"I told you that my Moms adore you, Jess." Nora giggled softly at him.

"Ugh alright, I'll go to her wedding, but you guys are going with me." Jess groaned then chuckled softly.

Addie smiled at him. "Of course. We wouldn't miss it."

It felt good to be back in Stars Hollow for a bit. Sure, New York was great, but there was something comforting about being back at Luke's Diner even if the three of them were currently holed up in the apartment upstairs. The air around them filled with their laughter. Of course they hadn't known what to expect when they arrived in town for the wedding, but they had to admit that discovering that Jess' mom was now part of a renaissance faire group was a bit amusing. Her groom was even part of the group as well.

Addie couldn't help smiling a bit. "I don't know. I think it's kind of romantic. The flowy dresses and flower crowns."

"You always were the hopeless romantic." Nora giggled softly at her.

She shook her head playfully. "Yeah yeah. You okay, Jess?"

"Yeah. She, uh, wants me to walk her down the aisle." He admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

Addie softened toward him. "That's so sweet. I can understand why you wouldn't want to though."

"Yeah it's up to you and we have your back regardless of what you decide. On that note, I've got to get over to the Inn. I told Aunt Sookie I'd help her with the food and cake for the wedding." Nora smiled at them.

"Thanks and alright see you later." Jess smiled back at his sister as she left.

Addie smiled at him teasingly. "So are you going to wear a flower crown too? I bet it would look adorable."

"I wasn't planning on it." He smirked and reached out tickling her waist.

She squealed and laughed squirming beneath his touch. It only made him tickle her more. Addie tried to get away from him only to fall back onto the couch. Jess hovered over her tickling her even more then stopped. Their gazes met as he brushed her hair away from her face. He leaned in slightly only for the door to suddenly open.

"Jess... Oh! I'm, uh, so sorry, honey. I didn't mean to interrupt." Liz Danes called out.

"You weren't interrupting." He cleared his throat and sat up.

Addie sat up clearly blushing. "Um, hi."

"Oh, uh, Addie, this is my mother. Liz, this is my best friend, Addie Forester." Jess gave a lopsided smile as he introduced them.

She smiled softly at the older blonde. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Danes. Congratulations on the wedding."

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well. Oh no need to be so formal. You can call me Liz." His mother smiled at her.

Addie nodded her head then smiled at Jess. "I'm just going to go. I'll see you later."

"Yeah alright." He squeezed her hand then let go watching her leave.

"She's beautiful, Jess." Liz smiled once Addie was out of earshot.

"We're just friends." He rolled his eyes.

"No one looks at their friends like that. Anyway, have you thought about what I asked?" She sat down beside her son.

"Actually, yeah I have. I'll do it on one condition. I need you to do me a favor. It's really important to me." Jess looked at her seriously.

"Of course, honey. Just tell me what it is and I'll help you." Liz smiled again.

"I need you to help me get something for Addie."

It warmed Addie's heart to see that Jess' soon to be stepfather T. J. was trying to bond with him. She didn't blame Jess for being wary and not open to it at first. His mother didn't exactly have the best track record with husbands. Smoothing out her earthy green flowy dress, Addie ducked into the dressing area where Lorelai and Miss Patty were helping to fix a tear in Liz's dress. Her hair was in loose brown waves, but was lacking a flower crown.

Her eyes widened a little bit. "Wow, Liz, you look so pretty."

"Thank you, sweetie. You look beautiful yourself, but I think you need the finishing touch." She smiled at the younger girl.

Addie looked at her in confusion. "The finishing touch?"

"Yes. Oh it looks perfect!" Liz stepped away once her dress was fixed and picked up a daisy flower crown setting it gently onto Addie's head.

She glanced in the mirror gasping softly when she realized it was a daisy crown. "Oh it's beautiful."

It matched the daisy pendant that hung on the chain that was currently around her neck. She smiled at Liz thanking her then left to find her seat. The wedding started a short time afterward. Jess was wearing a loose beige shirt with a black tee underneath and black slacks. She smiled as she watched him walk his mother down the aisle. He then sat down on the empty seat beside Addie. Her fingers interlacing with his as she grasped his hand holding it. Jess smiled to himself and watched his mother get married.

The wedding went off without a hitch and the reception seemed to be going well too. Even Luke was wearing a suit for the occasion. Jess grasped Addie's hand leading her out onto the dance floor. He held her close as they swayed to the slow melody that was playing.

"Nice flower crown." He gave her his signature lopsided smile.

Addie blushed lightly at him. "Thank you. Liz gave it to me. I can't imagine how she could have known I love daisies though."

"Yeah. Crazy huh?" Jess chuckled softly.

She smiled warmly at him. "It was really sweet of you, Jess. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Daisy." He pressed a kiss to her temple.

Chapter Text

"We thought holding off on the wedding was the right thing to do at the time. We really did, but then we saw Jess' mother get married. We talked it over and we just don't want to wait to experience that, you know?" Dean admitted to his twin sister.

Addie was skeptical, but she smiled anyway. "Right. Well I'm happy for you guys. I'll get in touch with Lindsay and I'll get to work on my maid of honor duties."

"Great. Thank you. It will be in June, but after your finals. We didn't want to disrupt your schoolwork too much." He assured her with a smile.

She nodded her head in understanding. "Well thank you. I appreciate that. Are you guys really sure you want to do this though? Just because it worked out for Evie and Rick doesn't mean it'll work out for you guys. I really do want you guys to be happy, but I'm just worried that you're moving way too fast."

"Yeah, Evie gave us the same lecture about not following in her footsteps. I get it. She's our big sister and she got married young. Of course that doesn't mean we have to get married young. I know that. It just feels right though with Lindsay." Dean pointed out.

Addie smiled softly at her brother. "Alright. I still think it's too fast, but I'm not going to fight you on it."

"I get that and thank you. So how are things with you and Austin?"

She nearly choked on her soda as she took a sip. "Um, okay I guess. We broke up, but it was amicable."

"Oh really? Somehow I'm not surprised. I'm sorry to hear that." He gave his sister a sympathetic look.

Addie shook her head at him. "It's not like that. His whole playboy persona was just to get back at his parents. He was really in love with this one girl, but his parents thought that she wasn't good enough for him. So they broke up and she went to college in California. They tried to pull the same thing with me and he wasn't having it this time. He and I really talked after that. Austin told me about her and what had really happened."

"Wow. So then you two just decided to break up?" His brows raised at her.

Her shoulders shrugged at him. "We tried to make it work, but our hearts just weren't in it. We realized that we were so much better off as friends. He's in California trying to fix things with her and I'm fully supportive of that."

"That was quite big of you. I'm proud of you, Addie. So where does your heart lie now?" Dean gave her a knowing look.

Addie laughed softly at that. "I'm focusing on school and your wedding right now. I'll worry about romance later."

"Maybe you should take a break, Daisy." Jess suggested after hearing her groan in frustration.

She shook her head then gave him a smile. "I'm already done. I'm just proofreading this paper."

"Then why do you sound so frustrated?" He chuckled softly at her.

Addie sighed softly as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I don't know. It just feels like everything I write is crap lately."

"I highly doubt it's crap, Addie. You've been juggling school, work, and your future sister in law going bridezilla. You just need a break. Look, you go have a nice soak in the tub. I'll proofread your paper. When you get out, we'll order whatever you want to eat and just hang out." Jess suggested with a lopsided smile.

She considered it for a moment then stood up pulling him into a hug. "Thank you. That sounds like a wonderful idea."

He returned the hug then pulled away after a few moments. While Jess sat down in her seat, Addie walked over to the bathroom getting the bath ready. She was pleasantly surprised to find that he had been right as she felt her stress begin to melt away once she was soaking in the hot water. The tension was released from her body and she was starting to feel the most relaxed she had been since they had gotten back from Stars Hollow. She rinsed off after the water got cold then dried off while the tub drained. Addie rinsed the tub then got dressed. She put on black leggings and one of Jess' tshirts that she had borrowed some time ago.

"I told you it was good, Daisy. I saved it and shut down your laptop." Jess assured her once she returned.

Addie gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks Jess. Yeah I know I'm too hard on myself. I'm working on it. So I'm thinking we should get Chinese."

"You just want egg rolls." He chuckled moving to grab the phone.

Her smile widened a bit at him. "You know me so well."

"Well I wouldn't have asked you to meet me here if it wasn't important." Nora rolled her eyes at him.

"Is Addie okay?" He gave her a look of concern.

"She's fine now that my brother got her to take a break. Look, I get that you want her to be part of your wedding and it's really sweet that Lindsay wants her to be the maid of honor. I'm just worried that she is being stretched way too thin. Between her classes, work, and now wedding planning, she is stressed to the max." She explained.

"I know. I appreciate you telling me that. I was worried something like this would happen." Dean shook his head and sighed.

"We're doing our best to get her to take breaks. She's stubborn as hell though." Nora admitted.

"Thanks. Yeah I'll figure something out to help her lighten the load. I already got Lindsay to cut back on the texts to her." He sighed.

"I still can't believe you're marrying your rebound girl. No offense." She laughed softly.

"Oh that was all offense and we both know she wasn't my rebound girl." He laughed as well.

"Hey we promised to never bring that up again. Addie would kill me if she knew. Hell, she probably would have figured it out if she hadn't been so distracted with her issues with Jess." Nora gasped then shook her head playfully.

"Do you ever wonder... "

"I wouldn't have said yes to you, Dean. I'm not the rush into marriage type. Neither is Rory and I honestly never would have thought that you would be either." She pointed out to him.

"Yeah I know. You're right. It's just different with Lindsay. When you know, you know." Dean smiled at her.

"I guess. Look, this conversation never happened, okay? I don't want her getting mad at me." Nora looked at him.

"Of course. It was good, uh, not seeing you." He grinned softly.

Chapter Text

It was quiet in Stars Hollow a few weeks later. Not that unusual for the small town, but the silence of the night was shattered by the rowdiness of Dean's bachelor party. Somehow it had spilled into Luke's Diner. Jess and Dean's best man were trying their best to sober a very drunk Dean up a bit. Luke had rightfully came to see what the commotion was and tried to help as well. He was relieved that Jess wasn't in trouble though.

"Rory. I love Rory. I miss her." Dean drunkingly rambled to no one in particular.

"Alright, I think you need to sleep it off, Dean." Luke spoke up helping the drunk man to his feet.

Jess shared a look with his uncle before helping the best man get Dean out of the diner. They got Dean safely back to his room for the night and let him sleep off the alcohol. His drunken words stuck around in Jess' mind though. It wasn't until the next afternoon that Jess had a chance to talk to him privately though. His hangover had subsided by that point and he didn't really remember much about the night before.

"Look, I'm just going to make this quick and throw it right out there, alright? Dean, are you still in love with Rory?" Jess asked looking right at him.

"Rory? What? I love Lindsay. I'm marrying Lindsay." He insisted despite the confusion in his eyes.

"You said last night that you love Rory and that you miss her." The raven haired boy pointed out.

"I did? Oh. Well of course I didn't mean it. I mean, a part of me will always love Rory, but we both moved on." Dean explained.

"Alright. Your sister would kick my ass if I didn't make sure that you were sure about what you were doing." Jess chuckled deciding not to push it any further.

"That's fair. I'm pretty sure she's reached her limit at the moment." He smiled slightly at that.

"She'll be fine. I never thought I'd say this, but let's go get you married." Jess chuckled more.

The wedding itself went off without a hitch. It had been a beautiful wedding and Addison was just relieved to be done with planning. After the ceremony, they all left the church following the newly wedded couple. Addie still had mixed feelings about it, but she was at least happy that her brother was happy. They were all oblivious to Rory watching them from the gazebo across the way. The guests made their way over to where the reception was being held. They cheered when Dean and Lindsay arrived. The newlyweds had their first dance then dinner was served. Toward the end of dinner, the speeches were given. As the maid of honor, Addison also had to give one.

Addie cleared her throat when it was her turn to speak. "Hi. I'm Addison and for those of you who don't know, I'm Dean's twin sister. I barely knew Lindsay before they got engaged, but I am honored that she chose me to be her maid of honor. The idea of marrying young has always terrified me. Our grandparents, parents, and older sister have all married young. Now Dean has too. I saw it as a curse, but it took Dean getting married to make me realize that maybe it's actually a blessing instead. It's not a bad thing at all. It just means that they found the ones that they are meant to be with already. Sometimes it takes a while for you to find that person and sometimes that person was in front of you all along. My point is that I am so very happy for you two. I wish you a lifetime of happiness. Welcome to the family, sis."

After her speech, it was time for the cake cutting. It was a delicious cake baked by Sookie herself. Then came the bouquet toss. Addie refused to stand up for it at first, but Lindsay insisted so she reluctantly gave in. The bouquet sailed through the air and the unmarried ladies clamored for it. Nora couldn't help being amused when she realized it was Addie who caught it. Next was the garter toss and to Dean's amusement, it was Jess that caught it.

"Guess we're the next ones to get married, Daisy." He chuckled as he approached her.

She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Maybe in a few years, Mariano."

"Dance with me." Jess grasped her hand pulling her gently onto the dance floor.

Addie woke up the next morning confused only to relax when she realized that she and Jess were both clothed. Without opening his eyes, he tugged her closer to him pressing a kiss to her temple. She couldn't help smiling softly and snuggled up against him. They were teetering precariously along that thin line between friendship and so much more. Neither brave enough to take that fateful step just yet.

"Dean got drunk the night of his bachelor party and said he loves Rory. He said that he missed her. I talked to him about it before the wedding, but he assured me that he loves Lindsay now." Jess blurted out feeling guilty about keeping it from her.

She frowned a bit at that. "And you waited until now to tell me?"

"I could barely get you alone yesterday and I didn't want you to cause a scene." He admitted, voice still deep from just waking up.

Addie sighed nodding her head a bit as she sat up. "That's fair. Thank you for being honest with me, at least. Ugh, I love him, but my brother drives me crazy sometimes."

"He probably always imagined that Rory would be the one he was marrying in Stars Hollow and she just popped into his head while he was drunk." Jess assured her sitting up as well.

She ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah. I'm just glad it's all over. I'm happy they are happy. Not having to worry about maid of honor duties is a lot less stress on my shoulders."

"Good. I'm glad. I didn't like seeing you so stressed out, Daisy." He admitted to her.

They stayed in Stars Hollow for a few more days and then returned to New York. Their lease was coming up, but the three of them hadn't signed the renewal yet. Jess seemed to get upset whenever the topic was brought up. Luckily they still had plenty of time to sign it. That of course didn't stop Addie from wondering why Jess was acting that way.

She shook her head at him. "I just don't get what the big deal is about signing the damn thing."

"The big deal is that I can't sign it. I'm leaving, Daisy." Jess finally admitted with a sigh.

Addie froze staring at him in shock. "What?"

"Those friends I told you about that host the literary party? They run a publishing house and they offered me a job. I took it." He told her.

She smiled and threw her arms around him. "Jess, that's great! I'm happy for you. Wait, why do you have to leave though?"

"Thanks. I have to leave because they're located in Philly. I already have an apartment lined up." Jess explained after hugging her back.

Her gaze softened as she pulled away from him. "Oh. Well it does sound like a great opportunity for you."

"Yeah it does. There's just one thing missing. Come with me." He smiled softly at her.

Addie looked at him clearly surprised. "What?"

"Come with me, Daisy." Jess smiled lopsidedly at her.

Her eyes widened a bit. "I can't just drop everything and move to Philly."

"I know, but it was worth a shot. Listen, I'm not just working there. I've been, uh, writing a book. They're going to publish it." He admitted rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Addie's face lit up at his words. "Jess! Oh my god! You wrote a book? That's incredible!"

"Yeah I did. They're going to throw a launch party for it. I'll leave the information for you, but uh, you're welcome to come to the party. I really couldn't have done it without you, Addie." Jess explained.

She smiled tearing up a little. "Of course you could have. You just didn't want to."

Jess left for Philly a few days later after making sure that Nora and Addie would be okay without him. A package arrived not long afterward for Addison. She recognzied Jess' handwriting instantly. Inside was an invitation to his book's launch party that included an address along with a date and time. There was also a note.

Daisy,

I always wanted you to have the very first copy. This copy has a special dedication that is just for you.

- Jess

She smiled clearly touched by his thoughtfulness. Addie set the note aside and picked up the book. The Subsect by Jess Mariano. Her fingertips gently brushed over the letters on the cover. She was so proud of him. Opening the book, Addie flipped past the title page and that was when she saw the dedication.

For Daisy. This is my story. This is our story. This is the story of how I learned to love, how I lost it, and how I realized I am hopelessly in love with my best friend.