Code of Silence || chapter 10 || The End Of The Beginning
by Jewls13 and Taylor
Luke and Jess silently trekked back to the diner. No words were necessary; an understanding had passed between the two.
Dom looked up at them as they entered.
"Is she upstairs?" Luke asked. Dom nodded, and Luke started walking up the stairs.
Jess looked at Dom.
"You really need to learn to keep your mouth shut."
"I was helping." Dom protested
Jess reluctantly smiled and rolled his eyes. After thinking for a minute he said, "So this makes us even right?"
Dom walked over to Jess and put his arm around his shoulder.
"Not even close."
"...Yeah, didn't think so."
*************************
"Bree?" Luke asked, knocking on the door as he opened it. She was sitting on the couch, her bag next to her feet.
"May I?" Luke asked, gesturing to the couch.
"Hey, it's yours," she smiled, scooting over.
"I'm sorry," Luke started, but couldn't continue as she waved her hand in his face.
"There's no need for apologies. I understand."
"I shouldn't have made assumptions, and I'm so sorry I took those pills. Damn Lorelai..." Luke said.
"Luke, I can see why you did what you did, and I want to thank you."
Luke scratched his head, a puzzled look on his face.
"You were just looking out for Jess. You took him in, gave him a real home." she smiled.
Luke shrugged modestly, looking down, away from that killer smile, "I don't think I really did anything."
Bree shook her head. "You did a lot. I could see the change in him when I got here."
"Well, I'm still sorry."
"You're forgiven," Bree laughed.
Luke smiled at her, getting ready to leave.
"Wait," Bree called to him.
"Yes?" he asked her, sitting back down.
"Lorelai�"
"What about her?" Luke asked innocently.
A grin spread across her face, "Just don't wait too long, okay?"
"Wait too long for what?" Luke questioned.
"To tell her."
Luke stared at her, wide eyed. Dom entered then, whistling and breaking Luke out of his reverly.
"You two are welcome to stay here," Luke told them, as Bree picked up her bag.
"Nah, that's cool," Dom replied. "I'm gonna grab my shit and we'll be on our merry way."
Bree stood up and pecked Luke on the cheek, then flounced out the door. The two men stared after her.
"She's one of a kind, isn't she?" Dom asked.
"Yeah," Luke agreed starring after her. "Something like that."
"Damn! You and Jess, you get all the hot chicks," Dom complained. "It's not fair!"
"Huh?" Luke asked for clarification, confused at Dom's random statement.
"You know!" Dom told him. "Little Miss I-Don't-Care-How-Bad-It-Is-For-Me-I-Want-It-Anyway?"
Luke laughed. "You know kid," he smiled at Dom, "I think I'm going to miss having you around."
Dom smiled then grew solemn. "Listen? You take care of him, okay? I mean, he's a smart guy, and I taught him well, but�" Dom gave a small, silent smile "he still needs someone to have his back, you know? Jess, Bree, me�we never really had families. We were our own little family. Jess'll never admit it, but um...he needs you. He's got his family now."
Luke nodded understandingly, "There's more to you than the guy who talks to trees, isn't there?"
"Shhh!" Dom said, looking around frantically. "The walls have ears."
Looking up from her book, Rory smiled at Bree as she came down the stairs, lugging a backpack. "You're not staying?" she asked Bree as she straddled the chair across from Rory.
"Nah," Bree said. "I think this town's had enough of us."
Rory smiled, closing her book.
"Too bad I didn't get the chance to know you better Rory." Bree said genually.
"I guess so," Rory agreed.
"You know, you kinda of remind me of me."
"How so?" Rory asked, confused.
"Well, maybe not in the conventional sence" Bree said laughing a bit, "but there's something there. One certain thing does stand out."
"What's that?"
"Jess."
Rory looked perplexed. "What about Jess?"
"You like him."
"I�I�" Rory stuttered.
"It's obvious, well at least to me. And it's not like the sentiment isn't returned."
Rory shook her head, "But you and Jess�"
"...Are friends. Once upon a time things might have been..�" Bree trailed off searching for word "different." She finished flatly. "But things change. Life changes. Sometimes you're forced to change with it."
"Jess doesn't think of me like that," Rory sighed. "I mean, I thought he did, but that was when I had a boyfriend and then when Dean left�.Jess doesn't think of me like that"
Bree started laughing, "Rory, I've seen the way he looks at you. It's been a while since he's looked at someone like that. I mean, the last time it was..."
"You." Rory finished softly.
Bree paused, and then softly continued. "Just don't waste time, okay?"
Rory nodded thoughtfully..
Just then, a duffel bag came flying into the diner. Dom bounded down the stairs after it, singing, "We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz." Bree laughed, standing up.
"Goodbye, gorgeous," Dom winked at Rory. "And tell that cute asian chick goodbye from me, too."
Dom gave Rory a kiss on the cheek. Lorelai winced as Dom pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her feet off the ground.
"Hey!" she protested as he pinched her butt.
"It wasn't me," he replied innocently. "It was the squirrels."
After Bree and Luke exchanged a hug, Dom jumped onto Luke's back. Laughing, Luke knocked him off and they bid farewell.
"Luke, remember, don't wait too long."
Lorelai glanced at Luke, bewildered, and Bree just smiled. Jess appeared just then, and walked with Dom and Bree outside.
"I'm going to go say goodbye to the trees," Dom said, wandering off.
Bree and Jess looked at each other, and Jess pulled her into his chest.
"Need to breathe, Rocky," she said to him.
"Don't call me that," he ordered her, a smirk on his lips.
She smiled at him "It's my right."
Still smiling, he rolled his eyes
"Jess, you know the mistakes we made�" Bree began.
"Yeah," Jess said.
"Don't make them with Rory."
A question formed on Jess's lips, but just then Dom reappeared. "The trees said if we don't leave now they'll get too attached. We gotta go, they don't want me to see them cry." he told them.
Jess looked at the ground, sadness evident on his face.
"Aww, don't look so pathetic," Dom told him.
"You know we'll be back," Bree added.
Bree leaned forward and kissed Jess lightly on the lips.
"You'll be ok." she whispered reassuringly.
Jess smiled teasingly. "Promise?"
"I don't make promises Jess." Bree said with a hint of cold sadness, "You know that."
"Yeah, I do."
They looked at each other before Dom broke them out of their gaze.
"Well, goodbye for now, my love," Dom said and as Jess rolled his eyes, pulled him into a fierce hug.
Dom and Bree smiled at their friend and walked away, leaving Jess staring after them. Sighing, he turned around, and caught sight of Rory standing behind him.
Slowly he walked to where she was standing, taking her hand when he reached her. Brushing his thumb gently over hers, their eyes met. With a small smile and a gentle nod of her head, they turned and walked to the diner hand in hand.
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
-Winston Churchill
Code Of Silence
by Billy Joel
Everybody's got a million questions
Everybody wants to know the score
What you went through
It's something you
Should be over now
Everybody wants to hear the secrets
That you never told a soul before
And it's not that strange
Because it wouldn't change
what happened anyhow
But you swore to yourself a long time ago
There were some things that people never needed to know
Guess there's one that you keep
That you bury so deep
No one can tear it out
And you can talk about it
But you're following a code of silence
You're never gonna to lose the anger
You just deal with it a different way
And you can't talk about it
And isn't that a kind of madness
To be living by a code of silence
When you've really got a lot to say
You don't want to lose a friendship
There's nothing that you have to hide
And a little dirt
Couldn't hurt no one anyway
And you still have a rage inside you
That you carry with a certain pride
In the only part of the broken heart
That you could ever save
But you've been through it once
You know how it ends
You don't see the point
Of going through it again
And this ain't the place
And this ain't the time
And neither's any other day
So you can talk about it
But you're following a code of silence
You're never gonna to lose the anger
You just deal with it a different way
So you can't talk about it
And isn't that a kind of madness
To be living by a code of silence
When you've really got a lot to say
I know you well enough to tell you've got your reasons
That's not the kind of code you're inclined to break
Some things unknown are best left alone forever
And if a vow is what it takes
Haven't you paid for your mistakes
After the moment passes
And the impulse disappears
You can still hold back
Because you don't crack very easily
It's a time honored resolution
Because the danger is always near
It's with you now
But that ain't how it was supposed to be
And it's hard to believe after all these years
That it still gives you pain and it still brings tears
And you feel like a fool
Because it's part of your rules
You've got a memory
But you can talk about it
But you're following a code of silence
You're never gonna to lose the anger
You just deal with it a different way
But you can't talk about it
And isn't that a kind of madness
To be living by a code of silence
When you've really got a lot to say
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