Being woken up at four in the morning was definitely not my idea. But since I could hear the house phone ringing and no sign of it stopping anytime soon, I had to get up.

I pushed the duvet off me and stood up from my bed. My room was pitch black and I couldn't see anything except the faint moonlight from behind my curtain. I made my way over to the door as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

It's times like these that I wished my mum wasn't such a heavy sleeper. There could be an earthquake and she wouldn't realise. I opened the door and made my way down the stairs. The ringing of the phone going off like an alarm in my ears.

When I finally reached the phone, I picked it up and pressed it to my ear. "Hello?" I asked, my voice still hoarse from my sleep. "Whoever this is, you better have a good reason for waking me up at four in the morning."

"Cassie?" I recognised Rory's voice from the other end of the line. All the playfulness dropped out of my voice. Neither of us had tried to apologise yet and the tension hung in the air so thick that it made both of our mums constantly annoyed. "Where's your mum?" She added frantically.

"She's asleep," I told her curtly. I just wanted to go back to sleep before I had to leave for school. "What do you want?"

"Go wake her up," she told me quickly as I heard some muffled shouting in the background. "There was a fire at the inn."

I thought that I was hearing things. Nothing ever happened in this town. "A what?"

"A fire," she snapped annoyed. "You need me to spell it out? F-I-R-E. Fire."

"Calm down, Mr. Dewy," I retorted with a roll of my eyes. "I'm gonna wake her up."

"We'll meet you there," with that Rory hung up the phone. I put the phone back on the receiver and made my way up to my mums room. More than happy to wake her up.

~~~

"So, if you hold on to my hands like this I can swing you around." I took a hold of one of the little kids hands -whose name was Oscar- and spun him around, his feet a few inches of the ground as I turned around in a circle.

The sun had come up and five little kids, no older than four, and I played in the clearing in front of Luke's. Three of them -Toby,  Ellie and Martha- were putting pieces of grass and tiny flowers into the small plates that I stole from Luke's and pretended to cook up a meal for me.

Little August, who was no more than two, sat on the bench behind me as he played with a small daisy that I had given him. I set Oscar down with a deep breath and patted his head of dark hair lightly.

"Again!" He exclaimed as he took my hand and tried to spin himself around.

I shake my head at him. "Maybe later okay?" I tell him as he pouted. "Why don't you play with your brother," I suggested with a look towards August. Saying a happy 'okay!' he headed over to his brother.

I wiped a hand over my forehead tiredly as I tried to catch my breath. Despite the cold, I still managed to sweat lightly from all the games I had played with the little kids. I don't think I was ever gonna play tag again.

"You need an inhaler, Cherry?" I heard Jess ask from behind me. I turned around to see him walking towards me from Luke's with a smirk on his face.

I sent him a small smile as I spoke. "You got one on ya?" I joked as he pulled me in for a kiss. I head a chorus of 'ew's from all the kids around us. Jess and I pulled apart to look at them.

"Stop it!" Oscar exclaims from beside his brother on the bench. August had his eyes covered by his older brother as he squirmed in his seat, nearly falling of the bench.

Making my way over to them, I scooped August into my arms before he could hit the ground. He made a few babbling noises before tangling his chubby little hands in my hair.

"You're lucky you're cute," I mumbled to him as he tugged at the ends of my hair making me wince slightly.

Walking over to Jess, I see him looking down at Martha with a frown. Martha was a little red head with brown eyes that were too big for her face. She tugged on his sleeve with a frown of her own.

"Will you play with me?" She asked him as I stood next to the two with August in my arms.

"No," Jess responded shortly without any hesitation. Martha looked at me for some help but I just shrugged my shoulders lightly.

Martha looked up at him with a slight pout. "Why?"

"Cause I don't exactly feel like cooking grass right now," Jess retorted with a glance in the direction of the cups filled with grass and flowers.

"Why?" She asked again, agitating Jess further. It was quite amusing to watch. Jess in his leather jacket and dark clothes talking to a small a child in all seriousness.

"Cause I'm not a cow," he argued back smartly as I shifted my weight from side to side.

Tilting her head to the side, Martha gives him a questioning glance. "Why?" She repeated for the third time with a slight smile on her face. It seemed that I wasn't the only one who liked to see Jess all worked up.

Turning to me, as if not believing what was coming out of her mouth he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "What do mean why-" I cut Jess of with a smile at Martha.

"He would love to play with you," I answer for him sneakily. Martha's face lights up as she tugs on the sleeve of his jacket.

"Wait a minute," he glares at me as he was dragged in the direction of where the grass cooking was going on. I sent him a teasing wave as he just continued to glare at me.

I watched as he reluctantly sat crossed legged on the grass with a frown. Martha and Toby handed him a cup and made him pretend to drink it. All in all, it was a hilarious sight to see.

"Cassie!" I heard Oscar call as he made his way toward me. Setting August town on the grass I turn toward Oscar with a small smile. "Will you spin me again?"

Groaning slightly at his plead, I try to think of what else I could do that wouldn't involve so much energy from me. "Maybe something else?" I try, "How about-"

"Piggy back ride!" He exclaimed happily, not bothering to let me finish my sentence. It was better than my other option. I kneeled down on the grass to allow him to climb onto my back. I hooked my arms under his legs to ensure that he didn't fall off.

Cheering happily, he climbed onto me before I stood up to my full height and walked over to everyone else. Oscar kept making airplane noises in my ear which made me add a jump to my step to help encourage his sound effects.

Casting a glance at the others, I see August babbling away to Jess who had his eyebrows furrowed as he tried to make sense of his words. Across from him Toby was trying to shove a cup in his hand for him to play with.
But what was really funny, was Ellie trying to climb onto his shoulders.

"What is happening?" Jess asked as he froze his whole body not knowing what was happening behind him. "Who's trying to climb me like I'm the tree from Pocahontas?"

I let out a light laugh at his words. "That's Ellie," I introduced him to the tiny blonde behind him. "I think she wants you to give her a piggyback ride." I guessed from way she kept pointing to Oscar who I was supporting on my back.

"No way," Jess said before turning around the face Ellie. "I have made a grass salad and tried to make sense of whatever this one is talking about," Jess sends a pointed look to August who kept on talking despite no one listening.

Jess put his arm on Ellie's shoulder and looked at her sternly. "I am not giving you a piggy back ride," he says slowly to make sure that she understands.

I watch her face closely, already knowing what was gonna happen. Her small lip quivered before she sniffed quietly. Soon enough, she started crying. Softly at first, with silent tears down her red cheeks then she started bawling.

"Great, you made Ellie cry." I chided to Jess who moved a few steps away from her as if she were going to explode.

"Geez, can we stop it?" He asked me as he winced at her shrill scream. "It sounds like a fire alarm."

I send him a smug smirk. "You gotta give her what she wants," I explain triumphantly as he stood up. Jess walked away from her but she ran after him and latched herself onto his leg.

"No," Jess protested with a glance down at Ellie who clung into his leg for dear life. "Get her off!"

"She won't stop till she gets what she wants," I repeat as Jess squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. I waited for him to do something as Ellie continued her crying, attracting some attention for the passerby's.

Jess let's put a frustrated breathe before speaking. "Fine," he gives in before scooping Ellie up and plopping her in his shoulders. It was slightly different than what I did for Oscar but nonetheless, it made her stop crying.

Ellie stopped her flow of tears as if it were a tap. She patted Jess head happily as she messed up his hair. "You having a fun time up there?" He asked her sarcastically. All she did was giggle in response.

After a few minutes of Oscar and Ellie treating Jess and I like their own personal horses, Lorelai came out from inside the diner. She walked over to us with an amused grin on her lips.

She stopped a few feet away from us. "What a happy family you all are," she joked with a glance at the running children around us.

"Ha ha," I say sarcastically from beside Jess. Ellie and Oscar were still on our shoulders and persistent for us to have a 'race'. "I feel like my hair is falling out," I comment with a gesture to Oscar who gripped onto my hair to make sure he didn't fall off.

"Speak for yourself," Jess muttered as Ellie kept her grip on his face, almost taking his eyes out.

Lorelai laughed lightly at the two of us before looking toward the kids around us. "Hey guys," Lorelai got all the children's attention. "Go on over to the diner and have breakfast with your families. Then, ask the nice man with the flannel shirts and baseball cap to do sock puppets for you! And if he says no, ask him louder! It's part of the game!"

Jess and I carefully took Oscar and Ellie off our shoulders. I made sure that Oscar took care of his little brother before all of the kids cheered loudly before making their way over to the diner to terrorise Luke. The two of us sent Lorelai looks of gratitude.

"You're cruel and I owe you," I tell Lorelai gratefully. Jess stood next to me with his arm around my waist as we spoke to Lorelai.

She waved my thanks away with her hand. "It was nice to see Jess get ordered around by a child," she remarked.

"Don't underestimate her," Jess responded with a groan.

"It's true," I agree solemnly. "She's got one hell of a cry."

Lorelai put her hands up in defence. "I'll take your word for it," she says, "You guys have got to get to school though." When neither of us made a move to go, since we both still wanted to talk, Lorelai waved at us awkwardly. "So, bye."

Once she left I turned to Jess with a questioning glance. "I know that face," Jess groaned out as we both took a seat on the bench.

"What face?" I asked innocently as Jess pulled me closer to his side.

"The face that means you've got something important to ask me," he explained with a knowing smile. "So what is it?"

I pressed my lips together in a fine line at the fact that he was right. "I was just gonna ask you where you work," I say nonchalantly.

Jess frowned at me, not understanding my question. "You know I work at Luke's," he says, "With you."

"It's just that Luke mentioned you getting employe of the month somewhere," I explained. "So where's your new job?"

"It's just a small thing at Wal-mart," he mumbled softly.

I looked up at him and leaned my headed on his shoulder. "Do we get discounts?" I teased relentlessly.

"Stop it," he chided. After a while he spoke up again. "We get coupons," he says as I laugh lightly.

"But what about school?" I asked concerned. Jess was supposed to graduate this year along with me but in order to do that he had to actually attend school.

He shrugged as if not understanding my concern. "What about it?"

"It's just that if you're working there and at Luke's do you still go to school?" I asked slowly.

"Don't stress about it," he started with a convincing smile. "I'm going enough."

"Going enough?" I repeat. "Do you need me to help you? What does that even mean?"

He takes my hand in his, "It means that you don't have to worry about it."

"You're gonna graduate?" I raise my eyebrow at him hoping to get an honest answer. We both knew Luke wasn't gonna let him live here if he didn't graduate.

"Just like Reese Witherspoon did from Harvard in Legally Blonde, just a little bit less ambitious," he assured me. And I believed him with a soft smile.

~~~~

"Alright, we're all set." My mum fluffed the newly changed pillow on my bed for our guest. Later that night we had to give some of the guests from the inn places to sleep since all the nearby hotels were fully booked.

The two of us got lucky since we only got one guest who went by the name of Amanda. She was a tall and slim lady with dark blonde hair that reminded me of Paris. The person not the place.

Amanda would be taking my room while I slept on the couch. I didn't mind at all honesty since it meant that I got the tv for the whole night.

"Thank you both so much," she thanked us with a kind smile. She wore one of the t-shirts that Kirk was selling around town as her pyjamas since everyone's things were still trapped inside the inn. Her shirt read 'Babette ate oatmeal!' Really original.

I just stood next to my mum in my pyjamas and smiled, letting her do all the talking. "It's nothing," my mum insists as we both made our way towards the door. "Just holler if you need anything." We all said our good nights before heading out the door.

"You got all your stuff?" My mum asked me as I leaned on the banister by the staircase. "Pillow, blanket, Mr. Bear?"

"They're all downstairs waiting for me," I answered.

She nodded her head lightly. "Alright," she started but I could see there was more she wanted to say. "I spoke to Rory earlier."

"Oh," I say softly, not knowing how to respond. "And?"

"Well, she's as upset as you are, that's for sure." She explained, "But I'm sure she'll come around."

"That's good," I reply with a grim smile on my face.

My mum looks at me with a tilt of her head. "I bet she'll come around faster if one of you apologised first," she implied as I shook my head at her.

"I don't know," I say hesitantly. "I think we'll just give her time. Besides, she should apologise to me." I say confidently.

"You should've told her about Columbia sooner," she argued back with a frown. "No wonder she's upset."

"I know," I say with a hand to my forehead. "Just let me figure it out, okay?"

"Okay," my mum agreed. "Goodnight," she kissed my forehead before heading over to her room.

The door closed behind her just as I opens my mouth to speak. "Goodnight."