Not Dreaming

A/N: Yes. It happened. Enjoy.

Chapter 19. New Beginning

The elevator doors opened for the millionth time, or at least that's how it felt, and his eyes were automatically drawn to them. People started milling out, but none of them had the piercing blue eyes he was looking for. Sighing he turned his attention back to his book.

He'd taken the afternoon off from work to come with her, knowing she would want him there after the interview, whether she got the job or not. She had freaked out the night before and it had taken a lot of coaxing and persuasion to make her calm down. Not that he minded the end result... So in the morning he had decided not to take any chances, in case she'd go through with her threat of cancelling the meeting. And now he was sitting in the reception of the Inquirer Building, in a strangely uncomfortable chair, trying to concentrate on his tattered copy of 1984, but finding himself growing increasingly restless.

The last couple of days had been straining, the upcoming interview looming ahead of them like some kind of doomsday. He'd spent his time while Rory studied for her finals trying to finish the latest part of his book, but instead found himself worrying about what would happen if she didn't get the job. He knew she said she'd be happy if she got any job at all, but he also knew she didn't believe it herself. She was way too ambitious to just settle for anything.

Though there were a fair amount of newspapers in Philadelphia, the Inquirer definitely posed the best opportunity, and he didn't want to see the disappointment in her eyes if she didn't get it.

He glanced up at the digital clock on the opposite wall and sighed. It had now been over an hour and a half since she stepped into the elevator, giving him a nervous smile and a wave as the doors closed. He supposed he should see it as a good sign that she had been up there so long, but it only served to make him more nervous. He hated waiting. Especially when he wasn't entirely sure what he was waiting for.

A few minutes later the elevator chimed, once more announcing its arrival, and his head whipped up as the doors slowly parted. And this time he wasn't disappointed.

He hardly had time to stand up before she had crossed the room and flung herself into his arms, letting out a high pitched squeal dangerously close to his ear.

"Whoah!" he called out, instinctively bringing his arms up to capture her, taking half a step back to regain his balance. "I think I just went deaf."

"I got it!" Rory exclaimed, completely ignoring his comment, bouncing up and down as much as possible while holding on to him.

"Huh," was the only thing that came to his mind as he tried to take in the news, and at the same time hold them both upright.

"I got it!" she repeated with a squeal, leaning back from him to reveal a huge grin.

The first shock abated, her excitement was rubbing off on him, and a smile broke out over his face. "Congrats."

"I can't believe it," she said breathlessly, her eyes sparkling. And then she kissed him.

He responded eagerly, encircling her waist with his arms, bringing her even closer against his body. She sighed contentedly, tilting her head to get a better angle. A little dazed she finally broke away, resting her forehead against his for a moment before leaning back, letting her arms fall from his shoulders, instead grabbing for his hands.

"I want to go somewhere and celebrate!" she exclaimed, eyes beaming.

"Ok," he said softly, "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," she admitted, but started pulling at his arm. "Come on, we'll figure it out on the way."

Chuckling he let her drag him out of the building. "On the way to where?"

She stopped outside the doors, a thoughtful expression on her face, but then perked up again, and turned back to him. "Food!"

"Of course," Jess smirked, shaking his head at her before grabbing her by the waist, bringing her close again, a wolfish grin spreading over his face. "I have a better idea."

Rory yelped at the unexpected movement, and then narrowed her eyes apprehensively. "What's that?"

"Well," he started, leaning closer, until his lips were gracing her earlobe. "Why don't you come home with me and find out."

"Jess!" Rory hissed, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

His grin grew wider. "What?" he murmured, faking innocence.

"People around," she breathed out. "Someone could hear you."

"So?" he said, his voice husky, nibbling at her ear.

"Jess," she protested again, but not as forcefully this time.

"Okay, okay," Jess gave in, leaning back from her. "Jeez, you're no fun."

"I'm plenty fun," she protested, and added, "Just not so much in public."

"I think I prefer you by myself anyway," he said with a playful grin.

"You think?" she questioned, trying to look hurt, but failing miserably.

He winked at her. "You never know."

She glared at him, but he just brought her closer again, capturing her lips in a deep kiss, and her protests died as she relaxed against him.

Suddenly she broke the kiss, grinning at him. "I got it."

"So I heard," he smirked, amused by her excitement.

Ignoring him, she grabbed his hand again, lazing her fingers with his and started back down the street. "Let's find a good restaurant."

Shaking his head he fell into step with her, and they walked west on North Broad Street, silently enjoying each other's company. The only exception being the occasional, and completely nonsensical, exclamation from Rory.

She suddenly stopped, her eyes shining. "Oh, it's perfect!"

"What is?" Jess asked confused.

"There," Rory smiled, pointing at something on the opposite side of the street. It was a restaurant all right, complete with a flashy name in French, gold trimmings around the windows and a ridiculous guy in a penguin suit standing on the sole step up to the door, greeting potential patrons.

Jess frowned at her. "Are you serious?"

She just grinned back. "I want to eat something ridiculously expensive."

Shaking his head at her, he commented. "They probably wouldn't even let me in."

"Why not?" she asked innocently, her eyes suddenly widening. "You do anything to offend them?" She smiled at him mischievously.

Jess just rolled his eyes at her and motioned with his hand, indicating his attire of the day.

"So?" Rory asked, her eyes glinting as she let her eyes travel over him, from the Chuck Taylor's at his feet, over the faded, but fitting jeans and finally the old Misfits T-shirt he'd chosen that morning.

With a smirk Jess watched her. "Are you checking me out, Gilmore?"

"Maybe," she said, her eyes lingering at his chest.

"Oh, is that right?" he said playfully, pulling at her arm and bringing her flush against him.

"Uh huh," Rory nodded, swallowing.

Dipping his head to look at her under her bangs, he let one of his hands move down her back. "And what's the verdict?"

She lifted her chin to look back at him. "You're right. They probably wouldn't let you in."

"Ouch. That hurt."

"Aww, I'm so sorry," she gushed, her face an expression of faked concern.

Chuckling, he shook his head. "Yeah, I bet you are."

She grinned triumphantly, and he sighed.

"How about we go someplace where they serve actual food. And then we go home, and I'll show you what a real celebration is like. And then, if you're still up for it, I'll take you out to dinner anywhere you want."

"Anywhere?"

"Within the city limits."

She pondered this for a second. "I guess that's fair."

They almost walked past the door without noticing it, but then Rory stopped abruptly, her eyes wide, and the decision was made.

"It's perfect!" she exclaimed and he rolled his eyes at her excitement.

She didn't notice and dragged him through the door, her eyes gleaming. He followed without protest and when he took in their surroundings he had to agree with her. The side walls were covered, floor to ceiling, with bookshelves and the room was cluttered with mismatched tables and comfortable looking chairs and couches, placed seemingly haphazardly all over the floor. It took a while to realize they were actually in a diner.

"How come we've never been here before?" Rory asked, turning to him with a look of wonderment on her face.

He shrugged. "It's a big city."

"But…"

"We're here now," he chuckled, her excitement starting to rub off on him.

"Come on then," she beamed. "Let's find a table."

He leaned closer and kissed her temple. "As you wish."

She could feel a shiver run down her spine and her smile brightened even more at the tender gesture.

"Over there," she pointed, a little way past his left shoulder, and then dragged him over to a small loveseat in a corner, framed by two overflowing bookcases.

They had hardly sat down before a girl in an apron with the text You can't buy happiness, but you can buy books and that's kind of the same thing, came up to their table, and Rory just beamed at her.

"Welcome to the Book Joint!" she greeted, reaching over two menus.

"I love this place," Rory sighed, causing the girl to smile.

"I hope you will like the food as much," she said.

"I'm sure I will," Rory smiled, glancing up briefly from her perusal of the menu.

"Would you like something right away?"

"Yes," Rory nodded enthusiastically. "I want a bowl of your strongest coffee."

"Then you've come to the right place," the girl chuckled.

Beside her, Jess just rolled his eyes at his excited girlfriend, not for the first time marveling at how the smallest things could make her so happy. "I'll have a tea," he said, and then added. "In whatever size your normal cups are."

"Oh, shush," Rory admonished him, but her smile didn't waver at all.

"Coming right up," the girl smiled. "Feel free to browse while you wait." And then she walked over to the kitchen, leaving them alone to take in their surroundings.

Rory immediately turned around to look over the titles beside her, smiling when she found some favorites, soon realizing it was complete chaos. Jess on the other hand leaned back against the couch, more focused on the atmosphere of the place. It smelled faintly of old books and French fries, a combination that was strangely addicting, and he could definitely see himself coming back here. In particular there was a small table in a corner, set a little apart from the others, that somehow drew him in. It would be the perfect place to write. He could almost see himself sitting there with a notebook and a half-finished cup of tea.

Rory's perusal had brought her out of the couch without Jess even noticing, and then she squealed, bringing him out of his thoughts abruptly to turn to her. She was standing beside the couch, a huge grin on her face, holding a book to her chest.

"What?" he asked, unable to see what book she was holding.

She held it out to him. It was small, and thin, and he knew what it was before he read the title.

"Huh."

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, and how she sat down and opened the book almost reverently. Then she looked up at him. "This was fate," she said, beaming.

"There's no such thing as fate," he said casually, a smirk fighting its way out.

Rory was just about to protest when the waitress returned with their drinks and some snacks, and Rory's eyes widened as she saw the size of the mug of coffee that was placed in front of her. Bowl was a totally valid description. "Wow," she exclaimed, delighted.

"I hope you like it," the girl smiled, but Rory barely heard her, completely engrossed as she was by her drink. She sniffed it curiously, and closed her eyes in contentment at the wonderful aroma.

Jess for his part thanked the waitress for his tea, watching Rory fondly, and ordered for the both of them, pretty sure that it would be a while until she emerged from her reverie. The girl smiled and left them alone again, and Jess picked up the now forgotten copy of Howl from the table, flipping through it to one of his favorite parts, and started reading, quite confident he'd get at least a couple pages before Rory was back with him.

He sipped his tea, getting lost in the words on the pages, and it wasn't long before his hand instinctively reached for the pencil stashed in his pocket. He was just about to start writing when he froze, frowning, remembering it wasn't his book. He sighed and looked up, only to be met with Rory's unnaturally blue eyes.

"This coffee is fantastic," she grinned, the bowl now almost halfway empty in her hands. "Maybe even as good as Luke's."

"Good," he nodded distractedly, still a bit bummed that he couldn't in good conscience write in the book. Immediately following he wondered when exactly he had started to care about something like that. He couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but he blamed Rory, as with a lot of changes in his life. And honestly, he liked most of them, though he would probably not admit that out loud.

"We have to come back here," Rory continued excitedly, too caught up in her own excitement to notice anything amiss, and her enthusiasm was soon rubbing off on Jess, who smirked at her.

"Sure," he agreed.

Then Rory suddenly remembered she was hungry, and looked around for the menus. "Oh, but we never ordered," she mumbled, frowning when she couldn't find them.

"I did," Jess shrugged.

Rory blinked. "Oh."

"You were a bit preoccupied with the coffee," he smirked.

"Thanks," she smiled, ducking her head sheepishly. "I might've gone a bit overboard."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "That's an understatement, if I ever heard one."

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled, but only half-heartedly, her attention already back on the coffee.

"I rest my case," he said, leaning back against the couch and once more opened the book.

Rory had soon finished her coffee, and then she started in on the snacks, making fast work of a bread stick, picking up a second one right after.

"I still can't quite believe it," she said, nibbling on the stick.

"This place, or…" Jess wondered, looking up from the book, pretty sure he knew, but still asking.

"It's just a minor position, and I won't get to write any major stories anytime soon, but it's a real job, at a real newspaper," Rory said excitedly. Her eyes gleamed, and she was gesticulating excitedly with the bread stick in her hand as she talked.

He grinned at her. "I think you just hurt the feelings of the Gazette."

"Oh." Her face fell for a second.

"Rory, relax," he chuckled. "I'm just kidding."

"I know, but…"

"No buts," he said, shaking his head. "You deserve this, and you have no reason to feel guilty about it."

"Yeah, you're right I guess."

"Of course I'm right."

She shook her head with a smile. "And apparently completely full of yourself."

He leaned in closer, a smirk playing at his lips. "It's one of my many compelling attributes."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yup," he said nonchalantly. "Just ask my girlfriend."

Rory grinned. "I did. She says she's starting to get annoyed."

He shrugged. "That's too bad."

"How so?"

He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "'Cause she's stuck with me."

"Oh yeah?" she questioned playfully. "How can you be so sure?"

"Rumor has it, she's moving in with me," Jess shrugged, leaning back in his seat again.

"Well," she said with a deep sigh. "In that case, I guess there's no way out."

He sighed, a look of fake hurt on his face. "You don't have to sound so excited."

They stared at each other over the table, and both of them burst out laughing at the same time. A couple minutes later, when the waitress arrived with their food, she was still giggling, and he was watching her, a small smile playing at his lips, while he absentmindedly played with his tea cup on the table.

The food didn't disappoint, and both Rory and Jess were pretty sure they'd spend a lot of time there in the future, though their reasoning varied.

While they ate, Rory detailed the interview and gushed about the instant connection she had with her future boss, her eyes shining with excitement. She'd gotten a tour and met some of her future colleagues, and it had felt like a place where she could fit in.

Jess was soon caught up in her excitement, and as he began to relax, he realized just how tense he'd been before, and how much he'd actually worried about what would happened if Rory hadn't gotten the job. He'd been so focused on Rory's pre-interview jitters that his own had been pushed far back. And now, he couldn't stop smiling at her animated story-telling.

And he could finally allow himself to think about how to fit Rory's stuff with his own. He'd deliberately avoided looking too much at the book shelves, knowing they would need more to fit Rory's collection as well. And now his mind was filled with all kinds of plans, the first one calling Luke to see if he could come and help out.

It was hours later when they left the diner, fully intending to come back very soon, and heads filled with plans and expectations for the future walked out into the city.

The next part of the celebration started a bit prematurely and pretty much by accident on the way home. It wasn't very far to Jess' apartment, so they decided to walk, and halfway there a kiss by a street crossing turned the walk into a re-enactment of a favorite pass-time from their teenage years: walking while kissing, which proved to be a lot more difficult in Philadelphia, in no small part due to the fact that the streets were a lot busier, not to mention the sidewalks. But it was no less enjoyable.

They made a lot of unplanned stops on the way. In doorways and at crosswalks, by streetlights and trees, and though Rory normally wasn't really comfortable with so much people around, today she just didn't really care.

It was getting dark when they arrived at his building, bumping into the door on their way in, both smiling at how much like kids they were really behaving while they navigated their way to the elevator. Inside, Rory finally realized what all the fuzz about elevators was about, and enjoying it immensely, but the elevator stopped and they stumbled out, lips locked together, hands groping. And collided with a middle aged woman in the hallway.

Rory's eyes widened, and she blushed. "Oh, I'm so…I mean, we're so sorry," she sputtered, self-consciously untangling herself slightly from Jess' arms.

The woman blinked and opened her mouth as if to say something, but only let out a displeased sound and glared at them before hurrying into the elevator, her mouth twisted sourly while she inspected the inside, for what Rory chose not to think about.

The pair in the hallway hadn't moved, but as the doors closed they looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Jess was the first to recover. "Did you see the look on her face?"

"She looked like she swallowed a whole lemon," Rory giggled. "Is it bad that I don't feel even a little bit guilty?"

"Only you would even consider feeling guilty," Jess commented, smiling fondly, if a bit incredulously, at her.

"Don't mock me," she protested half-heartedly, distracted when he once more drew her closer.

"No," he agreed, his lips barely touching the soft skin below her ear. "I can think of way better things to be doing to you."

Rory let her eyes fall halfway closed, unconsciously leaning further into him. "Jess…" she mumbled, trying to get his attention. "Maybe we should get out of the hallway."

"Right, not a fan of public displays," Jess smirked as his mouth continued its exploration of her neck, pushing her gently backwards until her back hit the wall. "Although, judging by this afternoon, I'm not entirely certain I believe you."

Rory could feel herself color slightly, remembering as well, and suddenly felt a bit shy, though she didn't really want him to stop. But she also didn't want this to go much further out here. So she opened her eyes to try and steer their way towards the apartment, and for the first time since they stepped out of the elevator really looked at their surroundings.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed as soon as she did, her eyes falling on the numbers on the wall. "We're on the wrong floor."

"Huh?" Jess was distracted, more interested in the ear lobe he was nibbling on than where they were currently standing. But then he really heard what she said and pulled back, frowning. "What?"

"We're on the wrong floor," Rory repeated, unable to keep a small pout off her lips at the loss of contact.

"Huh," Jess smirked, not missing her reaction. "I guess we gotta get back in the elevator then."

"Oh," Rory mumbled, flushing bright red, but still with a flash of excitement. "I guess so."

"After you."

"Such a gentleman," Rory giggled as he turned her around in his arms and nudged her forward.

"Of course," Jess agreed, his hands flat on her stomach, and slowly travelling further down.

Rory swallowed, her protest dying on her lips. "I'll never look quite the same way at an elevator," she managed to breathe out, and she could almost feel Jess' smirk against her ear.

"Good."

Later that night they were sprawled lazily on the bed, her head resting on his chest while his hand played with her hair. The room was dark, except for the faint light from the kitchen spilling in through the open door.

"So…"Jess began. "You still want to go out to dinner?"

"Not fair," Rory grumbled and with great effort snuggled even closer. "I'm too comfortable to get up."

Jess couldn't stop the smile that broke out at her words. "Good."

Rory didn't really have the energy to berate him for his smugness. "Can I get a rain check?" she asked instead.

"Sure," he agreed, tilting his head to place a kiss on her temple. "Gives you time to do your research as well."

"Oh, I hadn't even thought about that," Rory said, smiling in anticipation, but then she frowned. "Jess…"

"What?" he asked, entirely too innocent.

"This was your plan all along, wasn't it?" she accused.

"What plan?"

Rory just smiled, finding his hand and lacing their fingers together. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."