A/N: And here we are at the end of our tale. That car crash happening slightly differently sure did change things, huh? With great big thanks to all those who have reviewed (whether it was once or on every chapter or something in between) I give you the very end of Season 2 rewritten, with added Literati and a sprinkling of JavaJunkie ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 12

The day seemed to know that it needed to be beautiful, the sun shining through dappled cloud as the people gathered for the wedding of Sookie St James and Jackson Melville. Rory couldn't stop smiling, not even when the music started up and it turned out Sookie had been determined in her choice of I Can't Get Started, a most depressing song in everyone else's opinion. It really didn't matter, all focus was on the beautiful bride gliding down the aisle on her father's arm. Well, most attention was on Sookie, there were at least two people in the crowd that only had eyes for the bridesmaids.

Jess felt dumb in a suit, but it was worth being dressed up to be here with Rory. She was beautiful, in her dark green dress with her hair all brushed out. He told her as much before the ceremony and watched her blush a pretty pink as she thanked him for the compliment. Of all unholy things, she had made him promise to dance with her later, and yet Jess couldn't mind too much when he was practically forced to agree to the activity. As much as dancing, especially in company, didn't thrill him, having Rory in his arms was never a chore.

Beside Jess, Luke watched Lorelai pass by and shot her smile which she happily returned. They had been such good friends for so long, but these last couple of weeks things were a little different. It felt as if they were a little closer, a little more flirty, if such a thing were possible. It made a hope spark in Luke's heart that he usually tried to surpress. It was as if Lorelai was suddenly seeing him in the same light he had always seen her, and it wasn't just him noticing. Jess had made some comments, and though taking dating advice from his teenage nephew almost seemed suicidal, Luke couldn't help but want to believe there really was something there worth shooting for.

Focus shifted to the happy couple when the music ended and the vows were made. Sookie and Jackson practically shone with the love they felt for each other, and finally he kissed his bride, the marriage sealed. Cheers and applause came from the assembled crowd and then Sookie declared it was party time!

Jess got up to meet Rory and they walked towards the reception area together. There was contingency for if the weather turned, but everything had been planned for out back of the Independence Inn. The weather was holding and that was good. Rory took Jess' arm when he offered it like a gentleman before glancing back to see Lorelai startle at Luke's similar offer to her. Still she smiled as she let him escort her, and Rory smiled at seeing it.

"I still think it's crazy that you made that happen," she said to Jess. "After all these years..."

"I didn't make anything happen," he assured her as they headed for the buffet table. "They've always liked each other, anybody can see that. They just needed putting in a place where they couldn't keep denying it."

"Well, whatever you did or didn't do, I like it," she sighed happily as she watched Lorelai and Luke laughing together.

They walked over towards the piano, where Maury was already seated ready to play. Babette was beside him and called for Miss Patty to come over. They were soon singing together, loudly and with gusto. It made Rory laugh, the way they were always so very into whatever they were singing, even if they didn't hit every note perfectly.

Jess handed her a glass of punch and sipped at his own, wincing at how sweet it was. Maybe the wincing also had a little to do with the singing, but he supposed it was nice in its way that everybody was happy. Jess wasn't an obviously happy person himself and he certainly hadn't been amused when he got shipped off to Stars Hollow the way he had. Now he wondered if Liz hadn't done him a favour, however inadvertantly. He couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else but here.

"You're staring," said Rory when she realised his eyes were on her and not the singers anymore.

"That's 'cause I found something worth staring at," he told her with a smirk.

Rory was sure he was going to kiss her, but it never happened as Lorelai and Luke appeared.

"Hey, kids," Lorelai smiled. "Patty and Babette gettin' the party swinging already, huh?" she said as Luke reached to pour them both a glass of punch.

"How many drinks did they have to cause that?" asked Jess thoughtfully.

"Er, none," Lorelai told him with a smile she couldn't help. "When they start drinking, that's the part where we have to hide you."

Jess smiled back because he thought she was joking. That expression soon shifted to something akin to fear when he realised Luke was nodding his confirmation that Lorelai was exactly right. Rory found it all quite amusing.

"So, now the ceremony is over..." Luke began, only to interrupted by Lorelai's cell ringing in her purse.

She cursed as she scrambled to find it, berating herself for not having switched it off before. If it had gone off during the ceremony she would've been mortified, so really whoever was calling had impeccable timing, such she was saying even as she took the unidentified call.

"What are you...? Paris?"

Rory's eyes widened at that and suddenly the phone was being thrust into her hands. Jess watched his girlfriend closely as she talked to her almost-friend. She looked happy at first and then not so much. Her expression was usually pretty easy to read, but Rory was so often trying to do, say, or be what everybody else wanted, it was sometimes hard to define what was going on in her head, even for a guy like Jess that felt he knew her pretty well at this point.

"Okay. Okay, Paris," she said eventually, hanging up from the call and handing the cell back to her mom.

"Everything okay, hon?" she checked.

"Yeah, sure. Um, oh look, dancing," she said, looking towards the formerly empty area now filled up with couples in each other's arms and excitable children both.

"Aaaw," Lorelai sighed as she watched Jackson twirl Sookie and then kiss her lips. "Pretty," she declared.

Luke looked from the happy couple to Lorelai and back, suddenly finding a nerve he never knew he had.

"You wanna dance?" he asked her then, smirking slightly as the shock of the offer registered on Lorelai's face.

"You sure?"

"Would I ask if I wasn't?"

Lorelai wasn't going to argue any further and happily put her hand into Luke's own to be led to the floor. Rory watched them go with a blank expression that bothered Jess more than a little. He took her punch glass out of her hand without Rory even noticing and placed it with his on the table.

"C'mon," he said, inclining his head as he grabbed her hand and headed for the dance floor.

Rory was suddenly bemused.

"But you didn't really want to..."

"Changed my mind," he shrugged like it was nothing.

Rory felt a little odd about being pulled into Jess' arms like this in front of what was almost the entire town. Still, she didn't suppose anyone was really watching, not when each couple was so focused on each other, or on the happy couple at the centre of this whole day. It felt good to be here, in the circle of her boyfriend's arms, his eyes staring into hers with such intensity as to make her catch her breath. The smile slipped off her face then and she ducked her head.

"You okay?" asked Jess, knowing already that she wasn't.

Something in that phone call with Paris had completely changed her mood and he needed to know what it was.

"Yeah, no," Rory answered his question awkwardly. "I don't know," she shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes as they continued to sway to the music.

Something was going on, and Jess didn't like that he had no idea what it was. Things had been going so well these last couple of weeks. He never thought for a second that by now he and Rory would be together like this, but it was all that he wanted. Now she was being too quiet since that call. It bothered him more than he was prepared to admit.

"Rory?" he stopped moving and lifted her chin with his finger. "Talk to me," he urged her.

She looked around at the other people dancing and those watching from the side-lines. She encouraged Jess' arms around her again and kept them moving so as not to draw attention before she explained herself.

"I'm not going to Washington," she said so suddenly and definitely, Jess was understandably confused. "Y'know this whole thing at school with Paris, and me being vice president to her president if we won?" she sighed. "Well, we did, win I mean. We're supposed to go to Washington for the first six weeks of the Summer, and I was going to tell you but I didn't think it would happen and... well, it doesn't matter now, because I'm not going," she said once more. "I'm going to stay here, with you."

She was smiling up at him, and yet Jess couldn't return the look. He understood what she was trying to do, he even appreciated it in a way, but there was no way he could let Rory miss out on something great because of him. Dean might've acted that way, but he was different, and proud of it too.

"You're going to Washington," he said, with even more determination than she had said she wasn't - her face was a picture as she looked up at him. "Come on, Rory, this is an amazing opportunity, and you are not missing out on it because of me," he told her firmly.

"But we just got everything figured out," she all but whined. "I like you... a lot. Things are just so good."

"It'll still be good when you get back," he promised her, that familiar smirk coming to his lips. "And hopefully you'll still like me... a lot," he teased her.

Rory giggled at that but was serious again in a moment as she met his eyes.

"Do you think...? Will you still like me?"

"I'm not answering that on account of it being a dumb question," he rolled his eyes at her. "What? You think as soon as you're gone, I'll just grab the nearest easy blonde and forget you? Not a chance," he promised her, in spite of his jokey tone before.

Rory smiled.

"I don't know, this town has quite the selection of easy blondes to choose from."

"I prefer a more complex brunette myself," he assured her, genuine as anything in spite of the fact they appeared to be kidding around on the surface. "I'm gonna be right here when you get back, okay?" he promised as the song ended and so did their dance.

"Okay," she nodded, still holding him close. "And I'll call you, and write letters."

"I'll write back," he promised

"It's only six weeks."

"Forty two days."

"Why does that seem like forever right now?"

Her eyes were welling up and he hated to see it. It did seem like an awful long time to not see her at all, and Jess had to admit he was kind of wishing he hadn't convinced her to go now, but Rory had to do this. He would not be the reason she stayed behind, he couldn't. Leaning down to capture her lips, he held her close, pouring every ounce of what he felt into that kiss. She didn't hesitate in kissing him back, getting lost in the moment, apparently completely forgetting anyone at all could see them on the edge of the dance floor.

"You're not making a good case for my going," she breathed when they finally parted.

"Honestly? Not trying to right now", he admitted with a genuine smile, "but you do have to go, Rory. This will be an amazing experience for you. I don't want be the guy you blame for missing out on the things you should do or have. I never want to be the one standing in the way of your dreams."

Rory couldn't believe how sweet Jess could be sometimes. She never would have suspected the day she met him that he could be this way, he seemed so dark and moody then. Some people still saw him that way, but they just didn't know Jess the way Rory did. She was so happy they were together now.

"Is it corny if I say that right this minute, this is kind of a dream?" she smiled, happily leaning into his embrace.

"You're not wrong about that," he sighed, going in for another kiss, making the most of having Rory here in his arms for as long as possible.

It would be tough being apart for so much of the Summer, but they'd make it work in the end. They'd come this far, and from here anything was possible.

The End

A/N2: And that's all she wrote! Or is it? I'm wondering, would you all be interested in reading the six weeks that Rory & Jess are apart, i.e. their communications by phone and letter, how they cope with the separation, etc.? Just a thought. When you review (you know you want to, right?) I'd love to see both your opinions on this final chapter and your thoughts on the possible sequel. Thanks all! :)