A/N: We're gonna try this again. :) I'm re-committing myself to this story. Let me know what you think, please, because your suggestions help and are, in fact, the reason I've decided to finish this as a multi-parter.

Disclaimer: If I ever owned Rory or Jess, I must have misplaced them. Sigh.

In the last chapter of "Every Second Counts..."

"I'm all yours, Mr. Mariano. The question is, what are you gonna do about it?"

Jess stared at her, speechless and beyond turned on, and then captured her lips once more before replying. "Well, I guess we should go have that talk, Miss Gilmore." And with that, he put his arm around the girl that, until tonight, he had never thought he would stand a chance with, and led her out of Doose's market onto the streets of Stars Hollow, the town he was beginning to lo- lik- tolerate.

"So, Magellan, where are we going?" Rory queried.

"It's a surprise." Jess smirked sarcastically.

"Ooh, this is exciting. Shouldn't I be blindfolded to add to the suspense?"

Rory twisted under his arm to smile up at him. Jess kissed her forehead before replying. "Maybe... but I think the pony I got you is a little predictable, so it won't be much of a surprise."

"A pony? Man, I always wanted a pony. Is it pink? Oh, wait, is it actually a unicorn? You were asking Luke for advice on what to get me, weren't you? Jess, that's so sweet!" Rory's smirk rivaled one of Jess'.

Jess rolled his eyes. "You know, sometimes I hear the stuff that comes out of your mouth, and I start to wonder why on earth I would be spending my time with you. Especially considering your taste in authors. I mean, not to beat a dead pony here, but Ayn Rand is not worth anybody's time. Except maybe Taylor's. He deserves to waste four months of his life."

"Four months?"

"Well, come on, it's Taylor."

"True. Wait, Jess, are we going to the..." Rory trailed off and looked up at him questioningly.

"Well, we're here. We're sitting down. What do you think?" Jess pulled away from Rory and seated himself on the bridge, legs dangling over the edge.

"Jess..." Rory remained standing, staring down at him with a bewildered expression on her face.

"Rory..." Jess mocked.

"You... this is where you took me after the basket auction. I mean, I know you said you liked it here, but... it's like - we have a place, you know?" Rory beamed at him before happily plopping herself down facing him, her legs crossed indian-style.

"And the insanity keeps on coming." Jess quipped, his eyes fixed on the mercurial surface of the lake.

"Jess. It's a good thing." Rory leaned in towards him and rested her hand on his arm.

"Yeah?" Jess, still leaning over the lake, turned his head to look up at her.

"Yeah." Rory smiled.

"Okay then." Jess swung his legs up and around, mirroring her position. "So... I believe we were going to talk."

"Why are you saying it like that?"

"Like what?"

"Taaalk." Rory said exaggeratedly, taking full advantage of air quotes.

"Well, see, technically, we're talking right now, so saying we're going to talk is just idiotic. But saying we should talk..." Jess leaned towards her.

"Alright, alright, I concede your point." Rory smiled briefly before sighing determinedly and continuing. "So... here's what I need to say." She paused for a moment, biting her lip. "I wanted to write you. You have no idea how many times I started that stupid letter, but it was never... good enough. God, Jess, you're perfect. You're so amazing, and so smart... it's not like with Dean. I can't just scribble off a 'Hey, how are you, I'm doing great, miss you lots, hugs and kisses, say hi to the queen for me, love Rory.'"

"The queen?" Jess interjected, bemused.

"Buckingham fountain, like the palace, it's in Chicago, so not the point!" Rory sputtered. "The point is... I wanna be with you. I have all these people around me, telling me you're no good for me and that I should stay away from you and that it's just a phase, liking you, that I'm not in my right mind, that I need to remember what a good boyfriend Dean is... but here's the thing. I remember what a good boyfriend Dean is. I never forgot. I am very well aware of what a textbook-definition-perfect boyfriend Dean is." Jess shifted slightly, breaking eye-contact with Rory for the first time during her rambling. Rory moved closer to him and ducked her head, catching his eyes again and continued softly. "But he's not my definition of perfect. And I've realized that I'm not out of my mind for liking you. I'm out of my mind for staying in a relationship with a guy I don't feel that way about just because everyone says I should. Jess, I want everything this life has to offer. I know I'm sheltered, but that just makes me want to live my life even more. And the best life has for me right now... is you. I want you, Jess... so much."

"Rory..." Jess looked away and stared off at some unclear point across the lake. "I don't... you... I don't deserve-"

"Yes. Yes, you do! Don't tell yourself you don't, 'cause I know better. We both do. Jess, you deserve everything you want, and more. So the only question is... if you want me." Rory searched his face nervously.

"If I want... are you kidding me?" Jess looked at her almost angrily.

"No... I... I understand if you don't-"

Jess swiftly bridged the gap between them and kissed her insistently. It only took a second for Rory to respond in kind, wrapping her arms around his neck and twining her fingers into his hair. Jess pulled her forward and onto his lap, slipping his arms around her waist. Rory secured her legs around him and ran her tongue along his bottom lip. He immediately opened his mouth to her and had just started to explore her mouth when she broke the kiss. "Um... so either that's a yes, or you're really into the concept of the goodbye kiss."

"Actually, I'm more into the concept of the will-you-please-break-up-with-bagboy-already-and-go-out-with-me kiss." Jess stared intently into her eyes.

Rory smiled and slowly leaned in to kiss him again, but this time it was slower, less urgent - more sensual.

"And what kind of kiss was that?" Jess asked quietly after they came up for air.

"That was a you're-going-to-break-up-with-Shane-if-you-know-what's-good-for-you kiss." Rory explained impishly.

"You seem to be suggesting you know what's good for me whether or not I agree." Jess remarked slowly.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Rory whispered.

"Surprisingly, no." Jess kissed her neck and then rested his head on her shoulder. "Rory... I'm not used to doing the whole "Walk to Remember" thing..."

"Jess-" Rory started, tightening her arms around him.

"No, let me finish." Jess straightened up and looked her in the eye. "I wanna try. I know I probably won't be great at it, but if you give me a chance, I promise to really try."

"Already done." Rory smiled. "So, wait... does this mean I actually get to introduce you as my... boyfriend?" She bit her lip again.

"Introduce me to whom? This whole stupid town knows who I am already. They have pictures of me on their walls, right below a "Most Wanted Hoodlum" sign. They know me plenty." He ended bitterly.

"Nope. They think they know you, but they don't. So I think it's about time someone re-introduced you, and if you ask me, "Most Beloved Boyfriend" sounds much better than your previous title." She smiled brightly and nudged him. "Wanna chime in here, Harpo?"

"I am much better looking than Harpo. And I have better hair." Jess smiled lazily up at her. "And I have an infinitely superior girlfriend."

Rory grinned. "You don't even know what Harpo's girlfriend was like. She was probably very nice."

"Not as nice as you. I've heard you've even taken to tutoring the hopeless... now that's real generous of you, Red."

"Red?"

"Little Red Riding Hood. Going all the way through the scary woods just to bring her sick granny some chicken soup? Keep up, Gilmore! You're gonna have to do better than that if you want me to actually admit to being your boyfriend."

"Too late, you already have." Rory beamed.

"Huh. You learn something new every day." Jess smirked, leaning forward to kiss her again.

A/N: review, review, review please! Herbert the plot bunny has been poked awake from hibernation, and much like Tinkerbell, he needs your support to stay happy! :)