Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all it's characters and situations are property of Amy Sherman-Palladino and The WB/The CW. I do not own anything and will not make any profit from this story.

A/N: I usually write for Veronica Mars, GG is so new to me and very different from VM. I hope I'm doing the characters justice.

A/N: Voiceovers are in bold.

A/N: Post-Series.

It was cold. Snow was falling and Taylor had organized yet another event to commemorate the season. As if there weren't enough. Some carnival or the other. Or maybe it was a fair? Who cared anyways.

Rory was sitting on the bench in the gazebo waiting for her mom. Apparently Michel had had some sort of breakdown and yelled profanity at an old lady. Lorelai had left her with the words 'damage control' ringing in her ears. So Rory took to sitting on the bench all by herself, like the pathetic loser she felt like at the moment. Her eyes wandered over Lane who was dragging Zach to some tacky game, Babette who was giving Kirk a speech about something or the other, Luke who was talking to Jess. Rory's head snapped back to Luke. Jess? What the hell is he doing here?

At least he couldn't see her. "He hates Stars Hollow." She thought wryly. What was he doing? Stalking her?

Things had turned out very strange since she'd last seen him in Philadelphia. Something had formed, or maybe re-formed, between her and Jess after something had trickled away between her and Logan. That didn't stop Logan from screwing with her relationship with Jess, though. After a huge blow up, when skeletons six, seven years old had been brought out of their closets, Rory had left, not wanting to deal with the fall out. She quickly made her way down the steps, careful not to slip, and that's when she nearly had a heart attack.

"Rory!"

She could pinpoint the exact moment she was sure her heart stopped functioning normally. As soon as her name left his mouth she knew she was a dead woman.

She continued her pace, pretending she didn't hear him, running from him as if her life depended on it. Why did I never eat vegetables? I could run so much faster if I had eaten vegetables.

She was so focused on running from Jess that she ran right past her mother.

"Hey, Flo Jo!' Lorelai yelled out. She ran after her daughter.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Rory stopped and faced her mom.

"He's here."

"He? Who he? David Bowie?"

"Jess."

"Was that like yes but with a J?" Lorelai questioned. "Kinda' like no but with an F. Fo. We could turn that-"

"Mom! Jess! Jess, Luke's nephew Jess. Jess Mariano, Jess."

"Oh." Lorelai said as the seriousness of the situation dawned on her. "The hoodlum has returned." She deadpanned.

"Mooom!" Rory whined.

"Look, Rory-" Lorelai was cut off by another voice.

"Rory!"

Rory slowly turned around. "What?" She asked harshly. Suddenly they were seventeen again.

"Hey, Jess." Lorelai greeted awkwardly.

"Hi, Lorelai."

"What do you want?" Rory yelled bluntly.

"Straight to the point." Lorelai thought.

"You." Jess replied seriously.

"They are not beating around the bush here." Lorelai mused inwardly.

"Monosyllabic boy returns." She joked, attempting to lighten the tension. They both ignored her.

"Okay, I'm gonna go force Luke to make me coffee."

Rory and Jess were still staring at each other defiantly.

"You can't just waltz into town after months and demand me back. What? Did you think I would lunge for you? That I would fall into your arms?" She said, slightly harsher than she intended it to be.

"No." Jess answered honestly. "I know you, you're not like that. I just thought we could talk."

"Jess Mariano wants to talk? Jess, you're uncle is Luke. Talking isn't exactly your forte. Unless it's jabs or sneers or snarky comments."

"Fair enough." Jess conceded. "I may not be able to rattle of Luke's menu in ten seconds like you and your mom, but I can talk, Rory. You know that."

Rory blamed it on the cold, maybe it was shock, maybe even insanity that made her say what she said. "Fine." She relented. Maybe it was love.

But right now she'd go with insanity.

"Thank you." Jess replied. "The bridge?" He asked.

"Whatever." Rory shrugged, before leading the way.

Jess smiled. Yup, they were definitely seventeen again.

Seven Months Later..

"Rory!" Jess yelled. He poked his head out of the bathroom and saw her lying in bed, her head under a pillow. He sighed.

"Rory!" He yelled again. She groaned and mumbled something incoherent. Jess walked over and wrestled the pillow from her grasp.

"Give that back." Rory grumbled. Jess rolled his eyes good naturedly. He went to take a shirt from the dresser.

"Rory, your mom is gonna be here in 20 minutes to take you dress shopping. And who do you think she's gonna blame if you're not up by then? That's right. Me." He pulled his shirt over his head. At least now she was sitting up in bed. She stared at him blearily for a few seconds before making her way to him and wrapping her arms around him.

"You're mean." She grumbled. He smiled at her.

"I'm evil, now go shower." He hit her butt as she turned around which earned him a glare. He stuck his tongue out in retaliation.

---

"Honeys, I'm home!" Lorelai yelled as she opened the front door to her daughter and Jess's house. "In the kitchen!" Came Rory's response.

"You two are decent, right?" Lorelai said, before entering. "You have nothing to fear." Jess said. "It took me 30 minutes to get her out of bed."

"Dirty!" Lorelai exclaimed. Jess rolled his eyes at his future mother-in-law. "There was nothing dirty about that." He protested.

"Do you have to say that everytime?" Rory asked. Lorelai pretended to think deeply. "Yes."

Jess chuckled. "Like we didn't see that coming. Coffee?"

Lorelai clapped her hands like a small child. "Please, can we keep him?" She asked Rory, putting on a puppy face. Rory grinned. "If he makes pancakes and bacon."

Jess turned to her. "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Yup." She quipped.

"I always knew you were just using me for my skills."

"Your body is all I want."

"Ew, mother in the room."

"Future son-in-law and husband who won't be making coffee, pancakes or bacon if you two don't stop." Jess threatened playfully, even though the coffee was already dripping in the pot and the bacon and pancakes were halfway to Rory's plate.

"Please, Jess, just like talking in monosyllables runs in the family, so does the lack of the Gilmore girls resistant gene." Lorelai said seriously.

"I don't think anyone has that gene. We always get what we want." Rory added.

"Yes, but Jess and Luke seem to be extremely lacking it. They do anything we ask, whereas others still have a grain of immunity-"

"Funny." Jess deadpanned.

"-self-respect-"

"I'm leaving." He threatened.

"-dignity-"

"Make your own coffee."

"I love you, Jess." Rory interjected.

"Sure, you do." That didn't stop him from giving his fiancé a smile though.

"Smiling, now are we? See, I knew you wouldn't be surly and sarcastic for the rest of your life." Lorelai was clearly enjoying herself.

"Honey, I'll let you have your way with me if I can shiv her." Jess deadpanned.

Rory grinned at the playful banter between her mother and Jess.

"And that's our cue to leave." Lorelai said, throwing Jess a mock glare.

"Come on, loin fruit." She drained the last of her coffee and headed for the door.

Rory stood up and grabbed her stuff. "Mom, I'll be right there, you go ahead."

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Fine, but hurry. You can make out later."

Rory put her arms around Jess' neck and gave him a kiss which he gladly reciprocated, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'll see you later?" He asked. "Yup." Rory replied, popping the p.

"And remember, you can't see the dress. So if I say close your eyes, you must close them." Jess nodded, but Rory could tell he was patronizing her.

"I mean it. Or else I will read Fountainhead aloud. Loudly." She threatened him.

Jess feigned hurt. "And that after Ernest said such nice things about you." Rory stuck her tongue out at him. Jess grinned and gave her another kiss before she took a piece of bacon and headed for the door.

"Oh." She said and turned around as if she had forgotten something. Jess looked at her questioningly, an eyebrow raised. "I love you, Jess."

"I love you too, Rory."

"Rory, what about this one?" Lorelai pulled what seemed like the 100th dress off a rack and shoved it in her daughter's face.

"Too Beyoncé."

"I give up." Lorelai exclaimed dramatically, plopping herself down on a chair. Rory joined her. "I'll just get married in my pyjamas. That'll make a splash." She deadpanned.

Lorelai grinned. "Nice idea, however I think Jess might appreciate a little effort on your part, especially since he has to wear a tux."

"Good point." Rory replied. She let out a sigh, scanning the store for a rack they might have missed.

"Hey, honey..." Lorelai trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really happy you and Jess are getting hitched. And not just the hitched part, but that it's you and Jess."

Rory smiled at her mom. She knew it was hard for her mother to let her daughter go. Luke had told her so.

"Thanks, mom. I- we appreciate it."

"You know I didn't like Jess before and you know that I took to him when you moved to Hartford, all responsible and cleaned up. He's a really good guy, Ror, and I couldn't be happier that you turned down Logan's proposal."

"I know all this mom, you've told me before, and I love you for it."

Lorelai gave her daughter a watery smile and wiped at her eyes. "I know that you know, I just wanted to tell you again. You mean everything to me, Rory. I love you, kiddo."

"And I love you, you know that." She put her arm around her mom.

"It's just hard to know that you've found someone who doesn't make you miss your mommy so much. Someone you love as much as you say you love me, someone who loves you as much as I love you. I'm supposed to love you the most."

"I can be shared." Rory joked. "Mom, I love Jess more than anything, but you'll always be my mother, my best friend. No one can replace you, okay? I'm your loin fruit."

"That you are." Lorelai grinned, wiping at her cheeks. "Damn allergies. Must be the fabric."

She wiped away the remaining tears and breathed in deeply, regaining her composure. "Okay, let's go find a dress that'll drive Jess crazy."

"I already know what drives Jess crazy." Rory said, smirking.

"Dirty!" Both Gilmore women exclaimed at the same time, laughing.

"I'm gonna be right down the block, mom." Rory added, referring to the distance between her childhood home and her home with Jess.

"I know, loin fruit." She replied, putting an arm around her daughter's shoulder.

"So can I help pick bridesmaid's dresses too?" Lorelai questioned.

"Of course, it's your duty as maid of honour."

"Why, thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Rory and Jess, sittin' in a tree-"

"Mom!" Rory laughed, playfully swatting her arm.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Shut up, we're in a store."

"I'll go sing outside." Lorelai practically skipped to the door.

"Don't you dare." Rory said, running after her.

Please, please review.

If not for me, then do it for Jess Mariano.

xD