All right, I've got a bit to say in this AN. I'm really excited that this story is close to ending. I'm starting to get sick of it myself. As much as I love it, it's time for it to be done. I'm working on the next chapter now. I'm not sure if it'll be the last or second to last. I'm really glad this story has faithful readers, though. Thank you to all of you who have been reading and reviewing. I hope you continue to do so up until it finishes.

Also, if you haven't started reading my new story Crazy, Random Happenstance, I wish you would. I posted the sixth chapter on Sunday and the last chapter will be posted later this week. I really love that story, so I want others to enjoy it as well.

Lastly, this chapter is called We Could Run Away which is a song by Needtobreathe. I love them.

Sorry for the long note and ENJOY!

Rory and Jess were walking down the street on their way to the new house. It had officially been hers for two weeks, and Jess still hadn't seen it. She still couldn't move in for two and half more months, but she and Alex had spent the weekend there as soon as the keys were in her hands. Jess was in Indianapolis that weekend meeting with an author.

As they walked up the steps, Rory let go of Jess's hand and pulled the keys from her pocket.

"Are you excited?" She asked, looking back at him and he nodded with a smirk. "Good," she said and then kissed him quickly. She opened the door and stepped aside for Jess to enter first.

"Holy crap," he said, taking it in. "This is insane. It's huge."

"Too big?" She asked, closing the door and leaning agaisnt it.

"Not at all," he told her. "Perfect amount of huge."

She smiled and joined him in the middle of the empty living room. "What's your favorite part?" She asked as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"I like the brick a lot," he said. "The kitchen's awesome."

"Good, because you're going to be spending a lot of time in there," she told him, looking up. He shook his head and planted a kiss on her lips. "Do you want to go upstairs?"

He nodded and let her pull him up the stairs. She watched him look into each bedroom and then the bathroom. "Study?" He asked, pointing into the last room on the second floor. She nodded with a smile as he walked in. "Good size. We have to get you some more shelves, so you can stop storing your books in drawers and underneath your bed. You have a whole room for them now."

"You know you're a grownup when you start decorating your study, right?" She asked and he nodded with a laugh. "I'm thinking the book shelves, a desk for me, and then maybe Alex can have a corner for his art."

"That sounds good," he said, nodding along. He was envisioning it all in his head when Rory came up behind him and hugged him.

"You know, until you move in and we get you your own desk and shelves," she whispered and Jess turned to face her. "Then we can give Al the guest room corner."

"I love it," he told her with a quick kiss. "Show me your room."

She smiled and pulled him up the last flight of stairs into the master suite.

"Oh my god," he whispered, looking around, ignoring the two sleeping bags Rory and Alex had left behind. He walked over to the closet and peeked his head in. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is as big as my whole room."

"Shut up."

"Seriously, Rory, I know you have a lot of clothes and shoes, but not that much," he laughed. "Oh my god, and there's another closet?"

"That can be yours," she laughed and he nodded before he walked into the bathroom. "You get your own sink, too."

"I'm a lucky guy," he laughed. "This place is going to be amazing, Rory."

"You think so?" She asked as she perched herself onto the countertop.

"Yeah," he told her as he stepped in between her legs. She wrapped them around his waist and he held onto her hips.

"It's going to weird with you here, but not here," she said and he laughed. "I'm serious. I know we're doing the right thing, not jumping into anything too soon, but - I don't know."

"We'll make it a rule that I can't stay more than three nights a week," he told her and she shook her head.

"No rules," she said. "That's stupid. You can stay as long as you want. Just imagine it as your own place that you don't actually live in."

"That makes no sense," he laughed and she shrugged. "We should have rules or I'll move in without even realizing."

"When do you think we'll be comfortable enough to fully live together?" She asked, locking her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. "I'm going to guess by my birthday."

"I'd be fully comfortable with it by tonight," he told her honestly and she kissed him. "But, probably by your birthday."

"That would be a good birthday present," she said. "And you wouldn't have to spend any money."

"What happens if you move here and we try out living in the same city, seeing each other every day, and then we break up for whatever reason?" He asked quietly and Rory pulled away from him slightly. "I don't want that to happen, but what if it does?"

"It's not going to."

"Rory, I'm being serious."

"So am I, Jess. It's not going to happen."

"You can't be so sure, Rory. I don't want it to happen. I don't think it will happen. I know I won't be the one to break up with you. But it could happen. You could hate it here and resent me and then what? We stay together even though we're miserable?" He asked and Rory shook her head with an angry laugh as she pushed him away and slid off the counter.

"Why are you saying this, Jess?" She asked, crossing her arms and he sat down on the edge of the tub and rubbed his face.

"I want you to have a plan," he told her. "I don't want you to be stranded here and not have a backup plan."

"What's your back up plan, Jess?"

"Living a miserable life without you," he said, with a smirk, trying to diffuse the situation. She just shook her head and she looked angry. "Honestly. I'm not going to force you to be with me if you end up hating it."

She let out a deep breath and knelt in front of him. She rested her elbows on his knees and held onto his face, forcing him to look at her.

"There's no way that is going to happen," she whispered. "If you know it won't on your end, I know it won't on mine. I hate the way it is right now, Jess. I despise it. I can't wait to be here with you. And don't feel responsible about any of this. I'm moving for me. I'm going to school, I have a great job lined up, and I want to live in this house. With you eventually."

"Okay," he conceded. He leaned in and kissed her slowly. "I believe you."

She pulled herself away and sat next to him on the edge of the tub. "Why are you so sure I'll hate it and you? I have never hated you."

"I'm sure you hated me a little when I left Stars Hollow," he said and she shook her head. "Not at all?"

"Okay," she laughed. "Maybe a little. But that's the only time. I love you, you big, stupid idiot."

"Yeah, I feel the love alright," he laughed and she smiled at him. He took a deep breath and said, "I just don't want to be the reason why you make a mistake."

"This isn't a mistake," she said. "I know that. And you do, too, Jess. You know how badly I want this and how badly we need this. We'll never make it if we keep going on this way. And I'll go crazy at my job if I have to stay there."

"You're the only thing that matters to me, Rory. I just want you to be happy, preferably with me, but in general, too."

"You're crazy if you don't think you make me happy, Jess," she said. "I worry all of the time that I'm not living up to those expectations you had of me and of us when you were seventeen."

"You're surpassing them," he promised. "Every single day. You're all I've ever wanted, Rory. And I hate saying crap like that."

"Well, it's nice to hear anyway."

He smiled before leaning in and kissing her. She licked her lips when he pulled away and stood up, taking him with her.

"Mom and Luke are going to be here tomorrow," Rory said once they sat on the back porch in the chairs the previous owners had forgotten about.

"I bet they're excited," Jess said. "I bet Lorelai is already decorating this place in her head."

"I know she is," she laughed. "My dad bought me a dining set and a living room set. I told him he couldn't buy me anymore and he's actually pouting about it."

"What's the furniture like?" He asked, reaching for her hand.

"It's a brown leather couch with matching chaise and arm chair," she said with a smiled as he watched her carefully. "The dining room set is big enough for six made out of a really dark room I can't remember the name of with fabric chairs. The coffee table matches the dining room table really well. And I bought bar stools for the breakfast bar."

"So, what else do you need?" He asked and she shrugged. "Bedroom set?"

"I'm just going to keep mine for now," she said. "I need something for the guest room. And then I just need decorations; some art and end tables and stuff like that. Mom will have some ideas when she sees the place. Anything in particular you don't want?"

"Not my house," he told her with a shrug.

"We're going to share it one day and I'm not going to want to completely redecorate it, Jess," she said as she pushed her chair closer to his. "So, what kind of things are you uncomfortable with?"

"Cats and flowers," he said and she laughed. "We should get a dog."

"What?" She scoffed. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely," he told her and she smiled at his excitement. "I've always wanted a dog. You like dogs. We should seriously get a dog."

"That might be fun," she said. "Do I have to wait for you to move in?"

"No," he shook his head. "We should get one as soon as possible. It will have to stay here, but we should definitely get a dog."

"You're like a little kid right now," she laughed and he stopped smiling and looked serious. "No, I love it. We'll get a dog. I do want one and I was always mad that my mom waited so long to get one when I was already gone."

"My mom never let me get a dog," Jess said. "She never even let me talk about it. I swear, if my sister gets one, I'll be pissed."

"I think the only way Doula gets a dog is if TJ buys one without telling Liz," she said and Jess nodded in agreement.

"Oh, Mom and Luke have news for us, too," Rory said and Jess turned to look at her. "She didn't say what, just that they had news."

"Maybe I won't be the oldest sibling after all," he said and raised his eyebrows.

"You think they're having a baby?" Rory asked, genuinely surprised. "I mean, I know they wanted one, but they haven't talked about it in a while."

"It could be something else," Jess shrugged. "I just wonder what Lorelai wouldn't tell you over the phone. It's got to be big."

"Huh," she said and Jess smiled. "Oh my god. I sound like you."

"I'm rubbing off on you," he laughed and leaned over to kiss her forehead.

The next day, they rolled out of their sleeping bags at the sound of the doorbell.

"What time is it?" Rory asked with a yawn.

"Nine," Jess answered, reaching for his shirt and putting it on. "What time were they supposed to be here?"

"Not until one," she answered, pulling on her clothes. They walked down the stairs to the front door. When they opened it, they saw Chris and Julia standing with coffee and donuts. "You guys!"

"Thought we'd come wake you up," Julia said and Rory stepped aside to let them in. "This place is amazing, Rory."

"Whoa, this is not what I was expecting," Chris said and Rory closed the door. "What's up, man?"

"A little early, don't you think?" Jess asked from his perch on the breakfast bar.

"Not at all," Julia said and they all made the move into the kitchen. "You need some furniture."

"Well, I don't technically live here yet," Rory reminded them. "The living room and dining room sets are being delivered today, though."

"We should have come tomorrow," Chris said as he handed Jess a coffee. Jess thanked him with a nod. "Then we'd have a place to sit."

"You could have just come by around noon and you'd have a place to sit," Rory told him.

"Well, anyway," Julia said, "As soon as you're officially living here, you need to throw a housewarming party."

"Alex and I are already planning it," she told her. "It will probably be around the end of June, once we're settled."

"Once we get a dog," Jess chimed in.

"You're getting a dog?" Chris asked, thoroughly excited. "Jules, can we get a dog?"

"No," she laughed. "We cannot get a dog. You can play with theirs. Sorry, babe."

"You can play with ours," Jess said. "He'll be the new Truncheon mascot."

"Yes!"

"Boys," Rory laughed and Julia joined her.

"So, Jess, when do you move in?" Chris asked, forgetting about the dog.

"October's the plan, but we'll see," he said, yawning.

"Once we've been together a year, I think will be good," Rory explained and Julia nodded. "We don't want to rush anything."

"Smart," Chris said with a nod. "You could be like us and wait six years."

"No," Jess said sternly.

"Well, if you're anything like us, you'll be engaged not too long after you move in," Julia said and Jess and Rory's eyes widened.

"What?!" Jess asked, hopping off of the counter.

"Seriously?" Rory asked and Julia nodded. Rory hugged her tight. "Congratulations!"

"Nice job, man," Jess said as he hugged Chris. "Congrats you two."

"You're the first people we've told," Chris said with a laugh. "Don't tell Matt, he'll kill us all."

"Oh my god," Rory said. "I am so happy for you guys."

"Thanks," Julia said, smiling. "We're pretty happy, too."

The four of them sat around and talked about the wedding for a little while. Then, Rory showed them around the house and went over how she wanted to decorate everything. She and Julia talked about the huge changes happening in both of their lives while Jess and Chris started talking about the dog again. Rory was so happy that she would have a great group of friends already once she moved to Philadelphia. She was especially happy that she would have a girlfriend in the city.

When she and Alex had stayed over in the new house, she brought him to Truncheon so he could meet everyone and they all got along really well. She was so happy that she could fully bring her life into Philadelphia comfortably and that Alex would fit in perfectly. And she knew that Jess had every right to worry about their future together. It was a huge step they were taking. Jess was so happy that he and Rory had run into each other when they did. He was so happy they figured it out and were moving forward. He loved that she got along with his friends and they were becoming friends themselves. He loved her for making the huge sacrifice to uproot her life and move to Philadelphia.

After Julia and Chris left, it was nearly noon and the furniture was going to be there any minute. She and Jess talked about where everything was going to go and by the time the delivery truck got there, they were able to direct them perfectly. Everything fit perfectly and while they delivery guys left, Jess left to get lunch and drinks for when Lorelai and Luke got to the house. He picked up two pizzas, and a salad for Luke, and got back just as they were pulling up.

"Jess!" Luke called, taking the pizzas out of his hands. "This the place?"

"This is it," he said as Lorelai and April came around to the sidewalk. "April, I didn't know you'd be here. Good thing I got two pizzas."

"I just found out last night," she said and they all started up the steps.

"Lorelai, could you grab that?" Luke asked, nodding to the door. She nodded and opened it.

"Holy crap," she said and Luke stopped short as soon as he was inside.

"Wow," he said before he started walking.

"Hey guys," Rory called from the couch. She got up and ran to hug her mother while Luke and Jess delivered everything to the dining room table.

"This is amazing, Sweetie!" Lorelai said going to sit down. "When did the furniture get here?"

"The delivery guys just left twenty minutes ago," Rory laughed. Jess distributed the paper plates and plastic cups.

"When do you move in?" April asked once everyone was sitting and eating.

"Unfortunately not until June 1," Rory said. "My lease isn't up until then and it's too much hassle to try and break it. Alex and I will just start moving in a few weeks before and do all the big stuff that day."

"It's amazing," April said, looking around the room. "I can't wait to see the rest."

"How are the walls? Does anything need to be painted?" Luke asked, effectively offering his services.

"My room and Alex's room definitely need to be painted. Mine is a weird green color and Alex's is red. I just want a neutral color in both," she told them.

"I'll come down and do it in the next few months," Luke told her and she smiled. "Jess'll help."

"Great, then we'll hold hands and skip afterwards," Jess joked and Luke scoffed. "Seriously, though, just let me know and I'll have Matt and Dyl help, too."

"Great," Luke nodded.

They ate their food, talking about small stuff. Lorelai was sitting, surprisingly quiet, watching the other four talk. All of a sudden she burst out, "I cannot believe that not a single one of you has asked what me and Luke's big news is!"

"I forgot about it," Jess shrugged, taking another bite of his pizza.

"I haven't forgotten," Rory said. "I just figured you'd tell us."

"What is it, Lorelai?" April asked, folding her napkin on her lap. Jess and Rory put down their food and looked from Lorelai to Luke, waiting.

"Well, are you going to tell them?" Luke asked, a ghost of a smile present on his face.

Rory squinted her eyes, looking at the two of them. "Mom! What is it?" She practically yelled, crossing her arms.

"Luke and I have been trying for sometime to have a baby," she started and Rory and April smiled while Jess turned to Luke. "And I'm no spring chicken, so it's really good that it finally worked. Because I am three months pregnant and due in September!"

"Oh my god!" Rory said, jumping up and running around the table to hug Lorelai.

"Congratulations!" She said and she hugged Luke.

"I totally called that," Jess said from his seat and Lorelai just looked at him. "Congratulations, you guys."

"Thanks, Jess," Luke said and Lorelai smiled.

"This is awesome," April said. "I've always wanted a little brother or sister."

"I hope it's a boy," Luke said. "Way too many girls in my life."

"Yeah, me too," Jess said.

"I cannot do boys," Lorelai said. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

"You'd figure it out," Rory told her. "I hope it's a boy, too. That would be so much fun."

"We'll see," Lorelai told them. "Luke doesn't want to know until the birth, so we're going to wait."

"That's so exciting!" Rory gushed. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

"I'm sad you guys are so far away," Lorelai told them and it really struck Rory. She wanted to be in Philadelphia and she was going to be so much happier there, but she was farther from her mom and Luke and now their new baby. It would be tough.

"Don't worry," she said anyway. "We will be there when this baby is born. I will not miss it. I promise."

"Good," Lorelai said. "Am I too old for this? This is crazy, right?"

"You're not too old," Rory said. "You just need to be careful. You're not sixteen anymore."

"She knows this," Luke said shaking his head. "The doctor told her she'd be fine and the baby is healthy. She's just over thinking everything. She needs to relax."

"I'm relaxed," Lorelai pouted. "I'm fine. The baby is fine. We're all fine."

They continued talking about the house and the baby. Jess told them about the dog and Lorelai was already planning future puppy play dates. Rory showed them the house while Luke took mental notes of the things he could do to help out. He'd already promised to build the bookshelves and retile the second floor bathroom by the time they reached Rory's room.

"Sweets, this room is huge! I could live here," Lorelai said, turning around to take it all in. "Are those two closets? Oh my god. It's heaven."

"One of them is Jess's," Rory told her. "But look at the big one, who needs that tiny one?"

"That's it," Lorelai said, standing in the center of the closet, looking out at the rest of the room. "Luke we're moving in. Into this closet."

"Sounds great," Luke said with a roll of his eyes. Rory told them to go into the bathroom and hung back with Jess.

"So much news today," she said, putting her arms around his neck. He reciprocated by putting his arms around her waist and he nodded.

"But we're getting a dog," he reminded her with a smile. She smiled back and kissed him quickly.

"Nope, none of that," Lorelai called as they left the bathroom. Rory shot her look, but stepped away from Jess anyway. "Let's talk decor."