Second Part
A/N: uhh cliffy. Sorry 'bout that, folks. Couldn't help it. But if you've seen Gilmore Girls season 4 you would have an idea what's gonna happen.
--
,,Rory?'' Madeleine asked that Friday.
Rory looked up, her eyes tipsy because of drinking. Jess was sitting beside her nursing a beer. ,,Yes?''
,,Isn't Dean your boyfriend?''
Jess stiffened, Paris lowered her head nervously, Louise looked up interested and Rory coughed choking in her drink.
,,Not really.'' Rory answered, not looking at Jess.
,,Why is he calling you then?'' Madeleine said holding up Rory's phone for everyone to see.
The caller ID said Dean.
,,Um, well. We're friends.'' Rory said not very convincing.
,,You're on friendly terms with your ex-boyfriend? That's like Buffy and Angel. You can't be friends with your ex-boyfriends.'' Louise said.
Rory took the phone away from Madeleine and put it safely away from prying fingers. ,,I always liked Spike better.''
She began to rise from her chair, but Jess' voice stopped her; ,,So, you're back to dating Dean?'' his voice was chillingly cold.
,,Dean is married.'' Rory answered.
,,Okay, girls. It's time for us to leave.'' Paris said to the two other girls.
,,Oh no, we wanna hear.'' Louise said innocently.
,,That didn't answer my question.''
,,What do you wanna hear, Jess?'' Rory said harshly, staring at him angrily.
,,You're back with Dean?''
,,No! Didn't you hear! Dean is married.''
,,But you want to date him?''
,,No! What are you getting at?''
,,Because it wouldn't surprise me if you had some grudge against his wife or something, thinking he could do better.'' He snapped bitterly in his usual Jess like self. ,,And I'm sure he wouldn't mind getting the attention from you, since he was so quick to hit me at that party!''
,,I'm going back to the room. Don't think about coming there!'' Rory snapped back and stormed off without her purse.
,,Great job, James Dean.'' Paris said drunkenly. ,,If you're even thinking about running away…''
,,I'm not!'' Jess said angrily. ,,Why's he even prodding in her life!''
,,Oh, like the way you did. You left her, remember!''
,,Yes!''
,,Excuse her for thinking back at a time where her boyfriend didn't leave for the other side of the country because there was a little trouble in paradise. No wonder you're nicknamed James Dean.''
Jess looked at Paris, wonder written across his face.
,,I know everything, Jess.'' Paris said furiously. ,,Crying herself to sleep can make any girl talk.''
Jess stood up and smashed his empty beer bottle into the nearby wall, making some drunken college girls giggle. He then went after Rory.
,,Is there a love triangle I haven't picked up on?'' Madeleine said.
--
,,I hate Dean.'' Jess confessed through the door to his and Rory's room.
He needed to make things right and the only thing he seemed to do right these days was telling the truth.
He heard Rory drop something inside the room and he knew she had heard him.
,,But you already knew that.'' He continued. ,,Do you believe in love at first sight? I do. I saw you. Then you had a boyfriend and I got so mad at myself for thinking you would be free for me to posses, because I wanted you so badly! I wanted everything. I want everything. For the first time I would wake up at night and whisper a name out of love. I didn't know it then, Ror. I didn't know how a person could make every part of my body tingle because of a single touch. But then I figured it out and it was all so clear. Sorry… for everything. You didn't deserve any of it.'' He finished and closed his eyes.
After a couple of minutes, the door slowly opened and Rory stared at him nervously. ,,No, I didn't deserve it.'' She said softly. ,,But sometimes the hard way is the only way to learn.''
,,Can I come in?'' he asked suddenly nervous.
Silently, she opened the door for him to enter. She closed the door after him and sat down on her bed with a book and started reading. He sat on his own bed and found a book. He studied her closely, printing everything about her into his brain.
He knew, she knew, he knew he was looking. But it didn't matter. She didn't squirm or told him to get lost. She just let him look and that made him fall all over again.
--
Lorelai opened the door to her house and let out an angry sigh. How could Nichole do that to Luke! How could someone cheat on Luke! She was a bitch that Nichole woman!
What was she thinking! She was with Jason.
Suddenly her phone rang and she was snapped out of her angry haze.
,,Hallo?'' she said.
,,Mom?'' Rory said nervously in the other end.
,,Hey, kid?'' Lorelai said cheerily. ,,How's it going down in Florida?''
,,It's crazy. Madeleine and Louise are the party queens and Paris is trying to be. She even kissed me.''
,,She what?!'' Lorelai said surprised.
,,It was crazy. Jess still refuses to talk to her.'' Rory said chuckling.
,,I can picture that. So how are you and Jess?''
Rory fell silent. ,,We had a fight.''
,,Fight. Huh.''
,,Don't say it.''
,,Did he run away?''
,,No.''
,,Then I have nothing to say. Except, over what?''
,,Dean.''
,,Dean? What's Dean got to do with anything?''
,,Except for the fact that Jess hates him more than anything?''
,,Arh, should've guessed.''
,,Dean called my cell phone and Jess heard and he got mad and started saying stuff like was I dating him again or did I want to date him again! He got really mad. I said of course I wasn't doing anything with Dean, but he got even more mad.'' Rory babbled.
,,Of course Jess would get mad at you for talking to Dean.''
,,He wouldn't be Jess if he wouldn't. So anyway, I stormed off and shortly after Jess said he'd sorta loved me from the moment he saw me, but he couldn't figure out what the feeling was and he apologized for everything.''
Now it was Lorelai's turn to be silent. ,,From the moment he saw you?''
,,Yeah.''
,,Wow!''
,,I know.''
They were both silent for a moment.
,,So, what's going on in Stars Hollow?'' Rory asked.
,,Well, you see I kinda had to bail Luke out of jail.''
,,What!''
--
A/N: everything except for my Rory/Jess storyline goes like in the show.
--
,,I have to go back to Yale on Monday.'' Rory said to Jess Saturday morning. They lay in their separate beds.
,,What then?'' Jess said, actually scared Rory would tell him to piss off and get his life straight.
,,I want you to still be around.'' She admitted, staring at the ceiling.
He breathed in sharply. ,,I want to, too.'' He also admitted.
,,So?''
,,I want my GED. I don't want you to pay for anything. I want an apartment near you.''
,,Wow, Jess Mariano actually wants something.''
,,I know. Surprise, surprise!'' he joked. He stood up and went over to Rory's bed and sat down. ,,I don't want you to feel pressured into anything.''
She smiled softly at him. ,,You big softie.''
,,Don't tell anyone.''
--
Jess spent another night on the Gilmore girls couch from Sunday to Monday. He started to get fond of it. The dreaded meeting with Luke was supposed to happen after Rory came to Stars Hollow from Yale.
He flipped through the channels on the television and tried not to stare at the pictures on the shelves above. Three pictures of Rory were standing there. He'd always wondered when they were taken. These pictures were snapped while he wasn't there. They were a part of Rory's life he didn't know about. He wanted to know everything about her life.
The front door opened behind him and signalled Lorelai's return home.
,,Jess?'' she asked.
,,Yes?''
,,Who are you?''
He sighed understanding the meaning behind the words. ,,Why do you care?''
,,Because Rory cares. Because I want to know what made you what you are.''
,,You want to know why I'm a screw-up, who couldn't manage to hold on to the one thing that ever made sense to him.''
,,Yes. Why did you leave her, Jess? Everyone knew you loved her.''
,,Liz got pregnant at eighteen. Jimmy, my dad, was nineteen. They had both run from a safe world. Jimmy left the day I was born and six months after Liz was on drugs. I grew up watching my mom go from abusive boyfriend to abusive boyfriend or husband. I did well in school in the start. It was the only place I could be away from my mom. When I was twelve my best friend was shot and I became friends with the wrong people. At thirteen I stole my first pack of cigarettes. I started caring less about school and then I began to rebel. When I was seventeen, I got arrested for dealing drugs. That's when Liz drew the line and sent me to Luke. I met Rory and the rest you know.''
,,You should tell this to Rory, Jess.''
,,Rory knows, Lorelai. She got so mad at me one time for not telling her anything about myself; she prodded Liz's phone number out of Luke and called her.''
--
,,Thank you, Luke.'' Rory smiled sweetly and went home to prepare for a fight with her boyfriend's mother.
She dialled the number and waited mutely for the other end to pick up.
,,Hallo?'' a sleepy voice said after several calls.
,,Are you Liz Danes, Jess Mariano's mother?'' Rory said sourly.
,,What did the kid do now?'' Liz said frustrated.
,,You ruined him, you know. He's so messed up. He doesn't think he has a future. He never talks about himself. Not even to his girlfriend. That would be me.''
,,Jess has a girlfriend?''
,,Why do you sound so surprised? You don't think he has the potential?''
,,What? I just…''
,,You just… what? Jess is a great guy. He could be anything he wanted to.''
,,What the hell?''
,,If you do anything to hurt him ever again, I'll come after you and make sure you never get to see him ever again! If, however, you ever want to see him again, you better start to get your life together! Bye!'' Rory yelled into the phone.
Jess had come over to the Crap Shack to surprise visit Rory, but had ended up hearing everything she said.
He couldn't believe his own ears. Someone cared enough for him to do this kind of thing. He loved… whoa stop right there. That was a concept he hadn't thought about before. Could he really love Rory? No, not going there yet.
--
,,But you never told her anything?'' Lorelai said stunned.
,,No, but she knew it anyway. I've spent countless night thinking about, how she was able to see through my careful set up walls?''
,,Because she care and because you care.'' Lorelai had ended up on the couch beside Jess. She rose and walked into the kitchen, but came back after a bit. ,,Go take a shower, Jess. Read some of Rory's books or stare at her photographs some more. She'll be here at eight.''
--
Rory came and it was time for Jess to talk to Luke.
They walked slowly towards the diner, making sure not to cross Babette and miss Patty's ways.
,,Are you coming back with me tomorrow?'' Rory asked him.
,,Can I still live with that professor?'' Jess said.
,,Yes. Maybe he can get you a job or something?''
Jess smiled a really Jess-smile. ,,Yeah, if you want me there, that is?''
,,Are you crazy! Of course I want you there. The only thing I ask of you, is you have to get a job.''
,,I can get a job.''
,,Good.'' Rory said and smiled brightly.
They stopped in front of Luke's and looked trough the window. Luke was serving Kirk while Lorelai was chatting in her cell phone. Luke must've given up on trying to get her outside.
,,Here goes nothing.'' Jess breathed out and entered the diner.
--
Four hours later, Rory phone rang. She was lying in her bed, thoughts of Jess running around her head.
,,Hallo?''
,,It's me.'' Jess said on the other end.
,,Hey.'' She said softly.
,,Sorry, I woke you.''
,,You didn't. I was awake.''
,,Reading?''
,,Thinking.''
,,About?''
,,Life, I guess.''
,,That's a big thing to think about, Gilmore.''
,,I guess.'' She said and laughed softly. ,,Things with Luke…?''
,,Are okay. There was some yelling on his part and some yelling on my part.''
,,Understandable.''
,,Yeah.'' Silence. ,,I want to be with you, Rory.''
She sighed. ,,I know, Jess.''
He breathed in sharply. ,,I'm staying the night at Luke's.''
,,I'll come pick you up tomorrow.''
,,Goodnight, Rory.''
,,Goodnight, Jess.''
These phone calls were what made this time around more different.
--
Rory didn't have a class before eleven, so she didn't have to get up that early. She walked slowly towards the diner, enjoying the morning buzz of Stars Hollow. She'd missed it.
The bell above the door jingled when she went through it.
,,Sugar!'' Babette said in her hoarse voice. Morey was sitting beside her silently, like always.
,,Babette.'' Rory greeted.
,,How's my college kid doing?'' Babette asked cheerily.
,,It's great. I love it!'' Rory replied excited.
,,You do know…'' the older woman began.
,,That Jess is upstairs?'' Rory finished. Babette nodded. ,,I know.''
,,Don't get hurt, sweetheart.''
Rory just smiled and walked to the counter, where Luke poured her some coffee.
,,He'll be down in a minute.'' He told her. ,,I have no idea what you did to him. He's freaking me out!''
,,That's a good thing, Luke.'' She said.
He fiddled nervously with a rag. ,,I feel like I should give you some money for taking him to Florida.''
,,Forget about it. He's hopefully getting a job in New Haven and it wont be long before I'll be asked out to a totally overdue first class date post the in-a-way break-up.''
,,What?'' Luke said confused.
,,Pancakes and coffee.'' Rory said and smiled.
,,Right.'' He said and wandered off.
The bell jingled again and a tall man entered the diner.
,,Rory?''
She froze. Dean couldn't have picked a worse time to enter. Jess could be down at any second and the scene, which would without a doubt insure, wouldn't be nice. She put on a forced smile and turned around to face her ex-boyfriend.
,,Hi.''
,,I was looking for you!'' Dean said and sat down beside her. ,,I overheard miss Patty saying you were here.''
,,Well, here I am.'' Rory said and nodded nervously.
,,I've been calling you.'' He said pointedly.
,,Yeah, I noticed.''
,,Why haven't you returned them?''
,,Because… I don't know? Well, I do know…'' Rory babbled. ,,Dean, you need to go.''
He looked confused. ,,What?''
,,It'll get ugly if you stay.''
,,How?''
A dark flash hurried by her and Rory instantly knew who it was.
,,Crap!'' she said. ,,Jess! Don't!'' she called after her not-quite boyfriend.
,,Jess?'' Dean said bewildered.
,,Oh drama.'' Babette whispered loudly to Morey
Jess turned around to face Rory with a stony look on his face. ,,You said…'' he said, his voice matching the tone he used in Florida.
,,There's nothing going on between Dean and me, Jess. I don't lie!'' Rory said angrily. ,,Now you're back to assuming, just because of… of… jealousy.''
,,I'm not jealous!'' he told her determined.
,,Of course you are!'' she stated.
,,Rory?'' Dean said.
She didn't spare him and change. ,,Not now, Dean.''
They stared at each other. The tension could be cut with a knife.
,,Don't you dare!'' Rory warned. Don't leave.
Jess glared at her. ,,I'm jealous.''
,,Yes.'' She said. ,,Now get whatever you have left here and make some coffee. I'll meet you there.''
He nodded. ,,See ya.'' He said before he disappeared upstairs again.
,,Here you go.'' Luke said uncomfortably and gave Rory her breakfast-to-go.
She quickly left.
--
A/N: It just came to me suddenly. I'm an insane Spuffy and Literati fan. Also I'm totally in love with Velvet Revolver. Whereas the song Fall to Pieces reminds me of Rory and Jess, the song Slither reminds me of Spike and Buffy season 6. If you like Buffy, seriously you'll se what I mean! And that was a ramble of Cadeeo a.k.a. me.
--
Fifteen minutes later, Jess came back down with the last belongings he'd left at Luke's after skipping town.
He stared coldly at Dean and nodded to Luke before making his way to the bridge.
There was the code word for the bridge and it had been that way ever since he'd met Rory.
,,Hi.'' He said when he arrived. He studied her as she sat on the bridge looking more beautiful then ever.
She looked up, when he heard him approach. ,,Hi.'' She smiled slightly at him.
,,Ror, I'm…''
She cut him off: ,,You still want your GED?''
,,Yes.''
,,You still want to live in New Haven?''
,,Yes.''
,,You still want me?''
,,Yes.''
,,You still love me?''
,,Yes.''
,,Good.'' She told him and smiled brightly. ,,Then I don't see any problem and I will not accept an apology.''
He smirked. ,,Huh, there I was trying to be nice and the lady wont accept the apology. You're a tease.''
They were standing face to face, gazing into each other's eyes.
,,Rory?'' he asked huskily.
,,Yeah?'' she said replied, her voice sounding the same.
,,Can I please kiss you?''
,,Yeah.'' She nodded and let his hands roam over her body.
They slowly made their way from her hands, up her arms and finally cupping her face with one hand and his other hand tangled into his hair. He then dipped his head down to brush his lips over hers.
They stood there for a couple of minutes, neither one willing to pull away, afraid the moment would be over if they stopped.
They were tightly pressed together, Rory's breasts flattened against his chest. They both moaned in delight, but all too soon breathing became an issue and they had to pull away.
Rory and Jess stared at each other, both panting.
,,Crap!'' Rory cursed and threw herself into his arms to be kissed again. ,,Sixteen minutes and we go.'' She whispered.
He just nodded. Sixteen minutes. He could handle sixteen minutes in Heaven, before she would begin to consider the reality.
After about ten minutes, a big flashy glint interrupted them. They flew apart.
,,Kirk!'' Jess snapped.
,,I got dirt!'' Kirk yelled. ,,Taylor, I got dirt on Rory and the hoodlum!'' he quickly ran away on his own Kirk-way.
,,I'm still the hoodlum?'' Jess asked after a while of stunned silence.
Rory began to laugh. Really laugh! ,,We…'' laugh. ,,Got…'' laugh. ,,Busted!''
Jess wasn't the laughing person, so instead he watched Rory laugh with an amused smile playing on his lips.
--
A/N: So, this was not how I intended the story to go. But I like it so far. I really hope Jess isn't too OCC. He's a very deep guy who can say so little and so much with few words. The whole bonding part I did between him and Lorelai was definitely OCC, but Jess needs a past. I always thought Jess was a loner. He's the kind of guy everyone wants to know, but no one really wants to know. He's probably been hurt so much in his younger years that he's simply incapable of opening himself up. By simply making him break down, he can start to let his walls crumble around the only person he has truly loved. Rory. You see what I'm getting at?
--
,,I hereby call the meeting to begin.'' Taylor said.
It was Tuesday and the day after Jess had followed Rory back to Yale. The whole town was now filled with rumours of what had happened between Rory, the town princess and Jess, the town hoodlum who broke her heart. No one, of course, knew what had really happened between them.
,,Now. Are Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes present today?'' Taylor asked.
,,This is unbelievable!'' Luke whispered annoyed to Lorelai.
,,It was bound to happen.'' She replied and sighed. ,,Yes, Taylor. We're here!''
,,Fantastic. Can you maybe put some light over the whole Rory and Jess matter?'' Taylor said. He got Kirk to stand up and show the townspeople a blackboard with the words 'The Rory and Jess Matter' written on it.
,,What?! The Rory and Jess matter?'' Lorelai said. ,,There's a Rory and Jess Matter?''
,,I cannot stress how surprised I was when Kirk got me this.'' Taylor said and waved a paper in the air.
,,What does it say, Taylor?'' Babette asked.
,,Yes, Taylor. What does it say?'' Miss Patty asked.
,,Rory: ,,You still want your GED?''
Jess: ,,Yes.''
Rory: ,,You still want to live in New Haven?''
Jess: ,,Yes.''
Rory: ,,You still want me?''
Jess: ,,Yes.''
Rory: ,,You still love me?''
Jess: ,,Yes.''
Rory: ,,Good. Then I don't see any problem and I will not accept an apology.''
Jess: ,,Huh, there I was trying to be nice and the lady wont accept the apology. You're a tease.''
There was complete silence.
,,The kid's in love with our Rory!'' Bootsy finally said.
,,Don't act surprised, Bootsy. Jess chased the girl around for months.'' Andrew pointed out.
,,This is my daughter's love life you're all discussing.'' Lorelai said, even though it wouldn't matter if she told them to back off. The town hyperventilated when they first saw Jess and Rory hanging around kissing. It took them a week to almost settle.
,,Rory is a very important matter to discuss. She's the first in fifty years who went to an Ivy League College. Her whereabouts is a very big deal for us to discuss. Am I right, people?'' Taylor said.
The townspeople agreed.
,,Jess is going to take his GED.'' Luke said stunned to himself. He sounded proud. ,,I knew she would rub off on him.''
,,Dirty!'' Lorelai almost yelled.
,,Well, didn't I just step into that one myself.'' Luke cursed himself. After a while he rose from his chair and made his way to Taylor's podium. ,,Look, everyone. Jess is changing. Just leave it at that.''
And they did.
*****
Four Years Later
,,Lorelai Leigh Gilmore,'' the dean said.
Rory went onto the podium, her family and friends gathered to celebrate her graduation. She smiled widely, catching a glimpse of the one person she really, really wanted to be there.
Jess sat beside a crying Luke, with a small smile on his lips. He was happy for her.
They'd had so many ups and downs over the last four years, but every time they worked through it, Jess not wanting to experience the breakdown he'd done last time and Rory not wanting to pick up the pieces again. He'd written two books, both which had been on New York bestseller list, and he was working in a publishing house with one of Rory's old American Lit classmates and it was doing very well. Rory had said yes to become an intern with CNN, which meant that she would have to leave Connecticut for four months, but as Jess had put it, she would be angry and bitter if she didn't try it.
They would miss each other like crazy, but they both firmly believed it would all matter in the end.
Finish.
(22:27, June 8th 2009)
A/N: might make a sequel sometime, if inspirations strike me. It does that sometimes. Please review, because then I'll love you to death.