Disclaimer: Yeah, none of it is mine but the plot. I guess it belongs to the WB and probably some other people too. But not me.

Spoilers: "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" and I guess anything up to it too.

A/N: I wrote this because I was having a bit of writer's block in my novel and was hoping this would help. It did-kind of. Anyway, this is Rory/Jess, so if you don't like that, don't read it.  But I think everyone should give them a chance. TRISTON is GONE! And Jess is more interesting than him anyway. Please R/R.  If you flame, please give a reason, and don't flame just because you don't like R/J because a told you it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

            Rory sighed as she watched the rain hit her window.  She had absolutely nothing to do.  Her homework was done, the electricity was out, her mother was still at work, and today had to be the one day she left her book at school.  Not that she could have read it anyway, Lorelei had gone on a candle burning spree the week before and there were no candles left in the house.  Rory looked outside again. If she wanted something to do she would have to brave the storm to get to someone's house.  But having just spent the last hour doing nothing she was beginning to think that being soaked was worth it.

She got up and grabbed her coat, her first thought being that she would go to Lane's. But just as she was about to open the door and make a mad dash to her friend's house she remembered: Lane was grounded for failing some math test or another, and Rory had the feeling Ms. Kim wouldn't let her in even it she was soaked through-and-through. Rory thought for a few seconds about where else she might go and then it hit her: Jess.  Despite the bad-boy reputation he had he was very smart and fun to talk to, not to mention some of Luke's coffee would be nice after being out in the storm. With her new destination in mind Rory flung open the door and sprinted.

She hadn't quite realized exactly how much rain there was, and how hard the wind was blowing, and, despite the fact she got there faster than ever before, by the time she arrived at the door to LUKE'S she was very wet and very cold.

Luke looked up startled when he heard Rory's knock. He let her in looking very confused.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, "where's your mother?"

"She's at the inn, I was bored, Lane's grounded, so I came over to talk to Jess."

"Jess?" Rory nodded.

"Why?"

"Because, he's nice."

Luke gave her a cup of coffee and directed her up the stairs, still looking very confused.

Rory walked up to the door she supposed was to Jess's room-judging by the rock music coming from it-and knocked.

"Jess, it's Rory."

"Rory?" The music stopped and Jess opened the door, looking just as confused as his uncle had. "God girl! You're soaked!" He said as soon as he saw her. "Here." He tossed her a t-shirt and pair of sweat pants. "Change before you get the flu or something."

"Why Jess, I didn't know you cared."

"Your mother would kill me, and Luke, if something happened to you," he replied.

"OK. But you're leaving the room."

"Do I have too?" He asked sarcastically.

"Yes," she said, pushing him out of the room and closing the door. After she had changed she let him back in.

"So why are you here anyway?" He inquired.

"I was bored."

"What about Lane?"

"Grounded." 

"Oh. Then what about Dean?"  Rory looked at him startled. What about Dean? She didn't know, she just hadn't thought about him at all.  But she was thinking about him now, and she had spotted a problem with her plan: she was in Jess's room, wearing Jess's cloths when she could have just as easily been with Dean.  He was not going to like that at all.

"I don't know," she replied. Jess looked skeptical.

"Did you two have a fight or something?"

"No, but we will if he finds out I was here, so don't tell him."

"Alright then. So, now that you're here what do you want to do?"

"I don't know…talk?"

"About?"

"I don't know, anything."

"Alright. Than how about this book you recommended?" He asked grabbing a book off the floor. "I still don't get it." Rory smiled.

"Sure."

They spent the next hour talking about books, and were just about to get into music when Rory's cell phone rang.  She picked it up, confused, not sure who would be calling her, and hoping it wasn't Dean.

"Hello?"

"Rory?" Rory sighed in relief, it was her mother.

"Mom, what is it?"

"Well, the road is kind of flooded, so I'm spending the night at the inn. I won't be home until tomorrow evening. Are you going to be ok alone?"

"Yeah."

"Good girl. So what are you doing to entertain yourself?"

"Actually,  I'm at Luke's." Rory bit her lip, hoping her mother didn't explode, she could remember her mother's reaction to her spending the day with Jess all to well.

"Ok. Cool. Just don't have sex with Jess."

"MOM!"

"And don't smoke or do drugs or drink."

"Mom, Luke's here too you know."

"Ok, bye!"

"Bye." Rory hung up the phone and she and Jess went back to their conversation.  An hour and a half later Rory looked at her watch and was very surprised to see it was already nine-thirty.

"I'd better go," she said regretfully, they had been having a interesting conversation about whether or not marijuana should be legal. 

"I'll walk you downstairs," he offered. 

"Where do you think your going?" Luke asked, entering the dinner as Rory was opening the door to leave.

"Home."

"Oh no you're not.  Look outside.  It's hailing, you'd get yourself killed. Then what would I tell your mother?"

"What am I supposed to do? Spend the night? Mom's not coming home so she can't pick me up."

"I figured as much. Yeah, I guess you have to spend the night.  I'll get out the inflatable bed, and you and Jess can share a room-just no sex."  Rory smiled when she heard that-he sounded exactly like her mother. She glanced over at Jess and saw he was smiling too-only he hadn't heard the conversation between her and her mother.

"Aw, uncle Luke, that's no fun!" Jess said, in his usual "bad-boy" voice.

"Or we could just through Jess out. Nobody would miss him, least of all me," Luke said glaring at his nephew.  

"I would miss him," Rory said. Luke shook his head,

"Rory Gilmore, you are to nice for you own good."

Fifteen minutes latter the inflatable bed was on the floor-empty for the moment, although Jess was going to sleep on it-and Rory and Jess were sitting on Jess's bed.

"So, would you really miss me?" Jess asked.

"What?"

"Downstairs, you said you would miss me." Rory stared at him for a few minuets, thinking.

"Yes, I think I would."

"Really? Why? I mean Luke's right, nobody else in this place would."

"Because, your one of the most interesting people I know. You act all tough and screwed-up teenagery, but your really very smart.  And that's the other thing, I don't know enough smart people. I mean the people at Chilton are smart, but they aren't nice. I don't know many people who are smart and nice, but your one of the one's I do know.  I'd miss being able to talk about books and politics and stuff."

            "Thanks. But don't you talk to Dean about that kind of thing?

            "Not really. I mean I've tried to get him to read some of the books I like, but he didn't like any of them."

            "You know, I asked you this before, but I didn't get a very good answer: what do you two talk about?"

            "I don't know, stuff."

            "I find your relationship very odd."

            "Could we talk about something else please?"

            "Alright, alright. Back to marijuana. Now as I was saying, since tobacco is legal  marijuana should be too…"