Title: The Little Things
Author: Ash(Bent137)
Rating: PG13
Improv: Opponent ~ Violet ~ Silk ~ Kismet
Disclaimer: If I owned Gilmore Girls or anything else I may mention would I be scrounging for college? Didn't think so. So what does that mean? Don't own them. Good. Class dismissed.
Author's Notes: Okay I had one rather cliched idea in mind, but all of a sudden THIS hit me and I decided to turn it a different way.
Spoilers: Jess' existence, "Rory's Dance" and "The Ins and Outs of Inns" OH! And a tiny one from "Teach Me Tonight" if you didn't already know it you probably wouldn't even recognize it as a spoiler.

~~~~~~~Spoiler Space. Turn Back Now If You Wish Not To Be Spoiled!~~~~~~~

The Little Things

'Life is all about the little things. The ordinary, every day occurrences that make life worth living. Kind of like the chaos effect, a butterfly flaps its wings in Tibet, a baby is born in Australia, and I realize my true love is right in front of my eyes. I guess all things happen like that, most of all in love. It's like getting hit upside the head with a two by four. My mom would probably have a million analogies for the syndrome, and would spout them all off at the same time as mocking me. Probably all while flawlessly applying mascara in a moving car. That's just the way she is. She thinks she's very wise. If only she'd open up her own eyes she might get a two by four upside her ear as well. We're so eerily similar, same likes, same dislikes, same taste in diner-boy rebels. I'm sure if Grandma knew she really would disown us. She would probably never take the chance to get to know either of them. She still calls Luke the "ice man." I know if they got to know them though, they'd love them. Luke's drive and determination turning his fathers hardware store into a diner. Jess' intelligence and love of great literature. I can't wait until the day I can take him and show him Grandpa's library. We could probably spend a year in there and still be in awe. Oh crap, the next stop is mine!'

Rory Gilmore trudged into Luke's Diner and had a seat in a booth setting her books on the table. She glanced around for Jess, upon not finding him she stared unfocused at the book in front of her. Life was like one giant circle, and she was always traveling. It didn't seem that long ago her circle with Dean had ended even though it'd been months. After traveling alone for a while her circle with Jess began. Now it was almost graduation, things were coming together. Prom was coming up, school was almost out, Paris no longer thought of her as an opponent. The latter was mostly because Rory stopped trying so hard. That's right, you heard correctly, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore stopped trying so hard in school. Why you may ask? Simple, she got the letter. The fateful letter she'd been waiting for, well, for a long time. She'd been accepted to Harvard, and while she was ecstatic about it, Jess hadn't gotten any acceptance letters yet. Granted he'd only sent out 5 and had heard from one, Duke, and they denied him.

Rory was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice Jess sit across from her with two cups of coffee. He took the chance to observe her silently. She was still as beautiful as the night he met her. Suddenly she looked up her blue eyes falling upon his brown ones and widening in shock. He smiled at her as she said, "Jess, you scared me! Don't do that."

His smile broadened as he responded, "I didn't do anything but sit down. You were just so distracted. What's got you so distracted that you didn't notice me and two cups of coffee."

Rory grabbed one of the coffee's finally realizing it was there and took a sip. "I was just thinking."

Jess nodded focusing his gaze on her intently. She gazed back and after a moment he nodded, "So want me to help you carry your books home?"

"Would you? I swear they assigned twice the amount of homework as usual."

He grinned and picked up her book bag, hefting it onto his back, stooping a little before standing up straight. She grabbed her books off of the table and they walked out the door and down the street. As they walked she regarded him out of the corner of her eye. It was fate, kismet, meant to be and all of those other corny things Lorelai mocked yet secretly believed in. In fact their whole relationship was rather cliche. Boy meets girl, boy likes girl, girl meets boy, girl begins to like boy. Well I guess all relationships are like that, but come on. He was from the wrong side of the tracks, at least he would have been if there were tracks in Stars Hollow. Not to mention she'd been seeing Dean when he came. It was exactly like one of those teen movies, girl and boy are in puppy love until bad boy comes to town. The arrival of said new guy brings boyfriend into a jealous rage. Girl realizes boyfriend wasn't meant for her, goes for the rebel. She grinned, yeah Dean had been in a jealous rage alright. He kind of reminded her of a Chihuahua; yappy, territorial and seemingly on speed. The slightest thing could set him off.

Meanwhile Jess kept glancing at Rory, that grin was making him nervous. "Rory? Why are you staring at me and grinning like a mad woman?"

"Huh? Oh I was just thinking about Dean."

Jess raised an eyebrow, 'Thinking about Dean? What the, wait. Calm down Mariano. I'm sure it's something completely innocent. Remember how Dean was, do you want to be like that? Absolutely not. I'm not jealous. Nope! Not at all.' Once he had control of himself he allowed himself to look at her again, "Thinking about Dean huh?"

Rory smiled, "Yeah. I was comparing him to a Chihuahua in my head."

Jess chuckled, "A Chihuahua? Incase you hadn't notice the guy was like twelve feet tall."

"Yeah but after you came to town he was so yappy and territorial. Kind of like a Chihuahua." Rory pondered a moment. "Come to think of it he was that way before you even came, with Tristan. I wonder why I didn't see it then? The way he was at the dance, threatening him."

Jess nodded. Rory had told him all about the dance, he'd found it amusing. He'd even seen a picture of Rory in the beautiful dress her mother had made, it looked like silk, and she looked like an angel. Fortunately Dean hadn't been in the picture. He guessed her grandmother had taken it before Dean came.

The pair walked up the steps of the Gilmore house and entered through the unlocked door. They headed for Rory's room and Jess set the heavy backpack on her bed as she set her books on the desk. He leaned back on her violet comforter and sighed, "Your teacher's really need to stop assigning so much homework. They're going to break my back."

She grinned as she sat next to him and leaned down over him to look him in the eyes, one hand on either side of his body and a curtain of her hair shimmering down, blocking their faces from the door. "I never said you had to carry it."

He smiled up at her, reaching one hand up to stroke lazy designs on her back, "But I'd rather have them break my back than yours."

She smiled down at him, "How chivalrous."

"Anything for you m'lady," Jess said in a British accent.

She leaned down and gently kissed him then sat back up. He sat up beside her and reached for her. She rested her head on his shoulder until he tipped it up and kissed her. It was a great kiss, passionate and slow building all at once. They reluctantly pulled away from one another. Rory rested her head back on Jess' shoulder as they both sighed in contentment.