What some of you have been waiting for in my series of one-shots. The first of two weddings I have to write for Luke and Lorelai in the near future. Yay! This one will be super Lit-heavy, but I think I'll make the one attached to Yales a Java Junkie. Let me know if there are any objections. You know, like at a wedding, you run in at the last moment and scream 'I OBJECT!' and then everyone lives happily ever after.
Disclaimer: Lorelai wishes me to inform everyone that this is her wedding, and is no way owned by me, but especially not her mother. Emily Gilmore had no input in the making of this wedding.
It's Not the Champagne Talking
'The kid's growing on me like a damn fungus', Lorelai thought as Luke greeted his nephew. Jess had been visiting more frequently than ever, and she was almost pleased to see him. He was still the silent type, but it didn't seem to offend her as much as it used to. They'd actually had a few conversations that lasted more than a few sentences, and she'd started to see the intelligent man both her daughter and future husband had raved about non-stop for the last few months.
This time was different though. It would be the first time in years that both Rory and Jess would inhabit the same place for a long period of time. Judging from the way her daughter had been gushing about his book, his life and his job, something was bound to happen.
"Lorelai." Jess greeted her politely, the tiniest smile on his face.
"Jess, hey! I should've known you and Rory would be last to show up. Even cousin Hattie's been here since this morning!"
"The hazards of moving, I guess. Luke told you about that?"
"I think he might have mentioned it about a billion times. The guy's proud of you, kid."
"It's just good to see that he's not selling crack, that's all." Luke replied to her teasing gruffly, though everyone around knew how proud he was. Jess was like his son, he wanted him to succeed more than anything.
"Well now that's he's back in New York he can do that too!"
"I might need the money. Turns out apartments aren't cheap."
"Bestselling author job not paying well?"
"Did Luke tell you about that too?"
"Yes, but I've heard it about fifty thousand times from the prettier, younger version of me as well."
"Huh."
"Listen Jess, about-"
"Mom!" A feminine voice almost shrieked as she entered the hotel lobby. It was odd the way it worked out, but two years later here they were, in Martha's Vineyard for a wedding. Rory smiled at the place that held bittersweet memories for her, before her mother ran up to her and hugged her tightly.
"There's my little roving reporter!"
"Not anymore. I'm officially unemployed."
"Only until Monday, then it's nothing but waiting tables and making sure Sookie doesn't burn anything at the inn. Well, anything important anyway. You're not a superhero."
"You guys are really the best." She said with a wide grin, finally breaking the hold of her mother to greet Luke. Her smile faltered for a second upon seeing Jess, but it was back in almost an instant, brighter than ever. "How did you get here before me?"
"I didn't have to fly here from California." He said with a small shrug.
"Still, I don't know if I can live with the shame of being later than Jess Mariano, the man who nearly missed his first major TV spot."
"Hey, I told you that with an order not to mock me about it!" Seeing her poke her tongue out at him, he rolled his eyes. "Besides, I don't think I'll be too late anymore, actually living in New York and all." This time his words were met by a small slap to his arm.
"Jerk! You didn't even mention moving to New York! You must've been planning for months!"
"Since about January, yeah." They both remembered their day in Philadelphia with a fond smile at the mention of this. Snapping out of it, they realised they were alone, the only two people in the lobby of the very Emily Gilmore-esque hotel.
"Good, that means I'll know someone in the city if I get this job." She grinned conspiratorially. "Mom doesn't know yet, but I've got a job interview next week at a small New York paper called The Inspirer."
"Never heard of it. What happened to the Times?" He asked good-naturedly, but was instantly surprised by her frown.
"They wrote back, which was nice. Advising me that they didn't hire inexperienced young people with the… uh… record that I have."
"The yacht thing?" She nodded, and he smirked. "Well that's easily fixed. It's getting expunged from your record soon, right?" Apparently the thought hadn't occurred to her, because she brightened instantly.
"Two years isn't that long, I guess. I'll probably be more experienced too, and they'll have no reason not to hire me!" Jess could see her mind working a mile a minute as she decided on a new course of action, and he had to admit it made him happy. She was ambitious, but sometimes she needed that little extra push. He used to provide it for her, back when they were together, and even before. She used to tease him and say he was her personal cheerleader. He would always joke that he looked terrible in a skirt, and they would laugh and kiss and it would all be forgotten. Even after all this time he still knew when to pull out the pompoms. Knowing that his line of thought was dangerous, he figured it was time to bring her back to reality.
"Some guys just came and stole your luggage. I think you're supposed to follow them." He pointed at the man in the bellhop uniform who was using the elevator.
She giggled a little. "I hear this place even has a guy who steals your car."
"He took mine, and had the audacity to ask for a tip."
"I'm going to go follow my luggage. I'll see you at dinner tonight?"
"I'll be the one next to Luke stopping him from strangling your crazy relatives."
The formal wedding rehearsal dinner was an entirely Emily Gilmore affair, with everything from the string quartet to an ice sculpture of a tree screaming the elder woman's taste. This was the compromise Lorelai had met with her mother: the wedding was off-limits, but go crazy with the party beforehand. This was why Rory Gilmore found herself in the corner of the room gripping a glass of champagne in perfectly manicured hands, reliving nightmares of DAR meetings and almost turning into her grandmother. Even her dress had been picked out by Emily, as she'd been too busy working to find something 'suitable'. It was pretty enough, a long backless thing in a shade of light pink. Not something she'd choose to wear herself, it was a little too flashy. Luckily she'd been allowed to style her hair herself, so it was free for the evening. Emily had already complained twice that she should've worn it up, and she was still only on her first drink.
Jess had arrived late, having gone to his hotel room and slept the afternoon away. He told Luke he'd be missing the rehearsal of the actual wedding, remarking that if he didn't know how to stand straight by now, one afternoon wasn't going to help anything. Luke shot him a warning glance and tried to explain the wrath of Emily Gilmore, but he agreed to make as many vague excuses about moving and bestselling books that he could come up with. Fortunately no one paid much attention to the young man in the black suit and tie: they were all too busy getting drunk. Scanning the room quickly, he smirked when he saw April in a heated discussion with her father, presumably about her fairly short red dress, if Luke's wild gesturing was any indication. The poor man's only experience with teenage girls had involved Rory, and she barely counted. It wasn't until his wily nephew stepped into her life that he ever really noticed that she was anything more than a wingless angel. With a slightly smug smile Jess looked for the familiar brunette, and found her hiding near a plant.
"Are you trying to become one with the wall? It's not working, by the way." She rolled her eyes at him, but didn't argue. "What are you hiding from? Loan sharks? The IRS? An ex-boyfriend?" The words slipped out jokingly until he realised the implication. Surprisingly she just giggled at his stupidity.
"Well at least one of those is right in front of me, and it's not a bad thing." She sighed, moving her hand as though to rub her eyes but remembering her makeup thought better of it. "This is just a total trip down memory lane. The entire thing screams DAR party."
"It does all have the Emily Gilmore stamp of approval on it." He looked her up and down, not entirely displeased with what he saw. Teasingly, he remarked, "She's even got you dressed as conservatively as possible." He gestured to her dress, which reached the floor and featured a high neckline. Grinning, she turned to show him the back of the dress, which was anything but conservative. Turning back to face him her smile grew even larger at the look on his face. Taking a sip from her glass, she winked at him. He was perplexed, which wasn't being helped by an influx of dirty thoughts about the woman in front of him. She moved closer to him with such subtlety that he barely noticed. Was she flirting with him?
"Want to go grab a drink? It'd be a shame to let this open bar go to waste."
"But you've still got-" he started, but stopped when she drained her glass. "Guess I can't argue with that. Go grab a seat, I'll get us something nice."
A few minutes later Jess returned with four glasses that just looked like regular Coke. Rory correctly assumed they had some kind of alcohol in them, but was pleasantly surprised at the taste.
"This is pretty amazing. What is it?"
"I thought I'd be really fancy and indulge in vodka, coke and raspberry. Quintessentially the anti-Emily drink."
"I'll drink to that," she smiled before nearly draining her glass, "this seems like such a simple thing. How have I never thought of it before?"
"You were busy raiding the five billion year old scotch and stealing priceless paintings?" He teased, happy that she just laughed away his comment. He watched as she absentmindedly ate one of the cherries from his drink, having devoured hers already. Part of him hoped she wasn't seated next to her during dinner, because he was starving. Which probably meant it wasn't a good idea to be drinking on an empty stomach, but he was beyond caring. Glancing across the room he saw Luke staring at him with an odd look on his face, which he immediately pointed out to Rory.
"Do you know what his problem is?" Oddly enough, Rory laughed at the question.
"I think so. We both weren't at the wedding rehearsal, so no matter how much mom will try to tell him otherwise, he thinks we were off having sex." Looking like she couldn't believe such absurdity, Rory polished off the last of the cherries and smirked. Jess however nearly choked on his drink.
"No one else thinks that, right?"
"I think my grandma might." She smiled playfully, enjoying the terrified look that briefly crossed his face.
"Does he really think we'd be here now if that were true?" Rory shrugged and moved in closer, as though he was about to divulge a secret. "I mean seriously, six or so years of unresolved sexual tension and we're only missing for an hour or two? That definitely seems like a weekend long journey full of room service and long showers." He couldn't deny enjoying her blush fiercely.
"You're an idiot. You think I'd miss my mother's wedding just to have sex with you?"
"Just to have sex with me? I don't know if my ego can withstand-"
"Attention ladies and gentlemen: if you could please take your seats, dinner will be served momentarily." The head waiter spoke, signifying the end of the informal drinks portion of the evening. All that was left was dinner, speeches and dessert. Rory gritted her teeth resolutely. If all went according to plan she could avoid being alone with Jess and having any of the unnerving conversations he clearly wanted to take place. It was her fault for starting it, but she could sure as hell finish it too.
After chatting mindlessly with a few great aunts, Rory was relieved to notice that the room was almost empty. Cousin Hattie was trying to get her paws into Luke's cousin Geoffrey, who seemed drunk enough to be complying, but she could easily slip past them and go to bed. Hopefully April was already asleep in the room they were sharing, it would save her having to hear about how unfair it was that she wasn't allowed to wear the dress she wanted but Rory could wear whatever she wanted. Idly wondering if she was as clueless as a teenager, she barely noticed someone matching her steps right next to her.
"Do society ladies always get so hammered? Because I can see the appeal this world if they do." Jess spoke so suddenly it made her jump.
"Do you ever make a sound when you walk?"
"It's one of my many talents. C'mon, I'll walk you to your room."
"Sure. Nice speech, by the way. Though I thought my grandma was going to pass out when you called mom a 'nosy, sycophantic waste of time'. Which was charming, by the way."
"You mom laughed, and that's all that matters."
"You guys get along. It's weird."
"She's not so bad if you give her a chance."
"Funny, she said the same thing about you."
"Huh."
They chatted about the evening as they walked, both very aware of each other's presence. Though their night had been full of teasing and general conversation, the underlying feelings had shown. Rory wasn't sure how she felt about this, having spent the better part of five years trying to drown out these particular feelings for Jess. On the other hand, Jess was wondering if it was wise to strike while the iron was hot, so to speak. He remembered being burned in a not too distant memory, and he wasn't sure if the risk was worth it. Before they knew it they had reached Rory's room.
"Tonight was fun. Thanks for keeping me amused." Rory smiled softly, noticing that there was little distance between them. Definitely closer than two friends ought to be, at the very least. As though sensing her thoughts, he moved the slightest bit closer. A gap that could easily be closed by a kiss, the grabbing of waists and clothes as they finally indulged in the one thing that had evaded them all these years. With a jolt Rory snapped out of her trance and moved towards the door.
"Goodnight Jess." She unlocked the door and left him standing alone in the hallways.
"What the hell was that?" Rory turned to see April sitting on her bed, her arms crossed over her SpongeBob pyjamas. "He was going to kiss you! Why did you walk away from that?"
"Maybe I knew there was someone spying at the door!" With a sigh she sat next to her future stepsister. "I don't know. It just suddenly seemed so real."
"Probably because it was." April was painfully blunt far too often. "You wanted to kiss him, didn't you?" Hesitantly Rory nodded. "Then what is there to think about? The two of you could be up in his room having really fantastic sex right now!"
"You don't understand. Jess and me… there's history." Moving to the bathroom to change, Rory began to tell the story of her relationship with Jess. She spared no details; the girl was fifteen, not an idiot. She explained the problems with them just kissing and getting it over with.
"Want to know my expert opinion? You're overthinking it. Sure there's a lot of issues and mutual hurting but you need to leave it in the past if you want a healthy relationship, even if it's just as friends. Judging by the way you two look at each other, I doubt you'll be able to keep away forever."
"Let's give a warm welcome to Mr and Mrs Lucas Danes!"
Lorelai was dazzling in her full white gown that glittered from the intricate beadwork on the bodice. Luke was no slouch either in his tuxedo and both looked so genuinely happy they didn't even yell at the man for announcing them in this way. Lorelai was still a Gilmore and no man would ever change that. No man ever really tried.
Rory was trying not to cry, but seeing her mother so blissfully happy was making her eyes water. Waterproof mascara was her friend today. Glancing over at her grandmother she was happy to see the older woman positively beaming with pride. Lorelai and Emily's relationship was stronger than ever, even if they still constantly irritated one another. Rory knew above all the elder Gilmore wanted her daughter to be happy, and if Luke was the man for the job then that was all there was to it.
Jess stood in the back people-watching; noticing many of the women (and TJ) looked close to tears or were crying. He'd already rid himself of his suit jacket, so he now looked considerably less formal in his grey vest and dress shirt. He would've taken his tie off too if he didn't already know the dirty looks that would cause. Speaking of looks, he found Rory easily in the crowd. He'd been trying to get her attention all day, but she seemed to be ignoring him. He wished she didn't look so beautiful; it would damn sure make his life easier. But there she was, in her short red dress that accentuated every curve of her body to a degree that he knew this dress was definitely not Emily Gilmore approved. Visions of it falling to her ankles as he touched her bare flesh were vivid as he tried to shake his train of thought. Rory was ignoring him, and he was just going to have to take it.
Dinner was over (they had lobster and chicken. Nobody complained) and everyone was starting to make their way to the dance floor. Rory smiled as she watched TJ and Liz dance with Doula in-between them. The little girl was laughing hysterically, happy in the way that only babies truly are. Scanning the room, she found her target exactly where she thought he'd be: the bar. Excusing herself from Lane and Zack, she walked towards Jess Mariano with purpose. Reaching her destination, she grabbed him by the arm of his shirt, swiped a bottle of champagne and walked out of the ballroom. At the end of the hall she found a door, and opened it to find a closet full of cleaning supplies. Without any warning she pushed Jess into it, walked in herself and closed the door.
"What the hell, Gilmore?" Jess wasn't sure if he was angry or not. They were alone in a tiny space with a good bottle of booze. It was hardly the worst situation he'd ever found himself in.
"Shh, we're toasting." Carefully she popped the cork of the champagne, but it still managed to bubble up and spill over her dress. "Oops." Smiling still, she sipped straight from the bottle. She offered it to him and he hesitantly sipped. What was going on?
"You soaked your dress." He said simply to break the weird silence that had fallen.
"So I have. Oh well, guess there's one thing to do." And with that, she unzipped the dress and let it fall to her ankles, as it had in only the dirtiest of Jess' fantasies. She stood before him in only a bra, underwear and heels that had her at eye level.
"Are you drunk?" He asked, some of the incredulity he was feeling seeping into his voice. She shook her head. "Good." He replied before kissing her passionately, one hand going to the back of her neck as the other sought more unfamiliar territory between her thighs, a few inches above her knees. She responded instantly, a hand in his hair as the other worked to remove his vest, before realising how stupid that was and had both hands make quick work of it before fumbling with his dress shirt. However all action was paused as he hit a particularly sensitive spot on her neck with his lips, biting ever so slightly in a way that felt amazing.
Pushing her on top of one of the sturdier looking boxes, Jess continued his exploration of Rory Gilmore's body. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Rory encouraged this fully, now using her own mouth to leave a trail of kisses down his chest, stopping at one point to brand him as she let out a small giggle which turned into a moan as his fingers skimmed her underwear. They were so distracted by each other that they failed to hear the loud, chirpy voice of Lorelai Gilmore.
"I think I saw the maids get stuff from here, there's no use bothering them for- Oh my god!" She'd opened the door and was grateful that Jess still had his pants on. She was expecting cleaning supplies to clean some Doula vomit. Her daughter was in her underwear. Jess had lipstick smudged on his face, a hickey on his chest and a very prominent bulge in his pants. That she was not expecting. "I'll be back to say 'I told you so' after everyone's not naked." Her face drained of all colour, she fled to find a maid that could get her supplies from a different closet.
The moment gone, Rory searched for and found her dress, as Jess buttoned his shirt. They had to say something, but all Rory could think of was how much she wanted Jess and how embarrassed she was. Jess was thinking much the same, but in much cruder terms. "So… that was my mom." She spoke.
"My mom was out there, too."
"Oh god did she see-"
"Nah, she was waiting down the hall a bit, I think."
"Good. That's good." Silence fell again. "Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"My dress is still wet." Biting her lip, she looked up at him nervously. All previous bravado was gone, as mortified as she was by what just happened.
"Huh. You should probably go find something else to wear."
"Probably. We should definitely go upstairs to find me something to wear."
"My room's closer."
"Closer is definitely better." She grinned. "You know, because my clothes are wet."
"Fifteen million inappropriate responses just popped into my head, but they can wait. Seriously, if I'm not inside you soon I'm going to lose my damn mind."
"Jess!"
"Sorry, we were keeping up the pretence of you coming to my room to change?" Rory went to slap his arm playfully but he caught her hand before bringing her in for a swift, brain-melting kiss. Their hands linked, they made their way to Jess' bedroom. Idly Rory considered texting April, but she'd forgotten her bag at the reception. Suddenly she realised something and started laughing uncontrollably. Jess looked at her quizzically.
"We are currently perpetuating the biggest cliché in weddings. The best man and maid of honour are sneaking off to have sex during the reception." Her laughter contagious, he smiled widely as they opened the door to his room. The door was closed swiftly, and Rory's dress was on the floor before either of them knew it. Jess' shirt soon followed (he'd left the vest in the closet, it seemed) and it was clear to the two of them that wasn't going to be some relaxed, gradual thing. Like a pot boiling over, they'd waited too long for something slow.
Jess awoke the next morning to a hard knock at his door. He was much too comfortable to move. The pillows were fluffy, the blankets warm, and the small fact that the woman he'd been in love with for his entire adult life was currently snoring lightly on his chest with her legs wrapped around his, both completely naked. They'd fallen asleep at about three, and the alarm clock next to him read seven-thirty. Unfortunately the door-knocker was persistent, and he untangled himself from the limbs and blankets, hearing Rory complain sleepily in protest. Finding a pair of jeans he left the bedroom and went out towards the door of his hotel suite.
"You look like death." Lorelai said with a smile that was far too chipper for the hour.
"You're a cruel woman."
"Do you always say such things to the mother of the girl in your bed?"
"What? Rory's not in my-"
"Jess? Where are- oh!" Rory had stepped out into clear sight of both Jess and her mother, clad in only a sheet. Blushing fiercely she squeaked and went back into the bedroom.
"Uh… it's not what it looks like?" He tried with a small shrug.
"I figured as much when she didn't come for her bag. Or go back to her room. It was either that or spies. Tell her to get dressed and be down for breakfast by eight: the grandparents want to spend time with their beloved Rory, who has been too busy following a Democrat to even visit!" She did a terrible impression of Emily as she spoke.
"Sure. Just for curiosity's sake are you…"
"Going to hold what I saw against you for the rest of your life? You betcha!" She smiled sweetly. "I like Grown-Up Jess. You don't wear as much gel and you brood considerably less than Teenage Jess. I also like Rory. That is the extent of my 'hurt her and you die' speech. Be careful." A horrified look crossed her face as Jess smirked. "I mean about hurting Rory! But be careful about the other thing too! I'm much too pretty to be a grandmother!"
She handed him Rory's bags and two cups of coffee before leaving. He walked back into the bedroom to find Rory still wrapped in the same sheet, apparently aware that she didn't have any clothes to wear. Gesturing at the bag she smiled at him gratefully before ignoring it entirely and taking one of the coffees.
"Isn't drinking hot coffee naked a bit of a safety hazard?" He asked as relief flooded her face at the first sip.
"I'm well trained. I can drink coffee naked, clothed… probably even underwater!"
"You've got breakfast with the Gilmores at eight, so I suggest you dress fast." Suddenly aware of the time, she jumped up and grabbed the bag before heading to the bathroom. About ten minutes later she stepped out looking clean and fresh, albeit a little tired. Jess had moved to the living room portion of his suite, lounging around while watching TV and typing mindless gibberish on his computer. He still hadn't managed to put on a shirt.
"Okay, so I'm going downstairs now. Uh…" She didn't know what to say. Should they talk? Was this just a one-time thing? Something in the back of her mind knew it wasn't, but she needed to hear it from him first.
"I'm going to shower. Write something. Maybe eat. Then we're going to have lunch together and talk through everything."
"There's this café down the street, I've always wanted to go, but…" Logan didn't, she thought with a frown. Jess seemed to sense this, and he smiled up at her before placing his laptop on the coffee table and standing in front of her. She noticed the bruise-like thing on his chest and almost reached out to touch it, but she wasn't sure what the dynamics were anymore. She felt one of his hands touch her face, and she looked up with a small smile.
"We're both on the same page here, right?"
"I really hope so." He responded to her doubt with a small, chaste kiss that tasted like promises and a future. Or possibly champagne, she wasn't sure.
"We're getting it right this time, Rory. I promise." He said almost solemnly as she left the room. The brilliant smile she gave him was confidence enough that they were both ready for this, and it was just a matter of formalities at this point.
And that's that! I was going to write the lunch scene but it seemed a little much. Though it's definitely a possibility for future one-shots! Who knew a story about a wedding could include so little of the bride and groom? I hope Jess' hesitancy is decently explained by his experiences with Rory. As for the girl herself… I remembered the scene with Logan at her grandparents wedding and I knew she had this in her! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Hate it? Love it? Want to write a dirty limerick and don't know where to put it? Send a review my way!