Well, here it is. You all can sincerely thank my beta Liza and faithful reviewer siss7 for lovingly convincing (read: aggressively pressuring) me to try to write a sequel to Taming Hemingway. Teehee. I kid. Sort've!

Some things! We are four months after the epilogue of Taming Hemingway. If you're new, you don't 100% have to have read it to follow, but it will help in the future chapters. Different writing tense, texting is a thing because I said so, and while we will view general canon, it won't be linear. I have the entire story mapped out, but it's gonna be a while to write it. I'm taking my time with this so I don't have my post-TH "omg did I rush it?" again. I hope you enjoy it :) Please review and let me know your thoughts. I'm hoping to have another chapter up next week.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own ideas.

Rory chewed on her lip nervously, staring out the window at the mailbox. She checked her watch and frowned to see that she had not, in fact, melded time with her mind. The little hands were ticking away slowly. She could feel an eye twitch coming on.

Why hadn't she heard back from Harvard yet? Yale? Princeton? At the very least, she thought she'd have heard from NYU by now (and that was her low bar school). Rory rolled her eyes at how pretentious her impatient subconscious was becoming in her heightened state of acceptance-letter-induced-anxiety.

She turned around again and rested her chin miserably on the back of the couch, willing the mail person to stride up to her yard and deposit her future into its small, grey mailbox.

An invasive buzz from her cell phone interrupted Rory's pity party, earning the device her infamous withering stare. She reluctantly reached across the couch to grab the offending object, immediately perking up when she saw the name on the screen.

'So? Are we college-bound yet?'

Rory frowned and began to type out a response before deciding that it would take her attention away from the window. She pressed the call button instead, cradling her cell phone in her ear and resuming her perch.

"Hello?"

"Why isn't the mail here yet?" She demanded into the phone, blowing out a deep sigh.

"Beats me. Why isn't there an arcade in Stars Hollow yet?"

"It was vetoed by Taylor four years ago."

"Of course it was."

"Jess," Rory whined.

"Rory," he mimicked.

"Why isn't it here? It's after 11 o'clock on a Saturday. What else does this mail person have to be

doing at 11 o'clock on a Saturday?" Rory demanded, drumming her fingers impatiently against the back of the couch.

"Some people sleep. You ever heard of it?"

"Some people can sleep when they're dead and not supposed to bring me the physical representations of my future," she mumbled. The smallest of chuckles answered her, and she furrowed her eyebrows in a glare. "It's not funny, Jess."

"It is funny," he disagreed. "You-" Rory adjusted the phone, hearing a small crackle of static over the line, obscuring whatever Jess had said next.

"Jess, what did you say?"

Her doorbell rang then, and she snapped her head to the left, eying it suspiciously. Would the mail person ring her doorbell? Probably not. This only, then, could be a plot to divert her attention from the mailbox and thus miss out on the expected delivery.

Okay, Rory, you've officially cracked.

Rory jumped up from the couch, looking at her phone with distaste as the crackling continued. She timidly opened the door and immediately broke out into a smile, seeing Jess with his cell phone propped up by his ear.

"I said," he smirked, lowering the phone to shove in his pocket. "You look like you were staging a coup."

Rory glared at his insinuation before tucking her cell phone into her back pocket and grabbing him boldly by the collar of his short-sleeved button down. He smirked again, snaking his arms around her waist, and dipped his head to capture her lips with his. Rory reciprocated with a smile before stepping back to look at him.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"What are you doing here?" She asked, playing with the fabric of his shirt.

"Lorelai's gone for the weekend, isn't she?" He offered casually, making a show of looking around for her.

"She might be," Rory acknowledged, trying to match his nonchalance. (And really, it was a valiant effort, because her stomach was doing somersaults. This was the first weekend that Rory was alone while dating Jess; between that tension and the anxiety over college, Rory was less than nonchalant. She couldn't even remember what acting casual meant at this point.)

"Huh," was all he said, using his foot to close the door behind him. He then wrapped his arm back around Rory's waist, pulling her in to close the distance between their bodies again. Rory felt herself melt into him as he started to trail light kisses along her neck, making his way up to the spot behind her ear.

I mean, who needs to get into Harvard, her subconscious tried, when you could just spend your time like this?

Harvard. Rory pulled away suddenly, looking desperately at the living room. Score one for responsibility, none for hormones.

Jess pouted, clearly dismayed at the break of contact. He'd been giving her some prime neck action. Rory ignored him and, smiling apologetically, scooted past him for the couch. He rolled his eyes, wondering if it took stamping an Ivy League emblem on his forehead to secure Rory's attention. She'd been nothing short of a basketcase the last two weeks.

Instead of sitting next to his girlfriend, who had her stomach pressed against the back of the couch to look outside, he leaned over her, placing his hands on either side of her.

"You sure you're not planning an attack?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I just want to know, Jess," she insisted quietly, the mildest of agitation in her voice. He let out the lightest of chuckles before bringing his lips down to kiss the top of her head. Rory tipped her head up to smile at him before her eyes darted back to the window.

"It's just Babette," Jess informed her, noticing the movement outside, too. At hearing a sigh bigger than her whole body let loose, Jess shook his head. Rory was too worked up about this.

"Hey."

The gentleness in his voice intrigued her enough to turn away from the window, moving her body to face his. Pink crept into her cheeks at how close he was (which seemed absurd, seeing as how they were regularly making out now that they'd been dating for several months), noticing the butterflies jump into her throat at the softness in his expression.

"You're going to get in, Rory," he told her firmly. "To wherever you want. You're the smartest person I know."

Rory tried to respond, feeling genuinely touched, but the stupid butterflies were choking her vocal chords. Instead she leaned forward, pressing a small kiss against Jess's lips.

"Thanks," she finally breathed, smiling. He offered her one of his rare, small smiles, and the butterflies shot back up. She loved this part of Jess - the vulnerable, sensitive side that only reared its head once in a full moon (Kind of like a werewolf, she thought absently). Jess erred on the side of showing her how he felt about her, so whenever he verbalized something, it felt like a gift.

Before he could offer her a reply, Jess's eyes broke contact and darted above her head. Inhaling sharply, Rory whipped around, nearly banging her head into his chin. Her eyes widened as she watched the mail person flip the arrow up on her mailbox and walk away.

"Is that - are they - what if-" Rory stuttered out. She turned back and looked up at him again, pointing at the window. Jess raised an amused eyebrow. Rory was cute when she was flustered (which, admittedly, was more often than not ever since she'd submitted early admission for college). Frowning, Rory realized Jess would be no help. Words, what were words? Rory was certain she knew how to construct a sentence, and what's more, knew her vocabulary even extended beyond monosyllabic interjections.

"What if that's them?" She finally asked.

"Shouldn't you call Lorelai? Find out together? … What?" Jess asked, noting the look of absolute horror on her face.

"My mom isn't here."

"That's been established."

"My mom isn't here,Jess! This has been our dream. I can't call her. She has to be here. I didn't even think about that. I can't believe she left me when she knew this could be the week of acceptances. Or worse, rejections." Rory was full blown panicking now.

"Rory, you don't even know if the letters have come. She-"

"This means I can't check the mail. I've dedicated six hours to checking the mail. That's six hours I don't get back, Jess," she continued, cutting him off. He side stepped just in time for her to shoot up and begin pacing around the room.

"What if they're all in there, just waiting, and the time that elapses between my mom being here and me checking the mail changes the decisions? Who needs this girl, she doesn't deserve to go to Harvard, she doesn't even know how to open an envelope in a timely matter."

Jess watched with amusement and the mildest of horror as she rambled, throwing her hands up for emphasis every few words or so. Jess had gotten used to the patented Gilmore Rant, and he knew there was little he could do to quell the rampage. Still, Jess was nothing if not stubborn.

"Rory, calm down," he groaned, grabbing her arm to stop the flailing. "You're not even making sense."

"I can't calm down!" she countered, crossing her arms tightly against her chest. He rolled his eyes and reached behind her, grabbing her cell phone out of her back pocket. Rory blushed furiously at the contact, though Jess seemed completely unperturbed.

"Call her. Lorelai will come," he said sternly, dangling the phone in front of her eyes. Rory vaguely wondered why Jess had gone for the cell phone and not the house phone, but felt silly. He was a teenaged boy, after all.

"But I don't even know if-"

"Call," Jess said dryly, plopping himself on the couch. Rory bit her lip and looked at him, mulling over the command. She didn't want to interrupt her mom's weekend with Emily, but then again, maybe her mom would appreciate the distraction. Looking unsurely at Jess again, he rolled his eyes at her, snickering. He gently used his foot to nudge her calf away from him.

"Call," he repeated, offering her a smile. Rory relented and walked into the kitchen, dialing Lorelai.

Jess cocked his head, watching Rory talk animatedly to Lorelai on the phone. He shook his head, taking a peek out of the window.

He wouldn't admit it to Rory, but he was having incredibly mixed feelings about her infatuation with Harvard. Sure he was excited that she was excited, but the idea of her leaving him… well, if he was being honest (and he rarely was when it came to his feelings), it triggered him a little. The kid who'd never relied on anyone and had earned himself a life degree in Damage Control had let down his defenses for the bursting, blue-eyed girl in the kitchen. She'd been the only sure and consistent thing in his life next to Luke for the better part of the last nine months. They'd only been dating officially since late December, but he was pretty smitten. The idea of her potentially moving nearly 90 miles away while he was stuck in Stars Hollow sucked.

If I even stay here, he considered. Having been consistent with the anger management groups, his debt to pay had been bumped up to end at the end of this month. As such, Jess's grades had transferred smoothly from his last high school, much to the chagrin of his arch nemesis Principal Jeffries. Without the obligation of those classes and Stars Hollow High, there was nothing keeping him there. Especially not if Rory left. It wasn't like he'd planned on applying to college.

But these were still just lingering thoughts in the back of his head, none of which he was willing to share with anyone, least of all Luke and Rory.

"Jess!" A call from the kitchen interrupted his thoughts, and Jess pushed himself off of the couch, strolling lazily into the other room.

"You beckoned?"

"Mom and I have a solution," Rory explained, cradling the phone in the crook of her neck. The look on her face told him that he was getting rooked into something. Seeing the lack of enthusiasm on his face, she shifted, moving the phone to her other side.

"Well, you see, as you even pointed out earlier, we don't know if the letters have officially come."

"Mhm."

"And, if we don't know whether the letters have come, we don't know if mom needs to make a hasty exit to come check."

Yep, definitely getting rooked into something.

"And," Rory continued, "I was wondering if maybe you'd be willing to go check the mail, see if there's anything in there worth warranting said hasty exit, that way we can avoid the wrath of Grandma and save my sanity. Because then I know the mail won't come until Monday."

Jess stared at Rory blankly.

'Give him your withering stare!' came the heckle on the other end of the phone, loud enough for Jess to hear. He rolled his eyes.

"And what do I say, exactly?" He clarified, shoving his hands in his pockets. He held back a sigh, thinking back to his internal dialogue just a moment before. He felt awkward, like he really shouldn't be a part of this.

"U-what did you say?" Rory asked. The look of surprise at his ready agreement clearly shocked her, amusing him.

"Yeah. If I check the mail and they're there, what do you want me to do?"

Rory blinked. "We didn't get that far. We weren't expecting you to agree."

"Gee, thanks," he remarked sarcastically. Beat. "Hey, I didn't officially agree."

Rory cocked her head, listening to whatever Lorelai was saying in the background. Rory made some agreeable noises before hanging up the phone and strolling up to Jess, pressing her lips firmly against his as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Please?" She asked, blinking at him beneath thick eyelashes. Jess narrowed his eyes, skeptical of her motives.

"You know, you can't just kiss me every time you want good behavior," he commented, leaning back. "I'm not a dog."

"Please?" she repeated, adding her signature pout. Jess tried to give her a stern face but crumbled under the (annoyingly) adorable look on her face. He sighed, relenting, and Rory giggled, hugging him more tightly. It wasn't just that Rory wanted Jess to do what she was too cowardly to do for herself; she really did want him a part of this process. Harvard had been the dream for as long as she could remember, but it wasn't just about her and Lorelai anymore. Jess had become a significant factor into the decision-making process, whether she'd told anyone else about it or not.

"You owe me," he informed her, pointing an accusatory finger, pulling away from the embrace to tackle the mailbox fiasco.

"Fine, whatever you want," Rory said dismissively, waving her hand. She was hot on his heels as he took the few steps to the foyer, opening the front door. Adopting a wicked grin, Jess looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Rory. His grin sent shivers running up and down her spine, letting loose the butterflies to wreak havoc on her stomach and the goose bumps to raise armies along her forearms.

"Whatever I want?" He asked huskily, his eyes looking her over. Rory flushed and shoved him out of the door.

"Go!" She directed, keeping her head pointed down so he couldn't see that his girlfriend had turned into a tomato. So this is what Violet felt like, she thinks to herself, willing the red in her cheeks to disappear. She crossed her arms and watched him walk down the porch steps, smirking. Oh, he's so pleased with himself. Involuntarily, she started biting her nails as he got closer to the mailbox.

Jess looked over his shoulder, sighed, and looked at the offending mailbox.

He stopped in front of it.

"I really hope you have good news in you," he told it quietly. God, he needed to get out of this town. Talking to inanimate objects was a Gilmore thing, not a Mariano thing.

"Hurry up!" Jess turned around as a pillow from the outside couch came hurling at him. He caught it effortlessly and glared.

"Despot," he countered. Turning back to the mailbox he sighed and reached over, opening the door. He peered inside.

Rory watched his facial expressions with great disappointment. Jess was stoic, betraying nothing about the contents inside. He closed the door again and looked up at her.

"Well?" Rory called anxiously from her position at the door.

"Well, what?"

"What do you mean, 'well, what'?"

"You never told me what to say regarding the contents."

"Oh my god, you're impossible!" Rory exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air to express her disdain. "Do I have to call my mom to come by or not?"

Jess considered his response and, deciding he didn't really know what to say, opened the door of the mailbox again. He reached inside and pulled out five thick white envelopes, holding them up for Rory to see. He figured she'd rather call Lorelai with excitement instead of an anxiety attack. Jess had barely blinked before the blur that was Rory appeared in front of him, nearly knocking the wind out of him as she attached herself to his frame.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed, grabbing his face. She planted a passionate kiss on him (it took significant concentration not to drop the envelopes), and he reciprocated as best he could before she squealed, broke contact, and whipped out her phone. She bounded off across the lawn, screaming into the phone at who he knew had to be her mother.

Jess smiled at her retreating form before looking down at the envelopes in his hand. Scanning the return addresses, he vaguely noticed a sinking feeling in his gut as he came to Harvard. He frowned and turned over the thick envelope, absently wondering what it would take for him to get into a school like that before shaking his head. Thinking about college was ludicrous, especially a school like Harvard. What did he have to offer besides a bad attitude, mediocre grades, and a record of petty offenses? It didn't matter that he was, as Rory had pointed out in the past, smarter than most people he knew.

It didn't reflect on paper, and that's what mattered. Ignoring the growing sense of loss he felt, knowing that Rory was one step closer to leaving, Jess sighed and replaced the envelopes back into the mailbox.

"Get your shit together," he warned himself, willing the dark thoughts that surfaced to disappear as he headed back inside to congratulate Rory.

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