Drumroll, please! (Or is it a helicopter?) Yes, this really is the sequel to The Rest of the Sun Belongs to Me. No, your eyes are not deceiving you! This story takes place about three weeks after The Rest of the Sun Belongs to Me ended. There isn't too much to note, and if there were anything else important, I probably would have mentioned it by now.

Just a quick thanks to my friend Jessica. If she let me go to sleep at 12:30AM, this chapter probably would not exist in its current state. I wrote it at 3:00 in the morning. : ) I love you!

Also, a quick acknowledgement to the reviewers of chapter eleven: Loridhhp, Kassandra27, hollowgirl22, ShaolinQueen, DiehardJavaJunkie14, LorLukealways, Jeremy Shane, Sailor-Lit, Faulty Cameras, Kemowitch92, gilmorefanforever, imcck, Phoebegirl319, Curley-Q, JessRoryYunaTidusforever, JESSandRORYforever, blonde-biatch, gilmoreintraining, Aquarius Angel, TwistOftheScarlettRose, gg-ghgrl775, Katherine Tripp, and CherryWolf713. I hope you find this story.

Disclaimer: It still isn't mine. What a surprise. Title comes from a Crystal Eyes song. That isn't mine either.

Time to Break Free

"Coffee?" The heavy-eyed young man that had previously been sleeping perked up. He ruffled his hair and looked into his girlfriend's crisp blue eyes. Standing in his doorway was Rory Gilmore with two take out cups of coffee in hand.

"Mmhm. Bless you." Jess gratefully accepted the coffee from Rory and felt the warmth of the cup on his fingers.

"Careful, it's hot," she warned. Her lips curved up in a smile as she took a sip of her own coffee.

Playfully, Jess stuck his tongue out at her. "How are classes going?" he asked, sitting up in bed.

"Oh, good. Everything's good." Rory licked the edge of her cup and pulled a chair up to her bed. "Have you been getting out of bed?" she asked.

"I've been walking all this week," Jess answered.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rory asked excitedly.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. I knew you were coming to my therapy session today, and I wanted you to see me walk." Jess smiled and put his cup down on the night table. "It's been three weeks. It's about time I started walking."

"Jess," Rory whispered as she tousled his hair, "you've been doing so well. You recovered from that infection when no one thought you would. We're together, you're walking, everything is perfect."

"I just wanted to be home by now. I'm not going to be able to finish all the work from school that has collected." He groaned. "I'll probably have to pay for another semester."

"It's all behind us, Jess. You're walking! You're mobile. You're coming home soon." Beaming with delight, Rory kissed Jess on the lips.

Jess nodded in agreement and took another sip of his coffee before placing it on the table once again. "I know it's a lot to ask since this is the first time you've been able to come from New Haven this week…" Jess shifted to get comfortable. "But can I rest?" he asked meekly, instantly regretting the tone.

Rory caught the submissive look in his eyes. "Yes. No, of course you can rest! Do you want me to leave?" she asked.

Smiling, Jess took Rory's hand. "No. Actually, if I moved over a little…" Jess scooted his slight frame against the guardrail. "Come here," he demanded softly. Rory placed her own cup aside and eased her body into the small hospital bed. "Comfy?" he asked, stroking her hair.

Tucking her body into the curve of his, she nodded. "Perfect," she added as he kissed the top of her head.

"He's doing great, Mr. Danes. We'll probably discharge him on Monday. It's a few days away from now," Eric Daniels needlessly added. He capped his pen and stood to shake Luke's hand. "After all he's been through, Jess is recovering quickly."

"It's good to hear," Luke said as he shook hands with the attending head therapist.

"Did you have any last questions?" Eric asked as they began to walk toward room 207.

"Is there anything special I need to do for his return home?" Luke asked, unsure why he hadn't posed the question beforehand. He was never any good around doctors of any kind, especially in a hospital setting.

"We do recommend he stay off stairs for another week. However, your apartment does have a staircase?" Eric flipped through his notes once more.

"They're not bad steps," Luke said. "I'll keep him in the apartment for a while." Luke had completely forgotten about the stairs. Jess had just started walking that week, but he was not quite ready to tackle an incline or stairs. Inwardly, he groaned. There was no way he was prepared to care for his nephew.

"Okay. Was there anything else?" Eric asked once more, this time with impatience wedged in his voice.

"No," Luke said quickly. He had a feeling the doctor wanted to leave for the afternoon by the way he was hurrying him. "We'll be fine," he added as an afterthought.

"All right then. Cecile will be in around four this afternoon. She will take Jess walking. You're more than welcome to attend his therapy session."

"I'll be here," Luke said. He had been with Jess for most of the week. Four times so far, he had gone walking with his nephew.

"Let me know if you need anything else," Eric said before leaving Luke alone in front of room 207.

Luke hesitated for a second before opening the door. Since it was a Saturday, Rory was apt to be back from New Haven. Jess missed Rory more now that her classes had started up again. Her schedule was so full she could barely handle life outside of Yale. Although Luke knew Jess understood, he still longed for her company while she was away.

Tentatively, he reached for the door handle once more. When he peered inside, he noticed both Rory and Jess in the small hospital bed, their bodies curled together in an embrace. Jess was snoring lightly as he held Rory in his arms. Luke smiled. It was great that everything was working out for the two of them. He had never wished them anything but peace and happiness. Lorelai was not quite as persuaded of the reconciliation as he had been. Convincing Lorelai that Jess had grown up made him realize how much he was rooting for the two kids to get back together. Sighing, Luke shut the door and walked down the hallway. He would pop back around four to observe his nephew's therapy, but now was Rory's time with him.

Rory traced the stubble that adorned Jess's jaw line. On a typical day, the attending nurse would get Jess out of bed and wheel him to the bathing area. Normally, Jess would shave during his allotted showering time. Today, he didn't feel like it. Rory knew he claimed that statement because Jess was secretly aware of how much she adored his rough face. Carefully, she slid her fingernail around his chin.

"Hey," he whispered groggily.

"Did I wake you?" she asked. Rory knew how much sleep Jess needed in order to function recently. The last thing she wanted was for him to be tired.

"No. It's okay." He nuzzled her neck and held her close.

Sighing, Rory traced her nail down his shoulder.

"You're killing me," he said deeply. A smile played on Rory's lips as she ran her nail down his chest.

"How's your scar?" she asked suddenly, retracting her finger.

She was met with a chuckle. "Way to destroy the mood, Gilmore." Lightly, Jess kissed Rory on the lips. "It's not really a scar yet. They just took the stitches out a week and a half ago. It didn't help that they were inflamed for a while," he answered. "It's more of a scabby region. My rate of healing has gone down."

"You poor thing," Rory cooed playfully as she smoothed his hair down. Jess grumbled and kissed Rory again. "I know I promised to not press the issue, but have you talked to your mom at all?"

Jess sighed heavily and Rory immediately knew she had hit a nerve. "Four days ago, actually," he answered. "Luke instructed her to check in periodically."

"Thoughtful."

"Useless," Jess grunted. He had a perfectly good reason to be exasperated with his mother. She had shown up shortly after the accident, but then left abruptly. Luke hoped she would return, but Liz never showed. There had been pent up resentment for Liz lurking in his system before, but now Jess had no problem displaying his hostility. Anytime he could, Jess would attack Liz for something she had done wrong. Before, he allowed bygones to be bygones and let it go. Liz may have messed up before, but he didn't dwell on her problems before the accident.

"Any thought of coming back to see how you're doing?"

"Probably thoughts, but there's no reason to come down now. It's not like I'm dying or anything," he spat bitterly.

Rory nodded in agreement. She had definitely hit a sore spot in mentioning Liz. "Do you want to talk about something else?"

Shaking his head, Jess leaned over and kissed Rory. "Just be here with me. I need you," he whispered.

Rory resumed stroking his bristly cheek. "I love you," she said.

Before the accident, neither Jess nor Rory said "I love you" very often. Mostly it was the brusque sentiment Jess still harvested. After a while, Rory became accustomed to not voicing how much she loved Jess. Instead, she did exactly what he did. Jess preferred to show Rory how much he loved her, rather than pass off actions and put it in words. The only time words were difficult for Jess when Rory was involved. He had a tendency to trip over his words. Jess could cook quite well, and he credited Luke for embedding the ability in his mind. Rory definitely couldn't complain. Every so often, Jess would set up candles around the apartment and slave over a giant three-course meal. He tried to make everything Rory liked, and a few things she had never tried. During their meals together, Rory felt like royalty. Often times, the night would lead further, usually to the bed in his corner of the room, where Jess showed Rory how much he loved her with his body.

"I love you too," he responded.

After the accident, though, was a different story. Jess no longer considered saying "I love you" as a passé means to show affection. He had developed a new appreciation for the three little words. At first, he thought it was simply because he was not strong enough at the moment to show Rory how much he loved her. When it came down to it, he just really liked the sound of her voice when she whispered sweet nothings in his ear. There were times when Jess considered it a bit corny, but he continued to say "I love you."

Rory snuggled into the crook of his arm. "I want to stay like this forever," she said contently.

Jess smiled. "Me too," he said before kissing her lightly on the nose. He sighed and watched as Rory started to fade off to dreamland. A few minutes ago, he wanted to sleep more than anything else, but at that moment, all he wanted was to look at Rory. He hated being cooped up in the hospital, but it didn't matter at that moment. As long as he had Rory Gilmore by his side, there was nothing to worry about any longer.