A/N: This is slightly AU. I am halfway through season seven so don't know entirely how it all turns out, but this is how I would like it to after the show ends!

Eight and a Half

By Imagine Backstory

Chapter One – The Opening Ceremony & The Invitation

Rory

"Ouch!" I cried out as Lorelei once again stuck me with a pin.

Lorelei pushed a wayward dark curl out of her eyes and looked up at me apologetically. "Sorry!" she exclaimed. From where I stood up on the stool, my mother looked tired and disheveled, two things Lorelei Gilmore rarely was. A thin layer of sweat was beading at her hairline, and her dark curls were arranged in a straggled bun at the nape of her neck.

I softened as I studied my frenzied mother. In the playpen in the corner of the room, Emerson began to whimper, pulling himself up and staring at us tearfully. Lorelei groaned. "Just five more minutes, honey bun. Mommy's almost done."

"Do you want to do this another time, Mom?" I asked.

Lorelei's face lifted in a lazy grin. "No, no, it has to get done. You don't know how fast this next week is going to go." Her grin became mischievous. "If you would stop losing weight, we wouldn't have to do this so often."

I returned her smile ruefully. "It's amazing what eating at home can do."

"Not to mention stress," Lorelei murmured. "I miss my plumpy girl."

My mouth dropped in protest. "Hey, I was never plump. And I'm not stressed," I tagged on as an afterthought.

Lorelei placed a final pin into the waistband of my dress and then placed her hands decidedly on her hips. "There. I think that's good. Another quarter of an inch to take in. Careful taking it off."

As I carefully peeled the white dress off of me, Lorelei went to scoop Emerson out of the playpen, kissing noisily at his plump red cheek. The eighteen-month-old squirmed in her grip and cried out. Stepping out of the dress and laying it carefully over the back of the armchair, I went over and rubbed my half-brother's fuzzy head, kissing it affectionately.

"Time for a nap," Lorelei announced, and started to head upstairs with the baby.

"I'll start lunch," I volunteered, calling after my mother. She gave a strangled grunt in response as Emerson clawed at her neck.

Wandering into the kitchen, I took a moment to just stand amongst my childhood memories. It had been awhile since I stood in this kitchen, and it had changed so much since then. Luke had outdone himself with the renovations; the kitchen now possessed a sort of country vintage charm to match the rest of the house, all blue gingham wallpaper and smooth granite countertops.

Thankfully, Luke had stocked the fridge full of groceries before my arrival two days ago. I removed the necessary ingredients for grilled cheese and went to work, content despite the strange sensation of cooking a meal for my mother in the familiar—yet at the same time unrecognizable—confines of the kitchen.

"Smells good," Lorelei cooed as she wandered into the room and flopped down at the table. She put her head down on her arms. "Rory, I cannot tell you how exhausted I am."

I turned concerned eyes onto my mother. "I'm guessing he's still not sleeping through the night?"

"Not even close," Lorelei whined. "I swear, he's worse than he was when he had colic. I don't remember ever having these problems with you."

I flipped the gooey grilled cheese sandwiches onto plates and sat across from my mother at the table. She tucked in thoughtfully as I watched with sympathetic eyes. "I'm sorry to bring all this extra stuff on you," I said guiltily. "I was hoping he would have calmed down by now."

"It's not your fault, sweetie," Lorelei said. "Babies are unpredictable. Besides, this is the perfect summer for a wedding." The late morning sunlight, streaming through the kitchen window, gleamed off the delicate ring on my left hand ring finger. We both admired it for a moment. "Any more RSVPs?" Lorelei asked.

"Two," I responded, mouth full of grilled cheese. "Anna and her boyfriend. They're coming tonight. I don't know why they were so late."

Lorelei wrinkled her nose. "They probably figured Luke would have said something. How many more are you expecting?"

I shrugged. "None, really. It's a week away. I figured the ones I haven't got back just aren't coming." I couldn't keep the edge out of my voice as I said it. A brief image flashed through my mind of a pale yellow envelope sitting, unopened, in a trash bin as a certain dark-haired man lived on nearby, uncaring.

If Lorelei noticed, she didn't say so. "Well, that makes sixty-four confirmed guests. Who hasn't RSVP'd?"

I shifted in my seat, nerves suddenly clutching at my chest. "Uh, mostly distant relatives of James', I think. A couple of his aunts. And..." I trailed off, the name caught in my throat.

"And?" Lorelei prompted.

I took a deep breath. "And Jess," I finished as casually as I could.

Of course, nothing concerning Jess was ever casual for my mother. She dropped her sandwich, sending crumps scattering over the placemat. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over my chewing. I could have sworn I just heard you say Jess. Silly me, right?"

I shrugged, stuffing the last bit of my sandwich into my mouth to avoid having to say anything.

"Jess Mariano?" Lorelei demanded, her blue eyes wide. She placed a hand on my arm. "Rory, sweetie, baby. You're killing me, here. Please don't tell me that you invited Jess to your wedding."

"Alright, I won't tell you," I muttered, laying my hands in my lap to shake off her hand.

"Rory, you can't invite your ex-boyfriend to your wedding," Lorelei cried.

"I invited Dean," I pointed out hotly.

Lorelei threw up her hands. "Dean is different. Dean didn't leave you without saying good-bye. Dean has talked to you within the past six months! Come to think of it, when was the last time you even saw Jess? It's gotta be nearly ten years now."

"Eight and a half," I corrected her without having to think about it. "And it doesn't matter anyway because he isn't coming." I folded my arms across my chest. I knew I was pouting and that annoyed me almost as much as my mother was right then.

Lorelei was trying to meet my gaze. "Does James know you invited him?" Wordlessly, I got up from the table, collecting mine and Lorelei's plates and dumping them in the sink to be washed. Lorelei sighed, raking a hand through her tousled hair. "I'll take that as a no. Rory, what were you thinking?"

She sounded so tired. I leaned back against the kitchen counter and rolled my eyes towards the ceiling, taking deep breaths to calm myself. "I wasn't—" I stuttered in response. "It's not like I expected him to actually show up. I guess I just thought it was better the invitation was out there than... Considering he would hear about it either way from Luke—" I dropped my gaze to my hands, nervously locking my fingers together. "I guess I wanted him to hear it from me, instead. Is that so crazy?"

Lorelei stood and faced me, placing her hands on my elbows as I folded my arms across my chest. "No, kiddo," she said softly, "it's not crazy. I'm sorry I freaked out."

I shrugged, eager to change the subject. "James should be back soon. I'm gonna go meet him in the square."

My mother didn't protest and I swiftly grabbed my purse, slipped my feet into my sandals and headed out the door.

The heat outside was stifling. As I walked, I gathered my dark hair in a high bun on top of my head, grateful for the breeze it allowed on the back of my neck. The square looked the same as always. Children were running about the gazebo; Kirk and Taylor were arguing about something-or-other nearby, Miss Patty's shouts of Pirhouette! Arabesque! Fly, ladies, fly! could be heard from her dance studio.

Eight and a half years. Not even since I had last seen Jess; since I had last spoken to him. No phone calls within that time. No e-mails, no texts, no random Facebook messages. I didn't even have him as a friend on Facebook, although I had definitely checked out his profile a couple of times over the years. Either he wasn't on it much or he barely changed it at all when he was; his profile picture had only changed a few times, and they were all far away shots of him or not of him at all. Nothing to hint at what he was doing, what he looked like now, if he was seeing anybody. All his other information was private. So, basically, I had zero idea what Jess Mariano had been doing for eight and a half years.

He could be married. He could have kids. The thought of Jess with kids sent a shiver up my spine, even in the suffocating midsummer heat. I couldn't picture it. But then again, the Jess I remembered was frozen at twenty-one years old, when he had been starting his career in publishing at Truncheon books and only just shedding his troubled teenager phase. Who knows what he had become since then.

James found me aimlessly drifting around the square, my mind in the clouds. His green eyes were twinkling in the midday sun as he kissed me hello. "You don't even look hungover," I mused, playfully tousling his ash blond hair with my fingers. "Must have been the tamest bachelor party in history."

James chuckled as his hands found my waist, pulling me close. "You seriously doubt my hangover aversion skills, Miss Gilmore." His voice betrayed him; it was gravelly with dry throat. "I just had the most amazing breakfast at my soon-to-be-stepfather-in-law's."

"You went to Luke's?" I asked, somewhat incredulously.

"Aye, we did," he drawled, the Irish in him coming out to play. "He fixed us up proper, like."

I smiled and kissed him gently. "And tonight," I said, tugging on the lapels of his coat, "dinner at the Dragonfly. It's the opening ceremony. I hear Sookie has prepared quite the feast."

"Looking forward to it." He kissed my temple and we wandered back towards my mother's house.

I had met James while covering an off-Broadway play in New York City three years previously. He had been the assistant stage manager and had given me a tour of the theatre and introduced me to the cast for interviews before the show. He was handsome and charming, and the fact that he was fresh off the boat from Dublin added to his boyish, yet at the same time worldly, appeal. He had asked me out for drinks barely before the final curtain went down, and the rest was history. Now we lived together in New Haven, me as a performance arts columnist and reviewer for the New Haven Register, and him a lighting designer at the Shubert Theatre. We were hoping to move to New York within our first year of marriage, however, should our respective careers allow for it. With us both being involved in theatre, it seemed only natural we should reside near the Great White Way.

When I went into journalism, I never thought I would end up with my own column in the arts section, but when I joined the New Haven Register the opportunity came up once and I never looked back. I loved it. It was an excuse to see a variety of shows at various venues for free and meet most of the key cast and crew. I had earned a reputation for being very thoughtful and knowledgable in my reviews, but also very honest, which meant when a production knew I was in the audience, they gave it their all.

After James and I returned to the Gilmore-Danes residence, showered and got ready, it was nearly time to go to Sookie's dinner. I left my hair up since it was still so stinking hot outside, and even pinned my bangs back for good measure. I settled on a white sundress to wear, and James looked striking in a pale blue dress shirt, sleeves rolled up, and khaki walking shorts. Lorelei and Luke were dressed in a similar fashion, only Luke wore jeans as usual. Even in the height of summer heat, Luke Danes would never be caught dead in shorts.

The Dragonfly was practically bursting with activity when we arrived. James and I were swept away almost instantly; we had decided to make our wedding a week-long event in Stars Hollow, so our guests would be arriving starting tonight and filtering in throughout the week. There was already a decent handful of people here besides the usual Stars Hollow residents: Zach and Lane had arrived safe and sound, their two young children in tow, and Luke's daughter April was there with her mom, Anna, and Anna's boyfriend Derek.

"Rory!" Lane squealed when she caught sight of me, wading through the crowd to embrace me tightly.

"Hi Lane!" I exclaimed, hugging her back. "It's been forever!"

"I know!" Lane stepped back and sized me up. "You look the same."

I laughed easily. "Thanks, I guess? You don't. You look...well, I don't know, but you look different..."

"Am I...glowing, perhaps?" Lane hinted.

I nodded. She really was. "You really are," I said. Lane was looking at me expectantly, but I was having a stupid moment. "Why are you glowing?"

"Well, we weren't going to tell you until after the wedding, since it's your time and all," Lane started as Zach came up and snaked an arm around her waist. "But since you noticed the glowing we may as well let the cat out of the bag. I'm pregnant!"

My mouth and my eyes fell open. "Again?" I said incredulously.

Lane and Zach laughed. "I know!" Lane cried.

I hugged them both tightly, my whole body suddenly alive with excitement. "Oh my god! Congratulations! That's amazing!" We pulled apart, all momentarily giddy. "So, number three, huh?"

"I know. I swear to God, this is the last one." Lane glanced around furtively. "Just don't tell my mom. If it were up to her we would reproduce until we physically can't anymore."

"That's just disturbing. I don't want to think about you guys reproducing again, let alone trying to when you're going through menopause." I giggled when Lane elbowed me teasingly in the ribs.

I was separated from Lane and Zach after that, mingling endlessly with the teams of people who were there. I felt more alive and vibrant than I had in a while, and truly relaxed. Here I was in my favourite place on earth, surrounded by all the people I loved most dearly, and in a week I would be married to the best man I could have ever hoped for. Something was still nagging at the very back of my mind, something I refused to let surface while I was trying to have fun—something dark-haired, with a lopsided grin and an appreciation of literature I had yet to find in anyone else...

No. Not now. I couldn't think of him now.

Once we were all situated at the long dinner table, Sookie stood and tapped her glass with her spoon to get everyone's attention. James and I, sat at opposite heads of the table, smiled knowingly at each-other.

"Attention everyone," Sookie said, her voice already becoming thick with tears. "We are gathered here today because our girl, Rory, had the brilliant idea of having us all stay here for a whole week to celebrate her wedding." She emphasized wedding with a cry, earning some shouts and glass-tapping from the patrons seated at the table. When things settled down, Sookie continued, "It is my honour and priviledge to serve you all tonight for the opening ceremony, per se, of this week's festivities. Lorelei Gilmore and I would like to welcome you to the Dragonfly, and we would also like to personally congratulate Rory and James on their engagement and impending nuptials. We love you both so much, and can't wait to spend this week celebrating with the two of you. Cheers!"

The table errupted with cheers and laughter and hollers of approval. I felt myself laughing as everyone raised their glasses to James and me. We gave each-other our own private toast, raising eyebrows and smiling at each-other from thirty feet away.

Once the delicious dinner had been consumed and cleared away, a game of beer pong materialised on the dining table. The seating area had been cleared away for dancing, and suddenly the Dragonfly was host to a massive party. I drank way too much, downing glass after glass of wine, letting my body become loose and lazy as James led me around the dance floor, his own eyes glazed from the beer he'd been drinking. There was no rhyme or reason to our dance moves, we just leaned on each-other and swayed to the beat of the music, a playlist of classic party hits. Eventually we were separated for dances with others. I found myself dancing to "Soulja Boi" with Lane, her of course being sober and laughing at me while I tossed myself around, stumbling and laughing with reckless abandon. I even danced with Dean a little, who had shown up after dinner with his sister, Clara. Our dance turned into a line-dance with the entire group as "Cotton-Eyed Joe" came blaring through the speakers.

Once the dancing died down people began trickling out the door into the square. There were rumours of fireworks being arranged by Kirk. While I had a hard time trusting that anything involving fire and Kirk coud go well, I followed the crowd, clinging to James' arm for support as we stumbled across the grass.

Sure enough, there were fireworks. They exploded in the sky, loud and powerful in my ears, and lit the clouds with a rainbow of colours. Halfway throught he show, James' phone rang. Motioning to me, he wandered off to take the call, likely from work.

Lorelei came up and wrapped her arms around me, kissing the top of my head. In my tipsy state, a sense of serenity and peace envelopped me. I hugged my mother and watched the fireworks dance in her eyes which were so like my own. We smiled at each-other; no words were needed when it came to a moment between me and my mother. I was saying that I was so happy, and she was saying that she was so happy for me.

I must have been a cruel joke, though. The happiness. I didn't know why I thought it could have lasted so long.

James came rushing up to me, grabbing my arm and tugging me aside. The colour had drained from his face and he seemed to have very quickly sobered up. "What's the matter?" I asked, suddenly aware that something was very, very wrong. My heart was already sinking.

James' phone hung in his hand. He was trembling. "It's my mum," he said, his voice quivering as tears spilled onto his cheeks. "She's just died."

Jess

I was drunk with her. Literally and figuratively.

We stumbled into our dark apartment, all limbs and teeth and tongue, all colliding, endless. My hand flew out and smacked the wall, fingers reaching for the light switch. Nora kicked the door shut behind us, sending us into darkness save for the lights of the sleepless city filtering through the windows. She giggled and pulled me towards the couch, abandoning the light switch. Clearly, we weren't making it to the bed tonight.

My head span as she shoved me down onto the couch and quickly followed me, straddling my lap with her tanned, mile-long legs. She was panting into my mouth, her breath sweet with wine, and she tore my shirt up and over my head, running her palms over the plains of my chest, causing my skin to errupt with goosebumps as the draft from the rafters of our loft caressed my exposed flesh.

I slid my hands up her thighs and under her barely-there skirt, chuckling into her kiss as I discovered wonderfully that she was not wearing any underwear. As my fingers searched for her most intimate place, she bit down, hard, on my lower lip.

I gasped in pain as I tasted blood.

"Oh, shit," she exclaimed, reaching for the lamp on the end table. She snapped it on and I winced, feeling my pupils shrink painfully in the unexpected light.

I touched my lip; my fingers came away bloody. "Fucking vampire," I growled.

Her grin was sexy, dangerous. "I vant to suck you..." She trailed off, winking at me.

I returned her devilish grin. "Just let me take care of this." I gestured to my mouth.

She rolled off me and stood, quickly shedding her jacket and her dress; soon she was standing, naked, before me. I watched her long body lasciviously as she she climbed the stairs to the loft, where our bed was waiting.

Once she was out of sight, I stepped into our tiny bathroom and inspected the damage. Just a tiny puncture where her inscisor had pierced my flesh. I couldn't help but grin as I rinsed the wound with water, turning the water in the sink copper. My girlfriend was nothing if not wild. Still, I couldn't help but notice the bags under my eyes as I inspected myself in the bathroom mirror. I had to admit, she was tuckering me out. Nora was seven years my junior, a vivacious twenty-two, and she drank and fucked to prove it. How I had landed such a creature was beyond me; who knew owning a growing chain of publishing houses would attract a vixen like Nora?

I must have underestimated her daringness, though, because something caught my eye. It was nestled on the shelf above the toilet; a pale yellow envelope, previously unopened, my name and address scrawled in neat handwriting on the front. And the return address—

I found Nora lying provocatively across our bed, naked, her dark cherry-red hair tumbling in thick waves over her shoulders. Her sexy smirk shifted to a look of confusion as I came up the stairs, the envelope in my hand. "I threw this away," I told her, showing her the envelope.

She pulled the sheets up the cover herself, realizing this wasn't a conversation to have whilst naked and horny. "I found it in the trash."

"Because I put it there," I snapped. "Why did you take it out?"

"I looked important," Nora said, raking a hand through her thick hair. "It's from Rory, isn't it?" Her voice was small.

I was suddenly furious. I clenched the envelope in my hand, crumpling it. "I'm throwing it away. This time, leave it there."

"Don't you want to know what it is?" Nora asked, climbing across the bed towards me. She slung a robe aroud her body and tied it closed around her narrow waist. Her hand reached out to gently grab my wrist.

I shook her off and turned away, tossing the envelope onto the dresser. I sat on the foot of the bed, placing my face in my hands. I was so tired, all of a sudden, and still pretty drunk.

Nora hugged me from behind, kissing my shoulder gently. We sat like that for a long moment, then Nora lay down next to me, her head resting on my thigh. "You should open it," she said quietly. "Otherwise it's going to drive you nuts."

"No point," I grunted. "I know what it is."

Nora rolled off the bed and went to the dresser, picking up the envelope. She turned to me and raised her eyebrows questioningly. I shrugged, pushing myself to the head of the bed and leaning back against the pillows. "Be my guest," I drawled, yawning.

Nora tore the envelope open and removed a thick piece of pale yellow paper. She read aloud, "'Miss Lorelei Gilmore and Mister Christopher Hayden cordially invite you to witness the marriage of their daughter, Lorelei "Rory" Gilmore, to James Paul Connolly, son of Vivian and Thomas Connolly, in the township of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, on this second of August, two-thousand and fourteen. We will begin the festivities on the twenty-sixth of July and carry on throughout the week leading up to the ceremony.'" Nora looked up at me, her face stricken. "Wow."

I shrugged.

"She's getting married," Nora said simply. "Did you know?"

"I did when I got that letter."

"But you didn't open it."

"Didn't need to."

"How did you know?"

"Just did. Why else would she send me a letter?"

Nora turned the invitation over and froze. "Uh, Jess?"

"What." I was getting irritated and sleepy. I could feel the hangover already. I kicked my jeans off and pulled on my pyjama pants, realizing that sex was definitely not in the cards tonight. I lay down on the bed, closing my eyes.

"You might want to read this." Nora sat next to me on the bed, holding the invitation out to me.

I glared at her with one eye. "You already did."

"There's something on the back," she said, "from Rory."

I sat up a little too quickly; my head span and I felt sick. Taking the invitation from Nora, I turned it over, subconsciously bracing myself. There, in Rory's own loopy handwriting, was a note:

Jess, I don't really know why I sent you this and I don't expect you to come. I just wanted you to know, not because I want to make you feel bad, but because I want you to know what's happening in my life. I know it's been awhile, but it would mean a lot if you did show up. Bring a plus one, if you want to. I just miss you, I guess. I'm hoping this new chapter of my life can mean a new chapter for us, too. Anyway, come. Or don't. Just RSVP either way. Sincerely, Rory.

She had started to write Love, Rory. But had awkwardly tried to convert the Lo into Si.

The note was so incredibly Rory thatI felt my chest tighten with an emotion I didn't want to name at that moment. I looked at my watch, which displayed today's date. July twenty-sixth. Well, it would be the twenty-seventh in about ten minutes.

Nora was silent as I began packing my suitcase.