My notes: Hi, everybody. I'm a huge Literati and Paire fan. Hope you like my stories. Review if you like it.:)

Story: Four years after Philadelphia, Rory and Jess meet again. (In my story that night ended different. Keep that in mind.)This time in Stars Hollow for Luke and Lorelai's wedding. Each of them keep a secret. Secret, that can change a life.

Chapter 1 Pain and Memories

It was late autumn. The orange-brown colour of the leaves filled everyone with melancholy. Stars Hollow was beautiful in the autumn. But then again… autumn held so many memories. Rory Gilmore was walking down the street towards Luke's Diner. She had arranged to meet with her mother there. Her feet dragged through the fallen leaves, yet she arrived earlier than she expected.

Rory opened the door and the bell ringed joyfully. She couldn't help it, she smiled. There was a bunch of people as always. In fact there was never an absence of swarms of people.

"Hi, Cesar," Rory yelled at the tall dark man on the corner.

"Hi, Rory!" he yelled back. "Coffee and French toast?"

"As always!" she answered and Caesar headed back into kitchen. Five minutes later, Rory was eating her French toast and enjoying her coffee at the counter.

She was already done when Luke came down the stairs. When he saw her, a smile appeared on his face.

"Hi, Rory!" he said and kissed her cheek.

"Hi, Luke!" she said as she hugged him back.

"So, no Lorelai?" he asked.

Rory shrugged. "She's late. As usual."

Luke laughed. "Nothing new here, and now with the wedding preparations, I hardly see her face."

"Yeah, that is my mom," Rory sat back behind the counter and Luke poured himself a cup of coffee.

"I'm glad that you're finally going to marry her," Rory said after couple of minutes, "Too much time has passed."

Luke grinned. "Yeah, way too much time. We can't wait any more. When she said 'yes' I knew that now was the right time!"

"I'm happy for you guys, really!" Rory smirked, "That will give me the opportunity to write a nice column in the paper."

"Don't you dare!" Luke remarked, turning red from embarrassment.

"Are you kidding? The mother of the chief editor of the 'Stars Hollow Gazette' is getting married! It has to be something," Rory laughed in his face.

"OK then. Do whatever you want!" Luke frowned, which made her laugh even louder, "I have to get to work."

Rory sipped her coffee, looking at him. A customer sat down at the other end of the counter and Luke went to him.

"Coffee and your special omelet, please."

"Coming right up!" Luke disappeared in the kitchen.

Special omelet. The echo of these words hit her. Her eyes rose to the wall above the kitchen door.

'Luke's special omelet' was written on the miniature chalkboard. The infamous inscription was still there. Just looking at the board brought back so many memories...

"So good, so precise. Emphasize on Luke. Who wrote that?" Lorelai asked staring at the board.

"That's Jess' handwriting," Rory answered

It strange how almost nothing had changed in Stars Hollow since he was gone. Rory looked down and focused on her coffee. These feelings were dangerous. These thoughts were painful, because if she thought about them for too long, she eventually would find out that she missed him.

Rory shook her head.

It wasn't true. Jess was in her past and should stay there. They may have left so many things unfinished, deal. She hadn't heard a single word from him for almost four years. Not that she could blame him.

The last time they saw each other was in Philadelphia at his apartment. When he kissed her and she left him, because of Logan. Well… after that they met in a bar. Purely accidental. They had some drinks and after that… Rory shook her head again. Dangerous thoughts. Dangerous.

"Hard, isn't it?" she heard Luke's voice. Rory snapped her head up.

"What?" she looked at him, trying to hide the pain, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Luke gave her a nod and raised his eyes to the specialty board. He didn't pretend that he didn't know what she was thinking.

"Maybe it's time to take that down…" he said and looked at her, "Maybe it's time for something new."

"No!" her answer was dangerously fast and he looked at her strangely, "Please, Luke! I don't see a problem with that… this!"

Rory knew that it was hard for him too. He just wanted to keep a piece of Jess. Although he called him and they heard of each other from time to time, Rory knew that, for Luke, it wasn't enough. He hadn't seen Jess in a long time. Jess hadn't called in a long time, but after all, that was Jess.

All Rory knew was that he had moved back to New York. Three of his books were already best-sellers. She had them all. One of the books had been made into a movie and the other was a base for a TV show. Pretty good life, she thought. In fact, the boy that everybody thought was trouble was now one of the most successful people of his time. And… he had a girlfriend. Some blond, named Bella. Rory couldn't stop thinking of her as a clone of Shane. She didn't like her.

"Rory, are you ok?" Luke waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah…" Rory answered and took a sip again of her coffee. "I meant what I said Luke. Don't change the specialty board." She tried to joke. "You will have some serious issues with the paper!"

"Ok, ok!" Luke raised his hands in defense, but Rory saw the relief in his eyes. "You win! As always!"

Rory looked inside her paper. Since she had came back at Stars Hollow two years ago, with some help from her mother and the citizens, Rory created the local paper. It turned out to be a good business. Not filled with dangerous situations, but good enough for her.

"You can do it. I'll help you. Tomorrow you'll stand in the middle of the street and I'll drive right to you screaming in a foreign language!" Jess smirked.

Rory looked at him with flames in her eyes.

"You have to learn foreign language first."

"Good thing I got myself a tutor then!" Jess answered and gazed in her eyes a moment that seemed like an eternity...

Rory looked back at her half full cup of coffee. Dangerous. Dangerous thoughts. Where the hell was her mother? And why did these memories have to come up now? Rory looked again through the window. Maybe it was because of the season. Jess had come to Stars Hollow for the first time at the beginning of the autumn. They were only seventeen then.

...She was finishing her homework.

"Rory, they're here," She heard her mother.

"In a minute,' she answered and turned back. She was doomed since then.

One gloomy black haired boy entered in her room. His dark green eyes examined her. Rory smiled at him already intrigued.

"Hi, I'm Rory!" she said.

"Yeah, I figured" he said, and went straight to the books.

"Nice to meet you," Rory didn't know then, but he had already found a place in her heart...

Where the hell was her mother? Rory drank what was left of her coffee in one sip, when she heard the bell of the door.

'Here! I'm here!' Lorelai yelled. Without turning back Rory smiled. Her mother brought her own atmosphere, no matter where she went.

"Luke, hun, bring me one giant cup of coffee! Damn, those bags!"

Rory heard her mother shouting again.

"Luke! Come here to help me!"

"Luke, make me coffee! Luke, take my bags!" Rory heard him mumbling, moving to help Lorelai. "If only I didn't love you so much…"

Rory smiled."Mammy! Mammy, we're here!" she turned around and hugged her daughter.

Rory only smiled and took her three year old girl in her arms. She made her sit on a chair next to hers and greeted her mother.

"Sorry we're late, but a little fury over here didn't like her hair! I just couldn't fix it!" Lorelai smiled and sat next to the little girl.

"Yeah, we have that problem." Rory said and kissed her daughter. She looked at her and felt a nice warm feeling in her entire body.

Long black curly hair fell down and surrounded the little face. A pair of dark green eyes shined at her with love. Rory reached out and ran her fingers through her daughters' hair.

"We never manage to put it in order, but we like it that way. We like it, don't we, Annie?"

"Yes, mammy!" her cute crooked smile touch Rory's heart. She was a copy of her father.

Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"I still don't get how you manage to look out for her! You are my personal hero!"

"Stop joking mom!" Rory laughed, "I have a good example."

"Still, some help of her father…"

"Stop it!" Rory turned serious, "Mom, we've talked about it, please…"

"But Logan can…"

"Mom!" Rory almost yelled and Annie looked at her with fear in her green eyes.

"Why you yell mommy?" she asked and Rory almost sorry for shouting.

"I'm ok, sweetheart. Mommy is ok. Me and granny we're just talking," she just couldn't look at her mother. That meant lie to her … again.

"Just talking," she repeated and put one black curl behind Annie's ear.

The bell above the door ringed again and Rory saw her mother turn around and freeze. Luke, who had just come out of the kitchen, froze too. The plates fell down of his hands, but he didn't notice. Both of them were staring at the door. Rory frowned. Who was that person? She turned around and froze too.

This couldn't be true! It couldn't be happening!

Jess was standing there, a giant duffel bag on his shoulder. When she turned around, she caught him running his fingers through his hair. He could never managed to keep it in order. His face was pale and he was thinner than she remembered him, but it was Jess.

The familiar croaked smile appeared on his face until he looked at Luke.

"You're not seeing a ghost, you know!" he said as he walked to his uncle. "I thought I was invited me to your wedding. Is that wrong?" Jess asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I thought you wouldn't make it. Come here!" Luke hugged him and to Rory's surprise, Jess hugged him back.

He still hadn't noticed her, but soon he…

"Hi, I'm Ayn Rand Gilmore. Who are you?"

Rory almost fell of the chair. She hadn't noticed when her daughter had stood up to go see Jess and Luke.

Jess turned around and knelt in front of the little girl. He ran fingers through her black hair and Rory shivered at the similarities.

"What a name for such a beautiful girl!" Ayn giggled. "I'm Jess!"

"Hi, Jess. You can call me Annie." Jess smiled, but then something popped up on his head.

"Gilmore?"

The sound of his voice made her shiver again. "Who is your mother?" Jess asked and raised his head. He saw her.

Her heart stopped for a minute. They just stood there staring at each other. So much pain and so many memories encompassed in that one stare. Rory almost felt his ache in his dark green eyes. Then he put the usual blank mask on his face.

"That is my mom!" Annie pointed Rory and dragged him to her.

"Hi!" she said and gulped nervously.

"Hi…"he answered.

"Not again!" she heard Luke and almost smiled at the memory. Almost.

"It can't be!" Rory heard her mother and turned back to her. She looked from Jess to Annie and then back again. Rory froze. She knew. Her mom already knew.

Betaed by: Regan (thank you so much for doing this!)