A/N: First things first - I have NOT seen the revival episodes yet, so if you read this and feel moved to review (which I hope you do) PLEASE do not write any spoilers in there. Thank you in advance :)

Now, with that out of the way, this is labelled as part 9 in a series, because I have been writing The Mistletoe Effect on-and-off for the past 10 years and Gilmore Girls is the 9th fandom to get the treatment! If you like Buffy, Veronica Mars, That 70s Show, Press Gang, Leverage, OUAT, Necessary Roughness, or Alice feel free to check out the others in the series. The others to be posted for this festive season will be White Collar, X-Men and The Librarians :)

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and other folks who aren't me.

The Mistletoe Effect IX: Rory & Jess

It had been a long time coming.

There were times when many a person wondered if this day would ever arrive. June 3rd 2006 was the original date, and yet it had taken until now, Christmas 2008, for this special day to finally arrive. Today was the day that Lorelai Victoria Gilmore became Mrs Lucas Danes, and Rory was sure her mom had never looked happier in her whole life.

The Christmas wedding idea had started out as a joke, but it hadn't taken long to become a genuine suggestion and then a solid plan. Rory had helped out with the plans as best she could via texts, calls, and such until she finally arrived home after being on Obama's campaign trail for more than a year. The past three months had passed by in a blur of dress-fittings and flower arrangements, fitted in around Rory setting up a home in New York and starting a job at The Times. She barely had time to contemplate this moment until it was happening.

He looked good, but then Jess always did. He had been due to arrive for the wedding a few days before, but it hadn't worked out. Problems at Truncheon delayed his travel plans, and then a sudden and ridiculous amount of snow had hit the east coast, putting paid to flights, trains, and even roads for a while. In the end, he had fought his way through to arrive in Stars Hollow mere hours before the wedding ceremony itself. Rory was with her mom, playing her maid of honour role, whilst Jess headed straight to a relieved Luke who knew he would have to make a choice between Kirk and T.J. as best man if his nephew couldn't make it on time.

Rory first saw Jess at the ceremony, standing at the end of the aisle with his uncle, as she led her mom to the alter. It was the strangest feeling. There was a second or two when it felt as if Rory was walking up to meet Jess, as if this was an entirely different wedding. She felt so foolish for ever considering such a thing, especially now, as he approached her across the reception hall.

"Hi," he said as he reached her, hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Hi," she replied in kind.

That was where the conversation stopped. For two people who had been able to talk so easily as teens - though perhaps not always on the topics that mattered - Rory and Jess suddenly found themselves tongue-tied in each other's presence. It felt like such a long time since they saw each other last. In reality, it was quite a while, but that wasn't the real problem. The way they had parted that last time, it hadn't been pretty. After that, Rory thought it best to keep her distance, and Jess thought it best to let her. In spite of that, they had both had regular updates on the other's life via Luke and Lorelai, with whom they were both in constant contact. It was the strangest situation, wanting to catch up but already knowing everything the other person would want to tell.

"Um, I'm glad you made it," said Rory at last, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. "Maybe not quite as glad as Luke because he was really, really glad," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, I got that vibe." Jess smirked. "Personally, I think any speech T.J. wrote would be one for the record books, but apparently, I'm still first choice," he said with a shrug, glancing back over his shoulder at his uncle and new aunt.

When he turned back suddenly and spoke again, Rory almost jumped out of her skin.

"Look, Rory, I don't... I don't want things to be weird, with us."

"Weird?" she echoed. "Why would they be weird?" she asked, taking in the look on his face. "Okay, so yes, I know why. Jess, that day at Truncheon-"

"Forget it," he urged her, waving it away with a single movement of his hand.

"I can't," she told him honestly, ducking her head a moment. "I treated you so badly."

"Yeah, because I was a real prince when we were together," he reminded her. "We both screwed up, Ror. We're even."

"I don't think that's quite how it works." Rory smiled in spite of herself. "But thanks. I figure now that Luke is officially my step-father, and mom is officially your aunt... Well, there's going to be events, family occasions, stuff like that. I don't want to feel like we can't be in a room together."

"Me either," he assured her. "So, the past is the past, nobodies mad, nobodies looking for revenge or an apology. We're good?"

"We're good," she promised him, nodding her head.

There seemed to be a joint sigh of relief between the two of them, and then the conversation was free to move on, past the awkward bump in the road that had seemed like an insurmountable mountain just moments before.

"So, The Times, huh?"

"Yup. Kind of loving it so far." Rory smiled. "Mom said you have a second book out?"

"Out is subjective," said Jess, rolling his eyes. "It's printed, technically published. I got it in some stores. A lot of the places who took The Subsect were open to this one, so that's not nothing."

"It's amazing, Jess. I'll bet it's even better than The Subsect," Rory enthused. "Not that The Subsect wasn't great, because you know how much I love it. I've read it so many times, my copy is practically falling apart."

She blushed when she realised quite how loud she'd gotten in her appreciation for his novel. Jess was caught between amused and amazed by her reaction. She had always tried to be as supportive of him as possible, even when things between them went south. She could always be relied upon to tell him he could do anything he wanted to do.

"I can send you a copy of the new one, if you want?" he offered. "I didn't get it into any of the big stores in New York or anything so it'd be the easiest way for you to get to read it, if you really want to."

"Of course, I do," she told him, reaching into her purse for a pen and paper. "Here," she said, scribbling quickly. "This is my address in New York"

Jess took the paper from her and read the location written in such familiar handwriting. She was living in his town now. He'd known that for weeks, but this was the reality of it. She was there and he was in Philly. They really were destined to never be in the same place at the same time, literally, figuratively, always.

"I'll mail it out as soon as I get home," he promised, pocketing her address, frowning when he glanced up and realised she was now offering him money. "Seriously?"

"What? Starving artists have to eat," she insisted, trying to force the ten dollar bill into his hand.

Jess literally backed up a step. "Not a chance, Gilmore. Like I told you before, I would never have gotten the first book written, never mind published, if it wasn't for you. So for as long as I write 'em, and you're cracked enough to think you wanna read 'em, my books are always free."

Rory had to remind herself to breathe as those words sunk in. Some women would melt when offered a ring or hearing a declaration of love. For Rory, it was as simple as knowing she had made such a difference to Jess' life, and being offered free books. It had a similar effect. He had that effect, causing feelings in her with a few well-chosen words and a smile that no man before or since had ever achieved.

Remembering how to breathe and speak and move all in a rush, Rory put the money back in her purse, shook her head and told him he was crazy.

"I didn't make you a great writer," she insisted. "You did that yourself. If anyone should be thanking someone for helping put their life on track, then I owe you," she reminded him. "That day when you came to visit, when you yelled at me about Yale and not being me. You were so right, Jess. I hate to think how far I could've sunk if you hadn't talked sense into me that day."

"Yeah, well." Jess shrugged. "Sometimes we all need a kick in the ass. I guess God, fate, or whatever is pulling the strings decided you and me are in charge of keeping each other on track."

Rory smiled. "I'm okay with that."

"Me too."

"Oh, just look at the two of you!" said Miss Patty loudly, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

There was a glass of champagne in her hand that was doubtless not her first, more like her tenth if the way she was listing about was anything to go by. She downed the last of it and dumped the empty glass on the tray of a passing server, before clapping her hands together like an excited child.

"Still the best looking couple I ever saw!" she declared happily. "And I'm guessing you didn't end up standing right there by accident," she added, speaking behind her hand as if it were a secret and yet she was loud enough that half the hall had to have heard every word.

Rory and Jess both looked confusedly at Miss Patty and then at each other.

"Look up, sugar," said Babette, elbowing Rory lightly in the ribs as she passed by, clearly having heard everything.

As one, the ex-couple glanced towards the ceiling and there it was - mistletoe.

"Oh," said Rory, turning pink. "Jess, I didn't... I swear, I was not standing here, expecting anything from anyone."

"I get it," Jess promised her, "but, er... since we are standing here, it'd probably be wrong to buck tradition, right?"

"You hate tradition," Rory reminded him, swallowing hard as he moved a little closer. "You think superstitions are stupid and... and you ragged on every single town event Stars Hollow ever had. You hate tradition," she repeated, even as her eyes met his own and she hoped that maybe he had changed just a little bit.

"You don't," he reminded her. "You love all that stuff, right?"

That wasn't the real question here. Rory knew when she nodded, she wasn't saying she loved traditional town events, she was agreeing to Jess' next move, and she was very glad they seemed to be on the same page when his hand slid into her hair and his lips met her own.

It was different and yet familiar, as warmth enveloped them both and electricity seemed to crackle in the air around them. If the other people in the room reacted at all, Rory and Jess didn't notice. They only knew each other and this moment for as long as it lasted. When it was over, they barely parted, foreheads still resting together, arms around each other, though neither was sure how it had happened.

"Well, that part still works," said Jess, unable to help himself.

"Oh yeah," Rory breathed. "It's just all the other stuff we seem to have trouble with," she said regretfully.

Jess sighed. "You don't think maybe it's worth one more shot?" he asked, eyes locked onto hers. "I love you, Rory," he said softly. "That's never gonna change. Honestly? I don't want it to."

"Me either," she admitted. "Jess, you have to know I love you too, but it's us. It's you and it's me. It is what it is, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," he assured her. "The bad times were pretty bad, but the good parts, the parts when it was working? Some of the best moments of my life, Ror."

"Mine too," she admitted. "Jess, we must be crazy," she said, shaking her head, hands on his chest and fingers gripping the edges of his jacket nervously, "but if we could make this work..."

"Hey, Luke and Lorelai made it in the end," he reminded her, gesturing to the happy couple as they danced together in the middle of the floor. "If they can do it, why can't we?"

Rory knew he had a point. She really, really wanted him to be right, and they were never going to know if he was unless they took a chance. Just one more try, it had to be worth it.

"Okay," she said at last, smiling widely.

"Okay?" he checked, hardly able to believe it. "We're gonna do this?"

"We are," she agreed, laughing into her words. "I don't know how, with me in New York and you in Philly, and everything that's happened before, but yeah, let's try."

This time when Jess kissed Rory it had nothing to do with mistletoe, though it was still there above them as they got lost in the moment one more time. This would be their time, the final attempt when they were both finally in the right place at the right time. It had to work, there just wasn't an alternative choice and they both knew it.

It had been a long time coming.

The End

A/N2: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings as is appropriate to you and yours :)