..::AN: I've been a devoted Gilmore Girls fan since the series primier way back in the day and I've wanted to take a crack at writing in it quirky styles and with its characters for some time. For anyone who felt like giving this fic a try and doesn't know me I'm religously a Ginny/Draco writer but I really wanted to try my hand at Gilmore Girls. Not totally sure where I'm going with this but let's hope it works lol Please enjoy :) ::..


The silver car sped down the country road connecting to the highway. It travelled just below the speed level at a combination of efficiency and precision while The New

Pornographers spilt out the window. When it merged onto the freeway it glided on and took the correct exit to head to New York.

Inside Rory had a large travel mug filled with coffee balanced on her lip and after checking to make sure there was no cars within view she took a large swig and stuck it back in

its plastic holder.

She had finished the Obama campaign coverage over a year ago and was now an intern at the New York Times. It had taken all the connections she made in Iowa plus writing

until her hand bled to be accepted but so far it was proving worth the effort. There was no doubt in her mind that it was the biggest challenge she'd collided with but she was

having coffee with other interns at trendy-cafés down the street and talking politics at lunch.

She doubted she would rise up in ranks for years, if ever, but it was still an experience she was savouring and thanks to her father she didn't have to worry about rent. Rory

smiled as she travelled down the 91 at the though of her mother having to ask her parents for another loan. Things were still tense most of the time between Lorelai, Richard and

Emily but it was noticeable that someone had unscrewed the cap to the bubbling soda-bottle that was the Gilmore relationship. Though she had a text message on her side-kick

from her mother comparing a day of shopping with Emily like a visit to a very damaged psychiatrist.

Rory sighed and glanced at the digital clock as she calculated she still had another hour to drive; it was a good thing she had plotted a drive-through stop to fuel on a burrito and

a gigantic order of French fries. She looked down at the white bag on the passenger seat Luke had given her with a large Styrofoam cup of homemade vegetable soup. Maybe

it'd become her midnight snack.

She had just enjoyed a five day visit to Stars Hollow during which she visited Lane and the twins who had been desperately smashing at their light-up keyboard and guitar she

had gotten them for Christmas. She had spent every night with her mother on the couch watching the Sopranos on DVD and waking up every morning to Luke's pancakes in

her own kitchen. She had also managed to squeeze in visiting Sookie multiple times, a dinner with the grandparents and a welcoming town meeting. In two weeks she could do it

all over again.


Rory was already zipping up the back of her black pencil skirt when her alarm went off. Stumbling with the straps of her shoes she violently turned it off and went to her mirror

to pin half of her hair into place.

Her apartment was small but clean and in a good area. Her dad had offered her a condo but Rory felt it was unnecessary and settled on the red apartment only a short walk

away from a strip of restaurants, shopping centre and the subway. Though she had to ask the ticket agent occasionally where to go she felt comfortable in the city and loved its

fast-paced nature.

The walls of her place were a deep red with cherry floors and frosted light fixtures. There was a her bedroom with a small walk-in closet, an open concept living room and

kitchen a closed off bathroom with a large glass shower. While pouring herself a bowl of cereal and humming along with the Ramones she looked at her day-planner. Everything

written down in meticulous detail as per Rory Gilmore style but with a hint of Paris Gellar influence.

"Hey, does Paul Anka miss me yet?" Rory asked after she dialled her house number. Lorelai responded with a series of chewing noises while she could hear Michele seething at

her an the background. Rory smiled as she locked her door and slipped her purse onto her shoulder.

"Hi honey. Of course Paul Anka misses you, you're the only person who updates him on the world with your worldliness. On your way to work?"

"Yep. I'm going to take the stairwell so I can talk to you though. So if it sounds like I'm being shot it's just my shoes." She said as she gripped onto the stairwell.

"How escape-hatch of you."

"Well I try. How's the Dragonfly?"

"Sun and rainbows, I think Lily Allen is going to skip through and bat her eyelashes at Michel any minute."

"Well we all bat our eyelashes at Michelle from time to time."

"Very true. I have to get going hun Sookie's freaking about the dessert she's making. Apparently her tarts are too tart."

"Quel suprise! Bye mom."

"Have a good day; you conquer those intern-esque things."

"Can do."


Rory stood by the sophisticated photocopier with its multitude of buttons and flickering lights and quickly pressed the corresponding keys to print fifty copies of the timetable.

She still had twenty minutes to get them to everyone's desk and her much loved laminating technique to avoid problems with constant coffee-spills took seven minutes. The

remaining time was plenty to hand out the time-tables and fit in small talk with some of the higher-ups.

Rory couldn't wait to one day be asked out for coffee or drinks with one of the writers and with a small smile to herself she thought it was coming soon. But for now she had to

admit she was a little lonely; she spent every lunch with the other interns and wishing she could pull her reading and listening to her walkman Chilton system.

"Rory this is a brilliant system. I spilt my cereal while going over it last month and with one swipe of a paper towel it was good as new!" beamed the red-headed film-critic. Rory

smiled and handed her the new copy.

"It may not be the most environmentally friendly option but we go through a lot less paper this way and coffee-soaked paper isn't really recyclable anyway. How did your date

with Greg from marketing go?"

"Not great, all money talk. Thank's for asking though, I have to jet though Cassie's waiting for me so we can go to lunch. See you!"

"Have fun." with a small smile Rory continued to the next block of desks. Within fifteen minutes she left with the other interns to a small bistro right in front of the subway steps.

The atmosphere was hideously cliché with round, high tables and iron stools that bellowed poetic-art scene and the intellectual youth hang out. There were black and white

photos on the wall but Rory was itching for their hazelnut spiked coffee and a sandwich.

"So then I told him he had to be kidding– quoting Machiavelli like that. I mean aren't we supposed to be the one's making the common over-quoting mistakes?" one of the

interns with large glasses laughed. The others simply nodded.

This set up was familiar to many seen in High School where because they were all of the same rank, they ignored the fact they really didn't like each other or wanted to be at the

same table but felt a bit secure by grouping together. Today with a small wave of pardon Rory decided to sit at the window by herself with her book.

The streets looked like it was being held together by the people weaving throughout the streets and each other. From the Wallstreet looking business people to the artsy woman

with dread locks carrying a guitar case and the Second Avenue wife with her pearls and a happy little boy holding her hand they all glided between each other with few

stumbles.

Rory wrote her thought on the piece of scrap paper she was using as a bookmark.

"New York is a quilt viewed by a person on acid." with a smirk she took a large swallow of the hot coffee and buried herself in her book. When she was done she would call

Paris long-distance and they would talk about it, argue and then be interrupted by Doyle would pick up the other receiver and join in.

Sometimes Rory wished she could talk to someone without having to pick up a phone.


"Look all I was told was to bring the box of books here; they said nothing about a signing! I'm not Stephen King! Why would anyone want a signed copy of this?"

"Sir why would we ask the author to deliver his own books? We have many customers interested in getting their copies of Highlight signed and your publishers said it wouldn't

be a problem."

Rory peered out from behind the bookshelf and saw the slender sales clerk tucking a pen behind her ear. She was dressed in a simple red dress with a white sash tied around

her waist and she didn't seem the least bit frazzled by the argument.

"Fine, whatever. I'm going to go use your washroom now and if there's any curse words written on the wall when I leave..it wasn't me."

Rory let out a small whistle as she picked up the last book she needed and headed to the cash. The salesclerk smiled revealing a row of perfect teeth and rang through the

books.

"Authors..so temperamental sometimes."

"Sounds like a bit of a mix-up. Hope it works out." Rory said as she took the small brown bag and her change. With a friendly smile Rory walked out as the author emerged

from the washroom to see a brown-haired girl walk out and into the streets.

He stared after her momentarily while it sparked multiple memories. With a shake of his head he looked back to the counter and picked up a pen and signed the first paperback.

"Jess Mariano."


Rory bundled her coat tightly around her as she ran across the street and down the road to get herself a night-time snack. She had tried mixing marshmallow, Rice Crispies and

M&Ms together and eating it right out of the bowl when it was still sticky and messy but it just wasn't satisfying her. She intended to fill a box at the bakery with biscotti and

danishes and watch Dateline while making notes on issues that she would write about.

To keep herself sharp Rory had a weekly goal of four pieces. She would watch the news and read the newspapers then write her heart out and edit the pieces and save them on

her jump drive. Sunday's were spent revising the pieces again and usually a bubble-bath.

Rory laughed quietly to herself as she thought about her new found discovery of bubble-baths. Lane had suggested it as a way to ease tension in her back saying that when she

was pregnant it was her saviour and ever since she'd been hooked.

The warmth and sweet fragrances of the bakery pulled Rory in immediately as she opened the door. Powdered desserts, whipped cream and melted chocolate made her mouth

water as she looked into the lighted glass case.

"Can I help you?" said the man behind the counter. Rory nodded as eyed the treats.

"Two cherry danishes, four chocolate-almond biscotti and one of those yummy looking peach things please." She fished into her coat pocket for a ten dollar bill and some one's

while the man looked at her.

"Having company?" the man chuckled.

"No it's just for her." said a voice behind her. Rory turned around and smiled.

"Jess! What're you doing here?" she was about to hug him but thought better of it. The last time they had seen each other she was still with Logan but had let him kiss her. She

had seen the hurt in his eyes when she confessed she wasn't single and she was unsure of how friendly he wanted her to be.

He had the same casual look he had been sporting in Philadelphia with a The Clash t-shirt, a black blazer and dark jeans. A smile crept across his face and he shoved a hand

into his pocket.

"Book stuff. I'm here for the week, how about you?" before she could stop him he had paid for her snacks and handed her the box.

"I'm doing an internship for the New York Times. I live here." she noticed he had a small box in his hand already. Suddenly she remembered the voice in the bookshop. "Hey

that was you downtown wasn't it? Arguing with the sales-lady at the bookshop beside Starbucks?"

Jess shrugged. "I didn't want to do a book-signing for a paper-back."

"It was a fantastic book Jess no wonder people wanted it signed." she watched as the man at the counter eyed them expectantly as he counted change in the till. The shop was

obviously closing at nine and he was waiting for them to leave.

"You read it?" he asked as he followed her outside. Rory nodded.

"Of course I did. Hey do you have an hour or so? My place is right there we could catch up a bit?"

"I was going to see what was on cable at my hotel but that sounds better. But you're giving me half of that peach pastry."

"No way! What'd you get?" Rory lead the way across the road, miraculously jumping a puddle in her heels and unlocking the foyer door. They went up the stairs and it wasn't

until she smelt the sugary marshmallow and noticed the gigantic bowl she left on her coffee table that she remembered her experiment before she left. As she kicked off her

shoes and ran to put it away Jess grabbed it and stole a handful.

"You know these are supposed to be square right?" he laughed as he tossed it in his mouth. Rory winced and looked at the bowl with it's unused potential.

"I don't have any baking-pans to put it in." she winced as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Nice place. You need a weird post-modern art piece on that wall though." He looked into her relatively empty cupboards and shelves while Rory got two cups and poured

them some soda. She placed the newspapers under the coffee table and placed the cups and the two boxes of treats together before heading back to the kitchen.

The concoction was now squashed on the counter and Jess had tossed his blazer onto the floor and was moulding it into a flat blob. Rory handed him a knife and watched him

cut it into squares with a little bit of difficulty but when they arranged them on the plate they did resemble the typical treat.

She lead the way to the couch and settled in one corner while he settled in another.

"So Luke and your mom huh?"

"Finally; it's nice to not have any huge plot twists between them. Mom loves April and I kind of like having two younger sisters. Though I think it'll be a while before April

and Gigi start bonding. Luke's not really my step-dad in the classic way; he's always been there for me." Rory dug into the danish and as she tasted the icing her stomach

growled quietly.

"It's a good thing you were always aware of that." Jess said with a bit of remorse.

Rory looked at her sticky fingers then back to him. She thought the tension between Luke and Jess had been alleviated at the open house in Philedalphia. She knew about the

cheque and that Jess had formally apologized for everything but the guilt in his tone was lingering like the powdered sugar on her fingertips.

"I keep having this feeling someone's going to burst through that door and make this awkward." He said uneasily. Rory gave a weak smile.

"There always seems to be strings attached when we see each other don't there?"

"Gipetto would be proud."

"Well it's just me so we can actually catch up this time." Rory reached for her soda and picked up the TV guide between her fingers skilfully.

"Just you? What happened to Captain Mercedes?" the question caught Rory off-guard and she coughed on her drink. "Oh hey I'm sorry I didn't mean to...maybe this was a

bad idea."

Rory held out her hand and stopped him from standing up while trying to ignore the tingling in her nose from the carbonation. "It's just a long story. You know how some things

just end really abruptly so you can't have a chance to fix it?"

"Yeah." Jess said simply, without a hint, without any regret. This conversation wasn't about them, it was about her, and he wasn't about to start strolling down that path again.

"I wonder sometimes if I could have but he gave up so quickly so then again I doubt it."

"Did you make a pro-con list?"

"More like a maybe-maybe not list. Hey Oliver Twist is on." Rory tucked her feet under her and grabbed the remote. A part of her really wanted to pour everything out onto the

table and watch it spill onto the floor like marbles but it didn't feel right to throw so much emotional baggage around in an hour.

Jess slouched into the couch and crossed his arms with a smirk. "Go for it."


When Jess awoke he was startled to feel something warm on his thighs. Looking down groggily he saw two dainty ankles twisted together and feminine feet resting on his legs.

Rory was sleeping soundly, stretched along the couch. Forcing his eyes away from her milky arms and the way they were tucked close to her frame he glanced at the clock and

swore loudly.

Rory shrieked and fell landing awkwardly between the coffee table and the couch. Jess quickly jumped to help her up.

"I'm sorry Rory I freaked. I was supposed to call my publishers an hour ago they're going to be so pissed." He smirked a little as he watched Rory wipe some sleep from her

eyes and look around wearily.

"It's okay. We must have fallen asleep during Dirty Dancing."

"Can you blame us?"

Rory smiled as she watched him find his blazer and flick though his cell phone. She remembered telling her grandmother that he didn't believe in cell phones the night he showed

up with a black eye. Pursing her lips she began wondering what really gave him the injury.

"Yeah it's me Adam. No I know I'm sorry but I was busy..well what if I was in car accident or something? No I wasn't obviously."

Rory walked into her room and looked at her un-slept in bed sadly as the kinks in her back started to wake up as well. She closed her door as she took out some new clothes

and laid them out on her bed and grabbed a robe. Putting a brush to her hair she began to work out some of the tangles and started reflecting.

She couldn't deny she was still attracted to him but it was completely senseless to kiss him like she did last time. She wouldn't lead him on again.

"But I'm single this time." She thought to herself as she wiped off her eye shadow and mascara with a cotton ball. Would it be possible for them to just be friends? After all they

had a lot in common. Rory sighed as she went back into the living room with the robe folded over her arms and watched him for a bit.

"He's only here for a week. Don't make this out to be anything more than it is." Rory thought finally as he hung up the phone. "Bad news?" she asked.

"Interview at four. Nothing exciting. Want to tag along?"

"That'd be fun, but I really have to shower I feel like I'm covered in sugar. Can I meet you there?" she suggested. Jess nodded and put his arms into his jacket and glanced at

the clock.

"Sounds good, I should change too. Three thirty at that Sushi place where the really stuck up business people go at Park Avenue?" Rory nodded and waved as he headed out

and for the elevator. While she locked the door behind him she found herself thinking "this is going to be tough."

After she walked out of the bathroom in her cosy blue robe she immediately dialled her mom's phone.

"Lorelai Gilmore Scene-It Queen speaking."

"I thought I told April to hide that on you." Rory laughed as she applied moisturizer to her legs and arms with difficulty. Her mother let out a triumphant cry.

"I knew that was you, my own offspring..fruit of my loins—how could you?" April could be heard laughing in the background while Paul Anka was barking.

"Well when you took out a crown and started running around the kitchen doing the "I've seen it more than you've seen it while playing scene it" dance I figured it was time."

"Okay fine. So what's up? I called your cell around ten last night but no answer."

Rory took a deep breath as she combed her hair. "I think you should maybe go upstairs for a second well I tell you what happened." She heard her mom start up the stairs and

Paul Anka follow suite while making an excuse for girl-talk and privacy immediately after.

"Well okay what?"

"I ran into Jess last night. I know you're going to repeat his name in shock and I figured you should do it away from Luke."

"Woah Jess? Like devilled-egg run away with me on my motorcycle Jess?" Lorelai asked. Rory heard her sit on her bed.

"Yeah he was at the bakery across the street from me and I was picking up a peach danish-"

"-dirty!"

"—and there he was. He came back here and we watched TV and talked a bit and we fell asleep on the couch. He's here for the entire week doing book stuff." Rory walked

over to bed and looked at the jeans she had pulled out for today and pictured how terribly she'd clash among everyone else. "Hey what do I wear to that fancy Sushi place that

was on Sex and the City?"

"Your brown cashmere sweater-dress, and black opaque stockings. You'll blend right in. Now back to the Jess thing..how awkward was it?"

"I don't know, he only mentioned Logan once..and briefly. But I don't know I was wondering if he was like expecting something to happen you know? And I wanted to have

the meaningful 'here's what went wrong' with us conversation but to just spring that on him would be way too out of the blue. But then again we've never got to sit and actually

talk about it."

"Was there sparks?" Lorelai pried. Rory pulled her tights up and winced slightly.

"Kind of. I mean Logan was the bad-boy with money thing but Jess is.."

"The Danny hey be my Sandy kind of bad boy?"

"Well back in the day I guess, but he's different..but the same. I don't know. I don't think there were sparks. I'm not great at telling the difference between new sparks and old

flame memory sparks." Rory sighed as she finished getting dressed. She slipped on a pair of chocolate brown booties and pulled her red coat out of her closet. She started her

makeup and started thinking again about being just friends with Jess. It was the most logical decision of course, it wasn't like he swept her off her feet last night and she longed

to be in his arms. He was just..Jess. Scary as it was to admit, he had always understood her even though he may not have shown it.

"Well you had quite the past. But if you think hanging out with him brings up too much then maybe cool it? I mean you have your work and everything to occupy you so it's not

like you can't get out of seeing him every day. But you have to admit it's kind of weird."

"What is?"

"The timing issue, that he'd show up now."

"That crossed my mind too."

"And Luke says there's no fate."


AN: well let me know how I did. More chapters to come. Please read and review :)