Title: One More Shot

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. Do you think Logan would exist if I did?

Rating: Adult

Pairing: Literati

Summary: Rory is working in NYC at the New Yorker. Jess is living in Philadelphia, running a successful publishing company and steadily becoming a successful writer. He's recently gotten engaged and Rory reads about it in the newspaper, leading her to do some serious thinking about how she left things with Jess when she went to visit him in Philadelphia.

Spoilers: The entire show

A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this one. The idea just hit me as I was watching Gilmore girls, post-Jess.

Her breath caught in her throat as she read the words on the page in front of her, 'Elizabeth Charleston to wed publisher Jess Mariano, October 21, 2008.' There was a cute little picture of "Elizabeth" and Jess sitting in front of the Liberty Bell, smiling at each other. Rory could feel the bile rising up in her throat.

There were so many things horribly wrong with this picture. First, there was the obvious issue of it being completely cheesy, which was so not Jess's thing. He used to rage against cheesy. What happened? Then there was Elizabeth herself. The girl was pretty, in a sort of blond, Daughters of the Daughters of the American Revolution kind of way. Her grin was too toothy. Her very nature too manicured. She wasn't Jess. Or maybe she was now. Rory hadn't talked to him since she fucked things up royally the last time she saw him in Philly.

She put the paper down before the urge to retch overwhelmed her. She picked up her mug of coffee and downed it in record speed before grabbing her purse and heading out the door. She had plenty of important things to do today. She did not have time to think about the guy, that she still wasn't quite over, was getting married to her blond nightmare. Of course, that wasn't fair. She didn't even know the girl.

But apparently she wasn't too busy to think about it because what started as s shock that morning had turned into blinding rage by the time she got off work. She knew she didn't really have a right to be mad at Jess, but she couldn't help but mentally berate him for selling out. And more importantly, she was pissed that he'd given up on her, even though she'd never really given him a reason to hold out hope.

That's where she found herself, on I-95 South, headed toward Philly. She pulled out her phone, needing someone to talk to and possibly talk her out of this decision she was about to make. "Lorelei and Luke!" he mother sing-songed into the phone.

"Mom, he's getting married!" Rory cried to her mother.

"Whoa there! Hold on! Back up! Who's what?!" Lorelei asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Jess!" Rory cried, like it was obvious. "Jess is getting married to this bleach blond bitch and I'm on the way to Philadelphia to stop him." Rory was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Rory…" Her mother almost chided. "What are you doing?"



"I told you," Rory huffed. "You didn't see this girl. She was straight out of one of Grandma's DAR meetings. She's so not right for Jess."

"Rory, is this about the girl, or is this about you?" Lorelei asked. She would have been lying if she said that she hadn't expected a Jess blow up at some point of another. Rory had never dealt with the Jess situation.

"That's not the point, mom!" Rory pouted, knowing that she was sounding like a child.

"Okay, okay!" Lorelei almost laughed. "Look, if you think you need to go see Jess, then I think you should too." She finally said.

"Really?" Rory perked up. If her mother thought it was okay, it had to be. She hated Jess.

"But, keep in mind that you haven't been together for a very long time and the last time you saw each other, you broke this kids heart by kissing him and then telling him you were in love with that inbred asshole Logan." Lorelei continued.

Rory smirked and gave a sarcastic laugh. "Thanks a lot mom!" she sighed. "Okay, I'll call you after I talk to him."

"Okay," Lorelei said. "And good luck."

Rory flipped the phone closed and continued down the interstate. Her heart was racing and she was speeding. The sooner she got there, the less likely she would be to talk her out of this whole thing. Even if it didn't work into her favor, she had to get some things off her chest or she'd never get over Jess.

#(&#&

Rory bit the inside of her cheek as she knocked on Jess's apartment door. She didn't know how she remembered his address after a year, but she seemed to drive on autopilot to get there.

It was already dark outside, and there was a light on in his apartment window, so she knew someone was there. Wouldn't it be just perfect if blondie were there to answer the door. But before Rory could let her internal rant come to a close, she heard the lock of the door click and the door swing open.

Her mouth just hung open for a second as she looked at Jess standing in front of her, illuminated by the light from his own apartment. "Rory?" He asked, as he found his voice. He slowly stepped aside to let her into his apartment and she entered without a word.

"What are you doing here?" Jess asked, standing awkwardly before her. He hadn't seen her in over a year, and there she was, standing in his apartment at 9:00 at night the day the engagement article was published. He couldn't help but hope that this was just a coincidence.

"So, you're getting married?" Rory asked, her hand on her hip. Okay, so it wasn't the opening line she had planned the entire trip down there, but it just flew out of her mouth.



Jess chuckled humorlessly before moving into the living room, Rory right behind him. He's attitude was only serving to piss her off more. "I see you've read the paper." Jess stated the obvious.

"Yeah, it crossed my desk." Rory said. "So, how did you meet little Lizzy?" She quipped. Yeah, she sounded like a bitter, jealous ex-girlfriend. But at this point, who cared?

"Jealous?" Jess asked, looking up at her through his bangs which had grown longer since the last time she saw him. Actually, if she was being honest, he'd gotten even hotter over the years.

"Oh please," Rory scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I just wondered what happened to the Jess I know. You know, the one that was all, 'damn the man,' and wouldn't have been caught dead with a girl like that."

"You don't even know you, Rory." Jess countered. "She could be a fucking saint. You don't know."

"Right, and she just happens to look dumber than a fucking fence post by accident?" Rory cried almost yelling.

"What does it matter to you, Rory? You're in love with Landon…or whatever his name was." Jess quickly answered. If she wanted to fight, he was game. It's what they did best anyway. Besides, what right did she have to make judgments. That guy he saw her with almost two years ago was with biggest elitist asshole on the planet.

"His name was Logan…and he was one big mistake. But that's not the point. We aren't talking about me. We are talking about you!" She shot back. "After all this time, I thought you were growing up, but then I find you getting married to someone like THAT!"

"What do you care, Rory? You walked away, remember!" Jess yelled back, turning around to face her.

"Oh I walked away?" Rory nearly screamed. "That's hilarious, because I remember YOU walking away without saying goodbye. You went to California, and left me behind to pick up the pieces!"

Jess sighed. "And then when I came back to tell you that I loved you, you stared at me with your mouth open like I fish! Or how about the next time I came back; I remember begging you to come with me. I wanted us to be together. But you chose that night to sleep with DEAN!" Jess didn't like sounding like a jealous teenager, but the very thought of Rory with anyone but himself sent him into a rage.

"How the hell do you know about that?" Rory asked.

"Good news travels fast." Jess snapped.

"How did you expect me to react, Jess? I loved you, and you ran off. I didn't want to live like that. I didn't want you to always be running, with me tagging along behind you!" Rory countered, though her voice was more pleading than yelling now.

"Then what are you doing here now? You didn't want me a year ago," Jess explained. "Now that I'm getting married I'm worth your time again?"



He had a good point, but the problem wasn't that she hadn't wanted him a year ago. The problem was that she had been an idiot. Hell, it had taken her mother like 16 years to realize she was in love with Luke.

"Jess, you don't understand." She said simply.

"Then explain it to me!" Jess cried. He wasn't going to let her get away with these vague answers anymore.

"I never stopped loving you, okay!" Rory yelled back in exasperation.

"Oh, so when you came by just to make out and tell me that you were in love with someone else, that was just for fun?" Jess scoffed.

"No, you idiot! Don't you get it? Since the day I kissed you at Sookie's wedding I've been in love with you, and I never really fell out of love with you. You're stupidity made me run." She pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, let's go back to the part where everything is my fault again!" Jess shot back with a little less force. The fact that she'd said she loved him more than once was not lost on him.

"You're so infuriating!" Rory groaned, but before she could continue anything else she had planned, She felt Jess's lips attack her own.

The shock passed quickly and then Rory was practically on top of him, pulling him as close to her as she could get. Jess moved his mouth down her neck to the spot he still remembered drove her wild as he pulled them passed the living room and into his bedroom. He knew this was crazy, but she always was so hot when he was angry, and age had treated the girl well. He just couldn't stop himself.

Rory gasped against him as his hands moved up her sides and under her breasts. The fact that he was engaged should have bothered her, but at the moment, all she could think about was the fact that he was touching her in the way only he could. "Jess…" she moaned as he removed her shirt from her. She didn't know how he did it, but she didn't care. She was busy working on his shirt.

Finally she got it off of him just as he had unclasped her bra. It occurred to her, momentarily, that this was the first time she had been so undressed in front of him. She was a prude as a teenager, and as much as Jess made her burn with desire, even back then, she'd always been hesitant about going too far too soon with him.

"Touch me, Jess…" she moaned as she looked into his eyes.

"God, Rory…" He groaned, pushing her down on the bed as his hands moved over her breasts and flicked one of her nipples.

Her eyes rolled back into her head as her back arched into his touch. She clung to his back, digging her nails into his flesh, partly out of desire, but partly to give that Elizabeth bitch something to wonder about.



Their kisses became deeper and hotter. Before long, Rory found her hands on the edge of Jess's pants. She played with the button for a second before popping it open with her fingers. Jess halted his kisses and looked up at Rory, brushing the hair from her face. "Rory…" was all her could make his mouth say.

"Please…" Rory wasn't in the business of begging, but she was this close, and she needed him more than she ever had. She could work out the psychological repercussions later.

Jess just nodded and kissed her again before he moved his own hands down to the zipper of her skirt and pulled it down. Within seconds they were naked and neither of them had the time to appreciate the fact this was the first time they had been able to feel each other's skin pressed together.

Jess took a deep breath to gather his emotions before he took his cock in hand and guided it to her entrance. She was wet and hot, and he knew, even before he entered her that no one would ever compare to Rory.

In one quick move he entered her, but before he could pull out of her, Rory rolled them both over so she was on top. "I like being on top," she breathed, trying to be sexy, but it came out more like desire.

Jess smirked up at her and held onto her hips as she rose and fell on top of him. "Mmmm, Jess!" She moaned as her head fell back and she rode him harder.

"Fuck, Rory…" Jess groaned, gripping her tightly. He felt his fingers digging into her flesh and he didn't care. Something in him snapped and all he could think about was fucking any thoughts of any other men right out of Rory's head.

Rory couldn't even hold together enough coherent thought to think of anything but the man in front of her and the task at hand. "I'm close…" she moaned, resting her hands on his chest as she sped up her motions.

Jess moved his hand to flick her clit with his thumb, "Come for me baby," he called, he himself feeling close to losing it.

As if on cue, Rory's mouth formed into a perfect 'oh' as she convulsed around him.

As soon as Jess felt her tighten around him, he came hard, deep inside her and pulled her body to his, so she was laying flush against him.

When Rory gained coherency, she rolled over and laid her head on Jess's chest. In the afterglow, the fact that Jess was engaged seemed much more important than it had been only moments ago. "I should probably go," she said, moving away from Jess.

He countered her move by pulling her to him. "Gonna run again?" He asked. He knew he should have expected it.

"You're getting married, Jess. What did you think was going to happen?" Rory said with a roll of the eyes.



Jess grinned down at her, a chuckle rising up in his chest before he could stop it. "What's so funny?" Rory asked, offended by his nonchalance.

"I'm not getting married, Rory." Jess said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Rory asked, sitting up next to him.

Jess sighed and sat up next to her. "Elizabeth is my friend's girlfriend. I know you read the New York Times religiously. We pooled some money and I took a shot." He admitted.

"You are telling me, you made up an engagement to see if I would come to you?" Rory gasped, appalled.

"Yep," Jess replied.

"You bastard! Why the hell would you do that!" Rory felt sick. He'd totally played her.

"It worked, didn't it?" Jess asked, cocking an eyebrow at her, that sexy smirk back on his face.

Rory wanted to be pissed, but she was just too damn cute. "I should kill you." She said, the fight leaving her voice.

"How about tomorrow? You know we have to talk about this." Jess said, preparing himself for the ultimate let down when she rejected him after the best night of his life.

Rory snuggled into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Too tired," she groaned, closing her eyes.

She smiled to herself. This was her second chance (or was it 4th?), she was definitely willing to put in the work to see where this would go, but it could wait until tomorrow. "Don't worry," she said, looking up at his facial expression. "I'll still be here in the morning."

The End.