A/N: If you think you recognize these stories, there is every possibility that you're not imagining things. They were written years ago, and posted on my LJ. I found them again and kinda still liked them, so I did some editing. All of them feature Jess and Rory in one way or other, and here is the first one.

Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls is not mine. Not now, not ever.

Persuasion

Summary: So, who wins this time? Does it really matter in the end? Literati, set during the middle of season 3.

It had been a long day in more than one way, especially since he didn't get in from work until after midnight the night before. Luke had woken him up early, even earlier than normal, and he had found himself trudging around the diner filling coffees and carrying out plates of food for the morning rush.

He had been too tired in the morning to check if there was an extra shift at work and instead headed for school like he was supposed to. It didn't take long to realize that had been a mistake as he found the droning voice of his first teacher to be even more lifeless and sleep inducing than he remembered. Even so he had held out until lunch, not actually paying that much attention to the classes, but he figured he at least got the hours marked as attended.

The afternoon and in to early evening he had spent at work, trying to stay awake. It wasn't like it was a challenge for the mind and mostly he did it on autopilot, which didn't really help. It was actually pretty boring, but it got him money, so he didn't complain. Not too much anyway.

Now he was standing behind the counter at the diner going through the last of the day's receipts, trying not to dislocate his jaw every time he yawned. He had barely gotten in through the door a couple hours earlier when Luke caught him and made him work and now he had somehow got stuck with finishing closing up, since Luke had to go somewhere. He couldn't remember where at the moment, but it didn't really matter. Wherever it was, he was stuck here.

He had just finished and was about to put away the receipts and finally go to bed when the door opened and an ice cold wind blew in, almost spreading the stack of papers all over the floor. He managed to catch them at the last minute though and sent a glare towards the door.

"What the hell…" he began, but then he noticed who was in the doorway and quickly shut himself up. "Rory? What are you doing here?" he asked instead, a slight frown still visible.

"I came to see you, stupid," she answered, sounding out of breath, but with a smile on her face. "Get your coat."

"Why?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously and put away the receipts.

"Because you're coming with me," she said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She looked around the diner, finally locating his coat on a hanger just inside the door, and went over to retrieve it. With a sweet smile she then walked up to the counter and reached it out to him. "Put it on or you'll get cold," she said, her sweet smile still in place.

"It's snowing outside," he pointed out and shivered a little from the cold air that was fast filling up the diner. "And in here too since you didn't close the door," he added.

"Even more reason for you to put your coat on," she reasoned, still with the coat in her outstretched hand.

After quickly checking that all the receipts were safely stacked in the cash register he closed the till and slowly made his way around the counter to her. "Or we could just stay inside…" he suggested, raising an eyebrow at her.

"But I want to go out," she pouted. "It's pretty outside." She let her pout grow a little and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"It's Cold. Wet. Windy. Slippery." He ticked the adjectives off on his fingers as he said them. "And yes, did I mention cold?" he asked, glaring at her, and stuffed his hands deep in his pockets, shivering in the cold air coming in through the still open door.

She smiled happily at him, ignoring his protests, and linked her free arm with his. "Complain all you want, it won't change the fact that you're coming with me." Her eyes shone brightly at him and he had to fight to keep his stoic, unhappy expression.

"You sure about that?" he asked, eyeing her with raised eyebrows. A small smirk was making its way on to his lips and he didn't do anything to stop it.

She grinned up at him, untangling her arm from his, only to snake it around his waist. "Oh, I definitely am," she said and kissed him, pressing herself against him closely, dropping his coat on the counter.

He responded instantly, eagerly capturing her lips with his, deepening the kiss. He removed his hands from his pockets and wrapped his arms around her, using one of them to pull her even closer while the other slowly moved up over her back to her neck, into her hair.

She moaned against his lips and he pressed her even closer, slowly backing her up against the door. She didn't seem to notice and he quickly reached out a hand to close it, effectively cutting off the flow of cold air and shutting them off from the world outside the diner. As an afterthought he turned off the lights too, letting the darkness take over the room behind them, the only light being the street lights outside.

He now had her pressed up against the door, trapped between his body and the glass window, and he smirked a little against her lips before once again deepening the kiss. He felt her hands slowly move up to his hair and shivered; this time it had nothing to do with the cold.

He was out of breath when he finally pulled back, his heart was pounding in his chest and somehow his hands had ended up inside her shirt on her bare back. He wasn't sure how they had gotten there, but he felt one of her hands slowly tracing his ribs, the skin on skin contact almost burning, so he didn't bother removing them.

Her eyes were closed and she looked flushed, her cheeks slightly red and a soft smile was playing at her lips. She looked almost dreaming and her appearance made him feel oddly happy.

He leaned down and kissed her lips once again, this time barely a touch and it lasted for only a second. But it was enough to make her open her eyes and he was met by two glazed blue orbs looking back at him, holding an almost surprised expression.

"That was not what I had in mind," she said dazedly, leaning back against the door, letting it hold up her weight.

"You complaining?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at her, tugging her closer again andflattening his hands against the soft skin on her lower back.

She shook her head and kissed him softly again, pulling back to smile up at him. Her hand on his back stopped its slow exploration and it wasn't until then he realized the other one was safely tucked into his back pocket. He smirked down at her, leaning in so his forehead was resting against hers.

"Good," he whispered, his fingers slowly moving over her back, searching their way upwards in small circles. He leaned his head back a little to get a better look at her and found her eyes to be closed, her lips slightly parted and he smiled to himself. "So, who won?" he asked softly, his lips millimeters from hers.

He wasn't sure if she had heard him or not, but either way she didn't have time to answer before the door opened, pushing them both into the diner, almost falling on top of each other on the floor. He just barely managed to steady himself, and somehow her too, and looked up to find Luke staring at him with wide eyes, a shocked expression on his face.

"What…" Luke began, but didn't seem to know what he was going say because he didn't get any further than that. He just slowly closed the door, all the while keeping his eyes on them as if checking that he wasn't mistaken.

Then Rory suddenly seemed to realize Luke was there, her eyes widening to enormous size as she blushed furiously, and she almost jumped out of Jess' arms, putting as much distance between them as she could in one step.

Then she dashed out of the diner.

Jess sighed and watched her run out, taking a deep breath. "Thanks Uncle Luke," he said and dragged a hand through his hair. "Love the timing." Then he picked up his coat from the counter and made his way out the door, pulling the coat on as he went.

Luke hadn't moved at all since he closed the door, which hadn't really made any difference, since it was now open again after Rory's hasty departure. He didn't move until Jess was almost outside. "Hey, what about the diner?" he asked.

"Diner's fine," Jess yelled back as he made his way over the street, searching the snow for Rory's footprints. He hadn't closed the door either and he didn't bother listening for Luke's answer, already knowing what it would be.

He reached the bridge minutes later, once again shivering in the cold air. The coat Rory had found him wasn't exactly the one he would have chosen on a night like this, but he hadn't really thought about the weather when he followed her out. At least the snow had stopped for now.

She looked up at him when he stopped right beside her in the middle of the bridge. "I need to stop running from Luke," she said, a sheepish smile on her face. "I don't even know why I did it."

"At least this time he didn't threaten me with Taylor or your mother," he responded and sat down, smirking at her. She hit his arm with a mitten clothed fist and glared at him, but he kept smirking at her. "You looked pretty funny when you realized he was there," he teased her, grinning broadly and put up his hand as defense against any more attacks.

She glared some more at him, but then a snow flake fell on her nose tip and she smiled. "Well, I guess I won," she grinned, her eyes shining brightly at him.

And then the snow started to fall all around them and her laughter floated away through the white night. And as he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her he no longer felt either tired or cold.