Summary: Jess is back. Written for Ginny Clone. Lit, of course.
A/N: Very out of place now, since Season 7. But we can pretend. Very harmless stuff. ALSO, if anyone wants me to write anything for them, message me and it will be done. Title references a John Donne poem.
Twin Compasses
"You're back." she said flatly.
"You could try not to sound so damn cheerful about it." he deadpanned.
Rory stared at him, taking a moment to absorb the fact that Jess Mariano was back in Stars Hollow. Philedelphia had treated him well--he stood more confidentally than he had before; he knew his place in the world now.
"How have you been?" he asked her, pouring her a cup of coffee--hazelnut, her favorite. She was touched that he still remembered.
"I've been good." she said, and it was almost the truth. "I'm...I'm majoring in journalism now."
"It's about damn time." he said wryly, but what he really meant was I knew it, Rory. I knew you would escape that hell you'd fallen into. I knew you'd finally wake up. I knew it.
She knew what he was thinking and quickly took a sip of coffee, avoiding eye contact. She didn't know what she was so afraid of seeing.
"Thanks, Jess." she said quietly, not sure exactly what she was thanking him for.
He knew, though.
"It was something I had to do." he said. "I couldn't let..."
He stopped.
There was a dangerous lull in the conversation. Luke, who was nearby serving pancakes to Miss Patty, raised an eyebrow but made no comment.
"So, why are you here?" she asked him, her voice deliberately cheerful.
"Liz's baby shower."
"Oh, of course." Rory said quickly. "That would be why you're here, it makes sense, she's your mother after all, I just had this crazy thought, it's completely stupid now that I think about it--"
"--and I wanted to see you." he said, amused by her flustered expression.
"Oh." she fidgeted with her hands, her face crimson. The ground looked suddenly very interesting.
"I wanted to make sure you were doing all right." he said heisitantly, before abruptly changing the subject. "Want to go for a walk?"
"It's two degrees outside." she protested feebly. "We'll freeze!"
"I'll keep you warm." he promised, and taking her hand in his, they walked out into the thickly falling snow.
"How have you been doing?" she asked him, almost shyly.
They were still holding hands and she felt like the whole town was watching.
"I've signed on for another book." he said, trying not to sound too happy about it.
"Oh, Jess, that's terrific!" she exclaimed, and before she could think about what she was doing, she'd thrown herself into his arms.
They were so very close; she smelled like cinnamon and chocolate and he could see the snow on her lashes, like jewels on a fringe. He could hear her breathing. He gently detached himself from her, his heart thudding. This wasn't right.
He couldn't do this; not anymore. He shouldn't have come. He was still a fool, after all. He always came back. Always.
"Rory..." he said, and she took a step back from him, blue eyes astonishingly wide.
"Who is she?" she asked him and made a smile that wasn't quite.
"You know." he said, his voice low. "The same person it's always been."
"Jess..."
"Rory, stop." he said sharply. "Just stop."
"I've stopped." she said quietly. "I've stopped living the way I did before; I've stopped doing the things that weren't for me. I've stopped seeing Logan."
He breathed harshly. He couldn't look at her.
"Jess." she whispered. "Jess, please..."
"The book's called Twin Compasses" he said, breaking the spell. "It's about two people who loved each other. So much, Rory."
His voice cracked. "So much."
"Did they live happily ever after?" Why was she crying?
"Of course they did." he said softly. "Of course they did."
Fin