It's the twenty sixth, with Christmas safely out of the way, and all efforts are turned towards the wedding. Rory's the Maid of Honour, and seems to have been left to deal with most of the practicalities, as Lorelai figures it's her prerogative at her own wedding not to have to work that much. And everyone knows Rory would go over everything that was done anyway.

The whole town is heavy with the anticipation of it. After all, it's been far too many years coming.

With so much left to do, the day arrives at once, and Rory races around the Dragonfly with Sookie, desperately trying to make sure everything is perfect. Michel accompanies them, trying and failing to pretend that he is not every bit as concerned as they are. A lot of time is also spent trying to avoid Emily, who even Michel has grudgingly admitted is making herself a bit of a nuisance.

And all the while, she skips in and out of the cabin where Lorelai is getting ready, the same place her grandparents were exiled to on the night Luke and Lorelai finally got together, checking on her, and subduing her mother's panics about tripping in heels and lipstick colours. She's gone with Vicious Trollop. At least Emily likes it.

And finally, before running off to change into on her dress and do her hair, she also finds Luke.

'We're going to be related in a few hours,' She says. But it's more surprising to her that they aren't already, and she says as much. He's monosyllabic, but he hugs her, and his eyes are suspiciously watery. She should probably have saved it for the reception.

Lorelai walks down the aisle, on Richard's arm, in a dress even nicer than her previous ones. And as she enters, Rory, having just got to the front of the church, remembers to look over at Luke. Katherine Heigl was right.

The speeches that follow the service are funny and sad and sweet and surprisingly short enough. Having writers on both sides of the wedding party has its advantages.

The unavoidable nature of the head table should have made for an incredibly uncomfortable, at best, dinner, something which Rory had been more or less resigned to.

Jess is Best Man, because Luke doesn't really have many other friends. Case in point: TJ is also a groomsman. Rory's grandparents, Sookie and Jackson, Liz, April and Michel make up the rest of it. Neither Luke nor Lorelai had been pleased with the idea of adding their siblings or parents respectively, but it had been grudgingly acknowledged that they had little choice.

But Rory is surprised to realise, after a few minutes of holding her breath, that nobody seems immediately ready to kill anyone else. The grandparents are holding up alright, with minimal indignant sniffing. The table as a whole is managing not to explode, or even come near to it.

However, the decision to gin and bear it, as well as the open bar might be responsible for making everything a little bit less painful.

Lorelai and Luke leave after their first dance as a married couple, a waltz, and Rory goes to sit down at their now empty table. Everyone else seems to be dancing or talking or just somewhere else.

She looks around, and realises how comfortable she is. It's been a month of everyone she loves around, and she reflects that it's nice to be home. They say it takes a village, and most of her village are right here.

'Hey,' says a voice she knows well, 'Wanna dance?'

He looks a little uncomfortable, but not grossly so.

'Teenage Jess would be horrified,' Rory replies, standing up and taking his hand.

'Teenage Jess would also not be here' He counters, as the new music starts.

Apparently dancing runs in the family.

'I don't know,' She says, with a mockingly serious face as they dance, 'I seem to remember him gracing the town with his presence at many a town festivities.'

'Ah,' he says, copying her expression, 'But there were some serious ulterior motives there.'

She feels the blood rush up to her cheeks a little, the ridiculous, unexpected embarrassment she's feeling heightened somewhat by their proximity, and trying not to let him throw her off entirely, she counters, 'Well yes, I've heard this is the new and improved Jess.'

She had meant it as a joke, but there was a sarcastic edge in her voice that surprised her. She catches his eye, trying to assess how badly it came out. He nods curtly, and she wonders if she's just re-established the uncomfortable barrier that's been there this whole holiday.

The song ends. He says, 'Can you believe they finally did it?' as they walk back by a banner that says 'Just Married,' which Emily had found particularly distasteful.

'Not at all.' They sit down at their table, and she adds upon reflection 'Although it took them long enough.'

'At least they got there,' He says, and then, after a few seconds, 'I'm going to get something to drink, want anything?'

When he's gone, Lane brings her kids come up and say goodbye to their Aunt Rory. 'Zack's taking them home,' Lane says, kissing each of their foreheads before passing them over to Zack, who's come to collect them.

Walking back over, Jess hands Rory her drink; 'Hey, they're big,' he says.

After a few seconds of confusion, Lane replies, 'They've started walking and everything.'

'I'm still mad I missed it,' Rory says, sitting back down with Lane. They begin hashing over the details of the wedding, the dresses, the music, the food, the soon-to-be drunken townspeople, until they catch back up to the present.

'So Jess is friendly now?' Lane asks after a momentary lull in conversation. Rory notices he's not there anymore, but sitting on the floor on the other side of the room, talking to a little girl in a dress. It takes Rory a few seconds to realise the girl is Doula.

Rory sighs, 'Apparently, yeah, he's friendly now. Or, today anyway. And he cares about little kids. And can survive a dinner with my family. And his family.'

'Well, technically they're the same thing now, you know that right?' Lane replies, an evil glint in her eyes, 'He's your cousin now.'

'Ugh,' Rory replies, hiding her face in her arms, leaning across the table, 'I can't believe I went out with my cousin.'

'For two people who never seemed like they were the small town type, it's very small town,' Lane agrees, laughing at her friend's reaction.

Hours and a few too many drinks later, most of the extraneous people have gone home, or gone to bed, and only the core of Stars Hollow was left.

Lane has just left, and Rory is looking around the room, her heart swelling with the familiarity of it, while also appreciating even in her mildly intoxicated state that talking to Miss Patty and Babette, who have clearly drunk far more than the rest of them (it's the punch) is going to be a bad idea.

Behind them though, she notices him, reading. It's the familiarity.

'Hey,' she says, 'Good book?'

He turns the book over, putting it down on the table, and she sits down next to him. 'It's alright,' he replies.

'Better than the fountainhead?' she asks, coyly, taking the drink that's sitting in front of him and having a sip.

They talk about nothing and everything, like they're sixteen again, when they were friends and nothing had gone wrong yet.

'So there's this book,' He says finally, carefully, a while later.

'A book?'

'Yeah, there's a book. Upstairs. I've got a book.' He's searching for some recognition.

She knows where he's going with this, their old high school standby. 'Right. A book. Upstairs. We should go look at the book.' She stands up.

He finishes his drink, and leads her up.

A/N Was going to wait a while longer to put this up, until I'd sorted out more of the story, but you know. Why bother.

Also, the necessary disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, or anything remotely to do with it. Shame.