CHAPTER ONE

** Something Borrowed **

Genre: Romance
Pairing: Rory/Jess
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: Rory, Jess and Taylor and all other recognizable "Gilmore Girls" characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended.


This story is based loosely on the concept used in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and picks up with Rory just as she's ending her job as a traveling campaign reporter.


It was a cool, crisp day in the autumn of November 2008. Rory had just finished up her reporter's job on the 2008 presidential campaign trail and celebrated Obama's victory with her colleagues and the day after that momentous occasion, she awoke to realize she was jobless and back in the real world again so she did what always came normal to her in a time of crisis – look for the closest male shoulder to cry on.

This time, that shoulder belonged to Jess Mariano. She arrived at his doorstep just days after the election was over and he absolutely melted when he starred into her bottomless blue eyes. She put down her bag by the door inside his apartment and he took her by the hands and invited her to take a stroll in his neighborhood so they could talk and get reacquainted.
As they stopped to sample the best Philly cheese steak sandwich in the city, Rory spotted snow starting to fall and she hoped her mother was seeing first snow fall of the season in Stars Hollow, since she knew how much she lived for each autumn's first snow fall.

After they nourished themselves on the deliciously, beefy, cheesy sandwiches and lots of French fries and several cups of coffee, they resumed their walk around the neighborhood and came across a second hand clothing store called "Fashion Flashbacks," that sold only garments that were at least 25 years old.|

Rory couldn't help notice that there was a wedding dress that hung in the window, with a sign hanging from it that said "Free." It was absolutely the most beautiful wedding gown she had ever seen. She stopped to inspect it and admired its composition of lace and beaded pearls and yards of ivory satin material.

"Mmm… Jess… I don't want to put you on the spot or anything by making you think I was out scouting wedding dresses, but I wonder why a dress as elegant as this would ever be free. This is the sort of gown that my own grandmother would have demanded to wear on her wedding day if she saw it in the window. Do you mind if I pop inside to check this out?"

"Sure, I'd love to see what this nonsense is all about. It's probably some sort of vacation resort pitch or a ploy to sell raffle tickets, but… whatever…" he commented as he took a cigarette out and started puffing on it while he cast an amused glance in her direction that almost seemed to already say "I told you so," even before she walked into the shop.
About ten minutes later, Rory walked out of the shop with a perplexed and disappointed expression on her face.

"What's the matter, Rory? You need me to take care of someone in there for you?" Jess asked, ready to pounce on whoever offended her.

"It's so weird, Jess. They said the dress was free, but only temporarily –"

"Uh, huh – here comes the catch. We might as well be walking around Stars Hollow instead of Philadelphia, because it's already sounding like something weird they'd enjoy. I can see the whole town rallying around the gazebo while that wack job, Miss Patty, holds the dress up and announces they have a wedding dress that's temporarily for free – lame!"

"Well, yes, it's weird that the dress has to be returned, but the conditions for getting to wear the wedding dress are that you must be getting married within six weeks and you must be getting married in a different town because they want the dress to hang in a different shop after each wedding and – the last condition – they want you to write up a story about how your how husband proposed and details about the wedding, so they can add it a historical book they're writing and they don't plan to publish the book until the year 2030, when the wedding gown will be a hundred years old!"

"Ah… jeez! You're kidding right? " Jess remarked sarcastically, it reminded him of something his goofy mother, Liz, would have dreamed up.

"Jess, I have an idea," Rory declared dreamily. "Why don't we get married in Stars Hollow and then I'll get to wear the gown and be in the book!"

Jess took a long drag on his cigarette, pausing before he answered her.

TO BE CONTINUED….