The drive to Philadelphia was awful. Lorelai clutched the steering wheel as if it was a life like, while Rory sat in silence. Her call to Paris had gone exactly like she had thought it would, with Paris doing most of the talking, first yelling at Rory for her stupidity, then strategizing how Rory could still finish school and have a baby. Lorelai had said nothing since telling her to call Paris.

Rory sighed and looked out the window; her knees tucked up to her chest and let the reality of the situation wash over her. So far all she had done was cry and react to what was happening, but with Philadelphia and Jess looming closer and closer as Lorelai let the speedometer creep ever higher, Rory had to really think about what she was going to do. Lorelai had her packed and out of the house before she even said where they were going, and even then it was said to Luke over the phone and not actually directed at Rory herself. She figured her mother was hoping Luke would call Jess and warn him, but she didn't' think he would. She took Lorelai's silence as her being unable to talk to Rory about this yet, and Rory was glad, since she wasn't sure how to talk to her about this latest screw up. She was scared what her mother would have to say, but more than that, she was terrified about Jess' reaction. His parting words to her, as she did the walk of shame out of Truncheon, had been less than friendly, to be more accurate he had used words like 'disgusted,' 'bitch,' and 'over.' She didn't want her child to lonely have a tenuous relationship with its father, the way she had with hers. She had been lucky with having Luke in her life, but the way things were with her mother and the Diner owner recently, she didn't see even that as a given for her child. Sure, Luke would love her kid, it would be his grand niece or nephew after all, but she didn't see the close relationship she'd had the benefit of, due to his infatuation with her mother.

Even if Jess didn't kick her to the curb entirely, she wasn't sure she would ever be able to gain his trust back completely. Not after everything she'd done to hurt him. He still didn't know about her and Dean, how she'd broken up his marriage, that coupled with the fact that she'd used Jess to cheat on Logan didn't add anything to her credibility.

"Look alive, kid," Lorelai said, putting the car into park. "We're here."

Rory looked up at the sign above the door, wishing she could be anywhere but right there.

"The sooner you get this over with, the better."

"What if he throws me out?" Rory asked in a small voice. "He's going to hate me even more now."

"That's just something you're going to have to live with," Lorelai said. "But the sooner you tell him, the easier its going to be, and the more time you'll have to start picking up the pieces." Rory just nodded and unhooked her seatbelt.

The bell rang as Rory walked through the doors at Truncheon books. The place was as quiet as a library, the sort of place that Rory would usually feel right at home, but the back of her neck itched, as if she could feel the second that he noticed her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jess shouted, the other three people in the store shrunk away, hiding among the shelves, trying not to be notice. "After everything you've put me through, you think you can walk back in here like nothing has happened?"

Rory just shook her head as tears started to stream down her cheeks. "What are you going to say now, that its all fixed?" Jess continued. "I've heard it all before. You used me." Jess was right in front of her, yelling, like he wasn't in the least bit affected by her tears. "I loved you, and you used me to get back at your asshole of a boyfriend. Get out of my store, and don't ever show your face here again."

Rory sobbed and sunk to the ground, she deserved this, and everything he said was true, she shouldn't have come, but Lorelai insisted. The bell rang again, and Lorelai herself entered, allowing a few patrons to escape hurriedly.

"Get her out of here," Jess said to Lorelai, who stood over her daughter.

"I think you should listen to what she has to say before you kick her out of your life for good," Lorelai said calmly.

"I've heard enough," Jess said. "I never want to have to look at what she's become again."

The store was deathly silent so the crack of her mother's hand across Jess' face was nearly deafening.

"Shut up and sit down, you little bitch, and listen to what she has to say," Lorelei said. "Or so help me, I will make you."

Jess sat.

The store fell silent at Lorelai's demand. Jess looked stunned, another scathing remark fell silent on his tongue.

"Now I suggest you find us somewhere a little more privet to talk," Lorelai said, now that she had gotten their attention. "Before we drive all of your business away."

Jess nodded, his nerves still crackling at Rory's appearance. He didn't think he could be more angry at her, but just being close to her made his body react. He led them stiffly into the back room of the store where Chris and Matt had run to hide from Jess' outburst. At the sight of the three invading their sanctuary, they made a hasty retreat to the front of the store.

"Sit," ordered Lorelai. Both Rory and Jess availed themselves of the closest chairs, sitting side by side in front of Lorelai. "Now, Jess, I understand you have a lot of hurt feelings that you want to share, but I need you to put them aside and listen. I'm sure shen Rory's done you'll have better things to think about."

Jess opened his mouth to say something, but the look Lorelai gave him had him closing it very quickly.

"I suck," Rory's heart pounded in her ears and she wrung her hands in her lap, unable to look up. "I came here at the worst possible time, full of hurt feelings, and I kept the truth from you. I let things go much too far, and for that I'm sorry."

Jess laughed humorlessly and went to say something, but Rory continued. "For what it's worth, and while now its neither here nor there, Logan is gone for good." For the first time since she had seen the results for the first pregnancy test, her eyes were dry. Her face hurt and her eyes stung, but no tears leaked out. "I really don't know how to say this, and feel free to tell me to leave, but I thought, or Mom made me come out here and tell you in person, that you should know that I'm pregnant."

Jess just sat there for a minute, not sure what to say to the girl he'd been in love with since high school. He had been holding on so tightly to his anger, feeling more than justified, until she said the word 'pregnant.' He could feel his anger starting to dissolve. "It's mine," Jess said. It wasn't a question, but he waited for Rory to nod her head anyway. "Lorelai, do you mind if Rory and I talk alone for a minute?"

"No more yelling and name calling?" she asked, arching her eyebrow at the hoodlum who got her daughter in this situation, the boy who she was nearly positive was about to step up.

"I think I've gotten it out of my system," Jess said.

"Then I'll be just outside," Lorelai left them to their discussion.