TITLE: Two Nights At The Inn

RATING: PG-13

Not my characters, no copyright infringement intented

AUTHORS NOTE: Thanks to all those who have read, reviewed and added this story to their alerts. I'm happy my first fanfic is being so well recieved. I understand that a few of you wanted longer chapters. I tried! This one is longer but only just! Anyway, enjoy!

Rory sat at the kitchen table, staring at her hands as Jess made coffee. She was a mixture of emotions and having him act so calm was putting her even more on edge.

"Here," he said sliding a cup towards her.

"Thanks." She gripped the cup in her hands gratefully, glad of the burning heat on her hands as she felt cold all over.

"Are you in love with him?"

"I-I-I...I don't...no. No I'm not."

Jess narrowed his eyes at her then; he didn't understand what was going on. "But you were going to sleep with him?"

"And when has not being in love ever stopped you?" She spat at him

"That's different."

"How? How is it different? Is it because you're a guy? Because you're so cool? Because-"

"No, it's different because it's you. You deserve your first time to be special. With someone you love and loves you back."

"Dean does love me."

"Whatever. The guys a jerk."

"I don't want to talk about this with you." She told him, her eyes welling with tears again. "It's none of your business who I do or don't sleep with."

"Maybe not, but tell me one thing. Why Dean? If you just wanted to sleep with someone, anyone, why him? Why not some random from Yale?"

"Because it's Dean. I know him, I trust him, and he's kind and sweet and safe. He makes me feel safe. That's what I needed tonight, just to feel safe."

"Safe from what?"

"From you!" She yelled "From the feelings and emotions that have been swamping me ever since you showed up in Stars Hollow and told me you loved me. How was I supposed to take that Jess? What was I supposed to do with that information huh? You've always messed up my mind, I've never known where I am with you and when I finally think maybe I'm over you, over us, you come back and I'm back to square one."

"Rory, I'm sorry." Jess got up and knelt at her feet, taking her hand in his and forcing her to look at him. "I...I don't know what to say. I never meant to hurt you. Ever. You've been the most important thing in my life since I met you two years ago. I didn't know how to show it back then, I treated you badly and I made a right balls-up of it but I'm here now. I've changed, I'm ready. You don't need to be scared of me."

Rory looked down at him, noting the sincerity in his eyes and the feel of her hand in him she wanted to believe him desperately but her head wouldn't let her heart forget the pain of him leaving her. The way he had left her without a goodbye had cut her up inside so deep, more deep than anyone including Lane and her mother would ever know. It had made it seem as if their whole relationship had been nothing more than a way to pass the time for him. How could she forgive and forget that kind of pain?

"Jess." She whispered.

He moved his hands from her hands up her arms and onto her face, he moved her face closer to hers bringing their lips only millimetres apart. "Rory."

He closed the distance, placing a soft chaste kiss on her lips. As he pulled away he felt her return the kiss. He moved his lips to hers again, harder and longer this time. She brought her hands up into hiss hair, it was hard from the gel but she didn't care. She pulled herself closer to him, his hands went round to her back, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. Lips parting, tongues seeking. As she pulled herself even closer, she fell off the chair and they crashed to the floor.

"Well, we're still good at that." Jess laughed.

"Definitely." Rory agreed.

Rory and Jess walked into the Inn to see Lorelai, Sookie and Luke staring at the couch, or rather at Kirk who was lying face down on the couch with a blanket over him.

"What happened?" Rory asked, placing the CDs on the table.

"Kirk fell in the rose bushes. We're yet to discern the damage." Lorelai explained.

"To the rosebushes?" Jess aked.

"To Kirk." Sookie answered.

"Can I take a look at your butt Kirk?" Lorelai asked Kirk. He moaned his agreement. "I don't want to look" She said turning towards Luke.

"I'm not doing it!" Luke cried.

"I'm out." Jess piped up.

"And me." Rory agreed.

"Sookie?" Lorelai asked

"Why me?" The chef cried, looking around at them.

"Well...because you're a chef." Lorelai said.

"And you have a kid." Luke joined in.

"Yes, that's better. You have a kid." Lorelai nodded.

"Neither of us has kids. Well she does, but its big, look at it," Luke pointed at Rory "And it can look at its own butt."

"Okay, I'm officially freaked out." Rory spoke up.

"Ditto," Jess agreed. "I'm going to bed."

"Me too," Rory said.

They walked up the stairs together, leaving the rest of them to go about fixing kirks butt.

"So, night." Rory said as she arrived at her door.

"Night Rory." Jess said, kissing her gently on the cheek before heading to his room.

Rory opened her room door, kicked off her shoes before flopping down on her bed throwing her arm over her eyes. Her head was in overdrive, the last few hours had saw more happenings than her whole year at Yale. She groaned in embarrassment as she remembered her tryst with Dean. What had she been thinking? She had seriously considered having sex with him just to, what, forget about Jess? Dean was lovely; he'd always been so good to her but not only was he married now but she had never truly felt any real passion towards him. She had loved him sure but in more in a friend way than a boyfriend way.

Whereas with Jess, even just thinking his name made her heart flutter. There had been a spark, some kind of chemistry from day one. Every time she had ever kissed him it had been like a fire inside her. Her heart raced, her head clouded, she wanted to touch him and have him touch her. It had scared her at the time to feel so out of control that she had always pulled away from him first. When they had kissed tonight all those same feelings had came crashing back to her but this time she hadn't been able to pull away. If she hadn't fallen from the chair they'd probably still be lip-locked. She felt her breathing quicken at the thought.

What was she going to do? Could she allow herself to be with Jess? To loose control with him? The more she thought about it the more she realised she might not have a choice.

Four-thirty in the morning and Rory finally decided to get up and make her self some hot milk to try to get to sleep. She'd been tossing and turning all night. Her mother had come in bursting with happiness, she and Luke had kissed. It was all she had talked about before falling asleep, not for the first time Rory was glad her mother hadn't asked how her night went, there was no way Rory was going to be able to explain it to Lorelai when she could hardly explain it to herself.

She climbed out of bed and down the stairs and gasped when she spotted Jess sitting in one of the evening chairs scribbling away in a notebook. His hair was even crazier than normal; he'd obviously been tossing and turning too. He had a look of concentration on his face, the tip of his tongue sticking out as he wrote. She watched him for a minute, a warm glow spreading through her body. She knew then, as she had pretty much known all along that she was going to loose herself in Jess, she was going to risk it all again, and she was going to enjoy ever moment of it.

He suddenly looked up, catching her eye.

"Hi."