"We are sorry to see you go Gilmore, you know that you will always have a job here if you need one. It truly has been a pleasure, and keep in touch, won't you?" Her editor stood to shake her hand and although there was a sadness in leaving, there was excitement brewing as well.
"Thank you for everything Ms. Wharton, I appreciate everything you did to connect me with the Times."
"You deserve it Gilmore, more than anyone I've met, make us proud." Rory smiled and nodded before exiting this office for the last time.
She had packed up her things the day before, but wanted to say goodbye to anyone she had connected with. Rory had considered staying at the magazine and making herself a remote component that could write anywhere. Then it hit her, now that she had experience at the magazine and still retained her journalistic clout from the election cycle-why not try again for the Times? She had talked to her editor about it, and Wharton had done all she could to pave the way for Rory. Rory only had one condition involved-she didn't want to work from New York. She wanted to work from home, but would be willing to be sent on assignments as they came in. It was risky to have expectations from a job you hadn't gotten yet, but journalism had the ability to be flexible.
On her way out of the office, Rory pulled out her phone to call her mom.
"Yates and Gibbs Crematorium, you kill 'em we grill 'em!" Lorelai sung into the phone as a greeting.
"You don't have any dinner plans tonight, do you?" Rory asked as she found her car outside and slid inside.
"Rory don't get mommy's hopes up, are you coming home?!" She practically screamed into the receiver.
"Order all our favorites, I'll be there by 5! And Mom, can you do me a favor?"
"You are going to make me keep secrets aren't you?"
"I just want to be a surprise! I'm not asking you lie, just don't mention that I'm showing up tonight."
"How am I going to explain the food? I think Luke will know something is up when the fourth delivery guy shows up."
"I don't know, say it's a winter solstice thing or OH! Mom just say some celebrity he doesn't know died and you are setting up a wake."
"Well, you see that would work if it wasn't July, and if I was setting up a wake that involve inviting people over to the house. Are you hiding out on purpose? Did something happen with you-know-who?" Lorelai whispered into the phone and Rory wondered if this whole conversation had taken place somewhere public and the purpose would have been defeated.
"Not hiding, surprising. Remember? And please order Sandeep's, we can burn the house down later but it will be worth it. Love you!" Rory hung up and started on the road before any after work traffic clogged her way to Connecticut.
She hadn't told anyone about changing jobs, she didn't want a fight with Jess or to get her mom's hopes up. The last few times when Jess had called, she knew that omitting it was just as bad as lying about it, but she didn't want him to talk her out of it. He gave her the initiative to leave, but how could anyone argue the Times? This was a step up, and it gave them a real chance if she could leave the city.
"Lorelai, is that Indian food? Is Rory here?" Jess had opened the door to the Crap Shack and the smell had put together the pieces far faster than Lorelai had time to cover up.
"Uh, I like Indian food! It's for me! I have some mystery bags from Al's and pizzas coming, want to take a doggy bag?" Her speech was as fast paced as usual, but there was a nervousness in it that meant that she was uncomfortable about something.
"Huh," Jess said as he saw the spread on the coffee table in front of the tv. There was enough food for ten people, or two Gilmores.
Lorelai made an obvious attempt to look at the clock behind his head and Jess saw that she clearly wanted him to hurry out. So naturally, he sat himself on the couch and pulled a book out of his pocket.
"Jess, I don't want you to feel like you aren't welcome or anything; but I uh- Luke and I sort of have a date night planned and he should be here any minute. But please, take as food as you want!" She was squirming, and lying.
"Well, if he's coming here, I guess I need to help close the diner up, right?" He was fishing for her to break, but she nodded over-exaggeratedly and pulled him off the couch and rushed him towards the door.
"Oh yup, better scurry on over there! He must have forgot about our date!" And Jess found himself on the porch, clearly not invited back inside. He had just come from the diner and knew that Luke hadn't mentioned any special plans tonight. It had to be Rory, right? But if she was coming home, why didn't she call him? And why couldn't he just meet her at the house when she showed up? Jess felt like this was a plan devised to exclude him, and if she didn't want to see him then he would make himself sparse.
Rory was getting a phone call as she was pulling into Stars Hollow, and she saw that it was her mom. She ignored the call because she was going to be at the house in just a few seconds and they could talk then. Rory pulled into her driveway and saw that only her mom's jeep was in the driveway and hoped that she would only open the door to find her mom and lots of food.
"Kid, look you gotta call Jess or go see him because I totally think he figured out you were coming. He was just here and smelled the Indian food and I made up a story about Luke and he is going to find out very shortly that it's not true." Lorelai was practically pushing her back off the porch, and although Rory was glad for the warning, she was confused on why she was trying to keep her and Jess from fighting.
"Yeah, okay, I'll be right back, don't start any movies without me!" Then Rory found herself running instead of taking her car, because in situations like these, you had to run. Rory realized as she was making her mad dash that she didn't really know where to look if Jess wasn't at the diner, and she prayed he was going to be sitting at the counter and would smile when she showed up. Had she already screwed this up? They hadn't seen each other since she had gone back to New York after they had gotten back together, but they called and texted every night, and other than this elephant in the room; things had been going really well.
As she entered the town square, in a pathetic sprint, she peered around to make sure he wasn't outside somewhere. She rushed into Luke's and saw that he wasn't there, but Luke was standing and starting confused at a panting Rory that could barely speak.
"Rory? What's wrong? Where you running? Was someone chasing you?" Luke was teasing now that he noticed there was no panic or tears on her face.
"Jess, where's Jess?"
"He was on his way to your house. He's not there?"
"Ah crap!" Rory turned and ran back outside and hoped like hell that Jess was on the bridge.
"Please please please please be there," was her mantra as she cut across streets to get to the bridge.
She stopped running when she saw him. She tried to catch her breath as she walked up to him. He was reading, although she couldn't see the cover to tell what it was.
"Hi" She said before dropping down next to him. He didn't even look at her. She was going to have to explain first.
"I-I just wanted to surprise you, I wasn't trying to keep this from you." She said in a small voice to herself.
"Rory, we both know that you have been hiding more than this visit from me. I almost just married someone that was really good at keeping things from me, and I thought you and I were going to try harder this time." He was still looking down at his book but he wasn't reading. He wasn't yelling, but he was irritated, and he was right.
"I was going to tell everyone tonight Jess, I just didn't want to jinx anything until I was absolutely sure it was going to happen." He looked at her and searched her face to see if it was telling the truth.
"What's going on Rory?"
"Jess, I got a job at the Times." Rory was trying to hide her excitement because she wasn't sure how he was going to react yet.
"What-Ror-really?" Jess dropped his attitude and pulled her into a hug. "Rory that is so amazing, I just- wow. You did it."
"Jess, that's not all." She said as she pulled out of the hug to face him.
"I'm leaving New York. They might send me around for assignments, but I'm going to write from home. From here." She waited. He stared.
"Rory, why would you leave? You got the Times!"
"Jess, I can write from anywhere! I won't be in an office anymore, so there is no point in staying in apartment alone and paying to be in the city. It's a done deal, I have my first article next week." Jess gave a smile that betrayed his eyes.
"You are still upset?" She asked, wrapping her arms around herself.
"I just wish you could have told me about all this, we talk every day Rory, and you kept all of this a secret. I am happy, and I'm proud of you, I really am. I just wish you had let me in so I didn't have to run here pouting because my girlfriend wanted to see her mom and not me." He gave a small laugh by the end of his speech. He was making fun of his own reactions, but she knew that there was truth in the plea.
"I have a mountain of food at my mom's house that I could use some help with, and I have to tell my mom that the prodigal daughter has to move back into her childhood bedroom again. Will you come?"
"It's okay, go have a night with your mom, besides, you know that the two of you can finish all that food without help. But Rory?"
"Yes?" She said as they stood up and held hands.
"Make sure you burn the house down afterwards, that's the only way to get the smell out." And with a kiss on the cheek and a wink, he was heading back towards town.