Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm poor. It's sad. Really. I owe my mom 200 bucks. It doesn't get any sadder than that.

A/N: So sorry for the delay! I can only offer you the 'I've been so busy'-excuse and I apologize for that too, because it's a stupid excuse and I've used it way too often.

Anyway, I'm back with a new chapter. I had such a hard time writing this. I had decided to go a certain direction with it and wrote about half a chapter, before ending up completely stuck and confused and inspiration-less. So that lasted for about three months and then I decided to start over and just back into it from somewhere else. So that's what I've done and it's completely different from my original idea, but it's here and it's finished and I'm sort of satisfied with it, so…there you go.

Oh yeah, I mention Tristan in this chapter. Only briefly and un-importantly, but I do. Hate it or love it, but it just had to be done, okay? He's Tristan. He's awesome.

Hopefully the next chapter won't take this long! Reviews are always a good motivation though. Hint hint…

-x-x-x-x-

Chapter 7

Rory sighed as she put the last box with her stuff in her mom's car. She looked up at the big building she was now leaving behind for good. She still couldn't quite get her head around everything that had happened these last few days. At this point she wasn't so sure about anything anymore and she hated that Logan didn't even have the decency to come and say goodbye to her.

"You okay, hun?" Lorelai asked as she wrapped an arm around her daughter.

Rory nodded slowly.

"He didn't even come to say goodbye, huh?"

She shrugged.

"Figures. Logan usually walks away when it get's hard."

"Hm, haven't I heard that one before?"

Jess.

"Let's not mention him, now shall we? This is already hard enough without his part in all of it."

"And what exactly is his part?" Lorelai asked.

Rory thought about that for a second.

"I haven't exactly figured that out yet."

"Come on…" Lorelai said. "Let's go home."

-x-x-x-x-

Yup, she was going back to Stars Hollow. She was going back home to live with her mommy. She suddenly felt twelve again. She didn't see another option though. She couldn't stay with Logan. Not after everything that had happened lately. It wouldn't be right. He had officially called off the engagement. Because of the well-known Huntzberger name and Rory's current status as a popular editor it had even gotten some press in the papers and tabloids (with a picture and everything), which made it all even harder. The two of them had talked a lot the last few days, but it didn't really solve anything. In fact, it only complicated matters as they both came to the conclusion that they didn't know each other as well as they thought they did. Names of ex-boyfriends and girlfriends kept popping up that the other had never heard of (her list was pretty limited, but she threw names as Tristan DuGrey just to piss him off) and confessions from way back managed to shake things up. However, this did convince her that she had made the right decision. It wasn't an easy one, since she did love Logan a lot and she truly believed they could've been happy together, but she realized now that if some other guy was on her mind more than her own fiancée, then something was off.

"When are you leaving on your honeymoon again?" Rory asked her mother.

"Uhm…we don't really know yet…" Lorelai said, not looking at Rory, but paying attention to the road.

Rory's head shot up.

"You two had a date set, right? When Luke could close the diner for a while…"

"Yeah, well…we canceled it."

"You canceled your honeymoon? Why would you do that?"

"It turned out to be a lot harder to close the diner for a while and we just weren't comfortable with it. So…we'll go soon…eventually."

Suddenly it hit Rory.

"Oh God, you're staying home for me, aren't you?"

"No!" Lorelai exclaimed. "Absolutely not! It might have come up in the conversation at some point, but…no…the reason we've postponed it is the diner, I swear."

"Liar." Rory murmured. "You can't stay home for me! And you shouldn't. I'm fine."

"Honey…Logan broke off the engagement. Things are messed up for you right now. I should be there for you."

"Not at the expense of your honeymoon! I love having you around and yes I could use a shoulder to cry on right about now, but you can still offer me that shoulder when you come back! And besides, I have Lane back home. She'll take your place for a little while."

"I don't know…"

"Well, I do. Besides, it's even more perfect this way, because this way Luke doesn't even have to close the diner. Lane and I could run it. And Zack could help us out and we'd still have Ceasar."

"That's a bad idea." Lorelai said. "You should be at home, in your bed, wallowing. You shouldn't be working your butt off with no time to think about anything else than 'you want fries with that?' and 'Kirk, step away from the bacon! It's not yours!'. That's just wrong."

"Kirk going for bacon that isn't his?"

"No, you working your butt off in your condition."

"What am I? Pregnant?"

"Dear God, I hope not! That's the one thing that could make this situation even worse."

"Not helping, mom…" Rory sighed.

"Well, let me think about it for a little while, okay? I don't know if I'm comfortable with leaving you by yourself right now. Makes me feel like a bad mommy."

"If there's one thing you are not, it's that." Rory assured her. "And you know what? I wouldn't be comfortable with you staying for me. So there."

"So there?" Lorelai asked, looking at her daughter. "What does that mean?"

"So there. It's settled then." Rory explained.

"Because you say so?"

She nodded proudly.

"Yes. And you shouldn't argue with me in my condition. Your words, not mine."

Lorelai focused on the road again.

"I hate that big mouth of mine…" She murmured, causing Rory to smile a little.

-x-x-x-x-

This was hell. The exact definition of it even. And no, she wasn't talking about how she was feeling after her called off engagement to a certain blonde playboy. Here she was, walking the streets of Stars Hollow in the middle of the night. Well, not really the middle of the night, but it sure felt that way. It was still dark and she was the only one outside. And God, she was tired.

The feeling disappeared as soon as Luke's diner came in sight though. At first she though her sleepy eyes were deceiving her, but at the same time she knew very well they weren't.

Rory instantly recognized the figure sitting on the steps outside Luke's diner. Even in the dark it was pretty easy to make out who it was. The cigarette only made it more obvious. She approached him as quietly as possible. Not to startle him or anything, but… just to have the element of surprise.

"That's a nasty habit you've got there." She spoke.

His head shot up and their eyes met. She read in his eyes that he definitely hadn't expected her. Not at this time, not at this place. As usual, he quickly recovered.

"Some things never change."

"Got that right."

She sat down next to him and waved away the cigarette smoke that came in her direction. He smirked as he put the cigarette out.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

They sat like that for what must have been a few minutes. They didn't speak, didn't look at each other. They just sat. And it was nice. Comfortable.

"So, back in Stars Hollow, huh?" He broke the silence.

"Yep."

"Until your mom and Luke get back?"

She shrugged and shook her head.

"I don't know for how long. Probably longer than that. I have to find a place of my own. That'll probably take some time."

He knew better than to ask any further. He already had the information he needed. She had to find a place of her own. That meant she didn't have one right now. Meaning she was no longer living with Logan. Which made sense. He'd read the paper. Logan had called off the engagement. Maybe he shouldn't have bee so surprised to see Rory here.

"What about you?" She asked as she turned to him.

"Luke asked me to come and watch the diner while he's away."

"Yeah, me too." She responded. "Well, I offered to, but…you know. Thank him for giving me the heads up about you being here by the way."

"He didn't tell you?"

"Nope. Convenient, huh?"

"Sorry about that."

"It's okay. Not your fault."

Silence once again.

"Do you even have time to be here? Shouldn't you be out promoting books and everything?"

"I'm back to writing them. The way I like it. Promoting isn't my thing."

She nodded slowly.

"So, I guess we'll be working together then." She concluded.

"I guess so."

"Could be interesting…"

She looked up at him and tried to smile. He also looked up, but he didn't smile.

"I could go." He then said, serious as ever.

She immediately looked away and stared at the ground.

"I made a promise. I was going to leave you alone." He added.

Rory slowly got up from the steps and climbed them to the entrance of the diner.

"Well, maybe I don't want to be left alone." She casually said as she opened the door.

As she entered the diner she turned back to Jess.

"You coming, Dodger? We have a diner to run."

This time Jess smirked as he also got up.

"Yes, ma'am."

-x-x-x-x-

Rory tried to catch her breath before she headed back into the diner, holding the two pickle jars that she had just gotten from the storage room. She bumped into Jess and almost dropped the jars. Jess quickly grabbed a hold of her and the jars though and tried to get eye-contact with her.

"Sorry about that." He smirked, his hand still in a tight grip around her arm. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. And so are the pickles."

"Good. Is it always this hectic? I mean, I know I've been out of the loop for a few years, but I don't remember it ever being like this."

"Yeah, 'rush hour' will get a whole new meaning after today." Rory agreed. "I didn't even know so many people fit into the diner."

"They don't. They're now lining up in front of it." Jess said matter-of-factly.

Rory's head shot up.

"Since when!?"

"About two minutes."

"This is crazy!" She said, not unaware of the fact Jess was still holding on to her. "What are all those people doing here? I've never seen it this crowded here and I come here basically every day!"

"Come on, you know the reason. " Jess said. "Miss Patty spread the word all over town. It's like a free show. "

"Oh right." Rory nodded. "The sequel to Rory & Jess: the early years."

"Rory & Jess: together again." Jess added.

Their eyes met as soon as those words were out and they both understood the double meaning of them. Rory hated herself for not being able to look away, but his dark eyes had never been more captivating.

"Rory…" He softly said as he leaned in just a little. Just to be closer to her.

"This is not the right time." She interrupted him as she was finally able to look away. "We have tables to serve and pickles to slice."

She tried to find her way out of the storage room, but Jess was blocking it. He moves aside just a little to give her some room. Of course, it caused their bodies to touch as she left the room. It didn't make things easier.

-x-x-x-x-

Rory rested her head on the counter top and let out a frustrated sound.

"I can't do this for another two weeks!" She exclaimed. "I'd die! And I can't die! That'd be bad."

"Yes, it would be." Jess agreed who was cleaning up some last things behind the counter. "We can't have you dying and leave me behind with all the chaos."

"I appreciate your concern." She said as she threw him a fake smile.

The day had been impossible. People had been lining up in front of the diner to catch a glimpse of the new episode in the Rory & Jess saga. It had been crazy. Every single town member had given them some unwanted advice on how to move from here, making the day about twice as hard. Lane and Zack had just gone home and the diner was almost back to it's original, clean state.

"My feet are killing me!" She continued her own little complain-fest.

Jess walked over to where Rory was sitting at the counter and leaned over.

"I could carry you home." He offered, smirking.

"Don't tempt me…" She murmured as she looked up and smiled at him. "That's probably not a good idea."

"Suit yourself." Jess said as he went back to cleaning things behind the counter.

Rory watched him from her safe little spot at the counter and couldn't help but smile at the sight. Why did this feel so right? Why did it feel so right to be sitting here, watching Jess. Why did it feel so normal and why did it feel so like home?

She quickly shook off her serious thoughts and got up from her stool, ready to help Jess with whatever it was he was doing.

"You gotta admit though." She said. "We made a pretty good team today, Mariano."

"I think we always make a good team, Gilmore."

"Can I help you with anything?"

"No. It's pretty much done. Time for you to get your butt home."

"Don't talk about my butt!" She ordered him, smiling.

"Okay. I'll just think about it then." His smart-ass response was.

She shook her head in disbelief as she got her coat from one of the other stools and put it on. Once again she watched Jess from the corner of her eye as he placed the last few chairs on top of the tables, not noticing that Rory was watching his every move.

"Hey Jess…" She started.

He looked up.

"Walk me home?"

-x-x-x-x-