Meanwhile...

When Lorelai and Allie had arrived back, Jess saw Lorelai's car and had gone out to meet them. While Lorelai was in the diner talking to Luke, Jess and Allie had gone to the dock.

"You're telling me that you're gonna have this freakin baby? That's insane!"

"And this is your lovely uncle Jess." Allie told her stomach fondly.

Jess shot her a withering look. "But Allie, it's... it's his."

She exhaled. "Yeah, but only half. Half of it is mine, and I think it deserves a chance."

Jess wasn't convinced. "But it'll be an everyday reminder that... that-"

"That something amazing can come out of a horrible situation." finished Allie. "What's done is done, Jess, and I'm dealing with it and moving on. I won't let it rule my life."

"So you're having the baby." he double-checked.

"Yes. I want to."

"You've changed your tune."

"Mm. Lorelai put a different perspective on it for me. I'm glad she did."

"You'd better give up smoking."

"Already have."
"So you are serious. Hm." Jess thought for a moment. "So, I'm gonna be an uncle then? I guess that's kinda cool."

Allie wrinkled her nose. "I thought you didn't like kids."

"I don't, usually. But, this one will be related to me, so there's a very high chance that it'll be really, really cool, and devastatingly handsome." Jess arched an eyebrow and thrust his chin in the air with a smirk.

"You forgot incredibly conceited." added Allie, rolling her eyes.

Jess looked at Allie suddenly. "Allie... can I play heavy metal angsty music to it in your stomach and see if it spends its life being angry at the world?"

"No."

"Can I play Chinese tapes to it and see if it comes out speaking Chinese?"

"No."

"Can you drink an abnormal amount of coffee and see if it comes out speaking as fast as Lorelai?"

"No."

"Ooh..." Jess brightened, and persisted. "Hay, can I buy it a leather jacket and teach it to ride a motorcycle?"
"No."

"Can I dress it in plaid and backwards caps and call it baby Luke?"

"Definitely not."

"Can I name it?"

"No."

"Can you name it after me?"

"Maybe... if it's a girl."

Jess gave his sister a small shove. "Shut up. Oh... hay, speaking of girls, Rory broke up with Dean today."
"Really!" Allie was surprised. "That's great! Well, great for you, not so great for Dean, and probably not the greatest moment of Rory's life... so overall not that great, but it kinda is if you're taking a biased point of view, although that depends..." Allie got caught in her own thoughts.

"Allie! Focus." Jess snapped his fingers in her face.

"Sorry. Ok, so great for you! And then what happened?"

"Well, she told me that she broke up with him..." Jess paused.

"And...?" encouraged Allie.

"And then, I think I said the wrong thing." Jess bit his lip and glanced at his sister sheepishly.

Allie's face darkened anxiously. "Oh god. What did you say?"

Jess told her what had happened, and made it a very quick version because Allie started groaning and clutching her head in dismay.

"Oh Jess! You stupid, clueless... male!"

"What!" Jess was offended. "I was trying to be sensitive! I thought girls were meant to like that!"

"Only if it's done right. If a girl breaks up with her boyfriend for some other... idiot," Allie stared at Jess pointedly. "She doesn't want the idiot saying he feels sorry for her and comforting her - that's what she has girlfriends and comfort food for - the idiot is meant to sweep her off her feet; put himself out there for her; assure her that she's done the right thing by telling her how he feels about her... or something to that extent."

Jess blinked several times in quick succession. "You've lost me."

Allie took a deep breath and tried to explain. "She didn't break up with Dean for fun, she broke up with him for you - that's what I think, anyway - and then all you say to her is a patronising 'sorry about that.' - which by the way is completely out of character for you since you hardly ever apologise and you didn't even like her boyfriend- "

"Rory pointed that out." remembered Jess, before looking back at his sister trying to concentrate on what she was saying.

"She's totally put herself on the line, she's practically asking you out! She doesn't want to hear that you're sorry, she just wants you to tell her that you like her! She wants to know that you're happy about the break up, or just some sort of reassurance that she didn't split with her long term boyfriend for nothing!"

Jess screwed his face up. "So you're saying that I should have...?"

Allie sighed dramatically. "Honestly, Jess! Would you try to keep up? You're slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter!"

"Huh?"

"Jess." Allie said calmly and firmly. "Tell her that you like her or tell her that she's wasting her time -whatever -but for god's sake, tellthat poor girlsomething and stop toying with her emotions like a yo-yo."

"What do you know anyway?" muttered Jess sulkily. "You're not... Dr Phil."

"You don't have to be atalk show hostto see what's going on here. You just have to not be blind. And deaf. And stupid." retorted Allie dryly.

"I don't know how I'm expected to know all this." complained Jess, folding his arms. "Nobody gave me a manual or anything."

Allie shrugged wearily. "Just try to learn from your mistakes, Jess."

"Women are so complicated."

"Men are so thick."

Jess shot her a withering glance. "We're just not psychics, that's all. Anyway, it's lucky that you're here to interpret all these crazy situations for me coz I don't have a clue."

"Well, don't get used to it. You'll have to figure them out on your own soon!" Allie told him brightly.

"Why?"

"I've gotta go back home. You knew I was just visiting."

"Yeah... but I thought that once you'd spent some time here you'd see it wasn't such a bad place and then... I don't know." Jess said, his eyes downcast.

"It isa nice place, but I miss New York."

"When are you going?"

Allie shrugged. "Couple of days, maybe. Soon."

"Why don't you at least stay a bit longer?" asked Jess, but Allie shook her head.

"Nah. You've got school and stuff, and I'm gonna go back and try and sort things out with mom and make sure she's doing ok. Cheer up, Jessie!" she added with a grin. "I promise that I'll let you come and visit."

He gave a short laugh, and put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, I'll shout you a coffee."

Lorelai had told Rory to meet her at Luke's and she'd take her home from there since Lorelai had the car. Rory had quickly scanned the diner for Jess before going in, and deeming it safe, she was on her way up to the bar where her mother was talking to Luke. She didn't notice Jess and Allie arriving just behind her.

Allie gave Jess a sharp prod in the side. "Go and apologise properly." she hissed.

Jess glared at Allie. "Don't tell me what to do!" he hissed back, and then he called out. "Hay, Rory..."

Rory turned, startled that she'd gone to all the trouble to check the diner for him, and then he'd suddenly appeared behind her.

"I just wanted to-"

Jess was cut off by another sharp prod from Allie. "Yeah, do it in public - that won't make her feel worse. And it really adds to the sincerity." muttered Allie sarcastically.

Jess glared at her again, but took notice of what she said. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" he gestured to the stairs, and started over to them. Rory's first thought was to say no, and leave, but curiosity and the plain fact that she liked Jess got the better of her, so she followed him up to the appartment.

He perched on the arm of the couch, and told her to sit down, but she insisted that standing was fine. She wanted to be able to make an easy get-away if she needed to.

Jess took a deep breath. "Look, I wanted to say that I'm sorry about before, I didn't mean to... offend you, I wasn't being sarcastic or anything. Coz I'm not sorry that you and Dean broke up, I just meant that break-ups are never fun, and that what I was sorry about."

Rory looked at him for a moment. "That's ok." she said grudgingly. She knew a Jess-apology was rare, so she'd take what she could get, although she kicked herself for accepting it so easily.

They avoided eye contact awkwardly for a few moments, then Jess spoke again.

"Hay, so you know Allie's going back to New York soon?"

"Really? Oh. Well I guess she wasn't gonna stay forever..." said Rory reflectively.

Jess sighed. "I think I'm really gonna miss her, you know? I mean, she's my sister and we're pretty close..."

"Yeah." agreed Rory.

"And now she's having this kid, and I'm gonna be an uncle, and it'd be cool to be involved in it all..." continued Jess casually, glancing up at Rory every few moments. "When I think about it, I really don't want her to go, but she has to... but I do want to bearound for her..."

Rory suddenly went cold as she realised what he was hinting at. She knew what she should say next - she didn't want to - but Jess needed her to say it, almostlike if she said it then she would be giving him permission.

She held off as long as she could, but then took a breath.

"So... maybe... you should go back to New York with her." Rory's voice was tight.

Jess looked at her warily. "Yeah. That's what I thought."

At his words, Rory's heart dropped suddenly and she felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She didn't realise how much she liked him until she thought about him not being around.