A/N: I hate to ruin the surprise, but I feel like I have to give fair warning. Things might get a little less T and a little more M in this chapter. Please avert your eyes if you think this will offend your delicate sensibilities; if not, read on!

Jess glanced once more at Rory before opening the door. She smiled encouragingly. Jess pushed open the door and let Rory lead the way inside. He saw the room, their shared living space, through her eyes, and winced. There were t-shirts and dirty jeans strewn everywhere, and an unfortunate pair of boxers lay right near his foot. He kicked them underneath the couch before she could spot them. Takeout containers of varying shapes, sizes, and cleanliness lined the coffee table. The sink was mercifully free of dirty dishes – mostly because they usually ate right out of the container, with plastic forks if they could help it. A tiny TV sat in the corner, rabbit ears poking out from the top. Jess looked at Rory, but her expression was unreadable.

"This is my room," he said quietly, pushing open another door. It used to be the catchall room for Matthew and Chris before he had moved in with them, so there were lots of odds and ends in it, as well as Jess' bed, side table, and dresser. It's cleaner in here, at least, Jess thought. He tried to dust once in a while, and kept all traces of food out of the room so he wouldn't wake up to a roach staring him in the face. "So…" he said timidly, glancing at Rory again. To his surprise, she hopped right up on his bed and crossed her legs, looking perfectly at home.

"So where are all your books?" she asked. Surprised that she hadn't commented on the state of the place, Jess silently opened the closet to display several dozen paperbacks, a few hardbacks, and a couple of shirts there hadn't been space for in his dresser.

Rory grinned. "I'm all about using unlikely space to store books," she said. "As you know." She remembered the first time she'd ever met Jess, how he had looked at all of her books and even stolen one of them: Howl. It had come back with the most insightful marginalia she'd ever seen. She suspected that was the moment she'd fallen for him, though she hadn't actually acknowledged it until months later.

"Just don't go in the bathroom, okay?" Jess said, sitting next to Rory on his bed. She laughed until she caught the expression on his face.

"Okay, I won't, I won't," she consented. She smiled again. "I'm glad you showed me all this, Jess."

He shrugged. "You showed me your place," he pointed out. Rory had gotten the chance to give him a short tour of her suite at Yale before he'd left. Jess bemoaned the fact that she shared a room with the dreaded Paris, but Rory had mentioned that Paris could just go stay with Asher whenever she and Jess wanted the room to themselves. She'd blushed saying this, all too aware of what it implied.

The same blush found its way onto her cheeks now, and she looked down at her knees. Despite her unshakeable certainty that this time, she and Jess were going to work, she still felt a little shy around him, particularly when he kissed her or touched her any more intimately than a handshake. Although they'd previously been a couple for more than six months, the fateful night of Kyle's party was the closest they'd ever been to… The crimson flush coloring Rory's face deepened as her thoughts drifted. She knew she needed to make a decision. She glanced up to see Jess watching her.

"Hey," he said quietly. "You're blushing." His trademark half-smile was on his face. He reached out to stroke her hair and smooth the tresses between his fingers. It was already getting longer. He decided he liked it that way. It made him think of good memories. "Whatcha thinkin' about?" he asked. She smiled one of her many different smiles – Jess was familiar with all of them, from her truly-happy, laughing-for-the-sake-of-laughter smile to her I'm-really-uncomfortable-but-trying-to-be-polite smile. The one she was smiling right now was one Jess knew too, but he didn't know that Paris might have called it her 'Harlequin Romance' smile.

Her decision made, Rory leaned over and gently pressed her lips to his, slipping a hand around his waist. To Jess' great surprise, she leaned back, settling herself on his pillow, and pulled him so that he was lying on top of her. Jess took the hint and continued kissing her, trying his best to hover above her so he wouldn't crush her, but she pulled him down so their legs entangled and her hands were on his face, holding him in place. The room seemed suddenly much too warm, but Jess hesitated before taking off his jacket.

"Rory," he breathed, "I'm just gonna take off my jacket. I'm not – trying anything. Okay?" In silent answer, her hands dragged from his face down to his lapels, where she helped him push it off and to the side. "Rory," he said again, softly, caressing the side of her face down to her collarbone. He kissed along it, up to the other side, where he dragged his lips over her throat, tempting a sigh from her.

"Jess," she said, and he delighted in hearing her say his name. "Jess. Can I take off my coat?" He stiffened, then chuckled into her shoulder.

"Sorry! Yeah." He lifted himself up so she had enough space to peel off her coat.

She tossed it aside and grinned up at him. "I like being here with you," she whispered. "Come here."

Jess obligingly lay back down, now to her side so he wouldn't stifle her. He was always so aware of how delicate she seemed, so thin and pale. As if to prove him wrong, Rory wrapped one leg around him to hold him in place (like he was going anywhere) and resumed her exploration of Jess' mouth. He felt her hands at his sides, then they were lifting his t-shirt. "Rory?" he said questioningly. She didn't reply, just pushed his shirt up farther until he consented and lifted his arms so she could pull it all the way off.

She scanned his torso, every inch of muscle she'd never laid eyes on before, and he watched surprise pop onto her face. "You have a tattoo?" she questioned. He nodded.

"Does that bother you?" he asked, only because it seemed to bother a lot of people. Putting something on your body that would stay there forever was a concept that repelled most.

Rory shook her head. "No." She leaned under his arm to get a better look at the words tracing his upper bicep. He watched her mouth silently pronounce them: boxcars boxcars boxcars. Her head jerked up and she beamed. "From Howl!" she cried triumphantly. He knew she'd get it right away. "Does it hurt?" she asked, looking worried. He couldn't hide his smile.

"No, I got it ages ago," he told her. "It stops hurting after a week or two. Then it's just a part of you." Still cautious, Rory gripped his bicep lightly and pulled him down to her again. She shifted a little underneath him and Jess sank back into the moment.

"Jess...I don't want to be shy anymore," Rory whispered, her blue gaze meeting his brown one. She grasped the hem of her blouse and tugged it over her head. Jess couldn't help but groan quietly, a little mm in the back of his throat, and his fingers automatically reached out to trace the edges of her bra, her stomach, her ribs, before he caught himself. It took a conscious effort for him to pull away. Her sky blue eyes darkened in disappointment. "Why did you stop?"

"Rory, I – you didn't want this, remember? Not yet." Jess avoided her gaze, leaning back, away from her.

"That was over a month ago," Rory pointed out. "That was then. This is now." A smile quirked its way onto her face as she realized she was unconsciously quoting a Monkees song. "Let me prove my love, girl, I'll make you proud," she continued, barely able to keep a straight face. Jess looked at her like she was insane.

"Did you just quote the Monkees at me?" he asked incredulously. Rory dissolved into giggles. "Jeez, of all the authors out there, of all the words you could've quoted, you chose…the Monkees." Jess shook his head. "Only Rory Gilmore." She grinned up at him, still giggling a bit, but his face was suddenly serious again. "Really, Rory," he said more quietly. "Are you sure? I want you to be sure." He lay back down next to her without breaking eye contact. His inhales and exhales seemed much louder than usual. He wanted her so badly he felt like his body was barely enough to contain it, but he was afraid of hurting her again, of doing the wrong thing, of messing up like he always did.

"Close the door," Rory whispered. He didn't have to leave the bed to reach it. "I love you too, Jess," she said when he lay back down next to her, finally giving him the answer he'd hoped for more than a month ago, and even before then. With all the words in the English language, even in other languages, he could not describe the way he felt in that moment. "I'm sure," she said finally, stroking his hair.

All the times he'd imagined Rory telling him she loved him back, hoping, praying she'd say yes to him, they could never compare to reality. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and smiled big, bigger than Rory had ever seen him smile. "I love you," he murmured. It became a mantra as he said it over and over again, as he unfastened her jeans and his own, as she helped him undress completely, as they pressed their bodies together, skin to skin, totally free of boundaries, physical or emotional.

"I love you, Rory."

"I love you too, Jess."

A/N: Now, I'm going to need lots and lots of feedback on this chapter, because I'm very uncertain about it. Was this okay, or do you think I'm crap at writing sex scenes? And did anyone seem OOC, particularly Rory? Please tell me.

P.S. I know Rory just told Lorelai she'd tell her when 'it' was going to happen last chapter, but she'll tell Lorelai ASAP, trust me. And it won't be as horrible as what happened in the series, since it was Jess, not Dean, and Jess is not married. Or a douchebag. Oops.

N.B. Much as I'd like to, I cannot take credit for Jess' tattoo. A classmate in college had the exact same one, so even though she will never read this, thanks for the inspiration, Kit.

P.P.S. Stay in school and use a condom, kids.