AN: Title is from Dave Matthews Band's song, #41, from the Crash album. Thanks for the reviews. More as soon as I get the chance.

Rory was still getting dressed for her date with Logan when the doorbell rang. Since she'd had no notification of where they were going, she was having a horrible time picking out an outfit. She did, however, know what shoes she wanted to wear.

"Mom, get that, please?" she leaned out into the kitchen, still in her robe.

Lorelai had a Bagel Bite halfway up to her mouth when Rory stuck her head out. She looked at her unprepared daughter and set the Bite back down on the plate.

"Sure, I'll keep him occupied while you get pretty," she winked.

"Wait! Come back in two minutes and tell me how he's dressed."

Lorelai looked at her daughter, trying to ascertain her level of seriousness. "Wouldn't it be more fun if we just made up a signal?"

"Mom, go!"

Lorelai scooted down the hall, ranting about Rory being no fun when she's stressed, and opened the door. Surveying the image, she was confused as to what had Rory so worked up. He looked like a twenty-something guy (albeit a rather stunning specimen of one, that was for sure) picking up a girl for a date. Khaki pants. Clean sweater. Flowers. Looks good, seemingly without effort. She smiled.

"Come on in, Rory's not quite ready."

"Good, I was hoping to get to talk to you first, anyhow."

"You were?" her tone leery yet intrigued.

"Yeah. I got the distinct feeling earlier that you don't like me."

"I don't even know you."

"Didn't stop Rory."

"What?"

"She seemed to think I was an elitist snob the first time we met."

Lorelai smiled. "And you've proved her wrong?"

"I have. Rory wouldn't have bothered otherwise, we both know that."

She nodded, he was right. Rory was a fairly good judge of character, and tended to bring out the best in people. Whatever she saw in this guy should be enough for her as well.

"So, I just wanted to make sure I was getting a fair shot here. You grew up how I did. Just because my family is wealthy, that means nothing about what kind of person I am."

"I know. And as long as Rory's happy, so am I."

He smiled. Instantly Lorelai knew what had broken through her daughter's strong resolve. He wasn't just attractive; this man seemed to radiate charm.

"Oh, shoot! I left the stove on, I'll be right back," she said, leaving him in the living room as she ran back to Rory's room.

Standing in front of all her clothes, no closer to being dressed, was Rory. Looking rather impatient.

"Mom! Geez, what were you doing? Getting a full medical history?"

"No, that's your job. I was checking his tags for designer labels," she joked.

"Mom," she rolled her eyes.

"He's all date 'cas'. Khakis, sweater, killer smile."

Rory smiled. "He does have one of those, doesn't he?"

"He does. Now, get dressed!"

&&&&

"Did my mom give you a hard time? She has a reputation for that."

"She didn't tell you?"

"No, why?"

"She said she'd left the oven on, and you told me this morning that neither of you cook," he raised an eyebrow. "I assumed I was the topic of discussion."

"Detail fiend."

"That I am."

"If you must know, she was reporting on your clothes."

"Afraid I'd be in something embarrassing?" he asked knowingly.

"No! I just didn't want to be over- or under-dressed."

"You look perfect."

"Thank you."

She smiled and watched him drive for a moment. They'd been in the car for several minutes, and not once had he so much as hinted to their destination.

"So, where are we going?"

"You'll see."

She settled back into her seat, knowing how good he was at keeping secrets. It probably wasn't worth the work she'd put in to get his evasive comments in return. Within ten minutes, they arrived outside a large movie house. He parked and walked around to open her door.

"A movie as a first date. And here I was expecting a little more originality from you," she teased as she took his outstretched hand to help her out of his car.

"Hey, I had very little notice. Besides, just wait before you go making judgments."

He led her into the theater, and the first thing she noticed was that there was no concession area. She stopped in her tracks.

"This is highly dangerous," she informed him.

"What's that?"

"You brought a Gilmore to a movie without snacks. Mom should have prepped you better," she shook her head.

He chuckled. "Who is it that's responsible for your lack of patience?"

She attempted to glare at him, but it faded quickly as they stepped into the actual theater. It was nearly three-quarters full, with half an hour left until show time. All the seats had tables in front of them, with what looked like large remote controls. The crowd was engaged in a trivia game they were playing using the movie screen and their remotes. Most everyone was also eating.

"Whoa."

He looked at her stunned reaction. Eliciting only a one-word reaction from her was rare—she tended to stay on the prolific side. As she continued to look around, they walked down towards the middle of the seating area. She picked up her remote immediately.

"So, how does this work, exactly?"

"You punch these keys in reference to the menu—there is also a full bar—and to play along with the game, use those," he pointed as he spoke.

"How did you know about this place?" her big blue eyes trained on him, still full of wonder.

"Some friends of mine are financial backers of the joint," he explained, "So I've been coming since it opened. Genius idea."

"Totally."

&&&&

After the movie, they hit a coffee shop down the street from the theater. As they sat in a quiet corner, she smiled at him. As much as she enjoyed the over-the-top events she'd attended with him, kicking back with him gave her the same pleasure.

"Not as good as Luke's," he concluded, taking a sip.

"Nothing is."

"You've been spoiled," he informed her.

"Yeah. A lot, actually."

"I can tell. That's quite a place you're from."

"I grew up in a completely magical place," she agreed.

"Tell me more about it," he encouraged.

"Well, the people are insane, and constantly in your business—but that also means that you're never really alone. And since it was just Mom and me, they sort of adopted us."

"Sounds nice, always having someone around."

"Yeah. When I wasn't at school or with my friend Lane, I worked at my Mom's inn."

"First job?"

"Yep, since I was six. They let me restock towels and mints."

"Mine was as a newspaper delivery boy."

"Go figure," she teased, knowing of his father's career in the industry.

"My dad kept telling me for years about how it was his first job, and how he worked his way up to where he is now," he reminisced. "He made it sound really cool. And it was, but sadly, it only lasted three months."

"What happened? Break a window?"

"My arm."

"Ouch."

"I got bored, riding my bike the same route, throwing the papers. I decided to do some bike tricks."

"So, no career as Tony Hawk's understudy either?"

"Nope. Broke my arm in two places."

She was amazed at how effortless this was. She had never been good at dating, but here she was. Having an amazing time with someone that didn't include a messy, angsty history. Their fresh start was a relief in and of itself.

"Can I ask you a question?" he leaned in.

"Yeah, anything."

"It's about Jess."

"Oh. Okay."

So much for her history escaping her.

"I was just wondering, you never explained anything about your history with him. Is it history?"

She looked at her coffee cup. "It's kind of complicated."

"I'm all ears."

"We dated," she began, as much as he'd figured. "He left, right uh, right before my graduation from Chilton, without telling anyone. Not me, not his uncle, not even the people he was going to visit. He was on my bus one morning, going to California, and said he'd call me. That was all I got."

She looked like it'd happened just yesterday. Not a good sign.

"After that, he showed up a few times, his uncle, well, Luke lives in Stars Hollow, that's how we met. Anyway, he told me he loved me, then he took off. He showed up at Yale and asked me to come away with him, then left. It was so much to take, you know? I kept thinking I was over it all, I had to be, then boom, he'd appear, and make it harder."

"That's why you were so thrilled to see him in New York," he nodded.

"Yeah. The yelling thing tends to just happen around him," she smiled.

"I could tell. So, have you talked with him since?"

She nodded. "You answered my cell phone, and it was him. Is that what this is about?"

"I'm just concerned. You don't seem to have a handle of yourself around him."

She nodded again. "Like I said, it's complicated."

"So, what does he want?"

"Want?"

"From you. When you talk to him," he explained.

"Oh. He just wants to know how I am. If I'm happy."

"Are you?"

She looked up into Logan's eyes. "Yeah. I am. Happy, I mean."

He smiled and put his hand on hers. "So, do you want to hear what I have in mind for our second date?"

She perked up, glad not to be talking about Jess with Logan. That part of her felt too private to share, sometimes even with Lorelai. She hadn't told Logan the whole truth, but some things were just hers. The fact that her heart was being pulled in different directions wasn't something she could share right now.

"There's going to be a second date?"

"Well, you complained about lack of originality. I'm thinking of something to get your excitement level up. Ever been skydiving?"

"Okay, see to get my excitement level up, maybe we should start with a scary movie," she urged.

"You jumped off the platform."

"I was terrified! Plus, skydiving is much scarier."

He just smiled, and they fell back into their conversation.

&&&&

"Luke's. We're closed."

"It's me."

"Hey, Jess," Luke rested his cleaning hand on the counter as he heard his nephew's voice.

"Is now okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm not sure I'll make it for Christmas."

"What? Is this about your mom? I thought you two were doing better."

"No, Liz is. . . Liz. We are doing better, I guess. Not that I enjoy TJ's stories," he trailed off in his natural sarcastic tone.

"You said you were coming," Luke reminded in his best voice of authority he could ever summon.

"It's Rory."

"Rory?"

"You heard me."

"Jess," Luke sighed, "What happened?"

"Nothing, I just think it's better to give her her space right now."

"And you did nothing to warrant her needing this space?"

"We've talked. I haven't heard from her since we got back from New York. It's just better for me to stay here right now. She'll be home," he stopped for a moment. "It's just better."

"You mean easier for you."

"Luke, this isn't up for discussion."

"Fine. Hey, who is the blonde guy?"

"What?"

"The one that's been sniffing around. He was here earlier today with her."

Jess felt like someone had socked him in the stomach. He hadn't heard from Rory since he dropped her off at home, after their shared night together. He wasn't sure what to make of it, so he told himself that it was solely about her need to be comforted. The fact that it was perhaps the most intimate evening they'd shared—hell, that he'd ever had—well, he still couldn't think about that. She hadn't called, and obviously she'd decided to date Logan.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I need to get going."

"Okay, just, call your mom, too, all right?"

"Yeah. All right."

Luke stared at the phone after it went dead. Jess' voice sounded almost haunted during the conversation. He couldn't believe that nothing was going on here. He wondered how much Lorelai knew. Sighing, he hung up and resumed cleaning up the diner.