A/N: Thanks so much to all the lovely reviewers - you really do make a difference to how much I write and how often I update :) Makes me happy to know that you're not just loving the Rory/Jess (and Luke/Lorelai) but also the Jess & Paris sibling relationship - they are joyful to write :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see Chapter 1)

Chapter 21

Rory suggested a couple of times that maybe she could go over to Jess and Paris' house sometimes instead of her boyfriend always coming to the Hollow. He insisted he was fine with coming over and alluded to the fact that the atmosphere at home still wasn't all that great. He always changed the subject pretty fast after that, so Rory didn't push. It was easier not to talk about what may or may not be going on with Liz and Ira. If they were fighting, if things were getting bad and they were close to breaking up, Rory didn't want to know. The very thought of losing Jess from her life just when they had finally got close, it made her feel nauseous. She was much happier living in ignorance for now.

Besides, Jess pointed out that he needed to be in Stars Hollow anyway now he was picking up shifts at the diner. That night when he had covered whilst Luke and Lorelai had their first official date was a week ago now, and he had proven himself more than capable. Luke was happy to have him work a couple of days after school each week and a shift on a Saturday too. It worked out well because Jess could simply catch the bus home with Rory the week days, and on that first weekend, Paris had actually volunteered to drive him over.

"What's the matter, sis?" he teased her. "So worried about me leaving that you have to spend every minute you can with me?"

It was supposed to be a joke but clearly didn't land so well. Jess hadn't meant to upset Paris but knew he had, even though she denied it hotly.

"If you must know, I'm writing a piece for the Franklin about the seedy underbelly of the small town," she explained, arms folded across her chest.

Jess openly laughed at her.

"And you seriously think Stars Hollow is the place to look for that?"

"Just get in the damn car, Mariano!" she snapped.

Though he did as he was told, there was no way Jess could stop laughing. Paris chose to ignore him all the way to Stars Hollow and he didn't mind at all. It was weird how they were more comfortable around each other now, whether they were sniping, bantering or just in silence. Jess never thought to have a sister, and certainly when he was handed Paris as a potential sibling he was less than happy. Now they were some kind of friends, as weird as that was. If he did end up having to leave this place sooner rather than later, Jess realised there was quite the list of people he would miss, and as unlikely as it seemed, Paris was fairly high up on that list. Not that she was ever going to rank higher than another teenage girl he knew.

Rory was hanging around outside of the diner when Paris pulled the car up to the kerb. Jess was out of the passenger side before his step-sister could even blink, greeting his girlfriend with a kiss.

"Hey," he said as they parted. "What are you doing out here?"

"Not waiting for you, if that's what you thought," said Rory smartly. "My date today is with the one who actually drives the car."

Jess looked a little green at the implication.

"Please don't even joke about you and her dating," he shook his head. "Paris is easily led," he joked.

"I thought you'd have dug the Wild Things vibe?" his step-sister countered. "After all, you are a guy."

"I think that constitutes tarring all men with the same brush," Rory considered.

"I'd be offended if she wasn't right," said Jess, smirking wickedly at his girlfriend's scandalised looks. A second later he was planting one more kiss on her lips and telling her he'd catch up to her later, before he headed into the diner. "My shift ends at one!" he called over his shoulder.

"I'll be here!" Rory promised.

Paris only rolled her eyes.

"We have work to do," she reminded her friend, pulling on her sleeve. "Work that does not involve this much saliva."

"Eeew!" said Rory more to herself than to Paris since she was already stalking off down the street, just expecting Rory to follow. "You lead, Paris. I'll follow. It's only my town, after all!"

At one o'clock, Rory had planned to get away from Paris and be at the diner ready to meet Jess. Plans had changed over the course of the morning. Paris seemed way too upset about the fact she could find no signs of crime or filth in the Hollow. Rory had reminded her that she said such a thing was not to be found in her home town, but Paris just seemed so irate about the whole thing. It was beyond her usual annoyance at being proved wrong or whatever, and Rory said as much. That was when the truth came out.

"It's getting worse," she admitted, looking away. "Liz and my father. They're just... The fighting was bad enough, but I got used to that with my parents before. I just turn up the music until the worst of it is over, or get out of the house completely if I can. This is different. This is icy silences, Dad hiding out in his study and not even coming out for dinner, and Liz just drinks..."

Her voice trailed away, her attention on everything but the person she was talking to. Rory felt awful, both for Paris and her herself. The more she thought about the situation between Ira and Liz, the tighter the knot in her stomach became. If they broke up, it meant Liz would leave Hartford and of course she would take Jess with her. Rory felt sick just thinking about it and yet when her eyes drifted to Paris' sad expression, she felt doubly bad for her friend.

"Okay," she said at last with a huge and heavy sigh. "I can't stand you being this pathetically sad, so if you want a story for the Franklin, walk this way."

Paris was confused but followed as instructed, down one street and across another. She looked up at the sign above the video store, not sure why they were here, until suddenly her eyes focused on an enlarged framed photograph in the window. It was a picture of Rory, and beneath it was an inscription that pretty much named Miss Gilmore as the face of censorship in Stars Hollow.

After that, Paris cheered up considerably. She interviewed Taylor, Kirk, and just about anybody else that stood still long enough. So highly entertained was she by 'the Rory Curtain' that there was no more talk of the parents' fighting or any other depressing topic. As embarrassed as she was by the whole thing initially, Rory was at least glad they had a decent story for this issue of the Franklin, and before she knew it, lunch time was upon them.

"I should go," said Paris. "You'll be meeting Jess soon..."

"He doesn't get off work for another half hour," said Rory, checking her watch. "We could go and eat at the diner while I wait for him."

"We could?" asked Paris. "You and me?"

"No, me and the Pope." Rory rolled her eyes. "Of course, me and you."

Paris smiled then, a rare occurrence for her when it didn't result from the pain of another. The girls headed off to Luke's together and grabbed a table over by the counter. Luke himself took their order and then allowed Jess to finish a few minutes early to eat with his step-sister and his girlfriend. He asked them if they found any scandal and though Paris mentioned the censorship at the video store, she kept Rory's name out of it, which her friend appreciated. It really was quite embarrassing.

After that, they talked about other things - books and movies and school - as they ate their lunch together. They were a happy group, with no talk of the problems Paris and Jess were suffering at home. It was easy enough to forget such issues even existed when they were away from the house. Selfishly, Rory was glad of it. She really didn't want to think about the possibility of her boyfriend going away any time soon either.

They had taken too long to get this close, and Rory wasn't ready to not have Jess around. Sure, if he went back to New York some day, that wouldn't be the end of the world. It was a short drive from the Hollow, but it certainly wouldn't be the same as seeing him every day like she did now. It made her want to be closer to him, to spend every second she could with him. Her attention was certainly more in Jess' direction that aimed towards Paris by the time they were done eating. When the kissing started, Paris was quick to excuse herself from the display.

"Oh, Paris, we're sorry. You don't have to leave," insisted Rory.

"No, it's fine," she smiled almost genuinely. "Really, I'm not about to be third wheel on this date-like scene. I have better things to do."

"How will you get home?" Rory asked Jess as Paris gathered up her things to go.

"I'll catch a bus, it's fine," he assured her.

They waved goodbye to Paris who ended up bumping shoulders in Luke's doorway with another girl coming the other way. Rory looked up to see that it was Lane and smiled, but then immediately frowned as her best friend turned right around as if to leave again.

"Lane!" she called, diving from her seat and Jess' arms all in one go. "Lane, wait!" she yelled, giving chase. Rory caught up to her on the sidewalk, grabbing her sleeve. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Home, or wherever," said Lane with a shrug, hugging herself defensively.

"But... Well, why wouldn't you come in and hang out?" checked Rory, feeling confused by her friend's attitude.

Lane scoffed. "Because. You're with Jess, and Paris," she gestured down the street where said girl had just walked off. "You're with them. Again," she said pointedly.

"Well, I was with Paris, but she's leaving now," said Rory. "And yes, I am also with Jess, but why is that reason for you to leave? I'd really like for you guys to meet, at last. I've told him all about how cool you are."

Lane looked up from the pavement with a hint of a smile paying at her lips now. "Really?" she checked.

"Of course" Rory confirmed. "Lane, you're my best friend and Jess is my boyfriend. Of course I want you to meet each other, and maybe be friends too. Why would I not want that?"

"I don't know," Lane admitted with a shrug. "I wasn't feeling very best friendy lately."

"Lane!" Rory gasped. "You're always my best friend, you know that," she insisted, feeling bad that she ever thought anything else was true. "Is something else wrong?" she asked then, when Lane continued to squirm a little.

She looked as if she were going to deny it, even shaking her head to do so. A moment later, Lane reconsidered. She ought to tell the truth, to Rory above all others.

"I... Okay" she sighed eventually. "So I signed up to be a cheerleader," she admitted.

Rory's eyes were wider than Lane had ever seen them, but she didn't laugh, so that was something.

"Wow!" she said with genuine surprise. "I mean... Um, I'm sorry, it just doesn't sound like you."

"Well, I'm trying some different stuff," admitted Lane, just a little defensive still. "It sucks being at Stars Hollow High without you, and even though I don't blame you for wanting to go to Chilton and being smart enough to go, I need to have friends around for when you're not around," she explained. "I don't mean for that to sound offensive-"

"I know," Rory cut in quickly. "I get it, I do," she promised with a smile.

"Good," Lane nodded once, also smiling now, and everything seemed to be healed in a moment. "So, I get to meet the boyfriend?" she said, peering in through the glass for a better look.

Rory giggled and grabbed her hand to drag her into the diner. "Come on!"

In the end, Rory and Jess didn't get to spend all that much time alone together. Lane hung out with them for a couple of hours, first at the diner and then out in the square. Eventually, she had to get home, before Mrs Kim had her hide. By that time, Rory was within an hour of needing to get home in time to meet her mom for a movie night. She thought of inviting Jess to join, but soon changed her mind. Rory was wary of alienating her mother like she had Lane by having Jess (or even Paris) be a part of everything. She needed to find a balance, however tempting it was to have her boyfriend with her all of the time, not least because she was afraid of not having him around at all before long.

"So, Lane is cool," said Jess as Rory walked with him to the bus stop, his arm around her shoulders and hers around his waist.

"She is. Very cool," she agreed. "You guys sure had a lot of musical taste in common."

"She knows her rock and punk bands, and she doesn't think The Bangles are to be revered," he said with a smirk he couldn't help.

Rory slapped him in the chest for that remark but laughed anyhow. He liked to make fun of her taste in music sometimes, though they often agreed on what was and was not a good song or band most of the time. It was just one of many playful 'arguments' they liked to get into. Another famous one was his love of Ernest Hemingway versus her penchant for Ayn Rand. It was never any more than banter and usually ended in one of them kissing the other just to shut them up. Rory kind of loved it actually.

"One thing you're going to have to explain to me about Lane though," said Jess as they sat down together on the bench at the bus stop. "If she's dating Henry Cho, a guy who I have both Chemistry and Gym with, how come I've never heard him mention her before?" he asked curiously. "Not that I go around quizzing other guys on their dating lives, but y'know, locker room talk and all."

"Lane and Henry are... Well, their dating is pretty non-date-like," admitted Rory. "Given the way Mrs Kim keeps such a tight rein on Lane, it's kind of tough on her to date, or breathe within six feet of a guy that's not Mrs Kim approved," she said sadly.

"Huh," said Jess, a response Rory was well used to by now.

"But Henry has promised to come to the Bid A Basket auction next weekend," she said then, her head on Jess' shoulder where he couldn't see her face as she dropped an anvil-sized hint on him.

"Excuse me?" he checked. "He's coming to the what?"

"Bid A Basket auction," Rory repeated, moving to look at him. "It's this traditional event in Stars Hollow. All the women in town make up a basket of food, without telling anyone which basket is theirs. Then all the guys bid on the baskets, and they get a picnic lunch-date with the woman who made the basket that they win."

"Sounds about right for this psych ward you call home," said Jess with a look.

Rory forced a smile. "It's just a dumb tradition," she shrugged, knowing for sure now what she had already suspected - Jess was not going to come to town next weekend and bid on her basket, no chance.

"A dumb tradition that you love," he said, bumping her shoulder. "C'mon, tell me you don't?"

Rory couldn't help the genuine grin that spread across her face then. "Kind of, yeah," she admitted, feeling a little embarrassed about it all the same.

The bus arrived before another word could be spoken. Jess got to his feet and Rory followed suit, moving in close enough to kiss. Jess wasted no time in pulling her into his arms and letting his lips find hers as they bid each other goodbye for now.

"I'll call you," he promised, and then he was gone.

Rory stood and waited for the bus to leave, waving as it pulled away from the stop. Though she was sad to see Jess go, there was no way to keep the smile from her face. She was so happy to be dating him now, and couldn't really understand why she ever wasted so much time in getting to this happy point.

Turning around to head home, Rory spotted Dean across the way, walking hand in hand with a blonde that she recognised. Lindsay Lester was a nice girl, very nice actually. Rory vividly remembered a time on a fourth grade field trip to Mark Twain's house when Lindsay bought her a magnet that she couldn't afford herself. It seemed just a little strange to Rory to see her ex-boyfriend looking so happy with somebody else, but ultimately, she had to smile at the scene. Rory wanted Dean and Lindsay to be as happy, as happy as she and Jess were. Rory re-evaluated that statement and shook her head. Nobody could be as happy as she and Jess were right now, it just wasn't possible.

To Be Continued...