Title: Lovely Things

Author: Buffychick

Pairing: Rory/Jess (Literati)

Timeline: Two years after Rory graduates from college.

Disclaimer: Yeah, right.

A.N.: Basically, I started this, and if you like it, I'll keep going. If not...well, I may just keep going anyway, 'cause I can't get enough of Rory and Jess.

Feedback: Is delicious and keeps me writing (and more importantly, posting).

Jess was on the phone when Rory opened the door to their apartment more than a week later. Walking in she dumped her keys on the table just inside the door and carried her bag to the bedroom, giving Jess a curious glance as he spoke. He smiled at her, but held up a finger for her to wait and she slipped out of her jacket. Waiting patiently, she passed the time admiring his form wrapped in dark-washed denim and a thin black sweater.

"Yeah…yeah…" he said into the phone, "I think that's fine. I'll talk it over with Rory and call you back, okay? Yeah, see ya." He snapped his cell phone shut and walked over to Rory, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. "Hey."

"Hey," she said happily, looking up at him, her arms holding her body to him securely. "What's up?"

"Luke. He wants to know if we want to come down this weekend. Needs some help in the diner. Well, my help. Not yours."

She mentally ran over her assignments. "Um…I'll have to go to the station to do some editing on Sunday for a while, but I'm home Friday night and Saturday."

"You wanna go? Lane and Zach are going to a gig and Luke's short-handed."

She grinned happily. "I'd love to go home for a weekend."

"Cool."

She wiggled from his grip and changed into her standard evening-wear: yoga pants and a t-shirt. "Pizza tonight?"

"I cooked," he corrected.

"Ooh…yum!" she exclaimed happily. "What are we having?"

"Bruschetta chicken."

"Have I mentioned how much I adore you?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his waist and smiling up at him.

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and grinned back. "Once or twice."

"Well, I do."

"You only want me for my chicken."

"And your brownies," she added.

Jess snorted. "Gilmores."

"You love us."

He let Rory sleep while he worked the morning shift in the diner on Saturday. For the past couple weeks he couldn't help it, Jess had felt slightly on edge, chastising himself constantly as if the events of that day, that stupid, stupid day, were going to come back and bite him in the ass after all. Though Rory seemed okay, she hadn't objected when he burned the newspaper clipping.

They'd arrived the night before, staying in the apartment above Luke's diner once again, and Lorelei had brought Jake up to the diner for a late snack before taking him home for bed. It was a casual night, Jess and Rory retiring to the apartment for movies and making love in a casual, delectable fashion, slow and smooth without a care in the world. When he rose in the morning to head down for work, he'd kissed her on the forehead while she slept, reminding himself of how lucky he was that she'd stumbled back into his life again.

The morning went easily, few surprises, and not one but two encounters with Taylor that had both Luke and Jess in great moods by the time the breakfast rush was over. Tag-teaming Taylor had never been more fun, that part was certain. When Rory came down to eat Jess served her at the counter, complimenting her meal with a savory kiss that left her tingling and Ms. Patti and Babette whooping it up from their table.

Promising to be back later for the lunch crowd, Jess cleaned himself up and he and Rory headed out to take a walk around the town, which was preparing itself for the Winter Carnival that evening.

"Did you know that was this weekend?!" Rory asked excitedly as they circled the town square.

"Luke might have mentioned it," he told her casually.

Her eyes were wide, shining. "Can we go?"

"Do we have to?"

Her face fell and she glared at him. "Jess…"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Of course we can go. Like I thought I'd get out of it, coming down here this weekend of all weekends. I'm many things, but stupid isn't one of them."

"Yay!" Rory squealed, kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you! That's the perfect way to spend our night in Stars Hollow. The perfect trip."

He couldn't help but grin. "Wow. You know you have it completely made, right? I come down here to work, you sleep in, drag me to some unbearable hokey carnival…"

"Aw, poor put upon baby," she said, rubbing the sleeve of his jacket, bottom lip pouting.

He ruffled her hair, eliciting a squeal of annoyance from Rory before she ducked from his reach. Pulling her back to his side, he put an arm around her. "Do you want to go to the bookstore?" he asked as they avoided Kirk and Taylor arguing over the placement of the kettle corn booth.

"I don't care. I just want to look at everything. What about you?" she asked happily, completely at ease being back in her town.

Shoulder jerk. "We've got books in Boston."

"Did you see that little rare book store two blocks over on…I think it's Hardin Street?" she asked as they walked.

"Yeah, I saw it the other day, but it was closed. Not open on Mondays."

"We'll have to go check it out and make friends with the owner, score us some discounts."

Jess chuckled appreciatively. "Schemer."

"Entrepreneurial," she countered.

They continued to walk, hand in hand, meandering around the town without a whit of direction.

"Mrs. Briggs redid her front porch," Rory noticed.

Jess glanced over. "Looks nice."

"Yeah," she agreed. "So, um, I'm working on a new story for the station. I might get to do it on camera."

"Oh yeah?" he grinned. "My hottie girlfriend on tv?"

"Your brainy girlfriend on tv, at any rate. I'm still working on Alan to let me on air. No one's ever gotten on air in the first month of working there."

"'til Rory Gilmore walked in the door."

"We'll see," she said, slightly unsure but happy at the idea of it. "Ooh… Ms. Patti got a gazebo!" she cried suddenly.

"Just like everyone else in town!" Jess cried, mimicking her.

"We don't have a gazebo," she corrected. "We have a chuppah."

"Because your mother's crazy."

Rory ignored him. "Funny that Luke built the chuppah for my mom to get married under, and in the end she married Luke, and they didn't use the chuppah at all."

"They're not Jewish."

"I know. But it's still kind of ironic."

"If you mention rain on wedding days or free rides when you're already late I will seriously reconsider the carnival plan."

"Spoilsport." They rounded a corner and Rory suddenly stopped short. "I can't believe it's still uncovered."

Jess looked up, confused. "What? The bridge? Did you really think they'd ever cover it?"

"Well, just because it's never been covered in all the time I've lived here, despite yearly fundraisers to raise money for that exact purpose…"

He kissed her on the forehead. "Your optimism is really refreshing in this day and age."

"Come on," she grinned, rolling her eyes at him. Taking his hand she tugged him over until they were sitting in the exact middle of the wooden plank bridge, gazing out over the lake.

"I love this spot," Rory said happily.

He snorted. "You've obviously never been pushed in."

"I've never deserved being pushed in," she corrected.

"I liked it better the time I was eating that disgusting crap out of your picnic basket."

"Hey, you bought it."

"To drive Dean nuts. If I'd known what my stomach was in for I'm telling you, I'd have run the other way. Hell, I might have given Dean my money so he could bid it up. That would have been much more effective torture than watching me walk off with his girl."

"You're such a romantic."

"I can be," he protested.

She didn't say anything, just leaned her head on his shoulder as they sat together, fingers entwined, watching the few remaining ducks dive for food.

"Your lack of response leaves me thinking you don't believe me."

Rory's eyes glanced toward him curiously, without removing her head from his shoulder. "About what, that you'd give Dean your money? Yeah, you could say I don't believe you."

He sighed. "About me being romantic."

"Oh…well…"

"Yeah. I'm definitely getting a vibe of non-belief."

She patted his hand. "You've done plenty of romantic things for me before."

"Like what?"

"Riding in a carriage with me at the Bracebridge Dinner."

He barked out a short laugh. "What is it with you girls and horses? Besides, that was equal parts getting to be with you and driving Dean nuts. And we weren't together, and I didn't plan it, so it doesn't count."

"Okay…Sookie's wedding."

Jess shook his head. "It wasn't intentionally romantic, and though the kiss definitely upped the romance meter, you running away and then not speaking to me for three months dropped it down again."

"Getting another carriage when we went to the governor's dinner."

"Name something that doesn't involve the business end of a horse."

"Jess…"

"Like take right now. This is a textbook romantic situation. We've got the setting…pretty lake, dusting of snow on the ground, ducks…"

"Ducks aren't romantic."

"Shh..don't let them hear you say that, they're very sensitive," he whispered knowingly and she giggled. "Okay, so, say it's night."

Rory gave him a bemused smile, slowly becoming convinced he'd lost his mind. "Okay, it's night. Where is this going again?"

"Shh," he shushed her again. "Picture it. It's night. The trees…those right there, over there…" he told her, gesturing with his hands, "tons of white lights."

"Twinkle lights?" she asked hopefully, getting into the spirit.

"They could be," he conceded. Pointing to a clearing, "Over there, that's where the chairs go."

She glanced at him sideways from her vantage point on his shoulder. "There are chairs? What do we need chairs for?"

"Well, yeah, you have to have chairs," he continued, ignoring her. "That's where the guests sit. We could cut costs without the chairs, but I doubt your grandma's going to sit on the ground."

"My grandma?" she asked, sitting up. "Jess, what are you talking about? Are you getting too cold? Is your brain a little sluggish?" She put her gloved hands over his cheeks to warm him.

"Stay with me," he insisted. "So the chairs are there, lights are in the trees. I don't know about music, 'cause you know my taste isn't so traditional. Hey, we could even use the chuppah, it would probably fit on the bridge. Be pretty in pictures…"

"Jess…what…" Rory's mouth fell open as a thought slammed into her brain. "What are you talking about?" she whispered, heart racing.

He turned to face her, guiding her to do the same until they were sitting cross-legged on the bridge, knee to knee. "I'm talking about…I think this is the perfect place. A lot of things have happened to us here. I mean, it's kind of where it all started, you know? So…" He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. "If you'd like to marry me, Rory Gilmore, I was wondering if you'd like to do it here. On our bridge."

He opened the box to reveal a ring set in silver, unusual in that the band was a series of thin strands, looped together in a pattern that made no sense in a completely beautiful way. Scattered among the loops were diamonds, adding depth to the simple and delicate design.

Rory stared at him, then the ring, then back at him. "Oh…God." Any moment her heart was going to burst out of her chest, she was entirely sure of it. Putting a hand to the pounding, she gasped for breath. "Oh my God…"

"Is this a good panic?" he asked, leaning down to get a glimpse of her face as she sat, hunched over, across from him.

Rory took a deep breath, then another. Finally, she looked up. "You don't have to do this, Jess. We're okay, with the thing in the newspaper…"

He stopped her immediately with a violent shake of his head. "No. Don't. I don't want you thinking that. I've had this for months. I was just waiting for the right time. It's been in my pocket, every single day. Just in case that moment came up, I didn't want to be unprepared. I had it planned, or so I thought…but the minute I saw the bridge…it's now." Jess shifted closer to her, taking her hands in his, using one finger to lift her chin until she met his gaze dead on. "Rory. I want to marry you."

She pressed her lips together in an effort not to cry, trembling.

"This is the part where you give me an answer. No matter what it is," he prodded gently.

Rory looked into Jess's beautiful brown eyes, so deep and dark, and at the moment filled with a mix of uncertainty and hope. They searched hers for any glimpse of the answer he sought. It made him look so young, to have his face filled with such vulnerability instead of the sure confidence he usually exuded. Finally, she was able to offer him a small smile. "Of course I will," she told him softly.

He managed to look stunned and relieved at the same time. "Yeah?"

Her grin grew until it lit her entire face. "Yeah."

His face burst into a crooked grin and he kissed her hard, almost dropping the ring box. They laughed and she sniffled back tears as he removed her left glove and slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Perfect fit," she noted, gazing happily at the sight of the ring on her hand.

"I've been telling you that for years," he murmured, kissing her again. Glancing out over the water he smiled to himself. New York would have been all wrong. Maybe that's what he'd intended, but fate, as always, had intercepted his plans. And if he were honest with himself, he'd been waiting for this, for Stars Hollow, for the bridge. His whole life, he'd been waiting for Rory.