A/N: The inn opening is upon us! One more chapter after this, peops, because we're pretty much in happily ever after territory :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 25

"Y'know I really appreciate all your help this week, hon. I know you have much better things to do with your time than help Mommy with her inn."

Rory wasn't entirely paying attention to any significant look Lorelai was giving her when she spoke. They were at home, though if you walked in you probably wouldn't have recognised any part of the house, from the living room to the kitchen. Every surface was menus, fliers, linens, and other various items that were ready for the inn, despite the fact the building was not yet ready for any of it! Rory's focus was on the sorting and tidying they were here to do and not on her mother's inflection when she said 'better things to do'. That much was evident when she waved away Lorelai's concerns.

"C'mon, what's more important than helping you out in your time of need? I mean, look at all the times you were there for me, at exam times, and when I was freaking out about going to Yale, and so may other times I cannot even count. Besides, this inn is your dream, and why would I not want to be part of that?"

"Sweetheart, I love that you want to be a part of the Dragonfly, though just for the record, any dream world I'm living in, you are always a part of it, without question, capiche?" she said, turning Rory's head to look at her.

"I got it," she promised.

"Good," said Lorelai definitely. "But I was kind of being more specific about the things you would rather be doing than this stuff. I mean, it's Summer break. You're all young and in love. Maybe what I should have said was 'isn't there a person you'd rather be doing?'" she said, one eyebrow raised.

"Eeew, Mom!" Rory threw a pillowcase right into Lorelai's face. "God, that's just... Eew!" she repeated.

"I'm sorry." Lorelai laughed, removing the linen from the face. "Nice shot by the way."

Rory laughed too, because it was impossible not to, though she also knew she was turning beet red. It wasn't as if they were going to pretend that she and Jess weren't having sex. In point of fact, there had been a talk about it between Rory and Lorelai a while ago, about how she wasn't sure if she was ready but she wanted to be. Lorelai had said much the same as Lane, that when the time was right, she would just know. After the fact, Rory mentioned it to her mom again, and though Lorelai had looked a little freaked at first, she handled it pretty well in the end. Now she liked to make jokes about the fact Rory would stay over at Jess' apartment sometimes. Rory had to wonder if the humour was to hide the internal freak-out, though Lorelai denied it when she asked. The only serious talk on the subject had been after the first time.

"Okay, I have to ask two questions, and I'm very sorry if it's embarrassing for you, hon, but that's just the way it is," she had said, holding up her fingers to count off the points. "Number one, very important, please tell me you used the appropriate protection."

"Affirmative." Rory had nodded firmly. "What's number two?"

"Well, number two is... is probably not a question I should be asking in the circumstances because you're my daughter, but it's going to kill me not knowing, was it... okay?"

"Okay?"

"Um, I mean, you... He was nice to you, and made it okay for you, or good for you? I'm not asking if it was good exactly, because there are some places even I don't think this mother-daughter-but-also-best-friends relationship should go, but-"

"It was okay. He was very nice to me, and it was... good."

"Good."

The conversation had moved on to other topics then and the jokes had started soon after. Rory wasn't sure how other mothers handled their daughter having sex for the first time, but that was how it happened in her house, and they both seemed to be okay with it.

"For your information, I do not dislike being with Jess, and I do plan on seeing him later," Rory explained, refolding the pillowcase she had previously tossed at Lorelai and re-adding it to the neat pile on the table. "Between the diner and the book store, he's working a lot, and y'know even if he weren't, you are still a priority too. I can love my mother and my boyfriend, you know? It's not a choice or a competition."

"But if it were, Mommy would win," said Lorelai, a statement not a question apparently so Rory didn't feel the need to answer at all. "Well, the next job is to get all of this stuff into the storage boxes, and then-"

Lorelai was stopped from saying any more as a knocking started up on the front door. She put down the box she had only just picked up and carefully manoeuvred through the packed hall way to the door. She got a surprise when she opened it and saw who was on the porch.

"Hey, Jess," she greeted him pleasantly. "You looking for Rory?"

"Kind of," he said, as Lorelai ushered him inside. "I, er... She said she was helping you out with inn stuff today."

"She is that, and there's lots of it."

"I see that." Jess nodded as he looked around.

"Jess, what are you doing here?" asked Rory as she appeared from the kitchen and greeted him with a kiss.

"I got done at the bookstore, Luke doesn't need me, I thought maybe you guys needed another pair of hands?" He looked from Rory to Lorelai and back, wondering why they were both staring at him in such a strange way. "Did I grow a second head on the way over here, or...?"

"No, Jess. We're sorry," said Lorelai definitely. "I'm totally grateful for any hands I can get right now, and yours are very welcome, my friend. How are you at packing and shifting boxes?"

"I worked in the Wal-Mart stockroom for six months," he reminded her, pulling off his jacket. "Where do you want me?"

"Right this way."

Lorelai headed off and Jess moved to follow. Rory stepped in his path and surprised him with a tight hug and real big kiss for good measure.

"What's that for?" he asked, just a little bemused by the very pleasant moment.

"Nothing," said Rory, grinning big. "Just for being you."

Jess shook his head and rolled his eyes as he walked away, as if he had no idea why she was being so crazy. Rory knew he wasn't so dumb. He knew very well how sweet he was being and why it made her so happy. If he didn't want to say it, that was okay too. She was just very glad he was here.

It was a couple of hours later. Lorelai, Rory, and Jess had packed up everything for the inn into various carefully labelled plastic storage boxes, and now came the task of putting said boxes where they needed to be. With just five days to go until the weekend of the dry run, the contractors should be a little further along than they actually were. Lorelai was doing her best not to panic about it, but honestly, it didn't come easy. Consequently, whilst some of the stuff they had been dealing with could actually go into the parts of the inn that were more or less ready, others were to be stored at Sookie's and a few would be left at the Crap Shack.

"So, if I take this pile to Sook, could you guys get those two piles over to the Dragonfly? I will absolutely give you gas money."

"Mom, we don't want your money."

"Well, hon, maybe you don't, but Jess might."

"It's fine," he assured her. "It's not exactly far to go. Besides, I'm getting a free weekend in the place, right?"

"Yes, you are," said Lorelai, grinning too wide. "Okay, boxes in the cars! Ready? Okay!" she added, making cheerleader type movements with her arms.

In a second she had a box in her arms and was out the door before Rory could hardly blink. Jess shook his head, wondering what the hell just happened and then reached for a box of his own.

"She's trying to be comfortable," said Rory, picking up a lighter box herself. "My mom, with the whole you and me in the same bed thing."

"I figured," replied Jess. "Probably a little weird for her."

"It's a first anyway," Rory considered. "She's trying to be cool. I guess it has to feel strange though. Y'know when the kid you raised is adult enough to be doing that."

"I guess," Jess agreed. "Hey, don't look so worried. I don't exactly expect a girl's mom to be overjoyed that I'm sleeping with her daughter. Lorelai would be a whole new level of crazy if she was doing cartwheels about our sex life."

"Weird mental image. Not pleasant," said Rory, making a face as she followed Jess outside.

Honestly, he was just doing his best not to laugh.

Lorelai had instructed Rory and Jess as to where the boxes they were dropping off needed to go. She had also called ahead to Tom so he was aware there would be two interlopers in his construction zone. Being a good contractor and a pretty stand-up guy, despite his usual grumpy demeanour, Tom sent a couple of guys out front to assist in the box hauling the moment he heard Rory and Jess pull up onto the driveway. Unfortunately, of the guys he could spare, one turned out to be a little too familiar.

"Dean," said Rory, feeling a little surprised. "Hi. Er, how are you?"

"I'm good," he told her with a smile. "It's been a while. How's Yale?"

"Yale's good. I got done a few days ago. Freshman year all finished up, finals all good."

"That's... good," he replied, feeling silly for over-using that word right along with her.

Rory laughed and he joined in, at least until Jess walked up to the scene with a box in his arms. He dumped said box unceremoniously onto Dean, who grabbed it more by instinct than design.

"This one goes in the dining room. I got three more that goes with it," he said shortly.

"I don't take orders from you," Dean snapped.

"No, but you take orders from Tom, who takes direction from Lorelai. These instructions come from Lorelai, so move your ass, Hammer Boy."

"Jess!" Rory complained at his tone. "Just, come over here," she urged him, pulling at his sleeve.

He was glaring at Dean the whole time, even as she got him back over towards the car. Dean went inside with the box he was carrying, followed by the other guy who had come out to help.

"What was that?" asked Rory.

"I don't know, you're the one that used to date him," said Jess smartly.

Rory wasn't impressed by his attitude and it showed. "Seriously?"

"He just... That guy rubs me up the wrong way. Always has, always will."

"And I used to understand why, but now? After everything? Jess, this is crazy," Rory insisted. "You're being crazy. I'm with you, because I love you. I thought we moved past all the stuff from before. I thought we forgave each other."

"We did, we're fine," he promised when she started to look distressed. "This isn't about you, it's about him."

"So, Dean has done something to offend you that doesn't involve me?"

Jess opened his mouth to explain but then closed it again fast. She had a point. Rory always had a point and most of the time it was entirely valid. The only reason to hate Dean was because he used to date Rory, and because he seemed to be the one she liked better and trusted more even when she was dating Jess. At this point, it would be pretty dumb of Jess to hold onto all that stuff from the past. Dean had a wife now, whether they got along or not, and Rory was his, in every possible sense of the word. She loved him and only him. Sometimes Jess had trouble holding onto that fact and truly believing in it, even though Rory told him and proved it to him so often.

"I'm sorry," he said then, exhaling loudly. "I am, Rory, I'm just... I'm sorry."

"That's okay," she assured him, her hands on his shoulders. "Jess, I do understand why your natural instinct is to dislike Dean, but he hasn't done anything wrong, at least not recently. If you can forgive me and I can forgive you for everything that happened before, can't you just at least ignore Dean and not over-react when he's within three feet of either one of us?"

Jess considered what she was saying and then sighed. "Keep it to five feet or more and I probably can," he conceded.

"Deal." Rory giggled, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Now come on, we have boxes to move, and when we're done, maybe we could head over to your place."

"My place?" asked Jess, one eyebrow raised. "And why would you wanna go there?"

"Didn't you offer to cook me dinner?"

"I did," he recalled, though there had been nothing specific said about tonight in particular.

Rory smiled and pressed her body up close to his own, which Jess didn't mind at all.

"Good, because I plan on paying lots of compliments to the chef," she said, kissing him soundly.

"Let's move these boxes," said Jess the moment they parted.

Rory laughed and followed him in shifting the rest of their cargo into the inn at double-speed. It was nice to be helpful, and even nicer to get a reward at the end of it.

To Be Continued...