Disclaimer: Everything's mine... I wish. It's not, though.

'Psst.'

Dr Mariano continued carrying his lunch tray through the cafeteria, looking for a free table. Then again,

'Psst.'

He stopped and looked to his side to see Dr Gilmore sitting on a nearby table, sunglasses on, a huge cup of coffee steaming before her. She made him an impatient sign to come closer.

He rose an eyebrow but approached anyway.

'It's raining outside, you know,' he sighed, studying her peculiar appearance. The white coat was in stark contrast with the big dark shades she was wearing, plus it had been raining cats and dogs the whole day and the whole dress-up looked pretty absurd.

'Can you...' she looked around to see if anyone was watching, ignoring his comment, 'will you sit for a second?'

'I'm fine standing, thank you,' Jess sighed, obviously not in for the whole secrecy of the situation.

'I...' she looked around again, 'I wanna ask you something. Sit. Please?'

Jess gave her a long look before he put his tray down and sat.

'You ordered aubergine?' she rose an eyebrow disbelievingly, focusing on his lunch tray.

Jess didn't answer, continuing to eye her expectantly.

'You really are gonna eat this, aren't you?' she scrunched her nose with disgust.

'This is what you wanted to ask?' he asked, impatience making its way through his voice. 'Cause if we're done here...'

'No, no,' she reached a hand to stop him if he stood up to go. He didn't, so she just put her hand back awkwardly. 'I wanted to... What I wanted to ask is' she looked around again and continued almost whispering. 'Did we... do something... last night, I mean?'

Jess blinked a couple of times, as if assimilating the question.

'Something.' he repeated, as if checking he heard her right.

'I mean...' she stopped and licked a lip, 'you know, something,' she stressed meaningfully.

'Oh,' he frowned. 'Something.'

She waited expectantly, but he didn't continue. Her fingers were tap-tapping over the styrofoam coffee cup in a fast rhythm.

'Well?' she urged at last.

'What makes you think we did?' he asked instead.

'I...' she blushed fiercely. 'I'm just recollecting the memories,' she explained matter-of-factly.

Jess scratched his head.

'You really were that drunk, eh?' he asked.

'I... will you answer already?' she sighed with frustration, her fingers going wild over the cup.

'Yes.'

Her fingers froze.

'Yes what?'

He rolled his eyes, the conversation obviously drawing his own patience out.

'Yes, Rory, we did something.'

'Oh boy. I can't...' she shook her head in disbelief, 'I can't remember anything. I must've been asleep. Well, half asleep, obviously.'

Then, as if remembering something,

'God, I wasn't fully asleep, was I?'

'Huh,' Jess crossed his arms before his chest. 'I doubt it, considering you must've woken up the whole neighborhood.'

Her face went dark crimson and he could swear her eyes doubled their size under the shades.

'I... did?'

'You really don't remember anything?' Jess narrowed his eyes. 'Even the whipped cream?'

'What... what whipped cream?' her voice came out thin, almost a squeal.

'When you asked me to take cream out of your fridge and spread it all over...'

'Wait a sec,' she frowned then, 'I don't have any whipped cream in my fridge.'

'Damn,' Jess huffed, disappointed. 'I knew I shouldn't have been so specific. And I was just getting to the juicy part,' he smirked, shaking his head.

'You... You bastard,' Rory exclaimed, then looked around to see if she had drawn any attention, 'You made up all this!' she accused in a loud whisper.

Jess looked at her, brows raised, hardly suppressing a laugh.

'What was I supposed to do?' he cocked his head to the side, a wide smirk spreading over his lips. 'You accused me of taking advantage of an unconscious person, my ego is hurt,' he explained in mock offense.

Rory took her coffee and stood up to leave, obviously mad at him for his prank.

'This was low,' she said indignantly, 'even for you.'

'You were ready to believe it nonetheless,' Jess shrugged. His eyes had a playful glitter in them, but his look was firm when he held her gaze and she felt an urge to leave, refusing to face her defeat.

'I need your help.'

'Huh,' Rory rose a brow disbelievingly. 'Dr Know-It-All-Mariano needs help? Sorry if I don't believe.'

'Look,' Jess ran a hand through his hair, 'I'm serious. It's about a patient.'

She eyed him suspiciously but he looked pretty serious.

'Okay, boy who cried wolf,' she sighed, 'I still owe you for that pulmonary embolism patient anyway.'

'You have a diagnosis, why do you need me?' Rory asked incredulously ten minutes later. They were outside the examination room where a teenage girl was sitting on a couch, waiting.

'Look,' Jess looked to his side, 'she's a sixteen year old who would rather die than talk to me about her sex life, so my diagnosis doesn't mean shit right now.'

'You sure it's extrauterina?' Rory narrowed her eyes, looking at the girl again.

'I can't be sure if she won't talk to me and let me run the tests.'

Rory nodded once.

'This her dad over there?'

Jess looked towards the other end of the corridor where a young man was playing with a toddler boy.

'The one with the kid, yeah.'

'You haven't talked to him yet?'

'I wanted to talk to her first.'

'Okay,' Rory nodded again, making a step towards the examination room. She stopped at the door, as if remembering something, 'You were one of those boys?' she asked, turning towards him, 'The ones who hit it and ran?'

There was no accusation in her voice. She was simply asking.

'I...' he sighed wearily and sratched his nape, 'I guess I was, sometimes.'

'You grew up,' she smiled a small smile before she went in.

'What did you tell her?' Jess approached her in the rest room afterwards. There was a mixture of awe and surprise in his voice that you didn't get to hear often.

Rory looked up from the bench where she was tying her shoes.

'Who?'

'Sixteen year old with ectopic pregnancy,' Jess elaborated.

'Nothing,' Rory shrugged, continuing to tie her right shoe.

'Come on, you must've told her something,' Jess insisted, curiosity evident in his voice.

'We talked about dads,' Rory shrugged, moving on to the left shoe.

'Well...' he leaned against the lockers, putting his hands in his pockets, 'Thanks. She agreed to run the tests.'

'Good,' Rory nodded, taking her messenger bag from the bench and standing up to leave.

'You ever talk to your dad?' Jess asked then. He had put the question quietly, as if trying not to press it.

Rory stopped at the door.

'Why?'

'I never talked to mine,' he shrugged. 'I think I would, if he ever came around. It might be ugly, though. I have a pretty acid speech prepared for the occasion.'

She smiled, then bit her lip, thinking over her answer.

'He calls. Occasionally. On Thanksgiving or Christmas. He has his other family now, so we don't get to meet a lot.'

Jess studied her, then asked,

'This Luke guy, he okay?'

Rory smiled at the thought of Luke.

'Yeah,' she nodded. 'Yeah, he is.'

'Good,' he bumped himself off the lockers, smiling strangely. Or at least she thought so.

'Bye, Jess.'

He gave her an aknowledging nod, watching as she left.