Thanks for the feedback! Lorelai's being a little unfair but I think being a mum can blindside you sometimes, especially in her case.

Later that Jess came over to Rory's but she only gave him a faint smile after they kissed.

"What's wrong?" Jess asked, frowning and Rory said miserably,

"I called Mom and told her about us. She isn't happy."

"What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything, I could just tell."

Jess nodded and Rory asked,

"Are you mad?"

"I'm not surprised."

"But are you mad?" Rory pressed and Jess shook his head.

"No, I'm not mad. I never expected her to stop hating me."

"Well, I'm mad!" Rory exclaimed. "She's being really unfair. She didn't even pretend to be happy."

"She's your mom, Rory. She doesn't trust me."

"I'm not asking her to trust you!" Rory said furiously. "I'm asking her to trust me! I'm an adult and you're an adult and she can't get past us being eighteen!"

"Because she's your mom. Liz was passed out for half my childhood and she still asks if I've drunk a glass of milk every day because the doctor recommended it when I was born."

Rory couldn't help smiling and he gave her hand a squeeze.

"Give her a break."

"How can you be so okay with her being like this about you?" Rory asked. "I'd be so angry if I were you."

Jess shrugged.

"I don't really blame her," he said. "Plus we never really saw eye to eye."

"Did you guys ever have a real conversation?"

"We had a chat over some Chinese food once," Jess recalled and Rory looked at him quizzically. "You weren't there, you were out with Dean at a book fair. I remember thinking you should have gone with me instead, we'd have both had a better time."

"Where were you? How'd you wind up in my kitchen?"

"Cleaning your gutters."

"It's coming back now!" Rory gasped. "The day I lost my bracelet and then I found it under my bed! I remember now, you'd gone when I'd got back and Mom was mad at you and I never found out why. What is it? Why are you looking so weird?"

"Nothing."

"It's why you fought!" Rory exclaimed and Jess tried to look away. "Tell me. I've waited long enough, haven't I?"

Jess didn't say anything but proceeded to look increasingly uncomfortable. Rory refused to back down and finally Jess said,

"Let me preface this by saying I was seventeen, very young very immature, liked the excuse of messing with people and that I would never do this now."

"Jess," Rory said in a dangerous voice and he coughed.

"You know how you lost your bracelet?" he said and Rory nodded. "I kind of...helped with that."

Rory frowned and then her eyes widened as the penny dropped.

"You took it!" she exclaimed. "You did, didn't you?"

Jess nodded and Rory shook her head.

"I can't believe I never figured that out," she said in disbelief. "Especially as you gave the helpful hint of exactly where to look."

"It didn't take your mom as long to work it out. Guess I made it kind of obvious after she caught me wandering out of your room while you were running round town searching for the stupid thing."

"I wondered why she was so mad at you," Rory said. "She refused to say. I can't believe she never told me – I can't believe you never told me! Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I was ashamed of myself," Jess said uncomfortably and Rory looked at him, folding her arms. "Okay, not at first," he admitted. "I wanted you to be my girlfriend and I knew chances of that were going to get fairly reduced if I told you I stole precious Dean's bracelet but I did feel bad, later on, but it felt too late to tell you."

"When did you take it?"

"When it fell off your wrist at the picnic."

Rory stared at him, lost for words.

"Would you ever have given it back?" she asked eventually.

"If you'd ever noticed."

"I only noticed because Dean did," Rory remembered. "It was probably over already."

"It was still a jerkish thing of me to do," Jess said sheepishly. "Your mom was right to be so mad at me about it."

"She shouldn't be so mad at you now," Rory said. "It was such a long time ago."

"Yeah, but time doesn't mean much when you're looking out for your kids."

"When did you get so reasonable?" Rory demanded, making him laugh. "That's not fair."

"It came from drinking a glass of milk every day," Jess said seriously and Rory burst into laughter. "Look, you guys will make up soon," he said, giving her a kiss. "You always do."

"We're pretty good at fighting, remember?"

"I think that could only happen once in the universe," Jess said, making her giggle again. "You're not going to fight for long on this, okay? Trust me."

"Why should I trust you?" Rory asked and he grinned and said,

"Don't I look trustworthy?"

"You're a bracelet thief, Dodger," Rory said teasingly. "I can't be sure yet."

"I'll have to make you sure," Jess said and he pulled her towards him and gave her a fierce kiss.

Lorelai called the following evening and as Rory answered the phone they both said,

"I'm sorry," at the same time.

"Why are you sorry?" Lorelai asked in surprise. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I just am," Rory said. "I'm sorry I was mad."

"Oh hon, you don't have to apologise for anything. You were right to be mad. I should have sounded happier on the phone."

"I don't want you to sound happy if you're not," Rory said. "I mean, it might make things smoother but I don't want you to lie to me. I know you don't like him. I know you don't want him to be with me again."

"Rory."

"I'm not mad," Rory said and then she shook her head. "Well, maybe a little, but I'm trying not to be. I get why you don't like him but I don't think it's fair."

"Rory, I really don't want to be someone who can't forgive someone for what they did as a kid," Lorelai said unhappily. "And I know neither of you are kids anymore, it's just hard for me to remember that sometimes."

"I know, Mom."

"You know I want you to be happy," Lorelai said desperately. "And if you've both moved on and want to try again then I want to be happy for you."

"You want to be?"

"Hey, I'm working on it."

"Mom, Jess isn't that boy with all those issues anymore. You just judge him for what he did when he was eighteen. He's an adult, he's an author and I really think you'd like him."

"Let's not get too optimistic."

"Let's not just decide to dislike him automatically!" Rory exclaimed and Lorelai fell silent. "Mom, you know you're not being fair. You did some crazy stuff when you were sixteen, it wouldn't be fair if everyone was just treated by that."

"He didn't make anyone pregnant, did he?"

"Mom!"

"Okay, okay, I get your point. It's just hard, Rory. I'm your mom, sometimes logic goes out of the window."

"That's what Jess said."

"Really?"

"He said it's harder when it's your kid," Rory said and Lorelai was slightly lost for words.

"Wow. Sounds like he really has grown up."

"He's sorry about the bracelet thing."

"The bracelet thing? The Dean bracelet? He told you, after all this time?"

"How come you never did?" Rory demanded. "He told me how you figured it out and that's why you were so mad. How come you never told me? I thought you didn't want us to be friends, I thought you'd be telling me the moment you found out."

Lorelai was silent for a moment.

"You were so happy," she said eventually. "When you found your bracelet and I didn't want to ruin it for you."

"I guess."

"And it was because of something Jess said," Lorelai continued, sounding uncomfortable. "I told him he was a jerk, that he was just jealous of Dean and how much you guys loved each other but then he asked me how it was that it had been two whole weeks since you'd noticed it was gone and I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what you would say. I liked Dean, he was so good to you and he was making less than a stellar impression. I didn't want to make you feel horrible about not noticing for so long. I didn't want to make you rethink your relationship."

"Yeah," Rory said sadly and Lorelai said anxiously,

"I'm sorry I never told you."

"It's okay. I probably wouldn't have told me if I'd been you."

There was a small silence and then Rory asked curiously,

"What did you talk about?"

"Huh?"

"You and Jess? When I was out and you had Chinese, what did you talk about? Jess said you had a chat."

"Oh wow, that's going back. We talked about how he hated team sports, I remember that, and about how no one could eat healthier than Luke, not even Yule Gibbons. That made me laugh. He was sort of shy, it was sweet, in a way. He said he wasn't any good at small talk."

"Doesn't sound too terrible."

"He was trying," Lorelai said with a small laugh. "Too bad he wrecked it with the bracelet felony."

"He was trying? Trying to do what?"

"To be nice to me, I guess," Lorelai said thoughtfully. "And I never understood why."

Rory was silent and memory swept into her brain, a teenage girl telling off a sarcastic boy and she smiled to herself.

"I know why," she said softly. "I know."

Lorelai waited for an explanation but none came.

"I'm going to let you go, Rory," she said. "Are we okay now?"

"Of course we're okay."

"I am sorry," Lorelai said honestly. "I will try to give him a chance. Maybe...maybe he could come over sometime."

"Really? For dinner?"

"Maybe not dinner...something, anyway."

"Okay," Rory said, slightly in disbelief. "That'd be nice."

"Well, we can talk about it later. Bye, sweets."

"Bye, Mom."

After the phonecall Rory went to Jess's apartment. Chris was playing a video game so they went into Jess's room and sat on the bed.

"I called Luke," Jess told her. "I told him about us."

"Wow. What did he say?"

"That."

"Huh?" frowned Rory and Jess laughed.

"He said wow. He just said that about five times."

"Was it a good wow or a bad wow?"

"Luke isn't a man of many words. Good, I think. I think he was a little in shock."

"I'm sure him and Mom are analysing it to death as we speak," Rory said and Jess chuckled. "She called me just now. We made up."

"I said you would."

"She wants you to come over," Rory said and Jess stopped and stared at her. "She wants to try to like you."

"She wants to try to me like me?" Jess exclaimed. "And she thinks the place to do that is Stars Hollow?"

"It might not be so bad."

"It's Stars Hollow!"

"Well, we didn't make a real plan," Rory said, taking his hand. "And it would probably just be at our house and you might get to see Luke."

Rory could see him biting back a sarcastic remark and he sighed.

"I guess. I'll try, too."

"I know you will," smiled Rory and she gave him a kiss. "Thank you."

"It's no big deal."

"I mean for the Yule Gibbons reference," Rory said, kissing him again and, utterly confused but not complaining, Jess kissed her back.

Lorelai sighed and headed to Luke's for emergency doughnuts and icecream. It was late and the diner was nearly empty but Lorelai still sat up at the counter. Luke raised his eyebrows.

"Who died?"

"No one died," Lorelai said irritably. "I just had an awkward conversation with Rory."

"I just had an awkward conversation with Jess, so that makes two of us."

"Jess called?" Lorelai asked, looking up. "What did he tell you?"

"What makes you think there was something to tell?"

They stared at each other for a moment and then Lorelai said,

"You know, don't you?"

"That Rory and Jess are back together? I hope that's all I'm meant to know."

"I certainly hope there aren't any more surprises. Can you bring me about fifty doughnuts?"

"How about twenty instead?"

"Fine."

Luke emerged shortly with a plate of them and icecream on the side and Lorelai sighed gratefully.

"My hero."

"My superpower is supplying doughnuts and icecream?"

"And it's a fine one at that."

Luke rolled his eyes and let Lorelai eat. After the plate was half empty she groaned and sat back, holding her stomach.

"I feel sick now but it was totally worth it."

"I take it you're not over the moon about their relationship?" Luke asked, a twinkle in his eye and Lorelai made a face.

"I'm trying to be happy about it. I guess it's not that easy seeing as the last time I saw him he'd gone and broken my daughter's heart...though technically, it's not the last time I saw him. That wasn't great either."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know the time I went to New York to see Rory?" Lorelai asked and Luke nodded. "Well, I walked into her apartment and saw them, er, getting to know each other again."

"What?" Luke exclaimed. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Oh, that would have been a great conversation piece! Hi Luke, I just went to New York and saw your nephew having sex with my daughter! How about some coffee?"

"So that's why you and Rory were being so weird! They've been going out that long?"

"They weren't going out at that point," Lorelai said and he gave her an odd look. "They were...I can't think of a phrase which isn't totally gross."

"That's okay, I get the picture. I can't believe my nephew. I can't believe he didn't tell me, though I guess it's Jess, he sounds like he's being tortured whenever he picks up the phone, like it's so hard to say hello."

"If it makes you feel any better, Rory didn't tell me about any of it until I caught them. I wonder when she would have told me – if she would have told me."

"Maybe she didn't know you'd have had such a great reaction."

"I'm trying," Lorelai said miserably. "I really am."

Luke nodded and Lorelai ate some more doughnuts before looking up curiously.

"Hey, what do you think about all of this?"

"Me? I think it's great," Luke said honestly. "I really do."

"Seriously?"

"He's always been crazy about her and, look, I know this was years ago but he always seemed to care more around her."

Lorelai gave him an odd look and Luke added,

"He was more focused. He wanted to try. Do you remember when he wouldn't study? Rory was the only one he'd listen to."

"Luke, I hate to make it into something crude but I think that was because he wanted to get into her good books, as well as somewhere else."

"Yeah, I know all that, but I think it was something more. When he published his first book one of the first things he said to me was I can't wait to tell Rory. I couldn't have done it without her."

Lorelai let out a sigh.

"I know he's grown up now," she eventually. "It's just hard to remember that sometimes. On Monday she missed work to spend the whole day with him."

"Seriously?"

"She did that in school," Lorelai said. "On my graduation day she took a bus to Manhattan to see him and both times she said to me that she hadn't meant to do it."

"It sounds like something you would do."

"Oh, don't you dare get all Freudian on me or I'll climb over that counter and punch you," Lorelai said dangerously. "Jess is far from my kind of guy as you could get."

"I'm just saying that you like being impulsive and from what I've heard about your teenage years grabbing a bus to Manhattan for fun sounds like something you'd do without thinking about."

"Yes, me, not Rory!"

"She's your daughter. You two are pretty alike. Didn't Christopher have a motorcycle?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Jess has a leather jacket."

"Oh, they are so not alike!" Lorelai exclaimed, flabbergasted. "Haven't you met Chris?"

"I know they're not alike, I'm just saying they both had a dangerous air."

"Please don't say Rory seeing Jess is like marrying her father or I'll throw up all over this counter."

"I'm not saying anything like that, I'm just saying you both have a lot in common and it's not surprising that you'd like some of the same things in a guy."

"God, I think I'd die of boredom if I went out with Jess," Lorelai said after a shocked pause. "Listening to him talk about books all day?"

Luke started laughing. Lorelai looked annoyed for a moment and then started laughing as well.

"Seeing as he's my nephew and your daughter's boyfriend I think it would be more than weird if you went out with him," Luke remarked. "Freud would have a field day."

"Yeah, well, Freud's a creep," said Lorelai firmly and then was silent for a moment. "He's her boyfriend again," she said, shaking her head. "It's so weird."

"Are you really upset?"

"No," Lorelai, said shaking her head. "I'm working on it anyway. Here, Yule Gibbons, have a doughnut."

"Yule Gibbons?" frowned Luke, taking one and Lorelai laughed.

"Never mind. Just eat."