A/N: Thanks for all those fab reviews, reader peops! :) Finally, finally, I have got to the end of this first episode that I was trying to rewrite, but trust me, there will be many more episodes/chapters in due course, at least, that's the plan ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 4

Jess had expected Rory to want to stay with her mom for a while longer, but when he got back to the car and asked Frank to take him home, the driver told him he was to wait for the young miss.

After a half-hour of sitting in the back of the limo, biding his time, Jess considered going back up to the house to ask what the plan was. If Rory did want to stay longer, maybe Frank could drop Jess home and come back for her later. Just as he was opening up the car door, he saw her coming out of the house, waving to him as she rushed down the driveway.

"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting," she said, pushing her hair back behind both ears as she practically fell into the limo. "Mom kept insisting I get back to Yale, and I knew I should, but it was tough to leave her when she's so sad and everything."

"I'm sure she'll be okay," said Jess, knowing it was probably a dumb thing for him to tell Rory when he really had no idea how well Lorelai might recover from her break-up.

Honestly, he just wanted Rory to feel better, to not worry too much. Not only was she much prettier when she was smiling, but on a much less shallow level, the world seemed like a better place if she was happy. It was crazy to think Jess had known her for less than a day and already he was being this sappy, but there was nothing much he could do about it, apparently.

"Thanks, Jess," she said then, finding him a smile, even if it did look a little shaky. "And not just for what you said about my mom. I really do appreciate all your help, with the grocery shopping, and the TV, and just basically being a friend. I know that sounds a little nuts when we only met yesterday, but... well, I'd like to think this is the start of a beautiful friendship, isn't it?

"Can't think of a better phrase for it." Jess shrugged easily.

Her smile grew brighter and more genuine when she heard that. "And to think I almost regretted asking Logan if he wanted me to come over to his dorm and hang out. I mean, I wasn't exactly expecting a group situation..."

Jess hated that he had to fight not to wince when she said that. Like he didn't know that Rory was one of Logan's girls, for lack of a better term, which obviously put her off limits to him, at least for now. Turning away from her, he tapped on the screen to get Frank's attention and then asked him to head for the Huntzberger place.

"Very good, sir," he said politely, putting the car into gear and pulling off the driveway.

They went along in silence for a while, not really uncomfortable, at least not on Jess' side, but it probably would've been better if they were talking. He felt like maybe he should apologise for not letting Rory continue when she was talking about her feelings for Logan, but honestly, he just didn't want to hear that right now. Maybe that was wrong, maybe it was selfish, but he really couldn't help it.

"So, are you staying in Hartford for long?" she asked eventually.

Jess was very glad of a question to answer, and a complete subject change from earlier too.

"The situation is kind of fluid right now," he told her honestly. "I had to get out of my last place but I didn't really have anywhere else to go. Joe, my ex-step-dad, he's one of those guys you can just rely on, you know? If I call him, he's cool with letting me come stay a while, and the Huntzbergers never seem to mind much."

"I'm guessing you lived there with Joe and your mom when you were a kid, right?" Rory checked.

"For a couple of years." Jess nodded. "Then came the divorce and Liz skipped out. She took me with her, obviously, but... well, there were circumstances. It's kind of a long story, but I came back to Hartford a few times to stay with Joe back then, and later... I don't know, I've done a lot of bouncing around in my time. First with Liz, then by myself. I'm not really a settle in one place kind of guy, I guess."

"Wow." Rory shook her head. "That sounds so weird to me. I mean, not weird, but just not like my life. I only ever lived in two houses and they were both in Stars Hollow. Well, I guess I lived in Hartford for a little bit when I was born, but I don't remember that far back. Just the potting shed at the inn and then our house in Stars Hollow, oh, and now, Yale, obviously, but I've never been anywhere else. I can't imagine what that's like."

"I can't imagine staying in one place the whole time," Jess countered, "or being so close to my mom like you are with yours either."

It was strange to think about, how he and Rory could have so much in common, and yet, come from such different backgrounds. It seemed they both had young, single mothers, but as to the rest, so very different.

Before they could discuss it any further, the limo pulled up to a stop and Frank let them know they had arrived at the Huntzberger place.

"This is my stop," said Jess, reaching to open the door. "You've never seen the house, right?" he said then, gesturing for Rory to take a look.

Curiosity drew her out of the car with him and Jess watched with some amusement as her eyes went wider than wide and her jaw practically hit the floor. The Huntzberger house often got that kind of reaction from any 'normal' people who saw it. By that, Jess meant the not super-rich folks, like himself and Rory.

"Wow!" she said, shaking her head slightly. "This is just... I mean, I guessed Logan had a big house. My grandparents, they live in Hartford too, and their house is on the larger side, but this is just... wow!"

"I'm going to let it slide that the wannabe journalist can't come up with a better word than 'wow' right now, because you've had a long day and you're tired," said Jess kindly.

"Thank you," she said, grinning as their eyes met. "No, seriously, Jess, thank you," she repeated then, her hand on his arm. "I know I said it already, but all your help today, it really means a lot. If I could repay the favour..."

"Hey, I didn't do it to get something back," he assured her. "You needed a friend."

"I did." Rory nodded. "And you were a friend, Jess. You are and I'm grateful, really."

"Not a problem," he assured her. "I hope your mom feels better soon, okay?"

"Thank you," she said one more time, even as he began to walk away up the path towards the house. "Um, maybe I'll see you around sometime, at Logan's dorm?" she called after him.

Jess didn't want to delude himself by thinking she sounded hopeful, but he could almost believe that she did. Turning back around, he nodded his head at her.

"Maybe," he said, lifting his hand in a brief wave and watching her climb back into the limo to leave.

He stayed at the top of the driveway until the car disappeared from sight and then he sighed. He really hoped he did get to see Rory again, even if wishing for something so pointless did make him a fool. She had come looking for Logan last night, not him, and she still seemed plenty interested in hanging with Huntzberger. Since they were all friends, Jess knew he should respect that his friend saw Rory first, for lack of a better phrase, but that really wasn't going to be easy if he did get to see her again. Maybe it really would better all around if he never did.

Rory wasn't sure what she was feeling when she arrived outside of Logan's door back at Yale. The last twenty-four hours had not gone at all like she thought they would, but in the end, she couldn't exactly say she had any regrets.

It would've been better if her mom wasn't so broken over splitting up with Luke, but for Rory herself, as much as she was pissed at Logan for letting her walk into a group event when she was expecting one-on-one, things hadn't turned out so badly.

"Hey, Ace, how you doing?" he asked as he opened the door to her knock.

"Fine," she said shortly, heading inside when he offered her the chance. "I can't stay," she told him then. "I'm just returning Frank and the limo. Thank you for the loan."

"Everything okay back home?" asked Logan, frowning a little.

"Okay enough. It was good that I went, and Jess was just great, actually," she added with a smile that came all too easily to her lips. "You know, he's a really nice guy? Well, yes, I guess you would know that, since he's your friend and you've known him a really long time," she said, rolling her eyes.

When she looked at Logan then, she wondered what the strange expression on his face was all about. He almost looked mad about something, but she couldn't think what the problem would be. She had borrowed his car and driver because he insisted she should. She took Jess along with her because he offered and Logan never made any suggestion that they shouldn't go together for any reason. Rory really couldn't think why it would be a big deal to him.

"Logan?" she checked. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," he told her, frown melting away, though he still wasn't exactly looking happy. "Uh, I'm glad you got to help out your mom, and if Jess was useful to you, so much the better, right?"

"Well, useful probably isn't the right word," said Rory, taking her turn to frown a little then. "You make him sound like an errand boy or something. I mean, yes, I know, he's your dad's valet's step-son, so kind of more like the help than your other friends, but he was so kind to me, even though we barely know each other."

"Sounds to me like you know each other pretty well actually," said Logan, a little snippily, Rory thought. "He give you our whole history or just the highlights?" he asked, arms folding across his chest.

Rory shook her head. "Jess told me some stuff about himself, but not about you," she insisted. "He said exactly what I just told you. That his step-dad, Joe, works for your dad, and that you guys have known each other off-and-on since you were kids. Why would it matter that he told me that?"

To his credit, Logan did look awkward and a little ashamed of himself for being so weird. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to stave off a headache. Rory couldn't imagine what had him so wound up, unless...

"I'm sorry, Ace," he said then, keeping her from finishing a thought that would probably lead to no good anyway. "I'm being an idiot. I didn't get much sleep in the last forty-eight hours, I think it might finally be catching up to me," he admitted, finding her a smile. "Forgive me?"

"For what?" she checked. "The snapping about Jess? Or the fact that when I called to hang out last night and you invited me over, I found your room had turned into Reno?"

The frown was back on Logan's face when she asked those questions, though she wondered at his confusion in the circumstances. Either way, Rory decided to spell it out for him.

"Did it ever occur to you when I called to ask you if you wanted to hang out that I meant that it should just be the two of us?"

Logan shook his head. "I actually wasn't sure, the whole thing was a little vague."

"It wasn't vague."

"No, hanging out is a little vague. It's not a specific boy-girl thing."

Rory opened her mouth to counter but then changed her mind. After all, she fast realised that Logan had a point. Besides, at the end of the day, she knew he didn't owe her anything. She had told him at her grandparents' vow renewal that she was looking for casual, not serious. Hanging out, be it alone together or in a group, it was still hanging out and it was definitely casual. Maybe she didn't have a genuine reason to be mad at him. Maybe she should even be thanking him.

"You're right," she said at last. "It was vague, and hey, in the end, it worked out for the best," she noted with an easy smile. "If you hadn't invited me over when you had company, I might never have met Jess, and that would've been a shame."

It wasn't supposed to be a goading remark. She wasn't looking to make Logan jealous in any way, but the expression he wore then suggested that was exactly what he was feeling. Before she had a chance to ask him about that, or even really process the thought, the green-tinged look was gone and Logan was talking again.

"So, I have to go out of town for a few days," he said, stepping in closer to Rory. "I was going to give you a call to set something up for when I get back, but you called me first."

"Set something up," she echoed, meeting his eyes, "meaning just you and me?"

"Meaning exactly that, Ace," he promised her with a smile.

Rory grinned back at him, finding it impossible not to. "Sounds good."

"Yeah, to me too," Logan confirmed, leaning in to briefly kiss her lips. "So, next Saturday?"

"Next Saturday," she agreed, taking her turn at kissing him next. "And now, I have to go. Thanks again for the car... and Frank... and Jess," she listed, even as she headed for the door. "Bye!" she called as she let herself out.

"Bye, Ace," she heard behind her, right before the door closed.

She completely missed the growl of frustration that escaped Logan once she was gone. She had no idea he was pulling out his cell phone and calling home, barking at the poor maid that picked up about how he needed to talk to Jess, right now. A minute later, his old buddy was on the line, asking what was up.

"Just checking in," said Logan tightly, hoping Jess wouldn't pick up on any weird tone in his voice. "How were things with Rory and her mom?"

"Fine," said Jess in his ear. "We picked up some post-break-up food, Rory spent some time with Lorelai, made sure she was okay, then Frank brought me home. He was bringing Rory back to Yale after that. I'm amazed they're not there yet."

"They're back," Logan confirmed. "Rory was just here, actually, but I wanted to hear from you that things were cool."

"Well, things are cool," Jess assured him. "Are you okay, man? Did Rory say there was a problem or-"

"No, no problem," said Logan fast. "I was just checking she hadn't driven you crazy or anything. She's a great girl, but she can really talk, you know?"

"Yeah, I got that part." Jess sounded way too much like he was smiling, as if he was thinking some really nice thoughts about the girl that Logan absolutely didn't plan on sharing. "Don't worry, man. Me and Rory got along just fine, and now the errand is run, I'm trying to get through the rest of Swann's Way before your dad realises I took it from his library."

Logan laughed at that, he couldn't help it.

"I told you, man, borrow whatever you want. Mitchum hardly ever reads those books anyway, he mostly has them for show. Seriously, Jess, take what you want and don't even worry about it. For all I care, you can keep that book and any others you want too."

"Thanks, Logan," said Jess, sounding genuinely grateful, "but I'll put them back when I'm done, you know I will."

He did know that, because Logan knew that, despite being one of the lower-classes, to coin a phrase, Jess was a guy he could trust. It made him feel bad to realise he had ever doubted him. After all, they had known each other since they were eight years old and never once had Jess given Logan a reason to think he would do him wrong.

"Uh, I'll be dropping by the house late tonight before I head out of town for a few days," he said then. "If you're around, we'll hang out a little before I have to go."

"Sure, we can do that," Jess agreed. "I'll see you then."

"Yeah, see you then." Logan nodded to himself, since his friend couldn't see him. "And thanks again, you know, for being there for Rory."

"Not a problem."

The call ended then and Logan stood staring at his cell phone for a good couple of minutes after that. He could trust Jess, he absolutely knew that he could, and he was pretty sure he could trust Rory too, actually.

Even if he couldn't, he and Rory had agreed their relationship was strictly casual, so it shouldn't matter either way. That being true, Logan had no real explanation for the twisting feeling in his gut when he thought too much about Rory and Jess being friendly with each other.

He decided it was probably best he just didn't think about it at all, especially when he was away for the next few days. Besides, there would be no reason for Rory and Jess to see each other again, especially when he wasn't around to cause another meet-cute. Even after that thought, the twisting guts feeling remained. Logan didn't care for it one little bit.

To Be Continued...