Thanks for the feedback!

They sit uncertainly in the apartment after Rory gets back. Jess made them coffee but now that they've finished it he feels awkward. He twirls the mug in his hand, wondering when it won't be too soon to offer another. It's cold in the apartment. It's always either a low chill or an unbearable heat. Rory wraps her arms around herself and Jess gets up, lifting a blanket from the bed.

"Here."

"Thanks." Jess thinks Rory will just take it but instead she climbs on the bed and after a moment Jess joins her. Rory tucks the blanket over her shoulders, leaning against the wall, and then she smiles and reaches up to give Jess a kiss. Jess kisses her back, soft and then harder, running his hand through her hair. Rory kisses him back and then abruptly stops, almost sheepish. Jess smiles and leans back. He could start to feel himself getting hard. Jess looks at Rory shake her hair back from her face and says, "You cut it."

He noticed that months ago, told so by Gypsy of all people, but hasn't remarked on it before.

"Yeah," Rory says, trailing her fingers through the ends. "Do you like it?"

Jess loved her long hair but doesn't say so. It would come out wrong, like he was judging it, and he thinks it looks interesting on her. He settles on, "It's cute."

"It's starting to grow out now."

"Why'd you do it?"

Rory gives him a long look. "I wanted a change."

Jess can tell what she means. In California he nearly got a tattoo. He wanted to do something, change something, and was so close he was in line at the tattoo parlour and at the very last minute changed his mind. It suddenly felt like it was a mistake. Jess knew that if he got it there that day it would just be him saying look, I'm different. Not because he actually wanted whatever symbol he chose for his skin. He knew he'd come to resent it.

Rory tucks her knees up and then says, "I drove through Stars Hollow."

"How come?" Jess is nervous, out of nowhere, and Rory says, "I wanted to talk to Lane. I wanted to tell her what happened."

"Did you?"

"Yes." Rory pauses and then says, "I ran into Dean."

"Dean?" Jess echoes. There's a nasty taste in his mouth suddenly. "What did you and Dean talk about?"

"Don't ask me like that."

"Like what, Rory?"

"Like you're saying something happened!"

"Hey, I don't know what happened! That's what I'm asking!"

Rory lets out a sharp breath and Jess remembers how he saw them stand together, right before he ran into Rory at her dorm. They looked almost caught out when Jess interrupted them.

"Nothing happened," Rory says angrily. "I told him I was with you."

"And what did Dean have to say about that?"

"He wasn't happy - Jess, what does it matter? I'm with you, not him!"

"Didn't he get married?"

"Exactly! But even if he weren't, I'm with you!"

Rory is staring at him and Jess forces himself not to look away. What the hell? They've been together less than two days and already fighting? Over Dean? What the hell are they doing? Jess takes a deep breath.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to - I'm sorry, okay?"

"It's okay," Rory says quietly. She looks folorn and Jess feels like a jerk. He remembers the day after the party, when Rory nearly came to see him at the diner and he was too proud to run after her until she was gone. After he fucked it all up.

"Do you want more coffee?" Jess asks and Rory nods, smiling, and Jess relaxes, taking her cup. As he makes the coffee he breathes steadily, closing his eyes for a moment. What, is he going to mess this all up before they've even got started? They haven't even had sex yet! Rory loves him and he loves her. That's what matters right now. Jess is not going to screw this up like before. Jess brings the coffee to the bed and this time he takes part of the blanket so it's over his shoulder. His arm and side press against Rory's, the curve of her hip cupping his in a neat fit They smile at each other, both a little bashful. Jess awkwardly drinks his coffee with his other hand and almost coughs when Rory asks, "Can I ask what you did last year?" Instead, Jess manages to swallow and says, "Sure." Rory nods, pauses and asks, "You went to see your dad, right?"

"I did."

Rory waits and Jess says, "He has another kid now."

"A kid?"

"Yeah, Lily."

"So - you have a half-sister?"

"No," Jess says and Rory frowns. "She's like Jimmy's adopted kid. He's got a girlfriend, Sasha...it's her kid."

"Oh."

"She's great," Jess says. "Lily'd spend hours reading in a closet and you wouldn't know she was there until she crawled out and scared you half to death."

Rory smiles. "You sure she's not your sister?"

"Sasha had her before she met Jimmy." Rory nods and adds, "Bad joke, sorry."

"No - it's okay. I thought the same thing. But I still don't have any siblings, as far as I know."

Jess doesn't voice his thought that he wouldn't be shocked if he did have a couple of half-siblings out there. Jimmy could've knocked someone up and never known, and neither would Jess. He'd never know. Jess wrinkles part of the blanket between his fingers. God, why did he start off talking about Lily? Jess doesn't want to talk about her because he already misses the kid so much. He takes a breath as Rory asks gently, "What was it like, living there?"

"It was okay," Jess says. "No, it was weird. House was like a freaking zoo and not just because of all the random cats and dogs living there. It was crazy. There was one room full of clown statues."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Jess's voice is light but he looks away as he says, "I nearly didn't stay there."

"How come?"

"Jimmy didn't want me to."

"What? Jess..."

"I think he was scared or something. Kid hasn't showed up since he left him eighteen years ago and asks to stay - it freaked him out."

"He's your father," Rory says angrily and Jess shrugs. "He let me stay there in the end anyway." He doesn't comment that Lily was more Jimmy's daughter than Jess was his son.

There's a pause and then Rory asks, "What did you do there?"

I missed you, Jess wants to say. I'd go to the beach or the bookstore or the town and I missed you like hell. He doesn't say that. "I hung out, mostly. Spent a lot of time at the beach - the place was right on the ocean."

"I bet it was beautiful."

"It was nice."

"I can't imagine you on a beach," Rory remarks and Jess laughs. "I didn't sunbathe or anything. I mostly just read. There was an amazing bookstore - I wish I could've shown you."

"Me too." Rory smiles and Jess knows she wants to know more, but he doesn't want to talk about all of it. How some of it was good but he never felt at home there, and how much he missed Rory, all the time. How much he wanted to call her but didn't let himself. About the skaters he hung out with and the girl he kissed once, but they laughed afterwards and understood they were just friends. He'd told her all about Rory and she'd given him a nudge and said you love her. Go tell her that. Jess doesn't feel able to tell Rory any of this. She waits, wondering, and finally Jess says, "Some of it was okay. I made friends with these skaters who hung out near the boardwalk. And Jimmy wasn't so bad. He has this incredible record collection, like all the music I ever wanted to listen to, and it was cool getting to know him a little. And his girlfriend was cool too, and I liked hanging out with Lily."

"I'm glad," Rory says softly. Jess sips more coffee and says, "I left after summer."

"What happened?"

"It was time to go." Jess remembers sitting at he kitchen table, the bright sun starting to set, and Jimmy remarking, "Summer season's starting to slow down. Weird how the seasons are pretty much the same but summer's over." And Jess knew he had to go. He couldn't stay out there forever, and it was starting to get awkward with Jimmy anyway. They got along but Jess could tell Jimmy was wondering when he was going to go. He hadn't signed on for an extra kid - he'd walked out on that life years ago. Fine, Jess thought. He didn't want to stay in an endless season anyway, growing old on the boardwalk. He'd left the next day.

"Where did you go?" Rory asks, shaking him from his thoughts. "You didn't come back here..."

"Took a few buses around, travelled. A slow cross-country."

Rory smiles, looking perturbed and Jess says, "There's not too much to tell. Anyway, I wound up back in New York. I know the city." He remembers Luke's jibe, back in winter - you write the great American novel or something? Like Jess was even capable of that. He'd mostly bumped around, place to place, trying not to stay with his thoughts too long.

"Did it feel weird, coming back?"

Jess shrugs. "Sort of." He thinks about how much he missed Rory all year, how it ached when he told her he loved her and she seemed to freeze and Jess couldn't handle it. It makes him wonder more about her life in those months and he asks, "How was Yale?"

"Oh...it was okay," Rory says simply. Jess looks at her and hopes she gives more information. He feels raw sharing what he did. Rory shifts and says quietly, "It wasn't what I expected."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah...the classes were harder than I thought." Rory pauses and Jess wonders if she'll say anything about not seeing him but she doesn't. Instead, she finishes her coffee and stares straight ahead. "But it's okay," she adds suddenly, sounding bright. "It's just an adjustment."

"Right."

"It's fine now."

"Good. I'm glad."

"Some of the classes were great," Rory says. "You'd love them."

Jess can't help snorting and Rory looks hurt. "Sorry - I just don't think I'd fit in at Yale."

"You'd know what they were talking about."

"Maybe." Now it's Jess's turn to fall silent. He doesn't know what he's going to do, unlike Rory. She always knows where she's going. Still, Jess thinks, right now it's pretty good. He's here with Rory and the rest doesn't matter. She rests her head on his shoulder and he takes her hand and they don't say anything else.