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Jess calls Rory a few times the following week but she seems distant, cutting off conversation sooner than Jess expects. Puzzled and a little frustrated, he asks if she wants to come over that weekend. Rory accepts but pauses for a moment first and Jess knows something's going on. When she arrives at Truncheon her eyes are distant, her look reminding Jess of when she first moved in with him in New York and her thoughts elsewhere.

"What's wrong?" Jess asks, cutting to the chase. "Something's up."

"Logan's hurt."

"What?"

"He went on some stupid trip with the Life and Death Brigade," Rory says, her voice wobbling. "And Logan messed up some kind of stunt and fell of a cliff!"

"Is he okay?"

"He says he is," Rory says, sniffling. "But he's really beat up."

"You saw him?"

"When I heard I went to his place, well, Colin's place, that's where Logan's staying….Colin's Logan's friend and he says he'll take care of him, but I don't know how good a job he'll do. But Logan said he's hired a nurse so I guess it's okay. I don't know, I know Colin, and he's not that great at taking care of himself, let alone an invalid!"

Rory's ramble hiccups to a halt as she adds, "He's hurt and no one told me."

"He's going to be okay."

"You didn't see how hurt he was."

"I'm sorry." Jess doesn't know what to say. His brain is still processing the load of Logan information and Rory replies, "I wish I'd known."

She wipes at her eyes as some tears fall and Jess bites his lip. He hates seeing Rory upset and is glad Logan's going to be okay, regardless of the bad blood between them. Unsure what to say, Jess blurts out, "Sounds like the stunt was pretty stupid."

"Like you've never done anything dumb?" Rory retorts, eyes flashing. "Never not thought something through?"

"I didn't mean –"

"He's done stunts like that hundreds of times and never messed up!"

"I gathered that."

"So did I," Rory adds angrily. "I jumped off a scaffold with Logan several storeys high!"

"I wasn't trying to – I just meant it didn't sound safe, okay?" Or smart either, but Jess resists adding that. He also resists asking what the point of jumping off the scaffold was even supposed to be.

"It was never supposed to be safe."

"I know." Their lives are too safe to start with. It seems to Jess that they seek out risk from boredom, constructing scenarios with all the money they have to waste. It doesn't seem to be the moment to run this thought past Rory.

"I knew it was a stupid thing to do," Rory amends. "And I think Logan did too, but he was mad at me and upset, we both were, so he did it anyway…he says I couldn't have stopped him."

"Why was it up to you to stop him?" A bad taste is forming in Jess's throat. Rory is talking as if she and Logan are still together, like he hurt their relationship as well as himself, and Rory stares at Jess.

"Jess, I care about him! It's not my job but when you care about someone you try and talk them out of stuff like jumping off cliffs!"

"Right."

"Just because we're not together doesn't mean I stop caring!"

"That's been pretty well-established."

"What's your problem?" Rory exclaims. "Are you mad at me for being upset?"

"No!"

"Because you're acting like it!"

"All I said was that it sounded dangerous and you're offended that I said Logan possibly made a bad decision!"

"And I'm saying it's not as if you've never done anything dumb!"

"I don't need reminding of that."

"I've done dumb stuff too, but I guess you don't need reminding of that either, right?"

They're glaring at each other now and Jess can't rid the familiar feeling of their fight. Memory hits him over the head; the time Rory talked about seeing Dean in Stars Hollow, right after she moved to New York. She'd chosen him but Jess was reminded of her past, the other path she could have taken, and still seemed a possibility. Aren't they older and wiser now? Taking a deep breath, Jess says, "Look, I'm sorry Logan's hurt. I am. I just don't think you need to be so involved."

"So involved?" Rory echoes angrily. "Because we split up so it should be completely over?"

"No! All I'm saying is that you are over, supposedly, so you don't need to act like you should've stopped it!"

"Supposedly?"

So much for being older and wiser. Rory has gone from sad to furious as she spits out, "So what, you think I want to go back to him? That something went on when I saw him?"

"You know I don't think that!"

"I don't know what you think!"

"Yeah, well neither do I!" Jess retorts, letting mood take over his reason. "You say you're broken up but it's been two minutes and you didn't want to talk and now it's back to him, again, just like before!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Forget it!"

"I don't want to forget it!"

"Okay, fine! When you were with me, in Stars Hollow, you couldn't let Dean go. You were concerned about him, his feelings and what he wanted and if you could be friends! And in Yale even, you practically hooked up with him even when the guy was married! If I hadn't come to see you I'm betting you would have!"

"But you did come back, remember, Jess?" Rory shouts. "I left with you, I chose you, just like in Stars Hollow, and you still held Dean against me even when we lived in New York! Well, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I don't stop caring about people the moment we're no longer romantically involved and I'm sorry you can't trust me!"

"I do trust you!"

"You've got a strange way of showing it! You're acting like I slept with Logan when I went to see him!"

"I know nothing went on!"

"Then why are we having this fight?"

"Because you can't let him go! You can never let anyone go!"

Rory stares at him, eyes filling with hurt, and Jess closes his.

"Rory…."

"I care about Logan," she says quietly. "I cared about Dean. They were part of my life and I can't just forget that. You're right, Logan and I are barely over…he was my boyfriend for a long time. We loved each other."

They still do. Jess doesn't need Rory to deny it or defend herself but it hurts anyway. Still, he trusts her, he believes her when she says it's over but just as he's about to say it Rory adds angrily, "I don't run out on people when they hurt me. Not like you."

Jess stares at Rory, struck, and after a moment says, "Oh yeah? What about Washington?"

Rory bites her lip before looking away and Jess slowly exhales a long, hurt breath. How did they even get into this horrible fight? He wants to start over but is reeling from Rory's words.

"I'm going to go," Rory says quietly. "I think we need some time. I wanted time anyway…I was going to tell you that. I thought maybe you'd understand but I guess it's part of me not letting go, right?"

"Rory –"

"Bye, Jess."

Once she's gone Jess storms in a mindless circle around the room. His foot catches something and as he looks down Jess sees it's his duffel bag, sticking out from under the bed and Jess gives it a strong kick and another for good measure. Always cutting and running, huh? Always throwing things into a bag, this bag, and leaving town. Damn it! Jess stares out of the window and suddenly being a published author in Philadelphia doesn't seem the achievement it once did. He's still lost in the girl from Stars Hollow, unable to say he loves her. And what good what it do if he did? Wrenching a cupboard open, Jess retrieves a bottle of whisky given to him a gift a month or so back, opening it and taking a long drink as he stands. Not bothering to get a glass, Jess sits on the bed and steadily drinks until his anger dissolves into a haze. Aside from work, Jess spends most of the next few weeks in his room, interacting as little as possible with the outside world, until one evening there's a knock on his door. It's Matthew.

"Jess? We're going out."

"Great."

"You're going with us."

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks."

Without bothering to knock again Matthew pushes the door open and takes in the sight of Jess and the mess of his room.

"Dude, this is getting pathetic."

"Thanks for the hug."

"What, you're going to sit in here for another week?" Matthew exclaims. "Because of some girl from your past? Come on, man. Like you two are going to work it out. At the risk of sounding like a Hallmark movie I had this misfortune to see, it's time for a fresh start. And right now it's going out with me and Chris."

"A movie you had a misfortune to see, huh?" Jess teases but a small smile has crept across his lips.

"It was with my mom, it wasn't my choice."

"Right, right."

"Not the point here," Matthew says impatiently. "Would you quit giving me a hard time and go out? Not that actually giving me a hard time isn't an improvement from avoiding us."

"Fine." What the hell, why not?

"Good. Just take a shower first, okay? Besides Chris and I having to stand next to you there's someone we want you to meet. New girl from that publishing company we're working with."

"Wait," Jess says, putting his hands up. "I'll go out with you guys but I don't know about a date."

"Who said date?" Matthew retorts innocently. "Just a few friendly drinks. Come on, Jess. Rory's not waiting around for you."

"Whatever," Jess says, getting up. "You wore me down."

"Best news I've heard all day."

"Just drinks, okay?"

"I'm just happy you're leaving the room."

Jess wanders over to the closet once Matthew leaves, finding jeans and a clean shirt. He's not desperate to meet anyone but the man has a point. Rory's made hers pretty clear. Jess can't sit around hoping for the rest of his life. Just after he's showered and pulled said outfit on Jess's cellphone starts to buzz. Absently, Jess picks it up and then stares. Is this the universe's idea of a joke?

"Rory?"

"Hey." Rory's voice is foggy and Jess asks anxiously, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry – I…."

"Rory, what is it?"

"Mom and Luke broke up."

"What?"

"They're not getting married. The wedding's cancelled."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I don't understand." Rory's voice fades into more crying and Jess closes his eyes. He thought his uncle had things figured out, unlike his nephew.

"I'm sorry to call you," Rory sobs. "I nearly didn't but I had to tell you, I had to talk to you, and I'm sorry."

"No. It's okay."

Rory cries some more and without thinking Jess asks, "Do you want me to come over?"

"Oh," Rory sniffles. "Jess, I didn't call you for that."

"I know. I just thought maybe you wanted someone there."

"I do," Rory admits after a pause. "But you don't have to –"

"I want to," Jess says seriously. "I'm leaving right now, okay? It's going to be okay."

He hangs up and marches out of the room, nearly colliding with Matthew.

"You seem excited," his friend laughs. "That's a plus."

"Matthew, I can't go," Jess says bluntly. "Something's happened and I have to go to New Haven."

"New -?" Matthew puts the pieces together and shakes his head. "Something with Rory? Jess, let it go. Move on from her."

"No," Jess says simply. "She needs me right now. I want to be there for her, even if – look, I've got to go."

"Fine," Matthew says in defeat. "I give up. Just promise it won't end with another silent retreat in your room, okay? Don't say I didn't warn you."

Jess reaches Rory's apartment in record time, barely stopping the engine before getting out of the car. He hastens up the steps, knocks on the door and as Rory opens it her face bears recent marks of crying.

"Hey."

"Hi," Jess says gently. He follows Rory into the apartment, seeing a box of tissues on the table, and Rory remarks, "I think I went through half of that the moment I heard."

"What did you hear?"

"I don't know what happened," Rory says, turning to face him. "Mom and Luke had some kind of fight and Dad was there and I think Mom got back with Dad, I mean, maybe not back with him, but she and Luke broke up and everything's ruined and I don't understand!"

Her voice is starting to shake as she adds, "My dad ruins everything. I hate him."

"Rory –"

"How did this happen?" she asks, starting to cry. "Why didn't I see it?"

"Hey," Jess says, putting his arms around her. "It's okay."

"No," Rory sobs. "It's the furthest thing from okay."

"They'll work it out."

"How?"

Jess doesn't have an answer for that. He lets Rory cry in his arms, waiting until she steadies herself, and as she looks up Rory says shyly, "I'm sorry I called."

"Don't be."

"But we're in a fight."

"It's okay."

"Jess, I'm sorry," Rory says, looking into his eyes. "I shouldn't have said all that stuff."

"Can't say all of it was wrong."

"But I shouldn't have said it like I did."

"I said stuff too."

"I shouldn't have said what I did about leaving when hurting people," Rory says quietly. "I'm sorry."

"You weren't wrong," Jess says evenly. "And what I said about Washington…"

"You weren't wrong with that either," Rory says. "I still shouldn't have said it."

"Guess we both have an issue with leaving," Jess remarks and Rory nods, smiling sadly.

"I'm working on it."

"Me too."

He squeezes her hand and Rory takes a deep breath.

"I'm really sorry."

"I'm really sorry too. We good?"

"We're good."

They smile but Rory's fades as she comments, "At least two of us are."

She sits on the sofa, Jess next to her, and says miserably, "I knew something was wrong, I knew it. I knew but I didn't ask Mom."

"Rory," Jess says gently, "It's not on you to have stopped it. You couldn't have fixed things for them."

Rory nods but doesn't look convinced and Jess insists, "That's not on you. It's never on you. When we got in that fight about Logan, I didn't mean you shouldn't be upset…I just didn't think you should blame yourself. Even if you were still with him, it wouldn't have been your fault."

Rory lets out a long, broken breath before saying, "I know. But it feels like it was."

"It wasn't. It never was."

Rory nods, more tears streaming down her cheeks, and relaxes into the arm Jess tentatively puts around her.

"I wanted to tell you," she says, looking at him. "When it happened….I just didn't think you wanted to hear about Logan. Jess, I don't want to be with him again. I was just really upset. It feels weird not knowing when something like that happens, because we're not in our lives anymore, and I'm trying to figure out how I feel. But I don't want to be back with Logan."

"I know," Jess says softly. "I believe you. And I believed you back then, with Dean. I just always kind of felt like a second choice."

"No," Rory says fiercely. "Never. Jess, I felt guilty about Dean because I liked you when I was with him. I didn't want to hurt him. And when I was at Yale, I did miss him, a little, and maybe something would have happened if I hadn't gone with you, but it didn't. I was with you."

"I know," Jess says, letting out a long breath. "I didn't know to trust in it, I guess. But I always trusted you."

Rory nods, lying against Jess's shoulder. They sit quietly for a while and finally Jess asks, "What happened with Dean, anyway? He still doing the family man thing?"

"No – he and Lindsay actually got divorced."

"Really?"

"Right after their first anniversary. Things just fell apart."

"Huh." Jess didn't expect to hear that yet somehow isn't surprised. "I remember he didn't seem too happy those times I ran into him."

"Guess Mom and Luke aren't the only ones." Rory sounds ready to cry again as she says, "I thought they really loved each other though."

"They did. They do. Rory, I don't know why this happened but they'll work it out."

"How are you so sure?"

"I know they love each other….Luke's always loved Lorelai. It can't be completely over just like that."

"I hope not."

"I know," Jess says, remembering how he knew Luke loved Lorelai before Luke did. How's his uncle going to try and explain this to Jess? "Someday they'll figure it out."

"I wish I felt so sure."

"Hey," Jess says, looking into Rory's eyes. "We can't figure things out for them. It's their stuff. It's their own messy lives."

"Like my own life isn't a mess," Rory says, laughing through the last of her tears. "I wish there was a clear path, you know? Things always looked clear when I was a kid."

"Yeah, well. Where's the fun in that?"

"You think this is fun?"

"No, not exactly, but it's how it is. Figuring it out."

"It's hard," Rory says, after a pause, and Jess nods. "Thanks for coming over."

"You know it."

Rory looks into his eyes and, without thinking, Jess is kissing her. Rory's kissing him back, holding him close, until she breaks away with a gasp.

"Jess –"

"Rory, I didn't –"

"No, it's okay," Rory says as they try and explain over each other. "But maybe we shouldn't –"

"I get it," Jess says, quickly getting up. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry," Rory says, gazing at him. "I just think right now we should slow down."

"Okay," Jess says, nodding. "I understand."

"I didn't call you to –"

"I know you didn't. It's okay."

"I guess I should get some rest," Rory says, trying to sound light. "I'm going to see Mom tomorrow. Paris is away so at least I don't have to listen to her Krav Maga practise."

"Sounds like a plan."

They smile shyly and Rory takes a deep breath, looking Jess In the eye.

"Thank you for coming," Rory says to him shyly. "It meant a lot."

"I wanted to. It's going to be okay, Rory."

Rory nods, trying to smile, and walks with him to the door.

"Goodnight, Jess."

"Goodnight, Rory."