Thanks for the feedback! Some of the fault lies with the writer rather than Rory, as I forgot the distance from Philadelphia to New Haven!

Rory wakes after a disjointed sleep, groggily opening her eyes. The room comes into focus, along with the memory of her mother breaking up with Luke. We couldn't work it out. Something happened with Christopher. The wedding's cancelled. What kind of a message is that? Rory is going to see Lorelai today to find out what happened, and groans as she pushes the covers back. Christopher was involved and Rory knows he's to blame. Her father takes joy in messing everything up. She should have seen it, should have said something, even if, as Jess said, it wasn't on her to fix it. Rory bites her lip as she gets up, shaking her hair from her eyes. It was good seeing him last night, good having that unexpected kiss. It was a mistake, she's sure, but Rory felt good kissing Jess. It was good just seeing him. But, Rory tells herself firmly, today is not for lingering on whatever it is they are or aren't. Today is to try and get some sense out of Lorelai.

Rory hits traffic on the way to Stars Hollow but doesn't feel frustrated – she's not desperate to see her mother. Lorelai is waiting on the porch when Rory reaches the house, trying to form a weak smile as she walks up the steps.

"Hi, honey."

"Hi," Rory says stonily. She looks at Lorelai rather than taking the seat beside her and, after a moment, her mother gets up and enters the house. Rory follows and this time sits at the table, accepting the offer of coffee. For a moment she and Lorelai sip silently until finally Lorelai says nervously, "I guess you want to know what happened."

"Well, your message was pretty succinct. I got the general idea though. Dad showed up and wrecked everything like he does best."

"Rory."

"Mom, it's fine," Rory says bitterly. "You don't need to act like he didn't do anything wrong. I'm not a kid. Remember how when I was little you said Dad wanted to come see me but something always happened which meant he couldn't? I get it now. He was just being a jerk. I don't even know why I'm surprised. I only ever asked one thing of him, one, which was to stay away from you and he broke that promise pretty fast."

"Christopher didn't plan on what happened."

"Oh, please!" Rory exclaims, slamming her cup down. "He never plans to, but he does! Why do you have such a blind spot with him? It's like you can't help it! I should have said something the second he came into town. I don't know what I was thinking when I told him you needed a date for the wedding."

"You were thinking you'd help me out."

"But I didn't help you out. I did the total opposite, I brought him here and now everything's ruined."

"It wasn't your fault, Rory. And it wasn't just Christopher either. I screwed up."

Lorelai stares into her cup, looking ready to cry, and Rory softens slightly as she asks, "What happened, Mom?"

"I don't know," Lorelai says, her voice catching. "No, I do. It's been hard, Rory….these past few months have been really hard. Hell, this whole year hasn't exactly been a treat. There were these six months I never want to relive again where you and I were on the outs, and then we made up and I thought everything was okay but it wasn't okay, because Luke has a daughter. And it's not April, she's a great kid…it's that Luke didn't tell me. He never let me in. And I get it, I get that finding out you have a kid that's been walking around for twelve years without knowing is big stuff, but he didn't tell me. I found out by chance. And I just feel like he never wanted me to know, to be part of it. And it hurt."

"Mom."

"Let me finish. I thought Luke and I were moving forward, making it work, but it felt like I was just another thing he was dealing with. He didn't want to get married in June but then he didn't want to commit to a date either. And I should have said something, I know, but it was as if anything I did say made him close down more. And then I was at dinner with Mom and Dad and this therapist was there who they were trying to set Christopher up with, for a relationship, I mean, not that Chris couldn't use therapy, and long story short, I wound up having a session with her in the car and saying all this stuff and she said to ask for what I needed. So I did. I told Luke I wanted to get married right away and he refused, and I was sad and angry and hurt and I went to Christopher. And that's what happened."

Rory stares at her mother for a moment until finally letting out a breath.

"Mom. God."

"Is that it?" Lorelai asks, her voice rising. "I hate that I went to Chris, but I did. I don't know what I'm going to do now. Either way, the wedding's off."

"I know you're hurt," Rory says. "Luke messed up too. But Mom, you don't do this when you're heartbroken – you eat a lot of icecream, you watch movies, cry and get a horrible haircut! You don't sleep with Dad!"

"I know!" Lorelai exclaims. "I know that, Rory!"

"So then why -?"

"I wasn't thinking! I was hurt and I was lonely and I was stupid!"

"Dad's your weak point," Rory tells her. "It's like you can't let go of being with him and us being a perfect family. It's not going to happen, Mom. Dad does not make us a perfect family. Dad's not our family, at least not to me, and if you give it a shot with him you can count me out of the picture. I let go of that fantasy a long time ago."

"And I don't know that?" Lorelai retorts. "I don't want the perfect picture with Chris, Rory! I want the picture with Luke!"

"So then why did you run to Dad?"

"I don't know!" Lorelai shouts. "I messed up! It doesn't matter whose picture we're talking about because I wrecked everything!"

Some tears fall down Lorelai's face as she adds, "I love Luke so much and I ruined it. You have to know I'm sorry."

"I know," Rory says gently, her anger fading. "It's going to be okay."

"No, it's not!"

"Have you talked to Luke?"

"He's not really in the mood for conversation. I don't blame him."

"Luke waited forever for you. He's not going to let that go."

"I don't know. I messed up so bad."

"You messed up," Rory agrees. "I'm mad at you and I hate Dad, but you'll make it right with Luke. I know you will."

"I don't want you to hate your dad."

"Yeah, well," Rory says drily. "Things were kind of headed that way since he married Sherry."

"Sweets –"

"Mom, I don't want to get into all the ways he hurt us," Rory says, cutting her off. "You might feel sorry for him, but I don't and that's final. I'm not going to ask you to hate him, but can you let him go? I know you love Luke, and you said you don't have that fantasy with Dad anymore but I think maybe you do. Maybe you think it would be easier with him. I just don't think you see it."

"Blind spot, right?" Lorelai asks wearily. "Maybe you're not totally off-base."

"I'm the smart one in the family."

"Is that so?" Lorelai teases but she sounds nervous as she asks, "Do you hate me? I won't be mad if you hate me."

"I'm mad at you but I don't hate you," Rory says honestly. "Just….just try and talk to Luke, Mom. Please try."

"I'll try, angel, but it might not work out."

"Trying is something though, right?"

"You are the smart one," Lorelai says fondly. She walks around the table, giving her daughter a kiss, and Rory hugs her back.

"Enough about my trainwreck," Lorelai says, wiping her eyes. "What's going on with you, little daughter?"

"Logan fell off a cliff."

"What?"

Rory tells Lorelai the story, assuring her that Logan's going to be fine and smoothing over her fight with Jess. Taking a thoughtful sip of coffee, Lorelai muses, "Sounds like you've gone through some stuff too."

"It's really okay, Mom. We're both going to be fine. Jess thinks so too."

"Jess?"

Rory winces, not planning on mentioning that conversation and says weakly, "He wanted to know why I was upset so I told him."

"Oh, super. I'm so thrilled about Jess's take on this."

"Mom, he wants things to work out too."

"I'm sure," Lorelai sighs. She seems sad before looking up and asking, "But things are good with you guys?"

"Everything's great," Rory says simply, knowing she's a coward. "We're really good."

"Well, I'm glad."

Rory drives back, her anger replaced by sadness. She's sad for her mother, sad for Luke and sad for herself and this whole thing with Jess. Lorelai's not the only one to screw things up. Rory and Jess text and call over the next few weeks but it's casual, light and easy, neither of them broaching heavier areas. One afternoon Rory sits on the sofa as Paris packs for summer, refusing assistance, throwing clothes into bags and barking out orders to Doyle with military precision. After sending him to the store for a case of soda, Paris stops for a moment, sinking next to Rory with a groan. Rory bites back a smile, remembering her remark to Lorelai that Paris periodically makes a whirring noise and shuts down in place of sleep. Her amusement is halted by Paris asking, "So what's your plan for summer?"

"I don't know."

"You didn't know two weeks ago and you still don't have a plan?" Paris exclaims. "Get it together, Gilmore."

"Hey!"

"What are you going to do, carry on like you have the entire past month with the cellphone stapled to your hand?"

"What does that mean?"

"You know what I mean! You've had puppydog eyes ever since Jess jumped back into your life and I say you jump him now, because there's only so much of this moping I can take!"

"Paris!"

"I know you've been in a funk ever since the lost member of the Bee Gees fell off a cliff," Paris goes on, reaching over and draining her glass of water. "And it's given you some kind of Gilmore guilt complex so you've got a penance thing going on and it's time to end it. I can't stand watching you hoping he'll call and hardly talking when he does. You're wandering around like there's no Glinda."

"Excuse me?"

"You look like Dorothy who doesn't know what to do with the ruby slippers. Well, lucky for you, I'll be Glinda. Get over the guilt trip and call Jess."

"Okay," Rory says, amused and unsure if she should be offended, as seems to be the wont of their friendship. "I will."

"Glad to be of service. It's ironic, me being Glinda – that movie gave me nightmares for weeks."

"Understandable. Can I offer you some lemonade to make up for it?"

"Lemonade and assembling the next set of boxes."

"Deal."

"And boggle."

"Paris!"

"Boggle, Rory!"

"Fine."

After three rounds of boggle and Paris safely out of the apartment with Doyle, Rory paces around the room taking deep breaths. It's just Jess so why is she nervous? This is stupid. Finally, Rory forces herself to dial his number and Jess answers on the third ring.

"Hey."

"Hi," Rory says. He sounds intrigued but not annoyed, she thinks, and Rory repeats, "Hi."

"You said that already."

"Right. Sorry."

"It's okay." Jess sounds amused rather than curious now as he asks, "What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Do you want to meet up?" Rory asks in a rush. "We could go for coffee, talk? It might be fun to see each other, but if you don't want to –"

"No, it sounds good," Jess says. "I want to."

"Really?" Rory asks cautiously and Jess replies firmly, "Yes. How about Saturday?"

"This Saturday?"

"I have this weekend off."

"Cool. I mean, sure. And hey, I'll come to Philadelphia, seeing as you drove here before."

"Okay," Jess says. He sounds happy, Rory thinks, or hopes she thinks. "Saturday at eleven? I'll text you the details."

"You're on. See you."

"See you, Rory."

Rory feels horrible shy on Saturday morning, wondering what to wear and what to say and feeling like a sixteen-year-old. She's as pathetic as Paris said. Still, as she arrives at the café she and Jess agreed on, Rory feels her nervousness melt away. Jess is smiling warmly and Rory smiles back, returning his quick hug.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

They busy themselves with ordering coffee and Rory blushes as she almost spills hers, catching it just in time. She'd settled on jeans and a blue shirt with an outline of a lighthouse on it. Rory glances down, checking it's unscathed, and Jess remarks, "You're good. Cool shirt, by the way."

"Thanks. It would have been even cooler if there was to the written on there but guess you can't have everything."

"Maybe they figured that was too on the nose."

"Very possible."

Rory and Jess chuckle and, just as the silence is starting to feel awkward, Rory takes a deep breath and says, "I'm sorry."

"Rory, it's okay. We went through our respective apologies."

"I know, but it still feels weird. Doesn't it feel weird to you?"

Jess's hesitation answers her and Rory says miserably, "It's mostly my fault, I know. That thing with Logan screwed everything up…I let it screw everything up. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Jess says gently. "We're okay."

"I didn't tell Mom we had a fight," Rory says, after a pause. "I didn't want her to know things weren't okay, but it was more that I didn't want to deal. Like mother, like daughter I guess."

"I get it."

"I've missed you," Rory says boldly. "I know everything got weird and I missed you. Can we start over?"

"You know we can. I missed you too."

They smile nervously across the table but this time conversation feels natural rather than at forced ease. Rory drinks her coffee, relaxing, and asks Jess about his week. Jess tells her he tried talking to Luke who mysteriously seems to have lost the ability to answer a phone and they both laugh wryly.

"It's a mess," Rory says bitterly. "I hate it."

"I hate it too. Guess it's on them to figure out what they want to do."

"That doesn't make it easier."

"I know."

They drink silently for a moment and then Jess asks, "So what are your summer plans?"

"Paris asked me the same thing and I still have no clue."

"None?"

"I have some vacation time from the paper but I don't know what to do with it. Some people from class are going to the coast but I'm not much of a beach girl."

"Hey now Gilmore, what about Spring Break?"

"There's an exception to every rule," Rory teases. "What about you? Hitting some rays?"

"Oh yeah, the surfboard's in back."

"It is?"

"I'm entering a surfing competition. I'm keeping it hushed up though, don't want to parade it around."

"Perfectly reasonable."

"I won last year but don't want to jinx things, you know?"

"Of course."

Rory rolls her eyes, making Jess laugh, and after sipping more coffee he adds, "Seriously, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I have a few meetings but I don't know what I'll do with my time off. I was thinking of checking out New York. I head there for Truncheon stuff a lot and it's not like I don't know the city, but they've opened a few more cultural shows I want to see."

"That sounds cool."

"Yeah. I always think I should actually spend real time there but I never plan a trip."

"I might steal that concept. I was reading about some new museums on the East coast that sound cool, but I don't have time to hit them in a weekend. Maybe that can be my vacation."

"Hey, tell me the names – you know I want to check those out too."

Rory looks at Jess and before she can talk herself out of it says slowly, "I have a crazy idea."

"Those are the best kind. What is it?"

"We both want to hit all the same places, right? See the same museums, the same shows? Why don't we go see them together?"

"Not such a crazy idea," Jess says carefully. "It's a cool idea."

"We could split the money on gas, places to stay and stuff. Like a cultural roadtrip. What do you think?"

"I think that sounds like the best vacation ever."

"Okay," Rory says, feeling a smile fill her face. "It's a plan, Jess."

"I'm good with it," Jess says, suddenly seeming shy. "As long as you don't think it'll make things weird."

"No, I – Jess, we know each other. It doesn't have to be complicated."

"Okay," Jess says, starting to smile. "Then our summer is figured out. I'm excited."

"Me too."

They start to laugh, unable to stop even when other customers look strangely at them and Rory is still laughing as she makes her way back to the car. She's made up with Jess, can see her summer and her shoes feel like ruby slippers.