A/N: Sorry for the delay! Real life got in the way, but I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. I'm so overwhelmed with all your positive messages and words, so big, wonderful hug to you all. :D

Chapter 13

It was his turn to step back, looking into her eyes in amused confusion. He probably would've been as surprised if Rory had announced she wanted to join the circus or drop out of school. 'Excuse me?'

She stared back at him, her eyes completely serious. 'You do it all the time.'

'You wanna prank someone. You? Why?' Jess repeated in disbelief.

'I'm not some harmless Anne of Green Gables. I've pulled some pranks before.'

'Oh, really?' He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

'I threw devilled eggs at your car.' She pointed out.

'I'm pretty sure Lorelai talked you into that.'

'What matters is that I did it.' She said proudly.

'How rebellious.' Jess couldn't help but smile. When Rory shot him a glare, he said defensively. 'Well, I won't help you throw devilled eggs all over town. Those eggs were a pain in the ass to clean up.'

'No devilled eggs. But you'll help me?' She stepped closer, running her fingers down the back of his shirt. Her bright, mesmerizing blue eyes blinked at him, pleading. She was distracting him. It was working.

He pried her wandering hands away from his back, took them in his own and raised them over their heads. 'I don't even know why.'

She sighed. 'It doesn't have to be something big and it probably won't be. It's just… It's not fair that they're closing down the inn like that… And now it's… it's getting sold and it feels like…' She shook her head in frustration, trying to find the right words. 'Like the end of an era. It's not fair. And I wanna do something.'

They stared at each other for a few heartbeats, their intertwined hands falling between them. There was something very familiar about the wild look in Rory's eyes. The restless urge to just act, to do anything at all, to get rid of the frustration. It was the feeling of helplessness in changing the big things that motivated doing something small, something silly even, just to have some control over anything. Jess was all too familiar with that caged feeling. He was surprised Rory ever felt that way though, she was supposed to be the calm, level-headed one.

Rory broke the silence. 'Do I really have to talk you, of all people, into doing something illegal?'

He cocked his head at her. 'I feel like my hoodlum reputation's at stake here.'

She nodded somberly. 'Very much, yes.'

'You know the whole town's gonna think I'm corrupting you.' He raised an eyebrow, rubbing her palms with his thumbs.

'I think they already do.' Her eyes glinted and she took a step towards him.

He leaned into her too. 'They might discrown you as town princess.'

'I doubt that.' She smiled against his lips.

'Ok, maybe not. But they'll chase me out of town with torches and pitchforks.'

'That is a possibility.' She paused. Her face was now very close to his and her fingers wandered over his back again. 'So you'll help?'

He paused for a few seconds, not really out of hesitation, but because her breath on her face was scattering his thoughts. Finally, he found himself agreeing, way too easily. 'Fine. But pranks are usually illegal, you know. You'll have to break some rules.'

'I can live with that.' Her lips pecked his, before she stepped back and started leading him into the kitchen.

'Ok, just checking.' He said lightly, watching as she climbed onto the counter to rummage through the kitchen cupboards. 'What do you wanna do then, Mrs. Sal Mineo? Set the gazebo on fire? Steal all the town's door knobs? Disconnect the electrical sockets?' Jess laughed at the dirty look she shot him.

'Nope. I have another idea.' Rory said, pulling out what she needed from the cupboard.

As they worked on preparing the prank, Rory told him stories about the inn. How she'd played there as a little kid, the parties she'd watched with Lorelai, how the ducks in the pond scared her as a toddler. She told him about the time Michel had danced with her in the lobby after one particularly good wedding, how he made her swear not to tell anyone. She told him about the guests who gave her candy whenever they saw her. She told him that she started reading her first book there, which she'd stolen from the reception bookshelf. When she was five, Mia had noticed the missing copy of Rebecca and made sure to stock some more child-appropriate books instead. She told him about the night she snuck in with her mom to steal candles from every room at the inn. They'd lit them around the pond and celebrated Rory's eighth birthday, dancing around in the moonlight. She told him how horrified her grandma had been upon seeing the shed, even though she'd only had good memories there. It had never seemed too small when they'd lived there. She told him how her mother had saved up money and eventually rented a tiny apartment from Taylor, which they moved to when she was six. The bathroom in that place had seemed huge compared to the shed, but she'd missed the ducks and the restaurant food.

In turn, Jess told her how he moved around with Liz as a kid. Nine times, Rory was shocked to hear. Six of those in the same year. Always in New York, just different apartments. They'd been evicted twice, once when a depressed Liz had stopped paying rent and a second time when her second husband had disappeared with all their money. It had gotten better when Jess started paying attention to their finances, getting their bills paid on time and putting a cap on the money his mother spent on booze. No, he didn't feel particularly attached to any of the places he grew up in. When Rory asked him about his favorite, he had to ponder for a minute. He ended up telling her about the apartment they'd lived in for two years when he was eleven. It was a tiny one-bedroom apartment, whose walls shook every time the subway passed underneath it, but the next-door neighbor had an impressive collection of books and made the best lasagna he'd ever tasted. She was the closest he'd had to a grandma and she never minded when he came to borrow her books. And yes, that was where he started reading Hemingway.

When she asked about the other homes, he refrained from telling her about the homes of the various boyfriends, husbands and friends of Liz's which they'd stayed at temporarily. Instead, he told her about the week he ran away from home. He'd stayed at a friend's house at first, but it'd worked out badly, so he spent a few nights at a restaurant down the street. He'd ended up at the police station, where he was taken home. No, Liz hadn't filed any police reports. And no, he hadn't been arrested, not that time anyway.

At some point in the evening, Luke came in to check on the two teenagers. He was surprised to find them sitting closely on the sofa, whispering intently, looking much older than their years. They jumped up when he announced his presence, declaring he'd come in to look for his tools. Luke was relieved that they had their clothes on, and seemed to be working on some school project. He made Jess sit on a chair and Rory on the far end of the couch. He offered to make them some dinner and when they refused, he ignored their eye rolls and made them some salad to go with their takeout. They told him Lorelai would be coming home soon, so he begrudgingly left, thinking to himself that Jess seemed a lot less angry than he'd last seen him.

After several hours, Rory put the permanent marker down, stretching her arms. 'I think it's done.'

'It's not really a prank though.' Jess said, enjoying the look of annoyance on her face every time he said that. Last time, she'd been so annoyed that she'd gone to sit on the floor, leaving him alone on the couch.

'Yes, it is.' She threw the pen at his chest, as he laughed.

'It's really not.'

She rolled her eyes, but chose not to reply. 'So, when do we actually execute the plan?'

'Not now, Bonnie. People would still be up. We should wait until after midnight.' Jess explained.

Rory agreed, as she stood up to face Jess. 'Good plan, Clyde.'

'Well, I do have a lot of experience.' His eyes glinted at her.

'In hoodlum-ing?'

'Exactly.'

'How handy.' She nodded with a small smile. Stepping closer to him, she said. 'So what do we do until then?'

'I'm sure we can think of something.' He pulled her down onto the sofa, where he positioned her legs on his lap.

As they started kissing again, Rory's fingers crept into his hair as his own hands rubbed her waist. They were both absent-minded this time. They'd talked a lot tonight and it wasn't just their usual light, easy banter. Jess wondered how he'd ended up talking so much, so openly. He'd just told her some of his worst bits, things he'd locked away in the back of his mind in shame and what surprised him was how easy it had all been. She'd made it easy and she hadn't really pushed at all. She'd wanted to know; not so she could compare childhoods or offer comfort, but just to know him. When she smiled and laid her hand on his cheek, there was no pity, just warmth. Her hands in his hair were soothing and there was only acceptance in the way she kissed him. He tried to do the same, touching her so gently, he could feel the goosebumps on her skin.

When he laid her down on the couch, she held to him tighter. They kissed unhurriedly, without urgency. Her lips was warm against his and when their clothes were gone, he took his time in kissing her body. She wrapped his legs around him, pulling him closer and clutching at his back. He worked on exploring her body with his lips. As he admired how it caved and dipped, he listened for her breaths, how she responded to his every touch. He never wanted time to stop as much as he did now.

He noticed her bright blue eyes trying to meet his. She was also clearly wrapped up in her own thoughts, as she whispered. 'Jess, I... I think I…' What she wanted to say seemed to conflict her. Instead, she said, 'Jess, thank you.'

He nodded slowly, pressing more kisses into her neck. Their bodies felt so in tune, breathing and moving together. He couldn't formulate anything to say back, the words just seemed so far away. Instead, he pushed his lips to hers again and pressed their bodies together, burying himself into her.

It was late the next morning when Lorelai made her way back home, squinting blearily at the morning light. She winced at Taylor's loud yelling, as she spotted him arguing with a weary policewoman. A small crowd was gathered near his market and she noticed people staring at her as she approached.

She caught some stray words. '—Clear destruction of public property. It's not just my property that's been affected, it's all over town!'

Lorelai took a deep breath as she caught Luke's eye across the crowd. The staring was more obvious now and the yelling was making her head throb. She craned her head to check the inside of the market and the ground. Was it another chalk outline prank? What on earth would she do with Jess? Wasn't he past these childish pranks?

Luke made his way towards her and whispered apologetically. 'I saw them doing something last night, but I just didn't know it was this. I thought it was some school thing.'

He waved at the sign above their heads. Instead of Doose's market, the sign had been covered up with paper letters, glued firmly over it, spelling, Independence Inn.

Lorelai cocked her head, feeling a sudden warmth and a desire to hug her two teenagers.

Luke was still whispering grumpily. 'It's on every sign. Every shop and every street name's covered with these letters. Did you have any idea they were gonna do this? It must've been Jess's idea, God knows why.' He paused as he looked at her. 'Lorelai, are you smiling?'

Lorelai's smile widened slowly. She shook her head softly and said. 'It's on the Hello Kitty paper.'

A/N: What are your thoughts? Please leave me a review!