This story used to be called "No-Name Fluff." It's got a name now, obviously. And chapter 2 is new!
THANK YOU BUNCHES to everyone who sent me feedback. You guys made me feel terrific!
Part 2 is short but I hope you'll enjoy it; I'll try to write part 3 soon.
Disclaimer: Not mine. The WBs and AS-Ps.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jess leaned up against a tree, skipping stones into the lake and
wondering exactly when the fates had decided to trap him in one of his
mother's paperback romances. All the elements were there: the bad
boy, the beautiful innocent, the time-out-of-time setting, the jealous
lover--well, best he could tell Dean wasn't Rory's lover exactly, but
he did expect hobbits to pop out of the tree next to him at any
second. Stars Hollow seemed covered in pixie dust, and somehow he'd
fallen under its spell. He let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Who
was he kidding? HER spell. She'd brought fairy magic with her to New
York and entranced him; he'd moved back to Stars Hollow and she'd
fallen into his arms--but then she wouldn't talk with him and avoided
him and for the last six weeks she'd been in Washington and he'd had
to get his news of her through the grapevine. Fortunately Fairy Land
had a veritable beanstalk of a grapevine.
She was probably home by now; he'd heard Lorelei say something about
her grandparents picking her up at the airport around 10. They were
probably having lunch and listening to her describe everything she'd
seen and experienced, and she and Lorelei were probably tossing off
wise-cracks about all the lunatic prep-school kids at camp. He looked
at his watch and was surprised to see that it was 1:30. OK, they were
probably finished with lunch. Good thing he didn't have to work at the
diner today--he'd totally lost track of time. He walked over toward
the stream and lay down in the grass, looking up at the sky through
the leaves, and fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes, she was sitting under the tree watching him.
"I'm sure there's a town ordinance about sleeping in the park."
"And well there should be. Most uncomfortable patch of ground I've
ever slept on."
"I'm sure that's not why there's an ordinance."
"Oh, you think it's to keep hoodlums like me from living in the park?
Maybe I'll round up some hippie friends and have a Human Be-In."
"Don't say Human Be-In. It makes me think of Alan Ginsberg, which
makes me think of Beat poetry, which makes me think of Paris. Oh God,
for six weeks I actually lived with Paris. But wait, what would your
Be-In be protesting?"
"Stupid town ordinances."
"Ah, of course. But you see if you'd obeyed the ordinance you wouldn't
have that crick in your neck that you're so clearly trying to work out
so it's really not that stupid. Come here and let me rub it for you.
You're making a face like you really hurt it."
"I think I slept on a rock."
Jess moved over to where Rory was sitting and sat cross-legged in
front of her. He was glad for a moment not to be able to see her, and
he inhaled, trying to regain his equilibrium, but then her hands were
on his neck, kneading gently, and he was overwhelmed. He tried to
remember the last time someone had taken care of him. He felt the
wound in his heart throb a little and pulled away.
"Better." He smiled at her. "Your turn."
Rory's face flushed a little; she hadn't quite realized what she was
getting herself into when she'd offered to touch him. Her hands were
almost burning from the sensation, and the world had completely shrunk
to the space between them. She scooted forward and he took her spot
against the tree, stretching out his legs so she sat between his
knees. He kneaded the tops of her arms and moved slowly up toward her
neck, alternately kneading and smoothing until her head was limp on
her shoulders. She couldn't remember when she'd felt so relaxed and
sleepy, and when he gently pulled on her shoulders she lay back to
lean against his chest.
"Mmm, comfy." She closed her eyes and felt the rhythm of his breath
and his heart beat. His breath was a little uneven and she smiled
slightly, wondering if she was causing that. She stretched out her
legs, pressing her shoulders against him, and felt him stiffen and
catch his breath. But he didn't pull away; he left his hands loose on
her arms but drew his legs slightly together so his knees were just
barely touching her hips.
"Jess?"
"Yeah."
"What's happening here?"
Jess hesitated, not knowing how to answer her. He wanted to push the
situation, touch her more. But he also wanted to diffuse the tension
so she wouldn't pull away.
"Is that another way of asking me what I'm thinking?"
"I guess so. Although I'm not quite sure what I'm thinking either."
That was a good sign. If she was confused, there was hope for him.
"I think we're cuddling," Jess responded.
"I don't think I'm supposed to cuddle with you."
"Are you telling me I have bad cuddle-karma?" He felt her chuckle
against his chest and the slight motion resonated through his whole
body. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her a little
closer to him. "There. Now we're snuggling."
"I KNOW I'm not supposed to snuggle with you."
"Is there an ordinance against it?"
"Unwritten."
"Unwritten rules are just asking to be broken."
"What about hearts?"
Jess heard the timid question and his own heart almost stopped. "Whose
heart is in question here?"
"Mine?" Rory's voice was soft, fearful. Jess felt tenderness flood
through him and he turned her in his arms so he could see her face.
Keeping his arm behind her back, he leaned forward and tilted her face
until he was looking into her eyes.
"Any man who breaks your heart deserves to die a protracted and
painful death. You're..." Jess couldn't think of the right word.
"Irreplaceable."
Rory's face remained serious, but her eyes brightened as she looked at
him and realized how honest he was being. She threw her arms around
his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
"I missed you Jess. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you before I left, or
call you while I was gone. I wanted this so badly and it scared me.
I've never felt with anyone like I feel when I'm with you; it's like
you have some sort of magnet in your skin and whenever I'm around you
all I can think about is touching you and getting closer and closer to
you and when we kissed before I was terrified because it actually made
me shake..."
Jess's lips were on hers, one hand in her hair, the other pressing
against the small of her back and holding her against him. His arm
lifted her as he laid her back on the ground and leaned over her,
never breaking the kiss but tangling their legs together and running
his hand down the side of her body. He caressed the back of her thigh
and pulled on her knee, bending her leg and pulling her tighter
against him. His mouth caressed the sensitive skin of her exposed
collarbone, and he felt her hands tentatively slip under his shirt to
stroke the sensitive skin at his waist. He groaned and resumed his
assault on her lips, reaching under the hem of her tank to mimic her
touch. Rory sobbed against his mouth. He pulled away to look down at
her as his fingers skimmed the top of her hip just above the waistband
of her shorts and feathered across her stomach. He heard her sharp
intake of breath and felt his own arousal leap, and he moved his hand
to cup her face, fighting for control.
"We're stopping now. I'm sure there's a real ordinance against making
love in the park, and watching you underneath me is just about to
break the tenuous hold I still have over my actions." He stood up and
offered her his hand to help her up. "I also suspect you're not quite
ready for this, and I don't have any way to protect you. I wasn't
expecting to see you out here." He grinned at her blush. Her breathing
was still erratic, her face flushed. "One thing's for sure. We can't
go back into town yet. One look at us and the rumor mill will be
off."
Rory ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. "I think
they're going to find out sooner or later."
"I'm glad to know you're not planning on keeping me a secret."
"I couldn't even if I wanted to. It'll be all over my face when I look
at you from now on. The first time I set foot in the diner everyone
will take one look at me and know for absolute certain that I'm in
love with you."
Jess felt like he was falling. His mind went blank, his mouth went
dry, and the earth tilted as he swallowed hard and tried to breathe.
He could hear Rory's voice: "Jess? Are you okay? Your face got weird
all of a..."
Then his arm was around her waist clamping her to him as he pulled her
head back to plunder her opened mouth. He felt the anguish and
loneliness and pain drain out of his heart, and she kissed away the
tears and held him and stroked his hair until his breathing deepened
and his arms relaxed. He leaned his forehead against hers and made a
silly, sheepish face that made her smile.
"Guess you can tell I'm in love with you too."
"Well, I hoped that was what that meant. But it's nice to hear it
confirmed."
"I'll tell you at whatever interval you like, repeatedly, for as long
as you want me. Maybe I'll put a sign up in the diner, or paint it on
your coffee mug."
"You could carve our initials in the gazebo."
"I already did."
"What!? I haven't seen it, and I thought we kept track of these
things!"
"I used A.D. instead of J.M."
Rory laughed. "Artful Dodger. Of course; the one we couldn't figure
out! And you used L.G. so I always thought it was mom. Sneaky." Rory
stopped laughing and looked puzzled. "But Jess, that's been there for
months. Since...well, Christmas at least." He nodded. "Oh Jess, have
I really been that clueless? No wonder Dean thought I was lying to
him."
"Speaking of Dean..."
"I will talk to him tonight, or at least try to. I've been stupid, but
I'm not intentionally mean." She stepped closer to him and ran the
palm of her hand across his chest. "I'm not going to be able to keep
my hands off of you easily, so we do need to stay away from each other
until after Dean and I talk. I don't particularly want to rub his face
in this."
"You're a good person, Rory Gilmore." Jess took her hand from where
it rested on his chest and kissed it. He linked their fingers
together and turned to look at the lake. "You know, Luke will kill me
if I come home in this condition. Wonder how cold that water is?"
Rory laughed as he kicked off his shoes and headed for the water.
THANK YOU BUNCHES to everyone who sent me feedback. You guys made me feel terrific!
Part 2 is short but I hope you'll enjoy it; I'll try to write part 3 soon.
Disclaimer: Not mine. The WBs and AS-Ps.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jess leaned up against a tree, skipping stones into the lake and
wondering exactly when the fates had decided to trap him in one of his
mother's paperback romances. All the elements were there: the bad
boy, the beautiful innocent, the time-out-of-time setting, the jealous
lover--well, best he could tell Dean wasn't Rory's lover exactly, but
he did expect hobbits to pop out of the tree next to him at any
second. Stars Hollow seemed covered in pixie dust, and somehow he'd
fallen under its spell. He let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Who
was he kidding? HER spell. She'd brought fairy magic with her to New
York and entranced him; he'd moved back to Stars Hollow and she'd
fallen into his arms--but then she wouldn't talk with him and avoided
him and for the last six weeks she'd been in Washington and he'd had
to get his news of her through the grapevine. Fortunately Fairy Land
had a veritable beanstalk of a grapevine.
She was probably home by now; he'd heard Lorelei say something about
her grandparents picking her up at the airport around 10. They were
probably having lunch and listening to her describe everything she'd
seen and experienced, and she and Lorelei were probably tossing off
wise-cracks about all the lunatic prep-school kids at camp. He looked
at his watch and was surprised to see that it was 1:30. OK, they were
probably finished with lunch. Good thing he didn't have to work at the
diner today--he'd totally lost track of time. He walked over toward
the stream and lay down in the grass, looking up at the sky through
the leaves, and fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes, she was sitting under the tree watching him.
"I'm sure there's a town ordinance about sleeping in the park."
"And well there should be. Most uncomfortable patch of ground I've
ever slept on."
"I'm sure that's not why there's an ordinance."
"Oh, you think it's to keep hoodlums like me from living in the park?
Maybe I'll round up some hippie friends and have a Human Be-In."
"Don't say Human Be-In. It makes me think of Alan Ginsberg, which
makes me think of Beat poetry, which makes me think of Paris. Oh God,
for six weeks I actually lived with Paris. But wait, what would your
Be-In be protesting?"
"Stupid town ordinances."
"Ah, of course. But you see if you'd obeyed the ordinance you wouldn't
have that crick in your neck that you're so clearly trying to work out
so it's really not that stupid. Come here and let me rub it for you.
You're making a face like you really hurt it."
"I think I slept on a rock."
Jess moved over to where Rory was sitting and sat cross-legged in
front of her. He was glad for a moment not to be able to see her, and
he inhaled, trying to regain his equilibrium, but then her hands were
on his neck, kneading gently, and he was overwhelmed. He tried to
remember the last time someone had taken care of him. He felt the
wound in his heart throb a little and pulled away.
"Better." He smiled at her. "Your turn."
Rory's face flushed a little; she hadn't quite realized what she was
getting herself into when she'd offered to touch him. Her hands were
almost burning from the sensation, and the world had completely shrunk
to the space between them. She scooted forward and he took her spot
against the tree, stretching out his legs so she sat between his
knees. He kneaded the tops of her arms and moved slowly up toward her
neck, alternately kneading and smoothing until her head was limp on
her shoulders. She couldn't remember when she'd felt so relaxed and
sleepy, and when he gently pulled on her shoulders she lay back to
lean against his chest.
"Mmm, comfy." She closed her eyes and felt the rhythm of his breath
and his heart beat. His breath was a little uneven and she smiled
slightly, wondering if she was causing that. She stretched out her
legs, pressing her shoulders against him, and felt him stiffen and
catch his breath. But he didn't pull away; he left his hands loose on
her arms but drew his legs slightly together so his knees were just
barely touching her hips.
"Jess?"
"Yeah."
"What's happening here?"
Jess hesitated, not knowing how to answer her. He wanted to push the
situation, touch her more. But he also wanted to diffuse the tension
so she wouldn't pull away.
"Is that another way of asking me what I'm thinking?"
"I guess so. Although I'm not quite sure what I'm thinking either."
That was a good sign. If she was confused, there was hope for him.
"I think we're cuddling," Jess responded.
"I don't think I'm supposed to cuddle with you."
"Are you telling me I have bad cuddle-karma?" He felt her chuckle
against his chest and the slight motion resonated through his whole
body. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her a little
closer to him. "There. Now we're snuggling."
"I KNOW I'm not supposed to snuggle with you."
"Is there an ordinance against it?"
"Unwritten."
"Unwritten rules are just asking to be broken."
"What about hearts?"
Jess heard the timid question and his own heart almost stopped. "Whose
heart is in question here?"
"Mine?" Rory's voice was soft, fearful. Jess felt tenderness flood
through him and he turned her in his arms so he could see her face.
Keeping his arm behind her back, he leaned forward and tilted her face
until he was looking into her eyes.
"Any man who breaks your heart deserves to die a protracted and
painful death. You're..." Jess couldn't think of the right word.
"Irreplaceable."
Rory's face remained serious, but her eyes brightened as she looked at
him and realized how honest he was being. She threw her arms around
his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
"I missed you Jess. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you before I left, or
call you while I was gone. I wanted this so badly and it scared me.
I've never felt with anyone like I feel when I'm with you; it's like
you have some sort of magnet in your skin and whenever I'm around you
all I can think about is touching you and getting closer and closer to
you and when we kissed before I was terrified because it actually made
me shake..."
Jess's lips were on hers, one hand in her hair, the other pressing
against the small of her back and holding her against him. His arm
lifted her as he laid her back on the ground and leaned over her,
never breaking the kiss but tangling their legs together and running
his hand down the side of her body. He caressed the back of her thigh
and pulled on her knee, bending her leg and pulling her tighter
against him. His mouth caressed the sensitive skin of her exposed
collarbone, and he felt her hands tentatively slip under his shirt to
stroke the sensitive skin at his waist. He groaned and resumed his
assault on her lips, reaching under the hem of her tank to mimic her
touch. Rory sobbed against his mouth. He pulled away to look down at
her as his fingers skimmed the top of her hip just above the waistband
of her shorts and feathered across her stomach. He heard her sharp
intake of breath and felt his own arousal leap, and he moved his hand
to cup her face, fighting for control.
"We're stopping now. I'm sure there's a real ordinance against making
love in the park, and watching you underneath me is just about to
break the tenuous hold I still have over my actions." He stood up and
offered her his hand to help her up. "I also suspect you're not quite
ready for this, and I don't have any way to protect you. I wasn't
expecting to see you out here." He grinned at her blush. Her breathing
was still erratic, her face flushed. "One thing's for sure. We can't
go back into town yet. One look at us and the rumor mill will be
off."
Rory ran her hands through her hair and took a deep breath. "I think
they're going to find out sooner or later."
"I'm glad to know you're not planning on keeping me a secret."
"I couldn't even if I wanted to. It'll be all over my face when I look
at you from now on. The first time I set foot in the diner everyone
will take one look at me and know for absolute certain that I'm in
love with you."
Jess felt like he was falling. His mind went blank, his mouth went
dry, and the earth tilted as he swallowed hard and tried to breathe.
He could hear Rory's voice: "Jess? Are you okay? Your face got weird
all of a..."
Then his arm was around her waist clamping her to him as he pulled her
head back to plunder her opened mouth. He felt the anguish and
loneliness and pain drain out of his heart, and she kissed away the
tears and held him and stroked his hair until his breathing deepened
and his arms relaxed. He leaned his forehead against hers and made a
silly, sheepish face that made her smile.
"Guess you can tell I'm in love with you too."
"Well, I hoped that was what that meant. But it's nice to hear it
confirmed."
"I'll tell you at whatever interval you like, repeatedly, for as long
as you want me. Maybe I'll put a sign up in the diner, or paint it on
your coffee mug."
"You could carve our initials in the gazebo."
"I already did."
"What!? I haven't seen it, and I thought we kept track of these
things!"
"I used A.D. instead of J.M."
Rory laughed. "Artful Dodger. Of course; the one we couldn't figure
out! And you used L.G. so I always thought it was mom. Sneaky." Rory
stopped laughing and looked puzzled. "But Jess, that's been there for
months. Since...well, Christmas at least." He nodded. "Oh Jess, have
I really been that clueless? No wonder Dean thought I was lying to
him."
"Speaking of Dean..."
"I will talk to him tonight, or at least try to. I've been stupid, but
I'm not intentionally mean." She stepped closer to him and ran the
palm of her hand across his chest. "I'm not going to be able to keep
my hands off of you easily, so we do need to stay away from each other
until after Dean and I talk. I don't particularly want to rub his face
in this."
"You're a good person, Rory Gilmore." Jess took her hand from where
it rested on his chest and kissed it. He linked their fingers
together and turned to look at the lake. "You know, Luke will kill me
if I come home in this condition. Wonder how cold that water is?"
Rory laughed as he kicked off his shoes and headed for the water.