Please R&R sorry for the delay in the update.

"Hey where are you going?" Lorelai stops and stands in the doorway to Rory's room.

"Out, with a friend" Rory smiles smoothing down her skirt.

"Must be a great friend for you to wear such a nice outfit." Lorelai comments

"Yup, a really great friend." Rory replies putting on some earrings

"Oh a really great friend, I see I'm sorry I wasn't aware of how great no really great this friend was."

Rory stops and looks at Lorelai "Are you done?"

"Not quite." Lorelai follows Rory out of the house "So when were you planning on telling me about this really great date with this really great friend?"

"Tonight when he came to pick me up."

"Oh I see you were going for the element of surprise. I see, it must be bad that you didn't want me to meet him until about five minutes before you leave. Maybe I should pull an Emily." Lorelai ponders

"An Emily?" Rory asks

"Yea, you know sit him on the couch, totally scare the crap out of him until he wants to pee his pants then let him go telling him that if you walk in a minute after curfew that his head will be strung up in the center of town for all to see."

"I don't think grandma ever said anything about stringing up someone's head in town." Rory answers

"Well I'm paraphrasing but believe me it's what she had I mind." Lorelai smiles

"Well either way. I don't think any of those tactics will have any affect on him."

"And when you say him…..?"

"He's here" Rory goes to the door with Lorelai close on her heels. "Hey" She greet Jess

"Jess!?" Lorelai asks surprised "Why are you here? And why are you in khakis and a nice shirt. Did you lose you're other clothes and come to try and impress Rory with your new look?"

"You didn't tell her?" Jess asks Rory

"I was just about to, I didn't want to hear this for more then five minutes."

"Hello still standing here clueless. Tell me what?" Lorelai asks

"Mom, Jess is my date." Rory turns towards Lorelai

"Wait I could of sworn you just said Jess, is your date."

"That's cause I did." Rory smiles

"You're her date?" Lorelai asks Jess

"Surprise?" He jokes

"Oh surprise does not even cover it. Rory can I have a word with you in the kitchen?" Lorelai grabs Rory's arm and pulls her inside. "Jess is your date?"

"I thought we'd accomplished that by now." Rory tells her

"Yes we have, but what I don't know it why. Why Jess? In case you can't remember, let me refresh your memory you don't like Jess. He's the reason you and Dean broke up."

"No Dean and I broke up because he was becoming over possessive and protective of me and I was looking for a boyfriend not a security guard. Jess is really nice. He just started Chilton and-"

"Hold on he's going to Chilton now? Luke doesn't have the money to pay for Chilton."

"His mom paid, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is Jess is making a game out of this, he's trying to get to you just to prove to Dean he's the better man."

"Well then it's working cause he is the better man. And it's only dinner."

"It's always only dinner." Lorelai replies

"Mom, you're kidding me right? You're turning into your mother. Jess is really nice and sweet, if you get to know him he has this really great side to him."

"I'm turning into my mother?" Lorelai gasps

"I wont be late." Rory kisses her mom and goes to the front door.

Lorelai follows her "I'm turning into my mother?" She asks again

"Bye mom!" Rory shuts the door.

"What was that about?" Jess asks

"I had to use desperate measures." Rory smiles

"Whatever you say. Your house, very odd I tell you."

"So where are we going?" Rory asks climbing into Jess's car.

"That'd be a surprise." Jess smiles "And as part of the surprise. Here." He hands her a bandanna "Cover your eyes with this"

Rory looks at him strangely "Are you serious?"

"No I'm not. Of course I'm serious cover your eyes or we stay in your driveway the whole night and your mother will eventually figure that out and come out here."

"All right." Rory covers here eyes "Let's go."


"We're almost there" Jess tells her a few minutes later.

"How could we be? It takes at least a whole five minutes to get out of Stars Hollow and we've only been in the car for about three."

"Are you peeking?"

"No. I'm just getting curious. Where'd you learn to drive?" Rory laughs bouncing in her seat. "Why is the road so bumpy?"

"Because it's not a road." Jess stops the car and gets out, opens her door and takes her hand. "Walk slowly and trust me."

"I do." Rory gets out "Are we close?"

"Very. All right let's start walking and don't take off the blindfold until I tell you to." Jess instructs, they walk for a little bit and he stops her. "All right, hold on." He stands next to her. "Now"

Rory slowly lifts up the blindfold and gasps "You did this for me?" She smiles, they are standing on the pier over the duck pond. Jess has set up a blanket over the pier and covered it with food, there is a bouquet of sunflowers sitting on the blanket and all around them are candles. "How did you know sunflowers were my favorite?" Rory asks picking them up

"I got a lot of tips from Lane." Jess smiles

"She knew?"

"Yea, she held onto everything for me. I think uncle Luke might have sent me back if he found 30 or so candles, flowers a picnic blanket and basket in my room." Jess replies "So do you like it? It's no four star restaurant but-"

"It's ten times better than I had expected. I love it."

"Well then let's eat." Jess sits down and Rory sits down next to him. "We've got pasta, garlic bread, coffee" He smiles picking up a mug "And chocolate covered strawberries for dessert."

"Where did you get all this stuff?" Rory asks looking at all the food.

"There's a lot you don't know about me Rory."

"You cooked this all?"

"So I did learn a thing or two from my mother, she likes to cook and I guess it's just in the blood."

"It looks great- all of it." Rory smiles and takes a bite "Didn't you have to go into Doose's to buy this stuff?"

Jess laughs "Yea and he almost had a heart attack."

"You're evil." Rory jokes

"By reputation only." Jess answers "Only a select few get to see who I really am."

"Like?" Rory prods

"You, and well Lane. I couldn't manage to pull off the bad boy thing when I was handing her vanilla scented candles for a dinner on the pier with you. Apparently it's a sweet and caring thing to do."

"I can't believe Lane didn't even tell me. I'm still so surprised."

"In a good way?" Jess asks

"In the best way."

"Good."

****************

"Hey Lorelai, coffee?"

"Not tonight, I think I'll have tea." Lorelai says slowly

"Tea? What's wrong?" Luke asks

"Nothing I just want tea. I think there might be something wrong with your coffee or something because it's making people do weird things."

"So my coffee has what a supernatural affect of people?" Luke jokes

"Better phrases than how I would have put it."

"How would you have put it?" Luke asks

"Do you know where Jess is tonight?"

"Out with some friends he met at Chilton. You know he's been doing better since he's started that school. He doesn't even really mind helping out or anything anymore."

"Right, do you know what friends he met at Chilton?"

"Why is it some conspiracy thing is he going to get arrested?" Luke laughs

"No, Luke I'm being serious."

"All right fine, since obviously you know why don't you just tell me?" Luke suggests

"Jess is out on a date-"

"That's great."

"-with Rory."

"Rory?!" Luke almost drops a cup "You're Rory?"

"Do you know any other Rory's?" Lorelai asks sarcastically "He came by tonight and picked her up, I don't even know where they went. I was to busy being stuck on the fact that I had turned into my mother."

"What?"

"Nevermind." Lorelai takes a sip of her tea

"So you let them go out without knowing where they went?" Luke asks and Lorelai nods. "Are you crazy?" He looks at his watch "What's Rory's curfew?"

"About 20 minutes from now." Lorelai glances at a clock

"So why don't we go back to your house and wait for them there?" Luke suggests

"All right, but first can you get me some coffee I don't care what supernatural affects it has on me." Lorelai laughs "You never know it may make me fall for you."

Luke stops for a moment with his back turned towards Lorelai. He forces a laughs "Yea you never know. Here's your coffee."

"Thank you, let's go."

Luke gets everyone else out of the store and locks up for the night.

*****************

Jess pulls into Rory's driveway. "I had a really great time" Rory tells him.

"Yea I did too."

"You want to come in? Maybe we can smooth this over with my mom." Rory suggests

"Well it looks like now or never and we'll have a better argument together" Jess replies

'What do you mean?"

"That's uncle Luke's car." Jess points

"So they're both in there talking about why we shouldn't be going out." Rory sits back "I'm ready if you're ready"

"Then let's go." They get out of the car and go into the house.

To be continued….. please R&R thanks!