A/N: Chapter Nineteen!

Warning: There's some making out in this chapter…

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: R/T, R/J (hmm. should i change that?)

Disclaimer: I do not own "Gilmore Girls." That is owned by Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB. I do, however, own most of this storyline (some was taken from previous episodes), so steal that and I will haunt you for the rest of your life.

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Rory stared at the note, dumbfounded. Sure, she'd had her suspicions after Jess had told her that they'd probably been set up, but she hadn't really thought that he was serious. Or that he was right. She looked at the note again.

Hey, kids,

You're probably wondering why we did this. Well, we thought you should talk. Jess, you need to tell Rory what you did the morning of her wedding. And Rory, you know what you need to tell him.

With love and hugs, hoping you come to your senses,

Lorelai, Luke, and Tricia

Yeah, it hadn't changed. Rory, you know what you need to tell him. What the hell were they talking about? The only thing that she hadn't told Jess was… what she'd just realized tweny-four hours earlier. But they could be talking about that.

"Rory?"

Her head shot up. "Yeah?"

"What's the point of the food? I mean, it might look edible, but I learned fourteen years ago not to trust anything that you guys cook up."

She frowned for a minute, trying to figure out what he was talking about. So what about the food? It didn't have a point… Wait. Fourteen years. She thought back to the basket auction. Jess had won the basket. She remembered very clearly that she'd had a few … thoughts she shouldn't have. At least, not when she had a boyfriend.

But the basket auction… the food. The horrible food that he'd tried to eat. To impress her. He'd even said it, even though he'd said it jokingly. To impress her.

To impress her.

Oh, God.

***

Jess fought to breathe slowly. He didn't really have to tell her. He didn't have to tell her that he'd left town because he couldn't bear to see her devoting her life to someone who wasn't him. He didn't have to. There was no reason to. Except the note…

Jess, you need to tell Rory what you did the morning of her wedding.

Yeah, right. Like he'd do that.

He glanced at Rory and was shocked to find her face void of color. "Rory? Are you alright?"

"Huh?" She looked at him, seeming bewildered to find him there. "Of course." She paused. "Well, actually, I think I need to sit down." She dropped to the bridge, staring out at the water unseeingly.

Jess wondered what she was thinking about… Rory, you know what you need to tell him. He wondered what they were talking about. He knew almost every single thing about her, so what could she not have told him?

Over the years, they'd disclosed almost everything to each other… They'd had plenty of late-night talks when one of them couldn't sleep. It was a given that they'd come straight to the other. So was it any real shock that he'd fallen in love with her? Jess knew Rory almost as well as he knew himself. He only wished that she loved him…

As much as he loved her.

***

Rory stared at the water. She didn't have to tell him. There was no reason to. So what if her mother and Luke had told her to? They didn't control her. But they could make her life a living hell. And they'd know whether or not she'd told him. It wasn't that difficult, she supposed. To tell. Whether she'd told him or not.

She wasn't going to tell him. And that was final.

***

Jess had to ask. He had to know what she needed to tell him, as it was obvious she wasn't going to tell him of her own volition. He took a deep breath.

***

She wasn't going to tell him. No way. Nuh-uh. No way in hell or high water.

"Rory, what does it mean by 'You know what you have to tell him'?" Jess' question jolted her out of her thoughts. 

She panicked. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe they're talking about … uh, I don't know. I don't know what they're talking about." Jess smirked. She frowned. "What about you, what did you do the morning of the wedding?"

"You first. I asked first."

"Yeah, well, I answered you. I don't know. There's no way that you don't know what you did the morning of the wedding. So, tell me. I don't know what could be that bad."

"Yeah, and I don't know what would be so bad that you won't tell me." Their voices were raised dangerously close to yelling at this point.

Rory took a deep breath, lowering her voice. "Just… Jess…" She swore under her breath, glaring at him. "Just tell me!" She screamed.

Jess glared right back at her. "Fine! You want to know what I did? I left. I left because I couldn't bear to see you married to that twerp."

Rory just stared at him. He'd left town because he couldn't bear to see her married to Tristan? But that would mean… She gasped. He flushed.

Rory came to a decision. They were only a foot away, each flushed with anger and, on Jess' part at least, embarrassment. She grabbed him around the neck and kissed him, full on the lips. He didn't respond, and she pulled away. "I'm sorry, I –"

She was silenced when Jess' lips covered hers. One hand came up to cup the back of her head while the other one rested on her back. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of pleasure. Kissing Tristan had never been like this. Sure, it was nice – he had been a bit of a rake before her – but this… this was heaven. There was no other way to describe it. She pulled him closer until his body was flush against hers. She tilted her head up to allow him greater access to her lips, and she parted them.

His other hand traveled down her spine, leaving tingles in its wake. She moaned in pleasure as his hand reached her hip. As she ran her fingers through his hair she realized she needed air. She pulled away. They were both panting. She grinned. He returned the gesture.

"Ready to tell me what you're supposed to tell me?"

She smiled. "No… I think we need to get to know each other a little more first."

Jess smirked. "Rory, we've known each other for almost fifteen years, and been best friends for at least eleven of them, good friends for almost all that time. There's not much else we need to know."

"I suppose you're right… And I know that they'll grill you pretty well. I don't know what'll happen if I decide not to tell you, so…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "I love you, Jess. Not like a friend. I love you like I thought I loved Tristan, only this… it's better. Deeper. Stronger." She smiled at him. He looked shell-shocked.

"I – I…" Jess couldn't complete his sentence. He tried again. "I love you, Rory. I didn't think I'd ever be able to tell you." He grinned. "I love you so much." He leaned down to capture her lips again for another kiss, knowing that, at last, he'd found his ever-after.

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A/N: That was corny, wasn't it? I'm sorry. It's almost impossible to do the 'I love you' scene without getting that way. I think I might have moved too fast, but there really wasn't anything else to do. Unless you all want more, I think that's the end.

Okay – this is as of six o'clock CST (as in, I reposted it at that time). I've decided that this is the last CHAPTER, yes, but there is an epilogue that will be posted on the 30th, as planned, but then the next day – New Year's Eve! – I will put up my post-story author's note, which will include thank-yous to everyone who reviewed this chapter and the epilogue, as well as a lot of reminiscing on my part.

Thanks for reviewing chapter 18: Alexis, anonymousthinker, destiny, indigo-chica, Je$$I$a}{0++Ie, klm111a, lala, MaryATroryFan, Melissa Larkin, miss.pebbles, Mysticgrl, Pippin3791, rgilmore03, SugahMuffin, TemptingFate