A/N: This is it. The end. *bawls* I'm sorry… *sniff* This is really difficult. I almost cried while writing it… I think it's really touching. I know I said that the last chapter would be the end (well, for those of you who saw it before I reposted), but I got this idea, and I just couldn't let it go. (Oh, and there will be a post-story author's note up tomorrow.) This is a letter to Rory from Jess…
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Saturday, November 28, 2026
Dear Rory,
I'm sitting here at the desk, and I don't know what to say. I miss you. I'm glad that you've got this once in a lifetime opportunity, but that doesn't mean I can't miss you. I mean, we're talking about prime-time TV here… and if you make it, we'll move. And I know you'll make it, because I believe in you so much.
I'm thinking back to the first time I met you. It was at your house. Luke and I were going to dinner there. Sookie was acting insane as usual with the food… And then I saw you. You were, simply put, an angel. I thought I'd stumbled into a dream. But, no offense, that'd happened before. It was when I saw your books that I fell. I wouldn't have admitted it then, if I'd even realized it, but I fell in love with you right then. It deepened over time, as I got to know you better.
I remember Tricia's birth. I wasn't there with you. I wish I had been. But at that point, you were still in love with him – and Tricia WAS his daughter. But that doesn't mean that I wish I could have. With Tricia it was definitely love-at-first-sight. She was so tiny, and so cute… it was amazing. I never told you, but I promised myself right then that I would always be there for both of you. I don't think I've ever broken that promise, and I hope I never do.
Emily and Liz's birth is another one of the highlights of my life… I'm very grateful that this time I could be with you. They're here now, of course, sleeping in the next room. I had no idea that nine-year-olds could be so cute.
Tricia called. She says that graduate school is harder than she thought. I know that you're proud of her for getting into Yale. I am too… She said that she hasn't worked up the courage to call Tristan yet. She said she doesn't know if she ever will, but that it's okay because she knows who her real father is… it brought tears to my eyes when she said that. I love that kid…
I'll be forever grateful to Luke, Lorelai, and Tricia for making us talk to each other. I'm also glad that you had the courage to tell me that you loved me, because I don't think that I ever would have been able to. I was too afraid of rejection. I'd lived with the secret for more than fourteen years – there didn't seem to be any reason to stop then.
The day before your wedding to Tristan, you told me you loved me. I knew that you only meant as friends, but I said it back, anyway. But after you left, I whispered something that has haunted my mind ever since… "More than you will ever know." And even though you know now, I think the statement still holds true. You will never know how much I love you. I don't even know how much I love you. I think I do, and then something happens, and my love grows. I think that's the best thing about loving you: it always changes. It doesn't stay the same – it grows, changes, and yet is always there.
Rory, I love you more than you or I will ever know or comprehend. You are my soul mate, the reason I live, and the light of my life.
Forever loving you,
Jess