Alright, chapter 5 is up. This is going to be the last chapter (finally!) although I may write an epilogue to round things up. Sorry this took so long. Thanks so much to all of you wonderful reviewers!! I love you all!!! You're all too kind. :) I wouldn't have finished this if it weren't for all of you. Many thanks. *blows kisses*
So… on with the story…
Disclaimer: Alas, Gilmore Girls is not mine. *sigh*
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There was a hushed, secretive beauty that belonged only to the night that Rory Gilmore couldn't help but relish in. When night spread its inky embrace over the sky, the earth transformed into a silent realm of shadows, intercepted only by soft pools of light cast by the gentle glow of lamps and streetlights, quiet beacons in a sea of darkness.
Rory sat alone in her own small, yellow pool of light, shadows dancing just out of reach among the kitchen cabinets. Her house was a completely different place at night; it became an empty shell inhabited only by dark whispers of shadow, concealing secrets in its dusty corners.
She clutched a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and Welcome to the Monkey House in the other, lost in its cracked, yellowed pages. When her vision began to waver, she sighed, putting the book down with a soft clack that echoed gently throughout the kitchen, and rubbed her eyes. Having to read a sentence three times in order to comprehend it was always a sure sign that it was getting late. A quick glance at the clock confirmed this- it was two o' clock in the morning.
Rory finished off the rest of her hot chocolate with a flourish and stretched back luxuriously in her chair, a yawn stretching its way out from her throat. She blinked several times and shook her head, pushing herself to her feet. She stared reflectively at her door for a while, debating whether or not to go in. Although mind was tired, her body buzzed with quiet energy. There was no way she was going to get any sleep this way. Perhaps she would take a walk…
She nodded to herself, smiling. Yes, she would take a walk. Venus was out tonight, and she didn't want to miss seeing the orange planet's temporary reign in the night sky. Pulling her bathrobe tighter around herself, she shuffled towards the screen door, wincing at the shriek of protest it emitted as she pulled it open. As quietly as possible, she shifted over the creaking floorboards and slipped outside into the still, cool night air. She stood on the porch for a while, drinking in the dark, clean smell of the night, relishing in the way the white disk of the moon bathed everything in a silvery light, and the way the damp grass ruffled idly in the quiet breeze.
A small smile creeping over her face, she stepped from the porch and was swallowed by the night.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The harsh clapping of cards being shuffled echoed loudly throughout the darkened diner. Jess sat alone by the window, absently watching the cards bend and flex beneath his deft fingers. Perfunctorily, he lay out the deck for yet another round of solitaire, the cards slapping softly as they met the table.
He had always loved the night. It was one of the few times that he found Stars Hollow tolerable- when all of its occupants were asleep. He smiled ironically to himself at this, and peered out of the window, onto the silent, rain-slicked streets. Harsh, orange streetlights flickered and buzzed over the deserted sidewalks, and stores hunkered like dark, empty shells across the way. It was, Jess couldn't help reflecting, beautiful, in its own way.
Just when he was about to turn away from the view and begin his thirtieth game of solitaire that evening, a soft shuffling broke through the stillness of the night, the sound muffled as it floated through the glass. He looked up sharply, his mind immediately darting to Rory, hoping that it was her. At the same time he kicked himself mentally for always having her on his mind, but he couldn't help it. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since that day last week when she had, out of the blue, leaned over and kissed him, transfixing him on the spot.
And he hadn't seen her since.
Shaking his head and berating himself for being so sentimental, he craned his neck and pressed his cheek against the cool glass to see who would be wandering the streets of Stars Hollow at this unholy hour in the morning.
His assumption turned out to be correct; Rory drifted idly down the street, dreamy eyes fixed on the star encrusted sky.
A small smile flitting over his face and his heart rate increasing ever so slightly, he slid out of his seat and slunk towards the door to the diner, unlocking it and waiting for her to approach, unaware of his presence. He leaned against the doorframe, folding his arms nonchalantly, his dark eyes following her every movement as she slowly drew nearer. When she reached the corner, he spoke, his voice echoing strangely through the deserted streets.
"You know, it's pretty dangerous wandering around this late at night. I've heard this place is pretty much seething with bloodthirsty criminals."
Rory froze in shock, snapping abruptly back into the present. She blinked at him for several seconds until uneasy recognition dawned. "Jess," she said waveringly, her hands clenching and unclenching nervously. She hadn't seen him since she…
"Yes, that would be my name," he said easily, pushing himself from the doorframe so that he could hold the door open for her, "Want to come in?" When she hesitated, he grinned, gesturing towards the darkened counter with his head. "Free coffee for the lady," he said in an almost sing-song voice, his dark green eyes glinting mischievously.
Rory couldn't help smiling at him then. She was not only reminded of her mom, but she also knew that she was experiencing one of the rare 'Jess moments,' when he shed his indifferent façade and was just himself, lightly ironic and almost, but not quite, cheerful. "How can I resist an offer of coffee?" she laughed, "you know my weaknesses too well."
As she passed through the door to the diner, Jess watched her, a smile flickering over his face. "That I do," he said quietly, shutting the door behind them.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Rory sighed sleepily and dropped her head with a dull thud onto the counter, wincing slightly at the jarring impact.
"Tired?" Jess' voice drifted from somewhere above her head.
"A little," she mumbled in return, watching her breath fog the formerly spotless surface of the counter. She didn't know for how long they had sat there, playing ERS until the images on the cards wavered and danced before her eyes, and she couldn't tell a queen from an ace.
She had been uncomfortable in his company at first, but thankfully, he seemed to have completely forgotten about 'the incident,' as she so dubbed it in her head. She felt her heart sink slightly at this thought, and then, with a blink, wondered why. She should be glad that that stupid mistake of hers hadn't ruined their friendship. Because it had been a mistake.
Right?
"I don't see how you can be, after all that coffee you consumed," he said lightly.
She slowly raised her tired head, staring blankly at the coffee cup wasteland that stretched out before her. "I don't see how you can be so awake after consuming none!" she countered, taking a swig out of the half full coffee cup before her, the caffine rush briefly invigorating her.
Shaking her head vigorously, she blinked the bleary haze from her eyes and turned to face him. Her mouth was half opened to say something trivial, when she got a good look at his countenance and froze, her breath catching in her throat.
His face was half shrouded by shadows, but she could see him well enough to note with some alarm that he had an odd expression on his face, one that she had never seen him wear before… His green eyes glimmered darkly in the moonlight, half veiled by long, dark eyelashes. Those eyes held an unspoken challenge, boring straight into her skull, daring her to admit to something she wasn't altogether sure of herself.
She turned away, feeling heat rise in her cheeks under his intense scrutiny. A thick silence descended on them both, heavily laden with unspoken thoughts. She squirmed uncomfortably, her body tense, weighed down by the stillness that settled suffocatingly around them. She opened her mouth, her brain frantically searching for something that would break the nerve-wracking silence, and was just about to blurt out something stupid about the weather when suddenly, Jess broke the stillness himself with an abrupt, "Why did you do it?"
Unsettled and not a little flustered, she cast a fleeting glance at him before returning her gaze to her lap. He was still staring at her with those intense eyes. They had gone from companionable friendship to tense uneasiness in mere seconds.
"Do what?" she answered shakily, not meeting his eyes. Was it just her, or was the temperature rising in the room?
"You know what I'm talking about," he said quietly, "or have you forgotten? Here, let me recap for you. Rory busts into Jess' apartment. Grabs Jess and randomly kisses him until he doesn't know which way is up. Then tears out just as suddenly, and hides in a hole somewhere for a week, leaving aforementioned Jess in limbo, wondering what the hell is going on."
"That wasn't what happened!" Rory exclaimed indignantly, her head snapping up to glare at him. He was smirking at her. "If my rendition is incorrect," he said softly, "then you may as well fill me in to the real story. I'm quite curious."
"I--" Rory began, then trailing off, at a loss for words. Instead, she found her gaze slowly traveling downwards, until she was staring at Jess' lips. Jess' very, very nice lips. Unwittingly, her eyes began to glaze over as the events of last Friday swarmed over her, recalling exactly how soft those lips had felt against her own, and…
"Rory! Earth to Rory."
Rory jolted, snapping suddenly back into reality. Oh, God. What was she thinking???? She felt the blood rush violently to her face, and her stomach tangled itself in embarrassed knots. Jess was peering amusedly into her face, a sardonic grin crossing his face. His eyes taunted her, daring her to confess what she had really been thinking.
His proximity was beginning to unnerve her. She couldn't think rationally when he was that close. Scooting back as far as she could on her stool, she attempted to regain her composure and answer with as much dignity as she could gather his previous question. "I-it was…" Her voice was not cooperating. Frowning and clearing her throat, she started again, trying to still her wavering voice. "It was nothing. I… just… wasn't thinking rationally. And I'm sorry if I led you to believe it was something more." There. Strong Rory. She patted her back mentally in congratulation.
Why was Jess still smiling?
"It meant nothing, huh?"
She blinked in surprise, staring at him for several seconds in confusion before nodding vigorously. "Yes. Nothing."
"So, hypothetically, if I were to kiss you right now, it would still mean nothing."
Rory felt her face turn ten different shades of crimson at his words, her stomach rollercoasting through her body. Was he… what was he saying??
"Hypothetically, yes. It- it would mean nothing. At all. Because-" she continued waveringly, trying not to choke as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, "-you… you're… we're just friends."
"Uh huh," he said, resting his cheek on his hand, staring at her, that smirk still present on his face. "Let's test this theory, shall we?"
She opened her mouth to voice a shocked protest, but Jess had already leaned forwards, very effectively silencing her by kissing her soundly.
This means nothing, she told her self firmly as he kissed her. Nothing at all. Noth… nothi… nnn…
Her hands, traitorous limbs that they were, skimmed up his arms and twined around his neck. She suddenly needed to feel his warm bulk in her arms, to reassure herself he was real. She found herself responding eagerly to the kiss, leaning into him, clutching him hungrily.
Ok. Maybe she did think of him as a little more than a friend.
All too soon, she felt him pulling away, but his arms remained around her waist, holding her close. His breath brushed her neck warmly, and she sighed in breathless contentment, resting her head on his shoulder. Sitting there, draped comfortably over Jess, she began to realize exactly how much in denial she had been. The emotions that had been unleashed by that one kiss were too strong to be ignored. She really was in love with Jess…
She couldn't help smiling when she noted how shaky his voice was when he spoke. "I think," he said, without his usual composure, "that this theory of ours needs some revising."
She raised her head and cupped his face in her hands, marveling at its texture and form, as if seeing him for the first time. "I think I agree," she whispered, leaning in for another kiss.
~The End~