Author's Note: I'm sorry if I've misled you, but this is probably as racy as it's getting. That is, not at all.

*

Luke slammed Rory's coffee down on the table, the liquid slopping over the edge of the mug.

"You got a minute?"

Lorelai's eyebrows were brushing her hairline. Rory hopped up. Give it a second and everybody else would be staring too. "Sure."

Luke turned and walked away, completely ignoring her. She followed him until he rounded on her at the top of the stairs.

"You have to tell him."

This was one of those things she'd been hoping would go away. "Why do I have to tell him?"

"Because—"

"I mean, it's not like it's happened again. It's not like it was a serious thing, or, or a long-standing arrangement, or anything. It was just once. It was a mistake."

"You have to tell him. You're lying to him and, what do I know, maybe you're lying to yourself. I don't care. It's driving me insane. Tell him."

Luke thudded back down the stairs, leaving Rory standing there with nothing to say and no one to say it to.

*

Tristan's mouth was curving into a slow smile. Rory scowled at him over the rim of her glass, but her heart wasn't in it. "It's more than two weeks."

"Fine, sixteen days. That sounds too long, though."

"It is too long."

"That eager to get back?"

"Yes." And everybody had been talking about it lately and Tristan had always shrugged off the questions. "What are you going to do afterwards? Next year."

"I'll apply to a couple, see what I get."

"Which ones?" The sun shone strongly through the kitchen window, giving Rory a reason to squint, to shield her eyes. She could see the pool from here; Henry and Lane looked happy through their sweat. Crystal was smiling at them, sparks flying from her hair as it moved. She was carefully ignoring Jess, who looked mildly amused by the whole thing.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Harvard, Yale. And some back-ups." A can hissed open behind her. "Maybe I'll go to Brown. Get a drinking degree." He came up beside her, grinning out the window, and tilting his head at her. "Disapprove?"

"No." The grin widened. "Okay, yes."

"What about you? Still Harvard?"

"I think so."

"Come on. We should take these outside."

"Yeah—"

He was already walking through the door, and he was sharing Crystal's lounger by the time she got outside.

*

Crystal was leaning forward so far that Rory thought she'd fall into the mirror. If you broke the glass, could people come back? She felt guilty for the thought, but the guilt just irritated her, because she sort of felt that she'd been suckered into becoming semi-friends with Crystal. She hadn't wanted to know the girl at all. Still didn't.

They were at Tristan's, getting ready to go out. His parents had returned from Europe today. Not that you'd be able to tell if Crystal would stop droning on about it.

"So I think it went okay. His mom was really nice." Crystal's lips were stretched wide so she could line them, but her eyes were smiling too.

"She is." Lane was sitting on the edge of the tub, ready ten minutes ago.

"I wasn't expecting her to be so—"

"Normal?" Lane grinned at Rory. "I was expecting Tristan to be the devil-child. That would make Margot who?"

Crystal dropped the pencil and reached for the stick. "It was such a relief. I thought it was going to be okay, after last time, but—"

"I thought you hadn't met them?"

Two pairs of eyes swung around to Rory. Crystal looked slightly surprised, Lane calculating. She was going to figure it out. Pressure started to build in Rory's chest. She should tell her, she should tell her before she found out, so she'd be less angry. Not that she'd be angry—

"I hadn't. I just meant that the last time we dated, Tristan wouldn't even let me meet them, and we were going out longer than we have been this time. It's going really well, huh?"

Thoroughly pleased, Crystal stepped back to survey the length of her body. Rory slowly stepped up to take her place at the mirror. She hadn't known that they'd dated before. That probably meant that Tristan hadn't taken her seriously at all — Rory couldn't remember the last time he'd taken a girlfriend seriously — but it still made her feel excluded.

Mascara done and dry, and they were still looking at her. Lips.

"His dad's scary though, right? With the pen. It's not just me?" Crystal sounded paranoid.

"No, but just because you're thinking the pen costs a thousand dollars or something. He's not actually scary. He just accessorises well."

Damn. She'd left her eyeshadow at home.

"You can borrow mine if you want. You liked the brown, right?"

Rory was reluctant to take anything from Crystal, but there was no polite way to refuse. "Thanks." It was lovely, smokiness built in and sheened with gold.

"Here."

"Keep it for the night. Give it back to Tristan."

Crystal was edging forward to peer at her blusher. They had to drag her out of the bathroom.

*

Jess was having fun this time. The clientele hadn't changed and Rory wouldn't have thought the music was to his taste, but he was enjoying himself. It was nice.

Henry and Lane were arguing over at the bar. That was less nice. It might have been why Jess was having fun.

"What's wrong with them?" Crystal was gawking over, hardly trying to hide it.

Jess was far more interested than she would have expected. He'd never cared much about Lane one way or the other, so she'd thought the fight would roll right off his back. "Nothing's wrong with them. Many things are wrong with Lane, many may be wrong with Henry, but together Lane is too distracted to do more to glower in my general direction. Hey, like Lorelai."

"My mother does not glower in your general direction."

"Okay."

"She does not."

"I agreed with you."

"Anyway, yours doesn't even talk to me."

"She talked to you."

"She told me not to touch her cat. That's not talking."

"Molly's a scratcher. Liz was being nice. Bites, too. She almost took out Wilkins' left nostril once."

"She did not. Did she?"

"Do you think they'll be much longer?" Petulant, mostly because she'd been left out of the conversation. "I kind of wanted to go into the main room now. It's too quiet here."

Tristan leaned forward, hand on her back. "I think we should leave them alone. We could go on ahead, though."

"We'll come too." Jess turned to Rory. "Done?"

She wasn't, but Jess was already up, so she downed the rest of her soda and followed him. She caught Lane's eye as they left, waving. Lane turned away.

"Do you think she'll be all right?"

Tristan's laugh drifted back. Her hand tightened on Jess' arm. "She'll be fine, Rory. Henry'd give her a ride home if she'd just dumped him for his father."

Jess brightened. "Now that might even pass for interesting. Does he have any brothers?" Rory glared, and he dropped it, but he was still grinning.

They hung around the back of the room for a while, grabbing a couple of seats when an unwary group got up to dance.

Jess leaned in. "Liz is talking about moving to the suburbs."

"Really. Is that the first step towards Stars Hollow?"

"I think that's intended."

"That's wonderful."

"I won't have anywhere to stay. I'll have to crash on couches. Floors, even."

"Still."

"It's not going to magically make her less fucked up."

"But she's trying."

"I think so."

"Good?"

"Good."

She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him smile like that. Distracted, she barely noticed as he leaned in to kiss her. Her eyes drifted shut at the first touch of his lips against hers. It was familiar, and pleasant, and even as she was relaxing into it she was looking over his shoulder.

Crystal was draped over Tristan's shoulder, face rubbing his cheek, nuzzling down into his neck. Tristan was looking back at Rory, lips curling. She couldn't watch him while she was kissing Jess. He turned away first, pulling Crystal's face up and catching her mouth with his.

Rory closed her eyes. She had to concentrate. Jess. Jess kissing her; Jess making her feel good. It almost looked like Tristan was trying to eat Crystal, thumb under her chin, stretching her out so he could touch her. His hand on her hip was holding her in place, but she squirmed out of his grasp, sliding forward, throwing a leg over his. Pressing herself into him, and Rory couldn't see him anymore.

Jess' tongue was sliding over hers, and she was leaning forward for more, kissing back. She knew this, liked it. Tristan had disappeared, and she blinked, distracted, shifting around until she could see him again. Jess followed her, his hands rubbing along her thighs. She moved into his touch. Tristan and Crystal had fallen into the corner of the long seat. Crystal was curled up in his lap; his hands were on her back, under her shirt. Drifting down, skimming below the waist of her trousers. And his eyes were open, burning into Rory's.

Gone again, and she wanted them back, wanted to see all that need. He pulled Crystal further into him, his hands moving from her back, and Rory couldn't see them anymore, couldn't see what he was doing to her. Jess' skin was warm under her palms; his fingers were hard on her legs, maybe leaving bruises, and she remembered what it was like to have hands slide along her bare thighs, pull them apart. Jess wasn't doing that, wasn't doing it right. Dissatisfied, she pulled herself closer, hoping he'd take the hint and give her a little more.

He did, fingers on her skin, stroking carefully higher, knees between hers. Crystal was straddling Tristan's lap, almost lying on him, bodies flush. Rory couldn't see him. She wanted to see him, she wanted him.

She pulled away from Jess, looking up at him, and this was wrong.

"Hey." Rory's head swung to the side. Lane. Pissed off Lane. "We're leaving. You coming, or staying with them?"

"Coming." She stood. "We should go with them."

Jess looked disappointed. "Already?"

"We're leaving too." Tristan's voice behind her, and she turned to him. Too close, almost touching, and she could see how dark his eyes were, how swollen his lips. Too close, and she'd never been able to keep away from him.

He pushed past her, hands on Crystal's shoulders, roaming over her body as they were swallowed up by the crowd, and soon, Rory would be alone with Jess.

She took a deep breath, working up her courage. Or chickening out. She couldn't tell anymore. "Can you drop me off at my grandparents'?"