Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They belong to the WB and are the property of the WB television series, Gilmore Girls, which is owned by Amy Sherman Palladino and other affiliates.

A/N: I'd like to say that this story has been inspired by the song Rinse, by Vanessa Carlton. I would also like to give thanks to my beta, my girl Priya! (indianspice) Thank you so much for your wonderful support!

Rinse


Prologue

She must rinse this all away,
She can't hold him this way,
She must rinse this all away,
She can't love him this way.

"Jess, would you turn that crap off already!" I shout irritably from the upstairs entrance of the basement. Immediately, a dark head peeks around the corner of the stairs, staring upwards with an innocent grin upon his lips. He slowly ascends the wooden stairs, each step creaking noisily under the weight of his feet. As he reaches the top step he halts his climb, now level with my head, gazing intensely into my blue eyes. He leans forward, bringing his lips closely to mine, mere inches of heated air separating us. I suddenly intake a deep breath, followed by a short pause, and his grin gradually widens in jubilance. Without hesitation he brings his face to mine, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

"I love you, Rory." The sentence, though spoken simply, in a monotone voice and under even more monotonous circumstances, is the basis of our successfully happy relationship. His grin does not hide the passion evident in his eyes as he speaks these words, and in reply I give him a soft, honest smile.

"And I love you." I pause for a beat. "But, you still have to turn down that music." Silence falls upon us as we grin at each other playfully, ready to begin bantering our cases, but are suddenly interrupted by the shrill screech of the smoke detector. Rather than move at the menacing sound, Jess begins to sniff the air, seeming to have undergone this exercise numerous times before. Jess looks to Rory in curiosity.

"Did you forget the oven again?" he asks giving me an accusing look. I weakly smile before scurrying into the kitchen, leaving him to the smoke detector. I come upon the oven; its edges seeping a thick black smoke and an opaque black film from an unknown substance has covered its little window. I let out a shriek, howling for Jess to come help, thinking that the turkey had exploded during my absence. At the sound of a loud thud the smoke detector abruptly stops, and I assume he has once again smashed the thing to pieces. His form quickly appears in the kitchen.

"Holy shit!" he exclaims upon seeing me frozen before an oven that is obviously on the verge of catching fire. He instantly reaches out, heroically shoving me away from the oven, and in a few swift movements the oven is open and the scorched turkey in the sink. Slowly, he turns around, leaning against the counter, facing me with an exasperated sigh of relief.

"That was closer than the last time, you know," he explains, his voice nonchalant, but his eyes betraying him with a look of tender concern as his gaze fixates itself on my eyes. I take a few steps towards him, closing the small gap between us. Silently, I loop my arms around his waist, giving him a tight squeeze of reassurance.

"It's okay Jess. I'm okay- the house is okay. Everything's okay. Well, that is, except for the turkey." I gaze down at its charred body and sigh sadly. "I'm sorry. I've ruined another Thanksgiving for us." Jess suddenly lets out a short laugh.


"No, Rory, you didn't ruin anything. You know that we'll have plenty of turkey at your grandmother's house, and at your mother's house. We already get to enjoy two Thanksgivings; we don't need a third. Okay? So don't worry about it. I still love you, but I'm not quite sure if the turkey does." I, too, chuckle briefly, thankful, for what could be the millionth time since I have known him that he is here. Without a word he pulls away from my arms and walks towards the hall; therefore, I assume he is planning to actually fix the smoke detector.

I gaze down at the turkey, observing in sadness its blackened features. The wind outside begins to whip against the kitchen window, howling as it normally does in the pre-Winter season of Connecticut.

All of a sudden, a deep sinking feeling comes over me, settling in the pit of my stomach. A flash-a past event winks from my memory, sending deep shivers down my spine. This has happened to me before, I think to myself as the visions of a previous Thanksgiving replay in my mind. A sudden hallucination of two creamy hands are spinning me around the kitchen in a private dance of joy and love. A thick lump instantly forms in the base of my throat and I swallow as a shot of pain rips through my chest. I wince at the fierce feeling.


"You're remembering again, aren't you." It was a statement, not a question.

Instantly, I am ripped from my thoughts by the all too familiar voice. Jess' voice, the voice that reminds me that reality is my place-that I cannot relive a dream-life that is to never be. I look to him, tears instantly springing to my eyes, and for once, I let them fall freely, unable to hide their presence any longer. He is instantly at my side, his arms wrapped lovingly around me, his hands gently stroking my hair. I look down at his strong, tan arms, and suddenly, the tan melts away and is replaced with a creamy white. I look up, and his dark eyes slowly transform into a bright blue, his brown hair, changing into a halo of soft blonde. Suddenly, I am staring into the eyes of my past and without warning, I am swept away, into a past that I have tried so hard to suppress, to forget…