A/N:: Ahh it took me awhile to update!! Don't hurt me!! LoL J/J. Anyway, enjoy [hopefully] & don't forget to review...

Chapter 16

"Rory, wait up!" Lane called.

Rory spun on her heel, stopping to let her friend catch up to her. "Are you leaving too?"

"I'll drive you to the inn. Dave's getting on my nerves," she joked.

"What's the matter, married life not workin' for ya?" Rory teased.

Lane appeared to think about it. "Well, it's weird living with a boy," she revealed. "But I'm dealing."

"Good for you."

They stopped at Lane's car, waiting for Lane to unlock their doors.

Suddenly, Rory heard someone calling her name. Turning, she locked eyes with Jess.

"Rory!" he called. "Wait!"

He jogged over, wrapping an arm around her and giving her such a passionate kiss, it left Rory's knees weak. She gasped for air, her eyes wide.

"Please don't go and do what I have a feeling you're about to do."

"Go where?" Rory breathed, moving to kiss him again.

Jess pulled away, laughing. "You're not running away?" he asked.

She felt a smile spread across her face. "Not this time," she chirped.

He let out a breath. "Well, great. Carry on, then."

She stood on tiptoe to give him one last kiss, before Lane pulled her away.

"One guy at a time, Ror."

* * * * *

A little earlier...

"Which ride do you want to go on first?" Lorelai asked.

"A slow one," Luke replied.

"Hm. Wanna go to the dance first?"

He narrowed his eyes, frowning. "Not real—"

"Oh, come on!" she exclaimed. "It'll be fun, I promise."

She started to pull him to Miss Patty's dance studio, where a handful of people had already gathered, waiting for the music to start.

Suddenly, Lorelai stopped, gazing up at something in the sky.

"What is it?" Luke followed her gaze and his eyes widened.

"Is that Jess up there, kissing Rory?" Lorelai asked.

"Um, yeah, I think so."

"Huh. Just checking. Alright, let's dance!"

"Wha—"

"Come on." She grabbed his hand and led him into the studio just as Miss Patty got the music going.

Luke groaned. "Do we have to? Can't we just—"

Lorelai gave him her best pouty face—the mother of all pouty faces, with the puppy dog eyes and everything. She even threw in a little whimper for an added effect. He finally gave in, sighing.

"One dance?" he asked hopefully.

"That just depends on how bad you are," she answered, grabbing one of his hands. He put an arm around her, and they started dancing.

After a few moments, Luke spoke up again. "Are Rory and Jess together now?" he wanted to know.

"Nope."

"No? Then why—"

"See, it's like the situation with Dean all over again. Only with a lot more kissing."

"Oh," Luke responded. "Oh..."

"Yeah."

"Well."

"Yeah, well. I'll pass along more information when I get it. As for now, I feel compelled to ask where you learned to dance this good."

"Right here."

Lorelai grinned. "You learned to dance from Patty?"

"No, I was taught right here. Patty didn't teach me."

"Do tell..."

"Rachel."

"Oh." Lorelai blinked. She had nothing personal against Luke's former girlfriend—Rachel was one of the sweetest people Lorelai had ever met, actually. Maybe that was it—she was too sweet.

"Yeah. There was this club in Hartford that she dragged me out to...It's no big deal."

"I so cannot see you at a dance club," Lorelai exclaimed.

He shrugged, spinning her around. Her eyes sparkled as they came face to face again.

"Impressive."

"Oh my god, this is huge!" Lane cried once she and Rory were on their way to the Independence Inn.

"I know, but what about Shea?"

"Rory, you've known him for like a day. You've been in love with Jess for years."

"I wouldn't say in love, since I left Stars Hollow because of him," Rory said.

"Oh, you left Stars Hollow because you thought he didn't feel the same way," Lane pointed out. "Besides, you would have left the next day anyway. So you left early because of him. It isn't the same."

"Sure it is," Rory argued.

"Are you looking for reasons to stay with Shea?"

"No, I just...I—god, I barely know him! I shouldn't be getting this upset. I mean, you go on one casual double-date, and next thing you know, you're in a relationship."

"Do you even know his last name?"

"Lane! Of course I do! It's, uh, Taylor."

Lane laughed. "See, that should have been your first clue."

"Clue to what?" Rory asked.

"Clue to...to...Oh, I don't know. That's just what you say," Lane stated, pulling into a parking space in front of the inn. "Want me to wait?"

"No, I'll be fine. Hopefully this will be quick and painless."

"Like pulling off a band-aid?"

"Exactly."

Lane looked at her friend sympathetically. "Good luck."

Rory nodded. "Tell Jess to wait for me."

"I will," Lane promised.

Rory got out of the car, shutting her door and making her way to the entrance of the inn. She looked back once, and Lane motioned for her to keep going. Rory disappeared inside, finally, and Lane headed back to the carnival.

Rory walked up to the front desk. "Hey Michel," she greeted.

"Hel—oh, it's you," he responded, his gaze falling back to the stack of papers before him.

In all the years Rory's known him, she didn't think she had ever heard him say her name. He always addressed her as 'you', or to Lorelai, 'your daughter'. Was it too much to ask for a 'Hello Rory' once in awhile? She supposed it was, for him at least.

No matter how long it's been since she's seen him, she always knew what to expect: the same bored, annoyed Michel.

"It's me," she confirmed cheerfully, unperturbed by his lack of enthusiasm to see her.

"Did you want something? Your mother is not here."

"Oh, I know, but my friend is. And I need to talk to him, but I don't know which room he's in." She looked at him hopefully.

"Oh. Good luck with that," he told her.

"Michel, please do this for me?" No response. "Please?" Silence. "Fine. Maybe I'll just tell Mom about how you were the one that bought that big box of coffee for the inn the other day, when you don't even drink coffee, but you know my mom does. And you know how she gets when she's coffee deprived. I bet she'd be awfully grateful that you saved her from that."

"You wouldn't," Michel said, glaring at her. "Besides, I just didn't want to listen to her whine anymore."

"She would thank you. Maybe even give you a hug."

"I do not want a hug!" he exclaimed.

"The room number, please?"

"What is his name?" Michel never stopped glaring at her, but now he narrowed his eyes.

"Shea Taylor."

Michel glanced down at the book in front of him. He told her Shea's room number, and Rory grinned.

"Thanks!" She started walking away, but then stopped and turned around. "By the way, Mom already knows about the coffee thing. We think it was very sweet of you. Bye, thanks again!"

"But—I am not sweet," Michel protested. "I am not sweet!" he repeated as she hurried up the stairs.

Shea glanced up as someone knocked on his door. He turned off he TV he had been watching—well, staring at would be more accurate. Grateful for the distraction, he went over and opened the door. He locked eyes with Rory, who stood before him with a nervous smile on her face.

"Hi," she said, trying to make her smile meet her eyes. It was hopeless...she was sure she looked as upset as she felt, which was ironic, since he was the one that had just caught his girlfriend making out with his best friend.

"Hey," Shea responded softly.

After a short pause, Rory asked if she could come in. Shea moved aside to let her pass him, then he closed the door, staring at it for a second before following Rory to the living room.

"So how are you?" Shea asked nonchalantly, forcing a smile on his face.

"I'm good, but—"

"Hey, sorry I left you back there, but I got tired all of a sudden...I wanted to lay down, so I just came here."

"Shea—"

"Did you see Lane and Dave? Because I remembered them from the pictures you showed me, and I found them."

"Shea, I know you saw me and Jess on the Ferris Wheel."

He took a deep breath. "Oh yeah. That."

"Yeah, and let me tell you—I don't do things like that lightly. Or at all, even."

"So you're saying I didn't see you making out with Jess on the Ferris Wheel?" Shea demanded.

"Well, no, but—"

"You could have told me that you had feelings for him; I would've understood."

"But you don't now?" Rory asked, biting her lip.

"I don't know, Rory. Do you love him?"

Rory thought about it before she answered him. "I think so," she told him slowly, softly. "Are you mad?"

"No," he replied. "I'm not mad. So, wow, how long before the double date had it been since you had seen him?"

"Years," she stated. "And it was so weird, because I've been thinking about him a lot and wondering what he was up to, too. So to see him then was—"

"Oh..."

Rory frowned. "What?" she asked. "What is it?"

"You're the girl."

"What girl?"

"The girl from Jess's past that he couldn't get over. He's been obsessed with you since I've known him. It should have tipped me off when I found out how much you like to read. No one likes to read that much."

"Hello, I do!"

"And so does Jess."

"Yes."

"Well I'm glad you found him again," Shea said sincerely.

Rory shook her head. "You are...the nicest guy..."

"Yeah, well—I know," Shea joked.

"So...we're good?"

Shea squatted down to where he was eye level with her, and he gave her a hug. He fell onto the couch and Rory laughed, pushing him off of her.

She couldn't believe how incredibly lucky she was that Shea had taken it so well. He understood, and he was all for her and Jess. Or, he didn't mind, at least.

She couldn't wait to tell her mother.

A/N:: another not-one-of-my-best chapters, but I hope you liked it anyway. ;/ The last chapter should be the last, and I've already finished it, actually. I just have to go over it and make sure that I *do* like it. Anyway, what I need from you guys is, well, reviews for one thing. But also...I have like 5 stories in progress, and I need to know which one you want me to work on/finish next. So please go to my [fanfic] website, and vote. If you don't, I'll...I know, I'll punish you by not putting up my next story!! I'm just joking, of course. Not like you guys would cry over that or anything. LoL anyway, please go to http://www.geocities.com/vgm269 to vote. Once you enter the website, click on the 'More' link & then 'Vote for my next story'. You'd be helping me out a lot, and I'd really appreciate it. Thanks guys.