A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers who are still following this.

Chapter 12

Celestial Beings

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"ATTENTION ALL STARS HOLLOW HIGH STUDENTS. THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT TICKETS FOR THE CELESTIAL BALL WILL BE ON SALE FROM TOMORROW AFTER SCHOOL THANK YOU."

Choruses of 'yahs' followed the announcement but as usual Jess wasn't caught up in all the ebullience.

This town had so many dances and celebrations that it hardly gave you a chance to anticipate the next festivity. Not that he would fall under that category.

Instead he continued making his notes in the margins of his book.

He was so rapt in the task that it took awhile for the person standing in front of him to be noticed.

"Hey Lane. Didn't see you standing there."

"Yeah, I got that. I must say it does wonders for a girls ego."

"What?" he asked slightly confused.

"Being sidelined by Hemingway. It is Hemingway right?"

"Naturally," he smiled. "And I didn't think you cared much.

"Well," she shrugged, "I figured our friend - , our relationsh-, us, we." She babbled. "We," she continued, "are in incipient of something and I didn't want, wouldn't want that to wane." She trailed off abashedly.

Jess just stared at her, hardly believing his ears.

"But you obviously don't share that opinion so forget I ever said anything okay." She said, turning away.

Jess' reflexes kicked in and he shot out of his seat, grabbing hold of her arm. "Lane, wait."

She turned to him anticipatory.

"I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. It's just 'cause I never expected it."

"Oh okay." She looked a little less embarrassed but no less uncertain.

"It's the only reason I swear."

He saw her uncertainty was gone now and he was glad.

"I can't say I really blame you for your reaction. Not many olive branches have been extended to you of late."

He grabbed his book off the table, Jess wasn't a firm believer in back packs or anything which would remotely be misconstrued as him being interested in taking his schooling seriously.

"Is that what you were doing, extending an olive branch?" he asked as they made they way out to lunch.

"Some variation thereof, yes."

"Well in that case I accept it." He grinned at her.

She smiled back.

"So," she asked filling in the silence between them, "you going to the dance?"

"What? Are you kidding me?" Jess asked in consternation.

"No, why would I be?"

"No offence Lane but these small town traditions and trivialities - not my style."

He didn't tell her that he didn't see himself going unless it was with a certain Ayn Rand admirer and he knew the chances of that happening were slim.

"You jest. I always pictured you being the life of the party. What with your superb social and people skills."

"Are you dabbling in sarcasm?"

"No never."

He laughed.

"Why the interest?"

"Well, actually I'm on the committee."

"You are?"

"Yeah, I figured I should get more involved in school activities plus this way I have a legitimate reason to be away from home."

"Ah, the cunning mind that is Lane Kim."

"Case of survival."

"I understand."

By some unspoken, mutual consent they made their way to one of the tables under the shelter of a tree.

"So," he asked her, "What exactly does being a member of the Celestial Ball committee entail?"

"Didn't think you cared much." She threw back at him.

He laughed. "Just making polite conversation I guess."

"Polite is hardly a word I'd associate with you Jess." She said good- naturedly.

"Ouch."

"Though I will say you have a certain je ne suis qua."

"Merci mademoiselle. But what - ?"

"I don't know, hence the term je ne suis qua."

"I know what it means Lane, it was a rhetorical question."

"Oh sorry, I guess I have yet to fully grasp the sport of bantering with Jess Mariano. Maybe I should get some tips." She joked.

"From who?"

"Skye . Rory."

Jess nearly choked.

"Rory?" He managed.

"Oh come on, you have to admit that you two have that particular art down to a science. But then again I shouldn't really be surprised."

"What do you mean?" She definitely had him interested in this line of conversation.

"Um, I didn't really mean anything by it." She stammered but he wasn't buying it.

"Lane. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"It's not a major secret or anything."

"So then there's no reason for you not to share."

He knew he had her there.

"Even though the rest of the town thought you were bad news, she always stood up for you. I never got until now."

"Got what?"

"Why she only had good things to say about you, despite your admiration for Hemingway, - her words not mine, why she always defended you." She said parenthetically.

"She did, she does?" Jess hadn't known that she was actively standing up against the mob of his 'fan club'.

"You know she does."

Because you know you feel, she knows how she feels. Why don't you two just admit it to yourselves and to each other?

Not for the first time he remembered what Skye had said.

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Rory waited anxiously on the steps of Stars Hollow High; not wanting to seem to fervent but not disinterested either.

Five minutes to go. but what if he wasn't at school today? She knew he wasn't a fan of learning under the structures set for you by academic institutions. No, he was more of a hands on, experience it for yourself kind of guy. She supposed that was where he got his worldliness.

Her heart jumped in her throat when the bell rang, she really had no idea why she was so nervous.

Throngs of students made their way out before she caught sight of him. She almost laughed at the expression on his face. She thought that that must have been how she looked when he had come to get her at the bus stop.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey yourself." She smiled at his uncertainty.

He half turned, motioning behind him. "Lane should be out in a little bit."

"I'm not here to see Lane, although I have nothing against seeing Lane I hasten to add, this time I'm looking for someone else."

"Oh? Do I know this person whom you seek?"

"Maybe. You see he's kinda hard to miss. His aura alone is very discernible from us lesser mortals."

"So it's a him huh?"

"Uh huh." She grinned at him.

"What about the rest of him?" he asked raising his eyebrows twice in quick succession.

"Jess!" she blushed delicately.

"Okay I'm only kidding. This isn't superciliousness but I gather you're waiting for me?"

"And the gold star goes to." she said clapping her hands.

"Funny."

"So how was school?"

"It was okay I suppose."

"Wow! That's great praise coming from you." She said as they automatically fell into step beside each other.

"Yeah well, don't count on it being a regular occurrence." He said in disdain.

"I wouldn't dream of it." She volleyed back. "So what made this day so okay compared to the others?"

"Lane."

"Really?" This came as a pleasant surprise to Rory.

"Uh-huh. She and I had lunch together, although the intake of food was pushed to wayside by more appealing tête-à-tête's. She's not so bad."

"Will wanders never cease?" she asked shaking her head.

He looked at her quizzically.

"You actually speaking in favourable tones of someone in this town. Could it be that Stars Hollow is growing on you?"

He laughed, "If I recall correctly you are spoken of favourably by me, in fact by every one in this town, not that that's a bad thing of course, not my style naturally. And to answer your question, it's not the town that's growing on me but some and I reiterate some, of the people."

He was looking at her so intensely and yet Rory couldn't tear herself away from his gaze. She found herself not wanting to.

Time was a foreign concept to her just then; she had no idea they stood there, staring at each other.

Eventually the spell lifted and they carried on walking. Rory felt her heart warm up her entire being.

"And Rory," he interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"You'll never be anything less than a goddess to me?"

Rory stopped in her tracks, gauging his seriousness. She found not a trace of mirth in the depths of his eyes.

There were no words to describe how she felt at that moment and to express gratitude of any sort would somehow trivialise the meaning of the moment.

Instead she took hold of his hand. It was meant as innocent contact but the sparks she felt shooting up her arm belied her intentions.

She didn't let go.

"So, the Celestial Ball's coming up right?" she chanced a sideways glance at him. He was smiling.

"Right."

"Lane's on the committee."

"I know."

"So, I take it you're not going." She asked despite knowing what his answer would be.

"You got that right."

She looked downward, not letting him see that she was in fact disappointed by his outright dismissal of it.

Neither of them spoke for a while but still walked hand in hand.

"Why so morose all of a sudden?" he asked tugging her gently.

So he had noticed her change of mood.

"I'm not glum." "Okay so why so quiet then."

"I've got nothing to say."

He stopped short, "This from the person who can go on and about the positive points of a forty page monologue?"

"My verbal skills come and go in stages." She quoted him.

"Rory what's wrong?" he asked with a touch of worry.

"Nothing Jess." She just wanted to forget the whole thing. She didn't know why she had expected any other reaction from him.

She could feel him watching her as they made their way to the diner but still she decided not to say a word about what she was really feeling.

They had just passed Doose's market when he stopped short again. She looked at him enquiringly.

"Rory will you do me the honour of going to the Celestial Ball with me?"

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A/N: I'm sorry it ended so abruptly but I was in a hurry to get it posted. Also I Apologise for my spelling for certain French words, it's not my forte. Also, but most importantly please let me know what you think.