A/N: Thanks for the support so far.

Chapter 13

Dancing King

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Rory's blood roared in her ears, she wasn't sure if she'd heard correctly or if she'd just hallucinated.

"Excuse me?" she squawked.

"You know what," he said letting go of her hand, "Never mind."

She got hold of his arm before he could walk away, panic setting in.

"Jess, no - please." She said haltingly.

"Quite a contradiction Rory. First a refusal, then pleading. So which one is it?" he asked with infuriating smugness.

Rory was sorely tempted to smack his beautiful face.

She made to walk away from him, not wanting to deal with him with the mood he was in.

He stopped her by calling out.

"I asked if you would go the Ball with me." She turned to see him rake his hands through his hair. The dishevelled look only added to his appeal even though he didn't realise it.

"You mean like on a date?" she asked cautiously even though her heart skipped a beat at the idea of a date with Jess.

"Well, it wouldn't have to be a date date per say. I mean it could be two people, namely you and me,"

"Uh-huh."

"Who happen to be attending the same social gathering -"

"Carry on." Rory had to admit she was enjoying his degree of discomfort.

"Who could spend time together if they so wish, maybe share a soda, considering there will be a lack of alcohol, maybe a dance."

She didn't think it was possible for something that wasn't a date to sound so tantalising.

"Like a non-date you mean?"

His discomfort visibly went down a notch or two.

"Like a non-date." He agreed somewhat aversely.

"I didn't think going to school dances was your style." Rory asked, deciding to draw out his squirmish tendencies.

"Yeah, well. I have my moments." He said evasively.

"Good to know you're not a total lost cause."

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He couldn't believe he had just blurted it out like that. Talk about savoir faire and all that crap.

Plus now he'd gotten her to think that he only wanted to go as friends and that was so not the case.

He was sick of being just friends with Rory Gilmore but how could he back out now?

Jess was beginning to think that he was a sucker for punishment.

"So, are we going together or what?" he asked in his usual indifferent attitude but inside he was shaking like a leaf.

He was standing in front of the one person who could break him on the periphery of humiliation and she didn't even have the faintest idea as to effect that she had on him.

"We're going." She smiled, watching him indolently.

Two words and Jess and felt his insides turn to mush though you wouldn't say if from the outer calm he exuded.

He'd learned a long time ago the only way to protect yourself was to keep your true feelings hidden from the world. That way no one could see when you were hurting, when you were vulnerable.

He'd had no trouble keeping those exact feelings that could place you at other people's mercy at bay in the past but at that very moment he had to fight against bringing them to the surface and pulling her into a hug.

Instead he took hold of her hand again; it was enough. for now.

"Good." He smiled at her and they continued into the diner.

He couldn't contain his laughter at Luke's expression a moment later but then he realised it was because he and Rory's hands were still entwined.

He was torn between letting go so as not to cause her any embarrassment and pulling her closer.

Turned out he needn't have worried because she dragged him to the counter without a care.

"Hey Luke."

"Rory. Jess." He received a withering glance from Luke and he knew that later they were gonna have a talk, something else to look forward to.

He reluctantly let her go and made his way behind the counter, feeling oddly bereft as he did so.

"So, it's next Saturday night. That okay?" he confirmed with her.

"Perfect. At least now I don't have to explain anything to my grandmother."

"Oh yes, the delightful Friday night dinners."

"A joy to behold."

"I can imagine." He said as he started filling her coffee cup.

"They're not half bad some of the time actually."

"It must be nice to have the support of a family." He said wistfully.

He mentally kicked himself he didn't want to have dark or piteous conversations with Rory, not when things were going so well with them.

"You have a family Jess." She said quietly.

"Sure in the literal sense but its not what I meant."

Again he found himself opening up to her and it wasn't as scary as he first thought it would be.

"What did you mean?"

"I meant it like a foundation, people who care about you."

She put her hand over his, beckoning him to look at her.

"You have that Jess." She said earnestly.

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"You did what?"

"Are you laughing at me? You're laughing at me! Come on Skye." Jess said in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," she said between her chuckles, "it's just you willingly going to a school function and a dance no less."

"You're not helping at all you know."

She eventually calmed down and watched him, her eyes still twinkling with suppressed laughter.

"Come on Jess, you know its not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

"It's great!"

"Yeah sure." He started pacing in front of her again and Skye found herself having to hold in her glee. He obviously wasn't impressed with her reaction.

"No, seriously it is." She stood in front of him. "What exactly is the problem?"

"We're going as friends."

"I see." Now she understood. "I take it when you picked up the courage to ask her you didn't exactly have this in mind."

"I didn't have anything in mind Skye!" he said, clearly unsettled. "I don't normally do this kind of thing."

"What ask girls that you like out?"

"No! Asking girls that I like out to dances, going to dances, dancing at dances.dances!" he sat down with his hands in his head, seemingly all his energy expended from his little harangue.

Skye smiled. At last he'd admitted that he liked her.

"Will you calm down. You're making way too big a deal of this."

"How's that?"

"Firstly you've gone to dances Jess, albeit not school dances, more like clubs but dances nonetheless. Secondly you can dance, damn well in fact. You just think it will ruin your reputation and thirdly asking a girl that you like to a dance isn't entirely loathsome."

She said raising a finger for each point that she made, hoping that one or all would sink into his tortuous mind.

Finally after a parturient silence the beginnings of a smile formed on his lips.

"I can dance can't I?" he said a touch conceitedly.

She laughed at his arrogance at picking out the point where she paid him a compliment.

"You sure can." She conceded because it was true. He just kept that part him hidden like a lot of his other skills.

"I can't believe I'm taking her somewhere, that she actually wants to be seen in public with me." He mused after their jovialness had died down.

"Why does it surprise you so much?"

"I don't know."

"You know what Jess I don't get your logic sometimes. You're quick to accept that I love spending time with you and you're not averse to giving your opinion on a diversity of topics and defend them to those who don't share your views."

"Your point?" he asked drolly

"My point is at those times you're brimming with confidence. As well you should be but you should also be when it comes to doing things you don't normally do. You don't care what people think remember."

"I remember."

"Do you? I think you've finally met the one person whose opinion does matter do you. More than you care to admit."

"I care about what people think of her."

"So you think that by spending time with you she'll be demeaning herself in the town's eyes?"

"Something like that."

"She obviously thinks you're worth it and you are by the way."

He looked at her sceptically.

"Hey I speak of experience remember. You're so worth it that I defied my fear of needles for you and I've got the tattoos to prove it."

"Hey you love those." "Of course I do. It's what bonds me to you eternally."

They both lifted their tops to reveal the matching Chinese markings on their hips. Two symbols on each of them. One for trust; the other for love.

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A/N: Really crappy I now, I know the way Jess asked her and what happened after that was not the greatest writing but I'd still love to know what you think. Any suggestions for the Ball . holler!