** Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Gilmore Girls. If I were that all powerful then Jess would be staying put! So, in summation... Please don't sue me!**

Rory lay in bed thinking about everything that had happened that evening. She had been so happy, and then it had all come crashing down around her. She knew Jess was feeling worse than she was, even though that was incomprehensible to her.

She turned when she heard a small tapping sound on her window. She climbed out of bed and looked. Jess was outside.

She smiled and pulled on her bathrobe, then she opened the window.

"Hey." She said quietly.

"Hi. Did I wake you?"

"Nope… I couldn't sleep." She sighed.

"Me either. I'm really sorry."

"For what?" She frowned.

"My mother." He said and she smiled softly.

"Not something you get to apologize for. Although you do get my deepest sympathy."

"Thanks."

"So… what are we going to do about all this?" She asked, kneeling next to the window.

"We're going to… ignore her for as long as possible and then, when she gets really annoying, we gag her and tie her to a chair." He said.

Rory smiled and kissed him lightly.

"I don't know that it'll work." She said.

"I'm sure I'll have Luke's full support."

"You'll have mine too, but still… you might want a plan B."

"Oh, I got one of them too." He nodded.

"Do tell."

"We run screaming." He smiled.

"Now, that sounds workable!" She grinned and he kissed her.

"I'm not gonna' lose you." He said seriously.

"No, you're not." She smiled softly.

"I'm glad we agree."

"Don't we always?" She frowned.

"No… there was that whole Ernest Hemingway thing…" He said, shaking his head.

"Oh yeah, that was when you went insane." She smiled.

"Yeah, and you read Ayn Rand and joined me." He teased.

"You didn't even give 'Atlas Shrugged' a chance." She pouted.

"That's because it looked longer than 'The Fountainhead' which, unfortunately, I did give a chance."

She glared playfully at him.

"I love you." He said, giving her his best puppy eyes. She smiled and kissed him.

"I love you too. You and your bad choices in reading material."

"Aren't you special?" He smiled, tucking a piece of loose hair behind her ear.

"If you say I am." She grinned.

"I say you are." He nodded.

*****

"I know." Yawned Rory, as she guided Lorelai across the street.

"I blame you." Said Lorelai, her eyes only half open.

"I know." Sighed Rory.

"You and that boyfriend of yours and your non stop drama…" She yawned.

"Blame is justified." Agreed Rory, opening the door to Luke's and pushing Lorelai inside.

"Hey… what happened to you?" Smirked Luke.

"Coffee now, questions later." She grumbled, slouching in a chair.

"Of course, forgive my insolence." He said, doing a mini bow and getting two coffee cups.

"We'll see. It may require a Danish." She said, sticking her bottom lip out at him.

"Put that away before someone trips up on it." He smiled as he placed her coffee and Danish in front of her.

"I'll consider it if I can have a muffin also…" She said, looking up at him and batting her eyelids.

"Fine. If you retract that lip I'll do anything."

"Anything?" She grinned mischeiviously.

"Uh oh, you gone done it now!" Yawned Rory, sipping Lorelai's coffee.

"I didn't mean 'anything'…" Started Luke.

"You said it…" Smiled Lorelai.

"I say a lot of things I don't mean." He said. "Like the day you said 'Hey Luke, wanna make out?' and I said, 'Sure Lorelai, that sounds smart and healthy.'"

Rory raised an eyebrow at Lorelai.

"That is sooooo no how it went." She said, shaking her head at her daughter.

"I believe you." Rory smirked.

"He asked me if I wanted to make out!" Protested Lorelai.

"Yeah, 'cos that sounds like something I would do." Luke rolled his eyes and looked at Rory who nodded in agreement with him.

"Oh fine, gang up on me." Said Lorelai, taking her coffee back from Rory. "He took advantage and no one believes me, that's just great." She muttered to herself.

Rory giggled at her mother's dramatics. Luke kissed Lorelai on the top of her head.

"All better now?" He asked.

"I don't know… got any pancakes back there?" She asked.

"If I say yes will you stop pouting?"

"If I stop pouting will there be chocolate chips in them?" She grinned.

He pretended to look irritated as he walked away, but Rory and Lorelai both knew he loved their daily debates.

"Hey Luke, where's Jess?" Asked Rory.

"Uh… he's upstairs talking on the phone with his mom." Sighed Luke.

"Can I go up?" She asked.

"Sure, sure." He smiled slightly. "Here…" He handed her a Danish as she passed him.

"Thanks." She smiled, pushing the curtain back and heading up to the apartment.

As she reached the top of the stairs she heard Jess's voice. She approached the door slowly. He didn't sound angry or upset, just frustrated.

"Doesn't it matter to you? I understand that, but it's not my fault. I know. But you sent me here, mom. And you can't just demand that I come home again now…"

Rory opened the door slowly and stepped inside. Jess looked up and smiled a little when he saw her.

"Yes, it does matter. I don't want to come back. I started over here… I actually like it. I know, but…" He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah. I understand that too, but… Are you even listening to what I have to say?" He said, his voice rising slowly.

Rory sat beside him and picked off a small piece of her Danish.

"Why can't you just be alone? Or… go stay with a friend… Because it's not my fault you're alone, mom! No… Why do we all have to suffer just so you can be happy? No, that's not what being a family is about!" He rubbed his forehead.

Rory placed her hand on his arm supportively.

"Yeah, well, I can't talk to you right now either." He said, hanging up.

"She's sticking with her original idea, huh?" Sighed Rory.

"Yeah."

"Someone should really tell her that a son is for life, not just for Christmas!" Smiled Rory gently.

Jess looked up at her and smiled.

"I thought that was puppies."

"I think it applies here too." She nodded.

"You're trying to cheer my up?" He asked.

"Nope, I wouldn't do something like that."

"Of course you wouldn't. I was thinking about thoughtful and sensitive Rory." He smiled

"I hate her." Said Rory, rolling her eyes.

"Come here." He said quietly, pulling her into a kiss.

They sat there for a minute, just kissing and being with one another.

"You can't have my Danish." Rory grinned.

"I don't want your Danish." He smiled, kissing her again.

"What's wrong with my Danish?"

"Nothing. I'm just not hungry." He laughed.

"Oh… ok." She shrugged and continued kissing him.

"You're in and odd mood today." He observed.

"I'm operating on 3 hours of sleep."

"Ah, well, that explains it." He smiled.

"We're going to be ok, right?" She sighed.

"I hope so. I mean… I don't plan on letting anything break us up."

"But… what if you have to leave? Before, when we were apart… we had to just be friends."

"It's different this time." He said, taking her hand in his. She nodded.

He rested back on the couch and pulled her down with him, so her head was resting against his chest. She closed her eyes and smiled. He held her.

*****

Luke grabbed Lorelai's hands and she squirmed in her chair.

"Let me go!" She groaned.

"You're going to get us all kicked out." He said, trying to stay serious.

"It's worth it!" She said, pleading with him.

"I can't let you do it!" He said, struggling to hold her.

"Fine!" She looked over at Rory and Jess who both grinned.

"Head's up." Jess smiled at Rory, wiggling his eyebrows at her playfully.

"Target established." Said Rory, closing one eye and looking at the back of Kirk's head with the other.

"Ready. Aim. Fire!" Called Lorelai.

Rory and Jess reached into the bucket of popcorn they were sharing and started pelting Kirk with it.

"Hey!" Kirk turned around, swatting the popcorn away. He glared at Lorelai and Luke. "I suggest you learn to control your offspring before I call the manager."

"He's nothing to do with me." Said Luke, pointing at Jess.

"Yeah, and she… she isn't my daughter." Said Lorelai, shaking her head.

"Wow… I just got disowned." Said Rory, looking a little lost.

After a moment of consideration Rory's expression turned to a playful glare as she pulled Jess out of his seat and started to leave, taking that popcorn and junior mints with her. Her actions caught Lorelai's attention almost instantly.

"Hey, hey!" Protested Lorelai.

Rory turned around and frowned at Lorelai.

"Can I help you, strange lady." She smiled.

Lorelai pouted and looked at Luke.

"My daughter's pretending she doesn't know me."

"That'd be because you disowned her." He said, letting go of her hands.

"I was protecting my reputation."

"I'm sure she understands." Smiled Luke.

"Can I have the gummy bears?" Rory asked.

"Can I be your mommy?" Lorelai said, holding the gummy bears away from Rory while she waited for an answer.

"Ok." Smiled Rory. Lorelai threw the bag to her.

"Ok." She smiled back.

"Can you please be quiet? The movie is about to start." Said Kirk.

"I'll try, but I'm not promising anything." Said Lorelai. "When the lights go out this guy turns into an animal!" She said, patting Luke on the chest.

Jess cringed in disgust and Rory started to throw popcorn in Lorelai's general direction.

Luke rolled his eyes. He'd known what he was getting into when he and Lorelai got together, but he was still sometimes left dumbfounded by her actions. He didn't understand how, but that was how it worked.

*****

After the movie, they all walked back to the Gilmore's house together.

"That sucked." Said Luke.

"I don't think I ever heard you say that about something before." Frowned Lorelai.

"It really did suck." Sighed Rory. "I don't know how it got 4 stars."

Jess looked at her and shook his head in disbelief.

"What?" She asked.

"It got 4 stars on the back of an Al's Pancake World menu." He laughed.

"Last time I trust him for anything but food." Said Lorelai.

"I don't even trust him with food." Said Luke. "I don't trust him with anything. The guy owns a restaurant called 'Al's Pancake World', and he doesn't sell pancakes. It's deception from the word go."

"I think we should storm the building in protest." Said Lorelai.

"I'm too tired." Sighed Rory, resting her head on Jess's shoulder as they walked.

Jess smiled as he pulled Rory closer. He watched Lorelai and Luke argue a little more about the movie and Al's Pancake World.

He couldn't imagine having to leave it behind to return to New York. He looked down at Rory and wondered what would happen to her if they couldn't change Liz's mind. It scared him.