A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update. Bad kitty! But here is the final chapter of this story. Hope you enjoy it.

** 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!**

Lorelai, Luke, Jess and Rory sat in the Gilmore's living room. No one said anything. The ticking clock was driving Rory insane. She ran her hands through her hair and constantly shifted in her seat, as if she were trying to find a position from which she couldn't hear it anymore.

Lorelai looked around the room with her eyebrows raised.

"Twinkie?" She said cheerfully, her mouth full.

"No thanks." Sighed Jess.

"Oh yes! Please, pass me the sugary death-filled snacks." Said Luke sarcastically.

"Hey, they're a perfectly valid snack food!" Pouted Lorelai.

"I don't think you should be passing your habits on to our impressionable child." Luke said, nodding to her belly.

"If the baby doesn't want the Twinkies, believe me, we'll all know about it." She said.

"So… when did she say she'd be here?" Asked Jess.

Luke looked at his watch and then at the door.

"Now. But you know your mother. She likes to be fashionably late." Sighed Luke.

"Inconsiderately late was how I would have put it." Said Lorelai, taking another bite of her Twinkie.

"Let's all just… not jump on her, ok?" Said Luke, looking at Lorelai. "She sounded a lot calmer on the phone…so… maybe she's ready to listen."

"Can I punch her again if you're wrong?" Asked Lorelai.

"Again?" Said Jess, unable to keep him self from smiling.

"Yeah, I got her right in the nose last time." She grinned. "Bam! Bitch went down!" She yelled, reenacting the punch.

"Lorelai!" Said Luke, stunned.

"Bam! Lorelai, Super Bitch!" She smiled at Jess who looked highly amused.

"Ok, Rose McGowan, time to put those Twinkies away." Said Rory, getting up and taking them from Lorelai.

"Hey, the baby needs the Twinkies!" Protested Lorelai.

There was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it." Sighed Jess, his smile fading as he got up and made his way to the door.

He stood for a moment looking at the blurred figure through the glass.

"Hey mom." He said, giving her a fake smile as he opened the door.

"Don't 'hey mom' me! What the hell were you thinking?!" She shouted. "Was it your goal to give your mother a heart attack? Because if it was you succeeded." She said, hugging him tightly.

"Oh course, because everything is about you." He mumbled.

"What?" She asked, not hearing him.

"I said, it's so great to see you!" He smiled.

"Good!" She smiled back walking into the living room.

"Hey Liz." Luke said standing up and hugging her for a moment.

"Luke." She smiled slightly. "Lorelai." She said, turning and looking at the pajama-clad figure on the couch.

"Hey." Lorelai nodded. "I would get up but I'm pregnant."

"Don't mind her." Sighed Luke, shaking his head.

"Is she really pregnant?" Asked Liz.

"Yeah, but not so pregnant that she has to act like her ankles are swollen already." Said Rory.

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at Rory and Rory returned the gesture.

"And you are?" Frowned Liz.

"Oh… Um…" Rory stood up and straightened her skirt. "Rory."

"Rory? That would make you the young lady that my son is apparently besotted with?" She smiled slightly, turning to Jess for confirmation.

"Besotted is an understatement, you should see the tattoo on his ass." Said Lorelai.

"Ok, I think crazy pregnant lady and unfortunate father to be should take a little vacation to the kitchen now." Said Luke quickly, helping Lorelai up and pulling her out of the room.

"I take it that was a joke?" Liz asked Jess.

"Yeah. The tattoo bit anyway." He smiled slightly.

Liz looked Rory up and down for a moment.

"So… Luke told me you two have known each other a lot longer than anyone bothered to mention to me?" She said, raising an eyebrow at Jess as she sat on the couch.

"Yeah." Jess smiled and looked at Rory. "Sorry about that."

"And… you don't want to come home because…"

"Of her. Yes." He nodded.

"Jess, you're 17, do you really think you know what love is?" She sighed.

"I would say yes, but something tells me you'd still doubt it."

"I see you haven't lost the attitude."

"Nope. It's alive and kicking." He smiled and she nodded.

"And you put up with it?" She frowned at Rory.

"She encourages it." Stated Jess. Rory hit him on the arm playfully.

"I… know there's more to him than the attitude." She smiled slightly.

"You must know him pretty well, most people don't get past it." Said Liz, looking at Jess.

"I don't want most people to get past it." He said matter-of-factly.

"And Rory's not most people anyway, right?" Liz asked knowingly.

"Right." Nodded Jess.

"Rory… can you give us a second?" Asked Liz politely.

Rory nodded and left quickly, standing just outside to listen with Luke and Lorelai. Liz gestured for Jess to come and sit next to her.

"Ok mister. Think you can drop the tough guy attitude for 5 minutes?" She asked.

"I can try, you know, if it's for a special occasion."

"Speak when spoken to?" She suggested.

"Might be the safest idea."

"Alright then." She looked around the room. "You're happy here?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Small town. Not the kind of place I pictured you feeling at home."

"Stars Hollow isn't home to me. Rory is." He said honestly.

Liz shook her head and smiled slightly. She looked down at her hands.

"Maybe you do know a thing or two about love, huh kiddo?"

"I believe that on my 13th Birthday, I requested that you not call me kiddo anymore." He smiled. "But yeah. I think I do know. I'm learning."

"Learning?" She frowned slightly.

"Rory's a good teacher."

Liz nodded.

"You two sound like a pretty nauseating couple." She said lightly.

"Pride ourselves on it."

"Really?" She laughed and looked around the room again, thinking. "Can you look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to come home?" She asked.

He looked her in the eyes.

"I want to stay here with Rory." He said seriously.

"That's not what I asked." She smiled.

"It's what's you're getting."

"So… I'm not the reason you don't want to come back." She asked.

Jess looked at her. And took a deep breath.

"No. It's not you." He said. He knew it wasn't entirely honest, but he also knew it was what she wanted to hear.

"Ok." She nodded. "Lucas? Can you quit eaves dropping long enough to join us in here for a minute?" She called over her shoulder.

Lorelai and Rory looked at Luke and then pushed him into the living room.

"Uh… " He looked a little embarrassed. "Sure."

Liz reached into her bag and pulled out some papers.

"You should looks these over." She said, tears coming to her eyes.

"What is this?" He frowned, flipping through the pages.

"Custody papers." She said, wiping her eyes quickly.

"Custody? Of Jess?" Asked Luke in shock.

Lorelai and Rory stepped in to the room, shocked by what they were hearing.

"I just… thought that if he was going to be living with you full time you should probably have custody." She said quietly.

"Liz, this is a bit drastic." Sighed Luke.

"It's only for 6 months." She said. "I thought you'd all be pleased."

"No one's asking you to give up custody, Liz. We just wanted him to stay here."

"Luke… it's ok. I did a lot of thinking since I came here." She looked at Lorelai. "I had a lot of things to think about. And you were right. I haven't been the best mother and Jess is better off here." She nodded, looking at Rory.

"Mom…" Started Jess.

"Look… just glance through the papers, and in the morning we'll go to the nearest courthouse and make it official." She laughed slightly.

Luke looked at her and then at Jess.

"I don't know…" He sighed, shaking his head.

"Well, you know, Easter's a lonely time of year." Joked Liz, reaching out for the papers.

Luke looked at his sister.

"You really want do this?" He asked.

"I think it's best for everyone." She nodded.

Luke nodded and looked back down at the papers. No one said anything for a moment.

"Uh… is there anywhere around here I could stay? A motel." Asked Liz.

"I'll call Michel at the Inn, we can get you a room!" Said Lorelai quickly, picking up the phone.

Luke looked at Rory and Jess who were staring at each other from opposite ends of the room.

"Liz… do you want some coffee… or…?" Stared Luke.

"Coffee would be good." She nodded quietly and stood up, following him into the kitchen.

"So…" Started Jess when he and Rory were alone.

"So…" She smiled softly, walking over to him. He stood up. "I heard… what you said." She blushed slightly.

"I know." He smiled knowingly.

"Did you mean it?"

"Rory…. You know I did." He said, looking her in the eyes. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly.

"So, it's over?" She asked.

"It's over."

"And you're staying." She looked up at him.

"You're never getting rid of me." He smiled down at her.

"Good." She kissed him. "Because I love you." She said quietly.

He kissed her back and then looked her in the eyes.

"Rory?"

"Yeah?" She smiled contently, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I wanna' marry you." He whispered.

"You wanna' what?!" She exclaimed, pulling back suddenly.

"I want to marry you." He smiled.

"Yeah… I heard that… but…" She looked stunned. She checked to make sure no one else was listening. "Jess… we're 17!" She said, unable to stop herself laughing at the conversation they were having.

"I know." He said, stepping closer to her again.

"This is insane!"

"If you say no then I'm just going to ask you again when we're 18." He smiled playfully.

"And if I say no then as well?" She asked.

"Then I'll ask you every year until you say yes." He said, putting his arms around her. "I'm not talking right now or anything. We can wait until after you're finished with college. Or... longer. If that's what's worrying you."

"So, you're planning on us being together for a while?" She asked.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Aren't you?"

Rory looked at him thoughtfully. It was true, she hadn't thought about them ever not being a couple. She didn't see an end to what they had, or a reason to not want to be with him.

"Yeah… I guess I am." She smiled back at him.

He hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

"Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"I wanna' marry you too." She smiled, surprised by the joy she felt hearing those words coming out of her mouth.

Jess kissed her tenderly in response. She let her body melt into his.

She thought about what he'd said to Liz, and for the first time she realized what that feeling inside her was. The feeling of comfort, of safety. The way she felt free and protected when he held her. He was everything she needed. He was home.