Title: What Sam Says

Chapter 16: 422

A/N: Okay, before I talk about this story, I have three things I need you guys to help me with.

1) Okay, so my little sister is the cutest little person in the world when she wants to be. So, I want to write a story with a four-year-old in it. But, I can't think of a good storyline. There is, of course, the obvious one, with Rory as the twenty-two year old mother of a four-year-old. But I personally don't think that Rory would follow in her mother's footsteps (no offense to anyone who does) so I need to think of either another person to have a four-year-old, or think of a good storyline involving an older Rory with a four-year-old.

2) I was re-watching "Say Goodnight, Gracie" I believe, and it struck me that the second story I ever put on FF.net, "Life As I Know It", is incredibly bad at keeping with the Gilmore Girls storyline of what happened when Lorelai gave birth to Rory, etc. Of course, I wrote that story before "Dear Richard and Emily", but whatever. I was wondering, if I rewrote "Life As I Know It", would anyone want to read it? I'd probably rename it, too.

3) My songfic, that I just wrote, "You Don't Know Me": should I continue that? If I do, it'll be songfic no more, but it might be good nonetheless.

So, what are your thoughts on these three things? I would appreciate it very much if you would give me some much needed feedback, either as a review or email me, at either sami57peace2u@hotmail.com or tracy343@aol.com. Oh, and don't ask about the "tracy" thing. I was gonna use it to sign up for "Match.com" and then mess around with the guys I found, but you have to actually pay. And that was the end of that.

Okay, the actual story. Be warned—I was watching "Here Comes The Son" last night, so some of those characters will be injected into this story.

Oh, and since some people gave me suggestions (Jacey925, and…others, sorry if I forgot you) the story is probably gonna be dragged on for a little longer, although it might slow down a little.

Aw, who am I kidding? It'll never slow down, but it'll get dragged on. Just tell me if it starts to suck, and I'll make a quick, but graceful, exit.

Thanks so very much for all your support, everyone!!!

Oh, and I can't write really descriptive kisses. This probably comes from my lack of ever receiving a good one, I guess. Forgive me for the vague kisses.

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Rory eased the rental car to a stop at a curb. Staring at the wooden fence adorned with flowers, she slowly exited the car and walked up to the number posted on the arch.

"422," she murmured, before pulling the paper from her bag and checking the numbers again. "Yep. This is it." She tucked her short hair behind her ears a few times, situated her bag better in her hand, and ran her free hand over her stomach once, for good luck. Like a Buddha, she thought with a half smile on her face. She walked under the arch and started down the cement walkway, but it was too dark and looked like the front door were never used, so she scooted around the corner, to what must have been the back. A small gate, again with the number 422 posted on it, led the way into the backyard, and Rory would have opened it, but a large group of what must have been ten dogs started barking at her. A woman standing on the roof yelled down to her.

"You selling something?"

"Uh, no," Rory started, stumbling over her words. "I'm, uh, looking for, uh, Jess." Rory cursed herself for injecting 'uh' into her speech—she hated that.

"Mariano?" the woman asked, shading her eyes from the sun.

"Yeah. I mean, I know he doesn't live here anymore, but I was told his father lived here, and that he knew how to reach Jess."

The woman nodded, slowly. "Is that his baby?" she asked, pointing.

"Uh," Rory glanced down, and covered her stomach protectively with both hands. "Yes," she said, and then shrugged. Might as well lie. She figured that was the only way this woman would let her in, and tell her where Jess was.

"Come on in," the woman nodded, and then disappeared. Rory figured that she was coming back to earth, and edged into the backyard, petting the heads of a few of the dogs as she went by. The woman suddenly appeared, through yet another archway, and introduced herself.

"I'm Sasha."

"I'm Rory."

"Come on in, I'll call Jess and see if he can come over."

"Oh, if you'd just give me the address, I'd appreciate that. He doesn't have to come over."

"Nonsense. You're pregnant; I've been pregnant, and if at any point you can stay in one place, you should do that. Sit." Sasha gestured to the couch in the living room, and Rory nodded and settled onto the couch. She heard Sasha dial, and then start a conversation with what Rory supposed was Baylor.

After a minute, a teenaged girl, wearing very think glasses and a baseball cap that read, "Dante's Inferno Hot Dogs", wandered into the room and sat in a chair opposite Rory, reading the entire time. Taking her cue, Rory dug in her bag for the book she'd started on the plane, and began reading herself.

"He's coming right over," Sasha announced, walking into the room.

"Oh, good," Rory said, putting the book away. "Did you tell him I was here?"

"No. I told him Lily wanted to see him."

"And Lily would be?" Rory asked. Sasha pointed to the teenager as she raised her hand. "Ah," Rory nodded.

"So, Lil, whaddya think about pizza for dinner?" Sasha asked. Lily nodded, and then stood up and wandered off. "And what about you?" Sasha turned to Rory. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Uh, I don't know," Rory faltered. "It depends on what happens after Jess gets here, I guess."

"Of course," Sasha nodded, and then started back out of the room. "Holler if you need anything. I'll tell you when he gets here."

"Okay," Rory called back, before turning back to her book.

"Hey, Sash," she heard Jess greet five minutes later, and she stiffened in nervous anticipation. "Where's Lil?"

"In her closet," Sasha answered, pointing through the living room.

"No need to point anymore, I sort of know my way around by now."

"Right. Of course."

Jess nodded and started into the living room, stopping when he noticed a very familiar—yet unfamiliar for Jimmy and Sasha's couch—woman sitting on the couch.

"Rory?" he asked disbelievingly. She looked up from her book, directly into his eyes.

"Hi, Jess."

"Hi," Jess said back, sliding onto the couch next to Rory, facing her. "Uh, what're you doing here?"

"Well, I guess I'm here to talk to you," Rory said lamely, pointing to Jess as she finished, as if to prove her point.

"Uh-huh," Jess nodded, his gaze settling on the couch next to her. "Wow. You look…pregnant."

"Yep," Rory answered, her hands automatically flying to her stomach. "I kinda told Sasha it was yours."

"That's probably the only way she let you in."

"I figured," Rory half-laughed, and then gasped as her baby kicked her squarely in the palm. She grabbed Jess' hand, much like she'd grabbed Luke's hand earlier that day. "He's kicking! He's kicking, Jess!"

"Wow," Jess commented, much like Luke had done earlier, only instead of moving his hand away when Rory released it, he moved his other one to her stomach, too. "That's so weird."

"I know," Rory said. "God, he's really active."

"Is it a he?"

"Mmm, I dunno. I have yet to work up the nerve to find out."

"Right, you mentioned that the last time we talked."

Rory nodded again, and bit her lip, keeping her hands on her stomach. Jess took in her thrilled expression, and wondered once again what she was doing there.

"Rory, why didn't you mention you were coming here the last time we talked?"

"Because, I was driving to Stars Hollow, to see Mom."

"Oh, was she there?"

"Yeah, and I told her the whole story. Telling the story to someone kinda made me appreciate what you did a lot more, and then Mom basically convinced me to fly out here, so…here I am."

"Huh." Jess slowly moved his hands away from Rory's stomach, where the activity had died down, but kept his eyes on Rory's face, who eventually returned her gaze to Jess'.

"Jess?" she asked, as if to get his attention, even though they were staring straight into each other's eyes.

"Hmm?" he asked back.

"Do you think that you could come back to Stars Hollow with me?"

Jess broke the gaze first, ducking his head in response to her question, causing her to backpedal.

"I mean, you don't have to," Rory started, gazing down at her hands lying in her lap. "And, it's not like I was really expecting you to move back with me. I mean, you hardly stayed for two years, you know, cause you didn't like it. And you've got a home here, and apparently a family, and a job, I guess, if your movie's still on schedule, and—"

"Rory, you're babbling," Jess interrupted her.

"I know. I mean, I usually babble when I'm nervous. Although, I don't know why I'm nervous now. I mean, I do know, but I don't…know. I mean…." Rory sighed, and then looked up at Jess, who had an amused look on his face. "Oh, I'm glad you think this is funny! I 'm trying to pour my heart out to you here, and you're just sitting there with that stupid look on your face, and I mean, God, you could be a little more sensitive—I am pregnant, in case you hadn't noticed, and my hormones are doing weird things, and I don't even wanna think about what my feelings are doing, and—"

Jess cut her off again, this time with a kiss. She struggled for a second, and then sank into it, giving her whole.

Sasha walked in, to announce something, but noticed the young couple and smiled, walking back out of the room.

Eventually, Jess had to separate, if only to get his heart back to normal, and looked nervously at Rory's face, hoping she wasn't too mad. From the way she'd responded to the kiss, he didn't think so, but you could never tell.

"Well. That was nice," Rory grinned at him. "And just what I came here to do."

"You came here to kiss me?" Jess asked.

"Uh-huh," Rory nodded. "And, to ask you to move back to Stars Hollow with me. You know, I mean, not that you have to think about this right now, but I am pregnant, and eventually I will have a baby, and I love my mother to death, but I don't really want to rely on her for help with my baby, and it's not like I can ask the father, and you seem so interested in everything, and I think I'm kind of getting ahead of myself now, and—"

"You're babbling again," Jess interrupted her, before kissing her again.

After they separated the second time, she said, "I like the second way of interrupting better."

"I do, too," Jess answered, leaning in to kiss her again.