Disclaimer: I promise I'll put all the characters back when I'm done playing with them! Cause you know they belong to ASP etc.

A/N: Well this is the end, except for a small epilogue that I'll post in a day or so. I hope you guys like the way this all turned out, let me know! Thank you all again for the amazing reviews, you guys always brighten my day! Thank you to: Jamie, Deeta, hlf 2002, Gracie, SweetThing, Vfoxy713, flipgurl320, BTVGoddess, Misty, Chev, Priya, Chris, BeeBoo, RJ, sleepless-dreams, average jane, stari, Looken4CoffeeGod. At the end of the epilogue I'll give more personal thank yous. But for now on with the show…

Chapter Five: I guess you're the only one that nobody changes

I guess you're the only one who will never change faces

 I guess you're the only one

          Louise Grant-Lowell Gazed down at her ring finger on her left hand, the one that was now bare, she was a free woman. Funny, it really didn't feel that way. Somewhere in her heart she knew the marriage wasn't going to last but she had expected it last more than eighteen months. It just added up to be another thing she failed at. It was ironic that Beau left her because she always envisioned that it would be her leaving him. Not that he was a bad guy—he wasn't. It was just in the past she was always the one who left. But not this time.

          He had left her, for someone else, he had fallen in love. She'd be the first to admit she had never seen that curve ball coming. He told her in that annoying calm and rational voice she knew he used in board meetings.

          "Louise, because I do respect and care about you I thought you should hear this from me fist. You know as well as I do secrets don't stay secrets in our social circle. I've met someone."

          At first she thought, he's wants to have an affair and he's asking permission? Lord knows she never did. But then he continued.

          "I've met someone and I've fallen in love. I want to marry her."

          Now this was the shock. She wanted to shout to him 'I hate to break it honey you're already married to me!' Not that she loved him, she didn't, but she liked him. And she had sacrificed a lot for this marriage—more than he ever knew. Now he wanted to leave this perfectly agreeable arrangement…for love?

          "I never meant to hurt you." He carried on but at that comment she finally found her voice.

          "You haven't. Hurt me that is." She clarified. "I'm just not sure that I understand. You want to marry this woman? What about your family? Your position in the company?" she asked listing off the main reasons behind their marriage. Part of her wanted to ask 'What about me?'

          It was then that he sat down and dropped his formal façade. "Louise, I'm sorry. It's not like I meant for this to happen. It's not like you can chose who you fall for."

          She quelled the bitter laugh that scorched her throat, she knew that fact all too well, but that didn't change her mind.

          "Karen is this wonderful woman. Incredible and I've been seeing her for the past couple of months. We've become great friends. But there's more to it there. And I don't care what my family says. I know they won't approve of her but I do and that's all that matters. As far as the company goes I don't expect your father to be vindictive and the truth is in my capacity I'm pretty much indispensable with a lot of the deals we have going right now. I'm not worried. It's just you…"

          She forced a smile, "Honey don't worry about me. I'm like a cat I always land on my feet."

From there proceeded a very civil divorce. Beau married his love, Karen the waitress, yes he had left her for a waitress. And Louise moved to New York and bought a whole new wardrobe to compensate for the loss that she felt. Although if she were to be honest with herself she would have to admit it wasn't loss she felt but regret. If only things had gone different that day—her wedding day.

          Obviously she had gotten married. She didn't do a Julia Roberts and pull a Runaway Bride. Jess didn't come running up the aisle yelling 'I object' like in so many commercials. She had walked down the aisle and he had walked out of her life.

          She knew his book had been published and was well received by many critics. Although he would probably never admit it, even under threat of torture by Lorelai, she knew being accepted in the literary community meant something to him. It wasn't like she was some kind of stalker keeping a scrapbook filled with articles containing any mention of him. It was just if his name happened to catch her eye she read the article. And so what if she had picked up his book as soon as it was released. It didn't mean anything. That chapter of her life was closed. Period. End of sentence.

          "Jess!" a little voice yelled as he entered into the house. Two seconds later Jess found himself catching his four-year-old cousin Nicky who had just launched himself off the stairs.

          "Jesus kid would you not do that!" as he tucked his cousin under his arm, much like you would a football, and strode into the kitchen.

          "Luke you got to teach your kids some manners." Jess said depositing Nicky on the table.

          "Don't blame me." Luke growled as he tried once again to perfect Emma's braid. "Blame their mother."

          "Did someone mention me?" Lorelai cooed as she entered the room Rory following behind her.

          "Yes. You need to control your offspring." Jess replied as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

          "Here that offspring. You apparently need to be controlled." Lorelai said looking to Rory who laughed.

          "I think I'm a little old for that."

          Jess groaned. He always managed to forget how exasperating these two women could be, especially when they were in the same room. "Not Rory, she's already a lost cause."

          "Hey!" shouted Rory indignant.

          "I meant the terrible twins. Boy and Girl Wonder over there."

          Lorelai picked Nicky up with a practiced ease. "What did you do to Jess this time?"

          "Nothing." Nicky grinned, a picture of absolute innocence.

          "Sure." Luke said plucking his son from his wife. He had given up on Emma's braid. He knew that look Nicky was giving, his wife had perfected the 'who me?' innocent look. It looks like his kids had inherited it too.

          "I'm going to be a daredevil!" Nicky announced to his family.

          Luke and Jess rolled their eyes in unison. While Lorelai just gently brushed her son's hair and said "Sure sweetie. But you can only practice when Mommy and Daddy are in the room. And no practicing on Jess."

          The little boy sighed. "Yes mommy."

          Jess let the conversation wash over him, not really paying attention to the family squabbles that were taking place. He had gotten use to this because every time he visited the Gilmore house it was the same.

          Funny how he still thought of it as the Gilmore house even though it was Luke's house too. While the last name may have changed to Danes—some things are just originally Gilmore.

          Some things changed—he knew he had. His first book published and he was almost done with his second one, but part of him still felt incomplete. As much as he tried to tell himself that that part of his life was over, that person was no longer in it and would never be again, sometimes at the oddest moments he found himself longing for her—for the way things used to be. But the reality always intruded, the picture of her walking away from him, walking away from the only thing he had to offer her—himself. It wasn't something he could forget, or forgive. And that left him…here.

          Louise draped her Burberry coat on the chair as she entered the foyer to her penthouse. She saw the maid had left the mail of the end table. She picked it up and perused through the usual assortment of bills and invitations. One invitation in particular caught her attention. It was a wedding invite, from Hartford; Rory Gilmore was getting married to Tristan DuGrey. Funny how the past could never quite stay in the past, it caught up with everyone and when you least expected it, bam there it was. Before she could lose her nerve she RSVP, and hoped for the best.

          The church was beautiful and classy, just like the couple that was to be married. Louise took one last glance in the mirror of the car to assure that her makeup was perfect before exiting. She steeled herself and entered the church. She kept her gaze straightforward as she walked down the aisle to take a seat next to Madeline and her husband. She engaged in mindless chitchat with them both, catching up on gossip she had missed while being in New York. But the second he walked into the church she knew.

          Her stomach tightened and it felt like every nerve in her body came alive. It wasn't fair that after all this time he could still have that effect on her. She deliberately didn't look at him as he passed by to take a seat in the front pew with the rest of the family. But that didn't change anything, being in a church with him, just brought the memories back. As hard as she tried to pay attention to the ceremony she couldn't. The memories of the past enveloped her and refused to let go.

          Jess spotted her the moment her walked into the church. He didn't mean to. He swore that he wasn't going to look for her, Rory had purposely not mentioned her name in his presence, but Paris had let it slip that she was coming. So as soon as his eyes rested on the gorgeous perfectly coifed blonde, he knew it was her, just seeing the back of her head was enough. Too bad the last time they had been together it had been her that had been getting married.

          But there was no time to dwell on the past, it was the past, and today one of his closest friends was getting married. It was Rory's day and he wouldn't let anyone ruin it for her. Not even himself.

          "Dance with me." Rory commanded as she pulled Jess onto the dance floor.

          "Rory…"he growled, clearly not wanting to dance.

          "I'm the bride. It's my day." She pouted and he relented and twirled her around the dance floor.

          Rory smiled. She was absolutely glowing, there was no other word to describe it, she had never been so happy. She was married to the man she loved more than anything. And she just wanted everyone else to be as happy as she was in this moment; maybe that's what prompted her to do it.

          "Time to switch." She said merrily as she slipped out of Jess's arms into the waiting arms of her husband—her husband! The word made her giddy.

          Jess sighed and passed her over to DuGrey and went to take over for whomever he had been dancing with. But when he saw her, he felt his blood freeze.

          "Hey handsome." She said forcing a smile. When he looked directly at her it was as if she forgot how to breathe. Just holding his gaze was torture. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world than on the dance floor with her.

          "Hey Lou." He echoed dully, hardly aware of what he was saying.

          "Are you going to leave a girl hanging here?" she tried to joke gesturing to all the dancing couples.

          For a second he thought about it, just turning and walking away from her, like she had done to him before. But instead he decided to act like the mature adult he hoped he had become, and took her in his arms to dance.

          They melded into the embrace like it had been mere seconds instead of years since they had been separated. Both silent at first, adjusting to each other, trying to think of what to say next.

          "Where's your husband?" Jess asked, his tone more cruel than he intended.

          She paled at his malevolent tone but hitched her chin up and answered. "He's not my husband anymore. We're divorced."

          His pupils dilated in surprise but that's the only reaction he gave. A million scathing remarks rested on his tongue leaving an acrid taste there.

          "Go on. Say whatever you're thinking. Have your nice 'I told you so' scene. You deserve it." Louise said it coming out more bitterly than she meant it to.

          His eyes widened and he gave his first true smirk. She still knew him all too well. "I wasn't going to say anything."

          She narrowed her eyes. "Don't give me that bullshit. You're happy I failed. But then again not saying anything seems to be your trademark." She spat as she wrested away from his grip and tried to exit the dance floor.

          Now he was pissed.

          "What the hell do you mean?" he hissed trying not to attract too much attention.

          Her eyes flashed. "You know exactly what I mean." And she continued her exit.

          He followed her out into the gardens of the club where the reception was being held.

          "Walking away. That's something you're really good at." Jess said snidely.

          "Funny I thought that was supposed to be my line." Louise said her eyes shooting daggers at him.

          "Last thing I remember is you walking away from me to be married to another guy. Tell me did I miss something there?"

          "You walked away from me long before that Jess."

          "What are you talking about?"

          "Not just physically you moron!" She yelled at his obvious confusion. "Emotionally. I waited for any sign that you cared and nothing ever came. You never said anything!"

          Then it hit him like a freight train. She had never heard him. On her wedding day she had never heard his plea for her to stay. All of this…all of the anger and the time wasted because of words she never heard.

          He started laughing. Hysterically laughing. It was so ironic, like something out of a book or a movie. Hell he couldn't have written it better himself.

          Now Louise was livid. This idiot was sitting there laughing!

          "Ow!" Jess yelled as Lou's hand connected with the back of his head.

          "What the hell is your problem?"

          Jess was still trying to control his laughter. "You never heard me."

          Now it was scaring her, he was laughing like some guy let lose from an asylum. This wasn't the Jess she knew.

          "Never heard what?" she asked sitting down beside him.

          "Me."

          "Huh?"

          And so he explained. The story came pouring out as if it wasn't his own life he was talking about but some distant fictional character. By the time it was over Louise didn't know what to think or say. All this time…she thought he didn't care.

          "Wow." She said unable to think of anything else.

          "Yep. Something out of a fucking teen drama. Stay tuned for next season."

          She laughed. "Dawson's Creek had nothing on us."

          "So?"

          "So?" she echoed. "Where does that leave us?"

          "I don't know. Things have changed."

          "Yeah they have. I guess we weren't meant to be."

          "Guess not."

          She sighed and he got up to leave. She pulled a cigarette out of her purse that she had grabbed on her way out.

          "Need a light?" a voice asked gruffly.

          She turned to look at him standing there in front of her, with a lighter. Just like in all the old movies. Just like before.

          "Thanks handsome." She repeated, as the sense of deja vu grew stronger.

          They stood there just looking at each other—remembering. An agonizing second passed, and then another till finally he couldn't take it.

          He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. All the passion and all the longing that had been building up inside him was let lose. It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was hard and rough and a complete domination of her senses. And she yielded to it and then she gave as good as she got.

          When they finally broke for air they were both grinning.

          "Just wanted to make sure this was going to work." He said.

          "Looks like all systems are go to me captain." she winked.

          And he laughed.

Sometimes the end is only the beginning.