Title: Too Late to Forget
Author: coffeechick87, a.k.a. Jayde.
Disclaimer: I own it! I own It all!! Which is probably why I live in a room with padded walls... they're nice and squishy. So, as you probably figured out, I own nothing! Well, except Asia, who actually is my cat.
Pairing: Rory/Jess.
Rating: Pg-13 - to be safe.
Summary: AU. Raised in LA, 17 year old Rory Hayden runs away to Stars Hollow to find her mother. There, she meets the quirky townspeople, and finds herself drawn to one in particular.
.
. AN: Hey, Thanx for all the great Reviews, I love them all!
.
hasapi~ Well... They might have, it's really up to you. If you wanna think that they did, then they did, if You don't, then they didn't. All I know, is that after they get married, they obviously will.
...
Holly~ Hi! thanks for the personal well wishes. And, just so you know.. ALL of the L/L moments in this chapter are dedicated to you, I hope you're happy with them.
...
Toodles~ I just used my brother's name as Jess' middle name )Ii wasn't really in a creative state of mind) lol.
....
AmyDC~ Drama? Now, would I do that to you?? **Evil Cackle**
......
And if you want to be e-mailed when I update this fic, just say so in your reply, and give me your e-mail address! I'm sorry if I missed e-mailing anyone who asked already.
........
Okay... Now..... I've been playing around with this idea for a while, and I would like to know what you guys would think about it. Would any of you read this if I did a... not spin-off, but a different version of this fic? All that would be different really is the rating, it would be R... and it would still have the same happy ending.
I'd still continue to post this thread, but for a while, I've been wondering if I could write sex scenes.. I'm curious, sue me.
So, tell me, should I do the same fic on a different thread but add sex scenes into it? I'm not even sure I can actually write it, so please, don't be disappointed if I do this and fail miserably.
.
But for all of you who wouldn't want to read anything higher than pg-13, I'd still do this thread. And the chapters would be exactly the same, except for one having sex scenes... Do I make any sense? At all? Please, tell me.
.
Oh, and sorry about all of the '....' the formatting on ff.net doesn't like me.
.
Anywayz... On with the show!!!
.
~Jayde
....
PS~ do you think this chapter is short?
.....
...
Too Late To Forget
Chapter 10: Until Death Do We Part.
...
...
...
.
"'My baby's getting married, Luke." Lorelai looked at Luke over the wide rim of her LB, he grunted and continued wiping the counter. Undeterred, She continued, "And she's marrying your nephew, too! That would make me your. sister in law?. I'd be Jess' Mother in law, and Jess' mother is your sister, so I guess, I'd be your sister in law. removed a few times. I think. Hmm." She frowned as she drank the rest of her coffee, and then waved the bowl in front of the unnaturally still Luke standing behind the counter. "Hello?"
"Hu?" Luke was jolted out of his reverie. "Oh, coffee, right." He took Lorelai's bowl and filled it with coffee. "Here you go." He sat the bowl down, then stared out the window blankly.
Lorelai looked at her coffee, then at Luke, she narrowed her eyes and grinned, "Hey Luke. Can I have the whole pot?" Her eyes moved form Luke's pensive face, to the coffeepot still in his hand, then back again.
"Sure." He put the pot down beside her LB, Lorelai gaped, then pulled the pot closer to herself.
"Wow." She stared into the almost-full coffeepot, and then grinned at Luke. "Thanks."
"What?" Luke jerked his gaze to Lorelai, sobering. "Where did you get that?!" He barked, pointing accusingly at the pot of coffee that was in her arms.
"Ummm. A little birdie gave it to me?"
..........
...........
*~**~*~**~*
...........
...........
**Ring**
....
**Ring**
.......
**Ring**
.....
**Rin------
.
"It is before 6 o'clock in the morning on my first Friday off in months, call again after noon."
.
Click.
.
.............
.............
.
**Ring**
.
Lorelai growled and opened one eye.
.
**Rin----*
.
"This had better be a life or death matter."
.
"I'm getting married tomorrow." Lorelai could hear the quiver in her daughters' voice.
.
"Awww, Honey, what's wrong?"
.
"'What's Wrong?! Mom, I'm getting MARRIED! TOMORROW!!" Rory paused, her breathing erratic. "I don't know how to be married! I can't be a Wife! I won't be a good wife, Jess deserves a good wife! I'M NOT GOING TO BE A GOOD WIFE!!! I don't deserve him. I'm going to make him miserable, and he's not going to love me anymore, and he'll love someone else..... someone who isn't me!! And I'll be miserable because he'll hate me for marrying him because he wants to marry the woman that he really loves, and then we'll get a divorce, and I'll never see him again because he'll get married again and forget all about me. And I'll have a horrible life because I'll be all alone! And Jess won't love me anymore." Rory ranted, then took a deep breath, tears streaming down her face.
.
"Well...." Lorelai was at a loss for words, "Good Morning to you, too."
"He's gonna' hate me forever, Mom." Rory whimpered, curling into a ball in the middle of her bed, pulling her lilac sheets up to her chin.
Lorelai shook her head, confused. "No, he's not, Baby. That boy loves you. He told me so himself!"
Her daughter sniffled, "Really?"
"Yes, really." Lorelai sighed. "Jess loves you so much, Rory. That boy would die for you. He loves you more than he loves life itself. And you, you are going to be exactly what Jess wants in a wife. You're going to be you. That's exactly what he wants and needs. Nothing more."
"Really?" Rory wiped her now-dry eyes, her voice hopeful.
"Really." Lorelai muffled a yawn, "But if you really think those absolutely absurd ideas. Talk to Jess about them, okay babe?"
Rory sighed, her forehead wrinkling, then she shook her head. "I think I was having those. what are they called? Umm.last minute Bridal Jitters, or something." Rory smiled slightly as Asia jumped up and curled up beside her. "Thank You, Mommy."
"Any time, Hun." Lorelai hung up the phone and looked at the clock.
"I did damn good for it being so insanely early." She grumbled as she pulled her sheet over her head.
She sighed and promptly fell back to sleep.
...
...
*~**~*~**~*
...
...
"AHHHHHHHHH!!! Jess! Help!!" Rory's scream echoed through the diner.
Shaking his head, Jess leisurely walked out of the kitchen and into the supply room.
"JESS!! You better get your ass in gear and get me out of here!!"
Jess just smirked and leaned on the doorframe, and looked at his fiancée's legs flinging wildly from the partially closed freezer.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
Rory growled. "Stop smirking, and get your ass over here, Mariano!"
He smiled, casually walked over to the freezer, and lifted the lid off of her thighs. "Having fun, Lor?"
She swung her head around to glare at him, "Oh, yea, I'm having a blast! I can't feel my hands, my face is getting freezer burn, and my boobs are numb because they are attached to packaged Chicken!" She semi-screamed.
"Hmmm... I'm just going to take a wild guess, and say that you want me to get you out of there." He drawled, cocking an eyebrow.
Rory smiled brightly at him from the depths of the freezer. "Let's just say, that there won't be a wedding-night tomorrow if you don't." She said cheerily.
"Ah...... We can't have that, now, can we?" Jess asked wryly, as he stepped behind her and hauled her out of the freezer by the waist. After setting her down, so her feet were on the floor, he gently turned her to face him. "Better?"
"Much." She smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. Pulling away a minute later, she sighed, "You do know that I'd love nothing more than to continue this with you, but Luke needs the foot-long hot dogs." She pouted, "Can you pweeze get them for me? Pweeze?....." She gave him her puppy-dog eyes.
Jess shook his head, disgusted. She had no idea what those eyes did to him, and if she ever found out.. he'd be her slave for life. Hell, he already was. "Aww.. Rory....." He put on a mild show of reluctance, her eyes widened, and he was sunk, "Fine."
...
...
*~**~*(*)*~**~* ...
...
.
"Mom?"
"Yes, hun?"
"I'm getting married tomorrow." Rory turned her head to look at her mother and grinned.
Lorelai pried her eyes away from the TV screen that was currently showing Veruca Salt destroy Willy Wonka's Golden Egg room, and looked at her daughter's excited face. She smiled, seeing how happy Rory was, "Yep, you are..... just think....... This time tomorrow, you won't be Rory Gilmore, but you'll be Rory Mariano." She sniffed, her eyes welling with tears that blurred the form of her daughter in front of her.
Rory frowned, "Are you, okay, Mom?"
Lorelai nodded hurriedly, swiping the tears from her eyes furiously. She sniffed again.
"What's wrong?" Rory shifted closer to her mother and grabbed a tissue from the table.
Lorelai took the tissue, wiped her damp eyes, blew her nose, then smiled shakily at Rory. "It's just... My baby's getting married. I just got you back, now I have to give you away, again."
Understanding dawned, "Oh, Mom, No! That's not happening, and you know it. I'm getting married to Jess, and staying in Stars Hollow---"
"But then you're going to be leaving for University!" Lorelai interrupted.
"Yea, but not for another year! And Jess and I talked about it after he graduated. With his grades, he can get in to any school that he wants to, and I was accepted to Yale after I finished High School, I was accepted to a lot of Universities, but I never chose. Jess and I spoke to the Dean of admissions a few days ago, and he said that they'd still accept me for the 2004-2005 school year and since it's only 2003 now, I won't be starting school for another year. And he said that if Jess applied now he'd be able to start with me." Rory explained to her shocked mother.
"Oh." Lorelai cleared her throat, "So, you're going to stay in Stars Hollow? Even when you're going to Yale?" She questioned.
"Well, yea....... Actually, Jess and I are planning on buying a house here. I have the money that I got from the trust fund that I received when I graduated High School, and the money that I'll get when I turn 18 from my Grandmother Hayworth. So..... Why not use it to build a new life here, right?"
Lorelai nodded, calming down a bit. "So, you're really staying here?"
"Yep, You can't get rid of me that easily." Rory smiled and hugged her mother.
"Good."
..........
..........
*~**~*~**~*
..........
..........
The hastily booked church was filled with white, yellow, and pale pink roses, perfectly matching the brides' bouquet. The entire town of Stars Hollow was packed in the pews, waiting for the girl -- no, the woman -- whom they had taken in with open arms only months before.
The groom was standing at the altar, nervously fighting with his tie, and checking his watch every few seconds. Luke awkwardly patted his back and mumbled what he supposed were comforting words.
Finally, the small band consisting of only the town troubadour and Marilyn, a regular at Luke's who was an expert pianist, broke into the lively chatter of the masses with the bridal party song.
Slowly, Lorelai walked down the aisle, causing Luke's jaw to drop, she caught his eye, and hurriedly looked away, blushing. She was dressed in a ankle length dress in a pale lavender, with a dark purple ribbon under her demurely covered breasts, and the same ribbon rimming the bottom hem. She smiled slightly at the sight of her very-soon-to-be Son-in-Law, and Jess relaxed a fraction.
The song switched to the Bridal March, only to have Jess tense again as he waited for Rory to appear in the doorway.
Then, there she was. With an ivory version of Lorelai's dress, the subtle square neckline was offset by a glowing sapphire that was dangling from a extremely thin platinum chain, the veil ended just under her chin, the filmy lace was so fine that it was almost invisible held by a blue topaz and diamond-chip tiara that had been her great-great grandmother Hayworths', an heirloom that she took almost everywhere with her. Her radiant smile illuminated her whole face; her eyes shining with love as hey held his.
..
.
Rory couldn't breathe. She was walking down the isle towards the man that she loved, and she was seriously thinking that she would pass-out from lack of air. Smiling as she caught his eye, she took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, attempting to control the emotions that were currently coursing through her.
When she reached Jess, he took her hand in his, as they turned to meet their future.
.........
.........
*~**~*~**~*
...........
...........
.
.
Rory smiled joyously as she and Jess were enveloped into the crowd outside the small church, greeting the well-wishers after the ceremony. She clutched Jess's hand tightly, and pulled him into a kiss at the urging of the masses. He laughed slightly as he pulled back, keeping her in his arms. She sighed contently as she fingered her engagement ring, and matching wedding band. She had changed right after the ceremony into an ivory silk shirt with the word **Bride** written in silver sequins on the front, and whitewashed denim jeans with *Just Married* embroidered on the back pockets; both complements of her mother, who had made many identical pairs.
As Lorelai shooed the majority of the crowd, Rory waved and grinned. Turning out of Jess' arms she looked at his face, " We're married."
Jess looked at the woman in his arms, the woman to whom he had pledged his soul to just less than an hour before, and smiled. "That we are, Lor." He leaned down slightly, and kissed her nose. She took his hand in hers, and they started to walk towards the church steps.
.
Rory looked idly over to the remaining people who were huddled near the church, undoubtedly going over every detail of the wedding. She recognized the blond who was standing off to the side of the group a second before she saw the unmistakable glint off of metal, and heard the deafening sound of a shot being fired. Knowing instinctively what was happening, Rory turned quickly so she was in front of her husband, then she knew nothing but pain.
.
One second, Rory had been laughing beside him, looking at the well wishing townspeople, and the next Jess heard a sickening crack. Then his bride was in his arms, her bright eyes dimming, and going glassy with pain as a bright red stain tore across the back of her shirt.
"I love you.............." He heard the faint whisper in the deafening silence that had fallen, right before she succumbed to the pain and slipped into unconsciousness.
"Rory..." Jess choked out, as he sunk down on the church stairs. He sobbed as he held his limp wife in his arms. "Help!! Someone, please..... Help!!"
.
His tortured scream could be heard blocks away.
......
*~**~*~**~*
.....
.
To Be Continued.............
. .
Author: coffeechick87, a.k.a. Jayde.
Disclaimer: I own it! I own It all!! Which is probably why I live in a room with padded walls... they're nice and squishy. So, as you probably figured out, I own nothing! Well, except Asia, who actually is my cat.
Pairing: Rory/Jess.
Rating: Pg-13 - to be safe.
Summary: AU. Raised in LA, 17 year old Rory Hayden runs away to Stars Hollow to find her mother. There, she meets the quirky townspeople, and finds herself drawn to one in particular.
.
. AN: Hey, Thanx for all the great Reviews, I love them all!
.
hasapi~ Well... They might have, it's really up to you. If you wanna think that they did, then they did, if You don't, then they didn't. All I know, is that after they get married, they obviously will.
...
Holly~ Hi! thanks for the personal well wishes. And, just so you know.. ALL of the L/L moments in this chapter are dedicated to you, I hope you're happy with them.
...
Toodles~ I just used my brother's name as Jess' middle name )Ii wasn't really in a creative state of mind) lol.
....
AmyDC~ Drama? Now, would I do that to you?? **Evil Cackle**
......
And if you want to be e-mailed when I update this fic, just say so in your reply, and give me your e-mail address! I'm sorry if I missed e-mailing anyone who asked already.
........
Okay... Now..... I've been playing around with this idea for a while, and I would like to know what you guys would think about it. Would any of you read this if I did a... not spin-off, but a different version of this fic? All that would be different really is the rating, it would be R... and it would still have the same happy ending.
I'd still continue to post this thread, but for a while, I've been wondering if I could write sex scenes.. I'm curious, sue me.
So, tell me, should I do the same fic on a different thread but add sex scenes into it? I'm not even sure I can actually write it, so please, don't be disappointed if I do this and fail miserably.
.
But for all of you who wouldn't want to read anything higher than pg-13, I'd still do this thread. And the chapters would be exactly the same, except for one having sex scenes... Do I make any sense? At all? Please, tell me.
.
Oh, and sorry about all of the '....' the formatting on ff.net doesn't like me.
.
Anywayz... On with the show!!!
.
~Jayde
....
PS~ do you think this chapter is short?
.....
...
Too Late To Forget
Chapter 10: Until Death Do We Part.
...
...
...
.
"'My baby's getting married, Luke." Lorelai looked at Luke over the wide rim of her LB, he grunted and continued wiping the counter. Undeterred, She continued, "And she's marrying your nephew, too! That would make me your. sister in law?. I'd be Jess' Mother in law, and Jess' mother is your sister, so I guess, I'd be your sister in law. removed a few times. I think. Hmm." She frowned as she drank the rest of her coffee, and then waved the bowl in front of the unnaturally still Luke standing behind the counter. "Hello?"
"Hu?" Luke was jolted out of his reverie. "Oh, coffee, right." He took Lorelai's bowl and filled it with coffee. "Here you go." He sat the bowl down, then stared out the window blankly.
Lorelai looked at her coffee, then at Luke, she narrowed her eyes and grinned, "Hey Luke. Can I have the whole pot?" Her eyes moved form Luke's pensive face, to the coffeepot still in his hand, then back again.
"Sure." He put the pot down beside her LB, Lorelai gaped, then pulled the pot closer to herself.
"Wow." She stared into the almost-full coffeepot, and then grinned at Luke. "Thanks."
"What?" Luke jerked his gaze to Lorelai, sobering. "Where did you get that?!" He barked, pointing accusingly at the pot of coffee that was in her arms.
"Ummm. A little birdie gave it to me?"
..........
...........
*~**~*~**~*
...........
...........
**Ring**
....
**Ring**
.......
**Ring**
.....
**Rin------
.
"It is before 6 o'clock in the morning on my first Friday off in months, call again after noon."
.
Click.
.
.............
.............
.
**Ring**
.
Lorelai growled and opened one eye.
.
**Rin----*
.
"This had better be a life or death matter."
.
"I'm getting married tomorrow." Lorelai could hear the quiver in her daughters' voice.
.
"Awww, Honey, what's wrong?"
.
"'What's Wrong?! Mom, I'm getting MARRIED! TOMORROW!!" Rory paused, her breathing erratic. "I don't know how to be married! I can't be a Wife! I won't be a good wife, Jess deserves a good wife! I'M NOT GOING TO BE A GOOD WIFE!!! I don't deserve him. I'm going to make him miserable, and he's not going to love me anymore, and he'll love someone else..... someone who isn't me!! And I'll be miserable because he'll hate me for marrying him because he wants to marry the woman that he really loves, and then we'll get a divorce, and I'll never see him again because he'll get married again and forget all about me. And I'll have a horrible life because I'll be all alone! And Jess won't love me anymore." Rory ranted, then took a deep breath, tears streaming down her face.
.
"Well...." Lorelai was at a loss for words, "Good Morning to you, too."
"He's gonna' hate me forever, Mom." Rory whimpered, curling into a ball in the middle of her bed, pulling her lilac sheets up to her chin.
Lorelai shook her head, confused. "No, he's not, Baby. That boy loves you. He told me so himself!"
Her daughter sniffled, "Really?"
"Yes, really." Lorelai sighed. "Jess loves you so much, Rory. That boy would die for you. He loves you more than he loves life itself. And you, you are going to be exactly what Jess wants in a wife. You're going to be you. That's exactly what he wants and needs. Nothing more."
"Really?" Rory wiped her now-dry eyes, her voice hopeful.
"Really." Lorelai muffled a yawn, "But if you really think those absolutely absurd ideas. Talk to Jess about them, okay babe?"
Rory sighed, her forehead wrinkling, then she shook her head. "I think I was having those. what are they called? Umm.last minute Bridal Jitters, or something." Rory smiled slightly as Asia jumped up and curled up beside her. "Thank You, Mommy."
"Any time, Hun." Lorelai hung up the phone and looked at the clock.
"I did damn good for it being so insanely early." She grumbled as she pulled her sheet over her head.
She sighed and promptly fell back to sleep.
...
...
*~**~*~**~*
...
...
"AHHHHHHHHH!!! Jess! Help!!" Rory's scream echoed through the diner.
Shaking his head, Jess leisurely walked out of the kitchen and into the supply room.
"JESS!! You better get your ass in gear and get me out of here!!"
Jess just smirked and leaned on the doorframe, and looked at his fiancée's legs flinging wildly from the partially closed freezer.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
Rory growled. "Stop smirking, and get your ass over here, Mariano!"
He smiled, casually walked over to the freezer, and lifted the lid off of her thighs. "Having fun, Lor?"
She swung her head around to glare at him, "Oh, yea, I'm having a blast! I can't feel my hands, my face is getting freezer burn, and my boobs are numb because they are attached to packaged Chicken!" She semi-screamed.
"Hmmm... I'm just going to take a wild guess, and say that you want me to get you out of there." He drawled, cocking an eyebrow.
Rory smiled brightly at him from the depths of the freezer. "Let's just say, that there won't be a wedding-night tomorrow if you don't." She said cheerily.
"Ah...... We can't have that, now, can we?" Jess asked wryly, as he stepped behind her and hauled her out of the freezer by the waist. After setting her down, so her feet were on the floor, he gently turned her to face him. "Better?"
"Much." She smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. Pulling away a minute later, she sighed, "You do know that I'd love nothing more than to continue this with you, but Luke needs the foot-long hot dogs." She pouted, "Can you pweeze get them for me? Pweeze?....." She gave him her puppy-dog eyes.
Jess shook his head, disgusted. She had no idea what those eyes did to him, and if she ever found out.. he'd be her slave for life. Hell, he already was. "Aww.. Rory....." He put on a mild show of reluctance, her eyes widened, and he was sunk, "Fine."
...
...
*~**~*(*)*~**~* ...
...
.
"Mom?"
"Yes, hun?"
"I'm getting married tomorrow." Rory turned her head to look at her mother and grinned.
Lorelai pried her eyes away from the TV screen that was currently showing Veruca Salt destroy Willy Wonka's Golden Egg room, and looked at her daughter's excited face. She smiled, seeing how happy Rory was, "Yep, you are..... just think....... This time tomorrow, you won't be Rory Gilmore, but you'll be Rory Mariano." She sniffed, her eyes welling with tears that blurred the form of her daughter in front of her.
Rory frowned, "Are you, okay, Mom?"
Lorelai nodded hurriedly, swiping the tears from her eyes furiously. She sniffed again.
"What's wrong?" Rory shifted closer to her mother and grabbed a tissue from the table.
Lorelai took the tissue, wiped her damp eyes, blew her nose, then smiled shakily at Rory. "It's just... My baby's getting married. I just got you back, now I have to give you away, again."
Understanding dawned, "Oh, Mom, No! That's not happening, and you know it. I'm getting married to Jess, and staying in Stars Hollow---"
"But then you're going to be leaving for University!" Lorelai interrupted.
"Yea, but not for another year! And Jess and I talked about it after he graduated. With his grades, he can get in to any school that he wants to, and I was accepted to Yale after I finished High School, I was accepted to a lot of Universities, but I never chose. Jess and I spoke to the Dean of admissions a few days ago, and he said that they'd still accept me for the 2004-2005 school year and since it's only 2003 now, I won't be starting school for another year. And he said that if Jess applied now he'd be able to start with me." Rory explained to her shocked mother.
"Oh." Lorelai cleared her throat, "So, you're going to stay in Stars Hollow? Even when you're going to Yale?" She questioned.
"Well, yea....... Actually, Jess and I are planning on buying a house here. I have the money that I got from the trust fund that I received when I graduated High School, and the money that I'll get when I turn 18 from my Grandmother Hayworth. So..... Why not use it to build a new life here, right?"
Lorelai nodded, calming down a bit. "So, you're really staying here?"
"Yep, You can't get rid of me that easily." Rory smiled and hugged her mother.
"Good."
..........
..........
*~**~*~**~*
..........
..........
The hastily booked church was filled with white, yellow, and pale pink roses, perfectly matching the brides' bouquet. The entire town of Stars Hollow was packed in the pews, waiting for the girl -- no, the woman -- whom they had taken in with open arms only months before.
The groom was standing at the altar, nervously fighting with his tie, and checking his watch every few seconds. Luke awkwardly patted his back and mumbled what he supposed were comforting words.
Finally, the small band consisting of only the town troubadour and Marilyn, a regular at Luke's who was an expert pianist, broke into the lively chatter of the masses with the bridal party song.
Slowly, Lorelai walked down the aisle, causing Luke's jaw to drop, she caught his eye, and hurriedly looked away, blushing. She was dressed in a ankle length dress in a pale lavender, with a dark purple ribbon under her demurely covered breasts, and the same ribbon rimming the bottom hem. She smiled slightly at the sight of her very-soon-to-be Son-in-Law, and Jess relaxed a fraction.
The song switched to the Bridal March, only to have Jess tense again as he waited for Rory to appear in the doorway.
Then, there she was. With an ivory version of Lorelai's dress, the subtle square neckline was offset by a glowing sapphire that was dangling from a extremely thin platinum chain, the veil ended just under her chin, the filmy lace was so fine that it was almost invisible held by a blue topaz and diamond-chip tiara that had been her great-great grandmother Hayworths', an heirloom that she took almost everywhere with her. Her radiant smile illuminated her whole face; her eyes shining with love as hey held his.
..
.
Rory couldn't breathe. She was walking down the isle towards the man that she loved, and she was seriously thinking that she would pass-out from lack of air. Smiling as she caught his eye, she took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, attempting to control the emotions that were currently coursing through her.
When she reached Jess, he took her hand in his, as they turned to meet their future.
.........
.........
*~**~*~**~*
...........
...........
.
.
Rory smiled joyously as she and Jess were enveloped into the crowd outside the small church, greeting the well-wishers after the ceremony. She clutched Jess's hand tightly, and pulled him into a kiss at the urging of the masses. He laughed slightly as he pulled back, keeping her in his arms. She sighed contently as she fingered her engagement ring, and matching wedding band. She had changed right after the ceremony into an ivory silk shirt with the word **Bride** written in silver sequins on the front, and whitewashed denim jeans with *Just Married* embroidered on the back pockets; both complements of her mother, who had made many identical pairs.
As Lorelai shooed the majority of the crowd, Rory waved and grinned. Turning out of Jess' arms she looked at his face, " We're married."
Jess looked at the woman in his arms, the woman to whom he had pledged his soul to just less than an hour before, and smiled. "That we are, Lor." He leaned down slightly, and kissed her nose. She took his hand in hers, and they started to walk towards the church steps.
.
Rory looked idly over to the remaining people who were huddled near the church, undoubtedly going over every detail of the wedding. She recognized the blond who was standing off to the side of the group a second before she saw the unmistakable glint off of metal, and heard the deafening sound of a shot being fired. Knowing instinctively what was happening, Rory turned quickly so she was in front of her husband, then she knew nothing but pain.
.
One second, Rory had been laughing beside him, looking at the well wishing townspeople, and the next Jess heard a sickening crack. Then his bride was in his arms, her bright eyes dimming, and going glassy with pain as a bright red stain tore across the back of her shirt.
"I love you.............." He heard the faint whisper in the deafening silence that had fallen, right before she succumbed to the pain and slipped into unconsciousness.
"Rory..." Jess choked out, as he sunk down on the church stairs. He sobbed as he held his limp wife in his arms. "Help!! Someone, please..... Help!!"
.
His tortured scream could be heard blocks away.
......
*~**~*~**~*
.....
.
To Be Continued.............
. .