TITLE: The Harsh Light Of Day

PAIRING: R/J

SUMMARY: Rory's 27th birthday is approaching, and Jess, who seven years before left her life, suddenly enters it again. But things are very different from the way they were before… (yea, I know this summary sucks, but I'm no good at these things)

SPOILERS: None that I know of

DISCLAIMERS: I don't own anything you recognise from the show. Basically just the characters I've made up, e.g. Pete, Mel, Cate etc.

RATING: R

A/N: I was planning on writing a short author's note (for once), but my plans were foiled when my computer or rather the internet refused to connect to fanfiction.net. It's the same problem I had when I was writing "The Day After Tomorrow" and at that time the whole thing sort of self-cured itself, so there's nothing I can do about it now, except wait. I'm again updating at school, which is difficult cause I'm already on my summer holiday. Right now I'm at my faculty library, I'll try to come here as often as possible to update. So, again, I am really sorry about this!

But even though there's been a lot of trouble, I just have to smile when I read your reviews. Your feedback makes me so happy!:)

Chapter Seven

*The Gilmore House, Saturday, noon*

Rory had just got out of bed. She had slept well, in fact it had been a while since she had last slept this well. She was standing in front of the mirror in her room. She looked well rested, and she smiled. It was her birthday, she was 27 years old. Which actually meant that she was practically thirty, Rory thought and her smile faded.

"How's the birthday girl?" Lorelai voice was very loud when she entered the room and threw her arms around her daughter.

"Feeling old" Rory smiled.

"I was beginning to think you'd never wake up" Lorelai sighed and shook her head. "I wanna go and have lunch"

"I haven't even had breakfast yet, mom" Rory replied as she began searching for something to wear.

"Well, you can have breakfast and lunch" Lorelai smiled when she left the room and Rory nodded approvingly.

*12.30pm*

Lorelai was just crossing the street when she heard someone run after her. Rory was jogging with her cheeks flushed and when she reached her mother she was breathless.

"You could have waited for me, mom" she said when she saw Lorelai's smirking face.

"It took you forever to get your clothes on" Lorelai replied when they walked over to the diner door.

"I was ready two minutes after you left" Rory said when she pushed the door open and stepped in.

Rory and Lorelai continued bantering, until they noticed how quiet the diner was. It was full of people, but practically silent. They both turned to the counter to see Luke, and there he was. But he wasn't alone.

The Gilmores froze, just staring at the sight. Finally Rory got herself together again and managed to give a weak smile.

"Jess, Cate, what are you doing here?"

Rory walked up to the counter and looked at Cate who was sitting down and Jess standing beside her. Luke was behind the counter, apparently very much in shock.

"We woke up pretty early today so we decided to do something useful" Cate said after a rather long silence. "What a surprise to find you here, too, Rory. I thought you were going to stay in New York for the weekend"

"Yea, well, plans changed" Rory said and smiled a bit. "Luke, would you mind fixing me some breakfast and lunch? Pancakes, fries, coffee?"

"Sure" Luke said and after glancing at the three standing by the counter he disappeared to the kitchen.

Rory turned to look at Jess and Cate again, she knew everyone was staring at them, but she didn't care.

"Happy birthday, Rory" Jess looked at her and the warmness of his voice made her smile. Or maybe the way he said her voice made her smile. Whatever it was, it was a genuine smile.

"Jess, it's nice too see you're doing well" Lorelai had come to stand next to her daughter.

Jess nodded and looked at Lorelai somewhat nervously. He hadn't known what to expect when he came back to Stars Hollow.

"Lorelai, this is Cate" Jess said and when Lorelai reached out her hand toward her she glanced at Jess and said she'd heard they were engaged.

"Yea, we are" Cate said and smiled a bit, sensing the tenseness in the air. "Nice to meet you"

"Well, why don't we girls go and sit down somewhere else. I'm sure Jess and Luke have a lot to talk about" Rory said and looked at Jess kindly when he nodded at her. 

*4pm*

Rory was sitting on the bridge. She'd been sitting there for a while now, thinking. It was clear that the weekend wasn't going to go like she had expected. It wasn't going to be relaxing, it wasn't going to be a fun weekend with her mom. The minute she had seen Jess in the diner, she had felt… She had felt bad seeing him together with Cate. But she had also been glad to see him, she hadn't seen him in a week. As if a week was a long time when they'd just been apart for seven years.

Rory was staring into the water when she heard his footsteps on the bridge. She'd known he would come. She'd wanted him to come. She raised her head to look at him, his hands were in his pockets, and he didn't look a day over nineteen.

"What are the odds of finding you here?" he said and was glad to see Rory smile at him.

He sat down beside her, not too close to her, but not too far either. He looked down at the water too, then closing his eyes for a minute. He hadn't been here for a long time, and the place was just the same.

"So, what are you reading these days? Besides Oliver Twist, that is"

Jess's words broke the silence surrounding them, but Rory didn't mind. She didn't turn to look at him, but smiled slightly.

"P.G. Wodehouse" she replied and then raised her eyes to his when she said "And you?"

"F. Scott Fitzgerald"

"I bet you've read all his books at least ten times" Rory replied and smiled at him.

"At least. Just wanted to reminisce" he said smirking.

"So, how does Stars Hollow seem after all this time?" Rory asked, trying to make her voice sound as casual as possible.

"I think the town is as strange as it has always been, and it is weird being back. But everything looks just like I remembered. And this place here…" Jess looked around as Rory did the same.

"Not much has changed around here" Rory replied and then added that probably the biggest change in the past years had been the fact that her mom and Luke now lived together.

Jess turned to look at Rory and he nodded. He said it was weird seeing them together, although he had always believed that they would or at least should be a couple.

"You should have seen the celebrations here when they finally moved in together" Rory said and laughed.

Jess looked at her and smiled widely. Her laugh was something he hadn't heard in a long time, her eyes were bright when she talked about Lorelai and Luke. Right now, she looked like the old Rory he used to know. She seemed to have forgotten how uncomfortable they usually were around each other.

"But mom still calls me every week to complain about him and his manners"

"I would have thought that Lorelai would be the one with the bad manners" Jess said chuckling and made Rory grin at him.

Jess was about to continue and say that he'd been surprised that Lorelai treated him so nicely considering the circumstances. But then he actually considered the circumstances and thought that it was probably not a good idea to bring out the subject of him leaving. Now that Rory seemed to be comfortable around him, he didn't want to blow it.

"So, is the town organising a birthday party for you tonight?"

Rory laughed saying that she hoped not, although it was probably unavoidable. Stars Hollow never missed an opportunity to celebrate.

"But mom promised to talk to Taylor and get him to drop the idea. Right now I'd just really like to have a quiet night without any parties"

While the two talked they both enjoyed the easiness of the conversation, it felt good to be able to relax with one another. But still they were both careful about what they said, and they were both aware of the fact. When Rory started to head back toward the house, Jess said he'd stay for a while longer. While she walked through the town, Rory couldn't help the smile that rose on her face.

*9pm*

Lorelai had managed to persuade Taylor and the rest of the town to let go of the idea of throwing Rory a birthday party. So, Lorelai, Luke, Rory, Jess and Cate simply had dinner at the house and afterwards they were all sitting in the living room, watching a movie.

Lorelai and Luke were on the couch, Rory was sitting on the floor before them and Jess was also on the floor leaning his back on the armchair Cate was sitting on. Cate didn't know what film they were watching, she hadn't exactly been paying attention. All day she'd been trying to figure things out, after all, this was the first time she'd seen Rory and Jess together after her realization of their history. It had been a surprise to find Rory here, but it had enabled her to observe.

Seeing Stars Hollow, the place where Jess had spent his life before going abroad was interesting. It gave Cate a whole new perspective when thinking about Jess. She'd suddenly met so many people who'd been involved in his life when prior to this day she hadn't known any. She wasn't sure, about anything. She hadn't been sure whether to ask Jess about his history with Rory or not, and so she hadn't. Then she'd pondered if she should talk to Rory about it, but she'd come to the conclusion that she shouldn't. In the end, she had decided to act like everything was the same, she just needed some time to figure the whole thing out. She knew she needed to know more.

*11pm*

Rory was sitting by the kitchen table, eating some snacks that had been left over from earlier. Luke had already gone to bed and Lorelai had gone to the guestroom to make sure it was all fixed up for Jess and Cate. Lorelai had been very polite to Jess, surprisingly nice. It hadn't one unnoticed by Rory, nor Jess whom Rory had seen glancing at her mother somewhat suspiciously.

"Hey"

Cate's voice startled her slightly and when she came to sit across the table from her, Rory smiled slightly. The expression on Cate's face was obviously tense, and her fingers played on the table when she looked Rory in the eye seriously.

"I wanted to apologise"

"Why?" Rory asked and seemed confused

"I didn't know that you and Jess had been so close. If I'd known, I wouldn't have… surprised you like that"

"It's okay" Rory said and smiled slightly. "You couldn't have known. Jess isn't the kind of guy who talks a lot about his life"

"You're right about that" Cate said smiling and then looked a bit more serious. "I just hope you're not holding this against me. I really never wanted to cause anyone any harm"

Rory smiled at her kindly and then said that things were fine between them. But no matter how calm and friendly Rory looked on the outside, inside her the guilt was driving her crazy. Cate had come to her to apologise.

"It was a surprise to see him again, it had just been such a long time" Rory said quietly and Cate nodded.

Cate looked at Rory, who had turned her gaze to the snack in her hand. She wandered if it had been a good idea to talk to Rory, after all even Jess didn't know that she knew. The whole thing was just way too complicated, but Cate had needed to see Rory's reaction. Rory had replied to her kindly, Rory was probably one of the nicest people Cate knew. But maybe when Cate had looked her in the eye, there had been a twinge of… something. Hell, how was she supposed to know? The only thing she did know, was that Rory knew Jess, her fiancé, ten times better than she herself did.

Lorelai walked down the stairs and sat down with the two girls. They began to talk about other things, things they all knew about - Lane, Mel and work. However all three were very aware of the fact that Jess was not mentioned between them, not even once.

*2am*

Rory sat up on her bed. She was feeling a bit chilly which was a nice change to the fact that she'd been too hot all night. She'd opened the door to her room as well as the window to get some fresh air. Now she got up to close the window and then sat down on the bedside again.

Pete had phoned her a bit before she went to bed, he'd wanted to wish her a happy birthday. They'd talked for a few minutes then he'd said he was in a hurry. Rory had told him that Jess and Cate were in Stars Hollow, it had been a pretty tough thing to say but Pete would have found out about it eventually anyway. His voice had been stressed, he'd sounded tired and Rory had felt bad. First hearing Cate's apology and then the tone of Pete's voice… Rory had never felt so guilty in her life.

"Rory?" his whisper was low and gruff.

Rory jumped slightly and turned to see him standing by the door. In the darkness it was hard to see his face, but hers was lit by the moonlight creeping in through the window.

"Jess" she replied quietly and got up.

"You okay?"

It took Rory a while to response and when Jess stepped into the room, the moon now revealed his face to her.

"A lot of memories here" he said looking at Rory intensely

She stared back at him and nodded. They were standing in the room, both wearing boxers and t-shirts. Though neither seemed to notice that, they were completely lost in the situation.

"I haven't slept in this room for years" Rory said never turning away from him.

Jess was silent when he walked around the bed and stood in front of Rory. He was a bit taller than he use to be, but not much. Rory looked up at him, feeling her heart beating harder.

"It's been an eternity" he said and his eyes wandered from Rory's eyes to her lips and back.

"Do you remember the night you left? We listened to the clock ticking, and I thought that time had never gone that fast"

"And you got up to take the batteries off the clock, I remember" Jess said and chuckled thinking about it. 

He looked at her, smiled for a brief moment and then he lifted his hand. It seemed to take him forever to get his hand up to her cheek. But he still didn't touch her, he just looked at her, hesitating. He hadn't touched her in seven years.

Rory closed her eyes instinctively as his hand was finally against her cheek. She shivered as if she was cold, and it felt like he heart actually missed a beat. He held his hand against her skin, it was warm and soft, and his touch was gentle.  

Slowly his hand moved down to her jawline, then down her neck to her bare shoulder. Rory opened her eyes. Jess looked at her and she could have sworn she saw tears in his eyes. Then he looked at his hand and then again into Rory's eyes.

"I'm sorry" he whispered apologetically, but his words were barely audible when he pulled his hand away.

Rory opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it again. He took a step backwards, moving into the shades again. Rory wanted to reach out her hand and tell him not to go. But she didn't.

Rory sat down on the bed, carefully touching her cheek. Why hadn't she told him not to go? Every cell in her body had wanted him to stay. Her mind had cried out that she needed him. But she knew why she had let him go. She had a ring on her finger and Cate was asleep upstairs. That's why.

Rory swallowed hard, realising her face was wet with tears. She tried to wipe them off but she burst into tears more violently. She tried taking a few deeps breaths but she couldn't. The tears just kept on coming and she wrapped her arms around her legs burying her head on her knees.

Jess had left the room, but it took all of his willpower to get himself moving. He'd closed the door to her room after him, but when he got to the stairs he simply couldn't climb them up. He sat down on the steps and looked at his hands.

~Flashback~

He ran his hand along her skin. Rory was lying on her side with her back facing him and he was looking at her attentively. He let his hand move slowly downwards from her neck, from her shoulder to her arm. She was completely naked and she was beautiful. She was lying still and he smiled when his fingers moved down her side to the outside of her thigh.

He let his hand rest on her thigh when his lips touched the back of her neck sending shivers along her body. He kissed her spine down to the small of her back, then let his lips wander to her waist as his hand moved up and over her abdomen. She turned to lie on her back and he lifted his head to look at her.

Rory smiled when he moved on top of her, straddling her between his arms. He looked at her for a while, before he leaned down to let his lips brush against hers. Rory took his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged at it gently, making him lower himself so that he was practically lying on top of her. 

He knew she loved it, feeling his skin against hers, like they were in fact just one person. She pressed her lips against his, slowly deepening the kiss and letting a moan escape her throat. Jess kissed her passionately when his other hand settled by the side of her breast and rubbed it gently. He felt her move her hands to his lower back, he felt her nails against his skin and he rested his forehead against hers for a while to catch his breath.

Rory's hands moved up to his neck, and she began kissing his cheek, then running her tongue across his ear and in the end finding his neck. She wrapped her legs around his and then pushed him off her and to his back. Jess looked at her when she straddled herself on top of him, his hands settled on her waist and he looked at her attentively when she lowered herself on him.

This was Rory. When he'd first seen her, he'd thought that she was the most innocent and beautiful creature in the world. And now she was making love to him. She put her hands on his shoulders for support to help her balance herself better. Jess studied the expressions on her face while she was moving against him. She had her eyes closed, and when she leaned down to kiss him Jess rolled them over leaving him on top of her. He suffocated Rory's cry with his mouth and then pulled his lips away to look at her properly. Their eyes locked. Jess marvelled with the way she could move, her every motion was so smooth, it felt incredible feeling her against him. Her hands went down to his buttocks, pressing him against her. And her eyes were just so blue.

~End of flashback~

"Jess?" Luke's voice startled him and he looked up hastily.

Luke was standing just a few steps above him and looking at him worriedly. Jess sighed and then turned his gaze to his hands again.

"You were in a haze" Luke said when he came to sit beside him on the stairs and stared ahead.

Luke didn't know what to say. He was glad Jess was back, he was really, really glad. But at the same time he was confused and worried. And he felt guilt.

"Maybe you should have come home then"

Jess turned to look at his uncle and looked strangely vulnerable. When Luke had seen him for the first time that morning, when he'd seen him with Cate, he'd known. And when he'd seen the way Jess looked at Rory, he'd been sure. He just didn't know what to do about it.

"I didn't tell anyone that you called. I wanted to tell Rory or ask Lorelai what she thought, but I didn't"

Jess turned to look away, it was like hell being in this house. At first he'd thought he'd be able to handle it, but now all the places, all the people reminded him about the past, about him and Rory together.

"That's in the past" Jess said quietly, staring at his hands again.

"So you don't love her anymore?"

Jess held his breath, if he would have been the kind of guy who cried, he would have cried right now. Luke placed his hand Jess's shoulder, wanting to relieve the weigh he knew was on his nephew's shoulders.

"You know what it's like to regret, Jess. I know that you'd give anything to change the past. Do you want to regret again? Cause that's what you'll do if you don't take your chance and tell her you still love her"

Jess got up and went up a few stairs.

"She's married"

"And she loves you, Jess. It's in her eyes"

Jess stood there for a minute, then he climbed up the stairs and took a deep breath when he entered the guestroom silently. To his surprise the bed was empty and he saw Cate standing by the window. He didn't know that she had been awake all night, and she'd heard him leave the room earlier. She knew where he'd gone.

Cate was looking out and she remained silent, when Jess closed the door behind him and sat down on the bed. He looked at Cate, not knowing what to do. It was a common phenomenon, everyone involved in these events would have said the same thing. Nobody knew what to do, not even Cate when she spoke

"The girl in the novel is Rory" her voice was quiet, her words like a statement rather than a question.

Jess looked at her and he saw the pain. Just then he realised how stupid he had been, how he had been setting her up to get hurt.

A/N: Please review! I'll do my best to get rid of these computer problems, wish me luck!;)