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 (PG, once again)

A/N: I'm afraid I'm gonna be in a hurry with this if I want to finish the story before I go to Italy. I'm gonna be away for a month (I'm excited!!!!), so it would be a long wait for you guys if I don't finish this before that. And I think it would be too long so I'll try to update twice a week now, which is hard cause I spend half of my time at our summer cottage… and my computer still refuses to access the site. Life is hard, it really is.

But as always, THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!!!! I've got so many great reviews that I don't know what to do! I can't even begin to tell you what it means to me to hear you guys say you like this. Especially 'IloveJess', I was so happy to read your reviews of both my stories. If my stories made you smile, then your feedback most certainly made me smile just as much.

Hope you guys like this, and I promise I will do all I can to be able to update again on Friday!:)

Chapter Ten

*Stars Hollow, Wednesday 5pm*

Jess parked his car in front of the diner. It was a really bright and sunny day, he would have thought it was already summer had it not been so chilly outside. Jess stepped out of the car and looked into the diner a bit hesitantly. The place didn't seem too crowded right now, so he'd picked a good time for coming. The thing he really didn't need right now was the town gossipers circulating around him.

Jess went inside and saw Luke wiping the tables. He saw his nephew walk in and stopped to look at him. Jess had a very tense expression on his face, and Luke had to work really hard to make the situation a bit lighter for both of them.

"You're just in time. Lorelai is almost done upstairs"

Jess lifted his eyebrow when Luke told him that Lorelai had taken the day off work the clean the apartment for him. Normally Jess would have wondered why Lorelai was being so kind to him, but right now just the fact that he had returned to Stars Hollow occupied his mind.

Luke and Jess went to get his bags from the car and when they returned inside, Jess stopped when Luke headed for the stairs. The sight was so familiar, and the truth was that he was a bit afraid that the apartment would be too familiar. Eventually he was forced to move when he saw Babette crossing the street and heading toward the diner, so he climbed up the stairs to the apartment door, which was open. He heard Luke and Lorelai's voices and took a deep breath before he stepped into the room.

Jess didn't even realise that Lorelai and Luke were observing him silently. He stood in the middle of the room, a room that hadn't changed at all in all the time he'd been away.

"Your old room is ready for you" Lorelai's voice was quiet and soft, as if she was talking to a little boy.

Jess looked at her briefly and nodded. He walked to the door of his old bedroom ad pushed the door open cautiously.

Luke and Lorelai left the apartment silently, wanting to give him some privacy. While they walked down the stairs Lorelai noticed how moved Luke seemed. She took a hold of his hand and stopped him before they entered the diner.

"What do you think will happen?"

Luke shook his head and sighed. "I don't know. But I'm glad he's home"

Lorelai smiled and hugged him tightly. Jess was home, but Rory was still very far away.

*Rory and Pete's apartment, 8pm*

Cate rang the doorbell and unconsciously clutched on to her bag. It had taken her some time to come to this decision, although it had really been her only option since she knew it was the right thing to do.

The door opened and Pete stood in front of her. She hadn't actually been prepared to face Pete.

"Hey, is Rory home?"

Pete looked at her curiously and then explained that Rory was on a business trip in London.

"Didn't you know?"

"I haven't been to work for a few days. I've… I haven't been feeling too good" Cate spoke slowly, observing Pete attentively at the same time.

Neither of them said a word, they just looked at each other. Cate wondered if she should tell him, and Pete wondered if he should ask her. Eventually both decided that remaining silent was the best thing and after a quick goodbye Cate headed for the elevators and Pete closed the door.

Cate stood there in the corridor and knew she'd done the wrong thing by leaving. She knew it would hurt him, just like it had hurt her, but the longer he'd have to live in the lie, the worse it would be in the end. She walked back to the door and pressed the doorbell again.

"I'd like to talk to you" she said after Pete had once again opened the door.

When Cate walked after him to the kitchen where he was apparently just making coffee, she was trying to decide where she should begin. She glanced at her bag, wondering, and finally coming to a decision.

"Coffee?" Pete asked her and after she had nodded he poured them both a mug and then sat down. "Is everything okay?"

"Not really. I have something with me" Cate started and took a book out of her bag. "I was going to give this to Rory, but now… I think you should read it"

Pete reached out for the book and then glanced at Cate.

"Jess's novel. Why do you want me to read it?"

"Because you're wife is one of the main characters" Cate said and truly hoped that there had been an easier way of doing this. "And Jess and I aren't together anymore"

Pete heard what she said but he told himself that he had heard wrong. How was it possible? It had been his only hope, the fact that Jess had someone, too. And now he didn't. He stared at Cate, who knew what he was going through all too well.  

"I know this is hard, cause I'm going through it right now, too. I don't know much about you and Rory, but I know all that handle about Jess and Rory. And you will too, when you read the book"

"You were going to give it to Rory?" Pete said quietly, looking at the book in his hands and then lifting his gaze to her. His eyes were filled with fear and pain, and hurt.

"I don't want… I don't want to do this, tell Rory that the man I love loves her instead of me. But I have no choice, it's the right thing to do and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I stood in the way of that. Despite the fact that people are going to get hurt"

Pete looked at her, he seemed so mixed up, so confused. Cate stood up, feeling that she had done what she had come here to do. She wanted to do more, ease the pain that Pete was feeling, but she knew she couldn't. Nobody could.

*London, 9pm*

Rory was sitting in her hotel room, looking out of the window. London was a beautiful city, even in the rain, it was stunning. It was a shame that she hadn't had the chance to explore it better since all her trips there had been on business.

Rory curled up on the armchair she was sitting on. She was tired because of the jetlag and the long day of work. She knew she should have gone to bed, but she didn't want to. She wanted to think, think about the past and the future.

She looked at her wedding ring. She fingered it and sighed. If she left Pete now it would mean that she had wasted four years of his life. If she hadn't married him, he might have already found someone else. If she hadn't married him she would have been free when Jess came back. Except that Jess wasn't free anymore. And what sane person who wait for a man for seven years? Well, Rory had waited for five years, and she had desperately wanted to wait longer.

So, did she regret marrying Pete? No, she didn't. She'd been happy, her life had been good. But yes, she did. If she still had a chance with Jess, if Jess still loved her. And she really believed that he did, it was in his eyes when he looked at her, in his voice when he spoke her name. Or maybe she was just imagining it, maybe Jess had moved on. But Rory knew him, he hadn't moved on. At least she hoped he hadn't. But she didn't know, she didn't know for sure and still she had to make up her mind.

*Stars Hollow, 10pm*

Jess had managed to settle in at his new, well actually old, home. He didn't have much with him, just clothes, some cd's, his laptop and a few books. He stood in his bedroom and looked around. The memories were so vivid, so clear in his mind.

~Flashback~

He looked around in his room, practically everything had been put into boxes, there was only one book left on his nightstand. He was going to college, and he was nervous about it. He would never have thought that he would end up in college, but… life was full of surprises. The good thing was that in Hartford she'd be closer to Rory. That was definitely good, or better yet, excellent.

"All packed?"

He turned and saw her standing by the door. Her hair was up on a ponytail, her cheeks a bit flushed. She was smiling as he nodded. Rory walked to him and stood in front of him. She touched his cheek first with her hand, then with her lips.

"You look really good today" she whispered into his ear and made him chuckle.

He took a hold of her hand and pulled her toward the bed. She practically fell on top of him, and then leaned down to let her lips brush against his. His hands wandered to the bare skin exposed on her waist and slowly moved upwards beneath her shirt. Rory tugged at his bottom lip gently, then slowly deepened the kiss. Her palm was next to his cheek as if to keep him right where she wanted him.

Then suddenly, she pulled away and Jess looked at her curiously.

"So, will you read to me?" she asked although she was still a bit breathless.

"Read?" Jess said with surprise in his voice.

"You're reading Calvino, right?" Rory asked and after Jess had nodded, she moved to lie beside him. "So read"

Jess took the book from the nightstand and opened it from the spot that he had got to earlier that day. Rory's hand was resting on his chest, her head next to his on the pillow. She looked at him while he read, but he didn't mind. He didn't mind at all.

~End of flashback~

"Jess, wanna come down and have something to eat?"

Jess was still staring at the bed, completely lost in his thoughts when he heard Lorelai's voice. He turned and it was obvious to Lorelai what, or who, he'd been thinking about.

"I did knock before I came in" she continued after seeing his confused face.

"Yea, it's okay. I'm not really hungry, but thanks"

Lorelai looked at him seriously and after saying that he was more than welcome to go down later and eat something she was about to leave the apartment.

"Lorelai? I just wanted to thank you for letting me stay here and cleaning this place" Jess's voice was quiet and Lorelai stopped by the door while listening to him.

"I don't hate you anymore, Jess. I want you to know that I'm glad you're back home, despite everything that's happened in the past"

Jess looked at her seriously, but it was obvious he was still doubtful of her words.

"She's never been the same after you left. She was hurt and depressed, she refused to talk about you to anyone"

Jess looked at her and swallowed hard. He didn't know how to react, he didn't know if he wanted to hear this.

"But then, about a year after you'd left, she called me in the middle of the night. And the only thing she said was that she would give anything to have to you back. And her voice when she said it…"

Jess closed his eyes for a few seconds, feeling sick, feeling awful. Lorelai smiled slightly when she opened the door.

"I figured that there was probably something in you that I hadn't seen"

Jess stared at Lorelai when she left the apartment and then he went to the bedroom. He got undressed and climbed on the bed. Now he had time to think, to make a decision. He had to decide what he wanted and then go after it. But he was afraid, terrified.  

*London, Friday 6pm*

Rory had climbed up the stairs, hundreds and hundreds of steps, and now she was gazing over London. It was a bit like stepping into the world of Mary Poppins, seeing the chimneys, the roofs of the old houses and of course also the modern ones. She'd climbed up the stairs of St. Paul's Cathedral and the hard work and sweat had been worth the feeling she had right now. She was an outsider, and the fact that nobody there knew her was strangely liberating.

The wind blew her hair to her face, and she moved closer to the wall behind her. She didn't actually have a fear of heights, but still she wasn't too fond of standing on the edge and holding on to railings. She took a deep breath, and enjoyed the sun shining surprisingly brightly.

Should she go home and tell Pete she still loved Jess, even though she didn't know if Jess still loved her? Or should she go to Jess and ask him if he still loved her and what he wanted? Or should she just go home to Pete and forget that Jess was back? That would cause the least amount of pain, to Pete and to Cate, but it definitely felt like the worst option. And how could she be thinking about this when just a month ago she'd been happily married and planning her future with Pete? She had been happily married, the whole thing would have been a hell of a lot easier if Pete had been a whacko of some sort, but he wasn't. He was great, sweet, funny, gentle, loving… Rory knew the list was long. How was she supposed to leave a man like that? But then again, how was she supposed to lead him on, acting like she had everything she'd ever wanted with him when she knew it wasn't true? But he knew it, too, he had known about her and Jess when they'd got together. So what did Pete think, should Rory just talk with him rationally and ask him? No, rationality wasn't the thing right now.

Rory turned her back to the sun and went back inside. He looked at the steps leading down from the top of the church and slowly she started to walk down. She leaned against the railing since the stairs were steep and narrow and kept thinking. She hadn't even talked to Jess properly after he'd been back. They hadn't talked about the things that had happened while he'd been away. Jess didn't know how she'd felt when he left, he didn't know how she'd met Pete or how they'd got together. Or how difficult it had been for her to accept his proposal. And she herself knew nothing about his life n the past years.

Rory stopped for a while, there was still a long way for her to go, the church definitely had altitude. Right now it seemed clear that she shouldn't be married to Pete when she kept thinking about another man 24 hours a day. But she'd thought about another man when she'd married Pete, she had loved Jess then, too. Gosh, what kind of a person was she? How had she got herself into this mess, and most importantly was she in it alone? Or was Jess in it with her?

*8pm*

Rory entered her hotel room just as her mobile phone started ringing. She answered it absentmindedly while she kicked off her shoes and threw herself on the bed. It was Lorelai who was calling in the middle of her workday. After Rory had told Lorelai something about London and the work there, Lorelai started babbling about how much fun it was to travel.

"Mom, you do know that this is sort of expensive. I mean your enthusiasm about travelling is… interesting to say the least, but we can talk about it when I come back next week"

"Yea, of course. It's just that… Sort of… You see, there's stuff happening around here, and maybe you already know about this or maybe not, but… Well, Jess has moved to Stars Hollow"

The next few minutes Rory was on the verge of tears as well as hysterical laughter. Because hysterical she really was. Jess and Cate were no longer together and Jess was living in Stars Hollow. And she was in London, isolated from everyone and everything.

"Mom?"

"Yea?" Lorelai said quietly, she had no idea of what her daughter would say next.

"I'll call you back later" with that Rory ended the phone call and then dialled another, very familiar number.

*New York, 3pm*

Pete was still working when his phone rang. He picked up his phone and recognised his wives number. They hadn't talked for a few days, not after Rory had called to let him know that she had got to England safely.

Pete looked at the phone for a while, then put it into the pocket of his coat. It was still ringing, and it rang for a while, but eventually it stopped. Pete was staring at the pen in his hand, and then dropped it on the desk. He missed her, and he hated her. She was his wife, at least she had been until that one night. It had changed everything, torn them apart. And the worst thing of all, there was actually no one to blame.

Pete took his phone out again and searched Lane's number. She picked up immediately, and her good mood was apparent in her voice.

"I need your advice again"

Lane had been standing in the middle of the store, but now she quickly withdrew to the backroom. She sat down and encouraged Pete to continue.

"The novel Jess has written, is about him and Rory. It's about how much he loves her, how he's life is nothing without her. And he wrote it a year ago"

Lane closed her eyes, and sighed. She hadn't thought that it would be possible. Two, three years after Jess had left Lane had become sure of the fact that he wouldn't return. Until then she had waited, just like Rory, she had though that he'd come back. But after seven years, still in love with Rory, splitting up with his fiancée… And again Pete asked for her advice.

"I don't know if I was right or wrong the last time you asked for my advice. And in all honesty, I can't give you advice right now. You know Rory just as well as I do, you know what to do"

"Yea" Pete said quietly.

"Does Rory know, I mean she'd in London right now and the last time I spoke with her…"

"No, she doesn't know, yet. But she'll find out when she comes back"

"I'm sorry, Pete" Lane's words were sincere.

A/N: It wasn't the greatest chapter in world history, but I'll try to make the next ones (I don't know how many chapters there will be) better. Review, please!:)