Thanks for the reviews! This is an actual chapter and I hope you liked the last one, which was only previews of what is to come in this second half. Have fun!
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Rory sighed, flipping to the next page.
"I think I can, I think I can," Rory read.
When she looked up, Jemma was asleep. "I knew I could."
"Hey, kid," Luke said, walking into the room.
"Oh, hey, Luke," Rory greeted, standing up.
"How is she?" Luke inquired.
Rory grinned. "Sleeping soundly."
"Well, how about you go see who's on the front porch?" Luke suggested.
Rory smiled, making her way out of her room to the front porch.
"Hey," Dean said.
"Hey, Dean." She hugged him. "How are you?"
"Tired. However, I did manage to squeeze in some extra shifts at Doose's," Dean replied. "So, at least I'll be able to pay for some of that learning I get."
Rory giggled. "Yeah. You should always be thankful for that."
"Hey, Rory," Dean said, gently stopping her from squirming.
Rory looked at Dean. "Yeah?"
Dean hesitated. "Well…"
"Dean?" Rory said.
"Why didn't you pick me?" Dean asked. "I mean, you know I would have been there for you. I'm here for you now."
Rory smiled at Dean. "It's not that simple, Dean. I know you would have been there for me."
Dean looked down. "But?"
"I didn't love you like I should have," Rory finished. "And you deserved better than that."
"I would have been just as happy," Dean stated.
"I know," Rory replied. "I do love you Dean, you know that, right?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah. I know."
Rory hugged Dean. "Thank you so much for always being there. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Dean smiled. "So, Rory."
"So, Dean," Rory replied, smiling.
"Don't wait to let him know," Dean said, seriously.
"Tell who what?" Rory asked.
Dean shook his head. "You know who I'm talking about."
Dean turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Rory staring after him.
And then Jemma started up again.
Rory sighed, making her way back into the house, and into her room. "What happened?"
"I don't know, I was trying to, uh, sing, but it didn't work," Luke replied.
Rory laughed, picking up Jemma. "Shh, it's okay, babe."
Jemma started calming down when she heard footsteps. When Jess stepped into the room, she was quiet.
"Don't you just love the effect you have on kids?" Rory joked.
Jess grunted. "Yeah. I know. It's a gift. Can I?"
Rory nodded. "Yeah, sure."
Jess gently took Jemma into his arms. "Hey, baby girl."
Luke smiled at the sight in front of him. They really looked like a family.
"I think I'll just go," Luke whispered.
Rory nodded. "Okay."
Jess stared at Luke's retreating form. "I think she likes me already."
Rory smiled at him. "Yeah. Looks like it."
Luke walked into the family room of the house and saw Lorelai.
"Hey," Luke said.
"Hey," Lorelai greeted. "Where's --"
"They're getting Jemma to sleep," Luke interrupted.
"Oh," Lorelai stated.
"How about dinner?" Luke suggested.
Lorelai grinned. "With coffee?"
Luke nodded. "With coffee."
Lorelai quickly turned, making her way outside, Luke trailing not far behind.
Rory looked at Jess from outside of her bedroom. He was sitting in the rocking chair, sleeping, with Jemma in his arms doing the same. She shut the door and pulled a book out of her purse.
Jess woke up and looked at the small child he was holding. She was perfect, just like her mother.
He gently set her back in her crib, realizing it was getting close to dark. He walked out of the room and saw Rory sitting at the table reading.
"Hey," he said.
Rory looked up from her book. "Hey."
"I think I'm just going to go. Jemma needs some rest and it's getting dark," Jess said.
"Okay," Rory replied.
Jess left, and Rory made her way into her bedroom. She took a shower and felt exhausted when she got out, and hopped into bed after checking on Jemma.
But she couldn't sleep.
"God, Jess," Rory said to herself. "It's just like you to keep me up all night."
And throughout the night, all Rory could do was think about him.
And then she realized what Dean meant.
She loved Jess Mariano.
"God help me," she whispered.
She couldn't wait. She had to get to him.
She got out of bed and made her way to the diner. She said a silent thank you to Luke for giving her a key, and made her way upstairs to the apartment.
She heard the music from the apartment, and smiled, urgently knocking on the door.
Jess opened the door. "Rory?"
"Don't speak, just listen," Rory said.
Jess nodded. "Okay."
Rory took a deep breath. "I love you. It's kind of simple. I… uh… never stopped. I swallowed my big pill of courage today, and decided, hey, why not tell him? I mean, come on, look at me, I'm a wreck. Sleep was not a good friend, seeing as how I thought about this all night… not that you would care about that. It's just in case you were wondering why I looked the way I did and --"
He cut her off with his lips, and she eagerly reciprocated the kiss, loving him more and more each second.
… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …
Rory sighed, flipping to the next page.
"I think I can, I think I can," Rory read.
When she looked up, Jemma was asleep. "I knew I could."
"Hey, kid," Luke said, walking into the room.
"Oh, hey, Luke," Rory greeted, standing up.
"How is she?" Luke inquired.
Rory grinned. "Sleeping soundly."
"Well, how about you go see who's on the front porch?" Luke suggested.
Rory smiled, making her way out of her room to the front porch.
"Hey," Dean said.
"Hey, Dean." She hugged him. "How are you?"
"Tired. However, I did manage to squeeze in some extra shifts at Doose's," Dean replied. "So, at least I'll be able to pay for some of that learning I get."
Rory giggled. "Yeah. You should always be thankful for that."
"Hey, Rory," Dean said, gently stopping her from squirming.
Rory looked at Dean. "Yeah?"
Dean hesitated. "Well…"
"Dean?" Rory said.
"Why didn't you pick me?" Dean asked. "I mean, you know I would have been there for you. I'm here for you now."
Rory smiled at Dean. "It's not that simple, Dean. I know you would have been there for me."
Dean looked down. "But?"
"I didn't love you like I should have," Rory finished. "And you deserved better than that."
"I would have been just as happy," Dean stated.
"I know," Rory replied. "I do love you Dean, you know that, right?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah. I know."
Rory hugged Dean. "Thank you so much for always being there. I don't know what I would have done without you."
Dean smiled. "So, Rory."
"So, Dean," Rory replied, smiling.
"Don't wait to let him know," Dean said, seriously.
"Tell who what?" Rory asked.
Dean shook his head. "You know who I'm talking about."
Dean turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Rory staring after him.
And then Jemma started up again.
Rory sighed, making her way back into the house, and into her room. "What happened?"
"I don't know, I was trying to, uh, sing, but it didn't work," Luke replied.
Rory laughed, picking up Jemma. "Shh, it's okay, babe."
Jemma started calming down when she heard footsteps. When Jess stepped into the room, she was quiet.
"Don't you just love the effect you have on kids?" Rory joked.
Jess grunted. "Yeah. I know. It's a gift. Can I?"
Rory nodded. "Yeah, sure."
Jess gently took Jemma into his arms. "Hey, baby girl."
Luke smiled at the sight in front of him. They really looked like a family.
"I think I'll just go," Luke whispered.
Rory nodded. "Okay."
Jess stared at Luke's retreating form. "I think she likes me already."
Rory smiled at him. "Yeah. Looks like it."
Luke walked into the family room of the house and saw Lorelai.
"Hey," Luke said.
"Hey," Lorelai greeted. "Where's --"
"They're getting Jemma to sleep," Luke interrupted.
"Oh," Lorelai stated.
"How about dinner?" Luke suggested.
Lorelai grinned. "With coffee?"
Luke nodded. "With coffee."
Lorelai quickly turned, making her way outside, Luke trailing not far behind.
Rory looked at Jess from outside of her bedroom. He was sitting in the rocking chair, sleeping, with Jemma in his arms doing the same. She shut the door and pulled a book out of her purse.
Jess woke up and looked at the small child he was holding. She was perfect, just like her mother.
He gently set her back in her crib, realizing it was getting close to dark. He walked out of the room and saw Rory sitting at the table reading.
"Hey," he said.
Rory looked up from her book. "Hey."
"I think I'm just going to go. Jemma needs some rest and it's getting dark," Jess said.
"Okay," Rory replied.
Jess left, and Rory made her way into her bedroom. She took a shower and felt exhausted when she got out, and hopped into bed after checking on Jemma.
But she couldn't sleep.
"God, Jess," Rory said to herself. "It's just like you to keep me up all night."
And throughout the night, all Rory could do was think about him.
And then she realized what Dean meant.
She loved Jess Mariano.
"God help me," she whispered.
She couldn't wait. She had to get to him.
She got out of bed and made her way to the diner. She said a silent thank you to Luke for giving her a key, and made her way upstairs to the apartment.
She heard the music from the apartment, and smiled, urgently knocking on the door.
Jess opened the door. "Rory?"
"Don't speak, just listen," Rory said.
Jess nodded. "Okay."
Rory took a deep breath. "I love you. It's kind of simple. I… uh… never stopped. I swallowed my big pill of courage today, and decided, hey, why not tell him? I mean, come on, look at me, I'm a wreck. Sleep was not a good friend, seeing as how I thought about this all night… not that you would care about that. It's just in case you were wondering why I looked the way I did and --"
He cut her off with his lips, and she eagerly reciprocated the kiss, loving him more and more each second.