A/N:  This will be the last installment of Paved Paradise until the week of July, 19th.  I will be vacationing with my family in Boston and Salem, MA.  I will be updating as soon as I get home.  Thank you for reading.

Luke and Jess arrived at the funeral home Friday evening only minutes after Lorelai and Rory. They wanted to get there early because both Luke and Jess knew that the final viewing tonight and the last goodbye tomorrow would be very hard on both of their girls.

Luke entered the quiet room to see Lorelai in quiet conversation with Lindsey and her mother. Jess, seeing this, immediately looked around for Rory, who was not in the viewing room.

Luke and Jess walked up to the side by side caskets, said their prayers of respect and joined Lorelai and Lindsay. Luke kissed Lorelai's cheek, "Hey, Sweetheart, I see Laura and Lindsay beat us."

"We can't stay very long," said Lindsay, "Dean just got done at work so..."

"Lorelai," Jess asked as soon as Lindsay mentioned Dean, "Where's Rory?"

"She, uh, went downstairs," Lorelai replied. Before she could finish her sentence, Jess headed after her.

Dean had moments before followed Rory to the lower level of the funeral home. He wanted to talk to her, apologize for the other day before Jess arrived.

"Hey," he greeted when Rory exited the bathroom, "How are you?"

"Fine," Rory replied, "What are you doing here?"

"I came, we came, to pay our respects to you and your Mom," Dean began, "but I wanted to apologize for the other day."

Rory sighed, "That's very considerate of you, Dean. Apology accepted."

"It's just you and I..."

"Don't make excuses, Dean," Rory told him, "What's done is done."

"Let me explain, Rory. Please," Dean requested, "I was a jerk, at least let me explain why."

Rory sighed and delicately sat down on the print sofa provided for smokers, "All right," she agreed, "but do it quickly."

Dean sat on the sofa next to Rory and ran a hand through his hair, "When I saw you and uh, him..."

"Jess," Rory corrected, 'His name is Jess."

"Jess," Dean repeated dumbly, "When I saw the two of you on the bridge, looking so cozy...I knew you were back with him and..."

Again, Rory cut him off, "Jess has grown up a lot since the last time I saw him after Liz's wedding. He's become more focused and..."

"You don't have to list his good points," Dean interjected, "unless you're trying to convince yourself."

"I am convinced that Jess..." Rory began but was silenced.

"I remember last May," Dean told her. "Do you remember last May? What happened between us? What we shared?"

"Of course, I remember," Rory replied, "I also remember it was a tragic mistake."

"How can you say that, Rory? We made love, and it was beautiful. It was us, you and me together. We were great together once, and we were great together that night." Dean was pleading with her now, "You gave yourself to me, Rory. You love me. Not hi...not Jess."

Jess stopped on the stairway when he heard Dean's voice. He seemed sorry for upsetting Rory on the bridge the other afternoon and Jess didnt' want to be jerky about Rory talking to Dean, that would be so...Dean. So he waited and was shocked by what he overheard.

"How can you say that, Rory? We made love, and it was beautiful. It was us, you and me together. We were great together once, and we were great together that night," Dean was saying to Rory in a pleading tone. Jess couldn't believe his ears. Dean and Rory, when Dean was married to Lindsay. He couldn't believe it. Nor could he believe the next part of the conversation.

"You gave yourself to me, Rory. You love me. Not hi...not Jess."

Jess held his breath and waited for Rory's reply. When he heard her answer, he felt like the knife that had pierced his heart when Dean spoke of their love making was brutally twisted, "It's true, Dean," Jess heard Rory reply, before he turned, and fled back up the steps, he just couldn't bear to hear anymore.

While Rory was occupied with Dean and seemingly, Jess, Lorelai greeted people on her own with Luke and Christopher at her side. She wished someone could feed her names for these faces. Some of them she knew but did not recall, some of them, she could not even recall meeting, and some of them, she knew and wished she'd never have to see ever again. Half the time the faces and the voices didn't even register in her head, they just mumbled meaningless platitudes. Some of the face registered however, and Lorelai would make small talk until they moved on. Still other, registered and Lorelai prayed to be able to crawl under a rock. No such luck there.

"Lorelai," a familiar voice greeted, "it's been a long time."

Lorelai's eyes moved to meet the face of Max Medina, "Max," she acknowledged, "Yes, it has."

"I'm very sorry for your loss," Max said, "You're parentswer good people."

Lorelai nodded and unconscioulsy brushed a hair out o fher eyes with er left hand. The glint of the diamond caught Max's eye.

"Ah, well, I see congratulations are in order along with condolensces," Max indicated her ring, "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Um, that," Lorelai said gripping Luke's hand, "Would be Luke Danes. Luke, you remember Max Medina?"

Luke nodded, and shook Max's hand, "Yes, nice of you to come. I'm sure Lorelai appreciates it."

Max pumped Luke's hand and sighed, "You're a lucky man, Mr. Danes. There's nobody like Lorelai," Max looked at her face and held her eyes with his, "Nobody."

Max moved away from the little cluster and looked about for Rory, who was still downstairs talking with Dean. Jess had come up the stairs and now sat on the sofa, alone in the back not having stayed to hear the rest of Rory's answer.

"It's true, Dean" Rory replied, "I did love you, but I don't think I was ever...in love with you."

"But we..."

"I know," said Rory, "but that's why it was so tragic. I cheated myself out of giving myself to someone I was in love with because my heart and head were screaming two different things."

"So, you're saying you're in love with Jess?" Dean asked studying the ground.

Rory nodded, "I think so."

"Then, there's no hope for us? No future?" Dean asked sadly.

Rory shook her head, "Not as anything more than friends. You have a life, Dean. You have Lindsay. Don't throw that away on chasing a dream."

"I can't acceoot that we'll never be together, Rory," Dean replied.

Rory rose from her seat on the sofa, and sighed deeply, "Then we have nothing more to talk about. I should get back to my Mom." With that, Rory headed upstairs leaving Dean staring after her.

Lorelai watched Max retreated towards the back of the room and saw that Jess had reappeared in the funeral parlor without Rory. He sat down on the sofa in the back corner alone, elbows on knees, head in hands. The classic depressed position. Loreali was about to call Luke's attention to it when she found herself face to face with Jason Styles.

"Lorelai," Jason greeted, "I'm so sorry."

"Luke," Lorelai said calmly, not meeting Jason's eyes, "Please remove him from my sight."

"Lorelai," Jason said, "I'm here to pay my re..."

"Luke, please," Lorelai repeated. Luke dropped her hand and reached for Jason's elbow, "Jason," he said evenly, "perhaps it would be best if you left." Luke pulled gently on his arm, but Jason shrugged out of his grip, "I'm not here to upset anyone..."

Luke sighed, "But yet, you are. Now, please..."

This time Jason let Luke lead him away. Jason was slimmy and shrewd, but he didn't seem harmful, "Look," Luke began, "Whether she'll show it or not, Lorelai's pretty upset by what happened, naturally. And the last time you and her father and mother had dealings, you were suing him and wreaking all sorts of havoc. I hope you understand, but I think seeing you is just too painful for her."

Jason nodded, "Let her know I'm sorry. About...well...everything."

"I will," Luke replied as Jason left. Then he returned to Lorelai.

Luke studied his fiancee as he walked back to her. Her eyes were dry, her make-up was perfect, every hair was in place. She wasn't emotional or reactionary in any way at all, instead she was stoic and collected. And he was worried.

Shortly after Jason left, Rory returned to the viewing room alone. She saw Jess sitting in the back of the room alone admist the mourners who were quickly milling about the room.

"Hey," she greeted, sitting down beside him, "Are you all right, Jess?"

Jess looked like he'd been hit with a baseball squarely between the eyes. He looked like he'd lost his best friend. He looked like someone had broken his heart.

Jess wanted to get angry at Rory, confront her with the new information, but this wasn't the time or place for such a discussion. It wasn't like she cheated on him, they weren't together then. In fact, they were barely together now. Jess knew he had to answer Rory's query, so he copped out, "I'm fine. I just have a headache."

Rory learned whiel she and Jess were dating that he and Luke suffered from chronic headaches, "Oh, poor baby," she comforted, kissing his temple, "want to go downstairs and lie down on the sofa?"

Jess shook his head, "No. I'll be fine," he replied. Then turned his gaze to study the doorway. Rory's eyes followed his and she visibly stiffened. Jess noted her reaction and asked, "Rory, who are those people?"

"Straub and Francine Hayden. My Dad's parents."

Lorelai smiled and nodded and shook hands as more people milled about the room. Group after group went by relatively unacknowleged until Luke heard Lorelai and Christopher gasp simultaneously, "Your parents. My parents."

"Hello, Lorelai," greeted Straub, "we've come to pay our respects to you and your girl."

"Yes," Francine added, "We are very sorry for your loss. Christopher, you're here?" Francine registered her son's presence.

"Of course, I am, Mother," Christopher replied, "It's Lorelai's parents. Rory's grandparents."

"Don't patronize us, Christopher," Straub scolded, "We know perfectly well that Richard and Emily were the girl's grandparents."

Luke wasn't sure who these people were. He heard Christopher say they wre his parents, Rory's paternal grandparents. They should be proud of her, as proud as Richard and Emily had been. Their aloofness towards her, calling her the "girl," irked him. Lorelai was battling, he could see that. He had to do something.

"Rory," he said without preamble, looking at Straub and Francine, "her name is Rory and I believe you are the Haydens, Christopher's parents. Luke Danes, Lorelai's fiancee." He extended his hand.

Straub shook the offered hand, "I'm Straub Hayden and my wife is Francine Hayden."

"Nice to meet you," Luke stated, "I wish it were under better circumstances, but still, I'm so glad that Rory," he emphasized her name, "still has a set of grandparents left. She's a really remarkable kid, but I'm sure you know that. I'm as proud of her as I would be if I were really her father, instead of her stepfather-to-be."

Straub looked uncomforable, Francine and Lorelai studied their shoes, and Christopher shifted his weight nervously from one leg to the other as Luke continued his digs at Straub. "It's such a wonderful thing seeing your child's child so successful and beautiful. I can't wait to experience it myself."

Straub missed Luke's point entirely, he thought this man was referring to Gigi, his legitimate granddaughter, his little princess, "Well, we don't know how successful she'll be, she's still a toddler, but she is very beautiful."

Christopher's face reddened at that as did Luke's. Luke could feel Lorelai's hand gripping his her entire arm trembling, "Dad, he was talking about Rory. My firstborn, who attends Yale."

Straub sighed, "Ah, yes. Well, Mr. Danes, I'll beg your pardon. Francine and I are not very well acquainted with Tory, seeing as it as he existence that kept our son from achieving his Princeton education."

"Dad," Christopher jumped, "Rory's birth had nothing to do with me not going to Princeton. I've explained that to you."

Francine bit her lip and Lorelai dug her nails into Luke's hand, this was not the time or place for this sort of scene.

"Ah, yes," Straub acknowledged, "you did that. But, if it's not the girl's fault, who's is it? Either her waste of a father, or her whore of a mother."

The words had barely hit the air before Straub's mouth was full of Luke's fist. Francing shrieked as he fell backwards under the force and Christopher grabbed Luke's shoulders to keep him from repeating the blow, "It's not worth it, Luke," he said, "It's not worth it."

Luke straightened up and looked at Straub who was rising and straightening his clothing,"Get out of here now," Luke hissed through clenched teeth, "Nobody speaks to her like that. Christopher, Mrs. Hayden, I'm sorry," Luke apologized.

Lorelai was still frozen in the same position. Luke gently put his arms around her and held her trembling body, "Sit down, Honey," he urged, pressing her into a chair, "Are you okay?" His eyes were filled with deep concern.

"I'm fine, Luke," Lorelai replied, pulling away from Luke's embrace to sit up on her own.

Rory and Jess watched the exchange occur between Luke, Lorelai, Christopher and the Haydens as Rory relayed to Jess her limited histoyr with her paternal grandparents.

"Wow!" Jess sighed, "I can't imagine your grandpa doing that."

"I know," Rory replied, "but even after everything that went down between grandpa and my mom, he still loved her and she was still his child. He protected her."

'Yeah, you know," Jess observed, "Your mom did really well for herself. She has her own inn, a great house, a great daughter..."

"Yeah, some people would resent me for being born, for messing up their lives. My dad's parents feel that way, but Grandma and Grandpa..." Rory's voice cracked, "After I met my dad's parents for the first time, I was feeling really bad and my grandma said no matter what upsets or disappointments wer discussed, I was neither and upset or a disappointment. I really needed to hear that."

Jess pushed his own hurt feelings aside when he saw Rory's eyes tearing up and moved to hold her. Before he was able to take her into his arms, they heard Francine shriek and turned to see that Luke had just laid Straub out with a solid punch to the mouth.

"Jess," Rory urged, "Go stop, Luke."

Jess hurried over to Luke, but Christopher was all ready holding him. Jess heard his uncle order the older nam from the premises before he turned to comfort a shaking Lorelai. Jess helped Christopher show his father the door, before returning to his uncle's side.

"Everyone okay?" Jess asked, seeing Lorelai pull away from Luke.

"Yeah, Jess, it's fine," Luke replied, "She's fine. I'm fine."

"How are you?" Lorelai asked. "You seemed upset before."

"I'm good," Jess replied, "it's nothing that can't wait. I better get back to Rory."

After the excitement died down, the rest of the evening went by smoothly. Finally, it was time to go home and prepare for the long day ahead.

Jess had wanted to talk to Rory, to ask her about her feelings for him and for Dean. He decided to wait. Today and tomorow were about Lorelai and Rory, and being there for them. Jess was sure of his feelings or his love for Rory, and he had to prove that by being there, by being selfless. Later, when she was calm and she didn't need him anymore, there would be time to be angry and hurt. There would be time for questions. When it was over, he would talk about their future. For now, he'd just be there for her and forget about himself. For now, when she needed him, he'd just simply love her as she once loved him, with no strings attached.