Hello, I'm back! Thanks for all of your reviews – they've given me a lot of ideas. I had heaps of fun writing this Fanfic. I wrote it while I was sick at home with the flu. There'll probably be only 2 more chapters in this Fanfic, so I hope you enjoy. As you can tell, I'm a true Rory/Jess fan and I hope in future episodes Milo will come back. His presence is greatly missed on the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all, just the plot. All the characters belong to the producers and directors and creators of the show.

Chapter 2

Rory watched as Jess casually reached for a glass of wine and nervously wipe his hand against chin, an old habit that had apparently not gone away. Author's note: I don't know if this really is a habit or not, I just made it up. She stifled a laugh as he choked after a sip. Guess he's as nervous as I am, she though. "What is that?" He cried out.

"The wine's not that bad" Rory, amusement lurking in her eyes.

Jess arched an eyebrow.

Suddenly, a voice from out of nowhere spoke.

"Glad you made it Jess. Always prompt as usual, I see," Luke said dryly.

"Hey, ease up. I missed the first train, okay?" Jess defended himself.

Lorelai glanced from Jess to Rory, then back to Jess. Silence loomed over them. Luke coughed uneasily.

"Uh, so I guess I'll be, uh, talking to the band. You know, to, uh, request a song. For, uh, the dancing and stuff. Uh, yeah," Luke walked away quickly; glad to make an escape from the embarrassing conversation. When out of sight, he headed to the table where his friends were all drinking beer.

Lorelai attempted to start the conversation again. "So," She began innocently, "Jess. Are you...seeing anyone?"

Rory could have died. In fact, she would have, had it not been her mother's wedding day.

Jess cleared his throat. "No, I'm not. And yourself?"

Lorelai chuckled. "Honey, gone is the day when I can even look at another man. Guess I'll just perve from afar," She winked, then continued, "oops, Sukie's getting into a fight with that Italian chef again. I gotta go do some damage control before they both start chucking pans at each other,"

When Lorelai was gone, Rory looked around at everyone in the crowd. In a small town like Stars Hollow, gossip spread like wildfire. Pretty soon it would be said that Jess and Rory were back together. Rory caught Dean's eye and he smiled. His smile froze when he saw Jess. Cradling like little 2-year-old daughter (Amy Rose) in his arms, Dean had a confused expression on his face. There was no animosity between the two of them. After all, Rory was Amy Rose's godmother. Everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves. The wedding was a success! After all, Lorelai made it past the ceremony without ditching the groom. Rory assumed that things would only go uphill from then on. However, she silently made a mental note to herself to have a serious talk with her mother about leaving her alone with her ex-boyfriend. It wasn't as if Jess had any friends he could wander off to. Where's Lane when you need her? Rory thought to herself. She knew the answer, of course. Playing with her band somewhere in California. After college, Lane gathered the courage to confront her mother about being in a band and how much it meant to her. Needless to say, it didn't totally go well, but Lane was happy and doing fairly well.

Jess was occupying himself with the sushi on the platter, looking as though he was deeply immersed in eating it.

Come on; say something, Rory told herself. Anything. There was one question that she was trying to push to the back of her mind. Why did you leave me? Take off without another word? And phone me, only to hang up? Rory wanted to scream. Instead, she calmly said, "I'll see you," And walked away without a look back.

Chapter 3:

Rory was busy at her laptop and Lorelai had moved out the day before. The house was strangely quiet without the sound of Lorelai singing in the shower.

Rory would rather chew glass than admit it to anyone, but she missed her mother now more than ever. The late-night gossip sessions would now be replaced by weekend visits. Most of all, with Lane and now Lorelai gone, Rory had no one to confide in. Aside from Paris, who was happily married to Tristan and living in America, she was practically abandoned. What Rory really needed was a person she could talk to and confirm her mixed-up thoughts. One minute, Rory thought about ringing up Jess. The next minute, she hated him for taking off without thinking of the consequences. That morning, at Luke's Diner, she had met Dean. Ever since his divorce, Dean had thought seriously about a relationship with Rory. However, he knew it wouldn't have worked out between them. Dean was doing okay, with a degree in merchandising and full custody of Amy Rose. He was a good father and the role suited him very well. During their brief encounter, Dean had questioned Rory about Jess. Questions fired out of his mouth. Rory had uncomfortably answered them, fully aware that several nosy ears were listening in. The truth was, Rory didn't know what to do. At the sight of Jess, she suddenly felt young again. Like all those years had never passed. She was dying to know more about Jess's co-ownership of the bookstore, but found that her heart was telling her to steer clear of him – just in case she got hurt again. Rory didn't want a replay of what happened when he left for California to live with his dad. In a way, Rory understood why he left. If she were in his shoes, she'd probably have a burning desire to meet her father too. What she did not understand was why he chose to hurt people in the process. Luke, in her opinion, was shattered when he'd left; although Luke didn't show it. Rory tried to stay focused on her work; but her concentration wavered. She needed closure, at the very least. Throughout her life Rory tried to be in control as much as possible. She wanted to be in control of the situation, to be sure of her future. Now she was just perplexed.

Finally, Rory sighed and gave up on her work. The doorbell rang. It kept on ringing, no matter how hard Rory willed for it to stop. Whoever at the door was not going to give up. Who could it be at this hour? Rory thought to herself, checking her watch. It was nearly eleven.

Who was it?

Authors Note: Does anyone know what Jess's last name is? Is it Mariano? If someone informed me, that would be really helpful.

Chapter 4:

The front door swung open. It was Jess. He was standing there, looking as though it was perfectly normal to show up at a person's house at eleven o'clock holding a bunch of flowers. Rory was speechless. "Jess?" Rory gasped. It was totally obvious that it was him. Who else would it be – Santa? Rory just didn't know what else to say.

"Rory?" Jess said, looking dead serious. "Can I come in?"

"S-sure," Rory stuttered.

As soon as he went through the door, Jess handed the flowers to Rory and said, "Here,"

Rory was confused. "What are they?" Rory asked. As soon as the words left her mouth, Rory wished she didn't sound so stupid. Here she was, a grown woman with advanced degrees, and she couldn't even ask sensible questions.

"They're...beautiful flowers for a beautiful Rory,"
Rory was flattered. This was the old Jess (that was for sure); but he was different in a way. He'd changed into a more mature, sure-of-himself Jess.

"Look Rory, I'm sorry, okay? This is a proper apology. I was taking the coward's way out. Running off without saying anything to – to the person I care about most. It was my way of protecting you. I didn't want you to get hurt. The fact is, I missed you. A lot. So now, I'm asking you for your forgiveness..." Jess trailed off, unsure whether to continue rambling on, or stop.

A slow smile spread across Rory's face. Her whole face shone with happiness.

"And I'm telling you, Jess Mariano(?), I forgive you!" She hugged him. "I missed you too," She whispered. Rory felt complete now that she had Jess back in her life. Who cared that she didn't know what the future held? After many years of always wanting to feel in control and planning in advance, for once, Rory didn't mind. As long as that future had Jess in it, she was content.

I didn't know how to end this Fanfic! Any reviews are much appreciated. I'd like to know what you all thought about it. Is there anything I can improve on? Also, who else out there wants Jess to get back together with Rory? I'm sure I can't be the only one! Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Keep them coming, and keep watching GG!