Thankee to Marissa! And Elise... and.... Lots of other people.... Everybody who sends feebacks! Thankee!

This part is dedicated to the s-h.org lit kids... who all love Nekkid!Jess just as much (if not more) as I do.

Cold as Ice

"He asked you to marry him?"

Rory sighed as they got out of the car in front of Gilmore Manor. "He was really drunk. He doesn't even remember."

Lorelai studied her daughter. "You wanted him to mean it."

Rory blinked. "I did not."

"You did," Lorelai nodded. "You wanted him to mean it, and then you'd have one of those meaningful 'we're not ready but maybe someday we'll get married and have a house and a van and babies and a dog!'"

"He doesn't like dogs," Rory commented.

Lorelai smiled. "That's so cute. You want to marry Jess."

"We're too young!" Rory cried. "I am not ready to get married. Neither is he!"

"Lorelai Leigh Mariano," Lorelai joked wistfully. "It doesn't have a bad ring to it... Rory Mariano sounds better. Mr. and Mrs. Jess Mariano."

"Oh my god! Stop!"

They reached the front door and Lorelai rang the bell. It opened and a woman they'd never seen stood before them.

"Yes?"

"Hello," Lorelai said formally. "Please inform Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore that their daughter and Mrs. Mariano have arrived."

Rory paled. "Oh, my god."

The maid looked confused. "Alright..." She walked off, leaving them to step into the house.

"Mom, you have to stop," Rory begged. "Please?"

Emily rushed out, looking worried. "Mrs. Mariano?"

"She was joking," Rory replied with a nervous laugh. "She's just being... weird, and... joking. Joking... haha... Good joke, Mom."

Lorelai smiled. "Rory wants to marry Jess. Isn't that cute?"

Silence.

Rory cringed.

"No, it's not cute!" Emily cried. "She's only twenty years old and she wants to get married?! What about her education?! Her future?! Her-"

"Someday!" Rory said loudly.

Both women turned to look at her.

"Someday... if we're still together and we're both... ready and... have money and... a place to live and... coffee... I wanna get married."

Lorelai's smile widened. "Aw."

"Oh, hush," Rory snapped. "You wanna marry Luke."

"What?!"

Emily turned to Lorelai this time. "The diner man?!"

"I do not want to marry Luke!"

"Sounded like wedding bells to me," Rory replied. "You didn't see any of that movie at all! You don't even remember what you rented!"

"That doesn't mean I want to marry Luke," Lorelai protested.

Rory started singing an off-key version of Here Comes the Bride as she swept herself into the dining room.

Lorelai rushed after her. "Hey! I don't want to marry Luke!"

Emily shook her head and followed.
"Did you tell them?"

"No, Richard," Emily replied. "I haven't told them yet."

"Told us what?" Rory asked.

Emily smiled. "Your grandfather and I are hosting a Christmas ball for charity."

Lorelai snickered. "A ball? You're hosting a ball?"

Richard nodded. "Yes. It's a very elegant affair."

"A ball," Lorelai smiled. "Like... that ACDC song?"

"I'm sorry, who?" Emily asked.

"I've got big balls, I've got big balls," Lorelai chanted.

"They're a band, Grandma," Rory replied, giving a pointed look to her mother. . "Don't worry about it."

Emily shook her head. "Anyways, the both of you are invited of course."

"Thank you," Rory nodded with a smile.

"And anyone you'd like to bring along."

"And by anyone," Richard cut in. "She means everyone you can convince to come. We want as many people as possible to attend, and any guests the two of you can gather would be wonderful."

"We already took the liberty of inviting Christopher and Sherry," Emily told them.

Both girls looked confused.

"Christopher and Sherry?" Lorelai asked. "As in..."

"They're back together," Emily said. "You didn't know?"

"We haven't gotten the chance to talk recently," Rory muttered.

"Well, you'll get your chance to catch up at the ball," Richard said pleasantly.

Both Rory and Lorelai shifted a little.
"A ball?"

"A ball."

Jess looked up from his book and squinted at her. "A ball?"

Rory nodded, adjusting herself on the couch in Luke's apartment.

"Uh..."

She sighed. "You have to wear a tuxedo."

He rolled his eyes.

"I know, I know... I'm gonna have to wear a dress... a long one... frilly... probably. We'll suffer together."

Jess looked unconvinced.

"I'll be your best friend?"

He blinked.

She sighed. "It's one night..." she thought for a moment. "And you owe me a tux night. We missed prom."

He frowned and looked back to his book.

She sighed. Whoops. "I didn't mean..."

He didn't look up. "Whatever. I'll go."

She'd played the guilt card and she hadn't even meant to. "You don't have to if you really don't want to..."

"I'll go."

"Jess-"

"I have to go help in the diner." He got up and walked out.

She sat in shock, her book limp in her hand.

He walked back in. "I didn't flunk out just so I wouldn't have to wear at tux," he said suddenly. "If I had my way, we would have gone. I would have been able to stay."

He looked...

Upset.

He turned and rushed out again.

She sped after him. "I'm sorry!"

He kept walking.
"So... my parents are having this... ball thing..."

"Oh, yeah?" Luke asked, looking interested. "Sounds pretty stuffy."

"Mmm," Lorelai nodded. "Should be interesting, though..."

"How so?"

"Well," Lorelai replied, sitting back. "My parents told Rory and I that we could invite whoever we wanted... no limit on the number of people..."

"Wow."

Lorelai gave another nod. "Yeah."

He stood in front of her table in silence.

"Wanna go?" She asked. "Third date?"

Luke smirked. "I was kinda hoping for a couple of more dates before Christmas."

Lorelai smiled and was about to reply when Jess stormed out from behind the stairway curtain and headed for the door.

"Hey, your shift is in ten minutes," Luke called.

Jess replied by walking out of the diner.

Lorelai blinked and looked over when Rory walked slowly out from behind the curtain. She looked pale.

"Do I even want to know?" Lorelai asked.

"He's mad at me," Rory muttered.

Luke rolled his eyes.

Rory slumped down next to her mother. "I told him about the ball."

"And... he up and left because he doesn't like balls?" Lorelai asked.

"No. He up and left because I brought up the fact that we never made it to prom, and he got all... guilty... and then mad... and then he ran."

Lorelai sighed and put her arms around Rory. "You should go after him."

Rory shook her head. "He doesn't want me to."

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked, a little annoyed. "Go!"

Rory hesitated for a moment before getting up and running out the door.

Lorelai sighed and watched her go, and then turned back to Luke. "So... this ball... you in?"

Luke smirked.
"Jess!"

He stopped and sighed. "What?"

Rory caught up to him. "Can we please just talk?"

Jess sighed. "Later, okay? I just... I can't right now." He began to walk off again.

She followed. "Jess, just hear me out."

"I just wanna take a walk, Rory," Jess snapped, still walking. "I'll catch up with you later."

"I wanna talk now!"

"I don't!" Jess yelled.

She followed him as he stormed off. "Jess, please."

"Rory, come on," he pleaded as he made his way onto the bridge.

"Why can't we just talk?"

"I don't want to right now."

"That's not good enough!"

"Is anything?!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"I don't know! I just... I can't talk right now!"

She took his arm. "Jess, please. Just... let me apologize... I didn't mean for what I said to hurt you."

"Could have fooled me!"

She stared in shock. Once she regained herself, she gave him a good shove, and sent him right into the lake.

He bobbed to the surface, soaked. His clothes stuck to him as he shivered in the frozen water. He stared up at her blankly.

She frowned and knelt down and helped him to climb out.
Thankfully, Lorelai wasn't home when they arrived at the Gilmore home. Rory had shed her coat and given it to Jess for the walk there. She led him into her room, and helped him to peel off his clothing. He stood, still shivering, clad only in his boxers as she took the comforter off of her bed and wrapped it around him.

She sighed. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "Me, too."

"I shouldn't push."

"I said..." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't mean to guilt you."

He nodded again. "I know. I took it badly."

"Are you okay?"

He shrugged.

"Leslie."

He closed his eyes and then opened them again. "Rory..."

"I understand," Rory said quickly. "If it were Dean..."

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna go make you coffee, and... put your clothes in the dryer," Rory told him.

He nodded, and leaned down and kissed her. She smiled and walked out. He sat on the bed and shivered.

She came back a few moments later, bearing a dry pair of boxers and a clean t-shirt.

His boxers. His t-shirt.

"Where'd you get those?" he asked.

Rory smirked. "You're kleptomania wore off on me."

"Clothes please."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Well..."

Jess glared. "Jeez! It's freezing! Gimme the frickin' clothes!"

"I like you naked," Rory pouted.

Jess's mouth twitched into a smirk. "Well, if I'm going to be naked, the least you can do is keep me warm!"

Rory blushed.

"Come on," Jess pleaded. "I might get hypothermia and die. You don't want me to die, we just reconciled!"

"You're all wet."

"Some people like that."

"I don't."

"You've never tried it," he replied, walking closer. He shed the comforter and started kissing her.

And then the doorbell rang.

Rory dropped the small pile of clothes onto the floor and wrapped her arms around him, completely oblivious to the ringing from the front door.

"Rory?!"

It was her grandmother's voice coming from outside.

"Rory, are you home?!"

Jess moaned in protest as Rory pulled away from him. She frantically threw the clothes at him and rushed out of her room, slamming the door shut. She then skidded over to the front door and swung it open, completely out of breath.

"Hi, Grandma!"

"Rory, what's wrong?" Emily asked, looking completely confused. "You look exhausted."

"I w-was... just... doing laundry," she smiled. "And I didn't hear the door because I had the music up."

"Ah... well... I thought that I'd stop by and see if you wanted to go shopping for a dress for the ball."

"Oh," Rory said. "Uh... Mom wants to make my dress."

Emily sighed.

"And she wants to make your dress, too," Rory went on. "She misses the seamstress thing since the Inn has been so busy."

"Oh," Emily said thoughtfully. "Well... we'll see..."

"I'm sorry you came all this way to-"

"Well, I was hoping to spend time with you anyways," Emily smiled. She let herself in past Rory, just as Jess- fully changed- emerged from the bedroom.

"Hey, Rory, are my-"He stopped. "Uh..." He shifted a little. "Hi... Mrs. Gilmore."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Jess." She turned to Rory. "Doing laundry... is that what you kids are calling it these days?"

Rory turned a bright red. "Well-"

"We are doing laundry," Jess interrupted. "I fell into the lake, and my clothes are in the dryer. Laundry."

Emily nodded, a little skeptical. "Ah."

"Hey, Mrs. Gilmore," Jess said, tilting his head. "I was wondering... this... ball... would it be alright if I invited my family?"

Emily stood slightly flustered for a moment. "Well... I don't see why not..."

Jess nodded. "Okay... I'll call them tonight, then."

The tense mood lasted a few moments longer, before Emily sighed.

"Well, I should be going." She kissed Rory on the cheek. "Tell your mother I'll call about the dress."

Rory nodded and walked her back to the door. "Bye, Grandma."

Jess gave a wave and watched Rory see her out.

Rory walked back over. "Nice timing."

Jess nodded. "I think so."

She wrapped her arms around him. "Feeling warmer?"

He shrugged. "Could be warmer..."

She snickered and blushed a little. "Why did you ask to invite your family?"

Jess smirked. "You've met them. Gloria, Jamie and Sofia... Liz and TJ... Jimmy, Sasha and Lily...they are the ultimate revenge."

She laughed and he kissed her.