"Lorelai Gilmore!" Rory cringed. She knew that voice all too well.

"Mom? How the heck did you get into my apartment? Wait, better question. How did you find my apartment at all?" She pulled her key out of the door. Her mother was arranged comfortably on the living room set.

"Honey, mothers are omniscient besides it's not like I didn't know who you were with. I do talk to my father occasionally, ya know?" Her mother smirked.

"What do you want?" Rory asked, juggling books.

"That's a good question." She paused. "In the five months you've been gone without telling me where you were I've gone through such a range of emotions. I don't know whether to be mad at you or happy to see you. Rory, you never did even call."

"I tried." She sighed. "I called so many times. I just always hung up before you answered, or when I heard your voice. I was afraid of what you'd say to me. I'm not sixteen anymore, Mom. This is how I want my life to be."

"I understand that. I'm not gonna try and change your life. This isn't what I pictured for you, but that doesn't matter. It doesn't mean I don't love you. I want to talk to you, believe me." She managed a small smile.

"I want to talk to you too, Mom. Maybe I went about it all wrong, but I had to do this, what I felt was right. I'm happy here now. Can you be happy for me?"

"That's all I ever wanted for you. I'm sorry if I smothered you, really. I want to hear all about your life in the last five months. Will you tell me?"

"What do you want to know?" She asked, dropping her bags and sitting down next to her mother.


"I hope Lorelai is doing all right in New York. She really needs to figure things out with Rory." Luke lamented, wiping off the counter.

"She's not the best driver ever. New York might be a bit confusing. I hope she talks to Rory though. I'd love to hear from her." Lane replied.

"Me too," Luke agreed. Kirk entered. "What is it today, Kirk?" What do you want to eat? And before you start babbling let me make it clear that I don't want to know what your latest hair-brained antics are."

"A marble rye roast beef sandwich with French fries. And are you sure?" Kirk asked.

"Quite." Luke nodded.

"Pigeon Farming"

"What?" Luke stood their simply looking confused.

"Pigeon Farming," Kirk repeated in a sharper tone.

"Good lord! I told you not to tell me!" Luke threw his hands up in protest and went into the back.


"Promise me you'll call me when something new and interesting happens?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah, I will." Rory replied.

"NYU, gee golly miss molly. Who would have thought? Call me or come for a visit." Lorelai prodded again.

"I promise." She repeated. She waved as her mother left. Rory looked over to the counter. Her cell was on silent and she had missed a call. It wasn't a number she knew. She had a message. It was from Jess.

"Meet me at Giorgio's at 8:15."

That was it. He must have been having a late night at the office. Giorgio's was nice, so she got into her closet and found a nice, simple black skirt and a pretty pink camisole. She showered and dressed. It was 7:50 so she picked up her purse and headed out the door. It would take her almost twenty minutes to take the subway and walk the few extra blocks.


It was a touch chilly out but not in a bad way. It was crisp and lovely. She'd grown to love the hustle and bustle, smell and noises of cabs honking and people playing music on corners. It was so different from Stars Hollow but she had begun to love it.

She opened the restaurant door and approached the server. She told him she was meeting someone. He nodded. She knew where he'd be, their usual table, of course. The one in the corner by the window, but to her surprise the table was empty.

Her vision went out, someone was covering her eyes.

"Thought you had me all figured out, didn't you?" His voice was obvious.

"Yes." She smiled.

"Keep your eyes closed," he continued. He took her hand and led her, what seemed to be a fair distance. "Okay, go ahead. Open your eyes." He had led her to a secluded room. There was a small table, simply covered in the center of the room. There was a baby grand piano and a pianist too."

"Jess, what is this all about?" She was pleasantly speechless.

"Nothing, dance with me?" He asked putting out his hand.

This was all so surreal to her but she took it and closed her eyes as the pianist began to play. She breathed heavily, taking it all in. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her head to his shoulder. It was the most comfortable she'd been in a long time.

"I love you." He whispered into her ear. It tickled. He kissed her earlobe gently and then her neck in pecks all the way down. He spun her and pulled her back in close for a few more minutes. As the song gently stopped they both knew it was time to sit.

Candles lit the table and a waiter appeared from nowhere with two plates filled with delicious food. Rory sipped her wine, so did Jess.

"Jess, I don't know what to say. This is all so wonderful and different."

"You make me feel different, Rory. I am not the suave, romantic gesture guy. I'm the rebel. The guy who rides a motorcycle and wears a leather jacket or at least I thought I was."

"I changed you?"

"You cracked my shell."

"I found the squishy inside?" She smiled.

"That's it, the marshmallow crème." Rory giggled. "Rory, I saw you looking at these a few months ago when we went shopping. I promised myself I would make enough money to buy one for you some time. It only took a few months. I picked one that reminded me the most of you." He handed her the small velvet box.

She opened it revealing a beautiful princess cut diamond ring. It wasn't to gaudy, but not plain either. It was the one she had loved.

"Does this mean," she asked.

"Will you marry me?" He asked now, holding her other hand.

"Jess," she cooed. All sorts of thoughts flashed through her head. Could she really marry him? It seemed so preposterous, like he would never want to get married, but here he was. She hadn't been happier in her life.

His eyes searched hers for an answer in the pause.

"Yes, I mean, of course." She smiled taking the ring out of the box.

"You have no idea," he stopped. It didn't need to be said. He pressed it to her finger, and leaned across the table to kiss her.

"Who would have thought?" She asked. "I love my life." She smiled.

"So do I. Future Mrs. Mariano. Rory Mariano." He experimented with it.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jess Mariano."


"She's doing really well, Luke." Lorelai kissed him in greeting.

"She's with Jess?"

"Yeah, he's so different from before. At least from what she told me."

"Rory domesticated him?" Luke laughed.

"Woof!" She replied.

"Do you want anything?" He asked as he put the last chair up and locked the door.

"Just a cup of coffee, and you." She caught him by the hand and kissed him deeply.

He playfully sat her up on the diner counter and continued kissing her. She flipped his hat off and ran her fingers through his hair. Life was good again.