I still can't believe you all read my stories. My stories. Really, it's incredible. The encouragement and feedback is just so overwhelming. Thank you. Relient K is cool.

Okay. So I'm thinking I could wrap this story up, maybe give it 25 or so chapters. Then I could write a short, maybe 4 or 5 chapter, Luke/Lorelei fic, per request. Then I could write a sequel to this. How's that sound? I just can't write two fics at one time. I'm too busy.

And I'm thinking about changing my Pen name. Nothing's for sure yet, but if it happens, I'll be sure to let you know in advance. My stories won't change names no matter what, and nothing else will change.

oooooooo

"This is silly," Rory sighed, pulling the covers over her body as she crawled into the bed next to me.

"What is?" I asked, taking the book she handed me, placing it on the table next to the bed.

"This whole thing we do. I have a dorm. It is perfectly fine."

"But you don't like it?" I asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"You know why not," she pouted, curling herself into a ball. It had been nearly a month since our Monty Python night 'sexy talk'. Rory had been sleeping over at my apartment nearly every night since. We tried doing it at her dorm once, but Paris was there, and her other roommates. It was loud and busy and it just didn't work out. Once of twice, Rory had even come straight from classes with a change of clothes and the books she needed for the next day in her bag, skipping even going back to her dorm totally.

I leaned over her, curling myself into a ball next to her. "So what do you propose we do about it?"

She squeezed her eyes closed, ignoring my question. "We are the weirdest pair of twenty year-olds in New Haven."

I laughed, uncurling her, detaching her arms from her legs. "How so?"

"I don't know."

"So," I asked, tracing pictures on her cheek, "how come no one told me that we were switching bodies?"

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Sometimes people just need to be surly. No, I get it, I do." I paused as she turned over, staring at the ceiling. I propped myself up on one elbow, admiring her face. It wasn't quite a scowl, but not nearly a smirk. Exasperated? Maybe. I gave up my hunt. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. It's just classes are getting more stressful and there's my dorm and here and Star's Hollow and Friday Night Dinners and…us-"

Something inside my stomach lurched, but I hid it well. "What's wrong with us?"

"Nothing, we are just fine."

"Fine?"

"Yes," she sighed, "we are fine," she told me, turning over to face me, once again curling herself into a ball, but this time in my arms. I gratefully swaddled her in them, relieved that she wasn't angry.

"Huh."

"Jess, are we boring?"

She remained swaddled. In fact, I swaddled her a little tighter, burying my face in her hair. "Are you bored?" I asked.

"I don't know."

Ouch. That was a nice kick in the stomach. I let go of Rory; this time I was the one turning over to stare at the ceiling. She, going into comfort mode, rolled over, propping herself on her elbow, to look at me. "I mean, not with you. I love you, Jess. It would suck ten times more to be bored with anyone else."

I grabbed her, pulling her down onto me. We lay like that for a long time. Finally I said, "I feel like I'm in one of those commercials for 'Natural Male Enhancement' and they're telling us to spice up our relationship."

She laughed for the first time all day. "Don't get any ideas. We are perfectly good at that," she said, blushing.

"I can be romantic," I said, out of the blue.

"I know," Rory responded, burying her face in my neck. "I can be spontaneous."

"I know. …I want to help. I love you Rory."

"I love you too Jess."

oooooooo

"Hey Jace," I called from the front desk, not looking up from the book, "I'm going to head out."

"Is there anybody here?" the elderly man asked from the back room.

"No," I replied, still not looking up, "I-" The bells rang, signifying a customer.

"Those the bells?" Jace asked.

"Yes. I got it; lunch can wait a little longer."

"I'm sorry sir," the customer giggled, "But I'm afraid I'm going to be a while." There stood Rory, beauteous smile and all, radiant like an angel. I had never scene an angel, but she looked like something I would consider an angel, minus the pizza box and orange sodas. She walked over to me, behind the counter.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but the area is for employees only," I informed her, pulling her into me.

"Yeah?" she asked, pulling my face down to meet hers. I kissed her. I sat on the stool behind the counter and she stood between my legs, with my hands on her back.

"Jesus Christ Jess! What do you think you're doing?"

We jumped apart at the screech of the old man, Rory red faced as ever. Even I was embarrassed; my boss probably didn't need to see that. "This isn't what it looks like," I assured him, "She's… she's my girlfriend."

Jace stared at Rory skeptically, as if deciding whether to believe us or not. "I'm, um, Rory," she greeted, "I, uh…go to Yale."

"Ah, so this is Yale?" he asked me. I had told him that the reason I needed the job was so that I could afford the apartment in New Haven, to be close to my girlfriend at Yale.

"Yep, she's Yale," I informed, walking over to Rory's side.

"Good choice," he said, referring to my decision to move here. During the job interview, I had told him about Rory and California and Star's Hollow.

"I know," I said, looking at Rory, who smiled politely, clearly with no idea what we were talking about.

"Well, I'm going to lunch," he said, eyeing the pizza behind us. "You can close up if you want, eat here."

"Thanks."

"You cut class?" I asked, after Jace had left.

"I told you I could be spontaneous," she said opening the box of pizza. "Are you mad about last night?"

I put down my slice, shocked. "No, why would I be?"

"I don't know. Sarcastic moody people can be annoying."

"It was fine," I answered, pulling her down to sit next to me on the floor.

"So…I guess I have to be romantic now, huh?"

She smiled.

oooooooo

I knew what I wanted to do. I had known for a few days now. The solution was painfully simple. I wondered if Rory knew what I was going to ask. She probably didn't, it would be very unlike her.

So I had made the key. I know she already had one, but it would just be weird to ask her and not give her a key. Besides, there's nothing wrong with having a spare. I had made a few other motions too. I cleared her some space on the bookshelf, I made her a spot in the closet.

And then I had to do the romantic dinner too. I didn't know how guys did this sort of thing. There were questions that guys asked their girlfriends. I knew how to do some of them, but this was something I had never done before, I didn't know what I was doing. A romantic dinner seemed to be a good way to go. Spaghetti seemed to be safe. Who doesn't love Spaghetti? Rory did; I knew that much.

"Jess!"

"In here."

"Are you making me spaghetti?" she asked, resting her chin on my shoulder.

"It's for me too."

"Aw, you're so inwardly sweet," she laughed, kissing me.

"It's almost ready."

"Okay. I'm going to go put my stuff down

oooooooo

"So, what's the occasion?" Rory asked me, playing with her food on her plate.

"You don't like having to go back and forth between here and your, dorm do you?" I asked slowly.

"No, not really, but-"

"But you like coming here…right? You're not…obligated or anything, right?"

"Jess, what are you talking about?" she asked, concern evident in her voice, taking my hand.

"And you pretty much live here anyway…" There, I said it. The word. Live.

Rory tensed up, noticing something behind me. I turned to see what it was. "Where are the rest of your books Jess?"

"I moved them," I sighed.

"Where?" she asked, getting up and wandering into my room.

"I need to ask you something," I called, following her.

"There not in here," she said, kneeling down to look under the bed.

"I know that," I said, trying not to show my annoyance. "I need to ask you something. Hold still."

She sat down on the floor, legs crossed, hands in lap. "Okay."

"Okay," I said, sitting down across from her. Deep breath, in, out. Relax. In, out. "I was thinking about what you said the other day, and it makes sense you know, about it being silly. And…and I was wondering it maybe you would want to…you know, move in here." In, out. In, out.

"Move in with you?"

I nodded.

"That's why you moved your books, to make room for mine?"

I nodded.

"And…" she got up, opening the closet door, "the closet…"

I nodded again.

She smiled softly, gently, kneeling directly in front of me. "You did that for me?" she whispered.

I nodded, hesitantly resting my hands on her waist.

"Really?" she asked, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Yeah," I muttered, still nervous. Why hadn't she answered me?

"I want to," she said, pulling herself down to be eye level with me.

"You do?"

"You didn't think I would?" she laughed.

"I…I don't know," I laughed, relieved, burying my face in her neck.

"We're going to have the ultimate book collection," she said excitedly, pulling away to examine my books again.

"And all the CD's"

oooooooo

"I've been spending a lot of time at Jess' apartment lately," Rory told her mom.

"Well, that much can be expected, he is your boyfriend."

"I mean, a lot of time Mom."

Lorelei, somewhat taken aback, had to ask, "Well, just how much time?"

"Um," Rory stalled, nervous about relaying the news to her mom, "More time than I've been spending at my dorm."

"Rory!"

"I know, but look at it from my point of view Mom-"

"I understand," Lorelei sighed, as they walked home from Luke's.

"But we were thinking about it, Mom, and we decided-"

"We?" Lorelei asked skeptically.

"He."

"He," Lorelei repeated.

"Right, so Jess was thinking about it, and he asked me if I would ever, maybe, consider moving in with him."

Lorelei kept walking ahead, as if she didn't hear a word her daughter had said. Trying to pretend this isn't happening.

"And I said yes, that I would," Rory went on.

To which the only response she got was a deep sigh. Trying to pretend she didn't just say that.

"Mom!" Rory yelled, stopping abruptly in the middle of the street, pulling her mom to look at her.

"What Rory! What do you want me to say? What can I say to the fact that my baby girl is moving out of her nice, safe dorm at Yale to live with her boyfriend? What am I supposed to say to that?"

Rory smiled, quite to the surprise of Lorelei. "You didn't use a modifier."

"What?"

"You didn't use a modifier, before 'boyfriend.' You didn't say 'bad boyfriend' or 'irresponsible boyfriend' or 'runaway boyfriend' or 'crappy boyfriend' or even 'unpredictable boyfriend.' You just said 'boyfriend,'" Rory smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." Lorelei sighed. "Quit smirking like that!"

"So, we want you to help me move out," Rory offered.

"What?"

"We, Jess and I, discussed it, and we decided that we want you to come help me move. That way you can see where I'll be living," Rory paused, waiting for a response. "Since you helped me move into my first place, you should help me move out of my first place."

"I don't know…"

"No! I'm moving into my first big girl apartment and, damn it, I want my Mommy there!"

"Okay, fine," Lorelei stated, worn out from the thinglet, "So…you really like this Jess guy."

"I really do, Mom. I really do."

oooooooo

Is it just me, or is Dean the epitome of dull?