AN: I love The Pixies. Must I say, undoubtedly, beyond any question in the world, that they are my favorite band. Don't get me wrong, I'm still rather young, but that's never going to change, never; it's a part of me. It makes me what I am. I mean it, I'm going to be on my damn deathbed, demanding to hear "Monkey Gone to Heaven" before I go. I will, I mean it.

Well, beyond my little ode to The Pixies, there, I do have some relevant news. Okay folks, this is it. This is the last chapter. If I'm feeling up to it, I might squeeze a short epilogue, but it'll be short. Short. Anyway, the one thing that I can guarantee you is a sequel, no doubt.

See, over the past few months, I've really gotten to love this writing business. It makes me happy, really it does. I know, I know, I am really fooling myself into thinking I'm important because I'm totally ripping off other people's characters. I tried writing my own stuff, but it didn't seem to burn, so I'm afraid I've given up on that bit for a while. But the sequel should be up pretty soon. Before school gets out probably. Wow, I really hope this is good.

Well, on with it, then.

oooooooo

I sat, sulking in the apartment above the diner. I knew this wasn't the time for it, and I knew everything would be better off if I would buck up and go on, but I couldn't. See, I had made up my mind. I wanted Rory, forever. This whole business we had going on, the whole thing, was just a little silly. She was right about that much. In this business though, there was a whole aspect that I had overlooked, one that I had never been particularly good at. Yes, buying her basket at the bidding was good, and some of the other stuff too, but nothing was really good, nothing was great. I had never been romantic. Yes, I read Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, but I still didn't have an idea about what they wanted.

So I sat, at the kitchen table, hands elbows on the table, hands cradling my head, like a baby; a baby thinking of ways to propose to his girlfriend. Yeah…wow.

"Good morning," Rory chanted perkily as she pranced out of my room, all ready dressed and her hair neatly combed back. "Let's go downstairs! You don't even realize how much you miss Luke's coffee."

"Hey," I mumbled, slowly pushing away the list in front of me, pulling it into my lap. "You go on, I'm going to get dressed."

"I'll wait," she offered, taking a seat across from me. Shit.

"No go on," I pushed her. She just shook her head, gently folding her hands on the table. "Hey, I think I just heard your mom."

"What?"

"Why don't you go downstairs and check it out," I suggested. I kicked the list to the floor, and jumped up, practically running around the table and pulling Rory out of her chair. I pushed her towards the door. "You go on," I told her. "I know you don't like to wait for coffee. I'll be down in a bit. Say hi to Lane…alright. Bye now." The door shut behind her, and I leaned against, sighing. If this was going to be done right, it had to be done soon.

I changed my shirt and scrambled downstairs, but Rory and Lorelei had already gone.

"Looking for Rory?" Luke asked. I feebly nodded. "They left, her and Lorelei. They went shopping Hartford," he explained.

I sat down, grabbed a muffin, and pulled the list out of my pocket, going over it again. It was a short list, and so far it just had the necessities. You know, I had the ring, the dinner, the music, the place. Nothing much, nothing big. "What's wrong with you today?" Luke asked, peering at me suspiciously over my shoulder. I quickly folded the paper in half, jamming it back into my pocket.

"Nothing," I snapped. "I'm just…. So, is that music store any good? I was thinking about checking it out today."

"I've, uh, never been in," Luke answered warily. "You should ask Lane or Zach, they go in a lot. Listen, uh, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I have to go, though. See you later, thanks," I said, abruptly getting up and walking out. "I've got some things to do, stuff to get. See you later."

Luke nodded oddly at me, as if he knew there was something up. He probably did. Hell, everyone probably did.

oooooooo

"Hey," I said, tugging on Rory's arm.

She laughed, "Jess…"

"Put something pretty on," I instructed.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, holding onto me. "Where are we going?"

"Just put something pretty on. Trust me, by the end of the night you'll be glad you did," I told her.

"You're all dressed up," she noticed, stepping back to examine me.

"I have to o get something, alright?" I asked. She nodded. "I'll be back in about a half an hour to pick you up," I explained. "Is that okay?" She nodded, and I left.

It had been two days since the crazy morning, me with all my lists. After tonight, if everything went well…I could tell Rory about the lists, and she would laugh. I had it all planned out, see. I had already dealt with everyone so that the bridge was ours for the night. I had laid out the food, but kept it covered. I set up the music, all ready for us. I went out, got the flowers, and everything. I double checked everything again, making sure it was all ready.

Was I ready?

I had never been surer of anything, anything. Were we old enough, I don't know. Would it work, I didn't know. Would she even say yes, I didn't know. What I did know was that I loved her, I needed her, I didn't want to be without her ever again. So I was going to do something about it. This had to be, it was going to work out. I knew it…I knew it?

Hesitantly, nervous, red and yellow tulips in tow, I trudged up the stairs of the apartment. The diner was closed, I had begged and pleaded Luke. I didn't tell him why, but he finally agreed. He'll know soon enough. I knocked quietly. "Rory…"

"Your back," she said, opening the door.

"Uh…yeah. Come on," I said, grabbing her hand. "So, what'd you do with your mom today?"

"Oh, nothing," she answered, "just went shopping. We didn't really buy anything much, just…. Where are we going?"

"Nowhere really," I simply stated. "We're not even leaving Star's Hollow. Hold on." I moved in front of Rory, covering her eyes while leading her to the bridge.

"Jess…" she laughed. Right at the part that connects to the ground, where it just starts going out to the water, Stepped beside her, letting go of her eyes, and taking her hand.

"What is this?" Rory asked, seeing what I had set up there. It was a dinner, romantic, yet still us. A black and white checked blanket sat under two bowls of Macaroni and Cheese with peach soda. I had also bought a candle, one that smelt like peach, and it was lit off to the side. Rory walked onto the bridge, kneeling beside everything. I brought along a CD player with a mix tape I had made. It had what I considered to be the more subtle, less whiny romantic songs- Personal Jesus by Marilyn Manson, I Want to be your Boyfriend by The Ramones, Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen, A Girl Like You by Edwin Collins, All I Want by Toad the Wet Sprocket, But I do by Clarence Henry, If You Leave by OMD, Your Song by Elton John, This Magic Moment by Jay and the Americans, and, of course, The Guns of Brixton by the Clash mixed in with a few others.

"I just wanted to show you that I…I really, really love you Rory."

She smirked, "'God be thanked, the meanest of his creatures boasts two souls-sides, one to face the world with, one to show a woman when he loves her.'"
Rory laughed, kissing me on the cheek. "I really, really love you too Jess, like crazy," she said, pulling me down to sit next to her on the bridge.

oooooooo

After we ate, we found ourselves in Luke's. Luke wasn't there though; he was out with Lorelei, they would be back late. The place was closed. "Here, sit here," I said, pulling down a chair for Rory at one of the tables. I was nervous: my hands were sweaty, my legs were jittery, there was a lump in the back of my throat, and wanted to start crying. "Rory?" I asked sitting down in a chair caddy-cornered to her side of the table.

"Yeah Jess?"

"I…um," I stammered, determined to this right way; the way I had a practiced over and over, "I love you…a lot." She opened her mouth to say something, but I stopped her, "No, just let me finish." Rory nodded, so I went on. "Like I was saying: I love you a lot. I love to make you laugh, and I love to make you blush. I love waking up next to you in the morning. I hate to catch you looking at me, because it makes my stomach hurt so much. I live for the moments when you touch me: when you grab my hand, when you put your head on my chest, when you kiss me. God, I love your kisses. And I love to kiss you and touch you and make love to you. I fall in love with you all over again everytime I watch you pig out on movie nights. I love to watch you wake up, and I love to watch you dance, especially when you think I'm not watching. I wake up every morning, and thank God that you're still here, that you still love me, and I fall asleep every night, with my head next to yours, thinking how lucky I am to have you. I love that your favorite foods are cheeseburgers and fries, that your favorite drink is coffee, that your favorite book is Anna Karenina. Most of all, I love that you love me, and I want to keep loving all those things about you. I want to be able to kiss you and touch you and make love to you for the rest of my life." I paused, sliding out of my chair and getting down on both knees in front of Rory. I pulled the ring out of my pocket, holding it between my thumb and forefinger. "Rory Gilmore, will you let me watch you wake up every morning as long as forever? Will you let me be your husband? Rory Gilmore, will you marry me?"

Rory slid off her chair, kneeling in front of me, so that we were now eye-to-eye. Say yes. Say yes.

"Jess…" she started, tears openly slipping down her cheeks. "Jess Mariano, I love you… a lot. I love the way you look when you first get out of the shower. I love the way you kiss me whenever you don't want to talk about something. It's crazy that you moved to New Haven for me, and I love you for it. I love your smirk and your crazy hair, and I hate when you stare at me and call me beautiful, because it hurts like crazy, but I love you so much for it. I love that your out of your mind. I love the person you make me into, the way you make me act so crazy. But most of all, I love that you love me, like no one ever has before, and I don't know what I would do if you ever stopped." I reached up to brush them away, but she caught my hand, holding it against her chest. "'I am like a falling star who has finally found her place next to another in a lovely constellation, where we will sparkle in the heavens forever.' Nothing could make me happier…I will."

Trembling, I slipped the ring on her finger as I kissed away her tears. "Don't cry."

"How can I not cry?" she asked, grinning crazily, as she wept, "I'm going to be Lorelei Leigh Mariano."

"That's good?" I asked, smiling at the name.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

oooooooo

Three hours later, Luke had walked in on them curled up in each others arms in Jess' bed. They were sleeping fully dressed, thank God, but Luke had seen it. Luke had seen the ring. He didn't know if it meant what he thought it meant, because Jess didn't tell him anything about it, but, if it did mean what he thought it might mean, Luke thought it appropriate to give them some privacy.

He scrawled out a quick note, left it somewhere Jess would see.

Walked in, saw it, didn't know what to make out, so I'm at Lorelei's. I won't say anything. –Luke.

Lorelei answered the door on the first knock. "Luke? What's wrong?"

"It's Rory and Jess…they're over there, at the apartment, being obnoxious with their music." Okay, so he hadn't told her. He couldn't tell her. It might not mean anything, and, if it was what Luke thought it was, it wasn't his news to tell.

"Oh yeah, they can be pretty rambunctious" she said, opening the door wider. "Are you okay? You look sort of jumpy."

"No, I'm fine," he answered, but she looked at him questioningly, "When I got back to the apartment they just gave me a bit of a scare, that's all."

oooooooo

"Wake up Miss Rory Mariano to-be," I whispered in Rory's ear. She smiled, gripping on to my chest securely.

"Good morning, my husband, wow, to-be," she laughed.

"Husband," I said, sitting next to her, "Wife. Wow." I paused. "Are we going to be bad at this?" I asked.

"Why would you say that?" she asked, worried.

"Because we never had any married couples to raise us. I mean, my mom and dad- don't make me laugh. Your mom and dad never got married. Luke, never married. I've never met my grandparents, and your grandparents are having trouble."

"Jess," she said, pulling me into her arms, "No, no don't say that. There are people. We have…Babette and Morey." I looked at her skeptically. "Besides, we don't even need anyone. Luke never knew anyone who opened a diner, and look how well he is doing." I just sighed. "I don't care! We'll do whatever it takes. I'll stand in the middle of Grand Central Station and ask people who look like they have happy marriages and good families for advice. Because I love you too damn much to let this fall apart Jess!"

"Grand Central huh?"

"Wherever you think is best," she laughed. "We have to tell my mom."

"I know."

"Today," she clarified. "When my mom first started dating Max, she didn't tell me, but I found out when he showed up at our door to take her out. I felt betrayed. It was like…all my life, my mom was my best friend, and we would tell each other everything first. Then this guy comes running along and it was just like Rory Who. It sucked. We have to tell her. Now."

"After Breakfast?"

"Fine," she sighed, still grinning crazily. I got up, looking inside the suitcase to get a clean shirt, but there was note scrawled out sitting on top of my clothes.

"Oh no," I sighed, sitting back down next to Rory. "'Walked in, saw it, didn't know what to make out,'" I read. Rory just stared at me. " 'I'm at Lorelei's. I won't say anything. Luke,'" I finished.

"He knows?" she asked, panicked.

"Probably; he said he didn't know what to make out, but he's not stupid," I paused, pulling Rory up with me. "He said he wouldn't tell her," I assured. We started getting dressed. Rory danced around the apartment, pulling on her clothes, chanting "We're getting married," over and over. I beamed but told her to chant a little quieter. Finally we got downstairs. Rory wore her ring; we didn't think anyone would notice.

"Mom," Rory yelped upon seeing her mom sitting at the counter when we first got downstairs. It was loud. In fact, almost everyone in the diner turned to look at us. Rory blushed, staying silent just long enough for everyone to look away.

"Hey hun," Lorelei greeted, patting the stool next to her. Rory bounced over, taking a sip of her mom's coffee. "So, what did you two do last night?" she asked casually, not knowing exactly what she was asking. Rory looked at me, and I nodded ever so slightly. We had agreed that Rory should tell her mom alone. I didn't think hat she was going to get upset, Rory just wanted to tell her mom; so I agreed.

"Can we go home in a minute?" Rory asked Lorelei.

"Sure…why?" Lorelei ventured.

"I'll tell you," Rory said, teasingly. "You ready?" Lorelei nodded, taking a list sip of her coffee. The two meandered towards the door.

oooooooo

It wasn't long after that that the phone rang. I was upstairs with the TV on. I had tried reading, but I couldn't focus. So I turned on the TV, but it wasn't holding my attention either. I was pretty much staring at the wall opposite me. That's when the phone rang, just when my thoughts came around to how stupid I was being.

"Hello?"

"What are you doing over there?" It was Lorelei, and it was loud. I pulled the headset away, holding it not so far from my face.

"What are you-"

"Don't play dumb with me! I know all about what's happening! Rory told me everything. My question is, what are you doing over there?" she was practically breaking down into hysteria, and I heard Rory giggling in the background. "I'm going to count to ten," here I heard Rory yelling something, Lorelei yelling something back, and a few crashes. Then Lorelei came back to the phone. "One hundred. I'm going to count to One Hundred. You better be here by then."

oooooooo

When I got to the house, Lorelei and Rory were there, of course. So was Lane. Some music was on, presumably a mix that Lane had brought over. Something frozen was being drunken it Holiday Inn glasses. I opened the door quietly, walking into the house. The first thing that hit me was Rory flying at me. I caught her, of course, and she held on to me tightly. We walked back into the living room. The next thing that happened, was Lorelei came up and gave me a hug, full fledged and all. That was when I knew everything was good. It was all going to work out.

oooooooo

That night, as we lay on Rory's bed- we had decided to stay at Lorelei's that night- it was something wonderful. It was never like me to be optimistic, but this new part of life was exciting. Nothing had happened yet, and everything was still the same. I knew that, but I couldn't help feeling good. It was as if everything- everything we had been through since the first night I stole Howl- was worth it, just for this. It was as if everything- everything since that terrible night at Kyle's party- had been set out for us to arrive at this moment. It was as if everything- everything I had felt since my mom told me she was kicking me out- was so that I could lay here with Rory and know that she was going to be my wife and I was going to be her husband. At the heart of it all, I felt that everything she had ever said, everything Rory had ever tried to convince me, was right, and that she had changed me. I smirked, rested my chin on the top of Rory's head, and closed my eyes at the thought.

oooooooo

AN: How did yall like it? I'm not so sure. Anyway, there will be a short epilogue hooked onto the end of this story. When I say short, I mean short. One, maybe two pages. Three at the most. Anyway, I am guaranteeing yall a sequel. I might take a break in between, I might now. I'm not sure; it depends on how busy it is.

The first quote said by Rory is by Robert Browning, from One Word More. The second quote, also said by Rory, is by Amy Tan. I couldn't bring myself to make Jess quote anything. I was looking, believe me, I was, but I couldn't find anything that I could honestly believe Jess would say. I thought I was all ready being a little too mushy with the whole thing, very un-Jess.