JediPirateElfyDude: Chemistry must die! Thank you for assuring me that I am not the only one who sees no point in diagramming the orbitals that electrons travel in.

Jess and No Name: New readers! Yay! Thanks guys!

nora17: Looking for literati? Ever been to Bookends? http: I love this site.

Cadenza at Midnight: Responding to "If we review more, will you fail every other subject too and just write this all day?" Um…Sure why not?

Rory was the first to wake up. She remembered Jess putting her to bed, stripping her clothes off her. She was tucked in tightly, wearing only her bra and panties. Both white. Such a pure color.

She remembered him taking his time, remembered feeling his inner conflict through his touches. She'd pretended to sleep, for both their sanity. She'd re-lived last night in her dreams, each ending the same way: the way that made the most sense. Not the way that her heart wanted it to.

She got up and grabbed her bathrobe from her bag, deciding to see if he was awake. She slowly opened her door and listened intently. Hearing nothing, she tiptoed to his door, quietly opened it a crack, and peeked into his room. He was sprawled across his bed, his hair clashing with the white pillows. He wore no shirt, and she didn't know if he wore anything else. A white cotton sheet wrapped itself around his waist in a forced manner, indicating that he'd tossed and turned last night.

She closed the door and went back to her room. Noticing the sunshine spilling in the window, she took her cell phone from her bag and went outside to call Lorelai. She sank down into his hammock, watching the waves for a few minutes. The sun glanced off the ocean and made it sparkle. Jess was right; California was so much more beautiful than any murky beach on the east coast.

She snapped out of her trance, realizing Lorelai would assume the worst if she didn't call soon. She'd assume Jess had kidnapped her or raped her or killed her. She stared at the phone, wondering why she wasn't more enthusiastic to talk to her mother. Normally, she'd have to call her and have Lorelai help her sort her feelings out after anything happened. But she felt removed and independent now. She felt like whatever choice she made, it would be the right choice. No one had asked her to make any choices yet. But she already knew she'd make the right one.

Out of kindness, she did finally pull herself together and dial the Dragonfly Inn.

"Dragonfly Inn, how may we accommodate you?" came the French voice on the other end.

"Michel, it's Rory. Can I talk to my mom?"

"During company hours? I am afraid not. But if I remember, I will tell her you called."

"Lorelai will ship you back to Paris if you don't get her now."

"Allow me a minute to fantasize. Ah, baguettes, glace, crepes…"

"Michel, did Lorelai explain the situation?"

"She said nothing to me, but she has been in a snit these past few days."

"Don't you want to know why?"

"Not really. Only if it involves you doing something very naughty and breaking her poor little heart."

"Do you remember Jess?"

"No."

"He's my ex-boyfriend, who moved to California. And that's where I am now. California."

"Lorelai! Your child wishes to speak with you!" Michel called out gleefully, anticipating the look on Lorelai's face. His boss came and grabbed the phone from him as he settled back into his chair, ready for a show.

"Rory? Are you alright?"

"What do you mean am I alright? Of course I'm alright; no one can mess with me if Jess is there."

"Yea, that's why I'm concerned."

"Mom, Jess is being a perfect gentleman. He hasn't sold me into migrant labor or forced me to do dirty things in public as of yet."

"Has he…tried to, well, do anything?" Back in Connecticut, Michel cackled at Lorelai's discomfort.

"Actually, he's holding out remarkably well considering I tried to seduce him last night."

"Whoa there cowboy, WHAT did you try to do?" She stood up and began to walk away from Michel's snickering. He frowned, and followed her. Sookie looked up as both walked into the kitchen, Lorelai looking apprehensive and Michel looking smug.

"What's going on?" she asked Michel.

"Sweet little Rory is in heaps of trouble," he whispered. Sookie had seen Rory leave, so she dropped the bowl of batter she was holding (luckily just avoiding hitting her foot), and followed Michel following Lorelai around the kitchen.

"Okay, start at the beginning, and don't leave anything out. I can take it. Really."

"Well, he dunked me first of all,"

"Is that some new sexual term I should be aware of?" Sookie and Michel looked at each other, eyes wide and interested.

"No, I meant in the ocean. They have one of those here. It's really pretty. I'm staring at it now."

"Okay, I'll overlook the fact that he tried to drown you. Continue."

"And we were really close and I was cold and he kissed me."

"That son of a bitch!"

"And I let him."

"Well, that's understandable. You were surprised."

"And then we needed to breathe so we broke apart and I grabbed him again."

"Very forward of you."

"Thank you. Anyway, he's the one who stopped us. He said we should talk first, and at the time I wasn't thinking, but then he took me inside and put me to bed because I was really tired."

"Wow. That was…nice."

"Wasn't it?"

"So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, he's still asleep, and I have this crazy urge to make him breakfast. But I don't think he'd appreciate if I burned his house down."

"No, men tend to dislike us when we do that. But seriously, what are you going to do about Jess?"

"I don't know."

"Do you…do you still, like, have feelings for him?"

"Apparently yes."

"Okay. Well, you just try to keep your head, call me whenever something happens and you need to talk, and above all, be safe."

"I will, mom," Rory said exasperatedly.

"I'm not even sure what context you might need to be safe in. If it's safe as in wear-sunscreen-on-the-beach safe, then do it. If it's safe as in use-a-condom-for-God's-sake safe, please please please do." Sookie shrieked and knocked over a pile of French toast.

"Talk to you later, mom."

"Yea. You too." They hung up simultaneously and Sookie bounced excitedly.

"So…Rory and Jess…" She made some twitching motions with her hands, and Lorelai looked on cluelessly. Sookie tried again, this time clapping her hands. Lorelai shrugged again. Blushing, Sookie beat the palm of her hand with her other fist, and Lorelai caught on.

"Oh, God I hope not! I was just being general!" Sookie nodded and began trying to clean up the French Toast.

"Is Rory in trouble?" Michel asked sweetly.

"She's in over her head," Lorelai stated as she walked out the back door. No one had to ask where she was going.

"Luke!" she yelled as soon as she reached the diner. Her boyfriend stood up from behind the counter and took one look at her face. Instantly, he was beside her, bringing her coffee.

"What's wrong, Lor?"

"Rory."

"What? What did Jess do?" he asked angrily.

"He didn't do anything. He's treating Rory good, he's taking care of her. Rory is the problem. She's lusting after him, and nothing possibly in the realm of good can happen."

"You're so sure it's lust, and not love?"

"Of course I'm sure! She hasn't seen him in years; she can't still be in love with him! I don't even know if she ever was in love with him to begin with!"

"That still doesn't mean it's not something more."

"That isn't how love works, Luke. It needs to be nurtured, it needs to be fed. I thought I was in love with Chris for the longest time, but I finally realized that I'd fallen out of love with him because he was never around! Nothing ever happened! We were cut off from each other, and we died." Luke sat down across from her and took her hand, looking serious.

"I've been in love with you forever, and I never acted upon it for years. It didn't go away. You were in my life, but not how I wanted you to be. Give Rory and Jess a chance."

"She could be making a mistake."

"She could be. But I think it's one she wants to make pretty damn bad, don't you? And what if it's not a mistake. What if she still loves him, and he still loves her, and they're finally away from everyone who ever doubted them." Lorelai said nothing, just took a sip of her coffee.

Rory slowly entered the house again, wondering if she should wake him up. She didn't see much food in the kitchen, and she was characteristically starving.

She knocked on his door lightly, wondering if she should put on something other than the short, thin bathrobe.

"Come in," he said sleepily from inside, and she cautiously opened the door. He was wearing pants after all, red flannel bottoms. She cracked a smile. Jess wearing flannel.

"You sleep tight?" he asked, rolling over to check the alarm clock.

"Like a baby."

"Then why are you up at eight? Or is this some new, more mature side of Rory Gilmore?"

"Mature? Never!" she gasped in mock-indignation. "I was just wondering if I could use your shower."

"Sure. You hungry?"

"I'm always hungry."

"Well, it's nice to see that nothing's changed. You take your shower and I'll run into town and get us doughnuts."

"You spoil me."

"I have no food in my house. As long as I'm going out, I might as well get something bad for us." She grinned at him as she walked by and entered the bathroom. Closing the door, she quickly stripped off her bathrobe and dried undergarments. By the time Jess had crawled out of bed and started stretching like a cat, she was under the water. He threw on a t-shirt and shoes before leaving the house. He didn't want to be there when she got out, all naked and wet and happy.

He ran into one of Sasha's friends on his way. Her name was Kelly, and she was known for having rapports with younger men. She'd wanted to get her claws on Jess since he'd moved in with Sasha and Jimmy.

"Jess hun, what brings you here in your PJ's?"

"Nourishment."

"That's like eating, right?"

"You're not as dumb as you look, I'll give you that."

"Thanks, babe!" she cooed, not hearing his sarcasm.

"I need to go, Rory will be out of the shower soon," he said, fully knowing what she was up to and willing to say anything to get out of there. He got out of the car and began the short walk to the bakery. Kelly followed.

"Who's Rory?" she asked, trying to sound interested.

"A girl."

"Is she pretty?"

"Very." He grinned despite himself.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you, Jess," she said as he went in. As soon as she lost sight of him through the window, she almost ran to a pay phone.

"Sash? It's Kel. Some girl spent the night at Jess's house," she tattled. If there was anything she loved more than twenty-something surfing champs, it was stirring up trouble.

"Rory, right? I figured he'd keep her there."

"Who is she? How does she know him?"

"She's some girl from his old home. Kel, my step-son isn't going to sleep with you, so you can stop being jealous."

"I'm not jealous, I'm intrigued. Is she special?"

"Oh yea. He's crazy about her."

"Are they serious?"

"All I know is what Jess told me, and he never tells me anything. Go play with the paper boy, I have to work." Kelly hung up and watched as Jess exited the bakery with a full bag, and got back into his car. She sighed and shrugged. Oh well.

All filler, no killer. But I promise next chapter will be interesting!