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Everyone: It's gonna take a little longer than normal to get the next chapter up. Not too long, because I tend to lose my train of thought for the story if I go too long between updates. But unfortunately, my sister and I are being shipped off to our aunt's house for Spring Break, and, to make a long story short, the computer is only for "work". Blech. Please enjoy this, and send me lotsa pretty reviews! If I can sneak on the computer for just a few minutes and read some, I think I'll be considerably cheered.

"Guess who's back?" came the raspy squeal from the diner door. No one had to turn around to identify the source of the voice. This had been happening a few times every year since Liz and TJ got married.

"Hey bro, we're back from the past," Liz said as she slid into a seat beside Lorelai. Lorelai waved in greeting, but didn't stop shoving forkfuls of scrambled eggs into her mouth.

"She's late," Luke said in explanation for his girlfriend's behavior. "So, uh, how was the fair?"

"Oh, it was great! TJ and me got this great spot by the main exit, so when people are fixing to leave and they want one last little souvenir, there we are. It's so much fun, you have to just come and hang out one of these days."

"One of these days," he agreed in his Luke-like way, meaning never.

"So, me and TJ haven't been through this old town in a while. What is it babe, eight months?" TJ had entered right at that moment, looking pleased that he had found the diner without assistance.

"Seven and a half," he said precisely, nodding at Luke as he took a seat on Liz's other side.

"Right, seven and a half. So what's the gossip?"

"Liz, how about you come by the Inn later, and we'll catch up. We'll have lunch, we'll gossip, we'll-Oh my God, look at the time. I have to go, I'll see you in a few hours! Bye Luke!" She ran out of the diner, pulling her coat on. Liz turned back to her brother.

"I can't wait a few hours, give me some headlines!"

"Do I look like Miss Patty? Because if I do, I want to know what you've taken in the last 24 hours."

"No, you don't look like Patty, and if she was here I'd ask her. But she's not, and you're the next best thing."

"I am not the next best thing,"

"Yes you are." Luke rolled his eyes and got two coffee mugs down.

"Can you handle a big-boy cup, or should I get a sippy-top?" he asked TJ, who didn't catch the sarcasm.

"I can handle a big-boy cup, thanks for asking though." Luke stared hard at the man for a few seconds, before shaking his head and going to pour the coffee.

"Just one little itsy bitsy scandal!" Liz pleaded, giving Luke her best impression of a puppy-dog. There was very little likeness, but it was the face she used when she was out of ideas. Luke sighed.

"Fine. When's the last time you talked to that kid of yours?"

"Don't change the subject, and why?"

"He showed up in town two months ago."

"Here? This town?"

"Yep. I thought you two talked."

"We do, pretty frequently. First Sunday of every month."

"Right, because that's frequent. What has he told you he's been up to lately?"

"Well, he's still in California, and he did some traveling with Jimmy's wife's kid."

"Wow. You do realize you don't know anything about him?"

"Luke, he's young and therefore mysterious. I figure, hey, at least we're talking. The personal stuff we'll get to later. So tell me why he was here?"

"He had to pick something up."

"I thought you sold the car years ago, what else could he be picking up?"

"Rory." Liz blinked.

"Lorelai's kid? That Rory?"

"Yup."

"Why would he be…OH! That's so cute! I never would've thought Jess had it in him."

"Yea, tell that to Lorelai. She was supposed to be gone a few days, she's been out there for two months."

"Well, brother of mine, you can't fight love."

"That's right. You tell 'em, Lizzie," TJ echoed.

"So how did he do it? Did he sweep her off her feet?"

"No, he just showed up, completely surprised everyone including Rory, and somehow managed to make her mad enough to come with him. It was all this crazy town could talk about for weeks."

"It's still adorable. And she's still there, which means he's doing something right."

"Or he's holding her against her will."

"Luke, come on. I know Jess isn't always the nicest kid, but he wouldn't do that."

"I know," Luke admitted with a sigh. "We're just scared of losing her, I guess." Liz nodded, being able to relate. TJ nodded, because his wife was doing so.

Rory sighed, going over the list in front of her again. She was trying to make a Pro/Con list, but it wasn't telling her anything. She had little in the Pro Star's Hollow column, but whether it was by intention or oversight she didn't know.

"Hungry?" came the question that broke through her thoughts, forcing her to look up. Her boyfriend was standing in front of her, bearing a sandwich.

"For me?" she asked in a happy tone, thrilled that Jess had been sweet enough to make her food.

"Mine. I'll make you one, though."

"Peanut butter and jelly!" she gushed, smiling up at him. He bent over to kiss her, and went inside to get her sandwich. She settled back in the chair, and stared at the list again. She was just stalling, she was going to stay. It was just a really big step for her…she'd never lived more than thirty minutes from her mom, and now she was moving to California. It felt better to know that she'd gone over every aspect of the plan, and that it still seemed like a good idea. Making lists and charts helped keep her calm.

But she knew that she'd have to tell Lorelai soon. She'd been here so long, her mother must suspect it. But she had to tell her, and she had to go see her one more time before she officially made the move. And she had to get her stuff.

"I think I'm gonna fly back to Connecticut to say goodbye, and get some of my things," she said to Jess when he returned with her snack. He nodded, kissing her forehead. She'd never officially said she was staying. It had been more of an unspoken communication that they both were aware of. Her vocalizing it, and closing her notebook with a sigh, just meant that the waiting period was over.

Later that night, she called Lorelai.

"Giovanni's house of lingerie, this is Marissa speaking," her mother said breathily into the receiver.

"You are never to answer the phone again," she scolded her. Lorelai had developed some creative ways of answering the phone. Rory would never forget the time Emily Gilmore had called "The Lorelais' house of whores".

"Daughter!"

"Mother!"

"Guess who's back for a few weeks? Liz and TJ, and according to Luke, Liz is completely thrilled that you're with Jess."

"Well that's good, because things are going really well." Rory began to panic. She was going to tell her mother she was moving in with Jess, just like that? And Lorelai would accept it?

"That's good. Now honey, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have to ask for the five thousandth time, when are you coming home to me?"

"I was actually thinking sometime this week." Lorelai perked up.

"This week! That's soon!"

"I know!" She couldn't do it. She couldn't tell Lorelai, she didn't like Jess. She never even fully accepted Rory's decision to visit him. She couldn't tell her she was staying.

"So, I'll see you in a few days. And I want to talk to you about something serious."

"What's up sweetie?"

"I'll tell you when I get there." Maybe, hopefully she'd have the nerve by then.

"Well, okay. If you say so, it can wait. So…what did you do today?"

"I finished a chapter, went for a run along the beach-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, you were exercising?"

"It's fun. Jess does it all the time, and I insisted he let me join him today."

"Voluntarily?"

"You know, some people do enjoy it. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to go join a fitness club or anything, but it was nice to just run. It's kind of therapeutic."

"I'll take your word for it. How's Jess?"

"He's fine. He got this inspiration strike yesterday, and he's been furiously typing pretty much ever since."

"Don't forget to water and turn him."

"I won't. Although he's been remembering to take care of himself remarkably well; he even made me a sandwich today."

"If that's not love, than what is?"

"I know, right? Luke makes you burgers, Jess makes me PB and J, and Sharon helps Ozzy make his own."

"Yea, but we have it better than Sharon, because our men have respectable mentalities."

"Then again, neither of them have been on Ozzfest."

"You're right. I'll slip Luke something in his tea tonight, by tomorrow he'll have severe brain damage!"

"And to think, all he did was make you a burger…"

Rory had decided to fly home. The bus would take too long, and it would be lonely. Jess was staying behind to continue working on his book. In addition to having frequent strokes of inspiration, they'd agreed that his being there when the town heard Rory was leaving them wouldn't be wise.

"They just called your flight," Jess said, his voice betraying amusement. Rory had been staring out the window for over twenty minutes, and hadn't looked up when the announcement was made.

"Oh, that was it?" Jess sighed, and reached over the gap between their metal seats to hug her.

"She won't be mad. Not at you anyway. Stop worrying, remember the list." She nodded, inhaling deeply. Jess smelled like soap and salt. To her, that scent was the sweetest thing she'd ever smelled, and she'd miss it while she was in Star's Hollow. Her only comfort was in knowing that she'd swiped one of his t-shirts to sleep in while she was there.

They stood up and Jess walked her to her gate, one arm casually draped over her while he carried her luggage with the other.

"I love you," he said, standing on his toes and kissing the top of her head.

"Love you too," she returned, pulling his face down so that she could give him a proper kiss.

"My best to Luke and Lorelai. Liz too, if you see her." She walked forward and handed her ticket to the attendant, before heading for the little door that led to the ramp. She turned just before she went through, and waved at Jess. He nodded in return, and she exited the airport.

"You're taller!"

"Mom, I'm not taller. Even if I was at an age where I was still growing, I wasn't gone that long."

"I disagree, two months is far too long to be away from your favorite mommy." Rory smiled sadly, as her and her mother walked arm-in-arm out of the Hartford airport.

"Everyone will be so excited to see you. In the past three days, I've had five people ask me if they could throw you a party, 12 people ask me if they could come with me to the airport, and 42 people ask me if you changed you plans and got here early."

"It's nice to be loved."

"Well, we can't help it. You're so fabulous that the world stops spinning directly on its axis when you're not around. I swear, the center of gravity shifted."

"To?"

"California."

"We're going to rent you some old Billy Nye tapes when we get home," Rory commented sarcastically.

They pulled up in front of the diner, and got out of the car.

"Rory!" came from at least four directions. She yelled 'Hello!' back as loudly as she could, before going with her mom into Luke's. The owner came and gave her a big hug, before heading off to get them coffee.

"Tell us all about California!" Miss Patty gushed. Rory looked around and saw that most of Star's Hollow's gossip chain had gathered in Luke's. Luke himself rolled his eyes, and began getting more cups out.

"It was so beautiful. And warm. And it smelled pretty."

"Tell us all about Mr. Mariano," Patty said, slyly. She stuck an unlit cigarette in her mouth, scowling at Luke, and pretended to smoke it. Luke's non-smoking-only policy had hit her hard.

"He's doing okay, I got to meet his Dad and his family."

"The man who made Jess leave?"

"Jimmy's nice, and anyway, Jess would have left regardless," she defended.

"Are you two officially a couple?"

"Yea," Rory said with a happy-blush, what he'd said to her the other night coming back to her. 'We're going to live here in this kingdom by the sea, me and my Lorelai Leigh,' he'd said in reference to the Annabel Lee poem. She'd giggled and blushed, curling up to him in the white cotton sheets of their bed. 'Someday I'll make you my wife and then everyone will know I love you and you're mine.' That had been a drowsy afterthought, one that Rory would hold in her heart.

"How is the long-distance thing going to workout? Is he moving back here?"

"No, he's not moving here. It'll cause too many issues. We've got it all worked out, though. Luke, can I have some pie?" The women were so excited to have the town princess back, they didn't notice her casual change of subject. As he fetched her pie, though, Luke did. And he knew something was up.

"I can't believe it! An entire meal and not one crack at our eating habits! You need to go away more often!" Rory smiled as her mom amazed over Luke's behavior, and felt a slight tug at her heartstrings. She had to do it. She wanted to do it soon, so it could sink it. She didn't want to tell her, but she wanted more than anything to return to Jess. So she took a deep breath.