Title: Taking Care Of Me

Author: Katie

Story Summary: What you didn't see in "Teach Me Tonight" and further...

Spoilers: Up to and including "Teach Me Tonight"

Pairing: Rory and Jess

Authors Note: This is my very first fanfiction so PLEASE send me feedback…Good or bad!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Gilmore Girls…I wish I did though.

Chapter: 29, Re-Discovered Fears

Jess looked over at Rory. She was fidgeting and her eyes were darting every witch way obviously to avoid eye contact with him. Jess sighed softly to himself and shook his head slightly. Why did this part of his life have to continuously hunt him? He was a completely different person when he lived in New York, and he had no interest in going back to that…right?

Rory finally sighed softly and walked over to Jess's bed and sat down. She picked a spot on the floor and concentrated on it with all her might. What if Jess wanted to go back to all of that? What if he spent some time with Kevin and Maria and decided that it was more fun to be with them then it was to be with that small town girl he knew he had? She knew she had to stop thinking like that, she could drive herself crazy worrying about things that Jess would never do to her. At least she knew the Jess she loved would never do that to her. Rory clenched her eyes closed as she felt the bed sink slightly as Jess sat down next to her.

"Rory…" Jess started softly not sure what to say to her. He turned and faced her while sitting on the bed. He noticed that she hadn't looked up from the floor since she sat down. He sighed softly and slowly reached over and lightly touched her hand.

Rory pulled her hand back as soon as she felt Jess's fingers softly run over the back of her hand. She didn't know why she did it but she did. She clenched her eyes shut for a second then opened them and slowly looked over at her boyfriend. For some reason she couldn't keep eye contact with him for more then a moment before she felt like she had to turn away. She hated that it was this easy for some one to rattle her. She hated that it was so easy for some one whom she'd never met to walk in and awaken some of her deepest fears, fears she wasn't even aware still existed.

Jess felt like his heart was breaking. Rory couldn't even look at him let alone touch him. He realized at that moment that he hadn't prepared her for this. He never really told her anything about his past. What he was like or who he was. He should have told her more; maybe then this would be easier. "Rory…please…" Jess said softly. Jess didn't know how to fix this, how to make it better. Was she mad at him? What did she want him to do? He didn't do anything, he didn't invite them. This wasn't his fault, but some how he had never felt guiltier in his entire life. "I'm sorry…" Jess whispered looking up at his girlfriend.

Rory felt tears begin to fall down her face. The worst part was that she had no idea why. Jess didn't do anything. Why was she so upset? Rory just sat there staring at the ground feeling tears run down her face and watching them hit the ground below her, or sometimes hit her shoe. She could feel Jess's eyes on her.

Jess felt physically sick as he watched the tears fall from Rory's face. He wanted to help her, make it all better. But he knew he couldn't. "Rory, baby, please talk to me…" He whispered. Jess felt tears come to his own eyes as he watched his girl friend cry.

Jess had never sounded so small or scared to her as he did in that moment. "I'm sorry," Rory choked out through her tears. Rory finally looked up at Jess. She could tell by his eyes that this was hurting him. She never wanted to do that. She hated that she was hurting Jess. And she knew that he hated the she was hurting.

"Don't be," Jess answered her quietly. Jess, out of habit, reached his hand out to pull the tears off Rory's face. When he realized what he was doing he suddenly stopped and looked up into Rory's eyes. "Can I?" He asked. He sat there, frozen, looking into the drowning eyes of his girlfriend, feeling his heartbreak.

Rory honestly didn't know how to answer him for a moment. But finally, after what seemed like forever of her just sitting there looking as deep into his pain filled eyes as she could see, she slowly nodded her head, "Yeah…" She whispered. She felt his hand softly brush over her cheek pulling all her tears away. But as soon as he did more replaced them. Rory shifted where she was sitting so she was now facing Jess. She tried to force a smile but she couldn't get one out. She sighed softly as she felt Jess's hand rest softly on her cheek as his thumb continued to collect the ever-present tears falling there.