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Thanks everyone, so here it is, the last chapter, it is the longest chapter I've written and I'm hoping its up to scratch, so please review and let me know your thoughts.
Enjoy.
Chapter 4 – All I wanted2 ½ months later
Rory sat on her balcony, their room over looked a little French square, and everywhere she saw people walking to their destination, as she sat unsure of hers. She had spent the last almost 3 months thinking and it was driving her crazy. Thoughts of Jess, school, her mum, the town, Stars Hollow and everything else.
She knew she loved Jess that much was true. But in the back of her mind the fact that he had just up and left again floated taunting her. She knew had gone to help his Mum and TJ but he could have told her, that was the thing with Jess. He never told her things, where he was going, what he was feeling and he had promised this time it would be different.
Rory looked down out of the room, she saw two kids running playing tiggi. She sighed, this trip was suppose to be a wonderful experience, a chance to do Europe the 'proper way' as her Grandmother said. But Rory was so caught up in her confusion about Jess that she had hardly stepped outside her hotel room, only leaving when she was forced by her Grandma pulling her off to see some museum or another. Usually Rory would have loved going and seeing all the historical sights but her mind was always on him, and left no room for the trails of the past.
She looked down at the kids again and then sat up, if they can have fun so can I she thought, why should I sit around here moping about a stupid boy, she had certainly not been bought up to be that girl.
Her Grandmother and her had planed to go Notre Dame today but Emily was taking forever to get ready. Rory got off her seat over looking the world and decided to take a step into it. She crossed to the bedroom and knocked on the door.
"Grandma! I'm going for a walk ill meet you at Notre Dame in an hour" she called through the wooden door. A few seconds later her Grandmother appeared at the door dressed only in a dressing gown.
"I want to go for a walk, can I meet you there in a an hour?" she repeated.
"Of corse, that's fine" replied her Grandmother, glad Rory was voluntarily leaving the hotel room.
Rory picked up her handbag and walked out of her room, Paris, the city not the roommate, awaited her this morning and she wasn't going to miss out on this beautiful day.
Across the sea at a renaissance fair along way away stood a very bored Jess. His mother said they would only need his help for a couple of weeks, but a couple of weeks had turned into a couple of months and now the summer was almost over. He'd tried calling Rory numerous times, her mother had picked up and the first 3 times he'd call she'd simply hung up when she heard it was him. But he eventually got her to listen and he found out Rory had gone to Europe. He wasn't sure what to think about that, I mean he was the one who always got slammed for just leaving and she had just left and gone to Europe. He knew that it was ruff him having to go away just when they had gotten back together but this time he had told her he was going, I thought that was what she wanted, for me to tell her thing. He thought, god girls were confusing,
"Jess" he heard his 'step dad' TJ call, he reluctantly turned around to face him.
"Whadya want?" he snapped. TJ held up his glass at Jess. He was milking this for all it was worth, his mum was at least up and trying to help run the booth, but TJ just sat on his ass all day doing nothing. Jess sighed and grabbed the glass off him.
"Luke!" TJ called past Jess. Jess turned to see his uncle standing on the other side of wooden booth.
"Hey" Jess called out, glad to see a familiar and sain face, Jess walked quickly away from TJ as Luke manoeuvred his way through the shrubbery and appeared on this side of the booth. Both men stood awkwardly not sure how to greet each other, luckily the silence was broken as Liz appeared.
"Luke!" she cried wrapping her un injured arm around Luke's neck, he hugged his sister back.
"Hey bro what are you doing here?" she asked smiling happily at him.
At that moment, Jess was surprised to see none other than Lorelai Gilmore appear on the other side of the fair booth. His mother spotted her too.
"Lorelai!" Liz shouted
"Hey" Lorelai said making her way around the booth before being enveloped in a hug by Liz. Jess rolled his eyes at his mother's enthusiasm before his eyes met Lorelai's. She might have been his girlfriends' mum but they had never gotten along that well, maybe that's why they hadn't gotten along that well. She smiled polity at him before turning her attention back to his mum and TJ.
Rory walked the small streets of Paris, taking in everything around her as the warm summer air floated by. She came to an end and turned left, she walked a little further and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the view at the end of this tiny street. In front of her stretched out was the river Seine. She walked forward to its edge, crossing the boardwalk, she reached a wall in place to stop people from falling in. She looked out over the edge at the murky water beneath and then up at the sky. She closed her eyes as the light bounced off the water illuminating her face, feeling happy to be out and free and thinking of something other than Jess. After a few minutes of this she opened her eyes again and looked around her. There was no one else on this part of the boardwalk except for a man of about her age sitting a little further down on the wall. Rory could see a he had a sketch book and what looked like an art box on the ground next to him. She thought he was probably a street drawer, they sit on the streets and for a few dollars they will draw you. Rory walked closer to the man, he wore a grey beanie and was staring out across the river sketch book and pencil in hand.
In the spirit of living today she decided to ask the guy to draw her, she walked a little closer and cleared her throat prepared to bring the little French she knew to action. The man heard her and turned away from the river pulling his beanie off his head. Rory almost fell over as he turned and she saw his face, and as he pulled off his beanie and his golden hair appeared.
"Tristan!" Rory said disbelievingly. Tristan lay his book down, his face with a similar look of disbelief.
"Rory?" he asked almost not believing it.
Later that day Jess was packing up the booth, putting all the jewellery into boxes, when a certain Gilmore girl approached him.
"They're pretty" she commented, meaning the jewellery not Jess. Jess just nodded he didn't really know or care that much about jewellery.
"Your mums really talented" said Lorelai, Jess ignoring her attempt at small talk.
She'd had enough.
"Look you and me have never got along but I think you should know this because if you did you wouldn't be standing here putting jewellery into boxes" Jess looked up, what was she on about?
"You wanna know why she left, why she went to Europe? Because you left her again with any warning you just up and left. And I don't blame…" Jess cut in.
"What do you mean just up and left? I came to your house and left her a note explaining that I had to come here and help my mum and TJ!" Lorelai faulted at this.
"You did? Well I don't know but from Rory's reaction I'm pretty sure she didn't get any note" she said watching him carefully.
"Damn it!" he yelled slamming the box onto the counter top. Lorelai jumped a little at this.
"She's going to hate me" he said quietly. Lorelai sighed.
"You can fix this you know, she'll be home in a couple of weeks and you can explain…" Jess didn't seem to have much patience today and yet again he cut in.
"No it I'll be too late, she'll probably meet someone in Europe and she'll have gotten over me, it will be too late" he said, his brow cringed in thought.
'Well what are you going to go?" she asked confused.
"I have to find her"
Rory and Tristan sat on the wall next to the Seine, they were actually getting along really well unlike how they had done in their high school days.
"So Yale, wow" said Tristan impressed.
"Yeah that's kind of what I was like when I first got there" she said smiling at him.
"So wow Princeton, I think that's great" she said, he chuckled at this.
"Yeah my parents weren't too thrilled they wanted me to go to well Yale actually" they both laughed at this.
"So what are you doing in Paris?" she said, intrigued by this new and nice Tristan Dugrey.
"Well I was on summer break and my parents wanted me to go to England and visit all the family with them, so reluctantly I went, but after a few days I got bored so me and my cousin Damien took the train over here and I've been hanging out here for about 2 months now." He replied happily
"Wow. And the drawing, I would never have taken you Tristan for the artistic type" she said laughing a little. Tristan simply stuck out his tongue at her.
"There's a lot you don't know about me…Mary" he said, knowing he was crossing into dangerous territory there, using her former and hated nick name.
Her face turned to mock hurt as she hit him playfully on the arm. He chuckled at this.
"So what are you doing in Paris?" he asked seriously this time. Rory sighed, she could tell him the answer she had come to use whenever asked why she was all the way from home, or she could tell him the truth.
"Um well my Grandmother asked if I wanted to come and I said yes" she said her eyes fixed on the ground. Tristan looked at her sceptically, watching as she avoided him. Being the former playa he was he knew that look.
"Who is he?" he asked watching her.
"Whose who?" she asked looking up at him,
"The guy" he replied. Rory studied Tristan face, he could tell, she didn't know how but somehow Tristan could see right through her. She sighed.
"Is it bag boy?" he asked cheekily. Rory smiled at the nickname Tristan had created for her ex boyfriend.
"No. His name is Jess" she said honestly. Tristan nodded and waited silently for her to say more.
"Jess and I used to go out in high school, senior year. Everything was going really good and then right before my graduation he left and went to California to see his dad, all without telling me any of this by the way. Anyway he came back eventually but we never got back together, and then at the start of the summer holidays he came to see me. He told me loved me and we…" Rory waved her arms suggestively, causing Tristan to scoff.
"Mary wasn't so innocent after all" he said cheekily, she brushed off his comment and continued.
"So yeah we were together and he moved back to Stars Hollow and one night my mum caught us together and I hadn't told her about us, so I ended up fighting with my mum and I never fight with my mum. So I freaked and then I fought with Jess. And he had to go to Maine to help his mum and he just left again, without saying goodbye, without saying anything" she said sadly.
Tristan watched as she told her sad story. How could a guy leave a girl as amazing as Rory? And not once, but twice! Idiot. He thought to himself.
He was a sap he knew it, he was like one of those guys in those stupid chick flicks, romantic comedies, he was about to fly half way across the world for a girl, well not just any girl, Rory. He turned to face the party that had accompanied him. Luke, Lorelai, his mum and TJ, who surprise surprise started to feeling a lot better when Luke and Jess had ganged up and threatened that if he didn't get much better very soon there would be consequences.
"So you got everything?" Luke asked
"Yep" said Jess.
"And thanks Luke" Jess smiled genuinely at Luke who had lent him the money to get to Europe. Luke smiled a proud smile at what Jess was about to do, and nodded in recognition before pulling his nephew into a hug. Liz smiled happily as Jess turned to face her next.
"Aw my little boys all grown up" Jess rolled his eyes as his mother enveloped him in a hug. Jess eventually was let go, and her felt her place something cold and metal into his hand. He looked down at his hand to see a small silver necklace. He looked up at his mother who gave him a smile, he gave her one last hug and turned to TJ.
"Cya man" he said
"Cya Jess, go get her" TJ said too enthusiastically. Jess tried to ignore this and instead turned to Lorelai. She leaned in and hugged him, whispering in his ear.
"Take good care of her ok?" she said before pulling back,
"And tell her I love her" Jess gave her a small yet sincere smile, which gave Lorelai reason enough to believe him. He loved Rory and she could see that now, she was just glad that Rory was going to be coming home.
Jess turned to face the group that had gathered to say goodbye.
"So Cya" he said, his turned leaving 4 proud adults behind. With the hope of Rory and Europe ahead.
"So hows your girl situation going Dugrey?" Rory asked, trying to change the subject from Jess, the subject she had been trying to avoid the whole trip. From that tale she had just told Tristan, it kind of sounded like Jess was just some guy who'd show up for a bit and then just leave, if she was listening to the story she would think 'why is that girl still with him'. As she asked herself that question, a million answers ran through her mind, listing all his great quality, but she gave the answer she felt resonated the strongest…she loved him.
"Oh you know me" he said smiling weekly, in actual fact he had never really found 'that girl', for him it seemed to be a continually string of girls, he was just with well for …sex, but as he was getting older he was realising he wanted more than just that.
"Rory can I ask you something?" he asked, his tone serious.
"Yeah, you can ask I might not answer" she replied, watching him.
"This guy, he keeps leaving you and yet you still wanna be with him, why?" he asked honestly. Rory looked down at the ground, his question linking back to her previous thought. She looked up him, giving him the only answer she knew to be true"
"Because I love him" she said simply, her eyes showing Tristan how serious she was. He wanted that, that sort of love, not so he could just leave and come back and the girl would still want him. But so he could have that kind of love that could withstand anything, a love so strong. Rory watched as he thought, and she suddenly realised that they had probably been sitting on that wall for quiet a while now.
"Oh shoot what time is it?" Rory asked hurriedly.
"12" he said,
"Oh god I've got to meet my Grandmother, but I want to see you again" she said sincerely.
"Diner, meet me at La Costa el at 8" he suggested
Rory smiled at this.
'Ok, Cya then" she said before rushing off.
Jess sat on the plane, he had never been on a plane before and he wasn't really taking baby steps with it, it was a long flight to Paris. Lorelai had found out that's where Rory was, so that's where he was going. He had no idea what he was going to say when he got there, when he found her. He just knew it had to find her, had to make it right. He loved her and he had never felt anything as strong as that.
Jess watched as the airhostess slowly moved backwards coming up level with him, as she served drinks to passengers. She turned to face him a fake plastic smile on her face.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" she the man on the other side of Jess. He watched as the mans eyes lit up at the site of a pretty girl in a short skirt.
"Gin and tonic" he replied, very obviously checking the girl out and she bent down to get his drink. Jess watched this little scene take place, he looked at the girl for a moment. He was in no way attracted to her, in fact he was no longer attracted to any girl as he had previously been. The only girl who made him feel anything any more was…her, Rory.
The girl passed the drink across him to the man, she winked at him before turning to face Jess.
"Can I get you anything?" she asked, again using the same polite tone she had used with the man next to him. Jess shook his head. So the lady instead turned and started to repeat her routine to the people across the isle from him.
God I hope I can fix this with Rory, because if I can't then I'm screwed..
Rory met Tristan as requested at La Costa el at 8. When she arrived he was waiting for her. She was wearing a loose pink dress as the hot night air clung to her exposed skin. Tristan was wearing similarly loose clothing, a white cotton shirt.
Rory tried to remember the last time she had been out like this, on a date? Was this here with Tristan a date? In her mind she was still kind of going out with Jess, I mean she loved Jess. No this diner was just two old school buddies catching up. She tried to convince herself of this as Tristan pulled out her chair for her. God I think this is a date.
Jess exited the airport, the warm summer air making his clothes instantly too much, so he pulled off his jacket so he was just wearing a plan white t-shirt. He hailed down the nearest cab and pulled out a piece of paper on which Lorelai had scrawled the directions, he handed them to the driver as they were written in French as he couldn't read French. The driver seemed to understand the instructions and started the engine, driving off out of the airport.
Rory was having a great time catching up with Tristan but at the back of her mind was the still nagging question of was she on a date with Tristan. She had just finished her desert and was now staring out into the street.
"Rory?" Tristan asked, she was staring out across the street.
"Rory?" he said a little louder, she jerked her head back to face him
"Oh I'm sorry" she said
"That's ok. Do you want to get out of here? Go for a walk?" he asked, she nodded as they paid and left the small restaurant.
Rory's head was all over the place, she knew that she'd had a great time with Tristan and despite their history he was turning out to be a really nice guy. But at the back of her mind was Jess, it had always been like that with him, deep inside her she knew he was the only one who would ever make her feel those butterflies, those uncontrollable all over crazy, happy…Love.
Tristan and her had reached the river, again back where they had first met. He turned to face her lightly taking her hands.
"Rory, I'm going back to the US tomorrow and I was hoping that when you get back maybe we could…go out?" he asked tentatively.
Rory watched him, she knew she couldn't accept, she loved Jess. But as she watched him a thought crossed her mind, her eyes travelled to his lips. She needed to know, she knew this was completely wrong to Tristan, hell she'd done it before. But she needed this confirmed once and for all. She slowly leaned in and kissed him, it was a sweet kiss, but it told Rory everything she needed to know. She pulled back to look at him, her eyes sad.
"Tristan you are a really great guy, but I can't I'm sorry" and with that she turned and ran off into the warm summer air. The kiss confirming what I think she'd known all along, Jess was the only one she needed and the only one she wanted.
His cab pulled up outside her building, or at least what he assumed was her building. He handed over various French notes to the cab driver who handed a few back. He grabbed his bag and hopped out of the cab, he watched as the cab drove off and he was left standing outside her building. He needed to think, what was he going to say? There was a small bench near by he sat down, from here he could see out cross the small square, there was a café on the other side of it and on the left was beaded archway leading to the Metro.
Rory, I'm sorry
Rory, I left a note outside your house, I did and… Not that sounded too weak. Jess continued to contemplate what he was going to say to her.
Rory ran, it wasn't usually something she did, run, but Jess and love was making her do crazy things, she had to stop at one point to take off her heals but it was only a short delay. She had to get back to the Hotel, she had to get on a plane, tonight. She had to get back to Stars Hollow, she had to find Jess. Luke said he was in Maine, she could go to Maine, all she knew was she had to be with him.
Rory ran through a lane which bought her out through to the square where her hotel was situated, she was in such a rush that she almost didn't notice the dark hair boy sitting on the bench, almost did hear him call out her name. But she did see him, and she did hear him.
Jess could hardly believe it, there she was. Like a vision she ran out from an alleyway, she ran across the square headed to her hotel, she almost ran right past him, but he wasn't going to let her get away again, not this time.
"Rory!" he called out, she stoped. Jess stood up, what was she going to say? He didn't know if she was going to want to kiss him or hit him, but he was guessing it was going to be the latter option. She turned and she saw him, there he stood. She didn't have to go to Maine, he was standing right there in front of her. She didn't move she just stood there. Then the voice in the back of her head spoke. What are you doing you idiot? There in front of you is everything you've ever wanted, go and get it! And with that she crossed the short distant to him, her lips colliding with his as her arms found their place around his neck. After the shock had given way Jess realised she was actually kissing him, and he didn't hesitate to kiss her back. The intensity was high and their passion and lust was higher. She almost melted at feeling his touch again, his lips against her, god how she'd missed that. He wanted her but he couldn't get enough, too many clothes in the way he thought. Her body couldn't get enough of him, she wanted more, but the voice in her head told her to slow down a little, there was a discussion to be had.
They pulled back panting slightly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't just leave I wrote a letter but you obviously didn't get it, and then I heard you'd left and…" Rory placed her finger on his lips to stop his rambling.
"I love you" she said simply, Jess let out the breath that he'd subconsciously been holding since he decided to come and see her.
"I love you too" he said, as he pulled her in and hugged her tight.
Back in Connecticut in the small town of Stars Hollow, Luke and Lorelai were lying on Lorelai's couch, comfortably sprawled across it enjoying a movie and each others company. Lorelai had seen the movie a hundred times and her mind kept wandering to Rory and Jess. She wondered if he'd got there yet, she glanced at the clock on the VCR, he should been there by now. She had never exactly been the biggest fan of Jess's but she now found herself batting for him, hoping against all hope that him and Rory could figure it all out. She missed her daughter, she not only missed her being here but missed the happy vibrant Rory that had been MIA for the past couple of months. Since everything with Jess, the sort of break up, whenever they'd talked on the phone, Rory seemed sad and that sad tone had not gone away. And the only thing Lorelai could think would make it any better was Jess.
Just then the phone began to ring, Lorelai jumped off the couch, almost running to the phone. Almost running, she loved her daughter but she wasn't running for anyone.
"Hello" she said quickly, willing it to be Rory on the other end.
"Mum?" Rory said, her voice sounding far away. Duh she was in France.
"Rory!" Lorelai said happily.
"I'm so sorry mum, I've been a complete mope the last couple of months, and but now everything and Jess…"
"Are you guys back together?" Lorelai asked eagerly
"Yeah" Rory said slowly, preparing to be slammed.
"YAY" Lorelai jumped up and down. Luke looked up at the crazy lady who was jumping up and down clutching the phone to her ear. He raised his eyebrows at her.
"They got back together" she said, filling Luke in on why she was jumping up and down.
"Ah ok. Say hey from me" he said from his place on the couch.
"Luke says hey" she said happily.
"Say Hey" back said Rory.
"Rory says Hey back" Lorelai said to Luke, he simply nodded in recognition.
"So are you ok with me and Jess being…together again?" Rory asked tentatively.
"Ok? I'm ecstatic! Happy Rory is coming back now right?"
Rory laughed at this.
"She is most definitely back" she said, smiling, so glad to be back on normal terms with her mother, her best friend.
So for the first time in a while Rory's life seemed to be looking up. She was back on good terms with her mother and best friend who was happily in a relationship with Luke. She was starting back at school soon and her and Jess were doing great, deciding to get a place together close to Yale. All that was great and exciting but for now she content where she was, which at that exact moment was standing with Jess at the top of the Eiffel Tower, his arms wrapped around her waist, and him whispering 3 little words into her ear.
"I Love you"
The End ( I'm a sucker for Happy Endings:) )