Disclaimer: Things I own include Gilmore Girls Season 2 on DVD, a Super Nintendo, a cellphone that doesn't work, and about 20 pairs of shoes. Things I don't own include any of the characters or backstory of Gilmore girls.

A/N: Thanks, as always, for all the great reviews. I love them. My goal was to make this chapter as fluffy and drama-free as possible. All you authors who manage to write fluff and advance the plot deserve a cookie because I had one Hell of a time doing it! I think I did OK though, so please let me know what you think. (aka REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW) :falls over dead at the trials and tribulations of writing lit fluff:

Chapter 11

"We should have a song." Rory said matter-of-factly. She looked up at Jess with big eyes. She was lying on the bed in his motel room, reading a magazine while Jess put his clean laundry in drawers.

Jess rolled his eyes. "OK, then we'll hold hands and skip through a meadow."

"I'm serious." Rory said insistently. "Couples should have songs. My parents' song was Take My Breath Away."

Jess snorted back a laugh. "And that's the exact reason we shouldn't have a song. Twenty years from now, I don't want to have to tell our children that our song is something embarrassing like Hit Me Baby One More Time."

"Britney Spears?" Rory said, making a face. "Never."

"So you see my point. We're remaining songless." Jess said, sitting on the bed next to her, grateful that she hadn't thought anything of him mentioning children, or implying that they'd be together in 20 years. "Besides, it makes me kind of happy that the only song I associate with you is Guns at Brixton."

Rory sat up with a smile. "You remember that?"

Jess took her hand in his and kissed it lightly. "Of course."

Rory looked down at the heart pendant around her neck as she said, "I had that piece of paper with me on the podium when I gave my graduation speech."

Jess just smiled and held her hand a little tighter.

"I saw you there." Rory continued in a whisper.

Jess looked at her, shocked. "You saw me there?"

Rory nodded. "I peeked out before the ceremony started to try to see where my mom was sitting. I saw you in the back, just kinda standing there with your hands shoved in your pockets."

"I didn't want you upset you. I just wanted to see you graduate. I wanted to hear your speech." Jess said, suddenly feeling very awkward and uncomfortable.

"I know." Rory said. "I was really glad to see you there. It's why I kept in that one part of my speech. The part about cherishing the memory. That was for you. I was going to cut it out, but when I saw you, the words just came out."

"I had to leave right after that, because I knew if I listened to anymore of it, I'd want to stay, and I couldn't."

Rory touched Jess's face delicately. "I was so happy you came."

Jess smirked. "I never would've missed it. I know if I'd graduated, you'd have been front row."

Rory became silent at Jess's words. "Jess, what are you going to do? Are you really gonna just work at the diner and live in a motel for the rest of your life?"

Jess sighed. "Rory, we've been back together for about two hours. Are you seriously going to start this fight with me this soon?"

"I'm not trying to fight. I'm just asking. You can't keep drifting. You have to start dealing with life. Do you have a plan?" Rory asked.

Jess shook his head. "You know I don't. Why would you even ask?"

Rory sighed. "I hate watching you do this to yourself. Jess, if you could do anything with the rest of your life, what would you do? I don't care how ridiculous it sounds. Just tell me."

Jess shrugged. "I dunno. I don't mind doing the menial labor thing. I liked working with the forklift at Wal-Mart. I don't mind doing stuff at the diner. The way I figure it, as long at the end of the day, I have you and my books then I'm happy. I don't care what else I do."

Rory smiled at the sincerity in his voice, but knew that he was holding back. "Jess…you seriously have nothing you'd like to do?"

Jess sighed. "I used to think it'd be kinda cool to own a club. You know, a place where I could book bands that don't suck and play whatever kind of music I wanted."

Rory smiled at him. "You have a dream."

"Shut up." Jess grumbled.

Rory cuddled close to him and said, "You have aspirations."

Jess lay back on the bed and held Rory in his arms. "Do not." He said, kissing the top of her head.

"You do too." Rory said triumphantly, toying with his hands. "You have something you want to do with your life. You have a goal."

Jess shook his head. "It's just an idea Ava and I used to like to toy with. High school dropouts don't open clubs."

Rory shrugged and said, "They can if they go back to school and finish."

Jess didn't say anything, but Rory could feel him stiffen beneath her. "I was doing some research online, and did you know that a person can finish night school in less than six months?"

"Yeah? Kinda useless information for a girl who graduated with honors from the best private school in Connecticut." Jess commented dryly.

"Well, I just thought it'd be something interesting to know." Rory said, snuggling against Jess's chest.

Jess didn't say anything, and Rory didn't say anything else either. They just lay in the bed, holding each other until they both drifted off to sleep.

"Hey." Rory said, walking into the diner.

"Hey." Jess said, giving her a quick kiss. "Heading back to school?"

"In a little bit. Mom and I are getting something to eat first." Rory said, nodding to where her mother stood outside, talking to Kirk.

Jess nodded. "Take a seat. I'll bring some coffee over."

Rory smiled and leaned into him for another kiss. "Smart boy." She murmured against his mouth.

Jess pulled away smiling. "Go sit down or I'll never get any work done."

Rory went and sat down at a table while Jess walked behind the counter to grab the coffee pot. Luke was standing there; arms crossed his chest with an amused smile.

"What?" Jess asked, annoyed.

"Oh, nothing." Luke said. After a brief pause he continued, "So when you said that you and Rory were done for good, you meant that it was nothing three days apart couldn't fix?"

"Shut up." Jess said, but not without a smile.

Luke grinned at his nephew. "You're together again."

"I said shut up." Jess said, embarrassed.

"And you're embarrassed!" Luke said. "Oh, it's a good day." He put his hands on the counter and shouted, "Coffee's free today! Just make sure you congratulate Rory and Jess on getting back together!"

A small round of applause went up throughout the diner. Jess had to look down so no one would see that he was blushing. "You suck." He growled.

Luke shrugged. "Gotta have my fun somehow. Go give your girlfriend her coffee."

Jess walked over to Rory's table, head down and coffee pot in his hand. He tried as hard as he could to ignore the 'congratulations' that the diner's patrons were throwing his way.

Rory looked up at Jess with a smile, though her cheeks were tinged with pink from blushing. "He's in a good mood."

Jess turned over Rory's coffee cup and poured her coffee. "Well, embarrassing me is apparently his favorite activity. Besides fishing and scowling."

"Because you're one to talk about scowling, right?" Lorelai asked, coming up behind him

Jess smirked tightly. "Hi Lorelai."

"Jess." Lorelai said, sliding into her seat. She held up her coffee mug, silently commanding Jess to fill her cup. "So, I hear that you and Rory are together again."

"Yup." Jess said, filling her mug.

"Will threats of castration make you treat her well?" Lorelai demanded.

"No." Jess said. "But that fact that I'm in love with her might." He walked away quickly before either mother or daughter could respond.

Lorelai turned to Rory with a teasing grin. "He loves you."

Rory blushed. "Shut up."

"He's in love with you." Lorelai said, her teasing smile widening.

"Yeah? Well, Luke's in love with you." Rory retorted with a triumphant smile, knowing that Lorelai couldn't beat that.

"He is not!" Lorelai said. "I hate it when you say that."

"Because it's true." Rory said simply.

"Is not." Lorelai said, pouting immaturely.

"He totally is. At least my diner boy is man enough to admit it. And at least I know myself well enough to know that I love him too!" Rory said.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "You think I love Luke?"

Rory just shrugged. "I think there's a good possibility."

"You think Luke loves me?" Lorelai continued.

Rory rolled her eyes. "The only response I have to that is DUH."

Lorelai sighed. "OK, this discussion has to be over now because my head hurts."

Rory shrugged. "Whatever. I'm starved."

"There's a shock." Luke said, coming up to the table with an order pad. He smiled at the two Gilmores. "Hey Lorelai, Rory."

"Hi, Luke." Rory said. "Thanks for embarrassing me and Jess like that."

"I missed an embarrassing moment?" Lorelai asked with a pout.

"I can do a repeat performance." Luke offered.

"No thanks!" Rory exclaimed.

Lorelai smiled and said, "We need a minute." Luke nodded and walked away.

At that moment, Babette leaned over from the table next to them and said, "Hey doll, glad you're back together with the kid. Gorgeous! You're both gorgeous!"

"Thanks, Babette." Rory said awkwardly.

"Morey and I were hoping you'd get back together, weren't we doll?" She asked her husband.

Morey nodded. "Yeah."

Babette smiled. "The kids are going to be gorgeous. Gorgeous!"

Rory blushed. "That's getting a little bit ahead of yourself."

Babette waved the comment off. "I've been saying since ya two got together that you should get married, haven't I, Morey?"

"Yeah." Morey said, eating his food.

Rory looked helplessly at her mother. Lorelai looked at her watch. "Rory, we've gotta get you back to school, kid. We don't have time to eat."

"Darn!" Rory said, standing up. She looked at Babette and Morey and said, "I'll see you two next time I'm in."

"Take care, doll." Babette said.

"Stay cool." Morey added.

Rory nodded. She walked up to Jess and said, "I'm gonna get going before Babette actually starts naming our children."

Jess cocked his head to the side in confusion and said, "Ok. When will I see you again?"

Rory said, "Why don't you come down to Yale later this week?"

Jess nodded and took her hands. "OK. I'll call you."

Rory nodded and leaned in for a long, lingering kiss. She pulled away and said, "I love you."

Jess smiled and leaned in again. "I love you too." They shared another kiss, but broke apart when the entire diner broke out into loud applause.

"Geez." Jess said, annoyed.

"Toast is free today too!" Luke shouted.

Rory opened her dorm room door to reveal a smiling Jess. Rory returned the smile and said, "Hey."

"Hi." Jess said, stepping in and kissing Rory lightly. "How are you?"

"Good." Rory said, closing the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Not happy to see me?" Jess said, frowning.

Rory smiled and wrapped her arms around Jess, kissing his neck. "I'm always glad to see you. I just didn't know you were coming."

"Well, I had some good news and I figured it was a good excuse to drop in." Jess said, before nibbling on Rory's ear.

Rory shivered and said, "Much better than the paper cut excuse you used last time."

Jess pulled away and held up his index finger, which had a bandage on it. "It feels much better." He said, feigning innocence.

Rory giggled and sat down on the couch, motioning for Jess to do the same. "So what's the good news?"

Jess sat down and put an arm around Rory. "I'm moving out of the motel."

Rory's eyes got excited. "That is good news!" She said, taking Jess's hand in her own. "Where are you moving to?"

"The apartment complex on Plum Street." Jess responded. "Not exactly high class living, but at least I'm not paying by the day."

Rory nodded. "That's great. How can you afford it though? Is Luke paying you enough at the diner?"

"Not exactly." Jess said. "Andrew's paying me to do inventory for him a few nights a week at the bookstore. And I'm not going to have a working phone for a while to save money…or a bed."

"What? Jess! You need a bed." Rory exclaimed.

Jess shook his head. "There's a mattress already there. I'm going to sleep on that. It'll be fine. I'm also gonna do without a TV for a while, but I'll live without watching my reruns of Full House."

Rory giggled. "You watch Full House."

"So?" Jess asked defensively. "You watch Step by Step."

"Yes." Rory agreed. "But I haven't spent the last 19 years of my life trying to channel James Dean, so it's a little less embarrassing for me."

Jess just smirked. "But yeah. I'm officially moving. I get to move in next week."

Rory kissed his cheek, catching just a little of his mouth. "I'm so glad. Congratulations. This is big."

Jess shifted his position and pulled an envelope out of his back pocket. "This means, you can stop mailing this stuff to Luke and mail it directly to me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rory said, flashing big, innocent eyes at Rory.

Jess smirked and pulled the papers out of the envelope. It was material on several night schools and GED programs in Hartford and New Haven. "This is just the latest. I think about three more of these came to the diner since you left last weekend."

Rory shrugged. "Not my doing."

Jess just looked at her skeptically and said, "They all have New Haven postmarks."

Rory frowned. "The postmarks. Beaten by the postmarks." She said, shaking her head. "I should've covered my tracks better."

Jess sighed. "Rory, I wish you'd stop wasting your time. It isn't helping anything."

"Jess…you could do so much. I just want to see you live up to everything I know you are." Rory said, stroking his arm gently.

"Rory…" Jess said, turning to face her full on. "We've always had an unspoken agreement. No pompoms. I don't want or need a cheerleader."

"I'm not your cheerleader, Jess." Rory said. "I'm your girlfriend, and honestly, if I didn't think that doing this would make you happy, I'd drop it. But when I picture you finishing school and opening a club like you talked about, I see you happy. I just want you to be happy. I want us to be happy, and for that to happen, you are required to be happy."

"Breathe, Rory." Jess commanded with a smile. "You need to breathe during long rambles like that."

Rory sighed and inhaled deeply. "I just want you to think about it, OK?"

Jess hesitated but finally nodded. "I'll think about it. I'm making no promises though, OK?"

"Deal." Rory said with an affirming nod. She leaned in closer and sealed the agreement with a long kiss. She swung her legs into Jess's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Jess slid his hands under her shirt and caressed her back gently as their kisses became longer and more passionate. One of Rory's hands made its way to Jess's hair as her tongue made its way into his mouth.

Rory pulled away and whispered huskily, "My roommates are going to be gone for awhile."

Jess groaned. "God, that's tempting. I promised Luke I'd help him close though."

Rory pouted and tugged on Jess's lower lip with her teeth. "What's one little broken promise?"

Jess captured her mouth in a kiss, but soon pulled away. "I have to go. Rain check?"

Rory pouted, feeling frustrated, and swung herself out of Jess's lap. "Fine. Rain check." She said, standing.

She walked Jess over to the door where he kissed her goodbye. "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you this weekend." Rory said, forcing a small smile.

Jess walked out of the room and, as soon as the door was closed, let out a sigh of relief.