The Mess We Became

A/N: My usual THANK YOU to the reviewers! I live by Bakers Square so you can all pick what kind of pie you want! Saintly, Aren't I?

Disclaimer: I forgot to put this in the last chapter…that is because I own everything in the last chapter! Characters and all! Muahaha! No, I forgot. I own nothing…always and forever.

Rory fidgeted nervously in her seat, she didn't really know why. She watched as Amber sat down and started talking animatedly to Daren. Rory's eyes traveled to the chair she was sitting on, then to the chair Jess was sitting on. She noticed the close proximity of their chairs, and then she noticed to the close proximity of her and Jess.

"So," Amber said importantly, "That's when-"

"Daren shriveled up and died from this one-sided conversation," Jess deadpanned and smirked at the glaring Amber. Daren stifled a laugh for his own safety.

"Geez!" Jess yelled as he winced with pain and pressed a hand on his knee. Now it was Amber smirking and Jess with the ominous glare.

Despite Rory's current state of less-than-giddy, she couldn't help but let out a short laugh at the scene taking place before her. She subconsciously smiled and looked at Jess who was muttering under his breath.

Jess looked up and caught her in the act, his eyes softened though he didn't smile. He knew she would just give him a cold glare and look away. Really, why even bother?

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"Don't you even turn your cell of when we're on a date?" Daren asked as Amber took her ringing cell out of her purse and held it up to Daren's face.

"Well, since you asked that after it started ringing, I'm guessing you're kind of thick. Though no worries, I love you anyways."

"Ergh," Daren grunted and put his head in his hands with defeat.

Satisfied with herself, Amber picked up her cell happily, "Hello! Mom? Why are you calling at nine o' clock on a Friday night? Sorry. No. I didn't mean it like that! Possibly…possibly…fine, ya. Okie dokie mom. Uh…sure, I guess." Amber tapped Daren on the head and closed the receiver on the phone with her hand, "Daren, my mommy would like to talk to you. She thinks it's too loud in her so she says to go outside."

"Sure! What's more fun than talking to your mom on a date?" Daren said with fake enthusiasm.

She then turned to Rory and Jess who were sitting silently. "We'll be back soon," Amber corrected herself, "We'll be back."

Rory and Jess nodded and watched as the two of them walked away. They then noticed that they are alone for the second time tonight.

Jess looked at her; he couldn't stand the silence, the awkwardness of it all. "Rory," he said nervously, though hid his vulnerability.

Rory didn't look up, "Jess." The name tasted funny in her mouth. The name tasted of what never was. She felt she should have just stopped there and let him speak, though she didn't. "I…you…how are you?"

He looked at her confused. How was he? There wasn't really a word to describe how he was right now. What would she even want to hear?

So, that's it, I guess. Um, I hope you're good. I want you to be good, and, um, okay, so, goodbye.

Wants can change a lot in six years, though he could only hope they don't, "I'm good…I guess." Jess looked at her eyes which were still fixed on the ground for reaction. Before he noticed anything, he noticed her eyes were like ice. The once clear ocean blue looked frozen over. He though it was more the emotion behind the eyes than that her eyes actually changed color.

"I…I…I'm glad," Rory said as she turned her head a little, though knew better than to meet his eyes; she felt like crying every time she did. She didn't know why…she did kind of actually…but not really…sort of though.

"Okay then. And how are you?" That sounded weird right there and he knew it. It was a question that's asked like a formality to an old friend. Though 'old friend' is not the most accurate term here, nor is the question a formality now.

"What is this, a dinner party…I'm fine though it's not like you have any reason to care." Rory was even surprised herself at how quickly she switched tones.

"So I'm guessing civility is a trait that comes and goes these days?" He asked raising an eyebrow. "Besides, I could have asked said the same thing to you though I didn't, now did I?"

"Whatever," she said with a sigh and now turned her head so her chin rested on her shoulder. "Jess…do you…could…never mind." Rory decided to refrain from what se was going to ask, it didn't matter the least now.

"Okay…awkward isn't it?" he asked now turning to look at her, though he didn't look her in the eyes, not this time.

"You just noticed? Awkward does not even begin to describe this. This, here, could be a soap opera of its own!" Rory hissed angrily.

"Okay." Jess looked down idly.

"When did you become so agreeable? I mean…three 'okays' in about one minute?" She was thoroughly confused at why he would bother to put on this act. It obviously was an act. It had to be.

"Trying to make things easy for you…we haven't seen each other in five years, we're worse than strangers. We're just…" Jess motioned to him then Rory, "this."

"Oh." Rory listened, and then replayed what he just said a couple of times in her head. Technically, she had seen him five days ago…but who really gives a damn about technically. Though, he did look almost identical to how he looks now…but it wasn't real. She came to a consensus with herself in the last statement.

Jess watched her expressions as she had this internal fight with herself. Once she concluded the fight and noticed his bemused expression he spoke, "Either you're reading their minds," he tilted his head to a couple backed up against a wall kissing passionately, "or you went kinda schizo with old age"

"How could you really know what powers or illnesses I could have developed? Five years is a really long time," she said and automatically offered a small smile.

"Yeah, it really is." His mouth curved upward a little at the edges, it was smaller and a bit more tentative than her already small smile, though it was a smile none the less.

They both looked away before the other could and said nothing more to each other.

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"Olay!" Amber shouted as she hopped into the chair she was in twenty minutes previous. A tired looking Daren sat down with no vigor what so ever.

"I just got rooked out of my weekend," Daren said dryly.

"Aww…can't handle a little visit to your folks?" Amber said as she patronizingly patted his shoulder. "Well, as you know our hometown is Manhattan so my mom was all 'Oh, honey! You haven't visited for ages! Neither has Daren actually, his family really misses him. Why don't both of you head over this weekend!' so what am I to say? Neither of us have visited in over a month so I'm like 'Okay. First thing tomorrow, Daren and I will be there.'"

"I'm very spoken for these days," Daren groaned.

Rory and Jess stared blankly trying to absorb the point of this rant. They weren't sure how this even concerned them the least.

As if reading their confusion Daren clarified, "Both of you have your roommate gone till Sunday night."

"Huh," Jess said and turned to Amber, "Don't you think you could have just said that?"

Amber shrugged and simply answered, "Could've though I didn't." She smirked and spoke to Rory now, "Laundry time, huh?"

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"Grumpy-puss and I need to get some stuff from here for a weekend with a family. You guys can take a cab back if you want; we probably won't take more than fifteen minutes though why wait?" Amber said with one hand on the door of the store with Daren behind her.

Rory thought over the idea and decided that's twenty more minutes of her life not wasted waiting. She nodded and Amber and Daren walked inside the store.

"We can take separate cabs if you want," Jess stated and went to flag down a cab.

"I'm guessing this is you giving me an easy time?" Rory asked slightly annoyed that he offered her so many outs even though she really knew she shouldn't be.

"Sure." A cab stopped in front of him two seconds later and he looked at Rory who was staring at him with amazement.

"God…how can you do that so fast?" she asked rhetorically and opened the door of the cab and pushed him in. Rory climbed in after.

"Uh, it's a gift…you first I guess." Jess absentmindedly said, more than slightly confused by her actions.

She spoke to the driver, "Fountainhead Apartments." Rory turned her head when she heard Jess snort as she said that.

"Figures you'd move into an apartment named after one of the most tedious novels ever written," he scoffed and smirked at her.

"You'll never change," she said playfully. "Besides," she started and proceeded to defend what she considered a literary masterpiece.

Much like she had done so many times in the past.

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"This is the place." Rory wasn't sure who she was saying it to. She was even less sure what to say now, should she say goodbye to him? The conclusion was she doesn't have to, she already did, its Jess that hasn't. Unsurely, she attempted to start, "So…"

"I'll walk you up," he spit out quickly and continued, "This is New York, not Stars Hollow. And the fact that you have to go around to get to the entrance doesn't really help…or that's at least what it looks like."

That's not what she expected to hear at all. She nodded. What he said was true, and it was also late so it can't really hurt. She politely asked the cab driver to wait for Jess and the driver obliged with a smile. Her first thought was that the guy was new to the city.

She fell in step with Jess and they silently stood for a second at the entrance of the apartment until Jess spoke only to be cut off, "I guess-"

"Jess." Her tone was urgent even though he wasn't moving.

He was partly grateful she interrupted him…he was kind of clueless as to what to say. He spoke softly; almost afraid she'll not say anything and this will be left to him, "Yeah?"

If this was the last time she ever saw him, there was something she really needed to ask. There was something she really needed to know. If that meant swallowing her pride for two second…then that's what she'll do. "If…if you never left…do you think we would have stayed together…do you think we'd be together…now?"

Right now, he was wishing that the goodbye had just been left to him. He looked at and into her eyes. There wasn't a trace of ice in the wet blue; extremely wet blue. "I…it's a nice thought isn't it?"

Six years ago, there wasn't a nicer thought really. Blinking was all she could do to hold back tears. She wasn't going to cry about the 'what ifs' for the guy that bailed on her twice.

"Goodnight…bye, Rory." It was spoken with the tentativenessof a question.

Nodding was all she could do and it was all she had to do as she saw it as well. She already said goodbye.

Jess turned and walked away and Rory watched him go. Her tears were falling freely and noiselessly hitting the ground. She didn't care one bit; he didn't look back.

A/N: Howcan they make it through? I really hope this didn't disappoint…in my opinion it's much better than the crap that was the last chapter. But, if you don't think so, I'm used to my opinion not counting.

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