Just Come Home

I'm sorry it took so long to update. I just started school and things have been pretty hectic and I've been so busy. I tried to make this a romantic chapter. Very literati. Enjoy!

When Jess answered that way Rory automatically turned red. Hearing him use her pleading line sent shivers up her spine. She felt stupid for begging him to come back to her. He had a life in New York. A life away from her...

Jess noticed that she had turned red. He didn't mean to embarrass her. He thought it'd be kind of romantic to answer her that way. After all it's what she wanted. She begged him to come back a few nights ago. He hated to hear her beg. He knew that all she would have had to say was "boo" and he'd come running back to Stars Hollow. She had such a hold on him. He couldn't explain it. Even from the first moment her eyes met his he was in... love. Jess Mariano was in love. He didn't even try to talk himself out of it. He knew that he loved Rory with every bone in his body. He had never felt something so deep for anyone else in his entire life. His whole life he had been moody and unruly. He had a grudge towards everyone and always had hate in his heart. No one could see through him. Well, until now. Rory could always see through him. There was nothing he could hide around her.

They were now on the bridge. His favorite spot and hers. Everything was quiet until she spoke.

"I'm sorry." Rory whispered to him, almost in tears. She couldn't look at him now. She didn't want to be the one who made him come home because she wanted him, needed him. God how she needed him.

"For what Rory?" He began to walk towards her, now noticing the tears in her eyes.

"I ruined everything. I am selfish and made you come home. You didn't have to. You should have just stayed in New York. God I'm so--"

"Beautiful." Jess interrupted her. He couldn't believe he just said that. But it was true. Even when she was insecure with tears in her eyes she was beautiful. She was always beautiful. Always.

"What?" Rory now looked at him. Did Jess just call her beautiful? Jess Mariano. The bad boy. The cold boy. The boy she loved.

"I, uhh, well, you're--" He couldn't find an answer. Jess wasn't one for talking usually and he wasn't going to start now when he needed to. He couldn't get any words that he wanted to say out.

"Jess... I--" Next thing she knew was she ran up to Jess and kissed him. She wasn't expecting to do it but after hearing that he thought she was beautiful everything seemed new. He was the reason that her boyfriend dumped her. He was the kid who her mother hated. The kid who broke her arm in a car accident. The kid who stole her books and then wrote in them. God she loved him. Through everything all she could see was the boy who loved to read. He had read and understood everything she had. He was smart and gorgeous. He was the exact opposite of Dean. Just another reason to love Jess. There was that word again. But she felt it in so many ways.

Oh my god. Rory Gilmore is kissing me. She is actually kissing me. Jess never felt so happy in his entire life. He thought the best moment of his life was when she wanted him home or when he heard that she liked him too. He was so wrong. Her kiss was like nothing else he had ever experienced. It was gentle and sweet. He grabbed her waist and held her tightly. He never wanted this moment to die. Never. He felt her cold tears roll onto his cheek. They startled him at first. He knew she wasn't embarrassed anymore though. He could feel it through her kiss that those were happy tears. Tears that needed to flow. Through each drop a different emotion was felt. Happiness. Relief. Love. He felt everything she was feeling until she pulled away...

"No, Rory. Don't pull away." Jess almost began to plead like Rory had done on the phone. She made him feel things he never thought possible and he knew it had to end eventually but not here, or now.

"Jess... you saved me." Jess assumed she meant from Dean. Dean seemed like he was going to hurt Rory before. He had her in his grasp. The thought of the moment burned in his mind. He hated Dean. How dare he touch Rory like that? Deep down Jess knew Dean wouldn't have hurt Rory. He did seem too aggressive before though.

"Rory, anyone would have done it. He seemed like he was going to hurt you. Dean's a jerk. I didn't save you. I just did the obvious thing to do."

"No Jess. Not from Dean. From everything. You're my hero."

"What?" Jess had no idea what Rory was talking about. She wasn't making sense to him. But at that moment nothing was making sense. Rory Gilmore, town princess, had just kissed him, the bad boy. Everything in his head was spinning. It was great.

"When I was with Dean I always wanted something more. I needed someone who would give me space, someone who would let me breathe. He was too protective. Even when nothing was going on with Tristin he was always thinking there was. Now, I know Tristin is the biggest jerk there was but I still needed a guy friend. My only friend at Chilton is Paris, well kind of. I tried to be nice to him or to be friendly with him but with Dean around I couldn't. I knwo I would probably still be with Dean if it wasn't for you--" Rory saw the hurt in Jess's eyes when she said this and at that moment he loosened his grip a little bit. "No Jess please let me finish. I didn't mean anything by that please just let me finish." He believed her but was still a little stand offish at her remark about Dean. "No, please Jess, hold me tight again." When she said that he knew that she didn't mean anything by the last comment and smirked. Again he tightened his grip around her and pulled her closer. "Thank you. What I was saying was I thought there was nothing better for me out there. I felt like Dean was the best I could do. Before him no guy ever looked my way. A little while when I was with Dean Tristin did but like I said he was a jerk and Dean still topped him. I thought he was the best I could have and I would never be able to get better so I stuck to it. Then you come along and put everything I thought was right into perspective. You made me see there was a better guy out there. Someone I could actually fall in love with. Someone who could read with me, and crash movies with me, and listen to music with me. I am so happy I met you. You've changed my life for the better and I love it... You saved me."

Jess was in shock. He really wasn't expecting that kind of answer.

"Someone you could actually fall in love with?" Jess was smiling on the inside. It was so hard to hold it in but Rory had just admitted she loved him. Jess was beaming.

"Well, you know. Like not love. Well someone that I could date. Not love like love love. Like love like." The moments of Rory and him outside her porch that one day were being relived. He knew she liked him then and she tried to hide it and now she was trying to hide her love. He now didn't care if she saw his smile. He was so happy.

"Rory..." He said in a kind of laughing serious tone. It almost sounded like a parent trying to get their child to confess to a fib. It was like Rory was fibbing and Jess was making her crack.

She cracked like an egg. "Okay yes maybe love. Jeeze. Give a girl some room to breathe." Jess was going to do just that and let go of her. "No, stupid I was kidding. Don't you dare let me go." At that moment everything seemed right in the world. Everything was perfect.

"Rory?"

"Yeah, Jess."

"I love you."

A/N So did you like it? Please read and review. Let me know how you want the story to go. Any type of review is appreciated. Did you love it or hate it? I'm always willing to learn how to make the chapters better.