crazyfanfic – No, I don't think I'll be mentioning Finn again. I too love that gorgeous Aussie boy, but I dropped his name in the story purely because I needed a name, and the whole recycling characters from the show itself is working pretty well, and it's fun, so I used him.

JustPeachy123 – Glad you like.

literatiever – Yea, reading stories-in-progress kinda sucks. I'm glad you gave mine a chance while it was still being built.

Summer – Don't worry, I always clean up my messes.

Thank you all again for the reviews- I'd forgotten how much I loved getting the little e-mails saying 'your story has been reviewed' or whatever it says, because I can't remember exactly what it says right now.

And I was wondering- are many of the other writers on this site getting schizophrenic reviews? Stuff saying like 'This is pointless' and 'Good work' in the same review? 'I don't like your plot but I like your writing'? 'I don't like your writing, but I like your plot'? I'm getting more and more of these lately, on all my stories. Just wondering how common this is…

"Come in," Lorelai said to the knock at the door. Rory still sat with her back to her mother, stubbornly refusing to listen to anyone who wasn't on her side. "Oh no. Not you." Rory turned around to look at who was standing in her doorway.

"Jess, I really don't think you should be here right now." He ignored her.

"Can I come in?" he asked Rory, gesturing to the room. She narrowed her eyes. "I just wanna talk to you, don't give me that look." She surprised all three people in the room by nodding slowly. Lorelai nervously got up and left, fighting the urge to listen at the door. Rory had earned the right to have her own issues.

"What do you want?"

"To apologize. I was completely out of line there, I didn't give any thought to everyone else working on this production, only you and me. Everything is screwed up now, and it's our fault. Mostly mine. But you're at fault too." She started to protest. "No, let me finish. Several months ago, we tried to call a truce. It obviously didn't work, because we're interfering with everything here. I was a real truce this time, I want all hostility to stop for the greater good."

"Why?" He sighed.

"I…I'm not trying to hurt you. It may seem like it, but that's not my goal. I get very defensive over the stupidest things, and I retaliate accordingly. If I'd have just thought before I insulted you earlier this year, we wouldn't be standing here surrounding by chaos. We might even be friends. This rivalry is obstructing so much, and it's over nothing really. I want a clean slate, and I want you to stop hating your job while I'm around."

"Wow. New side of Jess. What inspired this?"

"I was just thinking about an old friend. She'd have kicked my ass if she were still here, she always made me came around when I was being stupid…" he faded off while she thought. His own thoughts were of his teacher sitting beside him in the car, glaring resolutely back at him. 'Get out of the car, Jess.' 'I hate you for bringing me here.' 'I hate you for doing this to yourself, so we're even. It won't be that bad, I promise.' 'It's not going to work, you have to want it to work to make it work.' 'Then want it to work. For me. Because someone gives a damn about whether you do that shit or not.' He'd gotten out of the car, and walked into the rehabilitation center, cursing as she drove off. But she'd saved his life, Kait had.

"Okay," Rory said quietly, breaking his thoughts. "I agree we're being selfish here, and we can hate each other on our own time. I agree, so from now on, nothing that can be construed as negative comes between us." She held out her hand and they shook, then gracelessly Rory moved forward and hugged him. He returned it somewhat uneasily, and then they quickly broke apart and headed for the door. It was too small obviously for both to pass through at the same time, so they halted and stared at each other. Jess motioned for her to go first, which she did, and he closed the door behind them.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Max Medina couldn't believe his luck. The controversy that had threatened the end of Jersey Girls had somehow calmed itself, and they had only lost three hours of filming time. Rory and Jess had just quietly approached him, apologized, and said they were ready to get back to work. Max had no idea what the hell had just happened. But things were back on track, so he asked no questions.

Everyone was back in the lounge, prepping cameras or having their makeup freshened, as Max walked on. The cast and crew nodded to their director as he approached Jess and Rory.

"No screw-ups this time," he threatened, trying to feel like he had some control over the two and what they did. They nodded, preoccupied with their own thoughts.

"Action," he said a few minutes later, feeling lost. Had he just imagined the not-so-pleasant events of the morning?

Giggling, Rory pulled Jess closer to her as she walked them backwards. Oh look, a couch. Let's tip over and land on that. She straddled his lap as she pulled the dark blue hat off him, and he had to brace himself against one of the cushions as she let her full weight fall onto him, attacking his mouth with kisses. They'd removed their heavy coats and pants as they entered the lodge already, so not much was between them as the cameras recorded every second.

Jess fell backwards as Rory sprawled out on top of him, still giggling. He had the goofiest grin on his face as the firelight bounced off her shiny blue eyes, and she reached up and grabbed the afghan folded over the couch back. Tossing it over her shoulders to ward off the cold mountain air, it soon covered both their bodies; they could stop with the facial expressions, and instead focus on over-the-top actions that would result in their bodies moving the blanket just so. They'd practiced this last week in front of Max and some of the other head honchos of the show, as Jess had put it, 'to give the old men something to think about when they were alone tonight.' Rory had hurled a pillow at him. Come to think of it, Jess brought out an extremely violent side of her. Hopefully he'd be nicer to her now, allowing her just to focus on her work.

Letting out a loud, elated sigh, Rory grimaced as she felt for Jess's waist in the dark. Too low…her cheeks burned as he tried not to laugh at her. She found what she was looking for and pulled the little metal zipper down quickly, as he pushed her off him.

As the blanket was pulled off by his exit, she saw Lorelai's weirded-out face standing behind Max. Several times during filming, she'd told Rory how strange it was to watch her daughter with a guy. But she always stayed, because Rory liked knowing she was there during the uncomfortable scenes.

"Tony, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Madison, we've been dating for a week!"

"I know…"

"So…it's too soon!" Seeing Louise and Tristin come in out of the corner of her eye, she took his hand.

"Tony, let's go somewhere else and talk about this."

"No." He took his hand back and backed up. "I'm gonna go…yea."

She looked hurt as he walked away, and Max yelled "Cut!" Walking over to sit next to Lorelai on the floor, she took a swig of the coffee she'd just been handed by one of the lodge employees who seemed to be in awe of all the famous people around them.

"That looked…fun," Lorelai commented awkwardly, joining her on the floor.

"Did we suck?"

"I don't know, did you?" Lorelai teased, recovering quickly as she always did, and earning a poke from her daughter. From beside them, Max was talking in a hushed tone to someone.

"We can't shoot from behind; the back of the couch is there."

"I don't think we need to do it again."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty positive, plus this will make up for the time we lost this morning." Max nodded, slightly surprised. Turning to the Gilmores, he knelt down she he was eye-level with both.

"You can go get ready for the next scene. We have everything we need for this one." He stood up and made the announcement again, louder, while Rory and Lorelai looked at each other.

"I guess we didn't suck."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Madison: (Confused) Tony, talk to me, what was that back there?

Tony: (Angry, frantic) I can't believe you don't get it yet. I'm a virgin, Madison.

Madison: I know that. So what, did I go too far?

Tony: (Somewhat nasty) What do you think?

Madison: I don't know, I'm new at this whole girlfriend/boyfriend thing. Already, this has been one of my longest relationships.

Tony: The longest having been?

Madison: A month and a half.

Tony: But yet you know that this is technically my FIRST relationship.

Madison: What about Abby?

Tony: Me and her didn't even get past first, this is completely different!

Madison: (Softly) I'm sorry, I didn't know.

Tony: (Mad, didn't hear her) And you know what the worst part of it is? You were perfectly willing to do THAT on the couch back there, where anyone could have seen us! But when your old friends came in, you had to leave, because they might see us together.

Madison: What are you trying to say? Are you trying to tell me I'm ashamed to be seen with you?

Tony: I don't know, it sure seems that way.

Madison: (Angry sigh) Tony, I want to keep this between you and me because it's special. Not because I'm ashamed of you, or because I don't want to be seen with you. I have never, not even when I was with the guy for one and a half months, thought more about the other person in the relationship than myself. We're both in strange territory here, and I'm not very comfortable with letting other people in yet.

Tony: (Momentarily speechless) Well…if that's true, then why were you pushing me back there on the couch?

Madison: I didn't know I was pushing you! I'm trying to tell you that- I'm not very familiar with taking it slow.

Tony: Then why the heck are you with me? I'm not that kind of guy, Madison.

Madison: I know, I know, I got carried away. You do that to me. (Second part softly)

Tony: Why?

Madison: Why what?

Tony: Why do…(embarrassed, so mumbling) why do I do that to you?

Madison: Because. You're my Tony. (Stands directly in front of) You're sweet, you're nice, you want what's best for me, you always do the right thing, and there's something else about you that I can't put my finger on, but I love. (Touches his cheek; whispers) That's why the heck I'm with you. (He pushes some of her hair behind her ear, and kisses her) Tell me when to stop, okay?(quietly; he pushes her towards his bed)

"Cut! Nice work, guys. I think that's it for today; you can all go to your rooms."

"It was just getting good," Jess complained, but Max wisely ignored his sarcastic whining.

"So did you two do it?" Lorelai asked Rory as they walked to their room. Filming would take two days, so people were staying in the rooms not being used as sets. There was a shortage, so Rory and Lorelai would be bunking in with Madeline and Louise.

"Dunno, have to wait until they hand the new script out."

"I bet you totally did."

"Go ask Max if you're so bent on knowing."

"Fine. By the way, I claim the window side of the bed." Lorelai skipped off to see Max while Rory shook her head, walking away.

"Hi Max!" Lorelai greeted as she bounced over to him. She couldn't help it; the lodge employees were being a bit overzealous with the coffee distribution.

"Lorelai! Just the person I wanted to see!"

"Moi? Pour quoi?"

"I wanted to thank you for whatever you said to Rory."

"Oh…that's sweet, Max, but I didn't do anything."

"What…how is that possible?"

"You don't think they could make up on their own?"

"After this morning, NO, I didn't."

"Well, they did. But I'll take the credit if you insist."

"Are you sure?"

"I was there when he asked if he could talk to her. Rory said they called a truce."

"That wasn't a truce, it was a miracle. Filming them hasn't gone this smoothly since ever."

"Once again, I'll gladly take the credit. OH, I came over here wanting to ask you something; did Tony and Madison do it?"

"When?"

"When? Right there, when you cut the scene off."

"Nope. Hey, I want your opinion, help me pick between songs to play the episode out."

"How did they not have sex, you SO set that up."

"That, Miss Gilmore, you'll have to wait for the script to find out." She huffed.

"We're thinking "Samson" by Regina Spektor, or maybe "Run" by Snow Patrol. How about a music lover's opinion?"

""Lala". Ashlee Simpson."

"Impossible."

"I get that a lot." She smiled sweetly and danced away.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Rory didn't have to worry about smiling in the pictures Terri snapped of her; they were simply going to focus on the outfits she was wearing, all of which stopped far below the neckline. She held her hands a few inches away from her body, turned 90 degrees, and then another 90.

"Ew, take that off!" Rory sighed and removed the feathery red shirt she was modeling for an upcoming episode. When she first started filming and thus had to model hundreds of outfits for people to take pictures of, deciding what she would wear during the upcoming filming, she'd been self-conscious and always changed behind a screen or in an empty room. This had taken hours longer than necessary. Now she didn't have any problems with being down to her underwear and bra in front of Lorelai and Terri- it got the job done quicker. And there was nothing she wanted to end faster than the mind-numbingly boring chore of picking Madison's clothes from the 150-odd Polaroids of her in different outfits and stances.

"Try this," Terri instructed, handing Rory a leopard-print strapless top. She rolled her eyes as Lorelai mouthed 'I want that', and turned her back to take off her bra and slip into the skimpy top.

"I love it! Lorelai, don't you love it!"

"It's fugly." Lorelai was practically salivating. Sometimes, if Terri was in a good mood, she let Rory keep one of the discarded items. As Rory had no use for Madison's clothing, every request she made was on behalf of her mother.

"You have to wear that sometime in the future! I'm keeping these pictures for future reference."

"Why can't I just wear it next week? Stop, you." She asked Terri a question as she reprimanded Lorelai who was pretending to cry.

"I'm thinking it would make good concert wear. In couple episodes, some of the cast are going to a Bloc Party show, and this is my vote for your artificial skin."

"In the meantime, can she borrow it?"

"Mom, give up."

"That shirt just screams 'Lorelai!' Can't you hear it screaming?" Rory ignored her mother and turned again so she could take the shirt off.

"So, it's been a week. How is the truce thingy holding up?" Lorelai asked as they were on their way to the car twenty minutes later.

"Well, we've exchanged brief pleasantries while passing each other around the studio. And no more fights. Oh, and the other day, in the break room, there was only one Oreo left."

"Gasp!"

"Exactly. So we both reached for it at the same time, and he, well first he grabbed it, and then held it in front of my face and asked if I wanted it in an insufferable mocking tone and I glared at him all mean-like and he handed it over."

"That doesn't sound truce-y to me."

"I know, telling you about it makes it sound like typical Jess behavior. But I wasn't mad when he did it. On the contrary, I was amused." She smiled, remembering his antics.

"Do you know how much mocking-material you have given me here?" She looked over at her mother with a question in her eyes, but still smiling. "Jess gave you his cookie…you kids are so cute!"

"And this is why I'm going to be one of those daughters who completely loses touch with her mother, and doesn't even go to her funeral."

"Did he pull your pigtails before handing over the cookie?"

"No, but he did wash his hands afterwards to get all the cooties off."

"Step on your crayons?"

"Go away, please."

"Call you a doo-doo head?"

"I'm blaring the radio on the drive home."