Disclaimer: It's been awhile since I put a disclaimer up. I think I will now, just for the hell of it. I do not own any of the below characters, or Gilmore Girls. Jersey Girls is my creation, but Jersey itself is a state and therefore not mine. If I were in the position to own Jersey, I'd take South Jersey, and sell North Jersey to New York for $24. Sorry all North Jersey kids, but I left my heart in Camden (where it promptly got stolen, graffitid, beaten, and looted.)

sirena1 – many times, right after I update, I check my email real quick before I get off the computer, and I find that you have left the first review of the chapter. Thank you so much!

No name – Danke! Sorry, that's the extent of my German. Your review was so sweet! And no, there was no rubbish, there can be no rubbish with reviews! Seriously. Not to rag on any of my fans, but I've gotten one or two really weird reviews, where I'm assuming the person is a native English speaker, and they have no idea what they're saying. It's the thought that counts though, and I'm thrilled that you loved my story. Awesome does mean real good, you're right, and Lorelai is not an actress, she's Rory's manager/agent lady. I'll be honest, I know NOTHING about The Business. No positions, no lingo, no systems. This is something I failed to consider before beginning this story, and I admit I didn't waste any time researching it. So I don't know what the technical term for Lorelai's job would be, or if there is such a job.

petitos grasshoppertje – Yes, it will be very, very sad when this is over. But…I'm sort of writing a sequel! Details will be along soon enough.

Everyone – Wow. I read all my reviews, but I hadn't seen the little ticker at the top of the story page for a while, and wow… You all do wonders for my self-confidence, I mean it. Thank you. Now, here's the first installment of the final four chapters.

"Max, have you seen my mom?"

"Not recently, why?"

"We had a fight, and I think she might have gone home."

"Sounds serious."

"It was. I don't think I've ever been that mean to her."

"Rory, is something wrong?"

"Nope, life's a breeze." A tad bit sarcastic.

"You're being mean to Lorelai, giving Jess the cold shoulder, and earlier I saw you staring into space."

"When?"

"Before we shot that last scene."

"Oh. Actually, I was staring at Paris."

"Still, I'm here if you want to talk."

"Thanks, Max. It means a lot, but there's nothing you can really do." She turned to leave his office trailer.

"It's about Jess, isn't it?" She stopped with her hand on the doorknob, and looked back at him.

"No." She said it coolly and calmly, but the look he gave her indicated his disbelief.

"I heard the two of you were breaking up tomorrow."

"It's kind of about him, but there's a lot in the mix. My mom being on his side, my dad showing up the other day throwing me off a little, and just the fact that we're wrapping this season up. It's a little sad- I'm gonna miss the high school, and Tristin. Oh yea, Tristin and Paris being all buddy-buddy is partially behind the wigging too." All the excuses came without effort, making her question whether or not they actually did play a part in her mood. Perhaps, but Jess was most definitely the underlying factor.

"It'll work out."

"Thanks, again." Rory walked to him and gave her director a professional-but-warm hug before leaving his office, heading for the studio parking lot. She hadn't seen head or tail of Lorelai all afternoon, and guessed she'd gone home early for the first time. Noticing their car still in the half-full lot, she summarized that her mother must have taken a cab, and winced when she remembered some of the things she'd flung at her. It was definitely going to take some groveling to get back on Lorelai's good side. She'd be surrendering control of the remote for the next month at the very least.

"Rory!" She turned towards the voice, seeing Jess sprinting through the rows of cars. Rolling her eyes to avoid looking pained, she unlocked the door.

"What do you want, Jess?"

"I think we should talk." His breathing was harsh, as he'd just covered about a quarter of a mile in less than a minute. He'd seen her from a distance, alone for the first time all day, and the nonexistent runner in him had suddenly been flying across the asphalt. He was standing in front of her now, and the words were swiftly coming to him.

"We'll talk tomorrow, at lunch."

"No, we won't."

"How do you know? Are you a psychic? Do you have a crystal ball? Did you read it in your horoscope? I hope not, because that whole star craze has gone a little too far, if you ask my opinion. I mean, the old Greek guys with their sundials and stuff, yea, they thought the heavens could help interpret things. But it was stuff like when it would get dark earlier, not if you should put yourself out there this month. You never know- apparently, you might meet someone."

"You're rambling. That means you're nervous."

"I'm not nervous, I'm just not in the mood to chat with you right now."

"Rory, please." She stopped half-way in her car and looked at him, clearly shocked by the rawness of his voice.

"Talk." Surprised by her own answer, she lifted herself out of the car and leaned against the side. Heart racing, she fumbled in her purse for a cigarette. Lighting it, she furiously inhaled as he watched her carefully.

"What happened?" he finally asked, his voice much more neutral than it had been a minute ago.

"I don't know." She matched his neutralness, syllable for syllable.

"We were doing good."

"We were."

"Then your dad showed up."

"He has a talent for turning perfectly good situations into shit."

"Still, what happened was my fault. I obviously didn't think before I said anything."

"It's okay. I get it." Her mouth was feeling very dry, and she suspected it had nothing to do with the smoke.

"I didn't mean it. The whole not-caring thing." There. He said it. Way to be a pansy, Mariano.

"I hoped you didn't." A smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth, but recognizing the seriousness of the moment, she kept her lips in an adorable, pouty little frown. At least Jess thought so. Because now that she was listening to him, he could afford to notice little things like that.

"But you didn't give me any time to explain it to you. You just ran off, Lorelai threw me out, and neither of you entertained the possibility that I might not have been too eager to meet your father under the circumstances. Which were, of course, that I was being accused of manhandling you, or something. I don't remember the exact words, it was early, but I do remember that I was something along the lines of terrified."

"You weren't scared."

"Like hell I wasn't. There's a reason I don't do parents, you know. Lorelai excluded, because she's pretty kickass."

"Yea. She is, isn't she?" An awkward pause settled as Rory dropped her cigarette, and crushed it under her heel.

"I heard the two of you had a fight."

"Yea. I feel really stupid, I was kind of, well, a bitch to her."

"You should get home then. Make things right." Rory would have taken a step back if she wasn't already leaning against her car. She'd made a point specifically not to get her hopes up when he came after her, but she still wasn't completely sure his sending her away was the correct ending to this real-life scene between the two of them.

"Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow." A cold edge crept back into her voice as she climbed all the way into her car this time, and shut the door. Jess sighed, and walked over to tap on the glass. As she rolled the window down noncommittally, he knelt down so his folded arms could rest on the glassless ledge.

"Tomorrow, when you're not so upset, we can continue this conversation."

"Fine. Noon, the café I told you about. See you then." Her voice was still bitter, so he was forced to swallow what was left of his manly pride with a mournful sigh.

"I'm sorry, Rory. Things were not supposed to end up like this."

"You're right. They were supposed to end with our breakup being entirely fake and emotionless. But stuff happened, and now it's going to be a little bit heavier. And I blame you."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. You're constantly flirting with me, acting like you care, not stopping me when I do something rash-"

"Oh, like you don't flirt with me. Or act like you care."

"I do care. And that's why it's your fault. Now our breakup is all screwy, and semi-real." A few spaces over, Paris loudly honked her goodbyes, but they went ignored.

"Then don't break up with me," he said finally.

"That's not how The Plan goes."

"Screw The Plan. This should be about you and me, not everyone else that we were trying to put on a show for."

"Jess-"

"You care, I care, why should anyone else get to care?" His voice was rising in speed and volume with every word.

"You care?" She sounded more pleased than surprised, which Jess took as a good sign.

"Yea." She looked at her lap, and her smile finally began to blossom. "Believe me, I've tried to fight it, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that I do."

"So…what now?" He stood up slowly, leaning into the car as he did so. His lips captured his seconds before she surrendered control and grabbed him, and when they finally broke apart, their lips were swollen and their breathing wasn't completely steady.

"Tomorrow, when you're not so upset, we can continue this conversation," he echoed his words from earlier as he stood up and walked away with a smirk.

"I'm not upset!" she yelled after him.

"You're ruining my exit!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Mom!" Lorelai looked up from the TV, an ugly scowl on her otherwise beautiful face.

"Hello."

"Jess cares! He said it! With no arm twisting!"

"Fabulous. I'm sure the two of you will be very happy together. When you move out, can I have your room?" Rory sighed and stripped her light coat off, realizing the immediate gushy girl talk she'd wanted wasn't happening.

"I am so sorry, Mom. I'm stupid, I'm ungrateful, I'm a horrible daughter. You were right, I was wrong, I feel horrible, you can have the remote for a month."

"You don't sound all that sorry."

"Because I'm happy!" Rory squealed as she dove down on the sofa next to her, giving her best puppy-face from near Lorelai's lap. "You can reserve the right to freeze me out, but know that I regret saying those things. I was distressed, and I didn't mean it." Lorelai sighed, and passed the bowl of popcorn she was hugging to her daughter.

"You make it really hard to hate you." Rory took a handful and tossed it up, trying to catch it in her mouth. Lorelai couldn't help but laugh as she failed miserably.

"You try then, Skills." Lorelai's attempts were even more futile than Rory's. Lorelai's late night talk show was abandoned as the two collapsed in a giggling, popcorn-covered heap.

"So…you said something about Jess."

"Indeed I did."

"What did he do?"

"We're having lunch tomorrow!" Rory's enthusiasm bubbled out into a hyper giggle, making Lorelai laugh at the sound.

"I though that was the breakup lunch."

"I don't quite think so anymore. We're gonna continue our conversation at the very least."

"Oh? And what conversation would this be?"

"The one where he ran across the parking lot, apologized for what he said to Dad, told me he cared, and, oh yea, said he didn't want to break up!" Lorelai clapped like a seal and laughed like a hyena, the excitement being catching.

"What are you going to wear?" A look of horror crossed Rory's face as she realized she didn't know.

"Mommy…"

"Supermom to the rescue!" Grabbing Rory's hand and pulling both of them to their feet, Lorelai ran in the direction of her room, beyond happy that she and her daughter were talking again. Not only talking, but girl-talking.