Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination.

CHAPTER 10: GREAT BIG STUFF

"It. Was. Awful!" Rory said into her phone, rounding the corner and walking into Luke's.

"Oh, honey, why?" Lorelai said into her phone before snapping it shut. Rory gave her a brief hug before they both sat down.

"Well, ok, so Grandma and Grandpa bought some summer house in the Cape which is as big as if not bigger than the Twickham house…hey, are we still referring to it as the Twickham house?" Rory pondered.

"Well, I was thinking we could call it the Gilmore-Danes Estate or call it something exotic. You know how all the really big and important houses have their own names?"

"Like Wuthering Heights?" Rory offered.

"Yes! I think I'm a lovely Juliette Binoche, whaddya think?" Lorelai said, fluffing her hair.

"Sure, Mom," Rory said, rolling her eyes.

"So, back to why spending time with my parents is awful. Let's talk more about that," Lorelai said.

"Well, ok, so looking at the house was fine until Grandma said 'oh, I know, let's torture Rory by having lunch with psychobitch wannabe-mother-in-law.'"

"No!" breathed Lorelai.

"Oh, yes!" Rory confirmed.

"Shira Huntzberger? The lady who wanted you to have a Stepford makeover?"

"The one and only," Rory said. "So there was thinly veiled bitchery through appetizers that segued into gushing by the time that Grandma convinced her that Logan and I are MFEO."

"Has she even seen Sleepless in Seattle?" Lorelai wondered, shocked.

"My word, not hers," explained Rory.

"Ah."

"So anyway, they spent the rest of the meal talking about what a lovely wedding locale, and whose vacation home would be better suited," Rory said, exasperated.

"I, for one, am offended," Lorelai said.

"Why specifically?" asked Rory.

"Well, I didn't get a Cape wedding offer!" Lorelai pouted.

"But you're the black sheep," said Rory.

"Oh yeah, I'm baaad to the bone," Lorelai bleated.

"No animal noises at the table," Luke scolded, pouring two cups of coffee. "Whaddya want today?"

"Oh, the usual," Lorelai said airily.

"Comin' right up," Luke said, walking away.

"So," Lorelai said, folding her arms on the table, "got any big plans for the evening? Cuz I was thinking that it's time for a Molly Ringwald marathon."

"Actually, I do have plans," Rory said, taking a sip of coffee.

"What! I am shocked, Rory Gilmore. You are not allowed to have more of a life than your mother." She sighed dramatically. "What could possibly take precedence over an eighties teen movie mararthon?"

"A play; we have excellent seats," Rory said.

"What, in Hartford?" Lorelai asked.

"No, actually Jess scored tickets from one of his friends so we're gonna see a show in New York," Rory explained.

Lorelai gave her a look. "This sounds suspiciously like a date."

"Come on, Mom, you know it's not a date."

"Well, it certainly sounds like one."

"You know, there is such a thing as just being friends with a guy. Look at you and Luke, you were friends for years!"

Lorelai gave Rory a look that said 'and you know how that turned out.'

"Ok, bad example," admitted Rory. She searched her brain. "Well, I don't count any time I was out with Marty as being a date."

"Aw, what ever happened to Naked Guy?"

"Mom, the whole Naked Guy thing is so last year."

"Whatever; I liked him," Lorelai said.

"Well, I did too, but we just kind of drifted…"

Lorelai let it go. "So, what show are you going to see?"

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," answered Rory.

"Oh, that sounds fun!" Lorelai said.

"I agree; any musical starring a guy named Norbert Leo Butz has to be good," Rory said emphatically.

Lorelai grinned, and then returned to a serious face. "I'm sorry, not to beat a dead horse, but since when have you been 'hanging out' with Jess?" she said with air quotes.

"Well, we've been hanging out on occasion for the past couple of months."

"Shouldn't that be a no-no after the basket incident?" asked Lorelai.

"Well, he knows we can only be friends. He knows I'm dating Logan," Rory said.

"Well, yes, honey," Lorelai said cautiously, "but Jess has a history of not playing by the rules."

Rory sighed with impatience. "Don't worry, Mom, I'm handling it," she said, remembering the pact she made with Jess after their indiscretion.

"But-"

"I'm handling it," Rory said, more forcefully.

"Ok," Lorelai said, throwing up her hands. "I promise not to bring it up again. All I'm saying is you always try to find the good in people, and while Pollyanna is an admirable role model, she's too naïve, and the real world is much meaner than Harrington Town."

"Good grief," said Rory. "Besides, I don't even have blonde hair."

"Good point," said Lorelai. "And speaking of blonds, heard from the elusive Mr. Huntzberger?"

"Yes, actually last night he called and told me that his dad came out of the coma."

"Oh honey, that's great!"

"Yeah, apparently the first words out of his mouth were 'who the hell has been running my company,' and when Shira told him Logan was, he passed out."

Lorelai guffawed. "I'm sure Logan appreciated the vote of confidence."

Rory grinned. "Yeah, well, by the time he came to, Logan had faxed over a full report, and Mitchum set up a portable office in his hospital room, much to the nurses' dismay…"

Rory and Jess walked out of the Imperial Theatre laughing.

"Oh, that was so good!" gushed Rory.

"I'll admit, it was better than I thought it would be, although I still wish Scott had managed to find tickets to Glengarry Glen Ross," Jess said.

"Oh whatever. You know you're gonna go to sleep singing "Great Big Stuff!" Rory teased.

"Maybe, maybe," Jess said, cracking a half-smile.

"So next time let's see The Light in the Piazza, ok?" asked Rory.

"Sure," Jess said, uneasily. His face darkened for a moment before returning to its usual smirk. "So you enjoyed this evening?" he asked, offering his arm.

Rory took it as they strode down West 45th Street. "Definitely."

"Does it beat the Great Book Hunt of 2005?"

"Oh, I don't know about that. That was a pretty amazing day," Rory said.

"Too bad we didn't find your book, though," said Jess. "Ayn Rand holds lots of great memories for me," he said mischievously.

"Well, I suppose it was naïve of me to think that we'd find a first edition of The Fountainhead in one afternoon," Rory admitted. "Although, I must confess, meeting David Hyde Pierce in that little bookstore on the West Side more than made up for it," she said, grinning.

"That's right. Nothing like a chance celebrity meeting to brighten your day," Jess said wryly. Rory elbowed him and he dropped his arm. "Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing his side.

"Well, it's been a good two months, wouldn't you say?" Jess asked.

"You know what? It has," Rory said, her voice filled with wonder.

"Hey, don't sound so surprised," Jess said, miffed.

"Well, just think of it as…pleasantly surprised," Rory said, enjoying the look on Jess's face.

"Well, we're here," he said, gesturing to the train station.

"Yup," said Rory. "I suppose I could pre-board. Don't you wonder about that whole pre-boarding thing? I mean, once you're in, you've boarded."

"Didn't George Carlin go off on that?" Jess asked.

"Probably. It's amazing the things that stick in here," Rory said, pointing to her head.

"So…before you go rushing off…" Jess said, not sure how to begin. "Did I tell you I got a promotion?"

"No! Wow, congratulations!" Rory squealed, giving him a big hug. "Are you going to be doing something different?"

Jess ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, it's not so much 'what' as 'where.'"

Rory looked at him questioningly.

"It actually includes a transfer to the London branch." Jess said.

"Oh," Rory said. She let it sink in. "So…when will you be leaving?" she asked.

"Three days," he said shortly.

"Three days?" Rory said, freaking out. "Well, that doesn't give us much time…" she said, stopping herself.

There was a long pause. "It sure doesn't," Jess said quietly. When Rory didn't say anything else, he sighed. "Well, I'll try to make it back for the wedding in the spring, but other than that I'm London-bound." Rory still didn't say anything. Jess reached into his jacket and pulled out a present wrapped in brown paper. "Here, I got you this, but don't open it 'til you're on the train, ok?"

"Ok," Rory said, nodding and taking the present. "Thanks," she said.

"Final boarding call for Hartford, Connecticut," the loudspeaker blared.

"I guess this is it," said Jess.

"Yup," said Rory. "Well, um, I gotta go," she said, starting to walk away.

"Don't I even get a goodbye?" Jess asked, his eyes flashing.

She turned around and walked up to Jess. She looked at him for a moment, then leaned over to kiss his cheek. At the last moment, Jess turned his head, catching her lips with his. The kiss seemed to last forever until Rory pulled away.

"Goodbye, Jess," she said. She turned and ran onto the train.

"Bye, Rory," Jess said to the empty air. He began the long walk home.

When she was seated on the train, Rory was surprised to find a single tear sliding down her cheek. She wiped it away. "This is ridiculous," she said to herself. Just then, her cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ace! Boy, is it good to hear your voice," Logan said.

"Hey, you," she said warmly, vigorously wiping her cheek. "What's up?"

"Well, my dad's taking over things again, so I can come home tomorrow."

"That's great!" Rory exclaimed. She mustered some enthusiasm. "I can't wait."

"Now don't forget…I've got an important surprise for you," Logan said.

"I can only imagine," Rory replied.

"Ok, well, I gotta go, they're calling me back to the meeting here at the Gazette. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok," said Rory.

"Love you," Logan said.

"I love you too," Rory replied, choking up again.

"Bye, Ace." Logan hung up. Rory hung up as well. She sighed, fanning her face, then flopped her hands in her lap. Just then, she remembered the gift. She pulled the brown parcel out of her bag and unwrapped it. Her eyes started welling up again.

"Oh my God," she whispered to herself. She held a red cloth-bound copy of The Fountainhead. She opened the cover and checked the copyright page, and sure enough, it had First Edition printed on it. When she lifted the book to her nose to smell it, two small pieces of paper fell out. She put the book down and picked up the papers. The first was a note from Jess.

Dear Rory,

Looks like the Great Book Hunt has come to an end. Well, I kept my promise. No more funny business. No more big surprises…except one. You know how I feel. My feelings have never been the issue. It's always been you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the one. I promise to never bother you again if you so choose, but for one last time, I'm asking you to look within your heart and decide, truly, if you want to be with me. The decision to be together has always been yours. It's your choice, Rory. Choose wisely.

Love, Jess

Her hand trembled as she picked up the second piece of paper. It was a plane ticket to London, departing in three days.