Disclaimer: I don't own anyone you might recognize. Anyone not from the show, though, is mine, also the storyline.

A/N: Okay, some of you expressed disappointment in Tim and Jess's decision, and that's my fault. I clearly didn't do a good job of showing that Jess only want to make out a little and not go much further. Also, I haven't decided whether Tim is going to be good or bad yet. Feel free to tell me what you'd like to see.

xoxox

Without moving from the coffee table, Luke snaked a hand out and grabbed the cordless. After punching in Lorelai's cell number he waited impatiently for her to answer. He needed her to calm him down. If the dishwasher hadn't been acting up he never would have gotten sprayed with water and need a change of flannel. If he hadn't come home when he did who knows what might have happened?

"Come on, come on," he muttered, waiting for her to pick up. How had he lost control of the situation so quickly? He had wanted to rip that Tim's head off and then drop kick it out a window.

"Hello," came a breathless voice on the other end of a very bad connection.

"Lorelai, it's me."

"Hi!" Her voice sounded bright and cheerful. "You know I still can't believe I'm a grandmother! It sort of makes me want to take up knitting. Little Emily is amazing, though. I wish you could have come with us."

"Yeah, me, too," Luke said shortly. "Listen, I need to talk to you."

"What's up?"

"Jess…" how did he put this? "Had a boy here this afternoon. I chased him out but it's possible that he'll be back. I don't…I don't know what to do. She's in her room now and she denies it but I know something was up." By the time he'd finished his voice had risen several notches.

"Okay, calm down. I'm sure it was innocent."

"You didn't see what I saw."

"What did you see?"

"Guilt! They both looked guilty as sin."

"And he's gone now?"

"Yeah and she's in her room."

"Okay. We'll be home soon and I'll talk to her."

xoxox

An hour later, Lorelai knocked on Jess's closed bedroom door. Luke and Will were in the kitchen getting dinner ready. When no answer to her knock came, Lorelai cracked the door a couple of inches and said, "It's me. Can I come in?"

Jess was lying in bed with the covers over her head, but she managed a dull "Fine."

Pushing Jess's legs aside, Lorelai sat down on the bed and tugged at the blankets with a smile. "Do you remember when we got you the Powerpuff Girl bedspread?"

Jess nodded her head but kept her eyes on the ceiling.

"Jess, what happened today?"

"Nothing," said Jess insistently. "We weren't doing anything."

"So you weren't kissing?"

A hot blush crept up Jess's neck and she glanced at Lorelai and then away again, embarrassed. "Okay we were kissing, but that's it."

"Kissing is fine," Lorelai assured her. "As long as you're doing it with someone who really likes you. How well do you know this guy?"

With another blush Jess said, "It's Tim Zachary."

"The bra guy?" Lorelai said in astonishment.

"Don't call him that!" Jess said. "He's been a lot nicer to me."

"Does he really like you?"

With pursed lips Jess thought about it for a moment. "I think so. Why would he want to hang out with me and kiss me if he didn't really like me?"

Lorelai was silent for a minute and then said, "Unfortunately, there are some people out there who will want to hang out with you who might not really like you. Not all guys are good guys."

"We weren't going to have sex," Jess said, her voice rising. "We really weren't. I wouldn't have wanted to."

"I believe you. But you were here alone and that might have made him think otherwise. Did you talk about it at all?"

"No."

"Then he might not have known what your intentions were. Also, there's a safety issue here. When you're home alone and you let someone in…" Lorelai trailed off, not wanting to put the dark thoughts into words. "Bad things can happen," she finally finished.

Jess looked down, knowing that Lorelai was right. She knew better. Suddenly she felt very ashamed of herself. How well did she know Tim? Could she trust him? God, why did everything have to be so hard?

"I'm glad you're not ready for sex yet," Lorelai said.

"Why?"

"Because it just complicates things."

"That's what Uncle Luke said."

"He's right. Once you add sex into the mix of relationships it can get very messy. Especially for girls. Guys have a lot less to lose and guys tell each other everything about the girls they date."

"Really?"

"Well at your age they do. Just promise me that you'll take things slow, okay?"

"Okay," Jess said after another second of thought.

"Okay," Lorelai said. "Do you remember your cake that year? Powerpuff Girls as ballerinas. And you gave your Uncle Luke a cake-face!"

Jess giggled and nodded remembering her ninth birthday. Then she sobered. "Is he mad?"

Lorelai's face softened and she stroked Jess's arm. "No, honey, he's not mad he's just worried about you. He doesn't want to see anything bad happen and since he was a teenage boy once he can imagine all of the bad things that could happen."

Jess sat up then and opened her mouth, but before she could answer there was a knock at the door and then it opened to reveal Luke and Will. "Dinner's almost ready," Will told them.

"Thank God, I'm starving," Lorelai said dramatically, standing and leading Will away. Luke stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment before asking, "Can I come in."

Jess nodded and moved her legs out of the way so that he could sit down. "We weren't…" she began "…doing that. And just so you know I don't want to." She stared at her hands as she spoke.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said gently taking her hand. "I love you so much and I would hate it if something happened to you."

"I love you, too," she said glancing up at him. His face, all lined and stubbly, was very open and tender. "I'm sorry he came over."

"It's okay."

They sat like that all peaceful and silent for another moment before Lorelai's voice floated in to them from the kitchen. "Are you guys eating or what?"

Jess smiled and said, "What's for dessert?"