A/N: This is the same timeline as my other story (dramatic irony), but you
don't have to read that to get this. For those of you who are reading both,
keep in mind that five years have past since Dramatic Irony, and people
don't stay angry forever.
2. Keep in mind that Jess and Rory are 23 now, so after five years, yes the relationship has progressed to the next level at this point. But no. There will be no explicit content. This story is PG-13... and I'm a horrible smut writer.
We're Telling Everybody!
"So, Rory, how is it working for the Times?" Emily asked her granddaughter with a smile as she ate her salad.
"Oh, it's great," Rory smiled. "I'm really settling in."
Richard smiled and looked to Jess, who was trying to look a little more pleasant than he had been. "That's wonderful, Rory. How are you making ends meet these days, Jess?"
"I'm in the final stages of opening up my own book store," Jess replied, picking absently at his salad, being wary of raisins.
"Oh, that's wonderful, Jess," Richard smiled. "Best of luck."
"Thank you."
"How is the apartment working out?" Emily asked.
"Great," Rory smiled. "Y'know, I thought it would be really difficult, getting settled in and having a roommate, but it's been going really smoothly."
Jess nodded. "It's almost like being married," he said absently.
Rory stared at Jess. What was the matter with him?!
"Well, it is the precursor for many couples," Richard commented.
They ate in silence for a long while, until Rory couldn't take it anymore. "Uhm... actually," she said putting her fork down. "Speaking of marriage..."
Her grandparents stared at her, both with serious and slightly confused expressions.
She couldn't help it. She held up the hand with the small diamond on it. "Look what Jess gave me!"
*****
"It's not a very big ring, is it?" Emily commented. Jess and Rory had long since left to head back to Manhattan. They're announcement had been met with a hearty congratulations from Richard and a worried smile from Emily.
"Well, Jess isn't exactly a Hilton sister," Lorelei replied as she put her jacket on.
"When is this wedding?" Emily asked worriedly. "Who's paying for it? Where will it be?"
"They don't know yet, Mom," Lorelei replied. "He just popped the question last week."
"They're too young," Emily said.
Lorelei sighed. "Well, they're twenty-three. Which is pretty grown up. Mom, everything is going to be fine. He loves her, she loves him. They're already living together."
"You're happy about this?" Emily asked.
Lorelei smiled. "Yeah. I am. Jess is... he comes off as being a jerk sometimes, but he's a pretty good guy. And Rory's so happy. She's been calling me all week, just to gush over the fact that she's gonna get married."
"Well... it is exciting," Emily admitted, glancing at Richard as he walked into the front hall.
"So are there any juicy details about the wedding plans yet?" Richard asked with a smile. It was obvious he was excited.
Lorelei shook her head. "They're still working up the nerve to tell everyone. They've got to call Chris, and Rory wants Jess to call his parents, and they still need to tell Jess's uncle."
Richard smiled. "They'll figure it out. Now. How much do you think this wedding will cost?"
Emily and Lorelei gave each other wary glances.
******
"Call."
Jess glared at the phone.
"Jess, call."
"I have a better idea," he told her, looking from the phone, to her face.
She caught his meaning and shook her head. "After you call."
"He'll kill the mood," Jess argued.
"There is no mood!" Rory cried. "Jess, please. My mother knows. Call one of your parents. Liz or Jimmy, take your pick."
"No," he replied simply. "I don't- I can't-"
She watched him wander about the small living room a little and put a hand through his hair. She'd seen this before. This was as close to falling apart as Jess would get. He got the frustrated and slightly tortured look in his eyes that conveyed that he couldn't handle this.
She walked to him, and put a hand to his cheek, but he didn't look at her. "How long has it been?"
He shrugged. "Longer than I intended."
"You need to call him."
He nodded and reached for the phone. He dialed one before the number and waited. "Sasha. Hi. It's Jess. Is Jimmy there?"
*****
Lily came bounding down the stairs of their apartment on her thirteen- year-old legs to see Jimmy on the phone. She blinked and looked to her mother. "It's ten AM on a Saturday. Who's he talking to?"
"Jess," Sasha said quietly. She watched Jimmy's face break out into a pleased smile.
"Thatta boy, kid," Jimmy said with a laugh. "Lily's here, you wanna talk to her? Sure, hold on." He turned to Lily and smiled, holding the phone out to her.
Lily didn't remember the last time she'd seen Jimmy so happy. She took the phone. "Hi."
"Hey, Lily. Long time, huh?"
"Well, whose fault is that?" she asked in a mockingly bitter tone.
She heard him smirk. "Mine, I guess. Hey, I got something to tell you."
"Yeah? What?"
"I'm getting married."
"Liar," Lily snapped. "Don't joke about that stuff, you jerk."
"Not joking. I gave Rory the ring last week, and she said yes right off the bat," Jess told her. "We're telling everybody."
Lily laughed. "Am I in it?"
"Ugh... Lily, we're still telling people," Jess replied. "We don't know who's gonna be in it yet."
"I wanna be in it!" Lily cried. "Can I be in it?"
Jess sighed. "We'll... work something out."
Lily smiled.
*****
He hung up the phone. "There." He turned to her. "Now, it's your turn."
"What?"
"Call your dad."
Rory looked a little shocked. "Now?"
"You made me call mine," Jess replied.
"Yeah, because my mom knows," she replied. "Call your mom, and then I'll call my dad."
"No, way am I calling my mother," Jess replied. "Not happening."
"Well, I don't wanna call my dad now, he's probably trying to put Georgia to bed," Rory replied. "That takes hours."
They were at a stand-off. Neither really wanted to make any more phone calls. Jess had a million other things he'd like to do. Look at more of the paperwork for his store.... Read... Rory...
He smirked and walked toward her and kissed her softly.
She smiled and took his hand and led him into the bedroom.
2. Keep in mind that Jess and Rory are 23 now, so after five years, yes the relationship has progressed to the next level at this point. But no. There will be no explicit content. This story is PG-13... and I'm a horrible smut writer.
We're Telling Everybody!
"So, Rory, how is it working for the Times?" Emily asked her granddaughter with a smile as she ate her salad.
"Oh, it's great," Rory smiled. "I'm really settling in."
Richard smiled and looked to Jess, who was trying to look a little more pleasant than he had been. "That's wonderful, Rory. How are you making ends meet these days, Jess?"
"I'm in the final stages of opening up my own book store," Jess replied, picking absently at his salad, being wary of raisins.
"Oh, that's wonderful, Jess," Richard smiled. "Best of luck."
"Thank you."
"How is the apartment working out?" Emily asked.
"Great," Rory smiled. "Y'know, I thought it would be really difficult, getting settled in and having a roommate, but it's been going really smoothly."
Jess nodded. "It's almost like being married," he said absently.
Rory stared at Jess. What was the matter with him?!
"Well, it is the precursor for many couples," Richard commented.
They ate in silence for a long while, until Rory couldn't take it anymore. "Uhm... actually," she said putting her fork down. "Speaking of marriage..."
Her grandparents stared at her, both with serious and slightly confused expressions.
She couldn't help it. She held up the hand with the small diamond on it. "Look what Jess gave me!"
*****
"It's not a very big ring, is it?" Emily commented. Jess and Rory had long since left to head back to Manhattan. They're announcement had been met with a hearty congratulations from Richard and a worried smile from Emily.
"Well, Jess isn't exactly a Hilton sister," Lorelei replied as she put her jacket on.
"When is this wedding?" Emily asked worriedly. "Who's paying for it? Where will it be?"
"They don't know yet, Mom," Lorelei replied. "He just popped the question last week."
"They're too young," Emily said.
Lorelei sighed. "Well, they're twenty-three. Which is pretty grown up. Mom, everything is going to be fine. He loves her, she loves him. They're already living together."
"You're happy about this?" Emily asked.
Lorelei smiled. "Yeah. I am. Jess is... he comes off as being a jerk sometimes, but he's a pretty good guy. And Rory's so happy. She's been calling me all week, just to gush over the fact that she's gonna get married."
"Well... it is exciting," Emily admitted, glancing at Richard as he walked into the front hall.
"So are there any juicy details about the wedding plans yet?" Richard asked with a smile. It was obvious he was excited.
Lorelei shook her head. "They're still working up the nerve to tell everyone. They've got to call Chris, and Rory wants Jess to call his parents, and they still need to tell Jess's uncle."
Richard smiled. "They'll figure it out. Now. How much do you think this wedding will cost?"
Emily and Lorelei gave each other wary glances.
******
"Call."
Jess glared at the phone.
"Jess, call."
"I have a better idea," he told her, looking from the phone, to her face.
She caught his meaning and shook her head. "After you call."
"He'll kill the mood," Jess argued.
"There is no mood!" Rory cried. "Jess, please. My mother knows. Call one of your parents. Liz or Jimmy, take your pick."
"No," he replied simply. "I don't- I can't-"
She watched him wander about the small living room a little and put a hand through his hair. She'd seen this before. This was as close to falling apart as Jess would get. He got the frustrated and slightly tortured look in his eyes that conveyed that he couldn't handle this.
She walked to him, and put a hand to his cheek, but he didn't look at her. "How long has it been?"
He shrugged. "Longer than I intended."
"You need to call him."
He nodded and reached for the phone. He dialed one before the number and waited. "Sasha. Hi. It's Jess. Is Jimmy there?"
*****
Lily came bounding down the stairs of their apartment on her thirteen- year-old legs to see Jimmy on the phone. She blinked and looked to her mother. "It's ten AM on a Saturday. Who's he talking to?"
"Jess," Sasha said quietly. She watched Jimmy's face break out into a pleased smile.
"Thatta boy, kid," Jimmy said with a laugh. "Lily's here, you wanna talk to her? Sure, hold on." He turned to Lily and smiled, holding the phone out to her.
Lily didn't remember the last time she'd seen Jimmy so happy. She took the phone. "Hi."
"Hey, Lily. Long time, huh?"
"Well, whose fault is that?" she asked in a mockingly bitter tone.
She heard him smirk. "Mine, I guess. Hey, I got something to tell you."
"Yeah? What?"
"I'm getting married."
"Liar," Lily snapped. "Don't joke about that stuff, you jerk."
"Not joking. I gave Rory the ring last week, and she said yes right off the bat," Jess told her. "We're telling everybody."
Lily laughed. "Am I in it?"
"Ugh... Lily, we're still telling people," Jess replied. "We don't know who's gonna be in it yet."
"I wanna be in it!" Lily cried. "Can I be in it?"
Jess sighed. "We'll... work something out."
Lily smiled.
*****
He hung up the phone. "There." He turned to her. "Now, it's your turn."
"What?"
"Call your dad."
Rory looked a little shocked. "Now?"
"You made me call mine," Jess replied.
"Yeah, because my mom knows," she replied. "Call your mom, and then I'll call my dad."
"No, way am I calling my mother," Jess replied. "Not happening."
"Well, I don't wanna call my dad now, he's probably trying to put Georgia to bed," Rory replied. "That takes hours."
They were at a stand-off. Neither really wanted to make any more phone calls. Jess had a million other things he'd like to do. Look at more of the paperwork for his store.... Read... Rory...
He smirked and walked toward her and kissed her softly.
She smiled and took his hand and led him into the bedroom.