Sorry guys for the long awaited chapter. I have school and stuff, plus I have a lot of projects due this semester. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews!

Soft Spot

The week goes by fast and Rory has been counting the days. She is very nervous. She didn't know why. She and Jess had been over for a while now too. So why was she worrying? Did she still have feelings for him? No, she couldn't, she is over him. But why didn't she listen to her mom, her best friend, but to him? While she was still contemplating the answers to the questions, the Welcome to Stars Hollow sign passed her.

As soon as she knew it, she was at the diner. She took a deep breath and went inside. She saw that Jess was there already. He had a cup that he was filling in front of him. She sat down and drank a sip of coffee. She put it down, closing her eyes. When she opened then, she still saw Jess. She realized this wasn't a dream and decided to greet him after he had been staring at her strangely.

"Hey," she said shyly.

"Hey," he replied.

"Sorry about that, I am having trouble realizing that this isn't a dream. You know, not too long ago I ran away from this place."

"Don't worry, I've been through that a lot of times. I know what you're going through. Want me to let you in on a secret?" She nodded. He lowered his voice so that only she could hear his voice. "I missed this place,"

She smiled. "I knew you always had a soft spot for this town," she said a little too loudly.

His eyes widened. "Sshh… I don't want anybody to know. It might ruin my reputation."

"Huh,"

"Hey, that's my line,"

"Sometimes I feel our lives have switched. I am the one with the problems and you don't now."

"It's still my line no matter who has the problems. Besides, you don't anymore."

"Yes, I still have the problems because I am not fully finished dealing with them. They are still there. And whatever happened to freedom of speech?"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

She smiled and finished her coffee. She looked at her watch. Her mom should be getting out of work soon.

"My mom should be getting out now. I have to go. Maybe we could meet up later?"

"The bridge?" he suggested.

"Okay, that's fine with me. See you later."

She got up and headed for the inn.

That wasn't so bad… she thought.

On her way to the inn, Babette stopped her.

"Hey, sugar. You shouldn't go to the diner…"

"Why?"

"Lorelei and Luke have been fighting, so his food doesn't taste very good."

"I've been there already and coffee tastes fine and my mom hasn't told me about the fight."

"So, he wasn't there…"

"Who Jess?" Yes, he was there. I'm fine Babette, really. You don't need to protect me from him,"

"Okay, Doll. I just didn't was to see you all hurt again. Just looking out for ya. I'll let you go. Come by my place later. I have hot chocolate and marshmallows for you."

"Sure thing. See you later."

She continued to walk to the inn and went inside.

"Hey, Michel. Have you seen my mom?"

"Hello, Rory. No, but she might be in the kitchen with Sookie, not doing her job while I do everything…" Michel added muttering.

"Thanks,"

Rory headed to the kitchen.

"Mommy!"

Lorelei spotted her. "Offspring!"

They hugged.

"I missed you last weekend."

"I couldn't come because I had some homework I needed to finish."

"I don't want you to go away."

"I know, we just made up after that last stupid fight. Let's promise that if we fight, it doesn't last for a long period of time." Rory said holding up her pinky.

"Okay, promise." Lorelei said linking her pinky with Rory's.

"Are you almost done here?"

Lorelei's face dropped. "No, but I will be home for a movie night. Why don't you pick out the movie and food, so when I get home we're ready."

"Okay."

"See you later hun."

Rory left and went to Babette's to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa.

"Rory, sugar, how many marshmallows do you want?"

"A handful,"

"Are ya sure, they're the big kind."

"Oh, then make it five."

"Okay, doll."

Babette handed her the mug. "Thank you,"

"You're welcome. I love the company. I remember when you was just a kid. You used to come here a lot before you read at the bridge."

"Yeah, I remember."

They talked a bit more about her childhood and then it was time for Rory to go.

"Thanks again, Babette. See you later."

"Anytime, sugar."

She went to the bridge and saw Jess reading. She sat down.

"Now doesn't this seem familiar?"

"Yeah, we used to go here and read all the time. We even had our first date here. This is also the place where you told me you liked me."

"First of all, that picnic didn't count as a date because I was still with Dean. Second of all, you told me you liked me too."

"That was so a date, admit it. And you told me first."

"Whatever."

"Remember when we used to have all of those Hemingway and Rand discussions?"

"Yeah, I remember. Whoa, I've been saying that a lot lately. It seems like people are trying to tell me about my old self."

"I think you are still yourself. You are just like I remembered you when I fell in love with you."

She smiled. "This is nice."

"What is?"

"This. Everything is good between us. There are no more grudges held against each other. It's nice."

"It is." Jess agreed.

"I like this personality. It was just like the one you tried to hide from everyone, but failed when it came to me. It is the personality that I tried to show everyone."

"I like it too, but the people in this town are making it hard for me to keep it,"

"They'll come around. They've got to come to a realization that that hooligan was just you during your teenage years and that was in the past. This is who you are now. Matured."

"I'd love to see Taylor's face."

She laughed. "He might not come around. He's too stubborn, but you've got me to back you up to the rest of the town."

"True."

"You know, you should come here often. People might start to get used to you that way. You even said you missed this town."

"I might. I might not."

"Please… Visit for me." Rory added quietly hoping that he didn't hear it.

"I don't know." Jess said and looked into her eyes. He did hear and added, "I'll try."

Her face went from down to up. She hugged him and then blushed.

Just like the Rory I remember. The one I fell in love with. The one I still am in love with, he thought.

They shared a comfortable silence and then Rory saw that it was getting dark.

"Uh, I have to go. See you around?"

"Yeah,"

She got up and left to go to the movie rental place and Doose's. When she got to the movie store, she got some mockable movies. Then she went to Doose's for junk food. With the amount of junk food that could feed a hungry village of people, she was off.

When she got home, she saw that Lorelei's jeep was parked outside in the driveway. She smiled and went inside.

"Mom!"

"Over here kid!" Lorelei yelled from the family room. "Got the goods?"

"Yup," Rory said putting the good on the coffee table. "I have some mock-worthy movies too."

"Oh, those are the best kind!" Lorelei's voice lowered. "Some is in town. You know him."

"I know, Mom. Jess told me he was coming into town when we talked?"

"When was that?"

"Last weekend?"

"You talked with him and didn't tell me about it?"

"I just wanted to thank him for getting me to go back to reality. It was nothing. I don't think talking to him once or twice in a week is anything. It was nothing. I think we should get to the movie now."

"You know what? We never really got to talk since we reunited. We were too caught up in the moment. Let's do it now. We can always rent the movies later. Now, spill. I am not letting you go telling me that talking once or twice in a week to him was nothing."

"Okay… It all started when Jess came over after I got Logan, Collin, and Finn home. He came over for a visit to tell me about this book he wrote-"

"He wrote a book?"

"I know shocking, but I knew he could do it. Well anyways, he was in town trying to get bookstores to sell his books and since he was in town he wanted to thank me. I took him up to my room and he showed me the book. It is really good too, I read it. After he showed me it, he thanked me and told me I inspired him to write it because when I told him 'no', he realized he really needed to grow up, which he did-"

"You inspired him," Lorelei sang.

"Stop it. Let me finish. Anyways, you know how grandma is, he had to leave. It was getting late anyways, so we agreed to finish catching up the next day. The next day came and Logan stopped by. He came earlier than he should of. Then we went to the pub and Logan was being a real jerk. I wouldn't blame Jess for punching him, but he didn't, so that shows that he had grown up because the old Jess would of-"

"He didn't punch him? If he did, he could possibly be on my good list."

"Mom" Rory warned. "Logan continued until Jess couldn't take it anymore, so he countered Logan with a 'blonde dick at Yale' remark and stormed off. I told Logan to stay and not follow me and ran after Jess. Then Jess asked me what I was doing and I answered that it was all temporary and he wouldn't take that as an answer. He started to yell at me pointing out in my face all the mistakes that I made and then stopped because he could tell that I was about to cry. He told me 'Happy Birthday' and that we should keep in touch. After standing there with a blank look on my face and having everything digested I ran in there and told Logan off. Then we had a big fight." Rory took a breath before starting again, but before she could Lorelei interrupted again.

"Go Jess! He is on my good side now. But why did you listen to him and not me when I told you to come back."

"I don't know…"

"Do you still have feelings for him?"

"I don't know…"

"Honey, if you still have feelings for him, it's okay. From what I've heard, he is not the type to hurt people anymore, plus he is on my good side. Somehow, he managed to wake you up when no one could, not even me. If you still have feelings for him, I say go for it."

"I don't know, Mom. I am just finally getting my life straight. Not everything is making sense yet. Now if you don't mind, I need to continue how we got to the talking with Jess part. Anyways, after that, I applied to go to Yale again and then got a job at the newspaper at the Stamford's. Then, I got back to you. On the first day of school, I remembered what got me there and called him to thank him. Then we talked and stuff about your wedding. And he is escorting me to your wedding, since you know, I am the Maid of Honor and he is the Best Man, and he is going to walk with me down the aisle anyway."

"You still have feelings for him."

"Mom…"

"You do, why would you agree to go with him otherwise?"

"Mom, I just broke up with Logan."

"Yeah, but everything makes sense now. You still have feelings for Jess. Why would you listen to him, but not to me? Why would you talk to him everyday in one week? Why would you dump Logan when he told you he was a jerk? Why did you work so damn hard to get your life back in order after he only tried once to get you to wake up and I tried so much? Why Rory? Why?"

"I have feelings for him." Rory said in realization.

"It's alright, sweetie. Nothing is wrong with still having feelings for someone. Now, I have nothing against him, so I have to like him, after all, he got you to go to school."

"What am I going to do?"

"I don't know kid, I can't tell you what to do. You are grown up now, and can make your own decisions."

"Why can't you tell me just this once?"

"I will give you some advice though. Just follow your heart and it will be the right choice."

"Okay, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Can we watch the movie?"

"Okay…" Lorelei said putting the movie in the VCR.

Lorelei kept watching Rory from time to time during the movie.

So guys, what'd you think? Please Review!