AN: Okay, so here it is. The FINAL chapter of Only You. Thank you so much for everybody that stuck through till the end. I'm glad that you liked it. I'm not sure if this last chapter is up to snuff, but I did the best that I could. It took me a long time to figure out how to wrap it up, and hopefully this chapter does it justice.
And for everyone who wants to know whether or not there will be a sequel, the answer is YES. It's going to be called Forever You and Me and it should be up ASAP! Anyways... Enjoy this last chapter and please tell me all of your thoughts...
About a week after Travis was born was the same weekend that Paris, Tristan, Sarah, and Dave were coming to Stars Hollow. Rory had been running around the house, when she wasn't at work or at her mother's, trying to make it look presentable. Both her and Jess made their new home as welcoming as possible for two busy twenty-five year olds. They both enjoyed their new jobs and their new living arrangement, but Jess still didn't like the fact that they were in Stars Hollow, renting from his mother. He was happy about one thing though: neither him nor Rory had bumped into Dean since the move.
The Friday of their friends arrival was exciting. Rory was so happy to have them come to Stars Hollow and see how happy she was. Jess was just happy to see anybody but the people from Stars Hollow who he had been serving at the diner since Travis was born. Him and Lorelai had just been brought home by Luke on Saturday, and already, at nine days old, he was spoiled by his big sister and grandparents. So, the day of their friends' arrival, they would all have dinner, along with Brian, Lane and Zach, at Lorelai's and Luke's (and Travis') house. Rory had spent quite a bit of time with Lane and Zach since she had moved back to Stars Hollow, most time was spent in the diner while Lane was on break and Jess was working. Lane was nervous about having her first love (Dave), and her last love (Zach) together again, with Dave's girlfriend, and the fact that Dave and Zach had a lot of catching up to do. Zach was excited to see Dave and have their whole band together again, even though Hep Alien had Gil.
Sarah was very excited to see Stars Hollow for the first time. Dave was excited to see the band and go back to Stars Hollow. Paris was excited to see where Rory and Jess were living and how they were doing. Tristan was excited to be spending time with his friends. In their last few months in the city, Jess and Dave had become just as close with Tristan as they were with each other, which made spending time together so much easier. Excitement was just booming out of everyone.
Jess didn't care what his friends thought about his life or his house, but he knew that Rory did, so he was helping her pick up the living room when his cell phone rang. "Hello?" He asked, sitting on the couch, pulling Rory with him.
"Dude, it's Tristan. We're almost in Stars Hollow, but the girls are starving, so do you want to meet us at your uncle's diner?" Tristan asked over the phone.
"Yeah. We're at the house right now, but we can be there in a couple of minutes. Okay?" Jess asked.
"Sure. Alright, I'm going to let you go. See you in a little while. Bye," and then Tristan hung up, shortly followed by Jess.
"So, that was Tristan. He said that they want to meet us at Luke's soon. They're almost here and the girls are hungry. So, ready to go?" Jess asked an exhausted Rory, sitting next to him.
"Okay, let's go," she answered, standing up and brushing off her jeans. Jess stood up also and followed her out of the house. "Let's drive so that we can show them to the Dragonfly after," she suggested once they were both outside.
"That's fine with me," he answered, walking over to his car which was parked behind Rory's. He sat in the driver's seat while Rory sat in the passenger's seat. "What's wrong? You were excited about this weekend, now you don't seem it," Jess pointed out as he drove out of the driveway.
"Oh, Jess. I'm still excited, I'm just tired I guess. Don't worry about it. I'm sure that once we're all together, plus some more, I'll be as awake as ever," she assured him, placing her hand on his thigh and her head against the window.
"Okay," he returned, skeptically. They drove to the diner quietly, but Rory kept contact while her hand stayed on his thigh. When they pulled up to the diner, they could already see Tristan's SUV and their four friends in the diner talking with Lane.
"Let's go," Rory said excitedly, removing her hand from Jess's thigh and opening the car door.
"Wait a second," Jess said, pulling her back into the car.
"What? Is there something on me?" She asked, glancing down at her body.
"Not yet," he answered, just before he kissed her. She let out a small laugh into his kiss and then kissed him back. As she pulled back, Jess tried to catch her lips again, but she stopped him with her hand on his chest.
"Our friends are in there and we're on the side of the road. Despite how badly we both want to unwind into a nice make-out session, we can't," she said sadly, and she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before they both got out of the car. She waited for barely a second as he rounded the car and placed his arm around her back and rested his hand on her hip.
They walked into Luke's smiling at the sight of their friends sitting at the counter and Sarah was the first to notice them. Rory got out of Jess's grasp and met Sarah in the middle of the diner for a huge hug. Tristan, Paris, and Dave were now standing up also. Jess was giving 'manly' hugs to Tristan and Dave while Sarah and Rory were still squeezing each other tightly. Rory's eyes lit up when she saw Paris standing behind Sarah. She let go of Sarah and her and Paris shared a hug, much less intense.
"Oh, guys! I've missed you so much!" Rory said as they walked back to the counter to sit.
"Rory, you have no idea," Sarah said, sitting in between Rory and Dave. The six people sitting at the counter all looked towards the stairs once they heard footsteps. Rory sighed when she saw Luke turn behind the counter to stare at them. He started with Paris, who was sitting next to Tristan, who was sitting next to Dave, who was sitting next to Sarah, who was sitting next to Rory, who was sitting next to Jess, and he forced a smile.
"Luke, what are you doing here? Go home to your wife and your son," Jess told him with exhaustion. Luke had been spending every free second, that should be spent sleeping, at the diner. "Go sleep or something. You look like crap."
"Gee, thanks Jess," Luke said, leaning against the counter and through the window. A small, almost evil, smile appeared on his face.
"What?" Paris asked, watching Luke's face. She followed his gaze and a very similar smile also appeared on her face. After Luke's and Paris' silence, everyone else started a conversation on how they had been, oblivious to what Luke was silenced at in the first place. The bell above the door signaled a new customer and it also signaled everyone to see who that new customer was.
"Well, Bagboy, I never thought that I'd see you again," Tristan exclaimed as Dean walked into the diner, a scowl, similar to Jess's, on his face.
"Oh my god," Rory said under her breath. All six of them were turned to face the door and their backs were leaning against the counter as Luke stood behind watching and waiting to possibly break up a fight or two, and Dean stood in front of them, clearly pissed.
Sarah, completely confused turned to Dave "Who is that?" She asked quietly while Dean kept looking from Tristan to Rory to Jess.
"Dean," he whispered back, also interested to see where this confrontation was headed. Tristan's amused smirk, Jess's scowl, and Dean's scowl all seemed to blend together in Rory's eyes. Why did he have to start trouble? She was happy, she was enjoying the company of her friends, and all of a sudden a jealous ex-boyfriend barges into her stepfather's diner to piss off a close friend and her boyfriend. Paris made sure to watch Tristan closely to make sure that he didn't make a fool out of anybody. Sarah made sure to keep a close eye on Rory to make sure that she wasn't fuming or on the verge of a breakdown.
"What the hell are you doing here, Tristan?" Dean spat out.
"I'm just here with some close friends and my girlfriend, Bagboy."
"Which one would you be dating? The squeaky one?" Dean asked, pointing to Sarah, causing her to gasp and Dave to get a defensive scowl on his face. "Or Paris?" He laughed, disgusted.
"Don't talk about them like they're lower than you, asshole," Jess said from his seat, causing all faces to turn towards him. "Jeez Dean, go home. Don't come to a public place to start trouble with a couple of guys that you hate and who hate you just the same." Just then, Lane came from the storage room and she gasped.
"I'm gone five minutes and I come back and apparently Hell has frozen over," she mumbled, walking to stand next to Luke, who's just as pissed at Dean as Jess is.
"Dean, get the hell out of my diner," he finally says. Dean leaves after a second of hesitation and everybody watches him walk away until he's turned the corner and out of sight. "Okay, so, I'm going home now. I'll see you all later," he added before walking around the counter and leaving the diner.
"Okay. That's a great start to our weekend," Rory stated as she turned around to face Lane.
"Are you okay?" Lane asked quietly.
"Yeah. I'm fine," she stated as everybody else turned to face Lane.
"Okay," Lane said. She looked at the group as a whole. "What can I get you guys to eat?" Everybody put their order in. All of them talked about what had been going on with each other in the last few days while they waited for their food and while they ate it. The diner was quiet and Lane had joined the conversation. The seven of them clicked so well. They were all completely different and totally crazy in their own ways, but they made it work.
After they had all eaten, Paris announced that she needed to take a shower. "Okay, we'll drive to the inn. You guys can follow behind us," Rory suggested, finishing off her coffee.
"Oh, that sounds great. I'm really tired," Sarah announced. Dave nodded in agreement and Tristan smiled at the idea.
"Okay, then we should get going," Tristan said. Everybody stood up.
"Bye, Lane. We'll see you and Zach tonight at dinner," Dave said, pulling Sarah from her stool.
"Bye guys. See you later," Lane said as she went into the kitchen, smiling at them all. They all got up and walked through the diner's door until they reached the sidewalk.
"Okay, so we'll see you in a little while," Jess said while everyone stood at the cars.
"Alright, see you then," Dave said before opening the back door for him and Sarah. Jess opened Rory's door for her and then closed it once she was sitting in the passenger's seat. He walked around to the driver's side and got in before he pulled out in front of Tristan in the direction of the Dragonfly.
"So, are you sure that you're alright? I mean, that whole Dean thing probably exhausted you more than you already were," Jess said once they were sure that Tristan was following close behind.
"Oh yeah. I'm definitely more exhausted, but I'm fine. I'm just mad that he's so insensitive. He ruined a perfectly nice moment and he made an ass out of himself. I sort of feel bad for him," she admitted.
"I don't. But maybe that's because my hate for him is too strong," he joked as they pulled into the Dragonfly parking lot.
"Yeah, that could be it," she said as she opened her door. "Come on."
He too got out of the car as Tristan, Paris, Dave, and Sarah got out of Tristan's SUV. He walked next to Rory and waited for their friends to walk up to them. "Okay, so welcome to the Dragonfly," Rory announce as they walked up to her and Jess. She gestured with her hands towards the historical building in front of them.
"It's even more beautiful than all of the pictures," Sarah stated in awe. "I usually hate that saying, but it's true when it comes to this place. It's amazing. I can't wait to see the inside."
"Yeah me too. Oh, I cannot wait to get into my room and take a nice warm shower. So, shall we?" Paris asked to no one in particular, but started walking away. Everyone followed, except Tristan who chased to walk next to her. By the time the six others had reached the door of the inn, Paris and Tristan were chatting it up with Michel about their room assignments.
"Rory, she is your friend. Please make her stop talking to me," Michel said once Rory reached the front desk.
"I got this Michel. You can go take a break. I'll handle their rooms and come get you when they're gone. Okay?" She asked, walking behind the desk and looking through the book of reservations.
"Fine. I will be in the kitchen with Sookie. She wants to talk with you anyways," Michel said before staggering past them all and down the hall that leads to the kitchen.
"I like him," Dave stated with a smirk.
"Yeah, he's got a good attitude. I love his accent too," Sarah agreed.
"He's really a nice guy once you get to know him," Rory assured them once she found their room keys. "Okay, Paris and Tristan," she said, handing them their key, "you are in room seven. Sarah and Dave," she said, giving them their key, "you are in room nine."
"Thanks. We're going to head up now. We'll see you later tonight," Tristan said as Paris walked by them to the stairs.
"Yeah, we're heading up to. Call me later once everything is finalized, 'kay?" Sarah asked.
"Sure. I'll make sure to do that. I hope you like your room," Rory answered before Sarah and Dave walked up the stairs. "To the kitchen," Rory said, looking at Jess who nodded and smirked. They walked into the kitchen together, Rory searching for Michel. "Michel. They're upstairs now. You can go back out."
"Thank you," he state before leaving. Jess leaned against the counter in the middle of the room and popped a blueberry in his mouth as Sookie turned out of the refrigerator.
"Hey honey. Can I talk to you about something really quick?" She asked once she spotted Rory standing in front of Jess.
"Sure. What's up, Sook?" She asked.
"Well, I'm a little nervous that your mom is rushing into this dinner. I mean, her and Travis have only been home for a few days and with all of us coming over there tonight, I think it's too much for her to handle so soon," Sookie revealed.
"I was thinking that too actually. I tried to talk her out of it and tell that we'd do it some other time, but she's set with having it at her house. I feel bad. I don't want Travis to get sick or anything from all of those people," Rory told her and Jess listened on.
"Why don't we have the dinner at our place? She can bring over the food we were going to have at her place and have everyone over our house. Luke can stay home with Trav," Jess suggested. "I mean, he's not exactly one for large crowds anyways."
"That's actually a really good idea. I was just going to bring all of the food. I'll bring it to your place instead. Is that Tokay with you, Rory?" Sookie asked.
"Yeah. Can you call and tell her the change of plans? I'll make sure to call Lane, Paris, and Sarah with directions and details. Sound good?" Rory asked to make sure.
"Perfect, Sweetie. I'll see you tonight," Sookie said. Rory smiled and left the kitchen, Jess following behind her.
"Great idea, Jess," Rory said sweetly once they had reached his car and gotten in.
"I tend to have a few here and there," he stated as he drove off towards their house.
"I'm going to call Sarah and inform her of the change of plans. She can tell Paris and then I'll call Lane," she announced as she pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Sarah's cell phone number and it went straight to voicemail. "Hey Sarah, it's me, Rory. I was just calling to tell you that dinner is now at mine and Jess' place. Please tell Paris and Dave and Tristan. So, call me when you get this, so that I can give you directions. Okay, bye."
"Call Lane later. We're almost home and you're half asleep," Jess told her as he turned onto their street.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I am totally taking a nap once we get into that house. Are you going to join me?" She asked once they were sitting in the driveway.
"Yeah. Of course," he answered, getting out of the car at the same time Rory did. They walked to the door and opened it immediately, due to the fact that it was only locked when they slept. When they got into their bedroom, Rory kicked off her shoes and got underneath the covers as quickly as possible. She waited for Jess to do the same, and when he had, he wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his hand on her stomach. He kissed the crown of her head and they fell asleep.
She awoke to the sound of Jess' whispering voice behind her. He still had his arm around her wait, but he was on the phone. She squirmed in his arms and turned around so that she was facing him. "Okay, I have to go. I'll see you later," Jess said once he saw her blue eyes staring at him.
"Who was that?" She asked sleepily.
"Lane. She called to find out what time to be at Lorelai's and Luke's, so I told her about the change of plans. Sarah also called about half an hour ago. I told her the directions. Everything is all set," he reported back to her. "They'll be here a six."
"And Mr. Mariano, would you be so kind to tell me the time as of right now."
"Well, my dear, it is four o'clock in the afternoon. We slept for a good two and a half hours."
"Not nearly enough, but I suppose that there are so much better things that we could fill our time with."
"Hm, I like the way that you think. But, could I possibly run something past you first?" Jess asked as he sat up on the bed and held both of her hands in his own.
"Sure, what's up?" She asked, obviously intrigued.
"Well, I think that we should make an announcement tonight at dinner," he said softly.
"What kind of an announcement. We have nothing to announce," she told him, still confused, but he was displaying that gorgeous smirk that made her melt, so she kept smiling.
"I think that we should announce us getting married," he said, watching her closely. On the outside, she stayed the same, clearly confused. But, on the inside, her brain was throwing hundreds of questions out.
"But we're not getting married," she said quietly.
"Well," he started, taking a small box out of his pocket. "I say that we put a change to that." She nodded, with tears welling up in her eyes, signaling for him to continue. He took a deep breath and did so. "Will you, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, marry me, and make me, not only the best looking guy ever, but the luckiest also?" He asked. He wanted to keep it light, but also wanted to make the moment memorable.
He opened the small box that he had taken out earlier, and she looked down into it, staring directly at a beautiful square cut diamond, on a platinum band, with a sapphire on each side of the diamond. She gasped and looked back into his eyes. He was nervous, she could tell. She finally let the tears fall freely.
"Yes, Jess Mariano, I will marry you," she said confidently. He smiled at her and kissed her hard, while he guided the ring onto her left ring finger. She pulled away from his kiss, and rested his chin on his shoulder while he hugged her. "We're getting married," she whispered.
"Yes we are," he said proudly, kissing her shoulder. "Me and you, for the rest of our lives. I love you, Rory Gilmore."
"I love you too, Jess Mariano."