A/N: Hi, hello, hey there! Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who's been reviewing, favoriting, and following. You all make me so happy and I appreciate you so much! Anyway, that's all, enough sappiness for now. Here's chapter 5. Read, review, and have a great day!

Chapter 5

"Oh my God! Jess, I am so sorry! I can't believe he came back early! And you had to deal with him all on your own! Ugh, I owe you so much more than I already did."

Jess had pulled up to Lane's house as she and Rory were unloading a few boxes into Lane's garage. As Jess told Rory the story of his encounter with her grandfather, Rory began to feel a little sick with guilt and it showed as she rubbed her hand across her forehead in stress. Jess felt bad that she was taking it so seriously and did his best to minimize the severity of the moment.

"Don't worry about it, I survived." Jess shrugged it off, trying to keep Rory from taking the blame. "Sorry if you have to deal with the repercussions though."

"No, it's… I'm not planning on talking to them anytime soon. No need to worry about that." Rory had fully intended to cut off communication with her grandparents, at least for the time being. She needed a clean break.

Lane watched as Jess and Rory shuffled their feet in awkward silence with a curious expression. She suppressed a laugh, amused at the obvious tension she could see between them that they seemed to be totally oblivious of. "Hey guys, we should probably keep unloading boxes before Taylor finds out Jess is in town and tries to arrest him for loitering or something," she said, breaking the silence.

"Huh? Oh! Right!" Lane's voice had broken into Rory's thoughts. "Whatever is left in my car can stay, but we should let Jess have his car back."

The three young adults worked together and before long Rory's boxed belongings were removed from Jess's car and carefully stacked in Lane's garage. Lane said a quick goodbye to Jess and a see-you-later to Rory and went inside for band practice, leaving the two in their familiar awkward silence as the sun began to set.

"Jess, I know I've said it a lot, but seriously. Thank you so much for your help today." Rory looked at him with a grateful smile.

He looked in her eyes and returned her smile. "I'm happy to help."

"Do you have to drive home tonight?" Rory hoped the answer was no, wishing to spend more time with Jess, to get to catch up properly and make up for the night at the bar. "It's already late, and it's a long drive…"

Jess had already decided that he didn't want to go home tonight. Partially because he was tired and the long drive wasn't exactly appealing, but mostly because he didn't want his time with Rory to end so soon. He shoved his hands into his pockets. "Nah, I already called Luke and asked if I could crash at the apartment tonight." He noted the worry that affected the entirety of Rory's being, creasing her forehead and raising her shoulders to her ears. "Don't worry, I won't tell him why I'm here before you can talk to your mom."

Rory visibly relaxed. "Thanks, Jess."

"Yeah, I think you've said that about a thousand times today," he said sarcastically.

Rory playfully smacked his arm. "Well, I'm thankful!" Her tone shifted seriously as she folded her arms against the cold, early November breeze that chilled them. "Honestly, I couldn't have done this without you."

"Moving?" he asked, hoping and wondering that there was more to her sentiment.

"Yes moving, but…" She looked down, avoiding his eyes.

He moved a step closer to her. "But, what? What is it, Rory?" He resisted the urge to touch her arm.

Rory plastered a small smile on her face and looked up at him. "Hey, can I take you to dinner? As a little thank you for everything today?"

Jess was taken aback at her sudden shift in tone but accepted. "Yeah, sure. Won't say no to free food and good company." He smirked and returned to his original distance from her.

"Great, I'll drive. I know a place," she said playfully.

Rory and Jess chatted casually as they drove towards New Haven, discussing their latest reads, Rory pestering Jess to write a sequel to The Subsect even though it had just been published, and Jess brushing off Rory's gushing about his novel with an embarrassed gratitude. Rory pulled into the parking lot of a warm-looking café and they walked in together, seating themselves across from each other at a table in cozy corner as the waitress came and took their orders. Rory ordered coffee, Jess ordered tea, and they both ordered soup and sandwiches to warm themselves after an evening of moving in the chilly Fall air. They continued to banter with each other until their food came and conversation slowed a little as they began to eat. Jess wanted to ask a multitude of questions but decided to wait until Rory offered the information freely. As they finished the last bites of food and their sporadic discussion lulled into silence, Rory decided it was time to tell Jess the full extent of her time off from Yale, as well as thank him for his part in it all.

"I know I've been pretty vague about everything lately…" Rory began slowly as they finished their food. Jess looked up from his soup, doing his best to not appear too eager.

"That's your prerogative, Rory," Jess said gently. "I mean, I'm curious, but I wasn't going to force you into talking about anything if you weren't ready. I get it. But if you're ready, I'm happy to listen."

Rory let out a breath. She verbally tiptoed into the shallow end of her story, starting with the conversation with Mitchum Huntzberger that led to her wanting and needing to do something drastic stealing the yacht with Logan. Jess clenched his jaw in anger towards the men of the Huntzberger family but stayed quiet, letting Rory continue her story. She dove deeper, explaining how she had taken a break from Yale, wasn't talking to her mother, and had been living a life of community service shifts and DAR functions, pretending to be a person she was not.

"I was so lost, Jess, and I didn't even know it. I was just going through the motions. That is, until that awful night at the bar with Logan…" Jess shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the last time he had seen her. Rory spoke each word deliberately as she described the events that occurred after Jess had left, forgoing the typical fast-paced manor in which she spoke. She made sure to emphasize the importance of the events following that night. Mentally stepping out of the fog, breaking up with Logan, finalizing her plans to start back at Yale, and beginning the steps to get her life back on track.

Rory looked at Jess, full of emotion. "I owe you, Jess. For… all of this. You shook me awake. You… you inspired me to be someone I could be proud of, that—" she stopped herself before blurting out how much she wanted him to be proud of her, too. Little did she know, Jess had picked up on it, and his expression softened as Rory continued to speak. "You set the gears in motion. Because of you, I have a job, I'm going back to school. And if my mom lets me back in…" she trailed off looking down and blinking quickly, not wanting to let the tears build and fall. He leaned down to meet her eyes.

"She will," Jess said quietly.

Rory shook her head. "You don't know that…"

He took her hand, initiating the first meaningful physical contact they'd had in recent memory. "She will," he said in a firm but gentle tone.

She nodded and smiled a little sadly. But hidden underneath the sadness, showing through her eyes, was a hope that had not been there in many months. Their hands stayed together, resting comfortably on the table between them.

"And hey," he said taking a lighthearted tone and squeezing her hand, "I'll gladly take credit for Mr. Privilege no longer being a part of your life. Considering he saw you were upset and still helped you steal a friggin' yacht, which anyone who knows you at all can say is so very not you, I say good riddance." Rory chuckled as Jess's tone turned serious. "But everything since then, all the good stuff and the progress… I'm honored you tried to give me the credit, but it's all you. I knew you had it in you. You always did." He smiled at her tenderly. "I'm proud of you, Rory. Always have been, always will be."

They sat there together quietly, Rory trying and failing to keep a few tears from falling and using her free hand to swipe them away from her cheeks. They lost track of how long they sat in comfortable silence, simply enjoying the familiarity and comfort of each other's presence, until Rory recognized an individual coming toward them broke her trance and made her blood run cold. She looked up and took her hand away quickly. Jess shrunk back at the sudden loss of contact, worried he had overstepped and made Rory uncomfortable. But when he looked up to figure out what had spooked Rory and saw who it was, Jess felt anger rising in his chest.

"Hey, Ace."

"Logan. Hi." Rory was frozen.

"So." Logan looked back and forth between Rory and Jess. "I see what led to your passionate little speech at the bar. It was never about me, was it?" he asked Rory. "How long have you two been sleeping together?" Logan spat as he gestured aggressively at them.

Rory's face flushed with anger as she regained use of her senses. Jess was just about to let out his own pent-up anger towards Logan by knocking him senseless when Rory unleashed her fury.

"Logan, we aren't—We aren't even together! I told you, Jess and I are not dating! Plus, you don't get to ask me questions like that! I ended things. I broke up with you for the reasons I told you that night. I don't like you, and I don't like who I am with you, and I deserve better than you." Rory had to keep from screaming at him. Who was he to try to march back into her life and accuse her of cheating on him, especially when he wasn't even her boyfriend anymore? "Jess is my friend, my good friend, and I was enjoying spending time with him. That is, until you showed up. You have no right to accuse me of anything and you have no right to try to waltz over here and continue to insult the both of us. You don't get to take out your problems on us because you're mad at me, or yourself, or whatever else. Now leave us alone." She turned away from Logan, staring very purposely at anything but him.

Logan was dumbfounded and exasperated. Jess sat still with his head down, hiding the smirk that forced its way onto his face. Logan recovered from the lecture and found his words, but as he began to speak Jess shot out of his seat and placed himself in between Rory and Logan. "Rory asked you to leave. Do it before I make you," he seethed.

Logan's eyes went dark with anger as he stormed out of the café and sped away in his Porsche. Jess watched him leave as he sat back down at the table to make sure Logan wasn't going to return for round two.

"That guy's a jerk. Hey, when did you learn how to yell like that? I know I already said I was proud of you, but man that was impressive." He turned away from the window and back to Rory, only to see she was crying. "Hey, whoa, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, embarrassedly trying to wipe away the stubborn tears that continued to stream down her cheeks.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Jess put enough cash on the table to cover their meal, stood up, and delicately grabbed Rory's arm and led her out to her car. Once they were inside, Rory was able to compose herself. Jess knew what question needed to be asked, but he hated it all the same.

"Rory… do you still have feelings for him?" Jess's jaw clenched as he stared at the dashboard in front of him.

Rory laughed bitterly. "That's the thing. I really, really don't." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. Jess relaxed the slightest bit, still not wanting to meet her eyes. "I guess I just… with everything going on lately, I hadn't given myself a chance to wallow."

Jess smirked. "Wallow?"

A bittersweet smile showed on Rory's face. "Yeah, it's something my mom taught me to do after a breakup. Let yourself be sad and cry, eat nothing but pizza and ice cream, and sit in your PJ's and watch sad movies all day. It's cathartic, really." She sniffed one last time. "God, I'm a mess. I was having a really nice time, too. I'm sorry it had to end like that."

Jess shrugged turned to look at her with a smile. "Who says it has to end?" Rory met his gaze. "Technically, I paid for dinner. You still owe me," he teased.

A laughed bubbled up in Rory's chest. "How's ice cream sound?"

"Only if there's cones." He grinned at her.

Jess and Rory enjoyed their ice cream in cones and drove back to Stars Hollow, blasting music with the windows rolled down, fully embracing the night air as it ripped through the car. Rory felt like she was floating, she was so happy. But as they approached Lane's house and she remembered her final task and that her time with Jess was going to have to come to end, she felt herself come back down to earth. Rory parked the car at Lane's and they got out and stood with their hands in their pockets, both avoiding saying goodbye.

"So," Rory broke the silence, "how long do you think you'll be in town?"

Jess shrugged. "Dunno, a few days probably. I finished marketing my book a little early and I know I'll regret saying this, but it might be nice to spend some time with Luke. Catch up, help out in the diner a bit."

Rory looked at him with mock surprise. "Jess, you've grown soft in your old age!" she teased.

Jess grimaced. "Yeah, see, already regretting it."

"Well, if it works for you, I'd like to see you again while we're both here." Rory offered, doing her best to keep the nervous excitement out of her voice.

A similar nervous thrill ran through Jess at Rory's question, and it took a great deal of effort to keep his smile to a minimum as he answered. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Rory smiled. "Great! Well, my next few days are going to depend heavily on how my conversation with mom goes, so I'll call you and we can figure it out. Or, y'know, I'll just see you at the diner if the conversation goes well."

"Sounds good, I'll see you at the diner." He smirked.

Rory still didn't fully believe that Lorelai would be so welcoming after everything that had happened. But she appreciated that Jess seemed to believe so.

"I'll see you later, Jess. Thank you again. For… everything." She moved to hug him and Jess hesitated. He was never super comfortable with hugs and only gave them sparingly. But, this was Rory. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, securely. Suddenly, everything around them disappeared. As they stood with their arms wound around each other, everything felt simultaneously safe and electric. Every spot that made contact with the other person sparked a warmth that spread through the rest of their bodies. They stood there, taking in the feel and scent of each other, familiar and undiscovered all at the same time. Rory found a new strength in Jess's arms as they wrapped around her, and she was violently aware of how his hands were resting on her back. She could feel the stubble on his jaw graze her ear and cheek and her hand felt the gentle curls at the nape of his neck, daring her to run her hand through his hair. She resisted the urge to pull back slightly and lose herself in his warm, brown eyes and stroke his face. All she wanted was to make this moment last an eternity. Jess embraced Rory's small frame, his breath catching briefly as memories flooded his mind. She smelled like spice and citrus as he breathed her in. He pressed his face into her shoulder as it took everything in him to not turn his head the slightest bit to kiss her neck and work his way up to her mouth. Her hair blew in the breeze, tickling his face and bringing a content smile to his lips. For both Jess and Rory, their embrace felt like coming home after a long and arduous journey. Jess's head started to spin and he reluctantly let her go, knowing if he didn't that they would probably be stuck there forever.

"Bye, Rory. I'll see you later." He smiled as he turned and started walking across the town square toward Luke's, his hands in his pockets and his head lowered. He left Rory standing alone, feeling a little dizzy herself. Their embrace had awoken something in her that she had buried away when she was 18. It took her many minutes to recover, simply standing in the driveway, watching him retreat, wondering if he felt the things she had. She shook her head to clear it and moved to sit down on the steps of Lane's house, noticing her knees had become the slightest bit weak.

She realized that Jess had left his car outside Lane's and was curious as to if had been deliberate or if he had simply forgotten. She wondered if he had forgotten it because his mind was as distracted as hers. She sat on the steps, pondering. Had Jess felt the same electricity she had? Had he had the same desire to kiss her as she had to kiss him? Had their embrace awoken the same buried thoughts and feelings? No. she thought. This was Jess. Anything she had felt was simply old feelings, the ghosts of the intimacy they had shared as teenagers. She remained unconvinced, however, as she remembered the foggy look that had been in his eyes as he pulled away from their hug. Hug seemed too plain a word for what had just happened, but there it was. Just a hug, right? A hug between old friends. She shook her head a second time and ran her hands across her face and through her hair, trying to ground herself and prepare her frayed nerves for what was last on her to-do list. She took a deep breath and went inside Lane's, wanting and needing a good night's sleep before returning to her final task.

Two days later, Rory stood alone on Lane's porch a second time, finally working up the nerve to call Lorelai. Her heart pounded in her chest as dialed her mother's number. She sat and waited as it rang, reminding herself to breathe and keeping herself from bolting, until she heard the click of the receiver being picked up.