Thanks to all my reviewers:

Chilton Puff: Thanks, the 'cookies' were very good.

A/N: Those who called me evil, etc. Yeah, well what is my penname, 'Nuff said.

And, I'm looking for a beta. I don't remember, but I think I had one, but they never sent me back the 'edited' version. But my computer, again crashed, so I lost it, but hey, look new chapter, as sucky as the last!

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Chapter 3: Waking Up My Heart

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That place makes me Feel,

Like I am me again,

That these wounds don't exist,

And now I can Heal.

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"Why, what happened? Are you alright?" Jess seemed to be asking them faster than he could think of them.

"No." She replied in a small voice.

"Hold on, for a sec?" He found Luke in the kitchen. "Hey, Luke, can I close up for you?"

"Why?" Luke demanded.

"Um, to be helpful?"

"Try again."

"So you can relax?"

"Try again."

"So you can go upstairs and I won't feel weird thinking you can hear my conversation?"

"That better not be long distance." Luke gruffed.

Nonetheless, he conceded to telling him what he needed to do to close up. Jess nodded a lot, then smiled a false smile until Luke was out of ear shot. His features quickly took a more concerned look to them. His voice became soft, as he went back to the phone call with Rory.

"Tell me what happened." He commanded gently.

At the moment he wanted nothing more than to hold her, which shocked him. It's simply that I know what she's going through and I want to help her. I do not want to hold her because I liked her. I'd do this for any girl. Wait, no I wouldn't. 'What the hell was going on with me?' he silently asked himself.

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"He, he, he belittled me. He made me think I was wrong for being friends with you. He told me I was just being nice to you because Luke is important to me, that, that I was pitying you. And I couldn't say that wasn't it. I wanted to scream at him that I tried to kill myself, but I couldn't. All I could do was stand there and let him yell at me like he was superior to me."

Rory was now crying, tears cascading down her hot cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to be in Jess' arms at the moment, a thought that scared her. Its just because of how a like we are. And because I'm, not happy, with Dean, or life. That's all it is. I do not have feelings for Jess. 'Do I?' She whispered to her self.

"But he's not. You need to tell him he's being an idiot, that he needs to back off. If anything tell your mom, I'm sure she could talk to him." Jess tried to reason.

"Hm, oh, no. Then I'm just whining to my mother, making her fix my problems." Rory sighed disheartened.

"So, whine to him." Jess knew it wasn't good for her to walk around with this feeling, regardless of getting it out on him, she needed to handle the situation, and be done with it.

"I don't know…" She began, unsure. What if he gets mad at me, what if he just yells at me and puts me in my place. "What if I let him?" She didn't mean for the last line to be spoken.

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"Let him what?" Jess asked gently.

"Control me, again." She sobbed. "I, I need to, to see you.." Jess' heart was in his throat, along with his stomach. Why does she want to see Me? Better yet, why does she need to see me? Why isn't talking g-

"No problem, where should I meet you?" Jess looked completely shocked at the words coming from his own mouth. Why, did I just do that?

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Rory had been holding her breath since the words escaped her mouth. Why did you tell him that? Why? Now he's not saying anything, he's gonna think I'm just needy. That I'm clinging to him. That-

"What did you just say?" She asked, her head shooting up at his words.

"Where do you want me to meet you? You said you wanted to see me, and at the moment, you sound like you could use a hug." He commented, attempting to lighten the mood. A soft almost inaudible laugh passed through her lips.

"The Brace Bridge. Wow, that sounds better with dinner attached to it."

"What?"

"Do you know where the lake is?"

"Yes…"

"Meet me at the bridge."

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes?"

"Ooh, bring coffee." Rory said giddily.

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"Anything for you." Jess said smiling at her addiction. He cringed after he said it though.

"Really?" She said and he knew he was about to be mocked.

"Maybe."

"A Danish?" She asked in a sheepish voice.

Jess laughed whole-heartedly. Across town, Rory was melting at his laugh.

"No problem, Ror."

"Later, Dodger." Rory hung up.

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Jess sat waiting for the coffee to brew. Her comment was bugging him. Dodger, no doubt, was from Oliver Twist. The bugging-ness was why did she call him it. The coffee finished, and he grabbed a Danish. He hadn't done much but wipe the counter while on the phone. He would just clean up when he got back from the bridge with Rory. He wrote Luke a note stating such-

Luke- Went to the Brace Bridge. Be back later to clean up. Sorry, a friend needs me more than the diner. -Jess

He grabbed his jacket off of the chair he left it on. It was still drizzling slightly. Walking to the bridge, he found Rory not there, yet.

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Rory made sure she looked presentable, brushing her hair again, making sure her wrist was clean, no blood or irritation, if she could help it. It took a lot of guts to figure out how to get out of her house. She opted for her window. She wrote Lorelai a note, in case she came to check on her or something, -

Mom- Went to the bridge. Had to get out, couldn't sleep. Be back later, don't worry. I'll be fine for school in the morning. -Rory.

She sighed. This was the first time she'd ever do something like that. She smiled slightly, knowing she was finally being imperfect. She didn't think to grab something to put over her light sweatshirt. She simply slipped out of her window, not looking back.

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By the time she reached the bridge, Jess' hair was kind of soaked already. Rory giggled at how cute he looked.

"What's so funny?" He whispered against the rain.

"You."

"Me?"

"You look cute sitting there in the rain with, ooh! Coffee. Please?"

Rory was grinning like an idiot, with her best angelic smile. Jess silently handed her the coffee and pastry. She gulped half of the to-go cup in a one sip.

"Thank you."

She leaned up and kissed his cheek, completely unaware of her actions. She sat down on the bridge happily munching on the Danish. Jess was dumb founded for a few minutes, until her voice broke his reverie. "I could use that hug, now."

He looked down to see her staring at her wrist, as the tears seemed to come again. Jess quickly sat beside her, wrapping his arms around her from the side. Rory wrapped her arms around his waist, crying into his chest.

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After Rory had quieted down with her crying, a comfortable silence fell on them. They listened to the gentle patter of the rain. Rory shivered a little, and Jess shifted, removing his jacket, before laying it on her shoulders. Rory didn't even protest. She snuggled into it, slipping her one arm into it, as the other was too comfortable under Jess' shirt. He smirked before remembering her Dodger comment.

"Hey, why did you call me Dodge?"

"You stole my book." Rory said softy. He knew she was getting sleepy.

"You said it was putting you to sleep."

"True, but its not my book." Jess looked at her with confusion.

"What?"

"I mean, it is my book, but its my school's. I have to read it for…Yawn… English."

Her eyes were shut, and her breathing becoming shallow. Her head was still perched on his chest. At some point, Jess had started rubbing her wrist, and between the gentle rain, and the feeling of his lazy circles, Rory fell asleep against his chest. Jess didn't want to wake her up, but he knew he had to. She was soaked, and he didn't want her getting sick.

"Rory." He shook her lightly.

"Mmhm." She snuggled closer to him.

"As much as I love this, you have school tomorrow. Come on, get up."

"Nuh uh." She said like a defiant two year old.

"C'mon, Ror." He said standing up carefully, pulling her up as well.

Cautiously holding her, he managed to lean over and grab her empty coffee cup to throw away on their way to her house. Rory mumbled a lot of profanities while being led to her house at 1 in the morning. Jess managed to keep her quiet. When he finally got her to her window, she was almost asleep again.

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Jess climbed into her room first, leaning her half on him, half on her house. He pulled her in quietly, afraid to wake up Lorelai. Rory mumbled something that sounded like, 'Nice biceps, very nice biceps.' Before she fell completely asleep, to the point he couldn't wake her up. She was still in his jacket, but he didn't think she was going to give it up anytime soon.

Smiling down at her, he kissed her forehead, pulled the blanket over her, and whispered, "Goodnight Rory, sweet dreams." And slipped out of the window, and back to the diner.

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Jess couldn't figure out why he was being so, unlike him. He didn't give a shit about anyone or anything, and here he was, saying sweet dreams to a girl he's known all of less than 12 hours. He didn't know what was happening to him, but he knew it wasn't good. At least, not in his eyes, and not yet would what was happening be good.

He walked into the diner, and grabbed a rag. He finally went to bed somewhere around 4.

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Rory woke up a few minutes before her alarm was set to go off. She laughed, thinking off the crazy dream she had. She and Jess were at the bridge, and she took his coat, and they were holding each other while she cried, and he lulled her to sleep. When she rolled over to shut off her now ringing alarm, she found it hard to move. This was the result of the leather jacket she was still wearing.

"So it wasn't a dream. Huh." Rory rolled out of bed and inhaled his scent deeply. She smiled thinking of seeing him at the diner. She knew it was wrong to be thinking of seeing him when she should be thinking of seeing her boyfriend, or more importantly, getting coffee, but she didn't care.

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Jess rolled out of bed about 7:00 am. He noticed Luke wasn't around so, rather than caring about anyone being in the apartment, he pulled on a Distiller's tee, changed his boxers and pulled on another pair of jeans. He was reaching for his jacket when he missed.

"What, where is my jacket?" Then it hit him.

He remembered last night with a smile gracing his face. Suddenly he almost ran down to the diner. She would be there, hopefully soon.

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Rory was in a very good mood walking into Luke's with a half asleep Lorelai.

"Coffee." Lorelai mumbled sitting at a table.

"No." Luke replied walking over to them. "And you shouldn't mumble."

"I didn't mumble!" Lorelai denied, suddenly awake.

"Yes you did, you mumbled, 'Coffee'."

"How do you know what I said? I mumbled." Luke smirked and walked away.

Lorelai looked annoyed when he came back with coffee.

"It was because I haven't had any coffee yet."

"Right." Luke looked at Rory.

"She broke the coffee maker this morning." Rory replied, still smiling, occasionally glancing at the stairs.

"Coffee?" Lorelai interjected, mug in air, to Luke.

"No." Walking away, Lorelai followed. Jess walked down the stairs around then.

"Hey." He smiled at her, sitting in Lorelai's abandoned seat.

"Hi. You look tired."

"Well, yes, not all of us got to fall asleep at 1, and then be carried to our beds." Jess replied with a yawn. Rory bit her lip.

"Sorry."

"Don't be."

"So what time did you sleep?"

"4, I had to clean the diner like I promised to do."

"Sorry."

"Again, don't be."

They continued talking until Luke had to take Jess to the school to get set up and Rory had to go to school.

"Bye, Mom!" She kissed her mother's cheek. "Bye, Luke. Later, Dodger."

Rory dashed out of the diner to catch her bus. Jess was smiling until Lorelai looked at him, and it quickly changed to a smirk.

"Dodger?" Lorelai inquired. Jess just shrugged.

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Thanks again, everyone, and I completely love your reviews, they make me all tingly in side. Oh wait that's gas…. Anyway, review! -Brie