A/N Thank you to those of who reviewed. I didn't get a big response last chapter but I just hope that's because people are just being lazy. This story is just getting harder and harder to write. I really have to figure how the characters are going to be acting from now on. Within the next two chapters after this I am going to go a few months ahead because I don't have much else planned. I will let you know again when I decide which chapter. Thanks to those of you who reviewed. It takes me long to update lately because I have a lot of stuff going on this year... including boy troubles ; ), causing me to write poetry instead of my story. But then I remember how it feels to wait and wait for an update and I try to write. I have changed my penname because I was bored with my last one. This chapter may suck. I'm not sure yet. Let me know what you think. So on with the story!
Jess and Casey were waiting at the bus stop because Casey had to leave before he got into more trouble. He wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to Celia because of him.
"Call or email me to let me know what's going on with Celia and the baby, okay?" Jess told him sternly. He needed to know what was going on or he'd go mad from worrying. Yes, Jess Mariano would be worrying.
"I know. Dude, relax. Everything will be fine. I won't let anything happen to them. You're starting to act like a dad."
"Well, let's see what reason I have to be acting like a dad... That's right! I'm going to be a dad!" Jess slapped him upside the head. "Be a little more responsible will ya? For now, this kid is in your hands. Don't forget that."
"I've been taking care of them since she told me. I can handle this. I won't let anything happen to them." Casey said completely serious no longer joking. He would have no reason to live if something happened to Celia and the baby. It wasn't even born yet and all he wanted to do was protect it. This is why he knew he was doing the right thing. After all, what could possibly happen in Stars Hollow?
The bus pulled up and Casey and Jess shared a quick hug and pat on the back. Casey got on and watched Jess from through the window as the bus departed. It was going to be a long six months...
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"Roooooooooooooooooooooooooooory! Get that little but up here and help me choose what to wear tonight!" Lorelai yelled from upstairs. She had been looking through her closet for two hours and still had no idea what she should wear for her date with Luke. Luke. The man she had always known she would never be able to live without. He was always there when she or Rory needed him and she was grateful that she had him. That and he made the world's best coffee.
"I'm coming! Keep your shirt on!" Rory yelled back at her mother as she made her way up the stairs. It was finally going to happen. Rory had been hoping that Lorelai would open her eyes and see what was in front of her for the last year or so. She wanted Lorelai to be happy and if her dad couldn't do that without hurting her as well then she knew Luke could. As she thought about all the years they had known Luke, she realized that they were both admiring each other in secret. But now was the chance for them to truly have happiness and she was glad. If only they could find something for Lorelai to wear.
She stepped into Lorelai's room and saw the discarded clothes everywhere. She shook her head. Lorelai was so helpless sometimes. "What are your top three at this point?"
Lorelai looked around and saw a black dress that she had bought the previous week, a blue jean skirt and a white lace tank top, and a pair of black corduroys with a light blue off shoulder top.
"Where is he taking you?" Rory asked looking at each outfit carefully.
"He won't tell me! I ask him 'Hey Luke? Where ya taking me tonight?' and all I get is a 'you'll see.' That's it! How am I supposed to know what to wear with that kind of description? If he takes me somewhere fancy, I don't want to be underdressed. If he takes me somewhere casual, I don't want to be overdressed. I mean, if he really cared about me, he'd at least tell me what kind of outfit would be suitable. Really." Lorelai finished her rant and collapsed on the bed. Rory just looked at her mother and smiled. What would Luke know about how a woman dresses?
"Mom, relax. This is your nerves speaking. What you need is a cup of coffee right after you try the corduroys and the light blue off shoulder top. Now scat." Rory said picking the outfit up handing to her mother. Lorelai stared at Rory in awe.
"I have been looking at that outfit for two hours, you come in here and it takes you two seconds! That is so wrong seeing as how I taught you everything you know about fashion." Lorelai walked into the closet to try it on.
"Yeah well, those diner boys make the Gilmore girls do crazy things like forget how to dress appropriately." Rory said starting to hang up the rest of the clothes and lay them neatly on the bed.
Lorelai stepped out and twirled around. Rory gave her two thumbs up as she looked herself over in her mirror. "Luke won't know what hit him." Lorelai said smiling.
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Rory wiped down the counter as Kirk ate the last of his fries and left. Jess was upstairs; currently unaware that Rory was downstairs, watching his uncle try to be calm. He had to say that seeing Luke nervous was always something that amused him. "Relax, Uncle Luke. It's Lorelai."
"That's just it. It's Lorelai. I've been waiting for years, through boyfriend after boyfriend. Now I have my chance, what if I screw it up?" Luke began to pace trying to come up with possible excuses. He'd been uncomfortable plenty of times before dates, but that was usually because he was going through the grilling process. But this was a new concept; at least it felt like it was because he hadn't dated in years... Not including Rachel.
As much as he loved too see Luke uncomfortable, Jess was starting to get a little annoyed. "Luke, relax. She asked you out remember? That's gotta be a sign. And just don't be yourself. Because if you and Lorelai were to be married that would make me and Rory cousins and that's not how I think of her. In any way possible. So, go screw this up and make your nephew happy." Jess smirked knowing exactly how twisted that was and hoping his uncle would focus on that instead of worrying.
"Okay. You are not helping me. Get your ass downstairs and help Rory close early." Luke said irritated.
"Well if you wanted me out of here sooner you just had to say that Rory was here. Remember, Rory and I do not want to be cousins." Jess said as he walked down the stairs. Rory was now reading so he quietly walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her kissing her neck successfully distracting her from her book. She turned around leaving her book on the counter and kissing him square on the mouth. They battled for control but before someone had won Lorelai walked in causing then to stop and sigh.
"Gross. I eat here you know." Lorelai said smiling.
"Luke! Lorelai is here!" Jess yelled before kissing Rory and making Lorelai shut her eyes.
"Lukey! Get that cute butt down here before I go blind!" Rory pulled away and proceeded to be disgusted.
"Jess, I think we should wait till they're gone because they can do the same thing to us and I am now going to wash my brain out. Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad mental images. Luke!" When he failed to come down they all sighed. "That's it. Mom, go get him." Lorelai looked at her daughter. "Well I could go up and leave you with Jess so that he can give you the 'hurt him and die' speech or..." That got Lorelai to get up and practically ran up the stairs. "Good. Now where were we?" She turned back to Jess and was about to kiss him again when the bell over the door signified that there was another costumer. Rory put her forehead against Jess's shoulder sighing. "We are so closing early tonight." She felt Jess nod and slightly stiffen. She turned around and her eyes widened slightly. "Grandma. Hi. Umm, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I didn't have anything planned for tonight and your grandfather is away on business again so I decided to come down and see if you wanted to have dinner with me. I called the house and left a message since no one answered."
"How did you know I'd be here?"
"Your neighbor told me where I could find you. So, what do you say?"
"Umm, sure." She was so shocked she almost forgot that Jess was there and she still hadn't introduced them. "Oh, right. Jess, this is my grandma Emily Gilmore. Grandma, this is my boyfriend, Jess Mariano." Emily and Jess nodded at each other. Emily was taking him in and trying to be positive. Key word: trying. Jess was rarely scared of anyone, but after everything Lorelai had told him, the reality hit him. How cruel this woman could be and that she alone might have the power to break them up.
"Hello, Jess. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm sorry that we didn't get to meet at the ball." Emily moved forward and extended her hand. If she couldn't be positive then she could at least be civil and polite. He took her hand and shook it firmly not showing any sign of weakness. "Why don't you join us, Jess? I would like to get to know the boy who has taken my only granddaughter's heart."
Rory watched in shock as Jess nodded and managed a smile. This was going to be one hell of a night.
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Emily, Rory and Jess sat around a table at an Italian restaurant eating tiramisu. Emily had grilled Jess about aspects of his life as well as what Rory and Jess knew about each other. Now was the time she chose to ask about children. So far she was impressed with him. Well as impressed as Emily could be about someone in a lower class.
Jess had been polite enough and answered the questions truthfully. He had bitten back all his sarcastic remarks and the only reason he was doing this was completely surprised. She had sat through the entire dinner watching her boyfriend and grandmother have actual conversation. She, never in a million years imagined this as their meeting. Honestly didn't know if she preferred this over what she imagined but she wasn't going to complain.
"So Jess, what are your thoughts on children?" Emily asked taking a small bite of her dessert.
"Well, I guess I just hope that I'll make a good parent, nothing like my own." Jess said thinking that in just a matter of months, he'd be responsible for another life.
"Well, from what I've hear, that's a good thing. But timing wise, do you see children in the near future?"
"Actually Mrs. Gilmore, I'm going to be a parent in a matter of months." Jess said calmly finishing his dessert and wiping his mouth. Emily looked alarmed back and forth between Rory and Jess. Rory sat there acting just as calm as Jess waiting for the explosion.
"What? Rory, you're not... you aren't." She said quietly for fear that someone would hear and gesturing with her hands.
"No, grandma. Jess explain before she has a seizure." Rory said a little impatiently. She just wanted this dinner to be over now.
"My friend in New York doesn't want his kid to grow up the way he did so he wants me to raise him. I am going to continue to go to school and work. Rory is going to help me out, but I will not let her sacrifice her school work just to help me. Lorelai and my uncle are also going to help us out. Together, we can give this child the life that he or she deserves." Jess explained predicting the questions she would ask but not sure what to expect as a reaction.
"Well, that's very honorable of you Jess. If you need any help financial wise, do not be afraid to ask." Emily said deciding that this boy had to have some good in him to take in someone else's child. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Casey got home at about five and the first thing he did was envelope Celia into his arms. He hadn't been away from her for more than hours since he found out she was pregnant. Then he pulled her over to the couch and sat her down. "Celia, Jess said he'll take the baby." Casey was smiling, knowing that they were going to make the right choice.
"I want to keep the baby, Case." Celia whispered. When he left those few days ago, she thought about how much she wanted this baby. She wanted to be the one raising him or her. Not Jess, whom she had met 3 times. And she wanted her first born to be raised the way she wanted by her. "I don't want to give this baby up to someone who I've met 3 times. Please understand."
"Don't you want a good life for this baby? The feeling knowing that your baby is completely safe? That he or she can have all the opportunities that we never had? Celia, I love this baby so much that it hurts me to have someone else raise it but I don't want him or her to suffer because something happens to me or you or we can't afford to pay rent and put food on the table. If I knew we were financially stable and could take care of this baby, I wouldn't have even been in Stars Hollow. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened that we could avoid. Celia, this is for the best. And it doesn't mean we're out of their life forever. Jess wants us to be apart of this kid's life. He wants us to visit, write, talk, and be there when needed. He said that he wants this kid to know who his or her parents really are. We are doing the right thing, without giving up complete custody. Don't tell me that you honestly think that keeping the kid and staying here is a better alternative."
"I want my baby Casey." Celia said tears streaming down her face. She didn't attempt to wipe them away, they were falling one after the other, but she wasn't sobbing. Casey moved closer to her, putting his hands on either side of her face wiping some tears away with his thumbs and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Jess is a good guy right? He'll be able to do this?" Casey nodded and she wrapped her arms around him and leaned back. They sat there for awhile, taking in their decision and thinking of what was to take place.
Celia still didn't want to give up her baby but she had some time to get used to the idea at least. "I love you, Celia." That was the first time Casey had said that to her. They knew that the other cared, but it wasn't voiced until now. Celia felt like she was on cloud nine. Her boyfriend loved her, she was going to have a baby that was going to be safe and have a good life. If only things could stay that way... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Rory and Jess were dropped off at the diner after dinner, and they went inside and closed and locked the door again. They had cleaned before they left, so they just went upstairs. "Jess?" Rory called as she collapsed on top of him on the couch resting her cheek against his chest. She got a grunt in response. Biting back sarcasm and keeping up a polite facade could really drain a person. "Thank you for showing my grandma the sweet side of you." She got another grunt and a kiss on the top of her head. "I didn't think you'd have to meet either of my grandparents for another week at least so thanks for going to dinner." She felt him nod and lifted her head to look at him. He was looking down at her with adoring eyes. She smiled and kissed him sweetly which he returned.
He pulled her up slightly and kissed her with more passion. She returned the gesture and tangled her hands in his hair. They continued like this for awhile just enjoying the moment. When Jess felt Rory's need for air he started to kiss her neck, lightly biting her soft porcelain skin every so often. They had done this before but it felt different now. It felt as if... Their love, no matter what, would always be true. Whether it was with them together in complete happiness or unrequited with them leading separate lives on opposite ends of the world.
Jess slid his hand up the back of her shirt slightly, waiting for her to protest but to his surprise she just continued to kiss him. He began to rub her back moving in sync with his tongue. He didn't want to pressure and scare her off. Most of all, he wanted to show her how much he did love her. Words alone meant nothing. He didn't want to screw this up like his parents helped to screw him up.
Rory always imagined that she'd be scared when the opportunity presented itself. But she wasn't, only slightly nervous. She felt completely safe and knew that he would protect her and be gentle. She'd never had that feeling with Dean. Sure she had tried to go farther with him, but she was scared to death and a nervous wreck. Then when he rejected her, complete embarrassment. But that helped her see that he wasn't the one for her. She had made the right decision in choosing Jess.
She put her hand on his belt buckle and slowly undid it. He took notice and pulled away. "Rory? Are you sure you want to do this? I don't want you to feel like you need to thank me for being good. It's your first time and it should be because you want it not be-" She cut him off.
"You're rambling, Jess. I want this. You're right, this is my first time and I want it to be with someone I love. I want you Jess." Rory finished lust in her eyes.
Jess's mouth went dry. Hearing her say that she wanted him, to be with someone she loved made him soar. They had exchanged 'I love you's' many times before and meant it, but this time, it seemed as though those three words held so much more meaning.
He kissed her with more passion than ever before and found her hand with his and squeezed it reassuringly to show her that he felt exactly the same. She got up and stood up not letting go of his hand and pulled him out of the apartment. They had already asked Lorelai if he could come over while they were out and they figured that if they were at her house the risk of getting caught was much lower. Luke walking in on them would only serve to embarrass Rory and get Jess killed.
They walked through town at a normal pace, the passion still there, but both knowing there was no rush. It was nice to just be together under the stars. Rory got cold so she walked closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her whispering sweet nothings that made her smile. It was early but the town seemed deserted and had that picturesque glow to it under the full moon. Nights like this weren't something you could get in New York. And although Jess loved the city, the noises and all that came with it, sometimes it was nice to just have some peace.
They reached her house in no time but did not ruin the moment by acting as if they needed this. He leaned in and kissed her softly, holding her to him. Her hands once again found his hair but didn't stay there for long as he pulled her towards her room and she had to open the door. He walked farther into her room and she kicked the door shut. He lay on the bed and just looked at her for a minute before proceeding with what he had been doing before.
She bit her lip as a few tears fell down her cheeks. He whispered to her that it wouldn't hurt for long, that she should enjoy the pain as pleasure because the two are closely related. She nodded and soon she felt as she never had before. Totally complete. He whispered to her how beautiful she was, how much he loved her.
When it was over she lay in his arms peacefully thinking about how special her first time really was. That she knew it had happened with the right person.
A/N I know, fluffy ending. I actually didn't expect then ending but it sort of just showed on the screen. Once again, sorry for updating so late. School really adds to stress. I now have a livejournal for this story. Under username search for misslove852 to find the latest spoilers for this story as well as future plans. umm, that's it I guess. Review! The more reviews I get the less time it takes to update!