Disclaimer: Still not mine.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to the amazing girls at the lit!thread at s-h dot org. Y'all are amazing, and I hope you enjoy the mental imagery of this chapter. This, my lovelies, is what an all-nighter, various pictures of the gorgeous Milo, and a mini Season 2 marathon will get you. Enjoy and review. Oh, and download Hey There Delilah by the Plain White T's.

Catorce

Rory walked into the apartment and placed her bag next to the door. "Jess?" She called out, breaking the silence between them for this first time in a week.

No answer came and Jess didn't appear. Rory walked the short length of the hall to the bedroom and peeked in. The bed was unmade and a few days' worth of dirty laundry was building up on the hardwood floor. She had broken the silence, but he wasn't even in the apartment.

Rory walked back out to the living room and saw that Jess's laptop was open. He took meticulous care of that machine. If it was open, then he was nearby. And if he was nearby, then he was either in the laundry room or on the roof. Considering the vast amount of laundry still on the floor, that left the roof.

"What a shock." Rory mumbled to herself sarcastically. She walked out to the hall and limped up the stairs to the roof. Her ankle was still a little sore. Rory walked out onto the roof and was hit with a gust of cold air.

"This whole rooftop smoking in December thing is no longer endearing, charming, or mysterious." Rory called across to Jess, who was standing with his back to her.

Jess turned around with a smirk on his face and no cigarette on his person. "How about the whole rooftop thinking in December thing?" He asked.

Rory smiled and walked towards him. "OK, that's mildly endearing."

"How was dinner?" Jess asked, trying not to look Rory in the eye.

"Good." Rory said, pulling her cardigan tighter around herself and looking at her crossed arms. "Good."

"Good." Jess said. "That's good."

Rory smiled, but didn't look up quite yet. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." Jess agreed, still playing the look-away game. He grabbed her elbow and gently turned her around. "C'mon, let's go inside."

As they walked inside, Rory said, "I have been relying on you too much."

"Agreed." Jess said with a nod.

"I think I know why." Rory continued as they walked down the stairs. It had taken the whole trip back to New York to do it, but she'd finally mustered up the courage to tell Jess that she had feelings for him again.

"I know why too." Jess said. They entered the hallway and walked down it slowly, taking mind of Rory's bad ankle.

"Oh?" Rory asked, trying to keep traces of hope out of her voice. Did he know she was thinking about him differently? Did he feel the same way? "Enlighten me."

They entered the apartment and Jess shrugged off his leather jacket.

"God, how long have you had that thing?" Rory asked, shaking her head in amusement.

Jess smirked and hung the beat-up jacket up next to the door. "It was the first thing I bought with my first check from Wal-Mart. I love this jacket."

"So tell me your theory on my inner workings, doctor." Rory said, touching the jacket lightly as she walked past and sat on the sofa.

Jess smirked. "Look, I know these last few months have been hard. Really, I get that. And I haven't ever regretted that you ran to me. Not once. And I know that you just need a friend to support you through all this bullshit you've been going through."

"Oh." Rory said, quietly. "Yeah. A friend."

"And I'm glad it's me. It just got to be a lot. Nothing's changed, though." Jess added quickly. "We're still friends, and I'm there for you. I just can't do everything for you." He sighed, frustrated with himself. "Am I explaining this right?"

Rory nodded. She needed to hide her disappointment. Jess was opening up and being honest; she couldn't show how upset she was that she misread what they had as something more.

"I didn't mean to rely on you so much." Rory said slowly, formulating the lie that she was about to tell. "I just needed a friend. Thank you for being here for me."

It all sounded so forced and fake. The conversation sounded so hollow. Anyone listening would realize that they were both holding something back, that there was something there that both refused to put a name to. Neither Jess nor Rory realized it though. They both thought that the other one was being honest and forthright.

"So we're good?" Jess asked, meeting Rory's eyes uncomfortably.

"Yeah." Rory nodded half-hearted. "Absolutely. Still friends. No harm, no foul."

"Good." Jess said with a nod.

"Good." Rory agreed. "Want to go get something to eat?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah. Chinese?"

"A perennial favorite." Rory said. "Let's go."


"Guess what I'm going to have for you later this week." Rory said, coming out of the bedroom with her closed cell phone in her hand.

Jess lifted his arms and crossed his fingers. "C'mon, new car!"

Rory laughed. "Sorry to disappoint, but not quite. Something even better though. A date."

Jess stiffened and lowered his hands. "What?"

Rory realized what she had said and shifted uncomfortably. "For your book!" She exclaimed, masking her awkwardness with excitement. "By the end of the week, we'll know the release date."

A smile crept up Jess's face. "That's awesome. Wow. It's all really happening, huh?"

Rory sank next to him on the couch and put a hand on his leg without thinking about it. "It certainly is."

Jess looked down at Rory's friendly hand on his knee and swallowed nervously. Usually, he'd take her hand in his and neither would think anything of it. Now though, everything was different. He couldn't just hold her hand and pretend it didn't mean anything to him.

Jess grabbed Rory's hand and moved it in what he hoped was a casual manner. He stood up and walked over to his computer. "Now if only I could get over this writer's block."

"I thought the new stories were going alright." Rory commented, cradling her hand as if he'd burned her by removing it from his leg.

That was what she thought because that was the lie he'd been telling her since she got back from Connecticut the week before. The truth was that he'd been having trouble writing since realizing how he felt about Rory, and the block had gotten even worse since they'd had the apology and 'no harm, no foul' talk. He had so many ideas as to how he wanted things to progress between his characters, but absolutely no idea how to get them there.

"Just a little stuck." Jess lied easily. "I'm sure I'll snap out of it soon. Besides, the city always needs messengers, and Wal-Mart always needs people to run forklifts."

Rory rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. You're not going to have to work at Wal-Mart again. And you're going to quit that messenger job too."

Jess just shrugged. "It's one book. It might not even be any good."

Rory's mouth fell open. "Jess." She said, standing and walking over to him. She put a hand on his shoulder and asked, "Do you really think the book isn't any good?"

Jess tried desperately to remain stoic at Rory's touch, but it was killing him. He wanted to lean into her so badly, and at the same time he wanted to push her hand away from him.

"I don't know." Jess said. "What do I know about what sells, huh? That's your job."

"It's my job." Rory agreed with a nod. "But you know just as much about books as any editor I know. I think it's part of why you're so good."

Jess shook his head. "I'm not fishing for compliments here, OK? I'm just…I dunno, I'm gonna go take a shower." He pushed himself away from the computer and away from Rory and walked into the bathroom. Moments later, she heard the shower running.

Rory walked over to the couch and opened a book. She sat there, pretending to read. That had felt so awkward. It wasn't just this one though. All of their interactions had absolutely oozed with awkwardness. The worst part, though, was knowing that Jess had no idea. Here she was, trying to pretend that nothing was wrong, and Jess didn't even know that anything was wrong.

"Lucky bastard." Rory murmured to herself, staring at the page. She was going absolutely crazy trying to act as though everything was normal, and she felt like she was doing a horrible job at it. She must've been a better actress than she thought though, because Jess had yet to comment on what she thought of as strange behavior.

Rory sighed and tried desperately to take her mind off Jess. She focused on the novel in her lap. She managed to remain distraction-free for about two pages before she drifted again. All she could think about was how different everything felt now that she felt so attracted to him. She'd never lost sight of what a good-looking guy he was; it was nearly an impossible task. Everywhere they went there were women, and some men, staring at him thoughtfully. What she had lost sight of though, were the little things that made him so visually appealing.

There was something in his eyes. There were flecks that glowed golden against the brown that made them more than just hazel eyes. They always scorched and burned a hole right through her when he looked at her.

His mouth was even more amazing. His upper lip was uneven, which worked surprisingly well on him. He also had this little quirk where he nibbled lightly on his lower lip when he was thinking, which could be considered an adorable quirk on anyone else. On him though, it was nothing short of ridiculously sexy. He was just put together in a way that made him so…

Rory pinched herself on her upper arm. These little mental tangents on Jess's attractiveness were getting longer each time, and now physically assaulting herself was the only way to break herself of it. She wasn't going to think about Jess anymore though. She was just going to read her book. She was so deep in argument with herself that she didn't hear the water stop running, nor did she hear the door open.

She did however see Jess exit the bathroom hurriedly. He wore only a white bath towel, slung low on his hips. The towel stopped right below his belly button, giving way to a thin trail of hair leading up his bare stomach

The term 'happy trail' never made more sense.

It was easy to forget the Jess's muscles were so well-defined, because most of the clothes he wore didn't emphasize that fact (which right now seemed like a horrible tragedy in Rory's mind). It was a hard thing to ignore now though, as he hurried into the living room, so fresh from his shower that there were still droplets of water clinging to his bare arms and abs- abs that had to come from sit-ups he did when he was alone. His dark hair was soaked and messy, sticking up in several directions.

"You're in a towel." Rory said dumbly as Jess walked right in front of her and over to his laptop. As he did, Rory closed her eyes and inhaled. The scent of him was strongest when he got out of the shower.

Jess didn't respond. He sat down at his desk and opened his laptop. As soon as he opened his document, he began to type furiously in a blur of his fingers hitting the keys. As he did so, Rory continued to stare at his half-naked profile. She tried to pull herself away; to look down at her book. Even pinching her arm didn't work. She continued to look at him, and the only word springing to her mind was 'ravish.'

"Jess." Rory attempted after what seemed like decades. "Jess."

"What?" Jess asked tersely, not even breaking his tempo as he typed.

"Are you really just going to sit there and type in a towel?" Rory asked meekly, trying to play it off humorously.

"Can't stop. Don't know when I'll get this inspired again." Jess said distractedly. "No more talking." He finished decidedly.

Rory nodded and looked back down at her book, grateful for this opportunity to sit and stare freely at Jess's form, and annoyed with herself for wanting to take it.


Jess sat typing at his laptop, as he had been for the past two days. A dam had broken while he was in the shower the other day, and he hadn't stopped writing, except for eating, sleeping, and bathroom visits. He'd been virtually incommunicado ever since, taking some of the bite out of the awkward silences between him and Rory.

Jess was so engrossed with his work that he didn't hear the knock on the door until it grew louder and more persistent.

Jess didn't look up, just sighed in frustration. "Come in!"

The doorknob moved, but the door didn't open. Jess made an annoyed noise low in his throat. Then he looked around, confused. If the door was locked then that meant Rory had left. He hadn't realized that she'd gone. "Huh."

Jess stood and stalked over to the door and opened it hurriedly. He was halfway back to his computer before he turned back around to see to whom he had just opened the door to his home. He stopped dead in his trek back to his computer as he stared at the well-dressed, blonde man standing in his doorway. The two had never met, but Jess recognized him immediately from the photo in Rory's apartment. He'd seen the photo only once, but it was very easy to remember the face of a man whom you intended to kill.

"What can I do for you?" Jess demanded hostilely.

Logan looked down for a moment, as if debating whether or not to take another step into the apartment. Jess's harsh glare wasn't enough to keep him in his place, and he took a few steps into the small apartment. He looked around, disdain and contempt obvious on his features. His nose was wrinkled up in disgust.

"What can I do for you?" Jess repeated, dropping any trace of civility that may have existed in his voice.

Logan looked Jess up and down with more disgust than he'd shown for the shorter man's living quarters. "I'm looking for Rory Gilmore."

"Huh. There are very few situations where I actually want to use the word 'duh' but it seems so gosh darn appropriate right now." Jess snapped. "She's not here right now. Leave a message."

Logan narrowed his eyes. "And you must be Jess."

"Guilty as charged. She's not here, Richie. Your extremely unwelcome, extremely blonde presence will do nothing to change that." Jess crossed his arms across his chest.

"I'm just looking for Rory." Logan asked sarcastically. "Have I done something to offend you, friend?"

Jess raised his eyes to the ceiling and quoted, "'I tried, but I can't do it. I'm sorry. Logan.' That's verbatim, I believe."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you have preferred that I broke up with you in person?" Logan snapped.

"Listen, I don't know what you want or how you even got here." Jess replied. "But Rory isn't here."

"Then I'll wait." Logan said, trying to step farther into the apartment.

Jess put up a hand to stop the annoying, blonde man from moving into his living room. "No, 'fraid not. This is my house, and you're not staying."

"This isn't a house. This isn't habitable by man." Logan said.

Jess smirked. He'd had this guy pegged since about ten minutes after Rory first mentioned his name. He was the type of guy who felt better when he demeaned those he felt were below him. It probably worked wonders on the plebeians who worked below him. Jess didn't operate like that though, so Logan's belittling didn't faze him at all.

"Get out. I don't think I can say this any clearer. Nicer, sure, but that's not my style." Jess said.

"I'm here to see Rory, and I'm not leaving until I see her."

Jess smirked. "You want to see her? Fine."

He stalked into his bedroom, leaving Logan standing in the hallway with his nostrils flaring and his fists clenched. Jess hurried back out of the room with a few photographs in his hands. He tossed the bulk of them aside and thrust one in Logan's hands. "There she is."

Logan took the photo from Jess and looked at it without much interest. His eyes widened when he saw that it was a picture of Rory in a ruined, silk wedding dress with make-up running down her face and her brown hair matted to her head. She looked sad, pathetic, and absolutely destroyed.

"You did that. So excuse me if I don't want you sitting on my couch and drinking my coffee. Rory's coffee. Whatever." Jess snapped.

"Who the Hell are you to be mad about what I did?" Logan asked, eyes still glued to the photo.

"A friend." Jess responded, knowing it was only a half-truth. "Get. Out."

"He can stay." Rory said quietly, causing both men to look at the door. She stood in the doorway, bracing herself with one hand against the doorway. She pushed herself into the room and took the photo from Logan's hands. It took a moment to register what it was, and then she let a light laugh escape her lips.

"What a sight I was that day, huh?" She asked rhetorically. She handed the photo to Jess, who looked at it with more affection than he should have. He tucked it in his back pocket and brought his eyes back up Rory, attempting to gauge her reaction to the situation.

"What are you doing here, Logan?" Rory demanded.

"Can we do this by ourselves?" Logan asked, staring pointedly at Jess, who made a childish face at the man.

"Jess has been here through everything else. He can be here for this." Rory responded. She sat on the sofa and said, "Talk."

Logan sighed, "Your grandmother called, told me where you were staying."

"And if the question had been 'how did you know where I was,' then that'd be a perfectly acceptable answer." Rory said. "What are you doing here?"

Logan sighed. "I want you to come home."

Both Rory and Jess stiffened at the statement. "Don't be ridiculous." Rory responded. "You left me, remember? Do you need to see the picture again?" She motioned wildly at Jess, indicating that he should pull the photo again.

"Look, I was an idiot. I'm sorry. I was wrong, OK? I was completely and totally wrong. There's nothing better out there. It's you. It's always been you." Logan said, walking towards her.

Rory sighed and closed her eyes. She couldn't decide if she wanted to cry or laugh. "Logan…"

"Hey, I know that I messed this up. But I'm sorry. I was wrong. Let's try again. C'mon, Ace." Logan took her hand and looked down at the ring. "Let's get married."

Jess clenched his fists and turned around so no one could see the expression on his face. He really shouldn't be there for this. He didn't want to be there when Rory went back to Logan.

Rory shook her head. "No, Logan. I can't." She retracted her hand. "I won't."

Jess spun around with wide eyes at Rory's words. No. She'd said no to Logan. She said no. She said no. She said no.

"Logan, I loved you. But you ran. You ran and you fucked someone else and you pretty much destroyed me because you weren't sure. I was sure. You weren't."

"I know." Logan responded, having the decency to look ashamed. "And I'm-"

"You were right." Rory responded, causing another jolt of shock to Jess's nervous system. "You were completely and totally correct. We weren't right. There is something else." She sneaked a look at Jess before lowering her eyes to her engagement ring. She'd never noticed before how gaudy it really was. "I don't know what that something is, but it's out there."

"So that's it?" Logan demanded, straightening. "You're saying no so you can live here, with him?"

"There's nothing wrong with him." Rory responded, her voice finally getting angry.

"Please, look at this place. Look at him! This is a mess. We have a house. We were building a life."

"I'm building a new one." Rory spat out, standing up and looking him in the eye. "And it doesn't involve you. I don't love you anymore."

It was a minor victory for all poor, scruffy artists everywhere and Jess was tempted to do a little dance in celebration. He tried to calm himself, though, by reminding himself that rejecting Logan didn't mean that she was picking him.

"So that's it? We're done and the skinny asshole gets you?" Logan demanded, getting angry.

"If that's how you're looking at it, then yes. You should go. There's nothing here for you." Rory responded, feeling an argument about her relationship with Jess would be entirely out of place.

"I refuse to accept that." Logan growled.

"Oh, fuck it." Jess murmured to himself. He crossed the space and grabbed Logan by his shoulder. His arm was back and Logan's nose was bleeding before Jess realized that somewhere in between, he'd punched Logan in the face. Adrenaline flowed through his system and he dragged Logan over to the door and pushed him out it without another word. As Logan sat on his butt, staring up in shock, Jess said, "Sorry, friend, looks like you're not welcome in our house. Sorry, our inhabitable hellhole." Without another word, he slammed the door.

"Rory." He said, immediately turning around and walking over to her. "Are you OK?"

Rory laughed a little and looked up at him. He'd expected tears, but there were none. "I've never been better." She responded honestly.

Jess smiled at her, knelt down, and took her hands, all awkwardness forgotten for the moment. "And now, I think there's only one thing left to do."

"What?" Rory asked, leaning in closer to him, foolishly expecting a kiss.

Jess was grinning as he stood and pulled Rory to her feet. "Let's go."

Jess opened the door and peeked out to make sure Logan was gone. He was, so Jess tugged Rory into the hallway and up to the roof.

"Jess! It's freezing. What are we doing?" Rory demanded laughingly.

Jess smiled and took Rory's left hand. He slid Logan's engagement ring off her finger, placed it in her palm and said, "Something I've wanted you to do since you first came here." He led her to the edge of the roof and said, "You know what to do."

Rory sighed and looked at the ring in her hand. This was it. If she did this, she was really throwing away everything she'd had with Logan. She looked out across the city and threw the ring as hard as she could without another thought.

The two laughed together wildly, and Jess slung his arm over Rory's shoulders. She leaned into him and sighed a deep sigh of relief. He kissed her temple and murmured, "So proud of you."

And then, all the awkwardness was back just as suddenly as it had left. Rory and Jess pushed away from each other at the same time, both muttering about the cold and going back inside.