Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls

Rory was stunned by his answer. He wasn't going to go on a tour that could quite possibly jump start his career. Sure he was a best selling author now but still this book tour would do wonders for his career. Rory knew he was working on another book and this would help him develop a fan base. He never wanted to be a well known commercial author. Rory knew that but she wanted so much for him. Sometimes she worried that he didn't want enough. He had Truncheon sure that's great. Matt's was scheduled to open soon and that was great too. Why doesn't he want more with his writing? Rory decided to let it go. They went to dinner and a movie and fell asleep in his car reading.

Jess woke up in the middle of the night after having a dream about the fight he and Matt had. He grabbed his laptop from the back seat and started writing. He was almost done with his new book. It was longer and in his opinion better. He hadn't written in so long he had forgotten what it was about. He started skimming through the first five chapters, the only ones he had written. After he had refreshed his memory he started writing. After awhile he felt a hand on his shoulder. He quickly shut his laptop and looked up as his eyes locked with the sad eyes of the only woman he ever loved. He shook his head and laughed.

"When it's done" he promised.

The two walked into the bookstore but got tired and sat down on a couch and fell asleep there. They woke up to Luke and Lorelai hovering over them. They had bags in there hands. They weren't supposed to leave today. Their leaving today meant something.

"Lane's pregnant she needs emotional support" Lorelai told the sleepy couple on the couch.

Rory looked from Lorelai to Jess to the window. He knew what she was thinking. She wanted to help her best friend. He understood that. He had come to Philadelphia to help Matt. She should go see Lane. She needs her. Sure she may not be dying but Rory should be with her friend during her pregnancy. He had to just let her go. He couldn't leave. He was needed here. He could only hope that she would end up with someone who loved her as much as he did. He idly wondered if it was possible for anyone to any one person as much as he loved Rory. He knew she had been the one for him the moment he saw her. There was never a chance for them.

"Tell her I said congratulations" Rory looked at Jess.

"Tell her yourself" Jess ordered.

"I guess I could call her"

He wasn't going to let her do this. He couldn't let her stay. If Lane needed her she needed to go. It wouldn't be right to let her stay knowing it was because of him. She had to go. He walked upstairs and began throwing her stuff into a bag. He then walked downstairs to find a very confused Rory in the same spot he had left her. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She kicked and she screamed and he threw her in the car. He waved a wordless goodbye and shut the door. She mouthed 'I love you' and the car began to move.

He went back to work. He helped customer after customer. Several people now knew his name. He silently thanked Rory for his sudden uncomfortable-ness in his own bookstore. Chris seemed to watch intently as Jess busied himself. He had made one rather rude comment about Jess needing Rory to be able to function like a normal human being. This made Jess mad and sent him out the door and into the closest bar. Jess rarely drank. He used to. He used to drink a lot. Around the time he found out about Matt he stopped drinking as much. He knew it couldn't give him the same disease as shooting heroine with a bunch of other guys but it made him realize that just because they were young and stupid didn't mean they were invincible. Quite the opposite actually.

"You're Jess Mariano right?" one man asked.

Jess nodded.

"I read your book when there were only 500 in this bookstore" he started "I didn't buy it but I read it. I recently bought the book and I must say I find the most interesting page the dedication."

"That's what every author wants to hear" Jess said sarcastically.

"Oh no don't get me wrong I love the book it's amazing" the man revised his previous statement.

He was old, probably late 60s. He looked oddly familiar. Jess knew he hadn't seen him in the bookstore before. He must've been in Stars Hollow the day he came. He was slightly heavy. He had gray hair and a mustache. He was wearing a bow tie.

"Oh well if you don't mind my asking why was the dedication so interesting?" Jess asked.

"My daughter is quite the meddler and my granddaughter seems to be following in her footsteps" the man laughed. It finally clicked in Jess's brain.

"Mr. Gilmore nice to see you again" Jess smiled politely at the older man.

"I hear my granddaughter was forcibly removed from this bookstore this morning."

"News travels fast"

"What can I say the family is closer knit than it appears?"

"Isn't that normally the case?"

"Yes well I suppose it is"

"So you probably wondering why right"

"Yes"

"She wouldn't go visit her pregnant friend I thought she should"

"Yes I head about her little Korean friend getting married and pregnant"

"Lane"

"What"

"Her little Korean friend's name is Lane"

"Right well I agree she should be in Stars Hollow with her family not in Philadelphia with her boyfriend."

Jess thought about the word boyfriend. It sounded so informal so unserious. It made them sound like kids who were dating. Two people that's what they were. He didn't want to be just someone she was dating. He loved her and he knew she loved him. They were more than just two kids who were dating. He knew that he just had a feeling he was going to have to prove it to the disapproving looking man in front of him.

"I agree she should be in Stars Hollow with her family so should I" Jess started "unfortunately I have to work here I wish I could be so lucky as to be able to work closer to her but I don't"

"I don't like you" Mr. Gilmore stated.

"Well sir I'm not very fond of you either" he replied smugly.

"I'm not the only one coming today" Mr. Gilmore said warningly "her father will be here."

"May I help you with anything else sir" Jess asked "if not I really do have to get back to work." He began walking away only to be stopped by a younger man. He assumed this one was her father.

"Listen you may think you're in because you've got Lorelai's approval and you've got Luke on your side but you still have a lot more relatives to deal with" he started his speech.

"May I point out the fact that we've been together for weeks and you have just noticed" Jess smirked.

"Look I liked Logan he was a good guy" Chris told me.

"Except for the whole cheating on her thing?"

"Yea" Chris gulped "I don't like you. I don't care how many books you write. You don't deserve her."

"You don't think I know that" Jess asked.

"Obviously or you wouldn't be with her"

"I love Rory" Jess told the concerned father "and as someone who loves her I am the last person I'd pick for her but she's a big girl she makes her own decisions no matter how stupid they are."