I had intended to leave this at chapter 4, but all the sweet reviews and a couple messages got my juices flowing again. I realized, I can't mention Luke taking them out for dinner, and then not write it! So here it is... Please enjoy, and thanks for reading!


Luke sat squinting at the long menu, the bridge of his nose scrunched in the dim candlelight. "Why do they have to make everything so hoity toity now?" he said.

"Did you just use the words hoity toity?" asked Jess.

"Look at this: 'Braised Elk, roast summer vegetables, farrow, Wojapi berry puree, cauliflower…' why is there cauliflower in everything now?"

"It is a boring vegetable," said Jess.

"And what is a Wojapi berry anyway? Are they just making up words to sound cool?"

"I think it's a mix of chokecherries and other fruit…" offered Gillian.

"And where are they getting Elk in Philadelphia? If this place is so local, where are they sourcing from? Are Elk just roaming the streets near Lincoln Field?"

"Hey man, you picked the place," said Jess. "If it's too 'hoity toity' we can find somewhere else."

"No, no. Sorry. You're right. This is to celebrate you guys. You Gillian."

Jess smiled and put his arm around her chair and tilted his head to kiss her hair. She leaned into his lips.

"But would you look at this wine list," started Luke again. "How many wines do you need? There's red, white, and that pink stuff," he said gesturing. "I for one have never tried the pink stuff, but I heard the millennials drink it. Are you guys millennials? When's the cutoff for that?"

"Jesus," said Jess.

"We're elder millennials if you want to get technical," said Gillian. "But don't hold that against us."

"I'd be categorized as a younger millennial," said April, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Dad, we've gone over all this before."

"Who has room in their brain for that stuff," he said. "All I know is that I'm sitting with the smartest people I know."

Gillian smiled at him, Jess rolled his eyes and punched him in the arm, while April tried not to blush and nodded in agreement.

The waiter came by and they ordered, Luke opting for the Elk anyway, but insisting on a beer.

"So, we have news all around," said Luke. "Who wants to start?"

"You do," said Jess, drinking from his wine glass. "Sure you don't want anything?" he asked Gillian quietly.

"I'm alright. I'm dehydrated," she said drinking a gulp of water. Jess nodded and took another sip of wine.

"Ok," said Luke. "It's more like a question. So Jess, you know Rory."

Jess choked on his drink, and Gillian spluttered.

Luke leaned over and pounded on his back.

"We've met briefly, yes," said Jess warily after he'd recovered.

"Well her mom and I are worried. She seems to be floundering, and we're not sure what to do. Lorelai's at her wits end. You know Rory left her husband right?"

Gillian's eyes were wide as she stared at Jess. His lips were pursed in a straight line. After last night's ceremony, paying the babysitter and checking on Lizzie, they'd both crashed into bed, too tired to have sex, and too overwhelmed to discuss Rory's proposal. It had weighed heavily on Gillian's mind all day. Did he regret not saying yes? From her talk earlier with April, he and Rory had been back and forth more and for longer than she'd realized.

"Where are you going with this?" Jess asked.

"I just thought, you guys being good friends and all, maybe you could talk to her."

"NO," said Jess and Gillian together. They looked at each other and back at Luke.

"It was just a thought…" said Luke. "Geez."

"Is everyone ready for my news?" asked April.

"Just a second April," said Luke. "You guys are friends, what's the problem?"

"It's not a good idea," said Jess. "There's too much… history…"

"We're just trying to encourage her to see someone professional," said Luke. "She seems lost. I thought maybe you'd want to help her, you've been friends for so long. What about you Gillian? I know you don't know her that well, but maybe woman writer to woman writer?"

"Luke, that's a tall order," said Gillian taking a deep breath. "I don't know…" She glanced at Jess and he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

"Listen," said Luke. "Think about it. You don't need to answer tonight."

"So," said April. "I'm moving to France. With Ricky."

"No you're not," said Luke.

"Dad, I'm twenty nine years old."

Luke and April began to bicker as the waiter's dropped their plates off, and Jess ran his hands down over his face.

"You're not actually considering talking to Rory are you?" asked Jess quietly, spearing some carrots.

"No, are you?" asked Gillian.

Jess didn't get to answer.

"We'll discuss it later," said Luke to April, as she huffed, cutting into her chicken. "Jess, what's your news?"

Jess swallowed his carrots. He stood, holding his glass up. "This is something I haven't told Gillian yet, so… one hundred percent real reactions coming. My partners at Truncheon agreed to sell their shares. Gillian and I are the full owners of the press, and all that comes with it, including a raise."

Gillian set her glass down and stared up at Jess with wide eyes. "You're shitting me. Don't dick around, are you kidding?" she asked.

"My wife, beautiful woman with a filthy mouth, I am not dicking around."

"Jess…" she stood and kissed him full on the mouth as his wine sloshed out of his glass. This almost eclipsed her news. Almost.

"God, I'm so proud of you," she said, her hand running over his cheek.

"I'm proud of us," he said.

They sat back down, delicious tiny food forgotten in front of them.

"Last but not least," said Jess. "You have something wife?"

"I do. But maybe now's not the time…"

"Go on Gillian," said April eyeing her suspiciously. Gillian could tell April had deduced her news from her shrewd gaze and lack of alcohol in front of her.

Gillian sighed. "Well, you all know this is an exciting year of extras. Jess, darling husband… We're going to have an extra of our own."

He furrowed his eyebrows as Gillian placed her hands over her stomach.

"You're shitting me," he said.

She shook her head.

Jess smashed his lips to hers, and both Luke and April looked away. "When?" he asked.

"Sometime after you put your dick in me a couple months ago," she said.

"Oh geez…" said Luke, his whole face turning red.

"Boy or girl?" asked Jess.

"Uh huh," said Gillian.

"Garson?" asked Luke to the waiter who rolled his eyes. "Champaign. On the double."

Jess helped Gillian out of her jacket when they got home before removing his. She eyed him as he took his wallet out and paid the babysitter. She was racking up quite a bill lately.

She'd never felt so attracted to him. Yes, he had lines around his eyes now, his hairline had receded a little and his back cracked constantly, but he was still the most handsome man she'd ever seen.

The babysitter left and she closed the door after her.

"I'm going to check on Lizzie," he said. She nodded as he climbed the stairs.

She glanced around their house. It was something she never expected to own. She thought they'd be World Traveler's and nomads forever. They'd never gotten to take any more trips once Lizzie was born, and now that there was another bun in the oven, it might be an even longer time before that happened. Especially with the responsibility of running the Press by themselves.

But she would trade all the trips around the world to do it again. She flopped on their over priced squishy couch as he came down the stairs again. He stopped in the middle of them and put his hand over his heart.

"Damn, you're beautiful," he said.

"Sweet talker," she said smiling.

He sat on the couch and pulled her legs onto his lap, rubbing her feet.

"You're good to me," she said sighing.

"The mother of my children deserves a little pampering," he said.

"Jess, do you ever regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"This, this domestic house. This life? Having your freedom stripped away?"

"How can you ask me that?"

"Were you tempted to say yes to Rory?"

He stopped his rubbing. "So you heard?"

"Well?"

"No. Not even for a second."

"You have such history."

"You're my history. Past, present and future."

"Are you sure?"

"Where is this coming from? You're the most confident woman I know."

She sat up and played with the lapels of his shirt. "Maybe I'm missing our wide open adventures a little. I wouldn't trade Lizzie or little TJ for anything."

"No TJ's," he said balking.

"But I feel different. Like… Like I bore you. Maybe I'm just boring myself."

Jess regarded her for a moment, then pulled her into his arms. "You are Gillian Taylor-Mariano, and you are anything but boring." He started to kiss her neck and she sighed, her fingers winding into his hair.

"I feel like I'm in a rut."

"It's writer's block. You'll get past it." He dragged his lips down her chest, to the tops of her breasts. She groaned and pulled down the neckline of her dress so he could kiss lower.

"We own a house, we own a sedan. We're a nuclear family."

Jess pulled away and sighed. "I grew up in complete instability. Liz was a flake, my dad has never been there. I've lived on my own since I was eighteen. I don't want Lizzie or little Whatsit to experience any of that. Yes, we have a house, yes, we have a sedan. Yes, I have a trophy wife."

She snickered through her nose.

"But this is what I want," he continued. "Is it what you want?"

"It is. I just don't want you to regret it."

"Never."

"So I guess no more adventures for the time being."

Jess gave her a crooked smile. He reached over her and pulled out the drawer in the end table. "Then I guess I'll have to return these."

He handed her three plane tickets. She stared at them disbelieving.

France, Paris.

She felt a hot tear roll down her cheek. "You goddamn wonderful man," she said.

"You, me, Lizzie. What's the point of owning our own business if we can't take a wildly expensive vacation and spoil our child in the process?" He took the tickets from her and set them on the coffee table, then started kissing her neck again.

"Mm," she moaned.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes to Paris or yes to fucking?"

"Both."

"Mhm."

She met his lips with hers, as he pushed her back onto the couch, pulling at her dress, slipping his fingers underneath the fabric.

"Mommy?" came a voice from the top of the stairs. Jess sprang up, and Gillian straightened her dress.

"Yes sweetie?"

Her five year old was bouncing down the steps, shiny black hair plastered to her face, her new teddy bear from Luke in one hand. "I had a nightmare."

"Oh Bug. I'm coming." Gillian stood, leaning down to whisper in Jess's ear. "Fifteen minutes. Our room. Naked. Grab the whipped cream bottle."

She could see the arousal burgeoning in his jeans as his eyes lit with fire. "Fifteen max."