Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: Thanks for those who reviewed my story. Here's another dose of Lifetime. I think I have to warn you that there will be two profanities. That said, on with the story.

Everyone in the limo was quiet. Not one can meet another's gaze.

"I'm sorry guys. I didn't know she was going to be there." Dick Casablancas apologized for the nth time.

"I told you to make sure that she won't be there." His wife replied acidly.

"You know I don't respond well to nagging." Dick rolled his eyes at Mac.

"Well maybe if you did then we wouldn't have spent three days in hell." She bitingly replied.

"Come on Mac, it wasn't that bad. We did have a little fun and Jess did not get seasick." Veronica piped in, trying to diffuse the tension.

"I do not get seasick." An annoyed Jess responded.

"I don't see why anyone is getting their underwear in a twist. We got to spend three days in an amazing house. It's like an all access pass to the rich and famous." Lorelai stated giving Veronica a supportive smile, which the younger woman returned gratefully.

"Oh yeah, walking in on Kendall while she was banging some random dude, finding out that we can't use the yacht and then finally having to spend the time while Logan is acting like an ass, that defines my perfect three day weekend." Wallace proclaimed, Veronica shot him a glare and he merely shrugged.

"Look I don't see what dwelling on it will do any of us." Luke was the voice of reason.

"Luke's right. We still had a little fun, despite the bad start." Rory chirped brightly.

"Tell that to Logan. Did you see how red he got when he found out that we had to beg for a place to stay with Addy's ex?" Jess can't help but chuckle.

"That was classic. How about the number of times he kept muttering under his breath? I think he was saying Baja over and over again." Lorelai joined in.

"You guys are so mean." Veronica said helplessly.

"This is why he didn't want to ride back to the house with us." Mac laughingly commented.

"You mean aside from the fact that wanted to fight with Addy in private?" Dick contributed.

"It's pure luck that your dad wasn't there Veronica. Otherwise it would have been awkward." Mac gave Veronica a wry smile.

'Tell me about it. Dad we can't use the yacht because Kendall is doing a random dude. We have to look for a place to stay, oh look, isn't that Martin? How about we ask Addy's ex if we could spend three days at his place? Oh is that Logan looking like he swallowed a chili." Veronica giggled uncontrollably.

Jess rolled his eyes at Veronica's hysterics. Luke seemed amused while the rest of the passengers laughed uncontrollably as well.

"The best part was seeing Jess try surfing." Lorelai picked on their host.

"Do you always fall five times before actually getting it right?" Luke teased his nephew.

"Oh then there was Jess' expression when he finally got a good wave." Dick can't help but join in the Jess bashing.

"I know I totally captured it on film." Veronica added.

"How about Luke, he tried to surf when everyone else was sleeping." Lorelai smilingly contributed. Luke glared at his wife and shrank back in his seat.

"I know. We all heard you two sneak out. I woke everyone up and we sneaked out with you." Rory looked anything but contrite and Luke shrank back even further.

"I'm sorry Luke, I broke under peer pressure." Jess grinned helplessly at his uncle.

"And I'm sorry if I happen to have a camcorder on hand." Veronica gave him a wry smile.

"And I'm sorry if I allowed Lorelai and Rory to convince me that sending the video to Stars Hollow residents was the best idea since sliced bread." Mac actually managed to look guilty.

"Lorelai Victoria Gilmore-Danes!" Luke looked like he was ready for murder. The younger passengers were all trying to control their laughter. Rory couldn't help herself and just started laughing, breaking everyone's control in the process.

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore!" Luke turned to Rory as he said her name effectively stopping her laughter. Rory looked thoroughly chastised as Luke calmed down under his wife's touch.

"Come on Luke, it's all in good fun." Wallace commented good-naturedly.

Luke rolled his eyes and smiled tentatively, and ended up laughing louder than the rest of the passengers.


"Hey." Jess looked up from his book as he saw Rory enter the library.

"Hey." Rory greeted back.

"Feeling restless too?" he asked her as she took a seat across from him.

"Yeah. But this weekend was really fun." She smilingly replied.

"It was fun wasn't it? The ride back seemed like a good end to the trip." Jess nodded as he said those words.

"Is Logan back yet?"

"No, they probably took the back streets of Neptune."

After a long stretch of silence Jess picked up his book and returned to his reading.

Rory thought back on their trip to Catalina and can't help but think that Jess and Veronica weren't as in love as she first thought. The two weren't acting like a couple, aside from a touch here and there. They don't call each other any pet names. If it hadn't been for Logan's comments in the library she would never have thought that the two even have a sex life. This convinced her even more that maybe she was on this trip to get Jess back.

"Jess…" Rory had a determined look on her face.

So we're doing this now. Jess thought as he put his book down as he saw her game face. He remained quiet, waiting for her to start.

"Why do you love her?" Rory got straight to the point.

"What do you mean?" Jess was purposely being difficult. He knew that Rory was going to ask him that question eventually; he wasn't going to make it easy for her.

"Why do you love Veronica?" she asked simply.

"Why do you want to know Rory?" Jess sighed heavily.

"Because she doesn't seem at all your type; and the two of you don't even act like a real couple at all. So why her? Out of all the women in the world why do you want to marry her?"

"What exactly is my type?"

"I don't know…" Rory faltered as she replied.

"Just because I don't publicly grope her doesn't mean we're not a real couple. We're getting married for Christ sake's. And I'm marrying her because she is the only Veronica in this world." Jess matched her question for question.

"I just want to know Jess, why do you love her?" Rory knew she sounded like she was pleading.

"Why Rory, why do I have to justify my relationship to you; when I did not ask you to justify yours when you picked Huntzberger over me?" Jess was getting a little impatient.

"I- because you loved me for years. Because despite everything that we've been through; you always managed to make me feel a number of emotions at once. You were there to push me back to Yale when I stopped believing in myself. Because you loved me even when I continued to push you away and now you love her. How does that happen? How did you stop loving me?" Rory tearfully asked a stoic Jess.

"Was I supposed to love you forever? Was I supposed to pin away for you while you get to live a happily ever after?" Jess retorted flatly.

"No-" Rory was horrified.

"You picked someone else. Did you want someone waiting on the sidelines just in case the bastard cheated on you again? Did you want me to be there just so there would be a person on the outside looking in? Did you want me to run away with you and then you'd dump me the second that jackass of a boyfriend of yours decides that he wants to make an honest woman out of you?"

Rory flinched as he verbally lashed out on her.

"Well I have news for you Rory; the universe does not revolve around you and your choices in life. I did not come to Neptune four years ago expecting to find someone else. I came here to see a friend, Veronica completely blindsided me. I loved you for five years; the last thing I wanted was to fall in love again, especially since I was burned three times by the same woman." Jess quietly murmured, trying to rein his anger in.

Rory felt that this confrontation was a long time coming; she did not exactly expect Jess to keep in touch when she chose Logan over him, but she had hoped that he would. She thought he was her friend, was it so selfish to think that she would always have him in her life? But five years have passed; it was time to resolve everything, even if it meant breaking someone's heart. She held Jess' gaze defiantly, as though challenging him to say more.

"Did you ever think that I just got tired of loving you? That one day I woke up and told myself to just stop. Unrequited love is not romantic, it's stupid. You once told me that you may have loved me, MAY Rory! I did love you; I told you I loved you. But I stopped, because you picked someone else. This time it wasn't me. Maybe it was for my own sanity that I just stopped."

"Did you ever think that maybe I just needed time; that my relationship with Logan had to run its natural course? After all these years I waited for you to come back. But you never did, not the wedding or the twins' birthdays. You never came. You never found out that I wanted you to come back." Rory angrily replied.

"Yeah, being used to get back on your boyfriend just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling, enough to make me want to come back for more." He sarcastically countered.

"You said you knew me. If you really did then you would have at least tried harder. The way I remember it you made me fall for you even when I was with Dean. Old age got to you? Not man enough to fight for what you want anymore?" she angrily fought back.

"Fight for you? Are you fucking serious?" Jess looked at her incredulously. "All throughout our relationship I've fought for you. I fought Dean, your mom, hell the entire town of Stars Hollow was in the ring with me. I kept coming back for more, I told you I loved you, I asked you to run away with me, you said no, like a fucking broken record. Then I come back to see you with some preppy prick, who insulted my very existence. It still wasn't enough, I go back for more and this time you let me kiss you and then you inform me that you would only be trying to get back at that prick if anything did happen between us. So pardon me if I'm not man enough to fight anymore." He sardonically replied.

"You ran away first. That's your trademark Jess. You ran away when you can't deal with your problems in Stars Hollow. Then you told me you love me and you weren't even man enough to wait for my reply. You asked me to run away with you and you expected me to drop my life for you. Was I supposed to believe that history won't repeat itself and you won't run the opposite direction when you can't deal with me?" Rory bitterly asked.

"If we hurt each other so much what are we doing here?"

"I don't know."

"I love Veronica."

"You keep saying that, all I want to know is why."

Jess sat back on his chair, throughout their exchange the two were standing like combatants. Sitting back on his chair he leaned his head back, closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Why? Why do I love Veronica Mars? She's a combination of innocence and cynicism. Veronica has been through a lot in her life. More than I can imagine. But despite everything she still manages to wake up every morning and greet the world with a smile."

Rory sat down and listened to Jess intently. She knew certain details of what happened with Veronica, that she solved the murder of her best friend, as well as a bus crash that happened five years ago but that was about it.

"She's been broken too many times to count, but she always manages to put herself back together again. She opened my heart again. The first time I saw her I knew, I want her with me for the rest of my life." Jess opened his eyes and looked at Rory directly in the eye.

"I love her because of who she is, not who she isn't. I never thought of Veronica taking your place in my heart Rory. But she made my heart whole again. Don't get me wrong, our relationship was never easy. I had to fight for her too. Four years ago she broke up with me and she went back to Logan Echolls. I understood why she broke things off with me, we were moving too fast. The first month of dating I told her I love her and she said it back, Veronica has always had issues with saying those three words back to men she had relationships with, but she never made light of our feelings for each other, to her that made our relationship scary. When we broke up I went back to Philadelphia and waited. I knew what I had to do, six months later she flew to New York and I took her back. Our story was less dramatic than yours and mine or hers and Logan's; our story could never be described as epic. But I knew that I wouldn't want to lose her for my life and she wouldn't want to lose me for hers." Jess quietly concluded.

"I don't know what to say." Rory whispered into the air.

"You asked me why I love her. If I had to make a list I'd make encyclopedias." Jess added, trying to inject some humor in their exchange.

"So I guess asking you not to marry her is out." Rory smiled weakly at him.

"If I don't follow through I'd have the rest of her friends tracking me down, a father who would know how to dispose of a body and Veronica herself who can kick my ass to next Tuesday." Jess smiled fondly at the thought.

"I'm sorry if I'm questioning everything about you and Veronica."

"To tell you the truth I expected as much."

"I really had myself convinced that I was here to get you back."

"Maybe you're here to get yourself back. I know whatever comes out of my mouth about Huntzberger would sound like I was jealous, but I never really like his effect on you."

"Explain." She turned to him patiently.

"Think about it Rory, since the first time that Huntzberger entered the picture you put yourself in a no strings attached relationship, then you stole a boat and dropped out of Yale, then there was a rift between you and Lorelai, had he really known you he would have told you to fix it the second it happened. Once you got your life together he cheated on you, he claims you were on a break, but seriously Ross and Rachel got nothing on you. And here you are now, seven years later and you haven't moved forward. Have you ever discussed marriage?" Jess asked delicately, as if it was not his place to pry.

"There was one time, five years ago. We've been living together for the last four years."

Jess gave her a sympathetic look. With their issues out of the way it was as though they were actually treating each other as friends.

"I was supposed to spend these two weeks with him, but he got called away to London. I told myself I have to ask him where he sees us in another five years. But the thing is I don't think I love him anymore." Rory admitted guiltily.

"Then why are you with him?"

"Convenient, less expensive. I could think of a lot of reasons why I'm with him, but none of it would be because I still love him."

"Then maybe it's time for a change."

"Maybe it is." Rory shot Jess a rueful smile.


Jess closed the door to the library quietly and went looking for Veronica. He found her outside the house, locking up the dark room. He walked towards her and when she saw him she flashed him a huge smile.

"Let's get out of here." He grabbed her hand and walked back into the house. Veronica looked at him quizzically but tried to match his pace anyway.

They got to the foyer and Jess picked up the car keys lying on the table. He opened the front door and saw Logan's car park haphazardly in the car port. He hit the clicker and the car was unlocked. He walked Veronica to the passenger side and opened the door for her. Once she was settled in he walked to the driver's side and the two peeled away from the house.

Veronica watched Jess as they navigated through the streets of Neptune. When they entered the freeway Veronica wondered where they were going. She could see his on grip the steering wheel was a little too tight, his knuckles were turning white.

"So where are we going?" she finally asked him.

"Anywhere, everywhere." Jess suavely replied.

Veronica shook her head in exasperation. She decided to just see where it goes. It was unusual for Jess to behave the way he was behaving.

It was half an hour later that they pulled in a secluded beach. Understanding dawned on Veronica; this was a place that she and Jess agreed to have serious talks. Jess got out of the driver's seat and went to her side of the vehicle, opened the door for her and helped her get out.

The two walked hand in hand. Jess stopped them just short of touching the water and turned to Veronica.

"I don't think we can get married."


AN: I didn't actually want to do a cliffhanger but it seemed to happen that way. So sorry if I did it anyway, brightside, I finished the next chapter so there won't be a long wait. It may appear that Jess and Rory acted weird after their screaming match, but I always thought that if only they get all of their issues out of the way they can become actual friends, oh well.. On the other hand I am currently riding high in the cloud nine, after reading updates on Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars not one fan can help it. I am just so damn happy and excited for fall to get here. So I have messages for those kind enough to review:

Problem Child1 : I too am a LoVe shipper. I almost died when Logan referred to his and Veronica's relationship as epic. And I'm glad you like my story, these two shows are my faves as well. As for making Rory a spinster and GG Logan dying, I already sort of promised LoVe23 a Logan Echolls and Rory Gilmore ending and the storyline is already in the works. Thanks for the review.

tylerhiltongrupie53 : Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the story.

troubledpenguin: You are right. I write a wimpy Rory, perhaps it has more to do with the fact that I really don't like her characterization for the last two seasons. I was watching Gilmore Girls more for the Luke and Lorelai action. But don't worry Rory still has a backbone, her life for the last five years in this story has made it less obvious. You'll see the appearance of the said backbone once the story progresses, especially if she is going to be paired with Logan Echolls, which I am writing in this fic. That said I appreciate the review, it may be because of your comments that made Rory in this chapter a little stronger.

LoVe23 : To my favorite reviewer. I'm glad you're happy. I always look forward to your comments so thanks again. I hope you enjoy the direction the story is going and that your comments will always be welcome.