Disclaimer: None of these characters were created by me, obviously. The beginning of this chapter contains some dialogue from the show. If you recognize it, I didn't write it.

A/N: Here's Chapter Two. Warning: The f-word shows up once here. I just think it's realistic in this context. Does that mean it should be rated M instead of T?

Jess prepared to leave town with mixed feelings. He wasn't too excited about anything he was doing now: going back to New York and working some crap job or leaving Stars Hollow without talking to Rory again. He especially wasn't happy about the latter. After paying Gypsy, he got into his car and flipped down the visor. An envelope of money dropped into his lap. He shook his head. It wasn't right to take anymore from Luke, and he headed toward the diner to tell him that.

Meanwhile, Rory thought that her grandparent's charity event hadn't been a blast, but she was happy to be standing in line for burgers at the Firelight Festival. She felt better after her conversation with her mom, but her unresolved feelings about Jess still gnawed at her, and she wondered whether he was gone. It bothered her that he had been the one in control earlier today, and she felt powerless now to decide what was happening between them.

She glanced over and, suddenly, he was standing not ten feet away, as if her thinking had willed him there. This time he seemed surprised too, with that deer-in-the-headlights look. They both stood silently for a moment and then Rory remembered what she wanted to do.

"I get to leave first!" she burst out, and took off running, her pink skirt flipping around her knees.

"Rory, wait, stop!" Jess yelled, following.

"No! You don't get to walk away!"

"I just wanna—where are you going?" He yelled, losing breath.

"None of your business!" she shot back. She criss-crossed the street like a little kid, causing him to imitate her wild path.

"We look like idiots!" he yelled.

"I don't care!"

"Stop running!"

"Stop following!" she yelled back, exasperated.

"Oh, come on."

"Go away, I'm leaving!"

"Rory, stop!" Jess begged.

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to you," he overtook her now, rushing up to her side and cutting her off.

"About what?" she demanded, finally standing still.

"When did you learn to run like that?" he asked, catching his breath.

"Oh, yes, ha ha, very funny Jess. Do you have anything else to say that isn't a clever joke, after ignoring me all day?"

"Rory, that's what you asked me to do. You didn't say ignore, but you did say to leave you alone," He reminded her.

"You didn't have to seem so mad when you did it. I should have been the one to walk away. You know, I used to think about seeing you again. A lot. How would Jess explain what he did? I mean, he just took off, no note, no call, nothing, how could he explain that? And then a year goes by. No word, nothing, so he couldn't possibly have a good excuse for that, right?" If she hadn't been so angry, she might have noticed that Jess looked almost like he might cry.

"Could we sit down?" Jess asked, sounding tired and a little anxious.

Rory considered. Maybe she was overreacting a little. She had gotten some things off her chest after making him run around like an idiot, and she was surprised he'd actually followed. Maybe he had a right to say what he wanted to say while sitting down.

"Okay, let's sit," she conceded. "There's an empty bench over there," she pointed and glanced at his face. "Okay?"

"Okay," he answered, and they walked over, remaining carefully apart.

Rory sat at the end of the bench and clasped her hands together on her knees, looking at the ground. He mirrored her posture, then took a breath and faced her.

"Rory, I have something I want to tell you."

"Jess, you sound so serious. What—"

"I love you."

She stared at him and his words hung in the air, unreciprocated, unanswered by any response. Seconds seemed like minutes to him, and he felt humiliated that she wouldn't say anything. He nodded, stood up, and began to walk away.

Something in Rory's brain snapped back on and she couldn't let him go. She didn't think about it, she just stood up.

"Jess, wait!" He turned around immediately, halted.

Ignoring what he'd said, she addressed what really worried her, loudly, "Where are you even going? Where do you live? God, you can't just go again. What if someone, I don't know, needs to reach you?" She fished for a name other than her own, "Like Luke?"

A wave of relief washed over him when she yelled. He hadn't planned on telling her he loved her during this visit; he had decided to give her more time. But when he had to run after her through the Stars Hollow streets, he realized he didn't have more time. Only in his wildest dreams had he hoped she'd say "I love you" back—he hadn't even really imagined it for fear he'd jinx it. But he had wanted her to know how he felt, and he figured that if she had said anything showing that she cared, he was happy.

And she did care. He could see now that those three words had earned back some of Rory's old feeling for him. He smiled.

"And Luke is the only one who'd want to get in touch with me?"

"Well, I don't know. Maybe other people. Kirk, for example. Look. What are your plans?" she demanded.

"I got back from California a couple of weeks ago. I crashed at Liz's for a while, but she cramps my style, you know?"

"Don't be a smartass, Jess."

"I don't know. The last few days I've been crashing at different friend's places until they get sick of me while I look for a job."

"What kind of job?"

"Well, not a good one," he admitted. "Maybe waiting tables or construction. Both pay pretty good."

Rory let out a loud breath in frustration, "That is the biggest fucking waste I've ever heard of in my life!" she exclaimed.

"Rory, did you just drop the f-bomb?" He wasn't pretending to be shocked.

"Oh, whatever, I cuss all the time. Well, not really but…when did this become about me? You should so be in school and you know it."

"I started preparing for the GED exam in California," Jess stated.

Rory's eyes lit up and she smiled. "Jess, that is so great." He grinned at her approval. An idea occurred to her and she said it without thinking, again, "I think you should stay here in Stars Hollow and go to school. That way you can save money too."

"I'll consider staying in Stars Hollow on one condition." Jess spoke slowly, and it seemed like all of this was occurring to him for the first time. Rory briefly wondered if this conversation wasn't part of a larger plan.

"What's that?" Rory asked shortly.

"You have to agree to be my friend again." Jess stared at her innocently, hands in his pockets.

Rory was relieved he hadn't asked more. "Agreed. Wait—what exactly does friend mean to you?"

Jess shrugged and smiled ever so slightly.

Rory continued as he remained stubbornly quiet, "I mean, how do we make sure it stays platonic? Do you want to be my friend like Lane is my friend? Talk about guys, have slumber parties, and give each other makeovers?"

"The slumber party part I wouldn't mind so much." Jess said, one eyebrow raised suggestively.

Rory blushed.

Enjoying himself, he continued. "But I think I'm happy with the look I have going right now. No makeovers necessary."

"Seriously, Jess, what does it mean?" Rory persisted with some intensity.

Jess responded, his voice softer and the smirk gone, "It means…that you talk to me again. About books and music. That you smile sometimes when you see me, and that you make fun of me when I say dumb stuff. That you work on forgiving me. And I'll work on not being a jerk. Promise." He looked at her as he had just moments ago when he said he loved her.

She hesitated, "Well, I guess that sounds fair. Just friends?"

"Just friends," he replied quickly.

"Well all right…I'm gonna go find my Mom then, and get some food."

"Of course."

"So I'll see you later." Rory began to walk away. She turned back, and Jess was still standing, looking after her. "Good night, Jess," Rory insisted, rolling her eyes.

"I'm just watching you go. Real friendly like." He smiled.

Rory smiled back but walked away quickly, glad that she could grin without him seeing her face.

----------------------------------------------

Luke ambled back to the diner from the Festival feeling happy. Liz seemed good with T.J., and Lorelai had looked so pretty standing next to the bonfire. From faraway, he spotted the dark figure sitting on the front steps of the diner and his whole body tensed. He headed towards Jess quickly, wanting to get any confrontation that might occur over with. He looked down at him, hands on hips.

"Jess. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"Luke…"

Luke folded his arms and stood with eyebrows raised. "What are you here for?"

Jess stood. "A couple things. First of all, I can't take money from you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Luke, yes you do." He pulled the envelope out of his jacket pocket and held it out. "I can't take this money from you. But thanks."

With a sigh, Luke took the extended envelope and looked more closely at Jess' face, trying to read it in the semi-darkness. "Is there anything else, Jess? Where are you headed? What are your plans? Ya know, for a job and a place to live?"

Jess took a breath, mustering his courage. "Well, that's what I'm here to talk to you about. I want to come back." He faced Luke and spoke clearly to ask this favor, rather than ducking his head and mumbling like he did two years ago.

Luke started a bit, tilting his head back. He hadn't expected this. He grabbed Jess by the arm, none too gently. "Come on, let's go inside," he said. The closed sign rattled against the door as he shut it behind them.

"Oh, my God. Deja vu, Jess. I think I've had this conversation before. Was it—it was with you, wasn't it?" Luke spoke quickly and sarcastically.

"Luke, I'm sorry if I was rude when you first saw me last night. It was being here, not knowing what to expect or who I would see. I'm not the most popular guy in this town, and trying to guess how many people hate me and how much is not my favorite pastime. This place makes me tense, you know?"

"Uh huh. Then why do you want to come back here, Jess? Is it because of Rory? Are you still hung up on her? Because, last time, after you left—" He stopped abruptly, not sure how to talk about Rory's feelings, or even if he should. "She didn't say anything to me, obviously, but it was a long time before she came back into the diner without getting this weird look on her face every so often. Like she was remembering something painful. I'm not sure anyone noticed besides me and Lorelai but," he threw his hands in the air, frustrated. "It was bad, Jess. I can't let it happen again." And he fixed him with what could only be called a withering stare.

"I know I hurt her. And I'm sorry about that. But, Luke, I'm asking you—please let me come back and live here with you. I got nowhere else to go." This time he did duck his head and mumble the last sentence, embarrassed.

"What's that?"

"I got nowhere else to go!" Jess raised his voice for the first time in the conversation.

"Isn't that supposed to be Richard Gere's line?" Luke smiled at his own joke, enjoying Jess' discomfort.

Jess glared and yelled, "Fine, what do you want me to say? My father didn't want me living with him anymore—I could tell—and my Mom's batshit crazy? Do you know how much an apartment costs in New York? I can't put down a security deposit until I get a job, but I can't get a job without a place to live!" He stopped to take a breath and lowered his voice, still glaring, "And I don't even know what movie you're talking about, old man."

"An Officer and a Gentleman; it was a really famous scene. In 1982. Look, you shouldn't talk about your Mother that way, even if she is a little…colorful."

Jess nodded. "So, what do you think?" He looked at Luke and Luke looked at him.

"Things will have to be different." Luke shook his head. "Dammit, that's what I said last time." He put his hands on his hips and spoke louder. "Really different this time. You're not even really living here. It's on a trial basis until I say so. That means I could kick you out at any moment. Maybe I don't like the way your deodorant smells—you're gone!" He pointed at the door, then paused in his tirade. "And…you won't just work at the diner, although you'll definitely be doing that. No Wal-Mart, that's for sure. School, in some form. You start working on your GED tomorrow. Then, oh, you're going to college, my friend. I don't care what college, you can start out at the community college over in Middletown or Waterbury. And there's one in New Haven too."

Jess smiled, thinking of Yale and Rory.

"And don't you smile like that, you punk. I know what you're thinking. No thinking about Rory that way. Or you'll be out on your ass!" Luke finished yelling, blinked several times, and stormed over to the curtain that lead to his apartment, disappearing quickly. When he was halfway up the stairs his voice came down, muffled, "Your bed and stuff's still in the same place. So…I guess I'll see you when you come up." He finished awkwardly.

Jess, like Luke, had been standing throughout the conversation. Now he pulled a chair out from one of the tables and sat down. "Same old Luke." He smiled to himself, leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, and looked out onto the Stars Hollow street.

A/N: So, if you have an opinion please let me know. This is my first ever fanfic and any feedback would be appreciated. It's too bad the outcome of characters is determined by actors--this is totally what I think would have happened if Milo Ventimiglia would have come back to GG.