AN: Thanks for the reviews, I really appreciate them.

Also If you want to really get the feel for this first scene try the song "Hugging you" by Tom Rosenthal (acoustic version with Billie Marten).


Jess parked his car in front of their townhouse under the London Planetree, the erratic spring weather having transformed by the evening into unusually warm and stuffy for the season as if anticipating a thunderstorm, but in the darkness he couldn't really tell. He'd driven most of the way back in silence, both Evie and Celeste having dozed off about half an hour into the drive.

"Hey," Jess said in a low voice, as he shook Celeste's shoulder, not wanting to wake Evie.

"What?" Celeste reacted, as she jolted awake, looking around herself momentarily.

"We're here," he said quietly.

"Oh right," she yawned, having not expected to fall asleep like that. But she really had been tired.

"I'll get her, and I'll be back for your luggage later," he suggested practically, opening the car door. There had been a few evenings when he'd done this with Evie, when she'd been missing her - driven her to sleep - and he'd even developed a good procedure for getting her to bed without waking her, this involving not turning on any of the lights and having his keys at hand before he got to the door.

The street was surprisingly quiet - just the sound of someone bounching a basket ball at the court a few houses down the street and some distant sound of cars passing. Celeste headed up the familiar brownstone stairs, having grabbed just Evie's diaper bag, Jess' jacket and her purse for now, holding open the door for Jess, who carried an utterly exhausted toddler up to her bedroom. The sight was endearing, to say the least, and when it came to seeing him so even more capable with her it caused some mixed feelings in her, but above all appreciation.

As she reached upstairs herself, she switched on the light in their bedroom, it's familiar smell and feel of the place welcoming her home. The prospect of the bed looked really good right at that moment. Plugging in her phone by the bed stand where the charger already waited, she noted Jess beginning to head back downstairs.

"Just leave it," Celeste said, her voice low, referring to her luggage. There was nothing in here that couldn't wait until morning.

"Okay," he replied with a weak crooked smile. It was so good to see her home.

He turned to go to wash up, feeling quite exhausted himself - it was both physical, having driven a lot that day and all the hustle of the party along with it, but it was also mental - the nervousness of having her home for the first time in a while getting to him. She joined him in the bathroom just as he was finishing up, fishing out a brand new spare toothbrush from the back of the cupboard, that simple everyday item adding to the feel of this being a fresh start. They were both clearly hesitant - unsure how to be around each other. He ran cool water over his face and neck, wondering how soon this would feel normal again.

As Jess returned to the bedroom and pulled off his dark jeans and t-shirt, he was unsure what to do - just go to sleep, wait up, expect talking, expect sex? There was no question that he wanted time with her - time to do all those things. He ached for her physically - but with some of their past encounters in mind, where he'd almost felt like taking advantage of her, as she hadn't been feeling great - she'd searched for escape in him, distraction from what she was feeling - and that he really didn't want back.

Celeste closed the door behind her a moment later and she just had to say it.

"God, I feel nervous," she exhaled, glancing at him. It was good she did, as admitting it already began to melt some of that awkwardness away.

Jess could only chuckle, equally nervously, to her statement. In a way this had been separation, while not quite put as such on paper or spoken out loud - they'd taken time apart, and in that sense it was like being together for the first time, just the two of them in their bedroom.

Celeste continued to change out of her clothes, choosing a long tank top at random, having most of her stuff still in the car and not wanting to spend too much time searching. She felt a little self conscious, changing clothes in front of him like this, not exactly feeling proud for almost losing her thigh gap and gaining some extra padding on her hips. She tried to raise above it - trust what he had said before, but still - she'd never really been that girl who'd had these issues before, she'd been the woman who was always in control of her body - and now she had so much control to gain. While he wanted to take the sight of her in - no matter what the details, he sensed her somewhat self-conscious posture and the haste she changed her clothes with, trying therefore not to stare.

Soon enough she slipped under the covers, the softness of the linen brushing against her skin feeling amazing. He followed her lead. They lay there each on their own pillow, staring at each other, Jess gently brushing away a stray hair from her cheek, making her smile a little.

"Can I hold you?" she asked, the question allowing the heaviness Jess' had felt on his chest to drop.

"Always," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her before she even had a chance to move a muscle, pulling her close. Her arm wrapped around his chest, resting her face on her chest.

Celeste felt an ache in the center of her chest, just like she usually felt when she was about to cry, but thankfully didn't, as she felt him. His body felt a little different too, but his scent and feel was still intoxicating - it was home, it felt safe. She took deep breaths, trying to keep it together, and she was sure he knew.

They just held each other for a while, Jess' lips gently pressed against her forehead. He didn't say the words, and he really didn't believe in a higher power as such, but even without really explaining it to himself, he found himself almost wording out a prayer of sorts in his mind.

As her breathing steadied, she looked up at him, looking him in the eyes again. A moment later she kissed him. The kiss was a little dry, almost feverish, still, the missed sensation causing their eyes to fall shut. They still had the spark, making both of them sigh inside in relief. All was not lost. He held her face, resting his forehead on hers, knowing too well how badly he wanted her, but he didn't want to fall into the old pattern.

"Can you promise me something?" Jess asked, quietly.

"It depends...," she replied realistically, hoping Jess would know that it was the best she could do at the moment.

"That..," he began, picking his words, "that when we do kiss or have sex or anything like that, we do it because we both want to, that it's not just an escape from your emotions," Jess said.

She could see what he meant of course, but that was something that was difficult. She felt like she needed to make up for so many things, there was guilt, appreciation, anger towards herself to some extent even and mixed in with all of those emotions just outright physical need.

"I will try," she said, knowing that there really was no other way.

"And please don't take this the wrong way, but tonight, I am just very happy simply holding you," he said, snuggling her again close to his chest, resting his cheek on her forehead. It didn't need to be more than that.

"Thank you," she whispered, barely audibly. It was for everything - for knowing her, for having faith, for getting her the help she had felt unable to get herself, for being there for Evie, for sticking around and keeping his word he'd given as they'd said their simple vows.


Logan and Rory had stayed at the Inn for the night, aiming to spend another day in Stars Hollow, the two and a half hour drive being a bit much for Rory to do twice in one day. Besides, Finny was having all sorts of fun - the pool, the International Food Festival was happening that same weekend and them staying a night was overall giving Rory a chance to catch up a little with Lane and her mom some more. While Stars Hollow was just as far from the City as it ever was, somehow in recent months it'd felt further, the drive seeming such a daunting endevour.

Logan woke in the middle of the night, judging by the darkness outside and in the room, to the sound of his phone buzzing. Who would be calling at this hour?

Hastily he silenced it, knowing Finny was sleeping in the same bed between them, having struggled to fall asleep in the unfamiliar crib. He was a little particular sometimes about things like that. The bed was large enough, so surely they could survive one night, but now, he knew he needed to be extra careful getting out of bed. He considered just dismissing the call, but if it was work-related - it needed to be something major for her assistant, the only person who was allowed to call him on this number from work, to be calling at this hour and by having family in Europe who surely knew what time it was there, he knew he needed to find out. He snuck quietly into the bathroom, closing the door behind him, only then switching on the lights, momentarily blinding himself, and glanced at his phone properly.

"Logan Huntzberger," he said in a raspy voice, as he picked up, quite surprised that the unfamiliar UK number hadn't hung up yet.

"Mr. Huntzberger, this is Dr. Oscar Chapman, from St Thomas' Hospital in London. I'm calling about your mother Shira Huntzberger," he began, the rest of the call blurring into an even blunder of words for Logan.

He wish he could've said he was truly surprised. Somewhere deep inside he'd expected this.

The message hadn't quite sunk in yet, but already he was scrolling down the call log searching for Honor's number as if on auto-pilot. He'd barely managed to convey the news to Honor, who at least had been more receptive to the news, turning into a bundle of emotions momentarily at her Sunday morning breakfast table. At least Frankfurt was closer to London.

Somewhere along those lines that he'd spoken to Honor, he'd probably lost full control over the volume of his voice, as it wasn't long until Rory peeked through the bathroom door, coming to hear what was up.

Rory closed the door behind her, seeing for the few words she'd heard from Logan's conversations and his face, his eyes reddish and tired, unable to quite decide what to do with his mouth. His mind was running amok, trying to think practically now. He needed to let his father know, but he knew that there was little point calling him at this hour knowing he'd developed a practice long ago to sleep with his phone turned off.

"You need to go," Rory said. It was as much of a question as it was a statement and a suggestion.

"Yeah," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair, resting his palm on his neck, as he breathed. "I need to pack, get a cab, and I guess I'll just buy some clothes in the airport," he thought out loud, clearly the fact that he'd been woken in the middle of his deep sleep cycle influencing his ability to think clearly. "Ah, crap, I need my laptop," he recalled, going through everything in his mind, only now beginning to comprehend what plans he'd had for the following week.

"Your defence," he recalled, "I'm sorry," he added, hating that he was going to miss it.

"I'll be fine," Rory said, assuringly. This felt so irrelevant at this point.

"Okay, I need an Uber or something, I'll go home first, pack, then go," he listed, beginning to look for the appropriate app.

Rory wasn't used to seeing him so aimless. He was usually always calm and composed, thinking a million steps ahead in his mind - but clearly this was one deviation he was allowed.

"Or you can just take the car, I can't really drive properly anyways and I'm sure mom could drive us home tomorrow," Rory suggested, stroking over her belly that still would've fit behind the wheel alright, but wasn't very comfortable to drive with, especially long distances and alone with Finny.

"Right," he exhaled, realizing she did make a valid point.

"It'll be okay," Rory said and hugged him then. He hadn't even registered how much he'd needed that.


"Okay, let's do this," Jess sighed determinedly, opening up Celeste's Google Calendar in front of him. She was cleaning up after breakfast, still wearing her bamboo robe, her hair pulled up into a messy bun - she really missed simple Sunday mornings like this.

"Before we go over the schedule there's one more thing," she began. "I want you to watch me take my meds each morning," she admitted.

Jess really didn't know what to say to that. He trusted her - why would she want something like that?

"I know it sounds weird. But I've read that the biggest risk in this is going off them and I just don't want to take any chances. I don't want to have the option of just not feeling like it and just skipping it," she explained. She'd asked the nurse who brought her her meds at the clinic to do the same.

"Okay," he replied. If it made her trust herself more, despite feeling like it was somehow reflecting badly on him too, as if he didn't trust her. But if this was what she was asking for, he wasn't going to argue.

"Okay, so this is me taking my meds," she replied, digging out two orange pill bottles from her purse and taking one pill from each and pouring herself a glass of water and swallowing the two by flushing them down with it. She placed the bottles into the medicine cabinet they had in the kitchen. They were safer from Evie in here, and this way she could always link the pill-taking to breakfast, just like she had at the clinic.

Jess didn't reply, just adjusting to the sight of her new routine. She had been an avid supplement taker in the mornings for quite some time, this having subsided to just the vitamine D and Q10 by now, all that really was different was their content and their importance.

"And I have my sessions on Mondays at 1 PM and Thursdays at 10 AM," she explained. Those she had already marked to her calendar. "So on Monday, I guess I'll go there, then come back here, and I have pilates at 4 PM. I should unpack, wash everything, check over the place…," she described her plans for the following day. She'd even missed doing her own laundry, not to mention having a workout that was a little bit more substantial than walking. But she also wanted to see to the little things, not that she doubted that Jess had managed fine, but still - it was usually the mothers that noticed things like whether their child needed bigger shoes or whether they had to stock up on something that was running low.

"Cathy will be here tomorrow with Evie, they usually go to the park in the morning, sometimes the playgroup you used to take her to," Jess explained. He'd done the best he knew under the circumstances, wanting Evie to maintain as much of the same activities for Evie as she'd done with Celeste.

"Okay," she replied. She still wasn't used to the idea of someone else, let alone, someone whom she'd only briefly met at Rory's place, taking care of her only child. But she knew there hadn't been any options at that point. And while she almost felt like saying, that maybe she didn't need to be there the entire day and every day, she knew that for her second full day at home it was probably the wise thing to do. She just wanted to get to know Cathy and get used to the idea, also to get used to the idea of having some freedom to do other things.

"Tuesday?" Jess asked, taking one final sip of his coffee.

"Maybe I should take Evie and hang out with Rory - swimming maybe?" she suggested. It was beginning to become clear that while the idea was to keep her busy, falling into the same rhythm as before was almost too easy. It felt so easy to just tell Cathy not to come one day and there she would've been exactly where she had been.

"Alright," Jess made a note of that into her calendar. Her doctor had said that she needed to have goals and plans to look forward to, so this was what they were doing - making sure she had things in her calendar.

"Wednesday….," she began pondering, her mind reaching her book. "Has Noah said anything about me?" Celeste asked suddenly.

"He just said that he's in no hurry, that he'd be there to discuss it when you feel up to it," Jess added. Noah had been very understanding, and even helped him out at the office a lot more than Jess asked of him.

"So maybe I should - I don't know - at least set up some appointment with him, maybe at work?" she suggested. While she had no intention of doing anything that might sabotage her relationship with him, she still didn't quite trust herself to be alone with him. After all that had been the setting in which she'd broken down completely.

"Wednesday?" Jess inquired, wondering whether he should put it into the calendar.

"Tentatively, I'll ask first," she replied.

"Do you want to come back to work?" Jess asked a moment later.

"I thought you didn't have that many events coming in the next few months," she recalled Jess talking a little about them when they were driving to Stars Hollow yesterday.

"We don't but..," he began. But who was he kidding! The job would've pretty much been a charity case this late in the spring, most of the titles coming out from August onwards.

Celeste looked at him sideways, reading him well. That was not what she wanted. She didn't want to work just because of working.

"So I guess that's a 'no' right now," Jess replied, feeling a little dissapointed in himself that he didn't have any more concrete options to offer her.

"I'll try to look for a class of some sort," she said, having been considering taking some more general art class, knowing that she needed something. The question of a job was still very much up in the air for her - having no clue where to begin really.

"Okay," he commented, having no objections to that.

It was then Celeste's phone chimed.

"Hi," she picked up, noting it was Rory.

"What?" she exclaimed, Jess hearing just the one-sided conversation.

"Oh my god, how is he doing?" she added, listening to Rory give her the cliffnotes. "Uh-uh," Celeste said, letting her speak. "You want me to be there tomorrow?" she suggested, recalling Rory's defence. "Okay, I'll be there. Yeah, I should have a few hours before my therapy," she added. "Call me if you know more, okay?" Celeste concluded, before they both said their 'bye'-s.

"What?" Jess asked, sounding genuinely worried.

"Logan's mother is in the hospital. He's on his way to London," she began. "She's in a coma, OD apparently. Rory didn't really have all the details. He's flying there as we speak," Celeste explained.

"Damn, that doesn't sound good," Jess commented. He knew that Logan really didn't have much of a loving relationship with his mother, but he could fairly well relate - while his mother was a lot more likable, he more often didn't see eye-to eye with her either.

"Yeah, I'll text Logan when he lands," she added. "And I'm going to Rory's defence tomorrow, this thing seems to have unhinged her a little. And Logan was supposed to go see her," she added.

"Sure, go," he said, and put down Monday at 10 AM in her calendar. In a way he was glad that Rory was also more at home these days, meaning that Celeste would have a 'got to' possibility with Rory on most days.

"Do we need to go to the spring gala?" she asked, recalling the time of the year, after having finished loading the dishwasher and turning it on. While the news she'd gotten was horrible, there wasn't much she could do about it right now either way, continuing on with their day.

"We don't need to," he said.

"But we probably should, right?" Celeste said, not wanting Jess to feel like they had to drop off the world because of everything.

Jess frowned. The gala was not exactly the easiest place to be - people asking about her, what she did and so forth.

"We still have some time before we have to confirm, right?" she asked, making a mental note go get herself a dress anyways, just in case, leaving her the possibility to change her mind for now.

"Yeah," Jess replied. He couldn't help but to still feel a little concerned - her schedule was still a little aimless, the kind that was mostly just killing time - just exercising and doing things with Evie wasn't going to cut it as her doctor had said.

"Would you show me the list you made with Rory?" he asked, surprising her. They'd talked about the list before a little, but he'd never really seen it. He'd respected her privacy enough not to go through her binder without her present hence he was still curious to find out what it held exactly.

"It's silly really," she reacted, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. It seemed so trivial to her now.

"It's not - if it has things on there, that you want to do - I want to help you make those happen," he insisted. Sure he knew about her wanting to take a holiday, but surely, there was more to it.

"Fine," she relented, "I'll go get it," she added and walked through the safety gate and up the stairs towards the study. She knew it was the right thing to do - not hide her innermost thoughts from him, and in that sense that was the simplest thing to share. It was a list. But yet, it felt harder that it probably should've been.

As she returned, Jess was sitting on the floor playing with Evie, making 'chu-chu- sounds as the Lego duplo train set drove around the floor.

She handed the white legal pad to Jess wordlessly, still feeling a little awkward about this. He read through it slowly, trying to memorize it. There were a few things on there, that she'd already ticked off - like going on a date with him and ice skating. He appreciated that the date idea had been underlined, hinting that it had been important to her, when she'd done it. And while he really wanted to repeat that activity one of these days, hopefully soon, he figured they probably needed to start with something simpler.

"So driving, huh?" he looked up at her, with a modest smirk.