AN: OK guys, next chapter. I hope you like it. I'm not too sure how I feel about it; it was really difficult to write and I think that kind of made me lose my perspective so it could suck or it could not and I wouldn't really know the difference at this point. Let me know what you think.

"You know what just occurred to me? That we are very fortunate to have good teeth," Rory commented, pulling away from Jess's embrace. They were kissing and walking through the town square after school one January afternoon as the snow fell around them.

"Yes, very fortunate," Jess agreed just for agreements sake, he was much more interested in kissing than talking and so he leaned in for another lip-lock, hoping to engage her lips in something other than her incessant babbling.

"Can you imagine if braces were involved in this interaction?" she asked, pulling away from him yet again.

"It'd be a bloodbath," he mumbled appeasingly as he backed her up against the gazebo and kissed her once more.

"I can't catch my breath," she complained as he continually assaulted her lips with his own.

Jess was getting tired of the constant interruptions to their make out session. "You're not supposed to," he reminded her. He began to kiss any area of exposed skin he could get his lips on.

"Hey, listen, next Thursday night is the Stars Hollow High Winter Carnival."

"Oh yeah?" he mumbled, barely paying attention to the words that were leaving her mouth.

Rory continued talking despite the fact that he clearly wasn't listening; maybe he'd be distracted enough to actually agree. "Yeah, I thought we could go, meet Lane there."

"Nope." He didn't even miss a beat. There was no way in hell he was going to that ridiculous carnival.

"But it'd be really fun," she coaxed. Jess attempted to shush her but she kept on talking anyway. "They'll have really bad games and really bad food and the marching band will play and –"

"Rory," he interrupted her ramble. "I'm doing some of my best work here and you're just talking right through it."

"Come on, let's go to the carnival." She batted her eyelashes at him.

"I don't go to these stupid town things," he replied, not falling victim to her big, doe eyes.

What was he talking about? He went to town things. "You went to the Bid-A-Basket festival. You went to the dance marathon," she pointed out.

"That was when I was trying to get you. I now have you. That means I don't have to go anymore." He wasn't about to waste his time at these things working for something he already had.

"You're serious?" she asked him incredulously. Now that he was her boyfriend he thought he didn't have to put effort into their relationship anymore?

"As a heart attack." What part of this wasn't she comprehending?

"But it'll be fun," she whined.

"We can have our own fun," he gave her a crooked smile and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"I can't miss the winter carnival." She went every year, it was tradition.

"Rory, come on," he said impatiently, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Well, I never have. I can't. Just go with me, please," she begged.

"Look, how 'bout you go to the festival, meet Lane, and then I'll hook up with you afterwards." If it was that important to her he supposed he couldn't stop her from going, but there was no way he would be seen at that thing.

"Jess," she made one last effort to change his mind.

"That's my final offer, man."

There was really no convincing him. "Fine," she relented.

"Fine," he agreed as he went back to kissing her; she finally gave in, kissing him back as they walked out into the street, just as a car drove by.

"We're gonna walk right in front of a car one of these days."

"Quick, I need some girl talk…stat," Steph pleaded with her friend. It was Friday afternoon and Rory was in the Pub with the Yalies as she had been every Friday afternoon since Thanksgiving, a month and a half ago. "Those three are driving me insane." Steph nodded her head towards the bar where the three boys were chatting up a group of girls.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Rory asked, looking at the guys.

"What?"

"Watching Colin hit on other girls." Stephanie was sleeping with Colin and yet she seemed to have no problem watching him with other girls. Rory didn't think she'd ever be able to handle something like that, no matter how she felt about the guy.

"Nah," Steph replied, actually sounding sincere.

"I just don't get it; it would bother me so much."

"Colin is a huge commitment-phobe, just like the others. The three of them have their whole lives planned out for them and they cling to the little bit of freedom they have. I think they could all settle down if given the right reason." Steph looked pointedly at Rory but Rory either didn't recognize it, or chose to ignore it. "But I don't want to do that to Colin. If he's happy pretending he's not in a committed relationship then I'll let him cling to that little illusion. When it comes down to it, I know the truth—I'm the one he really cares about."

"But he's sleeping around…"

Steph scoffed. "No he's not."

"He's not? But I thought…"

"What? That just because he flirts with those girls it means he brings them back to his room and does ungodly things to them? He doesn't. It's just flirting. I do it too, but at the end of the night, we always wind up together. At this point, calling him my boyfriend, it's just a matter of semantics, and I'm OK with that. I can understand how our setup might not work for other people and I'm not saying I think it would be wrong to ask him for a formal commitment, but this works for us; no need to go messing with something that isn't broken."

"I guess." Rory still wasn't sure she understood but if her friends were happy with their arrangement then that was all that mattered.

"Now, speaking of boyfriends, why don't you tell me all about yours. How are things with you and Jess?"

"Things with Jess and me are…good"

"Wow, don't sound too convincing there," Steph replied, noting the uncertainty in Rory's voice.

"No really, they are. He's sweet—to me anyway. And he's smart; he doesn't apply himself but I know he is. We have the same taste in music and books and we never seem to run out of things to talk about and well…" Rory's face reddened slightly. "The other stuff is good too."

Steph laughed. "The other stuff? You mean the sex?"

"No!" The slight red in Rory's cheeks turned into a full on blush.

"No?" Steph asked, slightly shocked. Dugrey's Mary really was a Mary? She knew Rory was a bit…innocent, but she honestly didn't think she was that innocent. "You mean you and Jess haven't…?"

Rory shook her head adamantly in reply.

"So you've never…?"

"I know, you probably think that's weird but I'm just not ready for it."

"No," Steph assured her. "I was just surprised. I guess I sometimes forget that you're younger than us; plus you and Jess have been together for a while so I just assumed, but there's nothing wrong with it." And there wasn't anything wrong with it…except for the fact that it put a serious road block in her hopes for an eventual Rory and Logan pairing. Logan would never touch her if he knew; he was already erecting all these defenses to keep himself from falling for her. Well, for now Steph would keep this information to herself. She could only deal with one problem at a time and the first problem was convincing Rory that this Jess guy was no good for her. Of course she had to know something about Jess first… "So is that the problem with Jess? He's not…pressuring you or anything is he?"

"No. Well, I mean he clearly wants to. He's not hiding that fact, or if he is, he's doing a really crappy job of it, but he's not pushing or anything."

"OK, then what is the problem?"

"Nothing, it's stupid. I just wish that sometimes he could be a bit more…considerate, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, like this next Thursday, our town is having this winter carnival and I asked him to go with me. It's idiotic and cheesy and the food will be bad and the booths will be stupid but that's its charm; you know?"

"And he doesn't want to go?"

"He flat out refused. He said he doesn't do stupid town things which is ridiculous because he's done stupid town things before but he said that was because he was trying to get me and now that he has me he doesn't have to go anymore."

Was she serious? He really told her that? What kind of asshole says something like that? And right to her face, too. He wasn't even going to pretend to be a good boyfriend? "He said that to you?"

"Yeah," Rory replied.

"Right to your face?" If this Jess was seriously the kind of asshole who would say something like that to her, than Rory deserved so much better. Forget about them breaking up so Rory could finally make an honest man out of Logan, Rory just needed to dump this asshole, period.

"Uh huh."

"And you let him get away with it?"

"It's not a big deal, Steph."

"Not a big deal? Rory, he spoke to you like you're just some prize to be won and now that he has, he can just set you aside on a shelf and take you out to play whenever he sees fit. That sounds like a pretty big deal to me. You're his girlfriend, not some little toy he can use for his own amusement."

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?"

"Can we not talk about this anymore," Rory requested.

"Fine, if he won't go to the carnival with you, then we will. I've been dying to see this charming Stars Hollow anyhow. When is it again?"

"When is what?" Colin asked as the three boys rejoined the table.

"We're going with Rory to the Stars Hollow Winter Carnival."

"Ooh, a carnival," Finn said excitedly. "Will there be cotton candy. I just love cotton candy."

"And skeeball? Because I have to tell you, Ace, I am a skeeball wiz," Logan added.

"And a ferris wheel?" Colin asked, winking at Stephanie as he did so. "I've always wanted to make out on a ferris wheel."

"Sorry guys, I don't think Stars Hollow High can afford a ferris wheel or a skeeball machine but there will be cotton candy and funnel cake and a cheesy fortune teller.

Logan smiled. "Well, as long as there will be someone there who can see my future inside a big, glass ball."

"Boy, it's pretty out tonight, isn't it?" Rory commented as she walked down the street, her arm strung through Jess'

"Sure is."

"Like a snow globe."

"Mmhmm." He knew what she was trying to do.

"Sparkly. I mean, I don't think a night comes any prettier than this one. And if you take a really pretty night and add a corndog…"

"I'm not going to that carnival with you," he told her yet again.

"Why not?"

"I will be in front of Miss Patty's at nine as promised."

"Oh no, I can't meet you later," she told him matter-of-factly.

"What? Why not. We had plans."

"I told you, my friend's are meeting me."

"What friends?"

"My friends. The ones from Yale that I met at Thanksgiving," she reminded him.

"Wait, you mean 'business dinner' guy and his pals?"

"Logan," she told him pointedly. "Logan and Colin and Finn and Stephanie."

"I didn't know you were hanging out with them." Three rich, entitled college guys and only one other girl? He didn't like this one bit.

"Yes you did. I hang out with them every Friday and I know I've told you this before." Lately it was feeling like he never listened to a word she said. Jess didn't have a chance to respond as they were promptly interrupted.

"Rory!" She turned to the sound of the high pitched call just in time to see Dean's little sister, Clara running towards her.

"Clara, hi!" she greeted the girl with a warm hug.

"I haven't seen you in forever."

"Longer than forever," Rory agreed. Jess watched on with a scowl as Dean joined the group. Great, first the Yale dick was going to make an appearance, now Dean showed up. Was every guy under the sun trying to get in his girlfriend's pants?

"She got away from me," Dean apologized for the interruption.

"Buy a stronger leash," Jess mumbled.

"Hey, uh, did you see they got the crazy psychic from Woodbury again?" Dean commented, trying to ignore Jess.

"You're kidding! I thought she got arrested."

"She's out now and sitting right over there." Dean pointed to the square and the crazy psychic's booth.

"I love her. She always tells me I'm gonna be rich and famous," Rory said happily.

"She tells everybody that they're gonna be rich and famous," Dean reminded her.

Clara eyed Jess curiously. "Who are you?"

"No one."

"Yes, you are," she laughed; he had to be someone.

"No, I'm not," Jess brushed her off again.

Rory rolled her eyes. "That's Jess. Jess, this is Clara."

"Are you guys going to the carnival?"

"I'm going, Jess isn't," Rory explained.

"Why not?"

"He has things to do."

Clara looked from Rory to her brother. "Then you can go with me and Dean, right?" she asked excitedly.

"Oh, well…" Rory began, trying to figure out the best way to answer, but she never got the chance.

"I'm going," Jess butted in. The Yale guy was bad enough, at least there was a group of them, but there was no way he was letting Rory go to this thing with Dean.

"What?"

"To the carnival. I'm going to the carnival," he clarified.

Clara gave him a strange look. "I thought you had things to do."

"Well, I don't."

"Rory just said you had things to do."

This kid was really starting to work on his nerves. "Hey Tatu, just look at the plane, will ya?" he snapped.

"What?"

"Jess," Rory interrupted. "You don't have to go. I'll just see you tomorrow." If she thought this was uncomfortable an entire night of them together would be unbearable.

"What? No. Come on, how many chances does a guy have to go to a Stars Hollow High winter carnival, right?" he insisted.

"Right," Clara agreed.

"Okay, then. Let's go."

Clara grabbed onto Dean's hand, pulling him away. "To the carnival!" she sang out gleefully.

"To the carnival," Jess mumbled with much less enthusiasm.

Rory sighed as she and Jess followed after Clara and Dean. This was going to be bad, she could tell; way too many incompatible people in one place. She really hoped things wouldn't get out of hand.

"So, I'm sorry, but did I just see you with Jess and Dean, or do I need a new prescription?" Lane asked. Dean had gone to get snow cones for Rory and Clara and Rory took the opportunity to go say hello to her best friend, Lane.

"You're prescription is fine," Rory admitted ruefully.

"Love!" someone's voice rang out through the crowd.

"And the fun just keeps on coming," Rory remarked as she turned around to find Finn.

"Who's that?" Lane asked, pointing to the tall Australian.

"That would be Finn." Rory had told Lane all about her new friends.

"Ahh, and Logan?" Lane asked.

"The blond," Rory pointed him out.

"Cute." The Asian girl nodded in approval.

"Yeah, when Jess meets him, I don't think 'cute' is going to be his best selling point considering I had that dinner thing with him."

"Yeah but that was months ago. You guys are just friends now, not that there was ever anything more on your end."

"I don't really think Jess is going to care."

"Probably not."

"I should get over there before there's a more exciting end to the evening. Between running into Dean and Jess finding out I invited them…this could be a very eventful night. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Forget nothing," Lane instructed. She wanted full details.

"I promise." Rory walked off towards the Yalies.

"Hey Ace," Logan greeted her.

"Hi guys," she waved at them.

"So, this is Stars Hollow?" Steph said, looking around her. "Cute."

"Yeah, well it's home."

"Here you are," Dean said, walking up to the group. "They only had cherry," he handed Rory a snow cone.

"Cherry's good," she assured him.

"I'm gonna go get this to Clara," he said of the other snow cone, giving the group a once over before walking away without addressing them.

"Was that Jess?" Logan asked, eyeing the snow cone bearer suspiciously as he walked away.

"Dean."

"As in ex-boyfriend Dean?" Steph asked.

"That would be the one. And we should…follow him," Rory suggested, knowing that Clara was still with Jess and not wanting to leave him and Dean on their own.

"Umm, OK," Colin remarked as Rory hurried away.

They caught up just as Dean was handing Clara her snow cone. "So, play any of the games yet?" Dean asked his sister.

"Nope, I've been watching him lose," she pointed to Jess. "You don't get a bear but it's still pretty fun." She turned her attention to the newcomers. "Who are you?"

Finn bent down so he was at Clara's level. "Well, beautiful," he greeted her. "I am Finnegan Morgan, and these…" he motioned behind him, "are my dear friends Logan, Colin and Stephanie. And who might you be?"

"I'm Clara. You have a fun accent, where are you from?"

"I'm from Australia."

"Are your friends from Australia too?"

"Oh no, they're from right here in Connecticut."

"Where'd you meet?"

"Hey, Clara, how about I go beat you at ice bowling," Dean interjected, giving the group an apologetic look.

"You can't beat me."

"Oh I think I can."

"Let's go." Clara marched off towards the ice bowling booth with Dean in tow.

"She's cute," Finn commented after they'd left.

"Oh yeah, adorable," Jess muttered.

"Who are you?" Logan asked, looking at Jess through narrowed eyes. That girl couldn't have been more than eleven, and this guy was acting like a complete ass.

"Who am I? Who the hell are you?" Jess asked, looking Logan and the others up and down.

Rory sighed, exasperatedly. This definitely wasn't going well. "Guys, this is Jess. Jess, this is Colin, Finn, Logan and Stephanie," she introduced.

"Oh, so you're Jess. I thought you were too high and mighty for stupid town events." Stephanie remarked snidely.

"Well, I thought if a princess like you could lower yourself enough to grace Stars Hollow with your presence that I could surely make an appearance—just this once."

"Hey man," Colin stepped between Jess and Steph. "Watch who you're talking too."

"Oh yeah, I'm scared. That sweater vest is a real threatening look."

"Jess!" Rory scolded.

"You actually hang out with these people, Rory? We used to make fun of guys like these." He looked disapprovingly at Logan, Colin and Finn.

"Well, we were wrong. These are my friends and the least you can do is treat them with a little respect."

"Whatever." Jess paused and looked at the group. He needed to get out of there and cool down. "I'm going to the bathroom." He turned and stormed off.

Steph looked at the boys, an unspoken conversation clearly taking place. "Rory, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Rory let Steph lead her away from the others. "Look, Steph, I'm really sorry for the way he spoke to you. He was totally out of line."

"Yeah, he was, but this isn't about me. He was completely out of line with you. If he had any respect for you at all he would have been polite to us just for your sake. He made that snarky comment about that adorable little girl, he was completely inconsiderate towards you and your feelings. He was an ass, Rory. Why do you put up with that from him?"

"He was just in his defensive mode. He's not really open to new people. I know he can seem like an ass but he's really not all that bad."

"'Not all that bad?' Are you hearing yourself? You're going to settle for 'not all that bad?' You can do so much better, Rory."

"I'll talk to him. He'll be better, I swear. Just try and put up with him for tonight, for my sake."

Steph sighed. What the hell did Rory see in this guy? "Yeah, fine."

"Thanks, Steph." The two girls made their way back to the others.

"Where'd Logan go?" she asked noticing that he was not with Colin and Finn.

Colin shot Finn a look before turning back to Rory. "Oh he uh…he went to get cotton candy."

"Need some help with the big words?" Jess asked, standing in the doorway of Stars Hollow high. Dean was in the hallway reading a poster.

"Sure. Why don't you come over here and I'll show you which one's giving me a hard time," Dean replied menacingly.

Jess chuckled. "You're getting a little pathetic man"

"Thanks for the heads up."

"You give her the 'let's be friends' speech?"

Dean shrugged. "It's a small town, just figured it'd be nice to keep things friendly."

"You don't think I know what you're doing? You don't think it's so pathetically transparent?"

"Get out of here, Jess," Dean warned.

Jess began approaching Dean menacingly. "Rory's taking pity on you. That's why the sudden interest in being your friend. You know that?"

"Whatever you say."

"The saddest part of this whole thing is. . ."

Dean cut the other man off. "Man, you like hearing yourself talk."

"You really think that by being her friend, you're gonna get her back," Jess finished his thought.

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

"No, huh?" Jess replied sarcastically.

"Rory and I are just friends, just like you and Rory were just friends. And hey," Dean chuckled. "Look how it turned out for you."

"Okay, I'm ready for popcorn." Dean turned to see Clara walking out of the bathroom.

"You got it." He smiled at her.

"Bye Jess," Clara said as she and Dean walked out of the school. "You think Rory wants some popcorn?" she asked her brother.

"I don't know," Dean shot a glance over his shoulder. "Let's go ask her."

Dean and Clara disappeared from view and Jess turned back towards the bathroom.

"That was quite the little showdown, there. I was almost expecting the whole twenty paces, pistols drawn, thing—of course it's not quite high noon but that's just details."

"Oh wonderful," Jess muttered, turning around to come face to face with Logan. "I suppose it's a complete coincidence meeting you here."

"Actually, I followed you," Logan admitted.

"How very stalkerish of you."

"Just call me Blondie," he smirked nefariously.

Jess looked Logan up and down. "So uninspired."

Logan circled around Jess. "I can see what she sees in you. The whole 'chip on your shoulder,' 'the world owes you,' thing you've got going on must be a real turn on with the ladies."

"It's working for me so far; after all, I'm the one that's got the girl."

"Rory can be a little naïve sometimes but one of these days very soon, she's gonna see in you what everybody else sees, and you'll be left all alone because you were too busy hating the world to let anybody else in."

"And I suppose you'll be there to help her pick up the pieces, won't you Freud."

"I personally like to think of myself as more of a Jung, but getting back to your question—I'll be there if she needs me, but I doubt she'll spend too many nights crying over the loss of you."

"Hmm, I'm not seeing the Jung so much, I'm sticking with Freud. After all, he's all about the Oedipus complex and you're just like her asshole, playboy father. I bet you've already knocked a few up." This comment caught Logan a bit off guard. Her father? Jess knew about her father; that meant she knew her father. She never spoke of him, had something bad happened there? He pushed the thought away making a mental note to look into it more later on.

"Don't mess with me Jess," he told the other man, standing threateningly close. "You don't want me as an enemy."

"Yeah, cause you're about as intimidating as your friend in the argyle."

"Oh don't worry, I don't play like that. I am the news after all, I'm sure I could find something print worthy in your past; something you would hate to have come out; something that might make certain people see you in a different light."

"So what? You want me to break up with her?"

"All I want is for you to treat her with the respect she deserves. Play nice and we won't have any problems." Logan began backing away towards the exit of the school.

"Yeah, whatever." Jess rolled his eyes.

"I've got my eye on you Jess." Logan slipped back into the shadows and disappeared.

Just thought I'd remind you to review...in case you forgot ;)