A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews - you're all awesome! :) More Literati fluff in this chapter...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 2

"Paris, honey?" said Lorelai from the front seat. "Please, please, please could you stop humming that song?" she begged.

"Y'know it's really not my fault," she defended herself sharply. "That barbershop quartet ought to be fired and never allowed to work again. Your Taylor Doose isn't half so smart as he thinks he is. If he were, he wouldn't have been duped into paying so much for a singing group that is clearly sub-par."

"Did I mention that I like this girl?" said Luke in a low voice.

Lorelai smiled. "Well, I think Taylor got the message from the amount of times you told him his entertainment was not all that, Paris. And here we are at Casa de Geller," she said then, pulling the car up outside of the gates.

"Thanks, Lorelai," said Paris as she hopped out of the car.

She made a point of walking around to the passenger side and tapping on the window. Luke looked confused as he rolled it down and stared at her.

"Don't try too hard with the Gilmores," she advised him. "Richard and Emily are obviously of a different social class, but you're a decent guy who's doing his best with what he has. That has to count for something."

Without another word, Paris headed on into the house. Luke watched her go, mouth open wide and eyes to match. Lorelai finally snapped him out of it with her peals of laughter.

"Wow. That girl never fails to stun, does she?" she said.

"Very true," he agreed. "Was that a compliment? I think it was a compliment."

"On the Paris Geller scale? Yeah, I'd say that she's a fan," Lorelai agreed, pulling away from the kerb. "She has a point though. You are a very decent guy."

"I know you think so, and I appreciate that-"

"Not just me," she cut in. "Jess, Rory, Lane, Sookie, pretty much the general populace of Stars Hollow."

"But not your parents," Luke pointed out. "I mean, sure, they never said they didn't like me, never said they did either, but Paris also had a point about the class thing. Crazy as I know it is, I am not up to their standards."

"Babe, I'm not up to their standards, and I'm their daughter!"

"That's different."

Lorelai knew he had a point so wouldn't continue arguing. Honestly, she didn't know what to say for the best right now. She felt bad that Luke had been Shanghaied into dinner like this and all because she had gotten Rory out of the usual Friday night meal. Of course, it was always going to happen eventually, and Luke wasn't wrong when it came to what her parents' opinion of him was likely to be. When they found out he had brought Jess back into everybody's life, Lorelai was sure Emily's head was going to spin around and explode. Richard had taken it better, but both were concerned for Rory. It really wasn't fair how her parents judged so harshly when they didn't know, or at least hardly knew a person.

"Luke, you wanna go home?"

"Seriously?" he checked. "It's Friday Night Dinner. You can't miss it."

"No, but you can," she said, pulling over to the side of the road suddenly. "I have to go to dinner, yes, that's true, but I can make an excuse for you. I could take you home, drive back over, I'd barely even be late at all. I could just say you're sick or you're needed at the diner or..."

Before Lorelai could say another word, Luke had taken a hold of her and pulled her in close enough that he could cover her lips with his own. After a good long kiss, he released her with a smile.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do," he told her softly, "but like I told you before when we started all of this, I'm all in. I know that you're a package deal, Lorelai, and I don't just mean Rory. Your parents are a part of your life, which means they're going to be a part of my life. I can handle that, even if they can't," he said with a hint of a smirk.

Lorelai smiled. "You are an amazing man, Luke Danes. You know that, don't you?" she said, her hand at his cheek.

"Drive the car, Crazy Lady," he told her, smiling wide.

Taking a breath, Lorelai started the engine again and headed on to the Gilmore mansion, feeling just a little better about this evening than she had before.

"Ugh! I cannot get that song out of my head!" complained Rory as she returned from the bathroom still humming 'Hazy, Lazy, Crazy Days of Summer'.

"C'mere, I'll take your mind off it," said Jess, pulling her down on the couch beside him and kissing her deeply. "Better?"

"Always," she agreed as they parted. "You have no idea how happy I am to be home," A contended sigh escaped Rory's lips as she pulled her legs up under her and curled into Jess' side.

"Actually I do because you've said it a lot of times today," he told her, kissing the top of her head. "But I'm okay with that, because I'm happy you're home too."

"Don't get me wrong, I loved Washington. It was a great experience and I met some really interesting people."

"Plus you saw Archie Bunker's chair at the Smithsonian, doesn't get better than that," said Jess with a smirk.

"Yes, that was obviously the best part" she agreed with as straight a face as possible. "But I did miss this place, my mom, Stars Hollow... and you," she said, turning to look at him. "I think I should buy Luke some kind of gift. Y'know, like a thank you for bringing you back here?"

"I don't really think he's the fruit basket type," Jess considered, shaking his head. "Gotta say I don't hate that he swung this deal for me. I could've used not having to go back to Chilton for Senior Year, but you can't have everything."

"Oh, but I'm glad you're going to be there!" Rory told him, looking oddly surprised that he wasn't thrilled about it. "Paris too. I mean, she won't see you as much now your parents have split up, so it'll be good for you guys to get to hang out in school, and I'd miss you if you weren't there. Besides, you have to go to school somewhere."

"Do I?"

"Jess, you know that you do. You do not want to drop out. You are way too smart to let that happen, and I don't even want to hear it."

"Yes, ma'am," said Jess with a mock salute. "Washington has made you pushy," he teased her.

"Maybe, or maybe I was always this way and you just love it."

"Maybe," he agreed, smiling because he just couldn't help himself.

They settled down to watch the movie for all of five minutes before Rory thought of something else.

"So, how's living with Luke so far?"

"It's fine." Jess shrugged. "He's a little obsessed with healthy food for a guy that runs a diner, plus he seems to be pinning a lot on me reaching my full potential at Chilton. Apparently he didn't get the memo about my not wanting to go to college."

"Did you talk to him about it?" asked Rory, frowning some.

She wasn't thrilled to hear that Jess had decided not to pursue higher education, but in the end she understood it was his choice. She encouraged him to do more with his life than just whatever came up, but if he really didn't want to do the college thing, he was old enough to make that decision for himself. Chilton weren't going to like it, of course, and probably Luke wouldn't either, but that was just the way it was going to be.

"I raised the point that not everybody goes to college. Luke never did, and neither did your mom, and they're doing okay."

"Very true." Rory nodded. "Well, did he accept that?"

"Yes and no," said Jess thoughtfully. "Somehow I don't think I've heard the last of campus sizes and modern language programs."

Rory giggled at the appalled look on his face, she just couldn't help it. Jess was so very much his own person, not willing to run with the crowd just to be considered cool, not about to do what somebody told him to just because. He did what he wanted and he meant what he said. These were some of the things Rory liked best about him, these and a whole lot more that encompassed not just the shallow things like his good looks and the fact he could melt her entire body with a kiss, but also the way his passion for books and cult movies matched her own, even when their tastes differed. It was as much fun to argue with Jess as to agree, and neither thing ever got old.

"What?" he asked when he caught her staring.

"Nothing," said Rory, smiling still. "I was just thinking... but it's kinda sappy."

"Tell me," he urged her when she tried to turn away.

"I don't know, I just... I guess a part of me wondered if things would be the same, when you came back. I mean, at first, I wasn't sure you ever would, and then just when you were back I had to leave. Whilst I was away you could've met new people, or got bored of waiting for me..."

"Rory," he said, shaking his head but she wasn't done yet.

"Jess, I don't mean to make it sound like I don't trust you or anything, it's not like that. I guess I just thought maybe I'd made more of us than there really was. That maybe the reality wasn't the same as in my head, but it is. It really is the same, and... and I love you, Jess," she told him, eyes meeting his at last.

He didn't say anything, just held her gaze and almost looked like he had no idea how to react. It was strange, because they had both said 'I love you' before, a couple of times actually. Now it felt different, and neither could say why exactly. Perhaps it was what Rory had said, about them being apart and wondering if things would be quite as good or as special in reality as it had seemed in their daydreams. It was just as good. In fact, Jess would say maybe it was even better. Pulling Rory closer, his lips met hers in the sweetest kiss. Their foreheads were still touching when he broke the kiss, and though she could barely make out his expression at such close range, somehow she knew he was smiling.

"I love you too," he told her softly. "I'd say I've never been as happy to see anybody as I was when you stepped through those doors at the airport, but there was that one day in New York."

Rory smiled too at that particular memory and initiated the next kiss between them. There was supposed to be a movie tonight, or more than one, she couldn't remember the plan anymore, only that there had kind of been one at some point. The TV was still on but they hadn't looked at it much in a while. She and Jess had talked some, but much of the time had been spent reconnecting in other ways, neither of them minded at all. Six weeks had seemed like forever, especially since their reunion had been so brief when he first returned to the Hollow. Now they had a couple of weeks of Summer left to spend together, and then five days a week in school until next June. Rory knew Jess wasn't thrilled to have to attend Chilton for another year, but she liked to think she was an incentive. Plus she meant what she said about it being nice for him and Paris to spend a little time together too. Of course, right now, her boyfriend's ex-step-sister was the last thing on Rory's mind. She was lost in a moment that she had no problem with never getting out of, and life was good.

To Be Continued...