A/N: Hello, folks! For those that don't know yet, I'm back, I'm writing, and I've seen the revival! (For further ramblings on that last topic, please refer to my Profile Page and take the spaces out of the link) I will be delving into the post-revival world in future fics at some point, but in the meantime, I'd like to continue with this world of happy teens ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 8

"You're going to hate me," said Lorelai as she came barrelling into the diner.

"Good morning to you too," said Luke, moving past her with plates in his hands. "Also, that doesn't sound likely."

"No, really, you are going to hate me!" she declared, even more emphatically than the first time.

Rory left her mother to it and moved over to the counter. Jess was just shutting the register as she sat down.

"Hey," she greeted him.

"Hey," he replied in kind, leaning over the counter to kiss her 'hello'. "Your mom okay?" he checked, noticing the way Lorelai was flailing her arms around as she followed Luke back and forth access the diner while he served.

"She will be," Rory confirmed. "She has to ask Luke to move their date for next Tuesday."

"Dare I ask why?" he said, grabbing a cup to pour Rory a large coffee.

"Grandma wants her to go to the Society Matron's League's annual antique auction."

"Wow, that sounds like so much fun," Jess dead-panned.

"Yes, that is what I said," she replied in kind. "Also, you're the best boyfriend ever," she added, picking up her coffee cup with both hands and taking a long drink.

"I'd like to think you'd still say that even I didn't supply you with coffee."

Rory looked thoughtful. "There's a fifty-fifty chance."

Jess laughed at her gall, it was impossible to do anything else. "You want breakfast?" he checked.

"Um, maybe a muffin to go?" she considered. "Me and mom did the entire chicken section on the Chinese menu last night."

"That was ambitious even for you two."

"And yet."

"Oh my God!" said Lorelai as she threw herself down on the next stool over. "My boyfriend is the best. Y'know he actually volunteered to come to Emily's boring auction with me? That is dedication my friend. That is true love."

"Or blind stupidity," said Jess, handing Rory her muffin. "I'm just sayin'," he told Lorelai, hands raised in mock-surrender when she threw a glare his way.

"Meh, either way, it was sweet," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Of course, thanks to my deep unwavering love for your uncle Luke, I said he didn't have to come to the auction. Besides, I kinda promised Michel he could go. He has this whole strategy for auctions. Something about paddle movements."

"Dirty!" declared Rory.

"Exactly what I said!"

Jess rolled his eyes at the Gilmore Girls Breakfast Show, but was amused nonetheless. They were on their game so early, he was actually impressed too. Clearly, the coffee pot had been on early at The Crap Shack today.

"We should go if we wanna avoid traffic," he said then, going to grab his jacket and bag.

Rory said goodbye to her mom and then set off for school. It was easier now Jess had a car, no waiting around in the cold and relying on the bus actually arriving on time. Plus in the privacy of the car they could talk about whatever they wanted without worrying other people would overhear.

"So, things are okay with you and Luke now?" Rory ventured.

It was a couple of days since the big blow out at her house, and as yet she hadn't liked to ask how things sat with Jess and his uncle. Family was such a touchy subject with him, as was the whole going to college situation. It seemed safer to wait until he wanted to talk about it, but it was killing Rory not knowing. Jess was in a pretty good mood this morning, so she figured she'd give it a try. Worst case scenario, he would ask her to leave it alone and she could change the subject. Rory had four other topics in mind just in case that happened, but thankfully, it didn't.

"Me and Luke are fine," Jess confirmed, eyes on the road throughout. "We both kind of apologised, and agreed that we're not talking about college or money for a while."

"Okay." Rory nodded. "Well, that's good, that you're okay. I'd hate for you guys to be all fighty over anything. I know he just wants what's best for you, and you wanna do your best for him... and you probably don't want me to say any more about this so I won't."

Rory stopped speaking and turned to look out of the passenger window. It was how she didn't notice anything amiss when they pulled up at a red light, not until Jess was picking her hand up out of her lap and getting her attention.

"For the record, if I really want you to stop talking about something, I'll tell you," he said with a half a smile.

"Sounds like a plan," she replied, squeezing his hand in hers until he needed it back to drive.

Rory leaned over and flipped on the radio when they started moving again. She and Jess enjoyed the music all the way to Chilton, and stayed in the car after they'd parked in the lot to hear the end of Ash's 'Girl from Mars'.

"You think anyone would notice if we just stayed right here?" asked Jess, leaning back in the driver's seat and turning his head to look at Rory.

"Given they can see us through the windows, yes," she told him, similarly seated on the passenger side.

"There's a way to fix that," he said with a look in his eyes that was unmistakable.

Rory giggled, turning pink at the implication, but she didn't protest at all when he leaned over the gear shift to kiss her. They were lost in the moment within seconds. Jess had that effect on Rory, lately to the point where she could actually completely forget where she was and what day of the week it was. It'd be scary if she didn't feel perfectly safe with Jess, if she didn't trust him like she did. Still, given the public place, it was probably best that the moment was unceremoniously shattered by a rapping that started up on the driver's side window. Jess didn't even have to look to know who was there.

"Good morning, Paris!" he yelled as he pulled away from Rory and moved to wind down his window. "Can I help you?" he asked his ex-step-sister.

"What are you doing in there?"

"Nothing, Paris," said Rory, getting out of the passenger side fast before Jess could make any kind of dirty remark. "We were just listening to the end of a really good song."

"Amongst other things," Jess muttered as he gestured for Paris to move so he could disembark too. "What has you so rattled this early?"

"While you two were playing tonsil hockey in your suped-up rust-bucket, some of us were being productive," she said, arms folded across her chest. "Pretty sure I quashed that little coup that Francie was trying to co-ordinate in student council. Yeah, I put her right in her place. We shouldn't be getting any more trouble from her."

"Is she sleepin' with the fishes, Bugsy?" asked Jess, clearly amused by how Mafia Paris made the whole thing sound.

"Stop it," Rory warned him, playfully slapping his shoulder. "Francie should not have been trying to mess with the politics of Chilton."

"I agree," he admitted, "but does it really all have to be so dramatic? It's only high school."

"Only high school?" Paris echoed, looking ready to explode.

"I know, I know, Senior Year, very important, Harvard application, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera," said Jess. "Unfortunately, I have to get to class, so you'll have to give Rory the speech instead. Sorry, Blue Eyes," he apologised to his girlfriend, kissing her nose before walking away.

Rory sighed. "What's really going on, Paris?" she asked her friend then, as the bell rang overhead.

Paris opened her mouth to answer and then closed it again. There was definitely something she wanted to say, and Rory was half-convinced it was about more than just school politics. She hadn't been herself since Washington, and that could only mean one thing. Before Rory could test her one theory on the subject, Paris grabbed her arm and started off down the hall.

"We're going to be late," she declared, physically dragging Rory along.

"Paris, c'mon," she said, tearing her arm free, not least because she was pretty sure she was going to get bruises before long if she didn't. "I know we have to get to class, but something is going on with you. Is it...? It's been since Washington."

"He didn't call," she suddenly snapped, lowering her voice when she realised people could hear. "Jamie, he never called me. We went out on our date, actually had a good time, and then he didn't call. I didn't really think he would, and honestly, I feel like I'm losing way too many IQ points as I say this, but I wanted him to. I still want him to, and I hate that he is in my head all the time, making me want him to call me when he won't!"

"Oh, Paris." Rory sighed. "I'm sorry he hasn't called, but Jamie's a nice guy. I'm sure he just lost your number, or maybe he's just really swamped at Princeton. There could be a million reasons why he didn't call."

"Yeah, and chief among them is because he wishes he never laid eyes on me!" she huffed. "I hate myself, Rory. I hate that I feel this way about some stupid, stupid guy!"

"He's not stupid, and neither are you," said Rory kindly. "Seriously, Paris, I'm sure he will call, and he'll have a perfectly reasonable explanation for why he didn't do it sooner, and then you'll laugh and wonder why you ever doubted him or yourself."

Paris sighed heavily. "Maybe," she admitted. "But now we really are going to be late," she said, hurrying down the hall and encouraging Rory to follow.

"Right behind you," she said, giving chase. "So glad I didn't mention my date with Jess tonight," she muttered to herself. "That would not have helped."

When Rory and Jess went out it was rarely anywhere special, nothing that anyone would consider fancy. Half the time they just hung out together with a video and take out, either at her house or in the diner apartment. Actual dates were only as far as the movie theatre or dinner in some place other than Luke's where they would talk about books and music and such. Tonight was no different, and yet they both had such a good time. They always did, and somehow, even after seeing each other in school all day and again at night, they never got bored of each other's company or ran out of things to say. Of course, they weren't always talking, and when it came to parting company on the front porch of The Crap Shack when it got late, words really weren't on either of their minds.

"Mmm, you gotta let me breathe just a little," Rory gasped as she pulled away from Jess only to have him pull her right back for another kiss.

"Where's the fun in that?" he said with a hint of laughter in his voice that was mostly full of desire.

"I don't think I'll be so attractive to you when I turn blue from the asphyxiation," Rory noted, gasping for a different reason when Jess' lips trailed down her neck.

"Rory Gilmore, the only girl in the world that can make asphyxiation sexy," he chuckled near her ear. "But I guess you have a point. Besides, it's late and your mom's home, so I should probably go."

"Probably," she agreed, arms still tight around his neck. "Goodnight, Jess," she said, for the fourth time since they got here.

"Goodnight, Rory," he replied in kind, going in for one last kiss.

This time it really would be the last as the front door flew open and Lorelai's voice carried out into the cold night air. Rory and Jess sprung apart like shrapnel, not least because Lorelai's voice was not the only one they heard.

"Oh, you must be Rory," said the strange little man.

"Yes, this is my daughter, Rory," Lorelai confirmed. "And her significant other, Jess. Guys, this is Dwight, our new neighbour. He lives in Beenie Morrison's old place."

"That's great." Jess nodded once. "I'll see ya," he told Rory quickly, and with a salute-style wave he was gone in a flash.

"Smart kid," Lorelai muttered, noting Jess' hasty exit. "So, Dwight, great to meet you, but both Rory and myself really need to be getting inside now. It's cold and late, we have to be up early in the morning, but I haven't forgotten all the great detail you put into your request about watering the lawn and other assorted plants," she told him, one thumb up in a positive signal, even as she dragged Rory into the house with her free hand and closed the door. "Have a good night!"

"What was that about?" asked Rory, watching Lorelai throw her back against the door and sigh.

"That was about a very, very enthusiastic new neighbour, who would not leave!" she declared with all the drama she possessed. "Seriously, he's been here a half hour, talking constantly about the neighbourhood, the town, and his new house, and oh my God, his new lawn, which has to be watered at all these specific times and for specific lengths of time," she explained, trudging into the living room with Rory right behind her. "And he's going away on a business trip, so guess who is doing all the fun lawn watering?"

"I'm assuming it's not Babette," said Rory, watching Lorelai throw herself into the couch cushions and sitting down beside her. "Poor Mom."

"I'll live," she declared, blowing her bangs off her forehead. "Anyway, how was your date?"

"It was... date-like" said Rory cryptically, though the smile on her face meant more than her words suggested.

"Rory?" her mom checked, sure she was missing something.

"I, er... I've been meaning to talk to you about something," she admitted. "Something I've been thinking about lately, with regards to dating."

"Dating," Lorelai echoed. "The going out part of dating or the relationship part of dating?"

"Mostly the second one." Rory nodded, looking an awful lot at her own hands in her lap. "It's just... Well, me and Jess love each other, we know that, and when we're alone, well, it's not like you don't know that we kiss and stuff."

"And stuff," said Lorelai, shifting uncomfortably. "Oh boy," she added, figuring out all too suddenly where this was going.

"You said you were okay with me talking to you about this. Is that not true anymore?"

"Yes. No. I mean, I want you to talk to me about this, if you want to talk to me about this," said Lorelai, trying so hard to be cool and finding it almost impossible. "Rory, sweetie, you're eighteen now. Remember that day with the huge party, the banners, the cake, and the nine choruses of 'Happy Birthday'? That means you hit a pretty major age milestone, kid. You're supposed to know your own mind at this point, and if your mind is telling you that you're ready to take a step of some kind, then I trust that you know what you're doing," she said, as calmly as she could. "However, I would like to think that you'll give serious thought to this kind of step before you take it, that you will remember that it has to be your choice, and not mine or Jess' or anybody else's decision. Also, protection, very important. Oh, I thought I was ready for this conversation," she said, flailing some now and hating it.

"Me too," Rory told her nervously. "And I know what you mean, about being sure. Honestly, I'm not there yet, but sometimes I think I could be, at some point, not so very far in the future. I wanted you to know that, which now that I think about it seems weird, because Jess doesn't even know that, but yeah, there it is."

Lorelai nodded. She was glad Rory felt she could tell her these things, and yet at the same time, she didn't want to have to think about it. Her baby girl was growing up, and she was in love. It probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if Rory and Jess had sex. Lorelai would be a huge hypocrite if she tried to forbid them or anything, but right now she really, really wished that didn't matter.

"Um, it's late," she said eventually. "Maybe we should call it a night."

"Probably a plan," said Rory, nodding her head. "Apparently we have a lawn watering thing to do tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." Lorelai nodded. "And for at least a week after that."

"Great."

"Yeah."

Neither of them moved.

To Be Continued...