A/N: Yay for keeping my readers in a post-revival world. Y'all rock for reading & reviewing, thank you :) Now, the idea of rewriting a certain 'Eight O'Clock at the Oasis' scene pained me greatly because I already love it so, but then a thought occurred to me...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 9

"You know you made quite the impression at the auction," said Emily, taking a dainty bite of meat from her fork.

"Impression?" Lorelai echoed. "On who? Your Matron Society friends?" she checked, feeling confused.

"Well, yes, they were all very pleased to meet you," Emily considered, "but I was actually speaking of someone specific. A man."

"A man?" Rory checked. "Mom, you didn't mention a man at the auction."

"Because there was no man at the auction."

"Really? Are you sure?" Rory giggled. "Should I warn Luke that you're trying to make him jealous?"

"Rory, there was no man. Mom, seriously? Where'd you get the idea that there was a man?"

"Lorelai, I spoke to the man in question," her mother insisted. "Peyton Sanders."

"Peyton Sanders?" Lorelai echoed.

"Ah, Peyton Sanders," said Richard. "Such a nice young man. I know his father."

"Peyton Sanders," said Rory, at which Lorelai gave her a questioning look. "What? I was feeling a little left out."

Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Okay, first of all, I don't even remember meeting a Peyton Sanders, and second of all, Mom, I'm dating Luke, remember?"

"I'm sorry, Lorelai, I had no idea that the fact you're dating Luke prevented any other man from speaking to you or finding you attractive," Emily snapped. "Honestly, do you think I never meet any charming men just because I'm married to your father? Richard, you don't actually believe that no other man ever speaks to me or compliments me just because I'm married, do you?"

"Of course not, Emily. What a ridiculous idea," her husband told her before looking to his daughter. "Lorelai, you're an attractive young woman with many fine qualities. There is really no reason not to have those qualities appreciated by other young men just because you choose to be squired around by the man who runs your local diner."

"Well, thank you... I think," she said, sure there had been a compliment in there somewhere. "And honestly, I really don't mind being found attractive, desirable, or however else we're phrasing that, I'm just making sure that Mom understands, I am not available. I don't want her encouraging the Peyton Sanders of the world to, I don't know, ask me out or anything."

"I'm sure I thought nothing of the sort," said Emily, placing her flatware on the edge of the plate. "Even if you weren't seeing anybody, I would hope I know better than to presume you might want MY help in finding a suitable man."

Lorelai sighed and put her hand to her forehead. She couldn't win, she really couldn't. All she had tried to do was prevent a set-up with a guy her parents knew when she was already dating Luke, who she actually loved. Somehow that seemed to have offended Emily, potentially Richard as well, and made her a terrible person.

"I have special skills that even I don't get," she muttered turning her attention back to her plate since at least her dinner wasn't going to get pissed at her for dating Luke and expressing no interest in any other man.

Rory tried to save the evening, and her mom, by changing the subject.

"So, the auction was successful, Grandma? Your charity raised a lot of money?"

"Yes, thank you, Rory, it did." Emily smiled. "You could have come along you know, it was outside of school hours."

"Oh, well, I was out on Tuesday," she said, immediately regretting it when her grandma asked where she had gone and with whom. "I was, er... I was out with Jess, my boyfriend," she said quickly, putting her attention back on her plate just as her mom had done, but unfortunately it was right at the moment that the dishes were removed from the table.

"Of course, you're still seeing him," said Emily coldly. "Well, that's nice, I suppose."

She made it sound anything but nice and Rory felt herself squirming. She felt like she should defend Jess but she really didn't know what to say for the best. Anything she tried would probably be twisted around into something derogatory. Grandma had quite decided that neither Luke nor Jess were worthy, and it didn't matter what she or her mom said to the contrary.

"I don't think I've met this Jess yet," said Richard out of the blue. "Is that true, Rory?"

"Um, no. Actually, you met him last year, the first aid box project at Chilton?" she explained. "Also, I don't know if you remember, but his mom, Liz, was married to Paris Geller's father for a while."

"Hmm, I believe I did meet her at a party," he said, frowning at the memory. "Dreadful woman."

"Jess would agree," said Lorelai knowingly. "But he's a good kid, Dad. He's been through a lot, but now he's living with Luke, and of course dating our Rory, his life's really turned around."

"Excellent, than it's settled," said Richard with a smile. "You shall bring Jess to dinner next Friday so that we can meet him more officially."

"No."

"Jess, please!"

"No, Rory. I am not going to Friday Night Dinner at your grandparents house. Seriously, why would you even want me to?"

"Because," she said, hurrying after him across the town square, "my grandpa really wants to meet you... again. Sort of officially. He doesn't count the project at Chilton last year because that was a school thing and this is sort of personal. He met Luke, and now thinks he needs to meet you too, because you're important in my life, and I'm important in his life."

Jess stopped walking so suddenly that Rory barely kept herself from slamming into his back. He really hated the idea of dinner at the Gilmore Mansion, but Rory had just told him how important she thought he was and it pricked his conscience. She was important to him too. He loved her, and they both knew it. She loved him too, and that was a concept he had a little trouble wrapping his head around. Either way, if they mattered that much to each other, they had to give a little every so often. That probably meant Jess should stop arguing and just go to Friday Night Dinner in six days' time.

"Fine," he sighed, eyes closed a moment as he contemplated what a sap he must be becoming to have agreed to such a thing.

"You'll go?" Rory checked, suddenly in front of him when he opened his eyes.

"I'll go," he confirmed, watching her grin and jump with excitement, "but I am not dressing up, okay?"

"Wear what you want, surly frown included, just so long as you'll come along!" she said, clapping her hands and pretty much throwing herself into his arms for a kiss. "Did I mention how much I love you?"

"I could stand to hear it again," he told her with a smirk that lasted only as long as it took for her to lean in and kiss him one more time.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she told him, in between kisses that covered his face.

"Take a breath, jumpin' jack," he told her, holding her at arm's length and rolling his eyes at her behaviour. "I have to be crazier than you are to agree to this thing."

"Or maybe you're just a much nicer guy than you want people to think."

"Nah, that can't be it."

A beeping in Rory's pocket got her attention then and she pulled out her pager.

"Oh damn!" she cursed. "It's Mom. She's checking I watered the neighbour's lawn, but I totally forgot!"

She set off at a gallop and did it so suddenly that Jess had to run to keep up with her. They cut down one street and then the other, arriving at the Dwight's house in record time. Rory went to grab the spigot and turned on the lawn sprinklers, before heading up onto the porch and picking up the watering can. She gave the pot plants there a little drink as Jess looked on from the gate, mindful of getting caught in the spray from the sprinklers. Rory headed inside to complete her watering duties and Jess leaned on the fence, pulling the book from his back pocket to read a few pages.

Five minutes later he heard the front door close behind Rory and he turned to watch her hurry to grab the spigot again and turn the water off.

"Oh no!" she gasped suddenly. "No, no, no... Jess!"

He ran in when he realised she was panicking, getting as soaked as she already was from fighting with the sprinkler controls.

"What happened?" he asked over the rush of water.

"It won't turn off!" she cried.

"Move!" he told her, reaching for the spigot and forcing it onto the control.

With an almighty push and twist, Jess managed to stop the water, and there they both stood, dripping from head to foot in somebody else's front yard.

"How'd you do that?" asked Rory, trying not to stare and finding it impossible - Jess always looked good, and yet somehow even better soaking wet.

"You just have to push and turn," he said of the mechanism, though there was an absent tone to his voice.

He was having the same distracted problem as Rory, the fact her shirt had gone practically transparent now it was soaked through proving enough to hold his attention. She noticed where he was looking and why, blushing profusely at that, and at the fact she couldn't stop the thoughts running through her head right now that really were not at all pure.

"Um, we should get dried off before we freeze," she noted fast. "My house is closer."

Grabbing Jess' hand she dragged him behind her over to The Crap Shack. It wasn't until they got into the house that his brain caught up with his feet.

"I don't have clothes here," he told her.

"Um, I can find you something," said Rory, heading for her room. "Pretty sure the Harvard sweatshirt Mom bought me is over-sized enough to fit, and... well, I have some sweat pants that were always too big for me."

She pulled towels from the linen closet, dumping one on the kitchen table for him, then disappeared into her room, already unbuttoning her shirt. Jess fought the urge to look. That view might make taking off his pants more than a little difficult in the long run.

"Dryer's outside the back door, you can put your clothes straight in!" Rory called to him. "Here," she added, an arm appearing out the door with the sweats she spoke of before.

"Thanks," said Jess, taking them and changing quickly in the kitchen.

Beyond what suddenly felt like a very thin wall and a door that had been left ajar, Rory was also slipping out of her clothes and into dry ones, same as Jess. They were both extremely aware of the fact that they were next to naked and within feet of each other. Teenagers and their hormones could only cope with so much, and both were trying to think of other things when they finally had to face each other.

"Hey," said Rory with a slight wave

"Hi," Jess replied from his seat at the kitchen table.

Rory noted the sweat pants she had leant him still sitting on the table and her eyes widened.

"Sorry, but it felt too weird to wear your pants," Jess told her. "I, er, threw on the towel. That's okay, right?"

"Sure, yeah. It's fine," said Rory, swallowing hard.

Jess had on her Harvard sweatshirt, which had always been at least two sizes too large for her, and apparently was covering his lower half with nothing but a towel. The fact she was fully dressed didn't seem to matter much if the way he was looking at her was anything to go by. Maybe he was remembering how she looked before, or maybe the Blue Crush look she had going on with her hair was really appealing.

"Clothes in the dryer," she muttered, diving past him to add her pile to the machine.

She set the dryer going and returned to the kitchen.

"Shouldn't take long," she told him, shifting awkwardly. "I don't know why I feel so nervous all of a sudden."

"Me either," Jess admitted. "Um, if you need to go dry your hair or whatever..."

"It's fine," Rory waved a hand, watching Jess push his own unruly curls back off his face - they moved right back to where they had been before. "Doesn't really behave without the gel, does it?"

"Not entirely," he agreed, clearly self conscious about it.

Rory smiled. "Actually I like it like this," she said, coming to stand by his chair, running her fingers through the tangled mess of his hair.

Jess had a feeling she had no idea what she was doing to him right now. He had a lot of other feelings too, some he was going to have a real problem controlling if she didn't stop already, but it seemed criminal to ask her to.

"Rory," he said, her name coming out somewhere between a growl and a moan.

She looked down at Jess and met his eyes, seeing everything she was feeling reflected back. Inside of two seconds, she was kissing him. Inside of three, she was in his lap, his hands roaming over her body and hers over his. It felt good, almost too good. This was probably a really bad idea, but neither Rory nor Jess could remember why right now. His fingers crept up inside her shirt and she shifted in his lap, the towel slipping some. Rory was left in no doubt of what she was doing to Jess, and she was well aware of what he was stirring up inside of her too.

The phone rang in the hall, startling them both. Rory practically fell off Jess' lap in her hurry to get to it, trying not to think about what had almost happened, what that moment might have led too.

"Hello?" she said, trying to get her breathing even. "Oh, Mom, hi!" she said, suddenly sober as anything. "Yeah, I got your page. Sorry, I should've replied. Yup, watering is done for today, no problem."

Rory was amazed she could hold a conversation at all right now. Moreover, she was amazed her legs held her up for the duration of said call. The moment it was over, she returned to the kitchen to find Jess, dressed in his own clothes again, fresh from the dryer.

"I should go," he told her, tucking his shirt into his pants.

"Oh, okay," she replied, nodding her head. "Um, I guess you should," she mumbled, not sure what else to say.

It hurt to realise he wanted to leave so fast, even if she was aware that it was probably for the best. Jess could make her feel so much and so easily. If he stayed, they both knew what was likely to happen, and though Rory wanted it to in a lot of ways, ultimately, she knew she wasn't ready. That didn't stop her from being disappointed that apparently Jess didn't even want to anymore. Sometimes it was tough balancing the intricacies of being a teenage girl.

Jess saw the frown forming on Rory's face and started reconsidering his actions. He thought it was best if he left now, before he pushed too far and screwed things up. They really hadn't talked about the whole sex thing. They probably should, but Jess didn't know how. They usually didn't go much further than second base. He tried for third a couple of times and she let him, but any further still seemed to be out of bounds. The way they were headed before the phone rang, Jess wasn't sure he would be able to stop himself if they started again, and that wasn't cool if Rory wasn't ready. Now it seemed like maybe she wanted to. Maybe he had screwed up anyway. Jess lost track sometimes.

Walking around the table, he took Rory's face in his hands and kissed her sweetly.

"We're cool, right?" he checked.

"Yeah," she promised him, letting her arms slide around him and encouraging him to kiss her again. "For the record, I was okay with that, before," she said as they parted, gesturing to the seat they had occupied together not so long ago. "I don't know if I would... If I'm ready for... y'know, yet," she said awkwardly.

"Hey, it's okay," he promised her, lifting her chin on his finger until she met his eyes. "I'm not pushing."

"I know, and I love that you're not," she said with a smile. "But I'm just letting you know that you won't have to wait forever, I promise."

Jess smiled and nodded that he understood, planting one last kiss on her lips before leaving. When he was gone out of the back door, Rory sighed heavily, thinking of what might have been.

"Maybe next time," she said to herself, unable to keep from smiling.

To Be Continued...