A/N: I may have found my way forward with this fic... I think! lol If y'all are still reading it, then I'm going to try to keep writing it, so yeah, let me know if you're still there and you still care! Thanks, folks :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 11

"Well, that was..."

"Yeah, it really was."

Rory knew implicitly what Lorelai meant by her non-comment so it was easy to agree with her. They had both ended up attending Sherry's baby shower, and boy, what a big mistake that had been. Rory had thought it would be okay, that it was a nice gesture on Sherry's part to invite her, and a good idea on her part to attend. They were talking about her future half-sibling, Rory wanted to get to know the kid, and said kid's mother too. Of course, when Sherry realised that Lorelai was dropping Rory off in Boston, she insisted that both Gilmore girls come and join in on the fun. Fun really was not the correct word to use!

They were half way home before they had gotten over the shock enough to even talk about it.

"How did we end up with so many devilled eggs?" she asked then, looking down at the Tupperware box in her lap.

"Take the devilled eggs! Take the devilled eggs!" Lorelai repeated over and over in a very unflattering voice. "My God, I thought she was physically going to insert them into our bodies if we refused too many times."

"Eeew!" Rory declared, with an expression to match. "But seriously, I don't even think I liked devilled eggs."

"Meh, we'll give 'em to the poor, or let them die in the back in the refrigerator, or something", said Lorelai, waving her hand dismissively. "Right now, I can't think about it anymore. I just want to get home to my man and pretend this whole event never happened."

"Sounds like a plan," Rory agreed, checking her watch. "The diner must be closed by now. If you wanted to take Luke back to ours, I'm more than happy to hang out with Jess for a while."

"I'd say you're a good kid, but I think we both know it's not exactly like you're throwing yourself on a grenade for me here." Lorelai smiled. "Things are all kinds of good with you and the boyfriend, huh?"

"They're not bad," Rory agreed, blushing profusely. "Um, that thing we talked about before? It hasn't happened yet. I would've told you if it had."

"Okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome, I think."

The awkward moment ended the conversation for a while and Rory cranked up the radio to compensate. She felt the need to change the station when 'Baby, I Love You' started to play, Lorelai muttering that Sherry had probably ruined that particular Ramones classic for her now.

All in all, Rory kind of wished she had never agreed to go to the baby shower. She wouldn't be making that kind of mistake again. She told Jess as much when they were alone in the diner apartment some time later.

"Sounds like a nightmare," he agreed, "especially having your mom and your step-mom in the same room."

"Well, they don't hate each other or anything. I mean, Sherry didn't exactly steal Dad away from Mom," Rory considered. "It was just so weird, hearing her talk about my dad like she knew him better than anyone. No-one knows Christopher Hayden better than Lorelai Gilmore."

"Are you applying playground rules to this situation?" asked Jess, amused by the idea. "Like you and your mom had your dad first so that makes him more yours than the new family's?"

"Yes!" said Rory, nodding emphatically, a smile breaking through. "I know, it's dumb, but that's just how I feel. Oh, I wish I never went to the stupid baby shower!" she declared then, leaning over on the couch until her head fell against Jess' shoulder. "Never again."

"Bet I know something that'll make you feel better," said her boyfriend, nudging her shoulder.

Rory glanced up with a look in her eyes that as unmistakable and Jess almost decided to go with what she thought he meant rather than the truth. Could be a really good idea, but it seemed unfair when that hadn't been the plan. Besides, when they finally got to the point where she was ready for the next step, he would kind of like it to be about the two of them and not just making her feel better after a rough day with the step-mother.

"I was talking about coffee and left over pie," he told her, kissing her nose. "Somebody has a dirty mind."

"I blame you." Rory sighed. "I used to be such an innocent young thing."

"C'mon, Marcia Brady," he said, rolling his eyes as he got up from the couch and pulled on her hand.

They headed down to the diner and Jess was as good as his word, getting Rory a large coffee and an even larger slice of cherry pie. He got himself the same and they sat down at the counter to eat, not even worrying about going back up to the apartment. Perhaps they should have done so, since even with only the minimum of lights on, folks walking by could see in. Anyone could have been spying on them, or even knocked on the door wanting entry to the diner. When someone did try it, Jess yelled that they were closed, but still they persisted.

"Read the sign, idiot!" he said next, turning to see what fool wasn't getting it, then he sighed. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"Paris?" said Rory as she turned to see her staring in through the glass with an almost angry expression. "What is she doing here?"

"Being a pain in the ass?" Jess suggested, unlocking the door one bolt at a time. "Hey, sis!" he said, with the biggest grin possible and all kinds of sarcasm.

Paris blew right past him without a word.

"Rory, I need your article for the Franklin."

"And a good evening to you too, Paris."

"Fine, good evening, whatever," she countered, rolling her eyes. "Franklin article, now. Please?" she tried when Rory didn't even flinch.

"I don't have it here," her friend told her, shaking her head. "Why would I have it here?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Paris asked her seriously. "Rory, I really need to get a head start on the next issue of the Franklin and I want to do that this weekend, so I need your article. I have the draft, but you said you were going to rewrite it, which will doubtless change the word count and possibly even the tone of the whole piece. I need it now!"

Rory looked at Jess and he looked right back.

"You're going home, aren't you?"

"I don't think I have a choice," she sighed. "But how about this, you could come with us, we could get the article for Paris and then pick up a movie from the video store on the way back. Your choice and I won't complain at all. Sound good?"

It wouldn't be much of an offer from anyone else, but to get a Gilmore to relinquish movie choosing rights was kind of a big deal, Jess supposed.

"Let's go."

"Why are we going in the back door?" asked Paris as Rory led her and Jess that way into the Crap Shack.

"Because, my mom has Luke here for a date," she explained, trying not to make a face when she thought about it. "I don't know where they'll be or what they'll be doing."

"Well, Lorelai is still a fairly young woman. I suppose she has needs," Paris considered. "Must be weird for you two though. I mean, your mother, his uncle," she said, tilting her head towards Jess. "Almost twisted."

"Paris? Shut up!" said her 'brother' crossly. "Let's just get into Rory's room, grab the article, and get back out."

"Easy, man. Don't get so excited," Paris told him. "I know you like the idea of where this evening is headed after I leave, but another half hour won't actually kill you."

Jess was just about ready to explode at her when Rory shushed them both and moved to open the back door to the house. She crept quietly through the kitchen with Paris and Jess right behind her, and they all three made it to the bedroom just as footsteps could be heard on the stairs.

Rory let the other two moved past her and then pulled the door almost closed behind them. She could just as easily let her mom and Luke know they were here but somehow she would rather not. They were probably having some kind of romantic night that may or may not involve a lack of clothing. As happy as she was for the two of them being together, she did not need to think about the naked parts of their relationship, not ever!

Grabbing her article from the desk, Rory handed it to Paris and asked if she was happy. A quick skim over the text seemed to produce a satisfied expression.

"Reasonably happy," said Paris, nodding her head. "Okay, I guess I can get out of your hair now."

"Thank you," said Jess, smirking when Paris looked his way. "What? You weren't exactly invited."

"Not now, kids," Rory warned them, moving to the door.

She started to open it then quickly changed her mind when she heard yelling in the living room. It was Luke and Lorelai, there was no-one else it could be, and neither of them sounded at all happy.

"I never said that, Luke!"

"It's what I heard!"

"Then, as Judge Judy would say, put on your listening ears! I am not jealous of Sherry, okay? I don't want her fiancé or her apartment or her baby. I am not jealous!"

"But you don't like her because she's with Christopher. I'm not stupid, Lorelai, I do know what that means!"

"It means I don't like that somebody I care about is with someone so awful and not at all his type. What is wrong with that?"

"A whole lot is wrong with that if you think you'd be better for Christopher than she would!"

"So what if I would? It doesn't mean I want to be with him!"

Rory looked just about ready to bawl as she stood there listening to Lorelai and Luke tear lumps out of each other. Jess wasn't exactly enjoying it either. Even Paris looked sad. These people had been good to her too, and right now they were none too happy with each other. All Jess knew for sure was that they should not be here. If Lorelai and Luke knew they could hear, it would not end well.

"C'mon", he said quickly, poking his head out of Rory's room and ensuring the coast was clear.

A gesture of his hand had the girls following as they all bolted through the kitchen and back out of the door onto the porch.

"Well, I should go," said Paris flatly. "Um, thanks for the article," she told Rory and then she was gone.

Rory didn't react at all, didn't even seem to hear her. She stood stock still on the porch, staring back into the house. From here, she couldn't hear a thing, much less see. Jess figured that was a good thing, but it didn't take away what she had heard before. She knew there was a fight going on in there, even if she wasn't bearing witness to it.

"Let's go," he urged her, an arm around her shoulders.

She leaned into his embrace and allowed herself to be led away, but Rory wasn't happy. She hated when people she loved fought, especially over something so stupid. There was no way her mom wanted to get back together with her dad. For a long time that had been the dream for all of them, a happy little traditional family unit. That dream had passed by a long time ago now, and Rory was totally happy having Luke step into the role of father figure for her as well as boyfriend for her mom. It just worked, without any effort most of the time. Now apparently things were different.

By the time they got back to the diner, Jess had forgotten they were ever supposed to pick up a movie and he certainly wasn't going to mention it now. Rory probably wasn't in the mood to face people or cared at all about the rest of the evening. He couldn't really blame her.

"You know they'll be fine, right?" he said when they were back in the apartment.

Rory hadn't spoken the whole way home, but Jess needed her to now. The silence was starting to get to him.

"I guess," she said eventually. "It's just awful hearing them so mad at each other. They never really fight."

Jess wasn't sure what to say to make her feel better. The verbal thing kind of came and went with him and he certainly wasn't any kind of expert on normal functioning relationships. His mother's track record with men was atrocious and his own frame of reference when it came to real dating was shockingly small. Before Rory, it had all been random dates and girls that only wanted him for the same reason he wanted them. How love and the whole long-term relationship deal was supposed to work, he really had no idea.

Pulling her close, he did the only thing he knew how to make her feel better - he kissed her. She fell into the moment with him, until they hit full make out mode, almost horizontal on the couch before long. He didn't plan on pushing his luck, not in these circumstances, but clearly the thought had occurred to Rory as she made plain when she wriggled to get out from under him.

"Jess, we need to talk about this," she told him suddenly.

"I wasn't trying to-"

"I know," she cut in. "I know that you weren't, not today, but... Well, we keep getting close to... the issue," she said awkwardly, "and after today... Well, spending so much time around baby stuff... Y'know, Sherry got pregnant by accident? So did my mom."

"Rory, you don't get pregnant every time you-"

"I know that," she jumped in again before Jess could finish, though he didn't seem to mind. "I'm not stupid. I also know there are precautions you can take."

"Which we would," he promised her.

"I know we would," she agreed, hardly able to look at him when she was saying this but knowing she had to. "It's just... I'm sorry, Jess, it's just made me feel not as ready as I thought. At least, not right now," she explained as best she could. "Are you mad?"

Jess rolled his eyes at what he considered to be a very dumb question. He took Rory's face in his hands and pulled her close to kiss her lips sweetly.

"Not mad," he promised her faithfully. "A little disappointed? Sure, but I promise you, not mad. What kind of guy would I be if I was?"

Rory smiled, she couldn't help it.

"Not the awesome guy that I love, that's for sure."

That got a smile out of him too, and at least when she kissed him this time, Rory felt sure they both knew where they stood. It would be wrong to go that far tonight anyway, she knew, because it would be to make herself feel better about a crappy day and not about her and Jess loving each other like it should be. Kissing was fine for now, and they were both okay with that. They had all the time in the world for everything else.

To Be Continued...