A/N- For those who were anti-Rory earlier (understandably, of course), I hope that the last few chapters have helped a little and that this one will be a good push in the right direction. For a while here (hell, possibly the majority of the rest of this story) I will be indulging my penchant for completely perfect, adorable Literati romance, while of course refusing to let things actually be perfect and while making sure it still stays realistic. But their love is something that has always transcended and I'm hoping that the story can honor that while staying true to the type of realism and things time changes that I honestly am proud of about this fic. Anyway, keep reading and reviewing. I don't own Gilmore Girls or any of its characters or concepts, but I shamelessly incorporate them into a world I've devised because theirs was too damn short.


Chapter 38

That night, after an extraordinarily long day of work, in spite of the early closing (Matt was out "sick", Chris was in his own little world, and Rory and Jess were mainly alone to handle the mid-week rush), Rory and Jess headed out to go get some food.

"Pizza?" Rory asked.

"When have I ever said no to pizza?" Jess scoffed, and they started walking out of Truncheon. At that moment, Lorelai's Jeep pulled up in front of the store.

"What is…"

"Don't be mad," Jess warned, "Remember that I let you read my books. And make fun of my taste. And my life choices."

"Did you…?"

"Yes," Jess answered honestly, "I'm sorry if it upsets you, but I thought it was the right thing to do."

Slowly, Rory nodded. She smiled at him, a genuine one, and threw her arms around his neck, embracing him.

"Thank you," she whispered, before running over to the driver's side, "Mom!"

"Rory!" Lorelai called bag, and soon they were hugging right in the middle of the street. Once they came back to reality and noticed the honking horns, they hugged their way to the sidewalk, finally breaking apart a few long seconds later.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," Rory shook her head, burying it in Lorelai's shoulder, "I can't believe I was so awful to you, that I was so terrible, so mean. To you! To my best friend."

"Aww, honey," Lorelai stroked Rory's hair, smiling gently, "It's okay. There was some truth in the midst of all the shouting. But I know you didn't mean to be hurtful. It happens to the best of us."

"I'm a mess," Rory admitted, pulling away, "Can I come home? Just for a few days." She looked at Jess immediately, reassuringly. He smiled back at her, relieved that she'd felt the compulsion to reassure him that she wasn't going anywhere, even if there was no technical reason for it. He was grateful.

"You should go," Jess nodded, "For the weekend. Or the week. Whatever you want. I'll get your stuff."

"I'll come with you," Rory smiled, hugging her mom one more time, "I'm coming home!"

"You're coming home!" Lorelai exclaimed, smiling and waving as her daughter ran back into Truncheon, "Oh, by the way, that was a yes, if you missed my completely unspoken and clearly unimportant answer to your question." Rory turned around and grinned, and Jess momentarily did the same thing. They headed upstairs and Lorelai watched them gratefully. She'd never say it out loud, but thank God for Jess Mariano.

"You sure you'll manage without me? You've been dealing with some lazy employees lately," Rory teased, grabbing her backpack and her cosmetics. Once that was done, she set the backpack on the bed before walking over to Jess' bookshelf.

"I'll manage somehow," Jess smirked. Then, quickly walking over to Rory, he grabbed the book from her hand. "No."

"But…" Rory pouted.

"No! This book is a warning sign, a symptom of illness. It's…" Jess saw the smile peeking out behind Rory's eyes. "You're completely screwing with me, aren't you?"

"Yup," Rory said cheerfully, tossing the Odyssey back at him, "If I really get the hankering for it I can dig it out of Luke's attic. But can I grab…"

"Anything," he gestured, and quickly she filled up the remainder of the bag with six tomes. She stood up and Jess grabbed the bag from her, heading downstairs.

"Hey, stop in the office for a sec," Jess called to her. Rory looked at him curiously before walking in. "Bottom right cabinet."

"There's nothing in…" she started, stopping when she opened it, "What is this?"

"Candy," he shrugged, noncommittally, "I know how you two get when you're deprived of sugar. Or caffeine, but that doesn't keep as well."

"I can't believe…" Rory began, "Alright, that's a complete lie. I can and do believe but am continuously amazed by the things you do for me."

"It's what I'm here for," Jess smiled at her, "Though I do expect a tip."

"No fries in here, are there?"

"Red vine."

"Seems fair. In fact, you get two."

"I'm a lucky man."

They walked outside and put her backpack in the back seat and all the candy up front. Jess smiled at Lorelai.

"Thanks, Lorelai," Jess said, walking over and giving her a small hug, which she immediately returned. Rory looked on in confusion and bewilderment, to Jess' great amusement when he caught her eye. "Your mom will catch you up later."

"It was my pleasure," Lorelai grinned, "Don't be a stranger, okay? And thanks for…"

"It was nothing," Jess waved it off. He walked over to Rory.

"Don't forget to come back," he said softly as he hugged her. She nodded as she pulled away from him, her eyes and smile equally bright.

"Of course," she promised, "I'll be back soon. And be sure to let Matt know!"

Jess smirked. "I'm sure there'll be banners and balloons when you come back!"

"Welcome home party?" Lorelai inquired.

"She's gone party," Rory laughed, "Goodbye, Jess."

"Goodbye, Rory," he responded, waving as they pulled away before walking back into Truncheon, feeling completely satisfied with his decision but slightly colder than two degrees below the usual temperature of the room.