A/N- Sorry for the really late-night upload! I was babysitting/cleaning/practicing the domesticity thing like crazy today and just got caught up. Anyway, here is 60 (YES! TWO MONTHS! I'll hopefully celebrate this more tomorrow, but I gotta say I'm kind of proud to not have missed a single day). Hope you enjoy this chapter, I know it's shorter but next ones will start becoming a bit longer as content necessitates. As always, please read and review. I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of its characters or concepts but I would trade lives with Lorelai Gilmore in a heartbeat, even including the teen pregnancy, bad sexual choices and Friday Night dinners.


Chapter 60

A few weeks later, conditions had significantly improved at Truncheon. The crazy rush that had plagued them the previous month had dulled into their usual busy-but-manageable workload, and the place was regaining some semblance of its usual camaraderie. At least between Jess, Chris and Matt. And best of all, Rory was fitting in nicely, quietly, unobtrusively. Chris often brought her into things, letting her be a part of them, and Matt stopped objecting for the most part. At times, Matt even invited her, often grudgingly, but with a sense of respect that hadn't been there before. Rory picked up on this and always gratefully accepted, giving Matt as much space as possible but taking the olive branches he offered, trying not to overstep and to just be grateful for what she was getting.

Jess watched this process cautiously, trying not to get his hopes up. He understood that Matt and Chris had sound reasons to dislike Rory and that Rory couldn't put up with the way they had been treating her forever, and there was a likelihood that this truce wouldn't last. Just too many negative feelings and bad history all around. But it seemed to be lasting. Improving every day, as a matter of fact. He even approached Matt directly about it once, after two weeks of this change. The conversation was brief but illuminating.

Jess had knocked on the office door, going in as Matt got off the phone with a fairly new client.

"Is this thing with you permanent?" Jess cut to the chase.

"It's an attempt, and it's going better than I expected," Matt answered, not looking up from his notes.

"So this isn't just some act?"

"No."

"And you're going to keep it up?"

"Looks that way."

"Why?"

"Because she knows how you deserve to be treated, and just because she screwed it up before doesn't give me a reason to screw it up now. Or for her to screw it up now." With that, Matt gave Jess a meaningful look and Jess nodded, meeting his eyes before slipping out of the office.

It had been about three and a half weeks since the confrontation between Rory and Matt when Chris showed up at Truncheon with a proposition.

"Fellow slave laborers, I would like to suggest something," Chris began, walking into the office where Matt and Jess had been arguing about a client while Rory finished an inventory report.

"Alright, well can you make it quick? Matt needs to talk to Roberts before 2."

"Over my frozen corpse," Matt snapped, "Take all the time you need, Chris."

"Alright, stop the bickering for two minutes," Chris rolled his eyes, "Rory?"

"Listening," she nodded, looking up from her notes briefly to assure him.

"Okay, well, in spite of your lack of attentiveness," Chris sighed dramatically, "I do have news to share, and I simply cannot hold it in any longer. I'm seeing someone."

"Weren't you before?" Jess mumbled. Rory raised her eyebrows. Matt completely ignored him.

"So I was thinking that tonight you two could join us. And Matt could wrangle someone…"

"You know I'm seeing someone," Matt glared at him. Jess raised his eyebrows and Rory stifled a laugh.

"Matt? Chris?" Jess asked innocently, "You know, if you want to just tell us now…we can take it. We love and support you both."

"No matter what lifestyle you choose. Love is love," Rory affirmed, before bursting into laughter. Jess couldn't help but join her. After their mirth had died down, and the evil looks from Matt and Chris had ceased, Chris began to speak again.

"Either way, I was thinking pizza and beer at our place, 8:00, and board games if it gets desperate," he finished. Matt and Jess nodded, but Rory excitedly turned to him.

"Bop It!" she shrieked. They all looked at her, confused.

"Bop It?" Jess asked, "Does that thing still exist?"

"Call Luke," she said dismissively, "But I'll bring the Bop It!"

"Oh…kay…" Chris looked at her in confusion. Matt snorted.

"We'll be there," Jess affirmed, earning two smirks and a confused glance. "What?"

"Nothing," Matt said innocently, winking at Chris, "Absolutely nothing."

"Have a great day, you two," Chris sing-songed as he walked away. Jess looked at Rory and shrugged his shoulders. She blushed and turned away, unable to hold back the smile that had crept onto her lips.