A/N- Once again mini-chapter. Please bear with me as I do my best with this, certain parts of this storyline are very long and need a very long chapter, and it needs to be broken up. So that's my nice was of saying please just deal :D You will all be very happy very soon though, especially JJ-ers. Please keeping reading and reviewing. As always, I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of its characters or concepts, though I do now own a merengue cookie equivalent to the size of my face.
Chapter 68
"Hey!" Rory exclaimed, walking back into the diner and to the counter. She smiled at Jess, resisting the urge to lean in and kiss his cheek. He smiled back. She frowned immediately.
"Why are you smiling?" she asked suspiciously, "Did you lock Luke and Taylor in the supply closet together or something? You don't smile like that for no reason."
"So now you're cataloging my different expressions of pleasure?" Jess inquired, refilling a coffee and pouring one for Rory, "That seems a bit totalitarian. Plus, it's quite possible that you're missing a few…"
She glared at him. "Tell me!"
He laughed. "Was that supposed to be convincing?"
She pouted her lips and pulled the Bambi eyes. He looked at her severely.
"No. Not fair. Not allowed. Not this time. I'll take away your coffee."
She grabbed the mug protectively and pulled it close to her chest. "Why are you keeping secrets?"
"Don't you have any?"
"From you?"
"Yeah."
"No."
"Really?"
"None that matter. This does."
"How can you tell?"
"The smile."
"And?"
"The way your head is positioned."
"What?" Jess looked her like she was crazy. She shrugged.
"You asked," she replied, "Seriously, you have to tell me. Is it about you? Me? Matt? Chris?"
"Not answering," he hummed, "You'll find out soon enough yourself."
"What does that…" Suddenly Rory's eyes widened. "Luke!"
"Rory," Jess warned, lowering his voice. Suddenly the man in question walked down the stairs. He smiled widely at Rory and Jess.
"Rory!" he exclaimed, leaning in and hugging her, "Thank you again so much for helping with the diner. I just think I should be there, at least for a while, you know?
"Of course," Rory answered, her the corners of her lips curled upwards suspiciously, "Hey, how was your day here with Jess?"
Luke shot Jess a look. "You told her." Jess raised his arms in defeat.
"No, he didn't," Rory said smugly, "You just confirmed it. So what is going on? You're both…"
"Rory, you know I would do anything for you, right?" Luke asked, his voice clear and his eyes level with Rory's. Her eyebrows raised in surprise at his bluntness but she nodded.
"And you know the same of Jess too," Luke nodded, and Rory and Jess exchanged a look that said more than words could. "Given that, if we aren't telling you, why don't you consider that maybe it's not in your best interest to know? At least yet?"
"So I'll find out eventually?" Rory asked, sighing.
"Only if you don't die of a caffeine overdose first," Jess answered, staring at Rory as she poured herself another mug, "You've been here three minutes!"
"Four. And it was too hot for two of them," Rory explained.
"Addict."
"Enabler."
"Without my enabling you can't get the good coffee."
"God."
"Little better," Jess smirked, "But I prefer deity. Sounds marginally less blasphemous."
"And you've minded blasphemy since…"
"It would count as a violation of probation for the probationary period I received in Stars Hollow for the savage kidnapping of Babette's lawn gnome," Jess answered seriously. Rory grinned wide.
"On that note, I'm going to leave you two," Luke smirked at Jess who glared in response. "We'll see you tomorrow here for breakfast?"
"Sounds great," Rory smiled, "Give Mom another hug for me."
"I'll give her plenty. Though she's yours tomorrow for movie night, she said. She called earlier."
"Yeah, guess we're sharing custody."
"Doesn't generally work well for me."
"Well you're just too possessive."
"Alright, Abbot, Costello has to get to his next show," Jess rolled his eyes, ushering Luke out the door. Rory grinned in spite of herself and willed herself to hold back the intense wave of emotion that hit her when Jess closed the door, that was compelling her to launch herself into Jess' arms.
"So now we work?"
"Like Joe the Plumber."
"You mean Miss Patty's seventh husband?"
"Your wit is cruel, Miss Gilmore."
"I learned from the best."
