A/N- Shorter chapter again. Hate me if you must, I'm exhausted! I hope you enjoy the Lit. And yes, I know the last few chapters have been very cheesy and happy, but goddamn it, at some point, with all the things that this show put these characters through, and all the things that life puts people through, we deserve a really beautiful moment now and then. Every last one of us, and don't let anyone make you feel bad about that. We all deserve love and just because life isn't a fairytale doesn't mean we don't deserve some perfect moments along the way. So I hope you enjoyed last chapter and I hope you enjoy this and the other such moments that this story will have, because just because I'm a fan of realism and minimalism and truth and authenticity doesn't mean that I believe that angst is the only authentic part of life. Life isn't a soul-sucking demon of traffic jams and divorce court. It's a beautiful mess, and I hope you like me portraying it as such. If not, kindly go file your thoughts in the box marked "I really couldn't care less but you're entitled to your opinion." :) Anyway, please tell me what you think in reviews of this chapter and of last (I was slightly kidding about the box, will actually appreciate any and all feedback, even if I don't agree with it). And I do not own Gilmore Girls but I own new throw pillows and a new throw blanket for my new apartment that make me smile almost as big as writing about Jess Mariano does.
Chapter 76
Meanwhile, inside, Rory and Jess had taken a detour on their way back to go help Sookie.
"I can't believe you guys did all this," Rory said in wonder, looking around, "In one day."
"It was all Luke," Jess answered her simply, "Honestly. All his idea, nearly all his execution."
"Don't even try to act like you weren't a huge part of this," Rory smirked, "The jig is up. You're a decent guy. Who wants Lorelai Gilmore to be happy."
"God, they should take away my leather jacket," he buried his face in his hands, "I don't deserve the privellege of wearing it."
"Do you even still have it?"
"Of course! It's legend," he replied, "It would be like getting rid of the Metallica shirt."
"Good thing you didn't. I wear it all the time."
"And look far better in it than I did."
"True. But it's a close race."
"I disagree."
"You underestimate yourself."
"Habitually."
They sat down on the couch across from the enormous Christmas tree, staring at the blinking lights. Jess took Rory's hand again and she couldn't help but smile. This was exactly the kind of Christmas she could imagine having for the rest of her life. Last year she'd been out on assignment for almost the entire week near Christmas and had barely gotten home for the day, and then had to rush right out again. She didn't have any real time to spend with Lorelai or Luke or even just in Star's Hollow, a town made for Christmases. She'd acted like it was no big deal, just the life of a reporter, a labor of love kind of thing. But right now, sitting in front of this Christmas tree, she knew there was no labor worth losing this kind of moment. It wasn't even about everything that Luke and Jess had done or about how happy her mom was or the fact that everything looked beautiful. It was just that they were all there, together, and sitting like this in front of a Christmas tree with Jess, she felt more at peace than she had, honestly, since she was with Jess the first time. But now it was even better, since Jess, Luke and Lorelai all had become close. It was like a family, the kind that her dad never was. The kind she'd always dreamed of having. And the kind of person she wanted beside her for all of it was sitting next to her.
Jess, meanwhile, was thinking about Luke. How he knew exactly what Luke had gone out to do, even though he knew Luke had probably planned to wait until later in the week, until things calmed down, since Lorelai never went out in the back in the winter anyway. But something had taken over him, the spirit of this night, the complete and total love on Lorelai's face. It had almost taken Jess aback, seeing the way that Lorelai had looked at Luke when she saw what he had done. The grateful, unconditional, but completely unsurprised love that Luke had always needed, always deserved, but never really had to call his own, for the rest of his life. And now he would. If anyone was worthy of that, it was Luke. However, Jess couldn't help but think about Rory, his hand curled into hers and the warmth of her body leaning against him on the couch. The way she looked, completely relaxed like this, she was at her best. Her eyes were half shut and her body was languid, and everything about her was breathtaking. Even though the way Lorelai and Luke had been interacting had intrigued the writer in him, he couldn't help having been distracted a few times tonight by the way Rory looked watching them. The way Rory's eyes would glaze over in a type of satisfaction when her mom saw each new thing, the way she looked at Luke with a sense of pride and appreciation for what he was doing for her mom. He knew that she was thinking everything he was, without even asking. That was simple between them. Maybe the rest would be complicated, but there was no denying that it was worth it, anything it would take. Because if he one day got to be the guy that made her feel the way Luke made Lorelai feel tonight, every day for the rest of her life, he knew it wouldn't be a day too soon.
