A/N- Short note because of limited access to internet. Sorry for not posting but again, limited internet. Here's both yesterday's chapter and today's. I hope you like it and where I'm going with it. Please read and review. I do not own Gilmore Girls, but now I own and have officially moved into an apartment which is both amazing and absolutely terrifying.
Chapter 84
The next morning, Jess woke up in the apartment above Luke's to find Rory sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee and reading easily. When she saw his eyes meeting hers she grinned.
"You're up!" she exclaimed, immediately going over to the counter and grabbing another mug to pour coffee into, "Come here!"
"You're peppy," he grumbled, "How many have you had?"
"Only five," Rory answered innocently, "And this one's for you!"
"I'm eternally grateful," he mumbled as he straggled out of bed and up to the table to meet her, taking the mug she was holding out. He sat down in the chair next to her, "Not that I'm not enthused about the enthusiasm, but want to clue me in?"
"I quit my job," she answered, smiling, "This morning. I gave my notice, I file three more stories and I'm done. On good terms and everything, but I'm out."
"Really?" Jess immediately met her eyes curiously, "What made you…"
"I figured out what I want to do. Well, first I admitted that I didn't want to keep being a reporter," Rory began, "Which was harder than expected, but it's been a long time coming."
"How long?"
"Since the night we drove around and talked about me becoming Christiane Amanpeour," she answered honestly, "It had nothing to do with the fact that you didn't think it was right for me. It was that I knew it wasn't what I wanted on some level, but I couldn't imagine giving up the security of the idea. But when you said it you voiced something I kind of felt for a while. Just the idea that I might not want to, which seemed so crazy and not an option and revolutionary at the time."
"Well if it helped you, I'm glad," Jess replied, "Though you know I would've…"
"I know," she reassured him, "But I didn't want to. I don't want to. I don't want to always be moving and traveling and never home and never in one place. I don't need to be in Stars Hollow for the rest of my life, but I want to come home for Christmas and I want to have a life, in one place, stable, with people I love, and see them more than once a week. And reporting itself just doesn't excite me anymore. In fact, the writing aspect was more fascinating in terms of craft. I think I liked it because it was close to what I wanted, which I started to realize when I was a senior at Yale."
"You mean…"
"I want to be an editor. I don't want to be a foreign correspondent. I want to run a paper that's based in a city, with limited travel and the ability to be responsible for an entire paper. To manage a team again, to make things happen, to be the one getting it out, not the one getting the scoop. I want to be in the newsroom, not on the ground. So I quit."
"Wow," Jess said, his eyes not leaving hers, "That's amazing, Rory. Congratulations." He stood up and so did she. Gently he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in to kiss her. "I'm so proud of you. And I'm here for you every step of the way."
"As you have been this entire time," Rory continued, unable to stop herself from smiling, "I couldn't have done it without you."
"Yes, you could've."
"Maybe. But you give me the courage to do the things I'm afraid to do," she admitted, interlocking her fingers with his, "Like this. Even taking the time to figure out that this was what I wanted. I'm the person I want to be when you're there."
"Well, that makes two of us," Jess admitted, "I can't remember when I was last this happy."
"I was thinking never, but maybe that's just me."
"I concur completely, but maybe we should try to prove ourselves wrong?"
"I'd like that," Rory grinned, "Anyway, I really want to go talk to Mom and tell her before we start heading home. By the way, would you be averse to me continuing to work at Truncheon while I do the crazy list thing I do?"
"I expect it," Jess smirked, "Honestly though, I don't know how we'll get by without you. Before you were around the small paperclips were in the same place as the big ones. I'm not sure we can keep the system going without you."
"Perhaps I'll have to initialize bi-weekly checks, just to make sure you're all doing what you should."
"It may come to that."
