A/N: Glad y'all like the Jess backstory for this fic. Now, more Literati anyone? ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 6

Sasha insisted on Jimmy taking the day to get the books in order for Dante's and then help her figure out some bill-related stuff at home. He had enough cover for the hot dog stand so it was fine, until Danny called in sick (literally) and then so did Marie (with reasons that neither Jess nor Jimmy wanted to hear about). Then Jimmy started talking about changing plans and Sasha got mad at him for being flaky. It took all of a minute for Jess to volunteer to put in a shift at Dante's.

"I thought you were seeing Rory today," Sasha countered.

"I'm not meeting her 'til six. I can work until at least four thirty," Jess assured her. "Problem solved."

It really didn't bother Jess to have to work today. In fact, it was probably a good thing since it stopped him thinking about Rory all of the time. That worked for the most part, but in the quiet moments it was tough not to let his mind wander, and then his thumbs followed, hammering out a text to see how she was doing. She seemed happy to text back and they volleyed quips back and forth on and off throughout the day. The clock was closing in on four when Jess took a moment to send his next reply, asking where Rory was right now. She replied within a heartbeat and Jess frowned as he read the screen.

'Look up.'

On instinct, he followed the instruction, and there was Rory, smiling like her face would split in two.

"Hi."

"Hey," he replied. "I thought I was meeting you later, at your hotel?"

"You were," she assured him, nodding her head as she came closer to the window. "But Mom was having a shoe crisis and wanted to head back early. We were really close by so I thought I'd surprise you."

"I'm surprised," Jess confirmed, wiping his hands on his apron uncomfortably. "It's great that you're here."

"You might wanna tell your face that," Rory pointed out, biting her lip.

He wasn't sure if she was trying not to laugh at him or feeling embarrassed by his lack of enthusiasm. Either way, Jess wasn't altogether happy about it. Telling Joe, his fellow server, that he'd be back in five, he exited the stand and came around to where Rory waited on the boardwalk.

"I'm sorry," he told her immediately. "I'm glad you're here. Honestly, it's been the longest day waiting for six o'clock. I just wanted to go home, wash the grease off, put on some clothes that don't smell like hotdogs, before I saw you," he explained. "But since you're here already, if you don't mind waiting a little while, you could join me... in coming to my house," he clarified fast, realising what an idiot he was being right now. "Oh, geez," he muttered to himself, though it was clear Rory heard because she giggled.

She was also blushing that pretty pink shade that looked so good on her. Not that Jess thought there was anything that wouldn't look good on Rory. She was beautiful, inside and out. He knew it already, despite only knowing her a few days. As much as he liked her, he really hadn't meant to invite her to shower with him. Not that he would exactly hate that idea, but Rory was so not that girl, and actually, he was pretty sure he liked her all the more because of that. Go figure.

"So," he said then, starting over now the words were straight in his head, "in a half hour, you wanna come to my house? Meet the rest of my crazy family?"

"Sure," said Rory, nodding and smiling. "Sounds great."

Hand in hand with Rory, Jess realised just a few yards from home that he never did this before. He dated a little, but nothing serious, and that was why this would be the first time he ever brought a girl home to meet his family. Of course, Rory already knew Lil, and she had at least seen Jimmy at Dante's. Sasha wasn't really all that embarrassing as mother figures went, so Jess couldn't really explain why his heart was thumping a mile a minute by the time they reached the front door and headed inside.

"Rory!" Lilly reacted just as soon as the door opened and she saw the other girl.

Her yelling brought the parents out from the next room, as Lilly barrelled into Rory and hugged her tight.

"Wow, okay," she said, smiling. "Hi, Lilly. Great to see you again."

"Sorry about that," Jess apologised, even though she looked fairly unphased. "So, you remember Lilly. This is Sasha and Jimmy. Guys, Rory," he said, making quick introductions, then shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

This felt just about as weird as he figured on it feeling. It was kind of like worlds colliding, the one where he and Rory were all but in love, and the one he had shared with his make-shift family these past few years. Honestly, Jess wasn't sure how he expected this to go, but he was hoping for well. He really wanted the people who mattered in his life to just get along. It would make things so much easier.

"So, the famous Rory," said Sasha, reaching to shake her hand.

"I'm famous?" she replied, looking surprised as she moved on to shaking hands with Jimmy next. "Well, I guess that's better than infamous."

"I promise we have only heard good things about you," Sasha insisted.

"Same here, about you guys, I mean," Rory assured her. "You have a lovely home" she said then, looking around at the shelves full of books and tchotchkes.

It was a weird set up, Jess knew, but from what Rory had told him about her own house back east, she ought to be at home amongst the library-like conditions and random clutter. Seemed like she and her mom lived much the same way.

"Come see my room!" Lilly insisted then, dragging Rory by the hand.

"Oh, okay," she agreed since she didn't entirely have a choice

Jess watched her go and couldn't help but smile. He didn't hate that Lil approved of his girlfriend, if he could really call Rory that at this early stage.

"She seems nice," said Sasha, catching his attention then. "She's got a good face and a great smile. I get a good vibe from her."

"Without meaning to be the shallow person in the room," Jimmy interjected then, "she is a ten, man," he told his son, holding up his hand.

Jess high-fived against his better judgement. You couldn't just leave the guy hanging.

"Thanks, Dad," he said, even as he rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna grab a shower and change," he added, heading for the bathroom. Jess stopped short of the door and looked back. "You're not gonna be embarrassing, right?"

"Jess, come on," said Sasha, looking just a little hurt. "Where's the trust?"

"I trust you, Sash," he said pointedly, eyes drifting to his father as he smirked.

"Oh, buddy!" Jimmy feigned a wound to the heart. "That hurts!"

"Hide the baby pictures and keep him on a short leash, please," Jess urged Sasha.

"I promise," she swore before Jess took himself off the bathroom at last.

He got washed and changed just as fast as he could, still not sure he liked the idea of Rory spending too long alone with his family. They promised not to be embarrassing on purpose, but there were a million things they could say that might end up being unintentionally mortifying to Jess. Unfortunately, he was a little delayed by his hair that just wasn't bouncing and behaving today, but when he finally made it back out into the living room, Jess was glad to see the same smile on Rory's face as before. She still liked him, wasn't looking at him with disgust, pity, or too much hilarity. These were all good signs.

Sasha was talking about Rory coming over for dinner sometime, maybe bringing her parents if she wanted to, even as Jess was ushering her out of the front door. Glancing back at Jimmy, Jess wasn't sure what the look on his father's face was about. He wasn't so much smiling anymore, in fact he looked about as awkward and pained as Jess had ever seen him in his whole life. When he got home tonight, Jess knew he would have to ask Jimmy what was up, but not in front of Rory. He didn't want her hearing whatever was wrong, especially when it was probably about her. Jess really couldn't think what it might be though.

"Your family are great," said Rory as they headed out.

"Glad you think so." Jess smiled genuinely. "Honestly, it'd be weird to be without Sash and Lil now. Corny as it sounds, it's almost like we were waiting for them and they were waiting for us."

"I get that." Rory smiled right back at him. "Luke fitted right in with me and mom, like a missing puzzle piece. I mean, I know I have a real dad, but he's never really around. Luke is the one who's always been there for me."

"Yeah, I get the absentee parent thing," said Jess, looking away into the too bright sun a moment. "I never even met my mom."

He glanced back at Rory and realised he said the wrong thing. Now she felt sorry for him, and bad that she ever said what she had. He didn't mean to cause that.

"I'm sorry," she said sadly.

Jess shook his head.

"It's not important," he promised, hand finding hers and entwining their fingers. "C'mon, we've got a bus to catch."

He smiled when he said it, not having to try hard to do so. Rory was so amazing. She was gorgeous, obviously, and they had a ton in common, but now she had proved she could get along with his family and was a favourite with Lil too. If Jess believed in fate and destiny, in sloppy fairy tales that his little sister still thought could maybe come true, then he would say he and Rory were made for each other and meant to live happily ever after. Unfortunately, Jess lived in the real world and was all too aware that this relationship was doomed from the start to be short-lived at best and an unmitigated disaster at worst. Perhaps it made him crazy that he didn't care, but he really didn't. In fact, Jess vowed he wasn't going to think any more about it, at least not for tonight. If his life had taught him anything, with all the moving around from one place to another throughout his childhood, it was that you had to enjoy each good moment you got as it came up, because you never knew how long you were going to have it for.

The sun was setting by the time Jess and Rory hit Pacific Park. They wandered around, eating cotton candy and popcorn, just messing around and having fun for a while before deciding to join the line for the Ferris Wheel. They had to wait quite a while, since everybody seemed to have the same idea about wanting to see the view from the top in the dark, but that was okay. Time passed quickly with so much to talk about, and kissing to enjoy when they ran out of words for a while.

Finally, when their turn came to climb into a gondolier, Rory moved up impossibly close to Jess putting her head on his shoulder like she had the last time, his arm around her back.

"You don't look so freaked out this time," he noted, kissing her temple.

"I guess when you've faced a fear it stops being so scary," she said. "Like meeting your parents. That won't seem so scary the next time either."

"You were afraid of meeting Jimmy and Sasha?" asked Jess, his eyes wide. "Wow. They've got to be the least scary parents in the state."

"I didn't think they'd be scary, it's just... It's kind of a big deal," Rory told him, picking her head up off his shoulder to look at him. "I... I really wanted them to like me."

"Why?" he asked, even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Because, they're important to you, and... and you're important to me," Rory admitted, looking down a moment. "I know that's crazy, and you're probably giving serious consideration to jumping out of here despite the fact we're a very long way from the ground but-"

"Rory," Jess cut in, his hand at her face making her look at him again. "I... I love you," he admitted then.

Honestly, Jess wasn't sure where those words had come from or why he said them, save for the fact that it just felt right. He meant it when he said he loved her, as crazy as that was after not even a week of knowing her. Rory was like no other girl he ever met and he did love her. He could never explain it, but he did.

"You do?" she checked, looking as amazed as he felt, though he couldn't clearly see her anymore in the dark way up here. "Because honestly, I was thinking that I loved you too, but it seemed so crazy-"

It was all she got a chance to say before Jess couldn't stand it anymore, he just had to kiss her. They were so wrapped up in each other, in this perfect moment, that the Ferris Wheel was back on the ground before they parted, and then only because the attendant tapped them on the shoulder and insisted they move.

"We missed the view," said Rory, looking a little overwhelmed.

Jess could understand that. He felt exactly the same.

"We'll go again," he told the attendant, handing over a couple of bills, though he barely looked at the guy.

"This is enough for at least two more trips," he replied, looking at the money.

"Sounds good to me," said Rory.

Jess smiled and moved in to kiss her again.

To Be Continued...