A/N: I've just been reading the reviews on the previous chapter because I'm pretty sure I didn't get to see all of them via notification - so weird. Anyway, thank you, lovely peops, for all your kind words. This chapter and the next should wrap this whole thing up, I reckon. I know some of you are sad to see it end (me too, actually) but there's only so much I can do with this one from here. That and other stories (Hard Reset!) are taking up all the fic-space in my brain ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 27

Things settled down a lot in Stars Hollow as time marched forward, January turned into February and then March. Jess was hardly aware of the weeks flying by, save for Winter giving way to Spring and the weather becoming just a little less ridiculously cold. Though he missed California sometimes, for more reasons than the sun, of course, at this point, it almost bothered him more to think of going back than not. Jimmy had talked to him about coming home for Spring Break but Jess pointed out there was no point in his father wasting the money. A couple of months and high school was over, along with Jess' adventure in Connecticut. He could return home to Venice then, and that would be that. It was amazing how much that idea hurt, and not just because Jess would have to be parted from Rory.

Luke and Lorelai were great, different to Jimmy and Sasha in a number of ways, but none the less caring or supportive when it came to Jess. They wanted him to be happy, to be settled in Stars Hollow for as long as he stayed, and to look upon them as the family they were. They were everything Liz ought to have been and more, whilst Jess' mother proved herself best at being absent. She had apologised for the disastrous New York visit, almost three weeks after the actual event occurred. Jess had seen her twice since then, briefly and thankfully without incident. He figured it was good that he met his mother, if only so he didn't always wonder what he was missing. Now at least he knew the truth, he really wasn't missing anything at all.

"Luke, I'm out!"

"Okay, but don't be late back for your shift!" his uncle called after him.

Jess raised his hand, less like a wave and more just an acknowledgement that he had heard Luke's words. He wasn't offended at being reminded of his working in the diner later. It was actually cool that Luke treated him like a real worker now, as well as a part of the family. This was a little more how it was at home with Jimmy. Though Jess got some special treatment, being the boss' kid, when he was supposed to work, he was expected to show up and on time, unless he had a real good reason not to.

Certainly, things with Jess and Luke had settled into a rhythm and a routine. Though they didn't say it out loud, nephew and uncle liked each other a lot, loved each other like family should, and neither regretted the set up they had going here for as long as Senior year lasted.

"Hey there, sugar. You headed over to see our Rory?" said Babette as she passed Jess on the street. "Bet she'll be pleased as punch to see ya."

"Let's hope so," he told his girlfriend's neighbour with a smile.

Every person in this town was a different kind of nut, but Jess had learnt to love them all, crazy as that seemed. He fit in now, which was something he never expected to do. Even Taylor seemed to have decided that maybe Jess was Stars Hollow material, since he willingly participated in such events as the Bid-A-Basket auction, the Firelight Festival, and the Winter Carnival. Of course, Jess only did those things for Rory, and maybe a little for Luke and Lorelai, but Taylor didn't need to know that.

Jess barely checked for traffic as he crossed the street, knowing he had no need to. In the square, Kirk and Taylor were having some sort of debate, making wild gestures with their arms that seemed to encompass the gazebo and beyond. The next town event must be imminent, but Jess hardly dare wonder what it might be.

Looking to where he was headed, Jess saw Dean coming and gave him a curt nod, which was duly returned. There was even an almost-smile shared between the two. Jess couldn't help but let his own expression spread into a genuine grin as he continued walking, thinking about the day when he and Forester had buried the hatchet, and thankfully not in each other's heads! It was a couple of months ago now, an incident at school where Chuck Presby decided to be more of a jerk than usual. He said something about Lane that both Jess and Dean heard, but were similarly unwilling to repeat when asked for their side of the story afterwards. A fight had ensued, and both Rory's ex and current boyfriends came out of it with a black eye each, Dean's on the left and Jess' on the right. They made quite a picture, and until it was calmly explained to Rory by the both of them together, she had been convinced they got into a fight with each other over her.

Lane was both feeling guilty and over the moon to know two guys had defended her honour after some scandalous remark had been made. Rory loved Dean and Jess to pieces for standing up for her best girl-friend the way they had, though Jess was glad to note she had said she loved him more. Anything else and he would've been understandably pissed.

Turning the corner and feeling more certain that he was away from Luke and most of the townsfolks prying eyes, Jess pulled the sheaf of papers from inside his jacket and straightened them out. The smile was back as he looked them over, knowing Rory was going to be very pleased to see him today, even more than she could guess right now.

The walk to the house affectionately known as The Crap Shack didn't take long, and Jess was just thinking how cute it was that Rory must've been watching for him since the door was already open. He soon realised his mistake.

"Lorelai," he said, surprised by the sight of her.

"Hey, Jess," she greeted him with a smile, but look pretty flustered. "Not stopping, can't, don't have time," she said as she hurried by him on the porch. "Spillage incident, no time to explain."

"Okay," he said, nodding his head, as he turned and watched her bolt to the Jeep, still arranging what he supposed was a clean outfit as she went. "See you later!" he called behind her, though she didn't answer.

He guessed she had left the door open for him, so Jess let himself into the house, finding it strange that his girlfriend was nowhere to be found. Hovering in the hallway a moment, he decided it would be a little too weird to go searching the house for her, no matter how much he was always encouraged to treat this place like home.

"Rory?" he called.

"In here!" she replied loudly, leading Jess with her voice to the bedroom door. "Hey," she greeted him cheerfully from her desk. "I just need to finish up. One sec," she told him, holding up her pointer finger as she typed fast with the other hand and then both together.

Jess barely got his butt down on the edge of the bed when she proclaimed she was done and closed the lid on her computer.

"Hey," she said a second time.

"Hey," he replied, smiling. "Homework on a Saturday. That's dedication."

"Have you ever known me to be anything but dedicated to my school work?" she asked him, getting up walk over to him.

"So long as it's not all you're dedicated to," he told her with a smile.

"You know it's not," she promised, leaning down to kiss him.

The force of her body against his sent him sprawling back on the bed, and Rory landed ungracefully, half beside him and half on top. It wasn't a position that Jess would usually complain about at all, but right now, he needed to find some focus.

"I came here to give you something," he said between kisses.

"Mmm. Yes, please," said Rory, clearly getting lost in the moment.

"I didn't actually mean that," he told her, trying not to smile too much at her enthusiasm, or become quite as distracted by it as he would like to. "I mean, not entirely."

Rory appeared to be intrigued by now and moved off him to sit up on the bed. Jess got up too, glad to find the papers he had brought over hadn't gotten too crumpled in their brief make out.

"So, this is for you," he said, handing it over at last.

"What is it?" she said, but Jess kept his mouth shut.

He didn't want to announce it, he wanted her to look, to read, to realise. When she did so, her reaction was pretty much what he was hoping for, and possibly more.

"Oh my... Jess!" she gasped. "This is... This is a book! This is a book you wrote!"

"Wrong," he told her immediately. "It's a manuscript that I wrote, and it's only a first draft. I can't imagine it's ever going to be a book, but hey, it's a possibility, I guess."

"This is so amazing," Rory continued to enthuse, flipping through the pages with wide eyes full of excitement. "You're amazing!"

"Try reading it all before you get too jazzed," Jess advised. "You might hate it."

"I'm going to love it," she said definitely, meeting his eyes. "And before you say it, it's not just because I love you. You have style, Jess, and you're so smart. The parts that I read before, they were so unique and so good. I can't wait to read the whole thing."

"Well, when you're done you can let me know how much it sucks, and then we can all move on," he said, though he was smiling at the same time.

Jess knew he wasn't exactly bad at writing prose, and honestly, it had been almost cathartic to write this particular story. It had started back in California as part essay for school and part therapy when his mind was messed up over Rory, Liz, and a bunch of other things. Now it was a book, a narrative all its own, but that Jess had poured a good portion of his heart and soul into. He hoped at least that Rory liked it. Anything else that came later would just be a bonus.

"Today must be the day for amazing things to happen," said Rory then, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Oh yeah?" said Jess. "How come?"

She didn't answer him at first, instead getting up and heading back to her desk. Jess' manuscript was carefully laid down as if made from something beyond fragile, and then Rory's hand dipped into the drawer and produced a letter.

"Read please," she instructed Jess, putting the letter into his hand.

Though he was confused, he did as he was asked, feeling his eyes grow wider and wider as they moved down the single page.

"You applied to Stanford?" he checked, feeling ever more baffled now.

"I did," Rory confirmed as she sat down beside him again, "and more importantly, the letter in your hand says that I got accepted into Stanford."

That huge excited wild grin was still on her face when Jess looked up again, but he knew he wasn't returning it yet. He should be thrilled, but somehow, he just wasn't.

"I don't understand," he admitted. "I thought you applied to Harvard and Yale."

"I did." Rory nodded. "Also, Colombia, Princeton, and Stanford," she said, tapping the letter in his hand. "Isn't this great, Jess? Now I can go to college and be near you, and yes, I know, it's still a six hour drive, we couldn't do it all the time, but that's better than an expensive five hour flight, right?"

It sounded great on paper, on the very page held in Jess' own hand. Of course, he would love for Rory to be in California with him next year, and for three more years after that at least, but this didn't make any sense.

"With me, but away from everyone else," he told Rory seriously. "Lorelai and Luke, Lane, your grandparents. Ror, everyone else that you love is here."

"I know," she said, nodding her head one more time, looking slightly less giddy all of a sudden. "It'd be weird but I can handle it. I'd be okay."

Jess shook his head. He would love to believe that she could deal, but he knew that she couldn't. She ought to know it too, and from the look in her eyes right now, he was pretty sure she did, she just wished, almost as much as he did, that she didn't.

"You wouldn't be okay," he told her sadly. "Believe me, Rory, I love that you would do this," he said, gesturing with the letter in his hand, "but it's four years. By the time I head home for good, I'll have been away less than one year, and made a visit back in that time. It's great being here with you, and Luke and Lorelai, and I'm not sorry I came to Connecticut for Senior Year, but... it's hard sometimes. I miss home. I miss Jimmy and Sash and Lil. I miss my room and my house, and Dante's and the beach. There's no way I want you to put yourself through that for so long just for me, and we couldn't even see each other every day or every week. I can't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask," said Rory, eyes visibly welling with tears by now. "I wanted to."

Jess didn't bother to point out to her that she was already using the past tense rather than the present. She couldn't do this and they both knew it. She would be miserable and in time would doubtless come to resent Jess, despite it never being his idea. He would be her reason for living so far away from everything she knew and everyone she loved but him. It just wouldn't work, Jess was certain, but in the end, he knew this wasn't his decision to make, any more than it was Rory's choice to have him come here.

"Look, I can't tell you what to do, Rory," he told her then. "If you really, really want to go to Stanford, I don't want to stop you, but at the same time, I want you to be happy. Just think about it, please," he urged her. "You know I'm cool either way, whether you go to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, anywhere. It's not going to change how I feel about you. Somehow, we're gonna make this work, no matter what," he swore to her, his hand at her cheek as the tears slid from her eyes. "I promise."

She nodded that she understood, and then leaned in until their lips met. Far from the wild teenage hormone fuelled passion of their first encounter today, this was tender, sweet, and as full of love as any moment between them ever had been.

Jess hadn't necessarily expected to end up in Rory's bed when he came over today, but somehow it seemed like the only thing that made sense now as they clung to each other, making promises forever with their words and actions both. The future was uncertain. In a couple of months, school was out forever. Rory would head off to Europe with her mom, for a trip planned long before Luke and Lorelai ever talked of marriage. Jess would go back to California and was sure he would enjoy being back home and in the loving embrace of his family again. After that, everything was so unclear. Maybe Rory would decide to take the plunge and go to school in California. Maybe she wouldn't. Perhaps Jess' manuscript would be a book one day, or maybe it would be in the recycling bin and long forgotten by this time next year. There was no way of knowing for sure.

All Jess was certain of right here and now was how much he loved Rory, and how much he needed her to know it. She was certainly making it clear how much she loved him too. In these moments together, the two of them here today was all that mattered. Tomorrow, and everything that went with it, would have to wait.

To Be Continued...