Rory stood, buzzing with adrenaline and lightheaded from too much spastic respiration. Her hands were clenching the sides of his hooded sweatshirt into two little balls of sweat. Jess looked just as desperately disheartened as she felt.

A breeze blew through February's trees, rustling the empty twigs above their heads and casting wavering, streaky shadows of bare branches across his face. He looked so beautiful, even in the evil shadows of a night where his illusive intentions seemed the most evil part. His eyes were haunting and simply made for this setting. In sadness, she felt herself drawn to them.

"It's becoming increasingly clear to me that there is still something between us," she said.

"Clearly," he whispered as though exhausted. He pulled a small twig from her hair. She wondered how and when it had gotten tangled there.

They stood for a long while lost in their respective confusion.

"I love you," he whispered finally, his hands finding her shoulders and offering a gentle, soothing caress. "At least you know that, even if I told you too late. And I have so many regrets. But we can't go back in time.

"And this kissing…" He shook his head helplessly, as if he couldn't believe his stupidity. "It's nonsense! We can't just kiss like that because it feels…" He gulped. "Dangerously close to getting back together… and we can't get back together because... I'm..." Then he fell silent.

"What?" she whimpered.

"I'll only hurt you again. I couldn't stand myself if I did that again. I can't stand myself already."

For a long moment, Rory stood in his arms, staring into his eyes, as their rates of respiration gradually leveled out.

"How would you hurt me?"

His expression was intensely pained as his shoulders slumped and his head swayed beseechingly. Finally he answered her, as if the answer itself was too painful to admit but she'd dragged it out of him. "I won't stay," he croaked.

Rory looked down, regretfully, at the collar of his sweatshirt, trying to find distraction in the drawstrings trailing down his chest. It was true. It hurt already. How had she gotten so invested in... this thing... between them in such a short time? All it had taken was one short evening and she was thinking of him as a lover and a friend all over again. Like the twig in her hair, somehow, in a chain of events unbeknownst to her, she had gotten ensnared.

"Why wouldn't you stay?" She hated herself for asking.

"Because I am not moving back to Stars Hollow," he croaked with a certain amount of disdain in his voice. "Everybody knows your business in a small town. And what's worse is everybody makes your business their own. I can't live under that kind of scrutiny."

She breathed deeply, studying his face, trying to read what she saw there and make some sense of it. Was that really his only objection to a new... something... with her? Was her hometown really such a barrier? "Then don't."

"What?"

"Don't live in Stars Hollow."

"I won't," he agreed.

Rory was struck by a moment of clarity. Her pulse responded as she realized this was another crossroads. Earlier in the car she'd lamented all the opportunities she'd missed, not opening the lines of communication with Jess: Kyle's party... when she'd found him tallying receipts... the morning on the bus... and every silent phone call when she'd never given him the chance to explain. She'd still never told him all the things she'd wanted to say. She realized now she'd been given another chance. They were at a crossroads and they both had the opportunity to choose their paths from here.

If she could choose, what path would she take?

The blood rushed to her cheeks. Even just the sight of him brought out such intense feelings in her. This very night, as though no time had passed between them, they'd hashed out over Anna Karenina, Wolves of the Calla and Screen Burn and he'd made her pulse and mind race! Her heart broke at the thought of never having another heated debate with him. She longed for more time with him. He was brilliant!

She dreaded the thought of letting him go without the promise that their paths would again someday cross. Despite the very real possibility that it could blow up all over again, she knew she couldn't miss this opportunity.

And if the setting of their story was the only deterrent…

She panted a little bit, surprised at her own decision. "You know what?" More tears threatened as she spoke and emotions overwhelmed her.

He flinched. He drew a finger across her forehead and pulled a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. "Mm," he queried, his features grim.

"I have a Jess Box."

"A what?" He focussed more closely to witness her answer.

"A box of things that remind me of you. Notes that you slipped into my hand when no one was looking. Books that you've annotated." Her eyes grew very wide as she added with mock-severity, "Lots and lots of books. It's a very heavy box. I kept all those things too."

"Geez..." he moaned, but she was sure the revelation had affected him.

"You don't even know, do you? How much you mean to me. You're amazing. And sometimes you drive me crazy but it's a good sort of crazy." She breathed a small laugh. "Usually."

She placed a palm on his cheek. "And in case I wasn't clear, I love you too, Jess. I loved you then and I love you still and I don't think I'll ever stop.

"Yesterday, I thought we were well and truly over and I was OK with that. I was happy enough. But now that's changed. Somewhere around the time you had the audacity to tell me Tolstoy disturbs his own narrative and interrupts the flow of his own story... I realized how much I've missed you and I... I hope this isn't it for us." A single tear finally sprang from her eye, its journey ending at the pad of his thumb.

He paused for a long moment. "You really...?" he faltered. Whether he'd meant to confirm her love, or her eagerness to begin something—anything—anew, or perhaps simply to reassert his opinion of Tolstoy, she couldn't be sure. He just shook his head, as though in amazement.

"You know Jess, I don't live in Stars Hollow anyway. I'm in New Haven."

"Yale?" he murmured. Jess smiled weakly, his eyes flickering of understanding.

"Yeah, Yale. I'm an Eli now," she said proudly.

"Rory…" he pleaded. She didn't know what his plea was.

"What?" she wondered.

"You're making me wish."

Rory smiled, feeling a touch of something, hope perhaps. "Where are you living now? New York?"

"Yeah."

"That's less than two hours from New Haven."

"Rory..." he insisted.

"And after I graduate, if I'm lucky, I might be based out of New York anyway. My dream job would be with The Times. You know that."

"Rory, what are you saying?" he quietly worried. "You just said you didn't want to get back together."

"Well maybe I lied," she said. At his look of incredulity, she admitted, "Well—I don't know Jess! Maybe I do. Maybe I don't."

"But it's so crazy!"

She looked down at his chest and nodded. Part of her agreed. "I know it's crazy. And I'm really not suggesting we get back together. I mean... I barely know you and you barely know me!

"But," she went on. "If you don't shut me out of your life, for once... and if I finally start to speak my mind with you… then who knows? Maybe I can get to know you. Finally." With a smile, she paused to tidy a ruffled strand of hair behind his ear. "I've always wanted to."

Tentative though it was, a rare true smile tinted his features. Despite that, he just kept silently shaking his head.

"I can't explain how I feel," she went on. "I know it looks really bad on paper. There's a whole list of cons to not-that-many pros. Maybe it's stupid, maybe it's playing with fire! But... this can't be the end. I don't see that we have any choice."

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Of course we have a choice."

"You can't choose who you love, Jess," she explained. "You just either love them or you don't." She'd learned that lesson the hard way.

Jess struggled with a big, shaky breath. "Ain't that the truth."

She grabbed his chin before he could lower his eyes. "I'm just saying we keep in touch. No big deal. Turns out, we love each other. How could we not?"

Jess breathed a little laugh. "And that's not a big deal?" he asked incredulously.

She nodded solemnly. "Oh, love? That's a very big deal. But keeping in touch? Not such a big deal."

The moonlight glinted in his glossy, vibrant eyes as they both stood there, somewhat dumbfounded, for several beats. Slowly his mouth twitched and, before long, a delightful, faint smirk enveloped his features.

"Come here," he said finally, pulling her into an embrace. She leaned into him, both of them leaning into the tree behind him. Jess nuzzled into her hair again and Rory wasn't really sure where her heartbeat ended and his began.

She tucked her nose just inside the folds of his sweater and spoke against the heat of his neck, once again captivated by the scent of him, "If Stars Hollow were taken out of the equation, would you want me in your life?" She wrapped her arms around him, finding passage between the warmth of his body and the cold bark of the tree. "Because I miss you Jess. I want you in mine, in some way. Even if we keep it just friends."

"I don't think we could ever be just friends, Rory."

Rory snuggled deeper into the fabric of his sweater. He was damn sexy and he smelled fantastic. "No. I don't think so either," she admitted.

His voice was raw as he quietly spoke against her hair, his lips tickling her locks, his hands tugging them as he gently stroked her head. "I've missed you too."

It was another long while before either spoke. The two of them stood in the moonlight under the dancing branches of the barren tree, holding one another, Jess stroking her hair. She relaxed against him. He held her tighter.

He whispered then, close to her ear, "You're cute when you're hopeful also."

- = \ The Beginning / = -

A/N: There's clearly more to this story, but I don't plan to go on any further. I challenge interested readers to continue it: one-shots or full stories. Let me know if you do! I'd love to read it! Cheers!