A/N: Appreciating all the love for this fic - thank you all! Here comes more Literati and then the next twist! ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see Prologue)

Chapter 4

Rory Gilmore was happy. It was a strange sensation that almost made her feel just as guilty as she was cheerful, but she couldn't say she was sorry for it. Running away from Stars Hollow, from her family and friends, she had regretted it at first, thought she had done this terrible thing. Now, after three weeks away, she knew she had made the right decision in coming here. It stopped feeling like she had run away when she finally admitted to Jess that she loved him, that she had always loved him. Now it genuinely felt as if she had been running to something, to someone, and right now, Rory had no intention of being anywhere else.

She had called her mother the day after her conversation with Jess on the topic. It was cowardly, she knew, to wait until she was positive Lorelai would be out and just leave a message on the answering machine, but Rory wasn't in a place where she could have a serious talk with her mother right now.

She was still ashamed of what happened with Dean, and in Europe, and with her Mom too. There was no good explanation to give, and there was certainly no good way to tell Lorelai that she was back together with Jess. Rory felt that conversation probably ought to be face to face anyhow.

The message she left was short, if not sweet. She apologised for running away like a kid and assured her mother she was safe and well. She ended with 'I'll see you soon' and flinched a little at her own words. Soon was a relative term. Rory knew when she used it her Mom would assume a few days, maybe a week. It had already been two weeks since she left that message, and so far Rory couldn't imagine making the trip back to Stars Hollow.

It was easy to forget most of the time, or at least to put it all out of her head. Being here with Jess was kind of like kids playing house, but somewhat more serious. They were young and in love, and this Summer was allowing them a little freedom to get to know each other all over again and in a new way. Jess still had to work, and his three jobs sure took up a lot of his time. Rory knew by now that some of his shifts were at night, and had made him promise not to give them up or trade them for her sake. He made a big deal about leaving her alone in the apartment when it was dark out, but she told him that was a dumb excuse not to earn the money they both knew he needed. She made promises about keeping the door bolted and not answering if anyone knocked. She swore that she would run to Mrs Rossini if anything bothered her or seemed to be wrong. After all that, Jess had given in, only because he had to. Sure, Rory was tougher than she looked, but more than that, he really did have to keep these jobs of his if he wanted to keep living in his apartment and paying the bills.

It had taken several days for Rory to get bored and crave work herself. Lazing around the apartment alone was okay for a while. She worked her way through the few books of her own she had brought with her, and then a whole stack that Jess had stashed in the apartment. There was time spent with Mrs Rossini, and she even tried her hand at cleaning and tidying in the small dingy apartment. After all this, she realised maybe it would be good if she had a job too, even a part time one, to help with the bills and keep herself busy. She asked Jess about it when he got home late that night, but he was too tired to discuss it and they had just fallen asleep together, promising to talk about it another time. Rory didn't argue, because it just wasn't important. She could get papers some time and check the 'help wanted' section, Jess would help, it would be fine. Honestly, she was just so happy that he didn't freak out at the idea of her getting some kind of job here. Rory would so hate to start fighting when they were currently so stupidly happy.

When Jess was home, they were the picture of loved-up bliss. Short conversations about work segued into what she had been reading, and nine times out of ten, kissing took over and they ended up in bed. Young love was a beautiful thing, like the songs and the poems often said. Rory never realised it could be quite like this and she told Jess as much just yesterday as they laid together in the half-light.

"I guess we just got lucky," he told her, kissing her forehead as his fingers continued to run through her hair.

He sounded wrong, off somehow, and Rory couldn't think why. Jess got thoughtful at times, and she was used to that. He'd been that way since they met, and she had learnt not to question it. In the end, he usually told her what was up, or he simply got over it. Sure, he had run out on her a couple of times but he always came back, and after all these years, all they'd been through, Rory hoped he understood that there was nothing he had to hide from her anymore. Just in case, she decided to make it very clear.

"You still want me here, right?" she checked, pulling herself up so their faces were level on the pillow.

He stared at her for a long moment, his hand moving to trace the curve of her face, her neck, her shoulder. She wondered if he was ever going to answer her when suddenly his lips quirked into a smile and he spoke.

"I want you here," he promised. "There's never been anyone or anything else I wanted as much."

She smiled too when she heard that, even if he couldn't seem to hold her gaze for the whole confession. It wasn't because he didn't mean it, Rory knew that. He felt dumb, unsure of himself, maybe. Jess was quite the enigma. All cocky and smart-mouthed when he was sounding off about books or music, telling people how stupid they were being. When it came to anything real, emotions and the truth of his feelings, he struggled terribly, as if he expected someone to laugh at him or tell him he was stupid or wrong for what he was saying. She hated that his upbringing had done that to him.

"Hey," she said, putting a hand to his cheek and making him look. "I want to be here too," she assured him.

"For how long?" he asked too seriously, watching Rory's smile fade.

It was a conversation they had both been avoiding. For two weeks they had skirted around the issue of how long she would be here, what happened when the Summer ended and a new school year began? Yale were expecting Rory for the Sophomore year and she hadn't said she dropped out yet, just that she needed to get away. She hadn't asked Jess to go back to Stars Hollow with her, hadn't even said if she would be going herself. Though he was loathe to admit it, even to himself, up until now Jess had been too afraid to ask her.

"Jess..." she sighed, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling.

Rory didn't want to have to think about what came next. Living in this bubble of love and happiness, a world away from what she knew, Rory was content. It was only late June, meaning she was officially free for at least another three months before she had to consider Yale, Stars Hollow, the place that had seemed like her only real home, until now.

Jess took her apparent change in mood as a bad sign. Rory was the talker, always. He was the moody, silent type, the one that ran away from complication or trouble. Now suddenly he wanted to have a serious discussion about their relationship and she was the one turning away. Hell, she was the one that literally ran from her home, doing an awfully good impression of him not so long ago. Maybe they were even more alike than anyone could ever guess.

"I gotta go to work," he muttered, shifting to get out of bed.

Rory glanced over and watched him get dressed, his back to her the entire time. She didn't want to make him mad or hurt him, not Jess, of all people. He had a right to ask what happened next with them, but she simply didn't have an answer. She didn't want this Summer to end and yet she knew it must. Trying to mesh this life with what she had before seemed impossible. The best of both words weren't necessarily going to go hand in hand this time. Rory hated tough choices. Somehow making a pro-con list seemed wrong, especially without her Mom to help her.

"I'm sorry," she told Jess as he buttoned his shirt. "Jess, please!" she tried again when he didn't respond, clambering across the bed to reach out for him.

She was on her knees behind him, wrapping her arms around his body and planting kisses on his back. Jess closed his eyes, trying not to give in just because she was touching him. It was impossible. He loved her too much to let something so stupid force them apart again. He should live in the moment and enjoy what they had now for as long as they had it. Screw what came later, it shouldn't matter. He told Rory she could depend on him now, and it was hardly proving the point if he forced her to make decisions she wasn't ready for, thinking of ultimatums he could put forward.

"Please don't leave when you're all mad at me," she whispered, sounding so sad, Jess felt his heart breaking in his chest.

"I'm not mad," he told her, turning around at last, struck as he always was by the beauty and wonder of her naked form in his bed.

He captured her lips and pulled her closer, knowing how good it would feel just to give in right now. The problem was he had work to get to, and he was already a little later in leaving than he should be. Jess had Rory laid down on the bed again before he forced himself to pull away. Her arms locked around his neck stopped him going too far.

"You're not mad?" she doubled checked, pushing his hair back out of his eyes for him.

"Not mad," he promised, planting one last kiss on her lips and another on her nose for good measure before he forcibly disentangled himself from her arms.

"You sure you wanna leave?" she smiled, practically striking a pose that would be capable of sending many a man crazy.

"Nope," Jess told her definitely, smirking at her gall. "But no work means no pay, and I've got a lady to keep to the standard of life she has become accustomed," he said, as he fastened his watch on his wrist. "Coffee and junk food doesn't buy itself, sweetheart, we gotta have money."

"Yes, I heard that," she nodded, pulling the covers up over her body, but staying comfortably in bed. "In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women," she smirked, glad to see his smile back because he knew what movie she was quoting - that was one of a hundred things she loved about him.

"Do you know how hot you are when you quote De Niro?" he asked her, making her giggle. "Of course, I'm pretty sure I've got the woman either way," he said, leaning over to kiss her one last time before he really had to go. "Get some sleep," he told her, as he pulled on his jacket and left at last.

Rory was still smiling even after he was gone. The bed still smelled of him, and though she could never be as warm and comfortable as when Jess was here with her, she still felt happy and content enough to do as he advised, and get some rest.

Rory woke up sweating and feeling strange. There may have been a nightmare, but she wasn't really sure. She sat up fast, groping around for her watch. In the dim light she could make out that it was early in the morning, a little past two as far as she could tell. That would explain why it was still dark out, and why Jess wasn't home yet.

Her stomach lurched when she moved at all, a terrible feeling of heat rising in the back of her throat. Rory leapt out of bed, threw on the nearest clothes and bolted for the door. Her fingers fumbled with the locks and she barely made it into the communal bathroom before she threw up spectacularly. Tears came to her eyes and began to pour down her cheeks as her stomach emptied itself into the toilet. She didn't even think about trying not to make noise or worry about anyone finding her, half-dressed in the middle of the night. Thankfully, nobody came to disturb her.

Rory flushed the toilet, dragged herself to her feet and washed her hands and face at the basin. She was shaking like crazy, a combination of the cold and the sickness, as well as leaping out of bed so fast, she supposed. It took all her strength to get back on her feet and even think about heading back to the apartment. Her head hurt, her stomach twisted into knots with every movement, and if it weren't for the fact she was pretty sure she was empty already, Rory would worry she was going to hurl again.

Staggering out into the hall, she had just reached the apartment door when she realised it had closed behind her, with the keys inside.

"No, no, no!"

She began to curse, slamming her hand pointlessly against the door.

Shaking and shivering still, and very aware of the unsavoury neighbours when she heard voices yelling beyond their doors, Rory pulled Jess' shirt tighter around her quaking frame and headed for the stairs. She swallowed hard as she descended to the lower floor and took herself along to Mrs Rossini's place. She knocked quietly but firmly, a little surprised that it had worked so easy when she heard movement inside. There was a scraping sound, and Rory didn't doubt Mrs R was looking out through the spy hole, checking who was there, after all, it was two in the morning.

"Mamma mia!" she suddenly gasped, opening the door and reaching for the young woman just in time.

Poor Rory passed out straight into the old lady's arms without a word spoken.

To Be Continued...