Lux et Veritas

Chapter 11: Freedom

Author: Knowhere

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: The idea, concept, and other miscellaneous belong to me.

AN: Not much to note this time around. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy it!

Thank you Hallon for letting me bounce ideas off of you constantly.

Summary: Very AU. A more relaxed college freshman Rory meets a more confident adult Jess for the first time. Different backgrounds, attitudes, and behaviors for the both of them. Literati.

---

"What are you doing right now?"

"Well, I should be going over my notes, but I'm a bit distracted." Her voice enters directly into my ear from my cell phone.

"Are you?" I shake my head from right to left, checking for oncoming traffic. "With what?"

"With you." The sound is softer, and I imagine her leaning into the speaker lowering her voice so that her roommate can't hear her. "Do you realize that I haven't seen you since I spent that night at your place?"

I pull my coat closer to my body to protect myself from the howling wind. "Yes, I'm well aware of it. Tell me, when are you coming out of the nunnery to play with the rest of society?"

She giggles. "Meaning you?"

"Yes, meaning me." I reach the front of my apartment building and I dig into my bag for my keys while balancing the phone against my neck and shoulder. "Just come and have dinner with me tonight. I'll make pasta. I'm very good at that, you have yet to experience it."

"Bad idea."

I forego the elevator to take the stairs, prolonging my walk so that I can concentrate on her voice. "Bad idea to see me?"

"Bad idea to come over 'cause once I get there you'll have dinner ready and it'll be wonderful and I won't want to leave." She sighs. "I'll end up in bed with you, all tangled up and I'll be exhausted from a night of not sleeping at all."

"Get over here quickly 'cause your plan sounds amazing." I chuckle and ignore her speech of protest.

"Jess, I can't."

I arrive at my apartment and I unlock the door. "You'll still need to eat." I drop my bag on the kitchen counter. "Promise it'll be quick. We won't take off any articles of clothing." I grab a beer from the fridge and use my keychain to pop off the cap.

"Yeah, right." She scoffs.

I smirk but realize that she can't see me. "You're right, I lied. I'll try to feel you up as soon as I get the chance and we'll make out on the couch for a while. You remember my couch, right?" I tease her. "You seemed to really like the couch last time."

Imagining the blush on her cheeks, I hear her relenting. "Yes, I like the couch."

"Then come on over. You know where I live. I'll be here, Adso will be glad to see you, and the couch will be happy too."

She giggles into my ear and I shut my eyes thinking about the exact same sound coming out of her when we were in my bed. Her voice jolts me out of my daydream. "Well, I already have food here. I ordered from that Indian place I was telling you about."

"Perfect. Eat your food and once you're done you'll have to burn down the dorm to get rid of the smell, forcing you to come to my place."

"Jess…" She's whining a bit like a child. "I have to study. It's finals for god's sake. Very important."

"You think that now 'cause it's your first time around." I lean against my kitchen counter. "Once you pass your first semester at college, you'll feel differently."

"Like you? Slacker."

"Hey. I do my work." I take a sip of my beer. "I just know when to stop and have a break."

"You also remember everything you read from first glance."

I tilt my head in the direction of the phone pressed against my left ear. "That really has very little to do with it." I try to make her feel better by telling a tiny white lie.

"It has everything to do with it since it cuts your studying time in half." A beat. "I'm jealous."

"Come over and I'll teach you how to do it." I egg her on.

"No you won't and besides, you know that you can't learn something like that. You'll end up teaching me something in the bedroom."

"Well if that's what you want to learn, I'm in no position to deny that request." I shrug my shoulders.

The line goes quiet and I pull back to look at the face of my phone, fearing that I've lost reception. I hear a sigh in the background and I relax knowing that I still have her on the phone. "You're making it very hard to say no to you."

I give up, knowing that school and doing well is very important to her. I whisper in the speaker, "Just say the words 'I want to be alone tonight' and I'll leave you alone."

"I want to be alone tonight." She whispers just as quietly.

"Okay." I'm disappointed but I knew it was a loosing battle from the beginning.

"I'll call you later." It's her apology.

And I respond with my own. "Take your time."

"Thanks."

"Bye."

The line clicks off.

---

I highlight a couple key phrases in the textbook on my desk, and switch to my computer to make a notation. I glance over at the phone resting in its cradle and I try to make it ring telepathically. Knowing that it won't, I turn back to my computer screen with the blinking cursor taunting me to continue what I was writing.

I start at the sound of my cell phone vibrating against the surface of the window ledge above my desk, and I flip it open to find a new text message.

Still awake?

I reply with, Yes. You pulling an all-nighter?

I turn my attention to Adso lying on the floor next to my feet and my book bag. "You don't have to wait up for me buddy." I flick my wrist around to see that it's past midnight. "You can sleep on the bed tonight." I get up to walk to the bedroom, but I don't hear him following me. I look under the bed for his blanket that I was forced to donate to his use when he arrived as a puppy. He had curled up in it one day when I was out, and I was unable to get it back from him every night following that. With the torn blanket in hand, I go back to the study. "Here you go." I spread it out for him and he yanks on a corner with his teeth.

My phone signals a new message. Decided to take advice. Coming out of isolation for coffee run. Join?

'Course. I look at my fresh cup of coffee that I had just brewed and snicker at the coincidence.

Meet at student union café in 15 minutes.

Realizing that in reality it'll take me the full fifteen minutes to get to the student union on foot, I rush back to the bedroom for my coat. Grabbing my keys I make sure that my phone is in my pocket along with my wallet. I don't bother turning off the lights since Adso has an inclination to bark when he's alone in the dark.

Descending down the front steps of the building, I shiver at the cold and wrap the scarf around my neck. God, it's freezing. I vaguely think about the things that I wouldn't do for this girl and I come up with the answer of none.

The campus is basically deserted this time of night save for a few students wandering around stretching their legs in hopes of letting their brains simmer down from the intense studying.

I arrive at the front door to find her perched on the steps, with two cups of coffee in her gloved hands. "Hey."

I check my watch. "You're early. I still have a couple of minutes."

She looks down at her feet and comes back up to smile brightly. "I was a bit anxious to see you."

I sit down next to her, and I shift as I feel the cold concrete against me. "It is nice to see you." I take no effort in hiding the suggestive tone from my reply.

She hands me one of the Styrofoam cups.

I nod in thanks. "Thought you were staying in your castle until all your tests were over, Rapunzel." I take in the sight of her flushed cheeks from the cold and her hair pulled back in a side ponytail.

She laughs low in her throat, but takes her time drinking her coffee instead of replying. "I might have missed you."

"Might have?" I tease her reluctance but she doesn't confirm what I know to be true already.

Scooting forward, she just leans her head on my shoulder. "Do you have a final tomorrow?"

"Yeah, at noon and then two-thirty. And then my last is on Friday morning at nine."

"That's it?"

"I had two on Monday and one this afternoon." I look over at her but am unable to catch her eyes since her head is still on my right shoulder. "You?"

"One tomorrow morning. But my toughest day is Friday. I think those two will be the hardest." She yawns.

"Have you been sleeping well?"

"I catch a couple of hours here and there. Paris is driving me crazy with her constant revision of her flashcards. She quizzes me without my permission and makes me asks her questions as well. She's like a robot." Her arm comes around to loop against my own and she snuggles in. "You think there's a large robot population here at Yale?"

"Possible." I follow her insane trail of thought.

"Yeah, I think Paris is their leader."

I bend down to kiss the top of her head. "If you need a quiet place to sleep you can always come over."

She just sighs next to me.

"I'm serious. I won't bother you at all. I'll even sleep on the couch if you want."

She lifts her head up. "Thank you."

I stay silent for a beat. "So, this is the end of the semester. College as hard as you thought?"

"It's tough," she looks over at me and catches my eyes, "but it has its highlights."

I smile back at her but I don't respond.

"It's quiet." She looks around.

"It's late." I hang my head for a moment to relax the muscles. "Come on." I reach down for her hand and I pull her up with me. "I don't want to be responsible for you falling asleep during your test tomorrow."

She sighs but doesn't object as I wrap my free arm around her waist and lead her in the general direction of her dorm.

---

"Hello?"

"Finals are over!" Her excitement is evident over the phone. "I'm free."

I chuckle. "That you are." I reach over to grab the remote off the coffee table and I mute the television. "How did it go?"

"Um, good I think. I hope. Let's not talk about it, I don't wanna jinx anything. The point is that I'm done and I survived."

"Yeah." I settle into the couch cushions just listening to her voice. It's been a couple of days since we've had any kind of contact and I realize that I've missed her more than I let myself believe.

"Jess?"

I snap out of the moment. "Yeah, sorry. I'm here."

"Are you busy?"

I shake my head. "No, I was just listening."

"To…?"

"To you." I lean my head back.

I hear her laugh nervously. "Okay."

"Where are you?" I want to see her.

"I'm right here." Her voice is playful.

"And where would here be?" The doorbell rings behind me and I get up with the phone cradled against my neck to go answer it.

"Well…"

I open the door to find her snapping her phone shut.

The phone falls from its place as I straighten up and I react quickly to catch it before hitting the floor. "Hey."

She stands with her hands clasped. "Hello."

With the phone in my right hand, I cup my left hand against her cheek and lean over the threshold to kiss her. The kiss is tentative and shy because of the time we've spent apart and I let it slowly take its course. Her hands have come up to circle my waist and she leans into my warmth. I pull back briefly from the kiss to look at her and she smiles broadly. She tightens her hold on me and nudges her nose against mine gently and I smile softly as I feel her coming into my body for another kiss. She moves her mouth against mine increasing the pressure, and my hand drifts from her cheek to her hair. I notice that it's down and wonder if she did it for my benefit. I open my mouth slightly for a brief second, but I don't make another move to deepen the kiss. Her hands move underneath my shirt and I feel her finger the elastic of my boxers. I pull back from the kiss, but I lean my forehead against hers and I leave my eyes closed for the moment. I just absorb the feeling. She leans into me and I bring my arms up to hug her tightly.

"Can we go inside?" Her voice is slightly muffled against the fabric of my shirt.

"Um hum." I leave my right arm around her shoulders and I kick the door closed.

The stillness of our moment is ruined as Adso comes thundering from his place on the couch to greet the visitor. "Oh, hi." She leans down and ruffles his ears. He's trying to lick her hands and his tail thumps against the floor signaling just how excited he is. He's sniffing at her pocket and he digs at her jacket with his paws.

"Hey, Adso. Stop." I reach down to pull him from her, but he nudges my hand away with his head.

"It's okay. He just smells my bag of pretzels, don't you puppy?" Her voice has taken a higher pitch and I just watch from above as she plays with my dog.

Adso gives a small yelp as she pulls the snack from her pocket and breaks off a piece. Impatient, he climbs up and rests his paws on her knees and takes a bite. With the pretzel in his mouth he scampers away to his corner in the kitchen to enjoy the treat.

"Sorry about that. He gets crazy sometimes when there's food involved."

She puts the bag back into her pocket. "Nah, he's cute."

I walk behind her, ushering her with my hand on the small of her back. "You want something to drink?"

"Sure, water is fine."

I open the fridge to hand her a bottle. "So, you busy tonight?"

She smiles and breaks eye contact to twist off the cap. "You tell me."

I lean against the sink with my arms crossed. "I was thinking since the semester is officially over we could go out and celebrate."

"You have plans?"

"I plan to go out with you."

"Can I go back to my room and change first?"

I nod. "Yeah. I'll come by in an hour?"

She's already crossing the kitchen preparing to leave. "Great."

---

I shift gears. "You look nice." I glance over to the passenger side briefly.

"Thanks." She fidgets with the hem of her sweater and smoothes out the wrinkles. I see her trace her finger in the shape of a heart against my window and it leaves a streak. "It's getting cold outside."

I keep my eyes on the road. "Yeah. Maybe it'll snow soon."

She's still peering out the window and she whimsically remarks, "I like the snow."

I pull up to a parking spot to my left hand side and I turn the ignition off. Not making the effort to move from my position, I turn to her. "Ready?"

"Yep." She goes to open her door.

I wait for her to come around the front of the car and I hold out my hand to her. She takes it and I lace our fingers together, feeling the heat pass between us. I reach for the door but she beats me to it and smiles as she holds it open for me. I bite back my remark and she reappears at my side as I ask for a table.

Sitting down across from me she slides into the booth and I take off my coat. She scoots down a little bit more so that we're face to face and all of a sudden I feel her foot kick my shin. "Shit." The pain throbs quickly from my shin up my leg and I reach under the table to grab at my injury.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry." She leans across the table only to retract and duck down to look at my leg. "I'm sorry. Does it hurt a lot?"

Yes it does. "No, it's fine. It's okay." I respond through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I was just stretching and I thought it was the leg of the table." She looks really guilty.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." I ignore the pain and reach for the menu instead. Hoping that she won't feel sorry about it anymore I glance over the dinner selection and take a sip of my water to regain a bit of normalcy.

She's opened her menu as well, but keeps on sneaking looks at me. "I've heard that their shrimp is really good."

"I'm allergic to shellfish." I reply without even thinking.

"You are?" She sounds surprised.

I lower my menu. "Yeah. I pretty much don't eat seafood."

"Oh."

I realize that I've made it sound like she can't order the shrimp. "But I mean, if you want to try it, go ahead."

She's quick to reply. "No, no. It's fine. Um…" She turns the page. "Their pasta looks good. Ever had it?"

"Yeah, the linguini is great."

"I don't like white sauce."

I blink. "Oh." I lay my menu to rest flat on the table. "I'm sure you can ask to substitute it for red."

"Maybe."

I butter a piece of bread and take a bite. I realize that we're both nervous and I can't seem to pinpoint the reasoning behind it. Maybe it's because we've never been out together on a real date and we just don't know how to behave. The waiter comes over and I stop my musings as I order the blackened chicken and listen to her ask for the spaghetti.

"So." She folds her arms on the table.

I mirror her actions. "So."

She smiles delicately. "What are your plans for Christmas?"

"Probably just the same. My parents will go out of town but they usually come back for Christmas day and I'll go home and have dinner with them. But other than that, I'll just stick around my apartment and relax." I reach over for my water glass. "You?"

"Home. Spend some time with my mom. Actually, I have to get back later tonight. She's been planning this whole day for us tomorrow for a while so I have to drive down there after this."

My heart drops a little hearing that she's going to be leaving so soon. "Huh." I take a sip of water just because I don't know what else to do.

"This place is really pretty." She seems oblivious and turns around taking in her surroundings. Twisting only her upper body, the deep V-neck of her sweater reveals more skin than it had before.

I watch her. Reaching over I take her hand that is resting on the tabletop. She smiles briefly as I rub my thumb across the skin of her wrist. "My parents took me here to celebrate when we found out I'd be going to Yale."

"I had ice cream and cake at Luke's when I received the letter."

I chuckle. The conversation dies down around us and my eyes drift down the neck of her sweater again. God, she's driving me nuts just sitting there. I spy the waiter approaching the table and I rearrange my water glass to make room for the plates. "Hey, do you think you can make some time to fit me into your Christmas plans?" I joke.

She shrugs. "I dunno. I'll have to consult my schedule."

I playfully nudge her foot with mine under the table gently.

---

I unlock the door and step back for her to go through first.

"Hi." She squats down and I nearly trip over her as I reach for the light switch. Adso has taken the liberty to lick her face and sniff her purse for any signs of food.

I walk around the two of them and drop my keys on the counter. "It's really coming down out there." I take off my coat and glance out the window. It's already covered in a light layer of frost.

Not bothering to stand up, she continues to pet Adso. "Hm, yeah. But I think it'll be fine. I've driven in the snow before."

I'm suddenly very uncomfortable with the thought. "Yeah, but it's too bad out there. Your visibility will be barely enough even to see the car in front of you."

"Well," she finally stands up and the dog trots happily next to her, "I think it'll be okay." Even she sounds unsure.

I take a hold of her hand and pull her closer to me. "I'd feel better if you'd just stay here and drive out when the roads are clear."

"Is this a ploy to get me to spend the night?" She giggles.

I'm serious. "No it's not."

Biting her lip and considering my response, "Okay. Can I use your phone to call my mom?"

Reaching behind me I grab the phone out of its cradle.

"Thanks."

I give her some privacy and turn around to dig out of the bag of dog food. With Adso munching away at his dinner, I go over to the couch to turn on the T.V to the evening news. Craning my head to the sound of her voice I hear bits and pieces of her conversation.

"Mom, I'm fine…No, I'm not in the dorms." I hear her hedging away from the topic, but apparently Lorelai doesn't drop it because I hear Rory mention, "Jess's apartment. Well, where else am I going to stay? The dorms are all cleared out. And plus it's snowing. Hard." She comes back into my line of sight and plops down next to me on the couch. She half-heartedly continues the conversation and reaches for my right hand. She tangles our fingers together and brings it up to her face to examine it closer. "Yes, I'll call you later…I'll be fine…Mom!" Her face flames and I can only guess as to what was said to extract that reaction. "Oh Mom, gross! Okay I'm hanging up now…Yes I am, Yes I am…Okay, love you too. Bye." She glances over at me. "She says 'hi.'"

I raise a skeptical eyebrow. "She does?"

"Well, more or less. But there was a greeting directed at you, followed quickly with a warning that she would hang, draw, and quarter you if harm should befall on her only daughter."

I laugh. "Yeah, that sounds more like her."

She snuggles against my side and nudges my arm away. I shift my weight to accommodate her and I drape my right arm around her shoulders. A jingle of metal makes us both look at the intruder and we watch in silence as Adso contemplates very briefly about the best way to jump up on the couch next to us. He chooses to settle next to her and I wonder in amusement what kind of charm she has over my dog. Adso usually doesn't like it when strangers command my attention, and watching him lay his head in her lap instead of mine is certainly a first. She doesn't seem to notice and just lifts her hand for him to get more comfortable. She sighs in content against me.

"Tired?"

"Yeah, it's been a long week."

I turn the television off and toss the remote onto the coffee table. "Come on, let's go to bed." For a second, I'm stunned at how easily I said that sentence. It just rolled right off my tongue as if I've been saying it to her for a long time. I smirk at the feeling of being comfortable with her.

She doesn't seem to notice. "Okay." She stands up and instead of reaching for me she pats Adso's head to get his attention. "Bedtime." She doesn't even turn to check if I'm following and I watch my dog trail her steps as she nears the bedroom.

I turn off the lights and make sure that the front door is locked. I leisurely walk into my bedroom and into the adjoining bathroom to find her smiling at the mirror.

"What's this?"

"That would be a toothbrush." I play dumb on purpose.

She smiles. "It's pink." She points to my toothbrush sitting in its holder. "And I know for a fact that yours is blue, so this can't be your toothbrush."

I lean against the frame of the door and cross my arms across my chest. "No, it's not mine."

"And this towel?" She lifts up the pale yellow bath towel.

"It's new."

She waits for an elaboration and when I don't give her one, she huffs in frustration. She looks put-off here in my bathroom with a toothbrush in one hand and a bath towel in the other. Holding her look for another beat, she drops it suddenly and a wide grin breaks out on her face. "For me?"

I nod once. "For you."

She jumps up and down and squeals. "Thank you."

I laugh and hold out my arms to hug her to me. "It doesn't take much to make you happy, does it?"

She ignores my comment and happily turns to spread the towel out on the rack next to mine. She takes her time smoothing out the wrinkles. I watch her reflection in the mirror and run my toothbrush under the water. I dab on a bit of toothpaste. She comes over and playfully bumps my hip with hers to make me move over. I smile and take the moment to gaze at her in the mirror as we brush our teeth. She swishes water a lot longer than I do. I wait patiently for her to spit, and I catch a strap of her tank top that has fallen. Letting my fingers linger on her shoulders, I trace a circle around a single freckle that she has on the back of her arm.

"Done?" She pulls me out of the moment and asks as if she's been waiting for me.

I flip off the bathroom light switch. "Yup."

Catching me off guard she hugs me from behind and continues to trail me step for step. We awkwardly walk the short distance from the connected bathroom and she kisses one of my shoulder blades. I can't feel it because I'm still wearing my t-shirt, but I certainly feel her hands smoothing out the spot. Turning around in the dark, I use my hands to feel my way up to her face. Blindly going for a kiss, I get her nose instead and she giggles but doesn't do much to help my search. Finally reaching her lips she holds me tightly against her, using hands, arms, and body to press the length of my torso gently against hers. I leave my hands framing my face, but she wanders around going from my shoulders to my chest and finally to my waist. Shy fingers toy with the hem of my shirt and boldly slip under to seek the warmth of my skin. She's also taken control of the kiss and I enjoy her explorations. She knows how to give a kiss and I smile, as I briefly wonder why I never noticed before. It's all lips with just a hint of tongue. My shirt is being tugged on and I raise my arms to let her draw it off my body. I walk backwards with her in the direction of the bed and she turns and sits down, slowly bringing my weight down with her.

She scoots up towards the head of the bed when a furry mass suddenly catches in the corner of my eye. It yelps but doesn't move.

"Ahh!" Disconnected, she swivels around to see Adso poking his head out of the burrow of blankets that he's made for himself. Unknowing to what he's interrupted he gets up only to circle his place right in the middle of the bed to plop back down again, but keeping an eager eye on the both of us. Smiling broadly she pets him, "Adso." She scratches his back and feels his ears. He whimpers and rolls to offer his stomach for a rub.

I shake my head, but leave my spot to walk over to the side of the bed. Trying to nudge him off to one side brings an irritated response as I push him harder. "Come on." I gesture with my thumb. "Off the bed." He just turns his back to me and lays his head down by her outstretched arm.

Lifting her head up to glance over at me she smiles, but turns her attention back to the dog. "Okay Sweetie, time to move." She nudges him very gently. No response.

"Hey." I poke him from the other side. Instead of ignoring the protest like he did her, he turns to nip at my finger. "Oh, come on." I'm getting annoyed. "Let's go." I lift up on my knees and scoop him up into my arms. Turning to the side of the bed, I plop him onto the ground with a slight humph.

She cranes her head to get a look at him. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. He'll be fine." I scoot back over to the middle of the bed, where she's laying, and dismiss the whimpers coming from the floor.

With a broad smile gracing her face, she leans back and wraps her arms around my neck to bring me down for a hug. "Are you okay?"

I raise an eyebrow. "I think I'm getting there." I lean down and kiss her cheek.

She's surprised that I didn't land on her mouth. And she pouts. Brushing some hair off her forehead, I kiss each eyelid. She's squirming underneath me. Bending my elbows I delicately kiss her on the lips and she sighs into our kiss. I'm taking my time and just enjoying the moment when I hear a frantic clawing against my bedspread. She breaks the kiss. "I don't think he'll ever forgive me for taking his place on the bed. Where was he the other night?"

I chuckle. "I bought him a new chew toy and lured him away from the room with a bunch of snacks."

She giggles but doesn't respond. Instead she runs gentle fingers underneath my eyes and across my cheekbones. "You look tired."

I'm about to say something sarcastic, but bite back the initial response. "Yeah, long week." I bend down to nudge her nose with mine.

"Right. Finals."

I kiss her briefly. "Long week without you."

She settles down against the covers. "If I were any less tired I'd fall for a line like that." Her eyes drift shut. Another whimper brings her eyes open again. She moves and buries her face into the crook of my neck. "Do me a favor?"

I'm getting tired hovering over her, and I shift and rest my weight half on her and half on the bed. "Sure."

"Can we just sleep tonight?" A weary hand comes to rub her eyes.

I chuckle. "Okay." I won't admit that I'm a bit relieved at her request since I'm as tired as she seems.

"Thank you." She retracts her arms and gathers the covers around her shoulders. Reaching for my hand she whispers, "Night."

I pull her hand towards my lips and graze her knuckles with a kiss. I tuck the blankets to nestle against her side, but more importantly I create an empty space next to her. Whistling softly the bed dips as Adso jumps up and lays his head on her upturned hip. She reaches back to rest her hand on his head. Seeing that he's settled, I lay down to face her. "Good night."

---

Looking over my shoulder, I see that Adso has somehow wormed his way between the two of us during the night and now instead of cuddling me, she has one arm resting on my dog's body, bringing in his warmth into her body. His. Not mine. I make a face. Lying back down so that I'm face to face with my canine, I scratch his ears to hopefully wake him. It works and surprisingly enough, he just opens his eyes to stare at me, not moving a muscle. He seems too comfortable. "Hey, that's my girl you're snuggling up with." He just shakes his head at me, jingling his tags and collar, and burrows his nose under the blankets that he's hoarding.

The noise wakes her, and she glances over him to look at me. "Hey."

"I see you're getting to know my dog really well." There's an edge to my voice.

She smiles and I can tell she sees right through me. "You jealous of me or the dog?"

"Dog."

"You're kidding, right?"

I reach over Adso to touch her shoulder. Running my palm leisurely down her arm, I reply, "He is the one getting more attention."

She giggles. "You dork." She pushes him gently and he takes his time getting up to find a spot to sleep at the foot of the bed. Shifting her focus from the dog to me, she looks over at me. "There. Happy?"

I pull her into my chest and she snuggles in. I kiss her forehead.

Her reply is muffled, "I'll take that as a 'yes.'"

A couple minutes pass and I note that the snow has stopped and the sunlight is now streaming in through the cracks of frost on my window. "You in a hurry to get back to Stars Hollow?"

She rests her chin on my collarbone and I can feel her response. "No, I suppose not."

"Think you can spend today with me and drive back tonight?"

"Miss me already?" She asks cheekily.

My hands tangle in her already knotted bed hair. "Terribly."

Kissing me briefly on the lips, she smiles. "You're corny."

I laugh. "Don't worry, it's just an early morning side effect. It goes away."

"Good 'cause I wouldn't know what to do without my sarcastic Jess." She grips my forearms and gives me a squeeze.

I bend my elbows to lift up and she's supporting her own weight by resting flat palms next to mine on the bed. "I'm still me, Gilmore."

"Good." She bends her head and her hair tickles my chest. She's staring. "Hi."

I lay back down on the bed so that I can bring my hand up to her face. "Hello." I trace a finger down the side of her face to the shell of her ear.

Squirming she complains, "That tickles." Kissing the side of my neck, she distracts me and I can barely hear her question. "What are we doing today?"

"I need to swing by my parent's house to check up on it, but then we can do whatever you want."

"Sounds good."

---

"This one?" She holds up the heavy silver frame.

"Uh, family vacation. Hawaii."

She looks at it and turns the picture back to my line of sight. "But you're in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. You're dressed in all black." She's pointing with an incredulous expression on her face.

I bite back a grin. "Yeah." I nervously scratch the back of my head. "I wasn't into the whole family thing at that time. Bit of a rebellious streak back then."

Gently setting the picture back down, she raises an eyebrow at my outfit. "Yeah. Back then." She reaches out to tug on my black zip-up hoodie and rests her cupped palm on the hip of my dark stonewashed jeans. Her expression changes from sly to barely controlled glee. "Is this what I think it is?"

I roll my eyes. And I make sure she can see my expression. "If you think it's a picture that my mom keeps out to embarrass me, then yes it is what you think."

She's jumping up and down and I reach my arms around her to stop her bouncing. "It's little Jessie naked in the tub." Giving me a quick peck on the cheek, she examines the picture closer. "Look at you. So cute."

"Alright, alright." I take the picture out of her hands and leave it face down. "And don't call me Jessie."

She turns to face me. "Why can't I call you Jessie?" Turning back without hearing my response, she rescues the picture by turning it back up and puts in front and center. "And plus, if your mom turns out to like me, I'm going to ask to see all of your embarrassing pictures."

I don't miss the nervous edge to her playful statement. "She will like you."

She shrugs.

I turn her around. "Yes, she will." Taking her hand, I lead her into the kitchen where Mom supposedly left the spray bottle and the watering can for me. "And you can't call me Jessie because that would make you Jessie's Girl."

Tugging on my hand, she sways her hips and sings, "And she's watching him with those eyes, and she's loving him with that body, I just know it." She's unbuttoning the top buttons of her sweater and playfully slips it off her sweater, "You know I wish that I had Jessie's Girl…" She slips the sweater off one shoulder but then pulls it back up with a laugh.

I smirk at her but don't comment on the fact that she's singing horribly off key.

Smiling, "I think I can be Jessie's Girl." She giggles but drops the topic as I continue to lead her. Taking in her surroundings with a constant turning head, "So this is where you grew up?"

"Uh, no. I grew up in upstate New York but my parents moved a couple years ago. I've never lived in this house."

"Really? It's so nice."

"Well, other than summers and vacations, this isn't what I really consider to be home. Especially more so since I got my apartment."

Almost running into me, she slows down her steps. "You guys still have the home in New York?" She's leaning against my side.

I look over at her and I tangle our fingers together as I rest against the counter in the kitchen. "Yeah, they still have it. Dad does business here and in New York, so they stay there a good part of the year."

"Wow." She leans her head on my shoulder, but picks it back up to look at me. "What does your dad do again?"

"Basically he has a company that buys other companies and sells them off again. To tell you the truth, it's confusing and I never really understood just exactly what he does. I just know that he kinda fell into the business, got pretty lucky, and here we are today." I gesture with my free hand.

"So you guys are…wealthy." She says it like a statement.

I chuckle. "Dad's family comes from moderately old money." I glance down at her. "Not really old, old money, but there was enough. He was expected to go into the family business that has something to do with steel and other metal production but he went off to do his own thing for a while. Had a crazy idea of owning a fast-food joint but that went to hell, and he had a friend who convinced him to go into business with him, which is what he does now. And with a little start up help from my grandpa, he turned his business into a profit after several years."

"You're not joining your dad's business though, right?"

I snort. "Hell no. I might not know exactly what I want to do yet, but I'm not doing that. Too corporate. Stuffy. Sometimes I can't imagine Dad doing it either, but he's good at it."

"I like your dad; apart from the horribly embarrassing moment the other day, he seems like a nice guy." She giggles.

"Yeah, he is."

She turns to face me and I hug her tightly. "Your dad and mom seem so different. I mean, your dad is so…free-spirited, I guess. And you mom seems a bit…"

"Uptight?" I chuckle at her searching for a more gentle way to put it.

"I wasn't going to say that, but now that you bring it up."

I move my arms down to circle her waist. Leaning back our bodies become disconnected, but I tug her lower half to fit into mine. "I know she seems like that. And don't get me wrong she really is sometimes. But she has this side that people don't really see or understand until you really know her and that's the side I think Dad fell in love with years ago. He might seem loose and that he doesn't care, but he has a side to him that's a Type A hoping to escape. And Mom can be fun sometimes. They seem different on the surface, but they compliment each other well. And deep down, they actually have a lot in common."

"So do you think opposites attract?"

Somehow I get the feeling we're no longer talking about my parents. "Yeah, I think they attract, but I also think it takes similarities to make a relationship last."

"Oh." She looks a bit crestfallen.

I know that she's thinking about our differences in financial backgrounds. Smirking, I lean back into her with my chest and brush a soft kiss on the nape of her neck. "I think we're pretty similar, don't you?"

She ignores my question and asks one of her own instead. "You do?"

"Yeah. For instance, I know you have a book in that purse of yours. And," I shift our weight to tug out the slim paperback I had tucked in the back pocket of my jeans. I show her the book and toss it onto the granite countertop. "You're a bit of a night owl, though I know you get into early bird mode when you're stressed. Just like me. You'd rather stay at home than go out, and I'm a big homebody. I can stay in my apartment for days and not feel bored at all. And you like to try out new foods, whereas I rather stick to what I know."

"Hey, that's not a similarity." She's pouting.

I smirk. "I know, but I find that very attractive."

She's leaning into me and I give into the kiss. Her hands worm their way under my shirt and I squirm at her cold fingers. Taking her face into my hands, I increase the pressure of our kiss and take a couple steps forward, forcing her to walk backwards towards the center island counter in the kitchen. The back of her knees bump the island and I take my hands away from her lower back to rest flat palms on cold granite. One of her legs bends and curls around my right calf and one of her hands tangle into my hair, tickling my scalp with short nails. Without thinking, I grasp her waist and lift her up onto the counter and I kiss the side of her neck. Now eyelevel with her chest, she encircles my upper torso with her arms and I'm pushing her gently to lie back on the countertop. Instead of complying, she pushes against me and stays sitting. I feel her legs cradle my hips and I'm oddly thinking about how the counter really is the perfect height to be doing this. Not able to control myself, I rock into her and she whimpers into our kiss. The pressure of the zipper of my jeans is uncomfortable to say the least, but I can't get over the delicious feeling of this even though neither one of us has lost any of our clothes. I break the kiss and move to her neck when the vague sound of humming finds me through our foggy haze. She's pulling back as if she's been burned and looks at me. "What's that?"

"Garage, I think."

"Your parents?"

"They weren't supposed to be back until early next week."

She's dressed now, but looks nervous and a bit scared as she grips my left hand. We're walking quickly to the direction of the garage and I step in front of her as I open the door. "Honey. I didn't know you'd be here."

Looking over my shoulder, I see her peeking around to see both my parents coming out of their car. "Hey Mom."

"Hello Jess." Mom leans in to kiss my cheek but stops as she sees that I'm holding Rory's hand. "Oh, hello."

I bring her forward gently and rest a reassuring hand on her lower back. "Rory, you remember my mom. Mom," I gesture back and forth at the space between them. "Rory."

"Hi Mrs. Mariano. It's nice to see you again." She's trying to sound less nervous and she offers a hand to Mom.

"Yes, you too." Mom raises her eyebrow at me while she shakes Rory's hand.

Dad comes from around Mom to cheerfully greet Rory. "Hey there again."

A slight blush raises in her cheeks. "Hi."

"Well since everyone's here, why don't the two of you stay for dinner?"

"Actually Mom, we kind of had plans."

"Nonsense. I know you're lying." She smiles at me.

I roll my eyes. "How do you know?"

"I just do. I'm your mother."

"Yes, fine I'm lying. But I was planning on having plans with Rory later today."

For the first time since the introductions, she speaks up. "Jess, we can always do something later. Dinner sounds nice."

I give her a bemused look. "You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay all settled. Jimmy, can you order dinner?" Mom turns to Rory. "Come on Dear, let me show you around the house." Settling Rory's hand into the crook of her elbow, Mom whisks her away leaving Dad and I in her wake.

"Dad, what the hell? I thought you guys weren't coming back until later."

He chuckles. "Quit whining, Son. Snow wasn't that good, bit slushy, so your mother decided to come home early. Plus she has that benefit dinner to attend tomorrow night and decided not to miss it."

I sigh.

---

I'm sitting on the couch with Dad nursing a cold beer while Mom has disappeared somewhere with my girlfriend in tow. She suddenly appears in front of us with a big smile. "Jess, how come you never mentioned that you hated reading until your parents locked up your video games and filled your room with books instead?"

Resting my head on the back of the couch with a sigh I complain. "She told you, huh? Guess you guys got to know each other."

"How long did you think you'd keep that away from me?"

Glancing over at my grinning parents watching our interaction, I reply pointedly at the double meaning. "As long as I could."

Breaking our eye contact, Mom comes to stand in front of us. "The food ordered, Jimmy?"

"Yup. Coming in about fifteen minutes."

"Jess, why don't you come help me get the plates from the top cabinet?" Mom gives me a meaningful look.

"Uh, sure." I get up to squeeze Rory's hand as I leave her and Dad alone.

Walking the short distance to the kitchen, Mom grabs my arm and tugs me along. "I like that girl. How come you didn't tell us that you were seeing her at Thanksgiving?"

I roll my eyes. "That's because we weren't seeing each other at Thanksgiving."

She silently questions me.

"Really, Mom. We weren't. I just knew her. Kinda."

"And now?"

"Now we're together." The corners of my mouth threaten to break out into a grin and I bite my lower lip.

She stops walking and makes me stop as well. "This is serious, isn't it Jess?" She caught my look.

"Now why would you say that?"

"Because of all the girlfriends you've had you have never brought one home."

I evade her questioning. "I didn't bring her home. I came to water your plants and she came with me."

"Stop being difficult."

I smirk. "Where would be the fun in that Mom?"

We continue to walk and I fall behind her just half a step. Her voice jolts me out of the silence. "She's a bit nervous though, isn't she?"

I chuckle. "You can be intimidating," I wrap an arm around her shoulder playfully. "You're pretty scary as a person, not to mention as her boyfriend's mother." I kiss Mom's cheek.

---

"So Rory, what are you studying?"

I reach for her hand under the table and give her a small squeeze.

"Well, journalism with a minor in political science."

"That's great." Mom glances over at Rory but clearly speaks to me. "It's good that you have direction and know exactly what you want to do."

Rory looks over at me and I return her glance, proud that Mom's impressed. Shifting my eyes to my parents I catch their amused look.

Dad speaks up for the first time since we've sat down. "Rory, have I told you the time where little Jessie broke his arm?" He obviously knows he hasn't told her before but he's enjoying watching me squirm.

Smiling, she turns to Dad but still with her hand warmly in mine resting on my knee. "Jess broke his arm?"

"Nothing heroic; far from it. He fell out of a tree while he was trying to build a tree house using small sticks and leaves he picked right off the branches."

She giggles.

"The worst part was that he tried to hide the fact that he was hurt and he actually went an hour without telling us until he passed out right on the kitchen floor and I found him sprawled on the tiles as I came home from work a little bit later."

"Jess likes to pretend he's tough." Mom chirps in.

Dad finishes her thought. "But he's not really. So be careful with him Rory."

"Dad!"

"What?" He feigns a look of innocence.

Rory smiles down at her lap, but bashfully peers sideways at me. "I will."

"They don't know what they're saying. They're senile." I joke.

"Better watch it, Son. Your mother and I know enough stories to embarrass the hell out of you." Dad's getting a kick out of all of this. "And don't forget about the pictures. Albums full."

I hang my head and admit defeat.

"I told you I'd get the stories and pictures out of them." She whispers in my ear.

---

"Sorry about today."

"What are you talking about? I had a blast."

I grab a hold on some of her belt loops and tug her closer. "Yeah, great fun watching you get a kick out of all the embarrassing and demeaning stories and pictures my parents dragged out for your sick pleasure."

Giggling, it's high and sweet and rings in my ears. "You had fun too."

"Nope." I shake my head.

She bumps her hip into mine. "Stubborn." She wraps her arms around my waist too. "I have to go."

"Alright." I let go.

But she doesn't. "I really do have to go."

Chuckling, "Then why don't you let go?"

Leaning forward she speaks in my chest. "I don't wanna."

"Come on." I reach around her to open the driver side door. Holding it open for her I glance over, "Lorelai won't ever forgive me if I keep you here another day."

Sighing, she nods and climbs in. Looking up, "You'll think about what I said?"

With one arm braced on the open car door and the other on the roof of her small blue car, I remind her, "You might want to ask your mom first before you go ahead and invite your boyfriend home for Christmas."

"Yeah I have to remember to invite my other boyfriend, but you're a backup in case he can't."

Even though I'm smiling, I make a face. "Don't be flip."

She gives me a puppy-dog face. "Sorry." She brightens up immediately. "Don't worry, Mom will be fine about it. Come experience Christmas at the Gilmores."

"I'll have to clear it with my mom first. I've never missed a Christmas."

"Right." She actually looks kind of sad. "Well, it was just a thought."

I bend my knees so that she's peering down at me instead of the other way around. "I'll think about it." I don't add the fact that it makes my stomach all knotty just thinking about spending time with her family. It all seems so…serious. Spending the holidays with a girlfriend; that's gotta be some sort of step up, right?

"Okay then." She turns the ignition. "I'll call you."

"Okay."

She leans over for a quick peck. "Bye."

"Bye. Drive safe."

---

AN: Liked it? Tell me.