Pascale0405: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. I know but it'll turn out good in the end. You've got to do what you've got to do. That was exactly what I was going for. ;-)

cmtaylor531: I'm glad you liked it. Here's some more Jess for you.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Gilmore Girls, but I do own my brain which makes this plot completely and totally mine. HeHe.

A/N: Guys, once again I am so sorry for not updating more. It's a really bad habit, but I feel like in order for me to give you the best possible chapters I can I have to write when I feel like it that way I'm in the mood and totally focused. Plus my job limits my time tremendously. I have tried to actually sit down and write this chapter and I had been thinking about how I wanted to write it for a while because I had some special inspiration for this one and I wasn't sure how to go about doing it. As a result, this chapter may be a little shorter than most and is done a little differently as well, but I felt it was the best way to go about it and I hope you like it. Well here it is! Read and Review!

Chapter 8: A Leap of Faith

Seconds after Jess had hung up with Rory he was in his car ready to go looking for her. Even though things were bound to be awkward when he picked her up, he didn't care. At the back of his mind Jess had always loved Rory, his feelings had never changed. He still cared about her. He didn't like to see her hurt or upset, ever. The fact that he had caused her pain back in high school still made him uneasy, and there was never a moment he didn't regret what he did.

After she hung up with Jess, Rory couldn't help but think of how awkward it would be once he got there. She knew that a part of her was really happy he was so willing to come and help her, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to admit that she still had feelings for him after all that he had done to her, and all the time that passed by. Rory was sitting there outside the door of the gas station store, waiting for Jess to find her, when a song finally came on the radio.

Jess was on his way to find her when the same song Rory was listening to at the gas station had come on in his car. Normally, he would have changed a song like this right away. But given the circumstances, all he could think about was finding her. He couldn't take his eyes off the road in case he accidentally missed her.

Rory sat there, and listened to the song, just thinking about everything. She couldn't believe she had actually called him. When he had given her his phone number back when she first saw him in New York, she never thought she'd use it, but she was wrong. She couldn't believe how easy it was for her to need him, and for her to actually pick up a phone and call him for help. She continued to think as she got caught up in the song.

"And it's a leap of faith, when you believe there's someone out there.

It's a leap of faith, when you believe that someone cares, ooh

And when I call out to you, will you be right there?

Right there."

Everything the song stood for reminded both Rory and Jess of their situation and the circumstances surrounding it. As he sat there in his car, he found himself actually getting into the song. It's content actually got him thinking..

"Searching for the answer, nobody seems to care.."

No matter what had happened to Rory and Jess throughout the years, nothing had ever been easy for them. No matter what happened, someone was always hurt. They were caught in a crazy circle that wouldn't stop spinning.

Rory and Jess had both constantly hoped and prayed that something or someone eventually would stop the circle from spinning round, and make everything ok, but as of now, they had no such luck. She tried to forget about him and push everything between them to the back of her mind, but nothing she tried seemed to work. It all came back to him. The more she thought about it, the crazier it sounded, and she grew upset. Her eyes started to tear and soon she couldn't control it anymore.

"And now I wish that you were here, beside me, to wipe away my tears.."

The only thing that kept them sane in the end, was remembering how carefree they were as teenagers in high school. Their biggest problem was settling plans on Friday nights. They always wished it could be that simple again. Then they wouldn't have a problem anymore. Things had been fine back then. They were teenagers in love, they still had time to plan their future, and nothing was standing in their way. If they wanted to go to a concert, they could, it was that simple. But things never stay simple for long.

"Waiting for the answer, remembering the times we would share."

Whenever he thought back to high school and their senior year together as a couple of teenagers in love, he could almost feel as if it was happening, right then and there. Like he was living it.

"Somehow I feel you here beside me, even though you're not there…"

He had been driving for what seemed like hours and he still hadn't seen any sign of life anywhere near him, but he couldn't bring himself to give up. He knew that she needed him, and he would do whatever it took to get her home safe and sound.

"And it's a leap of faith, when you believe there's someone out there.."

He was coming around the bend, when he saw the first gas station he had seen on his whole ride. He slowed down and figured he would check it out to make sure he didn't drive past her without knowing it. As soon as he pulled in he saw the person he was hoping to find, and his face lit up with relief. He pulled around the gas pumps so his car was parked right in front of her and he turned to look at her as he turned off the engine.

"I'll be waiting, by the window for your smile to come through.."

She was sitting in the same place she had started out in, with her head in her hands and her knees pulled up to her chest, and she was shaking. Not from the cold, but from the intensity of the night. She was sobbing, and as soon as she heard a car pull up and the engine being turned off, she lifted her head slowly to see if it was really him. What she saw made all of her fear go away.

"And I'll be waiting in the darkness, when I call out to you.."

Upon meeting her eyes, Jess ran over to her and knelt down to her level. She had lowered her eyes and sat there staring at her shoes, as if she was suddenly vulnerable. Jess hated seeing her like this, so he reached out his hand and lifted her chin up til she was looking him in the eyes. Her beautiful eyes, which he was used to seeing sparkling bright blue, were now tearstained. He reached out his thumb and wiped away the tears on her face and pulled her into a hug, as if to tell her, everything will be ok.

"And I'll remember when you told me, that I could trust in you.."

Jess lifted her up off the pavement and walked her over to the car, opening the passenger door, and helping her in. He walked around to the drivers side so that he could get her home, to someplace familiar. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Jess turned on the radio, and the two of them were shocked to hear the song they had been listening to for the past few minutes.

"And it's a leap of faith, when you believe there's someone out there.

It's a leap of faith, when you believe that someone cares, ooh

And when I call out to you, will you be right there?

Right there."

Almost as if they shared a brain, the two lifted their heads and turned them to look at each other as if they were speaking to each other through gestures.

The rest of the ride was fairly silent. Rory was still trying to comprehend their current situation. Jess, on the other hand, was too afraid to say anything, considering he didn't know what had happened to land Rory at a gas station far away from home, all alone. He didn't want to say something to upset her, so he figured the best thing to do would be to remain quiet and let her talk when she was ready.

They had just pulled up to her apartment building and Jess parked the car along the sidewalk right outside. He turned off the engine and turned to look at her, trying to figure out if he should tell her they were at her apartment. Before he could open his mouth to tell her, she was talking to him.

"Jess? I just wanted to say thank you so much for coming all the way out there and finding me. I know it was crazy of me to call you, and I don't even know why I called, but regardless, I did call, and you came. Thank you. "

"Rory.. you can call me whenever you need me, you should know that. I know we haven't had the smoothest of relationships, but I will always be willing to help you whenever you need it, I want you to know that. Ok?"

Rory shook her head and looked down at her hands. "Thank you Jess. Now I know that this is going to sound completely crazy, and you're probably not going to want to do this, and that's ok, but umm, I was kind of wondering if you would mind coming into my apartment and staying with me tonight, I don't want to be alone. "

As soon as Jess heard this, he immediately began to wonder what happened tonight to make Rory so against staying in her apartment by herself. Not that he wasn't willing to keep her company. He had just finished explaining he would help her whenever she needed it. It just caught his attention and despite his earlier thoughts to let her tell him when she was ready, his curiosity got the best of him.

"Rory, what happened tonight? I mean something had to have happened to land you stranded at a gas station far away from home all alone.."

Rory turned to look out the passengers window, avoiding his gaze.

"I.. I'm not ready to talk about it just yet. I'm sorry. I'll tell you, you deserve to know, but just not right now, ok? You don't have to come in with me, I know it would be completely weird, I'm so stupid for asking. You've done so much already. Thanks Jess."

Rory turned and opened her door and began to get out of the car when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned around to see Jess with a completely sincere expression on his face. "First of all, YOU Rory Gilmore are not stupid, and second of all, If you don't want to be alone, you're not going to be. I'll go in with you. I don't mind."

"Thanks Jess, I really appreciate it."

They both got out of the car and headed up to her apartment. Jess had his arm around her, protecting her.

"And when I call out to you, I know you'll be right there… right there.

And it's a leap of faith……."

A/N: Well that's it for this chapter. I really hope you liked it. Like I said before, I did it completely different from the rest of my chapters, but I felt it was the best way to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish. I would really appreciate reviews on this one. They help motivate me to write more, and I want to find out how you liked this chapter, considering it's different from the others. The next chapter will be the back to the normal form. This just really fit for this particular chapter. Ooh and by the way, the song I used in this chapter for the music they were listening to, and the title of the chapter itself is called "Leap of Faith" by Michelle Branch. Download it. It's an amazing song. Thanks for reading!