A few weeks went by. Rory and Jess had spent more time together and actually enjoying each other's company rather than trying to destroy each other's lives. Christmas was surprisingly pleasant for the new family, but there was still no denying that Jess had strong romantic feelings for Rory. What made the ordeal more interesting was that every now and then, Rory would let her defenses fall to the ground, and Jess could see that the romantic feelings were mutual. Rory would never admit to it of course. Rory had everything taken care of for Chilton and would be starting the following semester which was only a few days away. Lorelai had taken three pregnancy tests in the last five weeks and to her and Luke's disappointment, they never turned out positive.

"I don't understand. We've been trying for weeks." Luke fell backwards onto the bed. "How could we possibly be doing this wrong?"

Lorelai laughed. "We're not doing anything wrong."

"Hey." Luke sat up from the bed. "How long did it take before you were pregnant with Rory?"

"What?" Lorelai asked, clearly caught off guard.

"You know… how many times had you… you know."

"Oh." Lorelai smiled. "Gee… umm… I didn't actually count."

"Ball park figure…" Luke replied seriously.

"Well, we'd been having sex for about six months or so." Lorelai sat down on the bed beside him.

"Six months?" Luke stressed.

"That doesn't mean it'll take that long again." Lorelai included.

"Is it stupid that I though it'd happen immediately… first time?"

"No. It's not stupid." Lorelai smiled as she wrapped her arms around her husband. "It's incredibly sweet."

"I just want us to have a kid of our own, you know? One that we can raise together."

"I know."

"We can make rules and decisions together… be real parents."

"Luke, we are real parents. I mean I know Jess and Rory aren't babies, but they still need us quite a bit. We still serve somewhat of a purpose."

"Yeah, but it's just not the same." Luke shook his head.

"Don't worry… it'll happen when it's supposed to happen." Lorelai smiled.

"But it is supposed to happen?" Luke asked.

"Of course it is."

(Outside)

Jess and Rory were sitting on the porch steps.

"I love the snow." Rory inhaled deeply. "It makes everything so peaceful."

"Didn't see much of it back in LA." Jess replied.

"Do you miss, LA?"

Jess glanced over at Rory. "No… not anymore."

"But you used to?"

"Kind of… when I first came here." Jess smiled. "But that soon changed."

"I couldn't imagine packing up and leaving Stars Hollow…. Or losing my mom."

"It's not something I'd recommend." Jess replied.

Rory scooted a little closer to Jess. "Your mom would be really proud of you…"

"No she wouldn't." Jess shrugged.

"Yes, she would." Rory repeated.

"My mom never cared about me or what I was doing… just as long as I was out of her hair she was happy."

Rory put her hand on Jess' shoulder. "Well, nevertheless, I'm proud of you. And I know Luke and mom are too."

Jess smiled. "Are you going to bring up my grades again?"

"Well, bringing a 1.5 GPA up to a 3.0 is something worth bragging about." Rory cheerfully remarked. "I knew you were never as dumb as you pretended to be. You can actually start thinking about college now."

"Nah… college isn't for me. I'm more of a fly by the seat of your pants kind of person."

Rory giggled. "Hardly… I could see you being an English major… a novelist even."

Jess loved having someone tell him he could be somebody. It was a feeling he wasn't very used to, be welcomed every chance he got.

"We'll see." Jess finally replied. "No promises."

Rory's hand slowly slid down from Jess' shoulder and all the way down his arm. Almost simultaneously the two interlocked hands. Jess suddenly felt his heart began to race as he could feel the bond between them burst with power. Rory gently squeezed his hand. Jess leaned forward across the porch step and touched Rory's face with his other hand. Her eyes batted back and forth wildly. Jess knew this was his moment. He licked his lips and moved in. Their lips met and didn't separate for several seconds. When their passionate kiss was over, Rory was the first to pull away. She was very pale and looked as if she had just seen a ghost.

"Rory?" Jess asked concerned. "Are you okay?"

Rory touched her warm lips. "Oh, God…"

"Whoa..." Jess immediately stood up. "No… No… Don't say that!"

"Jess…" Rory's voice was full of remorse.

"Rory, please." Jess pleaded. "Come on, you know that meant something… you know that this is something we both want."

How could Rory do this? How could she let herself cross the line that was never to be crossed.

"Mom… Luke…" Rory stammered.

"They don't have to know." Jess took Rory's hand again. "No one has to know."

Rory removed her hand from Jess'. "I want to Jess… more than anything, but we can't."

"Why?!" Jess' voice sounded as if it was about to shatter into a thousand pieces.

"It's inappropriate... and wrong." Rory replied. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" Rory began backing away and soon she had dashed up the steps and into the house.

"Why do you always run?!" Just yelled after her, but the only response he got was the door slamming shut.