Disclaimer: I don't own the series Gilmore Girls or the original characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.

A/N: I know I haven't updated this story in a little while, although I don't think I took as long as the time before :) Anyway, this is where things start to move a little faster and get a little more 'serious.' So, I'll leave you to it 'cause there's really not more to say about this chapter. :)

Dodger

x-x-x

Like a chameleon, he has more than one color to him; he keeps on changing right before my eyes, leaving me in a daze I tumble into each time I look at him. Everything about him stands out and it's a curse to both him and I.

If only I could have seen it coming, if only I could have seen him coming, then maybe I could have stopped the impact he has had on my life because at this point, I can't seem to undo what he has done to me. It's not something anyone can see on the outside, but it's more of a feeling, a skip of the heart, the hitch of a breath, the hesitant tremble of a word.

It's just something that happened and that couldn't be controlled from the very beginning. It's something that no one ever saw coming.

I didn't see coming.

It all just happened and I didn't do anything to stop it, not a thing. I let him into my life with my eyes wide open, not fully knowing what I was getting myself into, but the understanding growing with each half smile and each stolen glance.

I see him and he sees me, though in a way that leaves his intentions unclear. He's a mystery, seeming so distant most of the time, though last night he has been the closest he has ever been. For once, he wasn't just within my reach, but actually close enough to touch.

x-x-x

Rory uncurled her fingers from around her pen, letting it drop into the crease of the two pages, one fully written and the other blank, while reaching over for her coffee with her other hand. Her gaze leisurely made its way through the usual mediocre crowd of early birds before settling for the boy that had effortlessly stolen her heart, a piece at a time; he knew how to work all of the angles, something that left him with consequences that he neglected most of the times, although last night he had stood face to face with one of them. He had the chance to taste it and to see what it felt like to deal with for once. It wasn't anything like he had expected; it had tasted even sweeter and had left him with a craving for more.

She was also on the look-out for more; he was addictive, too good for his own good, and impossible to resist, even though she had never put up that big of a fight to begin with. She did feel guilty, but still far from as guilty as she should be. It didn't eat at her from the inside and it didn't feel as if she was doing the wrong thing because the feeling he gave her felt too good to be anything but that. Unlike the feeling she got when she was with Dean, it lasted and left her with a craving for more.

He had quickly become an obsession, something to focus her attention on during as well her waking as sleeping hours. He was a distraction, something that was on her mind even when it shouldn't be; she had a boyfriend and from her mindless behavior it seemed as if she no longer cared. Her eye had fallen on something more priceless: a rebellious dodger with a twisted soul and a good heart. He had yet to show her all of his shades and she had still one or two colors to reveal to him.

She glanced over at her backpack. If only he knew that she was carrying a part of him with her. She sipped her coffee while awaiting her chance to go by unnoticed, one she got when Luke had his back turned and Jess was ringing up a customer. She got up and slipped through the curtains and up the stairs, taking her backpack with her.

Once up in the apartment, she sat her backpack down on the table and hastily unzipped it so she could quickly pull out the item she had been hiding from everyone's sight. She took it and looked around the apartment for a place to put it. She decided on the couch, thinking that he couldn't miss it that way, and carefully hung it over the back. When she turned back around, she was no longer alone. ''Jess.''

''What are you doing up here?'' he asked.

''I came to return your jacket,'' Rory answered, trying to seem unmoved by his presence as she returned to the table, although her trembling hands gave her away as she zipped her backpack back up. She was nervous. She knew that he was looking at her, though it was something that she could handle; she had been a part of the game long enough to know what to expect and how to react. He on the other hand no longer did. She had broken the rules and had not only looked, but had also touched and it had thrown him off. ''We need to talk about what happened,'' he conveyed, now being the one to throw her off with his a matter-of-fact manner.

Rory removed her hands from her backpack, letting one linger by her side while the other brushed her hair away from her face, finally revealing her eyes to him and giving him another chance to admire them from close by. ''Look, what I did last night was wrong and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you and I didn't mean to-''

''It's okay,'' he said, watching her lower her hands down to her skirt. He had seen her in her uniform many times before, but it was just now that he noticed how young she looked in the baby blue blouse and the schoolgirl skirt. It made her look even more wrong for him and it drove him crazy.

''Jess, how can you say that?'' she went on, oblivious to where his attention had gone. ''I have a boyfriend and you...you have Leah.''

Jess carelessly shrugged. ''They don't know about what happened between us so there's no damage done.''

''That doesn't make it any less wrong. I kissed you,'' Rory repeated while looking up at him.

''Why did you?''

''I...'' She sighed. ''It was a mistake and I'm sorry.''

''We established that, but there must be a reason,'' he pushed while starting on his way over to her.

''Why?''

''Because it was a too impulsive thing for you to do.''

''So, I can be impulsive,'' was her childlike response. It made him smile when he came to a halt right in front of her, still calmly holding her gaze while she was abundle of nerves. ''Prove it,'' he dared her.

''What? No, I don't have anything to prove to you, especially not-'' He silenced her by reaching for a lock of her hair and wrapping it around one finger. She quickly took a step back, unwrapping the strand from his finger as she did so. He just took another step towards her and reached for her hair again, this time running his entire hand through her sleek locks. She backed away from him even more, though with each step she took back, he took a step towards her until her back finally hit the wall, giving her no more room to run. His other hand quickly followed down the same path as it got tangled up in her hair, allowing him easy access to her as he started to lean in. His eyes remained on hers, even when his lips grazed hers. When she didn't object, he pressed into her a little more, the abrupt sensation making her mouth open just enough for him to take advantage of.

He untangled his hands from her hair and brought them down to her hips where they stayed. His fingers had a firm grip on them as he pulled her up against him, bringing them hip to hip. As she submissively gasped into his mouth, she unintentionally drew her nails across his chest, the pressure light, although he still flinched beneath her soft touch. Feeling his reaction, she tried to be even closer to him and desperately clutched at his shirt, slowly balling up the fabric just below his heart.

Jess took his lips from Rory's and listened to her gasp for air as he trailed them down the side of her face, ending up at the piece of skin just above her collarbone. She squirmed beneath him and breathed in sharply as his teeth carefully came in touch with her skin. She moaned and he held back a groan as she pressed her hips even tighter against his, an action that was accidental and unexpected and drove him even more out of his mind.

He made his way back up to her already swollen lips, sweetly placing a kiss at each corner before kissing her again. By now she had her eyes closed while he kept his open, not wanting to miss a thing that happened to her. They were dangerously close to losing it completely, although in the end, they didn't get the chance to.

''Jess!'' Luke's voice came from downstairs. ''Leah's here!''

At the sound of her name, Rory opened her eyes and the lightest blue he had ever seen met with the darkest of chocolate she had ever seen. It was easy to see that they were infatuated.

Jess saw the affliction in her eyes and the effort it took for her to remove her hands from his shirt. He lovingly ran his thumb across her lower lip before letting go of her, too.

''I have to go,'' were the only words she spoke to him as she averted her eyes and pushed passed him. She got her backpack and left the apartment.

Jess reached for his jacket and followed.

Downstairs they were met with a puzzled Luke. ''I didn't see you go up,'' he directed towards Rory.

''I needed to talk to Jess about a book I had to read for my Lit class,'' she explained, aware of the intense way Leah was looking at her.

''Oh, right, of course,'' Luke responded. ''Do you want some more coffee?''

Rory shook her head, feeling self-conscious as she licked her lips. ''I have a bus to catch, but I'll probably be back after school.''

''Okay, be good, kid.''

''I will,'' she said and left.

Jess watched her head off in the direction of the bus stop before looking over at Leah. ''She needed to talk to you about a book?'' she asked with her arms crossed.

He nodded.

''And it couldn't wait until later?''

Jess sighed. ''She's really serious about school, you know that.''

''So all you two did was talk about books?'' Leah asked, wanting a confirmation.

''Lee, Rory and I are just friends, okay?''

Leah nodded, knowing better than to push Jess even further. ''Okay.''

x-x-x

That afternoon Rory met up with Dean at the diner, something that they always did on his rare afternoons off; he knew how hectic her days could be and she knew how important it was for him to still spend time with her despite of that. It was something she appreciated him for, how he could sit so quietly across from her, never once making her uncomfortable by staring; instead, he just glanced at her every now and then. It was something she used to love about him: how he could be so easily satisfied and content with nothing at all. She used to think that she was the same way, happy with the faintest of smiles and the softest of touches, although she wasn't so sure anymore. Maybe she had been so easily satisfied because it was what she was used to, what Dean was used to.

She looked over at Dean and couldn't help but smile at his unruly hair. It was the exact same color as his eyes, a dark shade of brown, though not dark enough to entice her. She wondered if she had taken Dean for granted all of this time and if she had been selfish to think that he would be satisfied just as easily. He was too nice to talk to her about it and too patient to push her into anything, but they had been together for a while now so taking the next step should come easy to them, although they had been stuck in the middle for a long time. They had settled for what they could get and it wasn't right; no one should settle.

Rory shifted her gaze over to the counter where Leah sat doing her homework. It was something she used to do all the time, although lately she had settled for one of the tables in the diner, knowing that she would only be the third wheel if she did sit at the counter. She looked on as Jess said something to Leah, distracting her from her homework. It was a routine Rory had been a witness of a few times before. Leah would try to act annoyed, although the small smile on her face would give her away every time. She watched Jess lean over the counter and tuck a piece of Leah's hair behind her ear before looking away. It hurt to see him like that with another girl, one he actually seemed to care for and had fallen for him completely.

She looked back over at the boy sitting across from her. ''Dean,'' she said, getting his attention.

''Yeah?''

''Would you mind if we cut this short?''

''Oh, no, of course not,'' he said while shaking his head, although she heard the disappointment in his voice.

''It's just that I have a lot of studying to do and I have this terrible headache. Plus my mood's bad and-''

Dean held both of his hands up, signaling for her to stop. ''I get it.''

Rory smiled.

''How about a compromise? We cut this short so you can go home and study if you come by my place tonight for pizza and a movie?''

''Deal,'' she agreed.

''Let me just go pay and I'll walk you home.''

Rory nodded and turned her head towards the window. She had a lot to think about.

x-x-x

That evening, when she walking home from Dean's, she got out her cell phone and dialed her best friend's number. Lane herself answered.

''Lane, I need to talk to you.''

''Well, I'm all ears so-''

''In person,'' Rory told her. ''I think I'm desperate need of one of those heart-to-hearts.''

''You can come by tomorrow. We'll have the house to ourselves so I can even get out the good cookies.''

Rory smiled. ''Thanks.''

''Any time. I'll see you tomorrow.''

''Yeah, bye.''

She slipped her cell phone back into her pocket while passing Luke's. She kept her eyes on the ground beneath her, refusing to let herself get wrapped up in the many what if's that were floating through her mind. She was unaware of the figure that stood nearby, watching her and waiting for her to take notice of him, although she never did. She just kept on walking, forcing him to take the initiative before she had passed him by completely. He stepped from the shadow just enough for him to reach for her wrist and pull her back in with him, an easy task since he had caught her by surprise. She gasped as he backed her up against a wall for the second time today. One hand came to a rest on her hip while the other searched for her face in the darkness.

''Jess, what are you doing?'' she breathed as he softly gripped her chin.

''I'm taking out the trash,'' he whispered while tilting her head upwards. He looked her in the eyes before dipping his head and coming in contact with her lips. Her hands found his shirt once again, though this time she pushed him away instead of pulling him even closer. ''Jess, no.''

He pulled back. ''What's wrong?''

''I have to get home.''

He didn't move.

''We can't do this,'' Rory continued. ''I don't want to do this.''

''You weren't fighting me on it back at the apartment,'' Jess stated.

''It wont happen again,'' she told him softly.

''Why?'' he asked, not understanding her sudden change of heart. ''Rory, I like you.''

''Like me,'' she began with disbelief, ''Jess, you have a girlfriend and you can't just go behind her back and-''

''Isn't that what you're doing?'' he returned.

''Not anymore.''

Jess took a step back. ''Fine, go home.''

''It's not fair to Dean or Leah,'' Rory tried.

''You're right,'' he agreed. ''I don't know what I was thinking.'' He looked away from her. ''I just wanted to see how far you would go anyway, but you're right, I have Leah to think off. It won't happen again,'' he finished.

Her eyes glazed over at his words, something he saw when he glanced back over at her, unable to resist. He wanted to to take it all back, but knew that he was too stubborn to.

''You're a jerk,'' she said before leaving him behind as she quickly made her way out of the alley and away from him.

Review please? (: Personally, I really like this chapter and am pretty happy with how it turned out. I feel like I finally have the characters how and where I want them. I hope I did okay on this chapter 'cause I have trouble writing kissing scenes and tension and stuff like that so... Uhm, thanks for the reviews on the last chapter and I hope people are still reading this, even though I'll finish this story with or without readers. Thanks :)