Disclaimer: These characters are so not mine. This particular scenario is though.

Thank you to my reviewers:
DevilPup9: Well, you've convinced me…here's another chapter!
Sanfrangiantsfan: Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to try to see where I can take this, but since I didn't conceive of this as an ongoing story, I wanted to make sure I knew where it was going so it doesn't start fading quality-wise.
Mizz-michelle: You want to see where it's going? So do I. ; ) Don't worry though, I'm working on it…
Luvablemilo: I'll do my best! And thank you; I have a few ideas brewing so I'm sure you'll see me around again, even after this story finishes.
RoryandJess4ever: Thank you. I'll do my best to make it stupendous!
Smellcolor: lit/jj is my favorite, too. I want to keep this story lit centered, but I see some definite opportunities to sneak in some more jj also!
LitGG1982: Thank you so much. I've been praying for the grown-up version of Jess for years now, and his recent appearance on the show made me so happy – I just wished he was back for good. Hence the fic. ; ) That line you liked and the Birkin bag line popped into my head and were the original inspiration for this entire fic, so I'm glad you noticed/liked it!

AN: I've decided to take this story further. I have a pretty good idea where this is headed for another 5 or 6 chapters for the time being. I'll try to write a lot this week before I go back to school on Monday, although I'll be working on my senior project this January, so I'll probably get more done while I'm procrastinating on that than anything else. For the record, I can be anal sometimes (hence my hesitance to make this story more than a one-shot, hehe – too late now!), and during the three hours I spent this evening planning out more of the story, what started out as researching when Yale's spring break was ended up in me actually setting up a schedule of real classes for Rory to take, along with some other details which I don't want to reveal just yet. If I understood Yale's graduation requirements better and knew what classes Rory had already taken, I probably would've tried to make the classes fit her requirements, too. As it was I had to leave it at likely classes based on interest and probable requirements. I don't know if I'll even use all of the details I worked out, but it all adds to the background of the story. Yes, I'm a little insane, but that's why people love me. Enjoy.

Dress Daydreaming

It was a beautiful February morning, and the sun shining off the thick layer of fresh snow made Rory wish for sunglasses. Instead she settled on readjusting the driver's seat visor and concentrating on the road ahead. Her phone rang, causing her heart to leap for a moment before seeing MOM on the caller ID.

"Damn, I need to stop doing that to myself," she muttered under her breath.

She answered the phone quickly, wondering why her mother was calling her despite the fact that she was ten minutes from Stars Hollow and her mother wasn't expecting her for another twenty.

"Hi, mom," she sighed into the phone.

"Hello, my beautiful and amazing offspring! Why don't you sound more excited to talk to me?...Were you expecting another call? Oooooooo! I bet I know…you were hoping it was Jess," Lorelai teased in a sing-song voice.

"Shush mother. I shouldn't have told you anything the other night. Any information in your hands is dangerous."

"Now, now, hunny. Having raised you your entire life has already given me more than enough mocking material, so avoiding the issue won't save you one bit. Besides, we tried that whole 'not sharing' thing and I didn't like it one bit. I'm much more liking things this way. Speaking of Jess…have you talked to him again?"

Rory squirmed a bit in her seat and felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She was glad no one was around to see her.

"Yes, he called me just like he promised. I told him about getting the job at the Stamford paper and how my classes are going, and he told me more about his job with the printing press guys, and more of what's going on in his life now. In the last two and a half days I think he and I have covered every single thing either of us has done since I graduated from high school."

"Mmmhmm. That's a lot to cover."

"What?"

"Oh. Nothing…"

"Mom!"

"Well, speaking of your graduation…um, have you talked at all about what happened…uh…when he left? Or came back the first time? Or the second time for that matter…"

"A little bit, mostly about the most recent one though. I don't know if I want to open up too many old wounds."

"Yeah. It's not that I think you should dwell on the past or anything, but those are probably things you guys should get straightened out. Especially if you're considering…being friends…with him again."

"I guess. I mean, I blocked it out so quickly after it happened…we just haven't gotten around to it, yet. I mean, it's Saturday morning and we only just started talking again on Wednesday. It's not like we don't have plenty more time to bring things up."

"I know hunny, and I don't mean to push or anything, I was just curious and…I don't know, this whole thing with Luke and April has really hit home to me the importance of coming to terms with the past – yours and his."

"I know."

"And, I mean, I'm trying really hard to like Jess here, kid. He played a big role in getting the two of us back together, so that's, like, plus a thousand cool points in my book. But, he has a long history to make up for. I just don't want you getting hurt again."

"I won't, mom. Seriously, I'm actually looking forward to you seeing him again at the wedding. He's so…different. You've got to believe that he is. I do."

"I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, I'll try to take your word for it."

"Thanks, mom. Anyway, I'm, like, three seconds from Stars Hollow right now, so I'll just see you when I get home."

"See you soon."

Rory hung up her phone just as she was entering Stars Hollow. She took a minute to appreciate how pretty the town was, especially since it was covered in fresh snow. People walking down the street were smiling and waving to one another. It looked as if Kirk was having the time of this life handing out pink flyers while dressed in a diaper and holding a bow and arrow that Rory desperately hoped were fake. She waved through her window and was a little surprised when he came running after her car. She pulled over and rolled her window down as Kirk approached.

"Hi, Kirk."

"Hello, Rory. Here is a flyer for the Town Valentine's Day Dance on Tuesday. Will you be attending?"

"Well, probably not, Kirk. I've got school, and…"

"Excuse me, Rory," Kirk interrupted, "I see Lulu across the street and it's my duty as cupid to see she gets shot with an arrow so she'll fall in love with me."

"Uh, but Kirk, she already…um, and you're not actually going to…"

Rory gave up attempting to respond because Kirk was halfway across the square now, bow and arrow in hand.

"I hope those arrows are rubber-tipped," she mused as she glanced at the flyer quickly. She sighed and tossed it into her purse as she pulled back onto the road. It was depressing to think about a happy celebration of love when she had no idea what her relationship status with Jess was. Not that it mattered, anyway; he was in Philadelphia and she would likely be spending the day alone, in class, or doing schoolwork.

Rory pulled up outside her house to find Lorelai already waiting for her on the porch.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go," Lorelai squealed as she practically jumped into the car.

"Wait, I'm driving?" Rory asked while giving her mother a questioning look.

"Yes, you see you're already in the car, and your car is nice and warm, and you're already in it which means we can leave faster, which means I can see my dress again sooner, which means…hey? Why aren't you driving? Get a move on, missy!" Lorelai scolded as she settled herself into the car and buckled her seatbelt.

Rory chuckled as she pulled back onto the road again.

"Where is this place again?"

"'Brides to Be'. It's that one in Glastonbury, so head 84 East to exit 55."

"I thought you didn't find anything there the first time we looked. And I swear you tried on every dress they had."

"Well, I was so frustrated because I hadn't found "The Dress" yet, and the wedding is now almost exactly a month away, so the other day I left the inn early and I went back to almost all the stores we visited near Hartford. I went there again because, hello, vintage dresses, and one-of-a-kind dresses, and hey, they provided all the dresses for the movie "The Bachelor"; they've got to have something for me, right? So, I tried on more dresses and I hated them all. But then, just as I was about to give up, I found one more that I didn't think I had seen before. I tried it on, and Rory, it's so perfect! This is my dress."

"So, why didn't you buy it?"

"Well, I almost thought it was too good to be true. And I want your opinion, too, so I put it on hold with a deposit. Oh Rory, what happens if we go back and I hate it?"

"I doubt you're going to hate it, mom. If you loved it the first time, I'm sure you'll still love it now."

"I hope you're right. But I can't think about it anymore, not until you get to see it, too!"

"So, just put something on the radio for now."

Lorelai scanned the radio stations, skipping one with Metallica playing and another playing Tool, until she found one with the Bangles playing. They rode the rest of the way in surprising silence; the music filled Rory's thoughts with Jess, and she was sure Lorelai was too busy daydreaming about her dress to notice.

Once they reached the store, Lorelai asked the woman at the counter to find the dress she had put on hold. The woman quickly returned and pointed Lorelai to a dressing room where she could try on the dress one more time.

"Well kid, me and my dress are going to get reacquainted. I'll let you know when I'm ready for you to see it."

"You sure you don't need any help?"

"Nope. I'm excited, but I think I can still dress myself," Lorelai replied giddily as she skipped off into the dressing room.

While Rory was waiting, she found herself rifling through the racks of beautiful white gowns, and considering which styles she liked best.

"May I help you, Miss? That dress would look lovely on you." A saleswoman approached Rory from behind, startling her.

"Oh, no! I'm not getting married, my mom is. I'm just here for her. Not for me. Nope, she's the one getting hitched. Thank you, though."

Rory felt her face heat and turn crimson as she moved further down the rack and away from the prying eyes of the woman who had startled her so much by suggesting that she, Rory Gilmore, would be interested in looking at wedding dresses for herself.

"Not that there is anything so wrong with me looking at dresses," she chastised herself quietly. "Lots of girls dream about their weddings, even when they're not planning on getting married soon."

She wandered back to her mother's dressing room and stood outside.

"You ready yet, mom?"

"Almost, babe. Just give me another minute."

Rory drifted over to the rack which held recently tried on but rejected dresses, and began looking through them. One in particular caught her eye and she couldn't help but pull it out so she could get a closer look at it. It was beautiful; a sleek bodice and a large ball gown bottom, entirely covered in intricate embroidering. If it was her turn to have a "The Dress" moment, this would be it. Rory glanced around to see if she was alone. When she saw that she was by herself, she couldn't help but walk over to the three-way mirror and hold the dress up to herself. She stood there for a while, imagining herself in the gorgeous gown, with her hair and makeup done, getting ready to walk down the aisle. She saw herself nervously adjusting her veil and fidgeting with her bouquet, before taking her father's arm and making her first tentative steps down the aisle. She imagined her eyes rising to meet the gaze of her soon-to-be husband, waiting expectantly at the alter. A nervous smile spread across Rory's face in the mirror when she realized whose eyes she had met in her daydream. Jess.

"You would look like a princess in that dress," Lorelai sighed happily from behind her, causing Rory to once again jump and feel the heat rise in her face.

"Mom! Don't sneak up on me like that! I was just looking because you were…"

Rory stopped suddenly when she turned fully and finally got a good look at Lorelai in her dress.

"Oh, mom. That dress. That is "The Dress". I can't believe how amazing you look!"

"I know! I just can't believe it. It wasn't too good to be true. And now I'll have my dress, and I won't have to walk down the aisle in a gown made out of newspaper!"

"Don't be silly, mom."

"No, but…this is it, babe. It's really happening. Seeing myself in this dress, and the feeling I get wearing it…this is really happening!"

Rory saw tears rising in her mother's face, so she quickly hung up the dress she had been looking at and ran over to Lorelai to give her an excited, but careful, hug. They squealed excitedly, and even jumped up and down a bit, as they were wont to do when celebrating exciting news.

After they had calmed down a bit, Lorelai took a deep breath and said, "Now, let's buy this dress and get home to Luke's, because I'm starving."

"Sure you are. Getting the dress just put you in a mushy mood and you want to go there and ogle Luke."

"So what if I do want that? He's gonna be my husband in exactly 4 weeks. I'm allowed to ogle."

"Don't gloat. Let's go home."

AN: More soon, don't worry!