A/N: Okay guys, I actually wrote this! Yes, all me. I hope it's good…I have surgery on Tuesday, so, if you'd like to know how it goes, tell me and I'll PM you sometime afterwards, depending on how I'm feeling.

Disclaimer: For real?

On with the story…

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Epilogue: I Was Falling Before You

I stepped out of my forest green Range Rover and onto the sidewalk leading to my single family home. Years ago, I would be disgusted by myself, but now, everything's different, everything's good for once in my life. I thank God everyday that my mom made the drunken decision to send me to Stars Hollow. Sure, it started off really rough and hard and not good at all, but as time went on, things got better.

Luke got better, his leg healed well, he walks fine. Rory still has minor arm problems. She gets pain sometimes, but nothing some pain killers can't help. The doctors say that'll be permanent, but it's better than being dead right? She tells me all the time that without me, she'd be dead, but I always tell her that she was strong enough to do it alone…

We're sitting on our olive green couch in our living room, curled up watching some shitty TV movie. I'm sitting in the corner of the couch with my arms around her shoulders as she hugs me at the waist with her legs curled up behind her. Her head rested soundly on my chest, and my chin atop her head, she snuggles into me. I kiss the top of her head and shift a bit. This seems to spark conversation.

"I would be dead right now if it wasn't for you…" She whispers almost inaudibly.

"Stop saying that," I squeeze her arm, "You would have made it without me there. You were strong enough."

She shakes her head against my chest, "No, I wasn't. There was no one I was willing to tell until you came," her voice vibrates through me.

"I had seen a woman who wasn't strong enough," I told her, referring to my mother, "You were," I whispered firmly.

She sighed, "Whatever you say."

The conversation usually ended with her giving in and accepting defeat.The conversation is less frequent these days, but there are still the occasional moments where she thinks back on past. I know when these moments come around. She stops what she's doing, gets quiet, and then stares blankly off into space.

I walked up the pathway leading to my front door and walked in. We don't lock our door—it's Stars Hollow for God's sake. I opened the door and am bombarded by hugs at my knees.

"Daddy!" Alice chirped as she jumped up and down, wanting me to pick her up. I gladly obliged and set my brief case down to lift her into my arms.

"Hey baby girl," I cooed as I kissed her cheek, "How was your day?"

"Good," she giggled and wiggled from my grasp, "Mommy! Daddy's home! Daddy's home!"

Rory came out from the kitchen, "I see that babe!" She looked up at me and smiled as she pulled Alice into her arms. "Dinner's almost ready," she directed at me.

"No rush," I replied as I walked up to her, leaning down to leave a sweet kiss on her lips, "I'm going to go change."

She nodded and I went to jog up the stairs. On my way there, I saw my middle child, Cathy.

"Hey Cathy," I greeted as I passed the living room. She was sprawled across the couch watching 7th Heaven. Cathy lifted her chocolate brown eyes to me with a smile and wave. I chuckled and jogged the rest of the way up the stairs. Cathy had been obsessed with 7th Heaven since I can remember. She was always home in time to watch it. When she's watching it we try to keep Alice away from her.

I chuckle slightly and continue my trek to the stairs. When I reach them, I begin to ascend them. Once I reach the top, I take a left and head to our master bedroom. On my way, I walk past Ollie's room and peer in to see him reading a book. He is our kid.

"Hey buddy, getting away from the girls?" I asked with a smile.

"Always dad," he answered with a smirk.

"We're outnumbered, sorry about that."

"Not your fault," he smiled and returned to his book.

"What'cha reading?" I asked as Ollie sits up straighter and hands me the book.

"Family Matters?" I read the title and Ollie smiled. "This is the book that Aunt Tabitha wrote."

"Yeah, I know I've read it before, but it's just so good," Ollie said averting his eyes from mine. I smiled and ran a finger over the book. Ollie's had an ongoing crush on Tab since the day he turned five and she kissed his cheek on his birthday. Chuckling to myself I looked over at a purple book bag on the floor.

"Is that Dixie's?" I asked referring to Tabitha and Harvey's daughter. After having two boys, Tabitha and Harvey had decided to adopt a baby girl. She was a down right Georgia peach. She had bright red hair, freckles, and deep green eyes. She was only a year younger than Ollie.

"Yeah, it's mine. Sorry, had to go to the bathroom," she said prancing in and sitting on Ollie's bed.

"Oh, what are you guys doing?" I asked curious.

"Well Ollie's reading my mom's book, again," Dixie said with a sigh and Ollie laughed. "I, on the other hand," she said turning to me, "was doing my math homework."

--

Tomorrow

"Hello?"

"Hey Tab, it's Jess."

"Shit, I know your voice by now Mariano. I've known you for too many years to count, unfortunately," Tabitha answered snidely.

"Shut the hell up. Are we still on for today?" I snapped playfully.

"Of course, still two?" She asked and I could tell she was sitting at her office desk, Lisa and the boys in the next room talking while she flipped through a magazine instead of doing her work.

"Still two," I confirmed.

"Alright Jesse, see you then," she said with a sigh.

I gritted my teeth, "Don't call me that."

"Bye Jesse!" She chirped and hung up the phone.

She's an evil, evil woman.

"Okay guys, I'm out to lunch with Tabitha," I called to the guys half an hour later.

"See ya Jess," Chris replied and I took that as my cue to leave.

I walked three blocks to the restaurant that Tabitha and I had been meeting at for lunch every Tuesday since we got married. We figured that after we got married, the whole best friends thing would change and that we needed this time to be…well, best friends.

I reached my destination, Green Café, and walked inside. Tabitha was waiting patiently at our normal table dressed in black lace leggings and a mint green, loose-fitting baby doll shirt. She had on green flats and green beads on her neck and wrists—dressed to impress as usual. She smiled when she saw me and stood to greet me.

I reached out to hug her as I got close enough and she hugged me back eagerly.

"So, last time I saw Ollie he looked like a replica of one Jess Mariano," Tabitha commented absently as she sipped her drink.

I nodded my head in agreement, "There's no way I could deny him," I chuckled, "He's one hundred and ten percent my kid. He's got my attitude, my smirk, and even my hair."

She laughed, "I can see that. And how are the girls?"

"Cathy is going great, she loves school like Rory and Alice is more of a mixture. She's smart, but she knows how to get herself in trouble," I answered thoughtfully, "How are the boys? I just saw Dixie yesterday."

"Well, Drew is a little troublemaker just like his mother and Alex is a smarty-pants like his father. It's funny how the genes split up," she smiled fondly and narrowed her eyes at me as she sipped her drink, "There's something you're not telling me."

"How do you do that?" I asked incredulously.

"I've known you too long Mariano…" she trailed off as she shook her head.

"I'm happy, you know I'm happy, but I just don't know if Rory is. I mean, her dream was to be an overseas correspondent and now…now she's the editor for the local paper," I shrugged, "I just want her to have everything she wants—she deserves it."

Tabitha nodded understandingly, "You're right, she does deserve everything she wants—and she has it. Rory once told me when we were still seventeen and waiting in the hospital while Lorelai was in labor—you were at the cafeteria getting her coffee—she told me that her dream had always been to be an overseas correspondent, but that if she could marry and start a family, that she would settle for a less demanding job—to be with her family. Then she turned her head so that she was looking up at me and said, 'I hope I get that with Jess.' Of course I told her you guys were only seventeen and she told me that she just had a feeling. Look where you are now Jess, look where she is; just where she wanted all those years ago. You did that for her," she pointed at me.

"She did that for herself," I countered and she nodded.

"Yeah, she did and I'm damn proud of her," she smiled and kicked me lightly under the table, "What would you do without me?"

"Die," I said playfully and we started laughing—best friends.

As we departed from each other, we hugged and I gave her a kiss on the cheek, "I'll see you tonight, Lorelai's, eight o'clock?"

"Yeah, we'll be there," she smiled and walked out the door.

--

Nobody's POV

Eight O'clock; Lorelai's House

"…Drew! Ollie! Dixie! What are you doing!? Get your asses down here pronto!" Tabitha yelled from the bottom of Lorelai's stairs.

"What's going on?" Rory asked as she came in from the kitchen only to be met with a red-faced Tabitha.

"Our kids thought it would be funny to mess with Paul Anka who is now scared out of his mind behind the couch. Poor dog. Once they saw me coming for them, they ran up the stairs and to Lorelai's room I assume," Tabitha fumed.

"Well, I'm sure they did run from the sarge. I'll get them down here," Rory replied playfully. Tabitha rolled her eyes and stood tapping her foot impatiently. "Oliver Lucas Mariano, if you don't get your behind down here in five seconds your books will be taken away from you for a month," Rory threatened. As soon as the words left her mouth, a set of tiny footsteps could be heard running for the stairs. Once he reached the top, he peered down at his mother. "Get your cousins down here now or they'll have consequences as well," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Ollie replied and went to retrieve his cousins.

Not five minutes later, Drew, Dixie, and Ollie could be seen slowly descending the stairs to the fate of their mothers. Once they reached the bottom, Rory reached out and put a hand on Ollie's shoulder, "I'm leaving you to Aunt Tabitha—listen to her and don't run away."

"Yes ma'am."

Rory smiled at Tabitha and walked back into the kitchen.

"What was the commotion about?" Jess asked as Rory reentered the kitchen. He pulled her into his lap and kissed the back of her shoulder blade.

"Ollie, Dixie, and Drew causing trouble," Rory answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Normal business," Lorelai reiterated with a sip of her coffee.

"Exactly," Rory agreed, "Where's Hailey?"

"She should be here any minute she went over Bobby's house after school to 'help him study for his French test,'" Lorelai answered using air quotes.

"Well, Hailey really is good at French," Jess supplied with an impish grin.

"And you're good at being an ass," Lorelai replied with a sarcastic smile.

"I'm sorry Lorelai," Jess apologized, "But his French exam? Come on, Rory and I came up with way better excuses to make out."

"Sure you did, but you think I don't know what they're doing? Uh duh, but she's sixteen, what can you do?"

Just as Lorelai said this, Hailey Danes walked through the backdoor.

"Sorry I'm late," Hailey said with a sheepish smile. Her hair was slightly array, her shirt wrinkled, and her lip gloss nonexistent.

"Go clean up, dinner's almost ready," Luke told her from his spot at the stove.

"What happened to you?" Tabitha asked as she walked into the kitchen as Hailey was walking into her room, Rory's old room.

Hailey's face reddened and she downcast her eyes, shifting her weight from foot to foot while Jess was trying his best to not laugh.

"I just got back from Bobby's," Hailey answered her and Tabitha let out a gasp of a laugh and put a hand to her chest.

"Oh, well darling, go clean up then. Go, go, go!" Tabitha shooed Hailey into her room.

Hailey smiled brightly at Tabitha and went into her room as she was told.

"God, our family needs help," Rory admonished as Cathy ran away from Ollie and Alex walked in the back door and into Hailey's room. Before the door closed you could see Hailey enthusiastically envelop Alex in a hug. Alex then closed the door with his foot.

Rory looked down the hallway only to see Dixie helping Alice draw a picture while Drew sat watching cartoons. Yeah, they were a little screwy, but a family nonetheless.

--

Seven Years Later

"Ollie, do you have your paper?" Miss. Haller asked.

"Uh, yeah," Ollie answered absently.

"Could you stand and read to the class what you wrote about what the biggest part of your life is?"

Ollie nodded his head, "Yeah."

"Hi, I'm Ollie Mariano. I'm fourteen years old, around 5' 11" with black hair and deep brown eyes. I'd have to say that the biggest part of my life would have to be my family. I have a grandma, a grandpa, two aunts, an uncle, three cousins, two sisters, a mom, and a dad. My best friend by far is my thirteen-year-old cousin Dixie. My family's a little 'screwy' put so eloquently by my mom, but I wouldn't have them any other way…"

Ollie went on to explain the elements of his quirky family and their history. He, of course, had permission from his mom to explain how his parents had met and how she had met her best friend. Gasps could be heard from his classmates at some points, but there were also 'aw' moments, too. He knew the way his family had come around was unconventional, but hey, life goes on right?

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Later that night; Mariano House

"I was falling before you," Rory whispered to Jess late that night while they were lying in their bed. Rory's head was resting on Jess' chest, their legs tangled together under the covers. Jess' arm was around Rory's back while their free hands were clasped together on Jess' chest.

"I know," he whispered back and kissed her knuckles, "I know."

--

A/N: Wow. I can't believe it's over! I worked hard on this and I did manage to get it in before my surgery, so that's good. I'll probably be unreachable for the next few days because of the surgery. If I BETA for you and you send me something, don't expect it back until Friday at the earliest. Anyway, tell me what you thought about this. Some bits and pieces were Ellie's, but most of it was me, finally! Reviews are love so press the pretty little button!

N

A/N: Wow. It's over. I'm crying slightly and I must say that I learned something from our story. Even through everything, people make it out. It's just a matter of being able to talk about it. Wow. Thank you for all being so very loyal. I love you all and every review. This is actually slightly painful.

E

Thank you very very much.

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