They had been driving for a couple hours now. Jess glanced at the digital numbers of the clock on the dash. It was midnight. He looked over at Rory and smiled. She had her knees brought up to her chest, her eyes closed. He reached over and rested his hand on her knee.

"You dozing off?" He asked quietly. He already knew the answer but he asked anyway.

"No." Rory replied sleepily, keeping her eyes closed. Jess laughed lightly.

"You want to stop at a motel or something? You could sleep in a bed." He spoke softly so that he wouldn't fully wake her up.

"Mmhmm…" Rory was out of it. Jess got off at the next exit and pulled into the first motel he saw. He locked the doors to his car with Rory safely inside. He went up and paid for a room. The man gave him the room keys and Jess was on his way.

He unlocked the room door and went back to his car to carry Rory inside. As he lifted her, she threw her arms around his neck. She was still asleep and he laid her gently on the bed. He pulled her shoes off and placed them on the floor. He pulled the covers on over her and smiled at her.

He pushed a strand of her hair from her face and leaned down, kissing her on the forehead. Jess pulled off his shirt, and went over to the couch to lay down. He stared at the ceiling for a couple minutes before he reluctantly closed his eyes. It wasn't long before he reopened them, hearing Rory stir. She was breathing heavily as if she were scared of something.

"You okay Ror?" Jess called out a little too loudly. He had already shut his eyes again.

"Where are you?" Rory called out to the darkness.

"Couch." It was the only word Jess was able to get out. He was dozing off again.

"Could you come here…?" Rory asked. Her voice sounded frightened as if she had been having a bad dream or something. Jess got up and felt his way around the room until he reached the bed. He laid down on his side so that he was facing her.

"You okay? Did you have a nightmare or something?" Jess asked sleepily. He rubbed his eyes before closing them again. Rory could see him better now that he was closer. He wasn't wearing a shirt that was the first thing she noticed. She had never seen him without a shirt on, it intrigued her more than it should have.

"Uh, no. I just don't like being alone in a strange place." She said carefully. She was trying to ask him to sleep beside her tonight, but he was half asleep and was not getting the clues.

"Mmm, not alone, I'm here…" He mumbled. He put his arms around her, letting her rest her head on his bare chest. She smiled, and snuggled into him. She loved being in his embrace, held in his strong arms. She felt so safe. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

--

The next morning, Jess slowly woke up, but his eyes stayed closed. He felt a pressure on his chest and opened his eyes to see what it was. When he saw Rory sleeping peacefully on his chest he couldn't help but smile. But how'd he get into the bed? He didn't remember getting up and going over there…had he slept walked? He put his lips up to Rory's ear.

"Rory? Are you awake?" He whispered softly. Rory rolled off of him and stretched slightly.

"I am now…" She said with a yawn. Jess sat up slightly. When Rory opened her eyes she saw Jess clearly now compared to last night. At first, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his bare chest. When she did she saw Jess's confused facial expression.

"How did I get to the bed?" He asked curiously. "I fell asleep on the couch…"

Rory laughed at his statement. He seemed so freaked. He had obviously planned on sleeping on the couch because of her. He didn't want to put her in an awkward position and now he wakes up thinking that he did.

"Yeah but I woke up, forgot where I was and asked you to come closer, because I couldn't see you. Then I asked if you'd stay because I don't like being alone in strange places." Rory explained to him. Jess nodded and got up. He grabbed his shirt and put it back on.

"Sorry about that. I didn't mean for you to have to see me indecently exposed, let alone being so close." Jess said with a smile. It was clear to Rory that he was trying his best not to scare her away. He was being careful with her, as if she were a fragile vase. She hated when people acted as if she would break…

"Jess, I'm nineteen." Rory stated with a frustrated tone. Jess's eyes widened in mock fear.

"Whoa! Calm down Ror…" He was mocking her slightly. He smiled at her.

"I just wish everyone would stop treating me like I'm five. Like I can't handle being hurt, or I can't see you shirtless! I'm just tired of it." Rory told him. His expression turned serious and he nodded, understanding what she was saying.

"I'm sorry. I was looking after you, I just don't want to screw this up." Jess looked down towards the floor. He resembled a scolded dog. Rory got up and walked over to him. She placed her hand on his cheek and made him look back up at her. They smiled lightly at each other.

Jess took her hands in his. He laced their fingers together and smiled at her. He leaned in slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away if that was what she wanted. She didn't pull away though. Their lips crashed together into a kiss. Halfway through, Rory felt him smile into the kiss. She broke the kiss, and searched his eyes for some sort of sign. His crooked smile showed content, but it was what he said that caused her to smile back at him.

"This is perfect…Being with you is perfect." Jess spoke softly and each word was encouragement for her. She began to feel more comfortable with him, like she had back before he had left for California. Things seemed to return to where they had left off and Rory couldn't have been happier.