A/N: And here we are at the end of the 42 days Rory and Jess were forced to be apart! Stand by for a happy reunion, peops! ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Week 6

Day 37

Dear Jess,

I know it's dumb of me to be writing this close to when I'm coming home. By the time I mail it, there's every chance I'll beat this letter home, but I can't help it, I just had to reply!

First off, please tell me you didn't put that banana peel on Taylor's doorstep? That's really dangerous, Jess. He could've broken his neck! Of course he didn't, he just sprained his ankle, and he probably looked pretty funny flailing around as he fell. I can't believe how much you've corrupted me already, Mariano! I guess it's okay if Taylor isn't too badly hurt, and hey, maybe it wasn't even you that caused this. Maybe. I'm sure I'll find out for sure when I get home.

Home sounds so good right now. Just five days to go and I've never missed Stars Hollow more. You and Mom, Luke and Lane, just everybody and everything about our little corner of the world, I want to see it again as soon as I can. I know Mom wants to pick me up from the airport, but I kind of hope you come along too, if only to help me carry all the books I'm dragging home! I'm joking, of course. Well, about the help with carrying being the only reason to see you, not about the volume of books I'm bringing. I made a list of all the titles and I'm including it in with my letter. Some you may want to borrow and of course you can, though I have a feeling there are some you'll make faces at too. We can't like everything the same, that would be weird.

You started The Fountainhead again? For me? Jess, that's so sweet! Yes, I know, you don't want to be called sweet because it would ruin your rep or whatever, but I think it's so nice that you want to like it just because I do. You know what? I might even force myself to read a Hemingway for you. Which was his shortest novel?

I had more to tell you but right now I'm coming up blank. All I can think about is coming home and seeing you again. Don't get me wrong, this trip has been amazing, I've learnt a lot and experienced so much, but it would have been better if I could've done all this stuff in Stars Hollow, or at the very least with you.

It seems crazy that Paris' romantic life is currently more active than mine! Jamie didn't actually ask her out yet, but I get the feeling he wants to. There has been some flirting, kind of. I'm not sure Paris really knows how to flirt, but Jamie has sure been trying. No, he's not medically insane! You really shouldn't be so mean, Jess. Jamie is such a nice guy, so smart and great in a debate. Don't go getting jealous on me though, even if he wasn't so into Paris, he's not my type. I like my guys dark and moody with side of snark. Any idea where I can find me one of those?

Seriously though, it's kind of nice knowing you miss me as much as I miss you. Five days to go now, just five. It's a lot less than forty two, and still it feels like forever.

Rory actually felt tears filling her eyes as she finished off her letter with love and kisses. It was insane, she was so close to going home, and yet now was the time when she missed home more than ever. Maybe it was just because they weren't being kept quite as busy. Most of the events seemed to take place in the first five weeks, and now it was just a couple of social functions and debate meets before they finally went home.

Rory worried some about the future, about going away to Harvard and everything. If she missed Stars Hollow, her mom, her boyfriend, her friends, so much after less than six weeks, she had no idea how she was going to be gone for months at a time.

"No use worrying about that now," she said to herself as she folded her letter into an envelope and quickly addressed it.

As much as Rory thought she might beat the letter home, she really hoped she didn't. Maybe if she was lucky Jess would be at the airport when she got home. She was as excited to see him again as she was her mom, and that was the truth.

Day 41

"I can't believe you and Luke actually went on a date!" Rory grinned into the phone.

She was so happy to have her mom on the line, and even happier knowing that she would be home very, very soon to see her in person.

"It wasn't so much a date," her mother rolled her eyes, and Rory could definitely hear the expression. "We went out for coffee, and seriously the java wasn't that great, but the company was good. You know me and Luke, we can pretty much talk about anything."

"But this was different," said Rory, sure she was right. "This wasn't just talking across the counter at the diner or having him over at our house to fix something, this was date-like."

"I guess it was," agreed Lorelai, sounding strangely bashful. "It was nice, really nice. Hey kid, do you think it's okay if I date Luke?" she asked then.

She sounded so weird and nervous about it, Rory had to smile.

"I think it's great," she said definitely. "You guys get along so well, and I don't know, things seemed to be happening before I came away. That hug at your graduation, and the dancing at Sookie's wedding, it was all sort of... y'know."

"Yeah, I know," her mother agreed. "I'm just... I don't want to screw anything up, and it's all so new and... and it's Luke."

"I know," Rory nodded in understanding, even though Lorelai couldn't see her. "But sometimes you just gotta make the leap, like I did with Jess. I know we had that misunderstanding before but we're okay now, things are really good. It was messy when I broke up with Dean, and obviously everybody could've done without the car wreck me and Jess had, but I'm not sorry how things turned out. That crash taught me something - grab every moment, because you don't know what might happen tomorrow."

Lorelai smiled at her daughter's apparent wisdom. She was so young and so smart, Lorelai could easily be jealous if she had a mind to. Instead she intended to take good advice as it was given to her. She did want to be with Luke, it made so much sense, she couldn't believe they never went for it before, but they would now and it could be great. She shook her head when she realised she had been silent too long and went right back to her conversation with Rory.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" she asked.

"Oh, well, we have a breakfast mixer with members of Congress and the Senate in an hour," explained Rory, using her free hand to pack things she wouldn't need in the last day and a half before they left Washington for home.

"Cool. See if you can steal me something off of Tom Daschle's fruit plate," Lorelai told her, at which Rory laughed,

"I'll see what I can do," she agreed. "Er, Mom, have you... have you seen Jess these past few days?" she checked.

"I may have encountered our resident town hoodlum, yes," smirked Lorelai. "And he may have mentioned to me a certain letter with a request in it that I bring him along to a certain airport to pick up a certain daughter of mine tomorrow!"

Rory giggled at her mother's way of putting things and thanked her profusely for being so cool. It was well known that Lorelai and Jess didn't really get along but they were trying so hard since he started dating Rory. That meant the world to Rory, and she hoped they knew it. If they didn't she was certainly going to make it clear when she got home. Just one more day.

"Jess!"

Rory was so excited when she answered her cell and found it was her boyfriend.

"Hey. I know you're headed home in the next twelve hours but I just got off shift in the diner and... I don't know I couldn't concentrate on anything, I just wanted to hear your voice already," he admitted.

Rory grinned.

"Mom told me she's bringing you to the airport tomorrow. I can't wait to see you," she enthused. "It's been a long six weeks."

"You're telling me," said Jess with a sigh. "Lorelai said you get in at three."

"I do," Rory agreed. "You think you'll recognise me after all this time?" she joked. "I mean, for all you know I could've changed while I was away. There's still time yet, perhaps I'll go blonde."

"I strongly request that you don't."

"Afraid of change?"

"No, I just happen to love you exactly the way you are."

Rory was a little stunned by those words. They use the word love to sign off their letters but never yet in this relationship had either of them actually said 'I love you'. To be fair, Jess hadn't said it now, but it was way more implied than it ever had been before. She swallowed hard.

"Er, thank you" she forced out. "I... I happen to love you just the way you are too," she told him with a little more confidence after she had a moment to process. "I really do," she smiled.

"Hey, can you stop being cute for two seconds! I need help here!" Paris suddenly yelled so loud that Jess heard her on the other end of the line.

"What is wrong with her?" he asked. "I mean, besides the usual."

"Jamie's finally asked her out," Rory explained.

"Huh," said Jess, the only response he could find to such a revelation.

He tried not to snigger at the debate that then happened on the other end of the phone, with Paris explaining that she well understood why people were shocked to realise she might in fact have a date. Rory tried to placate her, and it was one of the few times Jess could say he heard his girlfriend lie. It was entirely strange that Paris Gellar had found a guy that was into her enough to ask her out, but like he said before in a letter to Rory, there was supposed to be someone in the world for everyone, even freaks like Paris.

"I'm sorry, Jess," said Rory suddenly. "I have to go."

"You sure it's safe?" he dead-panned.

"I'll be fine," she promised with a giggle. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm counting the hours."

Day 42

The car ride to the airport had been all but silent. Lorelai was trying to get along with Jess, she genuinely was, but as far as she knew they didn't have much in common and she wasn't sure where to start a conversation with him. Jess was in a similar position. They both loved Rory and Luke in their own ways, but as far as he could tell, that's where any connection between himself and Lorelai ended. He was proven wrong just once when the radio started playing White Riot and both he and Lorelai started singing along. That had caused a laugh and a small break in the tension, but by the time they were stood side by side in the airport waiting for Rory to appear, things were pretty awkward again.

"So," said Lorelai, hating the silence so much she just had to break it. "You like The Clash?"

"Yes," replied Jess, hands in his pockets as he shifted awkwardly. "You too, huh?"

"I do," she nodded, and that seemed to be the end of that.

"Y'know we're not required to make conversation," he told her easily. "I'm fine with quiet time, if you want."

Lorelai nodded her head, and yet just as fast as she looked away, she looked back at Jess and started talking again.

"I just... I don't want you to think that I hate you or anything, I don't," she said definitely. "I know the first day we met didn't go so well..."

"I wasn't exactly being a great human being that day," Jess shrugged, remembering it all too well.

"And you had your reasons" Lorelai reminded him. "Your mom shipping you out here, a place you don't know, a crazy lady trying to tell you what a great break it all was when you were busy hating on everybody," she smiled and watched as the corners of his mouth twitched to match the expression. "We started off on the wrong foot, Jess, and we both have to take a little blame for that."

"Okay," he nodded. "So, what now? We become best friends or something? Because I'm telling you now, I'm not dumping Rory for you," he smirked wickedly.

"Oh, kid, don't even joke," she shook her head, even as she smiled at his humour. "You have enough to handle in Rory, you could not deal with me."

"That's why I'm leaving you to Luke," he told her, almost seriously. "Y'know you're good for him."

"Thank you," Lorelai smiled, a little taken aback by the unexpected compliment. "Honestly? In the long run, I think you're gonna be good for Rory too, and she's definitely good for you."

"She's too good for me, I know that," Jess admitted. "But that won't stop me trying to be good enough for her."

Lorelai was so busy marvelling at all Jess was saying, and smiling at the sweet sentiments, he actually had to nudge her with his elbow and prompt her to react when the announcement came that Rory was due through the doors any second. By the time Lorelai looked around, there she was, her baby girl.

"Mom! Jess!" Rory yelled, dropping her bags in a second as she came pelting at them in ungainly fashion.

With an arm around both their necks, she practically strangled both mother and boyfriend as she hugged them as tight as she possibly could. Neither Lorelai nor Jess were about to complain as they hugged Rory back, and somehow kind of ended up hugging each other as well in the weird group hug situation that was tough to get out of, and nobody was trying.

"I missed you both so much!" said Rory, practically bouncing in their grasp.

"You too, sweets," Lorelai agreed as everybody disentangled their limbs from each other. "You have fun?"

"It was great, but I'm so glad to be home," her daughter told her, eyes drifting to Jess in such a way that Lorelai couldn't help but notice.

"Hey, I know that look," she said with one of her own that was mock-severe in nature. "And you two will get your turn later. Mommy needs her time slot for a while, but the evening is all yours, okay?"

"But Friday Night Dinner..." said Rory desperately.

"I got you out of it," Lorelai confirmed. "My parents might be under the impression that your plane lands tomorrow afternoon," she smiled.

"Big fat lie!" her daughter exclaimed, but Jess only laughed.

"I think we're gonna get along even better than you thought," he told Lorelai, who rolled her eyes.

"I'm gonna get these bags to the car," she said, gathering up Rory's fallen luggage. "You guys get any saliva swapping out of your system before you hit the parking lot, k?"

She was gone with a wink and Jess watched amusedly as Rory complained and blushed at the same time. Her hand had found his at some point, gripping on tight. He liked that, but Lorelai wasn't exactly off base with what she said before. All Jess had wanted to do since Rory appeared through the doors was kiss her.

"So," he said, turning into her.

"Hi," she smiled, as his arms slid around her waist.

"Welcome home," he told her, moving in to kiss her soundly on the lips.

Rory sunk into a moment she had quite literally been dreaming about for six weeks. She meant what she said, her trip had been a great learning experience and she wasn't sorry that she had been convinced to go. Jess was right, she probably would have regretted staying home, but she had missed him terribly. She had missed everybody and everything. At this point she would even be happy to see Taylor and hear him complain! For right now, however, she was content in her mission to get from the arrivals lounge to the car without ever stopping kissing her boyfriend. It seemed Jess was happy to be of assistance with that, and though they might've crashed into at least three different people on their way, neither of them noticed. To be honest, neither was having very many coherent thoughts right now, but if Rory could manage to think of anything it would be that it was very, very good to be home.

The End

A/N2: To everyone who asked for this sequel, I hope you enjoyed it. To everyone who has left a review on this story, I thank you so much, and if I may, how about one final comment now the story is done? ;)