A/N: Thanks so much to everyone that has reviewed, and thanks to everyone that's hanging in there! This writing thing is turning out to be loads of fun! Who knew? I sincerely appologize for putting you through that last chapter. I tried to avoid it, but I just can't see it having gone any other way. Rory was confused, and Dean was trying so hard. It was inevitable, especially since Jess was a big part of their motivation even in the real episode. That being said, Mua ha ha. Drama is such fun to write! So, enjoy this one! It will both please you and make you want to hurt me, I hope :)

Jess sat in the darkness for what felt like forever. He'd already convinced himself to leave about four different times, but he knew he would stay until he saw her. His heart wouldn't stop racing, which made the situation all the more irritating.

He was still surprised to be at the house in front of him. He didn't believe Luke when he'd called asking where he could find her.

"I don't know, Jess, is it really necessary? She's moved on, you've moved on. Why open up that can of worms again?"

"This has nothing to do with any of that. Just tell me where I can reach her. I'm in town anyway."

"I think this is a bad idea."

"What? Is she at a high security dorm or something? Just tell me, I promise it's just a quick visit. You won't even hear about it from your girlfriend later, that's how quick and painless it will be."

Luke sighed on the other end of the line. "You're right, I won't hear about it."

"Okay, so?"

"She's at her grandparents'."

"Her grandparents'?"

"Yep. For a few months now. She and Lorelai had a pretty big fight. Jess, be careful, okay?"

"Aren't I always?" His uncle scoffed on the other end. "Well thanks. I'll drop by to see you soon too. Bye."

Her car finally drove up the driveway, and he held his breath. It was now or never. He didn't know how she'd react to seeing him, so he walked up to the gate quietly.

She turned and saw him. His heart leapt into his throat. She was more beautiful than he remembered. She looked older, more mature almost.

"Jess," she looked shocked.

"Hey," he said, walking through the gate, trying to sound calm.

"Hey!" Her face brightened, to his relief. "I-" she stopped and shook her head. He waited. "Sorry, that-that wasn't a sentence."

"I got the gist." He walked closer and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"What are you doing here?" She looked so shocked, he suddenly wished he'd given her some warning first.

"I got a job. Professional driveway skulker," he tried joking to lighten the mood.

"Pays good?"

"Ya, but the hours suck."

"Jess..?" She smiled brightly at him, lost for words, but clearly happy to see him.

"I'm in town on a little business." He laughed, "All nice and above board."

"How'd you know where to find me?"

He shrugged, "Luke. I shook it out of him. He wasn't sure if it was okay."

She considered for half a second. "It's okay!" She smiled brightly again. God, he didn't realise how much he missed that smile! "You look good. The years don't seem to have hardened you."

"Ya, you look good too." He bites his lips for a second, trying to hide how much he means those words. Then he remembered why he was there. "I know this is kind of weird, but, there's actually something I wanted to tell you – show you, actually," he clarified so he wouldn't scare her off like the last few times he dropped in on her to tell her something. He noticed she kept glancing up to the window. "I can come back another time."

"No, it's just, ah, we're kind of exposed here. Her window's right there."

"Whose?"

"My grandma. Want to come in?"

"Sure,"

"Ya, come on. Just be careful. She's a very light sleeper."

They crept carefully through the house. He couldn't help but find it all very amusing, despite how alert she was to the dangers of her grandmother waking up.

He walked through the door to her bedroom and stopped, a little appalled at how pink and frilly everything was. "Casa Rory," he said, trying his best to keep the sneer out of his voice. "Hm."

She grabbed a pillow and pressed it against the opening to the door. "So our voices don't carry."

"Very prudent."

"This is not really my taste," she said, suddenly embarrassed about how different her life looked from the outside. They exchanged small talk. He asked about her life. The more she told him, the more uncomfortable she felt, though she tried to hide it. He kept looking more and more disappointed with her. She asked about his life, and he told her he was living in Philadelphia. He seemed happy. She was rambling a little, trying to find her ground in the conversation when he cut her off.

"Are you nervous?"

She let out her breath and nodded sheepishly, "a little. It's... been a long time."

"I'm a little nervous too," he admitted. Before the moment could linger, he turned to his backpack and pulled something out. "So I didn't just come here to chat, I wanted to show you something."

"Right, you said that."

"And, I didn't think you'd believe it if I didn't show it to you in person," he handed her a small book.

"Well, colour me curious." She lifted the book closer to examine it. "A Book. 'The Subsect'. Written by Jess Mariano?" She looked at him hard.

"It's no misprint," he smiled sheepishly.

"You wrote a book?" She almost accused. All sense of tact was momentarily out the window as she let the new information sink in. It took her a moment to realize how big this was. She was in awe. As he tried talking the book down, she got more and more excited for him.

They both stopped when she thought she heard something outside the bedroom.

"It's kinda late, I should go," he said.

"It is kinda late." She got up with him, and they stood for a few moments.

"So I just basically wanted to show you that, and tell you... tell you that I couldn't have done it without you."

She looked at him carefully, overcome with the compliment. "Thanks." They both stared at each other, remembering glimpses of the good times.

"I'm going to be around for a couple days. Can we talk again?" he asks. "Preferably above a whisper."

"Ya!" She says eagerly, coming out of the spell. "I'd like that. How about tomorrow night?"

"Eight okay?"

"Ya."

"Okay. I'll sneak out on my own," he grinned to himself.

Jess threw pebbles at her window, hoping to make her laugh when she realized he was there. The front door opened, startling him. He nearly ran from Mrs. Gilmore before he realized it was just Rory. She still laughed.

"What are you doing?"

"I didn't know if it was okay to ring or not," he whispered loudly.

"She's not here!"

"She's not?" He was disappointed that all of his scheming was for nothing.

"She's playing bridge tonight." Rory suppressed her laughter at how sad he looked.

He tossed his pebbles back into the fountain, "Good. I parked on the street so she wouldn't see!"

"You're very good at covert ops."

"Years of practice," he said with a wink. "So where do you want to go?"

"I don't know, I don't know the area that well."

"You live here." He shook his head mockingly at her as she tried to explain her hermit-like tendencies. They discussed a little where they wanted to go, and finally came to some sort of agreement.

"Steer me to the college district, I'll find us something funky!" Jess said with a grin.

"Sounds good." They walked to the street where his car was, and both climbed in.

The restaurant was small and dimly lit. There were circular lamps in bright colours dotted throughout, hidden behind old knick knacks and on a dusty old piano. They found a seat in a corner at the back, settling in comfortably.

"I had no idea this place even existed! I must have driven past it a thousand times."

"Well, I do have radar for finding these things. I somehow get drawn to the places in the world that no one looks twice at."

"Give your funky-compass a pat on the back, my friend. This place is rad!"

"Does anyone even say 'rad' anymore?"

"Shush, you, I'm hep!"

A waitress walked up to them with black-and-white paper menus. She had a side pony-tail, thick glasses and a tight skirt. She smiled brightly at Jess, "Welcome to Janey's. The specials are at the top of the menu. Can I get you anything to drink to start?"

Jess smiled back, noticing how Rory poorly hid her amusement. The waitress was lowering her shoulders to better position the view to her cleavage. "Two coffees would be great for now, thanks."

"Two coffees. You sure you don't want anything a little more special, hun?" She winked at him. Rory covered her mouth trying not to laugh and pretended to cough. Jess bit his lip, trying not to laugh with her.

"Just the coffees, thanks." The waitress left, giving Rory a scowl on her way.

"Oh man, I think she's going to kill me!" Rory finally let out a laugh. "You better leave her a number or something. Did you see how she was looking at you?"

"Naw, she just wants a tip. They're all like that."

"She winked at you. I've never seen such a smooth wink. You should leave her something just as a congratulations for mastering that talent. It's really hard, you know."

"Why, do you go winking at strange men too?"

"Of course not. I'm a lady of a certain class." He laughed. "Besides, look how hard it is," she blinked furiously a few times, making him laugh harder. "This is not sexy. This is not smooth. I would attract attention from the police, and that's about it."

"Okay, stop, stop I believe you. Don't hurt yourself!"

The girl came back with two large mugs of coffee, one filled decidedly more than the other. Rory hid her smile. "You ready to order, babe?" the lady said to Jess again. He motioned to Rory to start.

"Oh, uh, thanks. I'll have..." she looked at the menu for the first time. She had no idea what half the things were. "What exactly are hemp noodles and peanut sauce?"

The waitress rolled her eyes and spoke like she was talking to a 5 year old. "It's like a Thai dish. Everything's made organically from the chef's home garden. You can't get anything else like it in the city."

"Oh, um okay. I'll have one of those then. Thanks."

The waitress scribbled something quickly on her pad of paper, and turned to Jess, beaming, "And for you, cutie?"

Jess looked at Rory and winked, "I'll just have one of those too." The waitress popped a bubble of gum and walked off to place their order. The two quietly snickered into their plates.

"So," Rory started.

"So?" He leaned closer, folding his arms on the table.

"So, I started your book," she smiled brightly.

"No, already? You couldn't have waited till I was out of town?" Jess looked away, a deeper shade washing over his face.

"No, I couldn't. I started as soon as you left. And I'm only half done, so don't be too embarrassed."

"Who's embarrassed? I gave it to you, didn't I?" He still wouldn't meet her eye though.

"Jess, it's amazing! I'm riveted! I'm at the part where Miles just escaped and has the whole area looking for him. I don't know what to expect, it's so original!"

"Ya, well, thanks, I guess." He covered his mouth with his hands.

"How did you come up with the idea?"

He shrugged and rubbed his arm absently, "I don't know, to be honest. Life got pretty rough there for a while, especially after... well. I ran out of money for books, and I was never in a place long enough to buy all the library memberships, so I just... came up with something on my own I guess. Why not, you know?"

"Ya, that makes sense. So you travelled a lot?"

"I guess I did. Took a few jobs here and there. Met some really interesting people. Stars Hollow is officially not the weirdest place I've seen anymore, if it makes you feel better."

"I never doubted!"

"So when I was ready to settle down in New York, Liz wasn't there anymore. Luke and I didn't leave on great terms, so I just decided to keep going and ended up in Philly. I really liked it, and then I met the guys at Truncheon, and here I am. It all happened quickly, to be honest. I'm still kind of reeling."

"Wow. You have lived, Jess."

He nodded, "you could definitely say that."

"I still can't believe you wrote a whole book. I'm so proud of you. The biggest thing I've done is... well, I stole a boat."

"You what?"

"I stole a boat. I know. It was a really bad time in my life and I wasn't really thinking. I don't know. I really regret it. It's sort of what started this whole thing with my mom."

"I can't believe it. Rory Gilmore, criminal master-mind?"

"Oh, there was definitely nothing masterful about it. I got caught almost immediately and got into a lot of trouble. I- It was not one of my finer moments."

Jess pursed his lips, surprised. This was not the same girl he thought he was coming back to.

A clunk on the table notified them that the waitress had arrived with their food. "There you are, enjoy," she mumbled and stalked off back to the bar.

The plates were covered in a mud-green goo with thin, stiff brown logs stuck in here and there. It smelled like marmite. Rory sniffed cautiously and then took a tentative bite. After a few moments of trying to chew, she picked up her napkin and removed to rubbery noodle from her mouth.

"Aw, I think we should have gone with the veggie burgers. This is pretty bad," she laughed awkwardly.

Jess was still staring at her with a puzzled look on his face.

"What?" she asked. "Do I have something in my teeth?"

"You're different," he accused.

"I'm sorry?"

"You're different. You've changed."

"Well, probably. It's been a long time, Jess. You've changed too."

"Ya, but the last time I saw you-"

Her eyes flashed in warning. "Go on. The last time you saw me, what?"

"You were going places. Now you're stealing boats?"

"Ya, well, you were going places too, weren't you? You went really fast if I remember. I barely had time to open my eyes and you were gone again."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means, Jess." She stood up suddenly.

"What is your problem?"

"It's been great catching up, Jess. It really has. But I don't need a lecture about how crappy my life's become compared to how great yours is. I'm glad for you, I really am, but this is just too much. I don't deserve this from you. Not after you break my heart every time I see you."

Jess stood up with her. "I'm sorry, but don't give me all the credit here. Who walked out last time, cuz it sure as hell wasn't me."

"Just because I wouldn't run off with you doesn't mean I was-"

"Excuse me," the waitress popped in, beaming again. Rory and Jess stopped, glaring at each other. "I'm sorry, but is there a problem here?"

"No, there's no problem," Jess said.

"Great," the waitress' smile softened, not entirely sure if she should believe him or stick around to see if she'd get her opening. Rory glared at her some more, and the waitress decided to watch from afar.

"I think I'm ready to go home now," Rory said.

"Fine." Jess took a twenty out of his pocket and threw it on the table.

"Actually, that comes to thirty-two twenty nine," the waitress chirped from the bar. Jess rolled his eyes and threw down another twenty.

"Where are you going?" Rory snapped.

"I'm your ride, aren't I? Just get in the car and then I'll run away again for you."

The two marched out into the car, both slamming their doors. They drove in silence. Rory turned the stereo on, only to have a sweet melancholy tune blast from the speakers. Jess pushed stop, and changed the CD player to a rock station as fast as he could, still glaring ahead. She pretended not to notice.

They pulled into the driveway and he waited for her to get out. She paused, lost in thoughts, and then leaned over to turn the radio off.

"What do you mean you weren't the one who left last time?"

"What? Rory, let's not start this again, okay?"

"No, what do you mean? Because I was the one that woke up to an empty room. I'm just curious as to how this translates into you not being the one that left." She was breathing hard, still furious.

"What are you talking about? I came in and you'd packed everything up. You were gone."

"You came in?" She stopped, more baffled than ever. "Where did you go?"

"I went to get us coffee," he looked down, not sure whether he should be yelling or if he should be embarrassed.

"Coffee?" She was dumbfounded. Her memories flooded back to her in a rush of pain and confusion.

"Ya, Yale was all closed up, so I had to search around."

"Oh," Rory got very quiet. "I thought you had..."

"Nope. Not that time, at least."

They looked at each other in the darkness, realizing the mistake they had both made. Neither knew what to do. So much time had passed, so much heartache. Slowly, clumsily, they began to inch towards each other.

A car pulled into the driveway, making them jump apart.

Rory leapt out of Jess' car as fast as she could, terrified her grandmother had come home early. Jess just stayed seated in the car for a moment, wrapping his head around what had nearly happened. Then he got out, preparing himself to face the wrath of Emily Gilmore.

"Logan!" Rory said to the blond guy getting out of his Porsche.

"Am I interrupting something?" He looked intimidating and far too good-looking to be of any substance.

"No! Hey, when did you get back?" She forced a grin on her face, and Jess knew how thin it was.

"A couple hours ago." The man glared at Jess, who looked on, perturbed.

"Oh, I thought you were getting back tomorrow."

"Thought I'd surprise you, Ace."

"Well, I'm glad you did, because you get to meet my old friend! Jess, this is Logan, my boyfriend." She looked down, "Logan this is Jess. He's in from out of town." The two men stared at each other, not saying anything. They smiled at Rory when she looked at them in turn. The silence crept on.

Logan offered a hand to Jess, finally. "Nice to meet you." Jess shook his hand and nodded. Logan put an arm around Rory and smiled politely.

"So how long have you two known each other?"

"A while," Jess said, looking at Rory.

"You date?" His smile got wider, more plastic.

"Yes, we used to date." Rory glared at Logan.

"Ah, no beating around the bush, I like your style. So what do you do, Jess?"

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that." Jess was losing patience, ready to leave.

"He writes! Jess wrote a book."

"Oh. You penned the great American novel, Jess?"

"Wasn't quite that ambitious."

"So what are we talking here? Short novel? Kafka length, or longer. Dos Pasos? Tolstoy? Or longer? Robert Musil? Proust? I'm not throwing you with these names, am I?"

"You seem very obsessed with length."

"You should send me a copy."

"Ya, sure. Where I do I send it? The blond dick at Yale?"

"Jess!"

"Listen, it's getting late, I should head out," Jess turned, past his limit.

"Ya, sounds good, man. Rory, hop in. I'm taking you out." Logan got in his car, waiting. Jess turned and walked back to his car.

"Jess, wait." Rory ran after him.

"It was a mistake to come here," he said angrily in Logan's direction.

"I'm so sorry Jess, he's not normally like that." She looked away, clearly upset.

"You know, that guy's a jerk. I can't believe you're with – we used to make fun of guys like that."

"Yes, today he was a jerk, but he's not normally. He's just tired, he was travelling all day, and-"

"What the hell is going on?" He almost yelled.

"I told you, he's tired, and his family's bugging him right now, and-"

"Not with him. Screw him. I mean with you. What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?" She looked stunned.

"You know what I mean. I know you. I know you better than anyone. This isn't you."

"I don't know," Rory glared, getting defensive again.

"What are you doing? Living at your grandparents' place, being in the D.A.R, no Yale. Why did you drop out of Yale?"

"It's complicated!" Her anger bubbled back up.

"It's not, it's not complicated."

"You don't know!"

"This isn't you! What's going on Rory?" He waited for her to answer. She was ready to yell back, but she stopped. He was right. About everything. This wasn't her, and she knew it. She'd been pretending for so long, slowly becoming her grandmother's perfect pet that she'd forgotten who she was and the things she'd worked for. The people she loved.

"I don't know," she said, quietly. "I don't know."

He stopped, catching his breath. "Listen, maybe this was a bad time. I'll see you later maybe, when things are better." He turned and got in his car. "Happy birthday, by the way," he said through the open window. "Wasn't that a few weeks ago?" He smiled softly then turned to the road.

She sat there stunned and watched him drive off.

Logan rolled down his own window and called over to her. "Ace, you coming?"

She took a breath. "Go away, Logan!"

"What, did he say something to you? Forget him! I'm taking you out somewhere nice."

"No, Logan, I'm not going anywhere with you. Just go. Go home." She was tired, and she had a lot on her mind. She really didn't have the energy to deal with him right now.

Rory turned on her heel and walked back into the cold old house. She leaned against the door and heard Logan's car drive away slowly into the darkness.

A/N: Mua ha ha. This time I'm not sorry! ;)