A/N: Who's missing Mrs Rossini? I know I am, so I started to write this little episode... and then the Lit took over my brain towards the end, but hey, there's still a lot Mrs R in it up to a point, and she got the title too ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

13. Grandma Italiano - 8th May 2008

"Rory, passerotta, if you scrub any harder, you will make a hole!"

Mrs Rossini wasn't even sure that Rory had heard her at first. She was so concentrated on cleaning the stains from the floor with all the strength she possessed, it was almost alarming.

"What?" she said, looking up fast when she felt a hand at her shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry," she apologised, realising what had been said to her.

"It is fine, mia cara," her friend promised, "but what is the matter? You are not yourself today."

Opening her mouth to answer, Rory closed it again fast when she realised she was about to lie. She really didn't want to do that, but she also didn't want to tell the truth either. It wasn't fair to Mrs Rossini if she did, but quite honestly, she really needed someone to talk to.

"I'm fine," she said, sitting back on her haunches and throwing the scrubbing pad into the bucket with a splash. "Honestly, Mrs R, I'm not the one with the problem."

The way she said it made clear to her friend what had her so mad.

"A lovers' quarrel?" she tried, wearing a smile she couldn't help when Rory looked up at her.

"I guess you could describe it that way," she admitted, even though she didn't care for the phrasing.

She and Jess were not like lovers so much lately, that was the larger part of the problem. She was going to talk to Lorelai about it, but the sex side of things always felt like a place she couldn't or shouldn't visit with her mother. Lane was usually an option but the Van Gerbig household was in the midst of a chicken pox epidemic - both the kids and Zach had gotten it all at the same time - so Rory couldn't really go there with her troubles right now. Paris was too far away and would doubtless be heavy-handed in her advice, and there was no way Rory was discussing sex with her grandmother. Mrs R might just be an option, if she could get past the embarrassment.

"Come with me," said the old lady, reaching for Rory's hand and helping get her to her feet. "Come tell Maria all your troubles. I cannot promise to have answerers, but you know I can listen."

Rory smiled and allowed herself to be taken to the living room where they sat down together on the couch.

"This isn't fair. I came here to help you with your cleaning."

"You came here to help me, and now I help you," Mrs R pointed out. "That is a fair trade."

"That's true," Rory agreed, knowing there was no way around it. "Not that I'm so sure you can help me. It's just... things are weird with Jess and me."

"Weird?" Mrs R echoed. "You are fighting?"

"No, not fighting. Well, we have fought, but it's not that. That's a symptom, it's not the problem."

As much as she would like to ask, Mrs Rossini didn't question what the problem actually was, she waited patiently for Rory to tell her. It was clear that she wanted to, but perhaps that she just didn't know where to start. After all these years, if there was one thing Maria Rossini had learnt, it was patience.

"The problem is... is that we're not... I don't think Jess wants me anymore," said Rory at last, fingers twisting together in her lap, eyes everywhere but on Mrs R. "I mean, in a... in a physical wanting kind of a way, y'know?"

"Oh, in that way." Mrs R nodded. "Rory, this is ridiculous. Look at you, bella. Such a beautiful young woman," she insisted, taking her chin in her hand. "How would a man resist? And when he loves you so much!"

"I don't know," said Rory tearfully. "I wish I did. I mean, all the time I was pregnant the first time, I worried about it. I worried I was fat and not attractive, and Jess could not have been more great about that. After Jack was born, we had no problems at all. It was the same with the second pregnancy, he was always reassuring me I was still beautiful to him, even when I knew I looked a real mess," she said, smiling through her tears a moment. "I thought after Tori was born, well, we had to wait a little while, obviously, but then I figured it'd be back to normal. Business as usual," she said, blushing some at the implication of what she was saying.

"And it is not?"

"Really not. Six months since Tori was born and nothing. Well, not absolutely nothing, but not... We haven't, y'know?"

If she wasn't the colour of a tomato by now, then Rory would be astounded. Mrs R seemed pretty okay about it though. She wasn't embarrassed at all to be hearing about Rory and Jess' sex life, or lack of same, as was the case.

"Well, I have not a lot of experience of married life, unfortunately," said Mrs Rossini thoughtfully, a sad smile playing at her lips. "My Gennaro and me, we had such a short time together, but I remember what my mamma told me about keeping a happy marriage - always keep the fights clean, and the sex dirty."

"Mrs R!" Rory gasped, but was soon laughing when she realised Mrs Rossini was doing exactly that.

It was such a shocking thing to come out of the mouth of an older lady, and yet, Rory sort of loved that she would say it. It was the kind of advice Rory's mother would give to her, she was sure, she just hadn't thought about old Italian ladies saying it back in the day.

"Oh, Rory, bella, sex is as old as time. You think because I am older, I never had any good times?"

"No, I don't think that." Rory shook her head. "I just... It's not something I thought about," she said diplomatically, wiping tears from her cheeks that were as much from laughing as crying. "All I know is, before Tori, me and Jess had no problems in the bedroom at all. Never. It's been great, always. Physical attraction was never an issue with us. When we were seventeen, it was the one thing that always worked, even when nothing else did, and now we love each other so much, we're both so committed, or at least, I think we are. I am."

"He is too," Mrs R insisted. "I see the two of you together, it is so clear."

"But then what is the problem?" asked Rory frustrated. "And I know you're going to say why don't I ask him. I know I should, but... Well, I guess I'm just afraid of the answer. What if he tells me he just doesn't... he doesn't feel that way anymore? Maybe he loves me but he can't... he's not attracted now, for some reason."

Mrs R shook her head. "Even you do not believe this," she said definitely. "You know what you have to do, passerotta. Talk. Communication. It is so important."

Rory nodded her head, knowing it was true, knowing she was never going to figure this thing out with Jess unless she just talked to him. Unfortunately, where physicality had always been their strong point before, communication never really was. Now she needed the one to get to the other, and that scared her.

"How is this?" said Mrs R then. "The bambina, she is sleeping still, and little Jack is happy enough with Sookie."

"He's playing with Martha. I'm not due to pick him up until four." Rory agreed.

"Okay. Then you go, find your man, talk out this problem. I can take care of Victoria until you are ready to pick her up."

"Oh, Mrs R, I couldn't..."

"You don't trust me?"

"You know that's not it," Rory insisted, ceasing to ramble when she noticed the smile on her friend's face. "You're teasing me."

"I am helping you," Mrs R insisted, her hand at Rory's shoulder. "Go, find Jess, make things right between the two of you, or I shall not be happy."

"Me either," Rory realised getting to her feet and grabbing her purse. "The baby bag is right here. It has a bottle, and diapers, and everything you need, but if anything happens, I have my cell."

Mrs R assured her she was fine and ushered Rory out of the door after another five minutes. The front door clicked shut behind her, not making much of a sound, and yet it woke Tori who started up crying.

"Oh, bambina, what is the matter?"

Mrs Rossini picked the baby up from her seat and cradled her in her arms, rocking her gently.

"Sweet Victoria, you are safe here. Mamma will be back when she has made peace with Poppa. You know your parents are one of the happiest couples I ever saw the whole of my life, and that is a very long time, bambina!

"Oh, there are times that they remind me of myself and my Genarro. I think sometimes of the family we could've had if he came home to me. Sons and daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren... but I am lucky. I have been adopted into this family. The Gilmores and Marianos and Danes, they take me in as one of their own. I end up with more family than even other Italians can claim, and you will learn that is quite the feat.

"Have no fear, bambina. Momma and Poppa will make everything right, and you will be happy family again before long. I promise."

She leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on Tori's forehead as her crying ceased and she settled down to sleep again. Mrs R smiled at her, then looked to the window and her smile grew. From here, she could see the road that led to the Mariano house, and Rory and Jess passing by on their way home. They were waving their arms and yelling at each other, not a good sign to some, but Mrs R had faith. So much anger and frustration, so many tears when Rory sat beside her and told her all the problems. It only proved how much they cared for each other and for their marriage. They would be just fine, she knew.

"Huh," said Jess, rolling onto his back beside Rory. "That is not how I saw this afternoon playing out."

"Me either," she said breathlessly. "Not complaining though."

"Nope, me neither," her husband confessed, unable to keep from smiling as he looked at her. "I think I owe your mom a gift."

"My mom?" Rory frowned, feeling just a little squicked that Jess was even mentioning Lorelai in a moment like this. "Why?"

"Well, I'm guessing you getting all insistent on talking this out was down to her advice. Stuff usually is."

Rory smiled at that.

"Actually, no," she confessed. "This was all down to Mrs R."

Jess' eyes went wide at the implication there, unsure how comfortable he was that he got lucky this afternoon thanks to a woman he saw as a grandmother figure in his life. It had been weird enough when he thought it was his mother-in-law's doing!

"I got upset and she asked why. I explained and she just... she said nothing was ever going to get fixed unless we talked. I needed to ask you what was up and you needed to tell me, otherwise my imagination was running riot and freaking me out."

"With your imagination, I'm not sure I wanna ask what you were thinking," said Jess, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head.

"Some of it was pretty wild," Rory admitted. "And even though I knew it was stupid, I was afraid of it being true. I should've known you had a real good reason for not wanting to... be with me," she said delicately.

"It just freaked me out is all," he told her what he had explained before they ended up here in the throes of passion. "After what happened with Tori, how bad it was for you, I... I was terrified of hurting you, of pushing you into anything."

"Even when I was practically throwing myself at you?" asked Rory, looking up at him.

"I never said it was rational."

"For what it's worth, I love that you care that much." Rory smiled, kissing his chin, his cheek, his lips. "But for the record, when your wife tells you she wants you, it's more than okay to want her too."

"I always want you, Ror," he promised, kissing her with a passion. "So, I owe Mrs R a gift, huh?" he said then, smirking wickedly.

"Apparently." Rory nodded. "She gave me some other advice too. Something about happy marriages being based on clean fights... and dirty sex," she said with a truly filthy look to match her words.

"Huh." Jess laughed at that, until he realised maybe she was being serious. "Oh, I think we're gonna have to get her a really, really fancy gift."

"I think so," Rory agreed, rolling onto her back and pulling Jess with her.

There were no more words, or really any coherent thoughts, after that.