Note: Thank you to all how have followed and reviewed. Your kind words continue to motivate me. I hope to continue to inspire your support.

Chapter Four

"Jess, I can't breathe." Rory teased. She had felt the urgency in his embrace, and it both scared and thrilled her. It forced so many buried feelings to bubble back to the surface, some good and some bad, but none that she could deal with at this particular time.

"If I let you go, promise you won't make a break for it?"

"I couldn't if I wanted to. My legs have turned to jelly." He released her from his grip and held his hands up in surrender pose.

"This doesn't work if you don't let go too." Rory's arms were still wrapped around him, her hands exploring the muscles that didn't exist the last time they were this close.

She couldn't be sure, but she was fairly confident that the room was spinning. She reluctantly lowered her arms. "So, what do we do now?"

"Let's see. What do I really want to do?" He paused for a moment, just long enough to give her the wrong idea, before taking her hand and leading her to the couch.

"Jess, I don't..." She stammered nervously behind him, hoping that there was no outward sign to betray her racing heart. He had always had that effect on her, and he knew it.

"You're blushing, Gilmore. What did you think I was gonna do?" The shade of pink that had softly lit her cheeks now turned to a crimson red as she struggled to explain.

"I...We...That..Jess!..." He laughed, as he pulled up a chair to sit across from her.

"I've forgotten how much I love to watch you squirm." He grinned. "Now what do I want to do? There's so much, you know. I have a huge mental list of all of the places that I have wanted to see with you, but really it's up to you."

"It's your birthday. You pick."

"I want to be here with you. I want to talk. It's one of the things I've missed most about us. The way I see it, there's eight years worth of stuff that has went unspoken. Spare no detail. I want to know everything."

She couldn't remember the last time that they had had a good talk. Meaningful conversations were not something born from occasional e-mails and text messages.

She glanced down at her feet, as she searched her memories of the years trying to find something comfortable enough to share. "Oh, I know! Your hotdog stand moved."

"Drop the act, Rory," He implored. "There's something going on with you and it's not about our hot dog stand. Talk to me."

"I quit my job, Jess." The words flew out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I was having a really bad day and I don't know how to fix it."

She waited for his response, afraid of hearing the same disappointed tone she had heard when he confronted her about dating Logan and quitting Yale.

"Please, say something." She begged after more than a few minutes passed in silence. "Yell at me, tell me how stupid I am. Just say something."

"You're not stupid, Rory. You've come to the wrong person if that's what you're looking for." She was surprised by the calmness in his voice, after having braced herself for his wrath.

"I must be stupid. I quit the New York Times, Jess." She rolled her eyes back, successfully warding off the tears that had started to blur her vision.

"So? There are other jobs, and other cities, Rory. This isn't the end of the world." Once again, he surprised her. "That must have been one hell of a day. What happened?"

"Really it was more like a bad year. At first I thought it was losing my grandfather, but then it was the deadlines, the pressure, the expectations, the failed relationships. It was coming home to that damn empty apartment every night. I've been pining for Stars Hollow, Luke's pancakes, my mom and..." She cut herself off, not ready to admit aloud what she already knew in her heart.

"Taylor? Kirk? Finish your thought, woman. Don't leave me hanging here." He joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"It's nothing. I guess I just needed to get away, change the scenery."

"Well, you're in luck. I happen to know a little something about pancakes. Don't move." She smiled, as he stood and walked into the kitchen.

A half hour passed before he emerged from the kitchen, a large plate of pancakes and cup of coffee in tow. In the meantime, Rory had curled herself into a ball and fallen asleep. He sat the plate down on the coffee table in front of her, and waited for the aroma of the coffee to wake her. When that failed, he picked up the manuscript she had given him, figuring that she wouldn't mind so much if he started reading it since she wasn't consciously there.

He turned to the first page and found himself staring at the dedication. It was simple, just two words, italicized. "For Dodger". He braced himself and turned the page.

I must acknowledge the song that helped me finish this chapter. If you're looking for an insight into what I was going for, listen to "Somewhere Along the Way" by Dawes. The first verse of that song perfectly explains how Rory is feeling about life and her decision to quit her job.