Note: Judging by the lack of reviews for the last chapter, I take it I've left some of you puzzled about Rory quitting her job, and Jess' odd response. Don't worry, I have a plan for it. I know it seems that the story is moving very slowly, but after 8 years you have to build up to it. Things will start moving a little faster after Chapter 6, (I think).

Chapter Five

Jess had only made it through about a quarter of the summary page of Rory's manuscript when she began to wake. "Must not have been pining too awful hard for Luke's pancakes." He teased.

"You're not Luke."

"True, but when someone makes you pancakes, and you fall asleep...Let's just say that my fragile ego is bruised." She wrapped her hands around the oversized coffee cup and cautiously took a sip.

"Okay, it's your turn now. I have a question for you." She drove her fork into the now cold mountain of pancakes as if planting a victory flag. "When I told you that I quit my job, I fully expected you to lose it, but you barely even flinched."

"That's not a question." He grinned.

"I know. Why didn't you? Like you did when I quit Yale and moved in with the grandparents?"

"Wow. You really want me to yell at you, don't you? I'm not going to do it. It wasn't right back then, and it isn't right now." He sat in silence for a moment, reflecting on that night. "I'm sure they'll be plenty of people back in Stars Hollow that will be glad to make you feel like a failure, Rory. I'm not going to be one of them."

She winced, thinking about having to tell her mom and Luke, not to mention the rest of the town, that she couldn't hack it in New York. "Maybe I should call Babette and let her spread the news around for me."

"You don't owe those people anything. Let them talk. They'll get over it." The calmness had all but disappeared from his voice, sounding more like the Jess that she remembered.

"You don't have a Christmas tree." She observed, as she glanced around the room, searching desperately for a way to change the subject.

"So? Do you have one in New York?" He answered, bitterly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"I'm not usually in New York for Christmas." She felt the nervousness creep back into her veins, making every move seem jumpy and awkward. "You avoided my question earlier. Are you happy, Jess? Tell me about you."

"There's not much to tell. I own a larger share of Truncheon, which only means that I work more than I used to. I write whenever I get the chance. I have a great place. Nothing else has changed since the last time you were here."

"You do have a great place," She noted, leading him to believe that she hadn't noticed how he had glossed over any of the personal details of his life. "Do you still have roommates? It's so big, so quiet. It would drive me crazy to live here alone."

She wasn't intentionally prying, just trying to imagine herself living in this grand brownstone instead of her small apartment. "My apartment in New York is smaller than the apartment that you shared with Luke." She added when he didn't answer.

"I used to have a dog, but that didn't work out. Can I get you some more coffee?" Without waiting for her response, he jumped up from his chair, grabbed her coffee cup and escaped into the kitchen.

"So, what happened with the dog?" She followed behind him, not waiting for an invitation.

Standing at the counter, with his back turned towards her, he sighed. "Do you want to get out of here?" He asked, head hanging and shoulders slouched.

"Jess, are you okay?" She asked, slowly closing the gap between them.

Concerned, she reached out to him, placing her hand atop his. "There's a great used book store just a couple blocks away." He flinched, at her touch, and turned to face her.

"So obviously, you're not okay."

"They have a huge room in the back dedicated to vinyl." She finally relented, feeling terrible for bringing up a sore subject.

"The last time you were like this, we had pizza." She recalled.

"Pizza, books and records, it is." He linked her arm in his. "Shall we?"

Cont'd Note: This one was a bit short. I honestly re-wrote the entire ending about 3 times. I hope that you're reading between the lines, and are figuring out a little of where I'm going with some of this stuff. It's hard to know because I already know where I'm going.

As always, I'd love to hear what you're thinking. Thanks for reading, and happy, happy new year!