Chapter 2

It was late and dark when Jess got into Stars Hollow. Luke had left him the key to the now-vacated apartment above Luke's Diner but, tired as he was, all Jess really wanted to do was to see Rory. He parked up his car and left his bags under one of the diner tables before locking up and heading out into the night on foot.

Stars Hollow looked much as it always had and Jess made a conscious effort not to wince. Besides, if he'd liked anything about the small town it was how quiet it was at night, how grey everything was when there weren't hundreds of street lamps and illuminated store fronts. And if he'd liked anything else, it was Rory, who he was on his way to see right now. Walking through Stars Hollow like he was, late at night down the familyar road to Rory's, made him feel almost sixteen again. Almost, but not quite; he had no desire to go back to the way he'd been at sixteen. Unless maybe if it would help him with his writing, he thought, laughing tightly to himself.

He had nearly reached the house now and he could feel nerves and memories swelling up in him as he walked up the driveway. Luke had told him about the walk they'd done on the house the first time around - before it had been Chris and Lorelai's house - so the new size didn't catch Jess off guard, instead compounding to him how much everything had changed. Well, not everything. Rory's curtains were still the same flimsy material and as he drew closer, Jess could tell that her reading lamp was switched on. Although that didn't mean Rory was necessarily awake, Jess moved over to the window and knocked gently, feeling deliciously like a truant. He'd made a lot of effort to reform himself over the years but he still got a thrill of doing something not expected of him, or exactly expected of of him as the case may have been.

Jess saw movement behind the curtains and clenched his fists out of nerves. No wonder he came across as aggressive sometimes. He made a conscious effort to relax his fingers and smile as Rory pulled back the curtain and gasped: "Jess."

Jess could feel his smile widening. He felt ridiculous and fantastic at the same time. Ridiculously fantastic and fantastically ridiculous.

"Hey Ror."

She leant towards the glass, tilting her eyes upwards.

"What are you doing here?" Her whisper was gentler but still slightly reprimanding. So Rory hadn't changed that much, even with Logan. And getting arrested. For stealing a boat. Jess shook his head; he couldn't focus on those things right now - he was with Rory. In person.

"You okay, Jess?"

"Oh. Yeah, sorry. I'm here because I wanted to see you."

Rory raised her eyebrows at him, gave him her 'I'm so wise' look - Rory.

"It's midnight."

Jess tried to cough back a laugh but her escapades with Logan were already on his mind.

"I know. I thought you were the wild one now?" he joked.

Rory's jaw tightened slightly but she took his what he'd said with a weary smile that said 'well, this was going to come eventually'.

"Not any more. Not really. You know that."

Jess' smile softened and he looked to her.

"Yeah, I do." He paused. "I still wanted to see you."

She sighed. Releasing tension? Nerves? Or was that just him?

"I wanted to see you too."

Jess' grin was back with a vengeance. Seeing Rory really did make him feel younger, fitter, more alive.

"You gonna open this window?"

Rory left it a beat, contemplating variables he could only guess at.

"Okay, give me a second."

She fumbled with the latch for a few seconds and then pulled at the window, cringing slightly when it squeaked, until it was open wide enough for Jess to pull himself through. Soon, they were standing, staring, silently at each other, the night time wind blowing quietly at the papers and books around the room.