A/N: Literati reunited! I hope you like it! :)

Jess didn't know what to say. They said the hello but he wasn't sure what was next. He dropped his bags on the floor, not thinking about how they were in the way. Babette and Miss Party looked back and forth between the two of them, wondering who would move first. It turned out it was Rory who did.

She climbed out of her seat and walked right up to him, hugging Jess to her. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, inhaling the scent of just Rory. She moved away first, feeling their audience's eyes on her. Jess gave her a small smile and picked up his bags. "I'm gonna bring these upstairs."

Rory nodded. "Okay. You'll be back?"

"Yeah," he told her. "I'll be back."

She gave him a small smile too and Jess walked up the stairs with his bags in hand. Luke returned seconds later with pancakes and a burger, placing it in front of Rory. She began eating her food and finally Luke's staring got to her.

"What?" She asked with her mouth half full. She swallowed and waited.

"I forgot to tell you Jess was coming," he replied.

"Why is he -"

Her words were cut off by the person in question returning from the upstairs apartment. "Hey, Uncle Luke."

"Jess," the older man said as he walked towards him. The two shared a hug which everyone in the diner stared, not just Rory. None of them were used to either men showing affection unless with a Gilmore girl. "The drive here was all right?"

"It was fine," Jess answered. "You remember I have a better car now than I did in high school right?"

Luke laughed a little and Babette's eyes almost popped out. Rory smiled at her shocked expression and kept watching the boys. "Yeah, I do. I have to take some orders. I'll be back."

Jess stayed in place when Luke walked to tables and jotted down orders. Rory spoke first this time. "How long as you here for?"

"A few days," he shrugged. "Luke asked me to come sooner so I did."

"Is this because of the expansion?" She asked. "My mom told me they were going to try to add a new room."

He nodded. "I think so. I'm not sure how much good I'd do helping with construction, though."

"You'll be fine," she told him, remembering how he knocked the wall out of the upper apartment before Tom started his work. Rory looked up from her meal again and looked right at him. "Are you going to stand there this whole time?"

"Maybe," Jess smirked.

She patted the seat beside her. "Sit. Ignore the staring."

Miss Patty and Babette looked away and out the window when her words came out. Jess smiled at her and sat down beside her. The first thing he noticed was her food. "Some things never change, I see."

"I like some things just the way they are," she grinned, taking a mouthful of pancake into her mouth. After she chewed and swallowed, she went on. "Other things got better with change."

She was staring at him now and he was staring back. Jess was about to say something but Luke came back towards them, shoving his notebook into his back pocket. "How's your food?"

"Great," Rory smiled at her stepfather. "I was starving."

"When are you not?" Jess smirked, back into teasing tones. She stuck out her tongue which just made him smirk bigger. "Real mature."

Luke watched them, noticing the playful tones to their conversation. He shook his head and tried to block out in the questions he was thinking of. "Jess, you want something to eat?"

"Can I get pancakes too?" He asked.

Luke smirked. "Only if you pay."

Jess put his wallet on top of the counter. "I'm set."

...

Emily was glaring at her soon-to-be son-in-law. Lorelai nudged her, shaking her from her disapproval. "What is it, Lorelai? Must you hit people?"

"Must you glare, mother?" She asked back in her mother's tone. "I'm about to marry that guy and we're at my rehearsal dinner. Can you at least pretend to be happy for me?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake," the older woman said. "I am happy for you, Lorelai."

Lorelai squinted her eyes at her mother then looked over to Rory who shrugged in confusion. "Then why are your eyes shooting daggers at my fiancé?"

"He invited that boy!" She shout-whispered.

"What boy?" Lorelai asked.

"The one who got Rory into the accident!" She exclaimed in her still low voice. "The one who showed up to my home with a black eye and then ran out. Why would he invite her ex- boyfriend to your wedding anyway?"

Rory leaned forward, unable to keep quiet anymore. "Grandma, Jess is Luke's nephew."

"Really?" Emily asked her granddaughter. "How come I didn't know of this?"

"Mom, you did know of this," Lorelai answered. "We've told you this many times. Including the time you learned of Rory dating him and when the accident happened."

Emily made an unimpressed face. "I don't recall that."

"Of course," Lorelai sighed.

"Whatever is that supposed to mean?" She questioned her daughter.

"It means of course you forgot that," she told her. "You only remember the bad things about him."

"I fail to see where him and the man you're marrying being related is a good thing," Emily remarked.

Rory sighed. "It is a good thing, Grandma. A very good thing, in fact."

"Really?" She turned to her granddaughter. "Then why is he not here? He's the best man, for heaven's sake."

"He's working," Rory answered. "He'll be here for the wedding, Luke said."

"But this is the rehearsal dinner," she complained. "It needs to be perfect. If he shows up with a black eye in two days..."

"He just needs to stand in front beside Luke, Mom," Lorelai said. "He's not missing much."

"Fine," Emily almost huffed. Lorelai was glad no one was beside them right now.

"Grandma, he's changed," Rory interjected. "A lot since you met him. He wrote a book and works at a publishing house. He's doing really good."

She looked at her skeptically. "Why are you so defensive of him? And where is Logan anyway? He should be here."

Rory shook her head. "I'm defending him because he doesn't deserve what you think of him. And Logan is on a business trip with his father."

"Will he be here in time for the wedding?" She asked, ignoring the first part about Jess.

"No,", Rory answered. "He's gone for the week. I tried to get him to change it but his father was very insistent they go now."

"Well, all right," Emily accepted that. "Tell him to come to dinner the next time he's in town."

Lorelai interrupted. "How come Logan gets that response to not being here but Jess who will be here tomorrow gets tied to the stake?"

Rory looked down at the floor. She didn't like Logan not being here either but she had to admit she was glad Jess and Logan wouldn't see each other. They had only met that one horrible night and did not want a show to happen at her mother's wedding. But she had to admit, her mother's question was one she was thinking of but would never admit.

"Because Logan is not in the wedding party," she glared at Luke again.

"There's three people in the wedding parry, Mom," Lorelai reminded her. "My best friend isn't even in it."

"But Logan is your son-in-law," Emily insisted. "He should have been included."

"Mom..."

Rory watched behind their heads and exclaimed happy. "Grandpa!"

Both Lorelai and Emily turned to look at him. Emily's expression changed to a smile as she got up to see him. Lorelai leaned forward to her daughter. "Can you imagine if your husband was coming? He and Jess would get into a fight probably. Worse than him and Dean possibly."

Rory shuddered, remembering that disastrous party then the night Logan and Jess met. "That would not be good."

Richard walked up them with a sming Emily at his side. "Hello, Lorelai, Rory."

"Hi, Dad."

Rory jumped put of her seat."Hi, Grandpa. How are you?"

"Very well, thank you," he answered. "And both of you? Nervous, Lorelai?"

"Nah," she waved her hand in front of her. "I'm as cool as a cucumber."

Richard smiled at his daughter. "That's pretty cool."

Lorelai made a small shrug with a smile and Rory laughed. "How was your doctor's appointment?"

"It went quite well, actually," he assured him. "I'm perfectly healthy."

"That's great, Dad," Lorelai said, now standing beside her father and hugged his side.

Richard looked behind him at someone. "Who is Luke talking to? I don't believe I know her."

The three Gilmore girls looked to where Richard was looking and Lorelai grinned. "That's his sister, Liz."

Emily looked horrified. "Does that mean she's -"

"Shared parents with my future husband? Yes," Lorelai replied.

Her mother rolled her eyes. "I meant is she that dreadful boy's mother?"

"Yes," Rory groaned, not feeling in the mood to correct her. "She is Jess' mother."

"Is that your writer friend?" Richard asked excitedly. "I've been wanting to meet him."

"It is," Rory nodded. "He's coming tomorrow so you should get to meet him at the wedding or sometime before."

"Excellant," he smiled. "I believe I heard something about him being a Hemingway fan."

Lorelai laughed. Rory stiffled her own. "That he is, Grandpa."

...

"Do you want to get out of here?" Jess asked Rory when they were both finished with their food and her third cup of coffee.

She looked at him surprised then nodded. "Where would we go?"

"Anywhere," he said. "The stares in here have only gotten worse."

Rory looked around at the even more crowded diner now. Almost everyone was here. She was a little surprised to not see Taylor now. "You have a point."

Jess stood up, putting money down for his uncle and held out his hand. "Come on."

Rory bit her lip then jumped out of her seat, attempting to put her own money down for the food. Jess held up a hand. "Don't. I paid for you, too."

She smiled at him, a silent thank you in the air then took his hand. They both shouted a goodbye to Luke and were out of the diner before he came out to see them. Jess was still holding Rory's hand as they walked across the street out of the diner. Neither of them tried to let go either.

"Now are you gonna give me a guess on where we're going?" She asked.

Jess shook his head. "Nope."

"Jess." As soon as she said his name, it felt normal. It was forever since they were like this and it was just as casual as if they were 17 again. As if no time had passed and they talked everyday.

He held her hand for just a few minutes longer, finally thinking he's holding her hand and should probably let go. She looked down at her hand without his and missed Jess holding it.

Rory followed Jess out past the usual places. Finally he walked into a brush of trees and she realized she knew their destination. She glanced over at him, her eyes shining. "The bridge?"

Jess nodded. "If there ever was someplace I liked in this crazy town, it was here."

"You mean you didn't like when we went anywhere that wasn't here?" She teased.

"That's different," he shrugged. "I was with you."

She stopped walking even as Jess moved ahead of her and reached the bridge. He turned around and saw Rory still standing in place. "You coming?"

"Yeah," Rory snapped out of her trance and started moving again. Jess sat down and let his feet dangle over the bridge's edge. She sat beside him and let the déjà vu wash over her.

"I can't believe it's still here," he said. "Wasn't there a million fundraisers to repair this or tear it down?"

"Yep," she laughed. "Something always got in the way of actually doing it so Taylor decided to just keep it as is."

"Good," he nodded. "Because I have too many memories here."

"Luke pushing you in the lake?" She laughed.

Jess nodding, making a face as he did. "That's definitely one of them."

"What else?" She asked. Rory knew exactly what memories she was thinking of but wanted to hear him say them.

"Bid a basket," he answered with a smirk. He chose one of the safer memories. "That was fun."

"You were such a jerk that day," she pointed out.

"Yet you went to get pizza with me and to the bookstore after," he accused back.

Rory smiled. "Touché."

"You know," Jess leaned closer to her and spoke in a whisper. "Ernest still only has lovely things to say about you."

Rory laughed. "You haven't changed."

As soon as she said the words, she regretted them. Jess had changed more than anyone she had ever met, even Paris who went from her enemy to one of her best friends. He looked over at her and noticed her serious expression as compared to her previous smiling one. He tried to lighten the tension. "Haven't I?"

"You have," she agreed and decided to tell him what she had been thinking seconds before. "More than anyone."

He nodded, surprised. "Really?"

"Really." She answered. "I always knew you could and now look at you. Three times published author. I'm really proud of you, Jess."

"Thanks," he told her. "That means a lot."

"Youre welcome," she told him. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever. He broke off the staring contest first and looked down at his feet just barely above the water. Rory followed along and looked at her own feet.

"Why did you call me the other day?" Jess broke the silence. "I mean, it had to be more than your mom's news."

"I don't know why I did it, to be honest," she admitted. "Mom mentioned you would be coming to help out and I just couldn't get you out of my mind. So I called you."

He nodded. "Why couldn't you get me out of your mind?"

"I don't know," Rory looked up across the water and fields instead of at her feet now. "Maybe because everytime we see each other, its weird and I don't want it be weird. I want us be like we used to be. Like friends."

"Friends, huh?" She nodded. "Is that even possible for us?"

"I think so," she said about thinking. "I mean, even when we were together, we had that friendship in our relationship."

Jess just simply nodded again and after a few seconds, he answered. "Okay."

"Okay," she smiled at him.

"Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you..." Jess started then was quiet. "Why did you tell me you and him...were divorced now?"

Rory took a deep breath. "It's been over for a while between me and him. In fact, the divorce has been final for a while. I thought you knew, actually."

"I didn't," he said. "No one really talks about you to me unless I mention you first. And even then, it's vague."

"People are the same with me," she agreed. "Even after all this time."

"You'd think they'd be over it by now," he said and she heard a double meaning in his words.

"Yeah, you would," she agreed. He didn't say anything after that and neither did she. They just sat there in silence until her phone rang. Rory answered her mother's call and told Jess she had to go. He nodded, telling her goodbye, staying there long after she left just thinking about what happened.