The phone rang three times before a voice picked up on the other end. Jess waited patiently as his uncle came on the line with a disgruntled, "Hello?"

"Hey, Uncle Luke," he said sweetly. "You have anything you wanna share with me?"

Luke made a sound on the other end. "So you've seen her."

"That depends on who you mean," he replied. "Could be the Queen. Could be Meryl Streep. Or maybe its my now ex-girlfriend."

"Cut the act, Jess," he sighed.

Jess immediately did as he was told. "Did you know she was coming here?"

"She may have told me," he answered. "After Lorelai asked me where Jimmy lives."

"Fuck," he whispered. "Did you consider asking me?"

"What would I ask you?" He said. "If I asked you, you'd have said you don't want to see her."

Jess stood up straighter as he leaned against the kitchen wall. No one else was home and he was grateful he chose now to make the call. "Because, right now, I don't want to see her."

"Oh, come on," Luke said. "So she kept knowing Jen from you. She just didn't know how to tell you. You don't have to go to Jimmy over that."

"I didn't go to Jimmy over...that," he sighed.

Luke groaned to himself. "What did you do?"

"I made it worse," he rubbed his eyes, as if it would erase what happened.

Luke turned into protective mode. He wasn't sure if it was protective over him or Rory, though. "How must worse did you make it?"

Rory, of course its her. "I said some...things. I was mad and I mentioned things I shouldn't have."

"Such as?"

"Remember Shane?"

"Jesus," Luke said under his breath.

"Yeah," Jess nodded in agreement. He regretted that part most of all, especially since he hasn't been prepared for her to retaliate about Dean.

"You're an idiot," Luke told him.

"No," Jess replied. "I'm an ass."

"So talk to her," he urged. "She's down there anyway. Might as well actually talk."

"I don't know if I can do that," he confided.

Another sigh on the other end and then, "Why not?"

"Because..." He sighed too this time. Did he really have to tell him? "Because I kind of threw in her face that I've...you know, been with, other girls before and after we were together the first time."

"You're right," Luke agreed. "You were an ass."

"And I'm a hypocrite," he admitted. "Because she told me something that I don't have the right to be mad about or to judge. And I'm not judging it. I'm just mad at who it involves."

"Is this about Dean?" Luke guessed.

Jess swore under his breath. "Does everyone know everything in that town? Wait. Don't answer that."

"Its okay to be mad about him," the older man told him.

"Really?" He wondered. "Because after what I said to her, it seemed like that was the perfect way to get back at me. She should be madder than me."

"Is she?" He asked.

"I don't know," he switched the phone to his other ear. "She's here, though so that says something."

"Are you?" He asked.

"I don't want to be," he told him the same thing he said to her.

"Then why are you?" He continued.

"Because its Dean," he sighed. "Because no one knows more than her and you how Dean makes me feel."

"Then tell her that," Luke urged. "Don't tell me."

Jess just sighed in reply.

...

Rory stuffed her hands into her pockets as she walked along the boardwalk. There was a slight breeze as she walked and it just felt nice. She decided to do a touristy thing while she waited for Jess to call. She couldn't stop her thoughts from turning to him, though.

Everytime she thought of how her birthday ended and when she went to see him at Jimmy's, she felt guilty. This whole thing started because she kept something from him. It didn't justify the after but she hurt him first by not telling him which made him want to hurt her.

She couldn't help but feel like this was their pattern.

Her walk continued a little further down the boardwalk until she reached a bench. Once seated, Rory pulled her phone out of her pocket and she clicked the gallery up. Her phone had a cheesy phone-chosen wallpaper for now. She had changed the picture of her and Jess that it was.

After a few minutes, she felt like there was eyes on her. At first, she thought maybe Jess was there. Rory took her eyes off her phone and looked up to see a girl about ten years younger than her staring.

The girl walked closer now, having seen Rory's face. It was almost like she recognized her. Her expression was almost excited, like she found something unexpected. Maybe she had, Rory thought as the girl made her way to stand right in front of her.

"Are you Rory?" The girl asked her.

"Yes?" She asked skeptically. Who would know her in California? Then something clicked in her head, a sort of sister Jess had told her about after her confession about the baby she'd lost.

"I'm Lily," she confirmed. "I don't know if you know who I am but -"

"Jess told me about you," Rory smiled softly. "He calls you his sister sometimes."

"I knew it," she laughed. "He likes to pretend he's not my brother but he actually is in lots of ways."

"It's sweet," she nodded. "He told me you read."

"He recommended books for me over the years," she shrugged as if its no big deal.

"He did the same for me," she told her.

Lily laughed. "This is so weird. I told him I wanted to meet you and don't take this the wrong way but what are you doing here?"

"I kind of broke up with Jess," she said. "And I didn't really mean to. I was angry and it just came out and I wanted to take it back but then he left."

"So you're here to get back together with him?" Lily asked.

"I don't know," she leaned back onto the bench. "I just want to talk to him. I want to fix this."

The younger girl nodded. "Have you seen him yet?"

"At Jimmy's," she answered. "He didn't seem happy to see me."

"That's ridiculous," Lily shook her head. "Of course he'd be happy to see you."

Rory almost laughed. "Are you forgetting that we broke up?"

"So?" She asked.

"So he probably hates me," she concluded.

Lily was still shaking her head. "No. Jess wouldn't hate you."

Rory was surprised at her confidence, especially considering she had so little. "He sure seemed like he did."

"That's just Jess being Jess," she smiled softly at Rory. "He acts like a jerk to hide how he feels."

Rory remembered that well enough. "Oh, I know that. Trust me."

"Can I sit?" Lily asked and Rory nodded. "I want to tell you something."

"What's that?" She asked.

"Jess is stubborn," she started. "He's stupid, impulsive and keeps to himself. He doesn't like to let anyone in just in case they let him down."

"Believe me when I say I know these things, too," Rory almost laughed again.

"But," Lily turned serious. "He also can be sweet and a great sort of older brother. He also lets that guard down for certain people, you and I included. And I've never seen him more in love with a person than you."

Rory turned in her seat to face the girl beside her. "I have a question. How did you know what I look like to come up to me?"

"Oh, that's easy," she brightened. "Jess has pictures of you. Always has."

"He did?" She asked. "Even - even after high school?"

"Oh, yeah!" Lily laughed. "He used this one of you two as a bookmark and I guess he forgot it was there. Jess let me use the book and I saw it and asked about you."

"What did he say?" Rory was very curious if he had told this girl what happened before he left.

"Just that you were his girlfriend," she answered. "That he messed everything up, disappointed you and his uncle, left."

"Oh," she said sadly. She almost hoped for excuses why Jess had left back then. Then she remembered what he said that night and had another question to ask. "That summer, did you ever see him with anyone?"

Lily looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Rory didn't really want to explain. "Was he ever with any girls? Did you see him with any?"

"I saw girls flirt with him," she recalled. "But I don't remember much else. I do know he didn't come back until morning a few times. Sasha was pretty mad."

She felt her heart sink. "Oh. Okay."

"Why?" Lily asked. She was definitely more perceptive than she guessed. "Are you asking if he had any girlfriends here?"

Rory shook her head. "No. Not girlfriends."

"Oh," Lily caught on and quickly tried to reassure her. "I'm sure if there was anyone, it didn't mean anything. He was way too in love with you."

"Thanks," she smiled weakly. "He kind of already told me there was other girls. I guess I just wondered if he said it to hurt me or was telling the truth."

Lily watched Rory's expression turn sad and reached into her pocket for her phone. "I got an idea."

"What?" She turned to look at her.

"Tell me where you're staying," she held her phone out, the notepad stared back at her from the screen. "I'll tell Jess to go see you."

"How did you know he didn't know?" Rory asked.

"Because if he did know, you would be waiting there in case he came instead of roaming the boardwalk," she replied.

"Maybe," her lips curled up almost into a smile.

"Type it," she pushed the phone closer. "I'll make sure he gets it."

Rory took the phone from her and typed her hotel and room in. She handed it back to Lily with a worried expression. "What if he really doesn't want to see me?"

"Then he won't go," she stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

She nodded in agreement. If he didn't come, he didn't come. Just like how so far he hadn't called. "At least this gives him more options."

"That's the spirit!" Lily nodded with a smile.

She left not soon after and went straight to her mother's house. Jess was in his room flipping through a book when she found him. She threw a piece of paper that she wrote Rory's address on at him.

"Go see her," she demanded.

Jess sat up straight and looked at the paper. "How did you get this?"

"Doesn't matter," Lily told him. "Just go see her already. She's not gonna wait for you so don't be a dumbass."

She charged out the door and he soon heard the front door slam shut behind her. Jess sat there and stared at the paper with Rory's hotel written on it. He thought back to their last conversations and to his surprisingly open conversation with Luke.

After a few minutes of thought, he grabbed his jacket, phone and the piece of paper and walked out the door.

...

It had been a couple of hours since she sat on the boardwalk with Lily. They had never formally introduced other than the younger girl knowing who she was but Rory felt like she could know her. After she left, hotel room number in hand, Rory made the walk back and called her mother.

There was the usual banter and asking how California was. Rory didn't tell her how she already not only saw Jess but met his, well she was calling Lily his sister anyway. It was close enough even if Jimmy and Sasha still weren't married. Lorelai asked her daughter how she was and wondered if suggesting going there was the right thing to do.

Rory told her she needed to do this, whether it was the right thing or the wrong thing. Her mother also causally mentioned hearing Luke earlier on the phone. Though she hadn't heard much of it, she assumed he was talking to Jess.

In the midst of wondering what that meant, there was a knock on the door. Rory sat up and stared at the door. It was either one of three - it could be Lily or it could be Jess. It could also be room service for all she knew, though.

She walked slowly to the door, hesitantly. The knob turned slowly and once it was open, she let out a breath in surprise. It was Jess after all. "Hi."

"Hi," he replied.

"Do you want to come in?" She asked him. Jess nodded and walked inside. "Do you want a drink?"

He shook his head and she shut the door. Once they were both inside, the air around them seemed awkward. Rory played with her fingers as she watched Jess walk around the room. "Lily told you where I am then?"

"Yeah, she practically threw the address and room number at me," he smirked. She hadn't seen it since before her party and actually grew to miss it.

"Does this mean you want to talk to me?" She asked quietly.

"I always want to talk to you," he confessed. "Just sometimes the urge to not tries to push it aside."

She nodded. "And what's it saying now? The urge?"

"That you're right," he explained. "We do need to talk."

Rory sat down and Jess followed, sitting as far as he could on the same piece of furniture. "How do we start?"

"I think I need to start with an apology," he smirked a darker one now. "I was an asshole and on your birthday of all nights."

"Its understandable," she commented. "You were surprised and angry."

"I was a dick," he added. "I never should have brought up Shane or sleeping with other girls in the first place."

Rory looked down at her hands, unable to meet his face. "Then why did you?"

"I don't know," he answered. "Because you met one ex of mine, the only one besides you who meant something. And to know you were hanging out with her for a while and I didn't know -"

"We weren't hanging out," she defended. "We were working. And it got weird once it kicked in that you loved her and I had to spend time with her."

"She knew your birthday," Jess said.

"Because she overheard me asking Leslie about the day off," she explained. "I didn't really tell her."

"Okay," he said. "I shouldn't have reacted like that, though. And I bet you're having high school flashbacks again, huh?"

"No," she replied. "Because high school Jess would have just been mad at me and told me to drop it. He'd never come and apologize about it."

"I think we need to talk about that," he found himself saying. "High school."

Rory was surprised to say the least. "You want to talk about high school?"

"The only way we'll get past it is if we talk about it, right?" He smirked again.

She nodded. "Okay. Um...you or me should start?"

"I told you I left because I thought you deserved better," he recalled the night they babysat Evan and Doula. "And you did. I was a jerk back then. I had a lot of growing up to do."

"And you did," she added.

Jess shook his head. "You say that but I feel that Jess in me sometimes. Like on your birthday. And that Jess should have treated you better."

"So tell me about when you left," she urged.

He took a deep breath. "Obviously I was on that bus to leave. And Luke had kicked me out when he found out I wasn't graduating. He told me he didn't mean it, he thought I'd stay. But I really thought he had really given up on me."

"He didn't," she said. "He came by the house and told my mom you left."

He looked over at her curiously. "He did?"

"He seemed panicked," she went on. "I was inside but my mom told me later you were gone. And even later than that, she told me how she knew. Luke was really worried."

"I didn't think he cared," he sighed. "I know now he does. But then I didn't. So it was a combination. I thought Luke gave up, I wasn't graduating, Jimmy came then everything with you and me..."

"Tell me about what happened at the party," she interrupted. "I want to hear you say you didn't get mad because I didn't want to have sex."

"I wasn't mad because you didn't want to have sex," he told her. "I had just found out I wasn't graduating, I drank a little too much and then you came in. I knew I was gonna lose you and I looked at you and I needed to feel close to you."

"So you kissed me,", Rory added in. "And tried to get my belt off."

"I didn't say I handled it right," he looked down. "I wasn't thinking straight and it doesn't justify what I did. But I never wanted to pressure you and I should have listened when you said no the first time."

"You followed me," she commented. "Were you gonna tell me about not graduating? Were you gonna apologize for trying to get me to have sex with you in some random bedroom at a party?"

"I don't even know," he answered. "I just knew I couldn't let you walk out that door and I couldn't let you think I was mad because of that."

"But Dean punched you," she remembered. "Right as you came down the stairs."

"That definitely did not help my mood," he almost had another smirk. "I shouldn't have walked away. I should have talked to you but I wasn't in the mindset to talk either."

"I was afraid to talk after," she remembered. "I came by the diner a bunch of times."

"I remember," he nodded. "I almost followed you outside."

"Why didn't you?" She asked. "You could have just told me but instead you said nothing until the morning you left."

"Because I was scared," he replied. "I was going to lose you anyway, whether we talked about it or not. We were never meant to last, Rory."

"I don't believe that," she said. "You were planning on being with me while I was at Yale. You planned on coming to my grandparents' house again."

"I planned it," he agreed. "But some part of me knew it wouldn't happen. I wasn't good enough for you."

"And why did you get to decide that?" She wondered. "Why couldn't I?"

"Because you seemed to think I had a future," he told her.

She leaned towards him an inch. "You did have a future. You do have one."

"Then I didn't," Jess explained. "Back then I was a smartass punk who left the only two people who ever gave a shit about him."

"Why did you promise me 22.8 miles then?" She asked.

"Because I hoped," he looked right at her. "Because that was before I failed out of school."

"So you even thought back then that we were doomed to fail," she stated rather than asked.

"No," he groaned. "Damn it, Rory. Don't twist my words."

"It sure as hell sounds like that," she replied.

"It's not," he shook his head. They were actually talking civilly and he didn't want to fight with her about this. If he did, he might say more things he'd regret.

"Okay," she sensed the change in the atmosphere and waited before speaking again. "So what was it like then?"

"I knew I'd eventually do something to mess everything up," he admitted slowly. "But I wanted to not mess it up."

Rory nodded. "Don't take this the wrong way but why was your solution to not tell about missing all that school or not telling me your dad showed up?"

"Because you'd see me as I saw me," he sighed. "You'd this irresponsible jerk who everyone was right about and move on with your life."

"I didn't see you as that," she stared at his face which caused Jess to look away. "When you came back...the first time, I wanted to talk to you."

"Huh," he just said.

"Why did you walk away all those times?" She asked. "Not before but when you came back, when you told me that -"

"I loved you?" He finished and Rory nodded. "Because I was still that mad kid with a chip on his shoulder. And because I just needed you to know how I felt."

Rory kept nodding. "And you didn't need to know how I felt?"

"I didn't deserve to know how you felt," he shrugged. "I didn't even deserve to have you feel anything for me at all."

"But it was okay to tell me you love me and leave?" She wondered. "I'm not saying it to start a fight. I don't want another fight. I just need to understand."

"I didn't plan on telling you," Jess sighed. "You were just there, rambling even though you were mad and I looked at you and I just..."

"Just what?"

"Loved you."

"Why did you leave?" She twirled her fingers together, first looking down at them then back to Jess.

His gaze stayed on her, though. "Because you still deserved better. I still needed to grow up."

"I wanted to tell you that I love you, too," she confessed. "Probably not at first. I'd probably continue being mad then led into that somehow."

"Why did you love me?" He asked. It seemed like his turn.

"Because you were the only person I was just me when I was with," Rory explained.

They both stayed silent for a few minutes. Rory almost regretted her answer and Jess thought about what that meant. Did she still mean it? And what did that say for Logan then?

She broke the silence first. The quiet was getting to her and she had a question she really needed to ask. "Why did you come to my dorm that night?"

Jess sighed, knowing he should have expected that one. "To tell you I was sorry."

"Why didn't you?" She asked. "You asked me to run away with you but never said an apology."

"Because of Dean," he put his hands through his now growing hair. "I saw him with you and I panicked. Which, now, seems valid except I guess it was my fault it's valid, huh?"

"Don't do that," she closed her eyes then reopened them.

"I'm not trying to fight, either," he replied. "I just wish I could change that night. I wish I never went to see you, especially if it means nothing would have happened between you and...him."

"Its not totally your fault, Jess," she stood up. He looked at her surprised that she was the first to break the calm they'd been having.

He stared at her from his seat. "You never answered when I asked -"

"I know," she sighed. "And I did blame you, when the guilt set in. Because you came in and out of my life again, after making this proposal. And Dean was asking me if we were back together..."

He scoffed. "So what then? He was just being a caring ex-boyfriend?"

"He wanted to be with me," she groaned. "I should have seen the signs. I was suspicious of him lying to Lindsey the night you came. But after you left, I cried. A lot. And then Dean was there and I remembered how it was before you broke my heart."

He waited patiently. He didn't want to judge her for that. God knows he made more than enough mistakes. He decided to listen to her about it because she probably couldn't even talk about it with anyone. He doubted even Lorelai.

"He told me he loved me and the ring was off," she continued. "And I don't know. I thought of you and how much I missed you and I didn't want to miss you. And how I dragged Dean along over you. I really tried to believe I still loved him. But I didn't, Jess."

"So why?" He whispered.

"I was stupid," she sighed. "And gullible. He didn't leave her. The only reason he did was because she kicked him out after finding my letter."

"You're not stupid," he told her.

Rory laughed humorlessly. "Yes, I was."

"No," he stood, too, now so he was facing her. "You're not. You were confused and dealing with me didn't help anything."

"The thing is, I liked your reappearances," she admitted. "Because as long as you randomly came back, I didn't lose you. There was still a chance I'd see you again."

A smile tried to appear on Jess' face at that. "Then I guess sorry it took me almost two years to come again?"

"I'm glad it did," she smiled and his officially won. "Because you went and did something for yourself. You needed that time away."

"That night at your grandmothers," he said. "I finally thought that if you chose to be with me ever again, I could deserve you."

"I'm sorry Logan interrupted," Rory told him. "I really did want dinner with just you."

"I know," he gave a small smile before it faded.

"But you got me back at Yale," she brightened. "You got me to talk to my mom again. I don't think I've ever thanked you for that."

"You did it," he waved it off.

"Maybe," she said. "But I needed a wake-up call from you."

"You're welcome," he told her and another seconds of silence passed. A question of his own burned on his mind and he just had to ask. "Can I ask something now?"

"Of course," she nodded.

Jess took a deep breath and finally asked. "Why did you come to Philadelphia?"

A/N: So sorry to cut it off there! I really wanted to get this up and if I didn't cut it somewhere, it never would have ended. That might not be a bad thing but I had to do it!

And I really wanted them to talk calmly about everything so if it seems OOC for them to just be this calm, let me know! I think we all had enough yelling and fights for now. Besides, I'd hope they would talk like this and just listen to the other when they finally discuss everything. I hope you like it though :)

Lastly, as always, thank you for the reviews! I wasn't seeing them as first but thankfully now they're showing up. I don't know what happened but I'm just glad they're visible now.