Jess flipped on the lights in his apartment and put down his bag. It felt weird for him to be back there and he hadn't really considered that apartment home in a while. He sighed, thinking back to that phone call where he said Rory was home.

It sent a dull ache through him when he realized she still was his home.

He turned on his phone at the thought of her. There was still that feeling of wanting to talk to her. It never really went away and Jess still wanted to tell her about the book. There was a voicemail waiting for him was probably from when he was at the airport of on the plane, he guessed. Jess didn't remember a call and when he hit play, he was sure he didn't remember it.

Rory's voice came through the speaker. "Hey, Jess. It's me. Obviously. I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for leaving so fast. Just everything felt like...like I was suffocating. I had to get out of there. And I didn't go back home. I'm actually in Stars Hollow. I don't know for how long yet but it's nice. Um, I miss you. I don't know how this thing works. What we decided. But there it is. I hope I see you soon and talk soon even. Bye."

He relistened to it two more times before making the decision to call her back. It rang a couple of times and he almost froze when he heard her.

"Hello?" Rory asked. "Jess?"

He took a deep breath before answering. "Hey."

"Hi," she said in a low voice.

"I got your message," he told her. "I'm sorry I missed it."

"That's okay," she replied. "I was worried you just didn't want to answer for me."

"No," he quickly defended. "I was...I came back to Philly."

"Oh," she sounded surprised.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Thought maybe it was time to actually work."

"That's great," Rory replied. There was a distance to her voice and he hated that he put it there.

"Rory?" He asked. "I'm sorry I made you leave."

"You didn't make me," she told him and he imagined a small smile that she would use to try to assure him that's the truth.

He let out a small smile of his own. "Yeah I did. But thanks for not saying it."

"No problem," she joked.

"So you're in Stars Hollow?" Jess found himself asking. "How's your mom?"

"Good," she answered. "We went to Friday night dinner."

Jess laughed. "Oh. That must have been a lot of fun."

"Eeh," she laughed, too. "It wasn't what I expected exactly."

He smirked as they eased back into old conversations. "That good, huh?"

"It started good," she answered. "But then I mentioned you and turns out Emily Gilmore can't change her stripes as fully as you'd think."

He sat down on his couch and put his feet up. "Who would have figured Emily Gilmore for a tiger?"

"Oh, I'm surprised you haven't already," she teased.

"I may have thought something to the extent," Jess shrugged in joke.

"Mom was pretty funny," Rory laughed again and he was glad for the sound. "She kept trying to change the subject. It was really amusing."

"What else did you do?" He asked once she stopped listing all the topic changes Lorelai gave.

She was quiet for a few seconds then spoke up again. "I mostly stayed at Mom's. Spent some time with Evan and saw Lane and the family."

"That sounds nice," he nodded.

"It was," she agreed. "And your mom's back. They got here this afternoon."

"Huh," he replied. "Guess the faire ended."

"We're having dinner with her, Doula and TJ tomorrow," Rory confirmed. "And April is coming to visit so its good timing."

Jess felt a pang at everyone getting together without him. "Sounds like a great family dinner."

"Hopefully," she missed his tone and kept the conversation going. "I don't know exactly how Doula will treat me this time around."

"She'll be fine," he assured her. "If you want, I can call her."

Jess pictured a relieved smile cross Rory's face. "You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah," he said but mentally added, there's not much I wouldn't do for you.

"Thanks, Jess," she said and this time he heard the smile on her words. "I don't want her to hate me."

"She doesn't hate you," he explained. "She's just very protective of me. Doesn't want me have another girl in my life that can distract from her."

"I guess she won't have that problem, now, huh?" She teased but he heard the sadness in her voice.

Jess instantly came out of teasing mode. "Ror..."

"I know," she said. "We're not broken up. But the not fully together part seems to make it harder on me stealing her brother away."

He wanted to tell her he regretted that. He wanted to tell her it was a stupid idea and how each family member he'd stayed with in California had opened his eyes little by little. But he didn't know what he wanted anymore. Jess only knew he'd always want Rory and he was deathly afraid of it.

She took his silence to mean something else and quickly shot down her last words. "How are Matt and Chris?"

"I haven't seen them yet," he followed her subject change.

"Oh," she simply replied.

"I'll go see them later," he told her. "I only just got home."

"And you called me as soon as you got there?" She asked. Her voice sounded like it was full of some emotion but he couldn't pinpoint which exactly.

"Yeah," Jess sighed. "I called you."

"I'm glad you did," she said.

They were each quiet for a few more seconds and Jess was torn between telling her about going to the airport or telling her about his writing. Rory interrupted his thoughts before he made the decision, though.

"I'm going back to New York the day after tomorrow," she said.

Jess nodded as he thought of being there with her. "That's good. You said you only had a few days, right?"

"Yeah," she said. "But Jess...I want you to promise me something."

He sat up straighter and put his feet back down on the ground. "Of course."

"Promise me that we won't lose touch," she said in a rush.

He was confused by her words. "Why would we lose touch?"

"Because of whatever is happening between us," Rory sighed.

"We're not gonna lose touch," he defended. When she doesn't reply, he asks his own question. "What brought this on?"

"I was talking to Lane," she started. "And I told her I couldn't be just friends with you anymore, that it'd be even harder after this time. And then after I called you, I thought of how much I like being able to call you."

He smiled softly. "I like being able to call you, too."

"Remember what I said those months ago?" Rory asked. "How I don't want you not be in my life anymore? I still mean it. Even if I don't understand what's happening with us right now."

"I still mean it, too," he told her and he imagined a small smile crossing her lips. "How about we make a plan?"

"What kind of a plan?" She asked skeptically.

"That we call each other," he explained. "That we still talk."

"Just that we talk?" She wondered. "That doesn't sound like much of a plan besides saying we'll call."

"It will be a plan," he said. "We'll set aside time for each other and maybe it will make things easier while we're apart."

Rory sighed on the other end. "So we're still half together, half broken-up?"

"I don't even know if that was a good idea," he whispered.

"What?" She asked, not sure she heard him right.

"Maybe that wasn't a good idea," he said louder. "The whole half-in, half-out thing."

"Okay," she said slowly. "What does that mean then? Are we officially over?"

"No," he answered quickly. "Not over."

Rory was probably making a confused face on the other end of the line. Jess imagined it and smiled again. He always thought that face was adorable. "So what are we then?"

"I was thinking a lot this past week," he took a breath. "Talking to...well, I guess my family. Its weird calling Jimmy that. But I don't really want some stupid line set between us."

"Okay," she processed. "You're gonna have to tell me, Jess because right now, I'm not sure what else I can take."

He let out another breath and started his words. "If you want...if you still want to, I mean..."

"Jess," she said impatiently. Rory didn't want him to know how much she was hanging on his words.

"I want to be with you," he said. "I always have and I'm stupid and an ass and I guess I did have some more growing up to do."

"I'll agree with that," Rory said and he smiled again. "And I do still want it. You've been a jerk but I can't let you go."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Good."

"Wait," she said. "But you said while we're apart. What does that mean if you don't want to be broken up?"

"I mean I'm in Philadelphia and you're gonna go back to New York," he clarified. "I should probably actually get some stuff done here."

"Oh," she said. "So you're staying there?"

"Maybe," he sighed. "Only because I have to make sure they didn't burn down Truncheon."

Rory laughed at that. "Well, that would be a good reason to check on them."

"If Matt and Chris ask..." He said.

"We're together," she finished. "You can tell them that we are."

He felt relief flood that she didn't say no. "Okay. Good."

"Good," Rory agreed then it sounded like someone talked to her on the other end. He listened to muffled voices but couldn't make out what they were saying. "My mom needs help."

"What's she doing?" He asked, amused.

"I'm not entirely sure," she laughed. "Something Luke doesn't approve of."

Jess laughed, too. "Well, that could be anything."

Her laughter stopped. "I'm glad you called, Jess."

"I'm glad you did, too," he told her. "We'll talk later?"

"Yeah," she said. "I think its my turn to call you now."

"Right," he replied. "Bye, Rory."

"Bye," she whispered and the line went dead.

Jess leaned back onto the cushions and hung up his own phone. He really hoped he didn't fuck this up.

...

Luke brought Rory food as she sat at the counter of the diner. He had told Lorelai to go have dinner with Sookie already after she had tried decorating the diner. He veto-ed the baby streamers she wanted to do and the baby pool. Kirk was upset that he wouldn't get to put his dollar down for when he assumed the baby would be born.

She greedily bit the burger, glad to be home even if it was just for a short amount of time. Rory couldn't deny that she was also glad that Jess had called. She was still upset about what happened but she knew she wanted to be with him. The rest was going to fall into place, right?

Luke went back to taking orders and Lane had already gone home. There wasn't many people in the diner since it was late besides Kirk and a few others though.

He came back to her once he brought a table another cup of coffee and stood in front of her. "What? Is there food on my face?"

"No," Luke shook his head. "You just seem different."

Rory chuckled and put down the rest of her food. "Different how?"

"I don't know," he replied. "But you seem more...up than when you came here."

"I am more up," she said.

He smiled slightly at her. "Good. I'm glad."

She pushed her food an inch away as she readied herself to tell him what happened. "Jess called."

His face turned serious, worried. As much as he loved his nephew, he couldn't help loving the girl in front of him like a daughter. He wanted to protect her from any hurt even if from family. "What did he say?"

"I called him first," she started. "And I left him a message so he was returning the call."

"Uh-huh," he followed. "Did he finally pull his head out of his ass?"

"Luke," Rory said.

"I know," he shook his head. "Continue."

"We...we made a decision," she told him. "To not be halfway in this anymore. That we're together."

"And you're okay with that?" He asked.

"Yeah, I am," she smiled. "I know we have to work on stuff, but...I want it to work."

"So what are you guys going to do?" He asked.

Rory half-shrugged but not out of indifference. "Right now, he's back at work. Thinks maybe he should actually work there and I'm going back to New York. But we're gonna call a lot."

"And you're sure?" Luke tried to confirm. "Even with what happened?"

"I'm not an idiot," she said. "I know we said some crappy things and he left. But I also know that I can't picture being without him, not anymore. No one knows me like Jess does. Not even Mom."

The mention of Lorelai gets his attention. "Does she know about this? You two being back together?"

"Not yet," she shook her head. "Mom might want to cause him physical harm though, so I'm not sure I should tell her yet."

"When would you tell her?" He wondered.

"After the baby is born?" She joked and Luke tilted his head at her. "I know. I'll tell her."

"Don't wait too long," he told her. "You know how she gets when she's the last to know."

Rory made a face. "You're right."

"Just tell her before Kirk tells Babette," he whispered.

Rory looked over at his table. He didn't look like he had heard their conversation but you can never tell with Kirk. "Crap."

She grabbed her purse and headed upstairs. Luke called to her, "Your food!"

"Right," she laughed as she grabbed the burger off the plate and ran up the stairs.

As soon as she was upstairs, she took out her phone and called her mom. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom," she gasped.

"Hun, are you okay?" Lorelai asked. "You sound out of breath."

"I ran up some stairs," Rory explained.

Lorelai was surprised. "Uh-huh. How come?"

"Because I had to beat Kirk," she went on.

"At?"

"Telling the whole town before I tell you."

"You're not making any sense," her mother said.

"I know," Rory said and just blurted it out. "Me and Jess are back together."

"What?" She said. "I didn't think I heard you right."

"We're back together," she repeated. "I called him. He called back."

"Okay," Lorelai tried to process. "And?"

"And we decided we rather be together than apart," she added.

"But what about what he said?" She questioned. "The not fully being back together thing?"

"Gone," she made a gesture with her hand even though she was alone. "We're gonna talk on the phone and work on it but we're together."

"Wow, okay," she said. "And you're okay with this?"

Rory nodded. "I am."

"Then as long as you're happy," Lorelai said.

"I am happy," Rory told her.

"Good," she replied. "I don't have to draw and quarter him then?"

"Oh my god, no!" Rory laughed.

Lorelai laughed with her. "Just checking."

"Mom?" She asked, needing to say it to someone.

"Yeah, sweets?" She answered.

"Is this wrong?" Rory wondered. "Getting back together?"

"Do you love him?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to be with him?"

"Yes."

"Then as long as you're both in it 100%, it can't be wrong," she advised.

Rory nodded and sat down at the table, finally putting her burger down. "So you really don't think I'm making a mistake?"

"Do I think he could have handled things way better? Yes," Lorelai said. "But a mistake? No, I don't think so because if you really want something, you should go for it."

"Thanks, Mom," she smiled.

"Anytime, kiddo," she said back.

...

Truncheon was about ready to close when Jess finally walked into the door. Chris didn't even turn to look before telling him, "Sorry. We're about to close."

"Damn," Jess teased. "And I was wondering if you had any skin mags."

"Jess?" Chris laughed as he finally turned around. "When did you get in?"

"Few hours ago," he shrugged. "I got settled in before coming to see you and Matt's ugly faces."

"If we're gonna start naming ugly faces..." Chris pointed at Jess' which just made him laugh again. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you fire me?" He faked disappointment. "Someone should have told me."

"You're not fired," Chris said. "I'm just surprised to see you here. I thought you were in the love bubble over in NYC."

"I was," he nodded. "Then I went and visited family in California so it seemed appropriate you were next on my list."

"Whoa, you left?" He wondered. "What happened?"

Jess remembered the phone call with Rory earlier, how she said he can tell them they're together. He also thought further back to things Matt said and he really didn't feel like hearing his opinion on any of it.

"Just went to go see my dad," he answered. "Rory came, too."

"Oh, good," he sounded relieved. "That sounds nice."

"It was," he agreed and went to sit on the couch. "I hadn't seen them in a while."

"So what?" Chris followed him and sat on the single chair. "You're here how long?"

"I thought I'd catch on work," he simply answered then gave a sly glance over to his friend. "Work on my new book."

"Shit," Chris grinned. "How much of a book is there?"

"Almost more than The Subsect," Jess replied.

Chris sat up straighter. "Shit."

"I'll let you know when I get more," he told him.

"Can I read what you have?" He asked and Jess shook his head. "Why not?"

"I'm not showing anyone yet until its done," he said.

"Fine," he faked hurt. "Does this mean Matt doesn't either?"

"Not even Matt," he clarifed.

"Well, good," he crossed his arms triumphantly. "As long as he doesn't get to read it first like he does with all of your books."

Jess laughed, thinking how he had someone else in mind to show it to first. "No. He won't be the first."

A/N: I know, I know. They shouldn't be apart and I really hope you can wait just a tiny bit longer, like one chapter, because next one will be worth it! I have this planned so everything I'm doing, I have a reason for it all :)

And thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting and anything with this fic because it means a lot. I wish I could express how much it means but I don't think there's words. And please trust me, you'll really like what I have in mind!

And also, YES THE RED NOTEBOOK! One of my favorite Jess mysteries because it appears in season four and I truly, canonily believe that is where he started his writing. It's right there in things to notice with Jess getting a cell phone. A lot of people don't notice that for some reason but he did get one!