A/N: Thanks for all the fab feedback, peops. Now, please don't hate me for what is about to happen...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 12

"Rory, come on!"

"No, Jess, you come on!" she countered, as he chased her out of his room and through the common area, which thankfully appeared empty at present. "What were you thinking? Or were you even thinking at all? You're not a stupid person, why would you do this?"

Jess forced a breath through his lungs and tried to find his calm. It probably wasn't going to happen, not in this fight. He held his temper as best he could with Rory most of the time, but right now they were talking about Logan and that was just one topic that made him see red (and maybe a little bit green) in ten seconds flat.

"Because it's all my fault?" he said crossly. "Nevermind that the guy baited me, implying that he had a real good time with you and a whole bunch of his friends."

Rory looked as hurt as she was angry, which was probably worse than just mad at him. Unfortunately, Jess wasn't the type to pull his punches, not even for her sake. He was telling the truth, because it was all he could do right now.

"We did have a good time," she admitted, "but not in any filthy, disgusting way that you're thinking. How could you even believe that?"

"I don't believe that," he assured her, not sounding or feeling any less mad about it, "but it's what he meant, Rory. He wanted to make me mad."

"And apparently it didn't take much."

If Jess was angry then Rory was equally so, if not more. She hated that she left her boyfriend alone at Yale for one weekend and he managed to get into a fist fight with a friend of hers. Sure, Logan was a new acquaintance and maybe he had said something to annoy Jess, but Rory was not unaware that her boyfriend had a jealous streak a mile wide. Sometimes, it was even nice to have him be a little protective and territorial about her, but not like this. Not like some caveman. Especially not with a guy that could get him into so much trouble, and who held the key to her amazing story for the Yale Daily News. Not that she should be thinking about that right now, but somehow, Rory couldn't help it.

"I can't believe you're mad at me about this."

"Have you seen his face?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Have you seen mine?" Jess countered, gesturing to his black eye and split lip.

Rory softened for all of a second before her temper flared again.

"You hit him first," she reminded him, "you said as much yourself."

"Geez, Rory!" Jess exclaimed, feeling like she would say anything right now just to put him in the wrong. "A couple of weeks ago you hated this guy for the way he was treating Marty."

"Okay," said a voice, Jess' room-mate suddenly showing himself from his place hidden from view on the couch, "I so don't want to be involved in this," he said, literally running to his room and slamming the door.

Rory shook her head, full attention back on Jess now.

"I never hated Logan," she told him crossly. "I didn't like his attitude much, but I never hit him in the face for it. Jess, you're not this dumb!"

"Says who?" he countered, tired of the back and forth, tired of her high and mighty attitude, actually. "Maybe I'm exactly this dumb. Maybe I shouldn't even be in Yale!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Rory grumbled.

"No, come on. I'm such an idiot, how in the hell did they ever let me into college?"

"You're being impossible!"

Jess knew she was right. In an attempt to get out of this mess he had started to change the subject to something he really did want to get into, but never quite knew how. The whole being at Yale thing was getting to him, just a little bit more with every day and week that passed. Maybe it was part of the reason why he got mad enough to take a swing at Huntzberger. Jess wouldn't be at all stunned. Maybe he should swing by Psych 101 and ask somebody what they thought. Then again, maybe not.

With a sigh, he tried to think clearly and be at least a little bit calm. There was a good chance he was being the irrational one here, though he wasn't quite ready to admit as much yet, if at all. One fact remained the same, no matter which way he sliced it. He had one question for Rory that he really needed an answer to, and he hoped she gave the right one, or this whole thing was about to be blown to hell.

"Why are you so mad at me about this?" he asked her, calmly as he could. "What is it about this guy?"

"It's not about Logan," she said snippily, "although you probably completely screwed up my article for the paper now."

Jess laughed then, a humourless burst of sound that he had no control over. So that was what this was really about. Maybe his girlfriend wasn't putting another guy before him, just the next step on the path to her chosen career.

"Way to consider your priorities, Ror," he said sadly, grabbing his jacket from the back of the couch. "I'm done with this."

"What do you mean you're done with this?" asked Rory, turning quickly from the window. "Jess, we're talking," she insisted, even as he made for the door.

"And now we're done," he told her. "I'm out."

He was gone before Rory could say another word. By the time she got out of the door and looked down the corridor he was leaving the building. She called his name once, but he completely ignored her. She wanted to scream.

"Yeah. That went well."

Rory turned to see Paris right behind her. As always, she had impeccable timing. The look on her face suggested she wasn't impressed with however much of the display she just witnessed. Right now, Rory couldn't care less, and said as much as she stormed away, back to her own room.

Marty appeared at the door, looking out to see Paris hovering around still.

"Have they ever fought like that before?" he asked her worriedly.

"This bad?" she said, shaking her head. "Nope."

"You think they'll break up?"

Paris bit her lip and for once in her life admitted she didn't know the answer to a question. Honestly, she hated the idea of Rory and Jess not being together, and not just for the selfish reasons some might assume. They were her brother and her sister, in every way but blood. If they broke up, she was going to have to make a choice, pick a side. As if it hadn't been bad enough when her parents got divorced, and these two meant way more to her than mom and dad ever could these days.

"I have to be somewhere," she said then, turning and walking away before Marty could say another word.

She was a woman on a mission, not entirely certain how she was going to make this better, but only determined that she had to. It wasn't hard to get the information she needed. The big man on campus always has a well-known room number. Ask enough people, someone will point you in the right direction.

Before long, Paris was at the right door, knocking with all the authority she possessed until at last he answered.

"Hello, Huntzberger," she greeted him coolly.

Logan looked confused.

"Do I know you?"

"Paris Geller," she said politely but firmly, arms folded across her chest. "My brother's fist gave you the Rocky look."

She wasn't entirely surprised to see Logan's eyes widen at that.

"Mariano is your brother?"

"As far as you're concerned, yes," she told him. "I'm assuming you didn't call the cops?"

"Maybe I did."

"If you had, Jess would be in cuffs by now," Paris pointed out easily. "So, why didn't you? Come on, tough guy, why didn't you?" she repeated when he said nothing and looked away.

"What's the point?" he asked after a while.

Paris wasn't sure what to make of that answer. In the end, she just went with her best guess, assuming she was most likely to be right - she usually was.

"The point is throwing your weight around, the way people of our social status are expected to," she explained. "My father may not be quite as rich as yours, but I know how it goes. If you didn't call the cops on Jess, then you have a reason, some other agenda. Is it Rory?"

"Okay, thanks for stopping by," said Logan, moving to close the door, but Paris was faster.

"You're fighting a losing battle with her," she insisted, foot wedged where Logan couldn't shift it without risking causing her an injury. "Even if you split her and Jess up, she would never date a guy like you. Miss Goody Two Shoes doesn't have it in her."

Logan looked amused. "You talk about all your friends like that, Paris?"

"I call 'em like I see 'em." She shrugged, seeing no problem with her words. "It's how I know exactly who and what you are. Find some other people to play games with, Huntzberger. Leave Rory and Jess alone."

"Or I'll be found in the bay, sleeping with the fishes?" he asked, grinning like a fool.

Paris didn't find him the least bit amusing, giving him a hard look still.

"You were warned," she told him, before turning on her heel and walking away.


"I'm having a serious crisis of the boyfriend kind!" Lane practically yelled the second Rory picked up the phone.

"You too, huh?" her friend replied, sounding as dejected as Lane had ever heard her.

"Rory, are you okay?"

"No," she admitted, sniffling like she was crying, or maybe she just had been before. "Jess and me, we had this huge, huge fight. I don't... I think we might've broken up."

At that point she really did break down, and Lane felt just awful for her. In comparison to Rory's tears, her only problems didn't seem so huge. So, Mrs Kim may have sent the engagement urn to Dave Rygalski, and Lane may be considering the possibility that she was falling in love with Zach instead. That was nothing compared to Rory and Jess potentially breaking up.

"You want me to come over?" she asked, in between Rory's heaving sobs.

"No. Yes. I don't know," she admitted, "I feel horrible. I wish I could come home, but I have classes, and... Lane, I hate this!"

She was just so upset, the call didn't go on much longer, and the second it was over, Lane knew what she had to do. No doubt Rory hadn't called Lorelai yet because she didn't want to worry her, or maybe because she felt awkward, with Jess being Luke's nephew, and Luke and Lorelai being engaged. Lane couldn't be sure of the reason, but she did know that Rory needed her mom more than anyone else right now. She headed off to find her and was glad to spot her through the diner window.

Running inside, she spilled everything fast, out of Luke's hearing. Somehow, she didn't want to be the one to tell him that this whole thing might be Jess' fault. Thankfully, she was just done telling the tale when he reappeared from the kitchen.

"Honey, I have to go to Yale," Lorelai told him. "I'll explain later!" she called as she flew out of the door.

Lane ran after her, asking Lorelai to let her know what was happening, and give Rory a hug from her. She promised she would, right before her Jeep sped off down the road towards New Haven.

To Be Continued...