A/N: Here we are, kids, we finally made it to the end of The Kids 'Verse! For now, anyway.
I would like to thank all my lovely readers and reviewers for sticking with me this long.
I would also like to dedicate this final chapter to the awesome jordana60 and wish her a very happy birthday too! :)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 32
It hadn't actually been planned like this, but as luck would have it, Jess and Paris were done with their finals the day before Luke and Lorelai's wedding. Unfortunately, Rory had her last one early in the morning on the Saturday itself.
"If I could trade with you, you know I would," Jess had told her sweetly.
That was when Paris had started threatening to vomit and reminding them she was still a little mad at them for spending a good chunk of the weekend before having sex while she covered their jobs and tasks in the Hollow.
"Come on, sis, you know you loved being there," Jess had insisted.
Paris didn't agree but she also didn't disagree, which seemed significant to all concerned. Despite her complaining, she was apparently more than willing to help out with moving both Rory and Jess out of Yale. She even roped Doyle in to help too.
By the time Rory headed into her last final, her dorm was clear of all belongings, Paris and Doyle were on their way back to Stars Hollow for what was likely to be the wedding of the year, and Jess was headed to his car to do the same. He was half way across the parking lot with the last box from Rory's room in his arms when he heard a voice call to him. Turning around, Jess was less than impressed to see Logan Huntzberger approaching.
"Hey, man, I was hoping I'd see you before it was too late."
Jess didn't say anything in response. He honestly didn't know where to begin. It was probably lucky he was carrying Rory's belongings or he might've just taken a swing at Huntzberger simply for walking over to him. After all, he was leaving Yale for good today, Jess didn't really see what he had to lose. Of course, if the blond dick managed to land a punch of his own, Jess might be showing up to Luke and Lorelai's wedding with the start of a new black eye, so maybe it really wasn't worth the trouble.
"So, listen, I heard talk at the paper that you were leaving this great establishment and not coming back, and I thought after everything that's happened, well, I wanted to shake your hand, Jess," said Logan, seemingly sincere in all his words and looks, though Jess had a hard time believing it. "I figure you're man enough to let bygones be bygones if a guy apologises, right? Well, consider this my apology. I'm sorry if I made your life harder or caused problems in your relationship with Rory.
"Now, I'm not saying I really did anything I'm ashamed of. I know she told you the honest truth about what happened with the two of us and I don't think I was ever exactly ungentlemanly with her, but I'm willing to admit, I chanced my arm," he said, smirking some. "What can I say, Jess, you've got a beautiful, intelligent, amazing woman to call your girlfriend, and she really loves you, you know?"
"I know." Jess nodded, unsure what Logan really expected him to say or do next.
Shaking hands was out unless he put down the box and though he supposed he ought to at least say he accepted the other guy's apology, he kind of didn't want to. To show weakness now almost felt like giving Huntzberger permission to move in on Rory when Yale started up again in the Fall, and yet, Jess had more faith in Rory than that. She made her mistake and she was so damn sorry for it, he was sure she would never let someone like Logan come between them again.
"So, you accept my apology, right? We're good."
"Sure," said Jess, carefully putting Rory's box on the ground. "We're good," he assured Logan, offering his hand.
"That's the spirit." Logan grinned as he took that hand and shook it firmly. "Always better to be friends than enemies, right?"
"I guess so." Jess nodded. "But just so we're very clear, man, Rory chose me. She's always going to choose me."
"And I will not be the one trying to convince her to do otherwise," said Logan, hands held up in mock surrender. "You have my word on that."
"I don't really care what you do, Huntzberger," said Jess, smiling as he picked up the box again. "I trust Rory. Now, I gotta go, I have a wedding to get to," he said as he turned and calmly walked away, still smiling.
Rory could not be more thrilled than when she got out of her last final. She went practically running to her car, dialling Lorelai's number on the way.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming!" she intoned the moment her mother picked up.
"I'm getting married today!" Lorelai declared in her ear. "Can you believe that?"
"Yes, I can, and I am going to be there just as fast as the speed limit will allow!" Rory told her, scrambling to get in the car.
"Okay, hon, but you hang up the phone and drive safe, capiche? I don't want my wedding running late because we had to waste time coming to scrape you off the highway."
"Sounds reasonable. I'll be there as fast and safely as I can. Bye!"
Hanging up her cell, Rory threw it in her purse, and started up the car. Seat belt on, mirror checked, she took one last look at Yale and smiled.
"Be back soon," she told the building and then she was off.
The trip that usually took half an hour at best passed even more quickly as Rory drove as quickly as she dare. Twenty-two minutes after setting off she was pulling into the driveway of her own home, narrowly avoiding the other cars that were already parked there.
The Crap Shack was so full of people, Rory felt like it took as long to get from the front door to her mom's bedroom as it did from Yale to Stars Hollow, but it was worth it when she finally walked in and saw Lorelai in her wedding dress.
"Oh, mom!" she gasped. "You look amazing."
"It's the perfect dress," Lorelai reminded her.
"No, it's not just the dress," Rory assured her, holding her hands and meeting her eyes. "You're glowing, Mom. You're just... you look so happy and so beautiful."
"Thanks, baby girl," said Lorelai, pulling her into a careful hug, mindful of in any way crumpling her dress. "Now, get into that maid of honour dress already, we only have so much time! You know your grandma has the stylist on standby for your hair and Lane brought extra make up supplies in case you need them. It's all systems go, babe!"
"I noticed that downstairs. You know, Sookie was talking a mile a minute to Lane about the cake, and Grandma was holding Davey which distracted her from even noticing me at first, then there was Grandpa in the kitchen practicing this speech he wrote for the reception to the captive audience of Paris and Doyle - it's chaos!"
"Right now, I'm not even thinking about it," Lorelai confessed. "The only people on my mind today have been you with your final, and my Luke," she said, smiling widely. "You think he's nervous?"
"Luke? I doubt it." Rory shook his head. "He loves you so much, Mom, he always has. I'm sure he's too certain about today to be nervous at all."
"I hope so," Lorelai agreed. "Now, go, go go. Dress, hair, make up, fast as you can!"
"I'm going!" Rory promised, laughing all the way as she left the room and tripped down the stairs as fast as her legs would go.
Immediately, Emily handed off baby Davey to Sookie and ushered Rory towards her own bedroom to be changed, styled, and otherwise prepared for the wedding. They were intercepted at the door by an agitated looking Paris.
"Hey, is your mom okay?" she asked Rory.
"Yeah, she's fine. You can go up and see her if you want, I'm sure she won't mind."
"No, it's cool. I just wanted to check in, make sure she wasn't having any last-minute wobbles," Paris confirmed. "I'm heading over to the diner in a sec, make sure Jess is coping okay with Luke. You know those two can wind each other up faster than anyone and the last thing we need today is a family feud."
"Good thinking, Paris." Rory smiled. "Now, I'm sorry, but I gotta go."
Emily finally succeeded in getting Rory into her room and closing the door, and Paris turned back into the kitchen to find Doyle giving Richard tips on some of the phrasing in his speech. Without even bothering to tell them where she was going, she slipped away and hurried down to the diner to check on the guys.
A couple of good slams of her hand on the main door brought Jess down to greet her, though he didn't look so chipper about the interruption.
"Wow. It's almost like you belong in that suit," said Paris the moment he let her in the door. "Who knew you scrubbed up so well?"
"Not looking so bad yourself, sis," said Jess, losing the scowl all of a sudden. "You lose Doyle already?"
"I left him at the Gilmores', he's fine. I figured I'd come over here, make sure you and good old Uncle Luke are doing okay."
"He's fine, just a little jittery. I guess that's normal."
"I suppose so. There's no denying marriage is a big step, or it should be anyway."
"Try telling Liz that." Jess rolled his eyes. "You know she called last week and announced she married the new guy already?"
"Seriously? How many husbands is that now?"
"I lost count years ago," Jess told her with a look. "Actually, I think Liz lost count years ago. She's not even coming here today because she's, and I quote, 'indebted to the Ren Fayre.'"
"Oh, geez!" Paris exclaimed, sounding perhaps a little too much like her brother.
"Exactly," he agreed, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, you coming up?" he asked then, gesturing towards the stairs.
"Sure," Paris agreed, following him to the curtain and then up.
They found Luke yelling at his own sleeve, which was just a little disturbing.
"Jittery was an understatement," Paris remarked to Jess.
He only rolled his eyes and moved out of the line of fire. Paris, in her usual brand of brave-or-stupid, stepped up to take his place. She smacked Luke's hand so he would move it and then commenced fastening his cufflinks for herself.
"Men are morons," she muttered as she made fast work of the very thing Luke had been struggling with for the past five minutes or more. "I mean, you males have your uses, and some of you aren't bad company or even bad to look at, but you really are all morons sometimes, you know that?"
"There are times when women aren't so perfect either," Luke remarked snippily, "but thanks, anyway," he added, realising his cufflinks were now done.
"You're welcome," she said, smiling at him. "I just thought I'd come by, see how you were holding up. Kind of a big day for you two."
"Lorelai and I are very sure this is what we want, Paris. I'm gonna do my best to make her happy."
"That's good," she agreed, "but when I said 'you two' I was thinking more of you and him," she admitted, hiking her thumb towards Jess. "I mean, sure, it's you getting married, Luke, but we all know the best man and the maid of honour are going to be next down the aisle."
"Geez, Paris!" Jess groaned. "We're nineteen! Rory and I are not getting married."
"Not yet maybe." Paris smirked the way he usually would. "But can you honestly tell me you see a future for you that doesn't have Rory attached?"
Jess didn't have an answer for that one, just as Paris knew he wouldn't.
"Well, personally, I hope that my future has all of you in it," said Luke honestly. "I may be marrying Lorelai today, and becoming Rory's step-father, I guess, but I will always be your uncle, Jess, and Paris," he said, looking to her with almost a fatherly gaze that she certainly hadn't seen much of in her life from anyone, least of all the man who was officially her dad. "Well, whatever you need, sweetheart, you got it," he told her, nodding his head. "You're a part of this crazy family too, you know? Whether you like it or not," he said, his hand briefly at her shoulder.
"Thank you," she replied, finding her voice had suddenly turned very soft and fragile. "I, er... I guess you would all be kind of lost without me," she said then, clearing her throat. "Um, so, we should get this show on the road."
"Sounds like a plan," Luke agreed. "Jess, have you-"
"Yes, for the hundred and twenty seventh time, I've got the rings," his nephew told him quickly.
On that note, it was probably time to go.
The ceremony was beautiful and there wasn't a dry eye in the square as everybody watched Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes finally tie the knot. It had been a long time coming, but at last they were wed, and nobody could have looked happier about it than Mr and Mrs Danes themselves. Of course, another couple came a very close second.
"Isn't it beautiful and romantic and perfect?" said Rory happily as she and Jess followed the newlyweds back down the aisle and out into the gathering of all their family and friends.
"It's not bad," he teased her. "You look amazing by the way," he told her then, not having had the opportunity pre-ceremony.
"Thank you, and I was meaning to say the same to you," Rory told him. "If I knew you cleaned up this good, I'd've convinced Mom and Luke to get married a whole lot sooner."
In the next few moments, everyone was headed towards a multitude of assorted vehicles to be transported on to the Dragonfly Inn. Of course, it didn't open for business until the following Saturday, but the final round of work was presently on hold so that the wedding reception could be held there. It didn't even seem to bother Luke or Lorelai that they weren't really getting a honeymoon thanks to the inn opening - they were just thrilled to be man and wife at last.
Jess drove himself and Rory, plus Paris and Doyle, to the reception, right behind the fancy hired car that was bringing the bride and groom. Nobody was supposed to arrive at the inn before any of them, and yet somehow, they seemed to have managed it.
"What is going on?" asked Rory, trying to see who exactly it was standing on the porch.
"Isn't that Lane?" said Paris, squinting against the sun.
"Which would make the guy on his knees Zach," noted Jess as he parked the car and they all rushed out.
They were just in time to catch the end of Zach's impassioned speech as he held out a ring for Lane with both her and her mother looking on.
"And I know I'm probably not the guy either of you had in mind, and honestly, I so didn't see this coming either, it's all happened crazy-fast, but if marriage is what it takes to make you happy, Lane, and your mom too, then I wanna do this. I love you, babe. Will you marry me?"
"Oh my gosh, yes!" Lane declared happily, throwing herself into Zach's arms.
"Wow. An engagement on our wedding day, how cool is that?" Lorelai grinned, actually bouncing up and down and clapping, she was just so excited.
"And you thought we'd be next," said Jess to Paris without even thinking about the fact Rory might be surprised - she actually didn't look that stunned, truth be told.
"Well, the only thing that was going to get Mrs Kim to come around faster than me working on her was this," said Paris, actually looking impressed. "Seriously though, could you stand to be married to that?" she asked Rory with a look.
"Zach? Honestly, no," she admitted, "but then, I already got the best guy in the world. Anybody else would be a real disappointment," she said, gazing lovingly at Jess.
"For that, I might even dance with you in there," he told her.
Rory smiled all the wider as they headed inside and the party really got started.
Everybody danced until their feet hurt, everybody ate and drank until they could take no more, and there were so many people wanting to make speeches and toasts that it felt as if the Gilmore-Danes wedding reception would never end, and yet nobody minded at all. They all had such a good time, celebrating the great union they had all waited too long to see come to fruition. It was past midnight before the happy couple finally set off for home, a blissful wedding night in the house that was no longer just the Crap Shack, but a real family home.
"It's still okay for me to crash at the diner with you, right?" Rory checked with Jess as soon as they were done waving off her mom and his uncle.
"Actually, I had an alternate plan," he told her, looking past her at Paris who was smiling too wide when Rory turned to see.
"You're up to something," she said, looking from sister to brother. "Jess..."
"Don't ask questions, just trust me, okay?"
"Okay." Rory nodded, watching as Jess threw the diner keys to Paris.
"Don't burn the place down and do not do anything other than sleep, okay?"
"Yes, brother dear," said Paris, smirking as much as he ever had. "Have fun."
"We will," Jess assured her, taking a hold of Rory's hand and leading her to the car.
She had no idea where they were going and got more and more bemused as Jess drove out of Stars Hollow and seemingly towards New Haven. She wanted to remark on the fact they were done with Yale and all their stuff was already moved out, Jess' to never return, sadly. Just when the mystery of the tour was starting to get to Rory, Jess pulled the car up next to the kerb and switched off the engine.
"Where are we?" she asked, looking out into the gloom.
"I thought we had a no questions policy," Jess reminded her, smiling too much as he hopped out of the car and ran around to open her door too.
Leading her by the hand, he took her over to a door that he opened with a key and then up inside a building. They went up two flights of stairs where Jess unlocked another door and let them both into an apartment. He flipped on the light and the whole place was bare and empty, no furniture, peeling wallpaper, and a bare bulb hanging from the ceiling.
"I'd ask what we're doing here, but that would be a question," said Rory, giving Jess a look. "Jess?"
"Welcome to my apartment," he told her then, spreading his arms wide. "I signed the paperwork yesterday. Luke helped me out with the first month's rent, but from here on out, I'm going to try to make it on my own. I figured having a place near Yale wouldn't hurt, at least for now, and there's more stores in town I can apply to work at to keep me going until the book thing happens, or I decide I want to do something else."
"Jess." Rory shook her head, for once feeling kind of lost for words. "You got this apartment... because of me?" she checked.
"Well, I'll admit the fact that Paris is also going to be at Yale is a factor, she is my sister after all, but yeah, a lot of it was to be close to you," he admitted, nodding his head. "It needs a lot of work but I think-"
It was as far as he got before Rory was in his arms, kissing him senseless.
"I love it, Jess," she told him breathlessly when they parted, "and I love you. I'm going to help you decorate and then I'll come over all the time. It'll be like having our own place. I mean, it'll be your place but you know what I mean. You and me, Jess, it's going to be so great."
"I was hoping you'd say that. All of that, actually," he told her, smiling as he tucked her hair back behind her ear. "So, I did a little setting up in the other room already."
"Setting up?" said Rory seriously, unsure what to think as Jess grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom.
Inside there was an a rug, an airmatress, and blankets with pillows set up much like a bed, plus some decent lighting too. It was in no way a place to sleep every night, but just for now, just for the two of them on this special occasion, Rory thought it was perfect.
"I love you, Jess Mariano," she said, throwing her arms up around his neck and pulling him as close as she could. "You know, I don't think I ever thanked Paris' dad for marrying Liz, but I really should have. That one weird decision did wonders for my life, even if it didn't work out for them."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Jess, moving in to kiss her, shutting the door on the rest of the world at the same time.
The End
