A/N: Good to know some folks are still enjoying this - thanks for those reviews, peops! :) Now, how about a half-naked, dripping wet Jess to make us all smile? ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 23

"You have got to be kidding me!" Jess cursed some as he tripped out of the bathroom, hastily wrapping a towel around his waist. "I swear this place is bugged!"

It was the third time in recent memory that either the phone rang or somebody knocked on the front door while he was in the shower and it was getting on his last nerve. Of course, it never happened when Rory was home and able to answer, only when Jess was by himself, naked and wet.

"I swear, this better be life or death..." he was saying crossly as he yanked open the door, immediately wishing he was anywhere else when he saw who was waiting on the threshold. "Huh."

To be fair, Emily Gilmore looked almost as shocked as he felt, her eyes going wider than he had ever seen them before, and also moving over his body in a way that was kind of disturbing, given she was Rory's grandmother.

"Well, this is quite the welcome," she said, barely holding in a smirk.

Jess pushed his dripping hair back from his forehead and made sure his other hand had a good grip on his slipping towel. "Ms Gilmore. Always a pleasure," he said, forcing a smile. "Uh, Rory's not here right now, but I guess if you wanna come in, I can go throw on some clothes."

"Thank you." Emily nodded once, stepping over the threshold the moment he gave her room to do so.

It was only then he noticed that, in addition to the large bag at her shoulder, she was also toting a suitcase on wheels. That couldn't be good. Not that Jess was in a massively chatty mood for as long as he was half-naked in front of his fiancée's grandmother. Pointing her in the direction of the couch, he excused him to the bedroom and hurriedly dried off, throwing on the nearest button-down and dark jeans. He also grabbed his cell and shot off a hasty text to Rory.

'Code red. Your grandma is here.'

It took approximately two seconds for her to reply.

'What? Why?'

'No idea, but she's here and you're not.'

'I'll be home as soon as I can!'

Heaving a sigh, Jess shoved his feet into a pair of shoes, slicked back his hair and hurried back to the living room. He wasn't exactly surprised to find Emily was up from the couch, inspecting the bookshelves and the mantle, no doubt looking for anything she could mock or turn her nose up at.

"That's your great-grandson, by the way," he said, noticing that the framed picture she had in her hands was the latest sonogram. "Rory planned to mail you a copy but I'm not sure..."

"I received the picture, thank you." Emily smiled across at him. "Though I admit, it never occurred to me to frame it and put it on the mantle."

"That's where the family pictures go, right?" Jess shrugged, unsure how she could really find fault, though if anybody could, he believed it would be her.

"I suppose so," she surprisingly agreed, replacing the picture and moving to sit down again.

Jess considered joining her, sure Miss Manners would say he ought to. Of course, the same stuffy etiquette book probably also stated he should offer Emily a drink. Since it was barely past lunch, he assumed it was a tea or coffee situation, rather than gin or vodka.

"So, Rory is on her way. Can I get you anything while you're waiting?"

The way she looked at him made Jess feel like a bug under a microscope. He couldn't imagine she didn't understand his question, so clearly something else was on the mind of the great Emily Gilmore. If it involved Jess at all, he was pretty sure that couldn't be a good thing, but he wouldn't know for sure until she told him.

"Do you often take a shower at one in the afternoon?" she asked eventually.

"Only when I need to." Jess shrugged, determined not to explain his life to her, and yet, a minute more of her hard staring made him give in completely. "I was finishing off some stuff in the baby's room. I'm not the world's greatest painter, so my arms were kind of splattered and it was in my hair, hence the shower."

"Oh, I see." Emily nodded. "You didn't bring in decorators?"

"We wanted to do it ourselves, Rory and me. Not that she's any much better at painting than I am," he said, smiling slightly as he sat down in the armchair. "Luke offered to help, like always, but I don't know, it was just something we wanted to do together."

He was mildly surprised by the smile that seemed to raise on Emily's lips. "Well, I think that's very nice."

The weirdest part was, Jess actually believed her. It wasn't quite so incredible a feeling these days when Emily treated him decently or even talked to him like a human being, instead of something she stepped in. Still, it was kind of jarring, given how she used to be.

"So, did you want tea or coffee or something?" he asked then.

"A coffee would be very nice, thank you," she said graciously, seeming to wait until Jess was standing before she continued, "but... well, I understand that Rory will probably be keeping to a non-caffeinated brand, in the circumstances."

"Don't worry, I have some of the real deal stashed away for myself." Jess smirked hard.

"Thank goodness." Emily sighed with apparent relief.

Thankfully, before Jess was even half done with making the coffee, he heard the front door open and close, signalling the fact that Rory was home. On a reflex, he made her a decaff drink and brought the whole tray through to the living room in time to see grandmother and granddaughter embracing warmly.

"Not that it's not great to see you, you know that," Rory was saying, "but it's just such a surprise."

"Well, I did think about calling first, but I'll be honest, the idea of surprising you did appeal," Emily admitted, eyes shifting to Jess then. "Of course, I got quite the surprise of my own when your young man opened the door."

He chose not to say any more about appearing half-naked in front of 'Grandma', instead putting the tray down on the coffee table and telling the ladies to help themselves. "I should probably..." he said, hiking his thumb over his shoulder.

"Oh, I was hoping to talk with both of you," said Emily then. "If you can spare the time, Jess?"

He really wanted to say no, but Rory's eyes were pleading and he figured if her grandmother really did have something important to say, he may as well hear it. Since he and Rory got back together, and even before when they told her about the baby, he had to admit, Emily hadn't been all that judgemental, for a change.

"I have some time," he said, sitting down on the other end of the couch, with Rory in the middle.

Her hand drifted across towards his own and he picked it up, absently kissing the back as Emily made a big deal of taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well, my main reason for coming back to Connecticut was actually business. I finally got a serious offer on the house, one that, frankly, I'd be a fool not to accept. It's only happened once before and even that fell through when the idiot realised he could afford to buy the place, but not actually run it. Anyway, this couple seem to have better sense, and so, although I was assured by my solicitor that I could sign off on the paperwork from Nantucket, I just couldn't resist the opportunity to come for a visit with my granddaughter," she said, smiling as she patted Rory's hand. "Also, as strange as it probably sounds, I wanted to see the old place one more time. Just once more. To... well, to say goodbye."

There were tears in her eyes that even Jess could see from his seat. He wished it didn't make him as uncomfortable as it did. The silence stretched on as Rory and Emily said nothing at all. Jess reached for his coffee.

"'It's good-bye, but we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies'," he muttered, before taking a drink, realising all eyes were on him and Rory was smiling.

"Jack Kerouac," she said, seemingly grateful for his effort to say something, anything to make it easier. "Grandma, when you go say goodbye to the house, I'd like to come along, if that's okay."

"Oh, Rory, I would love for you to come with me," she said with a truly grateful smile and no small amount of relief, Jess thought.

Maybe that was the plan all along. Maybe all she really wanted was for someone to offer to hold her hand on what was bound to be an emotional trip.

"Do you think your mother might want to come, also?" Emily asked Rory then.

"I... don't know," she said, considering the answer, "but we should definitely ask."

"Yes, I think we should."

Suddenly, Jess felt like he was intruding. All this family talk made him want to make some excuse or other to leave. Not that he didn't feel like he belonged when it was just him and Rory, or even when Lorelai and Luke were around, not least because he was actually related to Luke. There was just something about the Gilmore girls en masse, talking about the old family homestead, it gave him big 'spare part' vibes.

"Of course, the house wasn't the only reason I came all this way. I also came to see the two of you and to give you something."

Jess looked over at her the moment she said 'two of you', wondering if she could suddenly read minds and knew how close he was to bolting from the scene. He watched as Emily dipped her hand into her purse then produced an envelope that she held out in the general direction of himself and Rory.

"Grandma, you don't need to..."

"Take the envelope please, Jess," she all-but commanded when it was clear her granddaughter wasn't going to.

Clearing his throat, Jess did as he was told, casting a look in Rory's direction. She shrugged her shoulders just slightly, watching as Jess opened the envelope and pulled out what he had half-expected to be inside - a cheque.

"Wow." He really hadn't meant to react that way, but the number on zeroes was even bigger than he was braced for.

"Yes, I know, it's a sizeable amount, but you're about to have a great many expenses, with my great grandson due in, what is it now, ten weeks?"

"More or less," Rory confirmed, her hand on her bump that seemed much bigger than it ought to be with two-and-a-half months of her pregnancy still to go. "June 21st."

"Yes, of course. Well, children are expensive and of course I know you're both working very hard and doing your best, but what do I have money for if not to share it with those I love most?" Emily smiled widely. "Now, I do hope neither one of you is going to tell me that you can't accept this money. I don't want any talk of not taking charity or any other nonsense. This money is a gift, from me to the both of you, in part as a housewarming gift, and also as an engagement present, and additionally, for the sake of my great-grandson. Is that all understood?"

Rory smiled and nodded her head. "Yes, Grandma, and thank you," she said, leaning in to hug Emily and kiss her on the cheek.

The moment they parted, both of them looked at Jess.

"No arguments here," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "and like Rory said, thank you. Seriously, this means a lot."

He only said it because he meant it, though it came as a surprise even to Jess himself that he felt that way. Taking money from the rich part of the Gilmore family tree didn't entirely sit well with him, truth be told, but he could accept that Emily was wanting to pay something towards taking care of her first and only great-grandchild. That and he never doubted that she genuinely cared for Rory. Strangest part was, the way she was smiling at him right now, he could almost believe she genuinely cared for him too.

"Well, that's settled then," she said, clapping her hands together. "Now, I was hoping that I might get a glimpse of the baby's room? Apparently, Jess was doing some painting before I arrived," she told Rory, smirking a little too hard.

Looking back and forth between her grandmother and her fiancé, she looked confused a moment. "Okay, what am I missing?"

Jess only shook his head - he really didn't know what to tell her.

To Be Continued...