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Rory opened her eyes. An unfamiliar room greeted her and she sat up, completely confused, before remembering where she was and lying back, a little embarrassed. Jess's shirt was soft against her skin and still held Jess's scent which Rory remembered from all those years ago. The alarm clock showed that it was just past eight and Rory looked around the room properly. It was small but Jess had made it his own and Rory picked up the book on the bedside table, a beam of sunshine from the window casting a light across her arm. The book was by Kurt Vonnegat. Rory flicked through it, reading Jess's notes in the margins and smiling at the familiar, brusque writing. She stopped only when she caught sight of the time and hastily got out of bed and dressed.
Jess was up and cooking breakfast when Rory came out. He was wearing a grey T-shirt and jeans, more casual clothes than the kind he donned now, but still looked as smart as the night before.
"Hey," he said, smiling at her. "Good sleep?"
Rory nodded and gave him a small smile, trying not to blush. She felt embarrassed now and said awkwardly,
"I left your shirt and things on the bed."
"Thanks. You can have a shower, if you want."
Rory shook her head and said,
"Thanks, but I should head back."
"Do you have time for some breakfast?" Jess asked. Rory opened her mouth to say she shouldn't stay but it smelled wonderful and her mouth broke into a smile. Jess laughed.
"Bacon okay? I've make some coffee."
"Thanks so much, Jess," Rory said sincerely, perching down at the table. "I mean it, it was so good of you, giving up your bed and everything, you didn't have to."
"It wasn't a problem. The couch was fine."
"I shouldn't have stayed over."
"Why not?" Jess demanded. "Would it have been better to just sit in your apartment by yourself?"
"I guess not," Rory admitted, as Jess tipped the bacon onto her plate. "That smells incredible."
"I told you I could cook," Jess said smugly. "Why don't you try eating it?"
Rory laughed and did so, cautiously putting a piece in her mouth. It tasted as good as it smelled and for a while she didn't say anything as she ate the meat and drank her coffee.
"I can't remember the last time I had such a great breakfast," Rory said happily, putting the fork down. "Thank you, Jess."
He shrugged and smiled, looking abashed. Rory laughed and took another piece in her mouth.
"So what are the plans for today?" Jess asked. Rory shrugged with her mouth full of bacon.
"Head back, see how Logan's meeting was. Maybe do some housework."
Jess nodded and Rory cringed inwardly, knowing how dull it sounded.
"How about you?"
"Maybe head over to Luke's," Jess told her. "See if he needs any help. I might go over my schedule for next week...hey, why are you laughing?"
"Sorry," Rory giggled. "It's just weird to hear you talk about a schedule."
"Yeah, well it's weird to hear you talk about housework!" Jess retorted and Rory's laugh stopped in her throat. Her breakfast didn't taste as good as it had before.
"I'm not very good at that stuff," she admitted, putting her fork down. "I hate cleaning."
"Really? Your bedroom was always so neat – your room in Stars Hollow," Jess clarified but Rory already knew what he meant.
"I'm not untidy," she explained. "I don't mess things up, it's just needing to vacuum and tidy after Logan – he's not a slob but he always forgets to put his things away."
"How come you always do it?"
"Logan works all week," Rory said loyally. "He works so hard, it's not fair to expect him to do the housework as well. He says if I don't like doing it we should just get a maid."
"You don't want that," Jess said knowingly. Rory shrugged, embarrassed.
"No," she verified. "I know that we'd pay her well and I wouldn't have to clean but it just...it feels weird. Grandma and Grandpa have a maid. It would feel like I was living at their house and, I don't know, it always felt weird to get a stranger to clean up your mess for you."
Jess nodded but didn't say anything and, to break the silence, Rory added,
"It's not that much mess really – it's just us two."
"Like your grandparents," Jess said and Rory looked up, ready to retort, but something stopped her. She couldn't tell if Jess was teasing or not.
"I need to go," she said quickly, getting up and picking up her plate. "Thanks again."
"It's okay – sure you don't want some more coffee?"
"No," Rory lied, trying to smile. "I should get back. I don't know what time Logan will be home."
"Okay," Jess said quietly. Rory picked up his plate too, taking them to the sink, and started to wash them.
"Hey," Jess laughed, going over and taking them. "Save the housework for when you're back."
"It's the least I can do – you let me crash and cooked me breakfast."
"It was a pleasure," Jess said with a grin. "Sure you don't want more coffee?"
Rory almost agreed but shook her head, acutely aware of his disappointment.
"I really need to go. Thanks for letting me stay."
"Anytime," Jess said quietly and he watched her pick her purse and exit the apartment. Rory felt as though he was still watching all the way down the stairs.
She regretted her decision not to accept the coffee halfway back to Hartford. She had almost stopped at Luke's, positive she would see her mother, but that would require a conversation about why she was in Stars Hollow and where she had been. Rory hadn't done anything wrong but she anticipated her mother's confusion, repressed remarks and decided it would be better to drive home. She already had a headache from lack of caffeine.
Logan wasn't there when Rory got back. She made herself the biggest cup of coffee possible before running a load of laundry, sipping it gratefully as the clothes spun in the machine. Rory mulled over her evening and breakfast as she drank. She remembered telling Jess how delicious it had been and felt a stab of guilt, remembering Logan's breakfast which he had prepared the week before and, ashamed, she decided to do the same for Logan. She made pancakes, keeping the pan on a low heat, and was just starting to cook the bacon when the door slammed open, making her jump. Logan came in, whistling, and he placed a large kiss on Rory's lip before greeting her.
"Hey," Rory said fondly, his arms still around her waist. "You're back late."
"I texted you – I said I was coming home now."
"I know, I saw, but I thought you'd be home earlier."
"Are you mad at me?" Logan teased, kissing her neck and Rory shook her head, pushing him away slightly.
"How was Boston?"
"Good. Stu took us out drinking last night. I have no idea how we got back to the hotel."
"That's why you couldn't come home?" Rory asked, unamused by this anecdote. "Because you were out at a bar?"
"It ran late anyway," Logan said briefly. "There wasn't any point. The meeting went on for hours, we needed a drink. The Boston group are a riot!"
"Right," Rory said coldly and then, trying to change the subject, she said brightly, "Sit down anyway – I've just made breakfast."
Logan shook his head with a wide grin, still holding onto her.
"Thanks Ace, but Stu took us out for breakfast. I can't remember when I last ate so much."
"I've just cooked it," Rory said, feeling hurt, and Logan said,
"I can't eat anything else, I'll be sick."
He saw the pained look in her eye and joked,
"Think of it this way, you've got breakfast for two!"
Rory tried to smile but failed. Logan kissed her cheek.
"Forget it," he said. "I was going to take a nap. Want to take one with me?"
"Not really," Rory said irritably and Logan stared.
"You're not that annoyed? You didn't tell me you were making me breakfast. Come on Ace, don't be mad. There's extra food for you, how can you be mad about that?"
Rory smiled this time, in spite of herself and Logan laughed.
"Come take a shower with me," he said in a low voice. "Forget the food."
Rory looked at him helplessly and he grinned.
"We haven't done it in there yet."
Rory hesitated. She felt frustrated and angry about breakfast but Logan hadn't been so impulsive in a long time and besides, she did need a shower. Her clothes were sticking to her back.
"Okay," she said quietly, switching off the stove, and before she do anything else Logan was dragging her along, already taking off his clothes and not thinking of anything else.
Their shower was brief. They didn't talk as they washed and then they were having sex, though it was more Logan than Rory. He pushed himself into her and closed his eyes, not saying anything but letting out satisfied sounds. Roy stared at a spot of tile over his shoulder and didn't say anything, waiting for him to finish. Logan groaned as he came, leaning onto her. Rory sensed the rush of liquid inside her but felt nothing at all, closing her eyes until he shrank out. She hadn't come at all or even been close but Logan didn't notice. Instead he grinned at her and turned the water off, going into the bedroom to change. Rory picked up her towel and followed him. She selected some jeans and a shirt from her closet and looked at Logan in surprise as he clad himself in the shirt and boxers he slept in.
"What are you doing?"
"I told you I was going to have a nap," Logan said, pulling the covers back. "I'm exhausted."
"It's the middle of the day!"
"Excuse me, officer," Logan grinned. "I'm not too tired for another round, if you want."
"No – get some sleep," Rory said shortly. "I need to get some groceries."
"I told you we should get a maid," Logan yawned. "Then you could stay in bed too."
Rory frowned but merely said,
"Enjoy your nap. I won't be long."
Logan had already rolled over by the time she shut the door.
The supermarket was busy as it always was on a Saturday. Rory usually shopped on a weekday, when it was less crowded, but they were running low on a few things and she wanted to leave the apartment. She had just rounded a corner into the dry foods aisle, looking for pasta, when she almost walked into Paris Gellar. Their eyes met and for a moment Rory thought her friend would freeze her out, as she always had back in their days at Chilton. Paris looked slightly haughty but then she relaxed and she looked as awkward as Rory felt.
"Hey," she said uncomfortably.
"I needed allergy medicine," Paris said in a short voice. Rory nodded.
Neither friend added more until Rory blurted out,
"Paris, I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"No, it's – I'm sorry, I was a total jerk the other day. I shouldn't have snapped like that."
"I was never cut out much for advice," Pars said with a wan smile and Rory relaxed with relief.
"Hey – should we get out of here?" she asked, noticing a small crowd beginning to gather near where she was blocking the food. "I'm about done."
Paris nodded and Rory grabbed the first bag of pasta she saw. She paid for it and the two went to a coffee shop across the street, ordering cappuccinos and sitting by the window. There was an awkward silence again and Rory drank her coffee gratefully when it came.
"I've felt good this week," she said suddenly, putting her cup down. "I looked at some jobs – I don't know if I'll apply for them, but..."
Her voice trailed off and Paris said quietly,
"That's good."
"How come you're back?" Rory asked curiously. "You were only here last week."
"I had to bring Mom and Dad some stuff I forgot last time," Paris said in an irritable voice. "They're not allowed to leave Hartford."
"Oh."
They slipped into silence again and Rory drank some more coffee, sensing that the conversation was beginning to wane.
"Hey," she said, making Paris look up. "Guess who I saw last night?"
"Someone besides Logan?"
"Jess Mariano," Rory said, lowering her voice. "He's moved back."
Paris stared at her as she added cheerfully,
"I went over to his place."
"You went over to his place?" Paris asked, sounding disbelieving. "To what? Talk about the good old times?"
"I guess," Rory said, beginning to wish she hadn't said anything. Paris grinned and said,
"Did something else go on?"
"Paris!" Rory exclaimed, glancing around as if Logan had somehow appeared. "I'm married!"
"That doesn't stop people from having sex with old flames."
"Jess is not an old flame," Rory said angrily. "And we did not have sex. It was just two friends catching up."
"Right."
"I'm married," Rory said again. "I love Logan and having dinner with Jess didn't mean anything."
"Dinner?" Paris echoed, arching an eyebrow and making Rory blush.
"Stop it!"
"I'm not saying anything," Paris said firmly. "Just that I remember when he came over for dinner before – the three of us, remember?"
"Yeah," Rory said sadly, memory flashing in her mind of the three of them feasting and arguing over literature. It had been a great night, at least until Dean came by.
"I remember what I said," Paris said purposefully. "About having two guys fawn over you."
"I don't know what you're getting at," Rory said defensively, "but even if Jess was fawning over me, he couldn't do anything about it. I'm married and that means something."
Paris nodded and, though she didn't say anything, Rory felt as though she had said more's the pity.
"Well," she said eventually. "Either way, I'm glad you got out that apartment for one night at least."
Rory smiled weakly and worried about what to say if Paris asked how her husband had felt, but instead she finished her coffee and said,
"I should probably go before Mom makes another panicked phonecall. She loses it if I'm gone for longer than two hours."
"Okay," Rory said quickly but as her friend got up she found herself asking,
"Hey, Logan and I are having a housewarming party in a few weeks – why don't you come?"
"What?"
"Yeah – it'll be with his work friends but there'll be food and cocktails and it'll be fun. Please come."
"I don't know," Paris said awkwardly. "I've got a lot of lab work..."
Rory looked at her pleadingly and Paris smiled.
"Okay. I'll come."
"Thanks," Rory said gratefully. "It'll be fun."
"I don't know about that," Paris said gravely. "Presumably I won't have a designated driver so I won't be able to get drunk and blot out Huntzberger."
"He's not so bad," Rory said loyally. Paris picked up her purse.
"You seem a little happier," she said and Rory nodded cautiously. "I'm glad you're looking at jobs and talking to Jess, even if that's all it is and I'm sorry I yelled."
Rory nodded more firmly this time and Paris added, in a more serious tone,
"I still think you need to talk to someone though."
Rory stared and Paris walked towards the door, her blonde hair completely in place. Rory was still sitting at the table twenty minutes after she left.
On the way back from town Rory took a detour. She had been driving along the main road when suddenly she noticed the familiar turning and swerved, stopping at her old school. Chilton stared back at her, somehow so much smaller now, and Rory remembered how years ago – almost ten years ago – she would ride the bus overloaded with bags and struggle towards the gates, intimidated yet excited by all she had to learn. Rory stared and stared at the school, which seemed to shame her, before starting the car up and turning back around. She wished she hadn't made the turning.
Logan was still in bed by the time she got back. Rory unpacked the groceries and he came out, his hair ruffled and his eyes crumpled with sleep.
"Hey babe," he yawned, kissing her cheek and sending a bad smell of sleep near Rory's nose. She shrank away and put the pasta in the cupboard.
"Good sleep?"
"Yeah."
Rory waited but he didn't ask how the shopping had gone, or why she had been a while, so she added,
"I ran into Paris."
"Geller? I thought her battery would have died by now," Logan chuckled and Rory resisted the urge to snap.
"She's fine," she said in a level voice. "Still studying Medicine. I invited her to our housewarming party."
"You what?" The sleepy, cheerful tone was gone from Logan's voice as he snapped,
"Why did you do that?"
"Why shouldn't I?"
"She won't fit in. She doesn't work for the company. She doesn't know anyone."
"She knows me," Rory said angrily. "I wanted a friend there too."
"Finn and Colin will be there."
"Oh, and I suppose they work for the company now?" Rory asked sarcastically and Logan retorted,
"It's different."
"How? Because they're your friends?"
"Because they'll fit in!"
They stared at each other angrily and Rory finally said,
"I've invited her and I'm not going to take it back."
"Fine. It's fine."
Logan sat heavily on the couch and switched the television on. Rory went and sat down beside him and he put his arm around her.
"Rory?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you fix me a snack?" Logan asked. "I'm starving – you never made me lunch."
Rory got up silently, went to the counter and got out some onion to chop. As she glanced over at the stove she saw the remains of the breakfast forgotten in the pan, burned and ruined and wanted by no one. She picked them up, dumped them and blinked back the tears she blamed on the onion.