A/N: Seriously, folks? 18 reviews on Chapter 1?! Wow - thank you sooo much! Now is probably a good time to mention that I had precisely three scenes fixed in my head when I began writing this, one of which you read in Chapter 1, and the other two, by virtue of the timeline in this season, are going to have to be waaaay down the track. Yeah, this is being written mostly without a solid plan, save for the fact I want to stick roughly to the plot of Season 4. Wish me luck! lol

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 2

Rory couldn't sleep. Mostly she blamed Paris for all the uncomfortable thoughts running through her head. It was so wrong the way her friend had behaved, dumping Jamie on his birthday, and all for the sake of Professor Fleming. It was so twisted to Rory that she could hardly stand it. She told Paris as much and really had considered coming home the night before just to get away. Trouble was, Lane had been in two minds about coming back to the Hollow and Rory gave her until this morning to make up her mind if she wanted to stay at Yale all weekend or head back with her friend. Maybe that situation was on Rory's mind too. Whatever it was stopping her sleeping, she wasn't in the best mood about it. Just as soon as the new day dawned, she was out of bed and preparing to head home. Maybe her own bed in her own home would assist in her getting some real rest, and talking things through with her mother was bound to help.

Mindful of the early hour, Rory came cautiously into the house. She didn't want to wake Lorelai with a jump, that wouldn't make her popular.

"Hello, house," she said to herself, a genuine smile on her lips as she glanced around the entranceway.

Rory took her bag to her room and dumped it on the bed, then wandered through to the living room, heading for the stairs. She stopped short of her destination when she noticed the blankets on the couch and the figure hidden beneath them. With a frown, Rory walked over to what she assumed was her mother.

"Why are you sleeping here?" she asked. "Mom! C'mon, you have a perfectly good bed, why would you...?"

The question died on her tongue as Rory grabbed the covers and pulled them back to reveal the very last face she expected on the pillow. She leapt back as if burned and Jess' eyes instantly popped open to stare at her. Thankfully he was used to waking up very fast. He had to get accustomed to that when sleeping in some less than savoury places these past few months. Of course, he should have been okay on Lorelai's couch. There was no way Rory was expected home quite this early, because Jess knew for sure he wouldn't have been allowed to sleep on if Lorelai had known her daughter was on her way over.

"Rory," he said, swallowing hard as he moved to sit up.

Every muscle protested after many an hour squashed on the lumpy couch. Jess heard several joints pop as he put his feet down on the carpet. Rory backed up two more steps, her back hitting the mantle shelf and rattling the picture frames and ornaments there.

"What...? Jess! I can't... What are you doing here?!"

She started out confused and speaking quite incoherently, but the question she finally posed was direct, firm, and edged with anger. Jess couldn't blame her, not after how things had gone before. Honestly, as much as he had rehearsed a speech to give her more than a million times in the past six months, every word of it was gone now he was face to face with Rory for real. She was still just as beautiful, even with her hair cut shorter, wearing clothes he'd never seen before. Of course she was also just as pissed at him now as she probably had been the day he walked out on her.

"Rory..." he began, shaking his head.

"No!" she cut him off the second he faltered. "I don't want excuses or apologies or whatever else you're planning. I just want to know why you're here, in my house, on my couch?"

"That would be my fault," said Lorelai from the middle of the stairs.

All eyes turned to look at her and she squirmed appropriately, especially under the pained gaze of her daughter. This was bad. Worse than she ever expected, actually.

"Okay," she said, elongating the word to twice its normal length. "See, thing of it is, Jess came back to pick up his car. You remember the famous junk heap that Luke kind of 'appropriated'? Well, of course you do," she laughed at her own stupidity, almost literally face-palming. "Anyway, Jess was planning on sleeping in his car last night, in thirty-five degree weather no less, so - and I know I'm not always up on my bible, I mean, I'm no Mrs Kim, but anyway - I kind of came over a little Good Samaritan, I guess," she tried to explain.

"I'm gonna go," said Jess, suddenly up from the couch and heading for the door.

Neither Lorelai or Rory were sure when he put his boots and hat back on, or how he seemed to be at the front door before another word could be spoken. Honestly, both of them were torn between being glad Jess was gone and wishing he had stayed a little longer, though explaining those conflicted feelings would probably be impossible for either party.

"You okay, kid?" asked Lorelai then.

"I... Yeah, I guess," said Rory, shaking her head. "I was surprised. Shocked, actually, but I wouldn't want him to freeze to death. No matter what happened, I... I'm glad you didn't let that happen," she admitted, meeting her mother's eyes.

"I figured," she agreed, trying for a smile. "I'm sorry you stumbled across him like that. I was going to have him out of here before you came home, then explain as gently as I could that he was in town. I just wish you hadn't become such an early riser," she sighed, smiling still a she trudged down the last few steps and came over to hug her baby girl.

"Blame Paris. And Lane. And Professor Fleming," she listed, wincing on the final name.

"Okay," said Lorelai, kissing the top of Rory's head then leaning back to see her expression. "Seems like maybe you've got a lot to tell Mommy about, huh?"

"Seems like we've both got some 'splainin' to do, Lucy," her daughter replied. "First off, why is it almost as cold inside the house as outside?" she asked seriously.

"Window breakage," said Lorelai sadly, pointing towards the offending busted glass. "Happened when I closed it yesterday. I tried putting some cling wrap on it but..."

"But strangely enough, the stuff isn't air-tight?"

"Who knew, right?"

Rory smiled at the humour in that situation at least, then promptly shivered from the cold she was feeling. Her fingers itched to reach for the abandoned blanket on the couch but she soon thought better of it. Jess had used that. It would smell of him, and was probably still warm from his body heat. Honestly, that made it all the more appealing in some ways. Her brain admonished her for her own thought process and she quickly pulled out of her mother's arms, rushing towards the kitchen.

"Coffee and Pop tarts," she said with determination. "That always makes everything better."

"Sure does," agreed Lorelai, though her heart wasn't in the response or the smile she tried for either.

This was kind of a mess and it was all her fault. All she could do was listen to Rory's Yale problems and try to help, then give a full explanation of why Jess was in town and how he ended up on the couch. God only knew what the fall-out would be after that, but Lorelai had made her choice last night and now she had to deal with it. Maybe she saved a life, maybe she broke a heart or two.

With a heavy sigh, Lorelai pushed her hair back off her face and padded off to the kitchen after Rory. A shiver made her pull her robe all the tighter around her body, and a glance at the time on the clock just made her feel worse. It was way too early to be up and at 'em on a Saturday. It was going to be such a long day!

Jess hated this place. Actually, that wasn't true. Stars Hollow had been his home for almost two years and in that time he had learnt to love it, quirks and all. His uncle had been good to him and his girlfriend had adored him. Jess never quite figured out why, but he had known it was true. He was the screw up that ruined it all. Now both Luke and Rory couldn't wait for him to be gone. Jess just wanted his car fixed so he could do what he did best and leave.

"How much longer?" he asked Gypsy, leaning down to where she was currently underneath his car, clinking away.

"A lot longer," she told him, pushing herself out into the light on her trolley. "Go away," she urged him. "Seriously, just be gone for as long as possible. I cannot work with you lurking, you make me nervous!"

Jess bit his lip and forced down the growl that wanted to creep up his throat, not least because he felt as if he were morphing into Luke the longer he stood here. Jess did not want to go wandering around town where everybody would see him. The very last place he wanted to hang out was Stars Hollow, and yet rushing back here to get his car had seemed such a good idea at the time.

"What are you deaf as well as dumb now?" asked Gypsy, peering up at him. "Get lost! Scram! Take a hike for a few hours, or this is never gonna get done!" she insisted.

"Fine, I'm going!" Jess told her, hands held up a moment in mock-surrender.

He didn't want to be hanging out around the mechanic's place any more than Gypsy wanted him there, though honestly, Jess didn't know where else to go. It was his stomach growling that made a choice for him. He needed all his cash to pay off Gypsy, and even then he would be lucky if he had enough. Still, Jess had to eat and he figured a hot chocolate and a sandwich at Weston's might just be in the budget. He had a handful of change from his pocket, counting the coins as he walked, when suddenly Jess ploughed right into somebody coming the other way. A shower of nickels and dimes went skittering across the pavement.

"I'm sorry," said a voice, one he knew too well.

Jess was wincing when he glanced at Rory. "Of all the gin joints..." he muttered, stooping to the ground to pick up his fallen money.

It was a surprise to realise she was down there too, balancing carefully on the wet pavement, scrambling around for the coins he needed too much. Jess didn't want Rory to know that. All he really wanted her to know was that he was sorry, and for way more than running into her today.

"Here," she said, handing him the money she had gathered up.

"Thanks," he replied just as shortly, feeling too weird when her fingers briefly touched his. "Er, so... About this morning..." he began as they both stood up and faced each other.

"It's fine," Rory told Jess, looking everywhere but at him. "Mom explained everything, and... It's fine," she repeated.

It didn't seem fine. Jess felt anything but fine right now.

"I'm sorry," he said at last, finally succeeding in getting her full attention apparently. "And not for today. At least, not only for today," he told her, feeling so stupid for not being able to make a full sentence in front of her. "Can we talk?" he asked then.

"Isn't that what we're doing?"

"Rory..." he said with a look.

She knew exactly what he meant. She wasn't stupid and even a person who was would have to know he was looking for a real conversation here. Maybe it was the first time in his life that Jess ever willingly went into such a situation, but here it was and he was asking. Rory didn't look so sure, but finally Jess felt like he could breathe again when she nodded her head.

"Okay, fine,"

"Coffee?" he suggested, gesturing to Weston's that was all of ten yards away, pretty sure such an offer was still going to be a winner.

Rory nodded one more time and then led the way into the bakery. They ordered awkwardly, a coffee for her, nothing to eat. He got his hot chocolate and a slice of pie in the end. Jess was starving before, even when he ordered, and yet sat across the table from Rory, he lost all of his appetite. He was already full, not with food, obviously, but with feelings, with a hundred things to say, none of which sounded right or enough anymore. This was ridiculous, and Rory seemed to think so too.

"You wanted to talk and yet you're not saying anything," she noted, fingers playing with the fringe of her scarf in some kind of nervous gesture that Jess knew too well.

It made him feel a little better. The familiarity of knowing Rory. Her hair was shorter and she was more pissed at him than she had ever been, but she was still her, still his Rory in all the little ways that mattered most. Plus she was as awkward and nervous in this moment as he was. That helped too. Not much, but enough that Jess actually felt like he might be able to speak. Talking had to come easier than eating, because the pie just wasn't going in his mouth at all.

"I'm just... I'm trying to figure out where to start," he admitted, letting his fork clatter onto the plate too loudly. "Where do you want me to start?" he asked Rory too seriously, leaning back in his seat as if defeated already.

Rory wasn't sure she would have known herself if he asked a few hours ago. Finding Jess on her mother's couch at eight a.m. all out of the blue had completely knocked her for a loop. Rory had a chance to think since then. She sat here staring across at Jess now, feeling a million different things from elation to pure misery by way of boiling anger and frustration, but she did at least know where she wanted him to start.

"We already covered the apology," she realised aloud. "So, maybe now we go on with why the hell you left without so much as a goodbye?"

Her tone was clipped and her eyes were blazing blue fire. Jess might've been worried if he wasn't still feeling the comfort of the familiar. That and knowing she couldn't be this mad about everything that went before if those feelings she had never quite been sure about before were not as real as they might've been. She still cared.

"Not easing me into this, huh?" he half-joked, immediately regretting it and deliberately biting back even the hint of a smirk when she continued to glare him. "Okay," Jess went on, clearing his throat. "Here goes..."

To Be Continued...