A/N: I know progress with Rory & Jess is kind of slow right now, but I think this is the way it needs to be to work properly. I hope you agree. Now, onto the first part in a riff on 'Scene at a Mall' :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 9

"Thank you for this, Jess. Really, we appreciate it," said Lane as she directed him and Zach.

They were bringing bunk beds into the living room of the bands' new apartment, the ones Brian and Zach would be using whilst Lane took the bedroom for herself. Since most of the furniture was leftover from Brian's parents' house, it was weird that he wasn't helping to carry it, but all the complaints about his asthma and various muscles he was afraid of straining led to Jess taking over.

Lane was definitely grateful. As much as she was all for sisters doing it for themselves, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be much use lifting bed frames and cabinets.

"Yeah, pretty cool having another dude around for the heavy lifting," said Zach, shooting a significant look at Brian.

"I can't help it if I have health problems," his friend replied defensively, taking a deep breath through his inhaler.

"Nobody is saying that you can help it, Brian," Lane assured him. "We're just grateful to Jess for his help."

"No problem," the man himself shrugged, wiping his hands on his jeans, the bunk beds now in place. "This place isn't so bad."

"Thanks, we like it." Lane grinned. "Does it measure up to your place in New York?"

"Man, I would kill to live in the city!" Zach cut in, clapping his hands together with excitement. "Can you imagine that?"

"Oddly enough, yes," said Jess, wondering if this guy even remembered who he was talking to.

"Er, Zach? Could you maybe get some of these boxes moved into my room? Please?" Lane asked him sweetly.

Jess smirked at her best damselling and turned away so Zach wouldn't notice. Brian even pitched in, picking up two cushions and a plastic bag of records to carry through.

"I'm sorry but you do know you're going to be playing mommy to those two now you all moved in together, right?"

"God help me. Literally," said Lane, rolling her eyes. "But hey, enough about me. How about you? I mean, you came back to town to pick up your car, and here we are two weeks later, no sign of you leaving again. What's that about?"

"I don't know, Jessica Fletcher, you pickin' up any clues yet?" asked Jess, tilting his head as he looked at her. "Did Rory ask you to find out what my plans are?"

It was genuine curiosity that made Jess ask such a question, and he made sure to smile when he looked at Lane. He really wasn't mad about her line of questioning. In fact, it was kind of nice that anybody even cared what he was doing with his life. He never did have a whole lot of friends, but he and Lane had become something akin to that lately. He wouldn't accuse her of anything underhand, he just wondered if it was her that was asking or somebody whose opinion mattered even more to Jess.

"Rory has been so busy lately, I've barely talked to her at all," said Lane, waving away his question as if it were just so stupid. "But honestly? She is part of the reason I asked. Not that she requested that I did ask you, but... Well, she is my best friend, Jess, and trying to get over you was tough on her. She never said it exactly like that, but I know it."

"For what it's worth, it was no picnic for me either," he said, distracting himself with moving around boxes that probably would've done just as well where they were before. "She said she was over me?" he asked then, never once glancing at Lane.

"No," she replied, gaining is attention in a second. "But then Rory doesn't lie."

Their eyes met and Jess was pretty sure he knew exactly what Lane was saying but never got a chance to clarify as Zach and Brian literally walked through the middle of the conversation.

It was weird to think that Rory never got over his leaving. Jess just assumed she would have, especially after they talked on her Graduation Day and she declared she certainly planned to forget all about him. Since he had been back, she'd been friendly and that wasn't nothing. They talked things over and began again in a new way, but there had been no talk of them ever getting back to a romantic relationship. Sure, Jess had declared his love for Rory that second night, but no more had ever been said on the subject. He wondered if Lane even knew about that declaration. Jess sure as hell wasn't going to ask.

"Hey, man?" he said to Zach, tapping his shoulder to stop him bickering with Brian. "You got other furniture to bring in here?"

"Er, yeah," he replied, nodding his head, soon taking Jess outside to retrieve more stuff from the back of a van down the street.

Lane watched the guys go, Brian chasing after them with plans to help that would probably turn into hindrance, however unintentional.

Jess still loved Rory. Even if Lane hadn't been told that he came out and said as much the second night he was here, she would know just from the way he acted. It was no surprise to Lane, and she couldn't hate the idea of her best friend getting back together with Jess. When things were good with those two, they were off-the-chart good, and Lane couldn't remember Rory ever being happier than in the best of times with Jess.

Reaching for the phone, Lane dialled Rory's cell and waited for her to pick up. She was glad to hear her voice after only one ring.

"Hey, it's Lane. Guess what? We're actually moving in to the apartment!" she enthused. "How awesome is that?"

"Very awesome," Rory agreed with a grin that was practically audible. "I can't wait to come see the place."

"Are you free later today?" asked Lane.

"Um, well, I don't have any more classes but I have a ton of studying and an essay... I'm pretty crammed, sorry. Hopefully I'll make it over this weekend though."

"Well, that's soon enough, I guess. At least by then the place should look a little less dump site, a little more homey. The guys are doing their best but they're really only good for heavy lifting."

"Brian is good for heavy lifting?" Rory checked, the amusement clear in her voice.

"No, he leaves all that to Zach and Jess," said Lane very deliberately. "You knew Jess was helping us out, right? He's been a real God-send today."

"Oh, that's good" said Rory awkwardly. "I, er... He said something about volunteering to help out."

"He's here," Lane confirmed. "Did you wanna say hi?" she asked as the guys came literally crashing back through the door with a small set of bookshelves between them.

"No, no. I mean, no, that's fine. I'm sure I'll see him soon."

She sounded so overly awkward, Lane couldn't help but smile. It wasn't just Jess that still had the feelings for Rory, they were totally reciprocated, Lane was sure on that.

"Well, yeah, I guess he'll still be here by then, but who knows, right?" she said, turning her back so that the guys wouldn't hear.

Not that they were likely to when they were all bickering over where to put the futurnitre in the living room. Jess was trying to stay out of it since it was none of his business, but Zach and Brian seemed determined to have him take sides one way or the other.

"So, we'll see you this weekend?" said Lane to Rory.

"Sure, yeah, I'll see you then," she agreed.

"I'll let you get back to your studies. Bye, Rory."

Lane hung up then and over at Yale Rory did the same. For a long while she sat at her desk, holding the phone in her hand and wondering what just happened. Lane seemed very Team Jess all of sudden, which wasn't so weird, she supposed. As much as Lane was all sister solidarity when Jess hurt Rory by leaving without so much as a goodbye, Rory knew her best friend always liked her ex in so many ways. They had a lot in common, music taste, some movies and the like, plus they both loved Rory.

Putting her phone down at last, Rory turned her attention back to the essay she was writing. Her eyes wouldn't focus on the page. The words from her conversation with Lane kept on echoing in her mind, particularly the part where Lane made the off-hand comment about Jess maybe not being around much longer. It was true enough that he could up and leave Stars Hollow at any time. He'd done it before, and he would probably do it again, especially since he had somewhere specific to go this time. New York was his home now, as it had always been in a lot of ways, Rory supposed. He had an apartment and a job, somewhere to be that wasn't Stars Hollow. It made a dull ache in Rory's chest just thinking about it, and the more she pondered the idea of Jess disappearing from her life again, the more it grew until it was a pain she couldn't stand.

Picking up her cell again, she flipped through her contacts, finger hovering over the dial button when she reached his name. Cursing herself for being such a coward, she finally hit 'call' and waited a few moments. He answered on the second ring.

"Hey, Rory."

"Hi, Jess," she replied, clearing her throat because she found she couldn't go on unless she did. "Um, I was just wondering if you have plans later?"

"Not really," he admitted. "I mean, I'm almost done helping Zach, Brian, and Lane move into their new place, and Luke doesn't need me at the diner today so..."

"So," she picked up where he trailed off. "I was thinking maybe you'd like that tour of Yale that I promised you, and then maybe, I don't know, we could go get dinner or something?"

Jess was silent too long on his end of the call and it made Rory worry. She hadn't thought this through at all, which really wasn't like her, but the idea of Jess going away again so soon, just when they were reconnecting as friends, it scared her into action. Now she was sat in uncomfortable silence wondering if she had just screwed up in the biggest way possible.

On Jess' side of the call, his brain was running a mile a minute. Of course he wanted to spend time with Rory, he would be a complete fool if he didn't. The problem was the severely undefined nature of their relationship. When they first met they became friends, and he had an interest in her that she was afraid to return for as long as Dean was hanging around. After that they dated, and then he left pretty abruptly. Since returning to the Hollow, Jess felt like he and Rory had found a new way to be friends, but he knew damn well he wanted more and still hoped that maybe Rory did to. Since reading minds wasn't one of his skills, it was impossible to say for sure and there in lie the greatest problem.

"Jess?" Rory prompted when he was quiet altogether too long.

"Er, sure, yeah. I could drive over later," he agreed eventually, feeling a little dumb for leaving her hanging so long. "When's good for you?"

"Any time really. This essay is not going to happen today and I don't have any more classes. I actually think it would be good for me to take an afternoon off."

"Really? The great Rory Gilmore is putting R&R ahead of studying? How did this happen?" he asked with laughter in his voice. "I could never get you to cut class in high school."

"Oh, but you did try," she reminded him, giggling because she couldn't help it. "You were pretty persuasive too."

Jess bit his tongue so he wouldn't answer that remark. He knew full well that Rory was probably regretting it already and blushing that pretty pink shade that she wore so well. Yes, he remembered how he used to try to persuade her to play hooky when they were dating, and one thing was for sure, his lips weren't doing any talking.

"So," he said eventually, deciding it was the noble thing to save her from her own awkwardness, "I'll be over this afternoon, say two o'clock?"

"Sounds good," she agreed, sounding relieved. "See you soon, Jess."

"See you, Rory."

To Be Continued...