A/N: Thank you, reviewer peops, for all your latest comments. Some have you have correctly guessed what's coming up, or at least some of what's coming up. Now, a little Spring Break, anyone?

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 13

Rory wasn't sure how she was feeling about the whole Spring Break thing. When she and Paris arrived at two o'clock yesterday morning, she was just grateful for the warmth that Florida brought. Neither of them were exactly party girls, as evidenced by the fact they stayed in last night to eat pizza and watch The Power of Myth, but their company was certainly in the spirit of things.

Running into Madeline and Louise had been a real shock. Not that it wasn't great to see them, but they were a stark reminder to Rory that she was not the Spring Breaker type. It was one long whirligig of fun for girls like them, lounging by the pool, making out with each other to get what they wanted, scoping out all the hot guys. There were a lot of those. Rory had to admit, the view was a pretty one, and yet she was in no hurry to throw herself into that scene. Instead, at this particular moment, she was talking on her cell to Lorelai about what appeared to be two guys in a pool fighting with giant Q-Tips.

"I'd describe it better if I could," she told her bewildered mother, "But that's just exactly what they look like - giant Q-Tips."

"Well, that certainly sounds like a riot," said Lorelai, sarcastic as ever. "You sure you haven't had a drink and that's why you think you see giant Q-Tips?" she asked.

Rory wasn't entirely listening. There was this one guy, she had seen him a couple of times now and he seemed to like smiling at her. There was no question he was insanely cute, enough to at least throw Rory out of her conversation.

"Er, hello?" said her mom in her ear. "Where'd you go? Did something cute walk by?"

"What? No!" said Rory quickly, and certainly loudly enough to attract the attention of her friends.

Mindful of their listening in, she got up from her sun lounger and wandered away, trying to find any kind of quiet spot. That sure didn't come easy, until Rory discovered one lonely table in a corner that was all shade. She sat down and sighed.

"I don't think I should've come here," she said sadly.

"Well, I gotta admit, I thought it was a little strange that you of all people wanted to do the Florida Spring Break thing, but honey, aren't you having at least a little fun?"

Rory sighed again. She was having fun in a way, she supposed, and she was definitely appreciating the warmth in the air as compared to the Arctic-like conditions back home. Still, something wasn't sitting right with her, and she had a terrible feeling she knew exactly what it was.

"How're things there?" she asked Lorelai. "You been to the diner today?"

"Hon, there's a y in the day, of course I've been to the diner," she told her. "Luke is kinda grumpy the past couple of days, but hey, he's Luke. Jess is still here, seems like he might be staying a while."

"Yeah, I heard that."

"Uh-huh. Y'know I think he was a little bummed that you didn't tell him about your trip," said Lorelai then, trying not to smile.

The fact was she had a feeling at least some of the funk Rory had gotten herself into had to do with Jess. Certainly his less than stellar mood of late had to be down to the fact Rory wasn't around. He was awful jealous of the idea his non-girlfriend might be getting up close and friendly with other guys in sunnier climes. Something was definitely going on.

"I don't have to tell Jess all my plans," said Rory too harshly. "I mean, it's not like we're dating or anything, he's just my friend, like Lane is my friend, and Paris. And yes, I did tell Lane I was coming here, and Paris is here with me, but I didn't deliberately not to tell Jess, I just... It was all kind of a rush, you know this."

"Sure, sure. I know it," Lorelai placated her. "I just thought I'd mention that he seemed bummed. Like you said, you're not dating or anything. Not that I wouldn't be cool if you were."

"Really?" Rory checked. "Because you were so cool the last time."

Lorelai laughed, she couldn't help it. "Yeah, well, people change, kid. Jess has grown up some, and I think he and I have both gained a little perspective on each other. Y'know, sweets, I'm sorry if I made things tough when you and Jess were together before. I swear, I tried not to."

"I know. It wasn't your fault things happened the way they did."

There was a pause when Lorelai wasn't sure whether Rory was going to say more or not. When she realised she was done, she spoke instead.

"So, you and Jess are just friends now, huh? No more, no less?"

"I... I don't know," Rory told her honestly, a hand on her forehead that ached just from thinking about the uber-awkward situation. "Um, you remember a couple of weeks ago when you got stuck in the mall with grandma?"

"I have tried to repress, and yet."

"Well, I was supposed to be studying. I was studying for a while, and then Lane called and she was telling me about her new apartment. She mentioned Jess was helping with the moving in, and then she made this comment about how he might not be sticking around for long."

"But now we know he is."

"Yeah, now we know, but I didn't then and... and so I decided that I needed to spend time with him, while I had the chance, because... because I missed him when he was gone, Mom. I really did."

"I know you did, honey," Lorelai sympathised. "So you guys went out that day? Because you should know that while I'm being very cool about this now I'm going to be looking for payback later after you left me with Emily at the mall all day for studying which you then in fact did not do!"

"Duly noted," Rory agreed, smiling because she couldn't help it. "So yes, me and Jess hung out that day. I showed him the Yale campus and then we went into New Haven for dinner. He bought me a book."

There was a smile in her voice when she spoke of it and Lorelai could hear it as clearly as if she could see her daughter right now. It made her heart ache in a way she couldn't possibly describe. To be young and in love, it was a wonderful feeling, one that Lorelai hadn't known in way too long.

"So, it was date-like?" she checked.

"I... Not really. I don't know," Rory admitted after a while. "When we got back to my dorm and said goodnight there was... well, there was kind of a kiss."

"A kiss?" Lorelai gasped. "Seriously? There was a development as big as kiss and I am only finding out about this two weeks later?! Yale has changed you, young lady!"

"Mom, it was not a big deal. At least, I don't think it was," admitted Rory. "It was supposed to be this meaningless kiss on the cheek but he kind of moved and there was a little lip-on-lip thing, but it was over super fast and I kind of bolted into my room."

"Wow," said Lorelai. "Well, how've things been since then?"

"Fine. I mean, we're still texting some, talking a little. You know how great Jess was when Gran..." she said, voice trailing away. "Well, it's like we're just really good friends, and I love it, but I keep wondering what he's thinking and then I wonder what I'm thinking and I'm not even sure anymore."

"Oh, honey." Lorelai sighed. "If it's requiring this much thought, I'm thinking maybe we're in the more-than-friends territory."

Rory knew that was true. She knew it before Lorelai ever said it and that was what bothered her. She and Jess had been friends before, and then decidedly more than that. When he came back to the Hollow a few weeks ago, she had hoped for that friendship again, but had told herself there would be nothing more than that. Realising she was wrong was kind of scary and yet thrilling at the same time.

"Rory? Babe?"

"I'm here," she confirmed at the sound of her mother's worried tone. "Sorry, I was... Mom, do you think I'm crazy?"

"Crazy for Spring Breaking?"

"No, not that. Well, maybe that, but... but do you think I'm crazy for thinking about Jess in a more-than-friends way?"

Lorelai paused for thought before answering that one. It was such a loaded question in some ways, and yet she knew the only response she could give right away.

"I think that you and Jess have a whole lot of history, and maybe more than a little unfinished business," she told Rory. "I also think that whatever you choose to do, whether that's dating Jess or not, I'm not going to get in the way of that, Rory," she promised. "I want your happiness, babe, always. Whatever makes you happy? That's what I want."

Rory smiled at that, looking up at the view of the pool when there was a huge splash and three people pulled each other into the water. The cute guy from before was laughing at the scene and then looked her way, still grinning.

"Thanks, Mom," she told Lorelai, averting her gaze. "I love you."

"Love you too, sweets."

They ended their call a few moments later. Rory got up and shivered as she stepped out of the shade, glad to feel the sun on her skin again. She headed back to the edge of the pool where she had left the others but they seemed to be long gone.

"Thanks a lot," she muttered, looking around in all directions, but neither Paris nor Madeline and Louise were anywhere to be seen.

"Looking for me?" said a voice.

Rory turned so fast, she almost fell and probably would've landed in the water if not for a strong arm catching hold of her. It was the same guy from before, still smiling at her, still being cute as anything.

"I'm sorry," he said of startling her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him, extracting herself from his grip fast. "I was just looking for my friends," she added, making to move away.

It was sort of flattering that he looked disappointed, Rory supposed, but she didn't care all that much, truth be told.

"Oh. Okay," he said as she went. "Maybe I'll see you around."

"Maybe," she called over her shoulder, stopping on the stairs to look back at him then. "Oh, you don't know what the real name for those giant Q-Tip things are, do you?" she asked, gesturing to the pool.

"No, sorry. I don't."

Rory nodded and then turned to ascend the stairs. She didn't look back a second time.

It was getting late and Jess had just got done closing up the diner. He wasn't expecting Luke who had already called and said he was staying over at Nicole's place in Litchfield. The phrasing still amused him. Jess knew as well as everybody else did that Luke paid for at least half of that townhouse and it was supposed to be a marital home. That was such a joke in the circumstances. Honestly, after all the fights, he was amazed that Luke even wanted to spend a night with Nicole, unless they felt the need for another real intense argument. Jess couldn't care much. It was none of his business anyhow.

Heading upstairs, Jess reclined on his bed with a copy of The Sun Also Rises. He always loved Hemingway, and yet since meeting Rory, or moreover since a certain discussion with her on a certain bridge over a certain picnic basket, good old Ernest had become intrinsically linked with Rory in Jess' mind. It was like torturing himself to re-read a Hemingway favourite when he was so screwed up in the head about his ex, but that was the kind of person Jess was sometimes.

It was impossible not to wonder what Rory was doing in Florida. Jess had to believe it was nothing too 'Girls Gone Wild', because that just wasn't Rory. It wasn't Paris either, that was for damn sure. Still, Jess couldn't shake the feeling that he was losing Rory by degrees in spite of the fact they weren't even together yet this time around. He stopped reading entirely when he realised he just used the word 'yet' in that sentence and started thinking too much again.

The phone ringing caught his attention. The landline, not his cell. There was a weird moment when Jess actually thought it might be Rory, except she would definitely ring his cell, and probably not at midnight either way.

"Hello?" he said, picking up the receiver.

"Jess, it's Luke," said his uncle on the other end of the line. "Er, I was... I was wondering if you could drive over to Litchfield for me, maybe pick me up?"

"Sure," Jess told him, frowning hard. "The truck break down?"

"Er, no. No, truck's fine, I'm just not with the truck right now."

Now Jess was really confused and it would've showed on his face if anyone could see him. Running a hand back through his hair he went with the only explanation he could find that made even a tiny bit of sense, and then it was a real small one.

"Are you drunk?"

"No, I am not drunk!" snapped Luke. "I'm just... Can you just come pick me up, please? I'm on the corner of Mason and Pine. You can't miss it."

Jess' eyes went wide at that, remembering that address a little too well after a certain incident when he was here the last time.

"You got arrested?" he asked, presumably sounding as shocked as he felt.

"That's another thing, you're gonna need to being some money for bail," said Luke then.

Jess wasn't sure whether to laugh or curse, but figured his uncle wouldn't appreciate either response. Instead he just agreed to what he was being asked to do. As backwards as the circumstances seemed, he would do what needed to be done, and hoped there would eventually be some explanation that made at least a little sense in all of this!

To Be Continued...