Dean and Rory entered Rory's dorm. Standing outside her door, Dean touched her elbow.
"Man, it's good to get out. It's good to laugh. I laughed tonight. You're funny," he said.
"I can be funny. Why did you say it like I never am?" she asked.
"You - you're funny." He looked a little uncomfortable.
"Yeah? Well, this is my room."
"I know."
"Oh, right, you've been here before." Dean nodded, and Rory continued. "Well, thanks for saving me."
"Yeah, anytime."
Rory looked up at Dean uncertainly. "Dean, how is it that you can be out like this, here, with me, or with anyone, for that matter? Where does Lindsay think you are?"
"She thinks I'm out." He looked around, almost as if he expected someone to see him standing there with Rory.
"Out where, Dean?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does. Look, when I'm back in Stars Hollow, we'll talk, OK? I want to know what's going on with you," Rory said. "You should go now."
Dean left. Rory went into her room, closed the door and sighed. "Another funky monkey might not be a bad idea, too bad it's all gone," she thought.
"What is going on with Dean and Lindsay," she wondered, "and what was I doing calling him for help. He's married, for goodness' sake."
There was a knock on her door. Still slightly bugged about the Dean question, she opened the door.
"You really need to tell me more about what's going on with…" she stopped. It wasn't Dean. Jess stood in front of her.
"Jess! What are you doing here?" Rory stood there, confused. She looked around to see if Dean were nearby. Jess looked with her, then followed her into the room.
"I need to talk to you." Jess looked desperate.
"What do you want?" she asked.
Given the opening, Jess stumbled over his words. "I don't know. I just wanted to see you, talk to you. I just..."
"You just what?"
"Rory, give me another chance. Let's go somewhere together. Right now."
"No! I can't do that. It's not what I want." She was angry and confused. Another chance? What was he thinking?
"It's what we both want. I know you," Jess pleaded.
"You don't get it. You don't know me now. Maybe a year ago I might have thought about it, but I've got a life here. This is important to me."
"But we wanted the same things. I want to be with you!"
"Now I want different things, not … not just you!"
Rory and Jess both stopped cold.
"Not just me?" he said.
Rory looked around the room, trying to find some way out of this conversation. She walked over to the stack of boxes near the window. She stood there, looking out the window, not noticing Jess as he came to her side.
"Not just me? Does this mean I get another chance?" He leaned in, his head close to hers, trying to look in her eyes, and they looked out the window at nothing.
"I don't know, maybe. Wait, yes I do know. One chance. You get one more chance, but it's not the chance you asked for." Rory stepped away from Jess as he reached for her. She went to the other side of the stack of boxes and put her hands on top of the upper box.
"Come back to Stars Hollow with me tomorrow. We'll talk. You have to get to know me again." Rory spoke with confidence.
"New York, let's go there instead. We'll work, we'll live together, and we'll be together! I can get to understand you in New York," Jess urged.
"Now see? That's exactly what I'm talking about. You want me to give up my life, which I love, to go live your life. I'm not willing to do that!" Her anger rose.
She calmed down. "My offer stands. Stars Hollow or nothing."
"Stars Hollow it is." Neither could quite believe that Jess said that.
"Yes?" she whispered.
"Yes, I'll come with you to Stars Hollow. We'll get to know each other again, find out where we are. But you have to promise me you'll consider New York."
"It's a long shot, Jess. I'm committed to school, I want my degree," Rory cautioned. "As long as you understand that, I'll consider New York."
"Deal." He moved close and sealed the deal with a kiss.
Rory felt Jess' passion, she missed his passion, it awakened feelings she'd had to repress since he left the last time. She drove the kiss deeper, reaching inside his leather jacket to hold him more tightly.
She broke away from him, saying, "Not now. Come back tomorrow and help me move back to Stars Hollow. The movers will take the rest of the furniture at ten, all that will be left are a few boxes."
"Just a few more minutes, just a little more." Jess reached out for Rory again. She pushed him towards the door.
"Tomorrow. We'll talk tomorrow."
When Luke awoke on Sunday morning, he was surprised to see Jess asleep in the other bed. "What the hell is he still doing here?" he wondered, as he got ready to open the diner for the pre-church crowd. He knew he'd eventually find out. Maybe he and Patty had something going on, he chuckled to himself.
A little later that morning, Lorelai came in to the diner for breakfast. A quick kiss was all they exchanged as she sat herself at a table in the center of the room.
As she ate her breakfast, Luke came by for a moment. "Back to the Dragonfly today?" he asked.
"Yes, Tom's coming this afternoon, and Michel and I are going to run through the check-in, check-out procedures. As soon as Rory gets home, though, I'm taking the day off and having some mother-daughter bonding time."
"Movies, junk food, girl talk?" Luke guessed.
"Bingo. Also laundry, Rory brings home the Mt. Kilimanjaro of laundry every time she comes. Hard to imagine where she keeps it in the dorm room. Wish we had some sherpas to help us with it."
"They're called porters, not sherpas," said Luke.
"What? Porter? Cole Porter? What does Cole Porter have to do with laundry?" asked Lorelai.
"Nothing."
"Then why are you talking about Cole Porter?" said Lorelai, getting bugged.
"I'm not talking about Cole Porter, you brought him up. What does swing music have to do with mountains in Africa anyway?"
"Luke, mountains in Africa? What are you talking about? Did Cole Porter go to Africa?"
"Forget Cole Porter. Mount Kilimanjaro is a mountain in Africa. African mountain guides are called porters, not sherpas."
"Look at you and your mountain knowledge, must come from the flannel plaid wearing. Did you know Cole Porter was a Yale graduate? By the way, he's more musical theater than swing music." added Lorelai.
"Yale? Look, you started with laundry, took us on a long journey up Kilimanjaro, past Broadway, and now we're back to Rory. How's she doing?" asked Luke.
Just as Luke uttered Rory's name, the curtain parted and Jess appeared in the diner, to Lorelai's consternation. He stood there, duffle bag slung across his shoulder.
"Jess! Hi! You're still here," said Lorelai. She whispered to Luke, "How does he appear at the very mention of Rory's name? Man, that kid has perfect timing." Luke gave her an exasperated look.
"Hi Lorelai. Luke, I'm ready to go, thanks for the hospitality," Jess said. Leaning over so only Luke could hear, he added, "I'm clearing out so you don't have any, um, hindrances." Jess looked over at Lorelai and smiled as Luke looked uncomfortable. Jess left.
"Anyway," said Luke, "that was Jess."
Lorelai echoed his words. "That was Jess."
A few hours later, Rory and Jess pulled up to the Crapshack in their cars. They carried Rory's boxes in, then went for a walk. First they stopped by Lane's to say hi, then they grabbed some sandwiches and headed over to the bridge for lunch.
"The best part about the university is being able to really dig deep into topics, and then discuss them with the professors and other students." Rory's excitement showed through.
"There's no substitute for the reading. I just do all the thinking myself and don't let anyone else try to make my conclusions for me," Jess said, putting his arm around Rory and pulling her in for a kiss. She put down her sandwich and kissed him back.
She moved back and continued. "These professors know so much about the classics, things I'll never find time to learn on my own. It is fantastic."
"The classics aren't nearly as exciting as the present! We live here and now! We have to write about the here and now! The classics are just a waste of time. You get stuck in old ideas and never get a chance for original thought," Jess insisted.
"What did you get from all that reading you did in earlier years, Jess? Reading the works of other authors brings up arguments that I never thought of. The classics have remained classics because they express the basic philosophies. When I read and understand them, I can make my own decisions. If I don't read them, then I will either miss these philosophies altogether, or I have to create every original thought on my own."
"You don't need the 'original philosophies!' They're just dead people who spouted off, not knowing what life is like for us today. The farthest back anyone has to read is the 1950's. The Beat Generation is all anyone needs if they want to have an influence on modern literature."
Rory stood up, brushed off the crumbs, and stomped away. "You are not listening to me! These studies are important! They make me a better thinker."
Jess followed her as she walked in the direction of the woods. As they reached the privacy of the trees, he stopped her and kissed her. She reached her hands up around his neck and pressed her body against his.
After a minute, Jess said, "I'm starting to get a good feeling about these philosophies."
Rory gave a little chuckle in the middle of a kiss. Tentatively, she brought her hands down to reach around Jess' back, rubbing her fingers along his spine and over his shoulder blades, feeling his muscles. Jess began kissing her neck as his hands grasped her waist, closing over the small of her back.
Rory could feel the heat of his body, and her feelings threatened to take her over completely. She plunged her hands into his hair, pulling him closer, opening her mouth to his. Their tongues twisted around each other, intensifying their passion. She felt his lips on her mouth, working their way down to her neck, kissing her collarbone, ending up at the junction at the base of her neck. Panting, she broke away from his embrace.
"Jess, I need to get home. Mom will want to spend some time with me. We're going to be busy the whole evening."
"No. Stay." Jess' eyes were full of desire as he reached for her again.
"No, Jess, I really have to do this. It's late already," she said as she looked at her watch.
Tired, Lorelai walked into the house and called for Rory. No answer. Rory's things were piled in her room; the giant mound of laundry was out by the washer, waiting for an enterprising person to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Lorelai called for delivery, focusing on Rory's favorites, then headed upstairs to change into sweats and a t-shirt. She browsed through her closet, pondering which outfit to wear on her dinner date with Luke on Tuesday.
"Now I get a chance to wear a 'come and get it' outfit if I want. If I'm ready for Luke to come and get it." Her body responded so strongly that she had no doubt about it, the only question left open was her heart.
The front door clattered open and Rory called, "Mom!"
"Here sugarpuss! I'm upstairs."
Rory bounded up the stairs before Lorelai could come down. They hugged, squeezing and laughing until Lorelai lost her balance and fell first halfway on the bed, then she dragged Rory completely to the floor, laughing and giggling.
"So glad you're home!" cried Lorelai. "You've been to see Lane already? How's she doing?"
"She's great, mom. We talked for a while, then I took a long walk around Stars Hollow, seeing all the old sights. How was work?"
"Michel was Michel, but he did a really good job of setting up the reservation system, much better than the one we had at the Independence Inn. We assigned rooms for everyone coming to the test run, then moved a few people around to different rooms."
"Is Luke coming to the test run?" asked Rory.
"Yes, and I upgraded him to Room 12." Lorelai had a mischievous look on her face.
"Things are going well, then? C'mon, spill. I want to know everything but the stuff I don't want to know, and you know what it is I don't want to know." Rory cocked her head to one side and smiled at her mother.
"Our second date is next Tuesday; he's taking me out to dinner. I can't decide what to wear. So far it's either this black dress, or anything else." She held up a form-fitting black dress with a choker collar and deep shoulder cut-outs.
"Mom, that was the dress that everyone complimented you on at Grandma's last time, wasn't it?"
"Yes, and it's because of those compliments that I'm thinking of it for Tuesday."
"Is the restaurant anywhere near an emergency room? 'Cause you're going to give poor Luke a heart attack when he realizes you wore that dress for him. Or are you just trying to create an opportunity for mouth to mouth?"
"No need to create opportunities, Luke is a very fast learner."
"Ewww, getting too close for comfort, especially up here in your bedroom. Downstairs now!"
They gathered plates and movies, and had just settled onto the sofa when the food arrived.
As they dished up the food on their plates, Rory asked, "Mom, do you remember that I said I would talk to you when I think I'm getting ready to, you know, be with someone for the first time?"
"Yes, of course. Is it getting close? Are you in a relationship with someone?" Lorelai got very serious, trying to give Rory both space to talk and make her feel comfortable.
"I – I think it's getting close. The relationship is just starting, but the feelings are so strong, I don't know how to decide. I'm pretty sure I want to, but I don't know how to choose when. Does that make sense?" Rory leaned back on the sofa, playing with her food.
"Yes, it makes sense. There are a million thoughts flying through your mind at a time like this, and your body is telling you 'Go baby go' but your brain is processing the ramifications, and your heart, well it's wherever your heart is at the moment."
"How do you understand what your heart is saying? I can't decide, it feels like my heart is all over the place," said Rory, feeling a little dejected.
"You will understand your heart at certain moments when you look into his eyes, but that's dangerous, because it's easy to think that the physical desire is your heart speaking. I can only say that one day, you'll look into someone's eyes and understand that."
"What if I'm wrong?" Rory asked.
"You will be wrong sometimes, you just have to stay true to yourself. Your first love is not going to be your last love in most cases, but it's still worth letting your first experience be one with someone you do love."
"But what do I do if I'm wrong?" repeated Rory.
"Don't make him suffer. I did that with Max, and it hurt both of us a lot. He didn't deserve that pain. After that, it's a question of mentally filing away the good memories and the things you learn, then letting go of the rest."
"Mom."
"What, dear heart?"
"Any movie but Hardbodies, OK? I don't want to have that image in my mind as I decide."
Some time later, Lorelai started to yawn. Rory said, "I'm still on my finals schedule, Mom, I think I'm going to go out and see who's up. Lane said something about getting together tonight, so I'll see if it's possible."
"OK, sugar, I'm going to get some sleep. Tomorrow's another long day, and there's still so much work to do. I'm headed to bed," Lorelai said.
"'Night Mom, say hi to Luke for me," Rory said as she left.
Lorelai headed upstairs, carrying the phone as she dialed Luke's number.
"Hi," she said when he answered.
"Hi back," replied Luke.
"You're getting ready for bed?" she asked.
"Just got under the covers. How was your evening?"
"Good, we had lots of time to talk. My baby's grown up, and is maturing faster than I could have imagined, Luke." Lorelai wandered over to the window and looked out at the street. A few people were out walking in the dark.
"Hmm," she said, "Jess left today, didn't he?"
"You were there when he said goodbye, and he took his bag. Haven't heard from him since." Luke yawned and stretched lazily.
"Weird, I could have sworn that I saw him just now. He must have a doppelganger roaming the streets of Stars Hollow."
"Yeah, not likely. If Jimmy had any more kids, they sure wouldn't be living in Stars Hollow. Are you going to bed?" Luke asked.
"Yes, I'm always extra tired the day Rory comes home. I can relax, and I sleep better when she's here. Don't know what I'm going to do when she moves out for her job."
"We'll figure it out when the time comes. She's just 19, there's plenty of time."
Luke's pragmatic reassurances almost always helped Lorelai calm down, even before they dated. It helped now, too, but she expressed a further concern.
"Tonight it occurred to me for the first time that she might have a serious boyfriend before she graduates. Who knows what she'll do then, maybe she won't even come home for the summers."
"Wait until it happens. Does she have a boyfriend at the moment?" His voice was gentle and full of concern for Lorelai.
"Maybe, she talked like she might be getting involved, but she hasn't given me a name or introduced me yet. She hardly dated at all this year."
"Then there's time. Trust her and continue to be there for her. I know you can do this. Why don't you go to bed and see what she has to say tomorrow?"
"I will," replied Lorelai. "It's good to have you to talk to about these things. I like dating you and being friends at the same time. No need for me to give you a big backstory or to worry about what you might think of me dumping all my angst on you."
Luke's voice was gruff with emotion as he answered, "You could have called me before, you know, especially about Rory. You know how I feel about her, a- about you both."
Lorelai's heart jumped at Luke's words, even though she knew they had been true for a very long time. "Looks like all it takes to crack your gruff exterior is to call you late at night, my friend. Maybe I should tell Taylor to call you at midnight the next time he wants you to do something."
Luke picked up that Lorelai had moved the conversation to a lighter level. "You do that and I'll change my number, and not even you will get it. You'll just have to wait for me to call. Anything else tonight?" Sleep threatened to take over.
"I did want to know how fancy a restaurant we're going to on Tuesday, so I can choose my outfit. I'd hate for my outfit to be the reason Date Number 2 is a disappointment."
"Here's where it's easier for women than for men. A restaurant might require a tie, or a jacket, or a suit, while all you have to do is throw on any old black dress, a pair of heels and you're ready for any place except a clambake. I mean honestly, the suit exists to make it easy for men to decide what to wear yet still be prepared for everything. It works great in a business situation, but in a social situation, that's the realm of women, setting rules for the men on behavior, clothing, everything!"
"Let the rant, go, Luke, I just wanted to know for myself. Any little old black dress will do? I can handle that. Thanks for the input, you can go to sleep now, OK?"
"OK, goodnight, Lorelai. See you tomorrow sometime maybe?"
"Tomorrow sometime definitely. Goodnight, Luke."
After she hung up the phone and got ready for bed, Lorelai's thoughts drifted back to the discussion with Rory. Where was her heart with Luke? Was she ready for more? What would her heart see the next time she looked into his eyes? The special friends relationship they'd had before had merged seamlessly with this deeper connection so fast that Lorelai couldn't even imagine a time without her Luke.