A/N: Thanks for the latest reviews, folks. Yep, the slow burn is still slow burning! ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 11

It all went pretty well, in the end. Rory wasn't sure how awkward it might be, Christmas with her mom and Luke and Jess, but actually, they all got along surprisingly well. No fights, no unpleasantness. Nothing really awful happening at any time. Except for the first time Jess saw Rory have a pretty explosive nosebleed.

Despite the bad boy rep he had in his teen years, Jess didn't actually curse all that much, but Rory sure heard a few choice words in that moment. Fortunately, her mom and Luke knew what to do and it was all over inside of ten minutes, at which point Rory was able to explain that it was all absolutely fine and normal.

"Just one of those unexpected but super fun symptoms of being four months pregnant," said Lorelai as she ushered Rory back out of the bathroom towards an ashen-faced Jess.

"I told him," Luke assured the women, "but there was no way he was going to feel better until he saw for himself."

He excused himself to go make coffee and tea then, and Lorelai followed him, while Jess led Rory to the couch and sat her down.

"You sure you're okay?"

"It's like Luke told you, all perfectly normal, I promise," she assured him, feeling strangely moved by how much concern he was showing for her. "Honestly, Jess, you don't have to worry."

"Okay. I'll try not to," he said, muttering the words more than saying them, still looking weirdly pale.

Rory was genuinely touched that he cared so much. Not that she really doubted that he cared about her, they were such good friends, after all, but she could almost believe for a moment that it was more than that. More than concern for the baby and/or her general health. Just more, somehow.

It would be so easy for her to believe that Jess' feelings ran deeper than friendship as the week went on. When Rory asked if he wanted to come with her to hang out with the Van Gerbigs, he agreed pretty easily. She wasn't so sure how well everybody would get along, but it went strangely well. Zach might not be on the same intellectual level as Jess, but they both had good taste in music, which wasn't nothing, and both Zach and Lane were full of advice for the parents-to-be in general.

When they left her best friend's house, Rory was glad to find Jess was smiling.

"You know, I kind of wish I had been easier to make friends with when I first moved here. Lane is great."

That was not a statement that Rory could've argued with even if she had wanted to, which she didn't. Even after so many years, she always found herself that much happier when all the people she loved most could get along together. Of course, she had learned that wasn't always possible, but she definitely liked it better when it was.

Then April came to visit for a couple of days, which was fun. She and Jess were quite the double act, with lots of brother-sister vibes and the type of banter only siblings ought to share. Rory found them all kinds of amusing, but she also liked how much more natural April seemed to be with her cousin around to bounce off.

Of course, the one downside to Ms Nardini was her happy knack of pointing out facts usually best left unsaid. Like how many strange family connections there would be for the baby that was on the way. As if Rory and Jess really needed reminding that they were legally step-cousins, or that April herself would be both first cousin once removed and step-aunt to the child, when he or she was born. It was enough to make the most open-minded people uncomfortable, but Lorelai in particular was excellent at changing the subject, so they muddled through.

The week from Christmas to New Year passed quickly with so many visitors and activities, and suddenly, it was New Year's Eve, everyone waiting the beginning on 2017. Rory was sharing the couch with her mom and Jess while Luke was in the armchair, the older two already having nodded off a few times each, and Rory struggling to keep her eyes open too.

"You sure you wanna keep this up?" asked Jess, nudging her with his elbow.

"Yes, sure. Yep, I'm awake," she told him too loudly, rubbing at her tired eyes and trying to refocus them on the TV screen. "We're almost there, right?"

"Getting closer all the time," he said with a smirk, clearly amused by her attempts not to flag and the way they both knew she was failing badly. "I'm going to the bathroom. You want me to grab you a soda or something on the way back? The sugar might keep your eyes open a little longer."

"Soda would be great, thanks." Rory smiled up at him as he rose to go.

He really was such a great guy, she thought, as she watched him leave the room. Not that she should be getting too attached. After all, as great as the last week had been, she was all too aware that Jess would be leaving soon. Tomorrow, in fact. He had to get back to Philadelphia, because Truncheon wasn't going to run itself.

"What? What? I'm up," said Lorelai then, clearly having sprung awake that moment altogether too quickly.

"Mom, seriously, you don't have to stay up with me," Rory insisted. "You can go to bed. You should go."

"I'm not old!" her mother shot back, sounding affronted.

"I didn't say you were old."

"You said I should go to bed."

"Kids get told they should go to bed, they're not old."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes in the most over the top way and then gave up with a sigh. "Ugh, I really do need to go to bed"

"Thank God!" said Luke from the chair, on his feet in a second. "Goodnight, Rory," he told her, heading right on up the stairs.

Lorelai rolled her eyes as she got up too, only to lean back down and kiss Rory on the forehead. "You should probably head to bed too, sweets, but I know you're not going to," she continued fast, before any argument could be made. "I know you have this whole 'one more New Year's before the regular sleepless nights begin' thing going on. So, just promise me you'll give in right after the clock strikes midnight, and then sleep in a while tomorrow, okay?"

"It's a deal," Rory promised with a smile, as her mom smoothed out her hair, then hurried up the stairs in her husband's wake.

By the time Jess returned from his bathroom-then-kitchen trip, he looked surprised to find only Rory sitting there. "Huh."

"They couldn't last," she explained as he re-joined her on the couch, handing her a bottle of soda, as promised. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Jess' eyes were on the TV, but Rory's focus was entirely on him. "How come you're not tired?" she asked after a while.

"I don't know," he told her, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess a life of crazy sleep patterns pays off sometimes. Could come in handy with a kid too, I guess."

Rory nodded that that made sense, though she didn't say a word. Sleepless nights were a given with a small child, but she hadn't really thought about Jess pitching in to help with that. After all, he wasn't going to be living with her, not even in the same town or the same state. She supposed the baby would go stay with Jess sometimes, or he would come visit and help out then, but they hadn't gotten that far in discussing logistics or anything. There didn't seem to be much point yet.

"What?"

She hadn't realised she was still staring at him so hard until he spoke. Rory quickly shook her head, then took a long drink from her soda, while her mind ran through a whole bunch of excuses she could give for her own odd behaviour. Putting the bottle down on the table at last, she answered his question.

"I was just thinking, uh, I'm going to miss you, you know, when you head back to Philly tomorrow?"

A small smile pulled at his lips when he replied; "Yeah, I'll miss you too."

It should have been such a simple friendly moment, but it wasn't. It was so much more than that. At least, it was for Rory. She had to wonder if she was reading more into the look on Jess' face than was really there, but it seemed familiar, achingly so. It looked a lot like the way he used to stare at her when all he wanted to do was kiss her breathless.

Somewhere over the noise of the blood pounding in her own heart and head, Rory was vaguely aware of the crowd on the TV yelling out a countdown, then suddenly, it was over, to the cheers and applause of too many people, music playing, fireworks going off.

"Happy New Year, Rory," said Jess, so softly she was sure she wouldn't have heard if he wasn't so temptingly close.

"Happy New Year, Jess," she replied in much the same way, anticipating a kiss and not at all disappointed when, finally, his lips met hers.

It should have been a nothing sort of a kiss. Just a New Year's peck, that was all. It wasn't how Rory wanted it, but it was what she expected. When Jess moved to pull away after a second or two, somehow, she just couldn't bear to let him do it. She shifted forward so they wouldn't break contact and her heart leapt when he seemed to take the hint, leaning in again, kissing her back with equal pressure.

Maybe she was being a fool. Rory was sure she must be, but the old sparks were still there between her and Jess, and the feeling of allowing herself to fall into the moment was just intoxicating. The one night they spent together had been so special, probably lightning in a bottle, never to be repeated, and yet, she could so easily believe that they could have it all again. Jess' fingers were in her hair, her own reached out for the buttons of his shirt. Then there was a sound upstairs, her mom and Luke moving around. It was startling enough to bring Rory right back to reality with a huge bump.

"I'm so sorry," she gasped, pulling away fast. "Oh my God, I can't believe I just... Jess, I'm so sorry," she repeated, hands briefly covering her face. "I honestly didn't mean to... It's the pregnancy hormones. I swear, I'm just all over the place lately."

She didn't know how to look at him. Honestly, she wasn't even sure why she was lying her butt off about her feelings. Jess was kissing her back, she knew that, but she didn't really know why. The last time they were together, it was just sex. Now, they were having a baby together. They were good friends, in a good place, until she suddenly made it complicated by kissing him like a stupid teenager with a crush. She really thought she was long over all of that. Apparently not. Still, blaming her hormones for her potentially crazy behaviour seemed like a good idea at the time. She doubted it when she heard Jess speak as he got up from the couch.

"Okay, so I'm gonna go. It's probably better if I just... Yeah, I'll go."

Rory turned to look just in time to see Jess disappear towards the front door. She opened her mouth to call him back, but no sound would come out and suddenly he was gone, the door closing behind him with a click. The tears were streaming down Rory's cheeks as she realised what she had done. So much for a good and happy start to the new year.


Jess was starting to think that every drive back to Philly was going to be spent with only half his mind on the road, while the rest of his brain power was taken up figuring out how the hell he was ever going to handle his current situation with Rory Gilmore. He really thought it was complicated enough when they were just having a kid together, after a one-night stand, more than ten years after they initially dated. Even that was made tougher by the fact he never really got over her and she seemed to have no idea, mostly because he never told her. Now, he had to contend with the fact she could still reduce him to a puddle of goo with one seriously good kiss, only to then back off and blame her hormones for ever having gotten that close to him again!

He almost called her on it. There was a part of Jess that really wanted to yell 'Bull!' the moment Rory tried to say that their seriously hot New Year's kiss was nothing but pregnancy side effects on her end, but he just couldn't do it. It would've been wishful thinking, most likely. Even if he could get her to admit some kind of feelings for him, he really didn't want to force something like that out of her. It wasn't fair, not to either of them, but God, the whole situation was frustrating as hell. He was already kicking himself for their lame goodbye, which he deliberately had in front of Lorelai and Luke so it couldn't become another awkward conversation about what might have been.

Jess' hand hit the steering wheel with some force when what felt like the hundredth red light got in his way of getting home. Not that he was exactly thrilled with the idea of getting back to work at all. He liked his job well enough and the guys at Truncheon were his friends, but they were going to ask about the holidays in the Hollow, about Rory and what may or may not have happened. He didn't know what to tell them. The truth wouldn't exactly make anybody look good, but Jess hated to lie.

"Because everything just has to be complicated these days," he muttered, meeting his own gaze in side mirror. "You are so screwed, man."

To Be Continued...