A|N: Thank you so much to those who have left reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, characters, or any original dialogue from our lovely ASP — this is for fun!

Rated M for mild language & adult themes

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Chapter 10: Moon Songs

Soundtrack: Luna - The Smashing Pumpkins 1993 | I Want You (She's So Heavy) - The Beatles 1969

…

Sam Cooke's voice floated through the ballroom at the Independence Inn, "Now I find myself wanting to marry you and take you home… honest you do." Then, Kirk's voice as the DJ layered over the music as Sookie & Jackson continued to sway to their first dance, "The happy couple would like to invite their guests to join them for the next dance."

The Bee Gees began How Deep Is Your Love, and Lorelai squealed, "Ooh Lukey, pleeeease?" Luke hung his head but smiled, allowing Lorelai to pull him onto the dance floor.

Rory looked at Jess and giggled. She paused and tilted her head toward the dance floor. Jess raised his eyebrows, "No, not this one. Night Fever, maybe, but not this one," Jess winked. Rory shrank back down in her seat a little and wondered what song would inspire Jess to dance with her—she knew it wouldn't be Night Fever. He scooched forward in his chair with his knees on either side of her and kissed her cheek, "Just wait."

When Kirk led everyone into The Monkee's I'm A Believer, Lorelai grabbed Rory & Lane into a spazzy spin around the dance floor. At the same time, Luke and Jess watched, amused. Rory plopped back down in her chair, out of breath, as her mom, Lane, and Sookie walked like an Egyptian. Luke stepped away from the table, and Rory felt a warm breath on her neck as Jess whispered, "I could watch you do that all night."

Rory flushed and hit him on the knee, "Creep."

Jess kept close to Rory's ear and sang, "But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo. What the hell am I doin' here?"

"Well, you're supposed to be dancing with me," Rory reprimanded.

"I'm dancing on the inside," Jess kept lowly singing, "You're just like an angel. Your skin makes me cry…."

Rory pinched her shoulder toward her ear at Jess' tickling serenade, "Jess…."

"You float like a feather in a beautiful world…."

Rory turned to face him and kissed the rest of the lyrics off his lips as everyone else danced to CCR.

They were startled out of their little corner of the world by Lorelai, "You know, I'd typically make a comment like 'get a room,' but that seems wrong for me to encourage, especially since we're at an inn, and I'm the one that rents the rooms, and you're my kid… bleckkk."

Rory hid her face, and Jess laughed, "Ooh snap." Jess resisted the urge to dip his head and lower his eyes. As much as he knew that being with Rory was only between them, he also knew that Lorelai would be a part of the equation.

Rory traveled to and from the dance floor to boogie with Lorelai, Sookie, and Lane to golden oldies, big bands, and Ricky Martin—for Sookie only. She was catching her breath and sipping her punch when the music slowed into hazy guitar strumming. Rory knew the song couldn't be Sookie or Jackson's taste, so she looked at Lane, "Did you do this?"

"Not me this time. Props to whoever did, though. Siamese Dream is a masterpiece. I've been trying to tell you for years," Lane's eyes followed Jess as he stood up and offered his hand to Rory. Lane trailed off as she watched, "Mayonnaise is the best song off the…."

Rory peered at Jess as Billy Corgan growled, "What moon songs do you sing your babies?" He winked at Lane and pulled Rory up. They walked to the dance floor hand in hand. Jess reached around her lower back, guided her hand to his chest, and closed the distance between them. He kept his hand over hers and began to sway them slowly. Everyone in the room disappeared as Rory met Jess' eyes, "Did you do this?"

Jess gave Rory a patented smirk. He had always understood this song to be about someone afraid to love. To accept the love they found, they had to break the rules — rules they had put in place to keep from getting hurt. As soon as Jess had agreed to come to the wedding with Rory, he had asked Sookie if she could add it to the playlist. Then, he had to listen to her crazy made-up song about him and Rory together for a solid minute before she would let him walk away.

Rory had never liked The Smashing Pumpkins — as she said, it wasn't her angst. But this song wasn't angst. She would have played this song when she dreamed about dancing with a mysterious boy she hadn't met yet — when she dreamed of the ideas of romance and love and 'happily ever after.' Rory briefly thought back to her first dance with Dean at Chilton. Mazzy Star had sung Fade Into You — one of her favorites. Ironically, she had done just that — faded into him, nearly disappeared. But here, with Jess, Rory was more herself than ever, listening to a band she thought she didn't like. She relaxed and swayed with him to the beat.

Jess knew he was taking a risk having a moment like this with Rory, with practically the entire town watching. Still, he weighed the scales, which always leaned toward making Rory happy. He wouldn't deny that, at this moment, he was pleased too. When did I become such a sap?

Jess touched her lips with his and meant to kiss her softly, but Rory deepened the kiss, and he couldn't resist moving against her and holding her a little tighter. This wasn't a middle school dance between two timid pre-teens — not a one-foot ruler space to be found between them. Rory could feel Jess' muscles twist and tense under her hands, and he could feel her soft curves too well through her thin dress. When Corgan breathily sang, "If you want me to," Jess involuntarily rolled his hips into hers. In response, Rory squeezed the back of his neck, "Who knew you were Johnny Castle?"

Jess rested his forehead on hers as he faintly finished the song, "So in love, With you…." Rory hummed the last bars with him as the music faded and the first snare hits of Rock the Casbah began. They overcame their stupor and realized they weren't in the room alone. Jess put space between them out of necessity and bobbed to the new beat. He closely told her, "Thank god for The Clash. The whole room was about to know how much I like dancing with you."

Rory's eyes got wide, but she thought back to the reaction she provoked from Jess at Louie's wake. She softly chewed on her lower lip, and as expected, Jess' eyes darted down to her mouth, "Keep thinking what you're thinking."

Jess' breath hitched, and he let his eyes fall closed. He reached forward and pulled Rory into him to speak directly into her ear, "I don't have a choice… but I definitely can't stay on this dance floor with you in that dress and The Clash playing." Rory threw her head back into a laugh — her teasing worked perfectly.

They walked back to the table to sit and eat as the food was being served to the tables. Luckily, Lorelai & Luke enjoyed being in their own bubble of love, so Jess & Rory weren't being scrutinized too closely. They were, however, being studied by Lane, who had her mouth agape at the two of them, "Okay, so we both know that I live vicariously through Rory, so Jess, I just want to say thank you for that."

Jess shook his head. Rory smiled proudly at him, "I agree. Thank you for that."

...

The crowd sent Sookie & Jackson off to their honeymoon and began to dwindle as everyone started home. Lorelai had told Rory that she'd be home soon but would stay to ensure the staff had everything they needed to wrap up. She told them to take her Jeep and that she would ride home with Luke.

Jess helped Rory out of the Jeep in the front yard of The Crap Shack as the sun lowered below the trees. As they walked up the steps, Jess picked up where they left off by the pond, "Um, I've been meaning to tell you something that I've been working on."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, I thought it would be important for my tutor to know I made up all my school assignments and tests."

"What!? Jess! Really?"

"Yeah, Merton let all of them be counted, and I officially passed my junior year."

Rory hugged Jess and squealed, "I am so proud of you, Jess! Oh my gosh, what did Luke say?"

"I haven't told him yet. Just wanted to make sure it stuck. I'll tell him tonight because he'll have to sign off on the next part."

"Next part?"

"I'm withdrawing from school," Rory's heart fell, but before she could protest, Jess continued, "I am going to take the GED while you are in Washington. I have an early birthday — I turn 18 next week, and I can't go through another mindless year of high school. If I do it this way, I can start doing something, working or whatever." Jess didn't know exactly what yet. He knew that Rory would probably want to steer him toward college, but he still wasn't sold on the concept, even if he was now sold on doing more with his life. "I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for pushing me and helping me see how stubborn I was being. Ironically, I was living up to Liz's standards, doing as little as she thought I would. I just… I couldn't have done it without you."

Rory was stunned into silence, and her eyes glazed over. It didn't make sense to her that anyone would make that much effort because of her. Dean wouldn't even read a book for her, let alone make up a year's worth of schoolwork. She had known for a while that she was in love with Jess, but he kept presenting her with another reason to love him more every day. She was so excited for him and wanted to remind him that he had more than enough intellect to go to college, but she didn't want to divert from the news at hand, "Jess… I am so… I'm so proud of you. And we are definitely coming back to it being your birthday soon." She couldn't form words to convey how overwhelmed she was at Jess' unbelievable efforts. She reached her palm to the back of his neck and pulled him to her.

Jess held Rory around her waist and kissed her back without abandon until Rory pulled away suddenly. Jess let go, thinking he had been too forceful.

Rory scrambled for her clutch purse but caught Jess' expression, "No, no, it's okay. I need my house keys." She produced them from her bag and unlocked the door. Jess stood motionless, watching her. Rory walked in, turned around abruptly, grabbed him by the shirt lapel, and yanked him through the door. He stumbled forward as she shut the door behind them and locked it back. She tossed her bag onto the hall tree and pushed Jess back against the wall in the foyer. Rory stepped into him and studied his lips, already pink and slightly swollen. She touched her finger to his bottom lip as she quoted his favorite author for the second time, "Maybe... you'll fall in love with me all over again."

Jess wanted Rory more than anything. He had never allowed himself to desire anything. He learned not to want anything except the essentials—a room, some food, and heat. The less he wanted, the less disappointment would ache in his chest. He smirked as he continued her excerpt of A Farewell to Arms. "Hell… I love you enough now," he titled his head, "What do you want to do? …Ruin me?"

Rory met his eyes and nodded — she hoped she could convey her intentions despite her inexperience.

Jess knew he was already ruined. His walls were crumbling — piles of rubble where his defenses had been — brought down by the girl in his arms. He ran his hands down the smooth fabric of her dress until they landed on the swell of her backside.

Jess heard Rory's sharp intake, and they snapped back together like two halves of a magnet that had been pulled apart. Something in this kiss surprised them both. The gentility and reserve were gone. They weren't in the town square, on a bus, or in a park. They had felt secluded on the dance floor, but now they were in their own world.

Rory pressed herself further into Jess until he could feel her warmth heating his skin. His hands splayed across her back — the fire from his palms threatened to melt away her fabric. He wanted nothing more than to grab the hem and rid her of the only layer between his hands and her skin, but he didn't want to scare her. To Jess' shock, Rory instinctively rocked her hips into him, and he groaned. She jerked back, "Did I hurt you? I'm…"

Jess shook his head at her to silence her apology, "No, you're perfect." Then, in one graceful pirouette, he spun them both so Rory's back was against the wall. He needed to show her what she was doing to him and how good he could make her feel. He knelt slightly and rocked his hips into her. Her chest heaved at the feel of him against her. His hardness fit her contours, and the heat between her legs caught fire.

They reeled as they passed the same breath back and forth between them. Jess sucked her bottom lip in between his and ran his tongue along it. He found that it gave her goosebumps. As she learned, she grazed her teeth along his and bit slightly on his bottom lip. She heard a guttural sound from his throat, making her skin prickle even more.

Rory shocked Jess again as she moved her legs apart. He repositioned one leg between hers and tilted his hips slightly into her to gain more friction where he knew she needed it. He again lowered his hands to her buttocks and held her to him. Rory moaned uncontrollably, and his name slipped from her lips, "Jess!"

"Do you want me to stop?"

Rory balled fistfuls of his shirt in her hands to keep him in place, "No, don't. I want… you."

Jess couldn't have imagined the effect those words sailing from her lips would have, even though he had dreamt of her nearly every day since they met — the day he walked into her room and saw her perched at her desk. She was bright and guileless and smelled of books — books he had read and some he had yet to read. He had wanted her then.

He used every bit of control to keep himself from carrying her into her room and making love to her while her books bore witness. But he knew Lorelai would be home soon and didn't want Rory to be caught off guard or embarrassed. He wanted everything to be perfect for her, and now wasn't the time. However, he could give Rory a preview — an intriguing blurb on the inner cover of the book jacket. He kept them upright against the wall and started a rhythm against her, "Move with me."

Jess felt Rory nod, and as she began to make her own rhythm, he felt her body tense from her new ability. He released one hand from her backside to run up her waist to the side of her breast. As Jess ran his thumb along her nipple, she bucked into him and groaned. Rory hadn't needed to wear a bra and could feel him as if he were touching her skin. She wanted him to touch her skin. She opened her eyes to plead with him as the idea went through her mind, "My room?"

Jess took a deep breath, and his eyes dropped closed. He needed to keep his head clear. Ruined. "Not yet," Jess saw disappointment cross her face, "Believe me, I want to, really want to, but… first, I want you to know what it feels like."

"What?"

"This…" Jess rocked into her again while teasing both of her nipples this time. Rory would have folded in on herself if not for the wall. She regained her rhythm against him, and her pace increased as her body moved instinctually. Rory anchored herself around his neck and pressed up onto her toes. She felt his length twitch as he danced against her and swallowed her moans with feral kisses.

Jess felt her body tense. Bewildered, Rory was unable to open her eyes, "I… I…." Her legs began to shake, and she felt an unknown pressure building. A thousand questions passed through Rory's mind, each warring with how her body felt.

Jess could see Rory tangled in worry. He assured her, "Ror, just feel it." She closed her eyes as Jess' fingertips glided down her silk dress from her breasts, grazing her belly button, then dipping below. She felt his chest swell as he pressed the heel of his palm between her legs and rolled once, twice, and then her breath caught as she tried to call his name again. Finally, he purred, "You are like nobody since I love you."

"I…" Rory gasped, "Jess!" She grasped for more of him, digging her nails into his upper back until her body went rigid. Her world caught fire. She could see it through her eyelids — pulsating flashes of color and burning red light. She had combusted, and the fire had incinerated her entire body. She was sure her house would be nothing but embers under her feet if she opened her eyes.

Jess cradled Rory from the wall and lifted her from the floor. She melted into his arms as she pleasantly trembled and swam in her dizziness. She entwined her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. Her hair became a curtain around them, and he blindly walked them to her doorway. He smelled intoxicating — a heady mixture of cologne and salty sweat. She couldn't help herself. She pressed her lips to his neck to taste him.

Jess shivered and gave a warning growl, "Ror..." She hummed with contentment as he slid her down his body until her feet found the floor again. He knew that he couldn't breach her room in his state. He would give anything to stay with her, hold her — and make her feel something new again and again. But he needed to leave before Lorelai got home.

"I wish you could stay," Rory said with sleepy, glazed eyes.

"I do, too," Jess kissed her softly and could feel both heartbeats on her lips. They stood embraced until they heard a car door shut outside, and he reluctantly made his way to the back door.

Rory walked into her room, kicking off her shoes. She started to close the door, but in one last act of bravery, she pulled at the zipper of her dress and let it fall to the floor. She only worried for a moment that she would feel exposed. Still, after tonight, Rory knew more than anything that she wanted to give Jess the same fantastic feeling he had given her.

Jess pushed the back door closed quietly and glanced through the lace curtains. What he saw made his heart backflip. She was magnificent. He matched every dip and curve he saw with the ones he had memorized with his hands minutes earlier.

He braced his hands on either side of the door frame and exhaled through his teeth, "Fuck." He should have walked slower. He shouldn't have shut the door so quickly. He hated these lace curtains — he could see through them just enough to be maddened. He should have stayed. No, he couldn't — but he would. It was going to be a long, long, restless night.

Rory slowly closed her door while she could still see him through the curtains. She had contemplated tempting him into her room, but she knew there was no way to hide him — Lorelai was a bloodhound and would have sniffed him out immediately. Rory heard the front door open and was thankful she hadn't turned on any of the lights in the house. She quickly slipped on a t-shirt and slipped under the covers.

Jess disappeared into the hedges behind the Crap Shack. He wandered in the moonlight between street lamps, across the bridge, up and over the gazebo. Finally, he found himself at the diner's door. Jess planned to talk to Luke this evening about his plan, but he hoped Luke was asleep already — he wanted to enjoy his memories in silence. Jess padded to his bed, laid down in the moonlight streaming through his window, and thought of Rory.

When Lorelai peeked into Rory's room a few minutes later, she saw her sleeping daughter with the flowers still tucked into her braided hair — a good sign. Lorelai knew Jess had been in the house because she could smell his cologne. While she was glad Rory had him, she hated knowing that her little girl was growing up.

Rory squeezed her smile into her chest and refused to breathe as she heard her mom peek in her door. She catalogued every new feeling in her body as she fell asleep with the moon watching her through lace curtains. Rory drifted and dreamed of Jess softly singing — What moon songs do you sing your babies?