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Rory wakes up early the next day to have plenty of time to prepare for her phone call. She takes a relaxing walk to Luke's for coffee to calm her nerves. On her way back, she sees Lane out walking with her kids and gives them all hugs. She feels great by the time she is back home, and she starts to get ready. Even though it's just a phone call and no one will see her, she wholly believes in dressing her best to impress - it will at least keep her in the right state of mind. She's excited at the possibility of working for such a prestigious magazine, and one that hugely features international reporting. It's sort of unbelievable to her that Logan got her connected to them so quickly; but he is a Huntzberger.

Her phone rings at ten on the dot.

"Hi, I'm calling for Rory Gilmore. This is Carlisle Miller."

"Hi, this is Rory."

"Great! I have to say it's nice to speak to another woman with a man's name."

Rory laughs, "It's so nice to meet you. It's cool, isn't it? I like being somewhat ambiguous."

"Yes, nothing beats the disbelief on faces when I walk into a boardroom of strangers. I love thwarting their sexist little brains."

It sounds a bit malicious as she says it, but Rory chuckles in support.

"So, tell me Rory, how do you know the Huntzbergers?"

Rory's smile drops slightly, "Oh, well I went to college with Logan. And I interned for Mitchum."

"That must have been interesting. Logan strikes me as a wild child. Was he?"

"Um, nothing outside of the usual college experience. We worked at the Yale Daily News together. Did you see on my resume that I was the editor?" She attempts to divert the subject.

"Really? That's impressive! I have to admit I haven't had a chance to review your resume yet. Logan sent it to me this morning."

"Oh," Rory replies, slightly confused, "I was under the impression that's why you reached out to me."

"Oh well, Logan himself told me how great you are. His word is good enough for me. Honestly, this call and the interview we are going to schedule is just to appease HR. We will definitely offer you the job. When Logan Huntzberger asks for a favor, I can't help but give it to him."

The way she says it makes Rory uncomfortable for an inexplicable reason.

"That's…kind of you to believe in me. But please review my resume first. Just to make sure you think I'm a good fit for you."

"I will, and I'm sure you are. We would have to start you at the junior level, but we could quickly move you up to correspondent. I don't know yet for what area of the world, it depends on what's available when we get to that point. Until then, you would work in the office here in New York and report to me."

Rory nods, feeling that excitement start to sprout within her again, "That's fair. I would be happy to do that."

"Great, are you able to come in for a formal interview next week?"

"Sure, I could come in Wednesday or Thursday?"

"Okay, we'll do Wednesday at 2pm. I'll send you the details in an email."

"Perfect, thank you for this opportunity!"

"Of course. Like I said, Logan can have anything he wants."

Rory stutters in response, "Right. He's a nice guy."

"Very nice. Especially to look at. Don't you agree?"

"Um…" Rory bites her lip, unsure of what to say.

"I mean, you did date him, didn't you? Logan said you were someone special to him. And you went to college together. He must have been a ladies' man!"

The uncomfortable feeling is coming over her again, and she begins to pace around the kitchen. She doesn't understand why these topics are being brought up and is further bewildered by the way this woman is speaking to her. She went from wanting to 'thwart sexist brains' to questioning Rory about her relationship to the man that recommended her. It feels strange and inappropriate, and she has no clue how to continue.

Carlisle interrupts her thinking, "It's okay, you can tell me. It will have no bearing on getting hired, just curious."

Rory swallows and responds reluctantly, "Well…yes, we dated in college."

"You lucky lady. I've been attracted to him since I met him. It was at an event his father was holding in Boston. Mitchum introduced us, I think to get his son thinking about his future in news. And that smile, those eyes. They slayed me. But then Logan said he had just turned eighteen and I realized I'm eight years older than him!"

Rory realizes now this woman does want to do things to Logan. Compounding now with her discomfort is frustration. She knows she is really only being offered this job because this woman thinks maybe it will get her somewhere with him. And that's more of her dignity than she is willing to give up.

"Actually, I was just looking at my calendar and I have another interview next Wednesday. I need to go and move stuff around; can I reconnect with you to schedule?"

"Oh," Carlisle sounds surprised, "Sure. I'll let Logan know we spoke at least."

I'm sure you will, Rory thinks.

"Okay, thank you again."

"Wait before you go…I have a totally unprofessional question to ask. I hope you don't mind." The playful tone of her voice skeeves Rory, and she really wants to hang up. But no matter how she's feeling, this is still Time magazine, and she doesn't want to throw this connection away completely.

"Um you can ask but I may not feel comfortable answering."

"Oh, I hope you do!" Carlisle implores, "If you dated in college, I have to assume you slept together. He doesn't strike me as the type to be in a sexless relationship," Rory's face turns red and her heart races at the topic this woman is approaching, "I'm dying to know…what's he like in bed? Is he generous? You've got to tell me! I've always wondered how charming that mouth actually is."

Rory panics, her body shifty and anxious. She suddenly exclaims, "Actually I signed a non-disclosure about our relationship when it ended. Sorry! Thanks again for this opportunity. Bye."

She hangs up before getting a response, and holds a fist to her head, trying to sort through everything that just happened.

She decides she should call Logan to let him know how it went, and to warn him. He's a married man now with a kid on the way, maybe he needs to let this woman know that.

"Hey, done with Carlisle already?" Logan answers. Rory's brow furrows in confusion.

"How'd you know?"

"Oh, she told me that you would be speaking this morning. How'd it go?"

"Um. It was…really uncomfortable actually."

"Why? What happened?"

"Logan, that woman is obsessed with you! She talked about you the whole time."

"Okay…" Logan responds, then when Rory doesn't say more, he asks, "But did she offer you the job?"

Suddenly it clicks. This bastard. Of course, he already knows. Her naivety surprises even her sometimes

"Oh my god. You knew that she's in love with you, didn't you?"

Logan sighs, "Well, I don't know about love, but I know she's been giving me bedroom eyes since I was eighteen."

"Are you kidding me? She asked me really personal questions! It was terrible!"

"What kinds of personal questions? And you didn't answer me, did she offer you the job?"

"She freaking asked me what it was like to sleep with you! If you're a generous lover and, how did she put it, oh yeah, she wants to know how 'charming' your mouth 'really is'!"

"And what did you tell her?" She can hear the laughter in Logan's voice, and this facetiousness makes her fume. She stomps her foot on the kitchen floor, free hand in a tight fist.

"Logan! This is serious! She was only offering me the job because she wanted to do something for you, or with you I should say. And you knew that, and you just sent me into the lion's den without any warning?! Why is nothing ever straightforward with you Logan? You wanted a casual relationship with me in college, then when I told you I couldn't be that anymore you suddenly wanted to be my boyfriend. We get in a fight, you consider us broken up without even speaking to me about it and use that to justify sleeping with an entire bridal party!"

"Ace-" Logan tries to cut her off.

"No! Don't call me that and I'm not done! I have plenty more examples for you. I want to make sure I get this through your inflated skull! Let's see. You take me on a trip for Valentine's day only to find out that your father expected you to be elsewhere, and I realized you were hiding from him! You move to London and have a boss named Bobby that you spend a lot of time with, which you fail to tell me is a gorgeous young woman. Then, you propose to me and claim you want me as your wife, to spend the rest of your life with me. But only if I say yes and drop everything and move to California with you! You know how that ended. And then we have an affair, end it, and you want one last night with me. Only you were secretly hoping it wouldn't be one last night, weren't you? That's why you didn't use a freaking condom despite the fact that we had been using them every time we had sex! And despite the fact that I asked you if you had protection! And you gave me some sort of twisted answer that I guess I was supposed to be able to decipher by what you left between my legs, except I showered after everything because I was so disgusted with myself that I let you pull me in again! I'm dizzy from trying to follow all your half-truths and stipulations. This isn't a game Logan, this is my life!"

Her heart is pulsating, and she is out of breath by the time she finishes her tirade.

She sits down at the kitchen table and slumps in her seat, waiting for him to respond.

"I'm…sorry Rory. I felt terrible after we spoke yesterday, I just wanted to get you help as soon as possible. I thought it would make sense to go to someone that I know would really want to help me, and use that to help you. I didn't really think about how it could make you feel I guess."

Rory laughs humorlessly, "No, you didn't. That's one of your issues. You don't think about how other people will feel based on your actions. You're blinded by your own affluence. It's like you think everything you give is a gift."

She hears him breathe in deeply on the other end.

"You make me sound like someone I never wanted to be."

She doesn't respond, because it's true enough.

"I'm not my father," he says in an insistent whisper. The desperation clenches at her heart, and the switch within her flips from anger to sympathy.

"I know that Logan," Rory replies kindly, "it seems like you're the one that needs reminding."

"I keep messing up. I'm sorry. I really only want you to be happy."

"I know. You have the best intentions, but they seem to get muddled somewhere along the line."

"I'm going to get you a job you love, I promise. Without stipulations. No cougars involved."

She sighs and tries to tame the corner of her mouth from creeping upwards at his remark,

"That would be really nice."

"Rory…I was not purposely trying to get you pregnant. I swear."

"No, I know it wasn't that cut and dry. But it was in the back of your mind somewhere. And you have to realize how screwed up that is. I don't have access to the things you do Logan, it was going to be really hard for me to be a single mom. I was going to do it, happily, but it would have been a struggle. It's not fair to me. Or your wife."

"I'm sorry. You both deserve better."

His voice is full of regret, and it makes her feel a little bit better about everything. At least he knows he has messed up.

"You can be so great Logan, I know you can. Just keep fighting against the internalized Mitchum traits."

"I'm trying."

She doesn't respond and after a few moments of silence Logan speaks again,

"I've sent your resume and my recommendation out to a few other major companies. Let me know who you hear from and what happens."

"I will. Bye Logan."

"Bye Rory."

Jess wakes up to an insistent poking on his arm. His sleepy vision reveals a mess of dirty blonde hair and bright clothing.

"You're still here." Doula whispers at him, while continuing her poking. He rubs his eyes and when he can see clearly, he pokes her back.

"Great work, Sherlock."

"Why are you still here?" She sits on his sprawled legs on the couch, kneeing him in the shin.

"Jesus, those things are sharp," he grunts, pulling his legs out from under her and into a sitting position.

"Is it because Rory left without you? I don't see her here anywhere."

"Believe it or not, we aren't joined at the hip."

"Are you always this annoying in the morning?" Doula sighs, exasperated.

"I don't know, are you?" he hits back, with a raised brow and half a smirk.

"Mom says sometimes I am."

He's surprised by her stark comment, and his face falls.

"Has the woman said anything nice to you lately? She locks you out of her room, and she basically tells you that you're not as smart as me and Rory because you don't read as much. And now this. Anything else?"

Doula looks at him with her big brown eyes, and he is horrified by the wetness that seems to be filling them.

"Hey, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you. Come here," he opens his arms and she leans into him.

"Does she hate me?" Doula whimpers into his shoulder.

"No way, please don't think that. She loves you so much."

"It feels like she doesn't like to be around me anymore. She's always dropping me off at the diner, or suggesting I go to a friend's house after school."

Jess closes his eyes in pain at his sister's words; his arms hold her tighter.

"She loves you, Doula. I promise. I think that…she is going through something right now. To tell you the truth, I am trying to figure that out. She has seemed a little different lately to me too."

Doula pulls back from his shoulder and rubs her eyes.

"Is she sad? I know sometimes adults get really sad for no reason, and they get depressed. Is that what's wrong with her?"

His mouth forms a soothing smile, "That's a really good question. It's possible."

"What do we do to help her? I tell her I love her all the time. But sometimes she asks me to do stuff that I don't really want to do, like garden. I don't mind dirt, but I don't really want to stick my hands in it. Should I garden with her? Will that help?"

Jess takes her arms in his hands and gently squeezes for emphasis, "You don't do anything different. You're the best kid a parent could ask for. I know that because you're the opposite of me, and I was the worst kid a parent could ask for."

"I don't believe you. You're nice and you're funny, and Rory likes you and she's known you for like twenty-five years! No way you were the worst."

He places a hand on his chest in faux hurt, "Ouch, twenty-five years, how old do you think we are? I met Rory when we were teenagers, and I'm sure she would back me up on this at least a little bit. Trust me, you're a good kid. You love your parents, and you don't get in trouble, that's all you need to do. That's it. That's your job."

"But then who is going to help her?"

"I will. And Uncle Luke."

"Promise?" she asks with her pinky out. He laughs and laces a pinky finger with hers.

"I promise we will try our best. But let us know if she says anything else mean to you or does anything else unusual. Do you promise?"

She nods and brings their entwined pinkies to her mouth to seal it with a kiss. Jess rolls his eyes, pulling his pinky from hers and groans, "I'm so glad Rory is not here right now. I would never live this down."

Doula grins evilly, "I'm going to tell her next time I see her."

"You know what, I take it back. Maybe you're the spawn of Satan."

Doula laughs maniacally and pounces at him to wrap her arms in a death grip of a hug around his neck.

"You hungry, little lucifer?" he chokes out, patting her strongly on the back. She pushes away from him and hops off the couch.

"Yes, do you know how to make chocolate chip pancakes?"

"I know how to make them; the question is do you guys have the ingredients."

She shrugs, "We have chocolate chips. I know because mom tried to bake cookies the other day."

"Oof, I'm surprised there's still a roof over your head. She's excellent at ruining food."

Doula looks down at the floor, "She's not that bad. Sometimes she makes good stuff."

He sighs to himself as he realizes he somehow crossed that line again.

"I'm sure you're right. You do eat with her more than me. Come on, I'll show you how to make them."

A while later, they are frying up the last bit of pancake batter. Jess puts them in the pan, and Doula is in charge of flipping them and then putting them on a plate. She's about to flip one over when Liz's excited voice breaks her concentration, "Wow! What are my two kiddos doing in the kitchen?"

Doula jumps, and the pancake lands half on the stove and half on the pan.

"Oh man!" She pouts and Jess holds back a laugh at her cute disposition.

"It's okay, no big deal. We have plenty of pancakes. I'll clean it up for you, watch out."

Liz is closer to them now and she chuckles, "That's okay, Doula. I was never good in the kitchen either."

Doula's shoulders drop and she looks disappointed in herself, Jess catches this and has to hold back his aggravation with his mother.

"She was doing just fine until you decided to pull a jack in the box," he grabs the plate of pancakes and turns around to show both of them, "look, she did all these. They're so perfect I think Ihop should consult with her on improving their product."

Doula smiles wide, and it allows him to relax.

"Those do look great. I'm excited to try them."

Jess nods and finally takes a look at Liz. Her hair looks freshly brushed, but she has that look of a depleting hangover. Skin dry, dark circles under her eyes, pale complexion. He shakes his head lightly as he moves to place the plate of pancakes on the table.

"Are you okay, mom? You look a little sick." Doula inquires, as she sits down at the table and puts a pancake on her plate.

"I'm fine, honey. Thank you." She sits across from her and makes up her own plate.

"Okay. Do you want some orange juice? I'll get it for you. Or Jess made coffee, want some of that? Luke showed me how to pour coffee into a mug without spilling at the diner the other day. Coffee pots can be tricky you know."

"Doula, honey," Liz replies, slight irritation creeping into her voice, "I don't want anything. I'm fine."

Doula's shoulders slump and she briefly meets Jess's sympathetic eyes, "Okay."

"She's just being nice Liz. What's your problem?" Jess asks, keeping his tone even so as not to upset anyone.

"I know, sorry sweetie," she directs at her daughter, "I have a bit of a headache is all."

Jess clicks his tongue knowingly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Huh."

"Are you going to join us, Jess?" Liz asks, looking over at him as he stands by the stove.

"Yeah, I just need to wash my hands and use the bathroom first. I'll be right back." He hikes his thumb over his shoulder, and then slips away. He quietly turns towards the stairs and carefully walks up them; he knows they have a bathroom on the first floor and he's sure Liz will be suspicious if she hears him. At the top of the steps, he sees her room and the door is closed as expected. He walks up to it and gently tries to open it, but she somehow has it locked from the outside. He strides cautiously to the bathroom across the hall, finds a bobby pin under the sink, and then makes his way back to the bedroom door. He bends the bobby pin and squats down to jiggle it in the lock. He eventually hears a click and turns the knob. It opens and he stands up, quietly entering the room and closing the door behind him.

The first thing he notices is the smell of weed, and he wonders how it hasn't escaped into the rest of the house. He feels a sinking in his chest as he looks over to the window of her bedroom and sees a bong sitting on a chair near it. It's not the worst drug she could be doing, but it's something that she was supposed to have given up. He flips on a light switch and sees her closet. He takes slow steps towards it, nerves lit up throughout his body. Even though he already has an idea of what he might find, it's different than actually seeing proof.

He slides the closet door open and finds another light inside. He pulls at the string and looks at the illuminated belongings. Nothing sticks out at first, but he notices there is a shelf stacked up with bath towels towards the back. He gulps and steps in further to pull a stack down carefully off the shelf. He immediately sees the familiar red beefeater gin label, and he feels nauseous. He bites at the inside of his mouth as he takes the rest of the towels off the shelf. He inhales aggressively as he finds a stock of alcohol that would make Bukowski blush. He closes his eyes for a moment and puts his head in his hands. His body trembles at the heaviness of his discovery, his mind flashing back to painful childhood memories. She's not a young, single mom anymore, how is she still so immature that she would do this to her daughter? He swallows down his emotions and takes the phone out of his pocket to get a picture. He can't bring himself to go downstairs and go head-to-head with her right now. He is still so incredibly drained from the night before. However, he doesn't bother stacking her towels back up or turning off the light. She can suffer from extreme anxiety that she's been discovered just as he has now doing the discovering.

He walks slowly back down the stairs, taking deep breaths to appear normal for his sister. Once he feels settled enough, he turns the corner and is back in the dining room.

"We saved you two pancakes," Doula greets him, pushing a plate towards him. He forces his mouth into a small grin and ruffles her head.

"Thanks," he says as he takes a seat in between her and Liz. He can only bring himself to take a few small bites as his mom and sister speak amongst him.

"Doula, you have dance class at 11am with Miss Patty. Why don't you go get ready?" Liz suggests.

"Okay, can Jess take me?" she looks up at him.

"Of course," he smiles, "We can leave a little early and walk over."

"Okay! I'll put my sweater and sweatpants on over my dance clothes then. Be right back!"

She runs off and he's left alone at the table with Liz.

"She's so interesting, isn't she? She loves dark and spooky stuff like that Nightmare Before Christmas you guys watched last night, but she also loves frilly, fun like dancing too."

Jess shrugs, "Yeah, I don't think those two interests are mutually exclusive."

"You just don't usually see that."

Jess grunts in response.

"So…I remember you cornering me by the front door last night. Sorry if I said something stupid."

He looks up at her in disbelief; she doesn't even remember their conversation. He knew she was way too drunk, especially to drive. He runs a hand roughly over his face and stands up.

"I can't talk about this with you right now." He moves around the kitchen and cleans up the mess from cooking.

"Whatever you say, son. Do you and Rory want to come over for dinner tonight?"

He originally did want to do that, but after what he found and the emotional turmoil of the last twelve hours, he can't stomach coming back here tonight. He shakes his head.

"No, thanks. But why don't me and Rory take Doula to dinner and you and TJ can have a night alone?"

"Oh," Liz says, but she sounds dispirited, "That's nice of you. TJ usually just comes home and goes to bed though."

"Well, ask him not to do that tonight. Maybe he will take you out or something," Jess mumbles, both proud and annoyed at himself for trying to influence their relationship.

Liz shrugs, "Okay, yeah."

"Will you be picking her up from dance or you want me to bring her back?"

"I can pick her up. I'll just use the time to shower and get ready to leave the house. I know I look a little crazy right now," she tries to joke, but Jess's stone face doesn't show any interest in this.

"Fine. Rory and I will pick her up for dinner at 6."

"Okay. I wanted to invite her over for Christmas if she doesn't have any plans. Will you bring her with you?"

She repeats words from last night and it makes Jess shiver.

"If she wants to."

"Okay, Jess…I'm sorry for whatever stupid thing I said or did last night. I can tell you're mad at me. But I'm going through a lot right now, I can't be held accountable for my mouth after a couple of beers."

"Liz," Jess bellows, and she flinches, "I don't want to talk about this right now. I'm not in the state of mind to deal with this. I don't want to say anything I don't mean. Just…drop it. For now."

Liz gulps and opens her mouth to speak but before she can Doula comes running into the room all layered in warmth and unitard.

"Ready!" she exclaims. Jess nods and they both bundle up to leave.

"Bye mom, love you!" Doula calls as they walk out the door.

"Bye," Liz responds, less enthusiastically. Jess scoffs at her ignorance to returning her daughter's sentiment. He looks over at Doula and she seems untroubled, so he lets it go.

"Miss Patty is doing a holiday ballet show tomorrow for Christmas Eve. The group that I'm in is doing 'Once Upon a Dream' from Sleeping Beauty. Will you come see it?" Doula asks as they walk down the friendly streets of Stars Hollow, her breath puffing out in the freezing air with every word she exhales.

"If you want me to, then sure."

"Duh! And Rory too. Can she come?"

He nods, and pats her on the back lightly, "I'm sure she would love to. Apparently, she tried to learn ballet with Miss Patty, but she wasn't very good at it. You can ask her about it at dinner later."

"I'm having dinner with you guys?"

"Yep, just the three of us. Is that cool?"

"Yeah," Doula nods, but her face looks concerned as she continues, "Is mom going to be okay alone?"

"She won't be alone. She will be with your dad."

"Really? He works so much lately. He usually just comes home and has dinner with us, and then he plays card games with me and then goes to bed."

"Well, they will be spending time together tonight. So, what does he do besides work at Jackson's farm?"

"He used to build stuff, but then he got bored of that. Now he works on cars at a place in Woodbury."

Jess looks at Doula in surprise, "They let him work on cars?"

"Yes, why?" she looks up at him innocently. He bites his lip and shakes his head.

"No reason…just didn't know he liked to do that."

They arrive at Miss Patty's and Jess stops on the sidewalk to say bye to her.

"You can come inside you know," Doula says, pointing towards the entrance. His gaze shifts and he already sees Miss Patty undressing him with her eyes.

"That's okay. You're 10, I trust you will get yourself in there safely. I'll see you tonight. Pick you up at 6."

"Okay, bye!" she waves and runs towards the studio. He watches from afar to make sure she gets safely inside. He nods curtly to Miss Patty who is waving at him with only her fingers.

He allows his face to drop, and body to sulk as he starts his walk to see Rory. He remembers he said he would bring lunch, so he stops for a pizza along the way. As he waits for it, he takes out his phone and looks at the picture he took of Liz's collection. He tugs at his hair as he ruminates over what he should do. He knows if he sends it to Luke, it will escalate the issue to a level he can't come back from. And he just isn't sure if he's ready to deal with all that yet. He considers possibly sending it to TJ, to at least see if he is aware of the situation or not. But he's a little anxious about going down that rabbit hole too. He considers another option, probably the weirdest one but it would keep the issue from overflowing; maybe he should send it to Jimmy and call him. He doesn't speak to him much, once or twice a year. But maybe he would have some suggestions. He dealt with her and his own issues in the past from what Jess has heard. He tables that thought as he grabs the ready pizza and continues his walk to Rory's.

He struggles with his emotions about all of this. He wants to act, but he doesn't know how fast or how soon he should. He also wants to protect as much of his own peace as he can, but he knows if it's necessary he will let himself be engulfed by Liz's madness to save his little sister. All of these thoughts weigh heavily on his mind and body, and as he walks into the old Gilmore house, he finds Rory sitting at the kitchen table just starting at it. She looks up and their eyes meet. Both sets reflect despondency back to each other; both their bodies sit as though they have taken a beating. It's a bittersweet moment as they read each other and understand that neither one of them has anything to give right now except for physical touch. Jess walks towards her and places the pizza down on the table. Rory stands up and he quickly takes his layers off until he's in his shirt and jeans. She walks up to him, and he lifts his tired arms to wrap around her. She mirrors his actions and envelopes him in her arms. They hold on to each other for dear life as they start to kiss slowly, but deeply. Their tongues meet and they both taste like coffee and sugar. One of Rory's hands travels up and sits at the back of his head, affectionately petting his hair. She feels his chest shake against her own at her touch, and she kisses him harder.

There is no sense of urgency as his hands travel from her back, then to trace along her chest and waist, dipping down in a lethargic trail to the side zipper of the skirt she's wearing. He plays with it for a minute, just savoring the comforting body contact they're sharing. It feels like they are both physically and emotionally leaning on each other, at the exact same trajectory which brings them to a stable and solid meeting ground. He can feel his strength replenishing with every stroke of her fingers in his hair, every lick of her sweet tongue in his mouth.

When he feels ready to move forward, he pulls the zipper down and yanks gently at her skirt. It falls from the curve of her hips and pools at her feet. She deftly steps out of it, never letting go of him.

His hands find the top of her black tights, and he pushes them inside, paving a path from her bellybutton, over her hips and around to grab her behind where he settles his hands for now. She moves the hand that is still on his back carefully around his body, going under his shirt. She gently travels her fingers up his abs and over his chest, landing her soft hand on his beating heart. He pulls his lips from her momentarily to take a calming breath, her fingers dance meditatively over his skin. Their eyes meet, imploring each other to understand the depth of their care without forming words. After a pause, he positions his fingers under the elastic of her cotton underwear and pushes them down with her tights. She steps back to take them all the way off, and he works on removing his own clothes. She's left in her sweater and him in his shirt as their lips meet again. Their movements turn rougher, and Jess spins them around so he can navigate her body to a counter. He pushes her against it and pulls her sweater off. She puts a hand between them and strokes him lazily as he gets his shirt off. He inhales deeply at her touch and once his shirt is off, he captures her mouth again.

He puts his hands under her legs and helps her get her bottom up on the counter. He moves his hands up to her back and unclasps her bra. His mouth goes to her neck, and then her chest sucking roughly on her skin as he pulls the straps down and tosses her bra on the floor. His right hand finds her dripping center, and he runs his knuckles up and down her slit. She squirms and releases a subdued groan. He puts a finger inside of her and pushes his palm against her clit. He strokes within her and rubs her at the same time. They are still attached in a kiss, and he can feel her throat vibrating with noise from his movements. He releases her mouth and grows harder as he watches the looks of pleasure cross her delicate features. He finds himself panting in time with her, getting ready to replace his fingers with his erection.

"Baby," it's the first word he has spoken out loud to her today, and the sound of it gives her goosebumps, "please tell me you brought condoms."

She smiles, and pants out, "In my bag. In the bedroom."

He sighs in relief; he knows he didn't pack any since he packed before he even knew she would be joining him. He gives her two more rough rubs of his palm, making her curse and then pulls his hand away. He kisses her, and puts his arms around her, pulling her down from the counter. They stumble kissing to her old bedroom, and she breaks away to get one from her bag. She turns around and hands it to him, pushing him towards the bed. He falls back onto it and quickly covers himself. He beckons her to join him, and she crawls on top, straddling his body. He kisses her hard and checks between her legs with a hand to make sure she's still plenty wet for him. He grabs himself at the base, and places his tip at her entrance, and she slowly sits down on him, causing a hissing noise to release from his throat.

He groans at the sensation of her comforting heat surrounding him. It's the best he's felt since they left New York yesterday. He holds her at her sides, keeping her still so he can savor the feeling. He closes his eyes and rubs circles with his thumbs on her hips. He feels a soft hand running up and down his chest, the other resting on top of his hand on her body. He opens his eyes and is greeted by one of her sweet, adoring smiles; her blue eyes roaming over his face patiently. His chest heaves at the unexpected surge of contentment, and he brings a hand gently to her face and pulls her towards him for a deep kiss. With her leaning forward, he lifts his knees to support them and starts thrusting into her. She finds his broad shoulders and anchors her hands there. The position allows him to rub against her perfectly as he pushes in and out. They are both panting, gratifying noises escaping their throats as they get closer. No words are spoken like the last couple of times they slept together. It's all primal and emotional; the focus on releasing the stress and tension out of each other's body.

He's been holding on to his emotions so hard for so long, but Rory's body is causing them all to rush through him, leaving him feeling somewhat manic and desperately needing a release. This time he's the one shaking and on the brink of losing control of himself before her. She can feel his urgency, and she pushes her hips down onto him more so she can get more friction. She looks at his flushed face; he's struggling to hold on but there's no need. She looks him in the eye and gives him an encouraging nod, just let go. She squeezes his shoulders, nails digging gently into his skin to help him. He pumps as hard as he can into her a couple more times, rocking her body against his. His hips thrust upward and stay there as he begins to come undone. His body goes momentarily rigid under her, and she takes the opportunity to rub against him to her own completion and soon she's shuddering against him. His grunt is higher pitched, and more of a cry, than usual; like his pleasure was ripped out of him. Hers quieter and controlled, just a quick shake of her body.

As he settles, he pulls her down to rest against his chest. He wraps his arms tightly around her, kissing her shoulder repeatedly. He doesn't want her to see the sudden wetness in his eyes, his emotions finally forcing their way out of him. But he's foolish to think she can't tell, and he feels her bring a hand to his face. He closes his eyes as she softly runs a thumb across his cheek.

"What do you want to do?" she mumbles the words to not scare him away.

Right now. In general. About whatever happened to make you cry in front of me for the first time.

He takes his time answering, his warm mouth open on her bare shoulder as he thinks.

"Stay here for a while."

In bed with you. In Stars Hollow to keep an eye on my sister. In this calm before the storm.

"Okay. I have all day."

"Yeah. We're picking Doula up for dinner around six."

"Okay. We have time."

"I brought a pizza," he responds weakly, but doesn't want her to be uncomfortable if she's hungry.

"We both know leftover pizza is delicious," she smiles at him, causing his lips to perk up slightly. He nods.

"Okay. Let's stay here."