thank you for reading and reviewing! and thank you for your feedback about posting chapters to my one-shot, I hear you and I will keep the story here instead :)
i feel like we were in need of a fun/cute/sweet chapter, right?
enjoy xoxo
disclaimer: I own nothing
"Hello?" Rory answers her phone with a yawn. She sits in front of her computer late at night at a hotel far away from home. Trying to finish a piece on Ukraine to send to the office in time in order to get into this Saturday's paper. It has been an exhausting day of traveling across the country, but fortunately this time she has a decent hotel room of her own to return to.
"Rory, I have a reigning Lorelai emergency."
"Oh fun, I can use a quick break from work anyway," she closes her laptop and stands to pace around the room, "how can I help?"
"Well, see. Here's the thing. I wore these gorgeous shoes to work the other day, which in hindsight was not a great choice because it was a property audit day for me. Which means that I had to walk alllll over the Dragonfly and make sure that things are in order - you know, make sure maintenance and cleaners aren't slacking, and making sure the horses are properly taken care of, and stalls are clean and all that fun stuff."
"Okay…"
"The said gorgeous heels are really beauts; they have this real sleek four inch heel, and the color is this darling silky pink, and they have these cute little crystal bows on them. I'm telling you Rory, they are what barbie's dreams are made of."
"Okay, I am nearing the threshold of time I can spend away from finishing this article. Please don't make me hang up on you."
"Okay, okay. My beautiful, delicate heel got stuck in the ground while I was walking towards the barn, and I twisted my ankle really badly and now I can't dance!"
Rory stops pacing, "I'm sorry that happened, but what do you mean you can't dance?"
"At the dance marathon! I can't dance. Per my doctor, who usually I wouldn't listen to but Luke has threatened to tie me to the bed so I can't escape on the day of the dance. Not sure why he threatened me with a good time but…"
"Mom. Where do I come in on all this?"
"I need you, reigning Lorelai, to make the Gilmore name proud and take my place at the dance marathon. This is going to be our year, I can feel it! I see it now, us doing our victory laps around town with our big, shiny trophy. You can take us there, Rory! I believe in you!"
"Ugh, mom," she groans, "when is it?"
"The first Saturday in November."
"Sorry, I won't be home in time. I'm scheduled to leave two days after that."
"Oh, would you look at that, I read the date wrong. It's the second weekend of November. Guess you'll be back home after all."
She grunts, "you did that on purpose."
"Little old me? I would never."
She sighs and takes a seat in front of her computer again.
"Who am I supposed to dance with?"
"The same person that you danced at my wedding, your birthday party and every other special occasion with for the last five years."
She laughs incredulously, "Jess is not going to do the dance marathon. You're cracked."
"He will for you!"
"I highly doubt that! How am I supposed to convince him to dance for possibly twenty four hours straight with me?! It's Jess! He does not do things he doesn't want to do, and I'm not sure I want him to."
"Don't be coy, you know exactly how you can convince him to do that."
"Mom…" Rory groans and folds over in exhaustion against the desk.
"Pretty please, Rory? I promise I'll be there the whole time, cheering you both on from the sidelines! And Luke will step in whenever Jess gets too annoyed with people around him, and oh maybe Doula can come and stand in for you when you need her to!"
"Hey, there's an idea! Why don't you ask the actual dancer herself to do this?"
"Ask a fifteen year old child to dance for a whole day straight?! I'm pretty sure there are laws against that."
Rory sighs in exasperation, "I hope you understand the gravity of this request. You cannot ask me to do anything outlandish for at least another year after this."
"You'll do it?!"
"Only if Jess agrees. There is absolutely no one else I want to stand that close to for that long."
She hears Lorelai clap her hands, "okay great! Remember to use that Gilmore charm when you ask him. And maybe video call him to ask, and wear a really short skirt and a really teeny, tiny shirt -"
"I love you mom, but I am so done with this phone call."
"Alright, thank you reigning Lorelai! I'll start working on your dress now!"
"Oh goody," she remarks sarcastically, "bye mom."
…
Jess sits in the living room reading a book with the fireplace lit. It was a rare day off for him, which he took for specific reasons. His phone rings, and his heart dances when he sees her name; just like every other time she calls him. But there is a tug of slight concern as he notices the time - it's about two in the morning where she is.
"Hey beautiful," he answers the phone, his voice a loving murmur of warmth, "are you okay? It's late there."
"I'm okay," she replies, tone quiet and soft, "just can't sleep."
"I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm glad you called me."
"Yeah?" her voice sounds slightly more upbeat.
"Yeah. Didn't expect to hear your voice today, I know it was a full day for you."
"It was," she replies, and her tone is delicate again, "I saw…a lot of things today. I think that's why I can't sleep."
He feels a gripping in his chest at those words, but he manages to rumble out, "do you want to talk about it?"
There's a silent pause before she admits, "not really."
"Okay," he responds gently, "is there anything you do want to talk about?"
"Well…" she begins, "my mom called upon me as the reigning Lorelai yesterday for a favor."
He's happy that she didn't video call him, because he can't contain his knowing smirk. Because he already knows what's going to be asked, and she has no idea that he went to get fitted for a tux today for the occasion.
"Don't take this the wrong way Jess, but I hate it when you call me," Lorelai answers the phone tensely.
"Is there a right way to take that?"
"I just mean, if you're calling me on your own that makes me think it's about Rory and then my mind immediately flashes through every possible terrible scenario that's about to come out of your mouth like a freaking rolodex of torture."
"What if I was calling you to ask your permission to propose to her?"
Lorelai gasps, "are you?"
"No."
"I can't believe technology hasn't made it possible for me to hit you through the phone."
"Yet."
"Right, yet. 'Yet' is good. 'Yet' is hopeful," she sighs, "so what did you call me about?"
"I'm hoping you can help me arrange something."
"And this isn't about proposing?"
"No," he replies sternly, then carefully confesses, "I was cleaning the apartment, and found a necklace of Rory's on her desk in our office. So, I took it to the bedroom to put it away in her jewelry box and found something there."
"Don't tell me; you found an old coke spoon? I always wondered how she kept up with her class load."
"Lorelai," he admonishes.
"Sorry."
"I found her…hospital bracelet. From Yale New Haven."
Lorelai gasps softly, "oh, Rory."
"Yeah. And the date of that is coming up. I know it's been six years, and honestly I don't even know if it's a dark day for her but…I was thinking I should plan something to keep her mind off it just in case. Something that can brighten that day."
"Aw, Jess," she clicks her tongue, "that's sweet. How can I help?"
He sighs, "I'm going to kick myself for suggesting this but, the dance marathon is coming up. Right?"
"It sure is. And for the first time ever, I have convinced Luke to dance with me!"
Jess chuckles, "okay, maybe it won't be so bad then if I get to watch him hate life the whole time."
"I feel we've gotten ahead of ourselves here…you are going to dance for twenty four hours?"
"You're assuming anyone is going to last that long."
"But Kirk-"
"Don't worry, I'll handle Kirk. But I need you to convince Rory to go, because I have more of a plan. And she'll know something is up if I ask her. I will also need you to talk to Taylor for me."
"It sounds like you're really putting me to work."
"I am. I will treat you and Luke to a fancy dinner. Or I will buy you a hundred bags of coffee beans as payment. Or bars of chocolate. Your choice. It would really mean a lot to me if you help me with this."
"A hundred bags you say?" she hums in contemplation, "okay, I'm listening."
"Oh yeah? What kind of favor?"
She sighs heavily.
"She wants me to dance at the dance marathon for her. She said she hurt her ankle and won't be able to do it. I'm not even sure how she knows she can't do it, because it's still a few weeks away so what if her ankle is all better then?! Anyway, she practically begged me and I told her I would only do it if you will be my dance partner. I really don't want to have my hands on anyone else, but if you don't want to do it I totally understand and honestly you would be doing me a favor because while I love town traditions, this one is not one of my favorites. Except for the fact that we kind of started dating the first time after that dance marathon, right? So I guess it is kind of special. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it would be kinda cute and full circle to do this with you. Wow did I just talk myself into this?!"
Jess bites down hard on his lip to keep from laughing too loudly at her.
"I'm assuming you only stopped because you ran out of breath."
He hears her chuckle as she inhales.
"Maybe. So…what do you say?"
"Hmm," he pretends to contemplate, knowing it will raise flags if he easily accepts, "I don't know if I can be around that much of Stars Hollow that closely for that long."
"Mom said Luke will step in for you whenever you need a break!"
"Oh now, that I would like to see. Alright, you've talked me into it."
"Really?!"
The excited sound of her voice causes a current of warmth to run through him; it is much different from how she sounded when he picked up the phone.
"Yes ma'am. What kind of dress do you think you'll wear? I'm hoping for something…revealing."
She hums in thought, "my mom said she's making me a dress. So, knowing her, I'm sure it will be sexy."
"I do remember her making fun of your one piece bathing suit at the beach last summer."
"Yeah, she's always trying to get me to show off my 'assets'. Sometimes I think she's the child and I'm the mom."
He scoffs, "No way you're just realizing that now."
"I guess not," she admits with a sigh, "but…I kinda like it that way. Her youthfulness has definitely made my life more interesting. I know I'm a bit more…reserved than she is."
She pauses here, and he waits for her to go on.
"And sometimes that makes me think I won't be able to have the kind of relationship with my kids like I have with her."
The side of Jess's mouth lifts softly, "your mother was sixteen when she had you, Rory. You're…lightyears ahead of her in maturity at this point and will be more so when we do have kids. She also did it alone. It's not going to be the exact same relationship. But it's going to be special, and magnificent in its own way."
After a beat, he hears her take a deep breath.
"That was…lovely to hear, thank you. Sorry for making the conversation suddenly serious. I tend to think about that kind of stuff more this time of year."
Despite the heartbreaking honesty of her statement, his lip perks up even more as he realizes that the dance marathon is a good decision. She needs something fun and light to come home to, so she doesn't have to go from one dark place to another.
"Don't apologize," he mumbles, "these conversations are important. And I love it when you let me inside that marvelous mind of yours."
It's quiet on the line again for some time, until she confesses in a whisper, "I wish I could feel your arms around me right now."
A hand jolts to his chest, as though to keep it from bursting at the underlying agony of her words. But he maintains his strength.
"They're here for you when you come home, Rory."
He relaxes as she replies playfully, "still big and strong too, right?"
"Yep. I've been eating my spinach."
"Oh so maybe they're even stronger? That's an exciting thought."
"It's possible," he smirks, "I do make it to the gym more when you're away."
As she's quiet again, he wants to kick himself for reminding her of their distance.
Right as he's about to apologize, she requests in a small voice, "will you read to me?"
His heart beats hard, and he picks up the book he had in his hands before she called.
"I thought you'd never ask."
"What are you doing to my hair?" Rory groans sleepily, "it's not fair that I have to get up earlier than Jess because as a woman I am expected to have my hair and makeup done."
"Why are you talking about playing with hair and makeup like it's a bad thing?" Lorelai argues, spraying and clipping more pieces of her hair, "this is so fun!"
"Ow!" she exclaims as her mom tugs too hard, "maybe for you. How are you all dolled up already? And why are you all dolled up? I thought you would be on the sidelines."
"Well, you know. The lord works in mysterious ways. My ankle is all better and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have double the chances at winning the trophy!"
"I could be sleeping."
"Yes, you could. But what fun would that be? Aren't you excited to dance the next day away in the arms of your lover?"
Rory makes a face but then smiles softly, "I am sort of looking forward to that."
"Sort of?"
"Fine, I am. I just wish it could start later in the day, you know?"
"I know, honey," she sympathizes and clips more of her hair, "but it's Taylor's world and we're just living in it."
"True."
"So…you've been missing Jess a lot, huh?" Lorelai asks carefully.
"Of course. I always miss him when I'm traveling."
"Right, right. I just imagine that it must be extra hard when you're not only traveling but dealing with and seeing really heavy stuff. I'm sure that would make me want to crawl into Luke's arms and never leave."
Rory chews at her lips and crosses her arms over her middle.
"I have a therapist. You don't have to worry about me."
Lorelai releases a humorless laugh, "you're my daughter, Rory. The number one most important person in my life. I'm always going to worry about you."
Rory's shoulders slump, "I know. I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry for living your dreams. I just hope you're leaving room in your life to take care of yourself too. You have been back and forth a lot since March. That's a lot of traveling to a sometimes very dangerous place."
Lorelai steps around to mess with the front of Rory's hair, and Rory looks up at her with big eyes.
"Can I tell you something?" she whispers. Lorelai's eyes immediately meet hers and she nods.
"Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with me that I would go out there and chase these mostly tragic stories, when I could just stay home where it's safe with someone who loves me and wants to take care of me."
Lorelai's mouth forms a sympathetic smile. She rests a hand on Rory's shoulder and squeezes.
"It's okay to change your mind about things, you know. If that thought ever does become more than just a thought. People change, circumstances change. Dreams change. It happens all the time."
She squeezes her shoulder once more as Rory nods in understanding. Then, she walks to the back of her hair again and sprays hairspray all over it.
Rory sighs, "am I going to look like Priscilla Presley?"
"Nope, no beehives up here," Lorelai replies in a distracted tone as she puts the finishing touches on her updo, "voila. All done, but let's get you in your dress first so you can see the whole entire look at once! I'll be right back, don't you dare peek in any mirrors while I'm gone missy."
"Don't worry, I'm too tired to move," she yawns as she responds, and while she's waiting for her to return she picks up her mug of coffee to sip it. She sits in a chair in Lorelai's bathroom, facing away from the sink's mirror. She leans forward and places her coffee mug back down on the side of the bath tub across from her. She closes her eyes for what feels like two seconds when Lorelai calls her into the bedroom. She grunts as she stands up and trudges to the other room. When she gets there, she sees a beautiful powder blue gown, with layered tiers of tulle splayed out on the bed. Lorelai stands next to it with a big smile.
"Mom! Oh my god, this dress is gorgeous!" she exclaims as she rushes over to it, "but isn't it a little too…elegant for the dance marathon?"
Lorelai winks, "there's nothing wrong with being the belle of the ball. Come on, let's get you all dressed up, pretty lady."
Rory takes the dress and hurries to the bathroom. She quickly strips down to her strapless bra and her underwear, and then steps carefully into the delicate dress. Once it's up and on her shoulders, she walks back to the bedroom.
"Can you zip me please?"
Lorelai grins and nods, stepping behind her and zipping the dress up. Then she pulls a box from under the bed and opens it to reveal a pair of new shoes. Rory grins.
"You got me block heels?"
"I sure did, so you can dance almost pain free! I'll bring some numbing spray too in case we need it at the dance. Sit down for a second so I can put these on you, Cinderella."
Rory sits on the bed and Lorelai straps her shoes on her. Lorelai stands up and holds a hand out to her daughter. Then, she turns around the full length mirror that she faced towards the wall earlier. She places it in front of Rory and smiles wide as her daughter gasps in excitement.
"Oh, Mom…you're amazing!" Rory exclaims as she looks over herself in the mirror. Her hair is clipped up in a romantic looking hairdo with small, sparkling butterfly hair clips. Two long strands of hair frame her face. She steps closer to admire her makeup; Lorelai somehow managed to make her cheekbones look even higher, there's a subtle glimmer across her skin that catches beautifully in the light when she turns her head, and her eyes are lined with smoked, smudgy brown eyeshadows that make the blue of them really pop. Her lips are colored like a pink peony, with a layer of clear gloss on top. It's not at all what she imagined, as the last time she did the dance marathon she had just enough makeup on to look alive.
"I'm just lucky I had such a beautiful canvas to work with!"
Rory opens her arms and hugs her tightly.
"Thank you, I can't wait to take pictures today."
Lorelai squeezes her, and they break apart when the doorbell rings.
"Who could that possibly be?!"
"Let's go find out," Lorelai replies, and the knowing smile on her face tells Rory that this is no surprise to her.
"You already know!"
"Stay right here until I tell you to come down," Lorelai instructs, pointing to the top of the staircase. She doesn't get a chance to argue as Lorelai is gone and opening the front door quickly.
"Oh Rory, you can come down now. Your prince charming is here!" Lorelai calls up the stairs. With confusion on her face, she descends the steps, careful not to trip on her dress. As she turns the corner and can see into the foyer, her eyes widen at Jess standing there in a black and white tuxedo. His eyes are all over her, and his smile reaches high on his face. She drinks him in as well, admiring how nicely fitted the suit is on his body, and adoring the mesmerizing curves of his mouth.
"Gorgeous," he mumbles as he steps forward to meet her at the bottom of the stairs, "you are gorgeous, Rory."
He holds his hand out to her, and she takes it, "you look amazing, Jess! I can't believe you're wearing a tuxedo."
"Very Bond, right?" he winks at her, and his words unlock a past memory.
"Yes, very Bond," she replies with furrowed brows as he walks her towards the door. He opens the front door, to reveal a limo in the driveway.
"A limo?" she asks in disbelief, "to the dance marathon?"
He doesn't reply but pushes her outside further. The limo door opens, and first Zack steps out of it, followed by Lane in a flowing gown. Suddenly, Rory understands exactly what this is, and she turns to Jess with a look of awe.
"Oh my god…is this…prom?"
He grins back at her, and Luke seemingly comes out of nowhere to hand him something. Jess opens it and holds out a corsage with flowers that match her dress.
"This is prom," she whispers in amazement as he carefully places the corsage on her wrist. He leans forward and kisses her head.
"I'm not sure it's worthy of that title," he says softly, "but I'm hoping it's close."
Her jaw opens and closes as a number of questions swarm her mind, but before she can get any of them out, they are all being corralled to take pictures on the lawn.
"Okay, I think that's enough," Jess states after ten minutes straight of posing. Rory nods in agreement, and he takes her hand. Before they escape, Lorelai stops them with a clever smile,
"What would I tell you to do if this were really prom and you were a teenager? Let's see…have fun! A lot of fun. Go a little crazy, make friends with someone that has booze. Maybe try a drug or two - "
"Lorelai," Luke grumbles, "drugs?!"
"What Luke? When you're a teenager, that just means weed. Maybe acid, though I think that's more my time than yours."
"Mom, I want to ride in my limo!" Rory whines, begging her to end her speech.
"Fine, fine. One more thing I would have said," Lorelai responds with a glint in her eye, "use protection! And take it slow. Since it would have been your first time and all. And well, I guess part of that is still relevant advice -"
"Mom!"
Jess looks over at Rory; her cheeks are burning red, and she does look like her younger self to him at that moment. But he can tell she's a little uncomfortable, and he tugs her gently towards the limo.
"Let's go. Our chariot awaits."
She smiles gratefully at him and waves goodbye to her mom and Luke, who are traveling separately to keep the experience as close to prom-like as possible.
The limo takes them around town a few times at Jess's request, giving them all enough time to indulge in the coffee and pastries he stocked the car with, and also get more pictures. Arriving at the event, they are greeted by Miss Patty and Babette at registration.
"There's our woman of the hour!" Miss Patty greets her happily, she looks them both up and down, "my, my. You do make a devastatingly gorgeous couple."
"Wow, your mother has done it again! That dress is beautiful," Babette exclaims, "it hugs that sexy body of yours just perfectly, but there's enough room in there still for Jess to sneak under your skirt. You know, there are a lot of empty classrooms in there if you find it hard to keep your hands off each other."
"Babette, what do you need from us?" Jess asks with a tired sigh.
"We need proof of your physicals, Mr. Bond," Miss patty replies breathily, throwing him a wink that makes him frown.
"Rory just got back from a work trip. We didn't have a chance to get physicals. But I can promise you, we're in working order."
Babette tsks, "that won't do, honey. You may be the hottest couple in Stars Hollow, but you're not the youngest anymore, you know."
Jess grunts, "we don't even live in Stars Hollow!"
Rory places a hand on his arm and smiles at the older women.
"We can get physicals here, right?"
"Of course, dear. There's a tent right over there," Miss Patty points behind her to a white tent with a red cross on it, "go ahead and then come back for your numbers. You can even cut the line."
"Thanks for that," Jess mumbles, and takes Rory's arm to walk them towards the tent, "sorry, I didn't realize these things were actually important."
She smiles, "it's okay, Jess. It doesn't take long."
"I know, just..I want today to be all fun for you," he shrugs, and as they are greeted by nurses he adds, "This is kinda annoying."
"No big deal," she promises with a smile as a nurse wraps a blood pressure monitor around her arm. She watches as they do the same to Jess, and she bites her bottom lip as her eyes lock on his bicep.
"You weren't kidding. I think they did get bigger."
He looks over at her with a surprised smirk, "checking me out?"
"It's hard not to," she states, cheeks adding more color to the blush that's already on her face.
"Alright you two," a man in scrubs comes up to them with a clipboard, "do you smoke, drink or do any drugs?"
"Only on days ending in y."
Rory shoots Jess a look, "he's kidding. We drink a little bit sometimes. Not often."
"How often do you exercise?"
"Regularly. Both of us," Jess answers for them, giving her a sneaky wink.
"Are you in any pain or discomfort today?"
"This blood pressure sleeve is squeezing a little tighter than I'd like," Jess mutters, getting another look from Rory.
"We're fine."
"What's your diet like?"
"Um," Rory looks up to the ceiling in thought, "I would say we regularly cover all food groups."
"Every single one of them, and then some," Jess adds on in a sarcastic tone. She bites on her lip to stop from giggling.
"Okay. You slept well last night?"
At this, their eyes meet to share a tender look for a beat.
"Very well," Jess murmurs in response, "both of us."
"Okay, great. Any possibility of pregnancy?"
"I know I had a big breakfast but I'm a little offended," Jess's response is quick, and Rory hears an undertone of genuine annoyance that surprises her. She looks over his aggravated disposition and then back at the nurse.
"Sorry, Ms.…. Gilmore. Any possibility you're currently pregnant?"
She opens her mouth to answer, but Jess is faster, "is that question really necessary? Do you honestly think a pregnant woman would sign up for this wacked out event of physical torment?"
The nurse gapes, "I have to ask. Sometimes people don't realize until they're asked that they missed a period or something. Also, I'm asking her. Not you."
Without even needing to look at him, Rory knows the threatening scowl is forming on his face.
"Seeing as how you're already violating all kinds of privacy laws by giving us a physical at the same time anyway, I don't see how it's a problem for me to answer for my girlfriend."
She shoots a hand out and places it on his arm to stop him.
"No, no chance of pregnancy. No missed periods. I'm good to go."
"Great, okay. We'll do the reflex tests real quick and then get you both out of here," the nurse puts his pen away and turns to Rory, "Ms. Gilmore, I'll take care of yours. Follow me."
She looks back at Jess, whose face is etched in confusion and vexation.
She sits down where she's told, and the nurse leans in surprisingly close to her.
"Everything okay?"
"What?" she questions with raised eyebrows, moving slightly back from him.
"In your relationship. I separated you so I can ask if you're in an unsafe situation?"
"Excuse me?!" she asks, face screwed up in disbelief.
"Ms. Gilmore, he seems a little controlling. And it's alarming especially as it relates to pregnancy."
"He's not controlling!" she exclaims, "Our relationship is great and he's amazing. He's being a little protective today, but that's not a bad thing. He's incredible to me."
"Are you sure?" the nurse asks, fixing her with a serious look, "Protective sometimes is just another word for controlling."
"Oh my god, I'm positive! I've never been in a healthier relationship."
"Well, that doesn't mean anything if you've been in previous bad relationships."
Her jaw drops and she stares back at the nurse, irritation building.
"You're insane!" she finally exclaims, and the man takes a step back. She takes a breath and gives him a small smile, "I appreciate your concern, and it would be very helpful if I were in a bad relationship, so thank you. But Jess is perfect to me in every way, so can you please finish this damn exam and let me go?"
The nurse tenses and then nods, silently and hastily checking her reflexes and then lets her go.
She meets Jess outside the tent; he has his hands in his pockets and his eyes are glued to her. He looks so handsome, her mood is already shifting back to happy and playful.
"Are you okay? Why'd he separate us?"
"Have I told you how beautiful you look today?" she asks as she steps up to him with a bright smile. He blinks and slowly his face relaxes into a half smile.
"That's my line."
She puts her hands on his face and leans in to kiss him briefly.
"He separated us because you almost bit his head off, Cujo."
Jess rolls his eyes, "he was asking a stupid question."
"Well, he found your response to it a sign that all is not well in our relationship. He asked me if I needed help."
His mouth seamlessly grows into a furious scowl. Rory pats his arm.
"Down, Cujo."
"That's insane, Rory."
"That's what I told him. But, I guess he was just doing his job."
The scowl on his face turns into a frown.
"Sorry," he cringes slightly, "I guess that could come off weird to a stranger. I was just annoyed."
She shrugs and meets his eyes, "are you okay?"
"I am," he nods in confirmation and gives her a short kiss on the head, "just want you to only have fun today. Like I said. Come on, let's go finish this check in crap and start the show."
After finishing registration with Miss Patty and Babette, they head into the school. Rory notices that everyone entering is also dressed as though they are going to prom and turns to Jess with a puzzled look.
She gently elbows him, "why does everyone look so dressed up?"
He smirks down at her but doesn't respond. She turns her head towards Lane behind her.
"Lane, do you know why everyone is so dressed up?!"
She catches Jess shoot her friend a look and Lane purses her lips.
"I have no idea."
"You're all in on something!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lane sighs, "but if I did know, I would tell you to be patient because you're about to find out anyway."
Rory looks over at Jess and sees he still has a knowing smirk on his face. Before she can ask again, Jess leads Rory with his hand on her back towards the gymnasium, and she audibly gasps when she sees the decor.
"Jess!" she exclaims, "how did you turn the whole dance marathon into prom?! I thought it was just like…a cute group theme for us and my friends! But no. This…this is…Jess, this is prom!"
Her words flow out with a mix of excitement and wonder that makes Jess's chest inflate. He watches her look around the room - at the balloon arches, colorful lights and even disco balls. There's a live band crooning out old love songs and string lights hanging across the ceiling. He doesn't know if it is actually anything like the prom he was supposed to take her to, but he knows that won't bother her at all. She turns back to look at him.
"How did you do this?"
His crooked smile perks up and he shrugs, "I just made it happen. Your mom helped a lot. I'll be paying her in coffee beans for a long time."
She places her arms around his neck and kisses him hard.
"It's amazing! I love it! This is way better than the last dance marathon, and way better than going to actual prom I bet."
His big smile softens; his eyes gaze over her happy face.
"I told you before you deserved to get to go to prom with your best friend. Sorry it took me so long to make that happen."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," she insists, "this is well worth the wait."
Their attention turns to Taylor at the sound of his voice coming through the megaphone. Jess takes Rory's hand and guides her to the dance floor.
"Ready to dance with me until we can't feel our feet? Or any other part of our body, I'm sure."
She grins wide, "I'm so ready."
...
"As you all know by now, Jess Mariano has basically hijacked this event and turned it into a glorified high school dance," Taylor's voice booms across the room during the first break. Rory folds her lips to keep from laughing but releases a giggle when she sees that Jess is amused and not annoyed.
"And so, he has forced us into not only giving the winner of the dance-a-thon a trophy, but also crowning a prom King and Queen."
Rory smiles wide and turns to Jess, "that's so adorable!"
"Isn't that what they do at prom?" he shrugs like it's nothing. She smiles wider and takes his hand in hers.
"We took your votes at the last town meeting and have tallied them up," Taylor pauses and turns to the band, "that's your cue for a drumroll. My god, do I have to do everything myself in this town?"
"Taylor, you complain too much. Give me that piece of paper," Miss Patty takes the paper and megaphone from his hands, "our people have spoken, and I'm thrilled to announce that your Stars Hollow prom King and Queen are none other than the gorgeous, magical, and cunning Lorelai Gilmore-Danes and her grumpy but handsome stud of a husband, Luke Danes! Come on up here and get your crowns."
Rory turns sharply to Lorelai with a huge smile on her face to find her mother reflecting the exact same look.
"I'm the prom Queen!"
They share an excited shriek and hug, before Lorelai and Luke head up to meet Miss Patty.
"Sorry Rory," Babette's shrill voice comes from Rory's side, and she turns to her, "not even you can outshine your mother I guess!"
"Oh, I'm more than happy to be in that shadow, Babette," Rory replies breezily with a proud grin.
Jess regards his girlfriend, "I take it you're not bothered we didn't win?"
She shakes her head emphatically, "not at all! Mom never got to go to prom either. This is such a cute, sweet moment for her. And it's all in good fun."
The side of Jess's mouth perks up in a telling way, and he moves his mouth closer to her ear to whisper, "those were my thoughts exactly when I got my hands on the votes."
She gasps in awe, fully enchanted by his tricks, as she asks, "what did you do?!"
"These weirdos voted for us to win," he shrugs a little guiltily, "But I switched out enough 'Jess and Rory' votes with 'Luke and Lorelai' for them to come out on top. Your mom really helped me out a lot with this, and she had mentioned she didn't get to go to her prom either. So. Thought it would be nice. You don't mind, do you?"
Her heart swells at his sweetness, and she turns and puts both hands on his face to place a fiery kiss on his mouth. Her eyes are just slightly misty as she pulls back to meet his with earnest.
"I really love your heart. And your mind. And every other part of you."
He looks warmly back at her, and then suddenly he's smirking again.
"Care to take me to an empty classroom and show me which parts are your favorite?"
Instead of feigning any indignation, Rory sighs as she looks up at the break clock. She remorsefully replies, "I would love to, but we only have two minutes left on this break and I'm afraid that's just not enough time for me to cover all my favorites in detail."
Jess bites down on his bottom lip as the corners of his mouth lift higher, "okay, maybe next break."
"We'll see."
Hours later, Rory is pressed up against Jess, swaying to the band's rendition of At Last. At the end of the song, the dancers are instructed to take a ten minute break. Jess holds Rory at the waist as they shuffle to sit on the bleachers. Lane comes tumbling after them.
"Rory, I know this is all incredibly romantic and sweet and fun, but I don't know how much more I've got in me. These feet were not made for dancing. Moshing, yes. Jumping up and down, yes. Playing drums, yes. Dancing? It's a foreign concept. And having to hear Taylor's voice at that volume over and over again is giving me a migraine."
Rory chuckles, "that's okay, I don't expect you to stay as long as we do. I'm supposed to at least try to steal the trophy from Kirk this year."
"Thank God. Now that I know what this is like, I'm actually grateful my mother wouldn't let me participate."
"Still got that delicious eggless salad recipe?" Jess quips.
"Of course," Lane confirms, "she's given me copies of all of her recipes. I only ever use them when she's coming over for dinner. Otherwise, it's simply for decoration."
"I love that you got Al's to cater the dance," Rory gushes to Jess, "the chicken chow Mein sandwich is always good."
"Well, I was actually hoping his food would weed people out. From food poisoning or something."
Her jaw drops, "I ate his food!"
He shoots her a look, "your stomach is made of steel. You'll be fine. I think it's working too, we're eight hours in and I actually have room to twirl you around the dancefloor."
"I'll tell you who it's not working on," Rory mutters and points her head in the direction of Kirk stretching on the other side of the room.
"Don't worry," he replies and leans closer to her, "I have a plan for that too." Before Rory can hound him with questions about that, Lane speaks again.
"Alright you guys, me and Zack are heading out. My kids are cooking dinner tonight whether they like it or not. And I'm going to lay on the couch doing nothing for the next twelve hours," Lane stands up with a grunt. She leans forward to hug Rory.
"Thank you for doing this! I'm so happy we finally got to experience a prom together."
"Me too," Lane agrees, and pulling away she whispers, "turns out Jess is a total softy, huh? Just like Luke."
Rory bites back her giggle and Jess looks over at her with a raised brow.
"Do I want to know?"
She shakes her head and says her final goodbyes to Lane.
By hour sixteen, it's just three couples left: her and Jess, Andrew and his date, and Kirk and Lulu on the dance floor. As fate would have it, Lorelai did end up twisting her ankle while dancing. She and Luke moved to the sidelines after the tenth hour, Luke kindly bearing food and coffee for Rory and Jess any time there was a break.
Rory is happy, at the day and all the fun she got to have pretending she's at prom with Jess. But she's now dragging her feet. It's already eleven at night, and she's been up since five that morning. Her arms have been glued around Jess's neck for the last couple of hours, and he's been in charge of making sure they continue to sway back and forth.
Jess has just placed a kiss on her head when suddenly the music speeds up. She groans loudly as she knows what's about to come. Jess sighs as Taylor demands everyone run around the room. Next to them, they see Andrew's date flip Taylor off and walk off the dance floor, disqualifying them. Jess grins and wraps his arm securely around Rory's middle.
"Come on, I'll hold you up. Just keep your feet moving so Taylor doesn't pitch a fit."
She groans again as they start scampering around the gym, Kirk and Lulu on their tail. As they run around, Rory catches Doula standing at the gym door. She throws her thumb up and a wink at Jess, but Rory doesn't get a chance to see if he returns it. They are on their second lap around the gym when the music stops and Taylor's voice booms again.
"Attention all dancers, attention all dancers."
Jess and Rory share an eye roll.
"There is a pig loose in the parking lot. I repeat, there is a pig loose in the parking lot. If it is yours, please claim it before it becomes roadkill. Or someone's breakfast."
Rory's brows lift, "a pig?"
Jess looks at her with a smug smirk.
Kirk's scream is heard around the room, "Petal! Taylor call for a break, please please Taylor!"
"What did you do?!" Rory asks with an amused look on her face.
"Don't worry," Jess mutters, "it's not his pig. We borrowed it from a local farmer. But, Kirk doesn't know that."
"We?!" Rory inquires.
"Kirk I cannot call another break! You know the rules, every four hours and we just had one at the start of hour sixteen!"
"But Taylor, Petal is our baby! And we don't have any timeout cards left!"
"Sorry, you should have had your swine properly contained."
"Kirk," Lulu exclaims, "Petal is more important than this stupid trophy! I'm leaving."
As she runs away from him, Kirk falls to his knees shouting, "no Lulu! No!"
A blow horn sounds and confetti falls down all around Jess and Rory.
"Well, it looks like we have our winners! Congratulations to the Hoodlum and our darling Rory Gilmore," and then in a quick mutter he adds, "please come collect your trophy and take a picture so we can all go home."
"Good job standing up right, baby," Jess murmurs in her ear, "just need you to walk a few more feet with me and get this ridiculous trophy. Can you do that?"
She grumbles but nods, holding him tightly around his middle as they walk to meet Taylor. Quickly, they take the trophy, and Jess allows Miss Patty to take just one photo before he drags them both over to Luke and Lorelai at the exit door.
"You did it you did it! Oh, I always knew you were a prodigy!"
"I think we only have Jess to thank for this."
He shrugs, "Doula too."
"Thank you, hoodlum!" Lorelai exclaims and gives Jess a big hug that he halfheartedly returns.
"Wow, you really rewrote history for both Gilmore girls today, huh?"
Jess's face drops and Rory looks at him curiously. Lorelai's mouth drops and then she looks down towards the floor
"This darn foot, I thought I had tamed it years ago!"
"Huh?" Rory asks, looking between them both. Jess opens and closes his mouth. He looks at her with gentle eyes.
"Can you people please clear the gymnasium? The janitors are on their way down!" Taylor's voice commands from the stage.
"Taylor, there are less than ten people in this room! Can you put that damn megaphone down?" Luke shouts at him across the gym floor. Taylor looks taken aback but puts it down with a huff.
"Let's head out the car, huh?" Lorelai suggests to the group, "I'm assuming you two don't want to walk back to wherever you're going next."
Rory's shoulders slump, "I don't even think I can walk to the parking lot."
Jess gives her a small smile, then he turns and holds out the large trophy to Lorelai.
"Here, you're the one that wanted this."
Lorelai takes it with an excited grin.
"I thought your ankle was messed up, mom?"
Her smiles tightens, "like I said, the lord works in mysterious ways."
"Oh my god, you faked it. Again!"
"I'm sorry, Rory! We couldn't take it anymore. I knew you two had it in the bag, anyway."
Rory pouts, and Jess turns back and steps up to her. He lowers himself to sweep his hands under her legs and back, lifting her up into his arms.
"This work?" He asks and she smiles. She wraps an arm around his neck and rests her head against his shoulder.
"Such a prince charming tonight," Rory hears her mom tease as they begin to walk out. She finds herself too tired to say anything to that and closes her eyes. All sounds become a distant mumble to her as the soft rocking in Jess's arms lulls her into a sort of half-asleep state, which sticks through the car ride home.
She comes to again as she feels her body being placed down on something soft. She groans in relief for her aching muscles, nuzzling into the softness more. As she feels a tugging at her feet, she slowly opens her eyes to see Jess taking her heels off for her.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," she mutters, "I've been dancing all day! I'm probably so gross."
"Shhh," he replies, lifting a finger to his mouth, "go back to sleep, baby. It's been a long day."
She closes her eyes for a brief moment but opens them again as she feels his lips press against the inside of her ankle. She gazes softly at him as he removes her other shoe; her eyes are dreamy with love and appreciation, and her heart feels full as she thinks over the day and everything that Jess arranged with her in mind. Not only her, but her mother and friends too. She gets a sudden urge, and thankfully a sudden surge of energy. Jess's eyes meet hers quickly as she begins to sit up. He runs a hand up and down her leg under her dress.
"What's wrong?"
She leans over the side of her bed, reaching under it and feeling around.
"Ror…what are you looking for? Need help?"
"I know I have journals down here. I always kept a few just in case," she mumbles, reaching further under the bed with her hand. As she reaches just a little too far, she yelps as she tumbles off the side of the bed.
"Jesus, are you okay?" Jess asks, running to her side on the floor. She looks up at his concerned face, and the situation mixed with dizzying exhaustion, throws her into fits of giggles. Jess gives her a look but finds himself laughing too.
"We're mental."
"Yes, we are," she agrees between laughs, she turns her head and looks under the bed, "oh but look! There's a journal. Of course it's on the other side."
"Let me get it, Alice. Don't need you tripping and falling down any rabbit holes."
She bursts into laughter again while Jess retrieves it from the other side of the bed. She pushes herself up with a grunt off the floor and sits carefully on the mattress in her old bedroom. He hands it to her and asks as he starts removing the remaining layers of his tux, "what are you up to? Thought you'd be dead asleep by now."
She yawns and leans over to take a pen off the nightstand. Her hand rests on top of the journal as she looks towards him with a glowing grin.
"I am exhausted, but before I can sleep, I need to write down every single detail of this day. I want to remember everything vividly. And once I fall asleep, it could all become mush."
He gives her an adoring look and steps up to the bed. His arms cage her body as he gives her a sweet kiss.
"Want some help?"
"Of course," she pats the bed next to her and he takes a seat. Pieces of blue tulle rub up against his now bare leg.
He looks her over and asks, "want to take the dress off first?"
"Nope, it's part of the creative process."
Jess smiles softly and nods; he sits up enough to place an arm around her and he rests his chin on her shoulder. He places a chaste kiss in the crook of her neck and grins as Rory reaches a hand up to briefly run through his hair.
"So, first we both woke up ungodly early. But you didn't know I woke up because, like the magician I am, I snuck out of the bedroom right after you."
"Well, that wouldn't be my perspective then, would it?" she giggles as she finally opens the journal up. But any whimsy gets caught in her throat as she pages through and realizes this isn't just an empty journal.
"My pregnancy journal," she mutters under her breath, "I forgot all about it."
Jess frowns and swallows hard, "there was another journal down there. Want me to grab that one?"
She wordlessly shakes her head, slowly turning pages. He feels like he's invading her privacy, so he doesn't look down to see any entries; instead, he pulls her closer and rests his head on hers, eyes now facing towards the ceiling.
"I guess I left it here when I moved to Queens," Rory ponders, and Jess is both surprised and relieved at the lack of grief in her voice, "not many entries of course. I only found out that October. Do you know what made me think I might be pregnant? Besides the missed period."
He moves his face to kiss the top of her head and mumbles, "tell me."
"I was craving fruit. I know that's so cliche. And the only reason I thought anything of it was because I remember years ago my mom had what she thought was a pregnancy scare and mentioned craving apples."
His lips stretch into a soft smile against her hair.
"Well, they are cliches for a reason. What kind of fruit did you crave?"
"Mmm watermelon mostly. And mango and pineapple," she recalls thoughtfully, "I think I may have been a little dehydrated. I'm not the best at drinking enough water as is, I'm sure growing a person requires even more than usual."
His first instinct is to chastise her for this, but he realizes it doesn't matter. Because he will be around next time, and he will take care of her. His smile warms.
"Then what?" he asks in a quiet, humble tone, "That made you go to the doctor?"
"I took some at home tests first," she nods, "and yes, then I went to the doctor and got bloodwork done. According to my journal, and my memory, it was a week after my birthday when I found out. They told me I was about five to six weeks pregnant. It was…so crazy. But…I knew already. There were too many coincidences, and too many positive Clearblue tests. And my body didn't feel quite right."
With a deep breath, Jess skims his fingers down her arm.
"I wish you would have told me."
"Me too, Jess," her reply is fast but gentle, "me too. It would have been nice to let someone in. I could have told you at the wedding. But I hadn't even told Logan yet and I was only about seven weeks at that point."
"I understand," he murmurs and kisses her head again. It's silent as she flips through the remaining few pages of her journal.
"'November 11, 2016 - Threw up this morning. Did not enjoy regurgitating pepperoni pizza. Note to self: lay off greasy pizza toppings for the rest of pregnancy'."
Jess holds a breath, waiting for tears or shaking or something. But instead, she laughs quietly.
"I'm sure that rule wouldn't have made it past the first trimester. Not sure why I had so much faith in my self-control."
He chuckles with her and realizes, happily, that this is an exploration in nostalgia for her. And he feels so much pride for how far she has come, and he hopes everything he did today helped too.
She sighs as she flips to the last page of writing.
"'November 13, 2016.' This was the day of the miscarriage," she swallows, "All I wrote that morning was - 'feeling more cramps than usual. Will call Paris if it doesn't go away. Maybe I need iron or some other essential vitamin/mineral I'm not getting'. God. I sound so naïve."
His body slackens at those words.
"Rory…you were naïve. You didn't know. There's nothing wrong with that."
Her shoulders move in a shrug against him. She quietly reads over her words again for a moment before responding.
"I guess. Anyway, we need to sleep. I better start writing," she shifts her body in a more upright position, journal on her lap, "any idea what today's date is?"
She asks with an adorable giggle. The side of Jess's mouth perks up and he lifts his hand to check his watch.
"It's after midnight so, November 14th."
"Great, so we start yesterday. November 13th, 2022 -" she writes out the date and then pauses. Jess watches her carefully. She slowly flips back to her last journal entry from 2016. Then back again to the date she just wrote. Her mouth opens and closes a couple of times until finally she just says in an affected tone, "Jess…"
He takes a breath and replies, "Rory."
She puts the journal down on the bed and turns in his arms to look at his face. He appears stoic, but she can see a tenderness in his eyes that she easily reflects back to him.
"This is no coincidence. Is it?"
He bites at the inside of his cheek as he considers denying it, because he doesn't want her to think that he thinks she needed the distraction. But her sweet, loving look easily tears that option apart.
"No coincidence," he confirms in a whisper. Her chest shakes, her mouth tugs into a small smile.
"You wanted to rewrite the day for me?"
He runs a hand through his hair.
"I'm not ignorant enough to think that's truly possible, Rory. Obviously I can't make something like that disappear," he admits in a gentle tone, "but…I hoped it would help. In some way."
She leans forward and wraps her arms around his neck.
"It did, Jess. It definitely helped," she pulls back to kiss him before continuing, "this day isn't a hard day for me in the sense that I get depressed or anything. Though I do think about it every year, on this day and all the days around it. But…I didn't think of it once today. Not at all."
Jess watches her with an uncertain look, but it quickly morphs into a smile at her words. They sit sharing sweet looks of care until Rory gasps.
"Oh! That's why you were so weird with that nurse," she lightly hits him on the chest, "you thought it would remind me and make me upset. Right?"
He shrugs, "maybe. It really was an idiotic question though."
Her sweet smile changes to something more smug and sly.
"You really were trying to protect me. How cute, Cujo!"
He rolls his eyes but laughs.
"I don't remember Cujo protecting anyone."
"No maybe not, but you definitely embodied his attitude and used it for good."
"That nurse thought I was hurting you or something?"
"I don't know, he thought you were being controlling."
"I wish I could have controlled his mouth."
"Jess! It's a good thing he did that. If I were someone in a bad situation, that would have been really helpful."
He rolls his eyes, "I guess that's fair. Glad they didn't cuff me or anything."
"Of course not. I shut it down fast. I told him you are perfect to me in every way."
He looks over her appreciatively, and decides to confess, "I found your hospital bracelet. You left a necklace sitting on your desk and I was putting it away. Wasn't snooping or anything."
"I wouldn't care if you were," she replies with a kind smile, "I was wondering how you knew the exact date. I'm not sure I ever told you."
"You told me before, a week after Luke and Lorelai's wedding. But seeing it like that, and knowing that you kept that bracelet, made me want to do something special."
"Did you get them to move the date? I thought it was weird it started on a Sunday instead of Saturday, and usually it's earlier in November."
His smile turns mischievous, "took a lot of persuading and harassing Taylor, but yes. I did get it pushed back. A whole week and a day."
Her smile becomes emotional. She bites the inside of her mouth to keep from tearing up.
"Jess, you are…" she starts, eyes locked on his. She takes a shaky breath and relaxes her smile.
"You are in a league of your own. Brandon put it perfectly."
His chest expands with love; he leans forward and places his lips tenderly over hers. One of her hands blindly moves to his head, stroking her fingers softly through his dark locks. They take their time, tongues lazy and lips relaxed, sitting with their deep feelings of love. Rory breaks the romantic embrace slowly, pulling back to look at him with eyes full of gratitude.
"Thank you."
Her hand slips from his hair and falls in her lap. He half smiles and moves his hand to cover hers. Rory's skin prickles with goosebumps from the roughness of the calluses on his palm grazing over her knuckles. The half smile turns into something more like a smirk.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Were you really planning to have sex with me for the first time after prom?"
The question takes her by surprise, her features becoming alert, and then they soften as she blushes.
"I was thinking about it."
Her admission strikes him, his look hardening from playful to serious.
"I thought your mom was just trying to embarrass you."
"No," she shakes her head; she self-consciously brings her free hand to twist a strand of her hair, "I never explicitly told her I wanted to do it for the first time with you after prom. I only told her that I was thinking about…sexual stuff for the first time because of you. That day we made up after that dinner at my Grandmother's. But it's Lorelai, so I'm sure she knew I would choose to lose my virginity after prom."
Jess listens and looks intently at her as she speaks. He thinks back to the chapter he read and edited for her when she was writing the book, and he doesn't recall any of those specifics being in there. But he's too grateful to have this information now, to spend time wondering why she didn't tell him sooner.
"I went on birth control because of you," she adds on in a vulnerable whisper, "I had no desire to do something like that until you, Jess."
He's speechless at the depth of her confession. Though he knew that she was thinking about that sort of stuff (she did tell him to keep thinking what he's thinking), he didn't realize the weight of it. He struggles to find words to respond with, but she's staring at him with her patient eyes and so he attempts to articulate his thoughts.
"I knew that we had hinted at it, and that you were thinking about it but," he murmurs delicately, "having this context is…doing something to me."
His whole demeanor is tender and grateful; similar emotions stir in her chest as her lips slowly lift into an infatuated grin.
"You've always made me feel so much. So many things that there aren't possibly enough words for," she replies, attempting to show him that she gets it, "that mixed with everything else between us then…I really wanted you to be the first person I shared my body with. My mom took me to the doctor a few weeks after that dinner, and by the time we...broke up I had been taking birth control for three months. To have sex with you."
Indescribable feelings tug at his heart and pool in his stomach. He hasn't been able to take his eyes away from her face this whole time, looking back and forth between her lips and her big blues every other word. Internally, that teenage boy that she wanted to give herself to is hearing these words for the first time, and he understands that this is the reason it feels so evocative.
"You never told me," he finally says, unable to elucidate anything else. She chuckles quietly.
"That I got on birth control? I became more forward, and a little more confident when I was with you, but even that isn't information I would have been able to get out of my mouth. Not until it was actually about to happen anyway. I was still pretty…modest."
Her words bring the conversation back to an emotional baseline, and the side of his mouth tips up. He places both of his hands on her face and meets her mouth for a suffocating kiss.
"It would be incredible if I could make all of our prom dreams come true tonight," he states after he pulls back; his fingers play with her hair, "unfortunately, I think we're both too exhausted and physically hurting for that."
She nods in agreement, "and gross, I'm sure."
"Not gross. You've never been gross, and I'll keep telling you that as long as you need me to," he insists with a laughing smile, then turns slightly more serious, "But when we're back home and virile, I'm going to spend a lot of time showing all of my love to every single inch of you, Rory."
His hands ghost over as much of her body as he can reach, but his eyes never leave hers. She blushes at these promising words. She leans forward to kiss him quickly.
"Make sure you leave enough time for me to do the same to you. I never did get to show you all my favorite parts of you at the dance today."
He bites down his smirk and takes a breath. Then, he nods towards her forgotten journal on the bed.
"Don't let me keep you any longer. Wouldn't want you to forget any details."
Jess is enraptured by her growing grin, and as she turns with excitement to her journal again, he thinks of her book, and feels a longing for her to work on it again. He tosses around the idea of asking about it, but before he can she is speaking to him about something else.
"Jess?" she questions, as she scribbles words. Her energy is upbeat, her hand moves in quick but delicate motions, putting their day in ink.
He buzzes with adoration as he mumbles in response, "yes baby?"
He can only see the side of her face, but he doesn't miss the way her lips move upward.
"I'm a little hungry."
He laughs, already moving his body to get out of bed.
"A little? I'm not sure I've ever heard you describe your appetite that way."
She shoots him a look and then turns back to her journal.
"Okay, I'm pretty hungry. Do you think you can get me a snack?"
He grins, face brightening at her adorable question. He leans across the bed to place a sweet kiss on the side of her face.
"I'll make you something. You should eat some real food after all that exercise."
"You did most of it," she chuckles, looking up at him with a sly smile, "but if you insist!"
"I do," he affirms, then stands up to walk out to the kitchen, "I'll be back with whatever I can scrounge up."
He steps out into the kitchen in sweatpants and not much else. He flips the light on with a yawn, his other hand rubbing over his chest.
"Hi Jess."
"Jesus Christ," he exclaims, jumping in surprise at Lorelai sitting at the bottom of the staircase, "are you okay?"
"That's what I've been sitting here debating," she sighs and looks him over, "and I just know I have something clever to say about you being shirtless, but I'm too tired to dig it out of my brain."
"I expected you to be in bed. With your husband. Because, if you remember, you made him carry you up to bed when we got back since I was carrying Rory."
She smiles sleepily, "yes. That man of mine is so strong and so obedient."
"Uh huh," he intonates, arms now crossed over his chest, "you gonna tell me how you ended up here?"
She nods through a yawn.
"I am so tired, but I couldn't fall asleep. Too excited about my trophy! So I decided to come down here to make coffee, but by the time I got to the bottom of the steps I was too tired to go the rest of the way. And then I was also too tired to turn around."
"I see," Jess nods towards the kitchen, hands now on hips, "I was just about to make Rory something to eat. Can I get you anything, Miss Prom Queen?"
"I could eat," Lorelai smirks, energy lifting, "I might just need a hand to get closer to the kitchen."
He sighs and rolls his eyes, but holds both of his hands out to her with a small grin.
"Maybe you should get one of those chairs that takes you up the staircase."
She stands up with a grunt and laughs, remembering a conversation they had that day when Jess told her and Luke about his plans to live with Rory.
"Believe me, I've brought it up to Luke many times," she replies, trudging next to Jess to the kitchen table, "But he seems to think going up and down these steps is the only exercise I get, despite me describing in detail how much of a feat it is sometimes to spoon freezing cold ice cream out of the carton."
Jess chuckles, and Lorelai takes a seat with another grunt. He opens the fridge, scanning it for something of substance.
"How do you still not have real food in this house? Luke has lived here for years."
"He usually goes grocery shopping on Sunday. Dance a thon kinda screwed that up," she explains with a shrug, "there should be pizza rolls in the freezer. Oh and frozen burritos!"
"Guess that will have to do," he mutters, pulling the items out of the freezer and turning on the toaster oven. Lorelai watches with a small smile as he microwaves the burritos and places the rolls on a small baking sheet. He runs a hand through his hair and turns around to face her, waiting for the oven to warm up.
"Sorry but I'm not making coffee. I have no doubt that Rory will smell it if I do, and then want some too. She needs to sleep."
"Fine," Lorelai sighs with feigned annoyance; then she smiles at him, "you and Rory have come a long way since that day, huh?"
His eyebrow raises.
"The day you told me and Luke you planned to ask her to live with you."
Eyes softening, he nods slowly with a sentimental grin.
"We have."
She smiles wider at the underlying happiness in his voice.
"It's crazy how much the thought of you two scared me year and years ago," her head shakes in disbelief. His grin tightens and he shrugs.
"Understandably so."
"Boy, when she told me she was thinking about…doing dirty things with you for the first time. I must have kicked your ass a hundred different ways in my head over the next few months."
He smirks, "oh yeah? Any cool ideas?"
"Hmmm, puncturing your body with a stiletto heel sticks out in my mind."
"Nice," he nods appreciatively, and holds a hand up, "You know, some people pay good money for that kind of torture, I hear."
"And to think I was just going to give it away for free!"
"It's a good thing you didn't."
"I would be kicking myself," she nods in agreement. They share amused grins, but slowly Lorelai's look melts into something sincere, and he matches it.
"Jess…I love the way you love my daughter."
His shoulders roll back as his stance becomes rigid and slightly uncomfortable. He runs a hand over the stubble on his face, and then up and through his hair. He doesn't respond with any words.
"It's beautiful," she adds quietly, "no one has ever loved her the way you do. And no one else ever will. Even if we enter some alternate universe where you guys don't stay together…I know your love for her is one of a kind. And hers for you, too."
He swallows.
"I hope I would find my way back to her in every universe."
She chuckles knowingly, "I'm sure you would, Dracula."
He releases a rough laugh and turns around as the microwave and toaster go off. Carefully he splits the food between two plates, then spins around and walks over to the table. He puts one down and pushes it towards Lorelai. He catches her eye and says sincerely, "thank you for saying that."
She startles him when her hand shoots out to hold his free one.
"Thank you. What you did today was really special, and we will never forget it."
"We?"
"Yes, we," she takes her hand away and picks up a pizza roll to blow on it. Then says with a smirk, "I know I have you to thank for my trophy and my crown."
His smile becomes mischievous, "those were both won fair and square."
"Sure," she scoffs playfully, "about as square as Jareth's Labyrinth."
"No one can prove otherwise," he shrugs and turns to Rory's door. He pauses and then turns back around to Lorelai, who has steam coming out of her mouth from the too hot snack she just put in it.
"Are you going to need help getting back upstairs?"
"How sweet!" she mumbles around her food, waving a hand in front of her lips.
"Oh, I wasn't offering. I was just going to try and get Luke down here for you."
She throws him a glare but shakes her head.
"Nope, once I finish this plate of sustenance, I should have it in me again to at least crawl back up."
"Good luck with that," he turns around again and calls over his shoulder, "good night. Again."
"Good night, Count Dracula!"
He chuckles to himself and opens the bedroom door, closing it softly behind him. His eyes move to the bed, and what he finds brings an adoring smile to his face. She's fallen asleep sitting up; journal and hand still in her lap. Her head rolled to one side, and as he steps closer he hears her soft snores. Quietly, he places the plate of food down on the side table and then stands over her dozy form. He silently sighs as he realizes she's still in her dress, but he has no idea how to get this one on or off. He decides to leave it, and get her tucked in. His hands carefully move the journal from her lap and the pen from her hand; he gently pulls the covers out from under her body. He winces as he leans down, placing his arms under her legs and around her shoulders, to shuffle her body into a more comfortable position. She stirs in his arms, and a whine escapes her throat as he releases her against the mattress.
"Don't wake up," he mumbles in a soothing tone; he runs the back of his hand against her cheek, "it's just me, tucking you in. Stay asleep, baby."
Her body slackens completely. He watches with love as she nuzzles her face against the pillow. Unable to restrain himself, he leans down and presses his lips ever so softly against her head. But as he goes to smooth her hair back, his fingers run into plastic. He frowns, just noticing the small hair clips all over her head. Tugging his bottom lip in thought, he walks around the bed to get in next to her. He sits up and with gentle fingers, he slowly unclips and collects the small adornments.
He stares down at the collection in his hand, a cherishing smile on his face as his thumb traces over the tiny shapes. He thinks about the past, about what it would have been like if they made it to prom, and therefore to the bedroom much younger. Would he have taken the time to remove every hair clip from her head then? Would he have lovingly tucked her in at the end of the night, making sure she's as comfortable as can be? And, would he have told her that he loves her? Because he did. But he was different then, and although he was able to be more vulnerable with her than other people, he doesn't believe he would have made her feel as special as she deserved to feel then. And usually, a line of thought like this sends him into a weird mental hole of guilt and regret. Tonight though, it doesn't. He smiles - because he can give all of those things to her now.
His fingers curl around the accessories in his palm, and he stands up to cross the room to his duffel bag. Without overthinking it, he slips them securely into a pocket inside. The action makes him laugh quietly at himself; he runs a hand through his hair and looks back at the bed. It occurs to him that he most likely would have done the same thing back then. The difference is now that he gets to take her and his stolen pieces of her home with him tomorrow. His hand comes to his neck as the emotions that thought brings take an aggressive hold on him. With an emerging yawn, he shakes them off and strips down to his underwear. After turning the light off, he carefully gets under the covers. His body is immediately against hers, since Lorelai never did switch out the twin sized bed despite comments about it from both him and Rory over the years. It does have its benefits, he thinks, as his face is automatically aligned with hers. Soft breaths puff out of her mouth and float over his skin. He closes the inch of distance between them and holds his lips against hers for the shortest moment so as not to disturb her slumber.
One of his hands explores gingerly under the covers until he finds one of hers. He threads his fingers through to hold it. His pinky finger rubs against the outside of her pinky finger; he smiles to himself. He wraps his pinky around hers and gives it the gentlest squeeze.
He promises, in a nearly silent lull near her ear, "I will always love you this way. Pinky promise."