thank you for reading/reviewing! .
Michie-Sunflower - hi! just wanted to say so glad you're still here :)
Glaeming Wounds - thank you so much. i totally understand that. sending you so much love!
as promised: some fluff! and more of a lighthearted nod to we'll always have paris.
enjoy xoxo
disclaimer: I own nothing
"Have I said thank you yet for spending Christmas in Nantucket with me?"
Jess smirks and his eyes cast over to her briefly from the road. Her energy is warm and bubbling with excitement for the holidays with her family. She wears jeans paired with an oversized Yale sweatshirt; her hair is long and shiny, covering most of the letters. Jess made fun of the trendy Uggs she put on when they left New York, but she made the very good argument that at least her feet won't be cold when they stop for gas and snacks. Innocuous Christmas songs play on the radio, because despite the fact that she's extremely thankful for him giving up the holiday with Doula and his family, she refused to sacrifice that bit of holiday cheer. The car smells like coffee mixed with cinnamon and vanilla, thanks to the giant seasonal drink Rory got at their last rest stop. The back seat is packed with precisely wrapped gifts, mostly from Rory to her family. But a few for each other as well. And on Rory's lap is their beloved cat, which she freed from its carrier as soon as they got in the car off the ferry.
"I could be wrong, but I believe you have thanked me every day for the last two weeks. In many different ways," he grins mischievously, and just as he wanted, Rory blushes.
"Well, I just want to make sure you know how grateful I am! I know you usually spend it with Doula. And I know that although you get along with my mom and my grandmother, they can be a lot. Especially when we are all in the same space for extended periods of time."
"I think 'a lot' is putting it mildly," Jess mumbles in agreement, "But I do know what it means for you to be with your family this time of year. That's more important to me than watching Doula open various art supplies gifts for hours. And then watching my mother attempt to make dinner only for her to give me an innocent looking smile and ask me to somehow take over after she's destroyed everything edible."
"I guess we all have family quirks during the holidays."
"And every other day of the year, yes."
Rory giggles merrily, and unbuckles her seatbelt as they enter the area her grandmother lives in. Sabrina jumps from her lap to the floor near her feet. Jess looks over at her, "Can you put that back on please?"
She huffs a faux annoyed sigh but does as he says, "We will be there in less than five minutes! What difference does it make?"
"If I hit black ice in the next mile and a half, it could make a monumental difference."
She smiles softly at his care as she leans down to pick the cat up again, "You're right. Sorry. I'm just so excited! I worked on Thanksgiving just so I could have this whole week off to come here for Christmas. And Thanksgiving is really my favorite holiday, you know."
He grins, "Oh, I know. I've seen you celebrate. You're like a kid in a candy store."
"In a cute way, right? Not in a 'it's scary how much my girlfriend can eat, I should donate her to science' way?"
He laughs as he pulls into Emily's driveway. He parks the car and turns to her.
"You should know by now that I think every single one of your eccentricities are endearing."
She smiles wide, "Just making sure."
Jess grins and turns in his seat to get the cat's carrier. He hands it to Rory and nods towards the backseat,
"You secure our girl. I'll start unloading the car."
Her smile turns smitten at his words as he exits the car. She turns back to the cat and starts to coax her into the carrier, when suddenly there's a loud knock on her window that makes her yelp. She turns and sees her mother, with an entertained smile on her face. Lorelai waves at her and then points to the drink in her hand, "I made you a hot toddy!"
"You made me a hot toddy?" Rory asks incredulously through the window. Lorelai nods and then shrugs.
"Well, Luke put out the ingredients for me. And…he heated up the water. Also, he measured the honey for me. But, the rest of it, all me."
Rory listens with a raised brow, and once the cat is secured in her carrier she opens the car door. She steps out and says, "So basically you were in charge of the whiskey?"
"And pouring everything into one cup for you! Here, taste it."
"Isn't it a little early to start drinking?"
Lorelai bares a fake grin, "Not for me. No, let's see, I've been yelled at for getting in the way while getting coffee in the kitchen, I've been criticized for wearing comfortable clothes, I've been galvanized for wrapping gifts in different wrapping papers that don't match with each other. So, no. Not too early for a drink for me."
Rory frowns, "Sorry mom. Hopefully her attention will be on me and Jess now?"
"That's the only thing I want for Christmas. I don't know what Mariah and Britney were on about in their silly holiday songs. Having my mother's attention off me is the dream, screw true love."
"I heard that," Luke grunts as he walks up to them and opens his arms, "Hi Rory. Glad you guys made it here safely. There was a snow storm looked like it might have hit you on the highway in Rhode Island."
"Uncle Luke, mind helping me with the mountain of gifts Rory brought?" Jess's voice calls from around the car. Luke joins him with a fake disgruntled sigh.
"Oh! You shouldn't have," Lorelai bats her eyes.
"They're not all for you," Rory turns to the car and grabs her purse and coat from the front seat, "I'm going to go inside and say hi to Grandma."
"Good luck, she's in full party prep mode. You might want to pregame with this delicious hot toddy I made you."
Lorelai holds the drink out to her.
"Party? Isn't it just us?" Rory asks, taking the mug from her.
"She said she invited a few 'museum friends' to join our Christmas Eve dinner. And I said, 'well if they're living in a museum, they must be cheap guests'! Ha! Get it? Because things in a museum don't need food or water."
Rory gives her a look and then takes a gulp of the hot drink.
"Oh my god," she grimaces and covers her mouth, "Mom, that's whiskey with a drop of hot water in it! That's not a hot toddy."
Lorelai frowns, "Oh shoot, I must have brought you mine by accident. Sorry, honey. Your watered down version is inside."
"You okay?" Jess asks, stepping beside Rory with his hands full of presents. She holds the mug out to him.
"I don't know, I think my mother is trying to poison me. Try this."
He raises his eyebrow, "Do I look stupid?"
"It's whiskey."
His face changes and he shifts the gifts to one side of his body to take the mug. He takes a big swig and nods.
"That's good. Great pre-Gilmore event appetizer."
"Ah! See? Jess gets it."
The cat meows and Lorelai turns her attention to it, "Oh no my grandkitty! It's too cold out here for her, come on let's go inside."
"I hate it when she calls her that," Jess mutters to Rory as they walk towards the house behind her and Luke.
"I know. But maybe during this trip you can learn to love all of the Gilmore girls' eccentricities?" she suggests, looking at him with a hopeful smile.
"That would be a Christmas miracle indeed."
Rory sits at the desk in the room she and Jess are staying in. A small amount of makeup is scattered in front of her, and she holds a travel size mirror in her hand. Sabrina naps silently at her feet. Classic Christmas songs play from her phone as she gets ready and in the mood for the dinner party about to take place. While she's excited and loves the holiday, loves seeing her family and that she gets to be with them and Jess, she holds a bit of sadness too. Because the last time her Grandmother had a Christmas Eve dinner of this level, her Grandfather was still alive. It's bittersweet to experience it, and it feels like shining a mirror on the past; it appears similar but is backwards in a lot of ways.
As she blends a pale pink blush into her cheeks, the door to the bedroom opens.
"Your Grandmother is crazy," Jess proclaims as he steps into the room and shuts the door behind him. His face is red like cold wind has been beating against it, and his hair is sticking out in multiple directions. He walks closer to Rory, and she can feel the cold coming off his body.
"You're just realizing that now?"
"No. Just reiterating a well-known fact I guess."
"What happened?" she asks, putting down her mirror and looking up at him.
"She decided that she wanted to have a bonfire in the backyard. In case people want to have 'chestnuts roasting on an open fire' and, surely, 'jack frost nipping' at their noses because it's fucking freezing outside."
"A bonfire? Cool!" Rory replies, enthusiastic smile on her face. He looks at her hard.
"Rory, she didn't have any supplies for a bonfire!"
She quirks her head, "what do you need besides wood?"
"Let's see: wood, kindling, fire starters, fire, and, oh yeah, a fire pit," he lists off the items on his gloved hand with exasperation, "she had me and Luke out there building one in the blistering cold. Then, we had to go find a neighbor that had firewood because she didn't want us to use her supply for the fireplaces in the house. But the neighbor next door only had logs of wood because he's building a sauna in the pool house or next to the pool house or some upper class shit like that. So then we had to chop wood, Rory. In the freezing cold, with numb hands and horrible vision because the wind here is insane. And by the way, there is no way a fire will hold against that wind. But God forbid we try to talk sense into that stubborn woman!"
Rory sits listening to his tirade with big eyes and pursed lips, trying not to laugh or grin even though she thinks it's cute all the work he put in for Emily. As he finishes, he rips the gloves off his hands and unbuttons his coat. He looks down at her expectantly.
She opens her mouth and says, "You chopped up wood and built a fire pit and didn't call me to come watch?!"
He throws a hand in the air in exasperation.
"I could barely even use my fingers! Still can't."
He exemplifies this by trying and failing to make a fist.
"Jess, I bet you looked so sexy! I'm very disappointed. You know how I love it when you do manual labor," she pouts and crosses her arms over her chest, "what am I supposed to think about the next time I use that toy you gave me to keep me company while traveling?"
He rolls his eyes, "Gee, I don't know. Maybe one of the hundreds of times I've buried my face between your legs or whispered things in your ear that would make Jenna Jameson blush. Is that not enough for you, nympho?"
She sighs forlornly, "It's just not the same. Do you mind describing to me in detail the way you swung that ax?"
"Oh my god. I'm in a fucking loony bin," he grumbles to himself, walking away from Rory with his face in his hands.
She bites back her laughter and stands up to hug him from behind.
"I'm sorry. It was so sweet of you to do that for my Grandmother. Even if it doesn't work."
He pats her arm, "Yeah, yeah. I'm forever indebted to her, so I didn't really have a choice."
"How's that?"
He turns to face her.
"Truncheon, Richard's books, Lorelai's existence and therefore your existence. Little things she's done for me."
Rory's lips curve into a grin, "you're right. You are forever indebted to her."
He leans in and kisses her, then steps back to take in her outfit.
"We can wear sweatpants to this dinner?"
"God no," Rory shakes her head and walks over to the closet, "I was just wearing this to do my makeup. I'm about to change."
"Damn," Jess curses, and turns to his suitcase to get his change of clothes. He finds the sweater and jeans he packed and takes off his shirt.
Just then, the bedroom door swings open, "Rory, they built a fire pit - ah! Jess with no shirt, Jess with no shirt!"
Lorelai covers her eyes and turns around in the doorway. He rolls his eyes.
"This is our room, you know. And you've seen me without a shirt before, at this very house on the beach this past summer for one."
"Yes, beach. Beach makes sense. No shirt in the house is weird!"
"Mom, you know better than to do that! I was just about to take my clothes off too."
"Oh God, I would have walked in on a quickie!"
Jess barely stifles his laugh as he pulls his sweater over his head. Rory walks up and pushes her mom out the door.
"No! Stop being gross! We were getting changed for the party. Can we do that in peace please?"
"I'll just be out here waiting. And not listening. Actually, I'll meet you downstairs."
"Good idea," Rory calls after her before closing the door. She looks across the room at Jess apologetically.
"You are in a loony bin. Sorry."
He smirks and shrugs, "I knew what I was getting myself into. Though now I've got a quickie on my mind…"
"Keep dreaming. I'm not sorry enough to have sex under my Grandmother's roof," she shuts him down and starts to take her clothes off to change.
"See, I'm getting mixed signals here. You say that, and then you take your clothes off," he ruminates as he steps closer to her, "and we have had sex here before."
"When no one else was in the house! And we had drank a bottle of wine by the beach. There were a lot of…sexy factors. There is nothing sexy about a house full of people gathering for a holy holiday."
"Come on. Jesus is forgiving I hear."
She shoots him a look and he smirks, "sorry. Have to get my kicks somehow."
"I understand. You have been doing random jobs for my Grandmother since we got here, and it's only been four hours."
She pulls her red sweater dress on, and then sits down on the bed to put on her black tights. He smiles over her.
"That the dress you wore after I finished reading your chapter? That…hectic Christmas where we had to host Liz and Doula."
She smiles softly back, "Yes. Hope it's not bringing you any bad feelings."
"Not a single one," he confirms in a sweet murmur, "you look bright and beautiful."
She stands up as she tugs her tights the rest of the way on, and then places a kiss on his mouth.
"Thank you," her eyes gaze over his fitted gray sweater and black jeans, "and you look amazing. There's something extra handsome about you in long sleeves."
He raises a brow in thought, "Hmm, maybe because you know what's underneath them is yours?"
She bites her lip and shrugs, "Maybe," then she turns to the desk where a small jewelry box sits and opens it, "can you help me with my necklace?"
He nods and takes it from her; it's the same one she wore to the awards ceremony, and it goes well with this dress too. He brings it around her neck as she holds her hair up. He clasps it together with focus, and then leans forward to place a soft kiss on the nape of her neck. She drops her hair and shivers at the feeling.
"Don't play dirty," she pleads in a whisper, turning around to face him. He winks and nods towards the door.
"Come on, we better get down there before your Grandmother thinks the worst."
"If mom hasn't already put it in her head."
Over the next hour, the house turns into a bustling event. It's less formal than the holiday parties Emily once would have thrown, and it has managed to take the Gilmore girls minds off of the person missing from the house. Music plays from speakers placed throughout the home, rather than live music, and everyone seems to be having a good time. Especially Emily, Rory notices as she stands talking to Lorelai near where the appetizers are coming out. Lorelai insisted they spend the beginning of the night there so they can be sure to taste everything before it runs out.
"Grandma seems very…happy talking to that man," Rory mumbles to Lorelai between bites of a mushroom and cheese puff. Lorelai follows her line of view. She watches as her mother talks to a man, somewhere around her age and with silvery gray hair, with a clever smile on her face.
"Oh wow. I think she's flirting with him. That's her flirty smile!"
"Flirty smile? When would you have ever seen her flirty smile?"
"She used it on dad all the time!"
At that Lorelai and Rory exchange a quick sullen look.
"Well…we should be happy if she's happy. Right?" Rory says softly, turning to her mom for confirmation. Lorelai gives her a closed smile and reaches out to squeeze her arm.
"Yes. You're right, babe. We should be happy if she's happy."
Lorelai's attention is grabbed by something behind Rory, and she gasps.
"Are those apple tarts?! Rory, stop that waiter! Hurry hurry!"
Rory spins around, but it's too late as he has already made his way into the small crowd. Rory turns and frowns guiltily.
"Sorry, Mom. I'll try and track him down for you."
"Looking for these, Lorelai?" Emily sneaks up on them with a small plate of apple tarts in one hand and a cocktail in the other.
"Mom…" Lorelai grins wide, "you're totally my hero."
She rolls her eyes, "it only took fifty-three years and me doing one of a million thoughtful things I've done for you to say that."
"That makes it feel more special, doesn't it?" Lorelai offers before biting into her favorite holiday treat. She closes her eyes in pleasure, "I could eat five hundred of these. How many more do you think you have?"
Emily shoots her a look, "Please don't. I just had this house deep cleaned, I can't have you getting sick all over it."
Lorelai pouts and picks another one up off the plate Emily brought. Then Emily holds the plate out to Rory.
"Here, you better get one now before your mother makes them all disappear."
As Rory takes it with a smile, Emily's eyes lower to her chest and she steps closer to her.
"Rory, that necklace is gorgeous! I can't believe I didn't notice it earlier. I absolutely adore it, is that a ruby?"
Rory looks down at the necklace with a content smile, "yes. It's from Jess. He surprised me with it the day that I won that award. As a congratulations gift. It matched my dress."
Emily's face curls into a look of curiosity, "Really? That's quite thoughtful of him. I have always felt that it's vital to be with a man who knows how to pick out jewelry. Glad to see you've found that."
Rory blushes slightly and smiles. Lorelai swallows her food and leans in conspiratorially towards her mother, "And what about that man you've been talking to for the last fifteen minutes? Is he good at picking out jewelry?"
Emily turns sharply to look at Lorelai with an offended frown, "I beg your pardon?"
"The tall man," Lorelai gestures his height with her hand, "silver fox, Richard Gere looking guy! You were talking to him for a loooong time."
"Just what are you implying, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore?" she demands in a clipped tone.
Lorelai cringes at the use of her full name.
"It's Lorelai Victoria Gilmore-Danes now, mom," she replies with a smile and then mumbles under her breath, "All the more syllables for you to punctuate with anger."
"Honestly Lorelai, what do you think is going on between Clark and myself?"
"Clark? That's an incredibly romantic name!"
Rory elbows her mom to try and get her to quiet. Emily huffs and spears her with a sharp glare. Lorelai softens her teasing demeanor and gives her a genuine look.
"Mom…it's okay. No one would judge you. You deserve companionship, you know."
Emily stares her down, and then puffs out an, "excuse me."
On the other side of the room, Jess and Luke stand together near a liquor cabinet. Emily has servers carrying around seasonal cocktails to pass out, but they have no interest in the spiced concoctions. Luke turns to pick up the bottle of bourbon, wanting to top off their glasses.
"Haven't seen one person check out the bonfire," he grumbles, looking through the window over Jess's shoulder.
"Haven't seen any flames in the bonfire since thirty seconds after it was lit," he mumbles his agreement, tipping back his now full glass for a sip. Luke shakes his head and then his eyes widen as he catches something.
"Incoming," he mutters as he darts away. Jess makes a face and looks out towards the room to see Emily heading straight for him. He chuckles to himself at Luke's fear; he never expected to be the one least afraid of her.
"Jess, there you are," she greets with a knowing smile, "making friends with the bourbon, I see."
He shrugs, "Elijah Craig has some good stories."
"Ah, and I'm sure after consuming half the bottle you'll have great stories to tell too."
He smirks and holds his glass up to her in respect. She clinks her martini to his glass briefly.
"Hey, you're not drinking the sanctioned seasonal cocktail either, Mrs. Gilmore."
"Of course not, that thing couldn't get me tipsy if I drank it by the pitcher full. No, that tame thing is for the guests. I don't need anyone else trying to sleepover. The company is painful enough as is."
He bites back a laugh, "didn't you invite these people?"
She rolls her eyes, "I was trying to be nice. Show a little holiday charity and such. But all these people want to talk about are artifacts and the quality of Hollywood's archaeological films."
"'It belongs in a museum'."
"Oh, don't you start," she shoots him a look, then suddenly her lips curve into a suspicious grin that has Jess frowning, "I saw that necklace you picked out for Rory."
"Uh huh."
"It's beautiful."
"I thought so."
"You have good taste."
"You sure you want to go on record saying that?"
"Come with me," she turns and begins to walk through the crowded room. He sighs, knowing that he has no choice, and follows her. They go through the crowd, Emily saying hellos and excusing herself all the way through, then down a hallway, and finally into the room she uses as an office.
"You're scaring me," Jess mutters as she flips on the lights and walks towards a closet, "am I about to be whacked?"
"You spend too much time around my daughter. Come over here," she nods her head as she opens the closet doors. Jess waits a cautious beat, and then slowly joins her. She moves stacks of supplies and books out of the way to reveal a small safe. She messes with the dial until it pops open.
"I appreciate you not telling me to look away while you did that."
"Well, if anything is missing from here I figure I'll know who took it."
Despite the weirdness of the situation, Jess breathes out a laugh.
"What's going on here?"
She reaches into the safe and pulls out a small red box.
"This was Richard's mother's ring, the first Lorelai," she opens the box to reveal a vintage platinum ring with a halo shaped ruby surrounded by two rows of diamonds, "not her engagement or wedding ring, of course. She took those to the grave with her - as if they're any good to her now," she mumbles the last words and holds the ring up to the light.
"Isn't it beautiful?"
With a look of confusion, Jess shrugs "yeah, sure. It's very pretty."
She turns to look at him, the features on her face clearly conveying that she has some sort of plan.
"I think Rory would love it."
His mouth opens and closes.
"Yeah. I'm sure she would. Are you…giving it to her as a Christmas gift or something?"
Her eyes roll up to the ceiling before she says, "don't pretend to be dull. You have been together for, what? Four years now?"
He eyes her, "uh huh."
"Don't you think it's time to make a real commitment to her?"
His face drops and his eyes turn away at the subject.
She clicks her tongue and argues, "Don't tell me you haven't thought about it! You're practically obsessed with Rory."
"Obsessed?!"
"That's what I said, isn't it? You write stories about her and for her, you helped her deal with Logan's incredibly heavy and arrogant baggage, you picked out an apartment for you two to live in together. You support her and her career even though it means being with someone you don't get to see all year round. And I've seen the way you two look at each other. It's like you have your own secret language of loving gazes and sultry glances."
He makes a face and then eyes her, "okay, yes, I care about her. Deeply. I always have though. What does that have to do with marriage?"
"She deserves to be able to call you her husband. And don't you want to be able to call her your wife? What is the point of waiting any longer? You're not getting any younger."
Jess sighs and takes the ring from her hand. He puts it back in the box and places it carefully in the safe.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I've discussed it with Rory and she's not ready for marriage right now."
Emily gawks, "Not ready?! What do you mean she's not ready? She's thirty-seven years old!"
"I don't think age has anything to do with her decision."
"Oh, for goodness sakes, this has Lorelai written all over it! Whether she realizes it or not, she sets an example for her daughter. And she waited until forty-eight years old to get married! Jess, please don't make me wait that long with her. If you ask her, she'll say yes. I have no doubt," Emily pleads with him, taking the ring out again, "you can give her this. Or, take it to a jeweler and have it redesigned so you can give her something extra special. It's all yours to do what you want with it, take it."
He holds his hands up in the air.
"With all due respect Mrs. Gilmore, I'm going to defer to Rory's wishes on this."
Emily gives him an irritated look, and they hear the office door open.
"You don't call a widow 'Mrs.', it's Ms. Gilmore. It's incredibly insensitive you know."
He cringes, "Sorry, Ms. Gilmore."
She rolls her eyes, "just call me Emily, like I've told you at least a hundred times!"
"Hello?" a familiar voice and the clacking of heels sounds in the room. Then Lorelai steps up to the closet, "Oh, why are you guys talking all alone in here? Plotting sabotage on a bookstore competitor?"
"You!" Emily exclaims and points at Lorelai. Her jaw drops.
"No way! What did I do? I've been in this room for all of fifteen seconds!"
"You are the reason your daughter has this ambivalence towards commitment!"
"Ms. Gilmore, I don't think that's fair -" Jess tries to cut in.
"Yeah mom, that's not fair! Especially since I don't even know what you mean. She's been with Jess for years now, she's been at the same job for years…what sort of commitment are you referring to?"
"Oh, just the holy sanctity of marriage! No big freaking deal to you girls!" Emily huffs indignantly.
Jess shoots Lorelai an apologetic look.
"Do I get to know what this is about? Or do I once again just get to be the scapegoat for someone else's unfavorable decisions?" Lorelai demands, arms crossed over her chest.
"There's really no point in telling you now Lorelai. It won't be relevant until I'm dead apparently!"
"Okay, okay," Jess holds his hands up in the air, "You know I have the utmost respect for you Emily, and Richard of course. And his mother, I guess. But I think we can all agree that this is a private matter between me and Rory. I only said what I did because I didn't want you to start making arrangements or something. I love Rory with all of my heart, I would marry her tomorrow if she wanted. But she doesn't and so it's going to happen when she wants it to happen. End of discussion."
Emily's eyes are fixed on a wall across the room, face set in a look of haughty disapproval. Lorelai looks between them both before she eyes the ring, "Oh my god, that ring is gorgeous. Is that for Rory?"
Emily looks down at it and then shoves it back into the jewelry box.
"That was the idea. It was your Grandmother's."
"Emily…" Jess says, "I appreciate it. I really do. It means a lot to me that you would want me to propose to Rory with a family heirloom, and I'm sure it would mean a lot to her too. But being so in love with her means that I want to respect her wishes. So, would it be a terrible inconvenience to hold it here for me until the time comes?"
He hits her with the most charming smile he can muster and holds a hand lightly on her arm. After a beat, she releases a breath and softens, "I suppose not. If Rory has expressed her desires to you, I will respect them. Even though you won't share them with me."
"Thank you," he gives her a grateful nod, and then turns, "Lorelai, mind showing me where Luke ran off to?"
Emily smirks, "I saw him scatter away when I approached earlier."
"Think he's attempting to light that bonfire again," Lorelai replies and nods towards the door. He steps up to her and she leads the way out of the room.
"Sorry you got caught in the middle of that," he mumbles kindly to her.
She shrugs.
"Wasn't the first time I've been the innocent victim of Emily's wrath, and it won't be the last."
"I thought she was going to start breathing fire."
"Hasn't happened yet but I'd still keep at least ten feet away during arguments," Lorelai quips, "also, I think she's a little annoyed at me anyway. I saw her talking to a handsome prospect of a man and asked her about him. She got all bent out of shape."
"Huh," Jess grunts then turns slightly towards her, "you think that was wise to bring up on Christmas eve? From what I've heard from Rory, this was a lovely family tradition that largely included Richard."
She stops in her tracks and stares at him. He stops and stares back, awaiting a response. She sighs in exasperation.
"Crap. I've got some damage control to do."
She turns around and walks briskly back to the office. Jess follows behind in case he needs to run interference again, but once Lorelai steps into the office he stands just outside to listen.
"Mom…that wasn't really about Jess and Rory, was it?"
"What do you mean? Of course it was. How much time do two people made for each other need to decide to commit for life?"
Jess rolls his eyes but can't quell the smile tugging at his lips.
"You know they're very serious about each other. Just like Luke and I were for years before we got married."
"Exactly like I said. You set a certain example for her."
"And? So what if that's the truth? Luke and I are so in love, and we have been for a long time. You know that. I know that's not really what this is about."
He hears Emily sigh, "I really should get back to my guests."
"Oh yeah? Just dying to hear another 'Indiana Jones' joke?"
It's silent then for long enough that Jess gets concerned Emily has Lorelai in a chokehold. Right before he turns to check, he hears Lorelai again.
"Mom. This is about you and dad. You feel like…you're being unfaithful, don't you? And you're trying to divert that to Rory and Jess. By acting like them not being married is some inconceivable mistake."
"Lorelai…"
"You don't have to talk about it with me. But please listen to me when I say that it's okay to move forward with your life. You are alive and you still get to have wants and needs. It's okay to date or whatever you might be doing. No one thinks poorly of you for it. Not me, not Rory, and definitely not Dad."
"Thank you, Lorelai," Emily says softly after a long pause, "I won't be discussing this further."
"I do want to talk about that ring, however. You didn't even get along with Gran, why would you want Jess to propose with that?"
"It matches the necklace he gave her!"
"Mom, she doesn't wear that necklace every day. It's a gorgeous ring, but…wouldn't it be more special to give her something of yours? You're her grandmother. She hardly knew Gran."
"Are you working some angle to get the ring for yourself?"
He hears Lorelai laugh humorlessly, "sure, yep. You've unhorsed me. I am exactly the type of person that would try to take something nice away from my daughter!"
He can only imagine the affronted look on Emily's face.
"Well, please tell me what exactly you are suggesting? I don't have all night."
"Mom, you should offer Jess one of your rings for proposing when that time comes. If you're really committed to the idea of giving him an heirloom, it should be yours. And it doesn't have to be your engagement ring. You have plenty of gorgeous jewelry to choose from. I know, because I used to play dress up with it when you weren't looking. It would be so much more special to both of them, because you mean a lot to them. Much more than Gran."
Jess's skin prickles as an inexplicable warmth comes over him. He almost can't handle the gravity of Lorelai's suggestion, and Emily's quiet response (because he knows it would be met with something quick witted and fiery if she did not agree with Lorelai). Feeling like a full on eavesdropper and a little overwhelmed, he begins to walk away. He stops against the wall in the hallway to take a breather. The relationship he has with Rory's family has been good for years now. But it's an immense feeling to see just how accepting they are of him; to be trusted by the people that love Rory as much as he does, to understand the level of that trust, fills him with something akin to pride. Once he feels he's shaken off that dreamlike feeling, he finds Rory grabbing a cocktail and a snack.
He walks up to her and whispers near her ear, "want to see a magic trick?"
She looks back at him skeptically.
"Not something dirty I hope?"
"Jeez, what do you think of me?"
"That you love to make me blush. Especially when other people are around."
He smirks, "you got me there. But no, follow me."
He takes her hand and walks her to the other side of the room. He unveils the bottle of alcohol he and Luke had been helping themselves to. He pours her a glass and hands it to her. She raises an eyebrow.
"What's the trick?"
"That you'll actually feel a buzz by drinking this instead of the seasonal cocktail."
Her mouth breaks into a laughing grin. He clinks his glass to hers and they both take a sip.
"Jess," she says his name, and as usual it makes his heart leap, "I'm so happy you're here."
He drinks her in with warm eyes and a half smile, "nowhere else I'd rather be."
"Nowhere?" she questions, "I find that hard to believe."
"I guess that's your prerogative," he shrugs, "but it's the truth."
"You wouldn't rather be home reading books by the fireplace in our living room? Or editing your book? Or baking cookies with Doula?"
"All of those things are missing the driving factor of being here."
Her eyebrow and lips lift up, "what's that?"
Slowly a teasing smile forms on his face and with a glint in his eye he lifts his glass, "expensive bourbon."
She crosses one arm over her chest and gives him a dirty look.
"What? What did you think I was going to say? Tell me," he teases as he steps closer to her, bodies close enough that they can smell the smoky alcohol on each other's breath.
"You know exactly what I thought," she states with a roll of her eyes, but the slight pink of her cheeks gives away everything he needs to know.
"Hey, I know we make a good living but I'm sorry, I'll never spend over a hundred bucks on a bottle of booze myself. It's what keeps me coming back here."
"You're incorrigible!" she huffs in a whisper and then turns to walk away. He laughs and quickly steps after her, catching her with an arm around the front of her body. He pulls her to him so he's kissing her head.
"You know I'm teasing," he murmurs against her hair, "the reason I'm here is you. I want to be where you are as often as possible."
A slow grin forms on her face, and she turns her head slightly. Their lips meet for a brief kiss over her shoulder, then he maneuvers himself to her side with his hand at the small of her back. His eyes look around the room; he chuckles to himself as he sees Luke helping the catering team refill the coffee dispenser. His gaze moves over to the bookshelf near the Christmas tree, and he smiles softly.
"Hey," he squeezes Rory's arm, "want to see another trick?"
She gives him a dubious but intrigued look, and nods slowly. With his hand still on her back, he guides her to the bookshelf. He moves his hand from her back and skims it across a row of books.
"Is there a secret passage or something?" she whispers conspiratorially to him. He smirks to himself, and his fingers land on the gray spine of a hardcover novel. He glides his finger to the top of it and pulls it carefully off the shelf. Looking down at it, he gives this gift his own private smile before turning to hand it to Rory. He puts his hands in his pockets and waits for her to catch on. She takes it apprehensively and looks over the covers in her hands; there's no title on the front or the side. She opens it to the middle of the book, and gasps as she realizes it's his new collection of short stories.
"Oh my god, you're publishing it already? I had no idea you were done editing it," she asks as she flips through the pages of the book.
"The first eighteen pages are blank," she remarks in a confused tone, but as she continues through she gasps, "oh wow. To signify Jimmy's absence for the first eighteen years of your life! That is so freaking powerful, Jess! That wasn't in the version you sent me! When is this being released?! I want to take copies of it everywhere I go so I can leave it in bookstores and libraries all over the world."
Her excitement fills him up, and he can't control the genuine happy grin on his face.
"Planning to release it in Spring. This is a prototype, one of three copies."
She looks up, her big blue eyes meeting his honey browns with curiosity.
"One of three?"
He nods, taking one hand out of his pocket to count off the numbers, "One for me, one for you. And one for…" at this, he turns his head and gaze across the room. Rory follows it and places a hand on her heart.
She whispers as though the man in question will be able to hear her, "One for Luke? Jess…that's so beautiful. I think I'm going to cry."
His eyes turn back to hers at that, "well then maybe I shouldn't tell you that you each have your own dedication. These ones are special, just for you two. I will of course have dedications to you in the published copies, but different ones."
Her eyes are already watering as she flips quickly to the very beginning of the book.
Rory,
There are a million angles to tell the same story from. But what matters most to me is the lens you see it through. I hope you feel that I've captured your experiences accurately and adequately. You should know by now that you're my biggest inspiration. It means the world to me that you let me interpret and retell your private stories to strangers through my books. There are not enough ways to thank you for that.
As you know, this one happens to be about fathers. Yours let you down, and mine was never around. But the plus side to that, like we have said before, is that we know exactly what not to do.
If the time comes that I get to be a father, this is my handwritten promise to you to follow through on that. As you read through these stories again and again, I want you to remember there's only one model I will be following. The one whose love has made a difference in both of our lives, the one who stepped up and showed us the right way to love and care for a kid. The man that has been there for both of our successes and failures throughout our lives.
The one that never lets us down.
That is the father I promise to be.
I love you incessantly and permanently, Rory Gilmore. And that love transfers to anything we might create together. I will always try to show you that through my actions. But in case you ever need to read the words, come back here. They will be waiting for you.
Tears fall from her eyes as she reads. And she has to blink to clear her vision enough to wrap her arms forcefully around him.
"I love you," she mumbles with great affection in his ear. His hand runs in a comforting circle on her back, he kisses the side of her face.
"The published one will be short and sweet. I only want to bare so much to the public," he explains in a gentle tone, "but…I wanted to give you and Luke something extra special. Since you're the biggest inspirations."
"Thank you," she sniffs and pulls back.
"And Rory," his tone turns serious but still holds the same gentleness, "this isn't meant to pressure you or anything. I hope you don't see it that way."
"I know that, Jess. Don't worry. I think it's beautiful," she promises, and then asks, "Can I see Luke's?"
His eyes cast over to his uncle again, and this time he catches his attention. He nods for him to join them, and then turns back to Rory.
"You'll have to ask the man yourself."
"Did you guys see them trying to replace that coffee keg? They were an inch away from spilling it everywhere!"
Jess smirks, "Diner Luke to the rescue."
Luke shoots him a look, "I'm just saying, I'm sure Emily spent way too much money on this. She at least deserves competent workers."
"Do you want to cater the next one?" Rory asks with a taunting smile.
"No!" he exclaims and throws his hands up, "did you guys call me over here just to make my head explode?"
"No, not this time," Jess promises, then turns back to the book shelf and removes the other copy. He holds it out to Luke, "Merry Christmas."
Luke holds the book in his hands and his face cracks into a grin. He pats Jess on the shoulder.
"You wrote another one? Wow! That's unbelievable. How do you even find time to do it?" Luke questions and starts to finger through the pages, "what with work, your students, your obsession with Rory- "
"I am not obsessed with her, jeez!" Jess rolls his eyes.
"I don't like how defensive you are about that," Rory makes a face at him. He gives her a look back.
"Obsessed, Rory? You want to be with someone who is obsessed with you? That sounds like the starting plot of a horror movie."
She shrugs and considers, "maybe not obsessed. But…infatuated. That would make me happy."
His lip quirks up and he leans forward to whisper, "Well, I am definitely that. I think we should find a private place immediately so I can show you just how infatuated I am with you."
Her face crimsons as he pulls away from her ear. But before she can chastise him, they hear a gentle, uncharacteristic sound come from Luke. They both turn to look at him; his eyes are soft and watery, his mouth slightly open. He looks up and meets his nephew's eyes.
"Jess," he exhales and brings him in for a real hug. Rory's heart gets caught in her throat as she sees him blinking back tears. He moves away from Jess, with a strong hand on his shoulder. He gives him a square look and takes a heavy breath.
"I don't know that I've ever said these words directly to you. But you deserve to hear them," he takes a beat; Jess's shoulders tense in anticipation.
He squeezes his shoulder and then says firmly, "I love you, Jess."
Rory gasps quietly. Jess's eyes widen in surprise, and his heart thuds hard in his chest. He's momentarily speechless, but then a small, clever smile graces his features.
"Want to hold hands and skip now?" he teases, but there's no actual mocking behind it. Luke breathes out a short laugh. Jess leans in to give Luke another hug, and states just as firmly as his uncle, "I love you too."
Next to them, Lorelai walks up to Rory and asks quietly.
"What's going on here?"
With round, wet eyes she says back, "they love each other!"
"Aw, didn't we already know that though?"
"They said the words, Mom."
Lorelai gasps softly and places an arm around Rory's shoulders.
"Okay, you can stop talking about us like we're not here," Jess mutters as he breaks from his hug with Luke.
"Can I see your dedication, Luke? Please?" Rory begs with big eyes.
"You don't need to use the Gilmore eyes on me, of course you can read it. If Jess doesn't mind."
Just then, Emily enters the room and taps her glass to get everyone's attention.
"Please join me in the dining room for dinner now. You may bring your drinks and your wits," she winks, and the room laughs. She gestures with a hand and people start following her out.
Luke holds the book out to Rory, "here. I don't want to get yelled at so I'm going to head to the dining room. Let's go, Lorelai."
"What if I do want to get yelled at though? It can be fun riling her up sometimes," she quips. He grunts and takes her by the arm, "you don't."
Soon, it's just Jess and Rory standing by the Christmas tree. He turns to her and kisses her forehead.
"I'm going to head to the dining room too. I'll stall for you until you're done," he winks at her and walks away.
She opens Luke's copy of the book and reads with a full heart and glassy eyes:
Luke,
All the best parts of this book are dedicated to you. Because, they are you. You may not agree, but I owe you so much. I'm a better man because of you. The way I take care of myself, and others is because of you. And I didn't fall through the cracks because of you.
I don't know what my life would have looked like without you in it. And it's a good feeling that I don't have that answer.
Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for being the first person to show me what unconditional love feels like.
And thank you for being the only father I've ever known.
Later that evening after post-dinner drinks and dessert, the extra guests begin to depart. After helping clear the table, Jess walks to the living room and spies Rory staring up at the portrait of her Grandfather with a hot toddy in her hand. She's mostly alone in the room, aside from Luke and Lorelai who are conversing on a couch. He watches as her lips move in silence, conveying some secret message that's meant for just her and Richard to know. His mouth perks up on one side. His eyes shift over to the windows looking out at the backyard, or beach rather. He steps out of the room for a moment and then comes back armed with layers of warmth. He comes up behind Rory and holds her coat up.
"Hey. Let's go for a walk on the beach," he whispers in her ear. She smiles up at him and puts her arms in the coat sleeves. As she zips it up, he gently grasps her shoulders from behind and kisses the back of her head. She turns to him with a grin, and he hands her gloves. He carefully wraps a fuzzy scarf around her neck. Then he puts his coat and gloves on too and motions for her to follow him out the doors. They are met with a wall of cold air, but luckily the wind has slowed, and they notice the bonfire is lit. He holds his gloved hand out and she takes it.
"I'm sorry no one came out to enjoy your fire pit," she pouts as they begin walking closer to the water.
"I expected it. I think your grandmother was hoping the museum guests would conglomerate out there and bore each other with historical facts."
Rory laughs, "I liked them. I learned a lot of cool stuff."
He bumps his shoulder with hers, "you would, you nerd."
"This nerd got into Yale and Harvard, and now works for the New York Times. I think it's paid off for me."
He looks over at her with a grin.
"You're right. It has. You're brilliant."
She returns his grin happily. He kisses her quickly.
"So. Did you enjoy your first Christmas Eve celebration in Nantucket?" he asks, voice upbeat but cautious. Her smile softens.
"I did. It was…different than they used to be, of course. But, it was good in its own way."
He brings her gloved hand to his mouth and presses his lips against it.
"What about you? Did you enjoy your first Christmas Eve celebration in Nantucket?"
He chuckles, but thinking about over the evening, he grins genuinely.
"I did. I wouldn't say this will be the last one."
"Really?" she replies with a hopeful smile.
"Really. Though I still have to get through the rest of the week, I suppose."
She waves her hand in the air, "it will be a breeze. We'll read, eat delicious food, defend my mom when we need to, probably watch movies. This was definitely the highest expectations day."
"Mhm, maybe for you but I'm envisioning little jobs around the house that need my attention for the next week."
She giggles, "she does enjoy putting you and Luke to work."
"Yep. Penance, I guess, for being below her partner standards for you guys."
Rory stops walking and looks at him, "Jess."
"It was a joke," he smirks, "I promise."
She looks at him warily but nods.
"This is nice. But I'm really cold."
He puts and arm around her shoulders and turns them around to walk back towards the house.
"S'okay. Just wanted some alone time with you."
"That's sweet."
"People have always said that about me."
"Is that right?"
"Uh huh. Sweet as sour candy."
She laughs and leans in closer to him. As they come up near the house again, Rory sees a figure at the side of it, near a door that goes in and out of the garage.
She squints her eyes, "I wonder who that is. You think it's Luke hiding?"
Jess follows her line of vision, "Maybe. It does look like a man."
They start to walk in that direction, when suddenly the figure splits and they realize it's two people. Rory freezes and releases a small gasp.
"Is that your Grandmother?" Jess mutters, standing still next to her. Rory watches as the man leans in and kisses her again, before stepping away from the house to leave.
"And that's Clark!" she whispers, hitting Jess on the arm repeatedly in disbelief.
"Clark?"
"The man she was flirty smiling with!"
"Flirty smiling? What's going on?"
Suddenly, Emily turns and notices them watching. Rory squeals and starts to power walk to the back door, away from her Grandmother.
"Rory! Wait a second," she calls to her. Jess grabs Rory's arm before she gets too far away and pulls her into him. Emily walks up to them swiftly, somehow still maintaining an air of grace and diplomacy.
"I can explain."
Rory relaxes, "wait you're not mad that I saw that?"
"What? No, of course not. I knew it was a risk."
"Oh. Okay. Well…I think it's great that you've found someone, Grandma."
She sighs, "he is very nice. But honestly, it's nothing special."
"What do you mean?" she asks quizzically with a quirk of her head. Jess holds back a laugh.
"She means, it's only a physical relationship."
Rory grimaces and Emily shoots daggers at Jess.
"That's not what I mean."
"No? My bad. So, you guys go on dates and such? You're seen together in public? You do mundane things like watch movies and TV together?"
Emily takes an angry inhale of breath and crosses her arms over her chest.
"I believe that's none of your business."
Jess bites his lip to stop from smirking and raises his eyebrows.
"My how the tables have turned."
"What does that mean?" Rory butts in. At the same time, they both respond with, "Nothing."
She makes a face and scrutinizes them both, "super weird."
"Anyway, I would appreciate it if you don't mention this to your mother yet. I will tell her myself when I'm ready."
Rory frowns, "you want me to keep something from mom? That's so hard for me, Grandma."
"Fine, fine," Emily sighs, "I will go tell her about my rendezvous with Clark now. But promise me you will stop her from taking her teasing too far?"
Rory grins and nods deeply, "I promise."
"Thank you, dear. I'll see you two in the house."
As she walks away Rory turns to Jess,
"A rendezvous is like dating, right?"
He folds his lips and barely controls his smirk.
"Sure."
She pouts, "Is my Grandmother…'hooking up'?"
He wraps an arm around her shoulders again and gives her a squeeze, "we can only speculate, and I don't think you want to do that."
She shakes her head, then pauses and turns to him.
"What was that weird thing about?"
He looks away and starts to walk her towards the house, "what weird thing?"
"You know what I mean. The double 'nothing'."
"Ah, that. Don't worry your pretty little head about it."
She shoots him a look, "Jess!"
He stops walking and sighs, "your Grandmother accosted me about marriage."
"Oh no," she grimaces, "I'm so sorry."
He puts a hand up, "I handled it. It's all good."
"Did she say horrible things to you?"
"Uh, more to Lorelai than me, actually."
"Oh no! Tell me."
"I don't know, she spits stuff out so fast. It's hard to remember."
"Jess, I feel terrible. What did she say to mom?"
He looks up towards the night sky and throws his shoulders back. Then back down to her.
"She said she blames your mom for your 'ambivalence towards commitment'."
"My what!?" she squeaks, "that's insane! I'm so committed. To you, to my work, to my family, to our future. That is so rude!"
"Those are the same wonderful arguments your mother made," he grins at her, then places a kiss on her head, "it's all good, Rory. Don't worry about it. Like I said, it's handled. It won't happen again."
"My Grandmother is never going to bring up us getting married again? Until we're ready to talk about it?"
He nods along with every word, "yep, that's what I said."
"That's just…that's…I know she's a lot more chill, but I would not expect her to be chill about that. Did you tell her our plans?"
"Of course not. I told her it's none of her business, but we've discussed it. It's between us."
"Hence the tables turning."
"Right."
She looks at him curiously, "I can't believe you got her to let the topic go. I'm thinking about it and…I'm shocked she didn't say anything to me."
"I told you, it's handled."
"How in the world did you manage that?"
His eyebrow lifts in mischief, "guess we got a Christmas miracle after all."
She hits him playfully on the chest; he catches her hand and holds it there. Her whole body softens at his gentle gesture. Her eyes catch the fire pit.
"I bet it's warmer by a fire?"
He grins and nods in agreement. He walks them both over to it, Rory tucked under one of his arms. As they take seats on two beach chairs, the fire suddenly goes out. Jess grunts.
"Of course, as soon as someone wants to use it."
Rory turns to him with a huge smile that throws him off.
"What?"
"Can you make it light up again?"
"Can I -" he starts to repeat her words, and then realization hits him. He smirks.
"You want to watch me chop wood and start a fire?"
She gasps, "I wasn't expecting wood chopping but yes!"
He chuckles and gets up, and she watches with enthralled anticipation as he picks up two logs of wood and an ax. He places one log angled on top of the other. She shrieks in delight as he lifts and drops the ax to split firewood. He turns to her with an amused smirk.
"You okay over there?"
"Oh, yes. I am very good," she replies, voice buzzing with excitement.
"That's all we really need, but I'll split one more for you," he winks at her before setting up again. He grunts as he does it, and it makes her squirm in her seat. He walks back over to the fire pit and puts the firewood in, and then rekindles the fire within minutes. She hums in appreciation.
"Did you enjoy the show?" he asks as he takes a seat next to her again.
"Mhmm," she thrums with an earnest nod, "I feel like a very spoiled girlfriend this Christmas."
He smirks again as he takes in her tickled look. He leans his head towards her.
"Hope you're not too wet down there," he murmurs hypnotizingly, "might catch a cold."
He watches with satisfaction as she bites her lip and her entire face flushes.
"I need to calm down," she mumbles and takes a deep breath, "I will not have sex on Christmas Eve in my grandmother's house. I will not have sex on Christmas Eve in my grandmother's house."
He laughs heartily and tugs on her hand, "come sit in my lap."
"Did you not hear what I just said?"
"Just to keep each other warm, come on. No funny business, I promise."
She grins, "Pinky promise?"
"Nice try."
She stands with a sigh and moves to sit in his lap. He wraps his arms around her and kisses her cheek. Within minutes, despite being on the beach in winter, she's warm all over from the heat of the flames and Jess's body. She snuggles against him more and looks out over the yard and the beach, at all of the cozy surroundings. As an idea plays out in her imagination, a grin overcomes her face.
"Hey," she says softly.
"Hm?" he rumbles his reply.
"What if we got married here one day? As an alternative to the rooftop idea."
Jess breathes in and turns to follow where she's looking, and he smiles too at the aesthetic and that image of them.
"I think that would make your Grandmother very happy."
"Mhm, and it wouldn't cost us to rent a venue."
"And," Jess adds knowingly, "it would probably feel safer. For…you know. The wedding party."
She turns her head slightly and smiles up at him.
"It does sound kinda bad doesn't it? Taking small kids on a rooftop for a wedding?"
He chuckles warmly and kisses her lips.
"I'm sure people do it, and I'm sure it's okay. But I love your new idea."
She snuggles against him again, head resting next to his.
"Me too. And there are plenty of nice hotels in the area. You know, for the wedding night."
"Mhm," he hums in agreement, then cleverly suggests with merriment in his voice, "why don't we check one of those out tonight? To get an idea of what me might want when the time comes to book that room."
She giggles and pats his hand where it sits on her waist.
"Nice try."
"Damn, this is worse than getting coal for Christmas."
"Hello lovebirds," Lorelai calls to them as she steps out of the house. She walks towards the fire with Luke behind her, "I hope you don't mind us crashing your makeout sesh."
"We weren't even kissing!" Rory rolls her eyes, and then gestures to the fire pit, "Jess made fire. Come sit with us."
"Sounds like you've got yourself a caveman," Lorelai teases as she takes a seat next to Rory, "'Jess made fire. Jess love Rory. Rory like fire. Rory kiss Jess.'"
"Have you entertained yourself enough?" Jess cuts in with a raised eyebrow.
"I ask that question every single day, Jess," Luke mumbles taking a seat next to his wife, "the answer is always no."
"God help us."
Lorelai cackles and claps her hands, "you Danes are so easy to annoy."
Rory goes to tease her, but notices something shining in the light of the fire.
"Mom, where'd you get that ring?" she holds her hand out and Lorelai places her right hand in hers, "it's gorgeous! It kind of matches my necklace."
"Oh god, I'm having Martha's Vineyard flashbacks," Luke grumbles next to Lorelai, and then leans forward to busy himself with poking the fire. She waves him off.
"It does kind of match your necklace, but this isn't from Luke."
The ruby ring from the safe sits on her right ring finger. She dances them on top of Rory's hand.
"My mother gave it to me! It was Gran's."
"Wow, that's so nice!" Rory brushes a finger over the gem. While she stares at the ring, Jess catches Lorelai's eye and she throws him a knowing wink. He grins softly, wondering if she knows that he listened to her conversation with Emily.
"You want to try it on?" Lorelai takes the ring off her finger and holds it out to Rory. She takes it happily and puts it on her finger. The heavy ring sits loose and falls to the side.
"Darn, look at that," Lorelai remarks, and gives Jess another secret wink that causes him to take a deep breath, "not a good fit."
"It's okay, it's yours," Rory takes it off and hands it back to her, "did she give it to you as a Christmas gift?"
Lorelai's face cracks into wicked smirk, "I think she gave it to me to keep me from teasing her about her sugarbaby! Clark is five years younger than her, did you know that? No wonder they're just hooking up."
Luke stifles a laugh next to her as Rory groans.
"Oh god! Why must I hear these things?!"
"What's wrong with hooking up?" Lorelai implores, "everyone does it."
"That's not true! Do you think it's because," Rory leans in and whispers, "he's a womanizer? Do you think he's taking advantage of her?"
Jess bursts into loud laughter, his chest shaking against her body in his lap.
"Rory, have you met your grandmother? She is absolutely in charge of whatever their situation is."
Rory looks between her mom and Jess, pouting.
Lorelai shrugs, "She's doing exactly what she wants to do, honey. And can you blame her? I doubt she's ever going to find a love like she had with my dad, and I think she knows that."
Rory sits back against Jess with a sigh. Her eyes catch his briefly, exchanging a warm look of understanding. She nods and looks back at her mom with a small smile.
"You're right. That kind of love only comes around once."
AN: I'm so glad I've been able to post regularly! but i am humbly asking for patience now as I restart school and work gets busy again.
on top of that, I am torn about what to do from 2022 - where we'll always have paris starts. I already have a rough outline of like 4-5 chapters in 2022 but...I could easily trim them down and get us up to my one shot in one to two chapters. it could be nice to move forward to their future but i also enjoy the random day in the life sort of stuff I've been doing. sigh. If anyone reading has any opinions on this either way, please share! it can only help me haha