A/N: Well, here's the final chapter! I was disappointed when Rory didn't tell Lorelai about when Jess came to Yale (at least that I know of) on the show, so I worked that in here. Thanks so much to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, or reviewed! :D

"Hey, Hon!" My mom's cheerful voice came through the phone. "You'll never guess what I taught Paul Anka to do."

"Oh boy. This is going to be good."

"I taught him how to dance! Well, sort of. It's staying on his feet that he has trouble with. He kind of stands on two legs, tries to move, and falls over. But once he gets it right, he'll be fit for America's Got Talent."

I laughed. "Sign him up with Miss Patty."

"Ah, now why didn't I think of that? I knew there was a reason you got into Yale! Anyway, what's up?"

"Um, right now, I'm driving to Philadelphia."

"Why?"

I paused. "To see Jess."

"Wow." More silence. "I thought you hadn't seen him in years."

"He came to Grandma and Grandpa's house a few months ago, and showed me his book."

"Jess wrote a book?"

"Yeah. He was in the area, trying to get it distributed, and came to see me."

"Why are you going there now?"

"Logan and I broke up."

"Oh, Rory, I'm so sorry. What happened?"

"Well, I started reading Jess' book. And that obviously made me think about him a lot. I know he hurt me a lot, but I hurt him back. Especially with what I said…the last time I saw him."

"When he came a few months ago?"

"No…I never told you this, and I'm sorry, just don't freak out."

"Uh-oh."

"The week of Liz and T.J.'s wedding, he came to see me at Yale. He asked me to run away with him, and I kept telling him 'no'."

My mom snorted. "He really expected you to just drop everything for him after he left you like that?"

"I-I don't know. Regardless, he finally said told me to only say no if I really didn't want to be with him." My stomach tightened at the memory.

"Ah. And you said no?"

"Right. And I didn't see him again until a few months ago. After he showed me his book, we agreed to get something to eat a the next night. But Logan showed up."

"Oh boy. I'll bet that went well." I could almost see her rolling her eyes.

"That's an understatement. Logan was horrible - he kept making fun of Jess for writing a book. Jess stormed out and, when I followed him, confronted me about what I was doing with Logan, with the DAR, with Grandma and Grandpa…with Yale. He got me thinking, and it woke me up."

"Hold on. Are you telling me that Jess is the one who convinced you to go back to Yale?"

I bit my lip. "Yeah."

"This conversation has just been full of surprises."

"Sorry. Anyway, ever since then, I haven't been able to stop thinking about him. Logan and I…We fought, and it's just over between us. But I'm okay. Logan changed me, and not for the better."

"I have to agree with you on that one, kid. But why are you going to see Jess? Isn't it a little soon?"

"I got a flyer for Truncheon Books' - that's where he works - open house. I thought I'd go and see where it went from there."

"Ah, well, okay. Just…be careful."

"I will, Mom."

"One more thing. Was his book any good?"

I smiled. "It was great." For a second, I considered mentioning the dedication, but thought better of it. It felt too personal, even though it was out in the world for anyone to see. It was another one of Jess' mysteries that only he and I would understand.

"I still can't believe he wrote a book. If you had told me that when he was eighteen…"

I sigh. "Bye, mom."

I parked my car outside Truncheon Books, but anxiety kept my from opening the door. To avoid looking absolutely ridiculous, I pulled out my phone and aimlessly started pressing buttons. My stomach turned. What if he didn't want to see me after what Logan had said to him? What if I had changed so much, he didn't want anything to do with me? I took a deep breath, anticipation the only thing driving me forward. I had to see him. As I reached for the door handle, I was thrown off-balance as the door swung open from the inside. The next thing I knew, arms were on my shoulders, steadying me.

"Rory?"

I looked up into Jess' face, so close to mine. "H-hi." What was it about his man that made me feel like I was still in high school?

"Hi." His grip on me slowly relaxed, but he didn't let go of me.

I cleared my throat. "So this is Truncheon Books."

He stepped away and walked toward the center of the room. "This is it."

"I like it." I spotted Luke across the way. We made our way over there, but even as I met April, talked to Luke, and sat through the rest of the open house, images of Jess and me flickered behind my eyes. I saw us wandering through book stores in Stars Hollow and Hartford, exchanging witty, teasing remarks with each other, and the days we spent on the bridge. Every once in a while, Jess would catch my eye and smirk, making my heart beat as fast as it did five years ago.

I tried to read The Subsect again while waiting for Jess to finish talking to his friends. I was the last guest there, but my need to talk to him was overwhelming. My eyes scanned the words that had been lodged in my mind for months, but it was hard to concentrate when the writer himself was in the same room, his voice floating over my head.

"You don't have to read it again, you know."

I smiled at him. "You know why I love your book? It doesn't remind me of anything. It's just you."

"High praise, Miss Yale Editor." His hand brushed me lightly, setting every nerve in my body on edge.

We spoke a little more, of the paper, of his book, but eventually his eyes took on a thoughtful, distant look. He was quiet for a moment.

"You look a lot happier than the last time I saw you. You…fixed everything?"

Ah, testing the waters. My gaze locked on his. "Everything."

At that, he leaned closer. His head dipped slowly, giving me plenty of time to pull away if I wanted to. Then, finally, his lips brushed mine. I closed my eyes and let the thrill wash over me. How could I have let him go? In that moment, I knew I loved him. If there were any remaining doubts, they were erased in that instant.. We brought out the best in each other. There were a million other reasons that I was sure would make their way into my head at some point, but right then, all I cared about was the fact that Jess was pulling me closer. He wrapped his arms around me, while my fingers grazed the wild ends of his hair.

Even through the cloud of happiness that surrounded me, I knew there were things that needed to be said. I pulled away. "Jess," I said, just above a whisper. He looked down at me, a slightly dazed look in his eyes, like he couldn't believe that after all these years I was back in his arms.

"I'm sorry."

A look of apprehension passed over his face. "About what?"

"I'm sorry I didn't give you a second chance."

"You're here now, aren't you?"

I smiled slightly. "Yeah."

His gaze dropped to the floor. "Rory…" He took a deep breath, then looked beyond me. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have run off like that. And I want you to know that what I said a few years back…it's still true. I love you."

I grinned and stepped closer. "I love you too, Jess. I mean it. You were right…about all of it."

He smirks. "You still remember that, huh?"

"I have forgotten nothing in my life that ever had a foremost place there, and little that ever had any place there."

He smiles. "Ah, classic Dickens."

As our lips met again, I knew there would be more margin-writing, more arguments about The Fountainhead, and more moments just like this; moments that I'd hold onto forever.