Author Notes: I've never written an epilogue before, so I hope this turned out okay. Thank you to everyone who's been following the story. Your comments have really kept me going.

Rory didn't go home for Christmas that year. She'd celebrated Christmas with her mother every year of her life, even if they didn't always manage to celebrate it on the actual day. But sitting in the tiny living room of the one-bedroom apartment she shared with Jess, she felt like she was exactly where she needed to be.

She didn't forgo all of her old traditions, though. There were strands of popcorn all around the tree, and there was mistletoe on the rickety ceiling fan. But there were different things too, like the fact that Jess insisted on opening one present each on Christmas Eve. After a long period of deliberation (and some advice from Lane) she'd gotten him a few vinyl albums, one of which she'd let him open that night. Now they were sitting together on the floor with their backs against the couch listening to it. There was an unopened package in Rory's lap, but she was much more interested in talking to Jess.

"So the wedding's coming up." She trailed her fingers over his warm palm.

"Who's wedding? Ours? You know Gilmore, it's polite to propose first," Jess teased.

"January 9th," Rory continued. "They're having it at the Dragonfly."

"Yeah, I think you may have mentioned that half a dozen times or so." Jess stretched out his legs further and put his arm around Rory. She leaned into him and put her head on his shoulder.

"And my grandparents are going to be there," she continued.

Jess groaned.

"Hey, mister, you said you were serious about this whole thing. You're going to have to see them at some point."

"Think your grandma's forgotten that dinner by this point?"

"I wouldn't count on it. She can still recite the names of her fifteen least favorite maids from memory, as well as their reasons for being fired," Rory replied matter-of-factly.

"So you're saying that I have to meet your grandparents. On January 9th."

"That's right. Relax, what's the worst they'll do at a wedding?"

"Fine, but you owe me."

"I owe you? I'm going to have to make small talk with TJ."

Jess laughed. "Okay, fine, we're even. Now don't you have a present to open?"

"Oh, right." Rory looked at the package in her lap.

"Well?" Jess said impatiently, kissing her neck. She shivered. "What are you waiting for? Open it."

Rory carefully pulled the tape off the wrapping and unfolded the paper to save for later. Inside was a book. "Written by Jess Mariano," she said quietly.

"I got you something else, too," Jess said very quickly. "I know you probably want something besides a book that I wrote that I was going to let you read anyway, but I just thought that if we were opening one gift on Christmas Eve, I wanted this—"

"Jess," Rory cut him off. "It's perfect."

Jess' face broke out into a smile. "Really?"

"Really," Rory said. She leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his. When they kissed, it wasn't the sort of slow kiss you see in the movies before things fade to black. The Beatles didn't play and there wasn't a sunset. It wasn't poetry.

It didn't have to be.