I was never going to leave it as a one-shot, was I? I'm thinking two more chapters and an epilogue after this?

Having overslept by almost an hour, Rory was running monumentally late for her day. There was barely time for her non-negotiable coffee kiosk run, and definitely no spare minutes for breakfast. Resigning herself to eating one of the less than spectacular muffins from the cart for the second time that week, she almost sprinted towards her first class. Sneaking in the back wasn't an option here, the professor of the class marked you as absent if you were even a minute late. As though the universe was conspiring against being on time, her cell phone started to ring loudly. Cursing under her breath at whoever was calling her, she answered gruffly.

"Yeah?"

"Good morning to you too." The voice was warm and masculine, definitely familiar though in her caffeine-deprived state it didn't register as quickly as it normally would.

"Who is- Jess?" She didn't even know he had her number, and this was the first time they'd spoken since the weekend. It was now Wednesday, and the weight of the week had already crushed her.

"You haven't had coffee yet, have you?"

"It's in my hand, but my alarm was switched off and I have to eat a gross cranberry muffin and- ugh, I just stepped in a puddle!"

"This is a bad time, isn't it?" He was trying not to laugh at her antics.

"I have about two minutes to get to my lecture before I get reprimanded for tardiness. Not that I don't want to talk to you, it's just-"

"Got it. Go."

"I have a break around one?" She phrased it as a question, somewhat hopeful.

"What a coincidence, so do I. Now go!"

Having survived four hours of full-on collegiate struggling, Rory stepped out of the classroom with a small smile. It was time to eat actual food, and if she was lucky Jess would be calling again soon. The fact that he'd rang at all surprised her. They'd made plans for the weekend but part of her was convinced they wouldn't come to fruition. Her negativity was drowned out by her cell phone again and she answered it without glancing at the caller ID.

"I feel like being this punctual means a revoking of your rebel card. Hand in the hair gel and jacket, you're off the force." She was grinning wildly.

"No, I'll die before I give up my hair gel and rebelliousness! Maybe if I run away for another year…" It was Lorelai, doing an impression of Jess that sounded remarkably similar to her impression of Dean.

"Oh, hi mom." She tried to not to sound disappointed.

"Truly, I am feeling the love."

"Sorry, it's just that Jess called right before my lecture and I told him I had a break now…"

"I can't believe you'd rather talk to Mr. not-so-tall, dark and snarky over your own mother. Have the years of smothering and brainwashing to love no one but me backfired?"

"No, I still remember those videotapes. Call you tonight?"

"Tell me everything. Unless it's dirty. Phone sex isn't something my virgin ears need to hear about."

"Mom, I'm in a public place! I'll call after dinner, promise."

"There's my little brainwashed child."

"Bye." By this point she'd reached the dining hall, and was very much anticipating a sandwich and a plate of fries. After gathering her lunch she grabbed a seat with excellent cell reception and dug in. A few moments later her phone lit up again.

"Hello?"

"See, that's a much nicer way to answer the phone." It was Jess, as she suspected.

"I've consumed a reasonable amount of caffeine, plus there's fries."

"You're surprisingly easy to please, you know that?"

"All I need is food, coffee and a regular walk to the park."

"Noted. How was class?"

"Draining my life force and future earnings one lecture at a time. Work?"

"Definitely a yes to the life force draining, but surprisingly the opposite for the earnings. In fact I may have been paid for enough gas to get to New Haven this weekend."

"Can't imagine why you'd want to go to that dump." She deadpanned, though her smile had grown wider. Even after his calling her back, part of her still suspected she wouldn't be seeing him this weekend. In fact she would probably continue to have it in the back of her mind until she saw him.

"College kids means good bookshops and a halfway decent music scene. Plus I've been told I can crash in a dorm, even if it's just on the floor."

"Don't be silly, you can sleep on the couch."

"Sounds good to me."

"But then you've got the other girls in my dorm to worry about. Probably best you stay in my room."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sure Paris won't mind sharing her bed with you. Hey, you might even get lucky."

"Not the roommate I'm trying to get lucky with." At his words Rory felt her face flush as she vividly recalled the last weekend. She'd never felt so vulnerable and yet it was perfect, Jess had made everything exactly as she'd hoped it would be. "If I wasn't in such a public place I'd tell you exactly what I was thinking of, and that blush I know is on your cheeks wouldn't fade for hours."

"Save it for the weekend, then." She attempted to say boldly, and she swore she heard him muffle a groan.

"Can't wait. You got dinner with your grandparents?"

"Yep."

"Cool, I'll show up after if that's good?"

"Great, really. I'm really excited to see you."

"Even though part of you is still expecting me not to show?" He could hear her start to apologise and cut her off. "It's okay, I'd actually be worried if you weren't a little sceptical. I'm going to earn your trust though, I swear. Even if it takes me years."

"Just keep showing up, keep calling. I'll get there."

"Got it. Hey Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't make me sleep with Paris." It wasn't what he planned on saying, but it got a laugh out of her which was a pretty good feeling. For some reason saying 'I love you' over the phone suddenly terrified him, as though it made everything instantly more serious and intense. He knew he could say it face-to-face though, which was good. He'd work on the phone thing.

"Bye Jess."

After very small portions of unidentifiable meat and vegetables, Rory Gilmore was trying her best to drive at the speed limit on her way home. Her mother had begged her to come back to Stars Hollow for the night but she had politely declined, and she suspected Lorelai knew why. In fact the elder Gilmore was preparing a variety of snack foods and ice cream for the next day, in case the best laid plans of heartbreaking hoodlums crashed and burned. On her part Rory had decided that if he hadn't arrived by the morning, without a doctor's note or something worse, she was done with him completely.

Pulling into the parking lot near her dorm, her heart skipped a bit as she noticed a shadowy figure standing near a very familiar car. After completing her order to the systematically tested best pizza delivery place around, she stepped out of the car and walked towards him. She didn't have the element of surprise for long because he turned to face her, a small smile on his face at the sight of her.

"Hey," he said casually, still leaning on his car.

"Hey," she'd stopped a few feet in front of him, suddenly nervous. Did she kiss him? Was it better to just go for a hug, or was this distanced hello the best way to start? Come to think of it, what were they doing anyway? Going back to boyfriend-girlfriend? Seeing each other? Was this a casual thing, or-

"C'mere," at his insistence she closed the gap between them and felt his arms surround her, head on his chest as he dropped a kiss to the top of her head. Using a solitary finger to lift her chin up he kissed her chastely, until Rory decided to take a little initiative and wrap her arms around his neck and deepen the kiss. They were well on their way to a full-on makeout session in front of his car when Jess pulled back slightly, his arms still on her waist.

"Hi," she whispered shyly, very aware of every nerve ending in her body. Shaking his head with a smile he kissed her briefly again before guiding them away from the car. Taking the hint she took his hand and guided them towards her dorm.

"How was dinner?"

"The usual. Tiny portions, jabs at my mother. I've ordered a bunch of pizza which should be showing up soon." They'd arrived at her front door, which she unlocked quickly.

"How long until it gets here?" He asked in a low voice.

"The guy said twenty minutes, maybe half an hour."

"I can work with twenty minutes." She was confused at this statement until he kissed her hungrily, his hands ridding her of her fancy winter coat and working at the zip at the back of her dress as she pulled them into her bedroom, which was thankfully Paris-free.

Rory barely allowed for a moment to breathe before she was throwing clothes around the room, the idea of her regular pizza delivery kids catching her in an undignified state terrifying. Jess watched on with an amused smirk, content to just revel in the moment even though part of him was itching for a nicotine hit. Unfortunately he'd left his pack in the car, and he presumed Yale had some kind of strict policy on smoking indoors anyway.

"If you keep jumping out of bed the second we're done I'm going to start feeling cheap," he drawled, his voice husky from their previous activities.

"I promise we'll do the cuddling thing later. Right now I want to look presentable so Michelle or Blake don't start thinking things of me."

"I'm not sure what to address first, the fact that you're on a first name basis with the delivery people or that you think they'll judge you for being a sexually active college student."

"It's a really good pizza place. Did you want to use the shower?" She was now fully dressed in her Friday Night Dinner clothes again, though her hair was still a mess.

"Is that your way of stopping me paying for dinner?"

"No, I paid for it over the phone."

"Fine, but I'm buying breakfast tomorrow. If I go shower you promise none of your roommates are going to walk in on me?"

"Paris has made herself scarce, Janet is staying with her boyfriend and Tana is visiting her parents. This is the first time I've ever had the place to myself so you better feel grateful I'm letting you stay."

"I can't leave you here alone, you'll go wild. Do your laundry and order Indian, if I remember correctly."

"Go shower."

"You know, if Dean shows up he better bring enough ice cream for all of us, because-"

"Go!" Throwing a towel at him, she left him grumbling as he found most of his clothing. After walking into the shared living space she was mildly surprised as warm arms circled her from behind. Pulling her close Jess swept her hair to one side to trail soft kisses down her neck, making her consider forgetting pizza altogether and drag him back to her bedroom. Or joining him the shower, which would definitely be new territory. "If you don't stop this you're not getting any dinner."

"You taste better."

"Sap. Now go, seriously."

"Fine, but tomorrow's going to be different. You. Me. Shower. Got it?"

"I was just thinking the same thing," she said with a small smile, enjoying the fact that her honesty was rewarded with a look of amazement and what looked like a little bit of pride.

Alone with her thoughts for the first time, Rory wondered what this all meant. She knew Jess loved her, and that she felt the same about him. Were this a year ago in Stars Hollow that would be enough, but things had changed since their first real kiss in front of a gas pump. He'd run away, and with it had taken her trust and shattered it. It was something they were rebuilding, and she couldn't deny that seeing Jess tonight had really bolstered her hope that this was going to work this time. She figured it was going to be the way she explained it to him over the phone; he would keep calling and showing up, and eventually her trust would be renewed. Not that she'd ever really trusted him, not the way she trusted her mom, Dean or even Luke. But then, wasn't his leaving her proof that he didn't deserve that trust?

She didn't even want to start on the logistics of him living in New York. If he didn't take her advice and leave the city, the expenses of day to day life as well as regular trips to Connecticut would surely overwhelm him. It wasn't like she could visit him in the city either, with her hectic schedule and the fact that she had no idea where he lived. She was fairly certain she didn't want to know either. This was a conversation they were having this weekend, because silent communication wasn't going to cut it anymore. Lack of verbalisation was a big reason they didn't work out the last time, both convinced the other understood more than they were saying. It was true to an extent, but not enough. Besides, she had a few surprises for him in regards to his living arrangements.

She was flicking through TV channels aimlessly when she heard a knock at the door. Suspecting it was the pizza she grabbed her purse and opened the door. Standing on the other side wasn't Michelle or Blake, but rather her new friend Marty. For a minute she wondered if they'd made plans for tonight, but she'd seen him earlier in the week and couldn't remember mentioning hanging out. Still, she smiled at the sight of him. It was nice to have a friend like Marty, he reminded her a lot of Lane sometimes.

"You look fancy," he remarked casually, trying to stop himself from drinking in the sight of her.

"Dinner with my grandparents. What can I do for you?"

"There's a monster movie marathon playing in town, I was wondering if you-" he trailed off then as the smile slid off his face. His eyes were no longer focused on her but something to the right of her shoulder. Turning around quickly Rory had to stop a nervous giggle as Jess stood in the middle of the room, running the towel through his wet hair as he stood in a pair of jeans and nothing else. His other hand held a shirt that he decided to put on immediately noticing the company of someone else.

"I'm guessing you're not the pizza guy." He remarked casually, noting the lack of boxes. Had this been a year ago he would've definitely made some effort in letting this guy know that Rory was off-limits, but honestly jealousy had never suited him and it felt tedious.

"They must be pretty busy tonight, it never takes this long. This is my friend Marty. Marty, this is Jess." She didn't know what to call Jess, so she didn't say anything.

"Hey." Marty said quickly, glancing up at the man briefly before turning his attention back to Rory. "Oh well, maybe another time." Without even a farewell he left the dorm, making Jess laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"How long has that Marty guy had a crush on you?"

"What? He does not have a- we're friends!"

"You're something else, Gilmore. I'd like to know now if you've been feeding us all love potion, because I'm pretty sure I'd like you without it."

"Oh shut up." She sighed as she reached to play with his messy hair as she sat down next to him on the couch he now occupied. It was interesting how different it felt now that he wasn't using products in it. She wondered if it was a style choice or if he decided it was a luxury he couldn't afford. Either way it made her heart flutter when he let out a small noise of appreciation at her touch. Her grinned doubled when he kissed the inside of her wrist, before leaning in to capture her lips in the briefest of touches with his own. All thoughts of Marty were long gone from their minds as they shared a shy smile that was broken by another knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Jess reluctantly moved away from their intimate staring contest and opened the door. This time it was actually the pizza delivery, with a bubbly blonde named Michelle handing him enough food to feed the entire campus. Making sure he tipped generously (Rory couldn't stop him from doing that), he even mustered a smile for the girl who giggled nervously and waved to Rory.

"Thanks Michelle, tell your dad I said hi."

"He threw in some cheesy bread, but told me to make sure you weren't eating it all yourself."

"I promise I won't let her slip into a food coma," Jess said with a knowing look, making both girls laugh.

They ate in silence for a while, both really enjoying the pizza and lost in their own thoughts. Rory was trying to figure out the best way to approach asking Jess what their current relationship was. As far as she was concerned once there was a label of some kind, it would allow for the rest of the questions to begin to have answers. Things like where he lived and how often they would see each other were only relevant once they figured out what they meant to each other. A sudden inspiration hit her and though she knew it would be better to come out and ask, this would do for now.

"So my grandma asked me tonight if I was interested in going on a date with the son of one of her friends. I told her I'd have to think about it, what do you think I should do?" The only lie there was that she had flat out told her grandmother she wasn't interested in going on a blind date, making some excuse about studying and being very busy. She had to endure a knowing look from her mother, but the topic of boys who went to Brown or Princeton or somewhere didn't come up again.

"Gee Rory, it feels like you're trying to ask me something." He knew straight away what her angle was, and he couldn't help the sarcasm and eye rolling that came with it.

"Nope, no ulterior motives here. I would ask Lane, but she's staying with Gil and you're right here, I thought I needed a friend's advice." She smiled softly, earning a headshake from him.

"Sure, if you want to. But if the guy tries to get fresh tell him your boyfriend will murder him. Embellish though. Six foot-something, ex-marine maybe."

"So not five foot-something and scrappy?"

"Hey, I am not scrappy!"

"But you are my boyfriend." It was very clearly a statement, not a question.

"Yeah, I'm that." He attempted to be nonchalant and eat his pizza, but a grin was escaping nonetheless.

"Good."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, the ex-marine was too much drama."

"Never liked the guy."

Later that night they were curled up together on Rory's tiny mattress, despite Jess' insistence that they both couldn't sleep comfortably in it and that he'd just take the couch. Her assertion that it would be fine won out, with the promise that he could leave her the second she fell asleep if it was too uncomfortable for him. Besides, he was indulging in the cuddling that she'd deprived him of earlier in the night.

"Any plans for tomorrow?" He asked quietly, trying not to sigh as she kissed his shoulder.

"Depends on how long you can stay," She sounded hopeful, though it may have just been because her entire body felt like jelly right now.

"I've got a shift at nine on Monday, so if I have no issues with waking up early I can leave that morning."

"You don't have to. Surely you'd rather be in New York."

"I'd rather be wherever you are." It was sappy, they both knew it, yet Rory couldn't help but kiss him for that response.

"Good answer. Monday sounds perfect, however… don't take this the wrong way but I really need to study at some point." She'd avoided it completely last weekend and was a little behind, which was worrying. College was harder than she expected, nothing like high school at all.

"Figured you'd say that. I can amuse myself, I was thinking of going to Stars Hollow anyway."

"Aw, you're going home without me?"

"Meet me there?"

"Or I could come with you… home is just as good a place to study as here."

"Fine but I'm not letting you into the diner until you've done at least two hours work."

"But… coffee! You're going to make me study in freezing temperatures without the nectar of life?" Something occurred to her at this point. "Oh! Cold! That reminds me." Climbing out of bed for the second time that night, she grabbed his shirt and her underwear and strode to the other side of the room. Ignoring Jess' mumbled complaints about her jumping out of bed with him yet again, she reached her closet and pulled out a plastic bag. Wordlessly she threw it at him, and he managed to catch it while being a little startled. Opening the bag he pulled out a plain black winter coat. Frowning, he turned to her.

"Rory…"

"I'm sorry if it's too big but I couldn't remember your exact size."

"You didn't have to."

"It's no big deal. Think of it as a birthday present, six months too late. Oh, a half birthday present!"

"Rory, come on. You can't just spend a bunch on me because you don't think I can do it myself!" He looked angry, and it surprised her how much he was reminding her of her mother. Then again, she'd always thought they were similar, it shouldn't be surprising that they had too much stubborn pride.

"That's not it at all. You don't grow up with Lorelai Gilmore and not know how to thrift shop. There's a couple downtown, I'll take you sometime. I saw this and thought you'd like it, because that," she pointed at the leather jacket resting on her chair, "is not adequate protection for a New England winter. So you can be mad at me for thinking of you however much you want, but don't think for a second it's because I feel sorry for you. It's because I love you. You're stupid and stubborn, but I love you." She finished resolutely, and he couldn't help but smile. Motioning her forward with his arms, she fell back into bed and felt his arms close around her. Her head resting on his bare chest, the entire thing suddenly felt like a complete non-issue.

"I'm sorry I overreacted. This whole thing, someone being so nice to me for no reason, it's still pretty new. It's not- I'm still… I'm not okay yet, you know? But you make me want to… I love you, you know that right?" Placing a kiss on the top of her head, Jess felt incredibly awkward. That was the closest he'd come to being honest with his feelings in his entire life. It wasn't easy, but he wanted to make the effort for her.

"Good," she snuggled in closer, ready for sleep, "thanks for being open with me."

After a Saturday filled with the grand tour of Yale, of which a large portion was spent in her favourite library, Rory found herself spending Sunday morning not in the company of her newly reinstated boyfriend but surrounded by books in her bedroom in Stars Hollow. It was torture to know that instead of spending the dwindling weekend hours with Jess she was stuck with her nose in a book, and it wasn't even anything she wanted to read! Not to mention that Lane was now working at the diner, and she hadn't even heard about the couple's recent reunion or the physical activities that were involved with it. It was pretty certain that she'd heard the rumours surrounding last weekend spread by Miss Patty and her associates, but it wasn't the same as Rory getting to gush to her best friend while something melancholy played in the background.

"Hello Sandy!" Her mother trilled from the front door, sounding significantly perkier than she was when Rory first turned up at nine in the morning. That meant she'd been to Luke's for coffee, which made the younger Gilmore's situation more annoying.

"Considering we share a first name it's really not acceptable for you to forget mine. Rory, remember?" She joked as she stepped out of her bedroom, to be met by the heavenly sight of a Luke's to-go coffee cup.

"Hm, that doesn't sound right. You see, I've just been by to see Danny and he told me to give this cup of coffee to Sandy."

"Really mom, Grease?"

"I've gone through so many different bad boys, I need to think of new material! James Dean, Holden Caulfield, Jordan Catalano, there's only so many jokes I can make about them! I've even started to exhaust my Rocky Balboa material, if you can believe it."

"Surely you still have a few Fonzie jokes stored somewhere?"

"I'm saving them for something special. You know, like one of his court hearings."

"Mom!"

"Hey, you're the one who promised me free reign on calling the kid a delinquent as long as I was civil. I was very nice to him at the diner, said hello to which he replied with a grunt."

"Really?"

"No, he actually strung a few words together. Told me to only give you the coffee if you promised to keep studying."

"You replied with something snarky, didn't you?"

"Just a few bars of 'Beauty School Dropout', nothing serious," at her daughter's incredulous look she grinned apologetically, "it was on TV last night!"

"I guess there are worse things you could do," Rory grinned at her own little reference before grabbing at the coffee. The second the liquid hit her lips she felt rejuvenated, ready to finish her coursework by midday so she could enjoy the remainder of her Sunday.

"That's my little Pink Lady. I'm going to let you go back to sniffing your books or whatever it is you Ivy-League nerds do, but Lane is coming by during her lunch break because she has a lot of questions. And I mean a lot."

True to her word, Lorelai left her home to allow her daughter complete peace and quiet to get her work done. A trip to Sookie's to see baby Davey was in order. Also true to her word, Rory did not stop studying until Lane arrived. The coffee had helped her set into her groove, and eventually she'd managed to catch up on all her readings as well as make a decent start on an assignment due that Friday. She was planning on finishing the rest of it on Tuesday, allowing a few days of revision if necessary. It was more than she expected to get done this weekend, and she'd definitely earned her girly gab session with her best friend.

"Alright Gilmore, you have a lot of explaining to do!" Lane announced as she stepped into the house. Rory settled herself down on her bed as Lane walked to the CD player and chose something mellow but with a good beat, which she recognised as the Grateful Dead. It seemed like her childhood bedroom was playing host to most of Lane's former contraband now that her mother had thrown her out, and it worried Rory a lot. Still with working at the diner she supposed Lane could probably find some housemates and an apartment somewhere.

"I do?" She asked with a faux-innocent smile.

"Don't be cute, you know you do. Jess, Rory! You and Jess! Rumours flying around town that you two-" At Rory's grin she flailed and hugged her friend, "oh my gosh, it's true isn't it?"

"I wasn't expecting you to be so happy about it."

"If the guy makes you happy then I'm happy. I haven't seen you this happy since… well, since you and Jess!"

"He also made me pretty sad too, you know that."

"Right, but I figure there's no way you'd take him back unless you knew he'd changed."

"Right, there's some definite change. He told me he loved me." This time she was expecting Lane's wild hug. Briefly she explained finding him in the cold, and the conversation that followed. "I kissed him, he said 'I love you', and we… uh…" She trailed off, happy to see her friends eyes widen in shock.

"You had sex?!" Her voice conveyed the surprise she felt, and it came out in a strangled cry. Rory nodded hesitantly, unsure if her friend's reaction was positive or negative. "Does Lorelai know?"

"We had a… discussion the next morning. She was a little upset, which might be the understatement of the century. But I told her to trust me and honestly I don't regret it and yesterday we did it in the shower."

"Wow. Just… wow. How was it?"

"Wet."

"Not the shower part, Rory. Sex! You've had it!"

"The first time was a little weird, but I think that's true for everyone. Still, Jess was so sweet. He made sure I was okay, which I know you mightn't think is his style, but-"

"Please, if there's one thing the guy has going for him it's how much he cares about you. Maybe his taste in music, if we ignore the Coldplay thing."

"I don't understand it either."

Later that night Rory and Jess found themselves back in her dorm room, sitting on the floor with a stack of Chinese containers in front of them as they attempted to eat with chopsticks. Jess was a little better at it, being the more dexterous of the two by a long shot. Rory had been practising for years and couldn't get the hang of it, normally resorting to stabbing whichever offending piece of chicken wouldn't comply.

"You're completely hopeless, you know that?" He teased as a piece of pork landed on her lap. "There's plastic forks in the bag, you don't have to suffer this humiliation."

"Show me again how to hold them."

"Fine," he positioned his chopsticks in his right hand, using them to pick from her container, "it's all in the fingers, see?" Gracefully he pulled the pork out and directed it towards her mouth. She accepted his offer and smiled, before hearing a gagging noise from the front door.

"The two of you are disgusting," Paris announced as she walked in the dorm carrying an oversized bag, "I hope I'm allowed to grab a change of clothes, I wouldn't want to intrude on this cosy little weekend you're having. Don't worry, I won't be long in your bedroom, because that would just be rude, wouldn't it?"

"Paris, if you want to sleep in your own bed tonight we're not stopping you," Rory said evenly, not wanting to start an argument with her roommate.

"Please, I've seen enough already without catching the peep show." She grumbled before moving into the bedroom. "He left his boxers on the floor! Are you kidding me?" Rory shot a look at Jess, who shrugged.

"Oops?" He offered with a smirk, making Rory giggle. The two continued to eat their dinner, with Jess correcting Rory's chopstick hold more than once. Eventually Paris returned in new clothes, her bag slung over one shoulder.

"So I better be- is that Szechuan chicken?"

"Yep." Jess answered.

"I love Szechuan chicken."

"That's why we ordered double," Rory pointed to an unopened container with a pair of chopsticks sitting on top. Not needing to be told twice, Paris joined them on the floor as the three fell into easy banter. They argued over writers again, which gave each of them an eerie sense of déjà vu. Fortunately this evening wasn't to be interrupted by any jealous boyfriends. Something was bothering Paris at the back of her mind though, and she wasn't the type of person to let it go without doing something about it.

"So Rory says you're in New York?" Paris asked Jess, who nodded. "Interesting. So it's a permanent address? I mean, surely you wouldn't leave Rory again on some kind of misguided attempt to emulate Kerouac. Surely breaking her heart once is enough, right?" She'd been stewing on this since finding out they were back together, and it exploded in a mess of sarcasm and genuine concern for her best friend. Rory was shocked.

"Paris, that's-" She started, only to be cut off by Jess.

"No, she's right. I made a stupid mistake. You know why I left, right?" He addressed this question to Paris.

"Daddy issues, general failure, that kind of thing?"

"Pretty much. I hurt people I didn't give a damn about, but I also hurt Rory. Luke too, I guess. I fucked up, and I need to own up to that."

"Profanity aside, that took a lot of balls, Mariano," Paris smiled softly, "So you're in New York?"

"For the next two weeks, I'm there. After that, I can't tell you." He knew this part of the conversation was coming up, but had really hoped to tell Rory alone. "Gave my notice on Friday."

"You're leaving New York?" Rory asked, surprised.

"You told me to." He offered simply. Paris realised this was a conversation that the two needed to have on their own, and slipped out the door in the middle of their staring contest. The silence lasted for a moment before Rory had to start asking questions.

"Where are you going?"

"No idea. See, that's part of the problem. Choosing to leave the city and my jobs, that part's easy. The rest is going to be hard. New city, trying to… be better, I guess? That's going to take time." He shrugged as though it wasn't a big deal, and Rory wanted to roll her eyes at him. Getting him to confess anything like this was like pulling teeth. Still, she had something to show him that she hoped would prove that she was on board for anything.

"Wait here." She pulled herself off the floor and walked into her bedroom. Rummaging around for a minute she returned quickly with a folder. Handing it to him he flicked through the plastic sleeves, a smile growing on his face.

"When did you do this?"

"The last few days. It didn't take long, researching everywhere online. Each city has been given a ranking by a few different categories. There's one for cost of living, standard of life, distance from Stars Hollow-"

"Why would that be a factor?" He asked teasingly, bringing a slight blush to her face.

"It doesn't have to be, in fact there's a few places in the back that I didn't properly research because they were more than two and a half hours away. Like Philadelphia, or-"

"New Haven isn't on here."

"Why would you want to live in New Haven?"

"I told you the other day, college kids mean good music scene. Plus you mentioned thrift shops the other day, I have to see those."

"Thrift shops a music are enough to make you live around here?"

"Well no, but there's a few other advantages. Being able to see you during the week could be fun. Having somewhere you could crash if Paris is particularly insufferable. A bed actually big enough for two people. Plus it's not really a big drive to New York, we could go there sometimes and see-" he was interrupted by Rory lunging herself at him and kissing him fiercely.

All too soon it was six o'clock Monday morning, and Jess was trying to extract himself from Rory's bed without waking her. After discussing his possible living situation they spared no time in relocating to her bedroom, and the two had fallen asleep earlier than he anticipated. Still that was no reason for her to wake up before she absolutely had to. As he carefully attempted to slide out of the warm, welcoming sheets he was met with a pair of hands pulling him back down.

"No…" Rory mumbled into his chest, not quite awake. She didn't need to be conscious for another two hours, and Jess didn't want to deprive her of the sleep she'd need to combat another week at Yale.

"Shh…" He whispered into her hair, kissing the top of her head. His good intentions were for nothing as she opened her eyes, frowning at the early hour and the fact that he had to go. Ignoring her mutters of disagreement he left the bed and grabbed her cell phone from the side table. Punching in a few numbers he gave a satisfied smile and pulled some clean clothes from his bag.

"What'd you just do?" She asked sleepily, grabbing her phone and flicking through the contacts. "Jess Cell, huh?"

"Yeah, you already had a 'Jess' in there. Friend of yours?" He asked good-naturedly as he pulled on a pair of jeans. To his surprise Rory blushed lightly.

"No… that's what I saved the diner's number under when we were dating. I guess I never changed it back."

"Huh."

"Wait, cell? You have a cell phone?" He pulled something small and silver from the depths of his bag and slipped it into his pocket. "When did you get a cell phone?"

"Uncle Luke doesn't want me falling off the grid again, this was his solution. You two are the only ones with the number though, so if I get a call at three in the morning with creepy heavy breathing I know it's you."

"I'm going to call you tonight. Oh, and I'll text you smiley faces!"

"I was hoping for something a little dirtier," he teased, a little proud of her when she didn't admonish him.

"Just don't text Luke that stuff by mistake," she smiled as he laughed earnestly.

"I really need to go." He said reluctantly as he was finally dressed. Rory was standing in front of him now, looking wide-eyed and innocent in her thick winter pyjamas with ducks on them.

"I'd kiss you, but I think we both have morning breath," she said honestly, a sad smile on her face.

"That's the best incentive for oral hygiene I've ever heard." He grabbed his toothbrush and her hand and pulled her towards the bathroom. They brushed their teeth together, Rory marvelling at how domestic it all felt. The idea that they could be doing this more often if he moved to New Haven was enticing, but she knew it couldn't be the only reason he was moving here, or anywhere.

"Jess…" She began, not sure what she wanted to ask.

"I'm not sure when I'm going to be back here again," he said garbled before spitting out his toothpaste, "The next two weeks are booked solid, and afterwards I'm going to need to find a job. Not to mention a place to live, and probably a bed or something."

"You don't have a bed?"

"I have a mattress, and it came with the place."

"Oh. Well, I've got mid-terms soon. Reckon you'll be free for Spring Break?"

"You going to Cancun? Florida? Entering a wet t-shirt contest, because that sounds like something I'd have to see."

"Or we could just spend the week in that appropriately sized bed you mentioned last night? Have a no t-shirt contest?" She flushed slightly at her own joke, making Jess grin wider.

"I'm going to hold you to that."