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Hard Way to Fall

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." Jess Mariano looked behind at the girl he was dragging along behind him. They had left their apartment on Jane Street about ten minutes before.

"But-"

"But nothing, Rory. Keep quiet or we're going back home." He interrupted her and squeezed on her hand.

She scrunched up her face and then sighed loudly. "Fine." A beat. "Is it much further?"

"Rory!"

"Fine. I'm giving up." She quickened her pace until she was walking side by side with him, and pressed herself into his side. He lifted his arm and put it around her shoulder, her arm crossing her chest, their hands still clasped together.

"I really get no clues?" She whispered, her face pressed into his chest.

"No." He smirked and turned a sharp left to cross the road.

They walked, hand in hand for another five minutes, in silence, and when they took a right the arch in Washington Square Park came into view. "Are we going to read?" Rory looked up at him.

He remained silent, but suddenly turned left, taking them into a side street.

"Where are we going?"

"Nearly there." He smirked at then stopped suddenly outside an NYU building.

"Happy anniversary." Jess told her before she could say anything.

"It's not our anniversary."

"Well maybe not this one," Jess lifted her left hand and placed a soft kiss just above her wedding band, "but what is Luke doing today?"

Rory's eyebrows knitted together and she shook her head, "Working in the din-Oh! No, he's buying a basket filled with two stale poptarts and a slim jim."

"Exactly." Jess smirked.

"Our first date." Rory smiled, but the suddenly frowned, "But that doesn't explain the NYU building." She pointed up at it.

"Well, on that first date, we had one of our first arguments, one that was to be repeated many times." He told her as he reached into the inside pocket of his well worn leather jacket and pulled out a flyer that had been hastily folded and handed it to her.

She quirked her eyebrow and unfolded the piece of paper. "'Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right.' Jennifer Burns read from her new book."

"I mean you haven't convinced me she's any good, but maybe this will." Jess shrugged.

"This is a one day only thing." Rory pointed at the flyer in her hand, "And it's on the same day as the bid-a-basket festival?"

"I think that's called fate." Jess told her solemnly.

She raised both her eyebrows, her lips pursed together, and he knew she didn't buy it. "Or," he sighed, "it's paying Taylor to move the stupid festival back a week and a half."

"You're perfect." Rory pressed a kiss to his jaw.

"I'm not that perfect, I've a Hemingway in my back pocket." He planted a kiss on her temple and taking her hand, walked up the steps to enter the building.

"I wonder what this one will like?" Rory mused out loud, her free hand placed on her still flat stomach.

"Neither, if it has any sense."

"Well maybe it'll love Rand after this." Rory grinned, "Learning by osmosis."

"Well, I'll have to read 'The Old Man and the Sea' to your stomach tonight to counteract it." Jess lead her to two free seats in the middle of the lecture hall.

"You can do that at bedtime. It'll put me straight to sleep." She smiled as they sat down. She reached across and grabbed his hand

"Hey, Jess?" He turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised in question.

"How much did I cost you?"

"It's a free public lecture Rory."

"I know. I meant to get Taylor to move the festival?"

"Oh, not much." He shrugged one shoulder, "Ninety bucks." He watched as her face broke into a wide grin. "And I was thinking we could get some pizza later? Pepperoni?" He continued just as the author took to the stage.

"I love you." Rory whispered and he grinned, lifting his index to his mouth to shush her.

She smiled and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, and then lay her head on the same spot, her fingers intertwined with his.

Jess smiled, the lecture was boring him already, but as his fingers traced patterns up her arm, he knew, this was never a hard way to fall in love.

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