“So we are agreed. The official colours of Christmas 2002 will be red and green. Please note: red, not burgundy, although scarlet is acceptable.” Lorelai groaned, loudly.

The imposing doors of the town hall creaked open and everyone turned in their seats. A timid figure sneaked through.

“Sorry,” called an embarrassed Lane.

Everyone continued staring.

“Back to what you were doing, everyone.”

“Well, as I was saying…”

Lorelai frowned. If Rory’s not with Lane, then where is she?

***

Rory stood there for a moment, unsure of what she was doing.

“Hey,” she managed to get out.

“Hey yourself.”

Rory sat down next to Jess.

“Fountainhead?” She asked, gesturing to the book.

“Most unfortunately.”

“And Ayn Rand …?”

“Complete crackpot.”

“Ah. I see I haven’t managed to change your mind.”

“Not in the slightest.”

Rory shivered, a chilly breeze catching her unawares. Jess noticed.

“Cold?”

“No. Well…maybe just a little.”

“Take my scarf.”

“No, it’s alright.”

“Sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

A gust of freezing air blew past them, changing Rory’s mind.

“Tell you what, I’ll trade you my mittens for your scarf.”

“How very enterprising of you.”

“Well, will you?”

“Nope.”

“What?”

“Too late. I offered you my scarf and you turned it down. Now it’s too late.” Jess said this with a perfectly straight face, but when he looked at Rory’s astonished face, he couldn’t stop himself. The corners of his mouth pricked up ever so slightly.

“I’ll have to hit you,” Rory threatened, holding up a mitten-clad hand.

“I surrender, I surrender.”

Laughing, they switched. Silence ensued. Rory rubbed her hands together.

“Still cold, huh?” Jess asked.

“Oh yeah.”

“Wanna go to the diner?”

“I’m so glad you said that.”

The two walked off, shoulders not quite touching.

***

“Now voting on proposition 73 for the commencement of the aforementioned ‘Kris-Kringle’ activity. Please take out your ballot papers and place a tick in the corresponding box. Ticks people, not crosses.”

Lorelai smothered a yawn and ticked ‘yes’.

“Now, we’ve reached the conclusion of this meeting.” A tide of people began pushing and shoving each other in their desperate attempts to get out.

“Don’t forget to deposit your ballots in the boxes as you leave!” Taylor called out over the throng. “And keep your eyes peeled for the results!”

Lorelai grabbed Sookie’s arm and rushed her out.

“2 hours, twenty-six minutes and 6 seconds.” Lorelai’s face was one of intense pain.

“Sorry honey,” Sookie said sympathetically, “you know I would love to stay and chat, but I’ve got to get home.”

“Yeah, I’m should really go home and find Rory,” Lorelai said, a little worriedly. “Bye Sookie.”

***

“So, coffee?” Jess asked.

“How well you know me.” Rory felt warmer already, the ends of the blue-and-white chequered scarf tickling her neck.

Jess wordlessly filled her coffee cup and sat down at the counter. Rory followed him.

“Mmm, smells like great coffee,” Rory sniffed appreciatively.

“It does, huh?”

“Perfecting your recipe?”

“Secret ingredient.”

“Really?”

“Yup.”

“Care to share?”

“Nope.” Jess grinned.

Rory took a deep drink.

“Heavenly,” she pronounced, a half-smile on her lips. “Anyway, I really should be getting home…my mom’s going to be worried.”

“Alright.”

“Where’s Luke?”

“Not a clue.”

“He’s been gone a lot lately, hasn’t he?”

“Yeah. Been closing up for him this last week.”

“Maybe he’s got some sort of secret life where he sings the blues and plays the harmonica in a back-alley jazz bar.”

“Well that backwards baseball cap has to be hiding something.” They laughed.

“Has Luke been acting strangely? Making pathetic excuses? Disappeared for suspicious late-night jogs?”

“I would have to say yes to all of the above.”

“Really…” Rory mused. “Could Luke have a girlfriend?” She asked incredulously.

“Stranger things have happened.”

“It would have to be a contender for the Top 10 of strange phenomena, though.”

“Totally.”

Jess took Rory’s cup and refilled it. Rory stared at his back, strange emotions coursing through her. Feeling her gaze, Jess turned around, the bar stool giving a lingering creak. Rory flushed and glanced down quickly, feeling a little guilty. Then, biting her lip, braced herself and looked full into his face.

Blue eyes met brown.

Tension sizzled between the two.

***

Lorelai was walking along the crowded street when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Hi Dean,” she smiled, turning around. Lorelai’s expression changed quickly, seeing Dean’s concerned face.  Mothers were naturally paranoid, but Lorelai was just a little bit further along than most. “What is it?”

“Have you seen Rory?”

“I thought she might have been with you, actually. Well, I thought that after I saw Lane but obviously I don’t anymore …”

“I just wanted to find her and apologise, but she wasn’t at the town meeting.”

A few things clicked in Lorelai’s mind and she steered Dean forward. “Come on, walk and talk.”

Dean sighed deeply.

“I was jealous,” he admitted after a lengthy pause. “It’s just that … I just…I love Rory.”

“I know.” Lorelai gave Dean a gentle pat, then stopped. So did Dean.

The two of them looked through the window at Jess and Rory.

“Damn him!” Dean said angrily. He clenched his fists until his knuckles were white.

Uh oh, thought Lorelai. This is not a good sign. She decided to jump in before that throbbing vein in Dean’s wrist caused a boilover.

“Dean, can I give you some advice?” Dean nodded mutely. “You two have just had a major fight. I really don’t think it’s a good idea to march in there and pummel Jess to a bloody pulp, no matter how tempting it might be.”

Dean looked at the pair again, took a deep breath, and went in anyway.

***

Rory laughed, and heard the door swing open. She turned around, expecting to see Luke.

“Dean!” It came out in a deathly half-whisper.

"We need to talk."

Rory had never heard Dean so serious, so sober.

“Ooh…the words that strike terror into the hearts of millions,” said Jess sarcastically.

"Shut up.” He turned to Rory. “Rory, can I see you outside?”

Rory got up and followed Dean out, not daring to look at Jess.

"I think I’m just going to come right out and say it.” Dean was the first to break the silence. “I can't stand seeing you with Jess, Rory."

"Well," said Rory lightly, "I can't stand orange lipstick, myself. It's so tacky. Not that there's anything wrong with tacky, really...I mean my mom really-"

"This is serious. Rory, I want you to stay away from him."

“Jess?”

“Yeah.”

"Why?"

"He's a bad influence on you. He ... he's getting you into trouble."

"He's my friend, Dean! You can't just tell me who I can and can't hang around with!"

"I'm not telling you-"

"What's next?" Rory felt insanely angry for some inexplicable reason. "No more having breakfast at Luke's? Hanging out with Lane offbounds? Goodbye studying with Paris?" A few birds nesting peacefully in the nearby trees flew away, alarmed. Stars Hollow hadn't heard a raised voice for a while.

"Rory." Dean's voice was barely controlled, resonating with a strange emotion. "Every time I look you’re talking to him. You’re always at Luke’s. For God’s sake, Rory, you’re wearing his scarf around your neck!”

Rory reeled as if she had been hit, her breath a puff of white in the night air.

“It's me, or Jess."

***

“Sweetie.” Lorelai went to console Rory, in a bit of shock.

“Sorry for not coming to the meeting,” she whispered dazedly.

“Let’s just get you home. You can talk to Mommy about whatever you want when you’re nice and warm. We’ve got chocolate.”

Rory managed a wan smile.

“Dipping into the reserves? It’s hardly World War III.” The Gilmores kept their chocolate in a fancy biscuit tin kept under lock and key for fear of either, or both, in a moment of weakness, eating it all.

“I always said it was for a rainy day, and it looks pretty dreary at the moment.” Lorelai spoke soothingly, looking at the shaken expression on Rory’s face.

Suddenly, Rory snapped out of it.

“Can you just wait here for a moment, mom?”

“Sure.” Lorelai couldn’t help but feel extremely anxious as she watched Rory move back towards the diner. Her first impressions were right. Jess Mariano is big trouble.

***

“Hey.” Jess said without looking up.

There was no response.

“When Bagboy loses it, he does it in a big way.”

Rory didn’t say anything. He looked up.

“Here’s your scarf.” She tossed it to Jess and left, leaving the door swinging backwards and forwards, and leaving Jess alone to stare at her retreating figure.

This was a much more serious chapter, I think, but I really needed to write it because I needed to set up some things like the Dean/Rory situation, their fight, Jess/Rory’s relationship and other fiddly stuff.