Rory moped around aimlessly. She felt like crying, or sleeping, or snacking. She could vaguely hear murmurs coming from down the hall but in her preoccupied state, she couldn’t focus. Maybe she’d call Lane.

"It was definitely a break-up," pronounced Lane. "It had the word 'closure' in it! That's pretty much the definition of break-up."

Rory sighed.

“I thought you’d say that.”

“How’re you feeling?”

“Rotten. Extremely rotten. Even sitting on my couch talking to you required ten minutes of intense self-motivation.”

“Rory, you really need to get over it. Distract yourself. Go crazy.”

“Got anything more specific?”

“Just don’t try to solve it with food. I have this cousin who did that and, well, I’d better not say. She’s famous in the liposuctions industry.”

“Ah.”

“And not as a doctor.”

“I see.”

“Do you know what I mean?”

“Very much so. Anything else?”

“And…I’d stay away from Jess.”

There was a silence from both sides and, for a few awkward seconds, only faint static could be heard.

“Point taken,” Rory said finally. “Well, I guess I’d better go. Thanks.”

“Any time. Seeya.”

“Bye.”

Rory sighed again, she’d been doing that a lot lately. How was she going to get over Dean? It was definitely one of those things that were easier said than done. Sure, she’d seen Madeline and Louise make a stack of belongings from their current ex (there were just too many to count), light a bonfire and dance around like pagans, but somehow burning those possessions would be like destroying the past.

Rory was suddenly beset by memories, sweet rose-coloured reminiscences of herself with Dean. She shook her head vigorously but they remained there, lodged firmly in the crevices of her memory.

Surely there were other ways of getting over a boyfriend. Surely.

***

Christopher and Lorelai looked anxiously at each other.

“What happened Lor?”

“Dean broke up with Rory. Remember Dean?”

“I sort of do. Clean-cut young man? Fairly soft-spoken?” Lorelai nodded. “Any reason?”

Lorelai grimaced.

“I don’t know but I can tell you it’d have something to do with Jess.”

“Juvenile hoodlum Jess?”

“One and the same.”

Christopher gritted his teeth. He had never forgiven Jess for putting Rory’s arm in a sling.

“I’m worried about her.”

“Ah, she’s tough. Cut from the same bolt of cloth as yours truly,” boasted Lorelai.

“You’re probably right.” Christopher smiled at Lorelai, flashing her his perfect screen smile. His pearly whites temporarily blinded her.

Lorelai gave him a sideways glance, and proceeded casually.

“So, are you going to be around for Christmas?”

“I hope so,” Christopher sighed, as though the weight of the world was on him.

“Mm,” Lorelai murmured. “Me too. And Rory, of course,” she hastily amended.

***

“Rory! Let’s go to Luke’s! I am starving!”

There was a clatter from Rory’s room and she burst out, an uncharacteristic tense look stretched over her face.

“Actually, I’d … I should … I need to go to the bookshop.” She gave her mom a nervous half-smile that really looked more like a grimace.

“Oh, I’ll come with you then. There’s this fabulous history of Bananarama I-”

“Actually mom, I have other things to do as well. No point dragging you around with me.”

“Okay, sweetie.” Lorelai frowned. “Have fun,” she added half-heartedly.

“Bye mom.” Rory quickly swept out. She was really not up to seeing Jess today.

Lorelai stared after her when an unwelcome thought crossed her mind. Is Jess is starting to rub off on her?

***

“Hi, just this, thanks.” Rory slid the heavy book across the counter.

The clerk looked puzzled, but scanned the book, tapped a few keys and provided a twined-handled paper bag for her book.

“I’ve got to tell you, young lady, I never thought I’d see the day when this Bible would be bought.”

Rory smiled.

“Who can go past the gold-plating with gold leaf, illuminated lettering and hand-coloured panels?”

“It’s not called the deluxe edition for nothing.”

“It most certainly isn’t.” The kindly owner of the bookshop smiled. Rory was such a lovely girl. He’d heard about her recent troubles, of course, it had been all over town in hours, spread by a combination of Miss Patty, Babette and a modern invention called speed-dial.

“Bye, Mr. Worthington.”

“See you soon.” He hoped she could find herself a good sort of boy. She deserved at least that much.

***

Rory browsed the stalls, looking over rows of feather chokers, peasant-style earrings and plaited belts. The town square looked very colourful, with the festive green and red of Christmas jarringly juxtaposed with the multi-hued stalls. Saturday market had become some sort of a tradition in Stars Hollow.

Rory saw a familiar figure coming towards her. She panicked and knelt down, bobbing her head and pretending to have dropped something. Footsteps approached, slowed, then stopped.

“What are you doing?”

“Lane!” Rory expelled her pent-up breath sharply. “I have never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life!” She grabbed Lane and pulled her down.

“Erm,” Lane began, “this might not be the best time to tell you this…”

A slight cough came from above them.

Rory looked up. Jess was standing there, wearing a slight smirk.

She wished she could fall into a deep deep hole just then, or, failing that, that Jess could.

To his credit, Jess didn’t say anything. Not while Rory stared at him, not while she awkwardly got up, not even when Lane ran off making warning signals at Rory.

“Has no one ever told you how uncomfortable silence is?”

“Nope.”

“What are you doing here anyway?”

“Shopping.”

“Oh.”

“Not having much luck, though.”

“Considering who you’re shopping for…”

“Yeah.”

“So…”

“You wanna do something?”

“Like what?” Rory’s voice was wary.

Jess shrugged.

“Movie?”

“I probably shouldn’t. I told my mom I’d help her make eggnog for the carolers.”

“Okay. Suit yourself.” Though these words were perfect to make a Jess-style exit, he remained firmly where he was.

Rory looked at Jess. He could be so infuriating sometimes. “Fine. Just…just help me look for a gift-wrapping place, okay?”

“That looks like one,” said Jess, pointing to a small fruit stand.

Rory gave him a long look.

“Okay, okay. I’ll make you a deal. I find you the gift-wrapping place, and you see a movie.”

“Sounds good,” nodded Rory. “I win both ways.”

“It seems that way.”

***

“Luke! Luke! Yoo-hoo! Luke!”

“Yes, your highness?” Luke’s voice had a slightly ragged edge to it. Lorelai could get on anybody’s nerves if she tried long enough and hard enough. She was human sandpaper.

“I thought you might like to know,” she stage-whispered, “that Mrs. Needleman is sitting over there.”

“So?”

“She’s batting her eyelashes at you.”

Luke turned, and Lorelai took the opportunity to quickly spray hairspray at a point a little above Luke’s head. He turned back around, puzzled.

“Oooh…just missed it.” Lorelai looked over. “There she goes again! Now she’s blowing kisses at you!”

Luke turned again. Lorelai sprinkled some glitter into his hair, where it stuck.

“No she’s not!”

Lorelai made a little gesture.

“Missed it by this much.” Lorelai adopted a cheerleader’s effervescent tone. “She’s so obviously into you!”

Luke stared.

“I need an aspirin,” he finally said, and rushed off as fast as he could, ignoring Lorelai’s wolf-whistle. He could feel a headache the size of Alaska coming on. Luke vaguely wondered where Rory was. She could usually keep her mom sane. Saner, at least.

***

“Rory, honey, do you want to help me make some eggnog?” Lorelai looked comical in a once-white apron, blemished by burns, splotches and what may have been tomato sauce. They stayed there, unwilling to be washed off, a testament to kitchen disasters gone past.

“How much alcohol this time?” Rory laughingly asked.

“4 cups bourbon, 1 cup rum.”

“Really? The recipe says that?”

“Mm-hmm,” Lorelai nodded happily. “The recipe says it serves 15 to 20, inebriates 6.”

Rory narrowed her eyes.

“Let me see that,” she snatched the recipe and looked. “Oh. You were serious.”

“Rory!” Lorelai acted mock upset. “It’s very rude to snatch, don’t you know? I hope I brought you up better than that!” Secretly, though, she was happy to see Rory up and about.

“Anyway, the carolers are going to meet at our house before setting off.”

“Ah, you got ambushed, did you?”

“Outnumbered 8 to 1, drew the short straw and lost at paper-scissors-rock.”

“You demanded best out of three, didn’t you?” Rory smiled.

“Naturally.”

“You still lost, though.”

“Thank you for pointing that out, sweetie. I had temporarily forgotten but now that you’ve said it again, it makes it all better.” Lorelai smiled.

“Okay,” said Rory, reading the recipe. “Now we should just leave it to age.”

“Fabulous.” With a flourish, Lorelai threw off the apron, looking much more like her usual chirpy self. “With any luck, I won’t even have to spike it on the night.”

“Well, there’s nothing funnier than drunken carolers who forget the words to ‘Silent Night’.”

“Amen to that.” Lorelai’s eyes were bright. Very bright indeed.

***

“What are we seeing?”

“You choose.”

“Anything?” Rory asked mischievously.

“You have to sit through it too.”

“I’ll take that chance.”

They walked into a cinema discreetly. Not quite sliding along the wall in camouflage gear, but fairly close.

“Let’s sit at the back.”

“Don’t wanna be seen, huh?”

“Hey,” Rory protested, “I’m only thinking of your reputation. Think what would happen to your dangerous rebel image if you were seen seeing Legally Blonde.”

“True,” Jess said grudgingly.

The lights dimmed.

Not surprisingly, it is as sugarcoated as Jess had feared, but he refrained from being overly critical. At least, he refrained while he was in the cinema.

Their eyes met and he leaned closer. Rory closed her eyes involuntarily, but opened them again quickly.

“Jess, don’t.” Rory’s eyes shone with a vague hurt that had not yet gone away.

He looked at her closely, the screen half-reflected in her eyes.

“He hurt you.” It wasn’t a question, just stated simply in Jess’ own unique way.

“He told the truth.”

Jess absorbed this silently.

“I always said he was a jerk.”

“Jess!”

“If you were any kind of a normal girl, it would be you who’s saying that.”

“Thank you for that. My bruised ego just needed a boost just then.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“Ssh!” Taylor’s voice came from one of the front rows. “Some people are trying to watch the movie! Young people these day…no respect…”

The two laughed, but quietly, in the relative darkness.

Rory looked over at Jess. She didn’t even try to stop herself this time. With a sudden movement, she cupped her hands around his neck. He looked at her, surprise written in his eyes. She pulled him closer and closer until their lips met in a passionate kiss. He was startled, but didn’t protest, rather kissing her back, wrapping his arms around her, deepening the kiss. She felt his hands slide up her arms, the kiss growing in urgency. Eventually, they had to break apart for air.

Jess’ eyes were questioning.

“Do you really want to know?” Rory asked.

“Not really,” he replied, and, catching her by the shoulders and turning her towards him, brought his lips to meet hers once more. He could feel her mouth curve into a smile as she melted into the kiss…