OMGOMGOMG! I think I might throw up! it's the last chapter! That's right, all road lead to here (and then to a sequal but that's another story)...I would love you all oh-so much if I could get 300 reviews! (I think I only need 8 more...)

Just so you know...I have no idea when the sequal will be up because I like to have my story finished before I start to post so I dont get bored of the story and leave people hanging...I'm only on chpter8 and I think it may be almost as long as this one (if not longer...)

When Jess woke up he had a hard time distinguishing where he was. Then he remebered...He should probably call Luke. It was strange, having someone you had to call when you didn't come home, having this older person in your life that wanted to take care of you. Jess reached into Rorys bag and pulled out her cell phone.

He dialed the diner, it only rang once.

"Jess?" Jess blinked in surprise.

"That was weird." Luke sighed in relife.

"Oh. It is you. How are you? How's Rory? Did you find her? Is she all right? Are you guys coming back?"

"Fine, fine, yes, yes...maybe?"

"What do you mean maybe?" Jess sighed deeply.

"She...she can't go to California. I won't let Chris take her away, and if that means staying with her, where we won't be found then..." The other end was silent for a few minutes.

"What if we set up a meeting?"

"What kind of meeting?"

"I bring Chris, you bring Rory, and we all talk this out. We figure out where to go from here." Jess looked over at Rorys still sleeping form.

"I don't think..."

"Just a talk Jess. Chris needs to see that she's safe with you, that she's safe here. Any decisions can be made together, as a group."

"What if we all disagree? Will you let Chris take her?"

"Rory is only 15 and legally under Chris' guardianship. There's nothing I can do if he still wants to take her."

"So we could be walking into a trap...sort of anyway. We get there, Chris makes Rory leave and that's the end. All of this for nothing."

"If we do it your way, Chris might get the police involved."

"I've dealt with police before, so has Rory. We can handle ourselves." Luke took a moment to digest what Jess had just said...They had BOTH dealt with the police? What did that mean?

"They can force Rory with her dad, or send her somewhere else entirely Jess, is that what you want?" Jess took a deep breath and laid his hand on Rorys shoulder. She gave a small sigh and smiled in her sleep. She looked so...at home. This mess needed to be over.

"Where should we meet?"

Rory and Jess sat in the truck outside Westons, neither making the move to get out. Rory turned to Jess.

"I don't want to do this."

"Me, neither."

"Then why are we here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't we just leave? I mean, we can pack stuff from Lukes, because they are here. And we can just go! Take off, discover the world, and all that." Jess tilted his head to look at her.

"You...want to run away?" Jess asked slowly. Rory to a deep breathe before nodding.

"Yes."

"But what about school?"

"We'll figure that out later, we've got loads of time." Jess shook his head. Rory was no longer thinking rationally. School would be starting, and soon, and she had to be there. He knew that. He might not have any goals in life but Rory sure did. Big ones. No, Rory was going on instinct, fight or flight. She had chosen flight. Jess wasn't going to let her get away with that.

"What about Luke?"

"What about Luke?"

"From what you've told me, he's done allot for you, and your mom. And now you just want to take off on him?"

"We can call him when we get there."

"Get where Rory? You don't even know where to go!"

"I dont know! all right? I don't know where to go but I know that I cannot go in there if there is a chance I'm going to have to leave here today, with Chris. Any chance is to big!" Jess put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close.

"Rory, you have got to calm down. We'll just go in there and see what he has to say. If we don't like it, we'll get you back to the Inn before you know it, okay?"

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart."

"Hope to die?"

"Hope to die." Rory pulled away and nodded.

"Okay then. Lets go." Jess was the first out of the truck, Rory right behind him.

Chris kept standing up and then sitting back down, like a nervous twitter. It was driving Luke nuts.

He really didn't know how this was going to go. Even after his talk with Chris this morning he had no idea what the man was thinking or what he was leaning towards doing. Luke had mixed feelings about the whole thing.

On one hand, he wanted Rory here. She was the daughter he never had and he loved her more that anythong in the world. And she would be happy here. She would have him, and Jess and the rest of this crack-pot town to keep her happy. Chris would be a horrible person to take her away for this.

But on the other hand, if Chris left her here, and travelled all they way across the country, he was being a bad father. What kind of man left a young girl with people he didn't even know?

Luke sighed as Chris once again stood up. "Would you stop doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Getting up, sitting down, up, down, up, down...Just, sit still and wait." Chris sat back down.

"How are you so calm?"

"If I freak out and get all tense they are gonna catch that, and there is a large chance they might bail. I don't want to be the reason for that." Chris spread his hands out in front of him on the table.

"Right...calm." Chris took a deep breath. "Calm..." From behind them they heard the ringing of a small bell. They both jumped at the unexpected sound of the door. At the same time, they turned around, to see Jess and Rory standing there. The two of them were holding hands tightly, Rory standing slightly behind Jess.

Luke waved them over. Jess lead Rory to the table and they sat across from Luke and Chris.

"Wow...Anybody else feel they just walked into a mob movie?" Nobody laughed at Rorys attempt to break the ice, though Jess did smile slightly.

"So, where should we start?"

"I'm not going to Califronia." Rory didn't look up when she spoke.

"But Rory..."

"No, Chris. California...I can't. I don't..." Rory couldn't finish her thought. In truth, she didn't really know what she wanted to say. She didn't even really know why she felt so strongly about not going to California. Kids move all the time and they just have to deal, why couldn't she just accept this?

All she did know is whenever the thought of leaving entered her head or was spoken aloud, she felt this heavy, burning sensation on her chest, and she couldn't breathe. Like all the air had been sucked out of the room and she was dying inside. She couldn't leave. Not Stars Hollow, not Luke and not Jess. These were the people who loved her and took care of her and made her feel safe. She couldn't just give that up. Not ever.

"Where would you stay Rory, you have no place to go." Luke and Jess had mutually and silently decided they were going to stay out of this until they were needed.

"I have a place. A nice place with heat and a bed and everything I'm going to need."

"You're only fifteen Rory, you cannot live alone."

"I'm almost sixteen! Mom took care of herself and me when she was that age!"

"That's because she had to! You don't have to!"

"I have no where else to go!" Rory yelled across the table, causing a few people to look over towards them all. Jess gave her hand a slight squeeze, just so she knew he was still there with her, that she wasn't alone.

"You would rather be alone than live with me?"

"Yes!" Chris looked hurt but Rory never noticed. "I mean no...I would never be alone. I have family here."

"I'm your family, Rory."

"Not when it counts. Not when I need you." Chris sat back in his chair, shocked. He had no idea Rory felt this way. But he knew he should have, because he knew it was true. They were distant, and that wasn't Rory's fault. He wanted to be a good father...he just didn't know how. Maybe...if he couldn't be a good father, maybe he could at least make her happy.

"You're going to need a place to stay. In town. With people. I don't want you living by yourself. It's dangerous." Rory almost smiled when she realized what her father was saying, but held back. She felt her stomche jumble up in excitment.

"Where am I supposed to go?" Luke raised his hand slightly and spoke for the first time since the kids had entered the room.

"Um...I might have a solution to that..."

"And here's the last of it." Chris handed Jess a suitcase from the back of his car. Jess and Luke were grabbing all of Rory's thing, while Rory hung back. When Jess went to reach for one of the bigger bags, she stepped forward and grabbed it before he could. He gave her a dirty look but she just shook her head.

The four of them stood outside the diner akwardly. Jess' face was expressionless as always, Rory's had tear stains. Chris stuck out his hand to Luke.

"I'll call, when I get there." Luke took his hand and nodded.

"Sound fair." Chris turned towards Rory.

"I'll...see you around, okay?"

"You have to call. Lots. And visit when you can...you're still my dad." Chris smiled.

"As much as I possible can, I promise." Chris looked at Jess but was at a loss for what to say. He had a feeling this kid is why he lost his daughter, or at least, part of the reason. He stepped back towards the car, waving in it's direction.

"I should probably...yeah.." Chris got into his car. "I'll send the rest of her stuff in about a month, when I come back to clean out the apartment." Chris and the car pulled away from the curb and sped off through town. Rory watched the car as Luke and Jess started to head in with the bags. When Jess came back outside Rory was standing in the same postion.

"Changed your mind?" Without looking at him she shook her head. "Why the long face?"

"I don't think I'm ever going to see him again."

"He said he'd visit."

"He says alot of things." Jess put his arm over her shoulder.

"Yeah, I know." He nodded towards the diner. "You want to go inside? Lukes gonna make up some food. He won't be opening the diner til tomorrow."

"Sure...hey Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you...go somewhere else...just for a few minutes? I need to talk to Luke." Jess looked at her funny but released her and headed away from the diner. Rory entered the diner to see Luke staring out at nothing in particular.

"Hey Luke?"

"Ummm, yes Rory?"

"You know you don't have to do this right? I know this is hard on you, and I'm not your kid. I'm not your responsibility. You don't have any kind of...If you don't want me here, Mia says.." Luke interupted her.

"I want you here." Rory gave an exaggerated sigh of reliefe and smiled.

"Oh...Good." Luke nodded.

"Yeah, good." Jess chose that moment to poke his head in the diner.

"All clear?"

"And present!" Rory quipped. Jess came inside.

"So you guys hungry?"

"Starving!" Jess shook his head.

"Food sounds good."

"Two burgers extra fries, coming up." Luke disappeared to start the cooker in the back. Rory turned towards Jess.

"Ohh, I'm gonna like it here! Free food, free coffee, what more could a person ask for?"

"You're not gonna live here forever."

"Pssh. I know that. But we wont be moving for awhile so why not make the best of things?"

"Why not, indeed."

"Are you mocking me? Because you know I don't like being mocked." Jess put his hands up in false surrender.

"Would I do that to you?"

"Yes."

"Well, yeah. You just make it so easy!"

"Jess...have you noticed more and more people keep passing by the diner?" Jess turned to see staring back at them. She didn't even turn away when Jess spotted her, she just waved with her fingers, a large smile on her face. She motioned for him to come out.

"I'll be right back." Jess stood from his stoll and went outside. "What?"

"So..Is she staying?" It was better to get this done and over with and would be the perfect person to tell.

"Yes." still stood there.

"And..."

"And what?"

"Details darling details! Don't skimp on the good stuff."

"Her dad went to California, she's staying with Luke and me."

"In the diner?"

"For now."

"And then your all moving to the..."

"Yep."

"Good, I'm glad." turned her head back towards the diner where Rory was sitting, now enjoying a burger and chatting with Luke. Rory turned around and waved. "You might want to get back in there. Your girlfriends waiting for you."

"She's not my..." Jess stopped when he realized he didn't have to say anything to these people. Let them think what they want to think. raised an eyebrow and Jess frowned. The door opened behind him.

"Hey Jess, you coming in? Burgers are ready."

"Yeah. Coming." Jess followed Rory back into the diner. "Where's Luke?"

"He went upstairs, I think he's kinda tired. Guessing he didn't sleep last night, at least, not very well."

"Your probably right." Jess wrapped his arms around Rory's waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. They stood facing the town. Rory caught the refection on the glass and couldn't help thinking how...good, they looked together. Very...couple-y. Jess smiled.

"So you ready to screw with these peoples minds?" Rory grinned back looking back at him over her shoulder.

"Oh, yeah."

THE END

Thats right folks, this is the end! But worry not, as there is a sequel in the works as you a reading this right now! Isn't that fascintating? I am SO excited! Hmm...Clues to the next part of the story...

I'm anti-Dean, but promise not to be to mean about it, like he wont be evil or anything...but my Rory is diffrent from the one in the show, she's a bit more like Lorelia and a lot more like Jess so she wont have the same opinion of Dean as she did on the show.

Chilton and Grandparents will become a factor, along with that world of rich people (Tristan, Paris, so on and so forth)

Lane will make an appearance, but remember, they haven't seen each other in six years.

Serentiy! She will be here! Eventually!

And a not-so-good Rory. She will join in Jess' efforts to tick off towns people. Again, she hasn't seen them in six years, and is not as attached to everybody as she is in the show.

LOVE! ROMANCE! DATING! yes thats right! But remember this is a LIT fic, no matter what happens, it will ALWAYS be a LIT fic. Um...I dont want to jump into a relationship, because that wound kind of go against everything I did in the fic, building them up and stuff, But I PROMISE it will be there!