A Different Rory

7. Birthdays and Boxes.

Since the vow of friendship had been sealed with food the six teenagers could hardly be spotted apart.

This annoyed Lorelai as they were all society kids apart from Jess and in her eyes he was Satan.

Jess was in major planning mode Lora's eighteenth birthday was in a week and he had a few surprises for her.

With Luke, Richard Gilmore and Strobe Haydens help he had purchased a house in Stars Hollow, with Emily Gilmore and Francine Haydens help he had planned a surprise party for her with a coffee and candy theme.

With his own help and frequent phone calls and pictures to Chris Hayden he had chosen three more gifts for Lora, now he just had to wait for the day to arrive.

The next week passed slowly and painfully for everyone in their group, Lorelai seemed to have a sixth sense and knew changes were coming so she clamped down on Lora's freedom, the one time Lora ignored the new rules Lorelai called the Stars Hollow police.

To say Lora and Jess were sick of her attitude was too mild, even good old dependable Luke was cutting Lorelai out of his life a little at a time.

At last the day Jess had been waiting for had arrived, he started the day by grabbing a full Luke's breakfast and a giant thermos of coffee and a wrapped present and running to Lorelai's house to see Lora.

As normal Lorelai was yelling at her daughter about how evil Jess was and Lora was ignoring her, when Jess walked through the door Lora wrapped herself around him almost crushing the food between them.

After Lora ate Jess handed her the gift and smiled as she ripped the paper off and squealed when she saw a brand new dance kit with music player that was fully loaded with every song she could think of.

They drove to school together and Lora was welcomed by her friends with birthday wishes and hugs and a second thermos of coffee from Jess.

At lunch break Jess surprised her with another wrapped gift, this time in a long thin box, fifteen plane tickets to the Bahamas for Christmas break, enough for everyone plus some spares.

Inside the box was also two back stage passes to the next distillers concert in New York which was in February the following year.

"Oh my god best present ever. Jess this is amazing." She said as she passed him a pass to the concert and handed out tickets to her friends.

Jess just smiled wondering how she would react later that night before and during her party.

By the end of the day Jess was a nervous wreck he hoped Lora would like her next present, he had a plan and a speech all ready for when he gave it to her, he just hoped she had the responses he was planning on.

Jess drove him and Lora home and led her inside and into lounge room where he pressed play on the stereo and pulled Lora into his body and led her in a waltz around the room including all the dips and turns.

When the song finished Lora leaned up and kissed him and he smiled, stage one was a success.

He then dropped to the floor on one knee and took her left hand in his.

"Lo, we've been together for five years today, the best five years of my life. I love you with all that I am, forever, you are my soul mate. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" Jess then held his breath and waited with the ring in his hand wrapped in the tiffany blue box with a small silver ribbon around it.

"Oh god... yes... yes... a thousand times yes." Lora answered him as she fell to her knees and threw herself into his arms.

Jess handed her the box and with his crooked smile shrugged at her questioning glance.

"Happy birthday babe. Oh and the plane tickets, I was thinking destination wedding, enough tickets for friends and family Chris can meet us there, is two months enough time to plan?" Jess added with a smile then had a quick look at the time and picked up Lora and dropped her in the bedroom in front of a black and red cocktail dress and his black suit.

They quickly got changed and Jess watched as Lora kept glancing down at the ring on her finger with a huge smile on her face. 

They arrived at the Gilmore mansion and Jess led her through the front door where all their friends, family and a ton of business associates of the grandfathers and friends of the grandmothers jumped out at Lora yelling surprise, Jess was shocked to see Lorelai in the crowd.

Lora let out a little scream and covered her face with her hands flashing her ring off to the entire room, there was a loud cheer and congratulations were yelled from all corners of the room.

As the night progressed on, Lora and Jess caught up with their Hartford friends, Logan, Collin, Finn, and Stephanie.

The group of four would be invited to the wedding along with all four grandparents, the Chilton friends and Luke using all the plane tickets.

Lora got money from most of the guests, books and clothes from her friends and a document folder and a box from Jess.

"Last gift I promise." Jess said as she shot him a glare.

Lora opened the box and saw a set of keys, the document folder had the deed to the Hartford house as well as the deed to another house in Stars Hollow and a deed for a place called Truncheon.

"Just sign next to the tabs and we co-own both houses, and sign the other papers and we own our own publishing house and book store." Jess said with a smile handing her another set of keys from his pocket.

Lora signed all the paper work then and there with her grandfathers watching both with huge smiles on their faces.