(hello! i updated! can't believe it! if we're being completely honest i wrote this in a day so it's gonna suck ass and is so unedited it hurts me, but we'll get through it. a lot going on in this chapter, so let's get right into it. missed y'all. love u all tons. -mags)

✧✧✧

"I LOOK LIKE an idiot," Jess muttered, grimacing as Marley made her way around his car to fix the collar of his jacket.

"You look presentable," Marley replied. Her fingers worked to flatten out the fabric that was sticking up around his neck. "You've been hermit-ing for the last two weeks. It's time you put on some real clothes."

"I look like I'm ready for church."

"I have no idea what church you've been going to, but my mother would have grounded me if I ever showed up to mass like that."

"Why do people dress up for church anyway?" he asked, using his free hand to bat at Marley's as she began to finick with one of the buttons on his shirt. The other held a bottle of wine the two of them were offering as a hostess gift. It was one of the few that Luke recommended that the two of them could afford. "It doesn't feel necessary."

"Because God apparently doesn't listen to poorly dressed people," she deadpanned, glancing over his shoulder at door a couple of yards away from them. "He's like Anna Wintour. Or Clinton Kelly."

Jess watched with furrowed brows as Marley used the reflection of the driver's side window to fix her hair. "Why are you so freaked out right now?"

Marley couldn't refrain from rolling her eyes. "I'm not freaked out," she replied, shaking her head. "I just like these people. They're super nice and cool and want them to like me. And you."

"They invited you back. For dinner," he pointed out. "You had to have made a pretty good impression."

"Okay, well, then I don't want them to regret it," she said, finally moving away from the window to look at him. She was met with a blank stare. "Don't look at me like that. You know this is how my brain works."

A hint of a smile twisted at his lips. "I do."

"So just let me... y'know. Be crazy for a sec."

Jess sighed, shaking his head at her antics as he watched her stare at the door again. Having had enough and frankly thinking that the idea of 'letting her be crazy' was ridiculous, he threw his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, dragging her along with him as he walked toward the house. "Relax," he told her. "You're gonna be fine."

Marley scowled to herself, knowing Jess couldn't see it from this angle. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I know."

"And I'm gonna be fine too," he said. Before Marley had the chance to question him, he already had an answer. "I'll be a good guest. Engaged. Talkative. Adjectives."

She tugged on the jacket he was wearing to stop them. "That's not at all what I was worried about," she said, making sure to look him in the eye as she spoke. "I am so far beyond worrying about that for you. You're not, like, seventeen anymore."

"I know. But, I've been out of it lately," he said with a shrug. "Just wanted to make sure you knew I'd be all good. I'm all here right now."

Marley's eyes turned soft at his words, and this time, it was her turn to sigh. Out of it was an understatement, to say the least.

It'd been approximately a month since Jess had come back from San Fransisco and though all of the boys seemed to be ecstatic to be back, that feeling only lasted a couple of days. Due to Truncheon's sudden growing popularity, they'd returned to more work than they'd ever had, which meant longer hours and eventually turned into weekend work as well. Jess was out of the apartment more than he was in it, and when he wasn't, he was at his desk in his room, working on a novel he'd been workshopping for a while.

Apparently, he'd had some sort of plot epiphany while in San Fransisco and hadn't been able to stop writing since. Marley was emailed updates or chapters about twice a week for her to go through and edit, and then the cycle started all over again. And she had absolutely no problem with this. She, out of literally anyone knew about hard work and the hoops you sometimes had to jump through to get it all done. It was how she managed to secure the job with Oliver McCrae.

Yeah. That was a new development. Marley had rocked out her interview and in turn, had been offered the job about three weeks afterward. She was estatic about it and took approximately a day to figure out all the logistics of everything and how it'd all go down when she started working for him this summer. It was set in stone after they'd negotiated her pay and that was that. This summer Marley Acosta was set to be a working woman.

And while that was celebrated and wonderful, it was put on the back burner for the moment. That was totally fine with her. She hadn't complained about it. She knew Jess and their friends were busier than ever. And besides, these days especially, she loved reading Jess's work and she loved editing it even more. She loved talking about it with him, as it reminded her of their diner days when they'd stay after closing to figure out The Subsect, and she loved the fact that he still got the same look when he was talking about something he was passionate about.

The thing she did have a problem with, though, was that he wasn't all there. He was exhausted all the time, a bit more snarky than usual, and just simply not... there. In any capacity. He forgot things (his keys or wallet, plans they had, things he was supposed to do, such as feed Bowie or call Luke), dismissed a lot of their usual banter that Marley tried to initiate, and hardly left his room. This dinner at Carla and Andy's was one of the first things she'd been able to do with him outside of their apartment since he'd been gone. He wasn't himself and that was clear.

Marley really hadn't said anything about it, especially not after they'd just labeled this relationship. She didn't want to gain the title of 'nagging girlfriend' just yet, but she hadn't masked her worry about him. She felt like their usual roles were reversed and she absolutely hated it. Perhaps she'd be a little bit more sympathetic when Jess was trying to deal with her crazy work ethic next time.

But as he stood here before her and acknowledged the fact that he'd been off, a bit of the worry weighing her down slipped off her shoulders. A tight grin pulled at her lips. "You're all here?"

His smile matched hers immediately. "All here."

It was then that Marley slipped her hand around his waist and pulled him into a sort of side hug, leaning her head on his arm. "Good," she said, as they began to walk toward the house once more. Quietly, she added, "I missed you."

"I know," he replied, his arm returning to her shoulders. He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

Marley shook her head. "Don't ever apologize for working hard," she told him. "You're doing big things right now, Mariano. I just want you to look after yourself. I get worried about you when you lock yourself in your room."

"So, now you know how I feel when I have to drag your ass out of the library at two in the morning."

"You haven't had to do that since sophomore year."

"I can list a whole bunch of other things if you want me to."

"I think I'll pass on that one."

Jess chuckled, stepping away from Marley as they finally stopped at the door to Andy and Carla's. Marley stared at it for a moment, sending an anxious glance over to Jess who nodded encouragingly at her. With a deep breath, she reached over and rang the doorbell, hands clasping together in front of her. She rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited for the door to open.

Any sort of anxiety she felt immediately washed away as soon as she heard Carla's voice from inside. "Andy!" she called. "They're here!"

Marley wasn't expecting to be able to hear Andy's response, but an unconscious smile found its way onto her face as she did. Through the window by the door, she watched as he came in from the garage, wiping his hand on a rag. "I'm right here. You don't have to yell."

"Your hearing's going these days. I can never tell."

"You ever thought it might just be because it's selective?"

Marley pressed her lips together to keep herself from smiling too hard as she looked over at Jess to gauge his reaction. He was already looking at her with the same sort of expression. She snorted as she looked away from him, already knowing that taking the invitation to this dinner was the right call.

Carla hit Andy lightly on the arm, pointing at the door. Marley couldn't see what she was doing, but from what she remembered of the layout of the house, she assumed she was in the kitchen. Andy was chuckling as he turned himself around and started walking toward the door, the grin on his face only getting wider as he saw Marley through the window.

Marley was beaming by the time he opened the front door. "Miss Marley!" Andy said, immediately stepping aside as if to welcome them. "Come in, come in."

One arm extended to wrap her in a friendly hug. Marley graciously accepted it. "How are you?" she asked.

"Not too bad. Better now that we have company," he replied. Andy then turned to Jess. "You must be the guy who's got my car."

Jess smiled at him, ducking his head in a polite manner that almost made him look shy. "That I am."

Marley could not have been more excited that this was happening. "Andy, this is Jess. Jess, Andy."

Andy stuck out his hand to Jess, who shook it before he came inside. "I had the pleasure of hearing all about you not too long ago," Andy said. "It's so nice to finally meet you."

"Same here," Jess responded. He held out the bottle of wine in his hand for Andy to take. "This is for you guys."

The older man scoffed lightheartedly, grabbing his glasses out of his shirt pocket to get a better look at the bottle. "Oh, you two didn't have to do that," he said, nearly cutting himself off as he saw the label. "But, I will never say no to wine like this." The three of them laughed softly at the joke, before Andy lead them out of the foyer. "You a wine drinker, Jess?"

Jess hesitated for a moment, reaching back to scratch his neck. "Not really," he admitted. Marley bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "My uncle knows a thing or two about it, though. I asked him for some recs, so I can't take credit for that one if we're being honest."

"Well, I appreciate the honesty," Andy told him as they walked into the kitchen where Carla was. "And so will this one," he said, pointing at his wife.

Carla looked up from the tomatoes she was cutting for the salad she was putting together with a wide smile. She dropped the knife, wiping her hands on her apron before offering Marley a hug, something of which Marley immediately accepted. "It's so good to see you again," Carla said warmly. She looked at Jess as she and Marley pulled away from the hug. "And it's great to meet you. You've got a bit of a reputation to live up to."

Jess raised his eyebrows, glancing from Carla to Marley. "Do I?"

The woman laughed softly, greeting Jess with a hug as well. "You do," she said, turning to look at Marley who stood with her lips parted, fully ready to defend herself. "She talked a big game trying to get my husband to sell his car to her."

"Made you sound like the second coming of Christ, as far as I'm concerned," Andy chimed in.

Marley held up her hands. "Oh, my God. I absolutely didn't. I'm like, ninety-five percent sure that I called him an asshole, like, twice, so." She pointed at Jess as she looked at Andy. "You can't tell him stuff like that. It'll get to his head."

"I thought you were supposed to be making me look good, Acosta," Jess teased, earning a soft chuckle from Andy and Carla. Marley could only put her face in her hands.

"Oh, she did that too. I wasn't kidding about the second-coming thing," Andy said. "But hey, it got you the car. Speaking of, how's she running?"

Andy seemed to get wrapped up in the idea of talking about his car, leading Jess into their living room where there was a big window that had a clear view of the Volvo in the parking lot. Jess filled the man in on what had been going on with the car and how great it was driving. Marley turned to Carla with a grin as the two of them left. "Can I do anything for you? I'm just learning how to dice things properly."

Carla's brows raised as she went back to her cutting board. "Who's teaching you that?" she asked.

"My friend Lauren. She's big into cooking. She's a med student and a wannabe chef. She's everything I wish I was," Marley joked, leaning against the counter. "But seriously, is there anything I can do?"

Before Carla could answer, Andy called Marley from the living room. "Marley!"

"Yes?" she asked, turning toward the doorway.

"I know she'll be on my side for this one," she heard him mutter to Jess, who laughed out loud. "Come in here and settle something for us, please."

Marley didn't respond, turning back to Carla who shook her head. "Go ahead. I'm all set in here. Almost done anyway." It seemed as though Carla couldn't help herself from grinning. "I can't believe he's already arguing with him."

Marley rolled her eyes, fully able to believe that Jess had already gotten into it with someone. "I might have made a mistake bringing him here," she joked.

Carla shook her head again, shooing Marley away as Andy called her name once more. As Marley moved to walk out into the living room, she heard Carla's voice. "Marley?"

"Yeah?" she asked, bracing herself on the doorframe as she turned.

The smirk resting upon Carla's lips told all. "You didn't tell me that he was cute," she said casually, as if she were talking about the weather. There was something in her voice that Marley immediately caught onto.

Having nothing to offer to that comment but a blush, Marley quickly exited the kitchen, deciding that settling whatever debate Andy and Jess were having would be infinitely better than the 'I told you so' moment that was bound to happen at some point tonight.

✧

UNSURPRISINGLY, JESS HAD been arguing with Andy about music, a topic the two of them were able to find some common ground in after Marley mediated. Apparently, Andy had left a cassette or two in the glove compartment of the Volvo (Judas Priest and Lynyrd Skynyrd, she believed he'd said), which prompted a discussion about whether or not either of the two had more than one good song. Because, Jess had said, he'd been listening to those on the way to work, and he couldn't say he liked more than on track on each tape. Andy had told him that he was out of his mind.

Now, Marley couldn't believe that she was settling a debate about Judas Priest in the year of our lord 2008, but here she was, taking Andy's side in it all, as the man had hoped and predicted. After Jess realized there was no way he was winning this one, he found a way to shift the conversation to other music of that time period, quickly figuring out that he and Andy could agree on some things. Mainly that Andy was the first person to ever agree with Jess that Coldplay could be considered an alternative band, something which Marley physically had to walk out of the room for, but luckily enough, dinner was ready by the time she did that.

The four of them had sat down in the dining room where Marley and Andy had originally negotiated about the car the first time they met. Carla had made a 'basic' meal of a pasta dish and a salad, as she claimed that she wasn't sure what the two of them liked. In no way, shape, or form was it basic. As two college-age kids with no money and even less time to cook, this was the best thing they'd eaten in weeks that wasn't take-out. And even then, nothing compared to a homecooked meal.

Andy had opened the bottle of wine when they'd sat down, pouring some for everyone as Carla passed around a pitcher of water. The Coldplay conversation had carried into the dining room, and Marley was currently looking at Carla like she wanted to rip her hair out. "He's been trying to convince me of this since I met him," she explained. "You'd think he'd change his mind after all these years. Or at least get better points."

"I just don't understand how you don't see my side," Jess said from beside her, shaking his head. "You tell me it's mainstream pop, but nobody else on KISS FM sounds like them. They're not Britney. Currently don't sound like Christina."

"You don't have to sound like Britney to be considered mainstream. Black Eyed Peas have their own sound. So do Linkin Park."

"Don't use mainstream and Linkin Park in the same thought ever again," he said sharply, pointing a finger at her. "Also, don't use mainstream and alternative like they're opposites. They can be both. And as far as I'm concerned, even though Vida La Vida's on the radio, the genre doesn't have to change."

"I disagree."

"Of course you do," he replied, fighting off a laugh as he brought his glass of water to his lips. "Because you haven't had a good take since 2001."

Andy's tilted his head, finally inserting himself into the conversation after watching it unfold in amusement with his wife. "What was the take?"

Marley turned to Jess, awaiting his answer as well. She was just as interested as he was to know what Jess would have thought of as her 'good take' back in Stars Hollow. Jess swallowed the water he was drinking. "She was the first person I'd talked to who could admit that 'Master of Puppets' wasn't overrated."

Marley's brows shot to her forehead. "The Metallica song?" Andy asked.

"That's the one."

Marley stared at him in shock, a disbelieving smile coming across her face. "I can't believe you remember that," she said softly.

Jess shrugged. "It was the first thing we agreed on."

She turned back to the plate of food in front of her with a small smile. "And you make fun of me for remembering dumb shit."

There was a lull that settled over the table after her comment, one that was quickly wrapped up as Carla cleared her throat. "So, Jess," she began, directing his attention from Marley to her. "You've gotta tell me what was going through your head when you got the car."

"I thought it was a joke," he said. Carla smiled lightly. "I really thought she was just screwing around with me. And then when I realized it was legit, I, uh... I kinda wanted to kill her."

Marley glanced at Andy. "Told you he was ungrateful."

"Why'd you want to do that?" Carla asked through a chuckle.

"Because once I'd put everything together, I realized she used the money my uncle gave her to buy it," Jess said. "I'm sure she explained this to you, but my uncle was her boss and we worked together when I moved in with him. The two of them are pretty close and he actually called me a little while before he decided to give her the money to get my opinion on it. He'd intended it to be for student loans or an apartment in Philly or something after she graduated. So, when I saw that she'd wasted it on me, I was a little pissed."

"I didn't know Luke called you," Marley said.

"He was all panicked about it. Thought you wouldn't take it." Jess stuck his fork into the pasta on his plate. "I kind of had to talk him off the ledge."

"Anybody ever bought a car for you before, Jess?" Carla asked, earning a knowing glare from Marley.

Jess laughed to himself, shaking his head. "She was the first," he said. "I bought my first car myself back in Connecticut."

"And Marley," Andy said, suddenly seeming way more interested in her, "would you call that an act... of love?"

Marley dropped her fork to put her face in her hands. "Oh, my God, you guys are worse than my mother," she muttered, the words coming out muffled. "Yeah. Fine. Secret's out. You caught me. We're together."

"I knew it," Carla cheered, looking over at Andy who cursed under his breath. "I win. You're making the coffee tomorrow morning."

"Is everyone betting on us?" Marley asked as an exasperated, broad question, making Jess laugh from beside her. "Is there some sort of pool for everything I do?" She stopped herself, thinking about what she'd just said for a moment. "That'd actually be a really good Twilight Zone episode," she noted.

Jess shut his eyes. "Here we go."

"Nuh-uh," she told him. "I've been listening to you feel out plotlines for the book for the last month. You can indulge me in my little Twilight Zone fantasy."

"Book?" Andy asked, looking over at Jess. "You writin' one?"

"Something like it," Jess replied, ignoring Marley's stare. He knew she hated when he got all nonchalant and humble about his writing.

"He is," Marley answered. "He's already got one under his belt. He's working on a longer one with a bit more to it. I've read what he's got so far. It's some of my favorite work he's done so far. His friends at his publishing firm he works at think so too."

"Which publisher do you work at?" Carla asked. "Is it local?"

Jess nodded. "It's called Truncheon. It's not a big place or anything, but it's right in the middle of the city. We've just recently upgraded from putting out three books a month to five."

"Hold on," Andy said. "Small brick building on a corner? Right by a Bank of America?"

Jess grinned at him, unable to believe that he actually knew where it was. "Yeah, that's the one."

"That's crazy," Andy laughed. "My neighbor's son goes to Temple. I went to your place to watch him perform some poetry. He wasn't very good."

"Yeah," Jess chuckled. "We're not exactly able to recruit the Maya Angelou's of Philly just yet."

"What's your book about?" Carla asked. "I'd love to read it."

"It's, uh, it's sort of a memoir. Fictionalized memoir, maybe?" Marley could see him starting to get uncomfortable again as he transitioned out of the conversation. "It's nothing special. It's not as interesting as her Twilight Zone episode."

Marley would have done a full stop in the conversation to make him talk about The Subsect more if she couldn't read him as well as she could. With a sigh, she went along with it. "You joke about it, but I'm dead serious," she finally said. "Think about how good that would be. It's like a Truman Show situation where everyone's watching my every move and then placing bets on what I'm gonna do next. Like, around the world. It becomes an actual form of income for some people."

"How does it end?" Andy asked.

Jess shook his head. "Do not entertain this insanity. She does this all the time. You just gotta ignore her."

Carla looked over at Jess. "He's even worse. He watches the reruns whenever they're on TV. I'm surprised he didn't find a way to talk to her about this when they first met."

Marley shushed him, blocking him out so she and Andy could plot this hypothetical episode. "I don't know. What do you think?" She paused. "Maybe people get addicted to betting on me. Like gambling. Maybe someone decides that they're gonna pay me off to do something, even though it's like... against the rules to talk to me. It's just Truman Show rules."

"Maybe someone loses all their money on you and decides to kill you for it," Andy offered.

Marley's eyes widened and she gasped. "God, Andy. Be my writing partner. Please. We can make millions. Just straight up take Rod Sterling's name."

And with that, dinner continued to flow smoothly, Andy and Marley wrapped up in their own sort of conversation, Carla and Jess finding their way into theirs. At one point in time, Marley felt Jess slip his hand into hers and squeeze it. He didn't let go.

Marley wasn't sure what the two of them were talking about over there, but the action put a smile on her face. She'd have to ask later.

✧

THINGS HAD WRAPPED up relatively naturally, as Jess and Andy began to talk about what Andy had been working on in the garage before they'd gotten here. Apparently, he had a son who rode a motorcycle in his free time, and Andy, being full of surprises as always, revealed that he used to ride one back in the day too. Which meant he knew the basics of fixing one up, which is exactly what his son needed.

The way that Jess's eyes lit up as soon as the words motorcycle left the older man's mouth made Marley want to lose her mind. Jess had been bringing up the idea of buying one for years now and always made an effort to point out nice ones he saw on the street. The idea of him owning and driving a motorcycle drove her insane. Not in the good way. In the she-feared-for-his-life way. Jess knew this of course, and while she was pretty sure he only brought it up around her to tease her, she knew that this wasn't going to die.

And so, after they'd cleared the table and had all made an effort to do the dishes, Andy took Jess out in the garage to go look at the motorcycle. Carla could tell Marley wanted nothing to do with any of that, so she told the girl to stick inside with her while she made some coffee. It was the easiest thing Marley ever agreed to.

"My uncle broke both of his legs in a motorcycle accident," Marley said, hoping to offer some sort of explanation to her aversion to the vehicles. "My family and I had to help him out while he was recovering. They've freaked me out ever since."

"Tell me about it," Carla responded as she grabbed two mugs out of the cupboard. She held one up as if to offer coffee to Marley, who kindly declined. "I met him when he had the motorcycle."

"Oh, really?" Marley asked.

Carla rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she huffed. "We met at a bar through some mutual friends. It was one of those things were the two of us just clicked as soon as we met each other. And I liked him and thought he was a good-looking guy. He was a little short for my tastes, but I digress." Marley snorted at her words, knowing all of that all too well. "So, I agree to go back to his place and he offers to drive us there, and lo and behold, there's that thing just sitting there, parked outside."

"Did you get on it?"

"Absolutely not," Carla said without any sort of hesitation. "I liked him, but not enough to ride on a motorcycle back from a bar. My mother would have killed me." Marley knew that one too. "So, I ended up telling him that if he wanted me to go home with him the next time I saw him, he'd either have to get us a car or a cab. And he took that as a challenge. Because the next weekend, we all met up again and he made a point to tell me that he drove his friend's car here." Carla smiled fondly at the memory, shrugging as the coffee finished draining into the pot. "The rest is history, I guess."

"Wow," Marley said, watching her pour coffee into both of the mugs. "Did you ever get on the motorcycle?"

She was taken back by the way that Carla paused at her question. It was quick, momentary even, but Marley caught it. It made her furrow her brow, but she didn't have a chance to think about it any deeper as Carla turned around with an answer. "I didn't," she said. She put a spoonful of sugar into her coffee. "I was always too afraid."

Marley nodded in agreement. "That's valid," she told her. "If Jess showed up with one I don't know if I could ever do it."

"You could," Carla said. "Or, at least, you should. Maybe not immediately. Once he knows how to drive it well. But you shouldn't shut it down completely."

"No?" Marley asked in surprise.

Carla shook her head. "I've found that the things I regret most are things I never did." She didn't look at Marley. She just let it hang there for a moment. "It's all too short not to do things, you know? You gotta take every opportunity even if it scares you."

"What's too short?"

"Life," Carla shrugged. "Calculated risks aren't the most frightening thing. You wanna know what is?" Marley didn't say anything, she just looked at the woman. "It's figuring out that your life might have been better if you took the chance. The worst moment of my life was sitting in a hospital bed and coming to the realization that I could have had so many more stories or experiences or lessons learned if I'd just done things that scared me." A small smile came to her lips. "Within reason, of course."

Marley stared down at her hands that laid in front of her. She wasn't sure what question she should ask next. She didn't know if the one she wanted to ask was rude or intrusive, but she figured she might as well take Carla's advice and not be afraid. "You were in the hospital?"

"Last year," Carla said through a sigh. "Colon cancer. Stage three." When Marley's lips parted in shock, she waved her off. "I'm alright now. I've been in complete remission for a while."

"I had no idea," Marley said softly.

"Wouldn't expect you to." Carla gave her a kind smile, then nodded her head in the direction of the garage. "It scared me half-to-death when I found out that my son decided to buy a motorcycle like his dad did. I gave him a --and excuse my language here-- I gave him a massive amount of shit for it when he first brought it around. But I finally made my peace with it when I had that moment in the hospital. He was going to do what he was going to do. He was going to take that risk and have that adventure. And even though it was scary and possibly dangerous, he was going to do it.

"One of my biggest regrets, genuinely, is that I didn't get on that motorcycle that first night I met him, Marley," she admitted. Marley watched as Carla traced the rim on her mug with her finger. "It's not as big of a deal to me as the other times he offered. But that first night... I don't know." There was a prolonged beat, one that Marley was scared to break because she knew Carla had more to say. "That first night could have been different. It all worked out in the end, and dear God, I'm so glad it did, but we could have had a different story."

"You think that things could have been different between you two?"

Carla shook her head again. "No. I think we would have ended up in the same spot. And I don't get me wrong, I don't want things to be different. I've never wanted that," she said defiantly. "But I do wish I had done it. Just to see what would have happened. It could have been good for me. Break me out of my comfort zone a little bit." She huffed a laugh, bringing her mug to her lips to blow on the coffee inside. "Like I said. It's all too short. You never know what you're going to regret until it's passed you already."

Marley was perplexed when a question left her mouth. She wasn't sure where it had come from or why the hell she was even asking it, but here she was. "What if you had known it was going to change everything?" Marley swallowed harshly as Carla tilted her head in question. "If it would have changed things between you two, would you still regret not doing it?"

It was quiet as Carla paused to think. Marley really thought she'd said the wrong thing. Before she could apologize, Carla spoke. "Yes," she answered simply. "Because I know in my heart of hearts that if for whatever reason that screwed things up, we would have found our way back to each other. Some things are just meant to be. And I'm confident that it still would have worked out even if things were different." A small smile came to her lips, one that was sweeter than any sort of emotion Marley had seen her wear. "Take the risk, Marley. Get on the motorcycle."

Marley didn't know how to respond to that. Frankly, she didn't know if she had it in her to talk anymore. She didn't know why all of that had hit her so hard, but it had. She really didn't know what it was.

Luckily, she didn't have to figure that out with Carla staring at her, as Jess and Andy made their way back into the kitchen. Carla handed her husband the mug of coffee she'd poured, smiling softly as he kissed her on the cheek in thanks. Jess had put his jacket back on, which Marley took as a sign that things seemed to be wrapping up. Andy clapped Jess on the shoulder, told Marley that she'd found herself a good man, and told Jess to take care of the car. Pleasantries were exchanged as they made their way to the door to make their exit, Marley hugging both Andy and Carla and thanking the woman for everything she'd said. The two of them were told to stay in touch with them and to come back whenever they wanted. The door shut and the night slowly came to a close.

Marley and Jess walked back in silence to the car. It wasn't uncomfortable or tension-filled. Just... quiet. As if they were digesting what had just happened. They could hear crickets, something Marley hadn't heard since she'd been back in Stars Hollow. It was peaceful. Nice, even.

Jess was the first to break it as they approached the car. "I gotta say," he began, looking back at the garage. "I'm still into the motorcycle thing."

Marley let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'll stop thinking about it if you're still against it, but... I don't know. Could be a new thing for me."

"You'd..." Marley paused, turning to face him. "...not get one because of me?"

Jess sighed. "Not because of you. But if it really bothered you that much I wouldn't want to have it around us in the future, y'know?"

Full stop. "Future?" Marley asked.

He glanced at her, swallowing a bit more harshly than before. "Uh... yeah. Future, I guess."

Marley couldn't seem to wrap her head around what he was saying. "You're saying that you see a future with me." Her question was posed as a statement. "Or at least have thought about it."

"Acosta, you're the only person I've ever been able to think about that with," he said gently. A bit more meekly, he added, "You haven't thought about it?"

"No, I have," she said, shaking her head. She couldn't believe they were having this conversation now. Here, of all places. "I just didn't really think that you had."

Jess laughed to himself, seemingly in disbelief at what she'd said. "I don't like to," he admitted, expanding upon that as Marley scrunched her brow. "Think about the future, I mean. I've always hated it. Nothing's ever seemed good enough to look forward to." She watched as he kicked at a rock on the ground, refusing to meet her gaze. "It's always been so uncertain. Not concrete. I never expected to be here when I was seventeen. And fuck, I have no idea where the hell I'm gonna be next year. But Marley, you are the only thing that I know for a fact is going to be a constant in my life." He still wouldn't look at her, but he was smiling now. A bit more confident. "And that's good with me. Because no matter what's next, with me, with Truncheon, with... I don't know, life? It doesn't seem so scary when I know I've got you with me."

Marley was staring at him with watery eyes and a tightening throat. She couldn't seem to form the right words to express what that meant to her or how it made her feel. Because she felt the same. But saying that didn't seem like it would ever be enough.

So, she did what she always did when she couldn't speak. She showed. And she kissed him harder than she ever had before, praying that he got what she was trying to say.

And when his hand met her waist when he kissed her back, she knew the message had been received.

✧

FINDING LOGAN HUNTZBERGER in a restaurant like this one was almost as exhausting as trying to be his friend. And Marley meant that with all the love in the world.

He'd switched up the restaurant three different times since they'd made the plans, the last time occurring one hour before she was supposed to meet him. And that was fine and all, but it genuinely made her want to kill him. Philly had an extensive list of places to eat, but he didn't have to be so indecisive for literally no reason.

The third week in April had rolled around the corner way faster than she'd expected, but it was a pleasant change from the dragging weeks that had happened before the dinner with Carla and Andy. Things were better in general; the workload Truncheon had was getting a bit more manageable, as they'd hired some part-time help, and Jess had become less obsessive about his book as he was finally finishing up his first draft. He was himself again. It was as if the dinner was his turning point of sorts. As if something had snapped in him to get back to the mindset he used to be in. It was a genuine relief.

It was also a relief to fucking finally find Logan standing at the restaurant's bar, awaiting a drink that was being made in front of him. He was chatting with the bartender, laughing at something she'd said. A scowl formed on her face as soon as she started walking toward him, though she did acknowledge the slight joy she felt when she saw him. It really was good to see him again.

"You are impossible to find," she said to him as she approached, fighting off a grin as he turned to her with a larger one. "It's like Where's Waldo, but in hell."

"It's good to see you too, Penn," Logan said, wrapping her in a hug. He pointed at the bar before them. "You want anything?"

Marley evaluated the situation, pursing her lips and pushing them to the side. "I'm good for now," she replied after a moment. "I haven't eaten much today, so it's probably not a good idea just yet."

Logan thanked the bartender as she passed him his drink, and Marley took a moment to look around the restaurant. The place was more casual than she was expecting for Logan, but she had absolutely no complaints. He knew she preferred less classy establishments. It was less of an anxiety-filled experience for her. She supposed he wanted something a little less grand because of the dinners he'd probably be having on this short of work trip.

Logan threw his arm around Marley's shoulders and pulling her into another sort of hug as he led her through the restaurant. "How have you been? I haven't talked to you in forever," he asked.

"I'll be better when you tell me what the hell you called me here for," she replied, earning a snort from her friend.

"I can't call you up to get dinner with you when I'm in the area?"

"You absolutely can. But it's suspicious when you set it up months before. And bring your coworker with you."

"Suspicion doesn't look good on you."

"And you don't pull off mysterious well."

Logan feigned offense. "I can be mysterious."

"You're a rich white boy drinking scotch and wearing Westwood. People know everything they need to right off the bat."

"It's actually Tom Ford. But good try."

Marley bit back a smile, refraining from tearing him a new one as they seemed to approach their booth. There was someone else already there, furiously typing into her Blackberry, looking obvious to the fact that other people were present. Marley assumed this to be Logan's colleague Juno.

Before Marley could greet her, Logan put out his hand. She turned to see him shaking his head. "We're just gonna stand here," he said. "See how long it takes her to notice us."

Marley squinted at him but gave her silence as an agreement. And so, the two of them simply stood before the girl, waiting for her to look up. She continued to work and it gave Marley time to evaluate her.

Even with her head angled down, Marley could tell she was pretty. She was Asian, with gorgeous long black hair that was currently falling into her face. She had glasses resting atop her head, as if she'd need them later or as if she'd simply forgotten they were there. Her nail polish was chipped on every finger, something that Marley only noticed because of how quickly her hands were moving across the keyboard. Marley had to appreciate the work ethic. It reminded her of her own.

After a minute, Juno read over her message, eyes scanning the tiny screen before sending it off. She sighed into the booth's seat, shutting her eyes for a moment. It was then that she seemed to finally realize that someone was standing by her. She immediately jumped out of her skin.

"Fuckin' hell," she muttered. Marley had forgotten she was from London until she spoke. "You've got to get a new hobby, man. Staring at me isn't going to cut it for much longer."

Logan chuckled to himself, shrugging at her words. "Once you develop some sort of spatial awareness I'll get a new hobby," he said, sliding into her side of the booth. Juno rolled her eyes, then shifted her gaze to Marley. It immediately got a bit lighter and more polite. "Juno Bishop, this is Marley Acosta. Marley, this is Juno."

Marley gave her a wave as she moved into the opposite side. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same to you," Juno replied, giving Marley a smile. "He hasn't shut up about you since he decided to drag me along to this meeting, so it's great to finally put a face to the name."

Marley glanced over at Logan. "Meeting?"

Logan made a face and pretended not to know what they were talking about. Why was he being so weird? What the hell was going on?

Their server approached the booth before she could question him. "It looks like you guys already have drinks," she said, pointing over at Logan and Juno. "Can I get anything for you?" she asked as she turned to Marley.

She gave her a polite smile. "I'm all set, thanks." The smile completely disappeared as the waitress left. She stared at Logan with narrowed eyes. "Tell me what's going on," she ordered. Logan said nothing. "You're being weird. Why am I here?"

Logan averted his gaze, grabbing a menu on the table. "You ever been here before, Penn? Know anything good on the menu?"

Marley frowned, looking over to Juno for some sort of help. The girl hesitated. "He'll try to get me fired if I say anything."

"You went to London and became a despot just like your dad, huh, Huntzberger?"

Logan only smiled at her. "Baiting me won't get you what you want."

Marley would have sworn under her breath if she knew it wouldn't give Logan the satisfaction she knew it would. Instead, she just turned to Juno. "How do you deal with his shit all day long?"

"Xanax," Juno deadpanned, making Marley snort. "I'm kidding, but I wish I wasn't. It'd be nice to have some on me. Would make the job easier."

"When'd you start working for the company?" Marley asked.

Juno took a moment to think. "About a year ago? Maybe more?" she said. "It was right before he came in. I interned in the Spring and then was hired right after."

"And you went to...?"

"Cambridge," she answered. Marley mentally congratulated herself on remembering that one from her LinkedIn. "I studied English and Business there. It's how I got into publishing."

"That's crazy," Marley said, impressed by the girl in front of her. "You originally from London?"

"Surrey, actually. It's about forty-five minutes away from the city so technically, yes. I do live in London with my brother and his boyfriend right now, though."

"You live with your brother?" Marley said, only able to think about the chaos that would ensue if she ever had to share an apartment with Jacob.

"Unfortunately," Juno muttered. "Rent's high and I've got student loans out my ass and don't have any friends in London I can move in with. So, I live with them." Juno shrugged. "It's not too bad. He's my best friend, so we make it work."

"He older or younger?"

"Twin, actually," she answered. "But his boyfriend's a year or two older than us. And my fuckin' nightmare."

Marley gave a light-hearted chuckle, then looked over at Logan who was watching the two of them in amusement. "I'm sure it was nice to get away for a little bit," she said to Juno. "Even if it was to Philly and with this asshole. And even though you have all of those meetings."

Juno glanced at Logan as soon as the words left Marley's mouth, placing her chin on her hand and looking at him expectantly. "Yeah," she drew out. Marley didn't miss the sarcasm in her voice. "All those meetings."

Marley had had enough. She put her hands down on the table with a light slam, rattling the silverware around her. "Alright," she said shortly. "What the hell is going on?"

Juno's eyes stayed on Marley for a second, then went back to Logan. "Go ahead," she said. "Take it away, Huntzberger."

Marley's brows furrowed, unbelievably confused as she watched him shift on the other side of the booth. He moved from the relaxed position he was in to lean forward so that he was a little bit closer to her. He clasped his hands together, beating one of his thumbs on the back of his hand.

What the fuck was happening?

Logan took a breath and waited a moment before speaking. Then, "I didn't come out to Philly because we had meetings out here."

Marley nodded slowly, not understanding what he was getting at. "Okay?"

He turned to look at Juno, a small smile sliding across his lips. "We came out here because..." He trailed off, looking for the proper way to put this. "... because, well, you're our meeting, Marley."

Marley blinked at him. "I don't follow."

Logan sighed, putting his face in his hand, a habit he seemed to have picked up from the girl sitting across from him. "I told you she wouldn't get it," he said to Juno, who only chuckled. "Penn, I'm offering you a job. I want you to come work for me."

She fully understood the words he was saying, but they weren't processing for her. He... was offering her a job? He wanted to work with her? For him? With him? As a member of the fucking Huntzberger/Blackwater Publishing Group? How did... When did... What?

As Marley stared blankly at him, it finally all seemed to click for her. Logan wasn't just getting dinner with her because he'd come out here for work. She was the reason he'd come to Philly. She was the work. And he was offering her a job.

A sound finally formed on her parted lips. Words. They were called words. "You're... what?" Marley couldn't stop staring at him. "W-Wha-- Why?"

Logan laughed incredulously. "What the hell do you mean why?"

"I mean... Why?" she asked again. "Why me? Why would you... want me? Why would you come out all this way for me?"

The disbelief on his face only got more prominent. "Are you kidding me?" His voice carried through the restaurant, catching the attention of the table beside them. "Marley, I've wanted to work with you since I read your stuff for the paper. I've never met someone who's so consistently on the ball. You've got the work ethic, you've got the attitude, you've got... I just— I know you." Logan shook his head. "I know you're gonna succeed no matter where you go. But I want you to succeed with us. You deserve to work someplace that values you and knows what you're worth. We do. I do."

Marley was speechless. She truly didn't know if she could find the right words. It was happening to her a lot lately. She hoped it didn't continue. She hated the feeling of it.

She spoke after a moment of silence. "Logan... I don't— I—"

"You don't have a to give me an answer just yet," he told her, chuckling at her discomfort. "I know it's a lot. Colin told me that you took the job with Oliver, which don't get me wrong, is a great position. You'd be lucky to work there too. But I'm selfish," he said. "I know the offer he made you. And I'm fully planning on making you a better one for, frankly, a shittier starting position."

"What— What would that be?"

"Well," he began, grabbing a cocktail napkin and a pen from out of his shirt pocket. He wrote something down and spun the napkin around to face her. On it was a number that made Marley's eyes bulge out of her head. "That's what I'm willing to offer you if you're willing to be my assistant for a year."

Marley looked up at him in shock. "Your assistant?"

"For a year. To start," he said, putting his hands out. "Hear me out before you reject me."

"I literally don't know if I can speak, so keep talking."

Logan snickered. "We're upgrading our division and we're making it all bigger. Things in London have been going better than any of us expected, so we're going to need some more help. In a year." He looked Marley in the eye to make sure she was listening. "As my assistant, you'd basically be learning the ropes for my position. Believe it or not, but I'm working in marketing for publishing, which is right up your alley. After we make the move, essentially, you'll take over. And you'll have my current position. And from there, you'll work with the two of us." With humor, he added, "Technically under us. But we'll treat you like an equal."

Juno rolled her eyes. "Don't count on him for that. He barely does that for me."

While Marley had heard everything he'd said, one thing stuck out to her. It was the outrageous number he'd offered, it wasn't the absolutely amazing position he had. It was the words 'our division.' Their division. That meant...

"I'd have to move to London," she breathed. She glanced between Juno and Logan who were all looking at her with knowing smiles. "That's the one issue with all of this isn't."

"Yeah," Juno said. "There might be a couple of issues there."

"More than a couple," Marley said under her breath, feeling her throat start to tighten. God, this was so overwhelming.

Logan leaned a bit closer to her. "Penn, listen," he said, sighing softly as she looked up at him with glassy eyes. "I know why you don't want to leave. Trust me. Nobody gets that more than I do." He put his finger on the table, tapping on it softly. "But you're not gonna get an offer like this anywhere else. You're not going to get an experience like this anywhere else. You come work for me, you're connected for life. You're going to be valued for the fuckin' fantastic person you are and your talent will not go unnoticed." He sighed as she looked away. Slowly, he said, "I want you, Marley. Like I said, I've wanted to work with you for years. But I'm not gonna pressure you into this. Please. Just think about it."

Just think about it. Marley couldn't think about anything but. She huffed, blinking away the tears that had formed as the waitress finally came back to their table. "Yeah," she said, clearing her throat. "I'm gonna need that drink now."

✧

IT WAS MIDNIGHT when Marley came back to the apartment.

She'd spent the rest of the night with Logan and Juno, genuinely able to enjoy herself once everything had blown over. She ended up liking Juno way more than she had anticipated and her affinity for Logan only grew stronger. And it only made the offer linger in the back of her mind longer.

It had been a long night, and Marley finally had a chance to breathe in the cab ride back. And as she did, her head was able to clear. She was able to think clearly and things seemed to more or less... fall into place. And she genuinely thought she had made peace with it.

But then she opened the door. She opened the door and saw Jess sitting on the couch, squinting at his laptop with the lamp on the side table on and Bowie on his shoulder. It was something out a movie. Or a nightmare, as far as she was concerned.

And as soon as he smiled and greeted her in that soft sort of way he did, Marley couldn't do anything but burst into tears in front of him.

✧✧✧

author's note: FUCK ITS GOOD TO BE BACK. SORRY FOR THIS ONE. TOLD YOU THE PLOT WAS GONNA MOVE.

so yeah! you met juno! hope you like her because i am... so excited to fuckin finally announce that i'm going to be writing a logan spin-off with her as my oc!!! it'll be in the same universe as sld and it's a little experimental but holy shit i'm so excited to give it to you. i'll give u more info as we get closer to the release date but for now i hope ur excited(:

okay i'm tired i'm gonna go don't hate me y'all hope u like juno

love u all tons!
-mags