The strange foursome sat around the Christmas tree in Rory's brand new New York apartment, staring at the large box that Rory had just opened. Rory pasted on her new pseudo-smile, the one that her fiance, Peter, had not detected as farce quite yet...but she was sure he would be picking up on it very soon. Especially because she would have to get around to telling him of her aversion for the device he had so carefully thought to purchase for her this holiday with Luke and her mother. This...infernal device that had taken the nation by storm. There was one in the kitchen of every self-professed coffee-aficionado.
"Babe, this is...so thoughtful!" she complimented truthfully, tipping the box back to mock-admire.
"A Keurig!" Lorelai exclaimed, catching Rory's eye, a similar grin stenciled to her face. Luke kneaded his wife's shoulder, calming down the tension that had appeared at the unwrapping of the scary new-wave coffee-maker. Peter was woefully unaware of the heightened emotions in the room, smiling and moving for a new gift to hand out.
As soon as the tree festivities had completed, the women moved the box into the kitchen staring at the machine as it sat out in all it's glory. "I don't know about this. There's something oddly unsettling about the single serve portions, I mean what happens when you want a jumbo-cup? You're completely out of luck."
"It's sacrilege," Lorelai confirmed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Heresy," Rory agreed mimicking her actions. "Should we burn it?"
"Come on, kid. I taught you better than that," Lorelai answers pointing to the window. "You're twelve stories up, toss it out the window. Less evidence after the fact."
"Have you ever actually tried one?" Rory asked, adding water to the tank. "Maybe it's not all bad."
"And maybe Vlad the Impaler was just an artist with odd tastes," she says cocking her head to the side as the machine begins to whir, groan and hiss out a cup of coffee. "Ok, for the sake of not being totally and completely prejudice, then I will try it, but I'm not convinced."
They prepare two cups with the weird mini-coffee-grind filled K-cups that were supposed to make a decent up of joe. After a half-hearted clink, they both take a gulp, immediately spewing the hot liquid back into their cups.
"The hell is that?"
"Definitely not coffee!"
"Worse the essence of coffee lingering in the background, teasing but not pleasing."
"No flavor value at all, I'm slightly miffed."
"Slightly miffed? Try royally pissed," she says, dramatically dumping the "coffee" down the drain. "They charge you the price of your first born for liquid cup of flavored mud. I think we should write to the company."
"Screw that, I have connections now. I'm thinking global campaign," following her mother's lead and pouring out her cup.
"I take it the Keurig was a disappointment?" Peter enters the room, smirk evident. The Gilmore girls remain silent as he moves to put an arm around Rory. She opens her mouth to retort, so he prevents the onslaught with a kiss. "No. Don't bother. When your morning coffee is akin to a spiritual experience, I should have expected the thing to fall a little short. We'll return it tomorrow."
"Good man," Lorelai complimented, patting Pete on the shoulder and heading back to the living room.
She moved to his lap, coiling an arm about his neck. "So, did you try the Keurig?"
"Yes and that name is now forbidden from conversation hence forth. And I'm thinking we should start protests,"
"Against Keurig?"
"It besmirches the holy name of coffee," she says this in response to her husband, but stares at the hand resting on her stomach.
"I think I coulda told ya that," Luke answers, placing a hand comfortably around her waist. He notices Rory entering once again, joy palpable. "You wanna wait to tell her?"
She quickly whips her head to the side. "No, now is perfect. Hey, kid!" she says pulling a bag from under the pillows. "This is the last one."
The couple cocked an eyebrow as Rory sat down to open the little bag. Unwrapping the small item, she withdrew a tiny, bright blue espresso cup. She grinned at the size and the irony of Peter's previous gift until her eyes settled on the words etched into the side... Big Sister. There was silence as everyone in the room processed the words. Rory looked to her mother, her confidante and rock throughout her life. "Are you – "
"Yeah, I am." At this admission, there is a squeal as Rory jumps into her mother's arms and sits in her lap like when she was young. Rory gives Luke a hug before returning her limbs about her mother's neck, the both of them pouring tears like Washington rainfall. The men slowly back out of the room, leaving the women to their moment alone.
At six years old, Gigi was ever-present in Rory's life, but this was different. This was Lorelai's child and Rory was going to be a big sister again.