Lorelai and Jess' Baby

Chapter 1

"Hello?" I asked shortly into my cell phone as I sorted through a pile of papers.

"Jess?" I paused.

"Lorelai?"

"Yea…uh"

"As in the Lorelai that hates my guts Lorelai?" I said, efficiantly cutting her off.

"Yea, uh, listen Jess, this is…hard,"

"What? Why?"

"It's about…" she trailed off again. My mind jumped to the worst, why else would Lorelai call?

"Rory?"

"Yea. See…she was…"

"Was…?" I prompted.

"Pregnant. And married. And see…"

"Married?" I asked shocked.

"Yeah. Married." She sighed, as if having this conversation was causing her physical pain.

Married? The word raced through my head until it was a blur.

"Lemme guess, blond dick at Yale, right?" I spat out bitterly.

Lorelai let out a strangled laugh, "Yep. That's the one. God he was a jackass…" she trailed off, remembering

"And he got her pregnant?"

"Yeah." She sighed again. "They had been married two years."

"So, got hitched right after her graduation, huh?"

"Uh huh."

"Lorelai, come on, what's this about? You wouldn't call just to chat."

"Sorry. This is just…hard, alright?"

"Okay, just…spit it out," I said, gesturing, forgetting she couldn't see it.

"Rory…"

"Is she alright?" I asked alarmed.

"She's dead."

Time froze.

The world stopped.

The phone dropped.

A million memories rushed past.

Bridge, Howl, post-its, prom, Luke's couch, her couch, Indian food, cigarettes, Almost Famous, The Clash, Dodger, winter carnival, concert, car, bus, pay phone.

"Hello?" I heard Lorelai call distantly, it sounded like she was crying.

In a daze, I picked up the phone.

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you Jess" was the last thing I heard before hanging up the phone, grabbing my keys and walking out the door.

"Lorelai?" I yelled as I banged through the front door three hours and thirty-seven minutes later.

Luke appeared in the hall, looking the same as always but with a different glint in his eyes this time.

"Is…is she really…gone?" I asked weakly. I had tried to convince myself it was all a lie, all a joke the whole drive down.

Luke nodded once.

Tears sprung to my eyes. I didn't bother wiping them away as I felt my keys drop from my hands.

I think Luke had a few tears in his eyes as well but I didn't stop to notice. I spun on my heel and kicked the door.

Suddenly, I couldn't stand even being in this hallway, the setting of so many conversations was in this house and I opened the door roughly and stomped down the stairs, kicking them harshly when I reached the bottom.

"God dammit!" I yelled through my tears. "God fucking dammit!"

I buried my face in my hands, in absolute defeat. Then felt a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"Why? Fucking dammit. Why?" I whispered.

I don't know how long we stood there, but finally, I managed to get myself under a small amount of control. I wiped my face harshly and turned to face Luke.

"Where's…" I started weakly. I coughed. "Where's Lorelai?"

"She's at my old apartment. We've been staying there…ever since…she…she says it's too hard here." Luke struggled through the words.

I nodded in understanding. I wouldn't want to ever see this place again either.

"Come on, she needs to talk to you." Turning to leave.

"Right," I mumbled, showing no signs of movement.

"Come on, there's a lot you still don't know," he said and turned and walked away, not bothering to see if I was following.

"Huh? What else?" I thought and then started after him.

"Lorelai?" Luke called as he opened the door to the old apartment.

"Hey" she said as she came around the corner from where the main bed was. She was trying to hide the fact she had been crying but gave up when she saw me and rushed towards us. Luke held his arms open for her but she brushed past him and hugged me tightly.

Luke and I exchanged bemused glances and then he gave me a well-do-something look.

I awkwardly put my arms around her and whispered what I hoped to be comforting words into her ear.

"My baby," she whispered over and over. "I was supposed to go first…she, she never got to be the Reigning Lorelai…it wasn't supposed to be like this…"

"Shhhhh," Luke whispered as he gently pried her away from me and held her. I uneasily patted her shoulder as Luke whispered to her.

Whatever he said, it seemed to give Lorelai some sense of control and she wiped her eyes quickly, giving Luke a weak smile.

"Jess, we need to talk" she said, sighing and turning towards me.

"About…" I coughed. "About the funeral?"

"Not exactly…uh, Luke?" she looked to him for help (what help I had no idea.)

"Let's sit down."

We sat at the table, looking like we were waiting for our last meals. Lorelai kept giving Luke pleading glances but he just gestured, wordlessly telling her to just say it—whatever it was.

"Jess," Lorelai started and sighed heavily. Taking a deep breath she tried again, "Jess, you remember me saying that Rory was pregnant?"

I nodded.

"Well…that's how…she, you know."

"She died during labor? No. that's…that's crazy. People don't die in labor. Not anymore. She…no." I rambled, not able to complete a thought.

"I know. But, it was just…one of those things."

I nodded again, defeated.

"She…she left us the baby."

"Us?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Me and you."

"But…but, but what about Logan? Isn't he the father?"

Lorelai shot Luke a quick glance, I took almost no notice of it I was so stricken.

"In normal cases, he would get custody, but she stated otherwise in her will."

"Her will?" When did she make a will? What twenty-five year old makes a will?

"Yes, apparently she got one done right before she married Logan. It states that any children she might have will go to me and you. Not just me, not just you, we both have to raise the baby."

"But, that's crazy; I don't know a thing about babies…"

"There's no getting around it. She had her lawyer—a damn good one by the way—close all the loopholes. Even the Mighty Huntzbugers couldn't find a way around it."

Luke snorted. I glanced it him and he shrugged, arms still folded.

A feeble cry pierced the air

"I just put her down," Lorelai muttered as she got up and went to the main bedroom area.

"Shhhhh…hey sweetheart…shhhhh, I'm here," she cooed to the small pink bundle.

She brought hr to where I was sitting and held her out to me.

"Oh, no, I'm not too good with…"

"Well then it's a great time to start. You've got to raise one" she said, sufficiently cutting me off and placing the infant in my arms

I looked from Lorelai to Luke to Lorelai for help. Lorelai just gestured to the baby.

I looked down. She was beautiful, pale, porcelain skin with rosy undertones. The longest lashes I had ever seen on a baby, not that I had seen too many. She already had a crown of dark hair with hands not able to hold a quarter.

I smiled dumbly at her, I'd never really seen a baby this close before.

Her eyes blinked open and she stared at me.

I was in love.

"What's her name?" I asked, not once looking away from the infant.

"Emily Rose Lorelai Gilmore. Rory, Rory said she'd have to be the Reigning Lorelai, and wear the crown and the cape." She paused and smiled weakly to herself, a shadow of the woman she used to be flickered across her face. I knew them well enough to know it was another one of their inside jokes that the pair had shared. "And then Emily, for my mom, Rory never wanted anyone left out. And Rose because she wanted her daughter 'to always have flowers in her life.'" Lorelai finished, smiling softly at Emily.

"Is Emma okay? You know, for short?" I asked, looking up at Lorelai. She had tears in her eyes and etched down her cheeks, not once looking away from her grand-daughter.

I looked to Luke for his agreement and he nodded as if sensing me because he too never looked away from Emma.

Her eyes I realized later were the exact same shade of blue as Rory's.