Remembering the fear and uncertainty that came from an unplanned pregnancy Lorelai takes a deep breath and just kind of stares at Rory for a minute. "wow. Okay kid, um wow, pregnant! Are you sure, I mean did you see a doctor, or just pee on a stick, or was it just an apple craving? Cause that's not very reliable kid"
"I'm sure mom 7 weeks yesterday, it's real and I thought about you know the whole Penny Dirty Dancing, Fast Times Stacy thing but I don't want to, I'm twice the age you were when you had me and so there's no reason I can't do it"
"I know you can do it, no doubt you're a Gilmore Girl. Sorry Rory I gotta ask, who's the father?" Rory looks at Lorelai and presses her lips together.
"I'm not sure I want to say, if I never tell anyone than only I know, I'm not sure I'm gonna tell him, I mean I could swear Paris to secrecy tell everyone I wanted a baby and went to her, and she secured me some grade A ….man stuff"
Lorelai scoffs and giggles "man Stuff? How about kid protein juice, or DNA Paste, or…"
"MOM! Whatever we call it…DNA paste? Really? Whatever problem solved no dad. No disappointed kid waiting on a dad that never comes through and when he does come around throws our lives into chaos"
"that's not fair"
"it is fair from this kids point of view it's entirely fair, I loved our lives growing up I wouldn't want to change it but the stuff with Dad, I don't want that for my kid. I just want my kid to have a Luke"
"aww that's sweet Rory, but just so you know I'm not telling Luke, you have to tell him yourself, all of it. Now come here grandchild vessel, let me hold you."
A week has passed and Rory has travelled to New York to see Paris, walking down the hall towards Paris' office Rory hears the unmistakable sound of crying, she knocks gently on the door to spare whoever from Paris' current lashing.
"come in" Paris yells Rory steps into the office as a young reception runs out.
"you've got to calm down Paris this stress isn't good for you"
"Rory you're the only one that cares, so what can I do for you, you need cash? You would be an amazing surrogate people would pay top dollar, even if you just let us harvest a few eggs let someone else carry you could make bank"
"ah, thanks? I need to talk to you as my friend, and need to know how much you could help me with a current situation" Paris quicky shows concern and sits down behind her desk.
"please Rory sit, can I get you anything coffee"
"no, thanks no coffee"
"no coffee? My god Gilmore you're pregnant! That horrible forgettable guy, Pat lets' hope you child isn't forgettable"
"no, I mean yes, no just listen ok?" Paris nods her head while Rory smooths her skirt. "yes, I'm pregnant. At this time I'm weighing some options. I may want to raise this baby entirely on my own, I haven't decided if I will tell the father, so for now please don't ask. If you are willing and able to help and depending on how much you need to know you may gather enough information to ascertain who the father is. If that becomes the case I need your word Paris no one not even Lorelai is ever told who the child's father is can you do that?"
"Rory lets be honest for a moment yes? You are the only true friend I have ever had, for that reason I will do whatever is in my power to help. I will keep your secret and will try my hardest not to hunt down the man whore who did this to you and left you alone to raise your child much like the childhood you endured yourself."
"I'm choosing this, maybe…I haven't decided, but thank you Paris, you are the best friend I never knew I needed."
"so what is it you want me to do? You have already conceived that's pretty much where my involvement ends I've never handled an adoption but I will research it and see what needs done."
"I'm not looking for adoption services if I choose to not tell the father, could you create a file that shows I was inseminated here by an anonymous one time donor?"
"Done. Time frame as close as you can get to conception so that I can doctor the files create an appointment slot for you, I can even create an after-hours one if nessacary."
"I am 8 weeks, push it forward a few days so that it doesn't fall on the weekend, it might be possible to trace that exact date so if we push it a few days it was just an ordinary day" Paris and Rory hug and Rory leaves feeling a relief she hasn't felt since she realized that she was a mother. What if she was making the wrong choice was this really her choice to make, then she'd remember all the times she waited for Christopher to come through and he rarely did, or how he'd call her mom or her mom would call him and everything would go to shit in their world. She decided she was going to tell Luke tonight, she'd make dinner, a real balanced grown up dinner something that Luke would cook, to show him she could do this. Luke has to know before the rest of the town.
On the way back to Stars Hallow Rory called the inn and told Lorelai she was making dinner for them so it was important that Luke be home by 7. Lorelai called the diner and promised all kinds of naughty things if he would be home by 7. Luke being Luke brought food from the diner home for dinner but the house smelled like Porkchops, green beans, mashed potatoes, confusing him and when he turned the corner into the kitchen he saw a salad on the table and Rory in an apron, reminding him of the night he came over to help Lorelai look for a chick and caught Rory dressed as Donna Reed making Dean dinner.
"hello Donna, I'm sorry I didn't know you were making dinner tonight I'll put this stuff in the fridge"
"don't!" yelled Lorelai "I'll eat it Rory made grown up food. YUCK."
"Mom, I asked you to call Luke and make sure he was home for dinner tonight, what if he wouldn't have come home until 10 dinner would have been ruined"
"relax I called and promised him all kinds of naughty things if he was home by 7"
"Lorelai." Luke was embarrassed "don't say stuff like that in front of her"
"yeah" Rory added indignantly "and don't think I missed the Donna Reed remark. Mom's been humming the theme song all night, will you two ever let that go" Luke looked at Rory and smiled.
"a parents right, you'll always be Donna Reed when you wear an apron" Rory got teary eyed and hugged Luke. Luke looked over her head at Lorelai like what the hell, Lorelai just shrugged. The three of them sat down and had a nice meal and conversation flowed as usual, only at this table could a conversation about town going ons, morph into how many times can Hollywood turn out the same stuff, to the moon landing being fake, to bop-it, to kindergarten to it's time.
"Luke, I need to talk to you about something important, life changing" Rory started
"your book is being published!"
"no, I haven't even finished it yet, this is hard, harder than I thought." Rory took a minute to compose herself " You know I think of you as my dad right?" Luke smiled
"yeah" then he looked at Lorelai "you're recording this aren't you she's gonna ask me to adopt her and I'm gonna cry like a baby and you're gonna turn it into one of those ridiculous videos."
"no." Lorelai smiled and squeezed his hand across the table.
"I'd be honored to have you adopt me Luke but that's not what tonight is about, I'm preg…I'm go…I'm having a baby." Luke was stunned he just sat there staring, then his face got hard and then it began to get red, and suddenly Luke was on his feet
"that bastard Paul!"
"now you remember his name" Rory said
"I'm gonna kill him, he, he and Rory and now, now she's, she can't Lorelai she can't have a baby. She's Rory she's our Rory she can't be a mom."
"She already is a mom, Luke. And she's 33 a perfectly respectable age to become a mother." Rory was crying
"I'm sorry Luke, I didn't mean to get…to be it just happened, and I lo.. I love my baby, and I don't regret it I'm just sorry I disappointed you."
"what are you going to do Rory, what's your plan?"
"well, okay I've been thinking a lot and I know before the baby comes I want to find an apartment or something. I think I want to stay in stars hallow at least for the first couple years that way I have everyone here to help."
"so Pete's moving here?"
"no. no one is moving here, I'm not sure I'm going to tell the father so discussing Paul or anyone else is pointless."
"Rory. You have to tell him, he deserves to know" Luke argued
"no Luke, my child deserves love and attention and not to be left hanging all the time or having their life constantly interrupted every time he rides into town."
"I missed 12 years with April, all of the firsts, all the things that made her April. It wasn't right what Anna did. And yes Christopher failed at being there, but he loves you, you always knew that. April didn't know that until she was almost 13 after we had a year to build a relationship."
"what about how our lives always got turned upside down because of him."
"your life got upside down because…Lorelai" Luke looked to Lorelai
"Because I couldn't tell Max or anyone else it wasn't right, if it was right he wouldn't have messed it up so bad, what I felt for Chris at 16 was stronger than anything until Luke"
"what about your time apart, and then you married him you married Dad"
"I had to see if it could work because I was hurting from losing Luke I was trying to find anything that dulled the pain. It wasn't right either. Don't let my mistakes dictate your life kid. And besides there were crazy forces at play against Luke and I Emily Gilmore was a pro at trying to force me to be something I wasn't I just never fit into her boxes and I stopped trying, so she used other people to try to push me into them. No one's as skilled as her, anything less wouldn't have hurt Luke and I"
"Mitchum could." Rory mumbled
"What! Rory! Logan!" Luke yelled.
"I can't think about this anymore tonight, please." Luke walked over and wrapped his arms around Rory.
"Just talk to April before you make your final pro con list okay, you know everything there is to know about the kid who's dad wouldn't be a dad, get the other side from the kid who's dad couldn't be a dad."
"okay and why does everyone mock my pro con list"
"and the apartment over the diner is available for you and the baby either way."