A/N: Thank you for taking the time to read and review my little story, I appreciate it! I posted an author's note on my LJ (link is once again on my profile).
Epilogue
Jason and Jennifer sat at a table outside a café with a stroller parked between them. A breeze rustled the orange leaves in the trees, blowing a few onto their table. Xavier picked them up and examined them before tossing them on the ground. He hopped up to rush over to the stroller.
"What are you doing?" Jenny asked.
"I saw some leaves fall in. I'm getting them out," he explained. He was wearing an overcoat, which wasn't odd at the moment, as they were outside. But he wore it inside as well. It didn't matter what he was doing—eating, watching television, playing in his room. He had on the overcoat. Jenny didn't even know where it came from. He just seemed to have found it in the back of his closet one day and put it on for the long haul.
Why don't you take off your coat and stay a while, she would ask him. He preferred to keep it on.
"You're such an attentive big brother," she told him when he went back to his seat. "Are you finished with your breakfast?"
"Yeah. Can I have more juice? I'm still thirsty."
"All right, I could go for some more too," she said. She asked Jason, "Do you want more coffee?"
He sat down the newspaper down so he could lift his cup. "Yes, please. Do you want to split a muffin?"
"Sure." She looked at their son. "Can you come help me carry it all?" She followed him inside the café and placed their order. A woman came in behind them and took her turn when they'd moved to the side to wait. She had dark brown hair and dazzling blue eyes. Jenny recognized the woman from her large engagement announcement a couple years prior. She had taken a close look, knowing exactly who Lorelai Gilmore was.
Floyd mentioned her on occasion. Jenny wasn't sure if it was to make her crazy, or if he was just making conversation about his colleague's daughter. Considering it was Floyd, she assumed it was the former, which wasn't to say it wasn't perfectly good gossip. She'd be lying if the femme fatale didn't intimidate her. Jason hadn't wanted to breakup with Lorelai Gilmore.
Jenny had to remind herself there were flaws in his logic. He wasn't as mature as he thought he was at the time. There had actually been more than one notice of matrimonial news about the woman. It would seem she had some difficulty settling down. It was silly to worry that Lorelai was ever serious about Jason. If anything, their commitment fears fit together comfortably.
At the counter, Lorelai was talking a mile a minute, explaining why she really needed something that wasn't openly available at the moment. She pleaded and asked for an exception to be made for her until the man behind the register stuck his head in the back to ask someone else. When he returned with something in a brown paper bag, Lorelai was all charm and smiles.
Xavier turned to hold Jenny's arm with both hands, bringing her back to the present. "Can I get some coffee?"
"Mm, why don't you ask Dad for a sip of his and see if you like it first."
His shoulders quickly dropped and he pouted. Jenny mirrored the face back at him.
Nearby, Lorelai watched the interaction. She commented, "I think my daughter was up to a half a pot a day by the time she was his age."
Jenny looked up at her, offering a modest smile. "That sounds very grown up for a seven year old."
"She's actually always been the grown up between the two of us. Now she's a real grown up. She just turned twenty-four. She has a real job and everything—she's been following Obama's campaign for an online magazine," Lorelai said proudly. "She's a big time journalist now."
"Exciting." Jenny opened her mouth to mention her brother was the same age, but she was cut off.
"It really is," Lorelai said, blue eyes shining. "Everyone—and I mean literally everyone who knows her—we all knew she was going to go out in the world and do great things, and now she is. She's doing it." Lorelai smiled in amazement of her daughter.
Jenny said, "The campaign is ending soon. Does she know what she's going to do next?"
"She's keeping her options open," Lorelai said enthusiastically. "But she won't have any problem finding her next adventure. With a national campaign under her belt, any newspaper editor with half a brain will be clamoring for her to come write for them. I'm going to be beating them off my front porch, I'm sure. I'm investing in a big stick, actually."
That wasn't the reality in the journalism world, Jenny knew, but she forced a tight smile and held her tongue. "Well, wish her luck."
"She won't need any, but thank you."
When Lorelai's smaller order was ready first, she picked up her coffee cup and looked down at the name that was scribbled on the side. She smiled tightly. "You almost spelled my name right, too."
Jenny glanced at the cup, seeing 'Lorelei' in black marker. The woman went over to the counter where the sugar and creamer were located.
"Stiles," the barista called, setting a cup tray on the counter, along with a muffin on a plate.
Lorelai had been mid-sip, but stopped and coughed. She looked around to see who answered to the order and covered her mouth as she coughed a few more times.
"Are you okay?" Jenny asked as she and Xavier joined her at the counter.
"Oh, yeah. I just heard your name and thought you were someone I know. But I was wrong—different Stiles." Lorelai didn't stop there. "Unless you got a sex change."
Jenny frowned slightly, wondering if she really just said that. "No sex change. I'm not Jason."
"Jason Stiles, right. Are you related to him?"
"Kind of." Jenny ripped open a pink packet and took off the lid of Jason's coffee to stir in the sweetener.
Lorelai looked at Xavier again, more closely now. He was pulling more napkins than necessary from the dispenser. Her brow creased as she tilted her head. "Wow, he looks just like Jason." She snapped her fingers. "Oh I remember, he has a nephew. You must be married to his brother."
"No, but you're getting warmer," Jenny answered, picking up the tray and heading for the door. Xavier went first, backing into the door since his hands were full, and held it open for her. He politely stayed in place to allow Lorelai to follow before he went ahead to their table.
Lorelai saw Jason accept the muffin and shifted her gaze back to Jenny. "Oh. You're married to Jason."
"I am, since last December. We dated previously," she added, providing the only explanation for their older son, not wanting it to sound like a cheap soap opera plot. At the sound of a baby starting to cry, Jenny looked over quickly. Jason peered into the stroller and lifted the baby out, cradling her in his left arm.
It was on that first date that Jason had asked, "How many kids do you want?" He was browsing his menu and asked as though inquiring if she wanted to order an appetizer.
"What?" she'd asked, surprised.
He lifted his gaze then to repeat the question, and added, "Please don't say four."
She smirked. "So five? I get it, you're fertile, that doesn't mean you have to show off."
He nodded with a grin and took a sip of wine.
She thought about it and said, "Two."
"Two more, or two total?"
"Total."
"So only one more. That sounds reasonable."
Intrigued, she asked, "Are you going to change diapers?"
He leveled a look at her. "If I say I don't know how, will that work?"
"Has it ever before?"
"No."
She grinned slowly. "That's right."
At the sight of the baby's light pink onesie and white cap, Lorelai's eyes softened. She stated, "You have a baby girl."
"Yes we do. She's almost four months old."
"You didn't waste any time," Lorelai commented.
That was true. The ring did come first, but only just. Jenny smiled warmly over at her family. Their table was under the branches of a couple trees that lined the sidewalk, the orange leaves swirling around a bit. It was a nice day for fall, sunny though cool enough to pull her tweed blazer over her cable knit sweater. It still wasn't cold enough for a damn overcoat—fully buttoned!
Jason said something to Xavier, and the boy pointed to the two women. His eyes found Jenny first, and then they shifted to Lorelai. He waved in surprise at his ex-girlfriend, and she smiled and waved back. When the baby fussed again, he turned his attention back to her, reaching for a pacifier from the stroller.
"Uh—wow," Lorelai said, still shocked by the sight of Jason Stiles sitting calmly at a table with small children. "You have a beautiful family."
"Thank you. I should get back," Jenny said, holding up the tray of drinks.
"Oh, right, of course," Lorelai said.
Jenny walked over and reclaimed her seat.
Jason glanced up at her and accepted his coffee. "What did you talk about with Lorelai?"
"Not too much. She did most of the talking."
He nodded and looked back at their daughter, adjusting the blanket around her little legs. "That sounds right."
She looked over at Xavier. "Did you ask him?"
"Ask me what?"
He looked at his dad. "Can I try your coffee? I can have some if I like it."
"Absolutely. Here you go." Jason handed over his fresh cup. He and Jenny both watched their son take a drink. His nose scrunched up and he reluctantly swallowed.
"Do you like it?" Jenny asked, poorly hiding her smile and trying not to laugh.
Xavier was still for a second, before slowly nodding.
Jason asked, "Do you want a whole cup?"
The boy lifted his head to nod again, but then shook his head instead.
Jason took his cup back. "You probably like yours black."
Once recovered, Xavier asked, "Daddy, what's a sex change?"
Both adults stared at him. The corner of Jenny's mouth quirked up.
Jason asked, "Where did you hear about—?" He closed his eyes for a second, pained. "Lorelai?"
"Mm-hmm," Jenny said. "She tried really hard to work out who I am in relation to you. I'm almost sure wife was going to be her third guess. Now, the boy asked a question." She patted him on the shoulder. "Go ahead."
Fin
