A/N: This 'scene' started out as one thing and morphed into something else. It ties into both #1 and #4 in this series, in case you hadn't realised from the date :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see 1.)

20. Two by Two by Two - 23rd March 2006

It was almost midnight and Jess was very deliberately awake. He would have expected Rory not to be sleeping right now either, but they kind of had a big day and he could certainly understand her being tired. It had come to light that they were expecting another baby. Sure, Rory was only a few weeks into her pregnancy at most, but before this year was through, they would have two kids. Jess would be a father for a second time. Quite honestly, he wasn't so sure he was used to being one child's Daddy yet.

Jack was amazing though. Jess didn't think he could ever love anyone as much as he loved Rory, and then their son had come into the picture, two years ago to the day.

Jess thought about waking her. After all, last year, Rory had been very insistent about starting a tradition with Jack and keeping it going every year. It had started with Lorelai going into Rory's room every birthday morning at the very moment she was born and relating the story of her birth. Rory wanted to do the same thing with their son, and so Jack had the tale of his coming into the world told to him within a minute of his turning one year old.

Rory had suggested that night, after they got back into bed, that maybe when Jack turned two, Jess could tell his side of the birth story. He had taken the comment as something and nothing, not really making a plan based on it. Now it seemed like a great idea to get up and go do this thing. He pondered on waking Rory for a minute longer and then decided against. She had gone through a roller-coaster of emotions already today over her new pregnancy, and tomorrow was going to be pretty crazy with all the birthday celebrations for Jack. Jess figured Rory would be fine, even grateful, with being allowed to sleep on.

Moving quickly and quietly out of the bed, Jess padded along to Jack's room without a sound. He opened the door and found the kid was already wide awake, standing up in his crib with a grin on his face, just as if he had been expecting company.

"Hey, kid," his father greeted him in a whisper, coming further into the room and lifting Jack up out of his crib. "We're gonna have to think about getting you a real bed soon, huh?"

Jack made some sort of garbled reply and clung to Jess. He was tired it seemed, and yet determined to be awake for whatever reason. There was no telling the reason with this kid. He was as unpredictable as his mother, that was for sure, and the only person in the world Jess could love as much as he loved Rory.

"You know what day today is, little man?" he asked Jack then.

"Day... Birthday?" he asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

"That's right, it's your birthday," said Jess, kissing his head as it dropped onto his shoulder. "Today's the day you are two years old. For you, that's a big deal, but for me and your mom, it seems like just two minutes ago that you were born," he sighed, rocking his son in his arms as he recalled the day so clearly. "Y'know, it's not cool for guys to be scared. Us men, we're supposed to be tough, but when we had to take your mom to the hospital with you and she was.. well, she was going through a lot," he said, realising that talk of pain and screaming was only likely to upset Jack. "I was terrified something was going to go wrong. That your mom was going to... That something was going to go wrong," he repeated so softly it would be amazing if even Jack heard.

Jess bit his lip and took a deep breath. He wasn't really the type to cry, but there were times when it inevitably happened. Mostly he was alone when the moment overtook him. Right now, there was only Jack to bear witness if he broke down, and even then the kid was mostly asleep in his arms. At least, he thought it was just the two of them until the door seemed to inch open of its own accord.

"Hey," said Rory in a whisper.

"Hey," Jess replied though there was a shake in his voice even speaking just the one word. Swallowing hard, he continued. "I didn't think you'd want me to wake you. Sorry."

"It's fine," she smiled, pushing her hair off her face as she shuffled further into the room. "Hey, Jack. Happy birthday, baby," she told her son, a hand at his back.

"Momma?" he mumbled, lifting his head.

"Yeah, Momma's here. Daddy too," she told him happily. "How's my little two year old man?"

The great big yawn that came out of Jack right then proved he was much more tired than he would like to be. Jess wasted no time in putting his son back in his bed and pulling the covers up over him.

"Go ahead and sleep, kid," he urged him. "There's plenty of time to celebrate later."

Rory moved up close next to Jess until his arm went automatically around her shoulders and pulled her to him. They stood there a while, both just looking down on their son who they couldn't love more.

"You were telling him the birth story, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Jess admitted without looking at Rory yet. "I didn't get too far. Honestly, I didn't know what to say. Just thinking about you that night, how tough it was on you and I felt so useless-"

"You were not useless," said Rory sharply, immediately regretting her volume when Jack squirmed in his crib.

She took hold of Jess' hand then and led him from Jack's room to their own. Back in their own bed, she could say all that she wanted to, whether Jess wanted to hear it or not.

"That night, I was terrified, Jess. I wanted our baby and I knew it was my job to bring him into the world, but I'm not going to lie, the pain was bad and I was scared. What got me through it was you," she told him, words she had spoken before but somehow he never quite managed to believe it.

"You'd have coped without me." He shook his head. "In my absence, Lorelai was on hand, Luke, your grandparents."

"You don't have to tell me how blessed I am with people who love me, I know," Rory assured him. "But Jess, I didn't want any of those people with me then. I wanted you. I always want you," she reminded him, her hands holding his face, making him look at her when he tried to turn away. "Why is that still so hard for you to understand sometimes?" she asked him desperately. "I love you, you dope!"

"Oh, I'm a dope now?" he checked with a smirk that came naturally.

"Sometimes, yes," she confirmed very seriously. "But it's okay, because that's part of you, and I love all of you," she promised, moving in closer and kissing his lips. "I also love that you were even trying to keep up the tradition I started last year," she smiled widely.

"You told your story last year, so I tried to tell mine," he shrugged. "Wasn't quite so easy from my side."

"It's fine" Rory assured him. "It's the thought that counts, and as awful as it probably sounds to you, I had no idea what you went through that day."

"Why would you? You had enough to deal with," he reminded her, pulling her comfortably into his embrace. "And you were amazing. You always are. When this baby comes, at least we'll know what to expect this time around."

"Two babies," said Rory thoughtfully, her head on his chest. "We can handle it, right?"

"Of course we can," Jess promised, kissing her hair. "Besides, by the time this kid comes along, Jack will be a little older, and we've got an entire town backing us up no matter what. We'll be just fine."

"Yeah," Rory agreed sleepily. "I hope Jack likes the idea of having a little brother or sister, but I'm glad we decided not to tell him or anybody else yet. Tomorrow is his day, I don't want to make any announcements until after."

"And this is why you're the best mom in the world," said Jess softly.

Rory smiled at his sweet words but didn't have the energy to answer. She was so tired and fell asleep again within a minute. Jess lay awake a while longer, fingers absently running through Rory's hair as he thought about what came before and what was yet to come. It was a scary time when Jack was born, but it was also the most amazing moment of his life to see his son brought into the world.

Now they were headed into another adventure, another member of their crazy family. There really wasn't room in the apartment for a second kid. As it was they had kind of conjured a separate room for Jack by turning what should really be an oversized storage closet into a little room. He already needed more space, and the new baby would take up more. They were really only in New Haven in the first place so Rory could go to Yale more easily. Everybody who loved them, their jobs, their world was in Stars Hollow.

"Hey, Ror," said Jess, nudging her awake.

"Hmm," she replied, still at least half-asleep. "What?"

"I was just thinking... I know you love this apartment, and we really made it a home, but what do you think about maybe moving back to Stars Hollow before this baby comes along?"

Rory's eyes were open wide in a second as she lifted her head and stared at him. Jess could not be serious, she was sure, and yet he sure didn't look as if he were kidding.

"Could we?"

"Why not?" he shrugged easily at her question. "Between what the diner makes and what we earn from working, even with another kid on the way, I think we could maybe put a down payment on one of the smaller houses in town. Property prices aren't exactly sky high in the Hollow, we need the space, and we'd be closer to Luke and Lorelai..."

That was as far as Jess got in painting the pretty picture of living in Stars Hollow before Rory flung herself on top of him, her lips pressed firmly against his own. Jess hadn't had a chance to breathe before the assault of her kiss, not that he was about to complain, but he came out of it gasping.

"I'm guessing you like the idea," he said when he could finally speak.

"I love it!" Rory enthused. "And I love you," she repeated, punctuating each word with a kiss to his face. "Oh, Jess! I have loved living here and it has been a home, kind of, but not really. It always felt like... like we were just waiting to go back to our real home."

"Agreed," said Jess with a lop-sided smile. "As much as I hate to admit it, that crack-pot town is where we belong."

"Amen!" said Rory happily, settling down comfortably into his arms again.

Jess kissed the top of her head and let his eyes fall shut. Now they were both happy with where the future was headed, they could afford to sleep a little while.