Rory trudged through the snow, wondering when it would stop falling. New Haven was blanketed in nearly fourteen inches of snow already and the skies were showing no signs of letting up. Even her mother, who was normally a fan of the stuff, was beginning to wish for a standstill as it was delaying construction at the annex.

When Rory reached her destination, she kicked snow off her boots before walking up onto the porch and ringing the doorbell.

"Come on in!" she heard Lane call from somewhere inside.

Rory opened the door and took a step inside the house. "Hello? Lane?"

Her best friend rounded the corner, a knife in her hand. "Come on in," she said before turning on a heel and marching back into the kitchen.

Rory followed her, coming to a stop in the doorway. "What is going on in here?" Every available surface—the counters, table, and even some of the chairs—were overrun with tomatoes. "It's like I've walked into the beginnings of a Veggie Tales horror movie."

Lane walked over to the counter, back to the half-cut tomato on the chopping board. "I decided to make tomato sauce."

"For the whole town?"

"They were on clearance," Lane said. "Taylor was just going to throw them out."

"Okay."

Lane sighed. "I figured I could save some money by making my own tomato sauce. Get a few dinners out of it, at least."

Rory's eyes flicked around. "Do you need help?"

"Please." Lane grabbed a knife and cutting board, handing both to Rory.

Rory turned in place, trying to find an open spot on which to work. Finally, she went to the table and began to stack tomatoes on top of each other until she had enough room. "So what are you saving for?" she asked as she sliced into the first tomato, finding it overripe and mushy.

Lane gave her a long look before saying, "Don't laugh, but we're thinking of recording an album."

"You are?"

"I know we're old and will probably never reach rock star status, but it's something, you know? At the end of the day, it's about making music."

"I think it's a great idea," Rory said with an encouraging smile.

"You do?" Lane asked, her eyebrows furrowed. "You don't think we're lame for desperately clinging to a dream that's already passed us by?"

"Of course not. You guys are good. Frankly, I don't know why you never thought of recording until now."

"Because studio time—and I mean a real recording studio that's not in someone's mom's basement with Dora the Explorer microphones—is ridiculously expensive."

"How much do you need?"

Lane sighed. "Way more than we can afford."

"How long have you been saving?"

"A long time." Lane's eyes flicked down to the tomato in her hand. "But it doesn't matter how long it takes. Even if we're in adult diapers and wheelchairs, we're still going to record that album, damn it."

"You will!" Rory said, nodding. "And it will be awesome."

Lane threw up the rock 'n roll hand gesture. "Geriatric rock!"

With a chuckle, Rory picked up another tomato and cut into it. Just then, from somewhere within the house she heard a clock chiming a familiar tune. "I know that sound," she said, listening until the melody was complete. "Where have I heard that sound?"

"From the grandfather clock in my parents' house. You remember that really old one that nobody wanted to buy, no matter how many times my mother put it on sale?" Lane asked. "She even moved it in precarious corners, trying to see if people would accidentally knock it down."

"You break, you buy," Rory said with a mock-stern face. "So what's it doing here? Did you accidentally break it?"

"Oh, no," Lane said. "Zack's mom bought it for us as a Christmas gift. So that chime that marked every repressed hour of my childhood is now in my adult home."

Rory made a face. "Sorry."

Lane grinned. "Don't be. It actually inspired a Hep Alien song that we want to put on the album."

"Well, I'm glad."

The two continued to cut in silence for a time. After a while, Lane finally broke the silence. "Thank you for feeding me on Thanksgiving, by the way. It saved me from having to eat crackers and some weird soup that Zack brought home from the store."

"You're welcome." Rory flashed her friend a wistful smile. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much. I've been a terrible friend."

"No, you haven't. We've both been busy," Lane said with a shrug. "Life happens."

"Yeah. Boy, does it."

"So what's with you and Jess?" Lane asked.

Rory glanced up. "What about me and Jess?"

The corner of Lane's mouth curled up. "Word on the street is that you and Jess were caught coming down from Luke's old place, looking fifty shades of busted."

Rory bit back a smile. "I guess that's true."

"And? Why? How?"

"Jess and I are seeing each other."

Lane's eyes widened behind her glasses. "Huh. I thought the Nyquil had me imagining things. I mean, yeah, I was loopy and was swatting at cartoon birds over my head, so I thought I was just imagining the thing between you and Jess."

"What thing?"

"You know what thing. With the long, intense looks, and the giving you his jacket, and the shielding you from sickness. That thing." She cocked her head and frowned. "Jess, though? I thought that was long over."

"It was," Rory said. "But, I don't know. It came back."

"And Logan? You're not still calling or seeing him, right?"

"No. He's married now."

Lane's mouth dropped open. "Okay, you have got to talk." She brought her knife and chopping board over to the table and sat down. "You'd better tell me every single thing. And don't even think about leaving anything out. I need details. Copious amounts of details."

For the next thirty minutes, Rory chopped tomatoes and recounted all that had taken place since her return to Stars Hollow. When she finished, the clock had sounded a half-hour chime and all the tomatoes on the table had all been chopped.

"So let me get this straight," Lane said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "You're pregnant but the babydaddy is married."

Rory wrinkled her nose. "Please don't say babydaddy."

She started counting off on her fingers. "You're writing a book. You bought a house. You're going back to school. Oh, and you're dating Jess again. Is that everything?"

"Pretty much." Rory reached into her bag and retrieved the ultrasound and handed it over. "Here."

Lane stared at the printout for a long time, her face uncannily blank. But when she looked up, her eyes wide. "Oh my God," she said, covering her mouth. Then she leaned over and threw her arms around Rory, bouncing in her seat. "It's real! You're really pregnant."

"I know!" Rory said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Honestly, not very many people know."

"It's okay." When Lane pulled away, the smile had been replaced with a frown. "Have you shown Logan?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because..." Rory began.

Because I'm a scaredy cat.

"He's married now," Rory said instead. "And seeing that ultrasound might, I don't know... it might drive a wedge between him and Odette."

Rory stared off into space, her lungs burning at the thought of the first time she'd come between a married couple. For a long time, she was tortured by the thought of Lindsey finding her letter inside Dean's jacket and the devastation she must have felt when her worst fears were confirmed. Rory had played a large part in the breakup of that marriage; she could think of nothing more appalling than doing it again.

If Rory sent this ultrasound to London and Odette found it, what would she think? How would she feel?

"Rory?" Lane asked, peering into her face.

"Yeah?"

Lane's voice was gentle, but underneath it was a steeliness that sounded very much like Mrs. Kim. "Logan is the father. He deserves to see this."

Rory blinked fast, her eyes stinging. "I know."

"It's not the same thing that happened with Dean," Lane said.

"It's pretty damn near close."

"No, it's not," Lane said with more force. "Because this time, there's a baby involved. And if Logan didn't tell Odette before they got married, then that's on him."

Rory nodded, taking out her phone. "You're right." She set the photo on the counter and took a picture, remembering her promise to Logan to keep him updated. She attached the image to an email and began to type a message, then changed her mind and hit backspace, deciding that the image of their baby was all she could offer at that time.

Then she took a deep breath and hit Send. "Okay," she said, staring at her phone on the table. "It'll be fine."

Lane gave her a small smile that said she understood, that she loved Rory regardless. The two had been best friends for as long as they could remember and, even if they'd been apart for nearly a decade, it was nice to come home and resume their relationship as if no time had passed. That, Rory thought, was the true mark of friendship.

"Thanks," Rory said, her throat tight with emotion.

Lane grinned. "Hey, I'm always here for the tough love. Seems like there's more of my mother in me than I care to admit."

Both women jumped when Rory's phone began to ring. Rory snatched up the phone and answered it breathlessly, "Hello?"

But the person on the other line wasn't the one she was expecting. "Hey," Jess greeted.

She tried to take shallow breaths to slow her racing heart, but hearing his deep, rumbling voice had the opposite effect. "Hi."

"How are you?"

"Doing fine," she said, glancing at her friend and mouthing Jess' name. "I'm at Lane's."

"Is she better?" he asked immediately.

"Yes. She's better," Rory said. "The flu has flu'd away."

He snorted. "That was a terrible pun, Gilmore."

"I was good at puns once. But you've been a bad influenza," Rory said, earning an eyeroll from Lane.

He chuckled. "God, I miss you."

"Me too," she whispered, very much aware of Lane's curious eyes and keen ears. "So, how are things over there?" she asked in a more normal tone.

"Good, good. The books are nearly done. That's what I was calling about, actually. I know you're leaving for Nantucket on Saturday but I think I can get back on Friday. Barring any unforeseen disasters with the press, that is."

"But what if a meteor hit the earth?" Rory asked.

"Then I'll deploy Bruce and Ben to take care of it," he replied with a smile in his voice.

"And if a fault line opened up in the middle of New York?"

"I'll call The Rock to give me a ride."

"What if the world started rotating backwards?"

"Then I'll drive in reverse to get to you," he said. "So we can watch the sun rise in the west and set in the east."

Rory couldn't keep the giddy smile off her face if she tried. "I'll see you Friday, then."

"Friday," he said in a husky voice before hanging up.

Rory shut off her phone, her face warm. When she looked up, she found Lane watching her.

"You guys are gross," she said. "But you look happy. Are you? Happy?"

Rory nodded, sure her emotions were written all over her face. "Yeah. I am."