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On Saturday Rory and Jess spend a lazy morning in bed. Rory's antenatal class is cancelled this week and she's arranged to go and spend the weekend with Lorelai, but she doesn't have to leave just yet. As it is, Rory sits with notes for her book, a coffee cup balanced precariously on her bump, and scribbles down the occasional thought. It was a better idea in theory as Jess keeps distracting her and every so often the baby kicks, dislodging the cup. Rory manages to grab it before it spills over them and they laugh loudly.
"I'd say it doesn't appreciate being used as a table," Jess says, kissing her bump, and Rory giggles.
"Mom used me as a TV tray when I was born. The kid should think itself lucky."
At this, the baby kicks out as if in indignation and Rory gives up, putting the cup aside.
"You win," she says to her stomach. "I guess we should be getting up anyway."
"What time do you need to leave?"
"Mom wants me there by one."
"Very specific for Lorelai."
"She wants a girly weekend with lunch. I guess we won't have much time after this."
Jess nods, getting up, and holds out his arm to help Rory out of bed. Grabbing a towel, Rory heads to the bathroom and slowly steps into the shower. As she lets the water run over her Rory reaches for the shampoo, silently sighing. She hasn't been able to see her toes for some weeks now and Rory's sure she's twice as large as yesterday. After washing Rory pulls on one of the maternity dresses she bought with Lorelai, months ago, when she thought it looked like a tent. Now it clings to her and Rory ruefully brushes her hair, dabbing on some mascara and checking she has all her things. Jess comes out of the bathroom, his hair curling from the water, and gives her a kiss. It tastes minty with toothpaste and Rory smiles.
"You taste nice."
"I bet you say that to all the guys."
"Just the guys who use my toothpaste."
They grin and Rory hesitates.
"What?" Jess asks and Rory smiles, shaking her head.
"It's nothing."
"What is it? I don't taste good?" Jess smiles but he sounds anxious and Rory silently goes into the bedroom, emerging with something tight in her hand.
"Here."
She holds out her palm and Jess takes out a key.
"I know I said I wasn't ready to move in," Rory says shyly, "but I like you being around. And as you come over so much I thought - well, you can see. Do you want it?"
"Of course I want it," Jess says seriously. He tucks the key in his pocket and puts his arms around Rory, kissing her deeply. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. I was going to give it to you last night - you know how we thought we might go see a movie and then get a drink? - but when we didn't and I forgot."
Jess grins and Rory is embarrassed as she remarks,
"Romantic, I know."
"It's perfect," Jess says sincerely. "I'll cut you a key for my place when I get back."
"You don't have to do that."
"Rory, I want to do that. I was thinking about it anyway. I didn't know if you wanted...anyway, now I do. I'll get you a key."
"Thanks." They kiss again and Rory asks, "Do you still have that event tonight?"
"It's just an author signing, and yeah. I'm going for lunch with her and some other work buddies at two."
"Then I guess we'd both hit the road," Rory sighs. "Come on."
They kiss goodbye at the doorstep and head to their respective cars. Rory is halfway down the highway when she realises she has a big, goofy grin on her face and she laughs out loud. She feels like when she was sixteen and had just had her first kiss, unable to stop her silly smile. Turning on the radio, Rory sings along and she's still bubbly with laughter as she pulls up to her mother's house, turning off the engine. As she opens the door Lorelai comes running out and down the steps, helping her out. She has an excited smile on her face too and Rory laughs.
"What's up, Mom?"
"Nothing. Well - come on."
Lorelai leads up her the steps, throws open the door and a chorus of voices call,
"Surprise!"
Rory blinks as she goes into the living room. Standing in an uneven circle are Lane, Paris and three women from her antenatal group and hanging on the wall, in big, bold letters, is a sign which reads BABY SHOWER! with, in hasty pen, Rory's written above it.
"Mom, what is this?" Rory exclaims, feeling dizzy. "What's everyone doing here?"
"We wanted to give you a party," Lorelai says. "And I know you don't like surprises but it felt more fun this way, and I didn't want you worrying about it. And as you said this week your class was cancelled, it just seemed like a good time to do it and, well - are you mad?"
She sounds anxious and Rory shakes her head, still in shock.
"No, it's great Mom. I'm just surprised."
"Kind of the point," Paris remarks and Rory smiles, allowing herself to be ushered inside. She sits on the couch, taking in the sight of balloons in every colour and a pile of gifts on the table.
"Oh guys, you didn't have to," Rory protests. "It's too much."
"Hey, you're going to be getting a kid out of your body. Take all the gifts you can get," Lorelai says and Rory shakes her head, unable to argue.
"I didn't see any cars out front."
"Your mom had us park around the corner," Lucia explains. "I took Mary and Annabel. We got lost a few times. There's no names on these streets!"
"I told you to turn right at Monty the rooster statue," Lorelai protests and Rory says swiftly,
"It was so great of you guys to come. I didn't know my mom had your numbers."
"I went through your phone," Lorelai says unabashedly. "Now come on, let's start the party! Which gift are you going for first?"
"This one," Rory says, grabbing a random present from the pile and Lucia tells her it's hers. Rory opens it to find three sleepsuits in green and holds them out to admire them.
"Thanks, Lucia. They're gorgeous."
"I wish you knew what the sex is going to be," Lucia comments. "I didn't know what colour to get so I had to buy green."
"Well, green's the new pink," Lorelai jokes. Lucia frowns and Rory says hastily,
"It's fine. They're just what I need."
"But how do you know if you're going to dress the baby in pink or blue?"
"I don't. It's no big deal. Lane's given me some of her boys' old baby clothes and if it's a girl it's not going to turn into a boy, right?"
Lucia raises her eyebrows and Annabel remarks,
"Hey, remember when Zoe had her gender reveal party, Lucia? She cut into the cake and it was supposed to be all blue M and Ms but some red ones slipped in by mistake and people asked if it was twins. She was so upset!"
"Actually, blue used to be considered a girl colour and pink for boys," Paris cuts in. "They thought pink looked like blood. So you were wrong anyway."
Lucia and Annabel frown and Rory quickly says,
"Thanks again. I guess I'll open this next."
Mary gives her a mobile, Annabel a nursing pillow and Lane gets her a teddybear, some snacks and three blankets.
"Remember what we said?" she grins. "About the stuff constantly oozing from a baby's every orifice?"
"Vividly," Rory laughs. "Thanks, Lane. Are the snacks for right now or -?"
"Nighttime feeding," Lane says seriously. "Or anytime feeding, actually. You're going to be starving and two in the morning isn't the optimum time to make food."
"She's right," Lorelai says and the other mothers in the room nod. Rory smiles and Paris gets up, dropping her gift into Rory's lap.
"Oh. Thanks," Rory says and she lifts it up, confused. It's heavy and as she opens it up her mouth hangs open. It's a big book titled The Mother's Guide to Postpartum Sex.
"There's some great stuff in there," Paris says as everyone peers at it. "Just wait ten weeks. The doctors say six but it was longer for me. Depends how badly your vagina tears."
"Wow. Okay."
Rory flicks through it, eyes widening at some of the illustrations.
"Make sure you go to yoga," Paris says, reading her expression. "It'll help for the positions if nothing else. My sex was volcanic once I used downward -"
"Okay!" Lorelai says loudly, clapping her hands. "Do people want cocktails?"
Rory puts the book in her bag, avoiding everyone's eyes and gratefully takes a nonalcoholic cocktail from the tray Lorelai holds. Tasting it brings back memories of the cocktail bar game she and Lorelai used to play on hot days, when she was little, and pretended she was on the beach. It was a mixture of lemonade, sparkling water and whatever fruit was left laying around, with an occasional scoop of icecream. Some drinks were more successful than others but this one tastes pretty good. Rory concentrates on sipping it and, as everyone finishes their drinks, Lorelai disappears into the kitchen and emerges with a cake. It has pictures of baby animals on and reads in pink icing Congratulations Rory!
"Sookie made it," Lorelai explains. "So it's safe to eat. She wanted to come today but had some sort of culinary conference. This is her peace offering."
"It's a heck of an offering," Rory says, cutting a piece and tasting it. "Wow, it's delicious!"
"Did you expect anything less? She told me she cried the whole time she made it because to her, you were a little girl yesterday."
"Let me know where her time machine is."
Everyone falls silent, enjoying the food, and then Annabel asks,
"Are we going to play games?"
"I didn't exactly set anything up," Lorelai admits. "Most of it seemed kind of gross. I don't know about you girls, but my idea of fun isn't sniffing a diaper or tasting what's inside to see if it's chocolate or not."
"Thanks for refraining," Rory says fervently, but her relief drops as Lorelai says,
"I thought we could terrify her with birth stories instead. Or some of you, as you look ready to pop."
"Mom!"
"This is my third, actually," Lucia says. "Hey Rory, how bad are your period pains?"
"I guess they depend on the month," Rory says, confused. "How come?"
"Because childbirth is like period pain quadrupled."
"To the hundredth degree," Mary adds. "I told my husband never to come near me again."
Rory smiles wanly and asks,
"How long was it for you?"
"The first time took thirty-six hours but the second one was only eighteen."
"Only eighteen," Rory echoes faintly and Lucia chimes in,
"Hey, my third one only took three hours! I wound up giving birth at home. There's a stain on the carpet that's never coming out."
"Great," Rory says. "I hope mine doesn't. I doubt I'd get that deposit back."
"Don't worry, Rory," Annabel says kindly, patting her knee. "It's your first one so it'll probably take a couple of days, all in all. I'd take the epidural."
Rory nods weakly and talk turns to babies, and phones are all whipped out to compare children. Rory sits back, letting it wash over her, and can't decide which labour would be worse. It's like the would you rather game she used to play at school, having to pick between one horrible option over another. At least with that it was only fantasy.
An hour or so later Lucia says she needs to be getting back and Mary and Annabel get up to go with her. Lane and Paris stay a little longer, offering advice which is both useful and terrifying, before going themselves. Rory gathers the gifts into a pile, too tired to help her mother clean up, and eventually Lorelai flops down beside her.
"Hey kid."
"Hey."
"Was that okay?"
"The advice was pretty horrific but the gifts were great."
"I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted," Lorelai says guiltily. "I didn't know if - I should have run it by you. I just didn't want to make you more stressed."
"Mom, it was a great thing that you did," Rory says, sitting up a little. "It was fun."
"Are you sure?"
"I could have done with a little less talk of vagina tearing and Paris's present was, well, interesting, but it was good. I'm glad we did it. And I would have overthought it if it were up to me."
"You didn't mind there not being any games?"
"Are you kidding? I still have nightmares about that karaoke game at Sherry's baby shower."
She and Lorelai laugh and Lorelai pats Rory's bump.
"I'm glad then. Do you feel ready to eat?"
"I'm starving," Rory says, realising as she says it, and she and her mother head to Luke's. After the usual exclaiming and insisting she sit down right away, Luke brings out two cheeseburgers and a hefty side salad for Rory, sternly insisting she eat all of it. When he disappears into the back the two start eating and Rory asks,
"Any plans for the next few weeks?"
"Actually, we're heading to Nantucket week after next."
"Really?"
"Yeah. We both have some time off work and thought we'd head out for a few days. Mom's insisting we stay with her for a little while, of course. That was our agreement."
Lorelai makes a face but she smiles and Rory asks thoughtfully,
"Hey, do you need anyone to look after the house?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, what week are you going?"
"It's the first Saturday in June."
"I've taken time off work starting with the Monday after that. If you want, I could look after the house."
"Are you sure?" Lorelai asks quizzically. "I was in two minds whether to go at all because it's close to the baby coming."
"Mom, I'm not due until the end of June. Let me look after the house."
"Rory, it's Stars Hollow. We don't have a high record of burglary."
"I know. I just thought it would be a win-win for both of us - I'd get some time away before the baby comes and you can relax knowing the house is safe. Safer."
"If you're sure. I was going to let Babette's gnomes watch the place," Lorelai jokes. "Thanks, hon."
"You're welcome."
They finish up and go home, settling down with some movies. Rory goes to sleep peacefully after getting into bed but wakes suddenly, the baby kicking like crazy. Wincing, Rory sits up and blearily looks at the fuzzy clock. It's one in the morning and she groans, putting a hand on her stomach. The baby won't calm and eventually Rory heaves herself up, going to the kitchen to get a drink.
"Is this your idea of fun?" she asks and the baby kicks. "Hey, you're sassing me already. Big fun, huh?"
Rory pours herself a glass of water and as she sips it, conversations from earlier in the day rear up in her mind. She can't get her thoughts off length of labour and tearing in the vagina, and jumps as her mother comes in, rubbing her eyes.
"Mom, you scared me! Sorry, did I wake you?"
"It's okay," Lorelai yawns. "What are you doing up?"
"Your grandchild decided to kick me to death."
"Well, get used to it."
Lorelai grins but Rory is solemn and she asks,
"What is it?"
"I'm scared," Rory admits. "I'm not tired because I keep going over what everyone said at the party."
"It's going to be okay."
"I'll believe that after it's born."
"Rory."
"I don't want any kind of labour," Rory says frantically. "I want to be outside in the hall, like guys did in old movies, chomping on a cigar. Hey, I still have that button Jackson gave me. He didn't find out the sex of his baby and neither did I, and he said it was 1954. Well, that's good enough for me. I'll just wait outside until it's over."
"Rory," Lorelai says gently. "I hate to break this to you, but that's not going to work. You're the one who's giving birth."
"I know," Rory says, shoulders sagging. "I just want this whole thing to be over. It feels so impossible."
Silently, her mother brews some coffee and hands Rory a cup. Without explanation, Lorelai heads upstairs and returns with a small box.
"Have a look through that," she says, pushing it towards her daughter, and Rory opens it, a smile starting to move across her face.
"Is this my baby box?"
"Sure is. Almost a relic."
"Gee, thanks."
"Well, there's a copy of Teen Beat in there. I couldn't decide who the cuter guy was."
Rory sifts through the content, laughing at the walkman tape, and Lorelai says,
"You'll be making your own soon."
"I'll be making a Bananarama jumper?"
"Or not. You'll be making your own box full of all the special memories from that night, or day. Whatever time your kid makes its entrance."
"I don't know what I'd put inside," Rory says quietly. "I can't picture it."
"It'll happen, and then you'll be sitting here with me, and we'll be looking at your box. And someday, your own little girl or boy will be asking questions about it too."
Rory smiles a little and her mother takes her hands.
"I promise it'll be okay, sweets. I swear it."
"Yeah," Rory says, looking at the contents, tangled with love. "I know. I hope."
"It will."
Rory nods and stretches her arms.
"I guess I should go to bed."
"Finish your coffee first."
"What would Luke say?"
"Luke would yell, but he's asleep upstairs. And since when has that ever stopped us?"
"Never," Rory giggles, and mother and daughter laugh in the night.
The next day, Rory drives back. The presents are loaded in the trunk and she triple promises to drive extra carefully and slowly, kissing her mother twice for luck. Rory gets home smoothly, absently thinking of when to call Jess, when there's a knock on the door. Slighty confused, Rory sets her coffee cup down and opens the door. She's so surprised she takes a step back, her hand slick on the doorhandle. Standing in front of her is Logan.