A/N - Again thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I know it has been a few days, since my last chapter posted. We have been enjoying the holidays. I am trying to get ahead by a few chapters because I will be on vacation next week with limited internet access. So I am not sure I will have time to write or post, I am working on that right now. Either way. Hopefully, I will have something for you tomorrow, Monday, and if I cannot do anything on vacation, Friday. I am glad you are enjoying my story. Did anyone see the new Netflix tweet? Interesting, to say the least.


Chapter 29 - Rory

Rory lay in her bed reliving the kiss she had shared with Jess, just as she had every night for the last three weeks. He had kissed her, it hadn't been a dream, it hadn't been her trying to avoid conversation. It had been a kiss, almost like a first kiss; sweet and tender, understanding and not asking for anything in return. Rory sighed and placed her hand over her belly. A habit she had gotten into since that night when Jess had placed his hand there and the baby had moved.

She found herself wishing again that they baby were his and not Logan's. Then she wouldn't have all this mess to sort out on her own. She would have someone to do this with her. The doctor's appointment loomed and Rory was nervous about the sex of her child. She didn't know what to wish for. She thought she would like a girl because she would be able to have a relationship with her like she had with her mom, but she was afraid it could turn out to be more like the relationship had mom had with her grandmother. She thought she would like a boy because it would be a different experience altogether and she would be able to do something new. But then she thought of boys and their need for fathers. Girls needed fathers too she realized, but since she grew up without one around, she felt it was not as important.

She imagined a little girl with her dark hair and blue eyes, and the picture faded to a little blonde girl with light brown eyes. She imagined a little girl that looked like Logan's sister Honor. A sad feeling enveloped her. Honor would make a great aunt to this little girl. The thing that killed her the most, that made her the most sure that she needed to keep this child out of the Hunztberger's hands was Mitchum and his incessant need to control the dynastic plan. The reason why she and Logan never really had a chance, because her dreams did not fit in the plan.

Rory sighed out loud. "This is going to be even harder if you are a boy." Rory knew that Mitchum was much more likely to try and be involved if the child were male. As chauvinist as he was, a girl was much less likely to be more than a blip on his radar. Additionally, a boy would ruin whatever grand plan Mitchum had with the French heiress Odette. She was sure that if Rory produced an heir to the Hunzberger fortune before the wife of his son, the problems would never end. Rory held her hands to her stomach again. "Please be a girl, please be a girl." Rory pleaded. Her mind spun with the possibilities.

The week passed quickly and Rory was standing in front of the doctor's office in Hartford. She had been there a few times already, but it was hardly comforting right now. Her stomach was in knots. It was a big day. Not only was she going to find out the sex of the baby, but Jess was supposed to be at the appointment. They had stayed in touch via email and text since "the kiss," since he left she mentally revised, but it had all been business. There had been very little communication about personal matters. It had all been about the book, the publisher, edits that needed to be made, clarification. She was nervous about whether or not she wanted to even think about, let alone talk with him about what he had said. "I can wait, I will wait. I will be here when you are ready."

Those words were burned into her memory. The way he said them, the sureness with which he said them. Had he been waiting for her all these years? Surely not, she thought, with the girl he was kissing in the diner, she was positive that Jess had not been waiting around for her for ten years. It was too much to think about right now.

She was startled when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist and settle on her belly. She started to jerk away when a familiar voice said in her ear, "calm down, I am just saying hello to my godchild."

Butterflies filled her stomach, but this time she was sure it was not the baby. His hands, his voice in her ear, flooded her mind with memories from that night in her kitchen and a chill ran down her spine.

Jess let her go and came around to face her.

"You were standing there so focused on whatever you were thinking about, looking up at the building, I couldn't help but surprise you."

Rory laughed the sensations she was feeling away. "I was waiting for you," she admonished.

"You could have waited inside, I told you I would be here," the sureness with which he made the statement warmed Rory. She remembered all the times their plans had been vague. The nights she had spent waiting for him by the phone to cement plans that had been made haphazardly. Him showing up out of the blue, well he still does that, she corrected but it isn't so bad. She realized that the Jess standing before her was the grown up Jess, not just the teenage Jess in an adult body. Over the last month, every deadline he had made for contracts, edits, even emails had been met. He was where he said he would be when he said he would be there professionally. And now, he had promised to be there for this baby, and here he was. She realized that she liked this adult Jess more and more without including the fact that she was drawn to him just because he was Jess.

He grabbed her by the elbow and started her toward the door of the building. "So do you know what you want?"

Rory was startled by the question. What did she want? She wanted for her life to have turned out a little different, she wanted to be a little more sure of her choices, she wanted to not be unwed and pregnant right now. Although she did want this baby. She wanted to be in a place in her career where taking time off to raise a baby didn't scare her. She looked at Jess with a panicked expression. But he seemed to understand the detour her mind had taken and he clarified.

"What do you want? A boy or a girl?"

Relief crossed the countenance of Rory's face. A small smile crept onto her lips as calm descended upon her. "A girl, I think I want a girl."

"Another Gilmore Girl! I think that sounds about perfect." They had walked into the suite for the doctor and Jess continued to guide Rory.

Finally, Rory realized where she was at, and that she needed to come out of her head for a minute to deal with the check in, the copay, the paperwork. She looked at Jess who had made sure that even on her cloud, she got where she needed to go. She looked at him with gratitude in her eyes. He nodded his head in apparent understanding. Together they sat down in the waiting room. She folded her hands over her stomach that was becoming more pronounced everyday. She knew that the time had come to tell the world about the baby, she just wasn't sure if she was ready. She wasn't sure that she was ready for the questions, for the suppositions, for the judgements. It didn't matter if she was ready or not. There was no stopping the questions.

"Lorelai Gilmore"

The nurse called from the doorway into the exam rooms.

Jess stood with Rory. They headed toward the door and the nurse stopped them. "Is this the father?" and before either of them could answer she continued "he will have to wait here until I take your vitals. We will call him back for the ultrasound."

Rory stood there a little unsettled, just nodded and followed the nurse to the exam room. She wasn't sure how to clarify or clear up what had just happened. She wasn't sure she wanted to.