The Wow Factor

"Man, I can't believe a big fancy school like Yale doesn't supply a mattress in their dorm rooms," Luke grumbled as they searched for a parking space near Durfee Hall.

"I know," Lorelai said innocently as she scanned the street. She saw Rory waving from the curb and said, "There!" Luke pulled into the spot and rolled the window down calling "Score!" to her daughter.

"Yeah, there will only be about six or seven Yalies I'll have to avoid because I wouldn't get out of this space," Rory said with a grimace.

Lorelai swung the door open and said, "College, it's a dog eat dog world, kid."

A girl with a clipboard approached them and said, "Hi! Name?"

"Oh, hey. I was told it was okay to hold the spot. A guy told me, I forget his name. He had, uh, like a jacket," Rory babbled.

The girl held up her hand and said, "Its okay. I was just wondering what our newcomer's name is."

"Oh, Rory Gilmore, I mean Lorelai Gilmore," Rory said hesitantly.

The girl checked the list. "Rory Gilmore, Rory Gilmore, there you are. Welcome to Yale," she said brightly. "I'm Tess, and I'm your freshman counselor. I'll be living in the building and be there for whatever she needs," Tess explained to them all.

Lorelai nodded and said, "And you look twenty-one, convenient for beer runs."

Tess shot Lorelai a nervous glance and said, "I'll be giving a tour for Durfee girls you should not miss."

Rory nodded and said, "Oh, I know. Tour's at twelve, followed by the optional express lunch twelve to two, which is all followed by the telecommunications orientation and internet ID distribution, parents' reception eleven to one."

Tess blinked and said, "You memorized the schedule."

Luke chuckled and said, "Yeah, she's not weird or anything, she just has a good memory."

Tess nodded and glanced at the back of the truck. "And I see you brought your own mattress," she said as she gestured toward it.

Lorelai nodded and began to babble, "Oh, right. See, the guy Rory talked to. . .name, name, name. I forget his name. Three syllables. Uh, he said it was okay, and he had, like, a mustache."

Tess waved her off saying, "It's allowed as long as you make arrangements to dispose of the one that was already there. Did you do that?" she asked.

"Yes, we did," Lorelai said quickly.

Rory frowned and said, "Yes."

"Good," Tess said with a nod. She turned to Lorelai and said, "Get your camera ready."

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm giving Rory her key," she warned.

"Thanks for the warning," Lorelai said as she snapped the picture.

Tess waved and said, "See you at the tour."

"Yes, Tess, thank you," Rory called after her. When she walked away she said, "So, she's nice," in an awed voice.

"Yeah," Luke said with a nod as he lowered the tailgate.

"I'm dying to see your room. Come on, grab a bag," Lorelai prompted.

They began to unload bags and boxes, and Luke handed the light ones to Lorelai. "So, you made arrangements to get rid of the old mattress?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yes, I did," Lorelai said firmly.

Rory raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really? Because it specifically says here that you're supposed to make arrangements to have the old mattress picked up before arrival."

As they followed Lorelai into the dorm Luke asked, "So, what time are the mattress guys coming?"

Lorelai shifted the bag in her arms and mumbled, "Uh, later today sometime."

"So we have to wait in the room for them, or. . ." Rory prompted.

"I think they just let themselves in. Here we are," she said brightly.

Rory stopped and looked at her mother skeptically as she asked, "So do the mattress guys have their own key?"

"All right, I confess, I didn't call the mattress guys," Lorelai huffed.

Rory bit her lip and asked, "Well, what are we gonna do?"

Lorelai shrugged and said, "We'll find a dumpster."

Luke shifted a box of books in his arms as he grumbled, "This is getting heavy."

"Oh, sorry," Rory said as she unlocked the door. As they walked into the common room Rory set her box down and said, "Mom, they could trace it back to me."

"I'll be long gone by then," Lorelai said with a grin.

"Mom," Rory sighed.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "All right, we'll burn it before we dump it, a match, a little gasoline."

Rory shook her head and said, "We're here five minutes and we're already contemplating felonies."

"Let's get you unloaded," Luke said calmly, throwing Lorelai a glare. He turned, pointed at Lorelai and said, "You stay here."

"Fine," Lorelai pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

When Luke and Rory walked back out to the truck, he glanced over at her and said, "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it."

Rory smiled up at him and murmured, "Thanks, Luke. You always do."

As he pulled the new mattress off the bed of the truck he grunted and muttered, "My lot in life."

Rory grinned and said, "Well, it's your own fault. You shouldn't have been so good at it."

"Being your lackey?" he grumbled as he lifted the mattress, straining a little under its weight.

Rory caught the end of it and lifted as much as she could. "Being our savior," she said with a smile as they hauled the new mattress into the dorm.

XXXX

"What am I supposed to do with that?" Luke asked, jerking his thumb at the Yale mattress in the back of his truck.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "We'll store it at the Crapshack until it's time to move her out, and move it back in."

"Oh goody," Luke muttered under his breath.

Lorelai looked over at him and reached to smooth the hair sticking out from under his cap. "I'm so glad you were with us today. I'm not sure that I could have left her there if I did it alone."

"You were very good," he said with a small smile.

"I tried to be," she murmured as she watched the outskirts of Stars Hollow flash by her window. "I hope she'll be okay," she whispered.

Luke snorted and said, "She'll be fine. She has Paris, remember?" he teased.

"How freaky was that?" Lorelai said with a laugh. "Poor Rory."

Luke shrugged and said, "At least she knows someone there."

"I'm not sure which is worse, knowing no one, or knowing Paris," Lorelai said with a chuckle.

"It is a toss up," Luke said with a nod. "Let me go unload this thing," he said as he steered the truck toward their old house.

When they pulled into the drive Lorelai looked up at her house with sad eyes. Luke turned the engine off and looked over at her. He saw the slight tremor in her bottom lip and reached over to cover her hand with his. "I know it's hard," he said softly.

"So many changes," she whispered.

"Good changes," he said softly.

"Yeah," she admitted with a watery smile.

Luke looked at her solemnly and said, "We can move back. Just say the word."

Lorelai shook her head, blinking back tears, and said, "I don't want to go back. I love our house. I'm glad Rory is starting school." She wiped a stray tear with her fingertips and said, "I'm just a little emotional."

"I understand," Luke answered quietly. "I can unload this later," he said as he started to reach for the keys.

"No, that's silly," she said reaching to stop him. "Just do it now, okay?" she asked softly.

Luke glanced over at the house and back at her. "I wasn't thinking," he admitted.

"You weren't thinking that your wife is a big, weird bag of raging hormones zig zagging all over the place?" she asked with a wry smile.

"I didn't mean to make you sad, sadder than you are already," he corrected.

Lorelai looked up at him and said, "Luke, sometimes its okay for me to be a little sad. I have so much to be happy about. This just keeps me from bouncing off the walls," she teased gently.

"I'll be quick," he promised as he leaned over to kiss her cheek. He opened the door and hopped out. She watched him struggle to get the mattress up the porch steps, and lean it against the wall as he fumbled to unlock the door. He scooted it inside, and Lorelai caught a glimpse of the empty foyer beyond the door. As if she was in a dream, she got out of the truck and followed him inside. Luke stepped out of Rory's room to find her standing in the empty living room, her hands on her hips, and her lips pressed tightly together. "Hey," he called softly.

"I never saw it empty," she told him.

Luke smiled and brushed her hair back over her shoulder. "There was a reason for that," he told her softly.

Lorelai nodded and glanced down at her shoes. After a moment, she lifted her head, tossing her hair back slightly as she looked up at him. "We should rent it," she said with an air of determination.

"We don't have to decide now," Luke told her.

Lorelai shook her head and said, "It should be lived in. We need to rent it," she insisted.

"If that's what you decide you want to do, then that's what we'll do," he said as he took her arm and ushered her toward the door.

"Stop handling me!" she snapped, jerking her arm away from him.

Luke released her arm, stepped back and blinked in shock. "I'm sorry," he mumbled quickly.

"No, I'm sorry," she apologized just as quickly, reaching for his hand. "I'm sorry, I know you're just trying to make things easier," she told him, tears swimming in her eyes. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just, I need to deal with things, Luke," she explained. "I don't need you to brush things aside for me. Shield me from things that might make me sad," she said softly.

"I just want you to be happy. I like to see you happy," he answered slowly.

"I am happy," she insisted. "But, you have to let me work through things, not just pretend that they don't exist. This was my home, Rory's home, your home with us, and I just left that morning like it didn't matter. I just left and tried to pretend that I didn't care. I've never even driven past here since then," she admitted.

"I've been taking care of the place," he assured her as he looked down and scuffed his feet a little.

"I know you have, because that's what you do," she said as she stroked his cheek. "I know you want to take care of everything, but some things I have to take care of myself," she told him. "Do you understand?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered gruffly.

"Good, now take your moody wife home and put her down for a nap. It's been a long day," she said as she hooked her hand through his arm.

"Okay," he said as they stepped onto the porch and Luke locked the door behind him.

As they walked back to the truck, Lorelai's phone signaled a message, and she pulled it from her jacket pocket. When she scanned the message she groaned softly. "What?" Luke asked with an edge of panic in his voice.

"Come back," she read.

Luke frowned and asked, "What?"

"It's from Rory. It says 'Come back!' with about a dozen exclamation points," she explained quickly. "Uh, move, move," she said as she tried to push past him to the truck.

"What are you doing?" Luke asked as he hurried after her.

Lorelai hopped into the driver's seat and said, "I gotta borrow your truck."

Luke shook his head and said, "No way. You have your own car," he pointed out as he reached his hand through the open window, trying to reach his keys.

"I gotta go back," Lorelai said desperately.

"I'll drop you off at the house to get the Jeep," he offered.

"No Luke! That will take too long, and besides, my car is out of gas because my husband doesn't want me to pump gas because of the fumes and he hasn't filled it yet," she said pointedly.

"But, you can't drive a stick," he said shaking his head.

"I can too!" she said, affronted.

"Not very well," he grumbled.

"I am very good with a stick, and no, that was not a dirty," she said as she struggled to put the truck into reverse.

"Lorelai," he pled one more time. When he saw her shaking her head, he sighed. "At least let me drive you," he offered quickly.

"She needs her Mommy," she told him, her eyes shining with both concern and the pleasure of being needed.

Luke dropped his hand from the door and said, "Drive carefully."

"I'll be back soon," she promised as she turned to give him a quick kiss.

"You'd better be," he grumbled as he stepped back from the truck, wincing as she ground the gears. "Lorelai," he said with a grimace.

"I've got it, I've got it," she said holding up her hand and beginning to back down the driveway. She slowed a little and called, "You're the best!" as she gunned it and pulled out.

"Fat lotta good that does me," Luke grumbled as he shoved his hands into his jeans and kicked a rock the full length of the driveway on his way back to the diner.

XXXX

The phone rang late that night, and Luke picked it up immediately. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hey," Lorelai said softly.

"How is she?" he asked anxiously.

"She's good. It's all good," she assured him. "Thanks for letting me stay," she said playfully.

"Like I had a choice?" Luke grumped.

"Not really, but thanks anyway," Lorelai said with a laugh.

"What have you been doing?" Luke asked.

Lorelai sat on the edge of Rory's bed and said, "Oh, well, we ordered all of this delivery, trying to get a handle on which places were good and stuff." She glanced up as she heard a burst of laughter coming from the common room. "It's worked out well. We've invited some of the other girls from the floor in to eat with us, so she's meeting people," she explained.

"Good, good, that's good," Luke said with a nod as he switched his computer off and stood up from the desk in their office.

"How are you?" Lorelai asked softly.

Luke stepped out of the office and walked toward their bedroom. "House is too quiet," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry, Babe," Lorelai answered with a soft smile. "She needed me," she told him, the pride shining through her tone.

"She always will," Luke assured her as he walked into their room. He cradled the phone against his neck and began shedding his clothes.

"I just, she's all grown up now," Lorelai said in a raspy voice.

"Not that grown up," Luke told her as he dropped to the edge of their bed with a sigh. "Of course she still needs you," he said gently.

Lorelai shrugged and said, "Sometimes it doesn't feel like it."

"She needs you, I need you, we all need you," he told her quietly.

"Aw, Hon," she sighed.

Feeling guilty about being so sulky, Luke cleared his throat and said, "I mean in general. Not tonight. I don't need you tonight, she does. I have a ballgame, a bottle of beer," he said as he glanced blankly around their still bedroom.

"Life is good without the old ball and chain?" she teased.

"Oh yeah," Luke said with a laugh. "Later, I'm gonna whittle and spit. That is, if I can manage to get my hand out of my crotch."

"I miss you too," Lorelai said softly. She looked up as Rory poked her head in the door and waggled her fingers at her. "Rory misses you too," she told him.

"Yeah, well, tell her me too," he said softly.

"I'd better get back in there," Lorelai said reluctantly.

Luke nodded and said, "You guys have fun."

Lorelai smiled into the phone and asked, "See you in the morning?"

"You'd better, you have my truck," he reminded her gruffly.

Lorelai laughed and said, "That whole what's mine is yours thing sure doesn't extend to your precious truck."

Luke smiled and said, "Goodnight, Crazy Lady."

"Goodnight my Burger Boy. Dream about me?" she asked softly.

"Of course," Luke said as he ran his hand absently over her pillow. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye Babe," Lorelai said as she hung up.

Luke looked down at the phone in his hand and whispered, "Goodnight, Sweetheart."

He got up, washed for bed and climbed in. He lay on his back for a moment before rolling over, switching off the lamp and pulling her pillow close, breathing in the scent of her as he tried to drift off to sleep, all alone in their big new house.

XXXX

"Hey! You ready?" Luke called as he walked through the front door a couple of weeks later.

"Almost," Lorelai called back to him.

"We have to get on the road," Luke said looking at his watch.

"Hold your damn horses," Lorelai grumbled as she came down the stairs.

Luke raised an eyebrow and said, "Somebody is feeling charming today."

"Shut up," Lorelai said with a scowl. "I had a crappy morning at the inn, and I'm so damn full of water I feel like a water balloon," she groused.

"Big day today," he said clapping his hands and rubbing them together in excitement.

"Full bladder today," Lorelai said as she followed him to the door.

Luke held the door to the Jeep open for her and made sure she was settled before jogging to the driver's side. He slid into the seat and flashed her a boyish grin before turning the key in the ignition. "Here we go," he said softly.

Lorelai looked over at him and said, "You're so excited."

"Aren't you?" he asked as he backed out of the driveway.

"I am, it's just weird seeing you so hyped up about something," she said with a laugh. She pressed her abdomen and said, "Okay, no laughing, and take it easy on the bumps," she grumbled.

As Luke drove, the silence enveloped them in a cocoon of anticipation. Lorelai kept stealing glances at him as he focused on the road, trying to contain himself. Finally she said, "I love that you're so excited."

Luke flashed her that smile that makes her heart skitter and squeezed her hand gently, resting their laced fingers on the edge of her seat between them. When they pulled into the parking lot, Luke said, "I'll drop you at the door so you don't have to walk so far."

"I thank you, and my poor stretched bladder thanks you," Lorelai mumbled as she climbed from the car.

Luke parked quickly and hurried into the lobby to catch up with her. After they checked in with Dr. Morgan's nurse, they took a seat on a small couch in the crowded waiting room. After what seemed like an eternity to Lorelai, her name was finally called. The nurse led them to a room and said, "We'll do the ultrasound first so you can relieve yourself."

"Thank God," Lorelai muttered under her breath as the door closed behind them.

Luke paced nervously as Lorelai stripped out of her clothes and put her gown on. She hopped up on the exam table and held her hand out to him. Luke quickly enclosed it in his and smiled at her reassuringly. Dr. Morgan came in with a technician a moment later. "Well, you ready to see how we're doing?" she asked jovially.

"Ready to pee," Lorelai grumbled.

"I'll bet," Dr Morgan said as she draped a sheet over Lorelai's lower half and opened the gown over her belly. She smiled and said, "Ah, a bit of a bump, I see."

"Yeah, just showed up one morning," Lorelai said with a chuckle.

The doctor nodded and said, "Not unusual to show early when you've have a previous pregnancy. Now, this gel will be cold," she warned Lorelai as she opened the tube.

"Do your worst," Lorelai said anxiously. Luke squeezed her hand as he felt the shiver race through her.

Dr. Morgan took the sensor in her hand and asked, "How are you doing, Dad?"

"I'm great," Luke said with a smile.

"Okay, keep your eyes on the screen," she instructed them. "First, how about a little music?" she asked as the technician flipped a switch and the rushing sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room.

"Oh," Lorelai gasped softly.

The smile blossomed over Luke's face as he held Lorelai's hand tightly. "Wow," he exhaled.

Dr. Morgan smiled and muttered, "Indeed." She turned to the technician and murmured something to her. She cocked her head for a moment and then said almost to herself, "Let's see if we can't get a visual."

They watched as a blurry image flitted across the screen, and the doctor's eyebrows shot up. "Well, well, there you go," she murmured as she tried to get a better image on the screen.

"Good?" Lorelai asked anxiously.

The doctor nodded as she focused on the screen. She glanced up at Lorelai and said, "Very good if you were hoping for a two for one sale."

"Huh?" Lorelai asked, her brow knitted in confusion.

Dr. Morgan smiled and said, "That bump you have is because you will be having twins."

"Twins?" Lorelai asked.

"Twins?" Luke whispered as his hand went slack around Lorelai's.

Lorelai looked up at him quickly and muttered, "Hang in there, Cool Hand."

Luke's knees buckled slightly, but he caught himself and said, "I'm good, I'm good."

"Are you sure?" Lorelai asked as she squinted at the screen, trying to make heads or tails of it.

"Positive," she said pointing to the screen. "Meet baby one and baby two," she said happily as she pointed them out to them.

"Oh my God," Lorelai breathed. She looked up at Luke and whispered, "You're psychic."

"Huh?" he asked, trying to fight through the fog in his mind.

"Your dream. You dreamed we had twins, or were going to have twins," she said squeezing his hand. "Quick, what are the winning lottery numbers, 'cause, man, are we gonna need them," Lorelai said as a joyful laugh bubbled from her.

"Twins," Luke said, trying to wrap his head around it.

Lorelai smiled at Dr. Morgan and said, "Give him thirty minutes, he'll catch up."

Luke looked down at Lorelai and whispered, "Twins!"

"Twins," Lorelai confirmed for him with a nod.

Luke swiftly bent and kissed her full on the mouth. "Oh my God," he whispered as he pulled away.

Lorelai laughed and said, "I know. You did that with an audience, Cool Hand."

Luke shook his head and said, "I don't care. We're having twins," he said happily. He quickly turned to the doctor and asked, "Everything looks okay?"

"Everything looks perfect," she assured him. "Okay, we snapped a couple of pictures for you to keep. Let's let Mom use the facilities and then we'll continue," she told them.

"Yes!" Lorelai said as she took the proffered tissues and wiped the gel from her stomach. She hopped down from the table and said, "Be right back," as she scurried to the small bathroom.

Luke sat heavily in the chair as the technician shut down the ultrasound machine. She stood and handed Luke two almost indecipherable black and white prints of the screen and quickly left the room. Dr. Morgan looked over at him with concern and asked, "You still okay?"

Luke looked up from the pictures with bright blue eyes and said, "I'm beyond words."

As Lorelai walked back in she smiled at Luke and asked, "Something for your scrapbook?" Luke looked up at her helplessly, his eyes swimming with emotion. Lorelai smiled down at him as she cupped his cheek in her hand. "I know, Babe. How great is that, huh?" she asked with a smile.

"So great," he said in a raspy voice.

"Okay, well, I'm gonna do a quick pelvic, and then we'll weigh and measure you without all of that water," Dr. Morgan said cheerfully.

"Okay," Lorelai said as she climbed back onto the table.

The doctor pulled the stirrups out and adjusted their height. She glanced up at Luke and asked, "Are you staying?"

"Yes," he answered firmly as he stood up and took Lorelai's hand again. He looked down at her and said, "If you want me to."

"I want you to," she answered softly.

"Okay, well, okay," he said with an anxious nod.

The doctor smiled as she adjusted the sheet over Lorelai. "Don't worry, you won't see anything unless you want to," she assured him.

Luke kept his eyes locked on Lorelai's face as the doctor examined her. Lorelai looked up at him and asked simply, "Happy?"

Luke shook his head, swallowing the lump in his throat, and whispered only, "Thank you."

Lorelai beamed at him and said, "You played your part in it too."

Luke's smile broke across his face as he said gruffly, "Yeah, I did."

"Cocky," Lorelai grumbled good naturedly.

"Proud," Luke countered with a pleased grin.

Lorelai smiled and said, "Arrogant."

Luke waggled his eyebrows at her and said, "Potent."

"Whoa Nellie, you sure are," Lorelai said with a laugh. "You're packin' some super sperm there, my friend," she teased.

Luke shook his head and said, "Stop. Fine, you win," he conceded.

Lorelai mouthed, "I love you," at him.

Luke pressed her hand to her pounding heart and mouthed, "I love you too."

"All done," Dr. Morgan said as she drew the sheet back down. "Okay, everything is looking good. Get dressed and we'll talk some more," she said as she got up to leave the room.

When the door shut behind her, Lorelai squealed, "We're having twins!"

Luke rubbed his ear and said dryly, "Yes, I heard."

Lorelai sat up and gave him a swat on the arm. "Don't try to act all cool now. You almost fainted," she accused pointing a finger at him.

"Did not!" Luke shot back.

"Did too! Your eyes rolled up and your legs went out from under you," she told him.

"I did not almost faint," he told her firmly.

Lorelai flung herself at his chest and Luke caught her in a tight embrace. "I can't believe it," she murmured.

"I have pictures if you need proof," Luke said softly as he stroked her curls.

Lorelai looked up at him and said simply, "Wow!"

"That about sums it up," Luke agreed with a chuckle.

"Wait until I tell Rory!" Lorelai said as she released him and pushed off of the table. She reached for her clothes and began to quickly pull them on.

Luke laughed and said, "Which will be in about ten minutes."

Lorelai arched an eyebrow at him and said, "Wait until I tell Rory that you almost fainted."

"I did not!" he insisted.

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," Lorelai teased as she slipped her feet back into her shoes.

"Lorelai," Luke said with a slight whine in his voice.

"You'd better be nice to me," she warned.

"When aren't I?" he demanded as he placed his hands on his hips.

"I adore you," Lorelai cooed at him.

"I did not almost faint," he grumbled.

A knock came on the door followed by a call of, "Are you decent?"

"Come in," Lorelai called with a laugh. She looked at Luke and said, "We're perfect."

XXXX

After they talked with the doctor, Luke handed Lorelai into the Jeep, kissed her soundly and said, "Dial," as he closed the door.

When he climbed behind the wheel he saw her frown as she held the phone pressed to her ear. Lorelai disconnected and said, "She must be in class."

Luke nodded and turned the key in the ignition. He pulled out of the parking lot and began to drive as Lorelai gazed out of the window with a dreamy expression. Finally, she turned to him with a frown and asked, "Where are you going?"

"New Haven," he answered simply.

Lorelai nodded and returned her gaze to the window as she smiled softly, placing her hand on his thigh. "I do adore you," she murmured as she watched the scenery fly by.

"Remember that," Luke told her with a smile.

XXXX

They knocked on the door to Rory's suite and Paris answered, "Hi Lorelai, hi Luke. Why are you here?" she demanded with typical Paris bluntness.

"We want to see Rory. Is she around?" Lorelai asked anxiously.

"She had a class, but she should be back soon," Paris said as she stepped aside to let them in. "Is everything okay?" she asked suspiciously.

"Everything is great," Lorelai said swiftly. "Uh, Luke had something to pick up down this way, so I tagged along with him," she said with a nod, pleased with her story.

"Oh, okay, well, I was just about to head out," Paris explained as she gestured to her backpack.

"Okay if we wait here?" Lorelai asked as she walked over to the couch and sat down decisively.

"Knock yourself out," Paris grumbled as she hefted her bag. "Everyone else is gone, so please don't leave until someone can lock up behind you," she instructed.

"We won't," Luke assured her.

Paris nodded and called, "See you later," shooting them a look as she closed the door behind her.

Luke sat down next to her, rubbing his palms nervously on his jeans. Lorelai smiled at him and said, "We're all alone. Wanna make out until Rory comes home and catches us?" she asked.

Luke glanced around the empty suite nervously and offered her a shaky smile. He nodded and said, "Uh huh."

"Come here," Lorelai said as she cupped his neck and pulled him to her. She brushed her lips across his and whispered, "My very potent, virile, super stud."

"Stop," he chided as he kissed her firmly. "It takes two, you know. I'm not taking the blame for this," he warned her.

They kissed softly, soaking each other up as the news soaked in further. "Two babies," Lorelai whispered as Luke kissed her jaw.

"Two," Luke murmured. He sat up abruptly and said, "I need to build another crib."

Lorelai smiled and said, "Plenty of time," as she pulled him back to her. They kissed a few minutes more before they heard a key slide into the lock, and jumped apart.

"Tanna! You'd better be home," Rory called as she opened the unlocked door. "If you forgot to lock the door again, Paris will kill…" she trailed of as she saw Lorelai and Luke sitting on opposite ends of the couch. "What are you doing here?" she asked, bewildered.

"Just thought we'd drop by," Lorelai said offhandedly.

"From Stars Hollow?" Rory asked with a laugh.

"We wanted to show you something," Luke said as he handed the printouts to Lorelai.

Rory caught a glimpse of the blurry black and white prints and said excitedly, "That's right, you went to the doctor today!" She dropped her bag and hurried over to sit between them on the couch. "Let's see, let's see," she said clapping her hands.

"Here you go," Lorelai said as she handed them over.

Rory frowned at the printouts and asked, "What am I looking at here?"

Luke reached over and pointed to one baby saying, "Here."

"And here," Lorelai said pointing to the other.

"What?" Rory asked, perplexed.

"Those are our babies," Lorelai said nonchalantly.

"Babies? Babies with an 's'?" Rory asked quickly.

"With an 's'," Lorelai confirmed.

"Plural?" Rory tried to clarify, turning to Luke. When he nodded, her head swiveled back to Lorelai.

"Twins, Sweets," Lorelai said softly.

"No!" Rory whispered.

"Yes," Lorelai confirmed with a nod.

Rory turned back to Luke and said, "No!"

Luke pulled a face and said, "Yes. Is that bad?" he asked quickly.

"Twins?" Rory asked as she peered at the pictures again.

"Yep," Lorelai answered.

"Oh my God, twins!" Rory squealed, throwing her arms around Lorelai and hugging her tightly.

"I know!" Lorelai crowed, as they rocked back and forth.

Rory pulled back and looked at her mother. She gave her a watery smile and said, "You are gonna get sooo fat!"

"Nice," Lorelai hissed.

"Wow! How?" Rory asked, returning her focus to the pictures.

"Well, Hon, when a man and a woman love each other…" Lorelai started with a smile.

"Hush you," Rory said waving her hand at her mother. She turned to Luke and launched herself at him. He caught her with a laugh as she hugged him tightly. "I'm so happy for you guys," she said in an awed voice.

"Thanks," Luke said gruffly. He set her back from her and said, "Congratulations, you're gonna be a great big sister."

"I'm so excited," Rory said bouncing on the couch.

"Hey, hey," Lorelai said reaching out to hold Rory down. "Don't jostle the Mommy, or you'll have a Mr. Creosote situation here," she reminded her.

Rory immediately stopped bouncing and said, "Oh, sorry. Wow, twins," she breathed.

Lorelai nodded happily and said "Wow seems to be the word of the day."

"Well, this is pretty wow worthy," Rory said happily. "Are you gonna tell Grandma and Grandpa on Friday?" she asked.

"Yep," Luke answered for her.

Lorelai nudged Rory and said, "He's pretty proud of his super sperm."

"Ew," Rory moaned.

"Stop," Luke said making a slicing motion with his hand.

Rory sat back against the cushions and looked from one to the other. She smiled and said, "Wow."

"Yeah, wow," Lorelai said as she sat back next to Rory.

Luke eased himself back and said, "You can say that again."

The three of them smiled as they all stared at the wall across the room and whispered, "Wow."