Chapter Thirty-Eight

Rory pulled up in front of the diner right before the lunch rush started and scored herself a seat at the counter, right by the coffee pot.

"You look good," Luke observed sarcastically as she sat down.

"Gee, thanks. Can I have some coffee, please?"

"How much have you had today?"

"Luke, look at my face," Rory growled. "Does this look like the face of a person who should be denied coffee?"

The diner owner seemed to consider this for a moment, then nodded and passed her a mug.

"So, what's causing the face?"

"Lucy's birthday party," Rory groaned and put her head on the counter.

"Ah," Luke nodded understandingly. "So you'll be needing pancakes?"

"You're a good Dad," Rory smiled up at him.

"Thanks," Luke chuckled and filled her mug again before heading into the kitchen.

Once he was gone, Rory put her head back down on the counter and tried to keep an ear out for Jess, who she was sure would take the opportunity to scream in her ear again if she gave it to him.

Unfortunately, she didn't account for her mother's imminent arrival and was punished for her lack of vigilance when the older woman suddenly screeched in her ear.

"God!" Rory jumped about a foot in the air. "What is wrong with you people!"

"You people?"

"You and Jess!" Rory explained, rubbing her temples. "The world doesn't come to an end if you pity the hungover."

"Maybe not, but we can't take that chance. So I guess the party was good."

"Yeah, it was," Rory nodded. "Right up until the part when I think Marty flirted with me."

"What?" Lorelai frowned. "Rewind for me. Last time I checked, you guys were barely talking."

"We sorted out our differences at the party. I called him out for being a jerk, he apologized and we fell back into our old habits and everything was fine. And then we finished up at least half of the bar, and he told me I was beautiful."

"Ooh," Lorelai cringed. "That's not good."

"That's what I thought," Rory agreed. "But I really don't want to think about it anymore, because thinking about it makes my head hurt and my head hurts enough as it is."

"Maybe this will help," Luke returned with her pancakes.

"Thank you," Rory sighed happily and dug into the plate. "So Jess tells me you're an uncle again."

"Yeah, he is!" Lorelai beamed. "And I'm an Aunty!"

"When I call you that, you run away with your hand over your ears," Jess recalled, suddenly appearing behind the counter.

"That's because when you do it, it's creepy," Lorelai explained. "When Doula does it, it will be adorable."

"Whatever," Jess leaned over the counter and kissed his girlfriend. "Hi."

"I'm still mad at you," Rory scowled at him.

"That's okay. You want some more coffee?"

"Please," she nodded enthusiastically.

"I've gotta go," Luke told Lorelai as he stepped out from behind the counter. "I'm meeting Anna in half an hour."

"Okay," she got up and kissed him. "Good luck, Hon."

"Thanks. Caesar, I'm leaving!"

The cook yelled back in acknowledgement, and Luke headed for the door.

"He's meeting Anna?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, he's going to try and talk her into letting April stay with us until the end of the school year," Lorelai nodded. "She's really upset about having to just drop her entire life and go."

"I would be too," Rory sympathized. "That would totally suck."

"Yeah," Lorelai nodded. "Plus, Luke is pretty upset about the thought of losing her. I mean, he's barely had a chance to get to know her."

"I would hate to be in his place right now," Rory shook her head. "Or yours."

"I'm okay," Lorelai assured her. "I've got my kid right here."

Rory smiled and put her head on her mother's shoulder like she used to when she was a kid.

"Geez, Kid!" Lorelai pushed her away. "You've got tequila practically oozing from your pores."

"Yeah, I know," Rory cringed. "That's what I get for drinking 6 upside-down twisted slammers."

"What?" Jess frowned at her.

"The new drink Marty invented for me last night," Rory explained. "Super tasty, but incredibly potent."

"Obviously," he chuckled. "Does that mean you and Marty are on better terms now?"

"Not so much," Rory frowned. "I'll explain on the way to your mom's. You want to go now?"

"Sure," Jess shrugged.

Childbirth seemed to have taken nothing out of Liz. She spent the entire time they were there gushing about one thing or another, covering everything from Jess's being late for his sister's birth, to his inability to call her on a regular basis, to how much she loved Rory, to all the bodily functions Doula had performed in the last 12 hours. Her incessant talking made it impossible for Jess and Rory to make a quick getaway, but Rory didn't mind. She spent almost their entire visit cuddling with the newborn, and the time that she wasn't cuddling the baby, she was watching Jess cuddle her, which was almost better. When they finally got a chance to make their escape, Rory wasted no time dragging Jess up to the apartment above the diner and taking him to bed.

"Okay, not that I'm complaining," he said breathlessly. "But what was that?"

"What was what?" Rory asked, turning to face him.

"Well, you just jumped me. Again, not that I'm complaining," he assured her. "You just usually don't drag me to bed in the middle of the afternoon."

"I haven't seen you in three weeks. I have needs, Jess."

"Well, sure," he nodded. "But that's not what that was."

"Oh, no?" Rory raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you enlighten me, then."

"You saw me holding the baby, and you thought it was hot."

"Her name is Doula, you should really start calling her that."

"You're avoiding my observation," Jess poked her. "Come on, admit it. You think it's hot that I'm good with babies."

"Very hot," Rory nodded and straddled his waist.

"Do you want one of those one day?" Jess asked, putting his hands on her hips and rubbing his thumbs back and forth.

"What, a baby?" Rory asked, a 'deer-in-the-headlights' look crossing her face.

"Not anytime soon," Jess laughed. "Just, sometime."

"Do you want one?" Rory countered.

"Maybe," Jess admitted. "If I found the right person."

"And who would that person be?"

"You," he sat up and kissed her. "So? What do you think?"

"I think..." Rory bit her lip. "I think that one day, when I've finished school and settled into my career, I wouldn't mind having one... or two."

"Two?" Jess raised an eyebrow.

"I would feel bad making my kid live the life of an only child," she frowned. "Wouldn't you?"

"Probably. So two," Jess nodded. "On one condition."

"What's that?"

"They have to have your eyes."

Rory smirked and leaned down to kiss him. "I'll do my best."