After waking up and washing up, the girls grabbed a terrible breakfast in the world's worst diner which caused Lorelai to suddenly and painfully feel the absence of Luke. She'd texted him last night to let him know where they were. Things had been a little weird between the two of them and just off, somehow. Truthfully, she wasn't worried. She would never leave Luke. Luke could never leave her. They just needed to find a way to get over this bumpy patch, that's all. Yes, Luke was the least of her worries right now.
"Ok, what now?" asks Rory.
"We... we go for a walk." says Lorelai, brightly.
"A walk to where?" asks Rory, looking at Victoria, who's hardly said anything all morning. Maybe she misses Logan. Or Jess. Apparently they're best friends.
"Just a walk for the sake of walking." says Lorelai, exasperated. "Don't underestimate the healing powers of the natural world. Trust me, I know. Anyway, we're in a beautiful part of the world..."
"Mom we're in the suburbs of a town that looks like it's straight out of a newspaper article entitled '10 best towns to buy cocaine'"
"Well hey at least it's in the top ten. I could've taken you to the rat hole at number 11."
"Let's just go, shall we?" says Victoria. "This place smells weird, I'll wait outside."
"What's up with her?" asks Lorelai. "So distant and cold all of a sudden. Y'know maybe it wouldn't be the worst idea to talk to Jess? Ask what he would've wanted someone to do for him?"
"I guess so..." says Rory. "Jess and I are in a weird place, it would feel odd to go to him for parenting advice but if it would help Vic..."
Lorelai peers at Rory. Something in Lorelai's mom brain is nagging at her. She puts her hand on Rory's arm.
"Rory, honey?" she asks, gently. "Everything ok?"
"Everything's fine." says Rory, smiling normally. "We should get out of here."
"Sure." says Lorelai, paying the bill. Her mom senses could be wrong, they are getting pretty rusty. Besides, there's absolutely nothing to suggest that things aren't totally and completely normal. Except that god damn feeling.
Somehow, Lorelai managed to find a green space that they can walk through. She strides ahead. Nothing stops Lorelai when she's on mission. Rory and Victoria fall behind.
Vic twiddles the corner of her shirt and takes a deep breath.
"How long have you known?" she asks, quietly.
"What?" Rory says. Victoria stops walking and looks at Rory dead on.
"How long?" she says, more persistently this time.
Rory looks into her daughter's eyes. Victoria knows. She knows about the baby.
"About a month."
Victoria doesn't say anything but nods and carries on walking. Rory chases after her.
"You're the only one who knows, babe." says Rory, quietly. "I haven't told anyone else yet, not even the father."
"Jess?"
"What?"
"Well Jess is the father right? You haven't been sleeping with anyone else in the past couple of months unless there's something else you'd like to tell me?"
"Wow crude, and yes. Jess is the father, of course he is."
"Are you keeping it?"
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't told Jess about the baby. Or Lorelai. Are you gonna keep it? Or send it away with someone else when it's eighteen months old? Or just leave it in a ditch, makes no difference to you really, does it?"
"Hey stop that." Rory grabs Vic's arm. "No. I'm not giving up this child. I'm not doing that again because I should never have done that with you, Vic. Never. I should never have given you up. And I'm sorry."
Victoria rubs her temples. "You need to tell Jess."
"I will it's just..."
"Just nothing. Tell him by next week or I will. No parent deserves to miss out on the chance to raise a kid."
"Not even me?"
Victoria sighs. "Not even you." She walks off to catch up with Lorelai but pauses. The inside of her head sounds like a debate half the time. "When's the next scan?" she asks.
"Oh, um. A couple of weeks." says Rory. "Why, do you want to come?"
"Yes please." says Victoria quietly.
By the time they make it back to Stars Hollow, it's dark out. Lorelai doesn't know what time it is but it's late. And she's exhausted. And she's got work tomorrow. With a heavy sigh she turns the engine off, plasters a smile on her face and turns to Rory and Victoria.
"Have fun?" she says, brightly.
"Sure." Vic responds. Ever the queen of the monosyllable, her granddaughter. Lorelai can't imagine where she got that from. All those years with Logan probably.
"Ok, well, time to hit the hay I think. Inside. Let's go."
Victoria slumps off to her room and Rory arranges herself on the couch. Lorelai hears a gentle movement upstairs and sees Luke at the top of the stairs. She goes to him.
"Hey." he says.
"Hi." Lorelai replies. Awkwardly, Luke steps towards her and kisses her long and deep. He's always been the best kisser. Always managing to convey strength and loyalty and solidarity. Lorelai smiles slightly when he pulls away and chuckles.
"Are you alright?" he asks. "I was worried."
"I called."
"I was worried before that."
"I'm sorry."
"Everything ok? The kids are..." Luke stills calls Rory and Jess 'the kids' even though they're more than middle aged these days.
"They will be. I'm sorry, Luke." says Lorelai, flatly. She's just so tired and so over her marriage being rocky.
"For what?"
"For missing those counselling sessions. For getting mad at you for missing them. For making you go in the first place. For being a shitty wife, a shitty person..." she rambles, descending into tears.
"Woah, Lorelai, you're not any of those things, come on, it's ok." Luke pulls her into his chest.
Lorelai waits there for a moment before pushing him away. "And now look at me! Being so weak and asking you to take care of me when I'm really trying to apologise to you!"
"Lorelai stop." says Luke, catching her gesticulating hands. "Apology accepted."
"Really?"
"Let's go to bed."
Despite being exhausted, Victoria can't sleep. Can't even close her eyes. Mostly because of the idea that Rory is pregnant. Rory. Pregnant. How did that even happen? Well she knew how, but why? Was it planned? Was that why she got so weird about Victoria and Bracken, because there was clearly a family history of unplanned pregnancy, and this was just a drop in the ocean?
She also couldn't sleep because she was pretty sure she could hear tapping. Or knocking. Maybe it was in her head. She lay very still. No, there was definitely tapping. And it was close.
Victoria slid out of bed and pulled back the curtain. Jess was crouched by the window, tapping on the sill. He puts a finger to his lips and motions to her to come outside.
Victoria somehow manages to sneak out the house without waking Rory and sits on the porch steps. Jess sits next to her.
"I wanted to check on you." he says.
"Why?" asks Vic. It's hard talking to Jess without mentioning the baby. Something about Jess makes it very easy for her to talk to him.
"Look, kid. I care, Ok? I know you find it hard to believe but I just... you're Rory's kid and... I don't know, don't ask me to analyse my feelings, I'm not Lorelai."
"You don't have to feel responsible for me."
"Tough. I do."
Victoria kicks a rock off the porch. "Mitchum died." she says.
"Who?"
"My grandfather."
"Oh."
"He was old."
"I see."
"Good long life."
"Vic..."
"I'm not upset."
Jess takes a beat. He didn't know Mitchum, though he's sure he's heard things from Rory over the years. This explains Logan's sudden absence though.
"Do you miss him?"
"Mitchum?"
"Your dad?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Cus he's my dad. I love him."
"Guy's a douchebag. Trust me, just because he's a dad doesn't make him not a douchebag. First hand experience." says Jess.
Victoria rolls her eyes and smiles. It's not the first time she's heard people talk about her dad like that. He's different with her though.
"You don't think maybe he's changed? Grown as a person just a little?"
"People don't change."
"You sound like Luke."
"His influence is in me. Now that's a guy who is not a douchebag."
"What about you?" asks Victoria.
"Oh I'm as much of a douchebag as they come. Your mom can really pick 'em huh?" Jess says with a chuckle.
"I respectfully disagree."
"You do, do you?"
Victoria nods. "Douchebags are never this kind to kids who aren't even their own. Most normal guys wouldn't even stick by a girl after going through everything Rory's put you through. No you're not a douchebag. You're a good guy, Jess."
"You didn't know me when I was younger."
"Doesn't matter. I'm lucky to have you in my life. Aren't I?" she says, suddenly doubting herself. Jess may be about to be a father but he doesn't know that yet. This is a lot. It might make him bolt, run for the hills.
"You do, kid." he says. "Now get some sleep it's late. Study hard. Don't do drugs."
Victoria laughs. Jess can't remember seeing her laugh ever. "Night Jess."
"Night kid."
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