This is it, only one more chapter to go! Reviews make me happy when I'm sad to see then end :)
I do not own Gilmore Girls.
Chapter 42
"What do you think?" Rory asked.
"I think you and Finn are either geniuses or mad. But I'm going with geniuses. We just need to get Colin on board." Mia said with a smile, Lee in her arms and Pepper by her side.
"But do you like it?" Rory asked her best friend.
"I love it. I mean have you seen that fireplace? And Lee's room? The windows! I love it. I'm going to ring Colin, but I'm sold." Mia smiled turning in a circle in the kitchen.
Rory and Finn had put an offer in on the house next door to this one and were trying to sell Colin and Mia on this house. Next door neighbours. It was a commute to Hartford and an even longer commute to Yale for Colin, but then the McCrea's could always stay in the apartment during the week, they hadn't put it up for rent or sale yet.
Mia handed Lee over to Rory and pulled out her phone to ring Colin. Rory took Lee to the window which overlooked, hopefully her new home.
Rory loved that house, it had four bedrooms, a kitchen that opened into a dining room and a huge lounge. There was a small backyard and a wraparound porch that Rory imagined snuggling up to Finn on during chilly nights. There was also a study which Rory could imagine filling with books and Finn had talked about making into a man cave.
The best thing for Rory though was the location. Stars Hollow. If they got it, she could see her brother and sister growing up, she would see Lane whenever she came back for a visit, she could always be there for festivals and Taylors latest mad scheme. She could get coffee at Luke's every morning and Chinese from Als. She wanted that house.
They'd put a cash offer in, Finn and her splitting the money between them, though as Finn pointed out with a smile, it would soon be both of their money anyway.
"Colin's going to come and see it. I don't think he's too happy about living in Stars Hollow but he was more cheerful finding out Finn would be next door. If we get the houses those two are going to be dangerous." Mia laughed. "Hey we could take the fence down and have one big backyard instead of two little ones."
"Yes! That's a great idea. But we need a knocking policy unless there's an emergency or we really need each other." Rory said having visions of Lee walking in when he was older and being scarred for life by Finn and her doing things children had no business seeing.
"Yes, we need rules, hey it's like moving in together all over again. But in separate houses. Isn't this going to be very... Wisteria Lane though?" Mia asked.
"I hope with less drama, but yes. It'll be fun." Rory said happily.
/\\\/\\\
"Love!?" Finn called out walking into the Crap Shack then realised he should probably not be shouting in case the twins were sleeping. If they were and he woke them Lorelai would have his balls.
"Hey!" Rory's head popped up from the couch a book in her hands.
"They accepted the offer!" Finn spat out too excited to give it the build-up it needed. They had a house, one that wasn't too modern, nor too old, wasn't too big but not small either, had plenty of character. It was the Goldilocks of houses, just right.
"Yes!" Rory jumped up from the couch and threw herself into her arms.
Finn swung her round in circles feeling like he'd won the lottery. He had the girl, he now had the house, he had the job. Life was good.
"When do we get the keys?" Rory asked excitedly.
"Erm... actually..." Finn said sheepishly. He pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and handed them to her. He may have paid more than they'd agreed on to speed things up. It wasn't illegal, but it wasn't exactly the done thing either.
"You're kidding?" Rory said.
"I would not, well I would, but I'm not." Finn smirked.
"I'm not even going to ask, I'm just going to be happy." Rory rolled her eyes.
"That's the attitude that will make sure we're together for ever love." Finn chuckled.
"There are my two-favourite people in the whole world ever!" Lorelai came into the living room a baby on each hip.
"Tomorrow night's fine not tonight though." Rory insisted.
"Why not tonight?" Lorelai whined, Finn realised she wanted them to have the twins for the night again.
"Because we're celebrating." Rory insisted happily holding up the keys he had handed to her.
"Do I finally get to know where this beautiful house with a study is? Now I'm not going to jinx it." Lorelai raised her eyebrows at her oldest daughter.
Rory had wanted to keep it a surprise for her mom, just in case they didn't get the house and she was disappointed when they moved to another town or Hartford instead.
"Want to come see it?" Finn asked.
"Now? Well, I was going to do some housework but I guess I could." Lorelai said making Finn and Rory both chuckle. Lorelai and housework was like Lorelai and salad, it just didn't happen.
"Follow us in your car?" Rory asked practically bouncing up and down.
"Sure, but please tell me you didn't go with the haunted house? Because if I get haunted, I'm going to be pissed. I get woken up enough times at night as it is." Lorelai said.
"It's not the haunted house." Finn promised, that house had been a bit spooky after all.
They got in the car and waited for Lorelai to follow them the two streets to their new house. Finn pulled Rory's car that he'd got her for graduation curtesy of Mia into the driveway. He'd been right she hadn't been overly keen on the black Escalade, but she had listened to reason when he told her it would handle better in bad weather when she was commuting.
"You're kidding? Tell me you're not kidding? I can't tell if you're kidding or not but if you're playing with mommy's emotions, she might not forgive you." Lorelai ranted jumping out of her car and going to get the twins from the back. Finn went to help.
"This is it; this is our new house." Rory said taking out the keys and unlocking the door, her smile wide and her eyes sparkling.
/\\\/\\\
"I'm not delivering this one too, you know that right?" Rory smirked at her best friend; they were laid on towels on a beach in Australia. It was a lovely day despite the rain that kept threatening.
"I think you should, you're a great midwife. In fact I might just wait again so you have too." Mia replied sipping her soda.
"Tell me you're kidding." Rory sat up and looked at her best friend.
"Yes, I'm totally kidding, this little boy will be had in the hospital with lots of pain relief. Lots." Mia said with a smile.
"A boy?" Rory gasped; Mia hadn't told her that yet.
"A boy." Mia nodded with a smile.
Rory reached over and hugged Mia.
"Are you going to name him Cory?" Rory asked after they hugged it out.
"Cory?"
"Tory, Rory, Cory." Rory laughed.
"No. That's not a thing and you cannot make it a thing. Please." Mia groaned her small bump on show in her green Bikini.
"Fine." Rory said. "Have you got any names?"
"Nope. But I want the middle name to be Colin. I was thinking Colin's middle name but he's Colin Alwin McCrea. I just... no." Mia said.
"Yikes. What about Reece?"
"I thought of that too, Finn would be happy but Reece doesn't work well with Lee." Mia explained. Finn's middle name was Reece.
"You've got seven months still." Rory shrugged.
"Have you guys set a date yet?" Mia asked.
"No Grandma, we haven't." Rory sighed.
"Ouch, no comparing me with Emily. Did you want a Spring wedding still?" Mia asked.
"I wanted a winter wedding. White and snow and lights and fur. But that makes Finn shiver even talking about it so I guess it'll have to be the summer." Rory said. He gave her everything she asked for, the least she could do is give him the wedding he wanted. Or make sure he wasn't freezing for it.
"If you really want a winter wedding, he'd do it, you know that." Mia said watching the men folk in the sea.
"Yeah, I know. But it's his wedding too. Anyway, have you set a date for yours yet?" Rory asked changing the subject.
"I want to have had this one first and Colin's talking about finishing Law School first, so we'll probably have a long engagement." Mia shrugged but was clearly unhappy with the idea.
"That's only one more year though." Rory said.
"Yeah, I guess. I think I want to get married here. On the beach. Do you think Colin would go for it?" Mia asked.
"I think he'd do anything you asked." Rory smiled; Colin had been even more overprotective of Mia this pregnancy. Making her sit, bringing her things, caving on the house, despite it being in Stars Hollow, or the Looney Bin as Colin called it.
/\\\/\\\
Rory was nervous and excited as she looked into the mirror, she was wearing her new suit that she and her mom had gone shopping for. She had her new briefcase that Finn had brought her and her new charm on her bracelet, also from Finn, which was also in the shape of a briefcase. It sat next to a charm in the shape of a house.
"Ready love?" Finn asked from behind her, his head resting on her shoulder.
"No." Rory said honestly.
"You look beautiful, you'll be with Janice all day, you know you can do this. And we have to leave if you don't want to be late for your first day at work." Finn said passing her a thermos of coffee. Luke's coffee she thought from the smell.
"Okay, let's go. Can you drive? I'm too nervous." Rory asked.
"Of course, love." Finn smiled at her in the mirror.
The drive to the Hartford offices helped calm her nerves. Fighting over music and singing really badly to each other would do that to a person.
"You're through there kitten. I'll pick you up for lunch yeah?" Finn said pointing her through a set of doors.
"Yeah, okay." Rory nodded biting her lip. She straightened her shoulders took a deep breath and headed through the heavy doors.
"Good morning." A receptionist smiled at her.
"Hi, I'm the new intern, Rory Gilmore." Rory smiled.
"I'll just let Mrs Morgan know you're here, one minute." The receptionist said smiling again. She seemed friendly enough, Rory thought.
"Rory!" Janice came out of a door and came straight over to give her a hug.
"Mrs Morgan." Rory said hugging her back, she didn't think she should be calling her Janice or Jan on her first day.
"Don't do that. And for the love of God don't do it to Josh or Phineas you'll never live it down. It's Janice, you were my bridesmaid, you can't call me Mrs Morgan. Now come on, see where you'll be working and I'll go over what I want you doing. Also, will be you shadowing me for a few weeks but we're finally going with your campaign so you will be helping more than you think." Janice said leading her through the door she'd come out of into a small corridor.
"Okay, so you're in here with me. Normally you'd have your own office but seeing as your shadowing me that seemed a little silly." Janice showed her a huge office with a wall of windows, sleek modern furniture and pictures all over. It was smart but personal, Rory loved it. There was a impressively large desk in the middle and a smaller desk that had obviously been recently put there next to it. Rory smiled seeing a little plaque reading Rory Gilmore on it and a picture of Finn, Mia, Colin, Lee and herself.
The morning passed quickly, being shown around the marketing department that consisted of Janice, Debbie the receptionist, Janet who handled all the creative side of things apparently, a clerk called Clarke and now herself.
They spent the remainder of the morning in a meeting room which had boards all over it of the latest marketing campaigns, ideas, realities, mock ups and one finished blog that they would be launching as soon as they'd created enough buzz.
Rory hadn't even realised how fast the day had gone until a knock interrupted her writing and the door opened revealing Finn.
"Hello ladies. Sorry about lunch love, I got caught up in meetings. How about I take you out for dinner instead?" Finn grinned apologetically from the doorway with Phineas behind him.
Rory hadn't realised she was hungry until he mentioned food. She looked at her watch. It was just past five o'clock and Rory hadn't had lunch. She had though drank all of her coffee.
"Oh no." Janice groaned.
"Not again?" Phineas asked from behind Finn.
"Well, we were very busy, I'm really sorry Rory." Janice said with a blush. "I have a lot to get through with her."
"You have to eat though Jan." Phineas said walking into the office with a frown. "If not for yourself then for the... for Rory."
"You haven't eaten all day kitten? How, I thought that was an impossibility for a Gilmore." Finn chuckled walking over to her desk.
"I forgot." Rory said with a blush.
"Well why don't we all go eat?" Phineas suggested.
"Sure, kitten?" Finn asked.
"Good with me." Rory said packing up her papers thinking maybe she could get some of what she had been working on done that night.
"Put them back. They'll be there tomorrow." Finn laughed taking the papers out of her briefcase and putting them in a drawer in her desk.
"Listen to what the man said." Phineas said doing the same thing for Janice. "And I'm having a word with Debbie. If you two haven't left the office by twelve to eat everyday then she will order you something."
"She's my receptionist dear, she doesn't answer to you." Janice pouted.
"Alright then I'll get my receptionist to do it." Phineas raised his eyebrows.
"Fine." Janice sighed making Rory chuckle.
/\\\/\\\
Finn and Phineas had been militant the three weeks after her first day about making sure that Janice and Rory ate. Even if it was takeout from the local sandwich shop. Once they'd even set up a boardroom and had delivery from every local takeaway.
Today though it had been a sandwich grabbed in-between phone calls. The blog was going live and they were arranging for photos of an event at the Morgan Hotel in California.
Rory had also suggested using the little towns and suburbs surrounding the hotels, showing off their festivals, like Stars Hollow, it would attract more families. She was now taking point on that trying to find out information on events surrounding all sixty-six hotels. It was tiring and invigorating.
"Message." Debbie said quietly as Rory was on the phone, the receptionist passed Rory a post it note.
We're having dinner with Jan and dad at the house if that's okay. They have something to tell us apparently. Mia and Colin are going to be there too. Love you. Finn.
"Can you tell Finn that's fine please? I'd text him but..." She shrugged at her phone which she had moved away from her ear slightly.
"Yes of course that's no problem." Debbie said stiffly. Debbie had not liked her after her first day. Apparently, she had a little crush on Finn, who she hadn't realised was Rory's fiancé. Since she had found out she had been very polite but that was it. There were no more warm smiles or offers to go above and beyond. Rory shrugged, not everyone would like her, that was just life. And as long as Debbie did her job Rory didn't care too much.
At five o'clock on the dot Janice shut down her computer and told Rory to do the same.
"You're doing even better than I thought you would and I did think you'd run with this." Janice said pulling her jacket on.
"Thank you. I'm really enjoying it." Rory smiled.
"It's not normally this manic. But with the launch and your idea of marketing events, which was a good idea. We're a lot busier than usual. Mostly I keep on top of our social media, make sure the hotels are getting fair reviews and sort any problems if they're not. The rest of the time I help out Phineas with anything I can do." Janice said.
"Oh." Rory said confused.
"Is that something you think you could be happy doing? Keeping on top of social media, problem solving and helping the Morgan men?" Janice asked.
"Yes, I think so." Rory said following Janice from the office.
"Good." Janice smiled saying goodnight to Debbie and Clarke who were also leaving for the day.
"Good day Kitten?" Finn and Phineas were waiting for them in the lobby.
"Busy." Rory supplied smiling as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and leant down for a quick kiss. "How was yours?"
"Busy as well. Apparently thanks to you I will now be attending twelve different festivals in a few months and looking to see if we could incorporate anything from them into the hotels and upgrade entertainment in them." Finn said but he was smiling.
"Sorry?" Rory said with a giggle.
"Oh, you will be. You're coming." Finn nudged her.
"I am?" Rory asked surprised.
"Oh yes. We can't market these events to the right target market without a member of our marketing team now, can we?" Finn raised his eyebrows.
"I'm just an intern though." Rory said.
"Your idea, your project." Janice supplied with a smile.
"We'll talk briefly about it at the house. But then no work talk." Phineas said. Janice and him had a fairly strict no talking about work policy that Finn and Rory had also implemented otherwise they stayed up all night bouncing ideas around and felt as though they hadn't rested at home. They'd learnt that the hard way.
Finn and Rory followed Jan and Phineas to their home. It was Rory's turn to drive today. When they got there Colin and Mia were already waiting and dinner was ready for them. Curtsey of Colin ordering out.
"Tuck in." Phineas said as they gathered round the dining table.
"Phineas and I have something to tell you all." Janice said after everyone had a plate full in front of them.
"Jan and I are going to have a baby." Phineas declared with an ear-splitting smile.
"Congratulations!" Everyone cheered, hugs were exchanged and well wishes given.
"I'm twelve weeks, we wanted to tell you earlier but... it just didn't feel safe." Janice said her smile sadder.
"So yes Rory, I'm pushing things through quicker because I'll be taking a minimum of a year off after the baby comes and I want to leave my department to you." Janice said.
"Me?" Rory asked her mouth hanging open. "But... I'm just an intern. I only started three weeks ago."
"That's why I'm working you hard." Janice shrugged. "I have no doubts at all that you can do it. And you will. I have seven months to show you everything I know. Minus the month of traveling, you and Finn will be doing of course."
/\\\/\\\
Rory rolled over in bed. Her back was aching, she'd spent the majority of yesterday putting together furniture for Mia and Colin, Paris had thankfully come to help even though she was busy with her residency. But the baby would be here soon and if Paris hadn't come Rory would have still been doing it well into next week on her own.
Rory screamed when she came face to face with someone on her side of the bed.
Finn shot up in bed and next to Rory so did Mia.
"What the hell?" Mia yelled.
"Mia?" Rory asked clutching her heart and her back. Her very aching back.
"Why did you scream!?" Mia yelled again.
"Because I wasn't expecting to turn around and find someone on my side of the bed!" Rory yelled back.
"I... it's way too early for this and I think I may have shared kittens heart attack." Finn grumbled flopping back down other bed.
"What's wrong?" Rory asked Mia lying back down too.
"Colin and me had an argument." Mia said.
"Do I need to kick his arse?" Finn mumbled.
"Yes." Mia sniffed and Finn sat back up.
"What did he do?" Finn asked seriously.
"He wouldn't let me drive my car. He wouldn't let me. Like I'm five or something. I'm pregnant, I can still drive!" Mia said indignantly.
"Good night." Finn sighed and laid back down again.
"Why did you want to drive? At five in the morning? I still had half an hour to sleep." Rory groaned.
"Because I think I'm in labour." Mia said.
"Bloody hell Mia." Finn said once more sitting up. "Come on."
"What!?" Mia scowled.
"Let's go get your hospital bag and Colin. I'm not delivering this baby. Come on." Rory said.
"No, I want to drive. If I drive I can't have the baby in the car." Mia pouted stubbornly.
"Sit in the back and throw things at Colin." Rory suggested grabbing whatever clothes came to hand.
"I guess." Mia sulked.
"Please tell me your water hasn't broken in my bed again." Rory said pointing to a wet stain under Mia.
"I'll buy you a new one." Mia said.
"I'll grab Colin, the bag and the car. You just get Mia downstairs love." Finn said leaving the room.
"Come on." Rory said taking her friend under the arm and helping her stand.
"I don't want another baby in a car in the middle of winter. Again." Mia groaned as they started walking.
"Me either." Rory agreed. "So let's get you to the hospital, yeah?"
/\\\/\\\
Ben Colin McCrea was born three hours later safely in the hospital. Rory had nothing to do other than wait in the waiting room with Finn, Janice, Phineas, Josh and her mom thankfully.
Janice had looked a little white on hearing screams from delivery rooms, but other than that things had gone smoothly for once. Or in Rory's point of view they had, she was sure that Mia may have disagreed.
Janice was six months pregnant and getting bigger by the day, she had started craving fish a lot, which made the office stink, thankfully Rory had missed almost a month of that as Finn and her had been travelling. It had been a nice break and while they had still been working it had felt more like a mini holiday and they had taken advantage of it at every opportunity. Rory would never be able to look the crew from the Morgan's private jet in the eyes again.
Rory and Finn went home to grab some sleep hours after Ben made his appearance. They had Little Lee for the night. And would be sleeping in the guest room until they could get a new mattress.
/\\\/\\\\
Amy Dorothy Morgan was born in the early hours of the morning on March the second. She had been delivered by emergency C-section after a troubled delivery. Josh, Finn and Rory waited in the waiting room for news, Rory leant against Finn asleep. It had been a long twelve hours. He had told her to go back home to bed, he'd let her know but she hadn't wanted to leave his side.
His dad had come and told them with a smile on his face that both mother and baby were fine. He held the little bundle in his arms. Finn shifted not wanting to wake Rory but wanting to see his new baby sister. It seemed as though everyone were having babies now.
Rory woke despite his efforts and cooed over the baby with him. She really was beautiful, Finn thought, with a small shock of blonde hair like her mothers.
Not long after they left, Janice wasn't up to having visitors yet and Phineas had wanted to get some sleep with his wife while he could. Finn didn't blame him in the slightest.
Rory drove home even though he said he'd do it. Insisting that she'd got a little sleep and he had none.
"Spring." Finn said through a yawn.
"Spring?" Rory asked sounding confused though her eyes didn't leave the road.
"We should get married in Spring. We can still have twinkle lights and the blossom will be like snow falling down. This Spring." Finn said. He'd been thinking about it all night. He didn't want to wait any longer. He wanted Rory to be his wife.
"It is Spring." Rory said with a frown.
"Okay then next Spring. A year from now. We'll not exactly now as then it'll be Amy's birthday and it's just mean making a baby sit through a wedding on their birthday. But yes, this week next year. Let's get married." Finn said grabbing Rory's hand.
"Okay." Rory grinned.
"Okay?" Finn had to make sure.
"Okay."