Clutching at her stomach, Lorelai waddled out of the master bathroom to find Luke sitting in bed reading a book about the history of baseball. "Luke, it's time," she announced, grimacing.

Without bothering to look up, Luke asked, "Time for what?"

"The babies. It's time for the babies," Lorelai answered through clenched teeth.

Absentmindedly, Luke turned the page of his book and said, "We still have another three weeks or so."

"No, Luke! Now! The babies are coming now!"

Luke threw his book aside and leapt out of bed. When he reached Lorelai, his eyes were wild with panic. "What? They can't come now! It's too early! We're supposed to have three weeks!"

"I don't think the babies got the memo."

"It's the middle of the night."

"Ben and Liam don't care. Neither do I."

"Right. You're right. We should go. To the hospital. Where are Jess and Rory?"

"They're in bed, Luke. It's the middle of the night," Lorelai reminded him gently. "Calm down. I'm the one in labor."

"Right. You're in labor," he repeated, running his fingers through his hair. "I need to call Mia. And the doctor. Where's your bag? Where're my keys?" Luke rambled, frantically making a list of things he needed to do as he ran out of the room and down the hall.

When Luke returned ten minutes later, Lorelai was standing near their bed waiting patiently for him. She smirked at him. "Forget something?"

Luke rushed to her and wrapped one arm around her lower back to guide her out of the room. "I'm sorry."

"How far did you make it?"

"Um, well, uh, Mia will be here soon and the doctor is going to meet us at the hospital."

"My bag is by the front door, so we just need to find your keys."

"Actually, I put your bag in the truck already."

They stopped at the top of the stairs when a contraction forced Lorelai to lean heavily against Luke in order to remain upright. As the pain subsided, Lorelai panted, "So, basically, I'm lucky you didn't leave without me."

Refusing to look her in the eye, Luke mumbled, "I noticed before I made it out of the driveway."

"You did leave without me!"

"I panicked."

Lorelai started laughing so hard that her whole body shook. She let Luke lead her into the living room and over to the couch to wait for Mia. "You tried to go to the hospital to have babies without your pregnant wife," she teased him through bursts of laughter

With a gasp of indignation, Luke protested, "I came back!"

The sound of the front door opening and closing signaled Mia's arrival and disrupted Lorelai's train of thought. After taking a second to recover from the interruption, Lorelai said, "Like you had another choice? You can't do this without me."

"What can't Lucas do without you?" Mia asked as she walked into the living room.

"Have babies."

"Do I even want to know?"

"He tried to go to the hospital without me."

"I can't imagine that would work very well, Lucas."

"No, probably not. That's why I thought I'd try taking her with me this time," Luke replied, deadpan, while helping Lorelai to her feet.

"And I'd like to leave. Now," growled Lorelai, dragging Luke across the room. When they reached Mia, she said, "Tell the kids we love them and they can meet their little brothers soon."

"Of course, dear. You have Lucas call me when you're ready for visitors."

"I will," Lorelai agreed, taking a few steps closer to the front door. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to face Mia again. "If my parents happen to call, please don't tell them where we are. I really don't want them at the hospital until after the babies are born. We'll call them later."

"Stop worrying, Lorelai. I can handle Richard and Emily. You just focus on Ben and Liam." Mia gave Lorelai a quick hug before escorting Luke and Lorelai out of the house. "Good luck," she shouted to them as Luke helped Lorelai into his truck. After watching the truck disappear around the corner at the end of the street, Mia retreated into the house to wait for word that the newest little Danes had arrived.

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In the pre-dawn hours of the next morning, Lorelai was becoming increasingly frustrated by the fact that she was still pregnant. She was annoyed at Ben and Liam for stubbornly refusing to be born and at Luke for taking away her main source of entertainment. "Luke. Oh, Lucas," she whined pitifully. "Can I have my ice chips back? Pretty please with a cherry on top."

Luke's eyes narrowed and he tightened his grip on the cup of ice chips. "Are you going to eat them or throw them at the nurses?"

"Eat them, of course!" exclaimed Lorelai, flinging her arms open wide to show Luke that she had nothing to hide.

"I'm not sure I believe you."

"Hey!" Lorelai gasped. "Are you accusing a pregnant woman in labor of lying? That's not very nice."

"I'm accusing my wife, who happens to a pregnant woman in labor, of trying to use her considerable charm to convince me to help her torture the poor nurses who are only trying to help her."

"I'm just going to eat them. Scout's honor," Lorelai promised, raising her hand in a Girl Scout's three-finger salute.

"Okay, fine." Luke scooped up some ice chips and held the spoon to Lorelai's lips.

Lightly grasping Luke's wrist, Lorelai pulled his hand and the spoon away from her mouth. "I can hold the cup myself."

"You can also let me hold it. Unless you were planning on pelting the nurses again," countered Luke with a sly smile. He moved the spoon back to Lorelai's mouth. This time Lorelai accepted the ice chips. She violently crunched the ice chips between her teeth while crossing her arms over her chest and pinning Luke with a steely glare. Luke barely managed not to flinch under the weight of Lorelai's gaze. "Do you want any more?"

"No," she snarled.

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Nearly fifteen hours after telling Luke she was in labor, Lorelai held Ben and Liam in her arms. Luke sat next to her on the edge of the bed with one arm draped loosely around her shoulders and the opposite hand tenderly cupping Liam's head. When Lorelai laid her head on his shoulder, Luke pressed a kiss her hair. "They're perfect," he whispered, keeping his voice low so that he wouldn't wake the sleeping newborns.

"They're perfect and so very beautiful," mused Lorelai, matching Luke's hushed tone.

"They're boys. They're handsome, not beautiful."

"They're babies, Luke. Babies are beautiful, not handsome," argued Lorelai.

"I'll take your word for it."

"You should. I did all the hard work."

"Yes, you did."

"And I think they're beautiful."

"They must get it from their mother."

Lorelai shifted her face against Luke's shoulder to look up at him with a wide grin. "Flattery will get you everywhere, my friend."

"It's not flattery. It's the truth. You're beautiful," Luke insisted, brushing a soft kiss across her forehead.

With a happy sigh, Lorelai settled more comfortably against Luke's side to rest. She was exhausted, but refused to let anyone take the babies so she could sleep. All she wanted was to watch her babies and memorize their perfect features.

Eventually, Luke eased himself off the bed and took Liam from Lorelai, disregarding her protests. "You can stare at them all you want later," he quietly assured her. "Right now, you need to sleep."

Luke placed Liam on one side of the plastic bassinet the twins were sharing and quickly reached for Ben to lay him next to Liam before either baby could notice their brother's absence. At barely three hours old, the twins had already made it known that they didn't appreciate being separated. It seemed the only acceptable alternative to being together was being held by Lorelai, but whenever she held one of the babies, the other would cry until he was reunited with his mother and brother.

Once he was sure that Ben and Liam were safely sleeping in their bassinet, Luke grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it close to Lorelai's bed. Just as he was about to sit down, Lorelai stopped him. "Don't! That's too far away. Come lay with me."

"You need to get some sleep, Lorelai, before Mia brings Jess and Rory to meet their brothers. I'll sit right here and keep an eye on you and the twins."

"Please lay with me. I'll sleep better if you're up here with me."

"Are you sure it's okay?" Luke glanced at the open door as if he expected someone to appear and object to his sharing a bed with his wife.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Lorelai wondered, smiling at Luke's uncertainty.

"We're in a hospital and you just gave birth."

"You were sitting up here earlier."

"That was different."

"How?"

"It just was."

Lorelai carefully shifted to one side of the bed, wincing at the unavoidable twinges of discomfort. "Luke, get up here," she ordered, patting the empty side of the bed.

Sighing in defeat, Luke pushed the chair back to its original place against the wall to make room for the bassinet. He eased himself into the space Lorelai had created for him and pulled the bassinet up to the edge of the bed. When Luke was satisfied that he would be able to reach Ben and Liam should they need him or, more likely, Lorelai, he leaned back against the pillows and let Lorelai relax against him.

"Mmm," moaned Lorelai. "That's much better. Thank you."

"Will you please sleep now?"

"Whatever you want, Lucas. Whatever you want."

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Lorelai had just finished nursing Liam when she and Luke heard the distinctive giggles of Jess and Rory approaching their room. The giggling stopped just outside the door and, from just out of sight, Mia announced their arrival. "Knock, knock," she called.

"Come in," answered Luke, prompting Mia to step into the open doorway.

Jess and Rory had been trailing behind Mia, but took off running for Luke the moment they saw him. "Hi, Daddy," they cried in unison as he scooped them up into his arms.

Following the kids into the room, Mia set the cardboard box she was carrying on an empty chair and told Lorelai, "This is from Sookie. It's dinner and some snacks. She also put a week's worth of meals in your fridge."

"Tell her thank you for us."

"Already done. How are you feeling?"

"Sore."

"That'll pass. How are Ben and Liam?"

"Absolutely perfect. This is Liam." Lorelai kissed the top of the baby's head, then continued, "Do you want to hold him?"

Backing out of the room, Mia declined Lorelai's offer. "Later, dear. Right now, there are two very important people waiting to meet their baby brothers."

"You're not leaving, are you?"

"Just for a little while," Mia replied, waving goodbye to Jess and Rory as she left the room to give the newly formed family of six some time alone.

Lorelai turned to look at Jess and Rory who were leaning shyly against Luke's shoulders. They had already been warned by Luke to be quiet so they wouldn't wake up the babies, but were staring at Liam with obvious interest, so Lorelai asked, "Are you two ready to meet your little brothers?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Jess blurted enthusiastically. His attempts to jump onto the bed were easily thwarted by Luke.

Rory's response was more restrained. She didn't struggle against her father's hold, but slowly moved away from Luke's chest to get a better look at Liam. "Please, I can hold him?"

"Of course, you can, sweet girl. Luke, set them down."

"I want to hold him," demanded Jess, resuming his efforts to free himself from Luke's hold.

"You can each hold one of your brothers, but first, you need to stop squirming because I'll only put you down if you hold still," Luke said, causing Jess to freeze. "Good. I'll let you sit with Mommy, if you promise to be very, very careful."

The unusual requirement on a normal activity alarmed Rory. "B-but, w-why, Daddy?" she stammered, worrying the collar of Luke's shirt between her thumb and index finger.

Patiently, Luke explained, "Having babies is hard work and Mommy had two babies, so we have to be extra nice to her. Do you understand?" He waited for Jess and Rory to nod, then placed them gently on the bed.

Within a few minutes Jess and Rory were settled on either side of Lorelai. Luke taught Jess how to hold Ben while Lorelai helped Rory with Liam. Fortunately, Ben and Liam didn't fuss. They were just as fond of their older siblings as they were of each other.

The sight of her oldest babies holding her newborn babies brought tears to Lorelai's eyes. "What do you guys think of your baby brothers?"

Rory looked up at Lorelai with a wide smile. "I love Leem."

"My baby," Jess whispered, his voice full of wonder. He never took his eyes off of Ben.

The sweet moment was interrupted by the arrival of Richard and Emily. Upon seeing the happy family huddled together on Lorelai's bed, Emily scoffed, "Well, Richard, it seems we've missed the birth. Again."

"Please, Emily, behave yourself," Richard scolded her under his breath.

Lorelai greeted her parents with a small, close-lipped smile. "You didn't have to come at all, Mom."

"Don't be silly, Lorelai. I simply don't understand why it's so difficult for you to let us know when you're in labor."

"It's not difficult. I just didn't want to tell you."

"I'm your mother. It's my right to be present for the birth of by grandchildren."

"Only if you're the one giving birth." The sharp edge of Lorelai's voice caused Luke to tense. He glanced at Richard silently pleading with him to do something to prevent the disagreement from escalating.

Richard acknowledged Luke's unspoken request with a nod. "That's enough, Emily. We're here meet William and Benjamin, not to start a fight."

"I'm merely explaining to our daughter that her behavior is unacceptable."

"Lorelai is not the problem. You are. Come on, we're leaving."

"But we just got here!"

Ignoring Emily's complaint, Richard addressed Luke and Lorelai. "Excuse us. I'll be right back." Getting only wide-eyed stares of disbelief in response, Richard pulled Emily out of the room, making sure to keep a firm grip on her arm the entire time.

As soon as they were gone, Luke said, "Well, that was…" He left the thought unfinished when he was unable to think of an adequate description.

"Different," Lorelai finished for him.

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A short while later, Richard returned, without Emily. "Lorelai, Luke, I'm sorry for Emily's behavior. She was out of line. I hope you know that I do not share her opinions," he apologized as he took a couple of hesitant steps toward the side of the bed where Rory sat.

"We know, Daddy."

"If it's okay, I'd still like to meet my newest grandsons."

Lorelai nodded, a genuine smile crossing her face for the first time since her parents had arrived. "Jess, can you tell Grandpa who you're holding?"

"This is my baby, Grandpa," Jess declared proudly.

"He's holding Ben," clarified Luke. "Your turn, Rory."

"This is Leem."

"They're fine-looking boys, Lorelai."

"Thanks, Dad. Would you like to hold Liam?"

"Yes," Richard answered immediately, then paused to actually consider Lorelai's suggestion. Deciding that he liked the idea of holding his newborn grandson, he said, "I think I'd enjoy that very much." He grabbed a chair and sat down close to Rory.

"Okay, Rory, it' time to let Grandpa hold Liam."

"No, Mommy," Rory whined. "Leem's my baby."

Taking control of the situation, Richard did his best to comfort his granddaughter. "Don't worry, Rory. I'll need lots of help holding Liam. Do you think you could come sit with me and make sure I do it right?"

"Yes, Grandpa. I know how to hold Leem real good. Right, Mommy?"

"That's right, sweet girl."

Richard gathered Rory and Liam in his arms and, with more skill that Lorelai had thought he possessed, transferred them from the bed to his lap. Soon, he cradled Liam in one arm and held Rory on his opposite knee. He listened earnestly as Rory gave detailed instructions on the proper way to hold Liam and had just earned her approval when Mia entered the room.

"Well, look at this happy family," Mia remarked cheerfully. Looking around the room, she became puzzled. "Where's Emily? Didn't she want to meet the twins?"

Luke, who was still hovering over Jess and Ben, leaned out of Lorelai's line of sight and shook his head, desperately warning Mia off the subject of Emily. However, before either Luke or Mia could redirect the conversation, Richard stated, "It was decided that Emily would wait to meet Ben and Liam until she's in a more agreeable mood."

Clearing his throat, Luke said, "Mia, why don't you come hold Ben? Jess can show you how it's done."

"What do you say, Jess? Can you teach me how to hold your little brother?"

"Okay, but you have to be real careful because he's real little."

"Just for a little bit," advised Lorelai, while Luke offered his chair to Mia and lifted Jess and Ben onto her lap. "It's almost time for Mia to take the kids home and for me to feed the twins." As if on cue, Ben started to cry. "I guess I was wrong. It's time for me to feed the twins now. Sorry, Mia."

Laughing, Mia waved Lorelai's apology away. "Don't worry about it. I'll have plenty of chances to hold the babies when you come home."

"Thanks, Mia," Lorelai sighed gratefully, holding her arms out for Ben and Liam.

After Luke and Lorelai had said good night to Jess and Rory, Richard and Mia began trying to convince Jess and Rory that it was time to leave. Despite their parents' promise to be home for dinner the next day, Jess and Rory refused to leave the hospital until Richard offered to take them to dinner anywhere they wanted.

When they were finally alone with the babies, Luke took Liam from Lorelai and began pacing around the room with him while Lorelai nursed Ben. Once Ben was finished nursing, Lorelai passed him to Luke and took Liam. It was a procedure that was repeated several times throughout the first night with the twins and, without even realizing it, they established a routine that would become a regular part of their lives for the next several months.