A/N: Sorry it's been a bit longer for an update! Life has got super busy but I'm trying to write as much as I can :) This one is bit longer to make up for it!


Chapter Six

"Tell me again why we are here?" groaned Rory, walking along the sidewalk with her mother, both clutching numerous shopping bags in hand.

"Because there's nowhere else that is better to shop for Christmas presents than New York," stated Lorelai. "And you, my dear, have been in a funk since Logan came round. I gave you a few days, but it's been a week."

"I told you the conversation went well!"

"I'm glad he wants to be involved but that doesn't mean you are not in a funk," scoffed Lorelai. "You haven't been to your grandparent's house in ages which means you've not been writing. You were so excited about that book."

"I thought you'd be happy I wasn't writing," grumbled Rory.

"Hey, Kid, I gave you my blessing and I'm not happy you're not doing something you love," said Lorelai softly. "Your life is messy I get that, but I think it will help."

"I know, and I've not abandoned it," explained Rory. "I can't afford to abandon it; I was relying on it to be my new career. Grandma's house is being emptied so it's just not the same being there. Maybe now I know Logan is on the same page I can get back to it."

"In the meantime, I thought of something to pull you out of your funk!" exclaimed Lorelai.

"What have you done?" asked Rory, worriedly.

"You're so much in a funk you've not even realised where we've been heading to," grinned Lorelai, pulling up to a stop.

Rory halted too and looked up to see a familiar brownstone. "Mum, I can't, I've not told her yet."

"What do you think you're going to do now?"

"She'll be at work."

"She's not, I rang ahead," replied Lorelai, mischievously. "She loves me, of course she would be in if I was coming for a visit."

"Okay, I agree, I'm in a funk," said Rory exasperatedly. "Can we go now?"

Lorelai shook her head. "It's scary, she's a terrifying woman, but she is the best person to drag someone out of a funk kicking and screaming."

"Yes, because she's not afraid to do it literally," drawled Rory. She sighed as her mother ignored the last comment and walked up the stone steps to the ring the doorbell. She reluctantly followed, reaching the step below as the door was swung open.

"Lorelai, so good to see you," smiled Paris widely. "Being married agrees with you, you look well. Just make sure he doesn't have a hidden desire to be a screenwriter."

Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Pouring coffee and making pancakes is where his heart is, so I think we'll be fine. You look good too, Paris."

"Thank you, I had to go to the top of the house twice yesterday, so I imagine I'm looking extra svelte after burning those calories. My calves will be killer as well."

"Sure," quipped Lorelai. "Rory's here too."

Rory sighed as her mother stepped slightly to the side to reveal her. Paris was dressed in black trousers and a dark grey turtleneck sweater. Her short blonde hair was swept to the side. Her hazel narrowed and Rory felt them scanning her up and down. Rory was dressed for the cold New York winter with her navy wool duffle coat over a sweater and skinny jeans, her feet wrapped up in her dark brown boots. Her brown hair was down in waves but tucked into a cream scarf and covered with her pom-pom hat. The thought did go through her mind that this was becoming her 'hey, I'm pregnant' outfit.

"Hi Paris," said Rory meekly, after Paris stared at her a moment too uncomfortable without speaking.

Paris ignored her and turned back to Lorelai. "If you had gone back to the idea of surrogacy, I'm hurt that you didn't come back to me. I know that unlike me she is your blood daughter and that you are extremely close, but she does not have a premium uterus like my girls. You could have done so much better."

"How can you even tell that I'm pregnant?" cried out Rory, her blue eyes wide. "I'm not even showing and I'm wearing like seven layers."

"Babies is what I do, Gilmore," frowned Paris. "Thinking I wouldn't be able to tell is just another act of you and your mother doubting my abilities."

"We would never doubt you, Paris," said Lorelai, soothingly. "If you let us in out of the cold, we'll explain. Or rather, Rory will explain."

Rory collapsed onto one of Paris' blue sofas, extremely happy to be off her feet and be able to put her bags down. Along with nausea, tiredness had been one of her biggest pregnancy symptoms. Her mother sat down beside her as they both shed their outdoor layers. Paris sat on the opposite sofa, leant forward with her hands clasped together and elbows resting on her knees as she stared sharply at them both.

"Well?"

"It's not my mum's baby, Paris," explained Rory, after taking a deep breath. "It's mine. As in my egg, my womb, it's my baby."

"How?"

"Paris! You are an expert, you know the traditional methods of how a baby is made," exclaimed Rory.

"Oh, I know it was the traditional method," scoffed Paris. "You would have come to me to advise otherwise and I would recommend the use of someone else's womb. My question is how on earth did you make a baby with Paul? You barely saw him."

"I didn't make a baby with Paul."

"Your baby is the product of a one-night stand?"

Lorelai laughed. "The maths is out for that one. I thought Paris knew?"

"Thought Paris knew what? Clearly Paris does not know," said Paris sharply.

Rory wished she could just sink into the sofa now both other women's eyes were firmly on her and she felt like she was melting under their gazes. "It wasn't something that I advertised."

"Paris, have you heard of Didi?"

Paris frowned. "Rory's friend in London? It's who Rory stays with when she's there. She works in marketing, right? I also assumed she was a bit like Lucy from Yale with how she's described. Dippy Didi."

"Wow, I sure am glad I wasn't the only person who fell for that!" grinned Lorelai. "For nearly two years I thought that Didi existed."

"Didi doesn't exist?" said Paris puzzled. "Who did I send Christmas cards to?"

"I don't know," replied Rory, wracking her brains if she'd given Paris Logan's London address. "Why did you send her Christmas cards?"

"Because I wanted to establish dominance that I was the better friend to you," said Paris, with a shrug. "Which I am the clear victor because I exist. So 'Didi' was in fact a cover for a secret boyfriend?"

Rory nodded and squirmed in her seat as Paris narrowed her hawk-like eyes at her, the cogs in her brain turning trying to figure it out.

'Noooooo," groaned Paris, moments later, slumping back into the sofa as though the wind was knocked out of her. "Noooo, Rory, no."

"Are we assuming she has the correct answer?" quipped Lorelai.

"Oh, I know I have the correct answer!" exclaimed Paris aggressively. "Logan Huntzberger. How could you?"

"How did you know it was him? I get the fact you figured out I was pregnant despite the fact your eyes would have to be able to see to microscopic detail because you're an expert in your field, but how on Earth out of all the men on Earth could you deduce it was him?"

"Because I'm an expert in many fields, including being able to recognise your Logan Huntzberger Guilt Face."

"I don't have a Logan Huntzberger Guilt Face!"

"Yes, you do," sighed Paris. "It's the face you're wearing right now and it's the same one you had on college whenever you told me about giving him another chance or defending the stupid stuff he did. Which means I'm well experienced in seeing your Logan Huntzberger Guilt Face."

"Paris, I could do with a coffee and there was a cute little coffee place we went past on the way here. I'm going to get some drinks for us, and give you girls some time to catch up," said Lorelai tactfully. "Is that okay, Rory?"

"Now you're concerned for my safety, you're the one that brought me here," drawled Rory, but rolled her eyes and gave her mother a nod.

"Get her a ginger tea!" shouted Paris, as Lorelai walked out of the door, before swivelling back round to face Rory. "I want to know how Huntzberger has infested your life again. Tell me everything."

"He didn't infest my life," stated Rory.

"True or false; you are carrying his child?"

"Yes."

"In-Fest-Tation."

"If you want me to tell you the story then you have to nice," declared Rory. "Well, nicer."

"Fine, I'll at least keep my comments until the end."

Rory sighed. "It started when I went to Hamburg a couple of years ago to cover the International Summer Festival at the Kampnagel. It was my last night there, so I was wandering around to just enjoy the performances, not to write about them, and I literally bumped into him. Splashed coffee all down the front of his shirt, in front of his work colleagues."

"Sounds like you," remarked Paris.

"Hey, I thought you were leaving all comments until the end."

"Sorry," said Paris, softening somewhat now the shock was wearing off. "One quick question, was that the first time you saw him since graduation?"

"Yeah," answered Rory, honestly. "I was straight on the campaign trail after graduating so I didn't have time to dwell on breaking up with him."

Paris raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," conceded Rory. "I dwelled plenty, but I didn't have time to do anything about it. He went off to San Francisco and I was all over the place for a couple of years. Then he sold his company, went back to the family business, and went back to London. I'm a writer, they're a publishing company so of course, I knew about it. It wouldn't have been hard to figure out how to contact him, and vice versa he could have tracked me down, but we didn't. We just both followed each other's careers and moved on with our lives."

"Until Hamburg."

"Until Hamburg."

"So presumably you jumped his bones and boarded that plane hobbling the next day," remarked Paris indifferently.

Rory flushed. "Paris! I hope you don't talk like that in front of your kids."

"They only listen to the nanny anyway, so it doesn't matter what I say," scoffed Paris. "Besides there have been no jumping of bones around here to speak of."

"I didn't jump his bones in Hamburg," admitted Rory. "We spent about half an hour together and reluctantly parted because he had to go to a business dinner. He invited me to dinner the next day but I was flying back to New York so I couldn't. I mentioned that I would be in London in a month so I said we could have dinner then. We exchanged numbers and, in that month, we texted a lot. It felt so easy and natural."

"So, he charmed you back into bed under the gaze of Big Ben and you became his bit on the side whilst he's marrying an heiress!" exclaimed Paris. "You became his garlic bread, Rory."

"Everyone knows garlic bread is the best part of a meal," said Rory defensively.

"It is delicious, and everyone wants it, but it will only ever be a side," frowned Pairs. "Now granted Paul was a placeholder but you can do so much better than Logan, Rory Gilmore, I can't believe you let him manipulate you like this."

"He didn't manipulate me, Paris," replied Rory, softly with a sad smile. "We both knew we were with other people. On my third night in London, after seeing each other every evening, we kissed, and Logan freaked out. I was the one that pulled him into my hotel room and said it didn't matter. I told him that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Admittedly, the first time I thought it would be the only time. I came back home, and he messaged me and asked me when I was next in London so we could talk. Except I didn't let him talk, I spoke first and said when we're together we're together, and when we're not, we're not. We could scratch the itch and enjoy the comfortableness of each other without changing our lives because we know it's too late for that."

"Yeah it didn't change your life," deadpanned Paris, rolling her eyes. "I still think you think it was your idea but that's because he secretly planted the seed somehow."

Rory buried her head in her hands, internally blaming hormones for the fact that she was suddenly holding back tears. "I remember his face, the first time I told him the plan, and it was only there for a flash, but I know he was disappointed and surprised. He would have given me the world, he would have made me the chef's special not the garlic bread, but I didn't let him."

Rory felt the cushion of the sofa sink next to her and was somewhat astonished to feel Paris's arms wrap around her, pulling her closer and rubbing her back. "Does he know about the baby?"

Rory sniffled and lifted her head. "Yeah, he knows and he's happy and scared and nervous. He wants to be in the baby's life but how that works I have no idea."

"Is he leaving Marie Antoinette?"

"I have no idea, it depends on her reaction to the news," said Rory. "I told him I wouldn't marry just because of pregnancy and he told me he wouldn't want me to. We'd called off the affair before I found out I was pregnant so I'm not, you know, seeing him. Just strictly co-parenting."

"When I think the man can't get any more stupid," mused Paris, shaking her head. "I'd be out of my mind. We're not divorced yet, but my biggest fear is Doyle telling me my kids are getting a step-mum. I already compete with a nanny; I don't think I could cope. Your kid might have one from the start."

Rory had to take a deep breath to fend off the wave of nausea that hit her and she was vehemently aware that she didn't think she could blame that one directly on being pregnant. "I'd not thought of it that way, I just imagined me being the mum and Logan being the dad and her just being there. I've not thought of her having an active role. I'm not maternal, Paris, I'm so awkward when I babysit, I am terrified of being a mother. What if she's a better mother than me?"

"If she sticks around then frankly, she's even dumber than lover boy so I don't think you have to worry about it too much," said Paris honestly. "I think you'll be better at it then you think. Those Lorelai genes in you will come alive. Rory, if I can be a mother, you definitely can be."

Rory gave her a watery smile. "Thanks, Paris."

Paris grimaced. "I'm going to move back to other sofa now though because you look a bit peaky and I don't want to be vomited on. If you need more comfort you're going to have to wait until your mother is back, but it seems as though she has gone back to Stars Hollow for this coffee."


A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! I would really appreciate a review either way :)