Chapter 11: The Surfing Groundhog

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*Rory*

I fly through Lane's back door and across her deck. I hit the sand running and speed down the beach. After a second I glance a body surfing a little ways off shore.

"DAVE!" I scream, running to the edge of the water. "DAVE!"

He rides the wave out, and then the water sucks him under.

"DAVE!" Oh, my God. "DAVE!"

His head pokes above the water level and he glances around, trying to see where the voice is coming from. I'm suddenly struck with the image of groundhog peeking from his burrow on Groundhog Day, but I shake my head to clear the image.

"DAVE!" I scream again, this time waving my arms.

He moves his mouth, probably saying 'Rory?' I just continue waving my arms, and then scream, "BABY!"

His face drops, shocked, and he dives under the water. He pops back up a split second later, swimming frantically towards the shore. His surfboard's still attached to his leg with that little...attachment thing. He reaches the beach within no time and immediately detaches his surfboard. He picks it up and starts running toward me.

Or, more accurately, the house, as I realize when he continues right past me, yelling, "Where is she?"

I follow him into the house. "Zach picked her up to take her to the hospital."

"Okay," he nods, and leaves me standing in the large living room while he changes. The phone extension, lying on the floor where I threw it earlier, stares at me. I think it's laughing.

"You love Jess, you love Jess," it says in a taunting voice.

"I do not," I protest.

"Oh, yes you do. You've always loved Jess. He's the sensitive bad boy. You're the goody-two shoes town princess. You were meant to be." The phone chuckles. "Besides, bad boys are hot!"

Suddenly I realize that the phone is talking in my mother's voice. I groan and dive onto the white leather couch. Not enough sleep makes me delusional.

"Come on, let's go!" Dave yells, running from his room to the front door. I spring from the couch and sprint across the room to catch up with him before he leaves me stuck here.

*Jess*

"Come on, Brett, get in the car!"

"No. I wanna stay with Gramma and Grampa!" Brett stamps her foot on the ground. Just so much like her mother. I lean down and pick her up. She kicks and screams and hits, but I shove her into her seat and buckle her up. I walk around the car to my seat, waving at my mother as I do so. She half-waves back, and then I descend back into the world of parenting and wailing toddlers.

I'm driving back to Stars Hollow.

With my daughter.

And my uncle's daughter.

Without Rory.

Lizzie told me that Rory called her and said she'd meet me back in Atlanta. She said she was busy with something.

Running away, I bet. Rory's always been good at that.

Then again, I'm doing the same thing.

I sigh. Brett pauses in her wailing.

"Where's Wory?"

"She's meeting us at home," I say.

Brett pouts. "I wanna see her now!"

"You can't!" I yell back. I realize it's a bad idea the second the words leave my mouth. Her face crumples, and within seconds she's descended back into crying. Susie takes one look at Brett and one at the empty passenger seat, and then joins in.

This is gonna be one hell of a trip.

*Lorelai*

Okay, so Luke's gonna come in, and I'm gonna say, "Susie's gone for one more day." And he'll say "I know", and give me that damn bedroom look and we'll start to kiss and head up there and the second we reach the threshold I'm gonna announce that I'm pregnant.

Okay.

Good plan.

"Lorelai?" Luke calls from the front door. "I've got groceries!"

"Okay," I call back, trying to push myself from the kitchen table to make it to Luke. Eventually I make it, and I grab two bags from him and walk back to the kitchen. He follows. I set my bags on the counter and stand with my back to him for a second, gathering my strength. Luke starts unloading his bags, so he's closer to the phone when it rings.

"Hello? Hey, how're you?" He smiles, and his voice takes on his "adoring father" tone. Rory's on the other line. "How was seeing Liz? What? You're where?"

I perk up. Did Jess and Rory elope? I'm almost excited.

"What? What about--" Rory interrupts him, and his face gets that same look it gets when we're arguing about coffee. "But-- Rory." He sighs. He's always sighing! "Okay. Okay, I'll tell her. Okay, I'll tell him. Okay. You sure?" He nods. "Okay. Good. Be careful. Bye."

"That was Rory," he says. "She's in California."

They eloped!

"Lane's in labor, and she's at the hospital. Rory says she's gonna be flying into Hartford the second Lane's baby's born. She also says that Jess is supposed to be heading through here on his way home. She wants us to get him to stay here." He shakes his head. "I hope they don't do that 'we're-breaking-up-but-not-telling-each-other-and-instead-heading-thousands-of-miles-apart' thing again." He finishes the bag and wads it up. He throw it over his shoulder and sighs. "That was crappy."

I nod. He looks over at me curiously. "You've been strangely quiet."

I open my mouth to say something about Rory's amazing news, but instead, what comes out is "I'm pregnant."

Luke literally falls to the floor, dumbfounded, and sits Indian-style.

"Luke?" I ask, walking over to him and placing my hand on his shoulder.

He looks up at me and grins, before grabbing my hand and pulling me down into his lap.

"Really?" he asks roughly.

I grin. "Yes."

He wraps his arms around me and cradles me for a second in a hug. Then he pushes me back so we can see each other. "You wanna get married?"

I laugh. "We're already engaged."

"I know; you wanna get married? Soon?"

I keep my gaze on Rory's closed bedroom door and think it over. I glance back at Luke; he looks so thrilled.

"Yes."