WHAT IT IS: A sequel, to my other Trory, What Happens When. Now, I had no
intentions at all to do a sequel. However, you're getting one, because of
all the Jess/Dean/Rory angst currently on the show—it's stressing me out.
So, since I had decided that fluff was probably all I'd get out of a sequel
and fluff is what I need right now (it's either fluff or unbearable angst
coming out of me right now)—here's a sequel.
WHAT I OWN: Nada.
RATING: PG-13, just to be safe. It is fluff after all.
AN: Hello all! Sorry, I was having some writer's block, distractions during writing, etc. So this took me a bit longer than normal. Since last chapter was a little short, this one is a little longer. Well, it felt longer. I hope you all enjoy!
Luke rolled over to quiet his alarm clock the next morning. He felt strangely alone, not feeling the usual warm body curled up against him. He reached over and felt the cold side of the bed next to him. Getting up out of bed, he stumbled out into the hall and down the stairs. He stopped on the last step, taking in the scene before him. All three were exactly how he had left them last night. He'd expected them to get up and find more comfortable means of bedding. Shaking his head, he walked over to Lorelai and shook her shoulder lightly. She murmured, and tried to shift. Evidently this caused her great pain as her eyes flew open and a hand went to her back.
"I'm way too old to sleep like this," she said, looking up at Luke with a grimace on her face.
"Why didn't you come to bed?"
"I must have been really tired, this is the first time I woke up all night," she explained, then noticed her bunkmates. Both were still asleep.
"He's never going to be able to move his neck," Lorelai commented on Tristan's head back position.
"He looks like that flip top toothbrush in the Reach commercials."
"Hehehehe. That's a good one. Ooh, or a Pez dispenser," Lorelai agreed.
"Should we wake them?"
"Leave that to me. You go get ready for work."
Luke retreated upstairs, and Lorelai looked at her sleeping daughter. Rory had turned so her face was somewhat buried in Tristan's stomach. Her feet were curled up towards her butt, and Tristan's head reclined on the back of the sofa while his feet were propped up on the coffee table. She smiled at them before moving closer to Rory. She reached out and grabbed Rory's side and stomach, tickling her as she used to when Rory was young. Rory giggled, but didn't move. Lorelai tickled more relentlessly, finally causing Rory to swing her arm about. She missed Lorelai, but did manage to smack Tristan in the chest. He in turn snapped his head up, which probably wasn't the best move in the world for him.
"Ouch, shit!"
Now Rory and Tristan were very much awake. Tristan was rubbing his neck with his hand, as Rory groggily began sitting upright slowly on the couch.
"Why did you hit me?"
"You were tickling me!"
"That was me. Sorry. Just trying to wake you up," Lorelai took blame.
"Gee, thanks. Tickling her was a great idea."
"You two should move to a more comfortable bed. Take your old bed, Will won't be back 'til this afternoon sometime."
The two nodded and slowly hobbled their way to the bedroom. Laughing at their inabilities to walk correctly, hanging on to one another, she attempted to stand up. She let out a slight whimper and eased herself back down on the couch, attempting to straighten out her legs.
"Damn, I knew better than to laugh at their pain," she admonished herself.
Luke was on his way back downstairs, now showered and dressed for work. He noticed Lorelai's current position and the pained look on her face.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
"Luke! I think I'm broken," she informed him.
"Sure you are," he soothed, stooping down and putting his arms around her.
"Are you going to carry me?"
"Yep."
"You're my favoritest husband."
Luke shook his head as he climbed the stairs with his wife in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and snuggled her head into his chest. As independent as she is, she loved the fact that she didn't always have to be strong and tough with Luke. She could truly let her guard down and just be loved. Maybe the best part is that they both knew it. It was unspoken, but he liked her needing him and she liked needing him. That was as simple as it was.
Hours later, Lorelai stumbled out of bed and made her way to the shower. She stood under the hot stream of water, letting it hit her still sore back. She had to go pick up Will and get ready for the party. She thought over the list of things to do in her head, and the people that were supposed to come and help. She finally made it down to the kitchen, and smelled fresh coffee had been brewed. She smiled, seeing no one, realizing that Luke had set the timer on the coffee maker. As she was pouring her second cup, Rory came out of her old bedroom. A wave of nostalgia hit Lorelai, and she smiled at her daughter.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Want some coffee?"
"Mmm. Thanks," she nodded, letting out an elongated yawn.
"Rough night?"
"Man, how dumb are we?"
"Pretty dumb. My back will never be the same."
"Me either. But poor Tristan can't move his head to the left," Rory giggled a little, and then put her hand to her mouth to quiet herself, as if shamed to be laughing at his pain. A smile still remained, giving her amusement away.
"Yeah, watch the making fun. I did that earlier, and couldn't move myself off the couch."
"How are you functional now?"
"Luke carried me upstairs and put me to bed."
"You two kids," Rory winked at her mom.
"So, you're staying to help, right?"
"Yep. Me and Tristan. If we can get him mobile," she glanced over to her still shut bedroom door.
"So that's three of us, Sookie, Luke's coming home early, Babette, we should be good."
"What about Morey?"
"He had some gig, he'll be back later, for the party."
"Go Morey," Rory commented, continuing to drink her coffee.
By the time Lorelai came back with Will, Sookie, Davey and Anna in tow, Rory and Tristan were both bright eyed and bushy tailed. Lorelai came in and noticed the wide smiles on both of their faces. She distinctly thought she noticed a glow about Rory. All she could think was they seemed to be glowy a lot lately. Trying to put that out of her head, she began delegating tasks.
"Okay, Sook, since you're a bit, er, immobile compared to the rest of us, why don't you go set up the super-fabulous kids' quarters upstairs in my room," she winked at the kids, who all grabbed a cookie off a tray that Sookie had brought in for the party.
"Just one cookie now! We'll bring up a whole bunch of goodies for you guys later!" Lorelai called after them as they scurried up the stairs ahead of Sookie.
"Hey, you sure you're up to all this?" Lorelai asked, concerned about her friend.
"I'm fine! I still have a good three weeks to go. Stop worrying about me," she reassured her friend as she headed upstairs to get the kids settled in playing games.
"So, what do you want us to do?" Rory asked, bringing her mother's attention back to decorating.
"I want you to tell me where you got so much energy. Surely that stale pop tart that was left wasn't enough to do it."
"He made me do it!" Rory pointed to her husband.
"We didn't commit a crime, we ate at Luke's," he said with a sigh.
"You went and had good food without me!"
"Well, it'll be long day, and you do like your children to be fed, don't you?"
"Ingrates."
Rory sighed, and took some streamers out of her mother's hands.
"Hey, you don't know where those go!"
"I'll wing it!" came Rory's reply as she disappeared into the living room.
Sookie was in the kitchen, bustling about and setting up trays of food when Luke and Jess came in through the back door.
"Hey you two! Just in time to help. Jess, you should probably go out on the front porch. Lorelai has Tristan trying to hang up these lights from the roof by himself. I've heard a lot of thumping and bad noises from out there."
"I'm on it."
"Where is Lorelai?"
"She went to check on the kids. Babette's out back, trying to help Rory set up the portable heaters."
"So I should?"
"Hide. There are balloons to be blown up," Sookie smiled at Luke, knowing he didn't like unnecessary decorations. Balloons and streamers definitely weren't his thing. Lanterns, which he'd seen Lorelai buy, made sense. It would be dark and people would be outside. The need for "pretty" lanterns was another issue, but he picked his arguments much more wisely than that.
Tristan was in deed on the front porch, standing half on a latter, with one foot off so he could lean out to attach some lanterns. They were difficult to hold while trying to attach them, as they were sort of large and in the shape of stars. Jess ran to hold onto the ladder, to steady Tristan just before he lost his footing.
"Thanks, man. I could almost hear my leg snapping on that one," he gratefully admitted.
"No problem. I've been on that roof several times, I know it's not the most reliable thing."
"Yeah, my life flashed before my eyes when she told me what my task was," Tristan laughed. Jess began to hand the next lantern in the string to him, so he could focus on securely attaching them. Tristan hesitated before taking the next one, and looked at Jess.
"Can I tell you something?" Tristan asked suddenly. Jess, unsure what was on his mind, shrugged in compliance.
"You can't tell Rory I told you, but I'm going crazy." He looked around, to see if anyone else was near, before continuing. "We're trying to get pregnant."
Jess' eyes widened a little in shock. There was no way in the world he would have expected that to come out of Tristan's mouth. And the guy, well, he looked excited. Here was a guy his age, completely thrilled about the prospect of having children. He had no idea what to say, but felt he should say ... something.
"Wow, that's, uh, you know," Jess stammered.
"I only told you because I knew you were the one person around here that would keep their mouth shut. We aren't telling anyone, until it's for sure. Less disappointment and strange conversations that way."
Jess laughed imagining the things that Lorelai might say to them. "I can see that. I'll keep it to myself."
"Thanks. I mean, we're both completely excited and elated and haven't been able to talk about it."
Jess smiled, happy for them. He knew Rory wanted this, and was glad she was with someone that was ready for all the things she was. Here he was, unable to hang on to any relationship longer than two months. He handed the next star to Tristan, and they lapsed into more normal conversation, about work and school.
At long last all the decorations were up and everyone had congregated in the kitchen. Rory helped Sookie prepare trays for the kids, and they hauled them upstairs. The kids were currently playing Candyland.
"Here's the goods!" Rory said, coming into the room.
"Rory! Play with us!" Will insisted, coming over to hug his sister.
"Sure, but I'll wait 'til the next game, okay?"
"Cool!" Will grabbed a sandwich off the tray and a juice box. Sookie's kids did the same, and they resumed playing the game. Rory and Sookie shared a smile and headed back down as they heard the first of the guests arriving.
All of Stars Hollow seemed to come to the house that night. People were everywhere, all over the house and outside as well. The heaters were working wonderfully, allowing people to be comfortable even in the cold December air. People were milling about, telling stories, eating food and even dancing in the backyard. Lorelai even pulled Luke out to dance with her, promising to keep Patty's hands off of him. Rory had come down from playing a round of Candyland with the kids, and brought Will down for a dance with her as Davey and Anna popped in a videotape.
Rory twirled Will around the backyard, making him giggle. Luke and Lorelai danced over towards them, talking with both of them. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the party, but some people seemed to be having too good of a time. Heads turned as Taylor and Kirk came out of the house, Taylor seemingly being chased by Kirk. Kirk was yelling, albeit incoherently, about Taylor, a dress and lipstick. Neither seemed to be able to walk particularly well, but Taylor had his hands up over his ears yelling no over and over again. They continued to run in a winding fashion, off the property, past the Dell's and towards town.
Lorelai laughed, as Luke pulled her in tighter. "Never a dull moment at one of these things," she commented.
"I don't know why you get such a thrill out of these things." Luke pulled her even closer and kissed her.
"Oh, they're fun. Where else do the townsfolk get drunk and say the funniest things you've ever heard?"
Patty came over to the dancing crowd, and came up to Rory. She took Will out of her hands, and began dancing with him, leaving Rory to head back into the kitchen for some punch. She had just poured herself a cup and brought it to her lips when she remembered that probably wasn't the best idea. The punch had been spiked, as per tradition. Since they were trying, she had no way of knowing if she was pregnant, and didn't like the idea of drinking. Better to be safe than sorry, after all.
Jess had just come into the kitchen from the living room, and witnessed the love/hate relationship Rory seemed to be having with the punch.
"It's not that bad, you know," he offered, making her turn in surprise.
"Oh, no, it's just I didn't realize it had alcohol in it," she lied.
"Rory, the stuff has alcohol every year. Patty pours vodka and some other stuff I'd never seen before in, when she thinks no one is looking. Then everyone drinks it, pretending that they don't know there's alcohol in it, and hilarity ensues," he added sarcastically.
"I just meant I wasn't in the mood for alcohol. I'll just grab a soda instead."
"Rory, are you okay?" Jess asked, not wanting to let her know he knew something.
"Yeah, it's just, let's go in there," she motioned to her old bedroom. He nodded, following her in there. She shut the door and sat on Will's bed. She began playing with the edge of the blanket on his bed. It was his baby blanket, that Lorelai had made while she was pregnant with him.
Jess sat on the rocking chair in the corner of the room. It was the last piece of furniture from the nursery that remained in the room.
"Rory?"
"Yeah?"
"What's going on? Surely you didn't pull me in here to have me watch you fidget with a blanket."
"No, I just, see, there's this thing, I'm not supposed to tell anyone, and I'm dying to," she rambled. He felt a smile coming on, but again, suppressed the urge.
"So, I'm right here."
"Right. The reason I wasn't in the mood for alcohol was, Tristan and I, we're trying, you know, to have a baby."
Jess remained silent for a moment. Even though Tristan had informed him earlier, it sounded different coming out of Rory's mouth. To see her face, the enthusiasm, the joy, she just looked beautiful. Her life was going better than he knew she ever even imagined it could be. Suddenly, all he felt was happy for her.
"Jess?"
"Sorry, I was just thinking. That's incredible," he smiled.
"Really? God, it feels so right, but we decided not to tell anyone else, you know, just so everyone leaves us alone."
"I think it's great. I can't tell you how happy you look. But, why did you tell me?"
"I thought I would burst, keeping it to ourselves, and I trust you," she admitted.
"You trust me?"
"Yeah. You sound surprised."
"I am."
"You've really changed. Plus you're family now. I was sort of hoping you'd consider being the godfather of our kid."
Jess achieved his previous level of shock yet again. Easily this time. "Is Tristan cool with this?"
"Yep, it's an official offer. We've been talking about all sorts of stuff."
"Wow, you guys are really doing this, huh?"
"Yeah. So you'll think about it?"
"Of course I will."
"Good," Rory stepped up to hug him and kissed his cheek. He smiled and stepped back.
"You okay?"
"Just got some stuff on my mind."
"You know, I'm good at listening. I promise not to pry like Mom does, but if you ever want to talk, I'm here."
"Thanks. It's just, I'm not very good at the dating thing."
"Girl trouble, huh?"
"Yeah," he let out a long sigh.
"So, is there a particular girl?"
"Yeah, Erin. I started seeing her a few months ago, nothing serious. But before the holidays, she started talking about coming with me, and I don't know, I just--," he stopped talking then.
"Freaked out?"
"Yeah, I guess that's what you could call it."
"Do you like her?"
"Yeah, I think I do."
"You think so?"
Jess looked at her, not wanting to answer. He nodded finally.
"So, why are you here?"
"I don't know what to say to her. I just blew her off, I haven't been at work, she's a receptionist at work, and I just stopped taking her calls. She called one day, repeatedly. I just don't know how to make it better."
"Jess, can I give you some advice?"
"Shoot."
"Well, coming from someone who you did this to, Jess, you need to just be honest with yourself and her. If you want to be with her, you just need to say that. Don't push her away just because you can't deal with your feelings or are scared. You're better than that, and you deserve what you want," Rory said softly. She didn't sound upset, she sounded genuinely concerned.
Jess nodded and smiled faintly. "I am sorry, you know."
Rory smiled back. "You mentioned that, I believe."
"Thanks."
"Come on, I'll watch you drink some punch," she laughed; taking his arm and heading back to the party. They headed back out to the front room, where Babette had Tristan cornered. He looked slightly disturbed, almost ready to crack. Rory walked over and interrupted.
"Tristan! There you are! Sorry, Babette, but I need to borrow him," Rory said sweetly, taking Tristan's hand.
"Sure, sugar," she said, winking at Tristan.
"What was that about?" Rory whispered.
"She was grilling me about knocking you up."
"What?"
"Don't worry, I said nothing, she just wanted to know when you were going to, and I quote, 'Pop one out'," he said, making a face.
"Well, that certainly does put a different feel to the whole experience, doesn't it?" Rory started laughing. They met her mother in the kitchen. She had Will, and was on her way to take him upstairs.
"Hey, is he just now going back up?"
Will and Lorelai both nodded. "He was having fun, but Patty started talking about how Luke had passed on his delicious genes to another generation—Rory, she got that glint in her eye. I can just see her in fifteen years, chasing this boy around the diner," Lorelai joked.
"Right. Have fun with Davey and Anna, Will," Rory kissed her brother on the cheek and they headed back outside to dance. Once in each other's arms, swaying to the music, she leaned in to Tristan's ear.
"I almost had punch," she whispered.
"Oh, yeah? Oh, punch," he realized after a moment why she was telling him this.
"Yeah. I had it up to my lips before I realized what I was doing."
"You know, you'll have to cut back on the caffeine at some point, too."
"Man, this is going to be like torture," she moaned.
"I'll make it as good as possible for you," Tristan soothed.
"Honey, I love you, but seriously, what can you do to replace coffee in my life?"
Tristan just smiled and pulled her tighter against him. "I'll just have to get creative, I guess."
Rory smiled and buried her face in his neck, allowing him to move her gracefully anywhere around the yard as they continued to dance, amongst her friends and family. When midnight finally struck, she kissed him after the countdown and confetti, they singing and toasting. Her mother and Luke were nearby, also kissing in the New Year. All around her, couples were coupling. The only person she didn't see was Jess. She hoped he would get it together and finally let himself be happy.
Jess heard the countdown and made his way into Will's room again. He sat on the bed and pulled out his work cell phone. Knowing he'd probably blown his chance, but realizing if he didn't start trying he might never do it, he dialed her number and waited. As he expected, he got her voicemail. Of course she was out, it was New Years Eve. He heard her voice and then the tone.
"Erin, it's me. I don't know exactly what to say to you other than I'm sorry. Please call my work cell. I'm out of town, but I'll be back tomorrow."
He hung up the phone and leaned back on the bed. He could still hear the midnight merriment, and he knew he should probably go back out there at some point. If nothing else to thank Luke and Lorelai and call it a night. Just as he sat back up, he heard his phone ring. He looked down at the number and smiled.
"Hey," he said hesitantly.
WHAT I OWN: Nada.
RATING: PG-13, just to be safe. It is fluff after all.
AN: Hello all! Sorry, I was having some writer's block, distractions during writing, etc. So this took me a bit longer than normal. Since last chapter was a little short, this one is a little longer. Well, it felt longer. I hope you all enjoy!
Luke rolled over to quiet his alarm clock the next morning. He felt strangely alone, not feeling the usual warm body curled up against him. He reached over and felt the cold side of the bed next to him. Getting up out of bed, he stumbled out into the hall and down the stairs. He stopped on the last step, taking in the scene before him. All three were exactly how he had left them last night. He'd expected them to get up and find more comfortable means of bedding. Shaking his head, he walked over to Lorelai and shook her shoulder lightly. She murmured, and tried to shift. Evidently this caused her great pain as her eyes flew open and a hand went to her back.
"I'm way too old to sleep like this," she said, looking up at Luke with a grimace on her face.
"Why didn't you come to bed?"
"I must have been really tired, this is the first time I woke up all night," she explained, then noticed her bunkmates. Both were still asleep.
"He's never going to be able to move his neck," Lorelai commented on Tristan's head back position.
"He looks like that flip top toothbrush in the Reach commercials."
"Hehehehe. That's a good one. Ooh, or a Pez dispenser," Lorelai agreed.
"Should we wake them?"
"Leave that to me. You go get ready for work."
Luke retreated upstairs, and Lorelai looked at her sleeping daughter. Rory had turned so her face was somewhat buried in Tristan's stomach. Her feet were curled up towards her butt, and Tristan's head reclined on the back of the sofa while his feet were propped up on the coffee table. She smiled at them before moving closer to Rory. She reached out and grabbed Rory's side and stomach, tickling her as she used to when Rory was young. Rory giggled, but didn't move. Lorelai tickled more relentlessly, finally causing Rory to swing her arm about. She missed Lorelai, but did manage to smack Tristan in the chest. He in turn snapped his head up, which probably wasn't the best move in the world for him.
"Ouch, shit!"
Now Rory and Tristan were very much awake. Tristan was rubbing his neck with his hand, as Rory groggily began sitting upright slowly on the couch.
"Why did you hit me?"
"You were tickling me!"
"That was me. Sorry. Just trying to wake you up," Lorelai took blame.
"Gee, thanks. Tickling her was a great idea."
"You two should move to a more comfortable bed. Take your old bed, Will won't be back 'til this afternoon sometime."
The two nodded and slowly hobbled their way to the bedroom. Laughing at their inabilities to walk correctly, hanging on to one another, she attempted to stand up. She let out a slight whimper and eased herself back down on the couch, attempting to straighten out her legs.
"Damn, I knew better than to laugh at their pain," she admonished herself.
Luke was on his way back downstairs, now showered and dressed for work. He noticed Lorelai's current position and the pained look on her face.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
"Luke! I think I'm broken," she informed him.
"Sure you are," he soothed, stooping down and putting his arms around her.
"Are you going to carry me?"
"Yep."
"You're my favoritest husband."
Luke shook his head as he climbed the stairs with his wife in his arms. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and snuggled her head into his chest. As independent as she is, she loved the fact that she didn't always have to be strong and tough with Luke. She could truly let her guard down and just be loved. Maybe the best part is that they both knew it. It was unspoken, but he liked her needing him and she liked needing him. That was as simple as it was.
Hours later, Lorelai stumbled out of bed and made her way to the shower. She stood under the hot stream of water, letting it hit her still sore back. She had to go pick up Will and get ready for the party. She thought over the list of things to do in her head, and the people that were supposed to come and help. She finally made it down to the kitchen, and smelled fresh coffee had been brewed. She smiled, seeing no one, realizing that Luke had set the timer on the coffee maker. As she was pouring her second cup, Rory came out of her old bedroom. A wave of nostalgia hit Lorelai, and she smiled at her daughter.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Want some coffee?"
"Mmm. Thanks," she nodded, letting out an elongated yawn.
"Rough night?"
"Man, how dumb are we?"
"Pretty dumb. My back will never be the same."
"Me either. But poor Tristan can't move his head to the left," Rory giggled a little, and then put her hand to her mouth to quiet herself, as if shamed to be laughing at his pain. A smile still remained, giving her amusement away.
"Yeah, watch the making fun. I did that earlier, and couldn't move myself off the couch."
"How are you functional now?"
"Luke carried me upstairs and put me to bed."
"You two kids," Rory winked at her mom.
"So, you're staying to help, right?"
"Yep. Me and Tristan. If we can get him mobile," she glanced over to her still shut bedroom door.
"So that's three of us, Sookie, Luke's coming home early, Babette, we should be good."
"What about Morey?"
"He had some gig, he'll be back later, for the party."
"Go Morey," Rory commented, continuing to drink her coffee.
By the time Lorelai came back with Will, Sookie, Davey and Anna in tow, Rory and Tristan were both bright eyed and bushy tailed. Lorelai came in and noticed the wide smiles on both of their faces. She distinctly thought she noticed a glow about Rory. All she could think was they seemed to be glowy a lot lately. Trying to put that out of her head, she began delegating tasks.
"Okay, Sook, since you're a bit, er, immobile compared to the rest of us, why don't you go set up the super-fabulous kids' quarters upstairs in my room," she winked at the kids, who all grabbed a cookie off a tray that Sookie had brought in for the party.
"Just one cookie now! We'll bring up a whole bunch of goodies for you guys later!" Lorelai called after them as they scurried up the stairs ahead of Sookie.
"Hey, you sure you're up to all this?" Lorelai asked, concerned about her friend.
"I'm fine! I still have a good three weeks to go. Stop worrying about me," she reassured her friend as she headed upstairs to get the kids settled in playing games.
"So, what do you want us to do?" Rory asked, bringing her mother's attention back to decorating.
"I want you to tell me where you got so much energy. Surely that stale pop tart that was left wasn't enough to do it."
"He made me do it!" Rory pointed to her husband.
"We didn't commit a crime, we ate at Luke's," he said with a sigh.
"You went and had good food without me!"
"Well, it'll be long day, and you do like your children to be fed, don't you?"
"Ingrates."
Rory sighed, and took some streamers out of her mother's hands.
"Hey, you don't know where those go!"
"I'll wing it!" came Rory's reply as she disappeared into the living room.
Sookie was in the kitchen, bustling about and setting up trays of food when Luke and Jess came in through the back door.
"Hey you two! Just in time to help. Jess, you should probably go out on the front porch. Lorelai has Tristan trying to hang up these lights from the roof by himself. I've heard a lot of thumping and bad noises from out there."
"I'm on it."
"Where is Lorelai?"
"She went to check on the kids. Babette's out back, trying to help Rory set up the portable heaters."
"So I should?"
"Hide. There are balloons to be blown up," Sookie smiled at Luke, knowing he didn't like unnecessary decorations. Balloons and streamers definitely weren't his thing. Lanterns, which he'd seen Lorelai buy, made sense. It would be dark and people would be outside. The need for "pretty" lanterns was another issue, but he picked his arguments much more wisely than that.
Tristan was in deed on the front porch, standing half on a latter, with one foot off so he could lean out to attach some lanterns. They were difficult to hold while trying to attach them, as they were sort of large and in the shape of stars. Jess ran to hold onto the ladder, to steady Tristan just before he lost his footing.
"Thanks, man. I could almost hear my leg snapping on that one," he gratefully admitted.
"No problem. I've been on that roof several times, I know it's not the most reliable thing."
"Yeah, my life flashed before my eyes when she told me what my task was," Tristan laughed. Jess began to hand the next lantern in the string to him, so he could focus on securely attaching them. Tristan hesitated before taking the next one, and looked at Jess.
"Can I tell you something?" Tristan asked suddenly. Jess, unsure what was on his mind, shrugged in compliance.
"You can't tell Rory I told you, but I'm going crazy." He looked around, to see if anyone else was near, before continuing. "We're trying to get pregnant."
Jess' eyes widened a little in shock. There was no way in the world he would have expected that to come out of Tristan's mouth. And the guy, well, he looked excited. Here was a guy his age, completely thrilled about the prospect of having children. He had no idea what to say, but felt he should say ... something.
"Wow, that's, uh, you know," Jess stammered.
"I only told you because I knew you were the one person around here that would keep their mouth shut. We aren't telling anyone, until it's for sure. Less disappointment and strange conversations that way."
Jess laughed imagining the things that Lorelai might say to them. "I can see that. I'll keep it to myself."
"Thanks. I mean, we're both completely excited and elated and haven't been able to talk about it."
Jess smiled, happy for them. He knew Rory wanted this, and was glad she was with someone that was ready for all the things she was. Here he was, unable to hang on to any relationship longer than two months. He handed the next star to Tristan, and they lapsed into more normal conversation, about work and school.
At long last all the decorations were up and everyone had congregated in the kitchen. Rory helped Sookie prepare trays for the kids, and they hauled them upstairs. The kids were currently playing Candyland.
"Here's the goods!" Rory said, coming into the room.
"Rory! Play with us!" Will insisted, coming over to hug his sister.
"Sure, but I'll wait 'til the next game, okay?"
"Cool!" Will grabbed a sandwich off the tray and a juice box. Sookie's kids did the same, and they resumed playing the game. Rory and Sookie shared a smile and headed back down as they heard the first of the guests arriving.
All of Stars Hollow seemed to come to the house that night. People were everywhere, all over the house and outside as well. The heaters were working wonderfully, allowing people to be comfortable even in the cold December air. People were milling about, telling stories, eating food and even dancing in the backyard. Lorelai even pulled Luke out to dance with her, promising to keep Patty's hands off of him. Rory had come down from playing a round of Candyland with the kids, and brought Will down for a dance with her as Davey and Anna popped in a videotape.
Rory twirled Will around the backyard, making him giggle. Luke and Lorelai danced over towards them, talking with both of them. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the party, but some people seemed to be having too good of a time. Heads turned as Taylor and Kirk came out of the house, Taylor seemingly being chased by Kirk. Kirk was yelling, albeit incoherently, about Taylor, a dress and lipstick. Neither seemed to be able to walk particularly well, but Taylor had his hands up over his ears yelling no over and over again. They continued to run in a winding fashion, off the property, past the Dell's and towards town.
Lorelai laughed, as Luke pulled her in tighter. "Never a dull moment at one of these things," she commented.
"I don't know why you get such a thrill out of these things." Luke pulled her even closer and kissed her.
"Oh, they're fun. Where else do the townsfolk get drunk and say the funniest things you've ever heard?"
Patty came over to the dancing crowd, and came up to Rory. She took Will out of her hands, and began dancing with him, leaving Rory to head back into the kitchen for some punch. She had just poured herself a cup and brought it to her lips when she remembered that probably wasn't the best idea. The punch had been spiked, as per tradition. Since they were trying, she had no way of knowing if she was pregnant, and didn't like the idea of drinking. Better to be safe than sorry, after all.
Jess had just come into the kitchen from the living room, and witnessed the love/hate relationship Rory seemed to be having with the punch.
"It's not that bad, you know," he offered, making her turn in surprise.
"Oh, no, it's just I didn't realize it had alcohol in it," she lied.
"Rory, the stuff has alcohol every year. Patty pours vodka and some other stuff I'd never seen before in, when she thinks no one is looking. Then everyone drinks it, pretending that they don't know there's alcohol in it, and hilarity ensues," he added sarcastically.
"I just meant I wasn't in the mood for alcohol. I'll just grab a soda instead."
"Rory, are you okay?" Jess asked, not wanting to let her know he knew something.
"Yeah, it's just, let's go in there," she motioned to her old bedroom. He nodded, following her in there. She shut the door and sat on Will's bed. She began playing with the edge of the blanket on his bed. It was his baby blanket, that Lorelai had made while she was pregnant with him.
Jess sat on the rocking chair in the corner of the room. It was the last piece of furniture from the nursery that remained in the room.
"Rory?"
"Yeah?"
"What's going on? Surely you didn't pull me in here to have me watch you fidget with a blanket."
"No, I just, see, there's this thing, I'm not supposed to tell anyone, and I'm dying to," she rambled. He felt a smile coming on, but again, suppressed the urge.
"So, I'm right here."
"Right. The reason I wasn't in the mood for alcohol was, Tristan and I, we're trying, you know, to have a baby."
Jess remained silent for a moment. Even though Tristan had informed him earlier, it sounded different coming out of Rory's mouth. To see her face, the enthusiasm, the joy, she just looked beautiful. Her life was going better than he knew she ever even imagined it could be. Suddenly, all he felt was happy for her.
"Jess?"
"Sorry, I was just thinking. That's incredible," he smiled.
"Really? God, it feels so right, but we decided not to tell anyone else, you know, just so everyone leaves us alone."
"I think it's great. I can't tell you how happy you look. But, why did you tell me?"
"I thought I would burst, keeping it to ourselves, and I trust you," she admitted.
"You trust me?"
"Yeah. You sound surprised."
"I am."
"You've really changed. Plus you're family now. I was sort of hoping you'd consider being the godfather of our kid."
Jess achieved his previous level of shock yet again. Easily this time. "Is Tristan cool with this?"
"Yep, it's an official offer. We've been talking about all sorts of stuff."
"Wow, you guys are really doing this, huh?"
"Yeah. So you'll think about it?"
"Of course I will."
"Good," Rory stepped up to hug him and kissed his cheek. He smiled and stepped back.
"You okay?"
"Just got some stuff on my mind."
"You know, I'm good at listening. I promise not to pry like Mom does, but if you ever want to talk, I'm here."
"Thanks. It's just, I'm not very good at the dating thing."
"Girl trouble, huh?"
"Yeah," he let out a long sigh.
"So, is there a particular girl?"
"Yeah, Erin. I started seeing her a few months ago, nothing serious. But before the holidays, she started talking about coming with me, and I don't know, I just--," he stopped talking then.
"Freaked out?"
"Yeah, I guess that's what you could call it."
"Do you like her?"
"Yeah, I think I do."
"You think so?"
Jess looked at her, not wanting to answer. He nodded finally.
"So, why are you here?"
"I don't know what to say to her. I just blew her off, I haven't been at work, she's a receptionist at work, and I just stopped taking her calls. She called one day, repeatedly. I just don't know how to make it better."
"Jess, can I give you some advice?"
"Shoot."
"Well, coming from someone who you did this to, Jess, you need to just be honest with yourself and her. If you want to be with her, you just need to say that. Don't push her away just because you can't deal with your feelings or are scared. You're better than that, and you deserve what you want," Rory said softly. She didn't sound upset, she sounded genuinely concerned.
Jess nodded and smiled faintly. "I am sorry, you know."
Rory smiled back. "You mentioned that, I believe."
"Thanks."
"Come on, I'll watch you drink some punch," she laughed; taking his arm and heading back to the party. They headed back out to the front room, where Babette had Tristan cornered. He looked slightly disturbed, almost ready to crack. Rory walked over and interrupted.
"Tristan! There you are! Sorry, Babette, but I need to borrow him," Rory said sweetly, taking Tristan's hand.
"Sure, sugar," she said, winking at Tristan.
"What was that about?" Rory whispered.
"She was grilling me about knocking you up."
"What?"
"Don't worry, I said nothing, she just wanted to know when you were going to, and I quote, 'Pop one out'," he said, making a face.
"Well, that certainly does put a different feel to the whole experience, doesn't it?" Rory started laughing. They met her mother in the kitchen. She had Will, and was on her way to take him upstairs.
"Hey, is he just now going back up?"
Will and Lorelai both nodded. "He was having fun, but Patty started talking about how Luke had passed on his delicious genes to another generation—Rory, she got that glint in her eye. I can just see her in fifteen years, chasing this boy around the diner," Lorelai joked.
"Right. Have fun with Davey and Anna, Will," Rory kissed her brother on the cheek and they headed back outside to dance. Once in each other's arms, swaying to the music, she leaned in to Tristan's ear.
"I almost had punch," she whispered.
"Oh, yeah? Oh, punch," he realized after a moment why she was telling him this.
"Yeah. I had it up to my lips before I realized what I was doing."
"You know, you'll have to cut back on the caffeine at some point, too."
"Man, this is going to be like torture," she moaned.
"I'll make it as good as possible for you," Tristan soothed.
"Honey, I love you, but seriously, what can you do to replace coffee in my life?"
Tristan just smiled and pulled her tighter against him. "I'll just have to get creative, I guess."
Rory smiled and buried her face in his neck, allowing him to move her gracefully anywhere around the yard as they continued to dance, amongst her friends and family. When midnight finally struck, she kissed him after the countdown and confetti, they singing and toasting. Her mother and Luke were nearby, also kissing in the New Year. All around her, couples were coupling. The only person she didn't see was Jess. She hoped he would get it together and finally let himself be happy.
Jess heard the countdown and made his way into Will's room again. He sat on the bed and pulled out his work cell phone. Knowing he'd probably blown his chance, but realizing if he didn't start trying he might never do it, he dialed her number and waited. As he expected, he got her voicemail. Of course she was out, it was New Years Eve. He heard her voice and then the tone.
"Erin, it's me. I don't know exactly what to say to you other than I'm sorry. Please call my work cell. I'm out of town, but I'll be back tomorrow."
He hung up the phone and leaned back on the bed. He could still hear the midnight merriment, and he knew he should probably go back out there at some point. If nothing else to thank Luke and Lorelai and call it a night. Just as he sat back up, he heard his phone ring. He looked down at the number and smiled.
"Hey," he said hesitantly.