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.
Rory was now entering her fifth month of pregnancy. She'd hit a stride, and was even working more. She felt better than she had ever felt in her life, and despite Tristan's concerns, she was working four days a week and working from home on the fifth day. The nursery was completely decorated and stocked thanks to two baby showers that her mother had organized. Today she was at her desk, working on a story when she got a phone call.
"Rory Dugrey," she answered the desk phone.
"Rory, it's Erin."
"Hey, how are you?"
"I'm good. Are you busy?"
"No, actually, I was just finishing up for the day."
"I need to talk to you. Can I meet you somewhere?"
"Why don't you come up to the house for dinner?"
"Well, if you're sure it wouldn't be any trouble."
"Yeah. Will Jess be joining us?"
"No, just me. Jess has a late class tonight, and he's sort of why I need to talk to you."
"Alright. I'll see you in a little while."
"Great."
Rory hung up the phone and gathered her things. She made her way over to the police station, to meet Tristan. They had been riding into the city together lately, as their hours had finally began to mesh together. He kissed her when she walked into his office. He had finished his internship the month prior and had been offered a permanent position in the forensics department of the same station he had been with, so he would be working at both there and the same hospital.
"Hey, Erin is coming to dinner."
"What about Jess?"
"He's not coming. Something's wrong," Rory told him.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know, but that's why she's coming over."
"I'm sure it's fine. Come on, let's get out of here," he said, taking her hand as they walked down to the parking garage.
They got home in a decent amount of time. Traffic wasn't as horrible as it could have been, and Rory immediately went to change out of her work clothes. She had found some appropriate maternity work clothes, but as she was getting bigger everyday, it was going to get harder and harder to look suitable. She changed into Tristan's pants she still loved wearing and a t- shirt. She came padding out into the living room and he smiled at her.
"That's what I love to see. My wife, barefoot and pregnant," he joked.
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Want to see a new trick I can do?"
"Tricks? When did you learn tricks?" he was intrigued, sitting on the couch, waiting for her to reappear. She came out of the kitchen with a bowl of mixed fruit and a spoon. She sat down next to him and placed the bowl on her stomach, which kept it balanced and she proceeded to eat off of her stomach.
"Wow, that's some trick," he laughed, taking the bowl off her stomach and placing it on the coffee table. "We need to get dinner started."
"Let's just order a pizza. Pizza is good food for stuff like this."
"You don't know there's a problem," he reminded her.
"Trust me. Something's up."
Tristan relented, going into the kitchen to call the pizza place. While he was in there, the doorbell rang. Rory heaved herself up and made her way to the front door. Erin was standing on the porch, looking like she had been crying, or was about to. Rory ushered her in and sat down next to her on the couch.
"Erin, what's going on?"
Erin sniffed a few times, and pushed some stray hairs behind her ear. She looked down at her hands like she didn't quite know what to do with them.
"It's Jess, he's acting really ... strange."
"Strange how?"
"He's being really distant, he's gone a lot more. He's nervous around me, I don't really know how to explain it."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Well, we just moved in together," Erin started.
"You did? That's great!"
"Thanks. Yeah, it just happened, we didn't want to tell anyone yet. We're still feeling it out. I still have my apartment 'til the end of this month, but my lease was up, and we just figured why not, you know?"
Rory nodded, and Tristan came in to the living room to see the two women on the couch. He cringed a little and pointed to the kitchen where he'd just come from. Rory shook her head 'no' and motioned for him to come in to join them. Sighing, he reluctantly joined them.
"Tristan, hey. Sorry to barge in on you guys," Erin apologized.
"No problem. What's going on?" he asked, unsure of whether or not he wanted to be in the room yet.
"Well, I was just telling Rory that Jess and I moved in together."
"That's good, though, right?"
"Well, I thought it was going to be, but he's been acting weird. Rory, I know you two dated a long time ago, but do remember what he was like before you guys broke up?"
Rory cringed. He had been distant. And busy a lot. Then he'd just left. She didn't want to tell Erin that he was displaying the right signs for leaving. Especially since she had no idea what Jess was really up to. He might just be busy; he did have a lot on his plate.
"Well, not really. He was going through a lot of personal stuff and I was graduating, so it was all sort of a big blur, really."
"You don't remember anything?"
"Sorry," Rory apologized. "Are you sure he's going to break it off?"
"What else could it be?"
"Well, maybe he's just going through some personal stuff," Tristan offered.
"Why wouldn't he tell me about it, then?"
"He will, when he's ready," he assured her. "Where is he tonight?"
"He had a late class. I think I'm going to go back to my apartment tonight, to give myself some space."
"Excuse me," Tristan stood up heading back into the kitchen. Rory noted the determination in his voice and said nothing as he wandered off towards the kitchen.
Tristan dialed Jess' cell phone number and waited. He didn't care if he was in class or not, he just wanted to resolve this. He knew something must be up, and he really didn't like to see girls cry. Just when he was sure the voicemail would pick up, he heard Jess' voice.
"Hello?"
"Jess, it's Tristan. Can you talk for a minute?"
"Yeah, I was just getting ready to go into class. What's up?"
"Erin's here, and she's pretty upset. Is everything alright with you two?"
"We're fine, we just moved in together. We're doing fine. Did you say she's there?"
"Well, she doesn't know that. She says you've been acting weird, distant and nervous. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Oh, geez, this isn't good."
"Are you breaking up with her? 'Cause if you are, just do it, man, this is cruel making her wonder like this."
"No, I'm not breaking up with her. I've been busy and I've had a lot on my mind, that's all."
"Well, whatever it is that you're thinking, you might want to fill her in. She said she was going to stay at her apartment tonight."
"Damn. Thanks for the heads up. I'll fix this."
"No problem."
They hung up and Jess turned around and headed back towards his apartment. He needed to get something and beat Erin back to her apartment. He had no idea she was so sensitive to his emotions the last few weeks, but he didn't want her to think he would ever leave her.
Tristan re-emerged from the kitchen. Rory looked up at him and noticed his smile. She offered him pizza, which had come while he was on the phone. They put in a movie to get their minds off of things and the three ate and watched in relative silence. After the movie, Erin stood up.
"Thanks for everything, listening to me, everything. I should get going, though."
"Just call me, anytime," Rory offered.
"I'm sure things will get back to normal soon. Just give it some time," Tristan said knowingly.
She nodded and left the house. Rory turned on Tristan and looked at him as if she could tell that he wasn't telling her something.
"What do you know that I don't?"
"Nothing. Just that Jess is going to make this right, and I'm guessing he'll do it tonight."
"You called him!"
"I may have spoken with him briefly."
"You're such a big softy. All those years, you pretended to be such a player, but I knew better."
"You've ruined me, you know that, right?"
Rory smiled and leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. They enjoyed the time just holding each other for a while, not thinking about anyone else in the world. Suddenly, Rory made a noise and her hand flew to her stomach.
"Did it happen again?"
She nodded and put his hand where she last felt a kick. They waited a moment and again the baby kicked. They smiled at each other and waited for more.
"That is by far the coolest thing I've ever felt," he said, staring at her abdomen.
"Says the person not being kicked in the stomach repeatedly," she noted.
"Right. Maybe it means the kid will be athletic."
"Well, it'll just get more and more mobile, I'll tell you that much."
"Well, you can use this for years of guilt later on," he assured her. She tried to hide it, but a smile appeared on her face anyway.
"By the way, Dad called today."
"Again?"
"Yeah. He wants to come down and take me out to dinner."
"Just you?"
"Well, I told him you had to be a part of the deal," she batted her eyelashes at him.
"How sweet of you. He doesn't like me, does he?"
"He isn't going to like anyone who's' doing his daughter'."
"I still can't believe Lorelai said that," Tristan muttered.
"She was quoting Friends, she wasn't serious!"
"Yeah, well, she isn't coming to this dinner, is she?"
"No, just you, me and Dad. This Friday."
"Alright," he sighed.
"Really?"
"Really. It's not like you're asking me to talk to my dad."
"When are you, by the way?"
"When I'm ready."
"It's been two months," she pointed out, like he might not know that fact.
"I know."
"Your mom is still seeing him."
"I know. I have talked to her."
"Tristan," Rory drawled his name out, exasperated.
"Rory," he mocked her.
"Fine, but at least tell me how it went. You never really talked about it."
"He says he's changed, and mom says he's changed. But he didn't tell me why or how. He just wants me to get over it, and I can't. It's not that easy."
"How did your mom do it?"
"She knows the whole story, what made him change."
"So, talk to him."
"I'm just not ready. Not yet."
"Oooh, it happened again!" Rory exclaimed and put his hand back on her stomach, on the other side of her abdomen than before.
"You know, if it keeps this up, I don't need constant updates," he informed her.
"Hey, half of this," she pointed to her stomach, "is yours, so if I get woken up, so do you."
"By that logic, you're going to start kicking me when you get kicked," he joked.
Rory put a finger to her lips, stroking it as if she were having an idea. He stood up and stepped away from her slowly. She smiled and attempted to get up off the couch.
"I was kidding," he laughed as he ran towards the other room.
"Hey! Stop running, I can't even get up! Get back here and help me!" she cried out, trying to pull herself up out of the couch. Tristan reappeared in the room, watching as Rory attempted to pull herself up off the couch. He laughed as she finally gave up, slumping back against the cushions. She put out her bottom lip, and looked at him.
"I can't believe this."
"Honey, it's normal."
"You can still get up off the couch by yourself. In fact, you haven't gained one ounce of sympathy weight. Look at you, if anything, you look better!"
"I'm sorry. Would you like me to get a beer gut, so we can wear matching outfits?" He tried to be serious, but his eyes twinkled in amusement.
"Haha."
"I thought you liked my abs," he feigned hurt.
"I do. I just, miss mine," she sighed.
He shook his head and offered his hand to pull her up. She smiled.
"Nah, I'm comfy now."
"You're hopeless."
The phone rang and Tristan pointed at her. She gaped at him, and held out her hands in shock. He laughed again and answered the phone. He came back a moment later and handed it to her.
"Hello?"
"Rory! So you are alive!"
"Cause there was a lot of doubt?"
"I've been trying to get you all week!"
"Ever heard of leaving a message?"
"Well, I figured with you being at home so much, I'd be able to catch you at some point," she explained.
"Oh, I sort of going back to work a bit more."
"What? And you didn't tell me?"
"I'm feeling really good, really energetic," she explained.
"Oh, I remember that stage. You're really going to like the next one."
"What's the next stage?"
"You're going to get very randy, baby," Lorelai imitated.
"You're kidding."
"No, I never kid about such things. The sex part of pregnancy is fun," she assured her.
"Mom, I'm getting huge. I can balance dishes on my stomach. I can't get off the couch. I hardly doubt that my sex drive is about to skyrocket."
"Fine, fine, don't believe me. I'm just your mother, what do I know about being pregnant?" she chided.
"Speaking of you being pregnant, Dad called."
"How is that a 'speaking of'?"
"Dad did get you pregnant at one time, didn't he? Cause otherwise, I should probably stop calling him Daddy," Rory mocked.
"So, Chris called you," Lorelai continued.
"He wants to have dinner with me."
"Aw, he wants to see his little knocked up girl."
"Yeah. I had to force him to invite Tristan, too."
"Is he still on that? I was kidding!"
"Dad didn't think it was one of your show stoppers."
"It was like two years ago! It's not like you didn't get married!"
"Yeah, well, hopefully Tristan can win him over now that Dad's going to be a grandpa."
"Speaking of which, I've been working on what this child should call me."
"How is that a 'speaking of which'?"
"Well, if Chris is going to be a grandpa, then I'm going to be a grandma. But I have an issue with that word."
"And the issue would be?" Rory rolled her eyes.
"It makes me sound old. I am not old," she informed her daughter.
"No one thinks you're old."
"No, not now. But as soon as this kid starts following me around, yelling 'Grandma!' at me, people will start thinking I'm old!"
"So, this what, hinders your dating life?"
Lorelai ignored her and continued. "So, I've narrowed it down to three. Wanna hear?"
"I'm on the edge of my seat."
"I thought you couldn't get up," Lorelai reminded her.
"Mom," Rory warned.
"Fine. They are: Oma, Nana and Memaw."
"Wait, did you just say Memaw?" Rory laughed.
"That was more Will's idea."
"Uh-huh."
"It was!"
"So, it's down to Oma and Nana?"
"Yep."
"Nana sounds sort of old lady like too. What about Grams?"
"Too Dawson's Creek."
"Ah. So we have Oma?"
"Ja."
"Because we're German now?"
"I think it's nice."
"Fine, Oma."
"You can't call me Oma. That will make me look old!"
"I'll talk to you later, oh insane one!"
"Tell Chris hi for me."
"I will. Bye, Mom."
"Bye, Sweets."
Rory hung up and looked up to see Tristan watching her. He had been standing there, listening to her end of the conversation.
"What?" she giggled.
"I really hope we have a boy."
"Shut up and help me get up. I'm hungry."
He walked over to her and gave her his hand, pulling her up from the couch. Once she was standing, he pulled her closer into him. He kissed her sweetly, and she pulled him down to kiss him more intensely. She pulled back, smiling.
"What?"
"Mom says we're going to enjoy the next stage of hormones."
"About two more weeks, to my calculation."
"You knew about the increased sex drive thing?"
"Rory, come on. You think a book for expectant fathers is going to leave that little tidbit out?"
"Well, keep your pants on, they haven't hit yet. But you can feed me, if you'd like."
He kept a hold of her hand, pulling her along behind him as he made his way into the kitchen. She took out the left over pizza, resisting his efforts to heat it up for her. She took out some barbeque sauce and tartar sauce. Much to Tristan's disgust, she mixed some of each together and dipped the cold pizza into the concoction and took a bite. Nodding to herself, she repeated the motion. Tristan made a disgusted face and patted his wife on the shoulder.
"Yeah. I just can't watch that. I'll see you upstairs," he informed her as he headed towards the stairs.
She just shrugged and continued eating her pizza happily.
WHAT I OWN: Nada.
RATING: PG-13, just to be safe. It is fluff after all.
Rory was now entering her fifth month of pregnancy. She'd hit a stride, and was even working more. She felt better than she had ever felt in her life, and despite Tristan's concerns, she was working four days a week and working from home on the fifth day. The nursery was completely decorated and stocked thanks to two baby showers that her mother had organized. Today she was at her desk, working on a story when she got a phone call.
"Rory Dugrey," she answered the desk phone.
"Rory, it's Erin."
"Hey, how are you?"
"I'm good. Are you busy?"
"No, actually, I was just finishing up for the day."
"I need to talk to you. Can I meet you somewhere?"
"Why don't you come up to the house for dinner?"
"Well, if you're sure it wouldn't be any trouble."
"Yeah. Will Jess be joining us?"
"No, just me. Jess has a late class tonight, and he's sort of why I need to talk to you."
"Alright. I'll see you in a little while."
"Great."
Rory hung up the phone and gathered her things. She made her way over to the police station, to meet Tristan. They had been riding into the city together lately, as their hours had finally began to mesh together. He kissed her when she walked into his office. He had finished his internship the month prior and had been offered a permanent position in the forensics department of the same station he had been with, so he would be working at both there and the same hospital.
"Hey, Erin is coming to dinner."
"What about Jess?"
"He's not coming. Something's wrong," Rory told him.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know, but that's why she's coming over."
"I'm sure it's fine. Come on, let's get out of here," he said, taking her hand as they walked down to the parking garage.
They got home in a decent amount of time. Traffic wasn't as horrible as it could have been, and Rory immediately went to change out of her work clothes. She had found some appropriate maternity work clothes, but as she was getting bigger everyday, it was going to get harder and harder to look suitable. She changed into Tristan's pants she still loved wearing and a t- shirt. She came padding out into the living room and he smiled at her.
"That's what I love to see. My wife, barefoot and pregnant," he joked.
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Want to see a new trick I can do?"
"Tricks? When did you learn tricks?" he was intrigued, sitting on the couch, waiting for her to reappear. She came out of the kitchen with a bowl of mixed fruit and a spoon. She sat down next to him and placed the bowl on her stomach, which kept it balanced and she proceeded to eat off of her stomach.
"Wow, that's some trick," he laughed, taking the bowl off her stomach and placing it on the coffee table. "We need to get dinner started."
"Let's just order a pizza. Pizza is good food for stuff like this."
"You don't know there's a problem," he reminded her.
"Trust me. Something's up."
Tristan relented, going into the kitchen to call the pizza place. While he was in there, the doorbell rang. Rory heaved herself up and made her way to the front door. Erin was standing on the porch, looking like she had been crying, or was about to. Rory ushered her in and sat down next to her on the couch.
"Erin, what's going on?"
Erin sniffed a few times, and pushed some stray hairs behind her ear. She looked down at her hands like she didn't quite know what to do with them.
"It's Jess, he's acting really ... strange."
"Strange how?"
"He's being really distant, he's gone a lot more. He's nervous around me, I don't really know how to explain it."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Well, we just moved in together," Erin started.
"You did? That's great!"
"Thanks. Yeah, it just happened, we didn't want to tell anyone yet. We're still feeling it out. I still have my apartment 'til the end of this month, but my lease was up, and we just figured why not, you know?"
Rory nodded, and Tristan came in to the living room to see the two women on the couch. He cringed a little and pointed to the kitchen where he'd just come from. Rory shook her head 'no' and motioned for him to come in to join them. Sighing, he reluctantly joined them.
"Tristan, hey. Sorry to barge in on you guys," Erin apologized.
"No problem. What's going on?" he asked, unsure of whether or not he wanted to be in the room yet.
"Well, I was just telling Rory that Jess and I moved in together."
"That's good, though, right?"
"Well, I thought it was going to be, but he's been acting weird. Rory, I know you two dated a long time ago, but do remember what he was like before you guys broke up?"
Rory cringed. He had been distant. And busy a lot. Then he'd just left. She didn't want to tell Erin that he was displaying the right signs for leaving. Especially since she had no idea what Jess was really up to. He might just be busy; he did have a lot on his plate.
"Well, not really. He was going through a lot of personal stuff and I was graduating, so it was all sort of a big blur, really."
"You don't remember anything?"
"Sorry," Rory apologized. "Are you sure he's going to break it off?"
"What else could it be?"
"Well, maybe he's just going through some personal stuff," Tristan offered.
"Why wouldn't he tell me about it, then?"
"He will, when he's ready," he assured her. "Where is he tonight?"
"He had a late class. I think I'm going to go back to my apartment tonight, to give myself some space."
"Excuse me," Tristan stood up heading back into the kitchen. Rory noted the determination in his voice and said nothing as he wandered off towards the kitchen.
Tristan dialed Jess' cell phone number and waited. He didn't care if he was in class or not, he just wanted to resolve this. He knew something must be up, and he really didn't like to see girls cry. Just when he was sure the voicemail would pick up, he heard Jess' voice.
"Hello?"
"Jess, it's Tristan. Can you talk for a minute?"
"Yeah, I was just getting ready to go into class. What's up?"
"Erin's here, and she's pretty upset. Is everything alright with you two?"
"We're fine, we just moved in together. We're doing fine. Did you say she's there?"
"Well, she doesn't know that. She says you've been acting weird, distant and nervous. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Oh, geez, this isn't good."
"Are you breaking up with her? 'Cause if you are, just do it, man, this is cruel making her wonder like this."
"No, I'm not breaking up with her. I've been busy and I've had a lot on my mind, that's all."
"Well, whatever it is that you're thinking, you might want to fill her in. She said she was going to stay at her apartment tonight."
"Damn. Thanks for the heads up. I'll fix this."
"No problem."
They hung up and Jess turned around and headed back towards his apartment. He needed to get something and beat Erin back to her apartment. He had no idea she was so sensitive to his emotions the last few weeks, but he didn't want her to think he would ever leave her.
Tristan re-emerged from the kitchen. Rory looked up at him and noticed his smile. She offered him pizza, which had come while he was on the phone. They put in a movie to get their minds off of things and the three ate and watched in relative silence. After the movie, Erin stood up.
"Thanks for everything, listening to me, everything. I should get going, though."
"Just call me, anytime," Rory offered.
"I'm sure things will get back to normal soon. Just give it some time," Tristan said knowingly.
She nodded and left the house. Rory turned on Tristan and looked at him as if she could tell that he wasn't telling her something.
"What do you know that I don't?"
"Nothing. Just that Jess is going to make this right, and I'm guessing he'll do it tonight."
"You called him!"
"I may have spoken with him briefly."
"You're such a big softy. All those years, you pretended to be such a player, but I knew better."
"You've ruined me, you know that, right?"
Rory smiled and leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. They enjoyed the time just holding each other for a while, not thinking about anyone else in the world. Suddenly, Rory made a noise and her hand flew to her stomach.
"Did it happen again?"
She nodded and put his hand where she last felt a kick. They waited a moment and again the baby kicked. They smiled at each other and waited for more.
"That is by far the coolest thing I've ever felt," he said, staring at her abdomen.
"Says the person not being kicked in the stomach repeatedly," she noted.
"Right. Maybe it means the kid will be athletic."
"Well, it'll just get more and more mobile, I'll tell you that much."
"Well, you can use this for years of guilt later on," he assured her. She tried to hide it, but a smile appeared on her face anyway.
"By the way, Dad called today."
"Again?"
"Yeah. He wants to come down and take me out to dinner."
"Just you?"
"Well, I told him you had to be a part of the deal," she batted her eyelashes at him.
"How sweet of you. He doesn't like me, does he?"
"He isn't going to like anyone who's' doing his daughter'."
"I still can't believe Lorelai said that," Tristan muttered.
"She was quoting Friends, she wasn't serious!"
"Yeah, well, she isn't coming to this dinner, is she?"
"No, just you, me and Dad. This Friday."
"Alright," he sighed.
"Really?"
"Really. It's not like you're asking me to talk to my dad."
"When are you, by the way?"
"When I'm ready."
"It's been two months," she pointed out, like he might not know that fact.
"I know."
"Your mom is still seeing him."
"I know. I have talked to her."
"Tristan," Rory drawled his name out, exasperated.
"Rory," he mocked her.
"Fine, but at least tell me how it went. You never really talked about it."
"He says he's changed, and mom says he's changed. But he didn't tell me why or how. He just wants me to get over it, and I can't. It's not that easy."
"How did your mom do it?"
"She knows the whole story, what made him change."
"So, talk to him."
"I'm just not ready. Not yet."
"Oooh, it happened again!" Rory exclaimed and put his hand back on her stomach, on the other side of her abdomen than before.
"You know, if it keeps this up, I don't need constant updates," he informed her.
"Hey, half of this," she pointed to her stomach, "is yours, so if I get woken up, so do you."
"By that logic, you're going to start kicking me when you get kicked," he joked.
Rory put a finger to her lips, stroking it as if she were having an idea. He stood up and stepped away from her slowly. She smiled and attempted to get up off the couch.
"I was kidding," he laughed as he ran towards the other room.
"Hey! Stop running, I can't even get up! Get back here and help me!" she cried out, trying to pull herself up out of the couch. Tristan reappeared in the room, watching as Rory attempted to pull herself up off the couch. He laughed as she finally gave up, slumping back against the cushions. She put out her bottom lip, and looked at him.
"I can't believe this."
"Honey, it's normal."
"You can still get up off the couch by yourself. In fact, you haven't gained one ounce of sympathy weight. Look at you, if anything, you look better!"
"I'm sorry. Would you like me to get a beer gut, so we can wear matching outfits?" He tried to be serious, but his eyes twinkled in amusement.
"Haha."
"I thought you liked my abs," he feigned hurt.
"I do. I just, miss mine," she sighed.
He shook his head and offered his hand to pull her up. She smiled.
"Nah, I'm comfy now."
"You're hopeless."
The phone rang and Tristan pointed at her. She gaped at him, and held out her hands in shock. He laughed again and answered the phone. He came back a moment later and handed it to her.
"Hello?"
"Rory! So you are alive!"
"Cause there was a lot of doubt?"
"I've been trying to get you all week!"
"Ever heard of leaving a message?"
"Well, I figured with you being at home so much, I'd be able to catch you at some point," she explained.
"Oh, I sort of going back to work a bit more."
"What? And you didn't tell me?"
"I'm feeling really good, really energetic," she explained.
"Oh, I remember that stage. You're really going to like the next one."
"What's the next stage?"
"You're going to get very randy, baby," Lorelai imitated.
"You're kidding."
"No, I never kid about such things. The sex part of pregnancy is fun," she assured her.
"Mom, I'm getting huge. I can balance dishes on my stomach. I can't get off the couch. I hardly doubt that my sex drive is about to skyrocket."
"Fine, fine, don't believe me. I'm just your mother, what do I know about being pregnant?" she chided.
"Speaking of you being pregnant, Dad called."
"How is that a 'speaking of'?"
"Dad did get you pregnant at one time, didn't he? Cause otherwise, I should probably stop calling him Daddy," Rory mocked.
"So, Chris called you," Lorelai continued.
"He wants to have dinner with me."
"Aw, he wants to see his little knocked up girl."
"Yeah. I had to force him to invite Tristan, too."
"Is he still on that? I was kidding!"
"Dad didn't think it was one of your show stoppers."
"It was like two years ago! It's not like you didn't get married!"
"Yeah, well, hopefully Tristan can win him over now that Dad's going to be a grandpa."
"Speaking of which, I've been working on what this child should call me."
"How is that a 'speaking of which'?"
"Well, if Chris is going to be a grandpa, then I'm going to be a grandma. But I have an issue with that word."
"And the issue would be?" Rory rolled her eyes.
"It makes me sound old. I am not old," she informed her daughter.
"No one thinks you're old."
"No, not now. But as soon as this kid starts following me around, yelling 'Grandma!' at me, people will start thinking I'm old!"
"So, this what, hinders your dating life?"
Lorelai ignored her and continued. "So, I've narrowed it down to three. Wanna hear?"
"I'm on the edge of my seat."
"I thought you couldn't get up," Lorelai reminded her.
"Mom," Rory warned.
"Fine. They are: Oma, Nana and Memaw."
"Wait, did you just say Memaw?" Rory laughed.
"That was more Will's idea."
"Uh-huh."
"It was!"
"So, it's down to Oma and Nana?"
"Yep."
"Nana sounds sort of old lady like too. What about Grams?"
"Too Dawson's Creek."
"Ah. So we have Oma?"
"Ja."
"Because we're German now?"
"I think it's nice."
"Fine, Oma."
"You can't call me Oma. That will make me look old!"
"I'll talk to you later, oh insane one!"
"Tell Chris hi for me."
"I will. Bye, Mom."
"Bye, Sweets."
Rory hung up and looked up to see Tristan watching her. He had been standing there, listening to her end of the conversation.
"What?" she giggled.
"I really hope we have a boy."
"Shut up and help me get up. I'm hungry."
He walked over to her and gave her his hand, pulling her up from the couch. Once she was standing, he pulled her closer into him. He kissed her sweetly, and she pulled him down to kiss him more intensely. She pulled back, smiling.
"What?"
"Mom says we're going to enjoy the next stage of hormones."
"About two more weeks, to my calculation."
"You knew about the increased sex drive thing?"
"Rory, come on. You think a book for expectant fathers is going to leave that little tidbit out?"
"Well, keep your pants on, they haven't hit yet. But you can feed me, if you'd like."
He kept a hold of her hand, pulling her along behind him as he made his way into the kitchen. She took out the left over pizza, resisting his efforts to heat it up for her. She took out some barbeque sauce and tartar sauce. Much to Tristan's disgust, she mixed some of each together and dipped the cold pizza into the concoction and took a bite. Nodding to herself, she repeated the motion. Tristan made a disgusted face and patted his wife on the shoulder.
"Yeah. I just can't watch that. I'll see you upstairs," he informed her as he headed towards the stairs.
She just shrugged and continued eating her pizza happily.