Disclaimer: I own nothing…literally; the repo man was just here.

Chapter 7: It's a baby not a law firm

It was a warm summer day, there was a cool breeze in the air, Rory could smell the scent of fall on it's way. As she walked through the square she noticed a young mom and her two children laying on a blanket in the sun, she was holding her baby as her little boy played with a ball. They looked so happy, the boy would throw the ball and his mother would clap and the baby would laugh, a smile crossed Rory's face.

She had begun to notice mothers and children more and more, as her belly grew. She started thinking about the kind of mother she would be, what her daughter would be like. She was in the middle of her happy thought when Paris ran up to her in a panic.

"School starts in two weeks."

"Yes, it does." Rory said.

"I don't think I am ready."

"What? Paris, you are more ready than anyone ever, you have studied all summer, you worked your butt off, what do you mean?"

"I mean this isn't freshman year Rory, it isn't going to be a cake walk like last year."

"Last year wasn't a cake walk." Rory said defensive.

"Well if you think last year was hard…this year…" Paris said.

"Hey Paris, I think you are just freaking out I am sure that you will do fine."

"I am sure I will, once I start on my new sleep schedule."

"What?"

"I have looked into it. If I sleep after my first two classes for two hours, then go to my next class, have dinner, sleep for four hours, and wake up study for 3 hours and sleep for an additional four hours, it will be most optimal for learning."

"I think you can sleep like a normal human and you will be fine."

"Rory this isn't good you let it happen too."

"Let what happen?"

"You had the summer off and you forgot what it is like, you got lost in the pretty flowers and the sunshine…and you forgot about the all-nighters and the cram sessions and the papers and presentations…you have forgotten what it is like to have zero free time and zero energy." Paris said.

Rory thought about it. Paris had a point; last year wasn't the cake walk she remembered it to be. It was hard and there were times that she thought she would never pass, forget pass, live through the semester.

"I have to go." Rory said.

"We should talk tonight…strategize!" Paris called after her.

"Whatever!" Rory said waving her off and walking away.

She suddenly realized that she was planning her schedule for school, she would go to class at this time, be back at this time. And that would be fine for the first semester. But, you can't schedule a baby. She couldn't plan for the baby getting sick, and making her late or have to stay home that day. She couldn't plan for the baby being up all night and not getting to sleep or study. Yale was hard, it was hard without any distractions, and a baby was a big distraction, and moreover she didn't want to be the kind of mother who was impatient with her child because she needed to do something else like study or go to class. She didn't want to put her child second, and she didn't want to just barely get through Yale. She wanted to be a good mom and be with her daughter more than anything…but she couldn't half ass an education either. She had to choose and since one of the choices was another human being that wasn't going to wait, or go anywhere, she knew what she had to do.

The bell rang as she walked into the diner. Rory sat down at the counter with a shell shocked look on her face. Lane blew past her with a pot of coffee and proceeded to fill five cups and take three orders before flying back behind the counter and stopping in front of Rory.

"Busy?" Rory said as Lane panted in front of her.

"Just a little."

"Where is Luke?"

"He took the morning off."

"Ahhh right, I think my mom kept him out late last night, I didn't even hear her come home."

"About time that those too…"

As if on queue Lanes thought was interrupted by the site of Lorelai standing in the doorway behind her dressed in nothing but a blue flannel shirt. She froze there as everyone including her daughters jaw dropped and the bustle of the diner fell silent, then just as quickly as she made her appearance she darted back up the stairs.

Everyone's eyes focused on Rory.

"I know as much as you do people." Rory said turning back to Lane.

"So she didn't come home last night." Lane said leaning across the counter.

"Apparently not." Rory said taking a drink of her juice.

"Wow. Luke and Lorelai." Lane said.

"Apparently."

"You aren't ok with this?" Lane said.

"What? O yeah, of course I am. I love Luke and he and mom have been on the brink of this for years, I am sorry I am just preoccupied."

"Everything ok?"

"It will be."

"Rory?"

"I don't think I am going back to Yale."

"What?!" Lane yelled.

"Hey keep it down."

"But, you are moving back in a week. You start classes well, soon."

"I know." Rory said letting her eyes fall to the floor.

Lorelai reemerged from behind the curtain this time dressed in her own clothes. She walked out silently looking at all the patrons and trying to ward off the stares. She slipped up to Rory and took her hand.

"Come with mommy we need to talk." She said as she lead Rory from the counter and out the door.

The two began to walk down the street trying to ignore the stares of the towns people, one thing was certain, Ms.Patty was working overtime spreading the news.

"So, uh me and Luke…" Lorelai started.

"Mom, lets not go there, I know that you and Luke are together, and it is fine and I am fine and you are happy, so I am happy, you are happy right?"

"I am happy."

"Okay, then there is nothing left to say."

"Okay hon, you are cranky what is the matter?"

"Mom, I am going to tell you something but I don't want you to freak out."

"Never a good way to start a conversation."

"Mom."

"Ok, kid, what?"

Rory sat her mother down on a bench in the square, turning to look at her.

"Mom, I know, that you and I have planned every moment of my life together but, I made a decision and I don't think that you are going to like it but I made it and it is done."

"Honey…"

"I can't go back to Yale and I am not going to."

"What?" Lorelai said raising her voice.

"Mom…I can't do it. I can't be a good mom and be a good student."

"Rory, you can do it you have been planning this, we have planned out every detail, we have found a day care, we have scheduled your classes, we have made it so that you are home with her every night. And you will come home on the weekends and I will watch her and you will study, we have spent days talking about this, and planning this, I know you are scared honey, I know it seems like it will never happen. I know that it is going to be hard but, you can do it."

"Mom, I don't want to do it. And you know as well as I do that you can't schedule a baby. I mean what if she is sick and I can't study?"

"Then you come home and I will watch her and you will study."

"What if she cries all night and keeps me up?"

"Then you will drink a lot of coffee in the morning."

"No, mom, Yale is hard. I mean it was hard last year it is only going to get harder. I don't want to pawn my daughter off on you every time I need to study, I don't want you to raise her. I want to raise her, I want to raise my child, I want to be the one who wakes up with her in the night and feeds her and changes her and puts her to bed. I want to take her to the doctor if she is sick, and be there for her the way you were there for me."

"Rory…" Lorelai said softly.

"Mom, I love you and I love the life you gave me and I want to give my daughter that same kind of life. I want to be there, I don't want to feel like I am not focusing enough on school when I am with her, or not focusing on her enough when I am at school."

"I see what you mean. So…"

"So…I stay here, with you…I go to night and online classes. I find a job, and I work so that she and I can get out of your hair sooner."

"Oh hon, I want you here, I want you both with me, you have no limit on how long you can stay. I just want you to be sure that this is what you want, that you aren't going to regret this, I mean, you can't just leave Yale to go back whenever you decide."

"I know that. I just…I may regret not graduating from Yale, but…I would regret not being there for my daughter more."

Lorelai swallowed hard her emotions were trying to overcome her but she held them down. She was all at once extremely proud of her daughter for being so grown up and so determined to be a good mother, and sad that she had to give up on a dream she had since she was a little girl.

"So…"

"Yeah." Rory said.

"What about Paris?"

"I will handle her."

"She is going to be furious."

"I think she will be okay, she really is a solitary creature, I will just make her think it was her idea."

"So…" Lorelai said with an excited look in her eye.

"Okay, okay spill…but do me a favor I can connect the dots between going back to Lukes and the incident this morning."

"Fair enough…" Lorelai said as she started to tell Rory all about her night with Luke, the horoscope, and the dinner that lead to the sleep over that she was witness to that morning.

Rory was happy to see her so happy and she wished she could enjoy her mothers giddiness more, but she was concerned for herself. After a life of planning every thing in her life years in advance, she was flying blindly into the next phase.

That night Rory decided that the sooner the better with Paris. She knew that she would be upset and probably scream at her, but she had made up her mind and there was nothing that was going to change it.

"Hey Paris." Rory said knocking on the door to her bedroom as she opened it.

"Yeah come in." She said.

"I need to talk to you." Rory said.

Paris folded a sweater and sat on the bed.

"You aren't going back with me are you?" Paris said.

Rory took in a breath.

"No, I'm not."

"I figured. I can't see you being the pawn my kid off so I can do what I want to kind." Paris said sighing.

"I know…my whole plan has kind of shifted."

"I know."

"I just can't pretend that everything is going to be fine, that nothing is going to change, everything is going to change."

"You are going to have a daughter." Paris said.

"I know, isn't that just odd?"

"I don't know, the timing and the situation are odd, but you having a daughter, I dunno, I don't think that it is that odd."

"Thanks Paris."

"You promise you will go back to school?"

"I promise. You want me to help you find a new roommate?"

"Nah, I could use the time alone. I am sure that someone will find me eventually."

"I see."

"So you are staying here with your mom?"

"Yeah, at least for a while. I have to find a job. I mean working at the Inn is fine but, it is like taking my moms money to pay her…it is a little odd."

"They are looking for a fact checker at the Gazette. I could put in a word for you, it doesn't pay much but it is flexible."

"Hmm…I never really thought about it I guess."

"Should I set it up?"

"Yeah, yeah that would be great." Rory said.

As she lie in bed that night she rested her hands on her stomach and felt her daughters movement. She took a deep breath and let it out looking around at the room that she had lived in almost all of her life. Her mother had filled their house with love and fun and soon she was going to be bringing a brand new Gilmore into this house. She would take her fist steps in this house and say her first words and Rory would be there for all of it. It may not be the plan that she made for herself when she was eight years old laying in that very room, on that very bed, but it was the plan she was making for herself, now as she felt her daughter kicking and turning inside her.

Lorelai knocked on her door and peaked inside.

"Hey you." She said walking in.

"Hey."

"What are you up too?"

"Your granddaughter is practicing her floor routine for the 2020 Olympic gymnastics team."

"Ahhh." Lorelai said sitting beside her and putting her hand on her daughters stomach.

"My goodness she is really going isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"She must be happy."

"Huh?"

"Happy, that you guys are staying her with her grandma, I think she is doing her happy dance."

"That must be it." Rory said.

"Soooo….."

"What?"

"So are we going to keep calling her, her, and she and baby girl? Have you even thought about names?"

"I dunno a little."

"I know you have…that is the best part about having a baby. I still am sad I was in a Demerol daze, you were meant to be Suzanna."

"It is a very tragic tale."

"So?"

"What about Lily?"

"That is nice."

"And I kind of like Spencer."

"You are having a girl honey."

"I know that."

"Spencer Gilmore? You are having a baby not a law firm."

"Okay so scratch that. What about Lorelai? Huh? Huh? It is a good name, it has faired us and Gran all well."

"I dunno four Lorelais?"

"You could spell it different pick one of the many ways people murder our name. Like L-o-r-a-l-i-e."

"I don't think so, what about Lauren?"

"Ehh…I know this chick with that name."

"Lane thinks I should name her Paige, because I like to read it would be ironic."

"Ahh that Lane she is a fun one."

"How about Natalie, Jillian, or Elise?"

"All nice."

"I thought about since dad is being so good about this…and I have your name not his…calling her Hayden."

"Hmmm…like Lorelai Hayden?"

"No no no, like her first name Hayden, Hayden Gilmore."

"Again with the law firm. I don't know hon, this is your decision."

"I will keep thinking."

"Keep me posted, sleep well hon."

"I will."

"Good night hon."

"Good night mom."

"And hon…"

"Yeah mom."

"No matter what you call her, she is a Gilmore and that makes her that much further ahead of the game. And with you as her mom, and me as her grandma…she is going to be unstoppable."

Rory smiled.

"We are going to be all right hon. Everything is going to work out, it always does."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Please review...and no promises here, but let me know what you think about a name for our little girl...I appriciate the input, and I will consider all suggestions.