Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story! I hope to get better. The chapter after this will be about Toby's birthday party and is hopefully going to be a blast. This is just getting you ready for the big event. Enjoy!

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Toby had spent the whole day with TJ and Liz. While Rory and Jess, went around town doing last minute party things. Sookie was making a racecar cake. Kirk was going to be a clown. Taylor was going to put on a magic show. Lane's band was playing music. It seemed that every base was covered. Jess and Rory walked out of a toy store in Hartford with bags of gifts.

"Your kid is spoiled." She said lugging the bags to the car.

"I know, but he really hasn't had much before this year." Jess opened the trunk and started packing the bags in.

"It is really sweet to throw him a huge party. He is going to be so happy." She grinned.

Jess leaned Rory against the car and kissed her. It was a long kiss and they were sucked into another world. Then the screeching sound of her grandma's voice came through.

"Lorelei Gilmore!" Emily said in shock at the image she had just witnessed. "You are turning more into your mother with every waking hour."

"Grandma!" Rory said jumping back.

"Oh it is you! I should have known. I heard about how you ripped her away from Logan. That poor boy." Emily franticly spouted off.

"Grandma he didn't rip me way from Logan. Logan ripped himself away from me." Rory hated feeling like she was 16 again.

Richard walked up and started to laugh. Giving Rory a hug he began to speak. "Emily this is that fine boy I was telling you about, Luke's nephew. The one who fixed my car when it broke down in Stars Hollow. His son and I played checkers. You remember don't you?"

"This is the boy who helped you? Has everyone gone mad? This is the boy who came to dinner in my house with a black eye. What kind of fine boy does that?" Emily felt as if she was talking to crazy people.

"Oh Emily that was years ago. He is grown up now." Richard put his arm around his wife. "What are all the bags for kids?"

"Toby's birthday. It is tomorrow and we are throwing him a big party in Stars Hollow. You are welcome to come Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore." Jess said smirking at Emily's freak out.

"We might just stop by. No promises though." Richard replied.

"Of course I understand. Well Rory and I have to get back. Lots to do before tomorrow. It was nice seeing you both again." He said shaking Richards's hand.

"Bye Grandpa!" Rory said throwing her arms around his neck. "Bye Grandma."

There was silence in the car for most of the ride. Jess had long forgot his meeting with Emily Gilmore until then. He felt like a fool for the way he had acted although hearing Luke's stories he knew it didn't matter how he would have acted she would have hated him. Finally Jess remembered what he had told Rory about the black eye.

"It was a swan." Jess blurted out.

"What was a swan?" she looked at him asking.

"The black eye the night I met Emily. It was from a swan."

"A swan? How exactly does this happen?" she tried saying with out laughing.

"It came out of no where and beaked me. Gave me the black eye. Luke and I went back and it just mocked me. Luke made fun of me for awhile." He uncomfortably said.

Rory began to laugh and he smirked rolling his eyes. She was laughing so hard she started to cry. When they reached Luke's after the drive she flew in laughing and grabbing her mothers arm. Lorelei looked at her in confusion.

"Yes Lassie, did Timmy fall in the well again?" Lorelei patted Rory's head.

"It was a swan. The black eye. Grandma's house."

"And I thought it was Col. Mustard in the kitchen with the candle holder." She teased.

"Your daughter is so calmly referring to the night I went to your parents house for dinner with a black eye." Jess sat down annoyed with Rory's outburst.

"You're kidding me." Lorelei smirked.

"Can we please change the subject?" Jess said going behind the counter to pour some coffee.

"How does a swan give you a black eye? Did he have boxing gloves?" Lorelei started laughing with her daughter.

"The swans around here are deadly." Rory said with a straight face.

"Oh Jeez. Can we please change the subject?" Jess pleaded.

Luke walked in and heard the laughing. "Why are they laughing like that?"

"A swan gave Jess a black eye!" Rory laughed.

"Again? Jess you should really watch out for those horrible creatures." He put his hand on Jess's shoulders.

"Not again, I just told her about the first and only time. Now can we please drop it?" he removed Luke's hand from his shoulder and sat down next to Rory.

Rory and Lorelei listened eagerly to Luke's story of the swan search. Finally they dropped the subject and Rory and Jess told Lorelei about the encounter with the Elder Gilmores. Then they brought in the presents and began to wrap. When they were all finished Jess and Rory headed to his mom's to get Toby. They were met in the yard by TJ who was on the verge of tears.

"Your kid is a monster Jess." TJ whined.

"Some say." Jess smirked.

"He beat me at checkers, because he cheated. Then we played hide and go seek, the boy never came to find me. I was getting a little chilly under the house. I could have died Jess." TJ led them into the house.

Toby was asleep on the couch looking like an angel. Jess moved over and kissed his forehead. Jess couldn't believe he was turning 4 years old the next day. 'Where did the years go?' he thought to himself. His mother grabbed his arm and led him to the kitchen. Rory followed.

"I heard you two where together." Liz said pointing at Jess and Rory.

"Word travels fast." Jess said unwilling to talk about it to his mother.

"You be good to him Rory. Jessie is a kind-hearted boy; I guess you're a man now. My baby grew up and got a kid of his own." She said hugging Jess.

"Liz I got to get going. Lots to do tomorrow." He said as she grabbed his face and pinched his cheeks.

"It was nice seeing you." Rory said to Liz.

Jess scooped up Toby and headed towards the door. Thinking about TJ and how upset he was about Toby, Jess laughed. 'Vicious' he thought to himself. When they arrived at the apartment Jess laid Toby in his bed. Rory waited for him to enter the living room. The awkwardness had set in after Liz had mentioned that they were together. Rory decided she wanted to go home and sort out her thoughts.

"You will be there tomorrow right? Toby would be heart broken if you weren't." Jess said sitting next to her on the couch.

"I wouldn't miss it. How often do you get to see Kirk dress up as a clown?"

"Well I have to get some sleep, I am not ready for tomorrow at all."

"Your little boy is turning 4 years old. I bet you need sometime to yourself." She said kissing his cheek and getting up from the couch.

"I had a really nice time with you. We should do it again sometime." Jess said as he hugged Rory.

"Dirty." She giggled.

"You know what I meant, this whole hanging out thing. Although the other stuff was pretty good too."

"Bye Mariano." She said giving him a kiss at the door.

"Bye." He watched as she walked down the stairs.

Jess cleaned up the apartment a little and then relaxed with a book. It was nice having his own space. He put the book on his chest and looked around his room. He remembered the night before and how beautiful Rory was. He couldn't believe it had come so far. Part of him trusted her. The other half was terrified she was going to leave. 'It must be odd dating someone with a kid.' He thought to himself.

"Daddy!" Toby said running into the room.

"Whoa what seems to be the problem?" Jess said lifting him up on the bed.

"You didn't tell me the story."

"I don't believe I did. Did I?" Jess tucked Toby into the bed next to him.

Toby looked up with wide eyes, "Ready!"

"It all began," He looked at the clock and saw it was 2 am. "On this very day 4 years ago. I was pacing the hospital waiting room. The doctor came out and told me you had arrived. I started to cry as I entered the room. There you were a little image of me. They wrapped you up and handed you to me. I was afraid I was going to drop you. I had never held anything so breakable. The first month you wouldn't go to sleep without Road to Ruin playing. I actually didn't mind. I would have preferred The Clash, but the Ramones were just fine." Jess looked over to see Toby's eyes had closed.

He leaned over and kissed his forehead. Toby snuggled up next to him. Then opened his eyes. He had a question forming in his innocent brain. Jess feared it would be the same question he asked last year. It seemed Toby had changed it up a little this year.

"Is Rory my mommy?" Toby asked a little confused.

"No Toby, I'm your mommy and your daddy." Jess answered a little heart broken to the question.

"Oh, well can Rory play like she is mommy?"

"Lets get some sleep kid. Tomorrow is a very big day." Jess reached over and turned off the light.

Rory was lying awake in her bedroom. She was thinking about how much she liked Toby. She thought about how it would hurt him more than anything if something happened between her and Jess. You can never predict those things, they just happen. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. She thought of the night before as she lay in Jess's bed. How he held her so tight and she could feel the fear of abandonment coming from him. She decided to think instead about the birthday party and how happy Toby was going to be. 'If I was to have a kid, he would be like Toby.' She thought to herself as she fell asleep.