I'm all set around 3:55. With Rory still in the bathroom, Lailie occupying herself in the playroom, and Lorelai probably just leaving Stars Hollow, I take the opportunity to go over some mail in our home office.
It's a big room that Rory and I share. I find the mail in a basket on the sideboard.
There are some business letters, advertising, catalogues that I'm sure I never ordered although they are addressed to me, and some last minute Christmas cards. The address label on a big brown envelope catches my eye. 'Dr Jones Fertility Clinic, Boston, MA'. Another glance tells me it's addressed to 'Mr. and Mrs. Logan Huntzberger'. I have never heard about this clinic.
It can't be advertising. Why should a fertility clinic send out information out to couples who are perfectly capable of producing children as recently proved? Especially in such a big envelope.
Nope.
Maybe they are asking for donations. But again, usually they use smaller envelopes for that kind of mail.
Nope.
Did Rory request information from them? Why should she? And why should she have it sent to 'Mr and Mrs. Logan Huntzberger' and not to 'Mrs. Rory Huntzberger'?
Nope.
Or… No, that can't be. She wouldn't have gone to that clinic for a fertility test, right? Why would she?
This is confusing.
Sensing Rory wouldn't want me to open it, I put it back in the basket and leave the room.

This baby business is getting too mysterious for my taste. But I don't want another fight with her about it. It's Christmas, time of love and forgiveness. She is pregnant and that's all that matters for now. I am very positive that I'm the father and that I am absolutely happy about this. How and when and why she got pregnant can be discussed after the holidays.

I go and check on Lailie who is still in her playroom which is right next to the home office.
Not wanting to disturb her reading session for bears and bunnies, I go downstairs to find something to occupy myself with, something to stay away from thoughts about Baby Huntzberger.
I really have to stop calling him or her Baby Huntzberger. Though I really hope it's a 'he', otherwise we'd have to make babies until we got a 'he' to put him in the one-piece we bought earlier.Lailie's 'work in progress' name was 'Pixie', which got somehow stuck. I came up with it after seeing an ultra-sound picture that showed my child, we didn't know yet if boy or girl, as a pile of pixels, thus 'Pixie'.

The basement seems a good place to go since I need to get some real champagne and some fake champagne. Finn brought the fake one back from his father's vineyard in Australia. It looks exactly like real stuff, even the bottle, except for the label that says 'Lailie's Champagne'. It's sparkling white grape juice. Tonight there will be four people drinking it. Lailie, Willy, Emma, and Rory because of Ba- I really need to find him a 'work in progress' name.

I don't know what to do, I don't know what to think. I can't keep my thoughts away from her and him. Knowing there will be another baby in this house by summer but wondering how everything happened at the same time gives me a weird feeling in my stomach. I'm so, so happy about it but see the dark cloud hovering above my head. It's like sunshine and rain having a battle and the result is a very weak forecast about what might happen.

That is why I am relieved, when I hear the doorbell ringing and little feet running down the stairs. Christmas has officially begun.

--
The kids are happy about their gifts. Lailie proudly holds up the sweater that Lorelai got her, of course it's a 'I'm not an elf, so please don't mix me up' sweater, excited about being able to go to visit Santa's house.

"Ah Lorelai!" I say smiling, "I take it you're the one to take her then?"

She shakes her head eagerly and raises her eyebrows.

"No, my friend... that has always been the Daddy's job and will always be the Daddy's job. Grandmas are not allowed to take their granddaughters, that's the law."

I roll my eyes and see the 5-year-old twins, my brother- and sister-in-law, approaching their Dad.

"Daddy!" Willy exclaims, "if Logan can take Lailie to see Santa, can you take us, too?"

Emma holds on tightly to the new doll that Rory got for her and nods her head approvingly.

"Yes Daddy! We wanna go see Santa!"

"Santa, Santa…" Starts the underage-choir, including Lailie.

Luke growls at Lorelai who looks at him with an innocent smile. She loves watching Luke be a daddy.
He looks at the group of kids, demanding to visit Santa, not knowing what to tell them.

Finally: "Ok, I will take you! But only if Logan takes Lailie!"

"Oh come on! Now it's going to be my fault if they can't go!"
Smirking I get up from the couch.

"Well, maybe we should drink to that. Give me a sec and I'll be back with the champagne."

When I get back to the room, balancing two trays with glasses, one for the underage crowd and pregnant ladies, the other one for the folks who have to have the real stuff to survive the night, Lorelai and Rory are already picking up discarded wrapping material and empty boxes.

"Hey, there is still a wrapped one from the kid's pile." Lorelai yells over the kid's noises, bending down to pick it up. I recognize the box and I guess it's time to show and tell… "And the nametag says…" Three pairs of big blue eyes stare at her expectantly, hoping for another gift.
Lorelai hesitates and looks at Rory. "It says 'Baby Huntzberger'."

Emma and Willy are disappointed, the adults are quiet and only Lailie beams and announces:
"Oh that is for my baby brother!"

Now all eyes are on her as she looks at us in a 'what-did-I-do?' manner.

Emma is the next one to speak.
"But Lailie, you don't have a baby brother!"

"Not yet! But soon." She retorts, as if it's the most logical thing on earth.

"Oh my God, Rory! You're pregnant!" Lorelai drops everything and jumps over to hug Rory who is smiling brightly.

"Yes, I am! Isn't that exciting?"

"Wow! Yes! A miracle! Especially after all the-"

"Mom," Rory hisses and glances at me.

Miracle? Miracle! Why does Lorelai think this is a miracle, and 'especially after all' what! This is getting too much for me…

The ladies are whispering among themselves.

"Congratulations, Son!" Luke pats my shoulder, I didn't expect this.

"Thanks." I smile absentmindedly.

Lorelai turns towards me, wiping a tear from her right eye.
"Now what about that champagne, Daddy of two?"

She beams at me.

My weak fake smile is still present and I offer her some of the real stuff as Luke distributes the fake stuff.

"To the newest family addition!" Lorelai exclaims.

Again I have to clear my head of millions of thoughts running through it. Why was Lorelai wiping away a tear? Is this some kind of female reaction to pregnancies or just Lorelai's reaction to Rory's 'miracle' pregnancy?

Breath in… breath out.

"To Huntzberger Junior!" I say and clink glasses with everybody, looking Rory straight in the eyes.
She's radiating due to her happiness. Breathtaking beauty.

With a small smile upon her lips she leans towards me and whispers. "How do you like Junior as the new 'work in progress' name?" I nod and kiss her.

It's happening. It's real. But I really want to get rid of that uneasiness that I keep trying to push to the farthest part of my head.