After a million assurances that I'm really fine now, yes, we still have to have another talk about it, after Christmas, but no, I'm not going to turn into a nut case tonight, we re-enter the main house holding hands.

Immediately Emily jumps up and gets at our, or rather my throat.

"Is this what you do at social gatherings? Is it common behavior nowadays to just run out and not come back for an hour, leaving your child behind?"

"Grandma-" Rory starts but quickly gets cut off by Emily.

"This is not about you my Dear! It is about your darling husband! First, he shows up 45 minutes late then looks like a sour plum all night long. He won't chat, he won't drink, hardly touched the delicious food! Oh, and he apparently didn't like the dress I chose for Lailie myself. He just goes out and buys a white and pink dress. Who wears white and pink for Christmas! And finally, he just leaves when we're about to toast, making you come out to look for him, almost freezing yourself to death! This is not appropriate behavior young man!"

I try to be calm about this, even though Emily calling me 'young man' isn't helping it.

"See, Emily, I'm sorry about my behavior earlier, but I was really upset about something which I had to solve with myself."

"Upset! You're not upset during Christmas! Especially not in this house! You are disturbing our happy gathering!"

I hear a disapproving sound coming from Lorelai.

But Emily Gilmore is not finished. Just as she's about to start again, Rory interrupts her.

"Listen Grandmother, I do not, and I repeat, I do not want you to talk to my husband like this! He is very well allowed to be upset, in this case, it was even my fault he was and I'm really sorry about it. Just stay away from him and mind your own business. This certainly isn't yours, and I advise you to calm down or we will be out of your life before you know it."

Still, I can see the disdain on Emily Gilmore's face. Glancing at my watch I realize how late it has gotten.

"Honey," I whisper, "it's almost nine. Maybe we should just go ahead and…" I move my head towards the door. She glances at her own wrist and nods.

"We're leaving!" she announces to everybody, as I go and collect Lailie's stuff.

Rory walks over to Lorelai, whispering, she probably tells her about our talk in the pool house. I see little smiles and side glances towards me and wink at her.

Man, I'm so relieved!

Lailie is sitting on a big chair, reading a book. Or at least she is turning the pages of a book since a look at her rosy face tells me, that her eyelids have become really heavy and she is about to doze off.

"Hey, Princess. Come on, we're leaving."

All I hear is a tiny 'Otay'. I have to put her arms over my shoulders since she's way too sleepy to do it herself.

We say good-bye to Lorelai and Luke outside. Willy and Emma were asleep long before Lailie was.

Lorelai gives me a half hug, which is pretty hard since I still have sleeping beauty in my arms, and whispers: "Please don't be mad. She really tried, she tried so hard and is so happy about it."

"Me, too." I say and smile at her, "Me, too."

I go and buckle Lailie in as Rory cramps all the boxes and gift bags in the trunk and shuts it with a loud banging sound.

"Easy on the car, Honey! Can't blame it for Emily Gilmore's shopping addiction."

She growls at that and circles the car to the passenger's side. "You know what? Next year, we're going on vacation over the holidays. Aspen or Switzerland or some kind of fancy place. We'll have fun, they will be peeved and all is well."

Smiling I tell her: "Forget it, Ace. That's what you said last year and see where we are right now." She starts pouting and crosses her arms across her chest.

"Plus," I add, "you don't like those fancy places, never did and probably never will. I'd prefer a log house somewhere in Canada or even in Norway, they wouldn't find us there."

My suggestions make her beam.

"Yes, please! And we leave a week before Christmas and won't come back until mid January! I'll check the internet when we get home!"

"You forget something there, Ace." Rory looks at me with skeptical eyebrows.

"What is it?"

I reach across the car and put my hand on her stomach.

"Next year, there will be four of us and I can't imagine you taking Junior to a cottage in the middle of nowhere… Aaand, having him around next year might smooth ruffled feathers, you know how nobody dares to yell if there's a tiny baby with blonde hair and blue eyes present. It worked with Lailie and it will work with Junior."

Gasping she says: "Mr. Huntzberger! You are using your unborn son to protect yourself from the wrath of Emily Gilmore? Shame on you!"

I don't care about the wrath part but one thing is interesting… "So, Ace, you admit that we're going to have a boy? I knew it, I simply knew it!"

Apparently Rory doesn't like my happy dance that is kind of disturbed by the tight space behind the steering wheel and the fact that I still have to keep an eye on the street.

An evil smile appears on her usually beautiful face. "Well, Mr. Huntzberger, you won't know until the actual birth I guess. 'The-I-don't-want-to-know-my-baby's-gender' didn't work out with Lailie 'cause the doctor must have confused 'do' with 'do not' and just told us, but this time, there will be a much more reliable doctor who will not spill the beans before we can see it on the actual baby."

"Mean! But how are you supposed to decorate the nursery if you don't know what color to choose?"

"I'll just stick to my motherly intuition."

"Which tells you it is a boy?"

"Keep your mind on the street, Mister."

It's a little after ten thirty when Rory and I finally settle down in front of the living room fire place.

Lailie woke up, when Rory tried to put her nightgown on and insisted upon putting out cookies and milk out for Santa. She even 'stole' a carrot from Rory and wrote 'for Rudolph only' on a gift tag that she attached to the carrot. When back in bed, almost asleep, she remembered the early Christmas gift I promised her earlier, so I went to fetch it, but when I got back, she was already snoozing off, so I put it on the nightstand, kissed her cheek, and went to join Rory in our bedroom to go and change into something more comfortable.

Filling the stockings and putting the final touches on the gift pile took another 30 minutes.

Now, sitting here, my arms wrapped around her from behind, we enjoy the silence.

Rory is nibbling on Rudolph's carrot and drinking Santa's milk as I take care of the cookies and some scotch, that any real Santa, that is not pregnant, would prefer over milk.

Sighing she gets up.

"Whoa! Were do you think you're going lady?" I ask her and fetch the waistline of her yoga pants, making her fall on her butt again.

"I'm going to get a thank you card. Don't you think Santa would be polite enough to write a thank you note after eating cookies and drinking milk? Though I don't know how I'm going to get Rudolph's footprint on the card…"

"Geez… Gilmore women have a very interesting imagination."

She moves up again, this time making sure I'm not holding on to anything.

"But you know it's the Huntzberger smile that will light up her face when she sees she got mail from Santa."

Smiling I shake my head. How did I get stuck with this woman? Oh, right, I'm completely in love with her.

I catch a glimpse of a gift box, sitting on the edge of the couch, in the corner of my eye. Leaning over to pick it up, I realize it's the 'Baby Huntzberger' gift from earlier. It was never opened since everybody was way too preoccupied with the baby celebration.

When Rory comes back with a card, a couple of pens, a potato, a knife, and some acrylic paint, I hand her the gift.

"Huh? Is it morning already?" I chuckle and tell her to open it.

As she's staring at the content for a few moments, I notice how tears well up in her eyes. She picks up the one-piece, and runs over the stitching with her fingertips.

"My little baby brother… She is really excited about this, isn't she?"

I nod.

"Yes, and she is convinced she's going to have a little brother, 'cause that's what she asked Santa for."

"Really? How about that…"

Again I nod, smiling.

"He told her he couldn't make any promises since he had to check back with us first." Now she's the one chuckling.

"She even told me, this was the only thing she really wanted from Santa."

Rory groans. "So, all we had to get her was a baby brother? What about all that stuff?" She waves her hand over to the Christmas tree.

"Well, not necessary." I smirk.

"Do you think she will be disappointed when Junior here," she puts her hand on her stomach, "is going to be a girl?"

"Nah, I don't think so. Maybe a little at first, but she would be like a big doll for her, a doll that cries and poops and needs actual food, so it's going to be exciting… Plus, it actually can't be a girl, there would be no use for the one-piece! Or we'd have to produce little babies until a boy comes along!"

Laughing Rory throws the rattle at me.

"I'm really sorry I didn't notice your desperate try to get pregnant… I'm a terrible husband!"

"Oh Honey," she sits in my lap and caresses my cheek, "you are not a terrible husband. It was my fault I didn't tell you. Yes, sometimes you work too much and sometimes I miss you way too much when you're on business trips, but other than that, I couldn't ask for more."

She starts kissing me but I move back,

"So all the gifts I got you for Christmas were unnecessary, 'cause all you want is that I'm home a little more?" I smirk.

"Oh, the presents are not at all unnecessary!" She shakes her head eagerly.

"You know you can't keep a Gilmore Girl, or at least still Gilmore at heart, from a sufficient amount of gifts on Christmas Day."

I start playing with her hair and tug her towards me to kiss her.

It has been a very intense day, for both of us. Cuddling on the living room couch 'til well past midnight made up for a lot of weird feelings I experienced during the day.

Glancing at the alarm clock I groan inwardly when I realize it's almost one a.m..

Lailie's capture of our bed tomorrow morning will be way earlier and a lot more rushed than today. Instead of wake up cuddling, there will be a little girl tearing at our limbs to get us downstairs.

Should I have told Rory about the possible kitten that could join us come tomorrow afternoon? Nah, you never know with Finn. Although, when it comes to Finn and Lailie, you can be pretty sure about some things.

Thinking about possible places to put the cat litter box, I drift off to sleep.