Warning: Look out! More fluff!
Not Even a Giant Squash
Rory woke up and tried to shift a little to get more comfortable, but found it difficult, what with Jess's head resting on her chest where her heart was. She held back tears as she buried her face in his hair. "You're here."
"Where else would I be?" he murmured softly without opening his eyes.
"I had this horribly irrational dream the other night that you went away," she told him. "And I looked everywhere, and I couldn't find you... and then there was this giant squash..."
He sat up a little and looked at her through tired and slightly confused eyes.
"Silly?"
He nodded slowly, considering. "A little."
She sighed and pressed her head against her pillow.
Jess watched her. "I'm not leaving."
"I know," she told him. "It was just a stupid dream."
"I'm right here," he told her seriously. "No amount of giant squash will change that."
She smiled. "You're mocking me."
He smirked and sat up. "Only a little."
Her smile widened and she took his hand. "You're a daddy."
He nodded, squeezing her hand a little. "I guess I am."
"So... what do you think of her?" Rory coaxed.
"Well, she's better-looking than any other baby in that nursery," Jess replied. "And... She's..." he ran a hand through his hair. "...My kid... our... kid."
Rory snickered. "You're so cute when you can't find the right words."
He sighed, not even attempting a retort and rested his head on her chest again.
She played with his hair a little. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head.
"Out with it, Jess."
"What if I'm bad at this fatherhood... thing?" he asked.
"Then chances are, motherhood will hate me, and we'll be awful parents together."
"I'm serious, Rory. I never..." He rolled his eyes. "You hear stories about people screwing up their kids because their parents screw them up, and it becomes a vicious cycle of dysfunction."
"It doesn't always have to be like that," Rory replied. "People learn from their parents' mistakes... look at my mom."
"She gave you too much freedom," Jess smirked. "You wound up with me."
Rory snickered and flicked his arm playfully.
He smirked. "So what's the first thing you're gonna do when you get out of here?"
"Go to Luke's and drink all of his coffee."
"Yeah? You gonna make him hold the baby, too?"
Rory blinked, a little worried. "He doesn't want to hold her?"
"He doesn't do well around babies," Jess replied. "I think they scare him."
"He doesn't like Alice?"
"Never said that."
"Then why doesn't he want to hold her?"
"Because he doesn't like babies."
"So he doesn't like Alice."
"Rory..." He sat up, looking a little annoyed. "He likes her fine... he loves her, he just doesn't know how to hold a baby."
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"You okay?"
She nodded. "I'm just... tired... and cranky... and hungry... and I want coffee... and French fries."
"With or without the Nutella?"
Rory wrinkled her nose. "In retrospect, I can't believe I ate that."
He laughed a little. "What about the salads?"
"Hey," she defended. "I put Nutella on those."
Jess squeezed his eyes shut and lay back against her again. "That's disgusting."
"No more disgusting than all those cheap Buffalo wings you and Jamie devoured on your birthday."
"Rory... you tried to put Nutella on those, too."
"I was curious!"
He smirked and kissed her lightly. "Yeah."
"Guess who's here?"
The couple looked to the doorway to see Lorelai walk in, carrying the baby. The nurse was following her, looking nervous. "She insisted on carrying her over," the nurse said.
Lorelai ignored the nurse, who was walking out the door, and scooted onto the bed next to Rory. She carefully handed the drowsy infant to her daughter and rested her head on her shoulder.
Jess sat up to get a better look at the tiny face hidden in the thick blanket. "Hey, there," he said quietly.
Lorelai tried not to make any noise but an excited squeak escaped her throat. "I'm gonna leave you three alone." She kissed Rory on the cheek, and got up, watching them as she backed slowly out of the room.
Rory watched her go with a smile, and then looked down at the baby in her arms after door closed. "That was Grandma Lorelai," she told Alice. "She's really happy you're here... well... we all are... Aren't we?"
Jess nodded in agreement, sliding up to sit taller than Rory against the pillow. "Oh, yeah. Now your mom can stop craving strange foods, and dreaming about squash."
Rory smiled down at her baby, ignoring her husband for the most part. "You have so many people you have to meet still...Uncle Luke...Grandpa Chris...Grandpa Jimmy...Grandma Sasha...Grandma Liz...Auntie Georgia...Grandpa Richard...And I'm missing a whole bunch of equally important people that I'm way too tired to list."
Jess smirked and rested his head on top of Rory's still looking down at the baby. "She's..."
"Perfect? Beautiful? Cute? Pretty? Amazing?"
"Yeah."
Rory snickered. "You're getting all mushy."
"No, I'm not."
"Okay," Rory replied. She shifted a little, and placed Alice in Jess's arms. He held her securely, staring down with a soft expression on his face that Rory wasn't sure she'd ever seen. It was rare for him to look so tender; to look in awe.
She smiled, knowingly, resting her head on his shoulder.
She really did believe him. Not even a giant squash would ever make him go away.
Not Even a Giant Squash
Rory woke up and tried to shift a little to get more comfortable, but found it difficult, what with Jess's head resting on her chest where her heart was. She held back tears as she buried her face in his hair. "You're here."
"Where else would I be?" he murmured softly without opening his eyes.
"I had this horribly irrational dream the other night that you went away," she told him. "And I looked everywhere, and I couldn't find you... and then there was this giant squash..."
He sat up a little and looked at her through tired and slightly confused eyes.
"Silly?"
He nodded slowly, considering. "A little."
She sighed and pressed her head against her pillow.
Jess watched her. "I'm not leaving."
"I know," she told him. "It was just a stupid dream."
"I'm right here," he told her seriously. "No amount of giant squash will change that."
She smiled. "You're mocking me."
He smirked and sat up. "Only a little."
Her smile widened and she took his hand. "You're a daddy."
He nodded, squeezing her hand a little. "I guess I am."
"So... what do you think of her?" Rory coaxed.
"Well, she's better-looking than any other baby in that nursery," Jess replied. "And... She's..." he ran a hand through his hair. "...My kid... our... kid."
Rory snickered. "You're so cute when you can't find the right words."
He sighed, not even attempting a retort and rested his head on her chest again.
She played with his hair a little. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head.
"Out with it, Jess."
"What if I'm bad at this fatherhood... thing?" he asked.
"Then chances are, motherhood will hate me, and we'll be awful parents together."
"I'm serious, Rory. I never..." He rolled his eyes. "You hear stories about people screwing up their kids because their parents screw them up, and it becomes a vicious cycle of dysfunction."
"It doesn't always have to be like that," Rory replied. "People learn from their parents' mistakes... look at my mom."
"She gave you too much freedom," Jess smirked. "You wound up with me."
Rory snickered and flicked his arm playfully.
He smirked. "So what's the first thing you're gonna do when you get out of here?"
"Go to Luke's and drink all of his coffee."
"Yeah? You gonna make him hold the baby, too?"
Rory blinked, a little worried. "He doesn't want to hold her?"
"He doesn't do well around babies," Jess replied. "I think they scare him."
"He doesn't like Alice?"
"Never said that."
"Then why doesn't he want to hold her?"
"Because he doesn't like babies."
"So he doesn't like Alice."
"Rory..." He sat up, looking a little annoyed. "He likes her fine... he loves her, he just doesn't know how to hold a baby."
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"You okay?"
She nodded. "I'm just... tired... and cranky... and hungry... and I want coffee... and French fries."
"With or without the Nutella?"
Rory wrinkled her nose. "In retrospect, I can't believe I ate that."
He laughed a little. "What about the salads?"
"Hey," she defended. "I put Nutella on those."
Jess squeezed his eyes shut and lay back against her again. "That's disgusting."
"No more disgusting than all those cheap Buffalo wings you and Jamie devoured on your birthday."
"Rory... you tried to put Nutella on those, too."
"I was curious!"
He smirked and kissed her lightly. "Yeah."
"Guess who's here?"
The couple looked to the doorway to see Lorelai walk in, carrying the baby. The nurse was following her, looking nervous. "She insisted on carrying her over," the nurse said.
Lorelai ignored the nurse, who was walking out the door, and scooted onto the bed next to Rory. She carefully handed the drowsy infant to her daughter and rested her head on her shoulder.
Jess sat up to get a better look at the tiny face hidden in the thick blanket. "Hey, there," he said quietly.
Lorelai tried not to make any noise but an excited squeak escaped her throat. "I'm gonna leave you three alone." She kissed Rory on the cheek, and got up, watching them as she backed slowly out of the room.
Rory watched her go with a smile, and then looked down at the baby in her arms after door closed. "That was Grandma Lorelai," she told Alice. "She's really happy you're here... well... we all are... Aren't we?"
Jess nodded in agreement, sliding up to sit taller than Rory against the pillow. "Oh, yeah. Now your mom can stop craving strange foods, and dreaming about squash."
Rory smiled down at her baby, ignoring her husband for the most part. "You have so many people you have to meet still...Uncle Luke...Grandpa Chris...Grandpa Jimmy...Grandma Sasha...Grandma Liz...Auntie Georgia...Grandpa Richard...And I'm missing a whole bunch of equally important people that I'm way too tired to list."
Jess smirked and rested his head on top of Rory's still looking down at the baby. "She's..."
"Perfect? Beautiful? Cute? Pretty? Amazing?"
"Yeah."
Rory snickered. "You're getting all mushy."
"No, I'm not."
"Okay," Rory replied. She shifted a little, and placed Alice in Jess's arms. He held her securely, staring down with a soft expression on his face that Rory wasn't sure she'd ever seen. It was rare for him to look so tender; to look in awe.
She smiled, knowingly, resting her head on his shoulder.
She really did believe him. Not even a giant squash would ever make him go away.