Disclaimer: ... well, its official; all rights to The CW Television Network... darn...
Author's Note: Okay, so this is officially the last and final chapter of Eternal Promise... officially, but not technically... heh, there's still an Epilogue which turned out to be a little longer than I expected - and a little pointless - but not so much. So, ahem, this is the chapter we've all been waiting for -- baby Narco (sorry, you'll have to read to find out the rest)! Thanks again to all of you who gave me suggestions and opinions -- they were not wasted, let me tell you! So, without further ado...
Chapter 25
"You're leaving me again!" Lorelai whined for the umpteenth time.
Rory sighed. She and Dean had been looking for an apartment for a while. Even though they could make due with the small space in Rory's old bedroom, it was only two of them and they still had a baby on the way to consider. Tom, Stars Hollow's resident contractor, had just had his crew build a new apartment complex on the other side of town, and it was in walking distance to the Diner, the Inn, and even Lorelai's house. Since Dean was the carpenter of the site, and Tom's partner, the couple was actually getting the apartment cheaper than others, and Rory was able to put away some of the money Chris had given them.
"You knew I was moving out sooner or later," Rory settled, placing her book down and looking over at her mother standing on the other side of the concierge desk.
"Well, I thought it'd be later."
"Well, they're just now finishing up the apartments, so you still got Dean and me for a while."
"So, when exactly do I have to fork you over?"
Rory paused and thought it over. "Another two weeks I think," she replied.
"Well, they better pick up the pace because Dean was right," Lorelai mumbled, hugging her arms together, "Blizzard season arrived a little early this year."
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The apartment wasn't actually finished until the first weekend of November. Dean and Luke once again became movers, shuffling boxes and furniture from the house and diner to the apartment. Since they were both busy and tired, they waited until the second weekend to actually do all the moving, though. And because of all the cold air flooding into the house through the opened doors, Rory was exiled to the Dragonfly once again.
"You read too much," Lorelai said, purposely interrupting her from her novel.
Rory rolled her eyes and absentmindedly rubbed her belly. It had been aching all morning, but she'd thought nothing of it. After all, in the past it had always been nothing once she confronted the doctor about it.
An hour went by and Lorelai came out from the kitchen or wherever she'd been hiding. "Okay, why would you even have a cell phone if you don't keep it on? I swear I tried calling Luke and Dean, but there's no answer for the past half-hour," she complained, slamming her cell phone shut and shoving it in her purse. Noticing no correspondence from her daughter, she looked up and over at Rory. "Ror?"
Rory had her eyes squeezed shut and was sitting up straight, holding her stomach. "I think it's time, Mom," she said, a fearful pitch in her tone.
"Oh! Okay," Lorelai was automatically throwing on scarves and gloves and hats and coats, yelling, "Sookie!" and rushing over to Rory, who had managed to awkwardly stand and put her coat on.
Sookie came rushing out of the kitchen at Lorelai's call, pausing and getting anxious at the painful look laced over Rory's face, and the slightly terrified look on Lorelai's face.
"Um, go find Luke and Dean and tell them I'm taking Rory to Hartford Memorial to have the baby," Lorelai ordered, helping guide Rory out the door and into the car.
Rory was almost positive Lorelai had achieved the fastest record of reaching Hartford from Stars Hollow because they arrived in front of the hospital in fifteen minutes. Lorelai helped Rory into the hospital where a nurse stopped her.
"Miss, you can't leave your car out there."
"Like hell I can't," Lorelai replied, making it apparent that she'd use force if necessary. "My daughter's having a baby, and I really don't intend on leaving her side through this."
"Miss…"
"Mom, go," Rory said, from her seat in one of the orange plastic chairs. "I'll be fine. I have to wait for my doctor to get down here, and I have to wait for Dean and Luke. Go."
Lorelai grumbled something unintelligible but obliged. She moved her car to the stupid visitor parking lot and made her way back inside. Not seeing Rory where she'd left her, Lorelai began to freak out. One of the nurses, not the same from before luckily, pointed down the hall and informed Lorelai they were prepping Rory for the delivery. Lorelai tore off down the hall only to be told to wait outside the room on one of the benches.
"Lorelai!"
She looked up to see Dean and Luke rushing down the hall toward her. The doctor also came out.
"We're getting ready to push, so who's going to be in there?" he asked, looking from Lorelai to Dean to Luke.
"Me," Lorelai's hand shot up and both Dean and Luke sent her incredulous stares. "What?" she asked innocently.
"Me," Dean said firmly, stepping forward and following the doctor back into the room. Pausing before he disappeared through the door, he laid a shaking hand on Lorelai, anxienty written across his features. After all this time, this was it.
Lorelai gave him a confident smile and pat on the arm, watching the door shut behind him. She took a seat next to Luke on the bench.
"You are very cruel," Luke informed her.
"What?" she asked in that innocent tone again. She smiled, "Just think, another couple minutes, and there'll be another Lorelai running around Stars Hollow."
Luke groaned, "God, I hope it's a boy."
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Dean watched Rory struggle through the contractions. He was too lost in his own thoughts - 'I'm going to be a dad,' - 'How's she doing this?' - 'I really love her,' - to notice how much his hand hurt from her squeezing the life out of it.
She had sweat beading on her brow, and her face was flushed red as the doctor instructed her to push. She didn't want to, but by sheer instinct she did anyway, the pain too much to keep bearing. Some would consider the whole sight slightly unattractive, but to Dean it was the most beautiful he'd ever seen her. She was enduring all this pain and hard-work birthing his child. A warmth welled up inside him and Dean realized that he had been acting a little bit irrationally the last couple weeks.
For the last several months, he kept telling himself that as much as Rory blatantly stated that she loved him more than life itself - that she'd made mistakes in the past and couldn't change them, but that she really did love him now - he believed that he could not trust her because of their rocky past together. His thoughts always traveled to Jess or Logan and those boys at the Gilmore Mansion. And he refused to let Rory break his heart again; refused to throw in his heart and soul only to have it stomped on a third time. He'd made the mistake of marrying young and divorcing young once, and he was determined not to make that mistake again.
But in this moment he realized that Rory must really and truly love him to be doing this for him. She was giving birth to his child - their child. That was probably the most monumental act of showing her love for him that she's ever done.
A final push and the sounds of a crying baby filled their ears. Rory collapsed back against the pillow of the bed, panting slightly. Hearing the cries of the baby brought a tired smile to her face, and Dean, gaining the feeling back in his hand, gave her hand a little squeeze, wiped the sweaty bangs out of her eyes, and kissed the top of her forehead.
"I love you," Rory replied as her breathing came under control.
"I love you, too," Dean said with a smile, kissing her forehead again. He became impulsive then, and asked the question he knew would take them onto their next journey together - a journey he was ready to take, as long as Rory stood beside him. "Will you marry me, Rory?"
Rory's eyes filled with tears, happy ones, and she gazed up into Dean's eyes, searching them to see if it was what he really desired. There was a little uncertainty there, but the same kind Rory felt herself. It would be an eternal promise, one that would tragically hurt the other if either of them broke it. But that comfort that they felt when they were with each other - the true, raw, real passion when he held her in his arms - that was enough for the both of them.
As long as they were in it together.
"Yeah," she said, her voice slightly shaking. She nodded and leaned forward to capture his lips in a binding kiss, pulling away and whispering with more ease, "Yeah, I will."
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The sound of a crying baby filled Lorelai and Luke's ears. There was crying and laughing, and both jerked their heads up and looked toward the door with excitement and eagerness written across their faces. It was another couple minutes before Dean poked his head out with a gigantic smile playing on his lips.
"Rory wants to see both of you," he said before ducking back into the room.
Lorelai nearly ran to be with her daughter, Luke hanging back a little awkwardly but following just the same.
"Mom," Rory smiled, a tiny baby nestled in her arms. Dean was sitting on the edge of the bed, brushing light caresses across the baby's dark brown hair, nose, cheeks, fingers, and toes sticking out. The happiness was almost too indescribable, and Lorelai had to take a deep breath at the picture perfect moment of seeing the two of them cradling their baby. Sure, Rory's face was flushed and her long bangs stuck to her forehead through sweat, but the smile she and Dean carried on their faces were probably the biggest smiles Lorelai had ever seen in her life.
"Hey there, kiddo," Lorelai greeted, walking over and kissing Rory on the forehead, peering into the beautiful face of the baby cradled in soft blankets in her arms. "So, what's the verdict?"
"It's a boy," Rory replied. "A beautiful baby boy."
"Sorry, we broke the tradition," Dean joked.
"Aww, that's fine with me," Lorelai commented, rubbing her finger over the tiny pink hands. "He's the most precious thing I've ever seen."
"What about me?" Rory asked in mock insult. Lorelai swatted at her playfully, but she handed the tiny baby over to Lorelai.
Dean noticed Luke lurking by the door and chuckled, "Aren't you going to come in Luke?"
Luke nodded and staggered forward, still jerking his movements as though he felt out of place. However, when Lorelai turned around and showed him the little baby boy, his heart melted and a genuine smile lit up his face.
"Well, one thing's for sure," Lorelai said as she smiled down at her grandson, "He's not a Gilmore, that's for sure."
"Nope, he's a Forester like I'm going to be," Rory replied, Dean kissing her hand at the mention.
Lorelai sent them a questioning look, a grin breaking across her face at the confirming little nod Rory gave. "Ahh, that's wonderful!" she exclaimed, hugging Rory with one arm and then wrapping it around Dean's shoulders. "After all these years of putting up with Miss Yale over there, I finally get a nice and normal son with a grandson." She handed the baby back to Dean, who cradled it in his arms for a while.
"But why did you say he's not a Gilmore? Surely not because of his last name," Rory replied.
"No," Lorelai said with a shake of her head. "He's not a Gilmore because he doesn't have the eyes." She motioned to the bright blue eyes she had and had passed on to Rory. "The minute you opened your eyes I knew you had my crystal blue ones. It was apparent from the get go. Something in the freaky Gilmore blood-line."
Rory shrugged, "That's okay. I'd rather him look as good as his father any day."
"Not Grandma?" Lorelai inquired with false hurt, then mentally checked herself and groaned. "Man, now I'm a grandparent. Thanks you two."
Luke hugged her.
"Can we have one next?" Lorelai asked with a giddy little kid's voice. "Huh? Can we, can we, can we? Huh, huh, huh?"
"If you behave," Luke teased.
Lorelai just kissed him and turned back to her daughter, future son-in-law, and grandson, mentally kicking herself for the thought of being a young grandparent again. "So, what's his name going to be? Lorelai the fourth?"
Luke shook his head at this, Dean quirked an eyebrow, and Rory rolled her eyes with a grin.
"No," she said. "His name is Sam. He just looks like a Sam, so that's why."
"Why not name him Dean Jr.? You could've called him DJ."
"Mom, why must children have to be named after their parents with you? You do realize if it went like that with every family, than you'd be named Emily and not Lorelai," Rory pointed out. "Because Lorelai the first was your grandmother and not your mother."
"And the moment was just so wonderful before you brought her into this," Lorelai muttered sarcastically.
"So, Sam Forester?" Luke changed the subject back to the baby where it wouldn't get ugly.
"Samuel Dean Forester," Rory corrected, watching Dean grin and laugh with their son, who seemed to know Dean was his dad just by laying eyes on him.
"You did good, kiddo," Lorelai stated, reaching down to wrap Rory in a hug again.
"Thanks, Mom."
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By the time Sammy was ready to come home, Dean had managed to set everything up in his and Rory's apartment. The news of the newest Gilmore decendent, with the last name of Forester of course, spread around town like wildfire. If it wasn't for the dreadfully cold weather, Dean bet Rory that Taylor probably would've made a parade in honor of her and Sam's coming home.
Chris got back from his business trip and came to see his grandson. Like Lorelai, he was a bit flustered to think of himself as a grandparent. Gigi, his other daughter, was only five years older than his first grandchild. It seemed unreal, but he was ecstatic anyway. Lorelai visited every night on her way from the Inn, a different dish of food for Rory and Dean that Sookie had cooked up that day in her hands.
AN: What'd ya think? Remember, there's still an epilogue after this.
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