The year is 2023, 10 years later
A very pregnant 38 year old Rory sat on the sofa in her living room. The house she and Steven had bought after having a few kids was on the outskirts of Stars Hollow and had a big yard for the 4 children they already had and for the one on the way.
"Mama, I'm hungry." A little girl's voice called from the doorway to the backyard. Having fallen into the mother mold very easily, Rory could easily tell apart the voices of her three daughters and didn't even need to turn around.
"Ok, Leah. Get your sister and brother and we'll head to Pop-Pop's." Rory pushed herself off the sofa and clunked heavily up the stairs to the nursery. She pushed open the door and was content to stare for several seconds at the beautiful child asleep in the crib.
Same as their father and mother, all of her children had dark hair. Much to Rory's delight, though, they had inherited mostly Steven's hair genes so each child had very dark almost black, thick, curly hair. They alternated between sky blue eyes and emerald green, only adding to their beauty, and each had the same huge white smile.
Rory approached the crib and lifted the two year old girl, shaking her from her slumber.
"Mama?"
"Yes, Hannah." Rory said, carrying her to the changing table.
"Love Mama. Love Danny, Lauwa, an' Leah!" She cried triumphantly in a baby voice.
"Aren't you forgetting some people?" Rory asked as she pulled off the dirty diaper.
Hannah looked deep in thought and then, as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, she brightened and a toothy grin appeared on her face. "Love Baby and Gwanma and Gwanpa and DADDY!"
"Yes. That's my big girl!" Rory praised the young child.
"Mom, we're ready." Danny called from the door.
"Do you have your coats on?"
"Yes."
Rory pulled Hannah's pants up and turned to the door. Her oldest children, 9 year old twins Danny and Laura stood in the doorway behind their younger sister, 6 year old Leah.
"Great, Danny. Thanks for the help."
"You're welcome, Mom." He said, smiling brightly.
Rory pulled out her stroller and settled Hannah into it with Laura in charge of steering. Danny was in charge of keeping Leah, out of the street. Rory strolled behind them, keeping a hawk eye on the kids.
"Hi, Pop-Pop!" Laura called, running into the diner. Danny and Leah followed her and Rory unhooked her squirming youngest from the stroller.
"Hey hon." Lorelai said when she entered the diner with the folded up stroller.
"Hi Mom." Rory said, collapsing at the counter. The kids were behind the counter with Luke and he was showing them how to flip burgers. "Hannah, stay away from the stove. It's hot."
"Rory, you need to relax. They're fine, Luke's watching them." Lorelai said, patting her arm.
"I know." Rory said, taking a sip of water that Caesar had put in front of her.
"Any news about the little one to come?" Lorelai asked.
"I went to the doctor yesterday and he said everything was right on schedule, the baby should be here really soon, which means he or she could be born on our tenth anniversary." Rory said.
"Wow, that's cool."
"Yeah, I know."
"Have you and Steven talked about whether there will be any more?" Lorelai asked.
"Well, when we first got married we both said we wanted large families, like 6 kids."
"SIX! Rory, you're gonna explode!" Lorelai said.
"I know. But I mean, we are on five now." Rory said.
"Oh come on, Laura and Danny are a package deal." Lorelai said.
"You didn't deliver them." Rory said dryly. "But I am thinking that if this one is a boy, we should stop here."
"Oh so you want to end with a boy." Lorelai commented.
"Yeah. I mean a boy to start 'cause Danny is 3 minutes older than Laur, and then 3 girls and a boy to finish. That would be fine with me."
"What if you don't get a boy?" Lorelai said.
"Well then I won't close discussion on more children." Rory said simplistically.
"I personally would go crazy if I had that many children. I think I would limit myself to one." Kirk piped in.
"Thanks for the input, Kirk." Lorelai said.
"And I would probably name it Kirk, despite gender. Maybe Kirka for a girl. What do you think of Kirka?"
"It's on the top of my list, Kirk." Rory said.
"So what are some names you want to name the baby? I mean besides Kirka." Lorelai said.
This started Rory thinking about a very similar conversation she had with her mother 2 years ago, right before Hannah was born.
FLASHBACK
"So what do you want to name the baby, Rory?" Lorelai asked one night.
"Well, if it's a boy, it will be nameless for a while because Steven and I haven't even discussed it." Rory said.
"Baby Boy Cashen, got it. And for a girl?"
"Well, we decided to use Estelle as the middle name, for his mom or Emily, for Grandma. As for first names, we both like Hannah, Melanie, and Emily."
"Emily?"
"Yes Emily. And that would be nice because we would be naming her after Grandma."
"But her middle name is Emily."
"Well if we named her Emily, her middle name would be Estelle." Rory said, sounding like she was explaining something to a child.
"Don't talk down to me. I'm your mother! I spent hours in labor with you! I nursed you, I fed you, I put you to sleep every night, I--"
"Mom."
"Naming a baby after your grandmother?"
"Ok let's not fight about this because Emily isn't even our first choice."
"What is?"
"Melanie."
"I like that. Mel, Mellie, Mels, Felony Melanie."
"Felony Melanie? Mom."
"What? It rhymes!"
"This is not Alabama, Reese Witherspoon. We will not be calling our kid Felony Melanie unless she earns the name." Rory said.
"Good call."
"We might not even be calling our kid Melanie." Rory said.
"Also a good call."
END FLASHBACK
As it turned out, they named the baby girl Hannah Estelle.
"I'm not too sure. We have a few boys' names, none that I am completely in love with, and nothing for girls."
"Ohhh." Lorelai said with a smirk on her face.
"What?"
"Nothing, nothing."
"Mom."
"Well all I'm saying is that every other time I've asked you what names you have lined up, you always have some for one gender and none for the other. So far, you've always been right."
"Wait—do you mean that you think I'm having a boy?"
"Completely non-scientifically, yes."
one week later
"Happy Anniversary, babe." Steven rolled over in bed and kissed his wife of 10 years.
"Happy Anniversary." Rory said after the kissing was done. "Can you believe it's been ten years, Steve?"
"10 years with you feels like minutes." He said with a grin.
"How long did it take you to come up with that?"
"I'm offended."
"Don't be."
"I can't believe we have 4 kids already."
"And one on the way."
"And one on the way." They kissed again.
"So," She said, "What's for breakfast?"
"The kids are making it as we speak." Steven said.
"For some reason, this is not my favorite family tradition." She said, rolling out of bed and straightening her pajama pants and shirt.
"I don't understand why. I happen to love watery eggs and half cooked pancakes." He said, opening the bedroom door.
Rory sniffed the air. "Wow, this pregnancy is really messing with my ol' sniffer. I could swear I smell Luke's coffee."
"That's 'because you do." Steven said with a smirk. "The kids enlisted their Pop-Pop's help this year."
"Oh, bless them." Rory said.
The happy couple made their way downstairs and into the kitchen. All 4 of their children were covered from head to toe in various foods.
"Mommy!" Hannah yelled, the first one to spot them. "Daddy!"
All the kids immediately began to move, forming an age order line in front of them. Rory muffled the laughter that was threatening to escape every time she looked at her dirty children.
Danny, on the end, leaned out in front and snapped his fingers as he said "One...two...three."
"Happy Anniversary to you, Happy Anniversary to you, Happy Anniversary Mommy and Daddy, Happy Anniversary to yoooooooooouuuuu!" They sang together.
"Thank you thank you!" Rory said. She bent over to catch Leah and Hannah in hugs.
Soon, breakfast was served and the family sat down to eat, joined by Luke. They began to dig into the meal when Rory laid her fork down on the table and tensed up.
A minute later, Steven noticed that she had stopped eating. "You alright, Ror?"
"Steve...the baby is coming." Rory said calmly.
"Oh my god! Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes, positive. I have been having stomach cramps all night but now they are starting to get serious."
Steven jumped from the table and ran to the phone, calling first the obstetrician and then Lorelai.
"Lor, hey it's Steven. The baby is coming. Yeah, right now. I need you to come over and help Luke with the kids. They need baths. Ok great see you in a few." He hung up the phone. "Lorelai will be here in a few minutes and is calling Jinx, Meg, and Jack for us."
"Ok. Calm down, Steve, it'll be hours. We have time." Rory said, rising slowly from her seat. "Luke, can you watch the kids while we get ready to go. Mom is coming over and they'll all need baths, just quick-get the dirt off baths. I'll call Dean and Lindsay and see if you guys can drop the kids off over there."
"Yeah, I got it covered Rory. Go do what you need to do." Luke said, helping her to her feet.
"Thanks." She said, kissing his cheek. Turning to her children, who all looked worried, she said. "Don't worry, loves, everything is just fine. The new baby is going to come very soon, so Daddy and I have to go to the hospital. But Grams will be here soon, and she and Pop-Pop are going to take you to Uncle Dean's."
They all nodded, looking much less worried about their mom. "I love you, darlings, and I'll see you soon. And, you'll have a new little brother or sister."
The kids cheered and hugged their mom and dad. Rory and Steven left the room to go get her bags.
Minutes later Lorelai arrived and shortly after, Rory and Steven were out the door. The Cashen kids flew through the tub, were dropped off at Dean's, and Luke and Lorelai were on their way.
Once they arrived, Lorelai went into Rory's room and returned with the full report. Rory was scheduled to deliver in a few hours. Meg showed up as did Jinx, Tristan, and Jack. Jack's wife Lani had gone to Dean and Lindsay's to help with all the kids. Meg's son Will and her baby girl Grace were at home with her husband Mike, Jinx and Tristan had dropped the Quads off with Lane and Dave and their son Kyle, and Emily, Richard, and Christopher were all sitting by the phone at the Gilmore Mansion. Lorelai, Luke, Jinx, Meg, and Jack settled in to wait.
They all rose as Steven entered the room, pulling off his mask.
"It's a boy." He said. Lorelai clapped her hands and Luke whistled. Jack pulled out his phone to call the Gilmores. "You all can go down the hall and see him through the glass and then you can go see Rory for a few minutes."
"Does he have a name?"
"Rory and I have thought about it, but we don't have any that we really like. We promise to name him by the time we leave the hospital." Steven said. Jinx laughed.
"Let's go see him."
They piled around the glass and looked at the little blue blanket. Lorelai cooed over her grandson, a little baby boy with a thick head of dark hair, and then led the way to Rory's room.
"Mom!" Rory called.
"Hey hon!" Lorelai cried, hugging her hard.
"Isn't he gorgeous?" Rory asked.
"Gorgeous, Rory." Jack said.
"Any ideas for names?" Luke asked.
"I have one, but it's a secret until I talk to Steven." Rory said.
"Uh! Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, you are keeping secrets from your mother!"
"Yes, yes I am." Rory said with a grin.
"Name time, name time!" Lorelai chirped as Jinx, Tristan, Meg, Jack, and Luke slid into the room. Christopher joined them after they had made the call to the Gilmore Mansion. Steven stepped over to the bed with the baby in his arms and handed him to Rory.
"Rory had a great idea for a name, and I agreed with it."
"We decided to name our son for everything I am; Hayden Gilmore Danes Cashen." Rory said with a grin.
"Hayden...I like it, Rory." Lorelai said.
"So do I." Christopher said stepping forward and hugging Rory and Hayden.
"Well, Dad, I wasn't a Hayden but I decided to pass on the name." Rory said.
"I like it too, kid." Luke said, hugging the pair.
"I thought you would." Rory smiled.
"Welcome to the family, Hayden." Tristan called.
"Rory?" Steven asked as he finished changing 3 month old Hayden's diaper. Rory was across the nursery getting Hannah ready for bed.
"Yeah."
"What happened to your book?" He asked, pulling a onesie onto the baby and putting him in his crib.
"What?" She asked, rocking a lethargic Hannah to sleep in her arms.
"The book you were writing, about growing up in your house. You were gung ho before we got married, and then Danny and Laura came and that's the last I heard of it." He said. "That was 9 years ago."
"It's not easy raising 5 children, Steven." Rory said testily, although she put Hannah gently in her crib.
"You think I don't know that? I am just wondering." He said, pulling the door closed behind them.
"Well, I've written on and off over the years, but not with the passion that I used to. I don't know...I just haven't had much time; with 5 kids, it's definitely on the back burner." She said, leading the way down the hall to Danny's room.
"Bed time!" Rory said, entering the room and successfully ending the conversation.
"Hey Mom, can you help me with my math homework for a little while?" Danny asked, seated at his desk.
"Sure, sweets." Rory turned to Steven. "Could you go get Laura and Leah in bed?"
"Sure." He said, leaving the room and continuing down the hall to the room Laura and Leah shared.
"Hey, babes, time for bed." He said. The oldest girls were sitting on the same bed in their pajamas.
"Oh Daddy do we hafta?" Leah whined.
"Yes." He said. Suddenly, he swooped down on the girls and lifted Leah off the bed. He danced around the room with her in his arms and both girls giggled uncontrollably. He dropped her on her bed, careful to avoid injury, and pretended to heave deep breaths. Laura and Leah were both giggling and he turned to his oldest daughter. "Oh so you think this is funny?"
Still laughing insanely, she shook her head in protest as he began tickling her, making her laugh harder. Finally Steven stopped and dropped to the floor between their beds, one elbow on each bed.
"Daddy, we love you." Laura said.
"Yeah, you're a fun daddy."
"Well, that's cause I have the best little girls in the world." Steven said, as they wrapped their arms around his neck. Steven read a story and successfully got them to sleep.
Rory and Steven met up in the hallway. She was coming out of Danny's room when he was leaving Laura and Leah's. Rory stepped into a hug and dropped her head against his chest. He draped his arms around her and they swayed slightly.
"How much longer 'til they go to college?" Rory mumbled.
"18 years." Steven said.
"Wow." Rory said.
"Oh, they aren't that bad." Steven said. "I even like them some of the time."
Rory laughed and hit his arm. "Don't joke about that Steve! We love our kids."
"Yes we do." He said, kissing her forehead. "So are you going to tell me what happened to the book?"
"Nothing happened, really. I just didn't have time anymore to work on it and I didn't want to do a half-baked job."
"Half-baked?"
"Steven, I've always talked about my childhood and how much my mom means to me."
"Yes you have."
"Well I don't want to do an injustice to her by not giving this book my all. When the kids are older and I have more time, I'll pick it up again. For now, though, I have 5 kids to raise."
"But you'll finish it, right? I will see the book again?" Steven said, grasping her elbows and looking into her eyes.
"I'll finish it. I promise, someday, I'll finish it." Rory said with a smile.
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