Chapter 12

. . . . .

. . . . .

It was almost 8:30 when Rory woke up and walked out of her bedroom. The smell of bacon greeted her, and she noticed a plate of it on the table. She grabbed a piece and took a bite as she walked toward the living room, stopping at the baby gate separating the living room and the hall.

Luke was sitting on the floor, and Josh was holding on to the edge of the couch with both hands as he shakily walked his way across the front of it.

"Hey, guys," Rory said.

Luke turned to look at her, and he smiled. "Hey. Good morning."

"Happy Father's Day," Rory said.

"Thanks. We just finished breakfast... we saved you some bacon, and I can make you some fresh pancakes if you want."

Rory held up the piece of bacon. "This is good for now, thanks." She popped the rest of it into her mouth and glanced around. "Where's Mom?"

"Shower," Luke replied. "I just heard the water turn off, so she'll probably be out soon." He rubbed Josh's back and pointed toward Rory. "Look who's up, buddy... go see her. Go see Rory."

Rory held her hands out and beckoned him toward her. "Come here... come say hi."

Josh started walking toward her, gripping onto the couch cushions for balance. When he reached the end of the couch, he dropped to the floor and crawled the rest of the way to Rory. He pulled himself up on the baby gate and reached a hand up toward her.

Rory leaned down and picked him up. "Hi, there," she said. "That was fast... you're a little speed demon, aren't you?" She opened the gate and stepped through it, locking it behind her.

"He's a ball of energy, that's for sure," Luke said. "He's wearing me out already and it's not even 9."

They heard the bathroom door open, and both looked toward the hallway as Lorelai walked out of the bathroom.

"Hey, Mom," Rory said.

Lorelai smiled at Rory. "Oh, hey... good morning." She dropped her dirty clothes into a clothes basket in the hall and walked into the living room.

Josh reached out for her and she took him from Rory. "Hi, baby," Lorelai said, kissing his cheek. "Did you miss me?"

Luke stood up from the floor and walked over. "He did. He stood at the gate and stared at the bathroom door for a minute, waiting for you to come back out."

Lorelai smiled at Josh. "You did? Was Mommy's slightly-clingy boy waiting for me?"

"I'm gonna go take a shower," Rory said, and then added, "Or were you waiting for me to get up so we can do gifts? I can wait if we want to do that first."

"Oh, no, it's okay, you can shower. I don't mind waiting," Luke told her, and then he glanced at Lorelai. "But first, I think maybe there was something we wanted to tell you. Or... should we do it later? Or now? Is later better? Whatever you want," he rambled at Lorelai.

Lorelai smiled at Luke. "Yeah, in fact, there is something to tell her." She glanced down at Josh before looking at Rory. "So... honey... I actually gave Luke one gift already earlier this morning. It was kind of a big one." Lorelai turned Josh around in her arms so he was facing toward Rory, and then nodded down toward Josh. "Read him."

"What?" Rory narrowed her eyes, and then glanced down at the shirt. "Oh, read him." Rory had to tug on the shirt a little to show all of the letters. "Big brother in training," she read, and then her eyes widened and she smiled at Lorelai. "He's gonna be a big brother?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

"So, that means... you're pregnant?" Rory asked.

Lorelai nodded again. "Yup. And all signs point to it being a February baby."

"Wow!" Rory's smile widened and she stepped closer to hug Lorelai. "Mom, congrats! That's big... that's really big!"

"Yes, it is," Lorelai agreed.

Rory pulled back from Lorelai and hugged Luke. "Congrats, Luke!"

Luke hugged her back. "Thanks."

"You just found out today?" Rory asked him as she pulled back from him. "Mom kept a secret?!"

Luke smiled. "Yeah, I'm just as shocked."

"How long have you known?" Rory asked her.

"Two and a half of the longest days of my life," Lorelai replied with a laugh, and she kissed Josh on the back of his head. "He was with me when I took a test on Thursday, and we hid the evidence and swore ourselves to secrecy."

"Well, you made Luke's first Father's Day very memorable," Rory said, and then she glanced at Luke with wide eyes. "Wow, it's kind of amazing to think that by your second Father's Day, you'll already have another kid."

"Amazing, insane... same difference," Luke replied with a shrug and a smirk.

"Yeah, buckle up," Lorelai said. "It's gonna be a bumpy few years."

"So, February," Rory said, and then she pondered for a moment, counting months in her head. "That means this pregnancy is very early."

"Yeah, which means we're not telling anyone yet," Lorelai told her. "Not for a few months, not even Grandma and Grandpa." She thought for a second. "Well, maybe Sookie... and Jess."

Rory grimaced a little. "Wait, how are you gonna swing not telling Grandma and Grandpa? They'll know something's up when you stop drinking."

"Well, who says I'm gonna stop?" Lorelai countered.

Luke shot her a look. "What?"

"I'll let them pour the drinks, and I'll just pretend to drink them with occasional fake sips, they won't notice," Lorelai said. "You bring the cup up to your mouth, you tilt it back a little, you fake swallow... it's not something that requires Meryl Streep levels of acting skill to pull off, I think I can handle it."

"And when they notice the volume of liquid in your glass doesn't decrease at all?" Luke asked her. "What then?"

Lorelai shrugged. "We'll just have to keep the conversation lively enough that they don't get bored and start keeping tabs on my drink levels. Also, if you wanted to help sell it, you could drink some for me when they're not looking."

Luke rubbed his head. "Geez."

Rory gestured toward the bathroom. "Okay, so... should I shower now, or later, or...?"

"Yes, go take a shower," Luke told her. "I'll make you some pancakes when you're done."

"And then we'll give Luke the rest of his gifts," Lorelai added. "And he will temporarily put his anti-gift, anti-attention mentality on hold and pretend to enjoy himself because he wouldn't want to risk upsetting his pregnant wife." She grinned and nudged him with her elbow. "Right?"

"Oh boy," Luke said under his breath. "It's gonna be a long eight and a half months."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next day at the inn, Lorelai casually invited Sookie to her office under the pretense of discussing their next poultry order. It was just a way to get Sookie alone in order to share the big news without the possibility of the kitchen staff catching wind of it.

That ended up being a smart move, as Sookie started excitedly screaming and jumping up and down when she heard the news. She threw her arms around Lorelai and hugged her tightly. "Oh, my God, I'm so happy for you!"

As they separated from the hug, Sookie started firing questions. "When did you find out? When are you due? What'd Luke say? What does Rory think? What about -"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lorelai interrupted, cutting her off, and she patted Sookie's shoulders. "Deep breaths... calm down."

Sookie smiled and closed her eyes as she took a few deep breaths, and then she looked at Lorelai. "Okay, sorry. I'm good now."

Lorelai smiled. "Good. Sit down." She gestured to the chairs in front of the desk, and they both sat down. She filled Sookie in on when she found out, how she surprised Luke for Father's Day, and how they think the due date will be in February.

"Did you call your doctor?" Sookie asked.

"Yes, this morning. I told them I took a positive test and we scheduled an appointment for mid-July," Lorelai replied. "They said to take my vitamins and call them if I have any concerns between now and then."

"Have you told anyone else?"

"Nope... you're the only person who knows who doesn't live in my house, so try to keep it under wraps for the next few weeks, okay?" Lorelai then shrugged knowingly and added, "Although I'm sure Jackson and Davey will know by the end of the day, so tell them not to say anything, too."

Sookie giggled. "Our lips are sealed." She shook her head in disbelief. "Wow, I still can't believe it happened that fast." She thought for a moment, and then her eyes widened. "This time next year, you'll have two kids under two."

Lorelai nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, we will."

Sookie shook her head again. "I can barely handle one under one at this point. I can't imagine two under two."

"Yeah, we know it's gonna be fun juggling two young ones," Lorelai said. "And by fun, I mean incredibly stressful and exhausting. I'm just hoping it goes by fast."

Sookie reached over and patted Lorelai's arm. "We'll be here to help out... I'm happy for you, honey."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks."

Sookie glanced around for a moment, and then looked at Lorelai. "So, did you really want to discuss the poultry order?"

"No, not at all," Lorelai confirmed, and she stood up from the chair. "Let's get back to work. "

. . . . .

. . . . .

That afternoon, Lorelai took Josh for a walk to get him to sleep, and they ended up in the town square. She called Luke to let him know she was nearby, and asked if he could bring her out a cup of coffee.

When he saw her approaching the diner, he walked outside with her coffee and she grinned. "Thank you."

"It's half decaf," he told her.

Lorelai frowned as she took the cup from him. "Well, then, my gratitude is only half heartfelt."

Luke looked into the stroller at Josh sleeping, and then back at her. "Good timing that you're here actually, I was just gonna call you."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "About?"

"As Jess was leaving for the bookstore a little while ago, he told me he wanted to take you up on that event staff thing at the inn, if you're still looking for people," Luke said. "I told him I wasn't sure, but I would check with you."

Lorelai's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh, wow." Jess hadn't seemed interested in the idea when she'd mentioned it last week, so she wasn't expecting it to come up again. "Yeah, we're still looking for people."

"He wants to try to work a lot this summer and save up money before school starts again," Luke said.

"Okay, well, I'll swing by the bookstore and talk to him about it," Lorelai said. "I'll see if he can stop by tomorrow to fill out an application." She glanced around to see if anyone was near them, and then asked Luke, "Did you tell him about the..." Her voice trailed off and she nodded toward her stomach. "You know."

Luke nodded, and also glanced around before replying, "Yes, he knows that there is something going on with your... uh... digestive system."

Lorelai smiled. "What did he say?"

"Well, I believe his exact words were... and I'm just going from memory here..." Luke rubbed his temple and cleared his throat. "'Holy crap, already? You just had a kid like 5 minutes ago.' And that was following an extremely shocked look I can't even recreate."

Lorelai laughed and nodded understandingly. "Yeah, we're gonna get a lot of that."

"He did offer congratulations at the end," Luke added. "Well, he didn't use that word exactly... he said 'good luck with that' and walked away."

Lorelai smirked. "Very nice."

Luke glanced into the diner. "Well, I better get back in there." He leaned in and kissed her. "See you later."

"Bye." As he walked to the door, Lorelai took a sip of her coffee and then made a face. "Ugh, I can taste the decaf."

He glanced back at her with a smile. "Better get used to it," he said, and walked into the diner.

. . . . .

. . . . .

On Friday night, Lorelai and Luke arrived at Friday night dinner just as Rory was getting out of her car. Lorelai waved to her from the front seat and rolled down her window.

"We're early... we still have 5 minutes for some chatting," Lorelai said.

Rory walked over to the passenger side window. "Hey." She leaned down to look into the car, adding, "Hi, Luke."

"Hey, Rory," Luke replied, giving her a nod hello.

"Get in," Lorelai said, nodding toward the back.

Rory got into the backseat next to Josh and greeted him, lightly tickling his neck to make him giggle. "Aw, you're happy," Rory said to him, smiling.

Lorelai turned around in her seat to look at Rory. "He is now. He wasn't a few hours ago when he woke up from his nap and cried for thirty minutes."

Rory frowned. "Aw, did you have a bad dream? Did Mom let you watch Misery and then you had some nightmares? Because I can totally relate."

Lorelai smirked. "Not yet, I'm saving that for after he turns one."

"So, was he okay?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, he just felt like being a schnickelfritz today," Lorelai replied. "But besides that, we have a Stars Hollow news update... we received word that one Mr. Kirk Gleason will be returning to town next week."

"Oh, yeah?" Rory asked, and then looked at Luke. "So, Liz and TJ are recovered now?"

"Mostly," Luke replied. "Liz got her wrist cast off this week, so she's getting back into the swing of things, and she figured it was probably time to let Kirk get back to his normal life. Her words, not mine... I personally wouldn't describe Kirk's life as normal."

"Tell Rory what else she said," Lorelai encouraged him.

Luke exhaled a sigh and unenthusiastically muttered, "That she couldn't have imagined getting through the past 5 weeks without Kirk's help."

"And..." Lorelai prompted him.

Luke rolled his eyes. "And that their sales have jumped up a ton since he started."

Rory's eyes widened. "Wow. I can't believe that. That's really great."

"Yeah, it is," Luke agreed, and then he looked pointedly at Lorelai. "And what's greater is that I'm gonna have to hear about how great the idea was to send him up there for the rest of my life."

Lorelai grinned. "Yeah. That is pretty great."

"How was the paper today?" Luke asked Rory, trying to change the subject from Kirk.

While Rory was filling them in on her day, Josh started whimpering and fussing to get out of his car seat. They got out of the car and walked up to the door.

The door swung open before they could ring the bell, and Emily haughtily greeted them with, "Well, I see you finally decided to end your little car party out there and drag yourselves to the front door."

Lorelai glanced at the car and then at Emily. "Were you watching us through the window?"

"Yes. I heard a car door slam, and when I didn't hear a doorbell shortly after, I came to see what was going on," Emily replied. "That's when I saw Rory get into your car, and you all sat there like you were plotting a robbery."

"Or we were just having a quiet, non-robbery plotting chat because we were a few minutes early?" Lorelai suggested. "We didn't want to show up ahead of schedule and violate proper visitor etiquette." She gestured toward the foyer. "Can we come in?"

Emily stepped out of the way and they walked into the house. They all immediately noticed decorative doors had been installed in the entryway to the living room. "Whoa," Lorelai said, her eyes widening. "That's different. You did something different."

"Yes, we did," Emily replied.

"Nice doors, Grandma," Rory added.

"Thank you, Rory," Emily replied. "They finished installing them yesterday."

Lorelai walked over to the doors and ran her hand over the decorative engravings. "Yeah, they're nice doors, Mom, I'm just surprised to see them. Where did they come from?"

"Well, several times when you've been here, you've closed the other doors to the living room," Emily said, nodding down the hallway to the living room entryway across from the dining room. "And have made remarks about how being able to enclose Joshua in the room would be easier than chasing him all over the house."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "And that's why you installed doors? For Josh?"

"Well, it's clearly something he's not growing out of, this inability to sit still," Emily said. "And now that he's starting to walk, we figured it's only going to get harder to keep him contained. We had to do something."

"Well, thanks, Mom," Lorelai said sincerely. "It will help make things easier."

"Good." Emily gestured toward the living room. "Let's go in and sit down, shall we."

They followed her into the living room, and she shut the doors behind them. Lorelai immediately noticed what appeared to be an upholstered baby gate in front of the stairs.

"Oh, wow, that's blocked off, too," she said. "Someone decided to do a babyproofing makeover, huh?"

"Yes, well, I noticed he likes to crawl over there and try to climb those stairs," Emily said. "And I certainly wasn't going to install a hideous plastic baby gate, so my designer suggested this alternate option."

"What is it?" Rory asked.

"It's an upholstered wall panel that he customized to fit between the two banisters when Josh is here," Emily explained. "And obviously he matched it to the rest of the room's décor."

"It's a beautiful piece," Luke commented.

"Yes, very," Lorelai agreed. "Thanks, Mom."

Emily pointed toward the corner of the room. "We also moved that potted ficus to the other room. He has certainly been intrigued by that the past few visits, so I imagined it was only a matter of time before he started digging his hands into the dirt."

Lorelai couldn't hide the surprised look on her face. "Wow, we go 11 months without any baby-related changes to the first floor, and then you hit me with them all in one week."

"He's becoming quite mobile now, it seemed like it was time," Emily said. "Come in, sit down."

They sat down on the couch and Emily went to the drink cart to pour their drinks.

"Where's Dad?" Lorelai asked.

"Manhattan," Emily replied, followed by a slightly aggravated sigh. "He had a couple of business meetings there today, and was supposed to be home this afternoon, but the last client meeting ran late and they invited him out to dinner. And of course, he couldn't say no."

"Is he staying over?" Rory asked.

"Yes, he didn't want to travel home too late, so he'll stay the night and come home tomorrow morning," Emily replied. She delivered the drinks and sat down on the loveseat next to Rory.

Lorelai and Luke were on the couch across from them, and Josh was on Luke's lap. He was trying to contain him for a few minutes before letting him crawl around. Lorelai had given him his sippy cup from the diaper bag and he was drinking it down like he was dying of thirst. He temporarily stopped drinking, panted for breath for a few moments, and then starting drinking some more.

Emily's eyes widened as she watched him. "Goodness. He seems dehydrated."

"He's not, he's just a dramatic drinker," Lorelai replied.

"Much like his mother at a bar," Rory added with a smirk.

Lorelai gasped. "Excuse me... I'm not dramatic, I'm colorful and entertaining."

"I can only imagine," Emily said dryly. She took a sip of her wine, and then set the glass on the coffee table. "So, your father and I have been discussing our plans for August. As you know, we'll be in Cape Cod for a few weeks, and our invitation still stands... we do wish you'd consider coming up for a visit."

Lorelai glanced at Luke before looking back at Emily. "We talked about it, Mom, and it sounds fun, but we shouldn't really leave town while the construction crew is still working on the house. They might need to consult with us, or show us something in person to see if we like it. We'd hate to hold up progress by not being available."

"Well, they don't work on the weekends, do they?" Emily asked. "Surely you can slip away for a day or two on a weekend."

"Uh, well - " Lorelai started.

"Josh would really love it, and Rory hasn't been up there in ages," Emily continued. "It would be lovely to have the whole family up there together."

Lorelai looked at Luke again and then at Rory. "Um, well, maybe, Mom," Lorelai finally replied. "Let's see how the renovation progresses, and we can talk about it again next month, okay?"

"All right, fine," Emily agreed, and she started asking Rory about her internship.

. . . . .

. . . . .

Later that evening, as they started the drive home, Lorelai said, "Did you notice how my mother pointed out all the helpful babyproofing changes she made right before mentioning Cape Cod? It's like she was hoping we'd be so happy and grateful that we'd agree to trek all the way up there."

"Well, maybe we should," Luke suggested. "If we go for just a weekend, it won't be so bad."

"A weekend with my parents? That's two days, Luke," Lorelai pointed out. "Two days... which is forty-eight hours, which is 46 more hours than I can handle at a time with them."

"Okay, yes, but here's the thing," Luke said calmly. "While you were in there thinking about how she did something nice for us so we'd consider going to Cape Cod, I was in there thinking about how if we go to Cape Cod, she might be willing to do us another favor."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes. "What other favor do we need?"

"Well, August is probably when the painters will be at the house for a few days," Luke said. "They'll be doing upstairs and downstairs. They're gonna have to cover up all the furniture with drop cloths, the house is gonna be a mess. Plus, I'm sure the fumes aren't good for Josh, or you, or any of us, really... "

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that if we go to Cape Cod for a few days and get some time in with them like they want, then maybe they would be more inclined to let us stay at their house for a few days while the painting's going on."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "You want to stay at my parents' house? The house of evil?!"

"Hey, if they're not gonna be there, it'll kind of be like a vacation for us," Luke said. "I mean, there's already a nursery for Josh, you and I can sleep in your old room, Rory has her own room... it'd be much more comfortable and convenient than staying at the inn or something."

"But think about the long commute for us to go to work," Lorelai pointed out.

Luke shrugged. "Maybe we can try to take off a day or two, really make it into a little vacation. But if not, a little extra time in the car isn't a big deal. It'll be safer. It'll smell nicer. We'll have actual space to move around in for a few days. We can sit and relax by the pool. It might actually be fun." Luke glanced over at her with a sly smile. "We can recreate the only other time we were alone in that house without your parents, if you're feeling up to it."

Lorelai grinned as memories of their first night together in bed flooded her mind. "We won't be all alone this time. The kids will be there, too," she reminded him.

"The bedroom door locks," he replied. "And we're good at being quiet."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "We've perfected it, much to our dismay."

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

"Well, you're doing a good job convincing me it could actually be fun," Lorelai replied. "But I'm not exactly looking forward to asking them. I don't know if they'll like the idea."

"Well, if they seem iffy and we have to throw in something to help tip their response in our favor..." His voice trailed off and he shrugged. "We'll tell them you're pregnant. They're not going to let their granddaughter, grandson, and pregnant daughter stay in a house of paint fumes. They're going to want to help."

"I guess," she agreed, and then she sighed. "So, I guess we're going to the Cape as a kind gesture?"

"Yeah, I think we should, just for a weekend." Seeing her unenthused reaction, Luke took one hand off the steering wheel, rested it on her leg, and gave it a little squeeze. "It'll be fine. I will be there the entire time and I will make sure everything is fine."

Lorelai wagged her finger at him. "I'm gonna hold you to that, Mister."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few weeks later, on Josh's actual birthday, Lorelai and Luke both took off from work to spend the day with him. They played with his favorite toys, fed him his favorite foods, and spent a long time at the park. They celebrated with cake at night, a small gathering with Sookie's family, Babette, and Morey. It was hard to host a party much bigger than that with the construction mess.

The next night was Emily and Richard's party for Josh. Lorelai, Luke and Josh drove separately from Rory and Mark, but they arrived within minutes of each other and walked to the front door together.

Emily answered the door and invited them in. Luke was holding Josh, and Emily focused her attention on him right away. "Well, hello, Joshua. Someone is one now, isn't he?" she said, squeezing his hand lightly. "Happy birthday."

"The house looks great, Mom," Lorelai said, glancing around. It looked to be as elegant as any other party thrown by Emily, and unsurprisingly, it was hard to tell it was actually for a one-year old. Guests hadn't started arriving yet, but they saw waitstaff rushing around setting things up.

"Wait until you see the cake," Emily said, stepping back from the baby. "You're gonna love it."

"Looking forward to it," Lorelai said, and then she glanced at Rory and Mark before adding, "Um, Mom, you remember Rory's friend Mark? I think you've met before."

Emily clutched her hand to her chest. "Oh, my, I'm sorry, I didn't see you back there. Hello, Mark."

"Hello." Mark stepped forward and extended his hand toward her. "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Gilmore."

"You, as well," Emily replied, and then said to Rory. "Why don't you go introduce him to your grandfather? He's in his study."

"Okay," Rory replied, and she led Mark toward the study.

Emily watched them walk away, and then turned to Lorelai. "What do we know about this boy?"

"Hmm," Lorelai hummed, and pondered for a moment. "Well, he's one year old, he likes goldfish crackers and apple juice, preferably diluted, and he has a giggle that will melt your heart."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You know who I meant, Lorelai."

Lorelai shook her head. "Mom, anything you want to know about Mark, you need to ask him or ask Rory. I'm focused on the birthday boy."

"Fine." Emily nodded toward the diaper bag. "Do you want me to have Elsa take that up to the nursery?"

"No, we can do it, we have to change him into his party clothes anyway," Luke replied.

Lorelai handed a small insulated bag to Emily. "Can you have Elsa put this in the kitchen, though? It's some snacks for Josh in case he was feeling like a picky eater tonight and didn't want stuffed mushroom caps or shrimp cocktail."

Emily took the bag from her, and Luke and Lorelai went upstairs with Josh. They had about fifteen minutes before guests would start arriving, and they lingered upstairs until that time ran out.

Emily and Richard's friends started filling up the house. Between mingling and snacking, Luke and Lorelai took turns chasing Josh around the house, making sure he didn't get trampled by party guests. He was in the early days of walking on his own, and he'd usually start off taking a few steps, and then collapse to the ground and start crawling away.

While Lorelai was with Josh in the living room, Luke had gone to find the tray of bacon-wrapped pineapple that a waiter was circulating, per Lorelai's request. He had to go into the kitchen to track him down and he put a few on a napkin.

As he was walking back to her, he saw her rushing down the foyer toward him holding Josh. "Hon, I need you to take him," she said. "Fast."

Luke quickly put down the food on the foyer table and brushed off his hands. "Everything okay?" he asked, visibly concerned. "What's wrong?"

Lorelai handed Josh off to Luke and patted her stomach. "There's a lady roaming around who must've bathed in perfume before she came, and it's making me feel sick. I have to go upstairs for a few minutes." Lorelai had been very sensitive to smells for the past few weeks, and nausea was a daily occurrence.

"Okay, go," Luke quickly replied. "I got him."

"Thank you." Lorelai headed down the hall, avoiding eye contact with anyone so she wouldn't get stopped for chit chat, and successfully made her way to the stairs.

Luke looked at Josh, who was staring back at him. "Hey, buddy." Josh stretched his hand down toward the food Luke had just set on the foyer table. "Are you hungry?" Luke asked him. "You want some food?"

Josh nodded yes, his response to most questions anyone posed to him.

Luke carried him to the kitchen, maneuvered around the catering staff preparing for dinner, and found the bag of food Lorelai had packed for him. He grabbed a Ziploc bag of diced cheddar cheese, and walked back into the dining room. He started meandering through the house, looking for somewhere to sit and feed him. He kept getting stopped by people to say hi to Josh and chat for a moment, and finally he made his way out the back door to the patio.

There were a few men out there chatting, and he nodded hello to them as he headed toward the bench on the other side of the patio. He sat down and placed Josh on the bench next to him. He opened up the bag of cheese and offered him a tiny cube of it. Josh accepted it with his teeth and started rocking happily as he chewed it down.

They sat there quietly working on the snack, and after a few minutes, Rory and Mark walked outside. "There you are," Rory said. "We couldn't find you guys. Where's Mom?"

"She wasn't feeling well, so she went upstairs a few minutes ago," Luke replied.

Rory frowned. "Aw. Is she okay?"

"I'm not sure. Would you mind running up and checking on her?" Luke asked. "Maybe bring her some water and see if she needs anything?"

"Sure," Rory quickly replied, and then said to Mark, "I'll be right back."

"Okay," Mark replied, and Rory looked almost hesitant to leave him.

Luke noticed her hesitation and told her, "I'll make sure he doesn't get hammered with questions from anyone."

Rory smiled. "Thanks."

As Rory walked away, Luke patted the empty spot on the bench on the other side of Josh. "Come, sit, join us for cheese time," Luke said. Mark smiled as he sat down with them, and Luke asked, "So, how's it going? How are you liking the party?"

"It's good," Mark replied with a nod. "It's definitely not like any other one-year old's birthday party I've been to." He tugged at his lapels. "I mean, I'm wearing a suit, for one... I've never worn a suit to a birthday party before, and certainly not a child's."

Luke smirked. "Yeah. They don't really do 'casual' here."

"I'm glad Rory prepared me about how fancy the party would be and the type of people that would be here because it's not really something I'm used to," Mark said.

"Trust me, I know the big fancy house can seem a little intimidating at first," Luke told him. "But don't let it scare you off."

"Oh, I won't," Mark assured him. "I'm just taking it all in."

"And remember, this is how her grandparents are, but it's not how Rory is," Luke added. "She loves her grandparents, she respects them, so she goes along with the fancy parties and charity events and things like that... Lorelai, too. But as you can see, the girls are not living the same type of life."

"Yeah, I definitely see the difference," Mark said.

"And a word of advice, don't feel like you need to try too hard to impress the grandparents," Luke told him. "Just be polite and be yourself... that's what I do." He gestured toward the house. "None of this stuff is up my alley... I own a diner in a small town that I grew up in and never left. I bet most of these people don't even know what a diner is."

Mark smiled. "Well, I do, and I'm a big fan."

Luke smiled. "Good. You'll have to come in sometime." He fed Josh some more cheese and focused on him for a moment before looking back at Mark. "So, I kind of assumed that most kids at Yale came from this type of lifestyle. Not you, I guess?"

"Nope, we're a middle class family all the way," Mark replied. "My parents work really hard and they're really supportive. They've always encouraged us to go after what we want and to give a hundred percent at whatever we're doing. So, when they found out I wanted to go to an Ivy League school, they didn't try to dissuade me from it because it was expensive... they just encouraged me to work really hard to get there."

"They sound like good people," Luke said sincerely.

"They are," Mark agreed. "And I worked hard and I got into Yale with a partial scholarship for track and - " His voice trailed off and he shook his head slightly. "Sorry, I'm rambling on, telling you my life story," he said embarrassedly. "I think this house might be making me nervous."

Luke smiled. "Join the club."

"But to answer your question... no, we're a middle class family who eats at diners and doesn't wear suits to birthday parties."

Luke let out a small laugh. This was the longest conversation he'd ever had with Mark one-on-one, and he was starting to get a better sense of his personality and who he was. He had to admit that he seemed like a good guy.

As Luke offered Josh another piece of cheese, Josh pushed it away. "You're done eating?" Luke asked him. "You thirsty?" Luke brought Josh onto his lap and glanced at the bench, realizing he hadn't grabbed his cup from the kitchen. "Shoot. Your drink's inside."

"Want me to run in and get it?" Mark offered.

"I'm not sending you in there alone," Luke told him. "Rory will kill me."

Mark smiled. "Well, I can sit out here with him while you go in, if that's easier for you."

Mark had spent some time at Luke and Lorelai's house before they left for the party, and had played with Josh for most of that time. Luke knew he'd be fine with him for a few minutes.

"Okay, sure, thanks," Luke agreed, and he passed Josh over to Mark. "If he starts squirming to get down, just walk around with him." He lowered his voice and added, "Don't let him crawl out here... he'll get dirty and Emily will have a fit."

"Got it."

Luke went inside to get Josh's cup, and noticed that people were lined up in the dining room for the dinner buffet. He maneuvered past them and grabbed Josh's cup from the kitchen, and then started to head back outside.

"Luke, there you are!" Emily exclaimed from down the hall, causing him to turn around. She was briskly walking toward him. "I couldn't find you or Lorelai or Josh anywhere! People have been looking for the guest of honor and he disappeared."

"Sorry, Emily, I was feeding him a snack out back where it was quieter," Luke replied, and he held up his cup. "Just gonna go hydrate him and change him, and then we'll be back at the party."

"Where's Lorelai? I haven't seen her in a long time," Emily said.

"I'm right here," a voice said, and they turned to see Lorelai walking toward them with Rory. "There you are, Mom, I couldn't find you anywhere. Must've been caught up in some good DAR gossip, huh?"

"I most certainly was not," Emily replied, and then narrowed her eyes from Lorelai to Luke. "Wait... where's my grandson?"

"He's out back with Mark," Luke replied.

Emily, Lorelai, and Rory all reacted with similar surprised looks, although Emily didn't look as amused as the girls.

"Really?" Rory asked with a smirk, and she started walking toward the back door.

"Wait, can you take this?" Luke offered her the cup, and she continued heading outside with it.

"You left him with a stranger?" Emily asked in disbelief.

"Mark's not a stranger, he was playing with Josh at our house before we came here," Lorelai said. "And I don't hear screaming, so that's a good sign. Why don't you go get something to eat, Mom? We'll circulate with Josh in a little while. He needs to take breaks from all the people so he doesn't get overwhelmed and cranky. When your guests look back on this party, you don't want the one thing they remember most to be a crying, cranky birthday boy, do you?"

Emily considered that, and then reluctantly went to join the buffet line. Luke took Lorelai's hand and led her down the hall for some privacy.

"Everything okay?" Luke asked her.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah. I rested for a few minutes, and Rory brought me some water and crackers, and yada yada yada, I'm okay now." She glanced into the living room. "But keep me away from the lady in the peach dress because I'm pretty much a ticking time bomb."

"Got it." He took her hand and started leading her down the hall. "Do you wanna eat?"

"Not really."

They went out back and found Rory holding Josh, and he was squirming in her arms. "He really wants to get down and crawl around," she told them.

Lorelai took him from her. "Come here, baby," she said cheerfully. "How about we go play upstairs for a few minutes? You can crawl around in your room free as a bird without getting trampled by old people." She quickly glanced around before adding, "Oops, sorry to any nearby old people. Big fan of Golden Girls and Cocoon."

"The food's out," Luke told Rory and Mark. "If you guys are hungry."

"Yeah, I think we'll go check out the buffet," Rory said. "Come get us if you need anything."

"Okay. If anyone asks, we're changing him and we'll be right down," Lorelai said.

"Got it."

They all walked inside, and Rory and Mark headed to the dining room, and Lorelai and Luke went upstairs with Josh. They shut themselves in the nursery, and Lorelai put Josh on the floor so he could wander around and explore. Luke pulled out a couple of toys from the diaper bag for him, and then he and Lorelai sat in the rocking chairs to watch him play.

Lorelai glanced over at Luke. "So, Rory said she left you and Mark in the backyard. How was that?"

"It was good, we were chatting," he replied. "He seems like a good guy... smart, down to earth, easy to talk to... seems to have a good head on his shoulders."

Lorelai smiled and she raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Dare I say you might approve of him?"

"I might," Luke replied with a smirk. "So far."

"Good." She wrinkled her nose as she added, "Rory thinks this party might be a little overwhelming for him."

Luke shook his head. "Nah, not overwhelming, just... different. He mentioned that he's not really used to the rich, fancy lifestyle. Told him I wasn't either."

Lorelai smiled. "So, you two had a little bonding thing."

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."

Lorelai reached over and patted his hand. "Good. That's cute."

Luke took her hand into his and he squeezed it. "Are you really feeling okay, or were you forcing yourself to get back to the party before your mother tracked you down?"

"I'm okay," she assured him.

"I don't want you overdoing it," Luke said. "Especially tomorrow. I know what you're like when you're throwing a party... you're always running around all over the place."

"I'm not gonna do that," Lorelai told him. "That's one of the benefits of having it at the inn, the staff will do the running around for me. You and I can just relax and enjoy the party and watch Joshy have fun."

"Good."

"As for tonight," Lorelai said, glancing at her watch, "we have about another hour or so of not relaxing while we try to make our kid somehow enjoy this party that's for him, but feels like a retirement party for an accountant." She exhaled a sigh. "Can we make it?"

"We can make it," Luke confirmed. "It'll go fast. People are eating now. We'll have cake soon, we'll mingle a little more, then we'll get out of here." He squeezed her hand as he added, "And you will tell me if you don't feel well, right?"

Lorelai smiled. "I promise."

"Thank you."

. . . . .

. . . . .

The next morning, Lorelai and Rory headed to the inn to help decorate for Josh's party, and Luke stayed home to try to keep to Josh's normal routine. They wanted to get him down for his regular nap, or else he'd end up melting down halfway through the party.

The girls stopped at the diner to pick up coffee, and as they were driving to the inn, Lorelai glanced over at Rory. "So, you were late getting home last night."

After the party at Emily and Richard's house, Rory had driven Mark to the inn, where he was staying for the weekend. Lorelai, Luke and Josh were all in bed when Rory had gotten home close to one, but Lorelai was only half-asleep and heard the car door slam out front.

Rory looked over at her apologetically. "Yeah, sorry, did I wake you? I was trying to be extra quiet."

"It's okay, I was in and out all night," Lorelai said. "You know, had a lot on my mind worrying about the party and stuff. Parties are stressful, even when you're a savant at throwing them like I am." She failed to mention she was also wondering all night if Rory would end up staying over at the inn. "So, you guys were just hanging out?"

"Yeah, we chatted for a little while, and then we watched some tv."

"Chatting and tv, that's it?" Lorelai asked.

"Uh, yeah, unless you wanted to elevate yourself into a super creepy category of parenting and make me confirm that, yes, there was also some kissing."

Lorelai nodded quickly. "And the kissing... did that just stop at your basic kissing, or... "

"Mom," Rory said, cocking her head to the side. "Come on... super creepy."

"What? I'm just saying, you and your boyfriend - who you rarely see in person - had a very private room for the night... it's not crazy to think you might want to take advantage of that," Lorelai said, and then she put her hand on her chest. "Because teenage Lorelai sure as hell would have." Before Rory could respond, Lorelai added, "And you know I'm not asking in a judgmental way, right? I'm asking in a curious way, just making conversation. You're an adult in an adult relationship, and I'm supportive of whatever decisions you make."

"I know, Mom," Rory assured her. "But you're asking me to describe the level of kissing I had with my boyfriend last night, which is a weird conversation to have on our way to decorate for my brother's beach-themed first birthday party. Can we just focus on that instead?"

Lorelai nodded. "Yes, okay, fine, sorry. Focusing on the party."

They arrived at the inn, and while Rory went up to get Mark from his room, Lorelai had a quick chat with the event staff to see how things were going. Jess was there helping set up for the event, and he walked with Lorelai to the Jeep to help unload some things.

Lorelai reached into the trunk to grab a box, and Jess asked, "Are you supposed to carry stuff? You know, because you're..." His voice trailed off as he gestured awkwardly to her stomach. As far as he knew, her pregnancy was still a secret.

"A woman?" Lorelai jokingly suggested.

Jess rolled his eyes, not unlike Luke would have. "That's not what I meant."

Lorelai smiled. "I know what you meant. And I can carry the light stuff," she told him, and she patted a cardboard box filled with water bottles that they'd put special party-themed labels on. "But this one is all you."

Jess grabbed that box as she grabbed a lighter one. "No one knows about it?"

"Just Sookie's family," Lorelai replied as they started walking toward the inn. "We'll probably tell my parents next week after our first doctor's appointment, but we're gonna try to keep it quiet from the town for a little while longer."

"Good idea. Once they get wind of it, it's all they'll wanna talk about."

"Yup. You picked up on Stars Hollow's modus operandi pretty quickly."

"Yeah, like my second day in this town."

They carried the boxes to the back porch, and then Jess went back to the Jeep to get another one. Some staffers were putting up a large tent behind the porch, and others were starting to bring out tables and chairs.

Lorelai was unpacking a box of decorations when she heard a voice behind her ask, "You need some help?"

Lorelai suddenly became still. She hadn't heard that voice in a long time, and she slowly turned around, gasping when she confirmed who it belonged to. "Oh, my God - Mia!"

"How's my favorite employee?" Mia asked, smiling at her.

Lorelai walked over and gave her a big hug. "It's so good to see you." As she pulled back, she said, "What are you doing here? You said you couldn't make it to the party."

"Plans changed, and I made it work," Mia said. "Besides, I needed a break from that beautiful Santa Barbara weather, so I thought I'd check out the Connecticut humidity."

"I'm so excited you're here!" Lorelai said, smiling happily. "We haven't seen you in so long. You look great."

Mia ran her hands up and down Lorelai's arms. "Look at you, you're as beautiful as ever. Hopefully your husband reminds you of that often."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "He is very good at acknowledging my beauty."

"Good." Mia glanced around. "Where is that Lucas anyway? Is he here?"

"No, he's at home with the baby," Lorelai replied. "Rory and I came to help get things set up, and then we're gonna go back home and change." Lorelai gestured to her t-shirt and jeans. "As you can see, I'm not yet in my party attire."

Mia smiled. "So, where's Rory?"

"She went up to get her boyfriend," Lorelai said, with a raise of her eyebrow. "He's staying here at the inn because our house is a renovation disaster. They're gonna come down and help me with the setup."

"College boyfriend, huh?" Mia asked, matching Lorelai's raised eyebrow. "What do we think of him?"

"We like him," Lorelai confirmed. "He's smart and polite and has a good sense of humor. Plus, he survived a party last night at my parents' house, so he's brave and resilient."

Mia smiled. "I look forward to meeting him." She cocked her head a little as she asked, "And how are your parents doing? Everyone getting along?"

Lorelai nodded positively. "Yeah, surprisingly. We see them regularly, we keep them involved... they like spoiling Josh, which you know I don't love, but you know there's no stopping 'em."

"No, there's not," Mia agreed.

Jess appeared with two more boxes and set them on the porch. "Oh, Mia, you remember Luke's nephew, Jess?" Lorelai said. "Jess, remember Mia, she owns the inn?"

"Oh, right, Liz's son," Mia said with a smile. "How are you doing, Jess?"

Jess nodded toward her. "Hello."

"Jess has been helping out with the event staff this summer, so he's technically one of your employees," Lorelai said.

"Well, thanks for your hard work," Mia said to him.

"Thanks for the paycheck," Jess said, giving her a little nod. He looked at Lorelai and gestured toward the parking lot area. "There are a couple more things to grab, then the car will be empty."

"Okay, great, thanks," Lorelai said.

As Jess walked away, Mia asked Lorelai, "Liz and Luke are in contact pretty regularly now, right? Is she coming today?"

"Yes, they are in contact," Lorelai confirmed. "But she couldn't make it today. She and her husband stopped by a few days ago to visit and drop off a present for Josh... they were on their way to Pennsylvania for a Renaissance Faire this weekend."

"Ah, maybe I'll get to see her next time I'm in town," Mia said.

Lorelai gestured toward the back door of the inn. "Let's go in and find Rory," she said to Mia. "She's gonna be so excited to see you."

. . . . .

. . . . .

They spent some time setting up for the party, and then Lorelai went home to get herself and Josh ready. She saw him sleeping in the crib when she got home, and found Luke folding a pile of laundry on the kitchen table.

"Hey," Lorelai greeted him softly.

"Hi," Luke said. "How's everything look?"

Lorelai grinned. "It looks great. It's going to be a great party." She sat down at the table and helped him fold a pile of Josh's clothes. "And guess who's in town?"

"Who?"

"Mia! She was able to make it."

Luke's eyes widened as he smiled. "Really? That's great. It'll be good to see her."

"She looks amazing," Lorelai said. "And she seems so happy." She exhaled a sigh. "Which sucks because I have to ruin her happiness by stabbing her in the back with a knife by telling her I'll be leaving."

"You're gonna tell her today?" Luke asked, surprised.

"I don't know, maybe," Lorelai asked, and then she wrinkled her nose. "I know it's not ideal first-birthday-party conversation, but I feel like the universe is giving me a sign by bringing her out here to me. Like I need to get it over with, rip the Band Aid." She thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Or maybe not, I don't know. I'm going to play it by ear and if we're alone together and it feels right, I'll tell her."

"Okay, playing it by ear it is," Luke said.

"How was he? He went down for his nap okay?"

"Yup. He ate a good lunch, we played, and he's been down for..." He checked his watch. "... about an hour and twenty minutes. He should be well-rested and ready to party like a wild crazy one year old."

Lorelai smiled and reached across the table to pat his arm. "Nice job getting him to stick to his schedule, hon. You did good."

Luke tipped his cap. "Thank you." He watched as she ate a grape from the fruit bowl on the table, and nodded toward her. "You eat anything today?"

"I had a bag of pretzels at the inn," Lorelai replied. "Mia invited us out for lunch, but I wanted to get home to get ready. Rory and Mark are out with her now."

"You need something more substantial than pretzels," Luke told her, and he walked over to the fridge. He pulled it open and peered inside. "What do you feel like?"

"Hmm, not sure," Lorelai replied, trying to glance into the fridge from her seat. "Can you pull that open more?"

Luke pulled the door open wider and Lorelai scanned the shelves looking for something to jump out at her. "How about the leftover pasta salad?"

Luke grabbed the container and shut the fridge, and then grabbed her a fork. She made space on the table in front of her by pushing the piles of laundry over, and he set the bowl and fork down. "Thank you," she said.

"Drink?" he offered.

"Nice cold beer, please," Lorelai replied, batting her eyelashes up at him.

Luke smirked. "Sure, in about 7 months," he told her. He grabbed her a cold water bottle from the fridge and then sat back down at the table.

Lorelai started eating, and glanced at the clock on the microwave. "We have an hour and a half before we should head back."

"Okay. He should be up soon."

"Hopefully he wakes up happy." Lorelai took another bite of food, and then looked at him with a curious look. "I wonder how my mom's gonna be around Mia... she might be a little standoffish."

"Why?"

"Uh, because she believes Mia stole her daughter and granddaughter away instead of promptly sending them back home to the place they ran away from?" Lorelai suggested.

"Oh, right, that," Luke replied. "Well, it's highly unlikely she's going to make a big scene at her grandson's first birthday party."

Lorelai cocked her head to the side and gave him a look.

He thought it over, and then nodded. "Okay, there may actually be a pretty good chance."

. . . . .

. . . . .

A few hours later, the party was in full swing at the inn. Staffers were starting to clean up the lunch buffet so they could put out the cake and other desserts. People were mingling and playing various games that were set up around the yard.

There was a volleyball game going on at the far end of the grounds, and a game of horseshoes nearby. A crowd had gathered near the cornhole game, where Mark and Jess had teamed up to take on Zach and Brian, and Rory and Lane were hanging out on the sidelines.

Emily was discussing antiques with Mrs. Kim, and Richard had found himself in a lengthy discussion about business ownership with Andrew and Gypsy. Sookie was inside making sure the cake looked perfect before the staff brought it out. Buddy and Maisie were chatting and laughing with Babette and Morey.

Lorelai had filled a small inflatable swimming pool with plastic balls to create a little ball pit for the kids to play in. Lorelai, Luke, and Jackson were watching Josh and Davey crawl around inside of it.

They heard applause, and they looked over toward the cornhole game. Mark and Jess had just won their game, and were getting ready to take on the next set of challengers.

Lorelai smiled. "Looks like they're having a good time."

"Yeah, it does," Luke agreed, and he glanced around to see what else was going on. "Where's Mia?"

"She went inside with Sookie," Jackson replied. "She wanted to check on the kitchen and make sure everything was up to par in there."

"Hey, Luke!" a voice called, and they all looked over to see Lane walking toward them. "I have a message from Kirk."

"Why isn't Kirk over here giving me the message himself?" Luke replied.

"He said it would seem cooler if someone delivers the message for him," Lane replied.

"It does," Lorelai agreed.

"It doesn't," Luke said dryly. "What does he want?"

"Well, people over there were talking about Kirk's special sandwich and how they wish you were still selling it," Lane said. "So, Kirk wants to challenge you to a cornhole match, and if he wins, he gets to have his menu item back up for another week."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Forget it."

Lorelai reached over and patted his arm. "Come on, you can take him. It'll be fun to watch."

"I'm not putting that heart attack sandwich back on the menu," Luke said.

"Well, you won't have to if you win," Lorelai pointed out.

"What do I get if I win?" Luke asked Lane.

"He is offering 7 free car washes when he starts up his new mobile car washing business," Lane replied. "Official start date to be determined once he decides on the name."

"Mobile car wash?" Luke replied. "So, he comes to the house and uses our water to wash our cars?"

"Sounds like it, yes," Lane confirmed.

"Come on, Luke, we like shiny, freshly-washed cars," Lorelai said. "Accept the challenge. Even if you lose and have to put Kirk's special 'cheeseburger topped with a hot dog topped with macaroni and cheese' sandwich back on the menu, no big deal... it was a big seller."

"Which shows you how truly disgusting this town is," Luke muttered.

"Hey, two of those disgusting townies live with you," Lorelai reminded him. "Rory and I loved it."

"So, what should I tell him?" Lane asked.

Luke looked over at Lorelai, who was smiling hopefully at him, and then he reluctantly told Lane, "Tell him maybe later after we cut the cake."

Lorelai clapped her hands excitedly. "Yay!"

"Okay, I'll let him know," Lane said.

As Lane walked off, Luke groaned. "This town is nuts."

Lorelai grinned. "This town is amazing."

Luke saw Josh trying to climb out of the ball pit. He jumped up from his chair to catch him before he tumbled over the edge. "You trying to escape, buddy?" He picked him up and Josh immediately pointed at the centerpiece of balloons on the closest table. He'd been fascinated with the assorted balloons all over the yard, and kept wanting to play with them.

"Aw, balloons are his favorite, and he's been surrounded by them all day and hasn't even been able to play with them," Lorelai said, standing up from her chair. "He's waited long enough." She walked over to the tables and grabbed two centerpieces of balloon bouquets, each tied to a little stuffed fish to keep them from floating away.

Lorelai handed one balloon bouquet to Josh and the other to Davey. "Have at 'em, boys."

Luke put Josh back down in the ball pit to play with the balloons, and then gestured toward the porch. "I need a drink... anyone else?"

"I'm good," Jackson said, holding up his red plastic cup. "Still working on this."

"I'll take some lemonade," Lorelai said, and she fanned herself with her hand. "It's hot out here."

"I'll be right back," Luke said.

As Luke headed toward the drink area on the side of the porch, he ran into Mia coming out of the inn's back door. "Oh, good, just the man I was looking for," she said, and she started walking with him toward the drinks.

"Sookie just told me some news," Mia said. "News I assume Lorelai was planning to tell me herself."

Luke's eyes widened with surprise and he stopped walking. "I'm sorry, Mia... Lorelai has been wanting to talk to you about it, but she's just been busy. You know how it is, with the little guy and everything."

Mia nodded understandably. "Yes, I know, I get it. It's very exciting, though. But I wasn't sure if I should say anything to her yet or if I should wait for her to bring it up to tell me herself... what do you think?"

"You can bring it up," Luke replied. "I think she'll be relieved that you know and she doesn't have to muster up the courage to tell you."

Mia looked confused. "Muster up the courage? Was she afraid to tell me?"

Luke shrugged. "Well, she wasn't sure how you would take it. It's always been this long-term goal for her and Sookie to start their own inn, and she knows that you support that, but now that it has some solid timing on it, it's a little emotional for her."

Luke didn't seem to notice the confusion that appeared on Mia's face while he was talking. "Wait, what are you talking about?" she asked him, narrowing her eyes at him.

Luke narrowed his eyes back at her. "What are you talking about?" he countered.

Mia glanced around quickly to make sure no one was nearby. "Sookie said that Lorelai is expecting, and that it's still a secret," Mia said. "She didn't mention anything about opening their own inn. There's solid timing on it now?"

Luke's eyes widened, realizing he'd spilled the beans himself. "Shit." He exhaled a defeated sigh and rubbed his temple, and then started to explain things to Mia.

Meanwhile, Patty and Babette had stopped by the ball pit area to chat with Lorelai and Jackson while the babies played with the balloons. When Davey started whining, Jackson took him inside to change him and heat up a bottle.

When the ladies saw Rory walking toward them, Miss Patty called, "Rory, how's your gentlemen friend doing?"

Rory smiled. "He's fine, thanks for asking."

"We like him, doll," Babette added. "Easy on the eyes, and not a bad personality either."

"Thanks. He likes you guys, too," Rory replied as she sat down in Jackson's seat.

"You're being a very supportive girlfriend cheering him on over there," Miss Patty said.

"It's pretty fun just watching other people be active," Rory replied. "I feel like I was made for this."

"We don't have a lot of athleticism in our genes, but man, we're good at watching people show off theirs," Lorelai said, and then she glanced off into the distance, looking for Luke. "Where's Luke? He went to get me a drink a few minutes ago and never came back."

"You know how easy it is to get sidetracked at a party," Babette said. "People keep stopping you to chat and what not."

"We can go track him down for you," Miss Patty said. "We were gonna head inside to the little girls' room anyway."

"Okay, just make sure he's not lying somewhere unconscious," Lorelai said.

"Permission to give him mouth to mouth if the situation calls for it?" Miss Patty asked.

"Permission granted," Lorelai said with a smirk.

As Babette and Patty walked away, Lorelai reached over and patted Rory's leg. "How are you doing?" Lorelai asked.

"Good. Really good," Rory confirmed with a nod. "The party's great, Mom. All the little details you put into it are fantastic."

"Thank you," Lorelai replied, smiling at her. "Everyone seems to be having a good time. Even Mr. and Mrs. Fancypants."

Rory glanced around. "I haven't seen Grandma and Grandpa for awhile. Are they still here?"

"Yeah, after they ate, they started mingling with people, and from what I saw, were doing an okay job at making what one might call 'normal chit-chat.'" Lorelai cocked her head to the side in disbelief. "Not sure what that's about."

Rory smiled. "They're just trying to fit it with this side of your life."

"Yeah, well, we don't want them to fit in too well, they'll start wanting to be more involved with it." Lorelai noticed Josh trying to crawl out of the ball pit, and she helped him out and put him on the grass. He walked a few steps and then started crawling, and she followed him.

Rory stood up and started walking with them as she watched the cornhole game from across the lawn. "Mark is so much more relaxed today as compared to last night's party."

"Yeah, he seems to be getting along well with everyone," Lorelai said.

"Yeah." Rory was quiet for a moment, smiling to herself, and then her face suddenly grew serious. She swallowed hard and looked over at Lorelai. "So, Mom..."

Lorelai was staring down at Josh, making sure he didn't start putting pieces of grass into his mouth, like he sometimes tried to do. "Yeah?" she distractedly replied.

"Um, remember what we were talking about this morning in the car?" Rory asked. "About how I was late getting home last night..."

Lorelai temporarily froze before lifting her eyes to look at Rory. "Yes."

"Um... well... I didn't want to stress you out before the party, so I didn't say anything," Rory started. "But it's really hard keeping things from you, so I feel like I have to get it out."

Lorelai's eyes widened a little and her heart started to race. "Get what out?"

Rory looked down at the grass as she fidgeted with her bracelet. "Um, well, more happened last night than I let on..." She lifted her head to meet Lorelai's gaze, and added, "You know, with Mark... in his room." Rory gritted her teeth a little as she waited for Lorelai to respond.

Before Lorelai could react or say anything, they heard a voice from the across the yard calling, "Lorelai! Lorelai!"

Lorelai looked up and saw Sookie briskly heading toward them, with Luke right behind her. Both of them looked anxious about something.

When they got to her, Sookie blurted out in a loud whisper, "I accidentally told Mia you were pregnant."

"And I accidentally told her you might be opening your own inn within the next 3 years," Luke added, and then he held out a cup toward her. "Here's your lemonade."

. . . . .

. . . . .

To be continued...

Author's Note: I just hit the one-year mark of this story, and I want to thank those who are still following along! Extra thanks to the readers who have taken the time to review and let me know you're out there - I can't even tell you how much it's appreciated. :)