A/N: So the advantage to my finishing some fics is that it gives me more time to dedicate to those that aren't finished yet. This is a good thing, yes? I think so. Y'all are excited for this baby to born, I see, but we're not quite there yet. How 'bout a baby shower first? ;)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see prologue)

Chapter 42

"I don't think we could've timed this any better if we tried," said Lorelai, skimming her finger over the cream topping of the nearest pie and licking her finger happily. "Rory is so down about the ongoing pregnant state. Seriously, with two weeks to go, she just really wants that baby born."

"I guess the being big and the back ache gets to a person after a while," considered Lane as she came down from the stepladder and looked up at her handiwork.

They were in Miss Patty's studio, putting the finishing touches to the world's most epic baby shower, at least that was what Lorelai claimed it was going to be. Her baby girl deserved nothing less to her mind, and the whole town seemed to agree.

The idea had come about not long after Rory's stress-related false alarm at her grandparents vow renewal. Lorelai pitched it to Lane who thought it was an awesome way to cheer Rory up and let her know that she had a huge support system, so she didn't need to stress about anything. They ran the concept passed Luke and Jess, both of whom whole-heartedly agreed to the plan, and so Lorelai got started on the arrangements. It wasn't so hard to keep it all a secret since Rory was practically on house arrest at the apartment in New Haven. Miss Patty offered up her studio as a large enough space for everyone to gather. Luke was going to provide all the food until Sookie got upset about not being asked. Lorelai did explain that she was just trying to avoid putting pressure on the other pregnant lady in her life, and whilst Sookie appreciated the thought once she heard the reasoning, she was still determined to help. In the end, it was a joint effort between Lorelai's two favourite cooking experts. Mrs Rossini helped out with decorations and other details, even convincing her new beau Taylor to supply some of the drinks (both alcoholic and not) from his store for a knock down price. Lorelai was massively impressed as well as grateful.

Everybody wanted to lend a hand and there certainly seemed like quite enough to do. The date was set for Saturday 26th February, timed to match up with Rory's latest doctor's appointment. Jess would bring her to Stars Hollow for said appointment, and get intercepted on the way back to the car by Babette, telling the couple about a last minute emergency town meeting. Knowing Rory's curiosity would be piqued, and that she would just be grateful for the chance of interaction, she would beg to go and Jess would make a big deal of agreeing. Then would come the surprise.

"Okay, another ten minutes and they should be out of the doctor's office," said Lorelai, checking her watch. "How are we doing, honey?" she called to Luke as he laid more plates onto the buffet tables.

"All but done," he assured her, as Sookie came bustling through with one last piece for the display - an enormous cake.

"Wow," said Luke, actually feeling impressed. "That is... That's beautiful, Sookie," he told her eventually.

"Thank you," she smiled at the large cake, cut and iced to look like a bassinet, all white trimmed in blue for a boy. "I just think it's all... it's all so wonderful," she said then, tearing up as she looked around the room, all decorated and full of happy faces.

"Lorelai!" Luke called to his girlfriend, gesturing wildly.

It took her a moment to realise why he was pointing at Sookie, then she rushed over to give her a hug and stop her from crying, even if they were mostly happy tears. Luke could just about cope when Lorelai, Rory, or Jess got upset. Anybody else and he wanted to run!

Sookie wasn't wrong about all of this being wonderful, Luke knew that for sure. He took a look around the room just as she had and he smiled. Sure, mostly this was for Rory, but Jess was a part of it too. Both their names were on the banner that wished them all the happiness in the world with their soon-to-be-born bundle of joy. It hit Luke then that he was going to be a great-uncle, and kind of a grandfather since he was dating Lorelai too. Shaking his head, he couldn't get the smile off his face. There was going to be a baby in his family, the product of two people he loved very much. Sure, the timing wasn't great and times were going to be hard still, he was sure, but Luke had to admit he kind of liked how things were turning out too.

"Okay, people! Seems the timetable just moved up!" Lorelai was suddenly calling to the assembled crowd. "Babette just sent me the signal, they are on their way down from the doctor's office. We are T minus five minutes, people!"

A mad scramble led to everyone being hidden in their prearranged spots with the lights turned out. Luke tried not to find it amusing that this included Emily and Richard, who were clearly finding the whole event quite undignified and yet were quite determined to take part anyway. Luke was hunkered down in a corner close to Lorelai, his arm around her more out of necessity than anything else, though he didn't hate the fact he got to hold onto her for a while.

"I really hope Rory likes this," she whispered to him.

"She'll love it", he assured her, kissing her cheek, just moments before the door opened, the lights went up, and everybody appeared with a yell of surprise.

Perhaps it should've occurred to someone that the shock of such a thing might've led to something bad, like Rory suddenly going into labour right then and there. She actually looked remarkably calm.

"You knew!" Lorelai accused her as she and Luke came over to Rory. "Oh my God, Jess, did you tell her?"

"I didn't say anything!" he swore, hands in the air in mock surrender.

"He didn't, Mom, honestly," Rory assured her. "I just knew something had to be up when Jess seemed so determined to come to a town meeting. Either he needed a straitjacket and a padded cell stat, or something other than one of Taylor's emergency meets was happening in here."

"Huh," said Lorelai, looking at Luke. "Well, we always knew she was a genius."

"Yes, we did," he agreed, at which Rory laughed.

"Not so much of a genius, because until five minutes ago I really had no idea about any of this," she admitted. "But it's wonderful, thank you. Everybody, thank you so much," she said, looking around at the huge crowd.

This was more than she could ever have imagined.

"Rory, mi passerota," Mrs R smiled widely as she gave her a hug. "Oh, I am so happy to see you smiling"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about yesterday," she apologised. "Sometimes the pregnancy hormones and the back pain and... it just all gets on top of me."

"What's this?" asked Jess curiously.

Mrs R shook her head.

"Rory got a little upset when I was sitting with her yesterday," she explained. "I think my tales of years gone by did not help," she admitted.

"No, I love your stories," Rory insisted. "I love having you around. I just wish you could stay forever."

"Me too," said Jess definitely, a moment of real and honest feeling rarely seen in public.

It touched Mrs Rossini's heart and it showed on her face. She had been thinking seriously about her life in Stars Hollow of late. Two months now since Lorelai originally brought her here and still she remained. There had been trips to collect clothing and pick up her mail, but less and less that apartment in New York felt like home. Strange since she had lived there more years than she cared to count. In just a few short weeks she had come to see this sleepy little town as a place she could belong.

"Perhaps forever would not be so bad," she smiled then, looking around at the gathering of people, many of which she had come to call friends.

Her eyes returned to Rory and Jess then, sat close with their arms around each other.

"Are you serious?" asked Rory.

"Well, I cannot stay in your mother's inn for the rest of my days, that would not do at all," Mrs R said definitely. "But there are apartments, small houses. Everything is much cheaper than New York, and I expect an extra pair of hands might be as useful when you have a little one to attend to, as they are now while you are expecting," she said with a smile.

"Mrs R, you know how happy we would be to have you say," said Jess seriously. "If I thought you meant this, I'd be hiring a U-Haul right now."

"For my meagre possessions? I believe that would be what you young people call overkill," she chuckled. "But I am very serious, Jess," she told him, her hand to his face. "You and Rory, you are children... or perhaps grandchildren, I was never so blessed as to bear myself. I am honoured to have been welcomed into your family. Why would I want to leave it?"

"This weirdo town has a way of sucking you in," he said knowingly, with a smirk that never belonged on a face more. "It'll be cool to have you stay, Mrs R. Seriously."

"Then stay I shall," she promised, as Rory cried all over again.

That was one part of her pregnancy that she and Jess both would be glad to see an end of. Just about everything made her a sobbing mess, especially these last couple of weeks. When Lane took to the stage and called for everyone's attention, Jess had a sneaking suspicions the tears weren't done yet.

"Okay, so, we all know why we're here," said Lane to the assembled crowd. "Rory and Jess are having a baby, and as happy as I am for them, I'm still struggling to wrap my head around it," she admitted, shaking her head, as a chuckle of laughter crept around the hall. "I mean, just two short years ago, we were all still in high school. Me and Rory were trading make up tips and trying on each other's clothes, keeping secrets from our mothers... well, mostly mine," she admitted. "Now Rory's two weeks away from being a mother herself, and the former town hoodlum is going to be a father," she smirked in Jess' direction, but he only rolled his eyes. "Kind of a big deal, I'm sure you'll all agree, and in honour of this occasion, I wanted to do something extra special. I had a little help from both Lorelai and Luke, but the work is almost all my own. Rory, Jess, I hope you like it," she said then, cueing Zach to turn off the lights and hit play on the video.

The screen at the back of the stage lit up, and a familiar song started playing. Jess frowned a little, sure that he recognised the male voice as Joey Ramone, and the female as Holly Beth Vincent. Trust Lane to be able to find something so obscure as two of punk's finest covering 'I Got You Babe'. Rory giggled at the song choice, and at what she soon realised was a slide show of some pictures she hadn't seen in years and others she had never seen at all.

"Oh my God!" she gasped as a photo of her as a small child was joined by one of a small boy that could only be her fiancé.

"Ah, geez," Jess shook his head and looked away, but his eyes returned to the screen within a moment.

These picture could only have come from Luke. Liz didn't care enough to keep happy snaps of his childhood, and honestly, Jess knew there weren't that many that even existed. Still, it was fun to see Rory as she had been as a kid. The pictures flew by each other, spun around and switched places in time to the music, years going past until the next photograph showed Rory and Jess when they first started dating. There were various shots of the two of them, some that Jess couldn't even imagine how they came to be taken. Next there was a copy of the sonogram picture of the baby, then some of Rory as she grew in size during her pregnancy. It was a beautiful slideshow that closed as the song ended with a picture of Rory leaning back in Jess' arms with his hands resting on hers on top of the baby bump - they were sat in the town square, both smiling happily. Rory recognised it as a day not long before her grandparents vow renewal, though she hadn't known the photo was taken.

The lights went up to a round of applause from the assembled audience. Lane came over to where Rory and Jess were sitting, somehow looking proud and apprehensive at the same time. Rory was grinning, though tears were pouring from her eyes. Even Jess looked genuinely moved.

"Oh, Rory, I'm sorry," her best friend apologised fast. "I didn't want to make you cry."

"Happy tears," she assured her with a sniffle, reaching to grab onto her hands. "Lane, that was beautiful and so special. Thank you."

"You did good, Kim," said Jess with a smile of his own, so much meaning and feeling in just a few words, and she knew it.

"Well, I happen to think you two were worth the effort," said Lane definitely. "I've always loved Rory like a sister, and I know I wasn't sure about you for a while, with good reason," she told Jess. "But you really stepped up. You make Rory happy, happier than I ever thought possible, and I know you two are going to be the world's best parents."

Rory levered herself out of the chair specifically to hug her BFF as close as she could manage as she continued to cry on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Lane," she said again.

"You're welcome, Rory," she promised her. "Just promise me this," she added, looking awfully serious as they pulled apart and faced at each other. "You're going to let me help educate your son in decent music, because I refuse to let him grow up with a taste for mainstream pop or anything else hideous like that."

"Hey, no kid of mine is going to be mainstream," said Jess definitely. "I got Joey Ramone's solo album, The Clash's London Calling, and Metallica's whole back-catalogue on standby already."

"Good start," Lane nodded approvingly.

Rory laughed as she retook her seat. Come what may, there was no doubting this baby was going to be very popular, and very much loved and doted on. It gave her a sort of confidence she never really had before. Whatever happened, she and Jess really were going to cope, partly because they had each other, and partly because they had an entire town of extended family and friends behind them. Nobody could ask for more than that.

To Be Continued...