A/N: Thanks for those reviews, folks. Y'all were shocked to find Emily being reasonable about the baby, huh? Well, this is post-AYITL Emily and she was a little different, right? I figured she could be cool at this point, more or less, anyway. Now, I guess it's time to have some more people learn of Rory & Jess' happy news!

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 8

"Well, that went better than I ever could've expected."

The grin on Rory's face was a mile wide as she turned to face Jess on the porch. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, they had been back from Nantucket only a couple of hours, and Jess had a long drive back to Philly ahead of him yet. He needed to get going, yet he was sure he could quite happily have stayed with Rory a little longer. Things had gone surprisingly well with her grandmother, that was true, but he hadn't gotten much alone time with the mother of his child, something he had hoped for, even if he wasn't quite willing to admit why yet.

"I half-expected to come home from your grandma's place with the black eye this time," he said, smirking a little, "but honestly, she was pretty cool about this whole thing. I mean, I know, technically, it's none of her business anyway, but I also know having her support matters to you, so..."

"Thank you, Jess," said Rory then, reaching out to hug him before he really had time to process what was happening. "And I don't just mean for being so understanding about Grandma," she explained, holding onto him so tight. "You've been great about everything and I appreciate it."

He hugged her back, as much as he dare, ever mindful of the baby, even if he or she wasn't so much making their presence felt yet. After all, it occurred to Jess that he wouldn't have just spent Thanksgiving the way he had, with the people he had, if not for the child he and Rory had created. It was a lot to think about, though it was tough for Jess to think much at all with Rory close in his arms again.

"We said we were going to make this work, you and me and the kid," he said, more softly than he really intended. "I'm keeping to my side of that."

It came out a lot more business-like that he meant for it to, a little cold, he supposed. Perhaps he was over-compensating, afraid of saying too much, showing too much of what he was really feeling. After all, this was Rory, and his feelings for her had always run deep. Now just seemed like a really bad time to be telling her that. After all, she had been the one who said they should forget their one night together and never speak of it. She had been the one to ensure he knew they could raise the baby together, but that was all.

"Well, I appreciate your support," she said, sounding just a little awkward as they parted, proving it when she pushed her hair back behind her ear - a nervous gesture he knew only too well. "And I'm glad you were with us this weekend."

"Yeah, me too," he told her, forcing a bigger smile than he was quite ready to give. "So, I should get going. Long drive ahead of me."

"Sure, right." Rory nodded. "So... I'll see you soon?"

"I'll call you, or email, or something," he said vaguely, feeling stupid as he quickly turned away - he was at the bottom of the porch steps when he finally glanced back at her. "Take care of yourself, Rory. Both of you," he urged her.

"I will," she promised, nodding her head. "Drive safe."

He nodded back, then headed for his car, cursing himself all the way. By now, he ought to be used to the fact that Rory Gilmore could turn him into a mindless moron at a blink, but it still seemed to catch him off-guard every time.

Back up on the porch, Rory stayed leaning on the rail until Jess finally drove out of sight. She let out a heavy sigh, unsure whether she was relieved the weekend was over or sad to see the back of her ex, the father of her child. Honestly, she had so many mixed feelings where Jess was concerned, and at the moment, with so much else to think about, she really wasn't prepared to delve too deeply into any of them.

Heading back into the house, she was just in time to see her mom disappearing up the stairs and found Luke staring after her, looking a little lost.

"Something wrong?" she asked him.

"What? Oh, no, nothing wrong," he promised, shaking his head. "I was just... Your mom was... Nothing's wrong," he repeated eventually, finding her a smile. "She's just really gung-ho about the post-trip laundry. That's not exactly like her."

"No, it's really not," Rory agreed, frowning some at the thought. "I don't know, I think maybe she's just adjusting. You know, to Grandma being so..."

"Reasonable?" Luke tried, looking almost guilty for saying it the moment Rory looked at him.

"Yes, probably," she agreed with him, barely holding in a laugh. "It does take a little getting used to... and it's not the only thing that does," she added, one arm cradling her middle.

"You feeling okay about that?" asked Luke kindly.

"The pregnancy, or what Grandma thinks about it?"

"Either one, I guess, plus... well, the whole situation really." He waved his hand in a vague gesture towards the front of the house and Rory knew he meant her relationship with Jess, even if he wasn't directly saying so and probably never would.

"It's complicated, obviously," she replied, trying not to squirm, "but we're dealing. I'm sorry, I know this is tough for you."

"For me? Why? Why would it be tough for me?"

His tone proved that she was right, as did the way he crossed, uncrossed, and recrossed his arms while he was talking.

Rory smiled. "I know how much you care about Jess and about me. The two of us, being together," she said pointedly, clearing her throat right after because it wasn't really something she wanted to think about in front of Luke either, "I just know that must be weird for you."

Luke sighed. "Maybe, a little," he admitted, "but Rory, like you just said, I care about you, both of you, and whatever relationship you do or don't have, and whatever happens with this baby, you know I'm always here for you, right? You and Jess and the baby. I'm here. Always."

"I know," Rory agreed, swallowing hard, sure she was about to burst into tears, though only out of happiness, thankfully.

Before she could actually get as far as bawling, which no doubt would've made Luke ten times more awkward than he currently was, there was a knock on the door. Rory didn't even get a chance to turn around and open it before someone came through. It wasn't exactly a shock to see Babette peeking in.

"Hey there, doll," she said, grinning big. "I hope you don't mind me bustin' in like this, but I just had to come confirm the story that's flyin' around town."

"Story?" Rory checked, realising a second too late just exactly what her friend and neighbour meant. "Oh. Yes, I am pregnant."

"And is the father really...?"

"The father is Jess, yes," she agreed, nodding her head.

"Wowsa! I mean, that sure is a kick in the butt, ain't it? After all this time, the two of you, back together. It's kinda like a fairytale, I guess. I mean, sure, he wasn't exactly Prince Charmin' before, but we all know he grew up to be better than he started, which was not exactly unexpected with the way Luke stepped up for him. Oh, hey, handsome," she said then, looking past Rory to where Luke had just appeared. "I was just sayin' to Rory, congrats on the baby and all, and on snagging that gorgeous nephew of yours."

"Babette, that's not..."

"We're not together," Rory said for him, knowing it was her place to do so. "Jess and I, we were... There was a night, obviously, but we're not together. We're having a baby and we will be sharing the responsibilities, but no wedding bells, no romance," she said firmly, unsure why saying so made her feel all the more like crying.

"Oh. Oh, well, that's okay. It's the modern way, I guess," said Babette, putting on a smile that didn't quite sit right. "So long as you're happy, sweetheart, that's all that matters to me," she insisted, grabbing Rory's hands in her own and squeezing. "So, I just came to say congratulations, you know, once I confirmed it was all true, and now, I'll set the record straight for ya. I mean, we don't want the whole town gettin' the wrong impression. What kinda place would Stars Hollow be if we just let these rumours run riot, you know?"

"Yeah, what kinda place?" said Luke quietly, opening the front door. "Always nice seeing you, Babette," he told her with a smile as she finally left.

Luke all-but slammed the door shut in her wake. "Well, I guess everybody knows."

"I guess so," Rory agreed, wondering on that for a moment, before a thought occurred to her. "Liz and TJ, and Doula. Uh, we went to tell them about the baby, right before we left for Nantucket. I'm guessing that's where the news came from. I mean, it's fine, we're past the first trimester, so I was going to start telling people anyway."

"That's not the point," said Luke with a sigh. "You should've gotten the chance to do that in your own way. I love my sister, but she has a big mouth."

"She was excited." Rory shook her head. "Honestly, Luke, it's no big deal. This might even be easier. You know me, I'm not huge on dropping bombshell news on people. Now, everybody knows, and if Babette is any indication, it seems like people are mostly happy about what they've heard. That's nice."

"I guess." Luke sighed one more time. "So long as you're okay?" he checked, his hand briefly at her shoulder.

"I'm fine, Luke, I promise," she swore to him, her smile at least two-parts genuine.

He bought it, of course, because he had no reason not to, and was quick to leave when Lorelai called to him from upstairs. Rory turned to watch him go and had a little sigh of her own. She was fine, for the most part. She was happy to know the populous of Stars Hollow knew she was having a baby and seemed pleased about it. She was happy that her grandma had even seemed okay with the news and was at least polite to Jess the whole weekend.

The only real problem was what Babette had said about Jess, the part where she just assumed he and Rory were back together, the part that Rory had to shut down and fast. It hurt to have to say it, more so than she ever would've suspected it might, though she wasn't entirely sure she knew why. She thought about it as she wandered down to her bedroom and slipped inside, closing the door behind her. Sitting down in her desk chair, she turned to look over at the bookcase, smiling as she remembered so clearly the first time she ever saw Jess Mariano.

"If I'd known then how things would go... would I change it?" she asked herself softly.

There were a lot of moments in Rory's life that she thought she might like to go back and change, to make things better, to make them easier. Of course, giving those things a little more thought, she always came to realise it would be the wrong thing to do. To change anything about her past could have untold consequences on the present, and honestly, her life wasn't so bad. In fact, she had a lot of reasons to be very grateful and very happy.

She certainly couldn't ever wish that she never met Jess. It might have been nice if things hadn't had to get so bad between them before they got better, but they were in a good place now. Given the consequences, she could see why some might think she would regret that one night she and Jess spent together too, but she never could. The unexpected pregnancy certainly had been a curveball, but she wouldn't trade what they shared for anything, wouldn't change a thing about how things turned out, not really.

Rory smiled thinking of Babette's excitement about the baby and her probably perfectly natural assumption that she and Jess were a couple again. It wasn't the craziest idea, Rory knew, but there was no way she wanted to trap a guy into a relationship like that, especially not Jess. He just meant so much to her, they had been so close for so long, even in the spaces of years where they barely talked and didn't see each other at all. She always knew he was there, a constant, a comforting force, in spite of how things had been when they dated, a time that felt like a million years ago sometimes, and at others, as if it were yesterday.

"But it wasn't," she said to herself, drawing aimless patterns on the desk with her finger. "It's all different now."

"Say what, sweets?" said Lorelai as she came in through the door, a basket full of laundry in her arms.

"No, nothing. Just thinking out loud." Rory shook her head. "Um, I didn't start sorting my laundry yet," she admitted, eyeing the basket.

"That's okay. You want me to grab your whites from the bag and put them in with these?"

"Um, sure, if you don't mind."

"No problem."

Rory returned the smile her mom gave her, staring unseeing at Lorelai while she opened up the hold-all and pulled out white items to be washed. To Rory, her mother would always be amazing. How she just coped with everything, no matter what. How very little ever phased her, most especially being a teenage high school drop out with a baby to raise alone. By comparison, Rory felt so lucky to have her support system, and so stupid as to feel worried about the future.

"Hey, kid?" said Lorelai then, getting her full attention. "You sure you're okay?"

"I am." Rory nodded. "Uh, the town knows, about the baby, and about Jess being the father. I'm guessing Liz told people, or maybe it was TJ or Doula, I don't know, but everybody knows."

"Well, that's okay, right? You passed the twelve weeks and I can't imagine anybody in our town is going to be at all judgey. I mean, seriously, with the adorable weirdoes we have around here, how could they?"

Rory laughed. "Exactly. No, I'm sure everybody will be understanding, probably even supportive. Babette was nice about it."

"Babette's always nice, at least to us Gilmore girls."

"Except you're a Danes now," Rory reminded her.

"Only on paper, sweets," her mom told her with a wink. "Once a Gilmore girl, always a Gilmore girl," she insisted as she carried her laundry basket out to the washer.

"Yeah, I guess so."

To Be Continued...