A/N: HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!

"Oh my god."

Rory frantically looked around her in search of Luke. She couldn't see him but she did see Jess caught in an obvious debate with Paris. She'd have asked where Doyle and the kids were if she wasn't so worried.

"Where's Luke?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know," Rory winced. He had to be around somewhere. "Jess!"

His head whipped in his girlfriend's direction and as soon as he saw her face, his own fell. She was sure the worry was etched all over hers in that moment. Jess and Paris both were at her side in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"Mom," Rory said.

"My water broke," Lorelai told them.

Jess looked around just as she had. "Where's Luke?"

"We don't know," the older woman explained as she looked at her feet. "We got to move from here."

"When are you due?" Paris asked.

"Next month," Lorelai said. "This is early. Oh my god."

"Come on," Jess helped Lorelai on one side with Rory on the other. Paris followed aside him. "Let's get you to my car."

Lorelai shook her head. "Not without Luke."

"I'll find Luke," he said. "I'll tell your mom to watch Evan and stay here, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

Jess handed Rory his keys and raced back off into the house. Paris took his place and helped get lorelai to the car. "If he's not back in five minutes, I'm driving us to the hospital."

"He'll be back," Rory said.

"I'm not helping deliver a baby in his car's backseat," Paris insisted.

"And you won't," Rory said as they got her mother into the backseat.

Lorelai sat in the backseat and Rory climbed in beside her and held onto her hand. "Its too early. We were supposed to have another month."

"It'll be okay," she told her mother. "Just take deep breaths. Try not to worry."

"I'm already worrying," she tried to joke.

Luke rushed out of the exquisite house and went right to where he had parked his nephew's car. "Are you okay?"

"I may be pushing a human out of me soon so I'm peachy," she attempted another joke.

"She's using her humor to lessen her worries," Rory explained then noticed Luke has been alone. "Where's Jess?"

"Inside," Luke said as he walked around to the driver's seat. Paris slipped her phone away into her purse and climbed into the passenger side. "He's staying with Evan."

"But I thought he said Mom would -" Lorelai was cut off at the sight of her mother walking out of the house. "Please don't tell me what I'm thinking is true."

Emily climbed into the car on the other side of Lorelai, surprising everyone. "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

Luke didn't hesitate for further directions and pulled out of the driveway. The three of them were squeezed into the backseat but they didn't care. Everyone focused on Lorelai as she tried to breath and not panic.

"Grandma, what about the party?" Rory asked curiously.

"That boyfriend of yours is telling everyone the party is over," Emily replied. "He's taking care of the catering party as well."

"You trust Jess to be in charge of your house?" Lorelai asked. The shock definitely distracted her from the worry.

Emily half-rolled her eyes. "Well, I wasn't going to sit home and entertain a whole party while my only daughter is in the hospital delivering my grandchild, was I?"

"I don't know," Lorelai smiled. "Would you?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Emily said.

"Paris, call the doctor," Rory handed her mother's cell phone to her friend. "Tell him mom is in labor and we're coming."

"Why me?" She questioned from the passenger seat.

Rory held her hand out as far as she could. "Because you can talk to doctors."

Paris took the phone and pressed to call the name Rory had made sure to leave on the screen. "Fine."

The four of them were quiet as they listened to her speak to Lorelai's doctor. They waited patiently and when she finished, she handed the phone back to Rory. "He was off schedule tonight but he's coming in to help."

"Thank you, Paris," Rory smiled and took the phone back.

She nodded with a smile of her own. "No problem, Gilmore."

...

Lorelai had been brought right in as the doctors conformed despite being eight months pregnant, she was in fact in labor. Rory paced around the waiting area impatiently. Luke had went in with her and Emily had insisted she go in as well.

It surprised everyone as much as Emily Gilmore sitting in the backseat of a car. On any other night, Lorelai would have cracked a joke about that but tonight tensions were high as they awaited Christmas in a hospital.

Rory had called Jess when they arrived at the hospital. He told her to inform her grandmother everyone from the party was gone and he even tipped the caterers. He also made note to tell her Tristan said best wishes.

After two hours, she got restless. Her mother was 32 weeks pregnant. Four weeks early. She knew math. She could look it up to see the chances. Rory wasn't sure how much she trusted them while she worried so much.

Her new baby sibling had much better chance than babies born prematurely at 28 weeks or sooner. But there was still a 2% chance this particular child wouldn't make it. There was few moments in Rory Gilmore's life where she admitted she was scared and this was one of them.

"Will you sit down?" Paris asked. "You're driving me crazy with that incessant pacing."

"I need something to do," Rory bit her nails. "I can't just sit down."

"Do it anyway," she insisted. "You're not helping anything by doing that."

Rory slumped onto the seat beside Paris, thankful they were alone in the waiting area. To be honest, the hospital was not as busy as it usually would be. That was probably more connected with it being Christmas Eve, though.

"What if something goes wrong?" Rory asked. "What if the baby doesn't make it?"

"The baby will make it," Paris reassured her.

The brunette looked at her. "How can you be sure?"

"Please," she scoffed. "You forgot who I am?"

"Right," she smiled for the first time in hours.

Paris sighed and put her hand over Rory's. "Stop thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Think about all the things that could go right, okay? You're not helping yourself by thinking of worst case scenarios."

"Oh, believe me," she laughed humorlessly. "I haven't even expressed the worst case scenarios yet."

"Both your mom and baby will be fine," she told her.

Rory hugged her friend. "I should know better than to doubt Paris Gellar, right?"

"Obviously," she replied.

...

Jess walked into the hospital and asked everyone in sight where the maternity ward was. He had tried calling Rory but her phone went straight to voicemail and he was worried. He drove back to Stars Hollow after everything was taken care of at the Gilmore's and left Evan with Sookie before driving back.

When he first saw her, beside Paris on these uncomfortable looking chairs, he almost felt déjà vu. Jess was brought back to a time where he arrived for Luke and Lorelai to have a child. That time, Rory had been beside Logan, not Paris. He breathed easier as he walked closer and pushed the past aside.

"Rory," he said when he reached her and touched her shoulder.

She looked up at him and jumped out of her seat, crushing herself to him. "You're here."

"I had to call your grandmother before leaving but I'm here," he tried to joke as he held Rory.

"Not that this isn't romantic and all," Paris said. "But there is another person here so maybe tone down the love bug."

The two of them pulled apart but Jess kept an arm securely around her waist. "How's your mom and the baby?"

"I don't know," she shook her head. "None of her doctors have come out to talk to us and no one else knows anything."

"I even tried talking to them and nothing came of it," Paris muttered. "Fascist bastards."

"I'm sure that just means they're helping your mom," Jess told them.

"I hope because my mind is going crazy," Rory said.

"Sit," he instructed. They sat down together and Rory leaned her head on Jess and closed her eyes. "Have you slept?"

"No," she answered. "It hasn't been that long, I think."

"It was night when you left Hartford," he said. "Try to sleep. Me and Paris will wake you up when we have news."

"Really?" She asked, eyes still closed.

He kissed her forehead. "Really."

"Okay," she snuggled her head closer and dropped her arms into her lap as she tried to fall asleep.

"She's been freaking out for hours," Paris whispered to Jess once she believed Rory was asleep.

He looked down at his girlfriend. "Is she okay?"

"I think so," she nodded. "She's tired and worried and being very Rory-like."

He smirked - he knew Rory-like well. "Telle the truth. They really told you nothing?"

"They said something vague about the baby being early but not too early to entirely worry," she sighed.

"What does that mean?" He made a face.

"That there's a chance it won't make it but an even better chance that it will," she explained.

"What side are you on?" Jess wondered.

"I'm not sure," Paris sounded annoyed at herself for not being on a side. "The hours she's in there plus that its her third child...its hard to tell."

Jess just nodded and rubbed Rory's back. He looked down at her wearing her Christmas Eve party dress and he still had his suit on but minus the tie. When he had been in Stars Hollow, he grabbed some clothes for each of them and he was glad he did. Maybe the change will make Rory more comfortable.

It wasn't that long later that a familiar looking doctor walked in their direction. Paris hit Jess on the arm, a signal to wake Rory up and stood up. He shook her slightly and she was groggy at first but woke up as she became aware of her surroundings.

"The baby is out," he told them and Rory almost fell over in a relief but she held herself up as they waited for more. "Its a girl. She's four pounds, which is normal for a newborn this early."

"Is she okay?" Rory asked. On one hand, she was relieved about her baby sister but on the other, she wondered about all the negative parts of premature labor.

The doctor nodded. "Both mother and daughter are all right. The baby is breathing on her own. We didn't know to put her on any oxygen but we are monitoring her."

"Okay," Rory nodded. Jess and Paris both stayed silent beside her as she listened.

"Since breathing is as of right now, not an issue," he continued, "she can be either breast fed or bottle fed. We've seen no need to feed her through a tube so that's another good sign."

"Is there anything we need to worry about?" Jess now spoke up and asked for her.

He nodded once. "There is just one thing. It may not be anything but children born as early as she is sometimes have behavior or learning problems. She may be slower or not be able to keep what she's taught. Again, we're not sure this will be an issue with her."

"But all in all, she's good?" Paris asked him with a stern you-better-tell-me-the-truth-or-you'll-regret-it face.

Another nod. "She's as healthy as she can be. Again, we are monitoring her and right now, the nurses are with her and her father."

"What about my mom?" Rory wondered.

"She's asleep right now," he answered. "But resting comfortably. There was no need for a c-section which is another good sign as well."

"Good," Rory nodded. "When can we see her?"

"Soon," he said. "I'll come back out when the nurses are done, all right?"

"Thank you," she nodded and held onto both Jess and Paris' hands. When the doctor was gone, she breathed out a breath she'd been holding since Lorelai told her her water broke.

"I told you she'll be fine," Paris crossed her arms but it was obvious she had been worried as well.

"You want coffee?" Jess asked. He was sure she had none since the afternoon.

"I'll get it," Rory gave him a smile.

He looked at her questionably. "You sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Stay here with Paris. Wait for the doctor. I'm gonna find decent coffee."

"Okay," he was surprised she didn't want to wait but didn't push.

Rory kissed him goodbye and Paris made a face but was unable to hide that she was actually happy for her friend.

Out into another hallway, Rory pulled out her phone. She searched through her contacts and looked at the number she so rarely called. It rang a few times before it picked up.

"Hello?" Christopher said on the other end.

"Hey, Dad," she said into the phone.

"Rory?" He asked sleepily. She cursed herself when she realized it was after midnight. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she nodded. "Mom went into labor."

"Oh my gosh," he said and sounded more awake now.

"The baby's early," she added. "We've been here a few hours and Evan is at Sookie's rather than his parents on Christmas Eve and I just started thinking."

"About what?" He asked curiously.

"I know you'll never be a perfect dad," she sniffed, everything crashing on her. "You weren't there for my mom through the pregnancy when you should have been, married or not. You weren't there when I was born or when I first went to school."

He tried to cut her off. "I am sorry about about that, Rory -"

"I need to get this out, Dad," she interrupted him. "It always hurt me that you were there for GiGi more than you were for me. And it hurt even worse that I wasn't enough because you weren't with Mom."

"Kiddo, that's not true," Christopher said.

"Don't lie," Rory smiled to herself as another sniff broke. "I just...I want to be able to forgive you, Dad. I really do. I tried. And everytime I just got more hurt."

This time he stayed silent as she continued. That confirmed more than any other time that she was right. That Christopher wanted to be with Lorelai and the only way he'd have raised or stuck around was if they were together. It stung to officially believe it but she carried on.

"I do want you in my life, though," she finally said. "I don't know how it'll be or I can say for sure I won't feel resentful but I'd like to be able to say I talked to my dad today without it being a holiday. I want it to be an ordinary day."

"We can do that," he agreed.

"Really?" She asked. "Its not just some I'll-keep-in-touch-but-not-really thing?"

"No," he replied. "Rory, I want to get to know you the way I should have before."

"Promise me that you won't let me down," she said.

"I won't," he said.

Rory shook her head. "No, promise me. Because if I let you in this time and you do...that's it."

Christopher is quiet a moment before he replied. She almost believed he hung up when he came back. "I promise."

"Okay," she whispered.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "Do you want me to come down there?"

"No," she replied. "Jess is here and Paris and Grandma. I'll be fine."

"Jess is there?" He picked out.

She could feel annoyance come through. "Dad -"

"I'm not saying it to start anything," he backtracked. "I'm glad he's there and...I'm glad you're happy with him."

The annoyance faded and she smiled. "Thank you."

They hung up a few seconds later and Rory went in search of coffee as she had said she would.