A/N: I'm so sorry for being so late with this chapter. Exams happened and then I just couldn't get it right. Also, I know I missed answering a few reviews for the last chapter. Balls being dropped all around on my part. Hopefully you'll like this chapter and thank you so much for the reviews. You guys rock :).

Thinking

Much later that night, Jess walked in the diner apartment, finding Rory on the bed, reading. Sitting down next to her, he pushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Woke up to go to the bathroom and couldn't go back to sleep."

"I went for a walk. Sorry I didn't leave a note. Figured you wouldn't miss me."

"It's ok." She smiled at him, leaning over and kissing him. "I would have called, but didn't know if you wanted time alone or what…?"

"I…had to think." Jess shook his head, throwing his shoes off and leaning against the headboard, waiting for her to curl up next to him.

"And?"

Wrapping his arm around her, he kissed the top of her head, rubbing her arm slowly. "I don't know."

"Still?"

"I've been trying to decide if I want him there or not and I cannot figure it out. And I'm trying to keep this baby…" He ran his other hand over her stomach gently, kissing her head again. "…Out of the equation, but I can't." He sighed, frustrated and Rory squeezed his hand.

"It will be ok. Either way, it's going to be fine."

"Yeah, probably."

Rory lifted her head, kissing him softly and smiling. "You don't have to decide anything tonight."

"I know." Jess nodded, sliding down on the bed, taking her with him and then extended his arm, turning off the lights.

"Not going to change?"

"Too comfortable." He smiled softly, pulling her closer to him. "Night."

"I love you."

"Love you too." He kissed the top of her head as she pulled a blanket over them, closing her eyes. After a few minutes, Jess took a deep breath, running his hand over her waist.

"I don't get him."

"What?" Rory opened her eyes again, placing a soft kiss on his chest.

"Jimmy. I look at you and those ultrasound pictures that you're so proud of and the only thing I want is to keep both of you safe and happy at all times while he left like a fucking coward and I don't understand him."

Lifting her head, Rory kissed him until they were both out of breath, her hand squeezing his. "You don't have to get him."

"I wish I could at least find him a good excuse." He shook his head, sighing and she pulled back, waiting for him to sit up on the bed. "I've been thinking about this all night and I cannot figure it out. What was he thinking? How did he fucking live with that decision all this time?"

Hugging him, Rory ran her fingers through his hair, kissing his temple. "Jess…"

"You and this baby are the most important things in my life, you know that, right?" Jess whispered, hugging her as close to him as he could.

"I know." She replied, whispering as well, before pulling back and attacking his mouth again. "He shouldn't come to the wedding. Not if it will bring anything up for you and make you even the least bit unhappy."

"I'm just thinking out loud now. I don't know if I want him there or not."

"Want to just elope? Get this over with?" Rory laughed, trying to help him relax.

"Don't tempt me." He smirked, kissing her quickly. "How would your dress look next to Elvis?"

"Probably very plain."

"Aliens then? If we're doing Vegas, it has to be better than the usual boring guy in black robe."

"I'll ask reverend Skinner tomorrow how he'd feel about wearing a clown suit." Kissing him again, she smiled softly, her fingers running through his hair. "Talk to Luke about Jimmy. He knows more about what happened then and you won't have to sit through that conversation with Liz."

"You honestly think bringing this up to Luke would be a good idea?"

"I think it's going to bug you until you figure it out."

"And you think Luke has any answers?"

"I think he has more answers than you do. He can tell you if Jimmy left because he was a jerk or if something happened between him and Liz. Or if…I don't know. I just think talking to Luke would help."

"I'll give it a try tomorrow."

"Thank you." She smiled, squeezing his hand. "Now get some sleep. It's late."

"I'm going to want to kill myself if you keep practicing those mothering skills on me."

"Oh, shush, twice in one day isn't that bad. At least I didn't bust you for not taking your coat with you." She laughed, placing quick kisses on his lips. "Now sleep."

"Yes, ma'am." He moved back to his pillow, taking her with him and smirked when she cuddled as close to him as she could, covering him with the blankets again. "Are you going to start helping me get dressed in the mornings in a few months?"

"Maybe." Rory smiled, wrapping her arm around him. "At least help you get undressed."

"I like that one."

"Shocking." She snickered, kissing his chest. "Good night."

Friday afternoon, Jess was sitting at the table in the upstairs apartment, reading and drinking coffee. Walking in the room, Luke nodded, opening the fridge.

"I need milk. The waitress isn't here so I can't send her to the store."

"Ok." Jess nodded, closing his book and putting it on the table. "You busy downstairs?"

"Why?"

"I was just…never mind." He shook his head, opening his book again.

"What is it?" Luke sat down, dropping the milk on the table. "Something wrong? Wedding stuff? Baby stuff?"

"No." Jess shook his head again. "Forget it."

"What's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, he looked at his uncle. "What can you tell me about Jimmy?"

"Jimmy…? Oh…wow."

"Yeah, I know. What's he like?"

"Jess, you know him way better than I do. Except for his very brief visit here back when you were in high school, I haven't seen him since you were a few months old. You at least spent that summer with him."

"That was a brilliant idea." He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I'm just curious to know what he was like when I was born."

"Jess…" He put his hand on his nephew's arm sympathetically and smiled. "I don't know what you want me to tell you. Because as much as I'd like to say he was a good guy, he wasn't."

"The truth works just fine. I'm not looking for heroes here."

"The truth is he was a bastard. And not just because he left you and your mom. He was a bastard before that and did a lot of things he shouldn't have. For the longest time after he left, I was expecting Liz to get a call from either prison or the morgue, telling her he was there." He paused for a few seconds, thinking. "Jimmy was never the great guy that made the wrong call when he left. He was a jerk that didn't care about anyone. You're not that."

"This isn't about that."

"Then?"

Pausing for a second, he ran his hand through his hair. "He called yesterday. Asked if he can come to the wedding."

After a very long silence, Luke took a deep breath. "So you've been talking."

"You could say that. He calls once in a while, we talk then ignore each other until the next big holiday."

Clenching his fists under the table where Jess couldn't see him, Luke shook his head slowly. "Do you want him to come?"

"I don't know. I told him I'd have to think about it. What do you think?"

"I think this is your call. It's your wedding, you get to choose who you want there. I don't care." He replied a bit too bluntly and Jess nodded, trying to stop himself from smirking.

"Sure." He drew out the word, making Luke shake his head.

"What happened? When you lived with him that summer?"

"Nothing. That's the thing. It's not like anything happened that would make this an easy decision to make, one way or the other."

"But…?"

"No buts. I spent a few months there, then decided California wasn't my thing and left. I don't think we even had a conversation that wasn't about what to have for dinner for the entire time." Deciding to change the subject, Jess stood up, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter, I'll think about it. Sorry I brought it up. Do you need any help in the diner?"

"Shouldn't you be keeping Matt company?"

"He's walking around town, taking pictures for his girlfriend. I have nothing better to do."

"In that case, sure."

In the meantime at the inn, Lorelai and Rory were sitting in the library, looking at a catalogue from the flower shop, trying to decide on centerpieces. Looking at her mother, Rory sipped from her mug of decaf coffee.

"I have to ask you a favor."

"Anything you want." Lorelai smiled back, putting down the catalogue. "Do you need something for the wedding?"

"No, this is kind of unconnected to that. Well, it's connected, but not directly and…ok, I should say it instead of trying to decide if it's connected or not." She laughed softly, shaking her head. "Jess talked to Jimmy yesterday. Long story short, he invited himself to the wedding, Jess is thinking about it and I need you to talk to Luke and keep him calm if Jess actually agrees to him coming and Jimmy doesn't change his mind."

"Oh, wow, return of the deadbeat father."

"Yeah, I know. But this is Jess' decision and what I think shouldn't matter, just what he wants and what will make him happy. I'm…neutral."

"How very Switzerland of you." Lorelai laughed, shaking her head. "How neutral are you actually?"

"Germany." She snickered, drinking from her cup. "I want to take him and shake him, asking him over and over again just what the hell he was thinking when he left. If he was honestly that big of a self-absorbed idiot that didn't realize what leaving would mean to his son and wife or if just didn't care. And, you know, what gives him the right to think that he can just march back in and he'll get to be a part of Jess' life now and of…you know what I mean…" She looked around her, making sure no one was near. "When he decided it was ok to just leave."

"But, you know, you're neutral." Lorelai laughed again, putting her hand on Rory's arm.

"I have to be. As much as I dislike him, maybe if he comes, they'll get a chance to have a relationship. So I am keeping my opinions to myself and letting Jess decide. He seems to be dealing with it far better that I am, anyway."

"You can always rant to me."

"Thanks. I'm trying to take whatever side will make Jess happiest." Rory smiled, her fingers twisting her engagement ring. "But I still need you to make sure Luke doesn't decide to go after him with a baseball bat or anything like that if he does come. Or spends the day glaring and snapping at him."

"Just call me Vin Diesel, baby."

"…Because you're fast and furious?"

"The Pacifier!" Lorelai shook her head, snickering.

"Ah, makes more sense."

"Pregnancy brain, party of one."

"Quiet!" Rory hushed her mother, looking around them to make sure there was no one.

"Sorry." She smiled apologetically, picking up her mug again. "When are you telling the town?"

"I don't know, I'll have to talk to Jess about it."

"Before or after the wedding?"

"What part of I don't know confused you?"

"Hey, no being mean to your mother!" Lorelai chuckled again.

"I'll work harder on it. Now help me pick something for the wedding before I lose my mind and Jess mocks me again for spending hours looking at flower arrangements and not making a decision."

Opening the catalogue again, Lorelai nodded. "What page where we on?"

The next day, everyone was in the diner, having lunch. Hearing his phone ringing, Jess stood up, smoothing Rory's hair down.

"I'll be back in a minute."

"Ok."

"Why does he still go outside?" Lorelai tilted her head to the side, smiling.

"Mom, the sign's still there."

"I've decided it doesn't apply to family."

"Does Luke know?"

In the meantime, outside. Taking a deep breath when he saw the California number, Jess lifted the phone to his ear, cursing silently.

"Hey, Jimmy."

"Hey."

After a short pause, Jess sighed, shaking his head. "Call for a reason?"

"Yeah." The man on the other end of the phone paused for a second. "I just…I shouldn't have invited myself to your wedding like that."

"I'm sure Emily Post would disapprove of your etiquette blunder."

Chuckling, Jimmy shook his head. "No, I mean yes, she probably would. And Sasha has been chewing me out for that one. But I shouldn't have put you in that position. It's fine. I shouldn't be there. It would cause more problems for everyone."

"Probably."

"And I want to tell you that I get why you don't want me there. And it's fine. Not that, you know, you need me to tell you that or anything. Or that you need…something." The man rambled, making Jess smirk.

"Sasha breathing down your neck right now?"

"Not this second, but she has been for the past couple of days. Couch time for me. But it doesn't have anything to do with this call. This is my thing."

"I hope you at least got a more comfortable couch." Jess decided to ignore the man's comment.

"A couple of years back."

"Good to know."

"Maybe me wanting to come to your wedding was too big of a step. I'll try to make it some other weekend, meet this girl you're marrying. And see your kid, after it's born. If that's ok with you."

"Jimmy…?" He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as a million thoughts rushed through his brain.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to come to the wedding?"

"Well, yeah. But if it will mess anything up, I'd…"

"Come."

"What?"

"Just…come to the wedding. I'll make sure things are ok on this end."

"Are you sure?"

Nodding once, Jess ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah. I'll send you an email with the details, I doubt an invitation would make it in time."

"Thanks."

"I should go. I'm outside and Connecticut weather is very different than California."

"Take care of yourself."

"I usually do. Bye."

"Bye."

Walking back inside, he threw his jacket on the back of the chair and Rory leaned over, kissing his cheek.

"Work?"

"Jimmy." He leaned over and whispered in her ear, making sure no one else could hear.

"And?"

"One more coming to the wedding."