A/N: Thank you for the reviews.

Oh, no, here we go!

"Hey." Jess greeted her, walking in the nursery late Wednesday evening. "What's up?"

"Nothing much." She replied, continuing to scrub the windowsill.

"You don't think that's clean enough yet?"

"No." She snapped at him, shooting a glare in his direction.

"Should I stand back and bring the ice cream?"

"Do whatever you want." She told him again, closing her eyes and grimacing.

"What's wrong?" Jess hurried to her side, putting one hand on her back and starting to rub it slowly.

"Hurts." She managed to get out.

"Hurts, hurts?" Rory nodded in reply and he kissed her temple, waiting for her to feel better. "Do you want to go to the hospital?" He asked when she finally relaxed again.

"No. It's been like this most of the day. I keep contracting for a while but then it stops."

"Would you like to hit me, would that help?"

"Maybe." She pouted, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, you get a pass for being grumpy. Are you sure you don't want to at least call your doctor?"

"I have to see her tomorrow, there's no point."

"Ok." He kissed the top of her head, hugging her tighter. "It's at one, right?"

"You should stay at work, Jess, I don't need you there."

"I'm going for the 'present at every appointment' badge. Maybe I'll get a prize."

"How about a baby?"

"That'll work." He smiled. "Come on, go sit down. I'll scrub the windowsill all you want."

"Please, it's so clean the baby could eat off it." Rory laughed, waddling to the nearest seat. Sitting on the foot rest across from her, Jess picked up one of her feet, starting to rub it. "You seriously want that badge." She told him with a grin, letting out a happy moan.

"Oh, yeah."

"Please tell me it's good news." Rory almost begged the doctor as she sat down next to Jess after her exam was over.

"Ready for her to be born?"

"As long as it's after tomorrow, she can come any time."

"What's tomorrow?"

"My last day of work. I'd really like to finish it."

"It doesn't look like she's going to interfere with that, which is about as much as I can say. Maybe."

"Maybe?" Rory laughed.

"I'm just guessing here, but I've examined women before and they had no signs of starting and then boom – middle of the night phone call. So don't take me as the final authority in this, babies have minds of their own."

"Can I bribe her?"

"You can try." Laura replied with a giggle. "It all looks good, she's in position. The only thing left to do is wait."

"I'm not good with waiting."

"It sucks." The doctor agreed. "Do you have any questions?"

"Not that I can think of, but you're in my speed dial."

"Good. When you do go into labor, don't do anything stupid like trying to drive yourself to the hospital. Jess, I'm making you in charge of this."

"Will do."

"In that case, I will see you again in a week, if not sooner."

"How was your last day of work?" Jess asked, walking into the living room where Rory was sipping from a cup of coffee, looking at her laptop.

"Not bad. There was cake."

"They do know you're going back, right?"

"Any excuse to have cake." She shrugged, motioning for him to move closer. Giving him a kiss, she smiled. "How was your work?"

"Riveting."

"Almost done?"

"Will be in a few days." Jess smiled, sitting next to her, glancing at her screen. "What were you doing?"

"Will you laugh?"

He shrugged in reply.

"Playing with an online middle name generator to try to name Brett."

"Any luck?"

"Really?"

"Look, we agreed she needs one and we're not any closer to a result."

"This doesn't look like it's going to help much either." Rory made a face. "Elizabeth, Penelope, Joelle." She read the first three names.

"No, no and are you fucking kidding me?" Jess rolled his eyes.

"Pretty much my thoughts. India, Carly, Serenity."

"Geez, this is getting worse."

"Faith, Charlotte, Jada."

"We're not religious, no and slightly striper-ish." He smirked.

"Poor kid." She rubbed her stomach and Jess's hand joined hers, smiling at the kicks. "You need better parents. Should we revisit some of our options?"

"We had options?"

"Lorelai."

"Can't use it because if she hates Brett she'll be shit out of luck in the name department. There are two of you already."

"We'll call her junior."

"Great." Jess drew out the word, smirking.

"Catherine."

"Which you hate."

"I don't hate it, I just don't want her to have two Hemingway names." Rory said. "In fact, I really like it."

"Then we can name her that and you have full naming dibs on the next one."

"What if she ends up being an only child?"

"We'll get a dog and you can name it."

"Let me think about that… daughter, dog. Yeah, same thing." She grinned.

"Great, it's settled." Jess stood up, kissing the top of her head. "I'm going to go make dinner."

"No, this is important."

"This is getting us nowhere. And it's supposed to be your decision anyway."

"I am hungry." She admitted.

"Maybe we'll think of something when she's here." Jess told her before leaving the room.

"What happens if we don't?" She called after him.

"Then she better like Brett a lot."

"Let's do something fun this weekend." Rory asked, sitting on the bed next to Jess on Saturday morning. "This better be our last weekend without a baby, we should take advantage."

"Sleep." Jess mumbled, burying his face in the pillow.

"But I'm awake. And can't sleep."

"I can."

"Please…?" She drew out the word, pouting.

"Fine, but I want it to be noted you'd kill me if I did this to you." He sat up, running a hand through his hair.

"Hah! Knew you were almost awake."

"I can go from almost awake back to sleep in five seconds if you don't interfere." He pointed out. "What do you want to do?"

"Something fun."

"You said that."

"It's as far as I got with planning."

"You can plan while I stay here and sleep."

"Jess!" She whined and he smirked in reply, kissing her forehead.

"Or I could go make breakfast."

"Thank you."

"Do I have to get a divorce now or am I still in time for an annulment?" He joked, getting out of bed.

"Hey, I just thought of something fun to do."

"What?" He asked and Rory smiled coyly, tugging at the edge of his shirt to pull him back closer.

"I'll give you a second to figure it out."

"Why did I never learn how to cook?" Rory asked as Jess picked up the phone on Monday afternoon.

"Because take away is easy? Why?"

"Because every 'things to do before the baby is born' list is telling me I should be making meals and freezing them for when we're too frazzled to cook."

"And again…take away."

"Well take away sucks!"

"You're out of things to do." Jess smirked, finally piecing things together.

"You're at work and I'm bored." She whined. "Why did I think stopping work was a good idea? I should have kept going right until the day this baby comes out." Taking a breath, she continued her rant. "I've packed and repacked her diaper bag – by the way, we forgot to put diapers in it. I've checked my hospital bag, charged everything that needs charging and finished my book. Then I organized the books, DVDs and magazines I have set for when I have to feed her and need something else to do in five stacks from' mindless brain candy' to 'must have at least had some coffee to get what the hell is going on'."

"Your morning has been more productive than most people's weeks."

"I would have cleaned too but I'm out of stuff to clean." Rory pouted.

"I'd make you come help, but we're just about done here."

"Aw, really? What if you all stop working and I finish it?"

"Sorry." He shrugged, smirking. "Call Lorelai, by the time you're off the phone with her I should be home."

"She's at work."

"And?"

"Good point."

"Call if you need anything."

"I will. Love you, bye."

"Bye."

Standing up again as soon as she'd hanged up, Rory walked to the kitchen and refilled her coffee cup while waiting for her mother to pick up her phone.

"Hi, mom."

"Are you in labor? Do I need to drive over?" She asked in one breath.

"Nope, just bored."

"Oh. That's a letdown."

"Thanks."

"You know what I mean." Lorelai laughed. "How are you?"

"Pregnant."

"Thanks for the update, I got that."

"No, you didn't let me finish. Pregnant and so huge and tired and bored and in pain and I need this child to be born now before I lose it."

"You are aware that childbirth hurts, right? I don't know why you're so anxious?"

"Because I'm huge." She pointed out again, laughing. "And I don't even care anymore, I just want her out."

"The last month of pregnancy is a joke, isn't it?" Lorelai agreed.

"Drug me now and wake me up when she's five."

"I wish I could."

"Ok, tell me something. Or give me something to do." She sighed. "Anything to keep me distracted."

"Kirk came by this morning…"

"I cannot believe Truncheon is closed for the summer." Matthew sighed, drinking from his beer. "I can't even remember when the last time we had any free time was."

"Not since we started it, that's for sure." Chris nodded.

"I think that makes us way overdue for this."

"Any big plans?" Rory asked.

"Sleep, sleep and oh, yeah, some sleep." Matthew laughed.

"Seriously? You have three months off to do whatever you want and you're going to sleep?"

"I'll find something to do once I wake up. But right now…sleep."

"How about you, Chris?"

"Mexico and then South from there. Going to spend a couple of weeks on a beach with beer first."

"That sounds awesome." She sighed wistfully. "Can I leave the kid with Jess after she's born and come hang out with you?"

"You bring the bathing suit, I have the double bed booked."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Jess smirked. "Is this joke ever going to die?"

"Umm…no." Chris answered after he pretended to think for a while.

"When are you leaving?" Jess asked.

"Couple of weeks. Couldn't miss the big event." He chuckled. "I need to stay around and see you two lose your last bits of sanity."

"On second thought, I like you better." Rory told Jess, kissing his cheek.

"You hurt me." Chris laughed. "Another round?"

"I'll come with you."

"God, beer smells good." Rory whined when they were alone, resting her head on Jess's shoulder. "I am just about ready to kill for a drink."

"Sorry." He kissed the top of her head. "How are you doing?"

"Not a stupid contraction all evening."

"Not the sort of thing people usually complain about."

"Right, because I would really like to go over her due date." Rory laughed. "She's done, she can get out now. I don't need a freeloader."

"It would make for a good story."

"Mommy went into labor in a bar." She made a face. "I'd never live it down."

"Your grandparents would be so proud."

"Please, grandma would have a heart attack if she heard that I came here tonight. We should both be home, waiting."

"I think it's Emily's fault, she should have provided us with written instructions on proper behavior. We're not supposed to know this sort of thing."

"I wonder if Miss Manners has any thoughts on the issue."

"What did we miss?" Matt asked, sitting back down and pushing two glasses in front of them. "Chris is trying to talk a girl into giving him her number."

"I was complaining about still being pregnant."

"My sister was fourteen days overdue."

"Why would you tell me that?" Rory asked, giggling. "You're lucky I have nothing to throw at your head."

"Erm…" He hesitated. "I'm sorry? I'm sure that's not going to happen to you."

"Can I hold you responsible if it does?"

"Do I still get to hold the baby?"

"Yes, but I will rant at you while you do it."

"Ranting I can deal with." He sipped from the beer that Chris put in front of him. "Should we freak him out again by mentioning the baby?"

"Please don't." Chris grimaced. "You may all be excited and shit, but I'm on the grossed out side of this. As far as I'm concerned, you just put on some weight."

"And yet you're staying long enough to see her once she's born?"

"I have issues with the idea of birth, not babies. They're great with some BBQ sauce."

"Note to self – don't let Chris alone with Brett." Jess smirked.

Tuesday night.

"Far be it from me to pretend I know better, but that's the third time you've stopped because you have a contraction since we started this game." Jess pointed out as Rory froze, clutching the end of the table.

"I'm fine." She got out after a few seconds.

"No, you've been having contractions every ten minutes."

"I'm fine." She told him again, standing up. "I am not going to get excited until they last for a while longer."

"If they haven't stopped in two hours?"

"We can go to the hospital." She told him, pacing around the room with one hand on her back. "Damn it though, this hurt like hell."

"I could have told you that."

"Not helpful."

"Ok, how would you like me to help?"

"I don't know." She shook her head, sitting back down and looking at the Scrabble board. "I can't think." Rory said after a few seconds of staring at her tiles. "My brain is dead."

Moving next to her, Jess took her hand gently and pushed it away from her back before taking over the massaging. "Do you want to take a bath or something?"

"Really?"

"The book said it should help!" He reminded her, smirking. "What's the worst that could happen, you relax for a while?"

"Suppose so." She shrugged, giving him a kiss. "You know, I'm so frustrated with all of this but I still don't feel ready. What if something goes wrong?"

"We'll deal."

"I don't think I could, Jess." She admitted.

"It's ok." He kissed her temple. "Nothing will go wrong, ok? Brett will be here soon and she's going to be about as perfect as you are. And instead of worrying, you're going to march to the bathroom and have a really long bath and then we're going to see what's going on and hopefully get you to a hospital."

"You're calm."

"Not on the inside." He smirked, standing up and extending his hands to help her up. "Come on."

"It's been two hours, let's go." Jess stood up, looking at Rory. "No more excuses."

"Fine."

"That was easy."

"I'd rather be in a hospital instead of here or the car when she's born. And the hospital can make the pain go away. I would really, really like that." Stopping as another contraction hit, she closed her eyes and let out a moan, waiting for it to end.

"What can I do?" Jess asked when she was better again.

"Go get the bag and let's go. Hospital, drugs, happy me."

"It's already in the car. I'll call Lorelai when we're driving."

"Then come on." She said, taking one more deep breath.