Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls isn't mine, but perhaps one day it will be. Hmmm, maybe I should buy it for 'camera zooms in for dramatic effect' one million dollars. 'insert evil laugh here'.

A/N: Well, thanks for all your wonderful reviews! They keep me going. This is a special note to everyone who begged me not to make Rory pregnant: Have faith, my good readers and I promise this will not be cliché. Please stick with this story, you won't be disappointed! And a special thanks goes out to my brand, spanking new beta: Christi. Thanks to everyone who offered to be my beta, y'all rock! Now, onto chapter 11!

Rating: PG (this chapter)

Chapter 11: Returns

Luke was preoccupied for the rest of the morning with thoughts about Rory and Lorelai. He'd never seen Lorelai look so fragile. This was sickening to him, and now he had to meet the elder Gilmore's. He didn't know why he agreed to go with Lorelai . . . well, that was a lie. Luke wanted to go with Lorelai because he cared deeply about her. Just then, Luke saw Lorelai's jeep drive by the diner, and he sighed when he saw Rory in the driver's seat. She had come home. Hopefully, they could work it out and maybe, just maybe they'd call off the horrendous Friday night dinner that awaited them all.

Rory drove towards her house and hoped with all her heart that Lorelai wouldn't yell at her, again. She hated when they fought and lately, that's all they seemed to do. They had to get their relationship back on track because Rory didn't know how she would get through the next 8 months without her mother's help. Rory took a deep breath as she shut off the ignition and stepped out of the jeep. As she began the long, slow trek towards the house the door opened.

Lorelai paced in front of the window for three hours, waiting for Rory to come home. She was ashamed of herself, and she didn't feel like she had the right to call Rory after how she acted. Then, she saw her jeep in the driveway, and she ran towards the door. Lorelai paused just before she pulled on the doorknob and took a deep breath. Then she pulled the door open and ran towards Rory.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me. I didn't want to be like my mother. I've told myself a million times that I would handle it differently than my mother, but here it happened, and I did the same thing," Lorelai said, with tears threatening to fall.

Rory smiled, softly and wrapped her arms around her mother. "I understand, and I'm sorry, too."

They both hugged and cried together, and then Rory figured that would be the perfect time to tell her mother about her decision.

"We're keeping the baby, Mom."

Lorelai looked at Rory with surprise. "Well, you have plenty of time to think…"

Rory cut her off. "No. I want to have our baby. I love Tristan."

"What? How can you love him? You barely know each other."

Rory smiled. "I know, but that doesn't matter. I love him, and I can't explain how it happened, but I know that I'm supposed to love him."

Lorelai looked at the certainty and calm in her daughter's face and voice and knew that she was telling the truth. Rory never ceased to surprise her and after everything she had been through, she was standing in front of Lorelai with an eerie mellowness. Sure, she was terrified to the core, but somehow Rory knew everything would be okay. Lorelai smiled and gave Rory a big hug.

Their relationship was not perfect, but Lorelai was not going to punish Rory forever. Everyone makes mistakes and it was time to focus on the positives. Tristan was still on her most hated list, but at least her baby girl was safe. Of course the sinking feeling was still in Lorelai's stomach when she thought about how Richard and Emily would react, but they still had a few days before that night would come.

"So, you up for a movie marathon?" Rory asked Lorelai.

"You bet."

They spent the entire afternoon and evening watching the Molly Ringwald trilogy. They both knew life would never be the same again, but for that moment they just relaxed and enjoyed their time together as just a mother and a daughter. As the last movie ended, Lorelai turned to Rory and decided it was time to bring up the topic she had been avoiding.

"Well, since you've decided to keep the baby… um, well… have you thought about telling your grandparents?"

Rory felt the urge to vomit the second her grandparents were even mentioned. At that second, the reality of the situation dawned on her. Everyone would know about the baby because her stomach was going to pooch out. She wouldn't be able to see her feet in a few months. 'Oh dear God,' Rory thought, she had a human being growing inside of her at that moment, and soon everyone would know about it. She tried to remain calm and collected like she had been earlier, but Lorelai saw her 'deer in the headlights' look.

"Uh, to tell you the truth it hadn't crossed my mind. I was more concerned about telling you and Tristan. Oh my God. I have to tell everyone."

"It'll be okay. I asked Luke to come with us… if that's okay."

Rory smiled, softly. "Of course that's okay. Wait… Luke knows?"

Lorelai let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, I sort of had a meltdown after you left. He asked me what was wrong and I spilled."

Rory shook her head at her mother. "You're pathetic."

"I'm pathetic! You're the one who's a pregnant teenager."

"Takes one to know one," Rory joked back.

Finally, it seemed that they were back on track. It felt good to have the same silly banter, even though the subject matter was much more serious. Rory went into her room to call Tristan and ask him to Friday night dinner while Lorelai called her parents to see if it would be okay to invite Tristan and his family to dinner. She cringed as she heard her mother's voice on the other line.

"Hello."

"Hi Mom."

"Lorelai. What can I do for you?" Emily snapped.

"Wow, are you always that short on the phone?"

"What do you need, Lorelai?" Emily sighed, obviously tired of her daughter.

"Well a 'how are you today, Lorelai?' would be nice. Or how about a 'good to hear from you'," Lorelai babbled.

"Okay, Lorelai, it's good to hear from you. Now, what do you want?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Well, Rory has a new boyfriend."

"Oh really."

"Yes, I think you know him. Tristan DuGrey."

"Oh yes! He's such a lovely boy. Rory has very good taste. His family is absolutely charming."

"Yeah, he's a peach," Lorelai said, trying not to sound too sarcastic. "Anyway, I was wondering if we could invite his family and him to Friday night dinner."

"Of course," Emily stated, immediately. "I tell you, Lorelai, Rory has found herself a wonderful boy."

Lorelai almost vomited as her mother gushed about the kid that knocked up her daughter, the kid that had put a gap between her and her baby. She wanted him to suffer, and she hoped that someone in his family would hurt him the same way he had hurt Lorelai. She wanted him to feel ashamed for not protecting her little girl from the same fate she had. This was going to be too hard for Rory. Lorelai had wanted more for her. Rory was supposed to go to Harvard and become a journalist. She was supposed to be able to do all of the things that Lorelai didn't get a chance to do. The more she thought about what that kid had done to them, the angrier she got.

"Okay Mom," Lorelai said, sounding very irritated. "I get that you're just crazy about him. We'll see you, Friday. Oh yeah, I'm bring my friend, Luke."

"Oh alright, Lorelai."

Lorelai hung up the phone quickly and felt hot tears burning down her face. She wiped away the tears as quickly as she could and walked slowly to her daughter's room. Lorelai didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she heard their good-byes and it tore at her heart when she heard those 4 little words leave her daughter's mouth.

"I love you, hon."

She said them so sweetly, and with such sincerity that it infuriated Lorelai even further. There was no way Tristan DuGrey really loved Rory. She was sure Rory thought she was in love, but they had only been together for a month. A month was not enough time to fall in love.

Rory smiled to herself as she closed her phone. What Lorelai didn't know was that Tristan had already hung up before hearing Rory say that. Rory was too much of a chicken to say the L-word first, but she felt it in every part of her body. Rory was scared to death about the baby, but just knowing that Tristan was going through the same thing she was made it seem okay. They could handle this as long as they did it together. Then her mother walked in and was acting very funny.

"I talked to your grandmother, and she said it was fine for Tristan and his family to come."

"Tristan said they'd be there, at least some of them. His parents are the absent kind."

Lorelai clenched her teeth and nodded in understanding. Her father had been the absent kind, and both of Christopher's parents had been distant and unconnected with their son. The doorbell rang then, chasing thoughts of her teenage rendezvous with Rory's father away.

"That's good. I'll get the door."

"Coming," she yelled, as the doorbell rang a second time.

The door opened and her mouth dropped to the floor. There, standing in front of her stood Christopher Hayden in a leather jacket. Lorelai took a glance behind him and saw his motorcycle parked in the driveway next to her jeep.

"Hey Lor. How's our kid, doing?"

"Chris!" Lorelai gaped as soon as she could speak. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just passing through. I had to run a business deal in Hartford, so I thought I'd stop by and see my two favorite gals."

"Wow, it's great to see you," Lorelai said and gave him a huge hug.

Lorelai would never admit it to anyone, but when Chris was with her, he became her rock. Right now, she needed a rock so she almost burst out crying when he hugged her back just as tightly.

"Are you okay?" Chris asked her, but he didn't get to hear a response.

"Dad!" Rory yelled and through her arms around her father.

"Hey kiddo! I've missed you, so much!"

"Me too. Oh wow, I can't believe you're really here!"

"Me neither," Lorelai whispered, but nobody heard her.

"What do you say I take you both out for ice cream."

Lorelai grinned, and decided she'd wallowed enough about Rory's condition. It was time for her too at least pretend to be all right. Besides, now was not the time to tell Christopher. Now was the time to forget about it and envy his ignorance to the life-changing situation that was currently forming.

"I've never said no to free dessert, and I'm not about to start now!" she said, grabbing Chris by the hand and pulling him out the door.

Rory smiled, but in the pit of her stomach, she realized that now she'd have to tell her father, as well. Suddenly, ice cream didn't sound like a great idea. She refused to let her anxiety show, though, and went along with her parents. Seeing them together was strange, but she was happy that her mother was pretending to be okay. There was no need to tell her father about his impending grandfather-state. He might as well be told with everyone else on Friday night.

"Come on, slow poke," her father joked, and Rory walked a little faster to keep up.

"I'm coming."

After they had their ice cream, Rory felt the now familiar nausea return in such a force that she had to lean over and throw up in the bushes on the way home. Any time she even thought about telling people she was pregnant, the sick feeling would return and anything in her stomach would be history.

"Rory, are you okay?" Chris asked her.

"Yeah, I'm just… getting over a virus. I guess I over did it on the ice cream."

"Oh, I'm sorry kiddo."

"Yeah, me too," Rory said as she clutched her stomach.

Lying to her father didn't help matters any, and she felt nauseous all over again and sprinted towards the house, barely making it to the toilet. As she knelt over the cold white bowl, she began to cry. Not about her future or about what a baby would mean in 7 ½ months. Rory cried because of how disappointed everyone would be in her. As she sobbed, her stomach churned and gargled.

"I'm sorry, baby," Rory whispered. "I'm sorry you had to have me as a mommy. I promise I'll love you, but right now my life is a real mess."

Rory kissed her fingers and placed her fingers on her lower abdomen. Everything would be okay, she told herself, but the nausea returned, and she leaned over the toilet once again.

"Is she okay?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, she's just a little sick, still and stressed about school. She's fine, though."

"Good. How are you, though?" Christopher asked.

Before Lorelai could spill her guts, Rory returned looking very pale.

"I'm sorry, but I'm feeling really tired, so I'm going to go to bed, now. Goodnight, Dad. I'm glad you're here."

"Me too, kiddo," Chris told her, giving her a hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad."

Lorelai gave Rory a hug that said a lot more than goodnight. It said that everything would work out and that she'd be there for her, no matter what. That was the warmest hug and Rory had never needed to be held so badly in her entire life.

"Goodnight, babe."

"Night Mom."

A/N: Did you love it? Did you hate it? What do you think will happen, next? I want to know, so please R&R!