A/N: Not sure too many people read 'Once Upon A Gilmore' but I couldn't resist the opportunity for a fairytale Christmas ;)

17. Once Upon A Christmas
'Verse: Once Upon A Gilmore
Timeline: post-fic

"And here was me thinking you were going to be there to protect me at my first Royal Christmas Ball," said Jess, trying to look annoyed but only managing a smirk as he found Rory alone on the balcony of their bedroom.

"I'm sorry," she said, turning to reach for his hand and pulling him to stand beside her. "I wasn't feeling so great so I came to lie down for a while, but then I realised what was happening," she said, smiling wide at the view once more.

"I would never tell your mom this," Jess whispered, putting his arms around his wife from behind and pulling her close, "but for all the amazing ice-related stuff she can do, nothing beats nature."

"Can't argue with that." Rory smiled, leaning into his embrace as they watched the snow fall, turning the entire kingdom white and even more beautiful than usual. "Nature is kind of amazing. Even magic can't outdo it. It can achieve anything."

Jess started to wonder if Rory was still talking about weather at this point. There was a strange tone in her voice and when he pulled her around to face him, there was a look on her face like he had never seen before too.

"Rory?" he said, meeting her eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"No," she said definitely, shaking her head. "Everything's right," she promised him, as she held his face in her hands. "Jess, I wasn't going to tell you yet. It was going to be kind of a Christmas present, or at least a surprise, I guess."

The clock chimed midnight right then, just as if it had been planned, and Jess smiled.

"You got your wish," he told her. "It's Christmas now. What's the surprise?"

Rory laughed, startling him a little, but not as much as when she finally spoke again.

"I'm pregnant." she admitted at last. "By the summer, we'll have a baby of our own."

Jess felt his eyes go so wide, he was almost sure they were going to roll clean out of his head. He was going to be a father, which was a lot to take in, on top of already being made a prince in the last few months.

"Jess?" she prompted, worry marring her brow.

"I'm okay," he promised her, hating to see her at all scared. "I swear, I'm happy about this, I just... I'm a little shocked, I guess."

"It came as a surprise to me too." Rory nodded. "But this is how it's supposed to be, right? Fall in love, get married, make a family, live happily ever after?"

"So they tell me." Jess nodded. "I can't believe how my life has changed in the last year, and all because of you," he told her, fingers running through her hair.

"Not just because of me," she reminded him. "You were pretty amazing before I ever came along, Jess. You were a prince long before marrying me gave you the title. I loved you before, I love you now, and I'll love you forever."

The sound of her sweet declaration and promise was almost too much to take, he just had to be kissing her then. Rory made Jess happier than he ever knew he could be, and it wasn't the money or the castle or anything like that, they were all mere side effects. He loved her because she was the other half of him, as he was for her, and now they were having a baby too. It didn't get much better than that.

"I love you too, Rory," he promised her, his forehead resting against her own, "both of you. Merry Christmas, Princess."

"Merry Christmas, Prince," she echoed back as he pulled her into another sweet kiss, and the snow continued to fall softly over all their happy kingdom.