January of 2008 began with the bittersweet task of moving Ellie's crib into her own room. Though it was nerve-wracking to not be in the same room with her any longer, having to rely on the potentially faulty technology of a baby monitor throughout the night, Jess and Rory were ready to have their room to themselves again.

Once in her own room, after a surprisingly short adjustment period, Ellie was perfectly content to have her room with her soft décor and pretty mobile and friendly stuffed animals keeping watch over her from atop the dresser across from her crib. To her parents' surprise, Ellie adjusted to her new room almost immediately. After just a few nights of being fussy at bedtime and fighting sleep, she was set.

"Do we move her around too much?" Rory asked Jess one night as they sat side by side in bed, Rory's eyes fixed on the empty space where Ellie's crib used to be.

"What are you talking about?"

"She settled into a new environment so quickly. Do you think we like… shuffle her around too often?"

"Rory, it's a good thing that she's so flexible. She settles into whatever place we put her in. Can you imagine if it was the opposite?"

Rory grimaced at the thought of Ellie being more difficult to settle or struggling with the transitions and different locations. "Okay, point Jess."

"You worry too much," Jess said, setting his book down and leaning over to bury his nose in Rory's hair.

"Don't most moms?"

"Only the good ones."

"Aw, look at you, little suck up," Rory giggled as Jess's mouth moved down from her hair to the crook of her neck.

"I'm in bed with my beautiful girlfriend alone for the first time in like a year, can you blame me?" he mumbled in her ear, pressing a series of little kisses to her jawline.

Rory sighed contentedly as Jess made his way to her pulse point, her eyes fluttering shut and her book slipping to the side, forgotten as Jess's lips kissed their way up to her mouth and took priority in her mind.

She was pretty sure this whole having-their-room-to-themselves thing was going to be pretty nice.

The first few weeks of the year slipped by. Rory and Jess fell back into their work routines, Ellie continued to flourish, and life felt okay. There was a constant but subtle underlying stress as Rory edited more and more articles about rising costs and increasing job losses due to nationwide financial instability. She always came home with her brows knit together, ink on her hands and hair frizzy and mussed, and Jess had the niggling fear somewhere far back in his mind that this crisis would affect his work eventually, but for now, everything was peaceful.

That was until one morning early February, Rory woke up in agony, groaning as her hand protectively held her breast.

Jess sat up in bed next to her, concern etched on his face. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned as he watched Rory's face scrunch up in pain and discomfort.

"Boob. Hurts."

"How?"

"How what?"

"Like what kind of hurt?"

"Like tender and angry," Rory said.

Jess snorted.

"It's not funny!" Rory objected.

"Sorry, you're right. Your angry boob isn't funny at all."

Rory glared at Jess for a second before returning her attention to her breast, gingerly pressing around the sore area, breath hitching.

"What? What's the matter?" Jess asked, joking moods disappearing and worry replacing them in a second.

"I think it's just a clogged duct but ow..." Rory groaned.

Jess pressed a kiss to Rory's temple, an attempt at comfort where there wasn't much of anything he could do to solve her problem. "What do you need?"

"Baby. Feeding her might help."

"One baby, comin' up." Jess hopped out of bed and ran to get Ellie, zooming her through the air like an airplane as she giggled her delightful baby belly laugh and delivered her to Rory who requested a warm compress and some water. Jess didn't hesitate to retrieve Rory's requests before sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Rory, smoothing her hair back from her face as she winced through the pain of nursing.

"Can you take the day off?" Jess asked.

Rory shook her head. "I'll work from home so I don't have to deal with a bra, but I have too much to do to call out for a sore boob."

Jess nodded, understanding but simultaneously wishing Rory could take a sick day.

"I have to go in today. You gonna be okay here alone?"

"Yeah, but take Ellie?"

"What about the declogging?"

"Gross," Rory laughed with a grimace. "I'll just pump."

"Good plan. Gimme the munchkin, I'll get her ready while you heat your boob."

Rory handed Ellie over to Jess before settling against the pillows, pressing the warm, damp washcloth to the sore lump. Once the washcloth cooled against her skin and Jess and Ellie were off to work, Rory dragged herself out of bed and put on a nursing top, shuffling out to the living room to do some research online to refresh her memory on how to deal with a clogged duct. Making a mental list of treatments including heat compresses, Epsom salt soaks, and nursing, she switched over to work, hoping the issue would resolve itself quickly.

Thankfully, it did. After a couple days of implementing every home solution possible, Rory was back to herself, grateful to be rid of the pain. Unfortunately, Rory's reprieve from pain was short lived. A week after the clog dilemma, Jess and Ellie came home from work to find Rory curled into the fetal position on the couch, arms wrapped around abdomen and face buried in a pillow.

Jess quickly placed Ellie on her playmat and hurried to Rory's side, crouching next to her.

"Rory, baby, hey, what's wrong? What hurts?"

"Uterus…" Rory grumbled into the pillow.

"Huh?"

"My innards are very angry that we didn't give Ellie a sibling,"

Jess sighed in sympathy, running a hand over Rory's head. "Period's back?"

Rory turned her head to face Jess, her eyes red and puffy and making Jess's heart ache. "With a vengeance."

Jess frowned, running a thumb under Rory's eye to catch a stray tear as he mentally formulated a plan. "Alright, come on," he said, standing up.

"Noo…" Rory groaned, turning her face back into the pillow. "Moving bad. Staying still, good."

"Fine. Give me five minutes."

Rory just turned her face back into the pillow and made a disgruntled noise. Time didn't feel real, her mind hazy and only coherent thoughts were ow and damn this hurts and why don't they make epidurals for periods. She had no clue how long it had been when suddenly Jess rematerialized at her side, coaxing her off the couch.

"Ugh, what don't you get about moving makes it worse?" she snapped as Jess gently pulled her to a sitting position.

"I'm gonna let that slide, because you're hormonal and in pain and because I have a bath so hot it could turn you into soup all ready for you to get into."

Rory melted. "You ran me a bath?" she asked in a small voice, fresh tears springing to her eyes.

"Yes, and here's a couple ibuprofen and some water. Drink."

Rory did as ordered before forcing her body off the couch and letting herself be led slowly into the bathroom. Her jaw dropped when she found inside a lavender scented bubble bath with lit candles spread around the room.

"Get in, lay down, let the painkillers do their thing. Ellie and I will go get takeout for dinner and be back soon, okay?"

Rory shuffled forward, arms tightly wound around her abdomen, leaning her head against Jess's collarbone. "Thank you," she whispered into his shirt.

"'Course," Jess said with a soft smile, pressing a kiss to Rory's head and rubbing slow circles on the small of her back. "Hop in, I'll be back soon."

Rory drew back with a little nod as Jess ducked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Rory peeled off her pajamas, tied up her hair, and gingerly stepped into the tub, lowering herself into the bath with a sigh of relief. The steaming water felt absolutely heavenly, immediately relaxing her tense and achy muscles on contact. The floral scent of the lavender filled her with an all over sense of peace, mind going blissfully blank as the medication and heat worked their magic and dulled her pain.

She didn't even realize she had fallen into a sort of half-asleep stupor until she heard the front door open and close. She smiled to herself as she heard the sound of Jess's voice as he spoke to Ellie, moving around the apartment as Rory undid the drain and reluctantly climbed out. Before she could wrap herself in a towel, Jess entered the bathroom with an arm full of grocery bags. He blinked owlishly at the sight of his naked girlfriend. Rory had to stifle her laughter at the expression on his face.

Jess shook his head and did his best to refocus on why he was in the bathroom in the first place. Realizing he still had bags in his hands, he placed them on the counter and turned back to Rory.

"Uh, hi."

"Hi," Rory snickered.

"Someone's in a better mood," Jess said, returning Rory's smile.

"Hey, I distinctly remember you saying you'd let my snippiness slide," Rory said with a pout. "But I am sorry."

"No need," Jess said with a smile, stroking Rory's cheek with the back of his hand. "Now please put on a towel, because I'm pretty sure you're not in the mood and I have about ten seconds before I'll be able to focus on anything else."

Rory's cheeks flushed pink as she laughed, turning around to grab a towel before looking down and realizing blood had dripped down her freshly cleaned leg and onto the bathmat. "Ugh, dammit!" she hissed through her teeth.

Jess turned to the grocery bags and pulled out both a box of tampons and a package of pads and set them on the counter before wetting a dark washcloth in the sink and gesturing to Rory with his chin, pointing her towards the tub. "Hop back in the shower real quick, I'll take care of this." He crouched down and started dabbing at the spots on the rug.

Rory swallowed past the lump in her throat, refusing to succumb to her PMS and letting the tears spill over, before turning the shower on and waiting for the water to warm up before she climbed in and pulled the curtain shut behind her.

"Hey, where's Ellie?" she called over the sound of the water.

"Left her with that bird lady that hangs around outside. Figured she could teach her how to feed the pigeons, tuppence a bag and all that."

Rory snorted. "As long as she's entertained and learning about animals."

Jess smirked. "She knocked out at the store and was so tired she stayed asleep when I put her in the crib, she's down for the night." He stood up and looked down at his handiwork, admiring the newly cleaned rug before excusing himself out of the bathroom, darting into their bedroom to grab a change of clothes for Rory. Crossing his fingers that Rory would stay in the shower a couple minutes longer, he tossed her clothes in the dryer briefly before returning to the bathroom just as the water shut off. He left the warm clothes on the counter and ducked back out of the bathroom before Rory was able to slip out.

Rory grinned widely when she got out and saw her favorite pajamas on the counter, heart melting when she felt how warm they were. She pulled on her perfectly cozy pjs and made her way out into the living room where she found Jess on the couch in his own PJs, a litany of takeout and junk foods spread across the coffee table, along with a bottle of ibuprofen and a bottle of water.

The tears sprung to Rory's eyes so quickly she couldn't even try to hide them.

Jess just smiled softly at her, reaching out to grab her hand and pull her down on the couch next to him. She tucked herself into his side, making herself as small as possible and sniffling loudly before tilting her chin up to press a tender kiss to his lips.

"Thank you," she said in a tiny, watery voice. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You don't remember the whole thing with the virgin sacrifice?" He smiled as Rory snorted loudly and shook with laughter against his ribs. "Food?"

Rory sat up and inhaled deeply. "Food," she said with a nod.

With Rory back at work the following week, Jess decided to take a few days to work from home. Ellie was deep in a round of teething and Alex had some time off to see friends that were home from college on an extended winter break, so he wanted to take advantage of being able to write in the peace of his home in his more comfortable clothes. Not that he dressed especially nice for work – most days it was just dark jeans and a button down open over a t-shirt, only buttoning the outer shirt for important meetings – but being able to lounge in his sweats with his baby asleep on his chest made for the perfect work-from-home environment.

He was focused, relaxed, and content, which made it all the more annoying when there came a persistent rapping on the door.

He tried to ignore it at first, hoping the obnoxious visitor would assume no one was home and simply leave, but it just got louder and more intense and eventually woke Ellie from her nap. With a frustrated groan, Jess pulled himself off the couch and with Ellie in the crook of his arm, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with a chubby fist, went to the door.

He'd barely opened it before he was gracelessly shoved aside by what appeared to be a walking bookshelf with blond hair and a permanent frown on her face.

"Paris, please, come in," Jess grumbled to the empty space in the doorway before closing the door and turning around to glare at the intruder.

"I need to study."

"And you can't do that in Boston? In your apartment?"

"No, Doyle isn't making the right kind of noise," Paris said, methodically setting out her various study materials on the bar of the kitchen counter before taking a seat.

Jess sighed in frustration, hating that he kind of understood what she was talking about.

"Rory said I could come," Paris barked defensively at Jess's silence.

"Fine, whatever. But you woke up the monster so if she starts crying it's your fault."

"Fine," Paris mumbled, apparently already engrossed in her notes.

Jess just shook his head and took Ellie into her room for a diaper change. When he returned, he could see Paris moving her lips silently as she flipped through her notecards. Satisfied with how subtle her presence was, especially in comparison to how obtrusive she'd been in the past, Jess set Ellie up on a blanket on the floor with some toys before jumping back into his own work, laying on the floor on his stomach next to her. Surprisingly, the trio worked and played in relative silence for the next couple of hours with minimal breaks to give Ellie a snack or cuddle. They hadn't even realized just how much time had actually passed until they heard keys in the door and looked up to see Rory coming in.

"Paris? What—" Rory said with a confused chuckle.

"You said I was welcome any time," Paris snapped, defensive anxiety radiating off her.

"That's what you meant when you said Rory invited you?!" Jess asked from his place on the floor where he was serving as a table for Ellie to pile her blocks while he wrote.

"You know, I did indeed," Rory laughed. "So, welcome!" She walked over to Paris to give her a hug before taking off her heels and taking off her coat. "What inspired the visit?"

Paris looked away from Rory, seemingly choosing to focus back on her notes. "Just needed a change of environment."

Rory was suspicious of Paris's excuse but decided not to push it for the time being. "Okay. What sounds good for dinner?"

After getting Ellie bathed and fed and settled in bed, the adults gorged themselves on pizza, talk flowing easily and full of lively debate and discussion. Eventually, Jess excused himself to his and Rory's room and left Paris and Rory on the fire escape, each with a hot toddy, bundled up against the cold and listening to the bustle of the city below.

"So, I'm assuming you didn't drive all the way here just to hang out or to study with the ambience of a ten-month-old," Rory said, breaking their silence.

"Doyle proposed," Paris said softly, eyes fixed on the mug she was cradling in her hands.

"And you thought, 'huh, now would be a great time to see Rory'?"

"I panicked. Obviously."

"Did you even answer him?"

"I told him I needed to think about it. Which he understood, because of course he did, he's perfect and I'm a mess," Paris said, her voice cracking as her eyes welled with tears.

"Paris," Rory said, hushed, moving to wrap her arm around her friend. "One, Doyle is not perfect, and two, you aren't a mess. No more than the rest of us, at least."

Paris just scoffed.

"Okay, sure, you have some neuroses, but we all do. And Doyle loves your neuroses, just like you love his. You guys work together, better than I would have ever imagined. Plus, just because you put a ring on it doesn't mean you have to get married immediately."

Paris froze for a second before sitting up, her eyes red-rimmed as they met Rory's. "It doesn't?"

"Nope. In fact, Jess and I have essentially been engaged for almost a year. With zero actual marriage plans except for knowing we want to get married before Ellie starts school and we want it to be in the Fall."

Paris took a deep shuddering breath. "Oh."

"Paris, there aren't any rules. You get to live life at whatever pace you want to. There's no set sequence of events or timeline or anything. I mean, I had a baby before I graduated college. No marriage before the baby carriage here."

Paris nodded, her shoulders relaxing.

"Do you want to marry Doyle? Eventually?"

A soft smile took over Paris's previously distressed face. "Yeah, I do."

Rory returned her friend's smile. "Good."

Paris gave a single, solid nod. "Good."

Rory broke out into a wide grin. "Congratulations, Paris!"

"For what?"

"Paris, you just—" Rory laughed. "You're getting married!"

Paris's face brightened as the realization hit her. "Oh my God, I'm getting married!" She flung her arms around Rory and laughed gleefully. "I'm getting married!" she drew back abruptly. "Ha! I can't wait to rub my mother's face in this!

"Um, Paris, don't you think you should tell your fiancé first?"

Paris's eyes widened almost comically before she threw the blanket off of her lap and darted into the apartment to call Doyle. A second later, she stuck her head back through the window. "It's late, can I stay here tonight?"

"Please, Jess already got the extra blankets out of the closet and left them on the couch for you," Rory laughed, climbing back inside through the window. "Now go! Call Doyle!"

"Right, right…" Paris said, hurrying across the apartment to grab her cellphone.

Rory sat on the living room rug, legs crossed and arms outreached towards Ellie as Jess held her standing.

"C'mon Ellie!" Rory cooed, making grabby hands at her daughter. "Walk to Mama! You can do it!"

Ellie flashed a smile at Rory, wobbling on her unstable legs but being supported by Jess's hands under her armpits.

"Walk to Mama, Lee. Just a couple steps, okay?" Jess said softly, pressing a kiss to her soft, dark, baby shampoo scented hair. He carefully, slowly released the grasp he had under her arms and let his hands hover at her sides in case she toppled over.

"Mamamamama…" Ellie babbled past the fist in her mouth, wobbling on her unsteady legs.

"Yeah, come to Mama!" Rory cheered.

Ellie smiled back at her mother, seemingly contemplating the act of walking, before wobbling a little too far and falling back into Jess's lap. She sat on his crossed ankles looking up at him with an unsure frown.

"It's okay, kiddo, you'll get there eventually," he said softly.

Ellie reached up and gently patted his face with her open hand, letting out a quiet, "Dada," as she smiled up at him.

Jess smiled widely and placed his own hand over Ellie's.

In the weeks since her first word, Ellie had started to develop her own little vocabulary. Mama, Dada, and hi were her favorite words, often repeating syllables when she was especially excited or passionate, and Rory and Jess couldn't get enough of their little girl's babbling. Even when she wasn't speaking actual words, she was constantly making sounds to communicate with the people and toys around her, even talking to herself as heard over the baby monitor at night.

"Hey, we should start planning her birthday party," Rory said to Jess as he bounced Ellie on his lap.

"Who's?" Jess asked distractedly.

"Ellie's," Rory said with an eye roll.

"She's a baby. She needs a birthday party?"

"Yes, she needs a birthday party!" Rory said indignantly. "Steve and Kwan are having their birthday party in April and—and we're going," Rory emphasized as Jess opened his mouth to protest.

Jess slouched with a sigh.

"You did know that being a parent came with going to a bunch of kids' events, right? And being friends with other parents?"

"Yes, theoretically, I just didn't realize the torture had to start so soon."

"You like Lane!"

"Yeah, Lane's cool, and I like our kid, but going to a party full of screaming toddlers isn't exactly my idea of a good time."

"Well, buckle up buddy," Rory said as she stood. "Lorelai Gilmore is known for her parties, and she made me promise to let her help with Ellie's. It won't be too big though, she doesn't have many friends yet." Rory planted a kiss on Jess's head as she walked into the kitchen for coffee as Jess just groaned at the image he'd conjured in his head. Years of events surrounded by shrieking, sticky, clingy kids running this way and that, their mind-numbingly dull parents just adding to the chaos. The thought alone gave him a headache, made him feel a little dizzy.

"Exactly how many people are we inviting this first birthday shindig?"

"Mom and Luke of course, April, Grandma and Grandpa, Alex, Sookie and Jackson and their kids, Lane and the kids and probably Zack by extension…"

"Even though they're divorced?"

"Good question, I guess we'll find out?" Rory said. "Probably some of the Stars Hollow crew. Um…" Rory paused, feeling uncomfortable.

"What?" Jess asked, noticing Rory's hesitation and standing to join her in the kitchen.

"Should Doula be there? She's your sister and technically Ellie's aunt."

Jess paused. "Oh. Huh. I guess I never thought of it like that."

"Yeah. Plus your mom would want to be there…"

"No, yeah…" Jess cleared his throat. "Yeah, my mom and Doula should be there."

"Really?" Rory asked, shocked.

"Luke wants me to try, I'll try," Jess said roughly.

"Okay, Liz and Doula on the list."

"Your dad and sister? Technically, another one of Ellie's grandparents and aunts."

"Oh, true," Rory chuckled halfheartedly. "Yeah, even if they don't come, they should at least be invited," Rory said with an edge of bitterness. Chris had been to see them once in the year since Ellie's birth, just to meet Ellie. It was almost like he was marking off a task on his grandfatherly to-do list. Meet grandchild: check! Meanwhile Rory had called her father a few times and each time got a detailed update on just how outstanding Gigi was doing in kindergarten and how incredible it was to see her grow. Rory stayed very quiet during those conversations and tried not to take it personally despite the stone of resentment and abandonment that sat in her gut every time she talked to her father.

Jess took Rory's hand and squeezed it, offering silent empathy.

Rory took a deep breath and charged on. "What about Jimmy and Sasha and Lily?"

Jess pondered. Jimmy and Sasha had tied the knot the previous summer and sent a small collection of pictures from the oceanside ceremony. Sasha looked gorgeous in her flowing, gauzy dress and Jimmy's face radiated joy at his bride. Lily grinned widely in every picture, looking far more grown up than Jess would have ever guessed she would. After he saw how fast she was turning into a teenager, he'd called and talked to her for the first time in months, initially being ratted out for being a bad stepbrother but quickly being forgiven in favor of asking a million questions about Ellie and Rory. It felt good. Like having an actual extended family. A feeling that felt foreign to Jess yet wasn't entirely unwelcome.

"I doubt they'll fly across the country for a one-year-old's birthday, but we can invite them."

Rory finished writing down the guest list, noticing that it had somehow taken up an entire page in her notebook.

"Huh," she said.

Jess turned the paper toward him, eyes going wide. "So, that small party you mentioned?"

Rory grinned sheepishly. "Guess we'll need two cakes?"

Jess groaned and let his head fall to the counter with a thud.

A/N: Sorry this is late! Blame the power outage my town had! It's kind of blowing my mind that we're already at chapter seven and that Ellie's almost a year old. Thank you for all your lovely reviews! I read every single one and they always make me smile.