A.N. This is part one of two, as I was informed that the combined chapter I originally intended was just too dang long! So look out for the next chapter much much sooner than usual! In the meantime, THIS chapter... does not contain any of the deep soul-searching you may have come to expect from this story. It's... almost a bit shallow, actually, and maybe not even very original... But I simply HAD to do it! I HAD to! I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it...

Endless gratitude for all your wonderful reviews, those who favorited and subscribed, and to my fantastic betas, PrincessAndula and siss7!

"Rory!" Lorelai called through the door of the changing room. "Are you ready to come out yet? We wanna see!"

"In a minute!" Rory yelled back, frowning at her reflection and tugging awkwardly at the edges of the swimsuit she was trying on. Swimsuit shopping wasn't exactly fun at the best of times, but at two months postpartum it was frankly depressing. Rory sighed and then opened the door glumly, stepping out to face her mother, who was holding Richie. "Well?" she asked dully.

Lorelai cocked her head to one side. "Turn," she commanded. Rory turned. "Ehhhhh, nope," Lorelai said. "I don't like it."

"Yeah, me neither," Rory grumbled, shutting herself in the stall again and peeling the suit off. She'd always been thin, and she supposed she ought to be grateful for that, but she couldn't help feeling self-conscious about this new version of her body. She'd always felt a little hippy, but they were even wider now. And her stomach, oh that was the best part. She'd never been particularly toned (having the aversion to exercise that she did), but now… she thought her belly mostly resembled a pale, flabby lump of dough, striped with faintly purple stretch marks. It was fairly safe to say that her bikini days were over. Not that she'd ever been much of a bikini girl to begin with, but at least she'd had the option…

"We just need to find one that has eeeeverything we need," Lorelai was saying, her voice taking on that high-pitched, chirpy tone that indicated that she was talking to Richie. "Something flattering for Mommy, and something with easy access to the ta-tas for you!"

Ah, yes, perhaps the one silver lining in all this: she actually had boobs now, so that was something. And they were no longer just for show, so no high-necked halter tops this time.

Rory shimmied into another option, turning this way and that to observe the effect. "Maybe this one!" she called. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Ooh, that is better!" Lorelai said. "The color's better on you, and it highlights the fabulous new rack you've got goin' on right now…"

Rory sighed. "Yeah, I guess. It's not perfect, but I think it's the best I can do right now."

"Aw, sweetie. It'll get better. Remember, it took nine months for your body to reach maximum balloonage; it'll probably take just as long to shrink back."

"That's true."

"And besides, there's not gonna be anyone at this party you'll want to impress, is there? It's just Stars Hollow, it's not like it's in Philly or anything…""

Shut up," Rory muttered, glaring at her mother as she shut the door again.

"Rory. Don't look now, but Jess just walked in."

Rory immediately whipped her head around. "What?!"

"I said don't look now!" Lane hissed.

"I know! I'm sorry! I couldn't help it!"

There was Jess at the entrance, in a t-shirt and shorts (had Rory ever seen him wear shorts before?), glaring at everyone and everything with an expression that could only be described as "thunderous." His little sister skipped ahead of him, looking considerably happier to be there.

Lane broke the silence. "I guess he's here with Doula. Against his will, by the looks of it... He looks mad."

"He does look mad." Rory bit her lip. "Is it bad that I think he looks even hotter than usual like this?"

"No, no... I see it. It's a good look for him. I think it's the lip-curl thing."

"Yeah..." Rory nodded absently, "yeah, that's definitely a factor."

"And the whole intense, broody glare thing. Like he could just melt you with his gaze... and the fact that he has good eyebrows helps."

"Yeah," she agreed distractedly, eyes still drinking him in. She was glad to be wearing sunglasses, but when his gaze landed on hers and his eyebrows raised in recognition, she still felt like she'd been caught. She frantically whispered to Lane, "Dammit, here he comes! Shh!"

Rory hadn't felt so much like a teenager in years, and she flushed with embarrassment and irritation. Pull it together, jeez! You are a mature and rational grown-up woman, for God's sake!

Doula reached them first, waving cheerfully. "Hi, Rory! Hi, Mrs. VanGerbig! Oh, and Richie oh my gosh he's so cute!" she gushed. "I have presents," she announced, holding up two colorful gift bags. "Where should I put 'em?"

"Hey, thanks! They go over on that picnic table over there," Lane pointed. "I'm so glad you could come!" She smiled at Doula and then at Jess, who nodded in acknowledgement.

Jess tapped his sister's arm. "You wanna get set up before you take those over there?" he asked, dumping towels and other swimming paraphernalia onto the chair next to Rory.

"Um, yeah," Doula decided, and Rory watched, transfixed, as Jess oversaw the process and made sure she remembered sunscreen before she scampered off. It was the spray-can variety, and both siblings wrinkled their noses identically as Jess applied it to the center of her back while Doula held her ponytail out of the way. When she finally ran off, Jess collapsed down onto the lounge chair and put his head in his hands, grabbing fistfuls of his hair.

Rory and Lane exchanged a wary glance, but after a moment, he turned his head to look at them and grimaced apologetically. "Hey," he greeted them sheepishly.

Rory smiled at him fondly, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head. "Hey yourself," she responded. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you'd be in town this weekend."

His face darkened. "Yeah, well, neither did I. Until Liz called me at about 8 pm last night and told me they'd double-booked. She'd promised Doula she could go to this party. And then yesterday Liz remembered that they were already booked for a Ren faire this weekend and she'd totally forgotten about it. They couldn't skip that, 'cause it's money, and Doula was completely heartbroken that she couldn't come, 'cause she hardly ever gets invited to anything - thank you, Danes social-awkwardness gene - and Luke is camping with April this weekend and…" Jess heaved an enormous, frustrated sigh. "Well, here I am."

"Aw, man!" Rory sympathized.

Jess shook his head angrily, staring darkly at the ground. "I had to drive down last night so Liz and TJ could leave at the a**-crack of dawn to get their tent set up before the faire opened. I didn't get in 'til after midnight. So, I'm sorry we were late, Lane. I had to go out and buy swim trunks this morning, because no way in hell was I gonna wear TJ's."

"Don't worry about it," Lane said. "We're just glad she could make it. And you're welcome to join us, too."

"Lane will be thrilled to have one more person here who would rather not discuss juice cleanses and Lularoe." Rory leaned over conspiratorially. "That's why I'm here."

"Lula-what?"

"Exactly," said Lane.

Jess's eyebrows rose in amusement. "Ok, well… Have either of you listened to Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize lecture yet?"

"I mean, I heard that lady read it at the ceremony when he didn't show up, who was she again?"

"She's the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden," Rory answered.

"Oh, right! So, yeah, it was a cool speech. And Patti Smith singing 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall'? Oh my G-d. Chills, man."

Jess nodded. "Yeah, it was amazing. That's not what I'm talking about, though."

"No? What are you talking about?" Rory frowned.

"He also had to give a six-minute lecture in person before he could collect the award. They recorded it recently."

"Oh my G-d, that's right! I can't believe I forgot about that!"

"Well, keep up, Rory, jeez!" he teased, lip curled in mock disdain. "It's not like you've had anything else to think about..." He nodded at Richie, who was asleep on Rory's chest. The uncertain new experience of the swimming pool and being snuggled under a towel in the warm sun had made him very sleepy.

"Alright, fine." Rory smiled. "So you've listened to it, then?"

Jess nodded, and his eyes were shining with enthusiasm. "Yeah. I kinda stumbled across it accidentally on YouTube the other day, and as soon as I heard it, I thought, Oh my G-d, Rory would love this…" He stopped abruptly and looked down, clamping his mouth shut. "And, uh… Lane." He smiled at her, gesturing in her direction. "Both of you would really like it."

Lane studied him appraisingly, and then smiled. "Thanks Jess. I'll check that out sometime."

"What did he talk about?" Rory asked.

"Ah, he talked about seeing Buddy Holly perform for the first time and how it was this electrifying experience that changed his life… about the impact of literature on his life and work, and he analyzed three of his favorite books: Moby Dick, All Quiet on the Western Front, and uh…" Jess looked up, trying to jog his memory. "Oh, and the Odyssey. It was… really interesting."

"That sounds amazing!" Rory gushed excitedly. "I'll have to look that up!"

"I'll send you the link, so you don't have to go searching for it."

"Thank you!"

"You know, Jess," said Lane, nodding in approval, "I'm sorry you had to drive all the way up here, but… I must say I'm actually really glad you're here."

Rory felt like her heart would burst from happiness as she beamed at both of her friends in turn. This was good, this was wonderful! Two of her favorite people, getting along! She could imagine them all hanging out together, the conversations they would have...

Jess laughed. "Wow, those Stars Hollow Elementary moms must be really bad."

Rory scowled at him. "Will you stop it?" she fumed. "Why can't you ever just accept it when people say nice things to you? If I didn't have a baby sleeping on me, I would hit you right now!"

"I don't handle compliments well. Sorry."

"Clearly! Just say, 'Thank you, Lane,' and get over it!"

"Alright, alright. Thank you, Lane," he intoned dutifully.

"You're welcome. And I mean that. This has been fun! You know, we should all hang out together sometime, whenever you're in town. Me and Zach... and you and Rory…" she trailed off, noticing the wide-eyed death glare Rory was shooting at her. "Or, you know, whatever," she finished awkwardly.

Jess seemed a bit taken aback. "Um, sure, ok," he nodded. "Yeah, that would be cool."

Rory sighed happily. Richie began to stir, turning his head and scrubbing at his face with a pudgy fist.

"Hey there, sleepyhead!" she crooned softly. "Look who's here! It's Jess!"

"Hey, buddy," Jess smiled. "Man, he's so much bigger than the last time I saw him."

Rory sighed. "Tell me about it. He's changing so quickly and I'm not sure if I like it."

"Can I hold him?" Lane asked. "Come over here to your Auntie Lane, sweet boy!"

Grateful for the chance to change positions, Rory stretched her arms and legs out as far as they would go and leaned over to dig her water bottle out of her bag.

"So, are you going to be in town all weekend, then?" she asked Jess, as she rummaged through the depths of the enormous diaper bag. She found the bottle, sat up, and threw her head back for a long drink. Jess still hadn't answered. She looked at him questioningly and found his gaze wandering down her body in apparent fascination. Her heart stopped. Was he actually checking her out? Or was it more like train-wreck fascination? Rory wasn't sure. "Jess?" she prompted. His eyes shot up to meet hers guiltily.

"Sorry, what was the question?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I asked if you were going to be in town all weekend," she repeated slowly. And suddenly feeling bold, she slyly added, "And my eyes are up here, Jess."

He cringed and hid his face in his hands. "I'm sorry," he groaned. "I'm so sorry. I've never seen you in a swimsuit before and it's just… a lot to take in. Which is not an excuse, obviously, but, uh…"

"Jess, relax!" she laughed. "I get what you mean. It's a little jarring. I mean, I don't think I've ever seen you wear shorts before."

"Yeah, that's because I generally don't. I just bought these this morning."

"Right. But I mean, it's weird when you're used to seeing someone fully clothed and then you suddenly see them wearing… not much clothing," Rory rambled. That sounded a lot less awkward in my head.

One of Jess's eyebrows rose in a wicked arch. "Right," he nodded, watching her carefully.

Rory struggled with herself internally. Don't ask. Don't ask. Don't ask. Don't- "So," she asked, "is the reality everything you dreamed it would be?" She smirked at him mockingly, but under her mask of confidence a little voice in her head was screaming derisively, well, of COURSE it isn't! You're not exactly the nubile teenager you were when he dated you!

Jess's other eyebrow rose to join the first one and he blinked at her rapidly. "Uh…" She could see his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed hard. He looked away, barking out a little laugh of disbelief, before looking her right in the eye appraisingly. "You look good, Gilmore, if that's what you're asking. You always do."

Her heart turned over. He was checking her out. "Well," she said, hiding her nerves behind sarcasm, "I'm so glad you approve. It's such a relief to know I've fulfilled my purpose as a woman, as an object of pleasure for the male gaze."

Jess rolled his eyes and grimaced. "Thanks for the bait and switch," he muttered wryly. "I can't tell if I've offended you or not, since I already apologized and you were all, 'relax, Jess, I totally understand,' just a minute ago…" He was looking down at his hands now.

Rory felt sheepish and frustrated with herself. She'd never been good at flirting, and she wasn't even supposed to be trying to flirt with him anyway. "No, you're right, I'm sorry," she sighed. "I guess you're not the only one who doesn't handle compliments well," she admitted, smiling at him apologetically.

He smiled back. After a moment he looked away again and took a deep breath. "Well, anyway, to answer your first question… Yes. I'll here all weekend. The faire runs through Sunday, so Liz and TJ won't be back until tomorrow night."

"Oh okay. Well, you and Doula should stop by the house sometime before you leave. It'd be nice to hang out some more, and Richie's always a sure bet if you're looking for ways to keep Doula entertained…"

"Ok, thanks," Jess nodded.

Lane had been getting a distinct "third wheel" vibe for the past few minutes, but the fact that Rory and Jess seemed to have forgotten her existence wasn't bothering her right now. She had been quietly observing their entire exchange with interest the whole time, and everything she'd seen was certainly intriguing. She buried her nose in Richie's soft fuzzy hair and inhaled blissfully, smiling to herself.

"Jess!" came Doula's voice from the water. "Come in the pool with me!"

Jess looked over at his little sister with a pained expression on his face. "Uh… no thanks."

"Aw, please?" she begged.

He shook his head. "Nah, I don't really…"

"Oh, come on!" Doula whined. "Just for a little bit? Pleeeeeease?"

Jess sighed and threw his head back in exasperation. "Ok, fine!"

"Yay!" She bobbed up and down in excitement.

"But only for a couple minutes. And no splashing me in the face, you got that?"

"Got it!"

"And just this once, ok? This is your one chance, 'cause I'm not gettin' back in again later, alright?"

"Ok," Doula reluctantly acknowledged.

"And I get to pick the movie tonight. That's my final offer."

"Aw, but you'll pick something boring!"

"Excuse me, but my movie choices are not boring. Someone has to make sure you're properly educated, and I'm not getting in that pool with you and marathoning 'Equestria Girls' all in one day. Do you accept my terms?"

"Fine," she sighed. "Now are you coming in?"

"Just hang on a second. Hey, Lane?" Jess asked in a low voice, leaning forward to look around Rory, "You didn't invite Miss Patty to this little shindig, did you?"

Lane raised one eyebrow. "Um, no, Jess. I didn't… Why do you ask?"

He exhaled in relief. "Well, it's just that I prefer not to wear fewer than three layers of clothing around that woman, and if I'm going to be getting in the pool…"

"Ah," Lane grinned in understanding, trading an amused glance with Rory, who was also grinning. "No, I think you're safe. From her, anyway…"

"Aw, poor Jess," Rory teased. "Are you in the running for husband number six?"

"I'm glad you think this is funny, Gilmore," Jess growled, glaring at her. "That woman should be sued for sexual harassment."

It probably would have been nicer to back off, but Miss Patty made too convenient a scapegoat for Rory's own lust, and she just couldn't resist such an opportunity to tease him and be able to blame someone else for it.

"Now, Jess, you can't expect a woman of her… appetites-"

"Oh jeez," Jess groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

"-to be able to control herself around such a… a specimen of manhood as yourself!" Jess raised one eyebrow at her. "It goes against nature! I mean, what do you expect? You're practically asking for it."

"Really appreciate the double standard, Rory," Jess deadpanned, narrowing his eyes.

"Walking around in front of her, looking the way you do…"

"Looking the way I do, huh?" he drawled, getting to his feet and looking her straight in the eye.

"Well, I mean…" She gestured at his body like Vanna White revealing a new vowel.

"You mean… what, exactly?" he smirked, toeing off his sandals.

"I mean, you practically have 'cougar bait' written all over you…" she teased, grinning up at him.

"Yeah, whatever," he said, and then he was pulling his shirt up and over his head in one smooth motion and Rory felt like the wind had been completely knocked out of her.

Oh my. Well. That was one way to shut her up…

"And, Rory…" he stage-whispered, "my eyes are up here."

Red-faced, she lifted her gaze just in time to see his wicked smirk a moment before he threw his balled up t-shirt in her face and turned to walk away.

Rory had caught the shirt reflexively and now she sat there clutching it (oh G-d, it smelled like him), frozen in place, her wide eyes following him all the way into the pool where he joined Doula.

There was a long, stunned silence, and then Lane finally spoke in a low voice, "Oh my G-d. Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh," Rory squeaked, still paralyzed by what had just happened.

"It's probably a good thing I'm the one holding Richie right now, otherwise you might have dropped him…"

"Hey!" Rory frowned indignantly, taking her son back from Lane and snuggling him close in her arms.

"But seriously, though… wow."

"Yeah," Rory said weakly. "I think wow about covers it…"

"So, I guess Jess has grown up... in more ways than one."

"Uh-huh!"

"Because he did not look like this in highschool."

"Nope."

"I mean, don't get me wrong. He was cute in highschool, but…"

"Yeah."

"And not that it should be surprising that he looks different. I mean… do any of us still look the way we did in highschool?"

"Nope."

"I mean, Zach and I definitely don't. Can you believe we're in our thirties now? Wow."

"Yeah, wow."

Lane observed Rory in amusement. "Somehow I don't think your wow is referring to the same thing as my wow," she said.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Rory asked, finally tearing her eyes away from Jess, who was now not only shirtless, but also wet.

Lane laughed. "Oh, nevermind."

Rory huffed in frustration. "This is ridiculous," she muttered. "It's not as though I've never seen a naked man before!"

"Though you've never seen a naked Jess before…" Lane pointed out helpfully.

"Well, that's true… but he's not even naked! He's just… half naked. Big deal!"

Lane looked at Rory incredulously. "I mean, it's a little bit of a big deal! Do you think most men look like that with their shirts off?!"

"No," Rory admitted sulkily. "They don't."

"Why are you freaking out about noticing that Jess is hot? I'd bet about 9 out of 10 of the other moms at this party are checking him out too, and they're not even in love with him."

"Say that a little louder, Lane, why don't you?" Rory hissed furiously, throwing a panicked look at Jess, who was thankfully focused on talking to Zach, Doula perched on his shoulders with a beach ball. He shook his wet hair out of his face and Rory's stomach clenched involuntarily.

"I'm just saying... nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to blame you for being distracted by… that. And you're trying to insist that nothing less than the full monty should impress you?"

Rory blushed furiously. "Ok, fine," she sighed. "It's just a little hard to deal with! I feel like a freakin' teenager, and I'm trying so hard to play it cool and be ok with the whole 'just friends' thing, and there he is, taking his clothes off right in front of me!" she complained.

"Ahhhh, I think I get it now," Lane nodded. "So we have to pretend it's no big deal so you can keep it together?"

"Yes! Exactly."

"Well, ok... Though I'm still not convinced he's completely sold on the 'just friends' thing either…"

"Lane, we discussed this!" Rory said sternly (and a little desperately).

Lane sighed. "I know. So… you want to help me get the food all set up?"

"Yes! Perfect. Let's go."

A few minutes later and they were done, and Rory thought she might as well see if she could get Richie to eat before the cake and presents happened. She handed Richie off to Lane and went to dig through the diaper bag looking for her nursing cover. She didn't use it often, but she had bought it just for situations like this. It had a strap to go around her neck to keep Richie from yanking it off, so she could avoid flashing an entire party of children, judgemental moms, and… Jess. Unfortunately, she couldn't seem to find it anywhere. Oh no, she thought in a panic. No, no, no!

Rory dug through the bag once again, taking everything out. "No! I was sure I packed it! I'm always prepared for these things! I over-prepare! Why is this the one time I forgot it?!" she wailed.

Rory frantically grabbed her phone and texted her mother.

I forgot my nursing cover! Can you please please bring it to me?

After an anxious minute, she got a reply: Can't you just use a beach towel?

Rory huffed impatiently. No. Jess is here with Doula

Oh! Well maybe flashing him a little nip will get you what you want?

Lane came by just in time to hear Rory's horrified gasp, and Rory showed her the phone. Lane winced sympathetically. "Ooh. Creative emoji use, there."

MOM! PLEASE!

ok ok. Will come in a few minutes

THANK YOU! It should be in the living room or my bedroom.

Sighing with relief, Rory put away her phone and turned to Lane. "Mom's bringing it. I just have to keep Richie distracted for a few minutes."

"Good luck," Lane nodded solemnly, and transferred the baby back into his mother's waiting arms.

Rory huffed again, shaking her head. "I should have just brought bottles. Why didn't I do that?"

"Um, because then you'd have to wash the bottles, and also because you were freaking out about the milk going bad in this heat? Oh, and also because you know he won't take the bottle when you've got the real thing right there, and..."

"Fine," Rory sighed. "Be rational, why don't you?"

Lane smirked. "I try."

Rory walked over to the fence line and paced back and forth with Richie. She felt restless and agitated. She was trying not to look at the pool. "Just a few more minutes, baby," she murmured to Richie, stroking his soft skin and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Lola is coming, and then you can eat!" He burbled uncertainly and tried to stuff his fist into his mouth. Rory sighed anxiously. "I know, baby, I know. You are a Gilmore, after all, and we're always hungry, aren't we?"

She pointed at squirrels. She pointed at birds. She bounced him on her hip and avoided looking at the pool. Then there was a shriek, a splash, and the sound of Jess laughing loudly, and she turned around. Doula had just come up sputtering and laughing, and as far as Rory could guess, Jess had thrown her in. G-d, he was beautiful when he laughed… and it wasn't something she got to see very often. Jess's triumph seemed short-lived, however, as he was now being swarmed by a whole group of eager kids, who were clamoring for him to throw them in next. Zach seemed more than happy to let someone else be the focus of the chaos for once, and Rory grinned in delight as Jess scowled in annoyance and then reluctantly let Kwan climb up on his shoulders. He was so much like Luke sometimes.

"Enjoying the view?" came Lorelai's sudden voice behind her, and Rory squeezed her eyes shut in equal parts relief and annoyance.

"Finally! You're here," she exclaimed, ignoring the question. "You brought it?"

"Yes, I brought it. Here you go," Lorelai said, handing Rory the precious bundle of fabric. "It was stuffed between the couch cushions."

"Thank you!" Rory gushed, hugging her mother impulsively and walking briskly back to her lounge chair with Richie, who had recognized the cover and was now beginning to fuss and pull at Rory's swimsuit impatiently, sensing that his lunch was near. Lorelai followed behind, surveying the scene with interest.

"Well, that's interesting," she mused, watching Jess throw another kid off his shoulders, to the raucous cheers of the rest of the group. "I never really pictured Jess as being popular with the kiddies."

"Well, you never pictured Jess as being popular with anyone, so that shows what you know," Rory replied loftily, busying herself with arranging her cover-up and helping Richie start nursing. She didn't feel the need to mention that she had been surprised by it too, but in a way that made her heart grow warm. "Besides, he's a Danes, right? All prickly on the outside, all soft and gooey on the inside. Remember when Luke sponsored that girl's soccer team?"

Lorelai giggled. "Oh yeah! He was adorable. Who woulda thunk it? Gruff ol' Mr. Jam-hands and a bunch of little girls!"

Rory smiled too, then grew a little sad that her mom and Luke had let years of fear and miscommunication rob them of the chance to have children of their own.

"Speaking of taking after his uncle, though, Jess sure has filled out, hasn't he?"

"Mom! Ew!" Rory protested.

"Just sayin'," Lorelai shrugged lightly. "But that's… more than just maturity. It looks like he's put a lot of work into it, too, if you know what I mean…"

"Mom. Stop!"

"Do you have any idea how that happened? I mean, he's never really been the athletic type… Our one civil conversation when he was a kid mostly revolved around how much he hated sports. And he seems to have made a career out of the whole sedentary reading-and-writing thing, so that doesn't seem to have changed much…"

"It's none of your business! For God's sake, stop staring!"

"Ugh, it's going to bug me now!" Lorelai whined. "Is he lifting really heavy boxes of books back in the warehouse or something? Or maybe, from what I'm looking at right now, he makes a hobby of bench-pressing small children? Although that sounds more than a little disturbing, now that I've said it..."

"Oh, my G-d," Rory muttered in despair.

"Hey!" said Lane, coming over to check on them. "It looks like you've got everything you need, now… I think we're going to start the eating part soon."

"Ok, great!" Rory smiled, grateful for the interruption. It didn't last long.

"Thanks, Lane," Lorelai chimed in. "Hey, are there going to be drinks involved, too? Because I think Rory here's getting a little… thirsty." She snickered.

"Oh my G-d!" Rory complained, glaring at her mother fiercely. "Leave me alone!"

"Ah, that," Lane smiled, glancing at Jess, who looked like he was finally nearing the limits of his patience for the day and was now answering all further pleas with stubborn refusal. His arms were crossed firmly across his chest, and Rory did not find this helpful.

"Yes, that," Lorelai echoed drily. "So kind of you to provide a little something for the mothers to enjoy at this party…"

Rory fumed in silent frustration.

"Apparently, we can thank Liz and TJ bailing at the last minute for that," Lane commented.

"Oh, is that why he's here? Interesting. I thought it might have been a set-up…" Lorelai mused. Rory's eyes widened.

Lane laughed. "Nope! This was all Divine Providence." She glanced at Rory and then lowered her voice and leaned closer to Lorelai. "You missed the show earlier," she whispered gleefully.

Lorelai gasped, "There was more of a show?" at the same time that Rory said, "No!" indignantly.

Lane nodded eagerly. "You could have cut the sexual tension with a knife. There was shameless flirting on both sides-"

"There was not!" Rory sputtered, face bright red with embarrassment.

"And," Lane finished triumphantly, "Jess was totally checking her out, too. She called him on it, and he admitted it! You should have seen him gaping like a fish when she basically asked if he liked what he saw."

Lorelai gasped and turned to her daughter, her hand over her heart. Rory shrank under her gaze, dreading what was coming. "I'm so proud!" Lorelai cooed tearfully. "My little daughter has officially achieved MILF status!"

"Oh my G-d!" Rory groaned. "I hate you. Both of you!"

Lane at least had the decency to look abashed. "Sorry, Rory," she cringed. "I'll talk to you later, Lorelai," Lane nodded significantly (Rory rolled her eyes). "And I guess I'd better call everyone in for lunch now, so… Bye!"

"Well, you have been having an interesting day," Lorelai said, once Lane had walked away. She studied her daughter's face thoughtfully.

"I don't want to talk about it," Rory insisted. She carefully repositioned Richie so that he could switch sides and refused to look at her mother.

"You're actually upset," Lorelai observed, seeming surprised.

"Yes, I'm upset!" Rory shot back, through clenched teeth. "You know how I feel about him, you know how hard I've been trying to get past this, and you promised to help me! And now you're mocking me for it, with Lane, and while Jess is only a few feet away!"

Lorelai frowned. "I guess I didn't know it was still such a big deal to you. He's single again, right? And from what Lane said-"

"I don't want to talk about what Lane said! This isn't some highschool crush, Mom! I have a son. And just because someone thinks their ex-girlfriend looks attractive in a swimsuit, doesn't mean they'd be willing to give up their whole life and help raise a kid! And now everybody's coming, so will you please stop?" Rory ended up hissing the last part as she saw Jess and Doula headed their way.

"You'd better dry off and then sit in the sun for awhile once you've got your plate, ok?" Jess was saying to Doula, whose lips had turned purple, teeth chattering. He tossed her a towel sternly before grabbing his own and finally registering Lorelai's presence. He hesitated for a split-second, warily noting the tension between mother and daughter, and then nodded politely in greeting. "Hey, Lorelai," he said casually.

"Jess," she nodded stiffly in return, forcing a tight smile. Her arms were folded tightly, her posture defensive. Her smile softened apologetically when she met eyes with Doula, who had pulled her towel up over her head like a hooded cloak. "Hey there, Doula. You having fun, sweetie?"

The shivering girl beamed. "Oh, yeah! I'm having a great time! I even got Jess to come in!"

"Well, that's great," Lorelai echoed. "I just stopped by to drop something off for Rory, so I should probably get going pretty soon."

"Where's Richie?" Jess frowned suddenly, his towel-dried hair sticking out in every direction as he pulled his t-shirt back over his head.

Rory thought he looked adorable. "Lunchtime," she replied succinctly, smiling up at him shyly.

His eyes flickered down to the piece of fabric draped over her torso as understanding dawned in his eyes. "Ahhhh," he nodded, grinning crookedly. "I see."

"Wow, I'm impressed! You didn't run away screaming or anything," Lorelai snickered, earning her a matched set of derisive scowls from both Rory and Jess. "What?" she grumbled defensively. "Oh, come on! Doesn't anyone remember the way he reacted when that lady was breastfeeding in the diner that one time?"

Jess rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, I'm not eighteen anymore, Lorelai," he drawled in annoyance. He met her eyes challengingly. "People grow up. They don't stay the same forever. Wouldn't you say the same for you?"

She stared back at him for a long moment, thoughtfully. Finally, she pressed her lips together and shrugged. "Ok," she admitted, "I see your point." There was something almost like respect behind her eyes.

Jess exhaled in what seemed like relief and then nodded once. "Hey," he addressed Rory softly, "do you want me to grab you a plate of food while we're up there? Since you're a bit occupied right now?"

"Sure," Rory smiled, touched by his thoughtfulness. "Thanks, Jess."

He smiled back and shrugged. "No problem. Ok, Doula, let's go. Later, Lorelai."

"Later," she replied, lifting her hand in an awkward wave. Once Jess and Doula had walked away, she heaved a sigh. "Look, kid, I'm sorry I was giving you such a hard time, ok?" she told Rory. "He's right, you know. He's not eighteen anymore, and neither are you. You've got complicated adult lives with complicated adult problems, and I guess that's hard for me to remember sometimes. You'll always be my baby, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Rory sighed. "And I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm a bit sensitive about the subject right now, as I'm sure you noticed."

"Yeah. Well, I guess I'll get going, sweets. You seem to be all set up now, and you've got the Incredible Hunk catering to your every need, so…"

"Mom..." Rory warned, turning red.

"Sorry, just had to get one more in there… heh heh, dirty, right?" she grinned.

"Mom," Rory repeated sternly.

"Ok, fine," Lorelai pouted. She bent to kiss the top of her daughter's head before she left. "Toodles!" she called over her shoulder with a finger-wiggling wave.

"Love you!" Rory called back, then she looked down at the baby boy at her breast and sighed. "What are we going to do with that Lola, huh?"

Richie hummed against her skin and looked up into her eyes steadily. Rory felt her heart swell almost to bursting with love. Man, she thought, that oxytocin sure is a wonder drug.

Thanks so much for reading! So... what did you think? Good? Bad? I would love to know what you thought, anything at all! I love all my reviewers so much. You inspire me!

Part 2 coming soon...