October 4

8 Months, 0 Weeks, 4 Days

Size: Bundle of Celery

LORELAI POV

"Rory!" I gush, pulling my beaming daughter into my arms as I take in the sight of the studio over her shoulder. Tonight, friends, perhaps for the first time in a hundred years - there's no historic town meeting.

At least not officially.

Instead, the studio is fully decorated and decked out for a baby shower. Above us, an insane amount of pink and blue helium balloons, with trailing curled ribbons, bump up festively against the ceiling, creating a two-toned pastel cloud above us. In the middle of the room, a banner reading, "Double the Fun" drapes festively over the dessert table that was no doubt enthusiastically supplied and put together by Sookie. Upbeat music crooning of pure love that can be sung not only to a lover, but also to a child, is DJed by none other than Kirk. Best of all, everyone from town is grinning gleefully back at me and Luke, thrilled to be together to celebrate the upcoming addition to our family.

First a romantic proposal in the town gazebo under twinkle lights and now this? Talk about the perfect night.

Pulling out of my hug with Rory, I immediately turn to Luke to find him wide-eyed and taking it all in for himself.

"Did you know about this?"

"I had no idea," he admits. It's easy to see the tiny bit of trepidation that crawls out of his soul to take a seat on his shoulder at the realization that tonight is not just about me and the babies, like a regular baby shower would be, but it's about him as well and there's absolutely no way in hell he'll be able to sneak out the back. "I'm just as surprised as you."

"When in the world did you find time to pull this off?" I ask, turning back toward Rory. "How? When? I thought you were bogged down at school and doing the whole John Nash Beautiful Mind writing on windows bit? At least that was what you were telling me last night when I was singing you my masterpiece."

"The beautiful mind bit was Paris freaking out about senior year."

"Ah."

"And, Mom, common." She waves me off coolly, her crystal blue eyes filling with playful ambition as she adjusts her dark orange sweater. "You shouldn't be surprised. You taught me everything I know. All I have to do is drink copious amounts of coffee and have a can-do spirit. Plus," she exaggerates the word playfully while tilting her head to the side before continuing, "I may have had some help."

Due to getting swept up in all the excitement of tonight's surprise, it's only now that I notice a grinning April tucked under Luke's arm. This is the first time we've seen the teen since Anna packed her up and moved her two thousand miles across the country.

"April, you're here!"

"It's a miracle," she replies dryly as Luke and I share a look of relief. "I don't know how she did it, but Rory talked Mom into letting me fly back a couple days early for my weekend with dad so I could be here for the party too."

"April, we both know you're the one who talked her into it considering the fact that when I hung up with your mom she wasn't thrilled with the idea."

"Once I pointed out that my uncle could pick me up from the airport and that I could call him if anything happened, Mom was fine. I really think she's being ridiculous."

"She just wants to keep you safe," I point out. "I wouldn't have thrown a thirteen year old Rory on an airplane without knowing the other person on the other end either."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she agrees, dropping the 'tude and looking up at me eagerly. "So movie night tomorrow? I thought maybe we could start on that crazy long list you and Rory spent two hours writing up just to make sure I am well educated in classic cinematography."

"Ah, a girl after my own heart!"

We smile at each other and there's nothing I want more than to pull April into my arms and play twenty questions to catch up, but that thought is squandered the moment we're surrounded by a small group. Without fanfare, our jackets are stripped off our shoulders and a fruity mocktail is shoved into my hand while Miss Patty fruitlessly, and foolishly, attempts to pass off a cup of Founder's Day Punch to Luke only for him to trade it off to Zach and collect a chilled beer instead.

Somewhere in the chaos, as the townies begin to sweep forward one-by-one to wrap first me and then an uncomfortable-with-all-the-attention Luke up into a hug, I manage to switch my engagement ring from my left hand to my right hand and twist the diamond in toward my palm to keep our happy news from breaking out unintentionally.

"Oh, Sugah!" Babette sways me side-to-side, my curled hair flying in all different directions as her raspy voice raises decibel by decibel, "I just know you're gonna be a great Mama to these two." Morey gives Luke's free hand a shake as Babette continues, "They are just so damn lucky to have you and Luke as their parents!"

"Thanks, Babette," I say with a laugh, pulling back.

After I straighten out my hair and the white, blue, and dark red flannel I threw on over my black long-sleeve shirt and maternity jeans, I step forward in my boots and greet each person as they step forward.

Miss Patty asks if I'd like to sign Lilly and William up for her eighteen month old dance class that is mysteriously scheduled to begin in exactly . . . nineteen months. Coincidence? I think not.

Kirk is handing us a babysitting application.

Taylor is warning me against breastfeeding in public and what I should purchase to ensure I'm always decent - and that includes at town meetings.

Lane and Zach are talking about how rock 'n roll it is that we're both having twins.

Liz and TJ are talking about cousins and holidays and playdates. And then, shocker of all shocks, none other than a black leather jacket clad Jess walks up to our group. Luke is thrilled to see him and it takes Jess all of five silent seconds to figure out that Luke and I are back together for good.

Tom and a couple guys from his crew are gathered around Luke, handing off cute little construction toys while Sookie is crying and talking about the two of us raising our babies together and how she's going to be stocking our freezer full of meals so we remember to eat when "lil-bitty-Lilly-and-Willy" show up. Her words, obviously.

After the hub-bub, everyone scatters to engage in different activities. Some decorate onesies, some weigh little seasonal pumpkins to predict how much each baby will weigh when they're born, and others gather around in groups, laughing. This, thankfully, leaves me, Luke, Rory and April completely unseen.

Without a word, and by some sort of fall miracle, Luke and I are both able to sneak the girls outside into the dark night without being noticed.

"So…" Rory leads, a big smirk popping on her face as she turns to glance at Luke knowingly, backlit by the light emanating from the open studio doors. Her arms wrap around her chest, fighting off the cooler air. "What's going on? Why are we out here?"

"We have some news," Luke states simply, getting right to the point.

Personally, I would have teased and dragged this news out, but que sera, sera!

"You're back together, you're going to have babies and you already live together," April points out dryly, brow creased, as she continues skeptically, "What other news can you have?"

"Well, there is one more major thing," I sing-song as I watch the busy way Rory watches me and Luke, her eyes narrowing and drifting calculatedly from me to Luke and then back to me. And somehow, perhaps simply through telepathy or through our superpower mother-daughter connection, it clicks.

She knows.

Her smile brightens like a sixty watt lightbulb when she realizes I know that she knows. "So, did you say yes?"

"Does the sun rise in the morning?" I shoot back coyly.

"Mom…"

"Or does the sun set in the evening?" I smirk, pulling the engagement ring from my right hand and slipping it onto my left ring finger.

Understanding begins to dawn on April's face as she begins to put two and two together. Thank all things good, the girl does not seem horrified by the idea of having me as her step-mother, in fact, she looks thrilled. How I'm going from having one daughter to four kids, is a bit much, but I'm excited for this next phase of my life with Luke.

"Of course I said yes." I look back to Rory. "But how in the world did you know?"

"Luke called me last night to make sure I'd be okay with him asking you."

I look up at a proud Luke, flabbergasted.

"I wasn't going to ask you without asking Rory," he explains simply before turning his attention onto my daughter. "Had I known you were coming home I would have waited to talk to you in person rather than calling you."

"And potentially ruin the surprise baby shower and have you go all Grizzly Adams just to avoid all the attention?" Rory asks in one breath. "Forget it!"

I snort, looking up at a guilty looking Luke who takes this moment to raise his beer to his lips to finish it off with one long swig before answering, "That's not what would have happened."

"Oh, Luke."

He rolls his eyes. "Fine, I would have maybe suggested that the night be about Lorelai and the babies but I wouldn't have run away to the woo-"

"You do realize you're now the David Bowie to my Iman, right?" I ask. His brow raises in question. "And as such, it doesn't matter where we go or what we do, all eyes will be on us, babe. Get ready to be chased by the Stars Hollow's paparazzi."

"We don't have paparazzi."

"Just give it time, I'm sure it'll be Kirk's next profession."

Luke rolls his eyes at this very valid point and shakes his head just as April bluntly asks, "So you're engaged, again?"

"Yeah, again," Luke confirms, voice low. "But for real this time. We're not just talking about marriage, or just getting engaged, we're actually going to do the whole get married thing."

At this, April's brows furrow. "I don't get it. If you two were always going to get married, why did you break up in the first place?"

Every part of me cringes with the question, wondering how to honestly explain what happened to the teen without her feeling as though any of it was her fault. It wasn't. It was all me and Luke. When Luke looks to me for help, I reach over and take a hold of April's hand to gain her attention. "That's a long story, hon, let's save it for another time when we can all talk through it without interruption, okay?"

Placated with the answer for now, April lifts our hands and begins to thoroughly study the diamond engagement ring on my finger. "Did you know that diamonds aren't actually formed in coal? They're actually created under high pressure, which most people know, but the formation actually begins when the carbon fluids mix and dissolve with the minerals found in the Earth's mantle. Most diamonds take one to three billion years to form."

"I did not know that," I admit, with a small chuckle.

"How do you feel about us getting married, April?" Luke asks softly.

April nods, satisfied, and then looks up at me and then at Luke through her glasses. "I'm glad you guys are getting married. I like the two of you together," she pauses, her brown eyes narrowing in thought. "But, uh, both of you have your own house, which one will we be living in?"

Luke stiffens at the question. "We're still figuring that-"

"Right where we are," I cut in without needing to think about it. Surprised, Luke turns to look at me to see if I'm serious. I smile back at him and then at Rory who's watching me with sad, but also understanding eyes. "It's become our home over the course of the last three months, hasn't it? You, Rory, and the twins all have your own room. There's space for all of us there. I mean, besides the paint colors, every other decision was made by me and Luke."

"Every decision was made by the both of us," Luke says simply.

I glance over at him, my brows curling in response to the coy half smirk on his lips. "I wasn't around when the house was being painted, I didn't have a hand in picking out the paint col-"

"Yes you did."

When we make our way back inside, not only does my breath audibly catch, but so does Luke's. Because there, across the room, standing with Miss Patty and a reluctant Gypsy, who's clearly being held against her will POW style, stands nonother than my very own mother and father. While my mother is dressed in her perfectly crisp, black and white Chanel suit, my dad has dressed down slightly by ditching his bowtie and dressing only in a sweater and a pair of slacks. Even with dad dressed down, they look out of place among a sea of casual townies. But what's new? How they snuck in without being seen by us, I will forever be analyzing and pondering right along with Luke's comment about the paint colors.

"Aw," I sarcastically coo, turning to Rory. "You invited your grandparents!"

"Of course I did, this party isn't just for the two of you, it's also for my little brother and sister, and they would obviously want their grandparents here."

"Oh, did little Mikey tell you that?" I quip back, tucking my hair back behind my ears. "I didn't realize my babies were having a look who's talking moment and telling you what they want."

"You're the one who told me you had a good lunch with grandma."

"Yeah, well, that was before I knew your grandmother shanghaied Luke when I left him alone at the table to go to the bathroom!"

Rory's eyes pop over to Luke. "She shanghaied you?!"

"It really wasn't that bad. Your mom's exaggerating."

"Excuse me?" I place my hand over my heart, acting totally and completely appalled. "Do not stand there and grumble lie - you compared it to Aldo and Bridget!"

"Woah!" Rory exclaims.

But Luke's only able to roll his eyes in response, because the topic of our conversation has managed to escape Miss Patty's flirting claws and is strolling our way.

"Mom! Dad!" I pretend to be thrilled to see them. "You're here."

"Indeed, we are!" Dad says jovially, looking at me closely and raising his eyebrows in surprise to my size. Yeah. I'm huge, and the idea of getting my body back has never been more appealing. Being pregnant? Not much fun anymore.

"I'm so glad you both made it!" Rory says before wrapping both of her grandparents up in a hug.

"We wouldn't miss it," Mom says sincerely, her entire demeanor unusually gentle. My eyes flash over toward Luke, flabbergasted by her sincerity, but he only shrugs in a 'see, I told you' way. Mom continues the shock factor by looking over at Luke and saying, "Hello, Luke."

"Hi," he clears his throat. "Hello, Mrs. Gilmore."

She studies him astutely for a moment before raising her perfectly shaped eyebrows in question. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what she's asking him.

"Luke, please, call me Emily."

He nods once before wrapping a dark red flanneled arm possessively around my shoulders. Even though the feminist part of me wants to rise up and tell him I've got the situation covered, I let him do it, and instead, find strength in having him next to me. "Hello, Emily."

There's a tense silent, let's bury the hatchet moment, not only between the two of them, but all of us as a group. Through the entire thing, April stands there completely baffled, but street smart enough to stay silent.

"Well," Dad starts, looking around and nodding in approval. "This is quite a gathering, Lorelai. I am pleased to see you have such a committed and sincere community surrounding you and Luke and the twins."

"A little quirky," Mom jabs. "But nice nonetheless."

"Now Emily," Dad scolds with a shake of his head, but Mom only smiles genuinely in response and glances at me. It's now that I see Luke is right.

She is sorry.

I smile nervously in response. It's been so long since we've all been together, and yet, Luke is one hundred percent right. I love and miss my parents and I want the twins to have a relationship with them. They did better with Rory after all, didn't they? Sure they overstepped, majorly, but a part of me thinks this time things might be different. Maybe I'm being naive, but with Luke by my side, I decide it's a risk I'm willing to take.

"So…" I clasp my hands together, exhale, and then grimace dramatically all for show. "Is dinner still served tomorrow at seven?"

Mom's eyes light up like the Empire State building and a disbelieving smile sneaks its way across her face. Her grateful filled eyes drift over to Luke before darting right back to mine. "I'll have Alonza set the table tomorrow night with an extra setting for Luk-"

"You'll need two extra place settings."

"Two?" Dad asks. "I know we have Luke, but-"

"Mom, Dad," I grab onto April's shoulders and pull the poor girl in front of me. "Meet April, Luke's daughter. She loves science and wants to attend MIT." Curiosity takes root in both of my parents' eyes, just as I knew it would. I lean forward and whisper in her ear, "Sorry, kid, but we're officially family now. We'll do a movie night after dinner, that's our Friday night tradition anyway."

The rest of the night unfolds like a beautiful, blissful dream. To say the party is a success, would be a gross understatement. Nearly every person in Stars Hollow is either in attendance or has stopped by to say hello. Gifts have generously been given from diapers and other practical baby gifts to adorable toys and clothing to Kirk's paparazzo picture that he snapped of me and Luke on my first day back in the diner that he did indeed title, "Day of Reconciliation".

And now, nearly an hour and a half later, Luke and I find ourselves settled into two large green velvet wing-back chairs on the stage as Rory takes the mic.

"I just want to thank you all for coming out to celebrate the coming of my new brother and sister to be," Rory says, glancing out into the crowd, smirking and falling into the public speaking personality she acquired from Chilton and Yale. "As someone who spent the majority of her childhood growing up in Stars Hollow, I know firsthand just how lucky my little brother and sister are to have all of you looking out for them. There's no better place to grow up and they couldn't be any luckier than to have Mom and Luke as their parents."

This gains enthusiastic hoots and hollers from the crowd and a few glasses raise in salute.

Despite the fact that Luke is sitting with a small smile on his face with his legs tucked under his chair, it's clear as day that all this attention is beginning to wane on him. I study him for a moment, still disbelieving everything that has evolved over the course of the last three months, before reaching out and taking a hold of his hand. His hand flips over mine, his thumb rubbing over the ring that he placed on my finger just a few hours ago. Somehow, perhaps in the excitement of the surprise, no one has seemed to notice the engagement ring right back where it belongs. And, for whatever reason, not one person, not even my parents, blinks an eye in reaction to all of the touching that's been happening between me and Luke all night.

Blue eyes meet blue eyes and we both nod in silent agreement.

"From a town that has a festival for every single season to a protective dad who makes the best food in town to a mom who gives her everything for her kids," Rory turns to look at the two of us, lifting her drink. "To you, April, and my little brother and sister!"

The crowd erupts into a roaring cheer. By the time it subsides, Luke has helped me up from my chair, which I of course make a big show out of to make everyone laugh, and we both make our way to the microphone.

"Thanks, hon," I turn toward my daughter, one hand rising and resting over my heart while the other stays ensconced in Luke's. "Thank you for teaching me how to be a mother and how to love unconditionally. Without you, I don't know where I'd be or who I'd be. I love you." Rory smiles back softly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. It's not just because of our words, it's the end of an era for us. I smile at her one more time, making a mental note to take her out tomorrow, just the two of us, before turning back to the town. "To put it simply, I love this town and each and every one of you. You didn't just help raise Rory, you helped raise me too. Rory said it perfectly when she said these two are so lucky to have all of you. You all have become like family to me and Luke and we can't wait to add our kiddos to our Stars Hollow family. Thank you for coming out tonight to celebrate with the two of us." Everyone, even my parents who stand awkwardly at the back of the room, grin up at me. I glance at Luke, wondering if I should let him make our announcement, but I only find his content with letting me take the lead eyes on me. He squeezes my hand. "And I'd like to take this moment to let you all know, that even though Luke and I have gone through our many ups and downs, we have found our way back to each other, and we're officially engaged!"

I had expected to be greeted by cheers like none other, and even ended my announcement with an excited rise in my voice, but instead, we're greeted with a strained moment of silence as everyone looks right back at us expressionlessly.

I swear I can hear crickets chirping nearby despite the change of season.

Clearing his throat and leaning over to the mic, Luke says, "For real this time."

That does it.

A cheer, ten times louder than the previous ones, erupts euphorically. If the lucky two in my womb didn't know what kind of town they were entering into - they certainly do now.


Hi friends, we only have one more chapter to go! It is already written but needs a few more tweaks, expect it in the next day or two. Thanks for sticking around.