Chapter 11: Rory's first Christmas

"Okay, the bottle is ready on the counter. The diaper bag is full and in the stroller and I think you're all set." Lorelai said and glanced nervously around the apartment to check if she didn't forget about anything.

"Relax, Lorelai. We'll be fine. I know how to take care of my own daughter, thank you very much. I've been doing it successfully for the past 2 months." Luke assured her.

"I know, but it's the first time I'll be away from her." Lorelai's heart ached at just a thought of leaving Rory.

"It's not like you go to Siberia." Luke laughed. "You'll be at Miss Patty's, and it's gonna take an hour tops. We're gonna take a walk and have a little father daughter fun. And then we'll come home and we'll be waiting for you." He promised her. Luke knew exactly what Lorelai felt. After their daughter was born, they spent an entire week together. Just the 3 of them, no visitors, no job, nothing. But then he had to get back to the real world and go back to work. The first time he had to leave Rory, he thought it was gonna kill him. And even now, 2 months later he's been counting down every second at his job till he came back home to his girls. And Lorelai was with Rory every second of every day. But she had less then a month till her maternity leave was over and she knew she had to get used to being without her.

Christmas was fast approaching and with that also the Gilmore's annual Christmas party, for which Lorelai, Luke and Rory were of course invited. Things with Lorelai's parents were now fairly calm. Emily and Richard were on their best behavior as they wanted to be part of Rory's life. Luke and Lorelai agreed to come to the Gilmore house at least twice a month for dinner so they could have a stable relationship. The dinners were often awkward and did not go without small disagreements but overall it was going well. Emily and Richard even seem to acknowledge that Luke was now a permanent person in their daughter's and granddaughter's life and they learned to accept it.

Emily and Richard were also unknowingly involved in Lorelai getting a new hobby. Rory had a lot of baby clothes which she received from the town people, but none of these clothes were Gilmore Christmas party worthy. And Lorelai did not want to spend a lot of money on a dress which she would for sure only wear once. So she decided to make one herself. She has never done it before but she decided it can't be that hard. So, using the old sewing machine that she got from Babette, she gave it a try. And it turned out that she had natural talent for it. So whenever she had a minute to herself she would sew new clothes for Rory. When Miss Patty saw them, she decided that Lorelai has a real talent and she asked if she was willing to help with costumes for Stars Hollow's annual Christmas play. Lorelai was able to do most of the work at home, but it was time to do some final fittings so she had to show up at Miss Patty's in person. And that's when Luke suggested that she should go there alone, and he would look after Rory, so she could start adjusting to being without her daughter.

"Oh, okay, I guess I'll go now." She said with a frown and she bent down to kiss Rory who was already in her stroller. "Bye, angel. Bye, babe." She gave Luke a quick kiss and went out the door.

She still couldn't believe how well it all turned out. She remembered how terrified and unsure she was when she first found out about being pregnant. And now she wouldn't have it any other way. Okay, maybe if she could change one thing, she would want Rory to finally sleep through the night, as both Luke and she were in a permanent zombie state for the last 2 months. But other than that Rory was a surprisingly low maintenance baby. As long as Lorelai and Luke were around her, she could just lay calmly and smile. She didn't cry a lot. So overall, Lorelai was really thankful for everything that happened in her life. And Luke was a real saint. He was tired from work and tired at night, but he never complained. He was always happy and even after a 10-hour shift he would still make dinner for Lorelai with a smile on his face. He also made sure that they would not become one of those boring couples. With or without a baby, they were after all, still just a couple of teenagers. So whenever he had free time he would find things that they could do with Rory, which was different from their normal routine - trip to the beach, watching the shooting stars on the rooftop with Rory fast asleep next to them or just simple walks around the town when they would talk about everything and anything.

When Lorelai was gone, Luke gathered Rory's things and they went outside. But he had a different plan than just taking a walk.

"Come on, Rory. We don't have much time and we're making a surprise for mommy". Rory, of course, had no idea what her dad was saying, but she smiled at his words as if she understood him completely.

Despite her previous doubts, Lorelai had a good time at Miss Pattty's. It was fun to be surrounded by adults, for a change. The time flew by and before she knew it she was done.

"Lorelai, dear, a bunch of us are going out for pizza. Do you want to come ?" Miss Patty asked, as she saw Lorelai heading for the door.

"Thanks, Patty, but I'm gonna have to take a raincheck. I told Luke I would be back in an hour. And I'm missing my kid already."

"Oh, of course. You go, honey and we'll see each other at the play. The costumes are fantastic, it'll be a hit." She waved her goodbye.

She was rushing home but still had time to once again appreciate the beauty of snow-covered Stars Hollow. God, she just loved this time of year. Everything looked so different, much softer and more beautiful. She was excited for Christmas and the party at her parent's house, which was the only party thrown by Gilmores which she actually liked. She walked inside the store, which was still open. William smiled when he saw her.

"Hi, Lorelai, what put you in such a good mood?" He asked.

"Snow. It always puts me in a good mood. I've always seen snow as my own personal present, I like to think that we have a special relationship." She said with a wide smile.

"Well, if the whole snow is one big present for you, then I guess it's gonna be hard to find a better gift for you. But I believe that my son did his best. You might want to go upstairs and take a look."

She raised her eyebrows at his words.

"Intriguing. But I better go and see, if you say so."

She went upstairs, opened the door and froze at the sight before her.

Their apartment looked beautiful. Christmas lights in 3 different colors and garlands were installed on all walls, a little under the ceiling. On the dresser were 3 big stockings with names Luke, Lorelai and Rory printed on them. There were also few candles all around, some of them scented, as Lorelai smelled a beautiful aroma of apples and cinnamon. And in the corner stood a big and real Christmas tree. How this big tree fit into their apartment was a mystery to Lorelai, but it was beautiful, decorated with gold and red ornaments.

"What is all this?" She asked Luke, surprised. He was sitting in a chair with Rory in his arms and was smiling at her reaction.

"These are Christmas decorations, Lorelai. I thought you were familiar with the concept." He teased her.

"Yes, I am. But if I recall correctly, about 2 weeks ago, when I asked you to decorate the place you said, and I quote 'the apartment is too small and I refuse to buy into a commercial side of Christmas by buying any of this Christmas crap.'"

"Well, I guess, maybe I was already trying to surprise you, so I needed you to not do it yourself." He laughed. "I wanted you to have Christmas the way you like it. I remember Christmas decorations at your parents house, and wanted to kind of recreate it. Of course, I know that this does not look as nice, but I gave it my best."

She cupped his head and kissed him.

"This is even better than my parent's. It's beautiful. I can't believe you got it all done in under an hour."

"I've been preparing for it for a while. I bought all of those a few weeks ago and hid them in my dad's storage room. And then today I had to just drive to pick up a tree and put it all in our apartment." He shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"I love it. I really do. Where did you get such a beautiful tree?" She asked.

"There's this little place right outside of Stars Hollow. They own a part of the forest so it's all really fresh. You pick a tree which is still in the ground and they cut it for you. They also have this small cafe right next to it, when they serve hot chocolate, eggnog and other Christmas themed things. I couldn't bring you, as this was supposed to be a surprise but I think you'd love this place. And maybe in future years we could make it a tradition for us. Go there together with Rory, pick a tree, drink hot chocolate, make a day out of it." He suggested. As he was saying it he could see it clearly, little Rory, running around trees, trying to pick a perfect one, he and Lorelai, watching her with a smile on their faces. It was a nice picture.

"Yes, absolutely. It could be Rory's first Christmas tradition, I love it." She smiled, also excited at the thought. "And speaking of Christmas traditions, my mom called earlier today, I forgot to tell you. Looks like the Annual Christmas Party will be thrown on actual Christmas Eve day this year. My dad had an unexpected work trip, and he won't be back in town till the 23rd. So I thought we would spend Christmas Eve with them, and Christmas day here, with your dad and Liz."

"Yes, that sounds good." He said. "I always told you, that early Christmas party is ridiculous. At least this year is a good day."

"Great. I know you're not really into all of this, but I'm really excited. After all, it's gonna be Rory's first Christmas." She smiled at her baby, who was now fast asleep in Luke's arms.

"I know. And I'm excited, too."

"Oh my God, I am so full." Lorelai said as she sat in the passenger seat of their car. They just left from her parents' Christmas party and were heading back home. Rory was in her car seat in the back, her eyes already heavy as it was pretty late. Lorelai knew that she would sleep well tonight, and maybe even wake them up only once during the night.

"It's not hard to believe as I just saw you eat an enormous amount of food. How many apple tartlets did you have?" He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. Over a year he knew that girl and her stomach's capacity still astonished him.

"I lost count after 10." She admitted.

"You were raving about them all night and I never actually got a chance to eat one, you know? By the time I got to the table they were all gone."

"Don't worry, babe. I have 20 of them in my purse."

"You didn't."

"Of course I did." She laughed. "And you're more than welcome to try one."

"You brought 20 and I only get to eat 1? I thought you were full."

"Tomorrow I won't be. It'll be perfect for Christmas morning."

They were still discussing apple tartlets when they got home. Rory was deep in her sleep, she didn't even flinch when they moved her from the car to her crib.

"It's almost midnight. There's a good chance we can sleep for a solid 4 hours, before she wakes us." Luke whispered.

"I guess we could go to sleep. But I kind of have a Christmas present for you."

"You want to give me a Christopher present now?" He asked, surprised.

"Well, I was at a doctor's office a few days ago, he did a full checkup and he gave me an okay for having sex. So I thought since Rory's asleep, now would be a great time. And I know you've been a very patient man, so I didn't want to make you wait till tomorrow, but if you're tired.." She didn't even have a chance to finish the sentence, when his lips were on hers.

Luke, indeed, was a very patient man. They haven't had sex in 3 months and it's not like he was complaining about it, but falling asleep next to his gorgeous girlfriend every night and not being able to do anything has been very hard. But suddenly he stopped.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a condom. I just wasn't expecting it." He said sadly.

"That's okay, hon. I'm on a pill now. Because condoms can break, and as amazing as Rory is, I just don't think I want another kid just yet."

"Just yet?" He asked surprised. "So you would like another kid someday?"

"Well, I have thought about it, honestly. It seems that Rory hit the genetic jackpot, so it would be a shame to prevent the world from other Gilmore/Danes babies. Don't worry, though. I'm talking about way into the future. When we're in our twenties, with jobs that pay way more, possibly a house and rings on our fingers." She surprised him again.

"I thought you didn't want to get married."

"I don't want to get married now, when I'm 16 and it's a solution for having a baby. But I do want to get married in the future."

"And you would really want to marry me?"

"Well, Bono is my first love, but if he's unavailable, then I would say you're a pretty good second choice." She joked. " Honestly, it can't be all a surprise to you. I mean, we live together, we have a child together. I think it's natural that I think about the future. And you're always gonna be a part of my life. So when I think about marriage and future kids, I obviously picture it with you. Please, don't say it freaks you out. We already have Rory, remember?"

"No, it doesn't freak me out. I'm just surprised because I thought that you don't like the whole idea of marriage. That you don't want to be tight down. But I gotta admit, that the future plans you have sounds really good to me. I want that, too."

"Okay, then. So I guess it's never too early to start practicing making our future babies. We have years to perfect our technique, and we can start tonight " She laughed. He didn't have to be asked twice.

The ideas for their future stayed in Lorelai's head till the next morning. And as they were spending their first Christmas morning together, in their pajamas, opening presents and drinking hot chocolate, she couldn't help but think that this could be how she would spend her every Christmas till the day she died. And she wouldn't mind it at all.