"How many times has texted you?" Lane asked, her fingers gliding along the spines of countless pregnancy books.

"Texted ? Seven. And he's called three times," Rory replied, picking up a copy of What To Expect When You're Expecting. "It's a classic," she said sarcastically, leafing through it's well-worn pages.

The two best friends were in a used bookstore in New Haven, fairly confident their trek out of Stars Hollow would ensure no one would spot them shopping for information on the you know what. Even still, Rory couldn't help but steal a glance at the door every 30 seconds, just to be sure a familiar face didn't show up.

"Are you going to call him back?" Lane questioned, picking up a copy of Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy, before Rory ripped the book from her friend's hand and slammed it back down on the shelf.

"No," she said referring to the book, "And no," she continued, referring to Logan. "At least not yet."

"Why? You already told me and your mom and Luke and-"

"Jess," Rory spit out. She didn't know why, but it suddenly felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders, but not her conscious. She needed to be honest with someone and Lane was the someone she loved talking to the most. But Lane was silent, staring at Rory with wide, confused eyes.

"Say something," Rory pleaded, but Lane couldn't muster up the courage to ask what they both knew needed to be said. "Fine. Alright. I'll say it. You want to know if he is the father."

"No," Lane told her. "I want to know what the hell is going on."

It had been more than 30 seconds and Rory instinctively looked to the door.

"Oh, no, you're not getting out of this conversation that easy. Don't even think about making a run for the door."

"I wasn't going-"

"What the hell, Rory? Logan and Jess! I don't want to be one of those people who judge because I hate judging. And I don't want to comment on someone's sex life because I've only had sex with one guy and got two little ones out of it on the first try. And I don't want to be the barometer of what's right and wrong in someone else's life. That's not my place. But you are leaving me no choice. I am about to get judgey and comment-y and so morally righteous it would make my mother's heart swell with pride," Lane shouted.

Rory was now not only looking for familiar faces and an exit, but to see if the other shoppers were staring at them.

"Lane-"

"No, Rory. Just no," Lane interjected. "He's about to be married. and , yes, you didn't know he was engaged when you started up again with him, but when he finally told you, you didn't leave or shout or cry. You made the Whatever Happens in London Rule. He's engaged and you slept with him over and over again. Did you learn nothing from the Dean Fiasco?"

"I wouldn't say nothing," Rory sheepishly replied.

"And Jess. You and Jess? Rory sometimes things don't work out. Sometimes you are supposed to go find new guys out there in the world and not hang on to the ones who wanted you and then didn't and then did again and then ran away like a scared rabbit. Sometimes you deserve better than that."

"I know-" Rory began.

"Not to mention the whole father debacle you are clearly creating to divert attention away from what you don't want to say, let alone think," Lane finished, out of breath.

The owner was now watching them, his hand hovering over the phone just in case either girl decided this was the time to recreate a scene from one of those Housewives shows he'd heard about.

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Rory asked.

"Rory, I love you. You know I do, but I can't help you if you won't even try to help yourself," Lane told her before walking out of the store.

Rory dropped her head and blinked back the tears; a copy of What To Expect When You're Expecting still firmly clutched in her right hand.

###

"Wow, Lane said all that?" Paris questioned, sipping on a glass of wine while leaning against her pristine marble countertop. "I'm impressed, and that is not an easy feat."

"I know," Rory replied, sipping on her water (stupid water, she thought) while leaning back in a beautiful, but completely uncomfortable island chair.

"Also, you're pregnant," Paris said.

"Yeah."

"And you didn't tell me," she continued.

"Yeah."

"And I am a pregnancy expert!"

"Well, I'm already pregnant, so I didn't really need your expertise," Rory explained, taking another sip of water and wishing it was Paris' wine. Or coffee.

"I just thought if you were going to turn to anyone during your time of need it would be me. I'm pragmatic and not overly emotional and I'm already a mother and I help other mothers. I'm basically a one-stop-shop for everything baby. I can even get you really great discounts on cribs and those breast pumps. You definitely need a breast pump. Do not let Logan try to tell you it distorts the nipple. Doyle said that and he just-"

"Okay, whoa, wow, no, stop," the words tumbled from Rory's mouth. "First, ew on the whole breast-slash-Doyle thing. Please don't ever talk about that again. Second, I don't need your resume, Paris. I know how awesome you are. And third, I told my mom and she told Luke and I told Lane and then it felt like if I told people outside of the Stars Hollow bubble it would be real. And I wasn't ready for that."

"And now you are?" Paris questioned.

"I think after Lane's little outburst I have to be."

Paris gulped back the rest of her glass and poured another. "She was right, you know?"

Rory slowly nodded, ashamed to admit that she had known it all along. "Yeah, she was right."

"So what's the plan?" Paris asked.

"You know, everyone has wanted me to make one of those lately, myself included, and suddenly I know what I have to do," Rory told her, standing.

"Okay, but if that baby is going up for adoption I get first dibs."

"Paris!"

"What? I have some very high end, but not so genetically inclined, clients who would forgo surrogacy to have a baby with striking Gilmore-Huntzberger features. I'm talking top dollar, Rory."

Rory was silent, no further protest. She gulped back her disgusting water and headed for the door.

Paris followed, intrigued. "Wait a minute. That's it?"

Rory didn't turn around.

"What aren't you telling me?" Paris continued, but before Rory could respond Paris' reeling mind went into overdrive to find the solution. "Oh my god, I know what's going on."

Rory sighed, Paris was too smart, or she was too stupid, for her own good.

"Lane's not mad about you letting Jess in on the secret or even about the idea that Jess might be the father. She's mad because you know who the father is. You know. Rory Gilmore would not get pregnant and not know. But for some reason you don't want it to be his. You want it to be the other guy's. You want a get out of jail free card and Lane gets it. I get it. And soon, Rory, these guys are going to get it too."

Paris grabbed Rory by the arm and turned her old friend to face her.

"It's Logan's, but you want the father to be Jess. You're having your own little Lorelai junior moment with the dad who comes from money and is never around and the guy who should be the dad, the dirty, kinda sexy one who you just know is-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Rory begged her, not wanting to think of Luke as sexy. Or to even have Paris think of Jess as sexy. It was all too much. "I'm turning into my mother and, Lane's right, it's all of my creation."

Rory began to cry.

"No, Rory. You're turning into some strange amalgamation of your mother and a terribly wimpy version of yourself. It's like first year of Chilton Rory up in here."

'What?"

"Logan is not your dad. Yes, in this weird fantasy you have going he fits the Christopher bill nicely, but you know that he would drop everything to be with you if you told him. Stop assuming that won't. And Jess is… well, no he's actually a lot like Luke, which means you have two men who would probably stop their lives to raise a baby with you, one of which isn't even the father of said baby. So stop moping and whining and freaking out. Lane was right. I'm right. And guess what, Rory, your mom was right 32 years ago and she raised a pretty great daughter so would it be so terrible to turn out like her?"

This outpouring of affection from Paris was so unlike her. There it was again, people surprising her when she thought she was couldn't possibly be surprised anymore.

Rory smiled through her tears and leaned in for a hug.

"Whoa, Rory. I barely hug my own children," Paris said, leaning back.

"Seriously? I'm pregnant and a crying mess and I just had an epiphany and I need some support."

"I will support you with my words and my spare bedroom."

"Come on, Paris," Rory pleaded.

"Fine. There, there," Paris told her while patting her head.

"Paris, hug me, or I'm going to tell everyone about your Tristan-related breakdown."

"You bitch," Paris exclaimed. "Wait, which one?"

"Just hug me."

And Paris did.

###

We have to talk about that night, Rory texted Jess as soon as she arrived back in Stars Hollow. Thankfully, she and Lane had taken their own cars or she would have been pregnant and stuck in New Haven. Or pregnant and unable to drive to New York to see Paris. Or just pregnant. Actually that last one was happening with or without a car, and somehow Rory was finally getting used to it.

Jess met her in the gazebo, the very place she had told Lorelai she was pregnant three weeks before. Everything was happening so fast.

"Hey," he said as he found his place beside her on the steps.

"Hey," she replied.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good, I guess," she told him, not sure what he was looking for. Did he want to know how she was feeling about them, about their relationship, or lack thereof? Did he want to know how she was feeling as a struggling writer and stay-at-home daughter? Or did he want to make sure she wasn't going to vomit on him due to baby-related stomach churns?

"So the other night," Jess began. "I didn't mean to startle you and I understand if you need some time to figure out what's going on, but you're pregnant Rory and I think we need to be sure that-"

"No, Jess," Rory said, interrupting what she was sure would have been a elegant speech on responsibility and honor and maybe even love. "You're not the father."

Jess sighed. She could tell he was sad.

"And I know you're not the father because that night at the Gazette… well, we didn't have sex."

Jess chuckled and shook his head. "I thought so, but I wasn't sure. In the morning you were rooting around for your underwear and I wasn't wearing my shirt. Plus, I had a beer and bourbon headache. So I-"

"Put two and two together," Rory finished for him. "I know. But I was only rooting around for my underwear until I remember I wasn't wearing any to begin with," she cracked. "And you were shirtless because… well, I don't know, but I do remember a half-hearted game of strip something or other. And I had a beer and bourbon headache too so I didn't stick around to explain or figure things out or even make sure you were okay."

"Make sure I was okay?" Jess asked. Rory nodded sheepishly. "Don't worry. That Charlie guy came in right after you left."

"Oh god," Rory cried, covering her face in her hands. "That's why he kept smiling at me all day. I thought he was having a stroke."

Jess laughed in earnest. It felt good to get it all out on the table. "Well, after Charlie and I talked about Stars Hollow's contribution to the war-"

"Which one?" Rory asked.

"I don't know. The guy's old. Like, really old. I'm thinking the Civil War."

Rory leaned back on her hands, so comfortable that she let her jacket slide open and Jess couldn't help but look down at her belly.

"Anyway," he said, snapping himself from any daydream he knew he wasn't supposed to have. "After my illuminating talk with Charlie I went back to the diner, got a coffee and drove home to Philly. I guess what I'm saying is, I didn't stick around talk about it or worry about you either… I did worry, but I just-"

"I know," Rory said. And she did know. She would always worry and wonder about Jess. And she knew he would do the same for her. It brought her comfort. It made her feel for a moment the safety she was talking about with Dean the last time she saw him.

"So, you're pregnant," Jess finally said, breaking the calm.

"Yeah, I am."

"Are you okay?"

"About being pregnant?" she asked, before nodding in reply. "Actually, I am. There was a minute there… maybe more than a minute, where I wasn't so sure. But, yeah, I think I'm going to be okay. I'm sorry if I freaked you out."

"You didn't," he told her, and Rory couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in response. "Okay, yes, maybe a little. But there are worse things... much, much worse things, than having a baby with you, Rory."

He quickly cleared his throat, as if to clear out the sentiment, but it was still there between them.

"I guess, for a second there, I wanted you to be the father," she admitted to him and, finally, to herself. "I just didn't think I deserved that kind of happiness."

"Deserved?"

"It's a long story, but I haven't been the best person as of late," she began. "Or the best version of myself. But think that's about to change," she said, her hand resting gently on her stomach.

"Well, if it helps, for a second there, I wanted to be the father too," Jess revealed.

Rory could tell it wasn't something he intended to let slip, but there they were with their secrets out and the air cleared. It felt wonderful.

Without thinking, Rory leaned in to kiss him, but her phone buzzed with a text halting her mid-way. It was from Logan.

I'm here.