205Chapter 2: "Have you been sneaking some of Mom's coffee?"
Jess couldn't believe it as he looked again at the words on the page Rory gave him before placing the page back in the envelope and sticking it in his pocket so he could take her in his arms and kiss her.
"This is for real. We're really doing this?" he asked.
"Yes, it's for real. I had an appointment a few days ago," Rory told him with a smile, "I am officially off birth control."
"This is amazing," Jess said, kissing her again, "Does this mean we could be pregnant already?"
"Technically, yes since I've been off it for about a week now, but I was on it for so long it could take awhile," she told him.
"This is the best gift you could have given me Rory. Thank you," Jess said, "You've given me the chance to be a father."
"I love you so much," she said, placing her hand on his cheek as he wiped away her tears with his thumb.
"I love you too," he said before wrapping his arms around her once again to kiss her.
Pulling away, she looked up at him from behind her eyelashes, "You want to head back to the hotel and start trying to make a baby?"
"Absolutely."
They spent the rest of their anniversary locked up in their suite at The Plaza, leaving each others arms solely to use the bathroom. Tuesday morning they checked out and went home to Philly. While Jess spent the rest of the day working on his latest Hunter story, Rory was getting her column ready for the week.
As much as she always wanted to be an overseas correspondent and enjoyed working with Daniel when the opportunity came up, she realized she was better suited to staying stateside to report the news. There was plenty to report on in her own backyard and she missed her husband terribly the ten days she was gone. Plus with them wanting to start a family, she wanted to be close to her mom and their friends when that day came so when Michael offered her, her own weekly column in addition to the articles she would write, Rory jumped at the chance. Now every Friday, the people of Philadelphia could turn to the second page and read what was going on in the city or the surrounding area, As Told By Rory.
"You have everything you need?" Jess asked as they prepared themselves to leave for Stars Hollow a few months later. Hunter had just turned two and they were going to Stars Hollow for his birthday party.
They were still trying to start their own family, but were so far unsuccessful.
"Are we telling anyone we're trying to have a baby?" Jess asked her once they were in the car.
"No, I've thought about telling Mom every time I talk to her, but I really don't want people to know anything until there is something to tell," Rory said.
"Right, makes sense," he said.
"I just don't want to get anyone's hope's up," Rory said, "We've been trying since our anniversary and so far it's been one negative test after another."
"It will happen, Ror. It just takes time," he told her, giving her hand a squeeze before kissing her knuckles.
"I know, I just…" she began.
"I know, babe. I want it too. We just have to be patient," he said.
"Patient is not a word in the Gilmore vocabulary," she said, turning her head to look out the window, "What if something's wrong with me and that's why we haven't gotten pregnant yet?"
"There's nothing wrong with you Rory. Your doctor told you that. She told you before when we first thought you were pregnant, she told you when you went into your appointment to come off birth control," he said, "And she's told you every time you've gone to see her or talk to her since then."
"But what if she missed something," Rory said.
"Rory. She's been doing this a long time. She knows what she's doing. And if she missed something she would be in for one hell of a lawsuit," he told her.
"I guess you're right," she said, "We just have to keep trying."
When they arrived in Stars Hollow a few hours later, they were immediately attacked by Hunter who ran to them, grabbing one of their hands in each of his as he pulled them further into the diner and began telling them all about his party that weekend.
"Hunter, sweetie give Rory and Jess a chance to sit and relax," Lorelai told her bouncing two year old son as he jumped up and down in front of his sister and cousin rambling like only a Gilmore could.
"Yeah, give us five minutes buddy and we're all yours," Jess told him, taking out his phone and finding a favorite song of Hunter's, "When the song is over our attention is yours."
"Okay," Hunter said, sadly, but quickly smiling as the sounds of The Clash came through the earbuds Jess placed in his ears.
Five minutes later the song was over and Hunter pulled the earbuds out of his ears the second he saw Rory and Jess coming down the stairs from the diner apartment after taking their bags up.
"So, what are we going to do today, buddy?" Jess asked him, picking up to sit him on his lap after he and Rory sat down.
"Play!" Hunter exclaimed.
"Of course. I should have known," Jess said, ruffling the toddler's hair, and getting his hand swatted away.
"How about we take you to the park to play before we have to go to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner," Rory told him
"Yay!" Hunter yelled, clapping his hands together before throwing himself into his sister's arms.
"Luke can you pack us some snacks and coffee and we'll get the little jumping bean out of here?" Jess asked.
"Sure, it will just be a minute," Luke said, smiling at his son, bouncing up and down on his sister's leg, playing drums with the silverware, "He spends too much time with Lane."
After an afternoon spent chasing Hunter around the park and their first Friday Night Dinner in months, Rory and Jess were exhausted and ready to fall into bed the minute that back to the diner that night.
Saturday morning came earlier than they planned as Hunter came barrelling into the apartment at six in the morning since he woke up early and decided to come with Luke while he opened up the diner.
"It's party day!" Hunter shouted, jumping on top of Jess' chest as Rory tried to bury herself deeper into Jess' side, covering her head with the blanket.
"Hunter, it's too early for you to be this excited," Rory said, "Have you been sneaking some of Mom's coffee?"
"Coffee yum!" he said.
"Oh, boy," Rory said, tossing the blanket aside and climbing out of the bed, "We may as well get up, he's not going to stop until we do."
"Are we sure about this whole baby thing?" Jess asked, picking up the jumping toddler, hoisting him up over his shoulder.
"Absolutely," Rory said, "They won't always be this crazy. He's just really excited to see us since it's been so long."
"True, we haven't been here since Lorelai's birthday and that was in April. Plus I guess if our baby is anything like Hunter then it will be great," he said, running his fingers through her hair to kiss her as Hunter continued to kick his legs that were near Jess' face.
"Well since I share DNA with my mother and you share DNA with Luke there is a very good chance," Rory said.
"Right. Well, why don't you get ready while I take the monkey downstairs," Jess said of Hunter who had now wiggled out of Jess' arms and was now trying to climb up Jess' back so he could sit on his shoulders, "Let's go buddy."
"Weee!" Hunter yelled as Jess lifted him and placed him on his shoulders before walking downstairs to the diner, "Hey, Luke."
"Morning, sorry if he woke you. He ran up there before I had a chance to stop him and then Kirk came in so…" Luke said.
"It's fine, but if we're going to keep this guy busy while everyone is getting things ready for his party, Rory and I need to get ready first," Jess said, setting Hunter down on a chair at the table closest to the counter so Luke could watch him while he continued to work.
"No problem. I'll feed him and get food going for when you and Rory come down," Luke said.
"Thanks. We won't be long," Jess told him, before heading back upstairs to get ready for the day.
A few hours later, everyone in town was gathered at Miss Patty's to celebrate the second birthday of Hunter William Danes.
"Wow," he said, when he walked in with Rory and Jess and saw the walls covered in stars and almost everything was red, white, and blue, "Cap-Cap!"
"What?" Jess asked Rory.
"Captain America. Mom took him to see The Avengers when it came out a few months ago and ever since he is obsessed with Captain America," Rory explained.
"Cap-Cap!" Hunter said again, running from Rory and Jess towards his mother who was holding a shield and mask in her hand for Hunter to put on.
"You ready to be Captain America today?" Lorelai asked.
"Yay!" he exclaimed as Lorelai put the mask over his face and handed him the shield.
"Happy Birthday, Baby Boy," Lorelai said, kissing his cheek before he ran off to play with Steve and Kwan who were dressed as Iron Man and Thor while Lorelai went off to help Sookie finish setting up the food.
As the party went on they ate Sookie's delicious food and cookies she made in the shape of Captain America's shield and Thor's hammer. While Lorelai had a few games planned, the kids were all content running around in their costumes pretending to save the world from Kirk who volunteered to dress up as Loki. When Lorelai saw Hunter beginning to get tired, she asked him if he wanted to take a break from playing to open up all his presents.
"Yay, present's," he said, running off to grab Jess so he would sit by him as he opened them.
"I guess somebody has a favorite," Lorelai said with a laugh as she and Luke began handing the presents to Jess so he could assist Hunter if he needed help opening them.
"Jesse, help," Hunter said, handing the first package back to Jess to help him since he couldn't tear through the paper and was unable to unstick the tape.
"Who wraps a two year old's birthday present with duct tape?" Jess asked as he too struggled a bit to get the present open, "Here, try another while I find something to cut through this tape."
"Sorry, Mother was out of scotch tape and duct tape was all I had," Kirk told Lorelai when she opened the card attached to the package and gave him a look when she read it was from him.
As Hunter continued to open his presents he received several toys, a lot of them Captain America or other Avengers; clothes with different superheroes on them, as well as some books from Rory and Jess to add to the collection they started on his first birthday.
"I have one more book for you, buddy," Jess said, handing him a small wrapped square package, "So far it's the only one of it's kind and it's just for you."
"What's it say?" Hunter asked when he tore through the paper and looked at the cover, seeing a little boy with a crown and a sword, standing in front of a tall sandcastle.
"Prince Hunter and the Sandcastle Dragon," Jess told him.
"Hunter like me?" he asked.
"Yes, Hunter like you. I wrote this for you, buddy," Jess said, "Do you like it?"
"Read it?" Hunter asked.
"How about tonight before bed," Jess suggested, "I'll come over to the house, tuck you in, and read this for your bed time story. How's that?"
"Yes," Hunter said, giving Jess a hug before taking his new special book to show all his friends.
"You never told me you published one of your Hunter stories," Rory said, taking a seat on Jess' lap, placing her arm around his neck, "I mean, I knew you were writing them. You've been writing them since he was a baby."
"I know. I wanted it to be a surprise for his birthday and if you knew then there was a good chance Lorelai would know and tell everyone," Jess said.
"You think I can't keep a secret from my mother?" Rory asked with a laugh.
"Sometimes, there isn't much you don't tell each other," he said.
"True, but I can keep a secret when it's really important," she reminded him, leaning her forehead against his and lightly kissing his lips.
That night while Rory and Lorelai were in the living room watching a movie, Jess sat in the rocking chair in Hunter's room with the toddler in his lap as he read him the pages of Prince Hunter and the Sandcastle Dragon. Just as he was nearing the end of the book, Rory walked into the kitchen to refill her cup of coffee and stopped to listen to Jess read the last few lines.
And with one last wave of his ruby-encrusted sword, Prince Hunter defeated the dragon that threatened his kingdom and saved the princess;
earning himself a kiss on the cheek from the beautiful Princess Lily before she returned to her home in the next town.
"Thank you, Prince Hunter," she said, "Thank you for saving me."
"Anytime Princess Lily," he said, kissing her hand, "Until we meet again."
"The end," Jess said, closing the book and looking down at the boy in his arms, fighting to stay awake, "Time for bed Prince Hunter."
"Read again, Jesse," Hunter mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open.
"Nope, sorry, kid," Jess said, standing up with Hunter in his arms, carrying him to his bed, "One bed time story per night."
"Okay," Hunter grumbled, laying his head on the pillow and allowing Jess to cover him up, "Night Jess. Love you."
"I love you too, buddy," Jess said, kissing his forehead as he closed his eyes, "Good night, Hunter."
AN: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the first chapter and is now following this story. I know a lot of you thought Rory was pregnant already and I'm sorry if you're disappointed that she's not, but it will happen. I have specific plans for Rory's first pregnancy so while she will get pregnant, it will be a few chapters before that happens.