Balancing Act

12

"Hey, Luke! What's up?" Jess answered his phone just as he was about to get out of his car in front of their house, having arrived form work.

"Hey!" Luke replied. "We're good, thanks," he replied.

"Good", Jess reflected, recognizing a bit of an evasive pattern in Luke's tone.

"I was just wondering what your plans were for next weekend?" he inquired.

Jess got out of the car and reached to grab his leather satchel with his laptop from the backseat.

"Nothing much. We were thinking of maybe going to the zoo with Evie, but nothing's set in stone. You need my help with something?" Jess asked, as he stepped carefully onto the icy sidewalk. He slowed his step, before walking up the stairs, knowing he probably wouldn't be allowed a quiet moment to finish the conversation with Luke before Evie was all over him.

"Not so much help, but...," he replied, not really explaining. "I was just thinking about taking Leo to Woodbury, they have a snow maze and we can bring sledges. Maybe we could bring Doula along - make it a bit of a group thing," Luke explained a little hesitantly.

"I'd have to ask, but I don't see why that would be an issue. Sounds like fun," Jess replied. Ever since he had a child a lot of things he never really considered fun had suddenly turned into something he might consider - all that for Evie. Besides he was a little curious to meet Leo himself.

"Good. Ask," he sighed with relief.

"Do I sense some need for backup in your voice? Something going on there?" Jess asked, glancing up at the house, noting the lights on in the living room. He couldn't wait to get home, the weekends date having opened a new door for the two of them, allowing him to enjoy being home again. Not everything was fixed, but things were less tense and they seemed to have an understanding that essentially they wanted the same thing, which required some effort and attention from both of them.

"Oh, it's nothing...," he tried to brush it off.

"What?" Jess asked, not letting him off that easy.

"Leo is just a little odd around me. I went ice-fishing with him last weekend and I swear he barely said five words to me. When he's around Lorelai he talks to me just fine. I'm not sure if it's just me or guys in general or what...," he explained with a shrug. He'd pondered about several possibilities - maybe it was just that he'd grown up with women and never really had guys around or perhaps it was the way he communicated.

"Are you giving him the same treatment you gave me?" Jess laughed.

"Jess...," Luke scolded.

"Yeah, I get it...but I'll let you know, okay?" he added, and walked up the stairs.

"Thanks", Luke replied.

"Who's my favourite little girl?" Jess exclaimed happily as he opened the door, his words echoing both out the door and to Luke, before he bothered to hang up the call.

The fact that Logan had offered some financial incentive to the photographer had really hurried things up and they'd sent out their pregnancy announcements already the day before, including one formal one to the press, which naturally had been all over the news the next morning. Rory really shouldn't have been as surprised that her press phone was now ringing non-stop, which she decided to ignore, and her professional e-mail was flooding with requests for interviews and additional comments.

"This little trip of ours can't come soon enough," Rory commented on that note to Finny, who had currently decided one of her suitcases was a fun place to climb into, as she was packing up her things for Maine. It was all about packing to stay warm, Rory recalling well enough what the place had been like in the midst of a snowstorm with no power, preparing for the worst. She also needed to pack for Finny to bring to Lorelai's and for Logan who hadn't really had the time having just gotten home from work to sum things up so he wouldn't actually need to bring work. Logan knew he couldn't admit to Rory how much he'd actually enjoyed the day - having gotten congratulated from every direction, his tolerance for media interest being a lot higher than Rory's.