The Simpler Life

3

AN: For those of you who are still with me, reading this, thank you so much for reading and especially those who are reviewing this. I am a sucker for reader engagement and it really makes a difference how quickly I want to come back to this story. Also if you're curious for a spoiler, check the end of this chapter.

Chapter 3

"Fine! Don't tell me who the father is," Emily Gilmore chimed, Rory and Lorelai expecting to hear a very obvious undertone of sarcasm in her tone. But it was almost as if the two couldn't place Emily's mood - she sounded way too fine with this - causing them to glance skeptically at each-other.

"It just wouldn't make any difference if you knew. He's not a part of this," Rory replied.

"Not a part of this?!" Emily exclaimed, unable to hide her disappointment this time around.

"I'll just leave you to discuss this...," Luke said, excusing himself from Christmas Eve dinner after dessert. This was not the discussion he wanted to be a part of, knowing how crazy it could get between the Gilmore women.

Emily had made great progress letting things go and caring less about what other people thought, but every once in a while, the old self still popped through. And this was certainly one time neither Rory or Lorelai had expected Emily to keep her cool.

"He lives really far away, too," Lorelai added in a pretend-whisper.

"Mom!" Rory scolded her mother, having talked strategy with her on the way over that under no circumstances was Emily to learn the paternity of this child. Rory had had nightmares about Emily grabbing the reins with Mitchum and Shira and that alone was enough to want her to keep things under wraps, not to mention the less-than-admirable nature of her and Logan's last relationship.

"Oh, I guess this means that you know?" Emily asked her daughter, mockingly. "Well, clearly I am not important enough to be let in on your little secret," she added, dramatically.

"Grandma, it's not like that," Rory tried to smooth things over. But there was little besides the truth that would make Emily feel good about this, or so her grandmother seemed to think.

"A child needs a mother and a father!" Emily replied, saying what she had said time and time again in her life. "Even if your mother claims otherwise based on her experience," she added in a mumble.

"Well, she's just going to have to deal with having just me," Rory sighed.

"And me," Lorelai added, squeezing her daughter's hand.

"It's a 'she'?" Emily reflected, her tone changing from mad to something softer.

"It is," Rory replied, and handed her grandmother the ultrasound picture of her little bean she'd brought for her grandmother to keep.

"Well...," Emily chimed, approvingly.

For a moment the three just sat there quietly, the fireplace looming in the background. Rory could just sense that her grandmother wasn't truly mad about the pregnancy - in fact, she was genuinely happy to get to see a great-grandchild before her time was through. After all, Rory was her only chance at ever meeting one.

"It's not that I don't trust you to know...," Rory felt she needed to explain further, unable to let things be. She just sensed that her grandmother was taking this the wrong way. "It's just...," Rory tried to think of something more to say.

"Well, it sure sounds like it!" Emily replied, frustratedly.

"I'm sorry," Rory hid her face in embarrassment.

"Mom, as I am sure you can imagine this isn't easy for her. It wouldn't be easy for anyone who's decided to go at this alone," Lorelai tried to say a word on Rory's behalf.