Author's Note:
This should have been published at New Year's Eve and even though it was ready, apparently I had totally forgotten. Oh well, it's always nice to get into a little bit of festive spirit, especially during this horribly cold summer. Enjoy. Why Paris and Lorelai? I always thought Lorelai brought something special out in her, and that Paris's forward behaviour half flattered Lorelai, and half terrified her.
Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, I just mind fuck its canon till people believe my stories. I also don't own Clark Gable or It Happened One Night, they belong to Clark Gable and Frank Capra.
oxoxoxoxoxo
It was just how she wanted it. Obviously one person was missing; Rory was in London with Logan, but she promised to ring at midnight in London. That happened half an hour ago and Lorelai cringed as she heard Rory's drunken mumblings down the phone.
Now though, she felt very happy with herself. The sitting room was full of noise as customers of the Dragonfly got themselves ready to celebrate the New Year. Martha was sat on her lap, jabbering away about how many chocolates she found on the tree. She didn't mind though, especially when the little toddler handed her various pieces of collected candy.
She looked up to see Sookie smiling at the both of them and blushed a little. She knew that she was supposed to act cool, but it was New Years Eve. She could let her hair down and feel good about opening her heart. Well, only slightly. She wasn't Oprah or anything.
It was about half nine when her cell phone went off and she handed the tiny child back to her mother. "Hello?"
"Ummm... Hello, Lorelai?"
Lorelai frowned, "Speaking? Paris... is that you?" She moved away to near the kitchen where things were a bit quieter, albeit the odd waiter who was bringing drinks and snacks out.
"Yes." The blonde looked at the wall of the vast media room and sighed. "Listen, I won't beat around the bush. Do you know where Rory is? I've been trying to get hold of her for ages and there's no reply." She stared at the television, the power off and the screen black.
"Oh hon..." Lorelai leaned heavily against the doorframe to the kitchen. When would the girl get the picture? "She's in London. With Logan, she won't be back until next month."
"Oh." Paris started to feel a little emotional, looking down at her black party dress. That's what happened when she got ready for something. She was usually let down. After driving to a supposed New Years do with her class mates in Boston, Paris had found that they had changed the venue without telling her. She suspected it was jealousy. She was thriving in grad school and her peers hated it.
She had called Madeline, no answer; just a grumpy maid. She tried Louise but ended up with her ear being blasted off by the cacophony of a party. "Okay, it's no bother."
"Okay, Happy New Year," Lorelai smiled, fiddling with a holly leaf on the wall. She frowned at the lack of speech on the other side. "Paris?"
"Happy New Year," came the sob down the phone before the girl hung up on her. Lorelai pulled the phone away from her ear as if she'd been burnt, her eyes widening in astonishment. Sookie caught her eye and she gestured for a few more minutes as she dug for the log book on her cell and dialled the number back.
Paris sat up, pulling her hands away from her face as she looked at the phone. Shakily she brought it to her ear. "H-Hello?"
"Sweetie, are you on your own?" There was such a long silence, Lorelai thought Paris had hung up again.
"Yes." Paris closed her eyes and let the tears roll down her cheeks. This wasn't supposed to be how she felt. She was Paris Fucking Geller. She was invincible. Her parents were always away with their respective partners in some godforsaken Caribbean island, especially on New Years Eve. She had learnt to deal. But now... She missed Asher. She missed her father, hell, she even missed her mother's nagging. She wished being home for the holidays meant something else... but it obviously didn't. Not in this family... Maybe she should have just gone back to Boston.
Lorelai stared at the holly leaf and sighed. "Can you drive?"
"I'm sorry?" Paris was hardly listening, but the woman's voice had a soothing effect on her.
"Honey, can you drive? Here, I mean? I'm at the inn and we're having a small party. It's nothing much, but you can come if you'd like."
Paris looked down at her dress and pulled off a piece of lint. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother."
"Oh Paris, no... Of course I'm sure. You can stay the night, we have plenty of rooms available. Free of charge." Lorelai heard the little exhalation of air as the blonde smiled slightly. "I can even put a few chocolates by your pillow."
"You hardly know me..." Paris stood up, despite her reservations about spending the night in Stars Hollow. At least there would be people there.
"I know you well enough," Lorelai whispered, keeping her voice down. She knew Sookie was going to kill her. "What is it... Six years? It's long enough. Safe journey over," the innkeeper dug into her handbag on the desk and looked at herself in her compact mirror, redoing her lipstick. She heard the mumbled goodbye and hung up, still balancing her cell on her shoulder.
Turning around, she walked back over to the crowd of people and smiled. "Who was that?" Sookie asked softly, watching as Martha slowly fell asleep in her arms.
"Umm, it was Paris."
Sookie's eyes widened. "Paris? What did she want?"
Lorelai brought her eyes up to the woman and sighed. "Okay, before you bite my head off... she's all—"
"Oh Lorelai, you didn't..."
The brunette put her hand up. "Sook, she's sat in Hartford all on her own. Her parents are god knows where... she's, well she sounded very sad."
Sookie looked like she was going to argue further until she thought things through. "She really has nowhere to go?"
Lorelai shook her head. "She was looking for Rory, and when I said she was in London, she... I dunno, she just broke down."
Sookie nodded, not fully understanding her partner's soft spot for the girl but understanding that nobody should be on her own at New Years. "Just... I won't make anything for her, and if she hates the food, she hates the food. There is nothing I can do about it."
Lorelai nodded. "Duly noted."
