Disclaimer: I don't own GG.

Warning: This has a lot of violence, sexual violence, and bad language. If you're sensitive I don't suggest reading it. Note the strong M rating.

Survival of the Strongest

Present

Luke had closed the diner the moment she had called. He wasted no time rushing to his car and to her side as she, along with the several other parents waited outside of police barricades waiting, and hoping desperately for word. Hoping for their children to be safe. In the back of his mind he wondered why it had been him she called. Why not Christopher? That would have made more sense. But the only thing he allowed himself to dwell on right now was finding Lorelai in the growing crowd, and calming her as they waited.

Lorelai had never felt so desperate before. She had never had this kind of nervous anxiety filling her to capacity as she waited with no way to help. She wanted someone there to hold her up, she felt she could barely stand. The words from the radio kept circling through her head 'A gunman at Chilton… Shots Fired… Several wounded or dead…' She couldn't think straight. Without a second thought she pulled out her cell phone as she drove top speed toward the school dialing the number to 'Luke's' by memory. When he answered, she couldn't recall what she had said. It was frantic, and when she hung up merely seconds later, she knew he'd come. He'd hold her up as she waited. She only made it as far as the end of the street to Chilton when she was met by the growing crowd of petrified parents, and a police barricade standing in their way.

9:45 AM

Rory sat in her class, hanging on to every word Mr. Lucas said about the Pharaohs in Egypt and, in particular, Pharaoh Hatshepsut, the woman who had ruled the country successfully for years. She loved hearing about strong women in the past and present. It made her feel like she could be one of them. Maybe she wouldn't rule a country, but she could make a difference, and stories about those such as Hatshepsut, Margaret Thatcher, and even Hilary Clinton made her feel strong.

The lesson was interrupted by chaos coming from the hallway outside. A few people ran screaming down the hallway past the classroom, causing all of the heads in the room to turn towards the commotion. Mr. Lucas rolled his eyes and sauntered to the door, intending to put a stop to the ridiculous manner in which the students were behaving. He stepped out of the classroom.

Time, to Rory, seemed to slow down. One moment he was standing there, tall and arrogant, and the next he was falling backward. It took her a moment to register that the liquid pooling around him was his own blood. She heard muffled shrieks coming from several people in the classroom. She could only sit there as a few other students raced to the door, both checking on the teacher, and peeking out to see what had caused such events.

More shrieks. The people at the door had apparently spotted something that startled them. A few ran. Rory heard bangs. She didn't know what to think of them. Her eyes were fixated on the teacher. One student grabbed the man and pulled his limp body into the room, while another slammed the door shut and attempted to lock it. A girl in the corner of the room was crying. A boy had his head down and appeared to be praying. Rory could only stare at the man.

Her attention was diverted by a loud bang on the door to the classroom, and a menacing voice taunting those inside.

"Come out and play with us," the voice said. Rory looked around, a sense of panic coming over her. She looked to her left, frightened students. She looked to her right, more frightened students. She looked behind her, and was met with the wide, blue eyes of Tristan, who appeared to be calmer then the rest, but still very aware. He looked her deep in the eyes. She felt he was trying to comfort her.

Another loud bang on the door. She could see one boy's face in the window, he glared at all of them. His eyes met Rory's, and she knew he could sense her fear. Without warning, a shot came through the glass in the door, and then an elbow, and then an arm, which swiftly unlocked the door. It wasn't long before the first gunman burst through the door, followed closely by two more.

"Well what do we have here?" he question, a sadistic smile forming on his face.

"What the hell are you doing, Man," came a boy from the corner, who apparently knew the gunmen. The boy just shrugged.

"Just having some fun," he answered simply. He looked around the room before settling his gaze on Rory. She tried to sink back in her chair, hoping he would move on. Instead he sauntered toward her, flipping his gun around on his finger like a toy. She could see another gun tucked into the waist band of his pants, along with an assortment of other things which she could only assume were weapons. Her breaths quickened as he neared her.

"Hey there," he said, crouching down beside her chair. He leaned an elbow on her table, veering much closer then she would have preferred. His tone was polite, conversational. The glint in his eye proved otherwise.

"Hey, Man. Why don't you just leave her alone?" Rory heard from behind her. She glanced quickly, finding Tristan glaring at the boy, grinding his teeth. The boy chuckled lightly and stood back up straight.

"Oh yes, because you're King Tristan. And we all have to do what King Tristan says, right boys?" he said, questioning his fellow gunmen. They all voice their taunting replies. Tristan swallowed hard, his angry gaze not leaving the gunman's.

"No, because she didn't do anything to you, so leave her alone," Tristan replied, not backing down. Rory couldn't understand what compelled him to speak up in the first place, but now, seeing the anger in the gunman's eyes, she wished he would just shut up.

"Tristan," she warned softly. The gunman turned his gaze swiftly between the two.

"I've got these two, gents. You can do what you want with the rest," he said. He took the other gun out of his pants and pointed it at Tristan, while he trained the original gun on Rory. She held her breath, not knowing if his intent was to kill her or taunt her.

"Come with me," he ordered. Rory hesitantly stood, Tristan grabbed her hand.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tristan asked the boy. He spoke through clenched teeth.

"Look, I'm the one with the gun. I've already used it once. I suggest you do what I say." Rory looked desperately between the boy and Tristan, and then around the room at all of the frightened faces. She silently begged Tristan to just comply, praying to avoid conflict with their obviously troubled schoolmate. Reluctantly, Tristan conceded and stood up, never letting go one her hand. In that moment, Rory was thankful for the friendly contact, hoping he'd help to keep her shaky legs from giving out under her weight.

They were ushered ahead of the boy and out of the room. They walked, Rory with her eyes trained on the ground, and Tristan staring straight ahead. After they exited the room, Rory jumped when she heard a shot come from inside the room, and the terrified screams of her classmates. She prayed the same fate wouldn't await She and Tristan in whatever location they were being taken to.

They turned down a hallway Rory hadn't spent much time in, and as they walked toward a room, she spotted a man laying down, blood pooling around him much as it had around Mr. Lucas. Her breath caught in her throat, Tristan squeezed her hand. She recognized the man as a member of the janitorial staff as they were ushered by him into the small janitorial closet where he had obviously just exited before being cruelly shot down by these people.

"Sit down," the boy ordered, motioning to the floor. Tristan glared at him, but complied, seeing Rory quickly do as she was told. He sat close to her and put an arm around her comfortingly. She could admit to herself that she was thankful that he had been the one to come with her. He seemed strong enough for the both of them.

The boy, who had seemed quite assured before, now showed a glint of uncertainty in his eyes. For a faint moment Rory thought he was coming to his senses, but that hope was dashed when, without warning, the boy swung a hard kick in the direction of Tristan, landing his foot across his jaw.

"Fuck," Tristan exclaimed as he jerked his hand to his face. He could taste blood in mouth.

"Yea, Fuck is right. Fuck you. You trying to look like you're so fucking tough back there. Well, you're not tough. You're just a fucking poser asshole," he exclaimed. He raised his gun and pointed it towards Tristan.

"No," Rory cried out, finally finding her voice. The boy looked to her for a moment, then trained his eyes back on Tristan. "Please don't do this," she pleaded. Her pleas were cut short by the sound of another bang. It took her a moment to register that the boy had fired the gun. She jerked her gaze to Tristan, and her eyes blurred with tears. He slumped down against the wall, his hand grasping at his stomach where blood seeped through his fingers. Rory could hear his laboured breathing and his moans of pain, and tried to help him apply pressure to the wound, but was reared back by the gunman pulling on her shoulder. He hoisted her up so roughly and quickly she could barely register what was happening. Before she knew it her back was flush against the wall and her face was just inches from the gunman's own.

10:00 Am

Lorelai was wandering around the inn, checking up on everyone, ensuring that everything was being done. She was in a characteristically good mood as she wandered into her office, taking a comfortable leather seat, and flicking on the radio, hoping for some good tunes to get her through her paperwork.

She was midway through a Bangles hit when the song was interrupted.

"Breaking News from Hartford," came the feminine voice of the radio host, "There are reports of a Gunman, or several at Chilton Preparatory School. According to those inside, shots have been fired, and at least three people are wounded, possibly dead. The school is in the process of evacuating the students and sending them on buses to Hartford Middle School where police are asking parents to go. It is unclear how many gunman there are, and how many people have actually been hurt. We'll keep you informed as the information comes in…" by this time Lorelai had stopped listening. Her world froze and she could hardly breathe.

'Gunman at Chilton…. Shots fired… wounded or dead' the words were like a carousel in her head. She jumped from her seat and grabbed her car keys, not bothering to turn of the radio as she burst out of the inn and to her car.

She drove for several moments, feeling her resolve slipping away as she feared the worst for her daughter. She needed someone strong to be there with her, to keep her strong as she waited for news on her daughter. Without a second thought, she phoned Luke.

So this was meant to be a quick oneshot, but it kind of took on a life of it's own. I know it's a tough subject, so please let me know what you thought. I hope you liked (like is a relative term) it. Let me know.