Paris felt the world around her melt away. Work and Boston and Doyle and her family, even Stars Hollow and the kind woman sitting next to her blurred into the back ground as the Earth stopped turning.

"She was never part of the plan but I miss her so much." In her entire life nothing that Paris had ever said felt as true. All she could feel was the thump, thump, thump of her own heart. It wasn't quick and panicked, instead it was slow and steady. She felt herself breath again, the cold Fall air and the scent of leaves that lay damp on the ground filled her lungs. She finally understood what all of this was about. It took her entire world stopping plus a drive across two states to realise it but the thing missing from her life was Rory Gilmore.

It was one thing to finally realise that the feelings she had might be so much more than friendship. It was another to do it in floods of tears sitting right next to Rory's Mother! Paris's tears were dry now and the Earth began to turn again as she reached for the right words. For anything that could explain what she'd just said. Before she could speak, Lorelai beat her to it.

"You love her." Again the elder Gilmore's words weren't a question, instead they were a statement of fact. A certainty that sounded almost familiar on her tongue. Paris opened her mouth to speak, unsure of what she might be about to say when again Lorelai cut her off.

"Paris this isn't exactly a surprise to me. I always felt like there was something. The way you looked at Rory. The way you opened up with her. The way everything between you two always had so much feeling. Heck you were practically Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart!"

Lorelai didn't seem to be angry about any of it. Surprise and shock looked like they were the furthest things from her mind. It was was kind of strange to Paris. Both the fact that she might be gay and the fact the Mother of the Woman she was in love with, that she'd apparently been in love with since she was 16 years old could be understanding of the idea.

"You.. You don't hate me?" Paris managed. Her voice was stronger than before though she still felt like a child confronting it but her strength was returning. Again Lorelai smiled and quirked an eyebrow, a mischievous grin peeling onto her face.

"Hate you? Why? 'Cause you'd like to violate my first born !" She replied playfully prodding a finger into Paris's arm.. The ways of the Gilmores remaining as inexplicable to Paris as they ever had been Lorelai grew subtly more serious. "Paris no. Of course not! To start with this place is hardly the bible belt. Secondly random kids just falling head over heels for Rory. That was kind of a sport around here once upon a time!"

Paris cringed at the memory of the boy's who'd fought over Rory like some sort of prize when they were in high school and college. She cringed again at the thought that had she been a little more emotionally self aware at 17, she might have been joining them !

The thought pulled her back to the reality of her life, to her disconnection from it and what it let out a ragged breath, bringing her hands to her forehead.

"God ! I can't be going through this at 28 !" She exclaimed. "I have a life! I have a husband !"

Quickly Lorelai returned to a more motherly mode and gently took Paris's hand.

"Hey, not everybody's life goes at the same pace ! It's not a one size fits all plan." The older woman reassured. Technically Paris knew this was true. She'd never judged herself by the actions of the people around her unless it was to exceed them and she wasn't going to start now. Knowing that and feeling it were two different things and she still felt lost. Looking back at Lorelai she quickly and frustratedly replied.

"YOU worked your life out at 16 !"

Lorelai looked sceptical as she responded.

"I HAD to. And it's not like it was always smooth sailing. I didn't get my love life together till I was almost 40 !" She motioned back to the crowd toward her Husband and young son who were busy hanging lanterns from the bare Fall trees. Paris took in the sight then turned to Lorelai. Drawing out of herself for a moment, at least in part.

"You went through allot before you married Luke didn't you." She recalled the annoyance that she'd once felt sitting through the stories Rory told of her mother's love life and hearing one side of conversations about Rory's Dad while they were in their senior year at Yale.

"I did." Lorelai confirmed. "But I got there, and you will too."

Paris wasn't so sure. She wasn't sure what she was going to do next or how she was going to talk to Doyle about any of this. It wasn't like life was a movie and upon returning to Stars Hollow she would run into Rory's waiting arms and live happily ever after. Still, clearly something had to change. From the morning's events that was clear if anything was.

She had never exactly been a social butterfly. Gay or not connections with other people were always going to be difficult for her but looking at Lorelai and hearing her words made Paris almost believe, as ridiculous as she knew it was, in happy endings. Maybe it was the way Rory echoed in her face and her voice but at that moment sitting in the tiny town off I:91, she was filled with gratitude and comfort.

"Thank you." She said simply, trying through sheer force of will to impart just how earnestly she felt it.

"Hey, thats ok sweetie." Lorelai replied. "I know you're not a hugger and maybe it's just the Mom in me but I'm gonna do it any way ok?" Lorelai didn't wait for a reply. Instead she threw her arms around Paris in a tight embrace. Paris hugged back with as much awkwardness as she always did, until Lorelai drew away.

"So I guess I should be heading back to Boston." Paris proclaimed standing from the seat and looking around to her car parked near by. "I can't believe I blew off a morning of work. Still there's a first time for everything right!"

"egh... you had circumstances!" Lorelai replied. "For this I think you deserve some time!" She paused again very briefly looking Paris over. A thought clearly flashing through her mind, she spoke again. "We have the towns annual firelight festival tonight. There's plenty to eat, plenty to drink, there's a big bonfire and some really pretty lights. You should stay. I'll give you a room at the inn, on the house. After this, you deserve to relax!"

Paris was greatfull for the offer, she really was but what she'd just gone through was allot to process. She needed some space and time to deal with it. A town full of friendly locals, kind hearted and itching to hear about her life didn't sound like the best place to do that. She was about to make her polite excuses and return to Boston to take refuge at work and figure out how she was going to talk to Doyle about all of this. When out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luke and Will making their way out of the crowd. The boy was awkwardly stumbling as toddlers do, both arms out stretched. His father was close behind steadying him with intense concentration. The pair had almost reached them when the boy called out.

"Rory !"

Paris spun around in the direction Will had called. She saw a silver Prius parked across the street and a very familiar face stepping out of the driver's side. She was both the same and different than Paris remembered. Tall, elegant, her pale face framed by long brown hair that in adulthood tumbled in waves past her shoulders. Paris's stomach did the same flip it always had upon seeing Rory and she felt a flush in her cheeks that she was finally able to acknowledge the meaning of. Glued to the spot she watched as the younger Gilmore began to make her way across the road toward them. A broad smile reaching across her cheeks she paused after a few steps her eyes growing wide in shock, her smile growing wider still.

"Paris !" She called out.