Sugar and Spice
By Misha

Disclaimer and Notes in Part One.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Preparations

Christa wondered what had made her step up to defend from Louise's sugar-coated attack. She didn't like Paris and she was resentful that Rory had suggested Tristan ask her , her impulse had been to jump in. Maybe because Paris was intense and could be bitchy, but Louise was bitchy in a much more subtle, deliberately hurtful way.

That said, Christa was still pissed that Tristan was going out with Paris. She still didn't see why he was so upset with her. So, she'd kissed Collin, so what. It wasn't a big deal.

Just then her cellphone rang. "Hello?"

"Christa?"

"Yeah." Christa answered, not recognizing the voice.

"This is Logan." The voice on the other end introduced. "Colin gave me your number."

"Oh, hello Logan." Christa said, picturing the good-looking blonde guy in her mind.

"Colin said you were coming to the party tonight." Logan told her.

"Yeah, it sounded like fun." Christa told him. "Why?"

"Well since the party's at Colin's, it makes no sense for him to leave and then go back and of everyone else, I live the closest to you." Logan told her. "So we thought my driver could swing by and pick you up? Since I doubt you want to drive."

"No, that would be bad." Christa agreed with a slight laugh. "That sounds fine."

She knew some girls might be annoyed by having their escort changed at the last minute, but it didn't bother her. After all, she didn't care who took her to the party, as long as she had fun once she got there. Besides, it wasn't like she had taken anything romantic from the invitation-it wasn't a date, just a chance to party, perhaps even an invitation to join their circle, which appealed to her more than any romantic liaison might.

She thought Colin was hot and all and wasn't opposed to the idea of hooking up with him at some point, but she wasn't in the market for a boyfriend. She just wasn't the type. Look at how she'd handled the Tristan thing. No, Rory might be the boyfriend type, but she, Christa, most certainly was not. She just didn't have it in her.


Rory was sitting on the couch studying and eating cake when the doorbell rang. Rory frowned, wondering who it could be. Lane wasn't allowed out on Saturday evenings except under very special circumstances and she didn't really have any other friends in Stars Hollow. She got up from the couch to answer it and was stunned to see Paris standing there, holding a bunch of clothes.

"I don't know to wear." She said frantically.

"Ever?" Rory asked, looking at the rather dismal selection Paris held up.

"On my date with Tristan." Paris told her. "I'm not a trendy girl, ok? I don't haunt the boutiques hoping to find that one fabulous little top. I study and then I think about studying and then I study some more."

"Do you want to come in?" Rory invited. She herself was a lot like that-except, she had Lorelai and Christa to help her out.

"I only have one lipstick at home, ok?" Paris told her, stepping inside. "And it's barely even a color. You put it on and it looks like you're not wearing anything which is why I liked it in the first place. But to date you need the fabulous little top and you need a lipstick that you can actually tell you're wearing."

"Do you want to put that stuff down?" Rory invited, motioning to the stuff in Paris' arms.

"You said once if I ever needed to talk to anyone I could come talk to you." Paris reminded her.

"Yes I did." Rory confirmed. "Well, here I am." Paris told her.

"Ok, can I ask you a question?" Rory asked, a little surprised that Paris had come to her.

"Ok." Paris told her.

"Why didn't you go to Madeline or Louise about this?" Rory asked her. "I mean, they seem to really get that 'fabulous little top' thing."

"Oh, yeah that they get." Paris told her. "The whole supportive 'You're going to be fine and not throw up 12 times on the way to his car' thing? That they don't get."

Rory nodded. She could see that. "Ok, let's see what you've got." Rory said, motioning to the clothes in Paris' arms.

"I brought everything just in case there was some sort of hidden potential in something that I just didn't see." Paris said, laying all the clothes down. "So?"

Rory looked at the offering in dismay. First, she was horrified at the idea that what was in front of her was 'everything' and also, it was just... Somebody definitely needed to take Paris shopping.

"Well you'd be one well dressed widow." Rory quipped.

"Forget it." Paris said, looking panicked. "I'm not going."

"Yes, you are." Rory said sternly. "Come on now. This is your entire wardrobe?"

"Yes." Paris confirmed.

Rory had been afraid of that. "Nothing's left at home?" Rory pressed.

"Nothing but my Chilton uniform and my bat mitzvah dress which has menorahs on the collar." Paris told her.

Rory sighed. That wasn't good. "Ok, let's think." She said, then the idea suddenly hit her. "Come on." She head towards the stairs, and motioned for Paris to follow.

"Where are you going?" Paris asked.

"To our one stop shopping store." She lead Paris up the stairs towards her mother's room.

"Is this your mother's room?" Paris asked, looking around.

"Yes, it is." Rory confirmed.

"I can't wear your mother's clothes." Paris stated.

"Yes, you can." Rory told her. "Christa and I do it all the time. Mom's got a great wardrobe, anything you'd ever need."

She pulled a pink blouse out. "What about this?"

"My mother says that pink makes my head look small." Paris informed her.

"Ok, no pink." Rory decided, putting the blouse back.

"This whole thing is so insane." Paris told her.

"Why?" Rory asked, still rifling through the closet.

"Tristan asking me out?" Paris said, shaking her head. "Why would he do that?"

"Why would he not do that?" Rory countered. "Because he's gorgeous and experienced and only dates those most likely to become a trophy wife." Paris retorted, then made a face. "I'm sorry, I know Christa's your sister, but... She's definitely the kind of girl who understands that whole 'fabulous little top' thing."

"Yes, she is." Rory agreed with a smile. "But, there's more to life than that. Tristan would be lucky to go out with someone like you."

"All these years I've hoped that would happen and now it has and I feel...I don't know." Paris told her. "I don't have a lot of experience in the dating department. I mean if you can't put it on your transcript what's the point right?"

Rory laughed. That statement was so typically Paris. But it kinda summed of her own philosophy. At least her philosophy before Dean.

"I know." Rory told her. "Before Dean I'd never had a boyfriend. Or a kiss. Christa was the one that dated, not me. I stayed home and read."

"Yeah." Paris echoed.

"I never even thought about dating." Rory told her.

"Then you met Dean." Paris said softly.

"Yeah." Rory agreed, silently reflecting over the fact that it was easier to relate to Paris than to Christa, at least when it came to the subject of dating. "And he was so special and nice and made me completely nauseous."

"The best ones do." Paris told her seriously and Rory had no doubt that was how she felt about Tristan. She wondered for a minute if Christa had ever felt that way about any guy.

"I couldn't even talk around him." Rory confided.

"I saw you at the dance." Paris told her. "You didn't seem to have any trouble talking. Or gazing annoyingly into each others eyes."

"But that was after we'd been dating a while." Rory pointed out. "After we started going out and spending time together, I don't know, it just kind of got easier. And then by the third date everything was perfect."

"Do you miss him a lot?" Paris asked softly.

Rory paused for a second, then nodded sadly. "Yeah, a lot, a lot."

"Sorry." Paris told her and she sounded genuinely sympathetic.

"Thanks." Rory said with a small smile. "But tonight is not about me. Tonight is about you going out with Tristan in this outfit." She pulled the outfit in question out of the closet and held it up for Paris' inspection. "What do you think?"

"It's ok." Paris said.

Rory gave her a look.

"It's great." She amended.

"Put it on." Rory instructed.

"Are you sure?" Paris said hesitantly.

"I'm sure." Rory told her. "Bathroom's down the hall and I'll get you a lipstick with some actual color in it."

"Ok." Paris said with a smile and she threw her jacket on the bed, before she left the room. Some cards fell out of it onto the floor.

Rory bent down to pick them up. She read a few of them and then walked over to the closed bathroom door. "Uh, Paris." She hesitantly. "What are these cards that fell out of your pocket."

"Oh, yeah. Those are notes for tonight."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Notes."

"Yeah." Paris said through the door. "Just some reference points really-you know subjects to bring up in case the conversation lags."

Rory shook her head. Paris really was an original. "Well can I suggest that you leave this one about the Spanish Inquisition out?" She said gently.

"It's not very romantic?" Paris asked wryly.

"Not really." Rory told her.

"Ok, I'm dressed." Paris told her.

"How's it look?" Rory asked.

"Bad." Paris said, through the closed door.

"Well, I don't really trust your opinion on that subject so come out here please." Rory instructed.

"Fine." Paris said with a sigh. "But it looks bad."

She opened the door and came out, dressed in a print blouse of Lorelai's and a black miniskirt. She looked very good. Very un-Parisy.

"You look great!" Rory told her honestly.

"I feel weird." Paris complained, tugging at the skirt.

"Well then weird works for you." Rory commented. "Because you look amazing."

"Really?" Paris asked doubtfully. "You're not just saying that?"

Rory wondered what it was about Paris that she could come off as so confident about some things and be so lacking in self-esteem in other areas. "I swear to God." Rory told her.

"Are you an atheist?" Paris asked her.

Rory blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Because that affects the validity of your swearing to God." Paris informed her.

Rory shook her head. Paris was definitely being Paris. "You look great." She said patiently. "And I wouldn't tell you you did if you didn't."

"Ok, well if you think it looks ok..." Paris said hesitantly.

"I believe the word 'amazing' was used." Rory told her with a smile.

"Then I'll wear it." Paris told her. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Rory said with a smile.

"I have to go." Paris said after a minute.

"Lipstick." Rory reminded her, handing her one in the appropriate shade before they headed down the stares.

Paris stood at the door for a long minute. "You're going to hold this evening over my head for the rest of my life aren't you?" She asked.

Rory smiled. "Probably."

"Bye." Paris said, then she left.

Rory watched her going, thinking about what had just happened. She and Paris had just bonded. Scary.