The next morning Paris thought she was going to be sick. She was still at the Gilmore's and didn't plan on leaving until her mother came looking for her. But that wasn't what was making her sick. It was Monday and she had to go to school. She was terrified of what would happen that day, of the looks she knew she'd receive, and the tauntings she knew she'd have to endure. She was worried Madeline or Louise had told someone about the incident. She felt bad but she just didn't trust her friends at the moment.

She rode the bus to school with Rory in silence. She had never ridden a bus before and the experience wasn't as bad as she thought.

As she and Rory walked up to the school, she was greeted by Madeline and Louise. She didn't want to look at either of them and she stood awkwardly in front of them. Her fear of public humiliation was just too much right then. This was when she would find out if anyone else knew. But Madeline gave her a genuine hug, whispering "I'm glad you're okay, Paris."

Paris wasn't expecting such a kind gesture and she bit her lip to hold back tears. She had cried enough for her lifetime. Madeline could tell how much pain Paris was in but didn't know what to say. Their friendship had always been kind of awkward and they all knew it, and she hated that something like this had to happen to make her realize how much she really did value their friendship. A small part of her was upset that it was Rory Paris had gone to but also understood the reasoning. Madeline gave Paris' arm a gentle squeeze, silently letting her know she was there for her. A tear slipped down Paris' cheek and she hastily wiped it away. The bell rang and they hurried inside. All Paris wanted to do was get through the day unnoticed. She prayed the day would go by quickly.

Rory was called out of third period math to see Headmaster Charleston. Paris was in the hall along with the office assistant. "What's going on?" she asked worriedly.

"I have no idea. Maybe...oh I don't know." Rory was just as confused as Paris.

"I'll come and get you two in a moment," the assistant said, the big oak doors closing behind her and leaving the two girls alone in the hallway.

"How has your day been so far?" Rory asked, sitting on the bench beside Paris.

"Could be worse. I've just tried to lay low for the day. I'm surprised how supportive Madeline and Louise have been. I feel bad about second-guessing their friendship."

The door opened and the assistant held it open for the girls. "Go on into his office."

Rory went in first and saw her mother sitting in the chair directly in front of the headmaster's desk.

"Mom, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?" Rory asked. Lorelai didn't say anything but quickly glanced into the corner of the room. When the door closed, Rory could see a woman standing there. Paris sucked in her breath. Her eyes filled with tears but she forced them away and she fixed a cold stare on her mother.

Everything about Mrs. Gellar was cold and hard. Her graying hair was pulled into a tight bun and her thin lips were pursed into a grim smirk. Her makeup looked as if she had been made up by a paint-by-numbers kit. Her clothes were gray and black and the only color on her body besides her rouged cheeks was the turquoise and blue scarf tied neatly around her neck. As she made her way over to the desk she shot a cold glance at the Gilmores before resting her piercing gaze on her daughter. It was so crippling that Paris fell into the chair next to Lorelai. With no other choice, Rory took the chair between the Gellars. The headmaster was sitting in his chair, his hands clasped and resting on his chest.

"Well, now that we're all here, let's get started," he said, ignoring the tension in the room.

"So mother, you've found me," Paris said, her voice taking on a flat, monotone quality.

"Of course, it was easy. You wouldn't skip school. I knew you'd come here so I called Headmaster Charleston to notify me when he knew you were at the school." Her voice was colder than she looked. "You, Mrs. Gilmore, are lucky I didn't call the police. You are holding my daughter in your care without my consent, for all I know you forced her to stay with you. My husband and I are looking into taking you to court."

"Excuse me? Did I just hear you correctly? Do you know what your husband did to her?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"I'm perfectly aware of what goes on in my house. I must say she did deserve what she got, even if my husband took it a little too far." She stood up with a snobbish air and walked around the room, noticing all the books and knick-knacks in the office.

"Mrs. Gellar, I must jump in. From what Mrs. Gilmore has told me, Paris traveled to their house on her own accord," Hm. Charleston said.

"That doesn't mean anything to me. Mrs. Gilmore was irresponsible and did not notify me that my daughter was safe in her care."

"Irresponsible? Let's talk about irresponsibility for a second. Paris was beaten and you did nothing to stop it and just yelled at her. Any mother would take their daughter in her arms and comfort her, doctor the wounds, and make things better by being there. You did not do any of that. I did. I took your role when she needed you most. I was the one who cleaned her back. I wiped away her tears and held her when she cried. I didn't make things better but I sure as hell tried. Now, tell me who the irresponsible party is," Lorelai fired back.

"I am not irresponsible because this wasn't my fault. The blame lies on Paris' shoulders. Why should I comfort her when what she did was wrong?"

"What is with you, lady? Where in your warped mind do you think its okay to beat a child?"

"He did not beat her, let's get that straight. She was disobedient and we punished her. Leave it to my daughter to run away and blow things out of proportion like she has."

Next to Rory, Paris was starting to hyperventilate. Her head was bowed and she was breathing rapidly, her fists clenched and banging against the arm rests.

"Mrs. Gellar, you can't be serious. Have you seen what your husband did?"

"No, and I don't need to. I trust he did what was right. Paris, Headmaster, has not had very much discipline in her lifetime and so a little thing like this has –"

"What? WHAT?!" Paris stood up. "What are you talking about? No discipline? That's all I've gotten in that house. You two have kept me on such a tight leash I was never able to do anything! And everything you let me do wasn't good enough. You've never supported me in anything I've ever done. It's always 'do better next time, Paris' or 'an A is okay but a perfect score is better.' You've never been okay with anything I do! I've never been good enough for you. I've acquiesced to your every demand. I've pushed the bar higher than it can go. Your dreams have become mine. I want to go to Harvard because I don't want to let you down. I live in constant fear of that and just when I think I haven't, I have.

Have you seen what he did to me? Did you look at my back? Do you want to look at my back?" Paris unbuttoned her jacket and tossed it aside. She unbuttoned a few buttons on her shirt, lifted the back, turned, and showed her mother. Mrs. Gellar disdainfully looked away. "You call that just punishment?! Look! Look at it!" She pulled her shirt back down. "I'll ask you again – why was I punished? I went out like you asked me to. I came home at a reasonable hour. Yet somewhere in there I did something heinously wrong." Paris was talking through clenched teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks. "So wrong that you and dad thought it was okay to hit me. Not just hit me, but whip my back with a belt! A belt! I don't deserve that kind of treatment. Nobody does. I've always done what you've asked, I've always gone beyond what's expected of me and even then it's not far enough! You've never hugged me, never kissed me goodnight, never read me bedtime stories. You've never taken time to get to know me. We're strangers to each other. If you aren't careful you might lose me."

"That wouldn't be so bad, now, would it?" Mrs. Gellar said, a cold playfulness in her tone. Paris stepped up to her and looked her straight in the eye.

"When I was little I would question whether or not you loved me. Now, that question has been answered."

"Well, I guess I'll tell you what you want to hear. You're right. About all of it. For now, I don't want you back in my house. Maybe in a few days, maybe longer. Right now there is no room for you in the house. Send someone over to get your clothes and your books. You, however, don't come in. When we want you back, we'll send for you. Headmaster, I'm sorry you had to witness this unfortunate scene but sometimes a child needs a harsh punishment to let them know they've crossed the line. Goodbye." With that, she left, the door closing firmly behind her.

"I'll leave you three alone for now," the headmaster said and went out a side door. Rory and Lorelai sat in their chairs, too stunned to move or say anything. Paris stared at the closed door in disbelief, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. Finally she took a deep breath and collapsed on the ground. She pulled her jacket to her and screamed into it. This got the Gilmores out of their chairs and to Paris' side. Lorelai put her arms around her and rocked her. She felt helpless and had to restrain herself from covering Paris' face with all the kisses she never received. Instead she sat with her silently, allowing her to cry it all out.

"I feel so worthless," Paris finally whispered.

Lorelai looked into Paris' eyes with her own tear-filled ones. "You are worth so much more than you are given credit for."

"I want to die."

"Paris, don't say that," Rory said, putting her hand on Paris' shoulder.

"I do. I hate my life. More than anything. I just want to get rid of it. I hate being alive. Just give me a knife and let me slit my wrists."

"Paris…"

"I'm serious. What do I have to live for? What was the point of me even being born? I'm obviously a burden – an unwelcome burden – in my…family…"

"You have yourself to live for. Your future, your friends. You can get through this; you aren't alone. You have both of us, your friends, and your teachers," Lorelai said. They sat quietly for a few more minutes while Paris regained composure. "Let's go ahead and go home. You shouldn't have to stay here when you're like this. Come on, Rory, you too."

They got their things together and left. The office assistant looked over at Paris sympathetically, whose face was still splotchy and red.

The ride back to Star's Hollow was a quiet one. Paris sat in the back, alone with her thoughts. When they arrived, Lorelai sent Rory inside so she could talk privately with Paris. She climbed in the back with her.

"Paris, I know I'm not your mother and I can't replace being your mother, but I want to let you know if you ever need anything, if you ever need to talk, and you can't talk to your own mother, please come find me. I know what you're going through can't be easy and Rory and I are here to help you however we can. Our door is always open to you, okay?" Paris nodded. Lorelai took her hands. "I know you've been through a lot the past few days, and you need some space. Feel free to walk around town, sit in the house, whatever you feel like doing. Just remember you can't stay with us forever, and we really can't put you up in anything better than the couch. You and your parents will have to talk again soon, so maybe think of what you want to say to them. It isn't going to be easy, but hopefully you and your parents will come to some sort of respectable understanding. But for now, our house is your home for as long as you need it to be."

Paris wiped her eyes. "Lorelai, this means so much to me. I can't thank you enough."

Lorelai gave her a hug and they went inside.

Paris opted to walk around and be by herself for awhile.

"Mom, why didn't Headmaster Charleston do anything earlier? He just kind of let them battle it out. Why didn't he intervene?" Rory asked.

"Because this battle wasn't his to fight. He probably thought they needed to confront each other instead of hiding from each other. I don't know. He works in mysterious ways, you could say. At least they got this out in the open. Hopefully it made her mother think of how she's treated Paris."

"Poor Paris. I can't imagine growing up like that."

"Me either." Lorelai gave her daughter a hug, incredibly thankful for what she had.