Is there anyone more suited to Rory's new life than Paris? I could picture this actual scene happening so easily, so I hope you enjoy it. Paris is my absolute favorite nut on Gilmore Girls. She has more funny quips and insults than any show written in the 90's by far.

Chapter 5: Vampire Encounter without a Slayer

*****The New Year*****

Luke was still more than rattled at Lorelai's story about their visit to the hellmouth. Not only had she seen vampires, but Buffy had let them both slay a vampire. Rory the first night, and then Lorelai the second. They had seen demons, both evil and benign. The girls were right—he was going to take up whittling.

When Luke had asked Lorelei, how could they tell if a demon was evil since ugly ones were nice like Clem, she told them what the slayer had said, "If they try to kill you, then their evil."

The idea that Rory might one day be called, scared Luke a lot, but it terrified Lorelai. Her terror was strong the first few weeks she came back. So much so that she was having a hard time keeping things from Sookie.

"Sookie keeps asking me what's wrong," Lorelai told him. "I finally told her that we were attacked on the trip we took with dad and that our new self-defense classes were the only reason we weren't murdered or raped. That shut her up and made her go in mothering mode. I feel bad for lying."

"It's not really a lie, though," Luke said. "Those vampires you saw prove that we can't pretend it's not real anymore."

"I know," Lorelai said. They were upstairs in his apartment as Lorelei didn't want anyone to overhear.

"You decided not to tell her the complete truth for a reason," Luke reminded her.

"Yes, and it was the right choice," Lorelai said. "I just can't believe all of this real. You should've seen that girl, Buffy—the slayer. She was short and blonde. Almost perky even, but she was dealing with so much. She's kept the hellmouth from opening more than once, and she sacrificed her lover. Now her younger sister, who's fourteen is in danger while her mom has a tumor. It's just not right. What if that becomes Rory's life someday?"

"It won't," Luke said. He put his arm around her shoulder. "You don't have a tumor. She has no sibling, and you said the line didn't run through Buffy. Even if she dies, Rory won't be called."

"How messed up is it that I am happy the other slayer is safe in prison?" Lorelai said.

"The situation is messed up," Luke said.

"I am so scared," she said in a small voice. They'd been gone from the hellmouth now two weeks, and she'd had time to process it. She'd clinically shared details with her father as had Rory, but it had seemed surreal. Now, though, they knew it was completely a scary reality. They had met the current slayer and had experienced two nights on a hellmouth. They drove by the burned-out shell of the high school, and they had been to more graveyards than she had ever wanted to see. The town wasn't much bigger than Stars Hollow, but it had twelve cemeteries. Twelve. It blew their minds.

"Me, too," Luke admitted.

"The world is scarier and more evil than I ever imagined, Luke," Lorelai said. Then she began to cry, unable to hold in all the emotions she'd been feeling the past few months. Before they left, they got to see Buffy fight and behead a monster that was some kind of demon. "Demons and vampires are real—I saw them. Rory saw them. That could be her life one day." Her voice cracked as she sobbed while Luke let her cry all over him.

Luke held her as she cried and didn't try to offer placating words. What could he say? Nothing could make it not be real. All he could do was offer what protection he could to both girls. They had his support, and he knew that Rory had been speaking to Lane.

Finally, he handed her a tissue, and she blew her nose. "I bet I look awful," she said, feeling a bit embarrassed for crying on him. He had been so incredible, though. Luke was her rock, and she didn't know what she would do without him. They'd become so much closer since she told him their family secret.

"You look beautiful like always," Luke said, meaning it.

Lorelai wanted badly to feel better, and she wanted to give in to the attraction that was between him. What if it ruined things, though?

"Luke, will you kiss me and make me forget how awful the world is?" she asked.

Luke looked surprised. "You want me to kiss you?" he asked. He'd liked her from the moment they'd met, but she'd never seemed open to changing their relationship. Therefore, he'd never pushed the issue.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship, though," she admitted. "I can't ever make it work with men."

"Maybe you just didn't have the right man," he said, taking a chance at crossing the line by putting his hand to her cheek.

Lorelai smiled at his touch, not pulling away. "I got asked out by Rory's English teacher a few months ago, but it was right after I found out about all this stuff. I turned him down 'cause he didn't need the nightmare mess I am," she shared. Then she pulled back slightly, and his hand fell.

"You're not a mess," he said. "You're the most incredible woman that I have ever known." Deciding that he didn't care anymore, he kissed her like he had always wanted.

Lorelai wasn't surprised that the kiss was everything she hoped it would be, and she let herself forget about the horrors of the supernatural.

*****February of Spring Semester*****

Rory was so glad she had Lane to talk to because things at Chilton were not very good. There was a dance, and she was asked out by a popular guy named Tristan. He was kind of a total jerk, but she kept thinking about Buffy and how she lived her life no matter what happened. She went with Tristan to the dance, but he became aggressive with her. Her training kicked him, and she had him on the floor in less than a minute with a strong right hook.

It hurt a lot more than she thought it would, and she looked down at her hand in dismay. Buffy had made it seem so easy. For some reason, Madeline and Louise sided with her, claiming they had seen what happened. When Paris tried to put the blame on Rory and show sympathy toward Tristan, Madeline had actually gotten angry.

"No, means no, Paris. Rory said no, and he pushed. Rory had every right to hit him," Madeline said, glaring at Tristan.

"It wasn't cool, Tristan," Louise said.

"Paris, we need to take her home," Madeline said.

Rory wasn't sure how it happened, but Paris reluctantly agreed. That was how she made three school friends by the spring semester.

Her mother got her tickets to see a concert in New York City, and Lane couldn't go. Rory ended up inviting her three Chilton friends. Sookie hung out with her mother while she sat with the girls.

The problem occurred when Madeline and Louise decided to sneak off with two guys. Rory had a bad feeling, so she nudged Paris.

"Let's follow them. I don't think those guys look right," Rory said. She had in her purse a stake and a small squirt gun with holy water that she felt ridiculous for carrying. Now, though, she felt comforted by the knowledge that she was prepared. If they were just human jerks, she also had pepper spray.

"Here," she said, handing Paris the pepper spray. "If the guys end up being sleazy, we're prepared."

Paris looked surprised but took it. "If they're with Madeline and Louise, they're sleazy."

While Paris stepped ahead, she pulled out her stake and put it in her back pocket, covering it with her shirt. Her heart was racing. Somehow, she just knew this was going to turn out badly.

When the girls turned left, they picked up their pace to follow.

"This is what happens when you invite those two oversexed morons," Paris complained. "I was enjoying myself for the first time in ages."

"Sorry, Paris, but they are too trusting," Rory said.

Paris nodded, surprised by Rory's determination. She had noticed that Rory seemed more hyperaware lately. When she was reading, she didn't get lost in her books anymore. Strangely enough, she was now running track, which Paris thought was very odd. Rory didn't strike her as a jock.

They turned left on the street and didn't see the girls.

"Dang it! Where did they go?" Rory said as she slowed down her steps to look.

"Hmm. Maybe that apartment building," she said, pointing.

As they approached the building, though, they heard a yell in the alley before it. Quickly, they ran toward the sound.

Rory felt sick as she saw the vampire feeding on Madeline while Louise was struggling with the other vampire.

"Get away from them!" Paris shouted as she pulled out her phone to dial 9-1-1.

Rory pulled out her squirt gun and sprayed the vampire feeding on Madeline. He screamed out and dropped Madeline. Rory knew she couldn't handle two vampires, but she couldn't just let her friends die. She squirted the vampire holding Louise, and he let her go.

"Get Madeline and run!" Rory screamed at her.

Louise did just that, finding the power to grab Madeline and pull her away. "Help me, Paris!" she yelled when she saw her friend.

"Police are coming," Paris said as they got Madeline to the end of alley. When she realized that Rory, though, was still there with the two attackers, she stood up.

"Rory, what are you doing? Get over here!" she ordered.

Rory, though, had pulled out her stake. "You better run before I stake you!" she told the guy, who was totally vamped out. The vampire growled and stepped forward.

She remembered what Buffy said, "You are not strong like a slayer, so don't try to pull them close. Use your legs." Her leg went up as the vampire approached, and she kicked it in the stomach, knocking it back. When the other rushed her, all she knew to do was hold up the stake. Strangely enough, it impaled itself on it.

Paris was close enough to see Rory kick one of the guy's and the other charged her. Paris ran to help, but somehow the guy turned to dust. She couldn't help but notice the man was wearing some type of strange face mask.

"What the hell?" she said.

Rory grabbed her hand before she could get closer. "Come on!" Rory said, pulling her to the mouth of the alley. Sirens now could be heard, and the two waited inside the doorstep of the apartment.

"Don't say anything," Rory urged.

"Don't tell anyone that the attackers were wearing freaky face masks and turned to dust when it hit you?" Paris asked, a note of incredulity in her voice.

"I'll explain. Just back up what I say," Rory said.

When the police got there, the paramedics were with them. They quickly loaded Madeline up.

"Go with her, Louise," Paris ordered. "We'll give the police a statement."

"We were at the concert around the corner," Rory said. "We saw our two friends go off with these two sketchy looking guys, so we decided to follow and make sure they were okay."

"When we got to this street, we couldn't find them," Paris added. "Then we heard screams and came to the alley."

"We saw one guy had Madeline pulled up to his mouth—like he was sucking her neck or something. Louise was struggling with her guy," Rory said.

"Yea," Paris said. "Rory gave me pepper spray." She held up her can.

"I sprayed the guy who had Madeline, and he dropped her," Rory said. "When I sprayed Louise's attacker, I told her to grab Madeline and run."

"She did," Paris added. "I had already called you guys before Rory even engaged the two attackers."

"I kicked one of them in the stomach when he charged at me, and when the sirens could be heard, he got up and ran off with his buddy," Rory said.

"Anything else? What race were they?" the cop asked.

"One was white and one looked Mexican or Latino," Rory said.

"They also were wearing some type of scary face mask," Paris added.

"You're kidding?" the cop asked.

"No, it was weird," Rory said.

"That's not the first time we've heard that," the cop said, writing it down.

"Paris, do you know Madeline's parents' number? We need to let them know," Rory said. "I'm calling my mom."

"Louise will as Madeline's phone was on her," Paris said.

The cop took their phone number and address information before letting them leave. They quickly walked toward the concert venue.

"Rory, I demand to know what the hell happened back there," she said.

"What do you mean?" Rory asked. "You know what happened. I used pepper spray on them, and then I fought one of them off before they ran away."

"First of all, how did you know to do any of that? Second of all, I know what I saw, and I know that guy turned to dust somehow," Paris said, glaring at her. "I have not ingested a hallucinogenic of some kind, so don't try to convince me I don't know what the heck I saw!"

"Let's talk later, Paris. We need to find my mom," Rory said.

Two hours later, Madeline and Louise were home, and Paris refused to leave Rory's side. Not wanting to discuss the reality of what happened in front of Sookie, Rory managed to get Paris to remain silent until they were home.

"The world is as old as scientist believe," Rory told Paris. "All the myths and legends we've studied are not simply myths. That man was a vampire. He was trying to drain Madeline of her blood."

"That is insane, Rory," Paris said. She glanced at Lorelai, who was silent but not arguing or denying.

"You saw me stab the guy with a piece of wood, Paris, and he turned to dust," Rory said. "That's insane and impossible. However, it is magical as the supernatural is real."

Lorelai and Rory told her about the slayer and explained about being a potential. "Here. Take this home and read it," Rory said, showing her the slayer handbook. "This explains a lot."

"Monsters are real, and it is a teenage girl who kills them?" Paris said. "I'm going to have to talk to my nanny about this."

"You can't talk about this, Paris. People will think you're crazy," Rory said. "Madeline and Louise already think it was two guys with freaky blood fetishes."

"So this is like a secret club?" Paris asked. The Gilmore girls nodded. "And these Watchers learn how to kill the monsters and train the slayer?"

"Basically. Although there are a lot more watchers than slayers," Lorelai said. "Some are like my dad. Trained to serve but do other things."

Paris nodded, thinking hard. "Thanks for being honest with me, Rory," Paris said. "You are a true friend. I feel honored that you let me in on this secret." She had always wanted to be a member of the Puffs, the secret girl club at their school. However, she never got the invite. This was even more exciting.

"We have each only told one person," Rory said. "I told my best friend, Lane, and Mom told our friend Luke."

"You didn't tell Sookie?" Paris asked, surprised.

"I didn't want to scare her," Lorelai said. "It's a big burden to share with someone."

Paris nodded. "I can understand that," she said. "Thanks for taking me to the concert. I'll see you Monday, Rory." She took the book and left.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Lorelai wondered.

Rory shrugged. "It's Paris. She's rattled, but she's brilliant. She'll find some way to cope," she said.

The phone rang, and Lorelai answered it. "Yes, we're back," she said. Then she mouthed to Rory Luke. "Why don't you just come over here? Rory doesn't care. I'll ask." She put her hand over the phone while Luke protested. "Rory, do you care if Luke comes over and has a slumber party with me?"

Rory grinned. "Only if you limit the pillow fights to one and don't do anything that I have to hear!" she teased.

Lorelai laughed and told Luke before hanging up. Rory liked seeing her mom happy, and Luke made her happy. "Luke is always welcome here, Mom," Rory said. "I like seeing you smile."

"I didn't want to lose him, so I tried to keep him in friend zone," Lorelai admitted. "But we're dealing with some scary stuff, and he's just so solid. In a moment of weakness, I leaned a bit harder than normal."

"It's okay to be happy," Rory said. "Even Buffy took time to try to find some personal happiness even if it was fleeting."

Lorelai nodded. "That's true," she said. "Let's hope Luke and I don't have the tragic end of her exes."

"Not possible," Rory said.

"You should let that adorable bag boy, Dean, take you out," Lorelai said. "It's clear he's crushing on you."

"I don't have time for boys, Mom. I let Tristan take me to the dance, and you know how that one ended," Rory said.

"Tristan is a tool; Dean is not," Lorelai said.

Rory knew her mother was probably right, but she just wasn't ready to date seriously. Her plate was full.

*****Chapter End*****

I have to say that I really liked Dean on the show until he got married and Rory committed adultery with him, gifting him only THEN with her virginity. I hated Jess's character and was a big Logan fan. However, for this tale, I see Jess fitting her new reality better.