A/N: Hey guys! This one takes place with 'The Bracebridge Dinner'. I posted the other chapter and needed to write some more! This chapter really delves right into the mystery and action/adventure, I hope I'm not rushing into it, let me know! Please review!

Brianne

Three days later, Dani was taking Kirk's order as Lorelai, Rory, and Sookie walked in, she quickly took Kirk's request and gave it to Caesar.

"You girls want anything besides coffee?" Luke asked.

"Hey, what about Luke?" Sookie said excitedly.

"What about him?" Dani asked, sliding into a chair inbetween the two women.

"He eats, you eat, and Jess eats. Doesn't Jess eat?" Sookie pointed out.

"Jess eats." Dani assured her.

"What's she doing?" Luke asked his niece.

"I think she's inviting you for dinner." Lorelai said.

Sookie agreed, "Yeah, come on, join us. It'll be fun. You like Peacock Pie?"

"I'm a hundred percent sure I don't." Luke said, confused.

"There'll be normal food too." Lorelai reassured him.

"And decorations." Rory chimed in.

"I love decorations!" Dani chirped happily.

"And music." Sookie added.

"This is that special dinner you guys were throwing at the Inn." Dani realized, piecing it together. "What happened?"

"They got snowed in." Rory confided. "But, we're left with all this amazing food. Thank God." She and Dani laughed.

"Come on, it'll be fun." Lorelai begged.

"Well…" Luke hesitated.

"Hey, you know what? Let's invite everyone." Lorelai suggested.

"Everyone who?" Sookie asked, confused.

"Everyone everyone." Lorelai was getting excited.

"Everyone everyone who?" Sookie still wasn't getting it.

"The town." Dani breathed, catching on. "It's perfect!"

"And they could even stay in the inn. All those empty rooms, all those uneaten pillow mints." Rory said, clapping her hands. "It's so cool!"

"An out of control, over the top slumber party!" Lorelai cried.

"I love it!" Sookie chirped.

"Done! Spread the word." Lorelai said, standing up.

"Uncle Luke?" Dani pleaded.

"I haven't said I'd come yet so I'm certainly not going to suddenly become your messenger boy." Luke broke off as Lorelai stared at him. "Eight o'clock?" Dani shrieked and hugged her uncle.

"Seven." Lorelai corrected.

"Right." Luke nodded. "Dani, school."

Dani swung her backpack on her shoulder and waved to everyone. As she crossed the square that separated the diner and Stars Hollow High, she caught a glimpse of a guy who looked like Paul staring at her in a very odd, slightly creepy way. She quickened her pace and deliberately got caught up in a gang of students, so that she couldn't be seen. She chatted casually with Lane and tried to keep her features from telling anything. Inbetween classes she passed Jess in the hallway, she stopped him and told him in an undertone what she had seen that morning. Seeing that his sister was troubled and shaken from experience from that morning, though he didn't know why, Jess wrapped her in a tight hug that reassured her. Dani longed to spill it all, to tell him of all ten of the threatening messages he had left for her, that she understood why he had warned her against him, but something kept her from doing it. She couldn't name it, instead of telling him, she started to sob.

"Kris, it's okay." Jess soothed, his gut telling him that something was very wrong.

Dani walked outside after school to see Jess and Chuck Presby fighting. "Jess, stop!" She screamed, flying down the steps.

"Keep it up pal, you'll get hurt." A guy called.

"Whoa, hey guys! Guys, come on, break it up guys! Quit it! Hey, hold it man, get off me!" Dean, Rory's boyfriend, tried to pull Jess away. Jess tried to punch him. "Whoa, hey, get off me man, I'm not fighting you! Jess, knock it off man! What the hell is your problem?"

"Nothing." Jess stopped and gazed up at Dean.

"You saw it was me, Jess. Why'd you keep punching?" Dean asked.

"Had momentum." Jess shrugged.

"Well, I was trying to help you." Dean said, frustrated.

"I don't need your help, but thanks for offering." Dani flew up to him, absolutely furious.

"Jess Mariano!" Dani cried. "What were you thinking?"

"Chuck Presby's a jerk." Jess said honestly.

Dani sighed in frustration and led him home; catching sight of the person, she was sure was Paul, staring at her again.

That night at the Independence Inn as they were getting in horse-drawn carriages, Dani ended up in one with Rory.

"That it misses?" The driver asked.

Rory looked at Dani for confirmation, who nodded. "That's all." She called.

"This has been awesome." Dani admitted.

"Yeah, it has." Rory sighed, leaning her head against the seat. "I'm so exhausted."

"Join the club." Dani laughed.

The sleigh started to move, both girls jumped as Jess leapt into the seat beside Dani.

"What are you doing?" Rory and Dani demanded together.

"Well, I heard it was two to a sleigh - no more, no less. I didn't have anyone to go with, so. I was breaking the rules." Jess reasoned.

"Since when has that ever stopped you?" Dani asked.

"You could've hurt yourself." Rory pointed out.

"I live on the edge. I can jump out if you want." Jess offered.

"Doesn't matter to me." Rory said, looking around Dani.

"Please do." Dani snapped.

"Are you mad at me or something?" Jess asked the two.

"What do you think?" Rory and Dani said together.

"I can't read your mind." Jess said sarcastically.

"Thank God." Dani muttered. Jess chose to ignore her.

"You got into a fight with Dean." Rory said.

"Dean?" Jess asked.

"Her boyfriend." Dani answered.

"Ah. He's still your boyfriend?" Jess said.

"Okay, you can jump out now." Rory snapped.

"I wasn't fighting him. I was fighting someone else. He jumped in on his own." Jess defended himself.

"He was trying to help you." Rory said, torn between admitting that Jess was right and defending her boyfriend.

"Oh, he should go into government service if he's so interested in helping people. But me, he can stop worrying about." Jess glanced at Dani, she was staring ahead, her attention somewhere else.

"Why were you fighting in the first place?" Rory asked.

"'Cause Chuck Presby's a jerk." Jess answered.

"You were fighting Chuck Presby?" Rory questioned.

"Yeah." Dani interjected, before Jess could answer.

"Oh, he is a jerk." Rory agreed.

"This whole town is weird and full of jerks." Jess added.

"No it's not." Dani jumped in. "Well, Kirk's pretty strange, but other than that."

"Then why are you still here?" Rory asked.

"What do you mean?" Jess thought he knew where this conversation was headed.

"I mean, school's out and you don't like it here, so why don't you just go home?"

"Our mom didn't want us to." Jess answered.

"I don't believe that." Rory hadn't heard Dani mention their mother.

"That's your right, I guess." Jess shrugged.

Dani spoke up. "Elizabeth is a fruitcake."

"Did Luke say she didn't want you to?" Rory asked.

"Luke told me it was his idea that we should stay. It wasn't his idea." Jess said, stopping when Dani started to get up. "Where are you going?"

"I left something at the diner." Dani answered, climbing over him.

"What is it?" Jess asked, "Maybe I took it."

"It's nothing you would have." Dani whispered, starting to shake.

"Kris." Jess drew her into his lap. "What is it?" He asked quietly. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to."

"Well good, because I don't want to tell you." She snapped, hopping out of the sleigh, starting to cry. "Have fun." She found the diner unlocked and went inside. She poured herself a cup of coffee and went upstairs, she opened the door to the apartment. She checked messages, another chilling message from Paul. "Turn around." She stood there processing the message and felt the cold metal of a gun pressed against her temple.

"I said, turn around."

A/N: I have messed with this chapter for three days and am finally happy with it. What do you guys think of Paul now :- I will not update until I have at least ten reviews for this chapter. I'm sorry for being like this, but it would be nice you know you guys are reading and hopefully enjoying! I think I'll get a pretty big response after the cliffhanger though. :-

Brianne