Where to go, what to say, where to stay…

"Why would someone be after me?" Rory whispered to herself. Tristan stared at her pale face. She looked pretty shaky. Just then, there was a commotion outside the door. Rory and Tristan turned in unison as the door opened and Lorelei burst in. Luke was at her heels. Lorelei's face was tear- streaked, and Luke looked devastated. They both stopped short as they beheld Rory standing in the foyer. "What? Rory? .." and Lorelei promptly slid to the floor in a dead faint. Luke caught her before she could hit her head.

"Mom!" Rory exclaimed and she jumped to her mother's side. Luke just stared at her.

"They came to the house. They said you had been killed. They said it was you..." he was babbling.

"I know. It wasn't me however. It was Madelyn. I was away, remember?" Rory said, trying to soothe her stepfather. She chafed Lorelei's hand and whispered "Mom! It's okay. I'm here. I'm not hurt. Wake up"

Lorelei stirred, looked up at her daughter and threw her arms around her. She began to cry in earnest. "They came to the house; they said you had been killed. I said no, that you were overseas but they said the victim matched your description! That she was in your bedroom. Oh my God, Rory what happened?" She finally loosened her grip on Rory and looked at her.

"Someone killed Madelyn. She was staying here while I was in London so she could look for a place to live." Rory told her, her voice as shaky as her knees. Just then, she felt a hand under her elbow. Tristan helped her to her feet and then helped Luke get Lorelei to hers.

"Why don't you all sit in the living room? I'll get you something to drink." Tristan turned to go into the kitchen. He searched, and finally found the bottled water in the cabinet. With four bottles in hand he returned to the front room to see Rory sitting between her parents. Lorelei was still sniffling. Rory looked exhausted and Luke looked relieved.

Tristan passed out the bottles and all four of them opened them and took a drink. Rory actually began to giggle. "What?" Lorelei asked

"Just synchronized drinking. I thought it was funny" Tristan hid a grin. Rory was trying very hard not to get hysterical. Luke stared at Tristan and recognition began to dawn on him.

"Hey, aren't you…?'

"Bible Boy?!" Lorelei exclaimed. She, too, had been staring at Tristan.

"Lieutenant Tristan Dugrey, Georgetown PD" he said. He looked at Rory and asked "Bible Boy?"

Both Gilmore Girls dissolved into gales of laughter. Tears fell as fear, hysteria and joy merged and the tension was released. Luke just stared at them, and then shrugged his shoulders at Tristan.

"Biblical insults, cool" Lorelei hiccoughed and Rory laughed harder. "Ow, my stomach hurts." she managed to say as the laughter subsided.

"I'm sorry Tristan. That goes back to Chilton. I couldn't understand why you kept calling me Mary. Mom enlightened me." She grinned at Lorelei and held her hand. Her eyes were still glittering with unspent tears. Tristan grinned and shook his head. Luke stood up and shook Tristan's hand. "Luke Danes" he said. Suddenly, Lorelei bolted to her feet. "Where are you going to stay? You can't stay here! You can never stay here!"

"I know, but the city is totally booked ! There are four major conventions here this week and there are zero rooms available."

"Come home with Luke and me." Rory looked at Tristan. He shook his head.

"I can't mom. I have to get back to work and I don't want to put you two in any danger."

Lorelei stared at her. "What do you mean put us in danger?"

"We think that Rory was the intended target. Madelyn was here and Rory wasn't . The murderer didn't know that and killed Madelyn in a case of mistaken identity. Since the murder, her house has been ransacked. We are trying to figure out what they were looking for as well as why she was a target."

"So! She should definitely get out of here and come home with Like and me!"

"No. She has to stay here where we can protect her." Tristan replied. The tone of his voice was calm but the finality was there. Rory would be staying in DC.

Lorelei walked right up to him and said with deadly calm "If you don't protect her I will find you and kill you." Luke stood next to his wife. "I will help her do it." was all he said. Tristan nodded. She turned to Rory and began to tear up again. "Please be careful. I don't think I could bear to hear that you were dead again. Once is enough in any parent's life" and she hugged her daughter.

"I'll be careful. I promise. She took Luke's hand and he pulled her into a tight hug. "Please be careful Rory."

Rory stood there sniffling after they left. Tristan waited in silence as she pulled herself together. It was totally dark out now.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Now you come home with me." Tristan replied. He waited for her reaction. She didn't disappoint him.

"Are you out of your mind? Go home with you?! Why am I going home with you?" She turned to face him. He watched the disbelief play across her face, watched the color return to her pale complexion and the fire return to those incredible blue eyes. She had herself well in hand.

"As you told your mother, there are NO hotel rooms available. Your car is still buried under two feet of snow and you have no shovels. All your clothes are in that room upstairs and you look like you are going to fall down from exhaustion. Grab your suitcase, your other laptop and your boots. I have a guest room . Do you have a better idea?"

Rory glared at him then turned on her heel and stalked to her office. She grabbed her laptop and returned to the foyer. Tristan was standing next to her suitcase. He was grinning at her. Rory had a sudden flashback to Chilton. She stood looking at him. He wasn't that boy, but he was Tristan.

"There had better be a lock on that guest room door." She said under her breath as she yanked open the front door. Tristan laughed out loud as he picked up her suitcase and followed her out into the dark winter night. Neither one of them saw the man standing in the shadows across the street. He observed their departure. When the taillights of Tristan's car disappeared around the corner, he crossed the street and entered the alley behind the row of townhouses.