THE BEST OF IT – Gilmore Girls; Rory/Paris; the one where Rory and Paris pretend to be girlfriends for JUSTICE!, and a documentary crew.
Chapter 19: In which we check in with Rory and Paris a few months later.
Read it: [AO3]
“Coming in September to ABC … a special six-part series. You know their names. You saw the paparazzi pictures. Now find out their full story, and the truth behind the lie that rocked a nation. Paris & Rory: Faking A Modern Stars Hollow Family.”
“Well, that’s embarrassing,” says Paris. “Not to mention hyperbolic. Rocked a nation? Really? No wonder this country’s going down the crapper like a kid’s first goldfish.”
Rory is too busy hiding her face behind a throw pillow to reply.
fic: the best of it (rory/paris, ch. 20 – epilogue)
THE BEST OF IT – Gilmore Girls; Rory/Paris; the one where Rory and Paris pretend to be girlfriends for JUSTICE!, and a documentary crew.
Chapter 19: In which we check in with Rory and Paris a few months later.
Read it: [AO3]
“Coming in September to ABC … a special six-part series. You know their names. You saw the paparazzi pictures. Now find out their full story, and the truth behind the lie that rocked a nation. Paris & Rory: Faking A Modern Stars Hollow Family.”
“Well, that’s embarrassing,” says Paris. “Not to mention hyperbolic. Rocked a nation? Really? No wonder this country’s going down the crapper like a kid’s first goldfish.”
Rory is too busy hiding her face behind a throw pillow to reply.
fic: the best of it (rory/paris, ch. 19)
THE BEST OF IT – Gilmore Girls; Rory/Paris; the one where Rory and Paris pretend to be girlfriends for JUSTICE!, and a documentary crew.
Chapter 19: In which the Firelight Festival comes to a dramatic conclusion, and this story comes to a fluffy one.
Read it: [AO3]
They head back to the town square an hour later: coats on, dresses swapped out for jeans and character heels for boots, and hair looking mighty suspicious. There are some activities that even copious amounts of hairspray can’t entirely withstand. Rory had grabbed a few knit caps from the house before they left. She passes one to Paris as they walk.
“What’s this for?” Paris frowns down at the hat. It’s a survivor from the week that Lorelai thought chartreuse might be her new signature color. (It wasn’t.)
“To cover up your hair,” Rory says. “We look like beauty pageant contestants who just got swept into a tornado.”
“Or beauty pageant contestants who just had spectacular sex,” Paris counters.
An involuntary, impossible-to-fight smile tugs at Rory’s mouth as she puts on her own hat.
“It’s crooked,” Paris says. She pulls Rory’s hat down so it’s a little more snug, then lingers there, smiling up at Rory. Rory dips down to sneak a kiss. She can’t believe how easy this is. Underneath the emotional cocktail of relief and wanting and pure stupid bliss, she keeps trying to find panic. She and Paris, they’re panickers. The past two weeks have been basically a nonstop festival of proving that. But now, it just feels calm, and good. She feels ready.
And thank God, she thinks Paris does too.
“Spectacular, huh?” Rory asks teasingly.
“You know me. Usually I try to steer clear of superlatives, sexually speaking. You don’t want your partner to stop making an effort because the praise has been heaped on right away. To pull a Modern Family, as it were. But I know you. You’re a reliable overachiever.”
fic: the best of it (rory/paris, ch. 19)
THE BEST OF IT – Gilmore Girls; Rory/Paris; the one where Rory and Paris pretend to be girlfriends for JUSTICE!, and a documentary crew.
Chapter 19: In which the Firelight Festival comes to a dramatic conclusion, and this story comes to a fluffy one.
Read it: [AO3]
They head back to the town square an hour later: coats on, dresses swapped out for jeans and character heels for boots, and hair looking mighty suspicious. There are some activities that even copious amounts of hairspray can’t entirely withstand. Rory had grabbed a few knit caps from the house before they left. She passes one to Paris as they walk.
“What’s this for?” Paris frowns down at the hat. It’s a survivor from the week that Lorelai thought chartreuse might be her new signature color. (It wasn’t.)
“To cover up your hair,” Rory says. “We look like beauty pageant contestants who just got swept into a tornado.”
“Or beauty pageant contestants who just had spectacular sex,” Paris counters.
An involuntary, impossible-to-fight smile tugs at Rory’s mouth as she puts on her own hat.
“It’s crooked,” Paris says. She pulls Rory’s hat down so it’s a little more snug, then lingers there, smiling up at Rory. Rory dips down to sneak a kiss. She can’t believe how easy this is. Underneath the emotional cocktail of relief and wanting and pure stupid bliss, she keeps trying to find panic. She and Paris, they’re panickers. The past two weeks have been basically a nonstop festival of proving that. But now, it just feels calm, and good. She feels ready.
And thank God, she thinks Paris does too.
“Spectacular, huh?” Rory asks teasingly.
“You know me. Usually I try to steer clear of superlatives, sexually speaking. You don’t want your partner to stop making an effort because the praise has been heaped on right away. To pull a Modern Family, as it were. But I know you. You’re a reliable overachiever.”
fic: the best of it (rory/paris, ch. 18)
THE BEST OF IT – Gilmore Girls; Rory/Paris; the one where Rory and Paris pretend to be girlfriends for JUSTICE!, and a documentary crew.
Chapter 18: In which Rory goes after her woman, gosh darnit.
Read it: [AO3]
It’s the first time that Rory’s ever accepted a proposal in her life.
Granted, it was a fake proposal (it has to have been a fake proposal, but why fake propose? Why not tell Rory about it? Paris, what are you doing?), so she’s not so sure what she just agreed to. But it felt like the right move. Like something true, underneath the many layers of deception and confusion and exhaustion eating their lives.
She had just known in that moment—in spite of all the madness, in spite of Kirk juggling eggs—that there was something real in the question. And so she told the truth.
And now, she’s watching Paris Geller sprint away from her with the kind of formidable speed that you usually reserve for zombie apocalypses. Paris shoves her way through the crowd of confused Stars Hollow folks, showing no mercy. The camera crew hastens after her.
Well. There’s only one thing to do now.
No way is that girl getting out of here without giving Rory any answers.
“Paris!” Rory shouts, and runs after her. She’s not a great runner during the best of times. Her mom admitted once, after being sworn to honesty, that when Rory runs, she looks like a newborn ruminant mammal who’s inexplicably also drunk.
And this? This definitely isn’t the best of times. Everybody is watching, including cameras, and she’s wearing heels (albeit dance-friendly ones). But what other option does she have? Watch Paris run off and try to drown herself in the lake? No way.
fic: the best of it (rory/paris, ch. 18)
THE BEST OF IT – Gilmore Girls; Rory/Paris; the one where Rory and Paris pretend to be girlfriends for JUSTICE!, and a documentary crew.
Chapter 18: In which Rory goes after her woman, gosh darnit.
Read it: [AO3]
It’s the first time that Rory’s ever accepted a proposal in her life.
Granted, it was a fake proposal (it has to have been a fake proposal, but why fake propose? Why not tell Rory about it? Paris, what are you doing?), so she’s not so sure what she just agreed to. But it felt like the right move. Like something true, underneath the many layers of deception and confusion and exhaustion eating their lives.
She had just known in that moment—in spite of all the madness, in spite of Kirk juggling eggs—that there was something real in the question. And so she told the truth.
And now, she’s watching Paris Geller sprint away from her with the kind of formidable speed that you usually reserve for zombie apocalypses. Paris shoves her way through the crowd of confused Stars Hollow folks, showing no mercy. The camera crew hastens after her.
Well. There’s only one thing to do now.
No way is that girl getting out of here without giving Rory any answers.
“Paris!” Rory shouts, and runs after her. She’s not a great runner during the best of times. Her mom admitted once, after being sworn to honesty, that when Rory runs, she looks like a newborn ruminant mammal who’s inexplicably also drunk.
And this? This definitely isn’t the best of times. Everybody is watching, including cameras, and she’s wearing heels (albeit dance-friendly ones). But what other option does she have? Watch Paris run off and try to drown herself in the lake? No way.
fic: the best of it (rory/paris; chapter 17)
THE BEST OF IT – Gilmore Girls; Rory/Paris; the one where Rory and Paris pretend to be girlfriends for JUSTICE!, and a documentary crew.
Chapter 17: In which the Firelight Festival is finally upon us.
Read it: [AO3]
Paris has wanted to believe a lot of stupid things throughout her life. That her parents loved her deep down and just sucked at showing it. That Tristan really did want to go out with her. That she would never get tired of being with Jamie. That not getting into Harvard didn’t mean something unfixable was broken inside of her. That she would never get tired of being with Doyle. That the do more do better do more do better what’s wrong with you voice in her brain would finally lay off and let her rest once she made her first million.
So she’s ready for this. The ultimate test. She’s been preparing her whole life.
When she was a freshman in college, sleeping with a professor and finally shedding that Paris Geller: The Miss Havisham of Chilton skin just a little, she kissed Rory during spring break. It was purely pragmatic. A total ‘so this is what the kids do these days’ faux pas. She had been too determined to do spring break right to focus on the things she should have cherished: being close to Rory, the feel of her hair and her face and her lips. Later, giggling and idiotically tipsy with Madeline and Louise, Rory had said that she could never date Paris because Paris was way too high maintenance.
Paris has always remembered that. It’s not really a surprise—Paris has an exceptionally good memory. You have to, to make it as a woman in this dumpster fire of a world.
fic: the best of it (rory/paris; chapter 17)
THE BEST OF IT – Gilmore Girls; Rory/Paris; the one where Rory and Paris pretend to be girlfriends for JUSTICE!, and a documentary crew.
Chapter 17: In which the Firelight Festival is finally upon us.
Read it: [AO3]
Paris has wanted to believe a lot of stupid things throughout her life. That her parents loved her deep down and just sucked at showing it. That Tristan really did want to go out with her. That she would never get tired of being with Jamie. That not getting into Harvard didn’t mean something unfixable was broken inside of her. That she would never get tired of being with Doyle. That the do more do better do more do better what’s wrong with you voice in her brain would finally lay off and let her rest once she made her first million.
So she’s ready for this. The ultimate test. She’s been preparing her whole life.
When she was a freshman in college, sleeping with a professor and finally shedding that Paris Geller: The Miss Havisham of Chilton skin just a little, she kissed Rory during spring break. It was purely pragmatic. A total ‘so this is what the kids do these days’ faux pas. She had been too determined to do spring break right to focus on the things she should have cherished: being close to Rory, the feel of her hair and her face and her lips. Later, giggling and idiotically tipsy with Madeline and Louise, Rory had said that she could never date Paris because Paris was way too high maintenance.
Paris has always remembered that. It’s not really a surprise—Paris has an exceptionally good memory. You have to, to make it as a woman in this dumpster fire of a world.
Ooh, you have fave Fleurmione fics? I’ve been pretty interested in that ship, but I never have the time to go searching through HP fics because the fandom is just… so huge. I also haven’t had any time to go searching AO3 recently, and I haven’t really touched any other HP fandom places in literal years. If you want to rec any Fleurmione fics (or any other other HP f/f, I’m not picky lol), I’d love to hear about them!
Absolutely, I’m happy to share! I just…don’t actually have that many and they’re mostly ancient, but I’d love newer recs if people have them.
Sparrow – This one-shot from all the way back in 2002, it’s not long but I feel like it set the tone for much of the fandom.
No Defense For You (by @dreiser7) – This was never completed but I still like to read what’s there, it stops with enough closure and is a good companion piece to:
Aucune Defense Pour Toi – While No Defense for You is from Hermione’s POV, this one flips the character perspective while telling the same story and then continues onward and completes it. I always read the two together.
Witnessed here in Time and Blood (by @whistlesilver) – This is the one I stayed up till 6am reading the other day, it’s gorgeously written.
There are also a couple more fics I saw frequently recommended, Monster and Entwined, but they both have Fleur’s French accent actually written into her dialogue and I personally can’t stand that.
Ooh, you have fave Fleurmione fics? I’ve been pretty interested in that ship, but I never have the time to go searching through HP fics because the fandom is just… so huge. I also haven’t had any time to go searching AO3 recently, and I haven’t really touched any other HP fandom places in literal years. If you want to rec any Fleurmione fics (or any other other HP f/f, I’m not picky lol), I’d love to hear about them!
Absolutely, I’m happy to share! I just…don’t actually have that many and they’re mostly ancient, but I’d love newer recs if people have them.
Sparrow – This one-shot from all the way back in 2002, it’s not long but I feel like it set the tone for much of the fandom.
No Defense For You (by @dreiser7) – This was never completed but I still like to read what’s there, it stops with enough closure and is a good companion piece to:
Aucune Defense Pour Toi – While No Defense for You is from Hermione’s POV, this one flips the character perspective while telling the same story and then continues onward and completes it. I always read the two together.
Witnessed here in Time and Blood (by @whistlesilver) – This is the one I stayed up till 6am reading the other day, it’s gorgeously written.
There are also a couple more fics I saw frequently recommended, Monster and Entwined, but they both have Fleur’s French accent actually written into her dialogue and I personally can’t stand that.