A/N: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, hope I did the extra characters justice, and no, it won't turn into a full-blown crossover, but when the idea popped into my head it was just too good to pass up! Thanks again to all reviewers, alerters and fave story additions. Love you guys.
Disclaimer: If you recognize the names or places, they ain't mine.
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"Morning Bambi," Catherine handed over a cup of coffee and Rory paused, wondering if she should turn around and retreat back into the newspaper office before she got commandeered again.
"We're not hijacking you involuntarily," Asia chimed in, seeing where Rory's thoughts were headed.
"That's a relief, though today would have been a good day, no classes," Rory laughed, taking a drink of her coffee. "So what is it? Since I've figured out that the coffee usually accompanies a request that you feel needs buttering up."
"She's quick," Catherine smirked. "You need help. Normally we are not to interfere or assist in task completion, but the deadline of Halloween is fast approaching and you're at risk of failing."
"Huh?" Rory frowned, Asia rolling her eyes.
"Lap dances, you still need to do two," she reminded, Rory grimacing.
"Crap, I was kind of hoping you'd just forget," she admitted with a laugh, Catherine shaking her head and draping her arm across Rory's shoulders.
"That is why we're here my dear Reporter Girl. Consider us your fairy godmothers, on a mission to prepare you for the ball," Catherine beamed.
"Sure, if Cinderella gave the Prince a lap dance," Asia snorted, Catherine shooting her a dirty look.
"Shut it Mushu! Did you want to come or not?"
"Fine, I'll leave you to your fairy godmother fantasies. What about you Gilmore, are you in?" Asia asked, Rory taking about two seconds to nod.
"I'm in. I need help, desperately," she sighed, swallowing hard at the prospect of completing her task. "Unless you want to just get me hammered again," she offered.
"As enticing as that offer is, no," Catherine shook her head. "You are not the most coordinated dancer sober. Drunk, not pretty is the world's biggest understatement. I think you nearly gave poor Ella a concussion elbowing him in the head."
"I elbowed him in the head? Doing what?" Rory wrinkled her nose in confusion as she slid in the limo behind Asia.
"Honestly, we have no clue, but it was funny," Catherine giggled. "Frank, the airport please," she spoke into the phone.
"Where are we going?" Rory asked, surprised at the airport reference.
"Surprise. You're not afraid of helicopters, are you?" Catherine asked, Rory shaking her head.
"I don't think so. Planes don't bother me, so shouldn't be."
"Good, cause Mushu here is bad enough. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to do some reading for a paper I have due in a couple weeks. I'm sure you two can find something to talk about," Catherine slipped in earbuds and turned on her Ipod, tuning them out as she opened her copy of Beowulf in its original Old English.
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"Okay, we're here," Catherine finally interrupted Rory and Asia's debate over whether the original Willy Wonka was better than the remake. It had started just after they got on the helicopter and hadn't stopped when they transferred to the limo, Rory too caught up in her opinion to even notice where they were. Which normally wouldn't faze Catherine but they'd reached their destination and she really did need to stop the ridiculous debate.
"Where are we?" Rory asked, a little nervous where Catherine and abrupt departures were concerned.
"Welcome to Manhattan Reporter Girl. I hear you're a pathetic, hopeless mess and in desperate need of an intervention of the dancing kind," Elizabeth smirked, leaning against the limo's open door and handing Rory a coffee as she climbed out.
"Where are we?" Rory repeated, staring in shock at the building before them, namely the flashing marquee.
"This is the Victrola, a burlesque club," Catherine waved her hand dramatically at the entrance and the door swung open.
"Damn, nice timing," Asia snickered, Elizabeth rolling her eyes.
"I thought I was the dramatic one. Come on, if we keep Bass waiting he's gonna get pissy, and nothing's more annoying than a pissy Bass," Elizabeth warned, leading the way inside, Rory being dragged reluctantly by Asia. Once inside, she was glad she was being pulled by Asia because after the bright sunlight, the club was as dark as a tomb, with the exception of the stage lights.
"Cat, darling," a dark haired male with an oily-sounding voice and a slick smile walked over from the bar and kissed Catherine's cheeks.
"Chuck, pig," Catherine purred back.
"Aww, you love me," Chuck smirked, his gaze flitting past Catherine. "Goody, you brought Munroe," he curled his lip at Asia, getting a one-fingered salute in response. "Oh, now that's high-class Munroe."
"It's good enough for Colin," Asia shot back smugly, Chuck grimacing.
"Joy, another Brooklyn. When did Fitzgerald start following darling sis's lead?"
"God, do you ever stop the whining?" Elizabeth groaned, Chuck focusing on her and a grin spreading across his face.
"Eliza, now this is a pleasant surprise. Miss Eliza here at the Victrola."
"Isn't it? They needed someone who spoke Chuck, and who better than an animal communing doctor?" Elizabeth smirked.
"Is that who this is supposed to be?" Chuck sneered at Rory, edging over to look her up and down.
"No, she is," Rory pointed to Elizabeth, Chuck looking confused. "Geez, you aren't the brightest bulb are you? Eliza Doolittle, Dr. Doolittle, duh!"
"You're mistaking Chuck for someone who reads Bambi, and that's just not the case, unless we're talking Penthouse letters or scotch labels," Elizabeth snickered.
"Bitch," Chuck snarled, Elizabeth rolling her eyes.
"Takes one to know one Bass. Cat, why don't you show Roe where the sound booth is and pick out some tunes for us. Bass, where's the costumes?" Elizabeth grinned and urged Rory forward.
"This is who the lessons are for? Seems like a waste to me, can't imagine her as the sex kitten. Gonna take a hell of a lot of work," Chuck began circling Rory, eyeing her critically. "Tits are small, but that isn't always a bad thing. Hard to say what kind of raw material we're working with those clothes. Who are you, Mother Theresa?"
"No, Virgin Mary," Rory snapped, Elizabeth suppressing giggles with a snort.
"School girl? I can see that," Chuck nodded in approval. "Come, let's go take a peek in my tickle trunk."
"That's just gross Bass!" Elizabeth gagged, slapping him on the back of the head.
"And you love me for it," Chuck blew her a kiss, making Rory shudder sympathetically. Elizabeth just pointed towards the backstage area, glaring daggers at the lecherous male and he sighed, waving for them to follow.
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"Allrighty then Mary, you've got the costume," Elizabeth stepped back and nodded approvingly at the final outfit. Rory was wearing a very short pink plaid skirt, a tied-off white short-sleeved shirt, sheer white thigh-high stockings and garter, and black patent leather Mary-Janes. Her brown hair was in two low pigtails tied with pink ribbon.
"It barely covers my butt," Rory complained, tugging at the skirt, then blushing as she realized it only revealed more of her flat stomach.
"It's a stripper's outfit Mary, that's the point, and stop pulling on it. The outfit is part of the image, it's to help put you in character and relax you. See, Rory isn't going to be doing the lap dances, Mary will be," Elizabeth tried to explain.
"So who are you supposed to be? Nurse Feel-Good?" Rory grumbled, her embarrassment showing as irritation.
"Very nice Mary. And I'm Nurse Doolot," Elizabeth shot back with a smirk, Rory rolling her eyes with a groan. "Thanks. Anyway did you have a song in mind or are we just going with whatever Roe and Cat pick?"
"Should I be scared?" Rory asked, gnawing on her bottom lip in apprehension.
"Honestly, it's a possibility that they'll pick, oh come on!" Elizabeth stormed past the curtain and onto the stage, glaring at the sound booth, hands on her hips. "You cannot possibly be that dorky and cheesy!"
"What's wrong with Like A Virgin?" Chuck demanded from his spot at a table close to the stage, bottle of scotch and a tumbler by his hand.
"For starters, it's not dance appropriate, duh! And what the hell are you still doing here you perv?" Elizabeth snapped.
"Aw, don't be like that Eliza, I'll be good," Chuck winked, Elizabeth snorting.
"You don't even know the meaning of the word Chuck," an acidic female voice cut in, Chuck freezing, a look of panic crossing his face.
"Hey B, S, stranger," Elizabeth waved, unconcerned with her attire. "Mind taking Bass off my hands? I have a schedule to keep to and he's screwing it up as usual."
"Screwing is one of the few things he excels at," Blair smirked.
"And here I thought it was the only thing he excelled at," Dan snorted.
"No, he can drink scotch like it's water and get high," Serena smiled, Chuck glaring at her.
"Like you're not skilled at those things Sis," he sneered, Dan grabbing his scarf and yanking him up.
"Did you want another black eye?" he snarled as Catherine walked over.
"What did Chuck do now?"
"Brooklyn's just sensitive when people remind him his girlfriend isn't the saint he likes to believe she is," Chuck jerked himself free of Dan's grip and smoothed down his scarf, tossing back the rest of the contents of his glass.
"Oh, you're Brooklyn," Elizabeth perked up and tilted her head, grinning and winking over at Serena. "Nice S! Now as much as I love catching up with you bitches, can you get the hell out of here?"
"We're gone, but call me later bitch," Blair grabbed Chuck's scarf and hauled in the direction of the door, Chuck protesting the whole way, much to Serena and Dan's amusement.
"How's our budding dancer doing?" Catherine asked, spotting Rory peeking out from behind the curtain.
"She was a lot better before she heard that crap song, and hey! Much nicer," Elizabeth smiled in approval, nodding her head to the beat. "Okay Mary, get your ass out here and let me see if you have my sense of rhythm or Doc's. God help us if she's got Nic's or Roe's cause that'll be hopeless."
"I'm okay," Rory hesitantly walked out, breathing a sigh of relief at the now-empty room.
"I like the outfit," Catherine grinned. "Yours needs to go," she added harshly, cutting narrow eyes at Elizabeth who just rolled her eyes.
"Yes Mommy. Now Mary, for this song, we're just going to do what it says. Dip it low, pick it up slow, roll it all around, poke it out, let your back roll," Elizabeth mouthed the words as she did the moves, Rory's eyes bugging out at how smoothly she slid down and back up, her hips and belly undulating.
"I don't think I can do that," she swallowed.
"Never know unless you try. Now move!" Elizabeth got behind Rory and grabbed her hips, forcing her to copy her movements. After several repeats of the song, Rory was able to do most of the moves independently, if not as smoothly as Elizabeth. They spent the rest of the afternoon going through different songs, Catherine joining in after awhile, choosing a police costume.