I have been rewatching one of my all-time favorite shows Gilmore Girls on Netflix, and then I took a long trip with thinking time. This story came out of the drive. I wanted to find a way to bring the Gilmore family into my BTVS world, and I think I did it. I don't read Gilmore Girls fanfiction much, but I have read a few fun crossovers. I hope you enjoy this one.
It begins in season 1 of Gilmore Girls and jumps to season 3. The BTVS is in season 5 and 7 only. The title of this story was taken from an episode of Gilmore Girls in season 1. In this story, Lorelai Gilmore, Richard's mother, is on the Watcher's Council. If you've seen Marion Ross play her on Gilmore Girls, then you could so picture her as this. Her son Richard is Council-trained, and his daughter Lorelai had been a potential.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or Buffy or any of the characters.
Chapter 1: Scary Gilmore Family Secrets
*****Richard and Emily Gilmore Home*****
Richard just finished filling in his wife Emily about the amazing day he had spent with their only granddaughter, Rory. After years of short holiday visits only, he and his wife now saw her every Friday night for dinner along with her mother, Lorelai, his only daughter. Lorelai had once been the greatest pride and joy in his life as she was so brilliant and vivacious, enchanting all who knew her. Her fall from grace due to her teenage pregnancy had shattered him and Emily like nothing ever had. However, when she ran from their home as soon as she turned eighteen, taking their beloved granddaughter, who had not even turned two yet, they'd been inconsolable. She would never understand how much she hurt them.
Recently, though, his clever wife had seen fit to attach strings to the tuition money Lorelei had asked for on behalf of Rory to attend a very prestigious college preparatory school named Chilton. Rory, now sixteen, was brilliant and wanted to go to Harvard and attending Chilton would ensure that happened.
He had just finished telling Emily how well his time with Rory at their club had gone.
"I am so glad, Richard," Emily said, smiling. "I just knew the two of you would have a good time."
"You were right, dear. I am sorry for doubting you," he said. He had thought his wife was crazy to suggest a day of teaching his daughter how to golf. However, Rory was an eager student, and she was so well-read and curious that they never ran out of things to talk about. Unlike his daughter, Rory was thoughtful and not as high energy. Her intelligence was put into thinking deep thoughts and reading; while his daughter Lorelai had a keen mind, she kept it mostly in the verbal. The woman could talk circles around anyone, and she would have been an incredible attorney if her life had not altered course.
The phone rang, and Emily answered it. The expression on her face, clued him in that the call was for him.
"It is your mother," Emily said flatly. The two women had never gotten along, and he had long gotten used to the fact. Two formidable personalities who were so strong-willed that it was not surprising they barely tolerated one another. Luckily, his mother spent most of her time in her London home since his father's passing many years ago.
It was not her normal time to call, so he grabbed the phone. "Trix, are you okay?" he asked, using his pet name for her.
"Of course, I am all right, Richard. I have just left a Council meeting, however, and I am very disappointed in you," she said.
This was not a new thing as his association with the Watcher's Council was loose even though he was a trained watcher—much to his mother's disappointment. She never quite forgave him for refusing to allow his life to revolve around the Council.
Their daughter Lorelai had been a potential slayer, but Emily would not permit his mother to allow the Council to raise her or give her any slayer training. His mother had used her considerable influence to keep the Council away with the promise that after her coming out party, they would read her in on her family legacy and begin her training. His wife had been slightly relieved to know that their daughter's pregnancy would keep her from ever being called as a slayer. A slayer could get pregnant, but no potential had ever been called after giving birth. Many incorrectly believed Nikki Wood had been pregnant before being called, but in reality, her child had been conceived nearly the day after her calling. Celebrating her new power had caused her to make a few poor choices.
"Disappointed about what, Mother?" he asked, sitting down in his office chair. His wife sat down across from him, determined to not miss a thing.
"It has been brought to my attention that you are now in constant contact with both my granddaughters. Why have I not been informed of this?" she asked.
"It has barely been a few dinners, Mother. I was going to mention it very soon," Richard said. "I wanted to make sure things would work out."
"Rory is sixteen, Richard. It is time that she be told about her heritage, so I will be coming to town to make sure you do not let your wife convince you not to," she said.
"When will you be here?" he asked. He watched his wife's eyes widen in horror—it was almost comical.
"Next Friday morning," she said. "As they are arriving at your house for dinner."
"Do you have the Council spying on the house now, Mother?" he asked, annoyed.
"You know that all Council raised people have tabs on them, Richard. You are no exception. As your daughter moved to one of the safest towns in America, we do not keep a close eye on her," she said.
Stars Hollow was a rare magic-void place. The town was bordered by an ancient river, blessed by some deity that predated the Pilgrims, and all dark creatures avoided the place like the plague. A few good witches were known to live there from time to time, enjoying the high energy of the place. That his daughter happened to go to that exact place was no accident. Once on a car ride with him, he had driven through it during one of their many festivals. Lorelai had been enchanted at the small town, and when she ran away from their home, it was there that she landed. When he found that out, he was extremely relieved. Since she was only thirty minutes away, he had felt much better about her departure.
"I have got to get her room ready," Emily said, standing and looking a bit frantic. "Then I have to drag all the horrific gifts she's given us the past three decades out of the basement. Lorelai has the god-awful coat rack. I will call her."
"Let her know that there will be some discussion at dinner," Richard said. "Mother is insisting that we tell Rory that she is a potential."
"How do they know she is? I don't believe it!" Emily said. "She has not the strength of her mother and is sweet, nearly docile."
"They have ways to know, Emily," Richard said. "I am sorry."
Emily reached out and squeezed his hand. Her father had worked for the Watcher's Council also, and she had been raised knowing about the supernatural. Richard, though, had not wanted to ever be a full-time Watcher as he loved Yale. He got his MBA, and the Council paid for it all as he spent every summer undergoing his Watcher training in London. For Emily, the pressure was not the same. Her father had only been a researcher. Her grandfather, though, had been a watcher of a slayer. That the slayer had only lived a year had destroyed him. Emily's father never wanted to experience that, and their family legacy had made Emily determined to protect her daughter from such a fate.
She went into the living room to grab her cell and called Lorelei. Predictably, she got that horrid machine of her daughter's. The girl refused to ever answer her calls—it was maddening.
"Lorelai, this is your mother. If you are there, pick up." She waited a minute. "Your grandmother, Lorelei Gilmore, the one you were named after, will be at dinner Friday."
"Hello? Mom?" Lorelai said. "Sorry. I just came in. What were you saying?"
"Your grandmother will be at Friday dinner," Emily said again.
"Really? Gran is coming to town? That's great!" she said.
"It's a nightmare is what it is!" Emily said, clearly frantic. "I need you to bring the coat rack with you that I gave you. Do you still have it?"
"The one you gave us for Christmas? Of course, I do," she said. "Why do you need me to bring it to dinner?"
"Because your grandmother gifted it to us, and she will expect to it," Emily admitted.
"Are you telling me that you re-gifted a gift? I am shocked!" her daughter exclaimed, more delighted than offended.
"Lorelai, this will be the least shocking thing of the week, I assure you," Emily said. "Unfortunately, the dinner will not be pleasant, and I have to say that I am very sorry."
"Sorry for a dinner that hasn't happened yet? That's okay, Mom. We'll be fine," Lorelei said. Her mother was never apologetic or worried. The phone call had taken a very odd turn.
"No, you won't. It will be the worst night of your life and Rory's. If I could keep you from it, I would, but she is insisting that you learn the truth," Emily said.
"The truth about what? What's going on, Mother?" Lorelai asked, growing concerned at the tone in her mother's voice. Her mother had apologized and showed real regret all in one short conversation. Something was very wrong.
"I can't tell you over the phone," Emily said. "I had hoped you would never have to know about the family legacy. I'm just sick—Rory doesn't need to know this. Neither do you. But there's no stopping your grandmother."
"Mom, should Rory not come? Maybe this is something I should learn first," she said.
"If I thought it would help, I'd say yes, but it concerns her. She can't escape it if she is chosen, and it does her no good to be completely unprepared," Emily said. "Bring the coat rack."
Her mother hung up before Lorelai could say anything.
"Gee, I didn't think I could dread dinner with my parents any more than I already do," she muttered.
"What?" Rory asked, hearing her mom's voice.
"That was your grandmother. She came to ask for a gift back and to warn us that Friday night dinner will be more hellish than normal," Lorelai said.
"She did not," Rory said, not believing her mother, who was prone to exaggeration.
"She did so," Lorelai said. "Your great-grandmother, Dad's mom—Lorelai the first, will be at dinner. She makes Mother nuts. Normally, this would be a source of great amusement to me, but there was a note in Mother's voice that I have never heard before. She seemed almost scared."
"About what?" Rory asked, frowning.
"Us learning about the Gilmore family legacy—whatever that is," Lorelai said. "I told her that maybe you shouldn't come. That I should hear it first, but she said that Gran is insistent you be there. That you could be chosen. No, I don't know what the heck she was talking about."
"Chosen? That's very odd word to use," Rory said. "Normally, being chosen for something is a positive thing."
"I know, right? It's very worrisome. It seems that whatever news we hear Friday won't be happy news," Lorelai said. "Secrets are never good."
"We have to wait six days to find out," Rory said.
"I am not feeling good about this," Lorelai said. The note in her mother's voice still disturbed her, and she really wished there was a way to get out of Friday's dinner.
*****Friday at the Gilmores'******
Lorelai and Rory pulled up to her parent's home. She turned off the car, a feeling of dread in her stomach.
Rory looked at her mother, who had been unusually quiet the entire drive. "Are you ready to go in?" she asked.
"No, but I guess we will—we have to," she said, opening her car door. Then she and Rory struggled with the coat rack—the thing was huge. Before they got to the door, it opened.
"Did you bring it?" Emily asked.
"No, Mother, we're just carrying a very large loaf of bread," Lorelai said, glaring.
"Quick bring it in," Emily said, pulling the door open wide. "Put it right there."
They gladly sat the thing down.
"Did Gran not notice it wasn't here when she came in?" Lorelai asked.
"I had her brought in the back. Then she took her nap, so she has yet to come this way," Emily said, feeling proud at her maneuvering.
Her gran was sitting on the sofa, and she smiled when she saw Lorelei. "You're all grown up and as lovely as ever," she said to Lorelei, who bent and kissed her cheek.
"I was about to say the same to you, Gran. You look great," Lorelai said. "This is Rory."
Rory greeted her great-grandmother and sat down next to her mother, which put her across from Gran, who was soon making Emily nuts with her complaints.
Finally, after greetings and chit chat, they were at the dinner table. Rory shared about her studies and Lorelai her work managing the inn while they ate dinner.
After they had their desserts, Richard said to the maid, "Please do not disturb us as we have some important family news to discuss. You may clear the table in an hour."
Lorelai shared a surprised look with her daughter and said, "So what's the big family secret? Did you used to be a spy for the CIA or something, Dad?" Her comment was meant as a joke, but the serious looks her parents and grandmother gave her in return made her very concerned.
"Lorelai, we have a tradition in the family that goes back generations," her grandmother said. "We are not spies, but we do work for a secret organization called the Watcher's Council that is located in London. It is an ancient organization that has a primary directive to safeguard humanity. In the past, our ancestors have been researchers, teachers of ancient folklore and weaponry, and Watchers. We have had only one slayer called in our family tree, but there have been many potentials. You were one, and so now is Rory."
"Watchers of what?" Rory asked.
"Slayer of what?" Lorelai asked. "And potential what?"
"Potentials are young girls who have the potential to be called as slayers," Gran said. She looked at her son. "As the trained Watcher, you should give them the rest of it, Richard."
"Girls, this may sound crazy, and I assure you what I am about to tell you is the absolute truth," Richard said. He looked at his wife.
"He is correct," Emily said. "My family worked for the Council. They were not on the Council as your grandmother is, but we have always worked in some capacity or another. I, myself, did what my father did, research and ancient languages."
"You read ancient languages?" Rory said.
"I told you she read Latin," Lorelai said.
"I also read Sumerian and a few demonic languages," Emily said.
"Demonic? Huh?" Lorelai asked.
"The world is older that most believe," Richard began. "Contrary to what many think, it did not start out as a paradise. . ."
When he finished his recitation, Rory and Lorelai looked at each other and began laughing.
"Why are you laughing? This isn't funny!" Emily said, glaring at both of them.
"This is the greatest prank ever, Mom. I didn't know you had it in you. You almost had me going for a minute there!" Lorelai said, grinning.
Gran grabbed her walking stick and slammed it on the floor, ending the laughter. "This is no prank. I did not fly across an ocean for any joke. This is your heritage. Vampires are real. Demons are real, and the current slayer is an American girl named Buffy Summers, guarding the hellmouth in Sunnydale, California. She has been doing so successfully for over four years, and she has stopped the world from ending several times already. She has died once, but she was resuscitated. Another slayer was called named Kendra. Kendra, though, did not have Miss Summer's imagination or gifts, and she was killed within a year on the hellmouth fighting by Miss Summer's side." She paused and pointed to Lorelai. "You escaped your training because of your pregnancy, and then you fled to a town that is one of the safest in the world. However, your daughter could be called to be a slayer, and she must be prepared to carry such a burden."
Rory stood up, suddenly realizing that this might not be a joke after all. "Are you insane? I can't fight monsters! I can't even kill a spider!" she protested.
"It does not matter what you think you can or cannot do," Gran said. "You are a Gilmore, and Gilmores are strong. You will do what you must. The fate of the world could one day depend on you being strong."
"You can't be serious, Dad," Lorelai said. "Even if you're telling the truth, Rory's future is already planned. She can't change it to be some superhero with a short lifespan."
"Not all potentials are called, Lorelai," Richard said. "Mother was one, and she wasn't called. You were one, and you weren't called. However, the selection is random, and you cannot know. One day Rory could suddenly have superstrength and be a beacon for demons and vampires. She couldn't hide if she wanted to because the supernatural monsters out there will seek her out if she's called. She has to know what she might be facing."
Rory sat back down as the strength seemed to leave her body. "I still don't believe this," she said.
"Believe what you will," Gran said. "Humor an old lady if that's what you want to call it. You will have to make some adjustments. Two or three days a week, Richard's driver will pick you up and bring you here. Emily with instruct you on ancient languages, and Richard will introduce you to the various demons that exist. He will also hire a personal trainer, who will work with you five days a week."
"Exercise? You want me to exercise?" Rory asked incredulously.
"You say that like she asked you to skin a cat," Emily said, frowning. "Exercise is a good thing, Rory. You have P.E. at Chilton."
"I have a semester of it," Rory said.
"The trainer will teach you basic self-defense and conditioning," Gran said. "Richard will show you how to slay a vampire and the various weapons to kill demons."
Lorelai wasn't sure she could take another minute of this insanity. "We need to go," she said, standing.
Richard got up. "I have a book for Rory to begin reading before you go," he said. He got up and went to his study.
"Lorelai, I hope you do not plan on ignoring this," Gran said. "It is better to be prepared and not need the preparation than to be unprepared and have Rory come to serious harm."
"I understand," Lorelei said, not really meaning it. None of this made any sense. Did they all three suffer a mental breakdown of some kind? This was insanity.
Richard came back with a book. "This is the slayer's handbook, Rory. It should help you," he said.
Rory accepted the book and realized it was very old. How could this be real?
When they finally made it to the car, Lorelai drove home in a fog. Neither of them could find the right words to say.
After she pulled into her driveway, Lorelai turned off the ignition and looked at Rory, who was looking down at the book her father had given her.
"So what do you think? Did they smoke some really good reefer before we arrived or what?" Lorelai said, trying to joke with her daughter because that was what they did.
Rory looked up from the book, her eyes stark with fear. "I don't think it's a joke, Mom. This book—this book seems very real," she said. "What are we going to do?"
Lorelai hadn't felt this helpless since she was a teenager trying to figure out how to escape her parents' control after giving birth to Rory at sixteen.
*****To Be Continued*****
