Chapter 6: Evolving

*****Junior Year*****

The only eventful thing that happened during the rest of Rory's sophomore year was both Paris and Lane insisted that they wanted to be trained to be Watchers. They weren't devoting the same amount of time as Rory, but they spent weekends at the Gilmore's studying languages and mythology. Emily enjoyed having something besides party planning to do. Lane told her mother she was learning ancient Hebrew and Greek to help with her eventual degree in Theology, which trilled her mother. Lane, of course, would more likely be studying World Religions and would never ever tell her mother the full truth. She already switched to Latin in her school—much to her mother's great pride. Mrs. Kim did not know why this sudden change in her daughter's behavior was happening, but she had noted Rory studying Latin with Lane. She assumed it was due to her transfer to the fancy private school—something Mrs. Kim approved of one hundred percent. Suddenly, she no longer looked at the Gilmore girls with disapproval—much to Lorelai's amusement.

Paris, of course, wanted to also train physically with Rory as she found the physical outlet somehow therapeutic. Rory had not been surprised that Paris wanted to know everything—it was her nature. That she was keeping it quiet was more surprising, but she knew no one would believe her without proof. Paris no longer went anywhere after dark unless it was Stars Hollow as Rory had told her it was a haven. She always kept a vial of holy water on her and was now seen wearing a cross necklace—much to Louise and Madeline's amusement. That Rory wore it first was not missed by them, nor the fact that Paris and Rory seemed to be genuine friends and not mere competitors. As they both liked Rory, they did not mind having lunch with Rory most days. The rest of their classmates just enjoyed the fact that Paris seemed much calmer and distracted, thus not terrorizing or annoying the rest of them.

Since their visit to Sunnydale, Rory had kept in touch with both Summers girls through email. Rory heard from Dawn a few times a week and Buffy less frequently. It seemed that Buffy kind of liked having someone to talk to that wasn't so involved in her life. When their mother died, her grandparents sent flowers while Lorelai and Luke flew out for the funeral since Rory couldn't miss school. Luke wasn't about to allow Lorelai to travel alone to the hellmouth even if he was quietly terrified to be there.

At the funeral, Lorelai could see that Buffy was hanging on by a thread, and she felt so bad for the young woman. There wasn't much she could do outside of hugging her. Buffy was glad to meet Luke, who she had heard much about from Rory and Lorelai's emails. Buffy had been very touched that Lorelai had cared enough to attend her mother's funeral. That Lorelai knew the entire truth about her life made it easy for her to draw the woman close. Lorelai was like the cool aunt she always wished she had.

Wanting her to have a real break from the hellmouth, Buffy had even allowed Dawn to fly out to New Haven for spring break. Lorelai and her parents took them on tours of Harvard, Yale, and NYU. Emily got them tickets to a Broadway show, and they had a blast making a day of it. Dawn had relished leaving behind the gloom and doom of her life to have fun with the Gilmores.

The end of Dawn's visit was when Rory and Lorelai learned the truth about Dawn's strange origin and the real reason why the hellgod was lusting for her blood. That the Gilmores took the news in stride did a lot to heal Dawn's self-identity. Feeling and being treated like a normal girl was a healing balm to her soul. When she returned to California, Buffy and her friends noted the improvement in Dawn and were grateful for the Gilmores. Giles was glad his decision to allow Richard and his girls to visit back in December had reaped so many benefits.

In May, Rory did go out on a date with Dean, the very cute bagger at their town grocery store, and she liked him. He was like a gentle giant, very sweet. Then she heard the horrible news about Buffy and dating no longer seemed important.

At the end of the school year, Buffy had died saving the world, but this time, she wasn't coming back. Rory had never known anyone close to her age killed—that someone she knew had passed had shaken her to her core. Since both Lorelai and Rory viewed Buffy as a friend, her untimely and heroic death devastated them.

Rory and her mother along with Richard flew to California to help put the heroine to rest. After the funeral, Richard had been appalled that they wanted to keep Buffy's death quiet so that Dawn could stay there in Sunnydale with them.

"Why in the world should this young lady be kept on this hellmouth?" Richard demanded. "Her father is in Los Angeles, and you calling him a few times and not reaching him is not good enough. Los Angeles is not that far—drive and see him."

"It's not just that," Giles said. "I believe that the magic to alter her father's mind has caused him to not know Dawn." He gave Dawn an apologetic look for saying it.

"What?" Lorelai said. "Why would he not know his own daughter?"

"Dawn has only been on this planet a year, and she hasn't actually seen her father," Giles said. "We believe the magics were tied to Buffy's memories and life. With her death, Hank Summers does not know Dawn as his daughter."

Dawn started crying, and Tara embraced her. Her mother was gone, and now Buffy was dead. Her father didn't know who she was—she felt so very lost.

"Allow her to come home with us," Lorelai said without hesitating. This was what Rory would want, too. Her daughter's nod let her know she agreed. "Stars Hollow is a safe haven from the dark supernatural creatures. She can go to high school next year with Lane, Rory's best friend, who knows about all this. We can give her a safe and happy life."

Willow and Xander, though, were hesitant to let their connection to Buffy go so far away. "This is the only home she has known, and we want to take care of her," Willow said.

"What type of insurance did her mother have?" Richard asked.

"Her policy was $150,000, which easily covered the funeral. Hospital bills are trying to eat up the rest of it, unfortunately," Giles said.

"There is a minor in the household, which takes precedence over any debt she may owe," Richard said. "Stop paying any of those hospital bills. As the amount is under $250,000, they cannot come after the insurance amount. Put the rest in a trust that will yield some interest and set up a monthly stipend for Dawn's care."

"I can get that done," Willow said, realizing the man knew more than she about insurance laws.

"Does the Council have insurance on Buffy?" Rory wondered.

"I'm not sure, but I will find out," Richard said. "At the very least, they should pay off the mortgage on the house as a way of caring for Dawn's future."

"What about the hellmouth?" Lorelai asked. "Can the other slayer be given an ankle monitor or something? You can't expect Willow to do what a slayer does."

"Hmmm. That's a tricky issue," Richard said. "They could decide the easiest solution would be to have another slayer called."

"Kill Faith?" Rory asked in surprise as she realized what he meant.

"It's happened before," Giles admitted.

"Cordelia said she turned herself in and went voluntarily to prison," Willow said. "I never liked Faith, but I don't think she deserves to die."

"She killed two people and sided with the mayor," Anya said.

"Not to mention stole Buffy's body and slept with Riley, Buffy's boyfriend at the time," Xander added. He never mentioned how she nearly strangled him.

"Faith accidentally killed someone, and the Council sent a team after her," Richard pointed out. "She was only sixteen, and you all expected her to behave rationally. Then Buffy put her in a coma. The girl is most likely traumatized."

"She was that young? She acted older than Buffy," Dawn said, surprised.

"All of her crimes were done while she's underage," Richard said. "A good attorney should be able to get her out of prison. She will, of course, need therapy. Naturally, she needs to be closely monitored."

"I will call the Council and see if they can help," Giles said. "Such a thing will take time."

"We can patrol until then," Willow said.

"What about Dawn?" Lorelei asked.

"I think she's old enough and been through enough to have a say in what happens to her," Giles said.

All eyes looked at Dawn. "Can I spend the summer in Stars Hollow before deciding?" she asked.

"Of course," Richard said.

"We don't want her home, though, to stay empty," Giles said. "Vampires could start squatting in it."

"Tara and I can stay in it, keep paying the utilities," Willow volunteered.

"That makes sense," Richard said.

"Is that all right?" Giles asked Dawn.

"Yes," she said. "Buffy would like that." Dawn was relieved she could escape the memories of her losses.

"What about the Buffybot?" Willow asked. "I can reprogram it, so Buffy seems to still be alive."

"That's a good idea," Giles said. "We don't want the word to spread that the hellmouth is unguarded."

"Dawn shouldn't have to go to school and pretend her sister is still alive," Lorelai said. "It seems cruel."

"Going home with us with help," Rory said. If she decided to stay in Stars Hollow, there would be no exposure to a robot that wore her sister's face. The thought of such a thing sickened and horrified Rory.

Giles went home to Britain to wrestle the Council as they were reluctant to aid in Faith's release. Dawn packed up her stuff, said her goodbyes, and flew back with the Gilmores.

Emily Gilmore surprised Lorelai by welcoming the orphan so warmly. She insisted that Dawn spend a week with her, so she could take her to New York City for a summer wardrobe. This, of course, drew Rory in, and Lorelai bit her tongue to keep from screaming. Her mother would stretch an inch into ten miles when given a chance. Her smug smile let Lorelai know that she couldn't exactly refuse it because then Dawn would also.

Rory's dad made another appearance, and Luke pretended his presence did not bother him. Since Luke was the one who knew the full truth of their lives, he knew not to feel threatened by the man. They had kept their relationship private from her parents and the town. Now, though, that Dawn was staying with him, the couple knew that it was time to let everyone know they were dating.

Lorelai's best friend, Sookie, of course wasn't surprised when Lorelai told her.

"Oh, God, I'm so happy for you!" Sookie squealed, hugging her. "Who knows?"

"Well, Rory and Dawn—now you," Lorelai said.

"I'm feeling very privileged," Sookie said, smiling.

"You should," Lorelai said. "I'm going to drag Luke to the town meeting, and I will announce it to everyone there."

"Good idea," Sookie said. "I won't tell Jackson."

Dawn was very excited to go to her first town meeting, and she was delighted when Lorelai brought snacks. Watching Luke's annoyance with Taylor as the meeting progressed was high entertainment. Finally, the meeting was ending, and Lorelai jumped up.

"Taylor, I need to make an announcement," she said.

"No, you don't. It's none of their business," Luke complained.

Lorelai grinned. "They're our friends and neighbors," she told him. Then she looked around the room. "Luke and I are officially a couple."

"A couple of what?" Kirk asked.

"Lovers?" Liz said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Lovers of what?" Kirk said.

"Each other, Kirk," Lorelai said. "Get a clue! We're dating—as in boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Oh, dear," Taylor said, frowning.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke asked, standing up.

"Well, you both own businesses in town," he said. "Luke's Diner is a staple in this town, but Lorelai and Rory are always very involved in town events. Not to mention, Lorelai runs the inn. A breakup could divide the town."

"That's true," Babette said.

"Then let's not worry about it," Lorelai said. "We're together. It's happened. Accept it."

"That's easy for you to say," Taylor said. "What assurances can you give?"

"Assurances that we'll never break up?" Lorelai asked, incredulous.

"That's it! We're done!" Luke yelled. "We're together, and if you don't like it, Taylor, you can go to hell!"

Then he grabbed Lorelai's hand and dragged her out of the meeting with a giggling Rory and Dawn following after them.

"What were you thinking?" Luke asked Lorelai. "This town is full of people more looney than you!"

The girls laughed as Luke glared, and then he took them to the diner for pie. Dawn adored the gruff man more and more and saw the Luke and Lorelai pairing as proof that opposites really do attract.

*****July*****

Dawn and Lane got along well, and Rory's summer was flying by. She hung out with Dean a few times, but it was hard for her to focus on dating as she thought of her possible calling if the Council decided to kill Faith. It wasn't like she could easily tell a boyfriend the truth.

Paris convinced Richard to let her intern for the Council in Great Britain since he refused to let her go to Sunnydale without a slayer to protect her. Rory almost felt sorry for those stuffy Brits as Paris was unleashed on them. She was going to stay with his mother, who would adore her cheekiness and inquisitive nature. Not to mention, Trix would be formidable enough to shut Paris down when she inevitably got carried away.

During the summer, Lane increased her time spent with the Gilmores as her mother was eager to have her continue studying with the oldest Gilmores in ancient languages. Mrs. Lane burst with pride as Lane suddenly seemed to be utterly devoted to studies, and she bragged about Lane's new interests to all her Korean friends and family.

Luke's life, however, became much more complicated when his nephew Jess came to Stars Hollow to live with him.

He and Lorelai were going strong even though her ex, Rory's father had tried again to pull her close. Rory wanted her dad to know what was going on with the supernatural and her status as a potential. However, her grandparents said his family would never be open to it, and Lorelai didn't think Christopher could handle it.

So he left town without knowing, and Rory felt really guilty.

Then she became distracted with Jess, who was very different from Dean and unlike any boy she had ever met.

*****August and September*****

Dawn was really enjoying Stars Hollow. The town made Sunnydale seem like a huge city. Everyone really did know everyone else, and the Gilmore girls were loved by everyone. Miss Patty hugged Dawn to her very large bosom when she found out that her mother and sister died recently. Then she offered to give Dawn free dance lessons, which Dawn was happy to do. She had memories of dance lessons in Los Angeles, but she never resumed it in Sunnydale.

Of course, none of it was real. The fact that all her memories until a year ago were fake depressed her some days so much that it's an effort to get out of bed. Then she decided that she was going to make some new and very real memories this summer. Besides taking dance lessons, both Luke and Sookie were teaching her how to cook. Luke's meal choices were more sensible and practical. He let her help out with the dinner rush as it was the slowest time of day of the day for Luke's Diner as most came for breakfast or lunch while Sookie had a lot of traffic at dinner. Sookie was teaching her fancy desserts that Buffy would've loved so much. Dawn tried to focus on the present and not dwell every moment on all that she had lost.

Dawn also spent time in New York City, seeing the sites with the Gilmore girls and Lane. Dawn allowed Mrs. Kim to share her faith, and she was learning Korean at the same time. Giles was very impressed when she told him in her weekly call from him. Her grasp of theology impressed Mrs. Kim, who kept trying to get Dawn to eat her tasteless meals. When she got Sookie to teach her some vegetarian and healthy dishes, she cooked them for Mrs. Kim. Lane was very grateful.

Dawn enjoyed watching Dean give Rory sneaking glances whenever he was near her while Jess did the same thing. Annoying Jess was so much more fun than annoying anyone ever, so Dawn did it daily. When Rory wasn't around, she would tease him about his obvious crush on the girl.

The summer months went by quickly, and she kept herself from spending days shut up and depressed.

In fact, Dawn had packed so much into her summer that when school started at the end of August, she did not know what she wanted to do. Going back to Sunnydale would mean facing her sister's loss in a real way. Not having to see Buffy's room each day and knowing she wasn't going to be sleeping there made her able to keep the grief at bay.

At night, though, if she didn't exhaust herself, it would creep in. She would hold onto Buffy's Mr. Gordo that she took with her when she left home and cry herself to sleep.

Before August was over, Willow, Xander, and Tara surprised her with a three-day visit. Tara, especially, fell in love with the town while Willow and Xander found the friendliness a bit suspicious.

"Anya would say they were all under a spell," Xander said when they were eating lunch at the Inn where Lorelei worked.

"A niceness spell?" Dawn asked, snickering.

"I'm sure there's something like that," Xander said, nodding.

"Sometimes, people are just nice," Tara said. "This town hasn't seen much suffering or trauma. People die of old age in their beds. It makes a difference."

"This might be the best meal I have ever had," Xander said as he ate the last bit of his dessert.

"Sookie is amazing," Dawn agreed.

"I think that is too mild a word," Willow said. "Genius in the kitchen is more accurate! I've not eaten so much in forever."

"She's teaching me how to cook," Dawn said.

"You mentioned that in your emails," Tara said, smiling.

"Are you happy here, Dawn?" Xander asked.

"I am as happy as I could be considering what I've lost," she said. "The Gilmores have been great. I've been learning ancient languages with them and Lane. Then Lane's mom is teaching me to read and write in Korean. I've always wanted to learn Japanese, so this was almost as good."

"I don't see how you can keep all those languages straight," Xander said, shaking his head.

"'Cause they're all dead and Korean's alphabet looks nothing like any of the others," Dawn said.

"Giles is very proud. You will make a great Watcher someday, he says," Willow told her.

It relieved the three of them to see Dawn smiling, and they decided not to pressure her to return to Sunnydale.

Lorelai was glad that Dawn's family came to see her—that's what they were really. The two people who loved Buffy the most besides her and could share in her pain and think about the good times. Tara, though, loved Dawn for herself, and Lorelai could see how special Dawn's bond with her was. When the visit came to an end, she and Rory thought Dawn would want to leave with them.

However, that never happened.

"We think Dawn should stay here if you are okay with her doing so," Willow told Lorelai at the party Lorelai threw in their honor. She had invited all her favorite people while Sookie and Luke provided food. Her parents were even there mingling in their best clothes next to her much more casually dressed friends and neighbors. Much to Emily's approval, she, Rory, and Dawn had on nice dresses that Emily had bought for them when she took them shopping at the beginning of the summer.

"Really?" Lorelai said, surprised. "I thought you'd probably take her back with you."

"We wanted to," Willow admitted. "But we were prepared for either." She handed her some papers in a folder. "I created papers from Hank giving you permanent guardianship. This will allow you to enroll her in school here. Her school records are in the folder, too."

"That's great. Rory will be really happy. She loves having a little sister who loves to learn like she does, and Rory can help her with the math," Lorelei said, knowing Dawn hated math.

"Sunnydale not only is dangerous without Buffy, but it hurts her to think about being there without Buffy or her mom," Willow said. She might be trying to find a way to bring Buffy back, but she wasn't going to tell Dawn or the Gilmores that. Not only would it upset them, but she didn't want to crush Dawn if things didn't work out.

"What's the word on the other slayer? Dad said his mom had convinced the Council to try and get her released under their supervision," Lorelai said.

"She is undergoing evaluation by the Council's shrinks they sent over," Willow said. "Giles, though, doesn't want to be her watcher. He's been speaking to Wes, who had a falling out with Angel and may be willing to take his job back. I don't know why he would when she literally kidnapped and tortured him in Los Angeles right before she turned herself in."

"Some people are way too forgiving," Lorelai said with a snort.

"Well, Giles said that Wesley understands her now like he didn't before," Willow said with a shrug.

"Willow, can you tell Jess that your religion isn't for tree huggers and pacifists only," Dawn said, interrupting by coming up to them, dragging Jess behind her.

"I meant no offense," Jess said, glaring at her and giving Willow a wary look.

"Wicca is full of tree huggers and pacifists like Christianity used to have the Quakers," she said with a grin. "I'm neither of those. Tara is, however. She keeps me from giving into my more violent tendencies."

Jess smiled smugly and gave Dawn a smirk before walking away. "Why did you say that? Now he's going to be more insufferable than normal!" she complained.

"It's the truth," Willow said, laughing. "You know witches are all about the worship of the goddess, Mother Earth. He's not wrong. Magic is meant to protect, not attack. It's meant to help others." She was going to help them all and use it to bring Buffy back.

*****The Next Day*****

Willow, Tara, and Xander hugged her goodbye the next morning. It was all arranged. Lorelai would get a monthly check from the trust her father helped set up from Joyce's insurance. He told Willow he was investing it, which was true. He invested all of it and was using his own money to pay for Dawn because he saw it as a sneaky way to funnel funds to his daughter and beloved granddaughter. His proud daughter would never accept handouts.

Rory was excited as Dawn was starting ninth grade at the high school, and Lane would help her navigate the school. Jess wasn't allowed to ignore her as Luke had already threatened him with profound consequences. Since Jess was crushing on Rory, who seemed to be crushing back, he wasn't nearly as annoyed as he pretended to be. Dawn was sometimes amusing, so he really didn't dislike her as much as he pretended to.

When classes started, Dawn already knew several of the students and happily found her way through Stars Hollow High School.

Rory started her senior year, excited about the future and a certain bad boy she had flirted all summer with. Being a potential was just another thing she added to her daily routine, and the memories of her visit to Sunnydale began to fade.

*****October*****

Buffy woke up in total and complete darkness and knew deep inside that something was very wrong. All she knew was that she was lying on her back and her brain felt very sluggish. She reached out blindly in hopes of determining where she was and hit something. Using her hands, she realized that she was inside a box of some kind. Fear filled her as she heard a loud pounding. Her hands curled into fists as she started beating against the top of whatever she was in. Her knuckles split open, but she didn't pause until dirt began to fill her mouth, eyes, and mouth. Frantic, she clawed against the dirt, hoping she would not run out of air before she could escape her dirt prison. The pounding grew louder, echoing in her head until she finally broke through and felt air trickle in. After she pulled her hand through the hole, she pushed more dirt quickly, desperate to get out of the ground. As she dragged her head through the hole she created, the pounding she was hearing disappeared. Then Buffy realized it was her heart vibrating and echoing in her ears.

When she managed to get out of the box entirely, she laid on the ground and looked up at the night sky. How did she get buried alive? What had happened to her?

Soon, she realized she was in a very familiar place—a cemetery. Terror filled her as she stood and looked down at her tombstone.

Buffy Anne Summers. She saved the world a lot.

She had died and been buried, but something brought her back.

*****To Be Continued******