Chapter Nine: Events

A/N: For Disclaimers, warnings see Chapt. 1

A Schism in Stars Hollow

A Father Goose Digression

Chapter Nine: Events

The building that apparently served as the town hall filled rather quickly just after six. Willow, Kaitlyn, Andrew and Timothy discreetly took seats in the back row and sat quietly as a rather plump, fussy man with a salt-n-pepper beard began to speak on the subject of the historic charm of small town America… he began by reminiscing about the pleasant clop-clop sound of horse's hooves on cobblestones… after awhile he moved on to the advent of motorized transportation…

"You know," Willow said quietly, "the last time I was at a meeting like this they tied me to a pole and set me on fire."

"So," Andrew said, "not nearly as boring as this meeting then?"

"Yes," Timothy echoed, "do you suppose if we tied that man to a pole and set him on fire he'd stop talking?"

"I doubt it," Willow said, "it never worked on Andrew."

"What did you expect me to do, sit there and burn quietly?"

"No, we expected you to change the subject to, oh, I don't know, possibly, 'Help! I'm on fire!' not to go on blathering about how, flames or no flames Luke could kick Aeryn's ass…"

"Which is bull," Kaitlyn chimed in, "Aeryn would put an energy pulse in that punk's face before he even shook the batteries in his flashlight…."

"Lightsaber," Andrew insisted, "it's called a lightsaber…."

"May I help you….? Did you wish to address the meeting?"

Slowly Willow became aware that the room's attention had shifted to the back row, she felt her cheeks grow hot, and, she assumed, bright red. She had thought that by now she as past this, but …. No. She could, with just a wave her hand (and a little bit of concentration, three newt's eyes and half-stick of cinnamon, both of which she just happened to have handy) turn all of these people into toads … but that didn't matter. She had been caught by a roomful of strangers, not even in the middle, really, just on the periphery of a discussion involving lightsabers and she suddenly regressed into total stammering nerd mode. And she hadn't even been that kind of nerd.

"Errr, no, thank you, sorry," she croaked out. "Carry on."

Willow pouted. Mastering the magic was still fun but the whole achieving total self-control and enlightenment thing was turning out to be really a rather tedious process. And hard. Kaitlyn patted her hand sympathetically.

"Oh, shut up," Willow whispered.

"Thank you," the fussy man smugged, "now where was I…?"

"You were about to shut up and adjourn the meeting, Taylor," someone suggested.

"No, no, I don't think that was it," Taylor said, then went on, "Oh, yes, toll roads….

The meeting erupted into shouting, mostly on the theme of 'Get to the point, Taylor,' and at last he held up his hands for silence and the various voices sputtered and slowly went quiet.

"Okay, okay, fine," Taylor said, "I was merely trying to demonstrate that there is historical precedent…."

"Taylor….

"And that certain behaviors and manners of dress and transportation are incompatible with the ambiance that is the very essence of Stars Hollow, a way of life we are entitled to defend and maintain. Lorelai, since it is your business that is bringing in these uncouth, underdressed and," he paused to glance at the back row, "disruptive elements, may I ask, what do you plan to do about it?"

The tall brunette stood, said,

"Well, Taylor, Rory and I have been talking about it and we've decided you're absolutely right…."

"You have?" Taylor blurted, then shifted gears, "I mean, of course you have and…

"And we've come up with a plan. But we may need your help as Town Selectman… "

"Of course, anything I can do to help…"

"We decided that whenever someone makes a reservation at the Inn we'll take down their information. And then we will simply pass the names on to you to do a thorough background check, since as a private business we simply don't have the resources…

"Or the authority," Rory added.

"Or the authority to do a proper check."

"Ye-es, well, I suppose…." Taylor started.

"But then we thought," Lorelai interrupted, "What if they came anyway?"

"The Independence Inn is a powerful attraction," Rory said.

"How could we possibly stop them?"

"Roadblocks!" Rory said. "Only local traffic allowed to pass. You could issue ID's."

"And have a list of approved visitors. But then we thought, is that enough? What can we do to have real control? Real power? And what is the key to real power?"

"The Allmighty Dollar!"

"Yes," Lorelai said, "Money. What could we do to stop these terrible people from coming into Stars Hollow and buying all the doughnuts in Luke's…"

"All the Ding-Dongs in Doose's," Rory added. "We issue our own currency. We could call it the Doozy."

"One doozy to the dollar. All Stars Hollow businesses would only accept doozies, only approved people allowed to exchange dollars for doozies. Instead of Dollar Day sales we'd have Doozy Day sales."

"People would say, 'I'd buy that for a doozy.'"

"But still," Lorelai continued, "we asked ourselves, is it enough? Do we really have control?"

"No! What about the Federal government, the state, they might get all fussy about the 'public highways' and currency laws and that silly constitution thing …" Rory trailed off.

"So, there's only one thing to do…."

"Declare independence!"

"The People's Republic of Stars Hollow," Lorelai announced.

"The Independent Republic of Stars Hollow!" Rory countered.

"Splitter!" Lorelai accused.

"We hold our own elections, All hail Taylor Doose, Town-Selectman-for-Life!"

"Make our own laws. We can ban motorcycles completely!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Four wheels good!" Rory said.

"Two wheels bad!" Lorelai said, then they chanted together, "Four wheels good, two wheels bad, four wheels good, two wheels bad, four wheels good, two wheels bad…." until Taylor managed to gavel them into silence.

"Yes, well, I don't think we need to go quite that far…" Taylor paused, looked thoughtful for a moment, "still….."

Then Miss Patty, who'd been sitting patiently in her usual podium-side seat burst out with, "Oh, for god's sake, Taylor, they'll all be gone tomorrow," and the meeting broke up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The three investigators waited by the boathouse watching as Faith's boat slowly came toward them. She was with two other 'Faith's,' one a brunette with a short layer cut who was rowing, and the blonde with the bad wig who had apparently given up on the wig, who was lounging in the stern. As they came in to the dock Vanessa ran forward to take the painter and tie up the bow while the blonde secured the rear.

"Thanks," Faith said.

"Ma'am," Vanessa said, "could we talk to you a minute. In private?"

Faith stared at her a moment, then shrugged, said "Sure." She turned back to her companions, said, "You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up."

Her heart beating wildly Vanessa walked around behind the boathouse with Faith at her side and Jules and Dustin stumbling after.

"You're really her, aren't you?" she blurted as soon as they were alone.

"Really who?" Faith asked, then winced and slapped herself on the forehead, then said kindly,

"Oh, honey, no, I'm not. Whatever made you think that?"

"You won the contest…"

"Oh, that. Well, the thing is, you know the online game…"

"Yeah?"

"I think, for some reason, I sort of look like the Faith avatar, but really, I'm not her. Besides, if the real Faith were here don't you think there'd have been some sort announcement?"

"But we heard them talking. Xander and Mr. Giles. They were…. investigating. Undercover. Look, please, we won't tell anyone…."

"Oh, honey, someone must have been playing a joke on you…"

"No!" Vanessa half-shouted, then calmed herself. "No. They didn't know we were there. They were just talking. Mr. Giles was telling Xander not to feel guilty about some people dying when he came back to Cleveland. It wasn't a joke."

"Okay, take it easy. You're sure about this?"

"Yes."

"Well, that would be … interesting, wouldn't it?"

"Please. We wouldn't tell, right guys?"

"Right, yes, " Dustin and Jules eagerly agreed.

"I mean, if you're her…I just want…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Vanessa."

"…Vanessa, I'm not her. I'm D… Alba. I'm not sure how I can prove I'm not her…."

"I could beat her up for you," the blonde said, appearing around the corner with the other 'Faith' behind her. "Sorry, we're nosy. So, you really think Xander and Giles are here?"

Vanessa nodded.

"Anybody else?"

"Well, I … we figured, if Xander was here Faith would be too. I think maybe Giles' said something about Willow, but he didn't say that she was here or anything, just that he was going to talk to her. But I guess she could be… I don't know, the whole Scooby gang here… I mean, that would be cool," Vanessa said. "But, wow, I guess. I mean I never would have believed that Xander was here if I hadn't heard them…" She looked sadly at Alba, "You're really not her, are you?"

"No. Sorry."

"That's okay. I just…. I just really want to meet her, you know? Just to ask her what it's like, to be strong like that. To fight a dragon."

"Yeah," Alba said. "That must have been something. Look, Vanessa, I still think someone was either playing a cruel joke, or maybe just really getting into their role-playing…. I mean, there's some guys here I think sometimes forget that they aren't him, you know? But we'll check around and if we find anything out, we'll let you know, okay?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks."

"So, Vanessa," the blonde said, "I'm Anne, by the way, this is Zoey…"

"Hi."

"So, when you said the whole Scooby gang, you mean you think Buffy might be here too?"

"I don't know. I didn't even think. I mean, I guess, I just thought she's all retired and stuff and never leaves Rome."

"Yeah," Alba said, "that's what they say." She lowered her voice, stage-whispered, "Between you and me, I heard she got fat. All that rich Italian food and the laying around, she just blew up like a balloon," Alba puffed out her cheeks and mimed a big belly and an ample derriere, then grinned. "We'll see you around, Vanessa. Be good."

Disappointment weighing on her like a lead suit Vanessa sank to the grass and leaned back against the boathouse and watched the three women walk away. She could hear the blonde grumbling about something and the other two laughing, then the blonde, Anne, reached out and apparently pinched Alba on the bicep hard enough to make her yelp and reach out to retaliate, missing as the blonde jumped quickly away, then turned and ran with Alba chasing after her, yelling something about cheating and the third women jogged after them, shaking her head.

They didn't believe me, Vanessa thought. They wouldn't be goofing around like that if they did. They think I'm just a dumb kid. But I know what I heard. She's here, and I'm going to find her.

"Hey, you guys," she said to her minions, "let's go. I've got an idea."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Without speaking the Red Witch and her companions began helping her fold and stack the chairs, leaving out five in a circle near the podium. That finished, the Red Witch reminded her to call her Willow, and her friend Kaitlyn. She introduced her to Timothy and Andrew, shaking the latter's hand Miss Patty could sense that he too had some magic in him, over-shadowed by the witches, but there all the same.

"It all centers on the Gilmores, doesn't it?" Willow said as they all took their seats, "Lorelai and… it's Rory, yes?"

"Yes," Miss Patty nodded, smiled, "Which is short for 'Lorelai.'"

"Really?" Willow said, surprised, "that's … interesting."

"Is there… is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid so… but I'm not quite sure what yet. Maybe you should just tell us the story, from the beginning."

Miss Patty took a deep breath. She was, by natural inclination, a storyteller, and she'd been waiting a long time to tell this one to someone who might understand.

She resisted the impulse to add storm clouds and a bit of portentous thunder, but it had been simply a clear autumn day, the leaves in full glory, a bit of chill in the air. She had not been long in Stars Hollow herself at the time, the dance studio was new, still a bit shaky financially and she was spending a great deal of time there, even when classes weren't scheduled, working on choreography and thinking of ways to expand her clientele. She was still new to the magic then, as well, and when she took a break from the dancing she would often spend the time reading books on the occult.

Which was the long way of explaining how she happened to be there in the square that day when the Hartford bus arrived and disgorged a frightened young girl holding tight to a baby as if she thought the wind itself was going to try and take it away from her.

"I wish I could say I sensed the evil immediately," Miss Patty said, "but I didn't notice anything unusual at the time. I could see the girl was frightened, even terrified, but you didn't need any magic powers to see that."

She had watched her walk around in quick circles like a mouse that feels the hawk's presence but doesn't know which way to run. Miss Patty had called out to her, invited her into the studio to warm up a little. The girl had regarded her with suspicion for a moment, then gave in and came inside.

"I felt it then," Miss Patty said. "I had charms in place in the studio, of course. Blessings and wards and what have you. To be honest I'd done them more, I don't know, out of curiosity and just to feel…. more witchy, I guess, than because I felt any real need for defenses."

Kaitlyn nodded in understanding.

"But they were in place and when the girl, it was Lorelai of course, came inside I felt something come up against the wards and fall back."

At first Miss Patty had been a bit suspicious of the girl, but she seemed oblivious, even a little relieved. Miss Patty had served cocoa in the tiny room she called her office and restrained her urge to interrogate. After cocoa the girl, with shy defiance, adjusted her clothes and fed the baby."

"Not that I cared," Miss Patty said, "but I think she would have done the same if the local clergy were all gathered in the room and dared them to make a comment. That's when the car came."

It was a dark blue Mercedes with smoked windows and Miss Patty saw it pass by on the street, visible through the open studio door, but even out of sight she could feel it circling the square. Lorelai clearly felt it is as well, Miss Patty had seen the fear return, saw the pleading in her eyes and had gone to shut the door.

The knocking came not long after, Miss Patty had answered, cracked the door open just enough to speak to the woman waiting there.

"It was Emily Gilmore, though of course I didn't know it at the time. She asked if I had seen a girl matching Lorelai's description. I denied it. She didn't believe me, but I could see she wasn't entirely certain I was lying, either. I could feel the evil clearly by then, feel it in Emily, but also I could feel that she wasn't the source, the source was still back in that blue car."

Emily had looked back, as if receiving silent instructions, then tried to force her way in and had been thrown back as if by an electrical shock, very much to her surprise.

"And mine, a little," Miss Patty admitted.

"You can't keep her in there forever," Emily had said after Miss Patty had closed the door.

Miss Patty had asked the girl, Lorelai, what was going on but she'd insisted that she didn't understand it herself, only that she knew she had to keep her baby safe, hidden away from something terrible, some evil that resided in her mother's house, possibly in her mother… and Miss Patty had known she was right, she had felt it herself.

She stood and went into the office and retrieved an old over-sized leather bound book and brought it back, opened it and handed it to Willow.

"I knew it was evil, but I had no idea what, or how to fight it directly. And Lorelai insisted it was after the baby, not her. I spent half the night reading and that's what I came up with. Instead of fighting the evil…."

"You blessed the child. Makes sense. This is pattern magic, you danced this all by yourself? In one night?"

"Yes. Every step. Of course I was a little more svelte in those days, but let me tell you, by the time dawn came around I thought my legs were just going to dissolve into pools of jello. But it worked. There was no flash of white light or anything which, you know, might have been a little more satisfying. But I knew, I could feel the thing in the car's rage, could feel it leave. Could feel the peace radiating from the sleeping child and spreading out into the night.

"Wait," Willow looked up from the book, "this has to be renewed every year, do you….?"

"Oh no, not me," Miss Patty smiled, "This is a dance studio after all. Annual recital, dark ritual, same thing really."

"Ah," Willow said, "clever.

"Oh my," Kaitlyn said, reading over Willow's shoulder, "this girl is going to have quite the life. Men will love her, honors and riches will be bestowed upon her…"

"You think I overdid it?" Miss Patty asked.

"Maybe just a little," Willow said with a smile.

"Is that the problem? Too much of a good thing?"

"No. It might be if you ever let it drop and she has to cope with the world without her charm. But that's not why we're here. You don't see auras, then?"

"No. This was kind of my big spell. I was never able to do much else after that. I even have to do the dishes by hand. I can feel your power, and hers, but I don't see auras, no."

"Well, Rory's aura is just fine, in fact if you're not careful you could totally bliss out on it. But her mother's… there's trouble there."

"Oh no, I never thought…. I just assumed that the child's blessing would protect her mother as well…."

"I'm sure it did… but now that she's growing older, reaching that age where she needs to break away a little … she must be graduating high school…."

"This year, yes, next year, college…."

"The more she moves away, emotionally as well as physically, the more vulnerable her mother will be. But it's not just that. I got the distinct impression that whatever is affecting Lorelai … she invited it in. Made some sort of deal. Does that make sense to you?"

"Oh no," Miss Patty said. "Yes, I'm afraid it does. This is my fault, I should have told her that Rory's future was secure, she didn't need to… although to be honest I'm not sure she'd believe me. We've never talked about that night. She fell asleep while I was still researching. In the morning I took her out to Mia at the Inn and she gave her the job and a place to live. I'd look in on them from time to time but we've never talked about magic ... I should have… "

She felt Willow hand rest gently on her arm, felt herself relax a little.

"Well, before we panic, it may not be that serious. Andrew, if you would?"

She watched the young man open a back pack and withdraw…

"A crystal ball?" Miss Patty asked. "Seriously?"

"Sure," Kaitlyn answered. "A bowl of water works too but this is more fun. Okay, we have a lock of Lorelai's hair, a lock of Rory's and Miss Patty, if I may …"

Miss Patty felt a sudden twinge of worry, things were moving just a little fast here.

"It's a little late not to trust us," Kaitlyn continued, "if we wanted we could just take it, you know that, right? But if I won't if you say not to. But the more influence we add the clearer the picture."

After a moment Miss Patty nodded and Kaitlyn held out her hand and Miss Patty goggled as one of the many rings on Kaitlyn's fingers reached out and took a snip of her hair. Kaitlyn then mixed the three women's hair in a pestle, added a little grainy gray substance, dribbled a bit of clear liquid, then set the mixture on fire with a snap of her fingers, and blew the smoke over the crystal ball Andrew held out in the center of the circle.

At first there was just smoke, then slowly the images began to form and take shape, gain clarity, then events began to unfold, flitting from moment to moment like time lapse photography….. moving faster and faster until Miss patty cried out,

"Enough, please," and Kaitlyn snapped her fingers and the globe went white again.

Kaitlyn and Willow shared a glance, and shrugged.

"That didn't seem so bad…." Willow started

"No, no, it was horrible," Miss Patty said, then calmed herself. "I understand you live in a harsher world, where perhaps simply surviving is enough. But I've known Lorelai Gilmore a long time now, I admit she is not a perfect person… but that. She doesn't deserve that. Please, if you can help…"

"Of course," Willow said, "we'll do everything we can."

-30-