~* Buffy Goes to Stars Hollow *~

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Kate set the dish bucket on the empty table and loaded the empty dishes inside. Spraying the table with cleaner she washed it, transfixed by the damp streaks that criss crossed back and forth.



“Kate? Are you ok?” came a familiar voice.



Kate jumped, visibly startled. She spun around coming very close to smacking right into the broad chest of Luke Danes. Luke reached out and grabbed onto her arms to steady her.



She smiled thankfully as she looked up to meet his look of concern. “Are you ok?” he repeated.



“Yeah,” she said,” Just a little spacey.”



“Are you sleeping ok?” he asked. “Is the heat working a little better?”



“Yeah, it’s all working perfectly,” Kate, said. “You have to stop worrying about me Luke. You’ve done so much for me already.”



Luke dug his hands into his pockets. “Am I smothering you? I am being too smothering aren’t I? I knew it. Geez, it’s just that I’ve never had a renter. Not really sure how to act.”



Kate patted his forearm unaware of the jolt that shot through his body. “You’re a great landlord. A god even.” Kate laughed,” I don’t know what I’d do without you.”



Luke smiled, slightly embarrassed suddenly. “Not a problem,” he coughed as he turned and walked away.



Kate finished cleaning the table as a pretty red head walked through the door arm in arm with a young brunette.



They sat down at the newly cleaned table. Kate guessed there were talking about boys from the snippets of conversations she heard.



“Hello,” Kate said, “ Can I get you guys anything?”



The redhead smiled back. “Just coffee right now.”



“Ummm…I will have coffee too,” the brunette said.



“It will stunt your growth Dawnie,” the red head said.



“I’m taller than both you and Buffy,” she pointed out.



Willow frowned. “I changed my mine, she can have coffee and I will have orange juice that helps growth right?” She laughed.



“What about milk?” Kate suggested, “It does a body good and all that.”



Willow smiled flirtatiously. “Milk then.”



Kate smiled slightly flustered as she handed them both menus. She turned to go get their drinks but not before she heard Dawn mutter under her breath. “That was subtle Will.”



Kate set their drinks in front of them promising to return in only a moment to take their order. A young man sat with his back to the window and looked up as Kate approached.



“What can I get you?” she asked pleasantly.



“The usual,” he said matter of factly.



“And that would be?” she pressed the coffee pot growing heavier as she stood there.



“You don’t know?” he said genuinely surprised. “Luke didn’t tell you?”



“Uh no,” Kate said, wishing that Luke would come and rescue her.



“Well that’s not very good customer service,” he said looking affronted.



“Well why don’t you just tell me what your usual is and that way I promise that I will remember it for next time.” Kate suggested growing more and more impatient.



“Oh well,” he said considering this. “ I don’t have a usual item of choice. You see I fancy myself a bit of a connoisseur if you would. As long as I stick to my food groups as mother always taught me, I eat a little of everything.”



Kate stared at him open mouthed. “Then why did you say it?”



“I was testing you. I take it upon myself to know the comings and goings of my fellow townspeople, as I am involved in many organizations. One of Taylor’s right hand men so to say and I know that you are new so I was testing you,” he said looking very pleased with himself. “The pinnacle of the food service industry is to know your customers. Their wants and needs.”



What he needs is a swift kick to the head, Kate thought. She wondered if he would notice if she started to back away slowly…or did that bring on an attack?



“Can you just tell me what you want?” Kate said, almost begging now.



“I will have a coffee.” He said simply.



“Alright,” Kate said, pouring him his coffee as fast as humanly possible without spilling it and then getting a lecture of how the spillage of coffee would affect tips and the return of customers.



She walked over the counter where Luke was writing down inventory figures. “Who is that guy?” Kate whispered pointing over his shoulder.



Luke looked up. “ That’s Kirk.”



“Is he…slow?” she asked hesitantly.



A laugh burst out of Luke before he could stop himself. “Not clinically,” he said,” he just lives in another world most of the time. If he annoys you just walk away, it doesn’t stop him from talking but you sorta drown it out after a while.”



“Ah ok. You serve him next time,” she laughed.



The door opened and a young guy walked in and sat down with Willow and Dawn. Kate grabbed a fresh pot and headed over. “Hi can I get you guys anything?”



“How about a million bucks?” the guy asked.



“You think that if I had a million bucks I’d be working here?” Kate laughed.



“Hey!” came Luke’s reply.



“Cause I totally would still be working here,” Kate added quickly. “Best job ever.”



The three laughed. “Coffee please,” he asked. “My name is Xander by the way. We are new to town.”



Kate shook his outstretched hand, careful to juggle the pot just right. “I am Kate and I’m fairly new myself.”



The others introduced themselves officially. Kate found out that Dawn was going to Stars Hollow High and Willow was starting her new job as a teacher which is why she was way too nervous to eat, and Xander was doing construction in Hartford for now.



“How do you like school?” Kate asked Dawn, having never stayed in school long enough to make friends.



Dawn turned red and Kate worried that she had somehow embarrassed her.



“Dawnie has a crush on a boy don’t ya?” Xander teased tickling her ribs. Dawn swatted him away.



“Cut it out!” she scolded even though her face lit up at the thought of this mystery boy.



Suddenly her face went still in surprise as her face went even redder than before. Kate turned to where she was looking. Kate smiled. “ Oh you mean Jess?”



“Shhhh…”Dawn said in a loud whisper burying her head in her hands.



“Sorry,” Kate apologized.



Willow patted Dawn’s back. “Hun, you are only making more of a spectacle by hiding like this.”



Kate left them and headed over to Luke and Jess. For Dawn’s sake she should forget about Jess especially with that thing he had for Rory Gilmore.







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Buffy wiped the mirror still foggy from her very hot shower. She still had a couple of hours before she even would have attempted to get up. She was waiting for a call from Giles, which meant she had to get up really early.



Wrapping herself in a terry cloth robe she exited the fog of the bathroom and into her adjoining room.



In a little under a year she’d lived in more places than she had ever before. Her room was her own with its mocha inspired coffee house feel. There was something about this town that made her feel lost and at home all at the same time.



Most of all she loved this house with it’s old Victorian feel. All hardwood floors and arched ceilings. The boxes had finally been unpacked and everything had been arranged to make the home feel theirs.



Buffy, Dawn, Willow and Xander had moved into the six bedroom Victorian almost a month ago now without as much as a single vampire or demon showing up. As much as she loved this place she wondered if they had come to the right town. And the fact that the craziness could be going down somewhere else made her nervous.



Just then her phone rang. Buffy sprang upright snatching up the phone before it could ring a second time. “Hello?”



“Hello Buffy,” came the soothing voice of her watcher.



Buffy felt herself relax almost instantly, the way you would after hearing a parent’s voice. Even know she missed him so much. “Hey Giles. How are you?”



“A little tired,” he said, “ but otherwise I am in fine spirits. And the others?”



“Settling in.,” she said, hoping they could jump into the point of the conversation. “That’s the thing Giles, should be settling here. Nothing has happened and it’s been almost a month now. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been great, almost like I was an actual person-but it’s still weird right?”



“It is,” Giles agreed.” But the evil is moving to another location after the first fell, doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Maybe they are laying low, or simply haven’t arrived.”



“True,” Buffy agreed.



“Did you get the job at the Inn?” He asked.



“Oh yes, sorry, I did. I was on a trial but now I am on full time. I am Lorelai’s assistant manager.”



“Well done Buffy,” he said, fatherly pride evident in his voice.



“Thanks. I really like it. And it would have been awkward to watch the place without having a job there. And getting paid to be a slayer finally-huge perk!”



“Nothing suspicious there?” Giles asked.



“Well considering it may be the location of the new hell mouth as you said before, there isn’t too much going on. Except…”Buffy trailed off wondering if she was looking for evil where there was none.



“Except?” Giles pressed.



“My boss, Lorelai Gilmore, she seems a little odd. I mean she’s perfectly nice but I get this weird vibe when I am around her that I can’t put a finger on. She stares at me a lot too, like she knows something.”



“Hmmm..” And Buffy could almost swear she heard him cleaning his glasses as he pondered. “Well keep an eye on her. It could be nothing.”



“Right. Not a problem,” she said, feeling the conversation trailing. “Do you think you might come out here for a visit?”



Giles smiled at the hope in her voice. “Well I have to take care of a few things here. Just check that everything is going according to plan and then I will try to get out there.”



“Ok, sounds great!” Buffy said feeling a lot better than she did this morning, even if she did have to get up extra early.



“I have to be off,” he said, somewhat sad at ending the conversation. “Give everyone my love, even Xander. Take care of yourself.”



“You too,” Buffy said. She replaced the receiver and curled up on her side, wrapping the robe tightly around herself. Everything was going great she realized. She was happy, Dawn was happy again. Everyone was happy and settled. Everything seemed to be working itself out. Like the sort of feeling you get right before the fall.







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Everyone was staring. She could feel several pairs of eyes watching every move she made from every angle. She may as well be sitting here naked with how exposed she was feeling. She wished now that she had just stayed in her own classroom alone than be in this small room sitting completely alone and surrounding by people twice her age if not more. Surely some of them must have wondered if a student had wondered into the wrong room.



“Hi, do you mind if I have a seat,” came a voice.



Willow looked up into the face of an incredibly attractive woman. She opened her mouth to respond but didn’t speak in fear that the words ‘hubba hubba hubba’ or something just as stupid, would come tumbling out of her mouth.



The women smiled, not missing a beat. “Please say yes as there are no other seats and I really don’t want to walk out of here looking rejected.”



Willow found her voice. “Please sit,” she said her voice almost a squeak.



The women sat across from her. She took the lid of her salad and unwrapped a plastic fork. “My name is Ashley,” she said.



“Willow.”



“You must be the new computer teacher then,” Ashley said, stabbing a piece of lettuce with her fork.



“That would be me,” Willow said, suddenly unable to finish her lunch. It was hard enough to talk let alone go through the task of biting, chewing or swallowing. “And you are?”



“Gym teacher,” she said. “So how are you enjoying S.H.H?”



“So far I like it,” Willow said. Now that you are here, she added mentally.



Ashley smiled. “Good. I wouldn’t want you to leave.”



Willow felt her face start to redden. Had she just flirted with me, she thought.



“You and I are the only ones here under thirty. I don’t have to take about the beginnings of menopause now.” She said laughing. Her laugh was just as throaty as her voice and it was the hottest thing that Willow had ever heard.



She had blonde hair that fell in soft curves past her breasts and the greenest eyes that she had ever seen. She wondered if they were fake contacts. She had curves in all the right places and her skin was a warm olive color that had to be because of her background. Her face was perfect, from her big round eyes heavily lined with thick lashes, straight nose and full bow mouth that were now wrapped around her fork. Willow had never wanted to be a utensil so much in her life as she did now.



She could only imagine how soft those lips could feel under hers…all over her as well. She didn’t notice that Ashley had stopped eating and was now just staring at her with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smile.



“S…Sorry,” Willow stammered, searching for an excuse, any excuse to explain the fact she had just mentally undressed a potential friend. “I was just wondering if you were wearing colored contacts.” She couldn’t believe she had just come up with such a convincing lie. Buffy must be rubbing off on her.



Ashley didn’t buy it. “ Nope. I’m 100% natural.”



Willow almost choked on the suggestive nature of that comment. “Oh, they are pretty.”



“Thanks,” Ashley said. Just then the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. “Well guess it’s back to the races.”



Willow was so disappointed. “Right. Well thanks for eating lunch with me.”



Ashley laughed. “You didn’t even touch your lunch.”



Willow looked down at her tray. “I guess I wasn’t hungry. First day jitters I guess,” Willow said lamely.



Ashley picked up her garbage, getting to her feet. “Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?”



Willow looked up in surprise. “Tomorrow. That’s Friday.”



“That’s right,” Ashley said.



“Friday is like a date night,” Willow said, having meant to keep that thought to herself.



“So it is…”Ashley said, the corner of her perfect mouth turning up in a smile.



“Oh…well, sure. That would be great. Do you mean…I mean, do you know..I..”Willow stammered.



Ashley placed a reassuring hand on Willow’s shoulder. “Gym teacher,” Ashley said, feeling that should explain anything. “Can’t give up a good stereotype.” She said with a wink.



Willow smiled, her face growing red. “Alright then. I will see you tomorrow night then.”



Ashley handed her a piece of paper that she had just written her number on. “Give me a call tonight. I will see you tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of the class. “ She paused in the doorway and turned back to Willow giving her a subtle once over. “ By the way it was really nice meeting you.”



Willow gathered up her things and headed to class trying to keep her legs from turning to jelly. God, she loved this town.







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Lorelai wrapped her coat tighter around herself, rubbing her hands together to try and keep warm.



Rory stood at her side as they both stared at the large wood door.



“I would rather be dipped in honey and placed in a pile of red fire ants then knock on that door,” Lorelai said seriously.



“I know,” Rory said.



“I would rather be strapped to the propeller of a plane and flown across the Atlantic than knock on that door.”



“I know,” Rory said.



“I would rather be striped naked and paraded across this town then knock on the door.”



“I know,” Rory said.



Just then the door opened. “Lorelai, Rory,” Emily said looking annoyed. “Are you just going to stand out there all night wishing the door open?”



“No Grandma. Sorry,” Rory said.



“Well come on, don’t let all the cold air in,” Emily said, walking away leaving the door open behind her.



“I would rather be doused in alcohol and set on fire then walk through that door,” Lorelai said.



“I know,” Rory answered.





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Lorelai stabbed at the meat substance on her plate with her fork, unaware of the conversation going on around her. All she could think about was Buffy and it was driving her crazy. For the last week of her trial she was always off to doing work and they would only meet when they were checking in with each other.



Then today Buffy was around her more. She didn’t understand why but Buffy seemed to be around her at a moment’s notice. Was she watching me? Lorelai wondered now as she sat in this dining room. Had she been feeling the same foreign feelings that she herself had felt a million times a day since Buffy showed up at the Inn?



“Lorelai?” Emily’s voice came breaking through her thoughts.



“Mom?” Lorelai said.



“How is everything at the Inn?”



“Great.”



“Rory told me you hired a new assistant manager. That must help a great deal.” Emily said.



“Is that a question of a statement?” Lorelai asked.



Emily frowned. “What is her name?”



“Buffy Summers,” Lorelai said, visibly tensing when she spoke the name out loud.



“What an odd name.” Emily said.



Rory smiled. “At least she’s pretty.”



Lorelai reddened. “How do you know?”



“She came into the diner at dinner with her friends.” Rory said. “She seems really nice.”



“She is,” Lorelai agreed picturing her again.



“So everything is going well then?” Emily said again.



“What’s up mom?” Lorelai sighed.



“What do you mean?” Emily asked innocently.



“The smile mom. You have that smile.”



“I am not allowed to smile now,” Emily asked.



“Sure you are mom. But I know that smile,” Lorelai said.



“I don’t know what you are talking about Lorelai. Really, it’ s a smile.” Emily said, shrugging her shoulders. Lorelai couldn’t believe that her mother even had the ability to do something so normal as shrug-ruining her perfect posture.



“No. It’s the ‘I’ve got something on Lorelai smile’” Lorelai said.



“Rory is your mother taking a medication of some sort?” Emily asked the same infuriating smile on her face.



“I am sitting right here mom,” Lorelai sighed. Rory looked between the both of them wishing she could disappear, or that her grandfather would show up.



“So Rory are you looking forward to working at the Inn over the Christmas Holidays?” Emily asked.



Rory looked at her mom trying to send her a thought. Lorelai just looked confused.



“Yes I am,” Rory asked, trying to take the attention away from her mother.



“The Chilton newsletter came out today!” Lorelai said, finally understanding, “ And you’ve read it cover to cover and that explains the smile. It all makes sense now.”



“You didn’t read it yet Lorelai?” Emily asked.



“No mom. I was at work all day and then came straight here, but I will read it when I get home. Twice just to make sure I got all of it.”



“You are so obtuse sometimes,” Emily said, sipping her wine.



Lorelai leaned forward towards Rory as if they were in cahoots. “Did she just say I was fat?”



Rory smiled.







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Willow pulled the fleece blanket for Buffy as she joined her on the couch.



“So how was your first day?” Buffy asked.



“Perfect,” Willow sighed. “ I actually met someone.”



Buffy raised an eyebrow.” Great, we are going to be run out of town cause the local teacher is canoodeling with students.”



Willow elbowed her playfully. “Hey! Yeah right. It’s a teacher.”



“Gym teacher?”



Willow’s eyes widened in surprise. “ How did you know?”



Buffy shrugged. “Stereotype.”



“That’s what she said,” Willow laughed.



Buffy nodded. “Then I like her already. So are you going out?”



“Tomorrow night.”



“Good for you Will!” Buffy said honestly thrilled for her best friend.



“Yeah. She’s gorgeous. And she is funny and I think it could be great. I am a little nervous though after everything with Kennedy.”



“One step at a time Will,” Buffy said.



“Exactly.”



They both turned towards the television set. Buffy had a thought. “I’m so jealous.”



“You want to start dating girls now?” Willow teased.



“No. You are dating. Those first butterflies and the excitement over every touch or kiss. And you will be with the sex having while I am here making time with Mr. Vibby..”



Willow raised her eyebrows. “Mr. Vibby?”



“I didn’t say that,” Buffy said a small guilty smile on her face.



“Right, I didn’t hear it,” Willow said. “But Buffy it will happen for you. Remember-one step at a time.”



Buffy smiled. “Exactly”







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