Aug 24 - Buffy’s AU Beginnings - Buffy in the Land of Weird (FR-13)
Aug 24 - Buffy’s AU Beginnings - Buffy in the Land of Weird (FR-13)
Author: mmooch
Chapter Summary: **Part of the 2018 LiveJournal’s Twisted Shorts FaD** challenge. Buffy goes to somebody other than House when her parents die.
Crossover: Gilmore Girls
Rating: FR-13
Word count: 1137
Challenge: for the livejournal 2018 August Fic-a-Day Challenge.
Timeline: pre-series for both BtVS & GG
Disclaimer: BtVS/AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy. Gilmore Girls characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.
Luke’s Diner
It wasn’t unusual for the people of Stars Hollow to see Luke Danes frothing at the mouth about something, but most often because of the town or its people that he went crazy. This time, it was somebody on the phone that was driving him around the bend.
“I’m the last person…” he shouted into the phone, only to be cutoff by the person on the other end.
He growled, but agreed, “Okay, she would be the last person, but really, is there nobody else who can do this?”
After listening for a minute, he reluctantly conceded, “Alright…I’ll be there tomorrow. What do I need to bring with me?” He grabbed his pen and order pad and started jotting down a list. “Anything else? Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Ignoring the curious stares of the customers, Luke stuck his head in the kitchen and told Caesar, “I need you to open the diner tomorrow because I have to go to New York and will be gone all day.”
Caesar hated to disappoint Luke, especially when he was in a bad mood, but he had to this time, “Sorry, boss, I have that appointment, remember?”
“Damn! Yeah, okay,” Luke muttered, then faced the crowd again, “Listen up everyone, the diner will be closed tomorrow, so spread the word!”
The only thing he let slip about his plans was that a family member was in a fatal accident and he had to go deal with the aftermath. All other attempts were dissuaded with his patented glare. If anyone persisted, he shoved them out the door.
------------------------
Attorney’s office, NYC
Dressed in his ‘bank’ clothes, Luke waited for his appointment with the attorney for his cousin’s estate. He wondered when Liz would show up, if she showed up at all. They both had been mentioned in the will according to the lawyer.
“Mr. Danes?” the receptionist called out. “Mr. Hinkle is ready for you. Do you know if your sister is coming?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said wearily. He was always weary when thinking or dealing with Liz and her drama.
“You can go right in; I’ll watch for her and show her in when she arrives,” the woman replied pleasantly.
“Hello, Mr. Danes,” the attorney greeted him with a handshake, then motioned for him to take a seat at the desk. “Thank you for coming so quickly. First off, I’d like to explain why you and your sister were listed as possible guardians. Hank and Joyce were trying to finalize their choices because they didn’t want to list different guardians in their wills, even though they had every right to. Since you were family, they used you as sort of a placeholder guardian until they made their decision.”
He held up his hand to stop any comment Luke might have had and went on, “I don’t know who they were considering, and unless it was written down and notarized, the courts could very well ignore any conversations they had with their friends or colleagues.”
Luke nodded in understanding. That actually made him feel better about being listed as a guardian. He couldn’t fathom why he - or Liz - would be their first choice as a parent for their daughter. But if they were only supposed to be there temporarily, he could accept the decision.
“So, what do we need to do now?” Luke asked.
“Do you have the documents I requested yesterday?” Mr. Hinkle inquired.
Luke handed over the folder he bought to hold the papers and identification. The attorney looked them over, buzzed for his assistant and she took them to make copies.
“All we have to do now is confirm your intention to become the legal guardian for Buffy Anne Summers, minor child of Hank and Joyce Summers,” he informed Luke.
“Okay, that’s my intention,” Luke confirmed, causing the lawyer to smile at his attempt to be formal.
“When my assistant comes back, you’ll need to sign forms that serve as your confirmation. Once she notarizes them, I’ll take them to the court and file them. Until then, you will have temporary custody of Buffy,” he explained. “After that, you can expect occasional visits from child welfare to ensure that both of you are adapting well to the situation.”
“Any suggestions?” Luke nearly pleaded for advice.
“I’d start by asking any friends who are parents for help. If they have children about the same age, even better. My advice wouldn’t be of much use because not only did my wife shoulder most of the responsibility for raising our children, she did it nearly three decades ago when things were vastly different than they are today,” Mr. Hinkle said with a rueful grin.
Luke tried to think of anyone in Stars Hollow that he’d trust with a goldfish, much less a child…even some of the people who had their own. Then he realized that he could ask Mia for help and she wouldn’t give him too much grief about it…hopefully.
The paper signing took far longer than he would have liked, but eventually it was over. He massaged his hand to ease the cramps and looked up.
“Send the social worker in, please,” Mr. Hinkle commanded his assistant.
When the man came in carrying an infant, Luke was stunned. Yes, he knew that Buffy was a baby, but it didn’t really sink in until just now. “She’s so tiny!” he exclaimed in worry.
“But she’s got the biggest smile,” the social worker said before looking down at the child in his arms, “Who’s got the most beautiful smile in the world? You do!” he cooed.
“Oh god,” Luke gasped nervously. He was going to be responsible for…his vision darkened, and he had trouble breathing.
“Put your head between your knees!” the social worker ordered curtly.
Several minutes passed before he felt in control of his body again.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” both men asked him.
He felt mortified that he almost passed out. “Sorry about that. It just overwhelmed me for a second.”
The assistant smiled knowingly at him and confessed, “My husband fainted when I told him I was pregnant and when I delivered our son…and he’s a firefighter,” she added with an even wider grin.
“I suppose I should hold her, huh?” Luke suggested. He just had to take this one step at a time. Don’t think about everything, just the immediate future.
The social worker raised an eyebrow and snarked, “It generally helps to touch the child eventually.” But he laid Buffy in Luke’s outstretched arms. “Be sure to support her head!” he warned.
“Hello, Buffy,” Luke said to the little girl.
Her response was a very wet pooping sound, followed by a horrific smell.
“Lesson one…” the social worker laughed, “how to change a diaper.”
A/N: I wanted to finish Buffy’s other AU Beginning before adding alternative guardians, but Musie couldn’t help herself. Now that the chapter’s over, I think I’m more excited by this version than the other one.
Author: mmooch
Chapter Summary: **Part of the 2018 LiveJournal’s Twisted Shorts FaD** challenge. Buffy goes to somebody other than House when her parents die.
Crossover: Gilmore Girls
Rating: FR-13
Word count: 1137
Challenge: for the livejournal 2018 August Fic-a-Day Challenge.
Timeline: pre-series for both BtVS & GG
Disclaimer: BtVS/AtS characters belong to Joss Whedon/Mutant Enemy. Gilmore Girls characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino and the WB. I claim no rights to any copyrighted material. Please do not copy or take this story without my permission.
Luke’s Diner
It wasn’t unusual for the people of Stars Hollow to see Luke Danes frothing at the mouth about something, but most often because of the town or its people that he went crazy. This time, it was somebody on the phone that was driving him around the bend.
“I’m the last person…” he shouted into the phone, only to be cutoff by the person on the other end.
He growled, but agreed, “Okay, she would be the last person, but really, is there nobody else who can do this?”
After listening for a minute, he reluctantly conceded, “Alright…I’ll be there tomorrow. What do I need to bring with me?” He grabbed his pen and order pad and started jotting down a list. “Anything else? Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Ignoring the curious stares of the customers, Luke stuck his head in the kitchen and told Caesar, “I need you to open the diner tomorrow because I have to go to New York and will be gone all day.”
Caesar hated to disappoint Luke, especially when he was in a bad mood, but he had to this time, “Sorry, boss, I have that appointment, remember?”
“Damn! Yeah, okay,” Luke muttered, then faced the crowd again, “Listen up everyone, the diner will be closed tomorrow, so spread the word!”
The only thing he let slip about his plans was that a family member was in a fatal accident and he had to go deal with the aftermath. All other attempts were dissuaded with his patented glare. If anyone persisted, he shoved them out the door.
------------------------
Attorney’s office, NYC
Dressed in his ‘bank’ clothes, Luke waited for his appointment with the attorney for his cousin’s estate. He wondered when Liz would show up, if she showed up at all. They both had been mentioned in the will according to the lawyer.
“Mr. Danes?” the receptionist called out. “Mr. Hinkle is ready for you. Do you know if your sister is coming?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” he said wearily. He was always weary when thinking or dealing with Liz and her drama.
“You can go right in; I’ll watch for her and show her in when she arrives,” the woman replied pleasantly.
“Hello, Mr. Danes,” the attorney greeted him with a handshake, then motioned for him to take a seat at the desk. “Thank you for coming so quickly. First off, I’d like to explain why you and your sister were listed as possible guardians. Hank and Joyce were trying to finalize their choices because they didn’t want to list different guardians in their wills, even though they had every right to. Since you were family, they used you as sort of a placeholder guardian until they made their decision.”
He held up his hand to stop any comment Luke might have had and went on, “I don’t know who they were considering, and unless it was written down and notarized, the courts could very well ignore any conversations they had with their friends or colleagues.”
Luke nodded in understanding. That actually made him feel better about being listed as a guardian. He couldn’t fathom why he - or Liz - would be their first choice as a parent for their daughter. But if they were only supposed to be there temporarily, he could accept the decision.
“So, what do we need to do now?” Luke asked.
“Do you have the documents I requested yesterday?” Mr. Hinkle inquired.
Luke handed over the folder he bought to hold the papers and identification. The attorney looked them over, buzzed for his assistant and she took them to make copies.
“All we have to do now is confirm your intention to become the legal guardian for Buffy Anne Summers, minor child of Hank and Joyce Summers,” he informed Luke.
“Okay, that’s my intention,” Luke confirmed, causing the lawyer to smile at his attempt to be formal.
“When my assistant comes back, you’ll need to sign forms that serve as your confirmation. Once she notarizes them, I’ll take them to the court and file them. Until then, you will have temporary custody of Buffy,” he explained. “After that, you can expect occasional visits from child welfare to ensure that both of you are adapting well to the situation.”
“Any suggestions?” Luke nearly pleaded for advice.
“I’d start by asking any friends who are parents for help. If they have children about the same age, even better. My advice wouldn’t be of much use because not only did my wife shoulder most of the responsibility for raising our children, she did it nearly three decades ago when things were vastly different than they are today,” Mr. Hinkle said with a rueful grin.
Luke tried to think of anyone in Stars Hollow that he’d trust with a goldfish, much less a child…even some of the people who had their own. Then he realized that he could ask Mia for help and she wouldn’t give him too much grief about it…hopefully.
The paper signing took far longer than he would have liked, but eventually it was over. He massaged his hand to ease the cramps and looked up.
“Send the social worker in, please,” Mr. Hinkle commanded his assistant.
When the man came in carrying an infant, Luke was stunned. Yes, he knew that Buffy was a baby, but it didn’t really sink in until just now. “She’s so tiny!” he exclaimed in worry.
“But she’s got the biggest smile,” the social worker said before looking down at the child in his arms, “Who’s got the most beautiful smile in the world? You do!” he cooed.
“Oh god,” Luke gasped nervously. He was going to be responsible for…his vision darkened, and he had trouble breathing.
“Put your head between your knees!” the social worker ordered curtly.
Several minutes passed before he felt in control of his body again.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” both men asked him.
He felt mortified that he almost passed out. “Sorry about that. It just overwhelmed me for a second.”
The assistant smiled knowingly at him and confessed, “My husband fainted when I told him I was pregnant and when I delivered our son…and he’s a firefighter,” she added with an even wider grin.
“I suppose I should hold her, huh?” Luke suggested. He just had to take this one step at a time. Don’t think about everything, just the immediate future.
The social worker raised an eyebrow and snarked, “It generally helps to touch the child eventually.” But he laid Buffy in Luke’s outstretched arms. “Be sure to support her head!” he warned.
“Hello, Buffy,” Luke said to the little girl.
Her response was a very wet pooping sound, followed by a horrific smell.
“Lesson one…” the social worker laughed, “how to change a diaper.”
A/N: I wanted to finish Buffy’s other AU Beginning before adding alternative guardians, but Musie couldn’t help herself. Now that the chapter’s over, I think I’m more excited by this version than the other one.