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Chapter Text

******Sunnydale******

Dawn was miserable. She thought Buffy being back would make everything better, but Buffy was like a shadow of the person that she used to be.

Dawn went through the mail that was on the table and found something that looked important addressed to Buffy. Deciding it was a sister’s right, she opened it up. Her eyes widened as she read it.

Then she quickly went upstairs to Buffy’s room.

“Buffy!” she exclaimed, bursting into her room without knocking.

“God, Dawn, learn to knock!” Buffy complained. She was sharpening her knives.

“Sorry, but I just had to show you this,” she said as she handed her the papers from the lawyer.

Buffy had said goodbye to Giles that morning and was still freaked out by the kiss she’d shared with Spike two nights earlier. Any distraction was welcomed, so she read the letter her sister thrust in front of her.  It was from a law firm in Montana requesting her presence at the reading of the will of someone named Lee Dutton.

“Who is Lee Dutton? Do we have family in Montana?” Dawn asked, excited.

“Not that I know of,” Buffy asked.

“We so have to go,” Dawn said.

“Flying to Montana in a few days’ notice would be incredibly expensive, Dawn,” Buffy said.  “We don’t have the money.”

“I’ll call Dad and get him to pay for it,” she said.

“Good luck with that,” Buffy said with a snort.

“Well, we could drive,” Dawn said. “You finally have a license, and Mom’s car doesn’t have that many miles on it. It has GPS in it and everything.  There’s a lot of open country for you to drive on and get a lot of experience.”

Buffy considered it. She did have that emergency credit card that they could use, and she definitely could use time away from the hellmouth.  “Willow is a mess, Dawn. We can’t leave her,” she said.

“Xander will check on her, and she has school. It’s not like she will be moping at the house with nothing to do,” Dawn pointed out.

“School. You have school!” Buffy reminded her.

“Yes, but I can get my work for the week, and Thanksgiving break is in two weeks anyway. I’ve only missed like two days,” Dawn argued.

“Fine. We’ll go,” Buffy said. “Only because I gotta get out of town.”

“Yes!” Dawn exclaimed. “I’ll start packing our warm clothes.”

“Do we even have warm clothes?” Buffy asked.

“Jeans, boots, sweaters, heavy jackets,” Dawn told her. “We’ll be okay.”

Somehow, early the next morning the two of them were off to Bozeman, Montana. They told Xander and Willow where they were heading and why. Before school was out yesterday, Buffy went to Dawn’s high school and got Dawn to gather up some work for the next five school days even though they would probably be back sooner due to the weekend.

Both girls felt a lifting of their spirits as they drove away from the hellmouth.

Two days later, they were tired but awed by the beauty of Montana as they finally made it to their destination. They checked into a decent hotel and went to sleep after ordering and consuming a pizza in their room.

*****The Reading of The Will*****

It had been a month since John Dutton had lost his first-born son to his youngest son’s brother-in-law in a feud over cattle and land rights with the neighboring Indians that his son Kayce had married into. He would never understand exactly what happened that night. Somehow, it ended with his heir being shot in the back, and Kayce shooting his wife’s brother for doing the deed. That John was the livestock commissioner and able to create paperwork deputizing Kayce, thus making the shooting legal was the only reason he was not in jail for the shooting.

Now, he was at the reading of his son’s will.

“Jamie, explain to me why you aren’t in charge of Lee’s will,” John said.

Jamie shrugged. “I don’t know. Lee thought it was not something a baby brother should ever have to do even if he was the family lawyer,” Jamie said. “He hired another lawyer in Bozeman to do it.”

Two girls they didn’t know came into the room. Both were attractive. One looked like she might be nineteen or twenty, but the taller one was clearly a teenager.

“Why are their children we don’t know here?” he asked Jamie.

“Again, not his lawyer,” Jamie said. “But they had to have gotten a notice to be here, or they wouldn’t be.”

John went over to them and held out his hand. “Hello, I’m John Dutton,” he said, giving them a friendly smile.

“Hi, I’m Buffy Summers. This is my sister, Dawn,” Buffy said.

John was surprised at the strength of the girl’s grip as he shook her hand. The directness of her gaze as she sized him up also was a surprise. She was assessing him for potential threats and didn’t miss the fact that he was carrying a weapon. There was a wariness in her eyes that surprised him for someone her age. It was usually something he only saw in people like Kayce—guys who saw direct combat or had been to war.

“Do you always bring a gun to a reading of a will?” she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m the livestock commissioner,” he said. When she gave him a blank look, he added, “That’s the equivalent to the police in Montana.”

“You go after horse thieves, right?” Dawn asked.

John smiled at her. “That’s right,” he said.

“Do you shoot them like they do in those old westerns?” Dawn asked, grinning.

“Sometimes,” he said with a wink.

Beth and Kayce came in. When Beth saw strangers, her response was typical to her personality. “Who the hell are they?” she demanded.

“This is Buffy and Dawn Summers,” John introduced.

“We’re from California,” Dawn said. “Sunnydale. Our mom died a few months ago, and then Buffy was dead for a bit and got better. The place is a hell hole, so I convinced Buffy when we got the letter about the reading of Lee Dutton’s will that we should go to get out of town.”

The information dump caused Buffy’s face to flame as she shot her sister a glare.  “We don’t know a Lee Dutton or why we would be in his will, but we were curious, and we had never been to this part of the country. It was a beautiful drive,” she added.

“This is my son Jamie, my youngest son Kayce, and my only daughter, Beth,” John introduced. “Lee was our oldest son.”

“How did he die?” Dawn asked.

“Murder,” Beth said coldly.

“I’m sorry,” Buffy said.

“I’m sorry that you so recently lost your mother,” John said. “You seem a bit older than Beth was when her mother died.”

“I’m fifteen,” Dawn said. “Buffy’s twenty. She turns twenty-one in January.”

The lawyer came in. “John, I’m ready to begin. It looks like everyone is here,” he said.

“Okay, Bill,” John said.

They sat down in chairs, and Buffy and Dawn sat in the back row. This was the first will reading Buffy had ever been to, so she didn’t really know what to expect.

“Lee wanted you all here for a specific reason. He wanted me to read this letter that he wrote,” the lawyer began.

“Well, I hope I didn’t die getting thrown off my horse or Kayce will be ashamed of me forever,” the lawyer read, causing some chuckles. “I want you all to know how much I love you and how proud I am to be a member of the Dutton family. I also want you to know that I love you, Jamie, just as much as I do Kayce and mm damn proud of you. I didn’t choose you to be my lawyer for a reason that will be made very clear in a moment. Kayce, little brother, I hope one day, you will embrace your family and not run from the Yellowstone because the Yellowstone is in your blood. Your blood will need you. Beth, my beloved hellion, I hope you never change except to one day find the happiness that forever escapes you. Dad, I hope you will forgive me for never telling you about my greatest shame. I did something the summer after high school when I went on the rodeo circuit, I met this beautiful blonde California girl named Joyce. We had a summer fling. Nine months later, she had Buffy, who I hope is there, so you can meet her. I never did because her mother never wanted me to. She never knew me as more than a rodeo guy, and she didn’t know that I was heir to the largest ranch in Montana. I was going to tell her. I sent a private investigator to find her when Buffy was five years old, and she was so happy. Hank Summers was the only father she knew, and he adored her. Joyce promised me that Hank would always be there, so I left them one last time. What could I offer her that she didn’t already have? What I can give her, though, upon my death is my shares of the Yellowstone Ranch, which equals 20 million dollars, my truck, my house, and all the money in checking and savings. Every bit of it, Buffy, is yours. I am sorry that I never knew you.  All I ask is that you consider taking my last name. I never married or had another child. I would like to know that my child is carrying my name. I hope you will take time to get to know my family because they are your family, too. For us, family is everything. Know that I have loved you every minute of every day. Your father, Lee Dutton.”

“What the fuck?” Beth exclaimed.

Buffy was flabbergasted, unable to catch her breath while Dawn was excited. These people were their family.

John was stunned and angry at his firstborn. He had a granddaughter who was a grown woman. He stood up and turned and faced her. The revelation seemed to shatter her while her sister seemed excited at the news.

The lawyer went over to her and began talking to her, but Buffy couldn’t focus on his words. “I’m sorry. I can’t hear anything you’re saying,” she said. “I just found out that my entire life is a lie, and I could care less about the money.”

“I insist we get a DNA test,” Beth said.

“Why don’t we go to lunch and talk?” John suggested.

Dawn knew that Buffy needed some time, and it was a bit early for lunch. “Why don’t you suggest a place that we can meet you at around one?” she told him.

John thought that was a good idea and gave them the name of a nearby restaurant, explaining where it was located.

When the girls left, John looked at his sons. “You guys knew nothing about this?” he asked.

They shook their heads. “No,” Kayce said.

“This explains why he didn’t want me to do his will,” Jamie said. He was relieved because it had bothered him. Lee’s words, though, touched him. He would do what he could to help his niece navigate her new inheritance.

“She’s a Dutton,” John said. Lee had a daughter. Of course, he was pissed that he didn’t know her, but she was there now, and Lee’s legacy would live on through her. The girl was tough, clearly had grit. “Did you see the way she was sizing me up when she met me? I should’ve known she was a Dutton.” He grinned, pleased. “The grip on her handshake. She’s like Beth. A lot tougher than she looks.”

“I thought her sister was interesting,” Kayce said. “She said their mom had died this year and that Buffy herself had died but got better. What do you suppose she meant by that?”

“She was in an accident of some kind and flatlined,” John said. “She may have had a good childhood, but I looked into her eyes. That girl has been to hell and back. She needs us.”

“She has a sister—a teenager,” Beth pointed out. “They’re going to be a package deal. You guys barely handled dealing with me if you recall.”

“Well, it’s a good thing your firm transferred you back to Montana,” John said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

John was eager to get to know his granddaughter.

The granddaughter in question was flipping out as they entered their hotel room.

Dawn looked at her sister in concern. “Are you going to speak?” she asked. Buffy hadn’t said a word since they left the lawyer’s office.

“I just can’t believe Mom never told me,” Buffy said. “When she got sick and knew she could die, why didn’t she tell me then? I went through all her stuff. There’s no letter or note with a confession. Why would she not tell me this? I just don’t understand.”

“She was probably ashamed,” Dawn said. “Some secrets just seem more and more awful the longer they go unsaid. If she thought Lee was some loser she could never explain properly, I could see her not wanting to tell you. You and Dad were so close.”

“We were. Not in a long time,” Buffy said flatly.

“This means they are my family, too, Buffy,” Dawn told her. “You have to make them test my DNA, so I can be a part of their family, too. I want a grandpa and a cool aunt that says the F word. Our grandpa carries a gun. He’s a real cowboy. They all are, Buffy. It’s super awesome! We can learn to ride horses! Momma always said we’d go horseback riding, but we never did.”

“I did once with a friend in Los Angeles,” Buffy said. “It was fun.”

“This place is so far away from monsters and the hellmouth, Buffy,” Dawn said. Maybe they could stay there, and the dead look in Buffy’s eye would finally go away.

Buffy didn’t know how to tell her that she would never be free of being the slayer. It would follow her wherever she went. Her blood would draw the monsters to her no matter where she went.

She gave Dawn a contemplative look. Maybe, though, the Duttons could be the safe harbor Dawn needed. A place she could finish growning up without so much death and violence.

Then she recalled how her father died.

There was no such thing as a safe harbor.

*****Chapter End*****

Chapter Text

*****Lunch w/the Duttons*****

They went to a restaurant that had a main dining room and then a smaller one. One of the Duttons was watching for them and waved at them from the smaller room.

“Hi,” he said, smiling. “I am Kayce.”

“Buffy,” she said. “This is Dawn.”

“I remember,” he said. “Dad has commandeered the smaller dining room for us, so that we can have some privacy.”

“I get the feeling that your dad pretty much does what he wants around here, doesn’t he?” Buffy asked as she followed him.

Kayce looked back at her and grinned but didn’t say anything.

John stood when they came. “Glad you girls could make it,” he said, gesturing to the empty chairs to his left. Kayce sat down to his right. His sister was next to him, so Dawn sat across from her. Jamie was at the other end.

“I ordered a sampler appetizer,” John said as the server came up to take their drink order.

“Great,” Buffy said. She looked at the menu. Although she was nervous, she could always find room to eat and decided that the chicken salad looked good.

“I’ll have a cheeseburger,” Dawn said.

“That’s fine,” John said.

The server took everyone’s order after she sat down drinks. Then another server brought the appetizer Mr. Dutton had ordered.

“Oh, this looks yummy!” Buffy said with a grin.

“Buffy loves food,” Dawn said with a smirk.

“Really? You can’t tell,” John remarked.

“I have high metabolism,” Buffy shared with a shrug. “I eat, but it burns off.”

“Beth used to be like that,” John said. “Now she just doesn’t eat.”

“Because once you reach a certain age, your metabolism slows down,” Beth said.

Buffy shrugged “I don’t worry about stuff like that,” she said.

“The young never do,” Beth said with smirk. “I never did at your age either.”

“Oh, I used to,” she said. “Back when I lived in L. A. and only cared about boys and my image. Then our parents got divorced, and we moved to Sunnydale. Then I just cared about surviving.”  She shoved a cheese stick in her mouth, not realizing how disturbing her comment sounded.

Dawn, though, caught Kayce’s look and thought about what her sister said. “Oh, she meant surviving high school. Sunnydale High is a lot tougher than L. A.,” she said.

“Really?” John said. “A small town is more dangerous than a big city? That’s surprising.”

“Yeah, well, they got this pesky gang problem,” Buffy said. “I keep keeping beating them down, but they’re like cockroaches. They keep coming back.”

Kayce laughed. “So that’s what you do in your spare time?” he asked. “Fight gang bangers?”

Suddenly, a predator peered out of Buffy’s eyes for just a moment, locking eyes with Kayce, the slayer sizing him up.  Then she was gone as Buffy laughed. “No, of course not,” she said easily. “I leave that to the professionals whenever possible. I was taking college classes, and then our Mom was too sick. Then she died. Then I had to take care of Dawn and get a job. Pipes burst. You know. Adulting is hard, sometimes. Not enough time to fight the crime.”

She said it all in a breezy tone, but the Duttons got a sense of real strength. They all suspected she was leaving quite a bit unsaid. However, it was too soon to press for details.

Kayce wanted to know when she died for a little bit, but the glimpse of the predator in her eyes had rattled him. He dared not ask and when Beth opened her mouth to do so, he gave a shake of his head.

Beth was surprised at her baby brother’s engagement as he was usually so detached, so she said nothing except, “Are you open to a DNA test?”

Buffy nodded. “Of course. It would be insane not to, especially if so much money is involved,” she said. “However, I do have one stipulation that may seem crazy.”

The Duttons all tensed and looked at each other before John said, “Go on.” Whatever she asked, he was willing to do.

“My mother always insisted that Dawn was my sister. That I should watch over her,” Buffy explained. “I just refuse to believe that we don’t have the same father. We are five years apart. His letter said he looked my mom up when I was five. What if they fell into bed together again? Maybe that’s why she was too ashamed to ever tell me about him. I want her DNA tested, too.”

Beth looked incredulous while John just looked contemplative.

“I don’t see the harm in that,” Jaime answered for his father, who seemed too surprised at the idea to form words.

“No, it’s fine,” John finally agreed. “It’s always better to know than to wonder. Either way, Dawn is your sister, so she will always be welcomed in our family.”

Dawn smiled. “I appreciate that,” she said. “Our grandparents died a few years ago. We have some cousins in Chicago. Not much other family.”

“But we have some really great friends that are like family,” Buffy said.

“Loyal friends are good to have,” John said.

Their food arrived, and it was a pleasant meal. Beth kept a civil tongue for once, discovering that she and Buffy shared a strange love of high-priced shoes.

Dawn proceeded to mock them both, which Jamie enjoyed, especially when she proceeded to do so in dead languages.

“Hey, no insulting me in Latin!” Buffy complained.

Dawn snickered and muttered something else.

“Or Sumerian!” she complained.

“Okay, Latin I get, but why in the world would either of you know Sumerian?” John asked, amused and impressed.

“My mentor in high school was the librarian, Giles,” Buffy said. “He’s British, and he’s been teaching Dawn ancient languages because she thinks it’s fun. She’s a big ole’ nerd.”

“That’s because he refuses to teach me how to use a sword,” Dawn said crossly.

“I told you not until you were sixteen,” Buffy replied annoyed.

“What kind of weird librarian is this?” Beth asked fascinated and disturbed.

“A British one,” Buffy said with a shrug as if that explained it. “Can we have dessert?”

“Of course, you can,” John said, waving over the server.

Jaime was impressed that the teenager knew Latin let alone ancient Sumerian or that Buffy knew enough to recognize it and said as much.

“Oh, well, Giles is always making with the ancient texts. Trying to make me read stuff,” she said with a shrug. “I’m more action girl, though. I leave that to my best friends.”

“So you’re into fencing or real sword play?” Kayce asked. If she said fencing, he wasn’t sure that he’d believe her.

“I dated a guy that taught me sword play,” Buffy said. “Giles now owns a shop where he created a workout room for me that he lets me practice in it. I have a dummy and everything.”

“The ex who taught her would be Angel,” Dawn shared. “He broke her heart. Then she dated Riley. He was really nice even if he was kind of boring in comparison. Until we found out he was a double agent pretending to be a T.A. Then he felt ignored because Buffy didn’t give him enough attention, and he left her not long before Mom died.”

“Can you not blurt out all my embarrassing business all at once?” Buffy asked with a glare.

“What? Riley was the jerkface who left you. He’s the one who should be embarrassed,” Dawn said loyally.

“I used to wish that I had a sister when I was stuck on a ranch with all those men,” Beth said. “Now I’m thinking I would’ve drowned her in the horse trough.”

“You wouldn’t have handled the competition,” Jamie remarked, causing Beth to give him a dirty look. Only the presence of a minor kept her normally forked tongue in check.

“No one’s more loyal and a bigger pain,” Buffy said with an affectionate smile at her sister.

John really liked this glimpse into his granddaughter’s personality, finding her and her sister amusing and both highly intelligent. Insults in dead languages were not something his boys ever thought of. He chuckled just thinking about it.

“We can make arrangements to do the DNA test in the morning,” Jamie told her.

“Okay,” Buffy said.

“I’d love to show you girls our ranch afterward,” John said. “Would you like that?”

“Can I ride a horse?” Dawn asked eagerly. “I’ve never ridden a horse.”

“Of course, you can,” John said. “I have lots of horses. We can find you a nice gentle one.”

Dawn was excited, and the girls thanked them for lunch.

“So what should we see while we’re here in Bozeman?” Buffy asked as they exited the restaurant.

“I have to go to work, but there’s a nice little boutique down that way,” Beth said, pointing.

Buffy’s eyes brightened. “Cool,” she said.

“Unfortunately, I have work to attend to also,” Jamie said. “It was really great meeting you both. I hope to see you tomorrow.”

“You, too,” Buffy said, waving him off.

“I have nothing pressing to do, so I would love to go with you,” John said, reluctant to say goodbye to his granddaughter.

“I will bring my son over for dinner tomorrow, so you can meet him. He’ll be very excited to meet his cousins from California,” Kayce said, smiling at both girls.

Buffy appreciated her uncle including Dawn so easily without knowing about their blood connection.

“That would be great,” Buffy said. “How old is he?”

“He’s only four, but a very precocious four,” Kayce warned her.

“Cool,” Dawn said, excited to meet a cousin. After Kayce left, they walked on each side of their grandfather.

“Kayce’s married to an Indian woman who does not like me very much, so we don’t get to see him or my grandson very much,” he shared.

“Why doesn’t she like you?” Dawn asked.

“She doesn’t believe any white man should own as much land as we do,” he said.

“That’s stupid,” Dawn said. “Anyone can own anything they work for.”

“That’s exactly right,” he said. “What’s ironic about it is that the land was given to my grandfather by an Indian chief back in 1883. It’s been ours ever since. We didn’t steal it like Monica always implies.”

“That’s not very nice of her,” Buffy said, frowning.

“No,” he said. “But Monica makes Kayce very happy, and that’s what’s important. He’s the only one of my children to be married and have a child. I wish Lee had told me about you. I would’ve made him reach out sooner.”

“Me, too,” Buffy said. “I don’t understand why my mom didn’t tell me, especially when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Before she went into for the surgery, we talked about everything. Her wishes if the surgery wasn’t a success. That kind of thing. She never said a word about Lee.”

“I worked along side my son every day,” John said. “I’d say that he and I were as close as a son and father could possibly be. He was my oldest, my right hand. Finding out that you existed is a very nice surprise—don’t get me wrong, but it does bother me that he didn’t tell me.”

Buffy looked at him in complete understanding and reached out and hooked her arm through his. He may be an important man in Montana, but it was very clear that he loved his family. She already felt that that love extended to her.

Dawn watched as people seemed to tip their hat to their grandfather as they walked by. Clearly, everyone seemed to know him. It was really neat having such a cool grandpa.

When he watched them try on clothes and didn’t seem bored or annoyed, his cool factor went up another notch. Buffy couldn’t believe that he didn’t even pull out his phone or complain about the number of shoes she showed him.

Instead, he seemed amused. “I wish you could’ve met your grandmother,” he said, smiling and looking sad at the same time.  “She would’ve been very excited to meet you after she tanned Lee’s hide, of course.”

Buffy laughed. “How did she die?” she asked.

“Crushed by a horse,” he shared.

“That can happen?” Buffy asked in surprise.

“It’s rare,” he said. “Unfortunately, she was with Beth and Kayce, no other adults strong enough to help. By the time, help came, it was too late.”

“God, that’s awful. Poor Beth and Kayce,” Buffy remarked, imagining the scene.

“Yes, Beth has never gotten over it,” John said. “She hates riding and the Yellowstone, but she will defend it with everything in her as long as I’m alive.”

“Why?” Dawn wondered.

John smiled. “She loves me,” he said. “She’s a difficult person to know and get close. She doesn’t suffer fools or have patience for much. And she will do her utmost best to utterly destroy anyone she perceives as her enemy or the enemy of our family—she’s ruthless. Even her job utilizes those traits in her. ”

“Wow, that’s so cool,” Dawn said, grinning.

“I’m glad you think so,” John said.

“Sounds exactly how a girl raised on a ranch by a bunch of men would grow up to be,” Buffy said, amused at the picture he was painting of her aunt.

“I think you two will fit right in with the family,” John said with confidence.

That night, he shared his shopping excursion with Rip and Beth, who decided to drive home while the girls were in town. She brought her laptop, so she could do some work from home tomorrow. When John made it home, she was on the porch with Rip.

“I look forward to meeting your granddaughter, sir,” Rip said.

“You’re going to love her, Rip,” John said. “She seems like this little blonde doll that wouldn’t hurt a fly, but then she gets this look in her eye sometimes that lets you know there’s a hell of a lot more to her.”

“She’s got good taste in shoes,” Beth said, smiling. “Her younger sister said she died for a little bit. Did you ever get to the bottom of what that was about?”

John shook his head. “No, and I’m not going to pry. They’re not here for long,” he said. “I want them to want to come back. The holidays are coming up. Wouldn’t it be great to have a reason to celebrate?”

“Yes, sir,” Rip said, smiling.

“I told the girls to be ready around nine. I’m going to call Jamie and make sure he has things ready tomorrow for the DNA testing,” John said. “Good night, Rip.”

Rip looked at Beth. “I haven’t seen your dad this happy since Kayce’s son was born,” he remarked.

Beth nodded. “Yes, it’s like getting a piece of Lee back,” she said. “Plus, the girl’s not too bad. I didn’t hate her.”

Rip laughed. “Coming from you, that’s high praise,” he said.

Beth shrugged, not denying his comment. “There’s something about her,” she shared. “Like me, she has layers.”

“Layers? Is that what we’re calling what you have?” he teased.

“Hey, if you’re going to insult me, I’m going inside!” she exclaimed, getting up from the chair.

Rip moved closer to her. “You know that I adore all of your layers, sweetheart,” he said softly, his hand, cupping her cheek as he gave her a soft kiss that she allowed.

Then he said goodnight and walked to the bunkhouse.

Beth watched him leave. Why did she still allow him to affect her so much after all these years? She wasn’t a teenager any longer.

*****The Next Morning****

Dawn was excited and got up early. She used the hotel’s computer to email Willow and tell her all about their trip. They were going to meet the Duttons at a lab not terribly far from the hotel, and then they would head to the ranch.  Dawn could hardly wait.

“Hi, Mr. Dutton!” Dawn exclaimed, greeting him warmly. There was a new man with him that she didn’t know.

“Hello, Dawn. You can call me, John,” John said. “Hello, Buffy. Did you girls sleep okay?”

“We did,” Buffy said, giving the stranger a curious look. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Rip. He’s my foreman,” John said.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Rip said, smiling at the two girls. Beth had described them both very well. Buffy’s look, though, had definitely been one of caution. She was sizing him up.

“What’s a foreman?” Dawn inquired.

“He’s in charge of all my ranch hands,” John explained.

“And ranch hands are guys who give you a hand on the ranch?” Dawn asked with a grin.

John laughed, enjoying her enthusiasm and inquisitive nature. “Basically,” he said. “They are the cowboys who work the cattle and ride the horses. Fix the fences. Chase off the occasional wolf or Indian poacher.”

“You have wolves?” Buffy asked.

“They’re protected, right? You can’t shoot them if they go near your cows?” Dawn asked.

“We’re not supposed to,” Rip answered carefully. “Normally, they are tagged, so they know where exactly they are. If they disappear on our land, we’ll be in trouble.”

“That’s an easy fix,” Dawn said. “You just don’t bury the body on your property.”

“Dawn!” Buffy scolded. “Let’s not give them ideas or convince them you’re totally conniving.”

Rip laughed while John chuckled. “Let’s put a pin in this,” John said. “Jamie likes to have deniability on all future crimes.”

Dawn was laughing now, too, as they went into the lab where Jamie was waiting with the lab tech. The DNA test didn’t take long as John allowed them to swab his cheek, and the two girls did the same.

“That was painless,” Buffy said. “Exactly that kind of test I like to take.”

“How soon before you we know?” Dawn asked.

“It takes a week,” the tech said.

“There’s no way I can pay to get the results sooner?” John asked.

“We can rush it in seventy-two hours,” she replied.

John made the arrangements, and they left.

The girls couldn’t believe it. In just three days, they would know that Dawn was a Dutton, too.

Chapter Text

*****A Few Hours Later*****

As they drove up to the Yellowstone Ranch, both girls were awestruck. The main house was like a log cabin but mansion size. Okay, so it wasn’t mansion size by L.A. standards but for Sunnydale, it was definitely huge.

“It’s beautiful!” Dawn gushed.

“It really is,” Buffy added.

John gave them a pleased look as they got out of the truck.

“Let’s get your stuff in our guest room,” John said.

“Your house is wonderful,” Buffy said.

“My grandfather built it, which would be your great-great grandfather,” he said. “Of course, it was added on and updated over the years.”

“That’s so cool!” Dawn gushed. “So much history!”

The girls put their stuff in a bedroom at the top of the stairs and then were led to the stables where they were introduced to a man named Lloyd.  He was smaller than the other men with gray hair and a gray mustache. His warm smile made both girls like him instantly.

“Lloyd’s worked here pretty much as long as I’ve been an adult,” John added.

“That’s a long time,” Dawn added.

“Dawn!” Buffy scolded.

“What? He knows how old he is,” Dawn defended. “It’s not like we can pretend he’s young when his oldest son was forty.”

Lloyd laughed. “They got you there,” he said. “Come on, girls, and we’ll pick you out a nice horse.”

Dawn found one right away, but most of the ones Lloyd showed to Buffy seemed too skittish. Buffy, of course, knew it was because they sensed she was a predator. Then she saw it. The most beautiful black horse with some white on its face. It looked majestic with its black shiny coat, and for Buffy, it was love at first sight.

“This horse,” Buffy said. “This is the one.”

“This is Devil’s Own,” Lloyd said. “No one but Kayce can ride him. He was Lee’s horse, and he is the orneriest, meanest horse on the ranch. Your granddad would skin me alive if I let you get on this one.”

The curious horse approached, keeping its eyes locked on Buffy.

“Hello, you, beautiful boy,” Buffy said as she reached out her hand and petted its nose. It seemed to lean into her caress, so she rubbed her hand along its jaw.

Lloyd was surprised as the horse normally wouldn’t let anyone near it. Most of the time, they let it run around without a rider for exercise since Lee died as Kayce never visited.

John came into the barn to see what the hold-up was as Rip was already taking Dawn around the pen in her gentle horse. When he saw which horse Buffy was petting, he shook his head. “No, Buffy. That horse is too mean. I won’t even get on it. Lee was the only one who could, and it still threw him off a half dozen times before he broke it,” he shared.

“But he is so beautiful,” Buffy said. “The other horses are afraid of me. He isn’t. He’s the only one I can ride.”

“What do you mean? Why would any of the horses be afraid of you?” he asked, giving Lloyd a questioning glance.

His highest-ranking ranch hand shrugged. “They’re just skittish today. Strange woman. Not used to a fruity Californian, I guess,” he said, winking at Buffy.

“Please, let me try,” Buffy asked her grandfather.

“We can just take her to the pen,” Lloyd said. “Let her walk him around. He probably won’t even let her get him on him.”

John knew that was probably true and would settle the matter. “Alright,” he said, relenting. Buffy hugged him in happiness, and he hoped she wouldn’t be too disappointed when the horse inevitably rejected her.

Lloyd taught her how to saddle the horse, and he helped her guide it out of the large barn. She saw Dawn riding slowing in a circle with Rip guiding the horse. Her horse was tan colored with a white tail and mane.

“Look, Buffy! I’m riding a horse! Isn’t it awesome?” she asked.

Buffy waved. “You look like a natural,” she said. 

Rip gave her instructions on how to stop the horse and how to go at a trot.

“Okay, I’m going to let go of her harness, so you can ride her without me guiding her,” Rip said.

He moved away, and Dawn remembered what he said to get her horse moving.

“What’s that horses name?” Buffy asked.

“Lucky Girl,” Rip said. “She had a rare, breached birth, and she came out it without any deficits.”

“What’s that?” Buffy asked.

“Feet first instead of head,” John explained.

Buffy looked sheepish. “Oh, yeah, I knew that,” she said. Her mother had mentioned that when a cousin of theirs had given birth that way.

Dawn did a good job going around the pen several times and then pulled back on the reins, stopping the horse. “This is so fun!” she proclaimed. “I feel dizzy, though, going in circles.”

“Well, why don’t you come down, and we’ll let Buffy have a bit of time with her horse,” John said. “After lunch, we can try for a ride and show you more of the ranch by horseback.”

Dawn was helped off the horse by Rip. Lloyd opened the gate, and Dawn and Rip came out with their horse.  Then Lloyd walked alongside Buffy as she led her stallion into the pen. Once the gate was shut, Buffy turned and began petting the horse’s neck and talking to it in a soft murmur.

John watched carefully, but the horse did not seem to resent her touch. In fact, he leaned into it.

“Go around the pen with her once,” Lloyd suggested. “Let’s see if he will follow you or try to pull away.”

This was a real test because normally only a seasoned ranch hand would get very far with this horse, which is why they hadn’t ridden him since Lee passed away.

“Buffy’s horse is so big,” Dawn said. “She looks tiny.”

“This was Lee’s horse. He’s a beast, and he won’t let anyone ride him,” John said. “Kayce probably could because there’s not a horse alive that Kayce can’t ride.”

“Buffy’s kind of a savant at anything physical,” Dawn shared.

“What do you mean?” John said.

“Well, you know how Beethoven sat at piano and could just play?” she asked. John nodded. “Buffy is like that with pretty much anything physical. If she’s shown any fighting form once, she can learn it immediately. Any weapons, she just instinctively knows how to do things. She’s a lot tougher and more gifted that she looks, so don’t be surprised if she makes that horse her bitch.  Excuse my language.”

John just grinned, finding Buffy’s sister more and more amusing. In fact, her forthright manner reminded John a lot of his late wife.

Five minutes later, though, Dawn’s prediction proved accurate as Buffy grew bored walking the horse and stopped, speaking to the horse while stroking its face.  Then John watched in surprise when she practically launched herself on top of the horse.

“Careful, Buffy. Go easy,” he said, feeling anxious. She was so small, and the horse could throw her, causing serious injury.  However, the horse surprised everyone. 

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Lloyd said as Devil’s Own walked in an easy canter around the pen as docile as a young filly.

“She’s a natural,” Rip observed.

Buffy grew bored with the slow trot and leaned down. “Can you go any faster?” she asked the horse.

“You just squeeze it a bit with your heels,” Lloyd called out.

Buffy did that, and the horse picked up the pace. Grinning, Buffy leaned down and the horse went even faster.

Finally, she rose up and pulled a bit on the reins, and he slowed back down.

“This is so cool,” Buffy said as she stopped at the gate in front of her grandfather, who was smiling at her in pride.

Before Rip could get inside the pen to help her off the horse, she’d already thrown herself off the horse like an Olympian, and he chuckled. What a spitfire!

“That was really fun!” Buffy gushed.

“Can’t say that I have ever seen such a feat,” Lloyd remarked, impressed.

“You are clearly a natural horse woman,” John told her.

“Told you,” Dawn said, looking smug.

“Come on,” Rip said. “I’ll show you girls how to brush the horses.”

“Cook should have lunch ready soon, so come in the house when you’re done,” John told them.

The girls enjoyed the rest of the day immensely. First, brushing their horse, which Buffy found almost therapeutic. Then the delicious lunch.

“I can’t believe you have all this food!” Dawn gushed. There was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls, and mac-n-cheese. Then dessert.

“Gator loves to cook a lot, and much of the time it’s wasted since my children rarely finish a meal,” he said.

“Well, tell Gator that if he’s single, I’m open to marriage!” Buffy said with a grin.

John chuckled. “I will not tell him that,” he said. “Cooking is his job—one I pay him very well to do.”

“Man, your kids were very lucky,” Dawn said. “These mashed potatoes are next level.”

For John, a simple lunch became a time of real joy.

Afterwards, he took them for a walk down to the bunkhouses since Buffy was curious, and she met a few more of the ranch hands, who were excited to meet Lee’s daughter.

One in particular was quite cute. “So how long has Ryan worked for you?” Buffy asked, trying to sound casual.

“Don’t even think about it,” John said. “He’s a decade older than you.”

“That’s a lot younger than one of my exes,” Buffy said with a cheeky grin.

“This is a large ranch,” John told her. “A lot of area to bury his body if he goes near you. Keep that in mind.”

Buffy couldn’t tell for sure if he was joking or not, so she just laughed. “Fine. Don’t let me have any fun,” she said.

“Let’s go see the rest of the ranch on horseback,” he suggested. “That’ll be fun.”

“Sure,” Buffy said, excited to ride Devils Own some more.

Dawn was equally happy to ride, and they saddled their horses again, remembering what they were shown.

Rip watched with John as Lloyd got John’s horse ready. “The girls are naturals. I haven’t come across grown men who could be taught something just once and remember, especially the teenager,” he commented. “It’s damn impressive.”

“It really is,” John said. “Buffy thinks Dawn is Lee’s too. We got her DNA tested also.”

“I would not be surprised. She’s got his wit and natural ability’s,” he said.

“She reads ancient Sumerian and Latin,” John shared.

“So some things clearly come from her mother,” Rip said with a grin.

“Okay, we’re ready,” Buffy said, leading her horse, who seemed eager, butting her gently with his nose.

They got on their horses and rode the land for an hour, and Buffy could not believe how large Yellowstone really was.

“It’s the largest privately owned ranch in the country, over 2,000 miles,” John said with pride.

“Really?” Buffy asked in awe as she looked down from the incline they were paused at that overlooked a huge expanse of the land.

“That’s bigger than the state of Rhode Island,” Dawn stated.

“Closer to the state of Delaware,” John replied.

Rip was a bit behind them in case they ran into trouble, or the girls had an accident. He had the satellite phone. John would never again allow someone to be harmed without the ability to call for immediate assistance. His wife would be alive today if they had such things twenty years ago.

Luckily, their afternoon was without incident, and both girls enjoyed their time immensely.

“We better get some stretching in, or we’ll be very sore,” Buffy told Dawn.

“A hot bath will help, too,” John suggested. “My bathroom has a jacuzzi tub that you both are welcome to use.”

“Thanks!” Buffy said, hugging him. “I will definitely take you up on that.”

They went inside and changed out of their jeans, and Buffy had Dawn doing some stretches.  Of course, that was not enough for Buffy, and she naturally began doing some of her Tai Chi that Angel taught her. Dawn had no interest in doing it right then as she was exhausted and sat down next to John on the sofa.

John was riveted by his granddaughter, who was in the living room moving in ways he had never seen anyone move before. “What is she doing?” he asked.

“Tai Chi,” Dawn answered. “Her ex, Angel, taught it to her. It relaxes her. She’s taught me some, but I’m too tired.”

“She’s stunning,” John commented.

“I told you,” Dawn said.

They were so busy watching Buffy that they didn’t see Jaime or Beth arrive. Buffy wasn’t facing her grandfather, so she wasn’t aware of how big the audience was even though she knew they were there.

Beth was so startled by Buffy’s actions that she had no snide remark while Jamie watched in fascination.

It took the arrival of Kayce with Tate to break up the spell.

“What is she doing? I want to do it!” Tate announced, running toward her.

Buffy turned at the younger sounding voice and realized her entire family had arrived. “Oh, sorry, guys. I got caught up,” she said.

“That was beautiful, honey,” John said.

“Hi, I’m Tate,” Tate said.

“Hi, Tate. I’m Buffy, your cousin,” Buffy said, smiling down at the adorable little boy.

“Can you teach me to do what you were doing?” he asked.

“It’s called Tai Chi,” Buffy said. “I can show you some movements.”  She proceeded to show him, and his dad joined them, wanting to learn, so he could teach Tate later.

Beth sat down next to her dad on the sofa, saying hello to Dawn. “How’s the day been?” she asked.

“Great,” he said. “The girls rode horses. They’re naturals. Buffy tamed Lee’s horse.”

“Seriously?” Beth asked, surprised.

John nodded. “The horse was following her like a puppy. It was love at first sight for both of them,” he said. He glanced over at Dawn. “Dawn did very well, too.”

“It was fun,” Dawn enthused. “The Yellowstone is beautiful.”

“I’m glad you had a good time,” Beth said, surprised that she meant it. She rarely went out of her way to be nice to others, and she had no real experience with teenagers. However, both her niece and her niece’s sister were likeable. They weren’t stupid, and Beth had no patience with idiots.

“Girls, dinner will be ready in ten minutes,” John told them after seeing Gator’s signal from the dining room doorway.

“Great,” Dawn said.

“So you have time to change,” John told her.

Dawn looked down at the comfortable clothes she had. “Why would I change? I just did,” she said.

“Dad likes everyone to dress up for dinner. A bit more formal,” Beth explained.

“Oh,” Dawn said. “Sure.”

Buffy seemed to not be listening, but she proved otherwise by ending her movements and turning to face them. “I’ll see you in a bit, Tate.”

She went to change while Tate followed his father into the dining room. His siblings and father joined them at the table.

“So how did everything go today?” Kayce asked. “Buffy seems pretty damn impressive.”

“She’s awesome!” Tate enthused.

“Well, Dawn told me she was something of a savant with anything physical—like Beethoven with music,” John shared.

“Really?” Beth asked, intrigued. “What do you think she meant?”

“She told me that when Buffy insisted that she ride Lee’s horse,” John revealed.

All three of his children looked at him with various degrees of surprise and dismay.

“Dad, the liability if he maims her,” Jaime said.

“She could get killed!” Beth yelled.

“That is not a good idea,” Kayce added in agreement.

“Well, it’s done,” John said. “The horse acted like a puppy in love, following her around the pen. Then she got on the beast without assistance and rode him like she was born to be a horsewoman. Then got off him the same way. After lunch, we rode around the property, and she didn’t have a bit of problems with him. It was the most amazing thing Rip and I have ever seen. Lloyd, too.”

“Damn,” Kayce muttered.

“I don’t like it,” Beth said. “She could get really hurt if he gets startled. She has no idea what to do.”

“Rip had the sat phone in case something happened,” John assured her.

“So what exactly did Dawn say?” Jaime asked.

“I was expressing my concern about her getting on the horse, and she told me that she was a savant with anything physical. Like how Beethoven could just play the piano, Buffy could do that with anything physical. If she’s shown any fighting form one time, she can master it. Instinctively knows how to use any weapon. Then told me not to be surprised when she made the horse her bitch,” he shared, smiling at the memory.

Beth chuckled. “And she made the horse her bitch,” she remarked.

“Bitch is a bad word,” Tate told them. “You’re not supposed to say that word.”

“That’s exactly right, Tate,” Kayce said. “You and I clearly have to set the good examples in this family.”

Tate grinned.

“Sorry, Tate,” John said. “Dawn apologized for using the bad word immediately after she did so. However, I must point out, though, that she was right about Buffy. The horse gave her zero problems.”

“I can’t say that I have ever met anyone from her generation who knows Tai Chi,” Kayce said. “At least not female.”

“Her ex-boyfriend taught her,” John said.

“You have turned into such a gossip,” Beth teased, grinning.

 “Hey, I can’t help it if Dawn is chatty,” John shared.

“Tate, why don’t you tell Dad what you’ve been up to?” Kayce suggested, not wanting the girls to come in and hear them gossiping about them.

Tate started doing just that, and John was laughing at his tale when the girls joined them.

The two seats to his left were left open to him. Buffy took the first seat while Dawn took the next.

“What’s on the menu for tonight?” Buffy asked.

“Steak,” John said.

“Really? I rarely get to eat that,” Buffy said excitedly.

John and the other adults watched her tear into her steak with gusto.

Beth just shook her head, eating her salad. “Enjoy that high metabolism while it lasts,” she said.

“I will,” Buffy said, giving her a cheeky grin as she took another bite.

The men all laughed, amused by Buffy.

“I wouldn’t think someone as tiny as you would eat so much,” Jamie observed.

“I burn it off,” Buffy said.

“Yes, Dad said your sister told him that you were gifted with the physical,” Kayce remarked.

She glanced at Dawn, who shrugged.

“I guess so. I used to ice skate and take gymnastics when I was a kid,” she said. “I did cheerleading my freshmen year of high school, and then I got into martial arts and other things like that.”

“Like Tai Chi,” Kayce added.

Buffy grinned. “Yes,” she said. “Not very girly, but I like it. Keeps me in shape.”

“Tomorrow, we’ll show you how to rope cattle,” John said. “I bet you’ll find that fun.”

“What do you rope them into doing?” Dawn asked with wide eye innocence.

John started to explain when she grinned, and he realized that she was teasing him.  “You are the mischievous one, aren’t you?” John asked.

“That’s the nice way of putting it. I use the word brat,” Buffy said with a smirk.

The family laughed. Everyone had a good time, and John felt peace like he had never felt before.

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

John was happy that Kayce decided to join them, wanting to see Buffy ride Devils Own for himself. The horse had tossed Lee more than once before he had broken it.

First, though, Kayce showed the girls how to rope, practicing on a fence pole.

Just like her sister warned, Buffy was shown it one time, and she could do it as well as Kayce. A few hands as well as Lloyd and Rip witnessed her accomplishment and clapped.

“Beginner’s luck,” Kayce remarked.  Then she proceeded to do it five times in a row without once missing the pole.

“I can’t wait to see how she does on a moving target,” Lloyd said.

“Well, move and I’ll show you,” Buffy suggested.

The ranch hands thought that was a splendid idea and jumped into the pen. There were three of them and Lloyd. Of course, Buffy roped a moving Ryan, who grinned while the others whistled and clapped.

John was both impressed and annoyed with her roping of Ryan. “Okay, that’s enough. Let’s let Dawn have a turn,” he said.

Dawn watched Lloyd’s movement carefully and tried it. She missed. However, she got it on her third try, and everyone cheered.

“That’s great, Dawn,” John cheered. Although she didn’t have Buffy’s level of skill, she was still a natural. Neither girl had ever been around horses, which made their quick study all the more impressive.

It was another great day for all of them as Kayce was able to see firsthand just how well Buffy rode Lee’s diabolical horse. He went home and told his wife all about it.

On the third day, they were having lunch with just the three of them as Kayce wasn’t with them, and Dawn was telling him a story about Buffy’s attempt to teach her how to ice skate when she was younger. Then Jamie arrived, interrupting.

“Hey, Jamie,” Buffy said, greeting him with a warm smile.

Jamie never felt so welcomed in his own home as he did by his niece, and it meant a lot to him. For the first time in many years, he felt like his family was a real family again.

“I have news,” he said, pulling an envelope out and handing it to his father. “The DNA results are in.”

John opened the letter and read the results. No surprise that Buffy was related to him. However, he was stunned to see that Dawn was also, and he glanced at her. He had become exceedingly fond of her quick wit and natural enthusiasm. To know that she, too, was Lee’s daughter filled his eyes with tears, and he put his hand to eyes.

“What does it say?” Buffy asked.

Unable to speak, John handed it to her.

Buffy read it and grinned. “It’s just what I thought. Dawn is Lee’s daughter, too,” Buffy said, handing it to Dawn to read.

Dawn read it, feeling excited. Now she would be welcomed like one of them, too. Of course, they had been very nice to her, but she wanted to be a Dutton.

“Does that mean I can call you Grandpa, too?” Dawn asked.

John stood up and held out his arms. “I really hope that you do,” he said.

She got up and hugged him.

Dawn felt safe in his arms like she did with Buffy. He was old, yet she still felt safe.

It was weird but nice.

“Welcome to the family,” Jamie said.

Then he, too, hugged her.

Dawn wondered how long she should wait before asking if she could change her name to Dawn Dutton.

*****Chapter End*****

Chapter Text

******Mostly Where We Left Off******

John didn’t quite get how he was suddenly gifted with not one but two granddaughters. Dawn was a clever spitfire, who reminded him greatly of his late wife, so he was incredibly happy. He could tell that Dawn was also.

Dinner was a festive affair, and they told Tate that Dawn was also his cousin.

“Cool! Maybe I can come visit you in California,” Tate said.

Buffy looked alarmed, which puzzled Kayce. “My hometown is not the safest place, Los Angeles is the famous city not terribly far where all the stars live and the best shoes,” Buffy said with a bright smile. “We can totally go down Rodeo Drive!”

“If your town isn’t the safest place, maybe you and Dawn should consider moving here,” John suggested.

“I can help make the arrangements,” Jamie offered.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Dawn said. “I want to change my name, too, since Buffy is. Dawn Dutton will sound way cooler than Dawn Summers.”

“Summers was our mother’s name,” Buffy said pointedly.

“You can keep Summers,” Jamie said quickly. “It can be Summers-Dutton.”

“I just want Dutton,” Dawn said stubbornly. “Hank didn’t even come to Mom’s funeral. That was his name, and the only reason Mom didn’t change it after the divorce back to her maiden was because of us. She wouldn’t care. She’d be happy for us.”

“There’s no need to rush into anything,” Kayce said as he could see Buffy was conflicted. Their mother had died just a few months ago.

“That’s right,” Jamie said. “I’ll draw up the paperwork, and you can sign and file it in your state. They will send you a new social security card. Then you’ll take that to a tag agency to get a new driver’s license.”

“Buffy just got hers last week,” Dawn said with a grin.

“Seriously?” Beth asked. “Why did it take you so long?”

“I wreck one vehicle, and then no one would teach me!” Buffy said with a pout. Spike had at night after she rose from the dead, and the streets were empty.

All the adults said, “I’ll teach you.”  Then everyone laughed.

“I know now,” Buffy said, laughing. “I did drive all the way here, after all.”

“Giles tried to teach her,” Dawn said with a grin. “Then he decided the world was safer with Buffy as a pedestrian.”

Beth looked outraged. “Give me that bastard’s number! I will call that sexist pig and give him a piece of my mind! What a stupid mother fucker!” she exclaimed.

Dawn grinned while Buffy battled with her sense of offense on Giles' behalf and amusement. Her aunt was a piece of work. “Giles is far from a sexist,” Buffy said. “He has taught me several forms of fighting and all kinds of boring history. He’s the one who taught Dawn those ancient languages. He’s stood by my side when no one else was there for me. But he’s British. I mean, they drive on the wrong side of the street where he’s from and everything. Teaching me to drive was just not in his wheelhouse.”

Dawn giggled. “He said that she should go to driving school, but she got a friend to teach her at night when there was less cars on the road for her to  hit,” Dawn added.

Buffy shrugged. “Sunnydale isn’t like Montana. It’s small. I just walked everywhere or one of my friends would take me places,” she said.

“Daddy lets me drive his truck sometimes, but we don’t tell Momma,” Tate added.

“I let him sit in my lap and steer,” Kayce explained.

Cook came in and brought two pies. “One cherry pie and chocolate cream,” he said, setting them down on the table and grabbing some dishes out of the way.

“Thanks, Gator,” John said.

“Yum!” Dawn said, grinning.

“I’m really going to miss Gator,” Buffy said with a forlorn look.

Her family laughed.

“He’s not been so appreciated in a long time,” John remarked as Gator came back with some places and serving spatula.

“It’s been a real pleasure having you girls here,” Gator said, smiling at them as he put pieces of pie on plates.

“I want cherry!” Tate said.

“Me, too,” Dawn said.

“I want both,” Buffy said with a grin.

Beth shook her head. “None for me,” she said.

Buffy took a big bite. “You don’t know what you’re missing!” she announced.

“Cellulite,” Beth remarked.

“Make time to exercise, and you don’t have to starve yourself,” Buffy said, smirking.

“Who has time?” Beth said. “I am too busy making millions.”

Buffy choked on her pie. “Millions? Seriously?” she asked.

Beth grinned and nodded. “I am very good at my job,” she said.

“Grandpa, can you answer a question for me?” Dawn asked John.

“Sure, honey,” he said, happy to hear her call him grandpa.

“How did our dad die?” he asked.

They looked at Tate. “I’ll tell you later,” he said.

“He was shot,” Tate said.

“How do you know that?” Kayce said.

“I asked Momma,” Tate said.

“She said he was shot the same day her brother was shot. It was a bad day for brothers. Then she cried,” Tate said.

“You lost two uncles the same day?” Dawn asked. “I’m so sorry, Tate.”

“It’s okay. My cousins, though, are really sad. Their daddy is dead. I’m glad my daddy’s not dead,” he remarked. Then he ate his pie.

Dawn looked a bit stricken and glanced at Buffy, who reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s okay,” she murmured.

Kayce took Tate home as soon as he finished his pie.

“Are you girls leaving tomorrow?” he asked.

“Yes, Dawn has to get back to school, and the drive is really long,” Buffy said.

“Why don’t you fly home?” John suggested. “I’ll get one of the boys to drive the car to your house.”

“I would love that,” Dawn said eagerly.

“Although that sounds nice, Dawn and I have a lot to discuss, and the drive gives us that time,” Buffy said.  She also wasn’t ready for his ranch hands to see the hellmouth night life.

Kayce and Tate hugged her goodbye. “I’m sorry that you didn’t get to meet Monica,” Kayce said.

“Next time,” Buffy said.

“Definitely,” Kayce said, smiling.

After they left, Buffy looked at her grandfather. “His brother-in-law died the same day as our dad? What happened?” she asked.

John sighed. “Sit down. It’s an ugly story,” he said.

They all sat down in the living room.

“You know that I’m head of the livestock in this state. It’s like the police for cattlemen and ranchers,” John said. “Lee worked as one of my deputies. We’ve had issues with the Indians cutting our fences and stealing our cattle.”

“How can they do that?” Buffy asked. “Aren’t they branded?”

“Yes,” he said. “Tribal law is tricky. They don’t have to give it back if it’s on their land. They claim the fences were down for disrepair, and the cows wandered over.”

“That’s crazy,” Dawn commented.

“Well, Kayce’s brother-in-law was a big part of the problem, and Kayce—because of Monica—felt obligated to help them,” John said.

“You’re kidding?” Buffy asked, surprised. “He helped steal your cattle?”

“I don’t know exactly what part he played,” John said. “He was there. He said that he didn’t realize the cattle he helped gather up was ours at first.”

“So did Lee and Monica’s brother kill each other?” Buffy asked.

“No,” John said, looking at Beth.

“That’s the official report, however,” Jamie said. “Better for everyone if that’s all we say on the matter.”

“Yes,” John agreed.

“You should tell her. She deserves to know how her dad died. They both do,” Beth said grimly.

“Kayce saw Lee die, but he won’t tell me exactly what happened,” John said. “All we know for sure is that the medical report shows that Lee was shot in the back, which paralyzed him, so he couldn’t have shot Robert.”

“Monica’s brother shot him in the back?” Buffy asked, horrified.

“Yes,” Beth said, looking grim.

“I do know, though, that Kayce killed him,” John said. “He admitted that much to me, but the way the guy was shot told us that, too. Only Kayce as a former Navy Seal could’ve shot him the way he was shot.”

“Does Monica know he killed her brother?” Dawn asked.

“I would assume so,” John said. “Kayce is too honest to keep something like that from his wife.”

“She must love him a lot,” Dawn said.

John nodded. “Which is why we put up with her not liking us so much,” he said. “If a woman will stand by a man who kills her brother, she’s worth loving.”

“And Tate is a sweetheart,” Buffy said.

“He is,” John said, smiling.

“She makes Kayce happy, and not much does,” Beth said.

“Good for them,” Dawn said.

“That’s what I picture marriage to be like,” Buffy said.

 “They stay together through the good times and bad,” Dawn added.

“Through the blood and the violence,” Buffy said with a grin.

Beth laughed. “In this family, I guess that’s what it has to be sometimes,” she said.

John put his arm around the girls, who were sitting on each side of him on the sofa. “I hope that doesn’t put you off,” he said.

Buffy looked around at her new family and considered what to say. They weren’t like her parents in California all those years ago. This was a family that carried guns daily and was ready for violence at any moment, so she made a decision.

“It doesn’t put us off,” Buffy told him, lowering the mask she wore. “My life is much more violent and would more likely put you off.”

Beth snickered. “Honey, there’s nothing in your life that could possibly be rougher than the life my family lives fighting to hold onto this land,” she told her.

“We won’t be put off, sweetheart,” John assured her. “You can tell us anything.”

“I once was attacked and left to drown in a pool of water,” Buffy shared. “My best guy friend Xander gave me CPR. I actually died for a minute. I was just sixteen. That was my sophomore year of high school. My junior year, five students were massacred at my school. My best friend Willow found the bodies. I went on a double date with Cordelia, a girl we know, with some college guys, who worshipped some demon cult. They tried to sacrifice us in some twisted ceremony to be made rich by the demon power—that’s what they believed. Fortunately, Xander and my boyfriend at the time, Angel, managed to rescue me. That same year, that same boyfriend, killed our teacher, Giles’ girlfriend, and he tried to kill me after his friends attacked and put Willow in the hospital and killed another friend. I drove the sword he taught me to use through his stomach. My senior year of high school, the mayor, who was really evil, killed a lot of classmates on our graduation. It was a literal fight to the death ceremony, resulting in the school being destroyed. They covered it up as a gas explosion. Last year, a deranged woman kidnapped Dawn and tried to use her in some cult ceremony that believed human sacrifice was necessary. They had her on a high tower, and she has scars where they still managed to cut her. I fell from the tower saving her life.” She paused and looked at all of them, who seemed frozen as they listened to her grim tale.

She continued, “That was the second time I died. So, I think Dawn and I can handle whatever drama your family has because no one hurts my family and lives.”

Dawn was surprised that Buffy shared a sanitized version of their life, but she was also relieved that she did so. She didn’t want to pretend to be all sunshine and roses all the time.

The Duttons were speechless a full minute as they tried to process the horror show Buffy unloaded.

“Why do you stay?” Beth asked in her blunt manner.

“To protect my friends,” she said simply. “Willow and Xander need me. They’ve saved my life a few times, and I’ve saved theirs. Once that kind of thing happens, it’s hard to leave them.”

“I can understand that,” John said.

“Well, I can’t,” Beth said. “If they’re adults now, they can leave, too.”

“I hate to agree with Beth about anything, but I have to,” Jamie added.

“Dawn is still a minor, Buffy,” John said. “Do you think it is good for her to be in such a dangerous place?”

“Probably not,” Buffy said.

“You could leave,” Dawn said. “I bet the Council could get Faith out to take care of Sunnydale. Angel says she’s much better now.”

“Let’s talk about it later,” Buffy said, giving her a look. She wasn’t ready to tell her new family impossible things that she could never prove—at least not here.

Beth was relieved to know more about her niece and the comments Dawn had made on the first day about Buffy dying and getting better. She must’ve been really hurt and recovered if she fell from a high distance. The poor girl was one tough bitch, and Beth was actually quite proud of her.

“Okay, we won’t pressure you,” John said. “But Jamie and I will come in for Thanksgiving. I want to see where you live and meet your friends.”

“That will be great!” Dawn replied, smiling.

Buffy couldn’t think of anything worse but nodded.

What else could she say?

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

John didn’t like saying goodbye to his granddaughters, especially in light of all that Buffy had revealed about the town, and Beth had stayed up googling the town.  She was more than disturbed by what she discovered.

Gator packed up a cooler of food for the girls—much to their delight.

Buffy hugged him. “Gator, I am so going to miss you!” she told him.

John laughed while his cook blushed.

The girls said goodbye to their horses and hugged their uncles. Even Kayce had driven in to say goodbye.

“We love you, and please call us as soon as you get home,” John said, hugging each one.

“We will,” Buffy promised.

“Here’s the paperwork for you and Dawn to file,” Jamie said, handing her the folder. “I marked each line for you both to sign. There’s also a black American Express card in your name that’s connected to your accounts here. You can use it anywhere and buy anything you or Dawn need. I’ll pay the bills out of Lee’s estate. The paper you signed allows me to do that. If you will open an account in your town, call me with the account number, so I can transfer funds directly into it for you.”

“Great,” Buffy said, smiling. “It’s been really nice meeting you, Uncle Jamie.”

Jamie found himself feeling actually sad to see the girls leave. Not only was Beth right down pleasant around them, but he genuinely liked both of them, too. He hugged her again.

“Be careful driving,” he cautioned.

They finally got into the SUV and drove off, waving at the Duttons.

“How can I feel so sad when we just met them?” Dawn asked, wiping her eyes.

“Because they are really great,” Buffy said, feeling sad for the departure. She, too, was going to miss them.

The Duttons were watching the car until it drove out of sight.

“I guess I’ll go to work,” Jamie said.

“I did research on that town they live in,” Beth said. “It is really a dangerous place. People missing all the time. Buffy’s high school had an obituary in the school newspaper. I saw a copy online. Because her high school was blown up the year she graduated, her yearbook is digital, but it can be accessed online. She was awarded the Class Protector award.”

“Really?” John asked. “She must be a real fighter.”

“Dawn said she was a savant with anything physical,” John reminded them.

“I gotta go to the office,” Beth said. “Tell Kayce what Buffy said about the horrors of her life. That girl’s seen combat like you, Kayce. If it wasn’t for the look in her eyes, I’d have thought she was exaggerating.”

“What look?” Kayce asked.

“Same look you carry,” Beth said. She kissed her dad on the cheek and walked to her car.

John looked at his youngest son. “Come on and get some coffee. I’ll tell you what she said,” he told her.

Once he shared everything with Kayce, his son seemed really disturbed.

“I wouldn’t have guessed any of that,” Kayce said. “She is really good at compartmentalizing. Much better than I am.”

“Kids are good at adapting—better than adults,” John replied. “If she was exposed to violence at fifteen or sixteen, she learned to make it almost a part of culture. It’s like she knows no other way to live.”

“Dawn shouldn’t have to grow up that way,” Kayce said. “You can save her.”

“I have the feeling that Dawn wants to stay here, but I don’t know that she wants to be away from her sister,” John said.

“Keep in touch with both of them,” Kayce advised.

“Jamie and I are going to go there for Thanksgiving,” John told him.

“If that town is that violent, I should go with you,” he said.

“I would love that,” John said, pleased that he offered. “We will fly, though. I am not driving.”

Kayce laughed. “I didn’t think you would,” he said.

*****Sunnydale*****

Buffy and Dawn had fun using Buffy’s newfound wealth to stay at very nice hotels on the drive back. They never came to an agreement, though, about what to do. Buffy did agree that Dawn could move to Montana. In fact, she liked the idea of Dawn being safe. Her new money would allow her to fly to Montana and see Dawn frequently as well as allow Dawn to visit whenever she wanted. Dawn, though, didn’t want to move without Buffy. She wanted Buffy to walk away from the hellmouth.

They decided only Giles could decide this.

When they made it home, Willow and Tara greeted them warmly.

“I told everyone to come over for dinner,” Willow said.

“That’s good,” Buffy said. “We have a lot to discuss.”

“Dawn emailed me about your family, and I read it to them,” Willow said. “They sound awesome.”

“They’re great! We rode horses! The Yellowstone is beautiful!” Dawn gushed. “We’re millionaires now!”

“Seriously?” Tara asked.

Buffy nodded. “Our dad left us his shares in the ranch, which equals twenty million, but that’s not cash we have to blow,” she explained. “His house on the ranch, his truck, and all the money his accounts. That cash, Jamie will transfer into my own account when I open one here.”

“How much is in that?” Willow asked.

“Around two million,” Buffy said.

“That’s amazing,” Tara said smiling.

“Does that mean, you can buy all the groceries now?” Willow asked with a grin.

Buffy nodded. “And I can pay Giles back for the money he lent me last week to fix the pipes,” she said. “Not to mention, I won’t have to get a job!”

“You can go back to school next semester,” Willow said excitedly.

“Let’s go unpack,” Dawn said. “Then order some Chinese food. Enough for leftovers since Uncle Jamie gave Buffy a black American Express card.”

“The kind with no limit?” Willow asked, grinning.

“Yep,” Dawn said with a smirk. “We are going shopping next weekend!”

“We already went shopping with Grandpa,” Buffy said. “Let’s put up our new stuff. It’s probably all wrinkled.”

An hour later, they were greeting Giles, Xander, and Anya, while Buffy was spreading out all the Chinese containers onto the table that Willow had picked up.

After greetings were exchanged and plates filled, Dawn shared about her trip and the horses. They ate and listened to the girls share about the fun time they had visiting their family.

Giles and Xander were both glad to see Buffy smiling again. Since she’d been raised from the dead, she had seemed really detached from everything. Giles had been very worried. Now, though, a real smile was on her face, and he was really pleased to see it.

“You are happy,” Xander observed, looking at Buffy. “That smile on your face is good to see.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Giles admitted.

“Xander thought we killed all your smiles with the resurrection,” Anya observed.

“It’s been challenging at times, but I’m glad to be back here with all of you,” Buffy said. “However, meeting the Duttons was wonderful. I can’t wait until you meet them.”

“I want Buffy and I to move to Montana,” Dawn blurted out. “Buffy won’t, though. She just wants me to leave. I told her that maybe Giles could see about getting Faith out of jail.”

“I told Dawn that I didn’t want to leave because wherever I go the supernatural will be drawn to me,” Buffy said. “Montana doesn’t have the population of L.A. or a hellmouth to conceal me. Everyone is safer with me not there. Tell her, Giles.”

“Your sister has a point,” Giles said, looking at Dawn. “However, because the place is so wide open and sparsely populated, it isn’t as easy for demons to blend in. Nor does it offer as much temptation for vampires.”

“When Buffy told our family a bit about her life without the supernatural parts, Aunt Beth asked why we stayed, and Buffy said she stayed to protect her friends,” Dawn said.

“It wasn’t like I could tell them the complete truth,” Buffy explained.

“That’s a good way of saying it,” Willow said.

“Aunt Beth asked why you all stayed. She thinks you guys are crazy to stay in this town that’s so dangerous and has taken so much from all of us,” Dawn said.

“It’s our home,” Xander said. “They just lost their son and brother over a fight over cows, and they would never consider giving up their cows or land because it’s their home.”

“That’s a good point,” Buffy said. “Not to mention, our commitment to protect people from the monsters in this town.”

“You have been here, Buffy, six years,” Giles said. “It could easily be argued that once you died and were buried, your obligations are over.”

“Really?” Buffy asked, surprised.

“See, I told you that you could leave,” Dawn said smugly.

“I could never leave the hellmouth unguarded,” Buffy said flatly. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I will contact the Watcher’s Council and see if they can get Faith released,” Giles said.

“They better not send in a hit team to try and kill her, so another slayer is called,” Buffy said. “I will go up there and express my displeasure quite violently—make sure you let them know that.”

“I most definitely will,” he said. It would be just like them to do that.

“Grandpa is friends with the governor of Montana,” Dawn shared. “Maybe she knows the governor of California and could get Faith a pardon.”

“That would involve telling your family the full truth about your life and who you are,” Giles pointed out. “Are you prepared to do that?”

Buffy wasn’t sure. What if they rejected her and by extension Dawn? Or what if they only rejected Dawn and her grandfather used his considerable power and influence to keep Dawn from her?

Suddenly, things seemed a lot more complicated.

“There’s a lot to consider,” she said.

“Oh, did we forget to tell you guys that we’re rich?” Dawn asked with a grin. “Our dad was loaded!”

Anya’s eyes lit up. “It’s time I taught you how to play the stock market!” she said gleefully.

Xander and Giles groaned.

*****Chapter End******

Chapter Text

*****Six Weeks Later*****

Coming back from the dead had been rough for Buffy.  She felt disconnected from everything. Her friends had meant well, but she could hardly look at them some days. In fact, Spike was the only one besides Giles that she could stomach. They pulled her out of heaven, but none of them knew it except for Spike.

Why did she tell him? Making the soulless vampire who was crushing on her a confidante was not a smart move on her part. If she and Dawn had not made their trip to Montana and met their family, there was no telling what foolish mistake she might have made next just to feel something.

Now, though, she felt an excitement that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Their new family contacted them frequently. Their grandfather called nearly every night around seven, which was eight for him. Sometimes, Jamie or Beth was with him and got on the phone for a few minutes. Jamie sent them both cell phones after their second week back home when they missed a call because they were out.  Their grandfather didn’t understand why they had no answering machine or voice mail. He did not like them being out of reach, so he had Jamie send them phones—much to their delight.  It hadn’t occurred to Buffy to get them.

Now that each had cell phones, her aunt and uncles frequently sent them text messages. Beth sent her pictures of clothes, shoes, or articles about the companies she was buying, selling, or targeting for destruction (her words). She was slightly evil Buffy suspected, but she couldn’t help but love her. Beth was fearless and strong without superpowers; the way Buffy hoped Dawn would grow up to be.

It was two weeks, though, before they heard from Kayce. And then it was more because of Tate. It was a video call, and he wanted to see California. They had to show them the front yard and back. He thought it was weird to see no mountains. Kayce told him that parts of California did have mountains but not where they lived. Willow was home, and she got to see him.

“Are you going to come in next month for Christmas?” Tate asked.

“We are,” Buffy told him.

“Daddy says that he and grandpa are coming to see you for Thanksgiving, but I can’t come. I wanna come,” Tate said, a whine in his voice.

“I think your mom would be very sad if you both left her, don’t you think?” Buffy pointed out.

“That’s exactly what Dad said!” Tate said with an exaggerated sigh. “She got hurt at school. Her head. Dad says I have to keep an eye and make sure she doesn’t overdo things.”

“That’s a good idea. Don’t worry, though. Christmas will be here very soon,” Buffy said. Monica had gotten in between two fighting boys and was knocked unconscious a few weeks earlier.

“Let me take you up to my room, and show you my stuff,” Dawn said, taking Tate away.

“He is a cutie,” Willow told Buffy.

“I know,” Buffy said, smiling. “I worry about the family, though, coming here. These are people like your parents. Not necessarily open to the supernatural as they live and work hard in the real world.  They are cowboys—genuine ones, Will. Grandpa is in law enforcement. If something supernatural happens, we can’t lie to them. They won’t believe anything but the truth. Then he will pull Dawn out of here so fast and maybe me at the same time.”

“Dawn wants to go, Buffy, but she doesn’t want to leave you,” Willow reminded her.

“I know, but until we figure out how to get Faith out of prison, I can’t leave,” Buffy said.

“Don’t you think you should go see Faith?” Willow suggested. “See where her head is at.”

That was a good idea, and Buffy called Angel to find out if she could. Angel told her about filling out the visitor application. It was two weeks, the week before Thanksgiving, before she got his call saying she was approved for a visit.  He told her to go on a Saturday.

Faith had been surprised to hear from Angel that Buffy wanted to visit her, and she was nervous. However, she knew this confrontation was long overdue.  Since she came during the weekend family visits, Faith was able to see her face-to-face.

“You cut your hair,” Faith said when she saw her.

Buffy forgot that she had done so.  It was now barely brushing  her shoulders. “I am changed on the inside and felt like a change on the outside was warranted,” she said.

“That makes sense. Dying and coming back to life gotta be like a trip from hell,” Faith said. Then she caught an expression on Buffy’s face, and a thought occurred to her. “You were in hell, right?”

Buffy considered how to answer. She was sick of lying, and Faith was the only one alive who sometimes got what her life was like. She shook her head. “No, I wasn’t,” she admitted. “I’m not very religious, but the place I was at was one of peace. Then my friends dragged me back to this world—this is my hell.”

Faith looked horrified.  “Damn, B, that’s-I mean—wow, I just don’t know what to say,” she said. “Angel never told me.”

“He doesn’t know. I never told any of them,” Buffy admitted. “It would hurt them, and they needed me. The hellmouth is too much for them.”

“F*** them being hurt. They should be hurt for what they did. Another slayer wasn’t called when you died?” Faith asked.

“Giles says the slayer line runs through you,” Buffy told her.

Faith winced, looking guilty. “Damn. I really screwed up everything, didn’t I? I can’t tell you how sorry I am, B. You and your mom were nothing but nice to me. Angel told me that she passed. I’m so sorry about that, too. She was one classy lady. I was so jealous of you. You had the cool mom. The friends. The watcher who loves you like a father. Mine was murdered. Then the new one tried to kill me. Then I got Wes, who was so not like Giles even with the same accent. Not that it’s an excuse, but once I accidentally killed the guy, I just felt like, man, I really was just worthless,” she explained.

“We should’ve done more to support you,” Buffy said. “I didn’t realize you were younger than me, and Wesley let you stay alone in a hotel. That shouldn’t have happened. No one was helping you in practical matters. Now that Mom is gone, and I have had to deal with practical matters myself, I realize how important those things are. They make everything so much more stressful when are life is stressful enough, especially ours.”

Faith was surprised and relieved to hear that instead of her condemnation. “I don’t deserve that, but I appreciate it,” Faith said.

Buffy told her about learning about her father, his death, and their trip to Montana. Then she mentioned about Dawn’s wish that they move to Montana.

“You want to leave Sunny D?” Faith asked in surprise.

“Well, Giles says that since I died and was buried that I could argue my duty is done,” Buffy said.

“They ripped you out of f***ing heaven, Buffy. You deserve to do whatever the hell you want!” Faith exclaimed.

“If we managed to get you out of here, do you think you would be up to being a slayer again? Doing your duty?” Buffy asked.

Faith’s mouth fell open in surprise. “Really? You’d trust me to do that?” he asked.

Buffy nodded. “If you feel you are ready,” Buffy said. “That you have control over yourself.”

“Well, I’ve had a lot of time to think here. I know how badly I screwed up,” she said. “Nothing to do but read, workout, and think about all the different ways I’ve should’ve done everything in Sunnydale.”

They spoke another hour, catching up. Buffy filled her in on what all was going on with Xander and Willow.

“I can’t believe Xander is getting married,” Faith said.

“Well, they’re engaged at least. I don’t know if they’ll make it to marriage or not. I hope so. I want someone’s love life to work out,” Buffy said.

“Been dry for you, huh?” Faith asked with a smirk.

“Riley took off and joined the army guys again right before Mom died,” Buffy said. “He didn’t think I loved him enough.”

“Did you?” Faith asked.

Buffy shrugged. “I thought I did. He was a great boyfriend. The best really, but he didn’t like that I was so much stronger than him. That I didn’t need him like he thought I should,” Buffy shared.  It was good to talk about this. She hadn’t made time to talk about anything in a long time. Just going from one crisis to another.

“Well, f*** him,” Faith said.

“Your mouth has gotten a lot dirtier since being here, and I didn’t think that was possible,” Buffy said with a snicker.

“It’s prison, B. Not anyone here to care about things like language,” Faith said. “Speaking of people who would care, would Giles be my watcher?”

“He would,” Buffy said. “He knows you. Unless you want them to send someone new.”

On one hand, Faith didn’t know how she would like knowing that she would always be compared to his original slayer on some level. Then again, Giles was someone she knew and trusted. He would never surprise her the way Wes did.

“I’d rather be with someone I already know and trust,” she said.

“That’s what I figured,” Buffy said.

They spoke a bit more, and then Buffy was ready to leave, feeling really good about the visit. Both felt better about the other, glad to have put the past to rest.

“I’m sorry, B,” Faith said, one last time.

“Well, I guess I should say that I’m sorry for putting you in a coma that one time!” Buffy said with a smirk.

“And I’m sorry for stealing your body and sleeping with your boyfriend even if he ended up running out on you,” Faith said, smirking back.

Buffy just laughed. “You would really love my Aunt Beth—she’s kind of a bitch,” Buffy said. “At least to everyone not related to her. And even that doesn’t protect Uncle Jamie. They don’t get along.”

“I’m glad you found some good family,” Faith said. “Does it make me more jealous of you? A bit.”

“Well, I’m leaving Xander and Anya to you,” she reminded her as she got up to leave.

“I’m not sure it’s an even trade, but I’ll take what I can get,” Faith said, laughing. It was good to share a laugh with a friend, and she finally felt that Buffy was her friend.

As Buffy drove home back home, pleased with the visit, her grandfather called.

“Hey, Grandpa,” Buffy said.

“What are you up to this weekend?” he asked.

“I just visited an old friend in prison,” Buffy said. “She was underage and got a raw deal. You wouldn’t happen to know the governor, do you?”

“No, I can’t really say that I do, but I might know people who do,” he said.

Buffy filed the info away and chatted with him about his upcoming visit. They were flying in on Wednesday.

“Jamie will arrange for a car,” John said.

“Giles said that he will drive me and Dawn to pick us up,” Buffy said.

“You know Jamie investigated him, and I find your relationship with him very odd,” John remarked.

Buffy refrained from throwing the phone while driving. Her grandpa was very overprotective and was going to do what he was going to do.

“You really don’t need to be investigating my friends,” Buffy said through clenched teeth. “I have known him for five years. We’ve been through a lot together. If you wanted to know something, you just had to ask me.”

“I don’t like surprises,” John said.

“Well, if you come to this town, you will be surprised. The town is not normal, Gramps. Maybe you should stay on your safe ranch,” she said pointedly.

John laughed, unoffended. He knew she would be upset, but he was the father of Beth. Angry women didn’t bother him a bit. It was Beth’s default status.

“Things are never safe on the ranch, honey. Just the other day, a bear killed two tourists who foolishly crossed onto our land and were wandering around unsupervised,” he shared. “Rip had to kill the bear when he came across the bodies as it charged him, and that’s a felony.”

“Seriously?” Buffy asked. “Isn’t it self-defense?”

“If it can be proved, but there weren’t any witnesses,” John said. ”It’s why I stay such good friends with the governor. Jamie believes we need more power and wants to run for Attorney General. At first, I thought it was a good idea, but I don’t like not having him around all the time. I need him too much.”

“Maybe I should go to law school,” Buffy said. “My test scores were high enough.  Beats law enforcement.”

“That would be wonderful, sweetheart,” John said. “We could use another lawyer in our family. In Montana, lawyers don’t specialize as much as they do in California due to the low population.”

Buffy had never really felt driven in school because she was consumed with being a slayer, but the idea that she could use her brain to help her family really excited her. “I bet Willow can help me study. She’s a genius at everything,” Buffy said.

“You will need to go back to school in January and work on your first degree,” John reminded her.  “The University of Montana in Missoula has one.”

“How far is that place from the ranch?” Buffy asked.

“It’s not close. Over three hours,” John said.

They chatted a bit longer before Buffy disconnected, her mind full with the idea of law school.

When she got back to Sunnydale, she wasted no time telling Willow her idea. Not surprisingly, her friend was excited for her. She only finished one full year of college, so they worked out a plan. There were a few accelerated four-week courses offered between the two semesters. She could take one of them.  Then a full course load in the spring and summer school. That would put her back on track with Willow as a junior next fall.

Buffy felt excited and more alive than she had felt since being brought back from the dead. She could have a life that was more than about death and slaying.

******Wednesday*****

Buffy lost the argument with her grandfather about picking them up at the airport because it would be too crowded with their bags and Dawn insisting on coming, too. They should arrive in town around lunchtime.

Since Dawn was out of school, she helped get the place ready. Willow and Tara were going to stay at Willow’s parents’ house as they were in New York for a conference. That would free up their room. Buffy and Dawn would share her room, so Dawn’s bed was also free.  The turkey had been thawing the past five days as it was twenty pounds—plenty for the large group who would be eating with them.

This was their first Thanksgiving without Mom, and it was nice to have their new family there. Not that it made missing Joyce any less.

“I wish Mom could meet Grandpa,” Dawn said as she got things ready for the fruit display that they were preparing for lunch.

“I know. Me, too,” Buffy said.

Since Buffy was cooking tomorrow, Giles suggested that they go out for dinner. She and Dawn would spend the day until then with her family without her friends. They could rest up from their travels.

“What are we going to do if something hell like interrupts?” Dawn asked.

Buffy shrugged. “I guess tell them about my calling. I want to. I might anyway—after Thursday. They aren’t leaving until Saturday,” she said.

“I can’t believe that Aunt Beth is coming along with both our new uncles,” Dawn remarked.

 “We might not want to introduce her to Anya because there's no telling what plotting the two of them will get into,” Buffy said, grinning.

Dawn laughed. “They could take over the world if they wanted to, I bet,” she said.

“For sure,” Buffy agreed.

Their doorbell rang not long after, and their family was there. Hugs and greetings were exchanged. Buffy took Beth to Dawn’s room.

“I have a queen bed in the master room Grandpa can share with one of you and the couch is free as well as a cot in the basement,” Buffy told them.

As John was always trying to pull Kayce close, he offered to share with him.

“If the couch is too uncomfortable, Willow said you can stay in the guest room at her parents' house not far from here,” Buffy told Jamie.

“It’s fine. The beds at the bunk house aren’t that good, and I’ve spent time there,” Jamie said with a shrug.  He could handle anything for a few nights. Ever since his nieces had come into their lives, Jamie had felt more connected to his family than ever before. Sure, he and had his dad were butting heads over his desire to run for office, but it wasn’t as bad as he knew it would have been without the girls. It was like they both had a new goal that superseded all other goals—draw the girls closer.

Buffy was glad that dinner with Giles and her friends went well. Although her grandpa did drill Giles a bit about his involvement in their lives, Giles held up well enough.

“Much to my mother’s disappointment, I am a bachelor with no offspring. However, I love the children like they are my own,” he told John. “They are bright and eager to learn things that I have to teach them.”

“How can you possibly teach her how to fight?” Kayce asked. “You do not look like a fighter?”

Giles smiled and pushed up his glasses. “Yes, well, one does not have to be a black belt in all the forms to teach them—especially if a student is as gifted as your niece,” he said.

“Have you seen her fight?” Xander asked.

“No,” Kayce said.

“You should spar with her,” Dawn suggested. Although she didn’t like Buffy always being center of attention, she knew that seeing Buffy fight would make them one step closer to finding out her secret. That was what Dawn ultimately wanted.

“That’s not a good idea,” Buffy said, glaring at her sister.

“That could be fun,” Kayce said. “I promise not to hurt you.”

Buffy’s eyes narrowed at him. “It’ll be the other way around, old man,” she said.

“Old? I’m not even thirty!” he complained.

“It’s coming close,” Beth teased. She was surprised that she didn’t find Buffy’s friends annoying. Beth rarely liked anyone. The lesbian couple clearly made her dad uncomfortable, which greatly amused Beth. Buffy didn’t bother to warn him, and that made Beth love her niece even more when her dad realized that the two were lovers.  It wasn’t that her dad had a problem with homosexuals. It was just that Montana was very conservative and lacked the population and diversity of states like California. Therefore, he had not been exposed to alternative lifestyles the way Beth had going to university and living in Utah. He spent all his time around cowboys and ranchers.

The guy friend Xander was unusual. He was best friends with two women, but he had never slept with either. His girlfriend was vastly amusing and very possessive. She and Willow clearly did not like each other. Beth could sense that right away, but she liked Anya’s frankness.  Of course, Beth had been too shocked to be offended at her greeting of: “Your attractive but too old to tempt my Xander, so it is okay if you talk to him.”

Willow, of course, had scolded her for her rudeness. Buffy had sighed while Xander had just smiled in amusement. Beth had liked him for not being upset at his girlfriend’s comment. Clearly, his girlfriend had insecurities, and he was okay with them, used to her unusual way of speaking.

“Dawn tells me that you know a lot of ancient languages,” Jamie said to Giles.

“Yes, I used to work at a museum in London. It came in handy,” Giles said.

“What brought you to America?” John asked.

“I had an opportunity to change careers and took it,” Giles said.

“Why didn’t you continue working in education after the kids graduated?” John asked.

“The horror of graduation was a bit much. There was a lot of death,” Giles said, acting the part of a traumatized older man. Buffy tried not to smile. “I lost several students. The principal died also. I just didn’t have the stomach for it.”

“That’s awful,” Jamie said.

Dinner was full of stories like that. Dawn shared about the school getting rebuilt and on track to be reopened in the new school year. Currently, they were making do at an old private school that went out of business.

“I need to go home and make the pumpkin pie for dinner,” Buffy said.

“Oh, Tara and I were going to do those,” Willow said. “We also are going to do the mashed potatoes as last time it didn’t turn out so good.”

“Okay,” Buffy said.

“Jamie is great with the turkey,” John offered. “One summer Gator taught him.”

“Really? That’d be great!” Buffy said, looking at him like he was her new hero.

“I will be glad to help,” he said.

“Anya and I have the gravy and cranberry,” Xander said.

“I am bringing deviled eggs,” Giles said. “If Buffy makes them, they’ll be gone by dinner time.”

“True,” Buffy said, grinning.

As they left the restaurant, Anya asked, “Do you want to see my shop? Rupert made me a twenty percent partner since I know all about how to increase his online presence.”

“I set up the website,” Willow said.

“Yes, but I do all the orders,” Anya pointed out.

“You both are quite a team,” Xander said with a bright smile, his arm around both.

“We can walk there. It’s not terribly far,” Giles said.

“Is that a good idea?” Buffy asked.

“It’s two blocks,” Giles said. “We’ll be fine.”

“A nice walk is good,” John agreed. Dawn fell in step with Kayce and Jamie while Giles and John led the way. Giles was telling John about how he fell into business as they walked toward his shop.

“How does he manage to navigate the two of them?” Beth asked Buffy as they fell into step behind Xander and the two. Tara walked behind with Buffy and Beth.

“He has the patience of a saint,” Buffy said.

“Xander has a heart of gold,” Tara said, smiling. “Willow is an only child, and she doesn’t like to share. She had to share him with Buffy. Then Cordelia, her hated enemy. She was his first girlfriend. Anya has a bad track recorded with hurting men, so Willow worries that she will one day hurt Xander. I don’t think she will, though. She’s changed a lot since meeting him. She loves him a lot.”

Buffy looked surprised. “Is that why Willow is so hostile toward her sometime?” Buffy asked.

Tara nodded. “Yes,” she said.

“She really should talk to Anya,” Buffy said.

“I know,” Tara said. “I’ve told her.”

Dawn loved having the attention of both her uncles because she knew as soon as they saw Buffy fighting that they’d forget all about her. Jamie was genuinely interested in her, and Kayce was listening to her talk in that way he did when he listened to Tate, his son. They were nothing alike, but she adored having uncles.

“I hope once you see Buffy in action you will still remember that I exist,” she said as they got to the Magic Box.

Both men looked puzzled by her comments.

“Of course, we will,” Kayce said. “I’m the youngest in my family. I know what it’s like to feel left out. I’d never do that.”

“Of course not,” Jamie agreed.

The two men looked around the shop with interest, having nothing like it in Montana.

“So this town has practicing witches?” John asked.

“Tara and I are both practicing witches,” Willow said.

“I learned from my mother, but Willow is new to it,” Tara said. “She is very powerful, however.”

“Magic is real?” Beth asked in bemusement.

“Of course, it’s not,” John said dismissively.

Willow wanted to show off to prove that it was, but Buffy glared at her, shaking her head.

“Just because you haven’t experienced something, doesn’t mean you should be so quick to dismiss something,” Giles said. “I find that all myths are often based on some degree of fact. This town has a way of making a believer out of people.”

“The Native Americans believe in things that some would consider magic,” Kayce remarked. “Visions and such.”

“That’s true,” John admitted.

“Back here is the room Giles has for my workout and training,” Buffy showed them as she led them to the back.

Giles turned on the lights, so they could see everything.

Kayce saw the equipment. “You’re a gymnast?” he asked.

Buffy grinned. “Until I moved to Sunnydale I was,” she said. She jumped on the two handled horse that normally male gymnast used and did a handstand before throwing herself off.   Then she did some backwards flips, landing in the splits. Her grandfather grinned, clapping.

“I could totally do that if I wanted to learn,” Dawn said with a sniff.

“For sure,” Willow said with a bright smile.

“She’s insane,” Anya said. “And probably damaging her sexual organs in some way. I bet her ability to orgasm is remarkably less with all that activity.”

“Anya, we talked about this,” Xander said. “No bedroom talk in front of the adults.”

“He’s very well-persevered, Xander. I bet he is quite an expert at giving orgasms to the female population,” Anya said, looking at John with a frank gaze that both amused and disturbed Beth.

Jamie and Kayce, however, were deeply shocked by her comments while John laughed, not sure how to take the young woman, but he was amused instead of offended.

“Anya, that is enough,” Giles said, giving her a disapproving look. “It is not appropriate when in polite company, and you well know that.”

“Humans are so uptight,” she muttered.  “I’m going to go count the money.”

She left, and Beth wondered if she heard her right. Humans?

“Sorry, Anya was not raised in America, and she forgets how to talk sometimes,” Xander said, shaking his head.

“She doesn’t have an accent,” Beth pointed out.

“No, she’s very good with languages,” Giles said.

“Okay, I have a lot to do at home. If we’re going to spar, let’s do this,” Buffy said, gesturing to Kayce.

Giles walked up to Buffy. “Be careful,” he said to her.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t hurt him—much.”

Kayce shook his head, amused at his very cocky niece. It didn’t matter how gifted she was; he was a Navy Seal. His size alone gave him a distinct advantage.

Several minutes later, Kayce realized he grossly underestimated his niece.  She dodged his hits like a deadly butterfly.  Then she used her legs to kick him in the stomach and gasped in pain.

“Oh, sorry!” she said.

“It’s okay,” he said. There had been a lot of power behind her kick; it was unexpected. He examined her for hidden muscle. It didn’t make any sense.

“Come on, Kayce,” Jamie called out. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

Buffy could tell that her uncle was very experienced with a Riley level of training. However, his eyes revealed that he had seen real combat. Riley never had until Sunnydale. Killing monsters was not the same thing as having to kill humans or watching a bomb take apart a fellow soldier. Her uncle knew real loss; he had taken lives. Buffy could see it in his eyes. She wished that she could confide in him about her own burden. Somehow, she knew that he would understand how she felt.

They traded blows, and Buffy kept deflecting his hits. She wondered if she should let him win. Would that make more sense? It probably would, so after another ten minutes, she made a point of not dodging one of his hits.

His fist connected to her cheek, swinging her head back. To her, it barely hurt.  He, however, looked horrified.

“God, Buffy, are you okay?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said.

“Okay, I think that’s enough,” John said. “I don’t want Buffy to get hurt.”

“She’s pretty damn impressive,” Beth remarked.

“That was incredible, Buffy,” Jamie said, smiling at her.

Kayce grabbed her face to examine her cheek. “We should get some ice for your face. I can’t believe I hit you,” he said. “We shouldn’t have been sparring.”

“God, Uncle Kayce. You need to chill,” Buffy said, rolling her eyes. “I barely felt it! I’m fine.”

“That was wonderful, honey,” John said, hugging her.

“Actually, it wasn’t your best, Buff,” Xander said with a snicker.

Buffy glared at him while Willow elbowed him.

Beth caught their interaction and was curious. 

“It was very nice to meet you,” Giles said to John, holding out his hand.

“Yes, you, too,” John said. He still found the man’s devotion to his granddaughters odd, but no longer thought the man was a pervert. 

Buffy walked her family back to their cars, and it didn’t take long before they were back home.

Unfortunately, Spike was waiting for her front porch. How was she going to explain him to her family?

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

Chapter Text

******Where We Left Off*****

Buffy looked at Spike and closed her eyes a moment. How the hell was she going to explain him?

“Hey, Spike!” Dawn called out. “Come meet our family from Montana.”

Buffy gave her sister a glare.

“I’ll be happy to,” he said, giving her a knowing smirk.

Buffy watched in dread as Spike actually shook hands with her grandfather and uncles. Then the annoying ass lifted Beth’s hand up to his mouth, and she couldn’t take it. “Okay, that’s enough. What do you want, Spike?”

“I just wanted to tell you about some bad blokes causing some trouble,” he said. “I didn’t know you had family in town ‘cause no one tells me anything.” Of course, that was a lie. He very well knew they were in town and was dying to meet them.

“That’s not true,” Dawn said. “I told you last week.”

Spike shrugged and grinned. “Guess I forgot,” he said.

“Is this your boyfriend?” Beth asked, fascinated by the way her niece was acting. She had never seen Buffy so clearly irritated and off balance.

“No!” Buffy exclaimed.

“She wishes,” Spike claimed.

“No, you do,” Dawn said, snickering.

“I’m going inside. It’s been a long day,” John said. “I don’t know why your “not boyfriend” is telling you about bad blokes, but he can do it inside.”

John went inside with Beth smirking at her and then following after him. Jamie did also, but Kayce sensed the guy was dangerous and waited for Dawn to go in.

“Are you coming?” he asked Buffy.

“Give me a minute,” she said.

“Are you sure?” Kayce asked.

“It’s fine. Spike is harmless,” she said.

“He doesn’t look harmless to me,” Kayce said, eyeing Spike, who smirked at Buffy.

“I beat him up a lot, and he likes it,” Buffy said. “He comes back for more. Sometimes, he and I get rid of unsavory people in this town.”

“You haven’t told them?” Spike asked.

“Told us what?” Kayce asked.

“Who she is,” Spike said, grinning. “She’s the thing monsters fear, so you don’t need to worry none about her.”

“I’ll come out in two hours, so come back then. If it’s a nest, go tell Xander and Willow to come,” Buffy said.

Kayce waited until Spike left and asked, “Nest of what? Are you doing pest control as a part-time job?”

Buffy laughed. “That’s one way of looking at what I do,” she said. “Listen, Uncle Kayce, I think you’re probably the best able to handle what I do and who I am. So how about you not say anything? In two hours, you’ll tell Grandpa that you’re going downstairs to call Monica. If Jamie notices, tell him the same thing and go onto the porch. I’ll climb out the bedroom window and meet you outside.”

Kayce realized that something serious was going on. “What’s happening, Buffy? You know you can tell Dad anything. There’s nothing that man can’t handle,” he assured her.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Buffy said. “I hope so. I know that you know him better, and I’ll let you decide if he can handle the real truth about my life and why I can’t just easily move away from this town and my friends.”

Kayce was beginning to feel very unsettled and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze as he opened the door to go inside.

Jamie and Buffy worked out details for the dinner the next day. He laid out all the ingredients for the stuffing and set the alarm, so he could get up early and put the turkey in after stuffing it. He put the turkey in the sink in some water to make sure it was completely thawed.

“I’m going to go to bed since I have to get up and put in the turkey around four,” Jamie said.

“That early?” Buffy said in surprise.

“A stuffed turkey this large is going to take about eight hours to cook, which will put it done around two if I pull it out a few times to baste it,” he explained.

“Okay,” Buffy said. “I’ll set my alarm, too, so there’s no oversleeping.”

They had decided on a late lunch, so leftovers can be eaten for dinner, too. Xander was going to bring donuts for breakfast.

John said goodnight and hugged her. “I enjoyed meeting your friends,” he told her.

“I’m glad, Grandpa,” she said, smiling.  “They were very excited to meet you. All their grandpas are dead.”

John felt a bit sorry for them and glad that he was there and able to learn about her life.

Beth gave her a knowing look after John left. “So I want the dish on the hot Brit,” she demanded. “I saw the way he looked at you. Don’t give me the bullshit you gave Dad.”

“Spike and I are nothing—less than nothing,” Buffy said with a shudder.

“He’s in love with Buffy,” Dawn added with a glee.

“Shut up, Dawn!” Buffy ordered. “He’s obsessed with me because he likes pain. I beat him up a lot.”

“Oooh, he’s a sadist. Don’t tell that to Dad,” Beth said with a snicker.

“You’re sick. Goodnight. I’m going to bed. I promise that Spike will never be my boyfriend or lover,” Buffy vowed. Just the thought was a reason to leave the hellmouth. She went up to bed, getting changed into a better outfit for slaying.

“Can I come?” Dawn asked as she came into her room without knocking.

“How about you learn to knock,” Buffy said.

“I’m staying in this room, so I don’t have to,” Dawn said with a smirk.

“It’s best if you stay here in case Grandpa discovers Kayce and I are gone,” Buffy said. “You’ll have to cover for us. Say that Monica upset Kayce, and he wanted to go for a walk. I went with him since he didn’t know the area.”

“I can’t believe you’re actually going to let Uncle Kayce know the truth,” Dawn said excitedly.

“Let’s hope he handles it okay,” Buffy said.

“He’s a Navy Seal,” Dawn said. “He’ll be okay.”

“War is one thing. This is hell, Dawn. Actual hell,” she pointed out.  She looked at her watch. “I gotta go.” She grabbed some stakes and Mr. Pointy.

“Good luck,” Dawn said.  “Shouldn’t you take a sword for Uncle Kayce?”

“Probably should,” she said, reaching under her bed for her weapons trunk.  She grabbed a sword. 

A few minutes later, Kayce was standing on the porch a bit surprised to see a sword drop onto the grass, and then his niece came in behind it.

“Damn, Buffy. What’s with the sword?” Kayce asked.

“It’s for you,” she said.

“Why would I need a sword?” he asked.

“I’d feel better if you had a weapon of some kind,” she said.

“You should’ve told us to come armed to your town. Dad would’ve found a way to do so,” he said.

“Guns are useless against what I fight,” Buffy told him.

Kayce felt like he was Alice about to fall down a very violent rabbit hole. He could tell by the look on her face that this was not some elaborate prank. When her British wanna-be boyfriend appeared and some of her friends, he knew it wasn’t.

“Hey,” Buffy said. “Where’s Anya?” They began walking behind the Brit.

“She said that if it was just a nest of vampires, her presence was not actually needed, but sleep was,” Xander said with a grin.

“Vampires? We’re hunting vampires?” Kayce asked, looking confused. Was it a joke? They seemed very serious.

“Let’s walk, and I’ll try to explain,” Buffy said. “I know it’s going to sound crazy, but you’re going to see proof. I hope you’ll withhold judgment until then.”

“I told you that your niece was the thing that monsters fear,” Spike said, looking back at him. “I wasn’t jokin’.”

Kayce felt unsettled as his niece seemed nervous and braced herself for his rejection—he could see it in her eyes. As a man who never felt quite right after the war, he reached out and touched her arm. “I’m not going anywhere,” he assured her.

Buffy’s relief was obvious, and Willow exchanged a smile with Tara. Buffy’s family was really cool.

“I knew you were the brave one,” Xander said, slapping him on the back. “See this town is on what is called a hellmouth. A literal gateway to a hell dimension. The actual entrance was under the old high school library. The former mayor was a warlock, who tried to ascend into a forty-foot demon snake at our high school graduation. Buffy had to arm the senior class. Mayor Wilkins actually ate our principal.  So I guess it’s more accurate to say he did ascend into a forty-foot demon snake!”

“Eating Snyder was a public service,” Willow muttered. Then she glanced at Tara, looking guilty. “Sorry. He was a real bully.”

“Why Buffy? Why is this Buffy’s responsibility?” Kayce asked, knowing he was missing something.

“Because she’s the slayer,” Spike told as they approached the cemetery.

“Slayer of what?” Kayce asked.

“Vampires. The Chosen One called to fight the forces of darkness. Empowered to fight creatures much stronger than I am,” Buffy shared. “I was called at fifteen and have spent the last five years fighting. When I die, another slayer is called. I died once when I was sixteen, but Xander revived me. That’s how we have two slayers. They don’t usually last long. If not for my friends, I would be dead.”

Kayce tried to take in what she was saying, trying to believe it. Her friends clearly believed it. “How do you know you’re empowered?” he asked.

“Because I have superstrength and superior fighting skills,” she said.

“Buffy let you win that fight,” Xander told him.

“It was sweet,” Willow added.

Kayce frowned, not sure they were right, but then they were at a large crypt.

“It’s there,” Spike said.

“We really should’ve come at sunrise,” Tara said.

“How would I have explained that?” Buffy pointed out.

“Good point,” Willow said.

“Will, can you provide some light when we get in there?” Buffy asked.

“Sure,” she said.

“I don’t see a flashlight,” Kayce said.

“I don’t need one of those,” Willow said.

“She’s a witch,” Xander said with a grin.

“You guys weren’t joking about that?” Kayce asked, remembering what was said at the Magic Box.

“No. Magic is real,” Willow said. Then she conjured a glowing light ball.

Kayce’s eyes widened. “Wow. Okay. That’s unexpected,” he admitted.

“Are we killing things or what?” Spike asked impatiently.

“We’re not stopping you. Go,” Xander said, waving his hand dismissively.

Spike kicked in the door, and Kayce realized that the guy wasn’t exactly normal either.

Willow threw in her light ball, and Buffy went in after Spike. Xander was carrying a crossbow and shot a vampire.

Kayce watched it turn to dust, freaked out at what he saw. His niece was really fighting monsters. She moved with a speed and ferocity that she hadn’t displayed when sparring with him. It was obvious that they hadn’t lied. She had been holding back with him. When she threw something at one of the vampires, it dissolved. Then she hit another.

“Watch out!” Xander called as one jumped out in front of Kayce.

Instinctively, Kayce stabbed the creature in the stomach with the sword. The vampire snarled in pain and grabbed the sword with one hand and reached for Kayce with the other.

“You have to cut off their head with a sword. Only wood in the heart works,” Xander told him. He shot another arrow, hitting the vampire before it could harm Kayce.

“Thanks,” Kayce said.

Then it was over. They were all dead.

“Nothing like a brush with death to make you really thankful to be alive before Thanksgiving!” Xander said with a grin.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Kayce remarked, looking around the room for bodies. There was none.

He did, however, notice that Spike looked exactly like the creatures they just killed. “What the fuck is going on, Buffy? He’s a vampire!” he exclaimed pointing at Spike.

“We know,” Buffy said. “But he’s on our side.”

“I can’t hurt humans,” Spike said. “Got this chip in my head that electrocutes me if I even think of harming a human.” He didn’t see a point in mentioning that he could hurt the slayer.

“So it’s true. All of it?” Kayce asked as they stepped out of the crypt.

“Yes,” Buffy said, looking at him. “My life is insane. Faith, the other slayer, is in prison for accidentally killing a human and going off the rails. We aren’t hardwired to hurt humans, only monsters and truly evil creatures. We’re going to try to get her out, so she can come back to the hellmouth. But I can’t leave the hellmouth without a slayer. It’s too dangerous. People die every night if I don’t patrol.”

“Every night you fight monsters,” he said, trying to wrap her mind around it.

“I do,” Buffy said. “With the help of my friends, I’m one of the oldest surviving slayers.” She didn’t see a point in bringing up her deaths.

Kayce looked at her friends. “Thank you,” he said to them. He held out his hand to Xander.

At first, Xander was confused and then realized that Kayce wanted to shake his hand. “Oh, well, it’s what we do. Buffy saved our lives the first week she was in town our sophomore year,” Xander said.

“I couldn’t save their best friend, Jesse, though,” Buffy said, looking sad.

“You can’t save everyone,” Willow told her, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

“Should I tell Grandpa?” Buffy asked.

Kayce was silent a long moment as they walked back toward her house. He considered the question. He finally said, “Well, he will drag Dawn out of her in a heartbeat. No doubt. I want to do that myself. He’ll be incredibly proud of you, however.”

“The thing is, Uncle Kayce, my blood will always draw the supernatural. Demons especially will come hunting me wherever I am,” Buffy shared.

“We’re not cowards, Buffy. Even Beth would stand and fight to protect you from anything,” he told her.

“Okay, then,” Buffy said. “Before they leave, I’ll tell them. We’ll let the chips fall where they may.”

Her friends were happy for her and said goodnight before parting ways.

Kayce hugged her. “Your dad would be really proud of you, Buffy,” he said, looking down at her.

Buffy’s eyes filled with tears. “Thanks, Uncle Kayce. I love you,” she told him.

“I love you, too,” he said. “Goodnight. I think I’m going to call Monica and wish her goodnight.”

“Okay,” Buffy said, happy things had gone so well.

Kayce, though, was rattled and needed to see his wife’s beautiful face even if he didn’t want to tell her what he’d witnessed. He knew she would be asleep, but he had to call her anyway.

“Kayce, what’s wrong?” she asked, blinking and shoving her hair out of her face.

He loved her looking like that, bed tousled.

“I just needed to see your sweet face,” he told her. She and their son Tate was all that was good in his world. He didn’t want to think about monsters and vampires.

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

Buffy was relieved that all the dinner preparations went off exactly like planned. Of course, she hated to think about how things would’ve gone without Jamie. He taught her, though, how to make a really excellent turkey. Her friends showed up at different times. Xander and Anya arrived around ten with donuts and their Thanksgiving offerings.  An hour later, Willow and Tara showed. Giles around noon.

The men had a football game on, and Xander pretended he knew what was going on. He was just excited to have men around.

“Isn’t this great, Giles? We’re not the minority anymore. There’s other men folk here!” Xander announced with a wide grin.

Giles smiled as John looked at Xander and chuckled. “I guess it probably is a nice change for you,” he said.

“Speak for yourself,” Beth said. “I’ve always been the only woman on a ranch full of men or in a board meeting of men. It’s fascinating that my niece found a best friend that is a guy, but she’s never slept with him.”

Xander could hear the question in her voice and shook his head. “No, Buffy, Will, and I have never been involved,” he said. “I crushed hard on Buffy when she came to town, but she never looked at me that way. Will was always crushing on me, but I only ever saw her as a sister.”

Willow came in and heard the comment. “Except for the fluke—we kissed once or twice senior year,” she said. “Enough to break him and his long-term girlfriend up. Luckily, my boyfriend forgave the slip.”

“Cordelia wanted my balls,” Xander said, grinning at the memory.

“Well, in her defense, she did fall in a hole after seeing us kiss and get impaled,” Willow said.

“Really?” Beth asked.

“This town is cursed,” Xander said.

“All the more reason for Dawn to move to Montana,” John said with a grin.

Kayce nodded. “Tate would love that,” he said.

The front door opened, and a figure came in holding a smoking blanket.

“Spike? What the hell are you doing?” Xander asked.

“Dawn invited me for dinner,” he said.

“Why is your blanket smoking?” Beth asked.

“I have an extreme sun allergy,” Spike said with a smirk.

Dawn groaned as her Dutton family exchanged looks of incredulity. Only Uncle Kayce didn’t look shocked at his lame excuse.

“Spike?” Buffy said, coming into the living room. 

“Slayer,” he said in greeting.

John frowned. “Why does he call you that?” John asked.

“Because that’s who she is,” Spike said, putting his blanket on the coat rack.

Buffy glared at Spike while her grandpa waited for her to explain.

The doorbell rang, interrupting. Buffy went to the door and opened it. Clem stood there.

“Hey, Buffy. I made a sweet potato casserole for dinner,” he said with a smile as he held up a covered dish.

Buffy groaned. “Clem, I didn’t know you were coming,” she said.

“Oh, Anya invited me two weeks ago, and then Dawn told me about her grandpa coming into town and how she’d love for me to meet him,” Clem said, smiling.

Buffy sighed. Dawn probably did say that, not thinking about how Clem would take that offhand remark. “Well, come on in, and I’ll just introduce you,” she said. “I haven’t really told him about Sunnydale and the supernatural yet. My Uncle Kayce knows, though.”

“Who’s at the door?” John called out.

“One last guest, a friend,” Buffy said. She wondered if she should just tell him the truth and ruin the dinner or make up a skin condition.

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

Chapter Text

******Where We Left Off*****

“Grandpa, Clem looks very strange, and I plan on explaining why his skin condition is something unique to him,” Buffy told John, “but I would rather wait until after dinner.”

John stood up, taking in the man’s deformity. He was deeply touched by his granddaughter’s compassionate nature. Obviously, she invited in this deformed man who the community shunned.

“Hi, Clem,” Dawn said, hugging him.

His other granddaughter was just as kindhearted, and it made him so proud. He walked over to the man, and he held out his hand. “John Dutton. I am very pleased to meet any friend of my granddaughters,” he said.

Clem had never in all his life had a man of such stature want to shake his hand. When the rest of her family stood and surrounded him to honor him, he had to fight the tears that threatened.

His clan would never believe this story. John had no way of knowing, but his acceptance would become a source of protection for his family in ways that he could not predict or foresee.

Xander looked at Anya. “I’m confused,” he said to her.

“Clearly, Buffy’s family are not specist like some I could name,” she said airily.

Giles was standing in the dining room with Tara and Willow. Spike leaned in the doorway watching, grinning at Clem’s expression.

“I don’t think Buffy needs to worry about her family learning the truth,” Willow said.

“Why do you think they’re being so nice to Clem?” Tara wondered.

“They probably think he’s some deformed individual and want to make him feel welcomed,” Giles guessed.

“That’s—” Willow began and then stopped talking. “Really very sweet.”

“They are good people,” Tara observed.

“I fear we are going to lose both of them,” Giles said with a sad sigh.

Willow frowned. “No, she’s taking classes in the spring. I helped her sign up for a four-week course over Christmas break,” Willow said.

“So that she can get into law school to help her family,” Tara pointed out.

“Yes, Buffy will always be the slayer,” Giles said. “We know that she will always come here if she is needed, but she has given more than enough. If she wants to change her focus, I think we need to support her in this.”

They nodded as Jamie announced that it was time to eat.

Dinner was a festive affair. John could not remember the last time he had enjoyed a holiday meal so much. Although he missed his grandson, his granddaughters’ presence brought him such joy. Her friends were great conversationalists. Somehow, Beth had managed to actually get along with another female, Xander’s fiancée, Anya. She was explaining how to increase her portfolio the younger woman, who was actually taking notes.

Xander and Kayce struck up a conversation about construction while Giles was explaining to Jamie how gifted Dawn was in ancient languages but struggled in math.

“I’ve been tutoring her. She’s not so behind in math anymore,” Willow said.

“Willow tutors us all,” Buffy said, smiling at her friend.

John chatted with Spike and Clem about poker and how much they loved to play it. Naturally, they had enough sense not to mention kittens.

“I haven’t had a good poker game in a while,” John said.

“I taught your granddaughters how to play. Only Dawn has a knack for it,” Spike said, giving her a proud look. “She’s a natural.”

“She gets that from me,” John remarked, smiling at Daw

“Big sis couldn’t keep the rules straight,” Spike said, snickering.

“That’s because I was drinking when you taught me, and you know it. I don’t ever drink, so if you’d taught me sober, I’m sure I’d do just fine,” Buffy said, glaring at him.

“Do you two never not fight?” Beth asked, catching the conversation.

“It’s the nature of what they are,” Anya remarked dismissively.

Beth looked at Anya, figuring that she would get straighter answers from her. “What are they?” Beth asked.

“You should not ask questions in this town unless you really want to know the answer,” Anya said in quiet voice. No one was paying attention to them, but she kept her voice down because she knew that Buffy’s hearing was slightly better than normal.

“I always want to know the truth,” Beth said. “I don’t like surprises.”

Anya grinned. “Well, Buffy’s entire life is one big surprise,” Anya said. “Of course, she can’t help it. She was born cursed or blessed—it depends on your point of view. I just know that she dragged my Xander into her violent and dangerous world. He would, though, say that she saved his life the first week he met her and gave his life meaning. I just would like, sometimes, to be enough for him, you know?”

“Well, sure,” Beth said. “That’s why I think it’s crazy that you said yes to his proposal. Men today are not like my dad. They are really immature. Xander seems great, but I don’t think he’s ready to give up his life to be a husband and father. An engagement is going to put too much pressure on your relationship unless you make the engagement long and don’t start planning a wedding. You should wait a few years at the very least to actually get married. What’s the rush? You’re still a couple.”

Anya thought about what she said. It was true that she and Xander fought a lot about Buffy and Willow. If Buffy left, it would just be Willow. Maybe they should wait to plan the wedding and set a date until after things were settled. He proposed; he loved her. There was no rush to get married. Beth was right.

“You might be right about that,” she said. “If I follow your advice, I can increase our portfolio, and we can have a really great wedding without any help from his toxic family. Not to mention, afford a fabulous honeymoon.”

“There you go,” Beth said, patting her hand. “You are thinking like a winner.”

Anya smiled. “I really like you, and I rarely like humans,” she said.

“I feel the same exact way,” Beth said, grinning. “Except I don’t usually like horses either.”

“Really? Don’t you live on a ranch?” Anya asked.

“A horse fell on my mother and killed her,” Beth explained.

Anya winced in sympathy. “Oh, I understand,” Anya said. She knew how it was to ride and die by horses as it was all they had for transportation back when she was first human.

“So back to what you were saying,” Beth reminded her. “What’s so dangerous about my niece’s life?”

“She’s the slayer,” Anya said. “Supernaturally called to protect people from monsters, and this town is on a hellmouth. Yes, monsters are real. Vampires, demons, and witches. Of course, witches aren’t normally evil unless they channel too much bad magic. I used some dark magic on an ex-boyfriend about a thousand years ago. That’s how I got my gig as a vengeance demon. I helped scorn women everywhere until Xander broke Cordelia Chase’s heart, and I ended up stuck as human.  Buffy’s a vampire slayer, and Spike is a vampire. He’s got this microchip in his head thanks to some military guys who came to town two years ago to study the supernatural, so he can’t hurt humans. But he’s still evil and likes to kill things. He helps Buffy; he genuinely likes Dawn and has the hots for Buffy.”

Beth listened to her spiel, sipping her wine. Then she laughed.  “You almost had me for a minute there,” she said. “I especially liked the part where you were a thousand-year ex-demon that used to curse scorned women. You look damn good.”

Anya grinned. “Thank you,” she said. Then she turned to Xander. “Xander, I think we should put off planning our wedding and have a long engagement. Save some money.”

Xander looked surprised. “Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes,” Anya replied. “Beth gave me pointers on how to increase our portfolio, so we should be millionaires in ten years. We can marry within five years and have a child a year after we get married. Does that sound acceptable?”

Xander that twenty-seven was a good age to be dad. Much better than twenty-two or twenty-three, which a marriage next spring could have made happen. He felt the pit in his stomach that he hadn’t realized he was carrying slowly disappear.

He smiled. “Whatever makes you happy, babe,” he told her.

She flashed him a smile.

After dessert was had, John suggested they have a game of poker in the kitchen since there was a table in there. Giles, Clem, Spike, and Dawn joined them. More than five it became too busy.  Beth helped her niece—much to Spike’s annoyance as it was clear that Beth was a very skilled player.

They weren’t betting with money the first game. It was a surprise that Dawn via Beth lasted so long, but the real surprise was Giles.

“Giles, why didn’t you tell us you were a card shark?” Xander asked.

“There’s a lot I don’t tell you guys,” Giles said with a smirk.

“He’s got the big brain, so I’m not surprised,” Buffy said, smiling.

Dawn was out, and then it was John and Giles.

“Who knew cards could be so interesting?” Willow said to Tara.

It took about thirty minutes, but Giles did force John to fold.

Xander cheered. “And the Brit takes down the cowboy!” he exclaimed.

John laughed and shook Giles hand. “Clearly, you’ve played a lot,” he said.

“Not since my college days, but it was how I earned extra money,” Giles admitted, causing his kids to laugh.

“I knew it!” Xander exclaimed.

It was a really good Thanksgiving. Buffy decided all demon talk could wait until the next day.  As the guest left, John hugged Buffy. “I can’t remember when I have had such a pleasant day with my kids. Beth and Jamie actually got along. She stayed for an entire meal, and no one got into an argument,” he said. “Most importantly, you make me so proud.”

Buffy hugged him, working to not squeeze too hard. She hoped that when he found out who she was, he would still be proud of her.

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

Beth had trouble sleeping because Anya’s words kept playing in her mind. Although she did dismiss them as a joke, something was nagging her. She would never confide in Jamie, and she didn’t want to go to her father with the tale. That meant it left Kayce.  She saw him coming out of the bedroom he was sharing with their father and waved him into Buffy’s room she was using.

“Come here,” she whispered.

“Give me a minute,” he said. He went into the bathroom.  A few minutes later, he came to the bedroom.

Beth shut the door behind him. “I need to tell you something Anya said to me yesterday,” she told him. “At first, I thought she was just pulling my leg. But I can’t get it out of my mind because it was so insane.”  She told Kaycee what Anya said.

Kayce listened. When he didn’t laugh or smile, Beth became worried.

“Isn’t that crazy? What do you think?” Beth asked.

“I didn’t know that about Anya, but I knew witches and magic was real,” Kayce revealed. “Willow and Tara are witches. I have seen Willow use magic.”

“No fucking way,” Beth said in disbelief.

“I’m serious,” Kayce said. “Buffy is a vampire slayer, and she was holding back when we sparred. I went out with her Wednesday night with Spike and her friends to clear out a nest of vampires. Spike is a vampire who helps them. I saw her slaying vampires and fighting. She was incredible.”

“Anya said Spike has a chip in his head that keeps him from hurting humans,” Beth said, feeling like she’d entered a sci-fi movie.

“Buffy is a real superhero,” Kayce said. “Every night, she patrols this town, killing monsters that prey on humans. Dawn told me last night that Clem was a loose-skinned demon. Not all demons are evil.”

Beth sat down on the bed, her head spinning. “I need a drink. There’s not one bit of alcohol in this fucking house,” she complained.

“Didn’t you bring something?” Kayce asked her, grinning.

“I drank it already,” she admitted.

He laughed.

“I had Thanksgiving dinner with a fucking demon,” she said. “There’s not enough alcohol in the world to make me forget that.”

“So should we tell Dad?” Kayce asked.

“Fuck no,” she said.  “I say we let little miss superhero tackle that one.”

Kayce smiled but shook his head. “You are shameless,” he told her.

“Dad is going to flip his shit, and you know it. Dawn is going to be physically removed from this house so fast, she won’t get time to take all her shoes!” Beth predicted.

“I think Buffy will have something to say about that,” Kayce warned.

“This is just fucking insane,” Beth said, getting up and pacing. “I need a drink.”

“It’s nine o’clock in the morning,” Kayce pointed out.

“You just told me that this town is on a hellmouth. Demons and monsters are real and that my niece, who I have grown right down fond of in the short time I’ve known her—a miracle for me—is a fucking vampire slayer,” Beth said. “Her best guy friend Xander’s fiancée, Anya, who I genuinely liked, another first for me—I never like other women—wasn’t lying. She is a thousand-year-old former vengeance demon. Buffy’s other best friend Willow is a fucking witch. She has real fucking magic powers. You’ve seen this?”

Kayce nodded. “I have. She produced light with her hand. Our nieces’ lives are hard and dangerous,” he said. “I was a soldier, so I can get a bit of what she’s been through. She told me that she was called at fifteen. Her first mentor—she called him a watcher was killed. Her life’s been difficult. Giles is her current watcher. He helps train her and tells her how to kill whatever monster she faces. Not all demons are killed the same.”

“That’s why he’s in her life? It’s a fucking conspiracy,” Beth muttered.

“There’s another slayer, Faith, who was called when Kendra was killed. Kendra was called when Buffy died her sophomore year, but Xander resuscitated her,” Kayce repeated what Buffy told him. “Buffy says that if Faith can come to Sunnydale, she can leave.”

“Well, damn, that’s great news. Where’s Faith? Let’s get this done,” Beth said.

“She’s in prison in California. For murder,” Kayce shared.

“Damn it. Fuck this fucking day!” Beth swore, back to packing.  “Go get Jamie. He’s a lawyer. It’s about time he was good for something.”

“He’s not a California lawyer. How can he help?” Kayce asked.

“He’s a lawyer. She’s in prison. We’ll get her here, so Buffy can be with her family,” Beth said.

“You know it’s not ever gonna change who or what she is,” Kayce said. “She’s not normal. She’ll never be.”

“Who the fuck cares?” Beth said, bluntly. “She’s ours, and she belongs with us. Dawn deserves to have a family and be away from a place this dangerous.”

Kayce went downstairs to get his brother. His father was awake and listening to Dawn explain how she made her pancakes. He said good morning and motioned for Jamie to come with him.

Jamie followed him up to Buffy’s bedroom where Beth was at, confused as to why.

“Just be quiet and follow me,” Kayce whispered.

Jamie was confused by Kayce’s out of character behavior but complied. Then when they were all in the room, he looked between his two siblings.

“What the hell is wrong with you guys?” Jamie asked. “This is really rude. Buffy’s going to be up any minute.”

“We have to tell you some things about Buffy,” Kayce said. “Then we need you to help her friend, so you can help get her out of this dangerous town.”

Jamie listened as his siblings told him a preposterous story. If it was only Beth, he wouldn’t have left, convinced she was just messing with him. Kayce, however, wasn’t prone to flights of fancy or making up fairy tales.

“You’re for real?” Jamie asked his brother.

“I am. She took me with her Wednesday night,” Kayce said. “She climbed out her window.”

Jamie’s mind was spinning as he tried to process what they were saying.  He got up and went out the bedroom to the room next door, knocking.

Buffy opened the door, smoothing down her hair. “Good morning, Uncle Jamie. What’s up?” she asked, giving him a bright smile.

Jamie looked at her a long moment. “Are you a vampire slayer? Is this town on a hellmouth?” he asked.

Buffy lost her smile and looked scared. Jamie could see the fear of rejection in her eyes as she nodded. “Yes. Yes to both questions,” she admitted.

He didn’t understand how it could be or why such a thing happened to her. But this was Lee’s daughter, and he had loved Lee. Lee would be very proud to know her. “Your father would be so proud of you,” he said, raising his hand to her shoulder.

Buffy’s eyes filled with tears at his unexpected words.

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes,” Jamie said. “He would. I am.” He pulled her in his arms and hugged her. Somehow, Jamie knew that she had been fearing rejection.

Buffy hoped her grandfather would react just as well.

*****Chapter End*****

I thought this was a good place to stop. Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks so much!

Chapter Text

*****Friday After Thanksgiving******

Buffy sat down with her uncles and aunt and discussed her life until Dawn called them down for breakfast.

“I cannot believe this is real,” Beth said. “If someone doesn’t take me to a liquor store soon, I don’t know what I might do.”

“Why don’t we go to the store after breakfast?” Buffy said. “Isn’t it Black Friday?”

“I am so not in the mood for that type of shopping,” Beth said, glaring at her.

“I know, but we can use that as our excuse with Grandpa,” Buffy said.

“When are you talking to Dad?” Jamie asked.

“I wanted to put it off as long as possible,” Buffy said.

“You should tell him tonight,” Kayce said. “It’s not cool to tell him right before he leaves.”

“I want to speak to your mentor, Mr. Giles,” Jamie said. “Can you take me to him? I’ll talk to him about Faith.”

“Okay,” Buffy said.  “I’ll tell Dawn to ask Grandpa to take her to the movies or something just the two of them.”

They joined John for breakfast, and he smiled at Buffy, who hugged him.

“Good morning to both my girls,” John said as Beth kissed his cheek next.

“Good morning, Dad,” she said.

“Hi, Aunt Beth,” Dawn said, smiling at her.

“Hey, kiddo,” Beth said.  She went to the coffee pot.

“Do you want some pancakes?” Dawn asked.

“No, just some coffee,” Beth said.

“She doesn’t eat breakfast,” Jamie said.

“It’s the most important meal of the day,” Dawn said. “It fuels you for the entire day.”

“I destroy companies for a living,” Beth said. “Do you think I need to be even more fueled?” She sipped her coffee and smirked at her niece whose mouth was an O shape.

Buffy went over to her sister and whispered, “I really need you to agree with whatever I suggest with Grandpa, okay?”

She gave her a puzzled look but nodded. “Do you want to move to the dining room?” she asked her grandpa.

“Beth’s not eating. I think the kitchen table is big enough,” John said.

“I always eat here on the stool at the island,” Buffy said, sitting next Beth, who was sitting on the other stool.

“So what do you want to do today?” John asked.

“Well, Dawn was hoping you might go to the movies with her,” Buffy said. “I have trouble focusing sometimes at the movies. The dark theatres put me to sleep. Beth and I were talking about hitting the mall for some Black Friday shopping.”

“I don’t know if Beth wants to do that,” John said, grinning. “I don’t know if she can keep up.”

“Shopping with Buffy is nearly an Olympic sport,” Dawn said, grinning.

“Oh, I just want to show her things we like to give her ideas for Christmas,” Buffy said. “Not really serious shopping. I don’t want to break her.” Her grandfather and Dawn laughed.

They ate breakfast and got ready for the day. As it was Thanksgiving Break, there was an eleven o’clock showing of movies at the theater at the mall, so they headed there. Kayce decided to go with Jamie to the Magic Box to hang out with Giles. He used the pretense of wanting to find a unique souvenir for Monica from the Magic Box.

Buffy dropped them off and headed to the mall where the movie theatre was located next to.

Jamie and Kayce were shocked to discover that the Magic Box was so busy. “I didn’t expect this,” Jamie said.

“Me either. But it is Black Friday,” Kayce said.

Anya was happily working the register while Giles was helping a customer as was Willow.

Tara and Xander were sitting at the back table. “Hey!” Xander said, calling them over.

They headed toward the table. “Good morning,” Jamie said. “I wanted to speak to Mr. Giles. It didn’t occur to me that his store would be so busy.”

“Well, the people in this town love their magical trinkets,” Xander said.

“Buffy told us about this town being on a hellmouth and her calling,” Jamie said.

“Okay, then, you know that there are people in this town who are aware,” Xander said. “Or they just know something isn’t right, and they want protection crystals.”

“Giles sells a lot of those,” Tara added. “How are you holding up?”

“It’s a lot to process,” Jamie said.

“Buffy took Beth to find some alcohol,” Kayce said, smiling.

Xander laughed. “It’ll probably take a lot of alcohol,” he added.

Kayce nodded. “I told Buffy that she had to tell Dad tonight,” he said. “We’re leaving tomorrow, so she can’t dump it on right before we leave. It won’t be right.”

“That was what she wanted to do,” Xander said.

“She didn’t want the visit to be ruined by upsetting him,” Tara told them.

“Our father is as tough as they come,” Kayce said. “He’ll deal.”

“What do you think he’ll do?” Xander asked.

“I think he’ll drag Dawn out of here as fast as possible,” Jamie said. “It’s what I want to do. She has no business living a life worried about monsters and evil on a daily basis.”

“I can understand that,” Tara said.

“I do, too, but I would really miss her,” Xander said, looking sad.

“You will just have to come to Montana,” Kayce said. “I’ll teach you how to ride a horse.”

“So no work today?” Jamie asked him.

“No, our boss gave us a four-day break since we finished up our last project on Wednesday. We’re starting a new on Monday,” Xander said.

When there was a lull in the traffic, Giles came over to greet them, and Jamie spoke with him about Faith.

Giles knew that he was going to lose his slayer to her family because Jamie wanted the name of Faith’s lawyer.

“I will have Willow give you Angel’s information as he would know that,” Giles said, motioning her over after she finished talking to her customer.

Giles resumed his work while Jamie spoke with Willow, who was glad the family was taking things so well.

She called Angel and explained about Buffy’s family.

“Yeah, Faith told me about it,” Angel admitted. It was sad that he and Buffy no longer talked much about their lives unless it was an emergency situation, but they kept up with one another through mutual friends. “That’s really great for her.”

“Her uncle Jamie is an attorney, and he wants to talk to you about who represented her,” Willow said.

Angel was happy to speak to the uncle, who was willing to help both of the women he cared deeply for.

*****The Mall****

Dawn took her grandfather to the movie theatre while Buffy and Beth walked to the liquor store across the street before going into the mall. Beth put most of her liquor into the back of the car first before proceeding into the mall after her niece.

Beth kept a small bottle in a paper bag and was downing it as Buffy pointed out things Dawn liked to wear.

“Oh, I have to buy this skirt for Willow. It’s on sale!” Buffy said, grinning as she went into a store.  Then she saw a dress that she knew Tara would like, and the store did gift wrapping.

“What should I get Anya?” Buffy wondered aloud after she left the shop.

“Shares in bitcoin. It’s going to blow up soon, and it will make her very wealthy,” Beth said.

“Not only do I not know what that is, I don’t know how to do that,” Buffy said.

“It’s online currency,” Beth explained. “More and more countries are starting to trade with it. It’s only a matter of time before America does, too.”

“Okay, then, I’ll do that,” Buffy said, grinning. “Or I’ll give you money to do it for me?”

Beth nodded. “Happy to,” she said.

Buffy was anxious about the upcoming talk with her grandfather, so she didn’t buy too much. They had just a few bags to carry before she and her aunt went to the food court.

Beth curled her lips. “I do not eat this kind of shit,” she told Buffy.

“Why not?” Buffy asked as she ordered a burger and fries.

“It’s nothing but processed garbage,” Beth said.

“Well, over there is the Chinese buffet. They have healthier stuff. Go get your veggie on,” Buffy suggested.

“You need to read a book about nutrition before nature catches up to you,” Beth told her.

Buffy smirked. “I’ve already died twice,” she told her. “Besides, I have the slayer healing and metabolism. I don’t worry about that kind of thing. Give the book to Dawn. She’s the one that has to worry.”

Beth did go over to the yogurt bar and order a smoothie after thinking about her niece’s disturbing words.

When they were at a table, she prodded Buffy. “So tell me about your two deaths,” she said. “Not the sanitized version you gave us in front of Dad. Now that I know about your calling, I would like the details.”

Buffy debated on what to say. Then she decided that Beth was very pragmatic and could handle her truth. “The first time was my sophomore year. I hadn’t been in Sunnydale very long. The Master, this very ancient vampire who had turned Spike and Angel and Angel’s sire, Darla was trapped in the hellmouth. He was about to get out. There was prophecy that said that I was to face him and die,” Buffy said. “It was the night of the spring formal. Angel gave Giles this old book that confirmed the prophecy with Giles.”

“God,” Beth said, looking surprised. “Prophecies? You believe that shit?”

Buffy nodded. “I have to because sometimes they come true, and sometimes they’re possible futures that I can thwart,” she told Beth. “In this case, I went down to the hellmouth.”

“Wait, you can go into the hellmouth?” Beth asked, surprised.

“Well, yeah, if I want,” she said. “I’ve had to a few times. This time, I faced the Master, he had the power to mesmerize me, so I was nearly frozen—I didn’t fight him. He bit me and threw me into a fountain, and I drowned.”

“God!” Beth exclaimed, more than a bit disturbed.

“Xander, though, had followed me,” Buffy said, smiling. “My brave, only human, sixteen-year-old friend insisted on backing me up. Angel came with him, and they pulled me out of the fountain. Xander gave me CPR, and he saved my life.”

Beth smiled. “I knew that I fucking loved that man,” she said, taking a drink of the small bottle she had in her purse.

“He has been the best friend I could ever have,” she said.

“And you never dated?” Beth asked.

“He had a crush on me when I came to town, but Willow was crushing on him,” Buffy said. “Crushes come and go, but friends are forever. I wouldn’t trade my Xander-shaped friend for anything. He is the only man in my life that has never let me down.”

“I can see why Anya is threatened by you,” Beth said with a smirk. “I would scratch your eyes out if I was dating him.”

“I am happy that Xander has found love with Anya,” Buffy told her. “He deserves it. Anya is a bit weird and all, but she loves him and makes him happy. God knows that he has never dated any normal girls.”

Buffy started to get into Xander’s history of dating, but Beth held up her hand. “Let’s not get off topic,” she said. “I want to hear about the second time you died. You told us that you fell off a tower. I want more details about that one. You can tell me about Xander’s dating disasters another time.”

Buffy looked uncomfortable. “This one is a bit harder to talk about,” she admitted. “It has to do with Dawn.” Buffy knew she could tell Dawn’s tale without telling her origins, but it was still a hard story to tell.

“Dawn? Why?” Beth asked, surprised.

“Her blood had some properties in it that this hell god named Glorificus—Glory—needed to open a door to her home world,” Buffy explained. “But only at a certain exact time last May, a few months after Mom died. The entire time I was dealing with Mom’s illness I was fighting this indestructible, insane—she was crazy—hell god. She was stronger than me, stronger than any opponent I’ve ever faced. Basically invulnerable.”

“How did you beat her?” Beth asked.

“It wasn’t easy,” Buffy said. “She had taken Dawn. I went a little nuts. Willow was the only one who had managed at all to hurt Glory. Glory had hurt Tara, and Willow went after her with her magic actually rattling her. So we worked together—it is what we do. I wouldn’t be so effective without my friends. We figured out where Glory was. She had Dawn on this very high metal tower—several stories high, poorly constructed. I had Glory defeated, and Dawn screamed for me. But one of her worshipers had cut Dawn. The thing I hadn’t mentioned is Dawn’s blood didn’t just open up the doorway to Glory’s dimension, but it did to all dimensions, which would have destroyed not only our reality but every reality in existence. There are countless. I got up to Dawn and untied her, but it was too late. Blood had dripped into where it needed to go to open the doorway. A dragon came out, demons were starting to break through.”

“No fucking way!” Beth said, her eyes wide, trying to decide if she could believe her niece. However, Buffy’s eyes were so haunted that she couldn’t dismiss the tale.

“It’s true. I wish I could make this up, but my imagination isn’t that good,” Buffy said with a bitter note. “Dawn told me that it needed her blood to close, so she wanted to jump.”

Beth’s face took on a look of horror as she realized the scene up on that tower.

“I told her that our blood was the same—Death is my gift the first slayer told me when I went on a vision quest,” Buffy shared, a faraway look in her eye. “I thought that meant that a slayer was just a killer in the end, but in that moment, I knew. It was my time. I was finished. In that moment, death—my death—was the gift I could give Dawn. So I jumped in her place, closing the door.”

“Damn,” Beth muttered. Her nieces’ lives were a fucking horror show, and she didn’t know what to say. “How are you here now?”

“Willow. She, Tara, Anya, and Xander did a spell and resurrected me,” Buffy said. “Of course, it was Willow who has the power. She got Osiris to release me. Since my death wasn’t natural, she was able to get my soul back in my body.”

“Bullshit!” Beth exclaimed loud enough to cause people to look at her.

Buffy’s phone buzzed. “Dawn says their movie is over, and they are at the diner next to the theatre eating,” she said.

“So when you say the word resurrected, what exactly do you mean?” Beth asked.

“I died toward the end of last May and was resurrected just ten days before I came to see Montana,” Buffy shared.

“No fucking way. I don’t believe you,” Beth said.

Buffy looked down at her hands. “I wish I was lying, but you never forget waking up in your own coffin and having to bust out of it, and the dirt coming in your face and eyes and crawling out of it,” she said. “My knuckles were bloody.”

Beth just stared at her in shock, unable to comprehend the image that her niece painted. It was too horrifying for words. Instead of speaking, she got up from the table. Buffy thought she was ready to leave and stood also. However, Beth simply moved and hugged her.

Buffy couldn’t know how rare it was for her aunt to ever hug another anyone, especially another woman. For a moment, Buffy pretended it was her mother holding her.

Beth didn’t say anything because she couldn’t. After Buffy threw away her food tray, she followed her out of the food court and over to the diner where her dad was sitting with Dawn.

“How was the movie?” Buffy asked, smiling at Dawn as she sat in the booth next to her.

“Good. Did you get anything good in the sales?” she asked.

“A few things,” Buffy said. “I got Willow and Tara’s gifts.”

“Cool,” Dawn said.

“Are you okay?” John asked Beth.

“I’m fine,” Beth said, still rattled. “Buffy was telling me stories of the past year. It has been hard for her and Dawn.”

John nodded. “It’s good that we’ve found the girls. Kismet,” he said, smiling.

Dawn grinned. “You believe in fate, Grandpa?” she asked.

“Only when it’s convenient,” he admitted, chuckling.

He paid for lunch, and they got into the car, driving toward the Magic Box. Dawn and John got out right away, but Beth lingered, waiting for Buffy.

Buffy met her eyes in the rearview mirror. “My friends resurrected me because they were afraid I was stuck in a hell dimension. That happened once to my ex-boyfriend Angel. He was gone a few months, but it was hundreds of years of torment for him,” Buffy explained. She paused. “I-I haven’t told them. Only Spike because I know they love me. Sometimes too much. They need me here. I understand. The hellmouth is too much to handle without a slayer.”

“Tell them what, Buffy?” Beth asked, dreading to discover what secret she felt she could only tell Spike.

“I wasn’t in hell,” Buffy admitted. “I-I think I was in heaven. I’m not very religious, but wherever I was, I was at peace. It was warm. I was happy; I was finished. Willow pulled me out of heaven and brought back to hell.”

Beth felt the blood rushing to her head as she took in Buffy’s words. How could it be true?

“Look at me, Buffy,” she ordered.

Buffy turned around and faced her.

“You’re not bullshitting me?” she demanded.

“Of course not! It’s true. You can ask Dawn or any of them. Giles was the only one that wasn’t here, but he was at my grave site. He knows I was buried. Probably paid for it,” she said.

“God, Buffy, I don’t know what to say,” Beth said. “Thank you for telling me.”

She got out of the car while Buffy took a minute to compose herself. When Beth made into the Magic Box, most of the traffic had cleared out. There were just a few left. Beth, however, was looking for the witch and located her talking to someone by a shelf.

Rage like she hadn’t felt in a very long time if ever filled her, and she attacked, knocking Willow into the shelf.

“Hey!” Willow yelled.

Beth punched her in the stomach hard, causing her to double over and followed up with a hard blow to her chin and face.

“I’m going to rip your fucking head off!” Beth screamed.

Willow was so shocked by the violence that she couldn’t react.

However, Kayce did. He quickly moved to pull Beth off Willow, but Beth was determined to hurt the witch. “Let me go! If you knew what she did to Buffy, you would put a bullet in the bitch’s head yourself!” Beth screamed.

“Sisters fighting over some guy!” Xander called out to the customers, who looked freaked out.

“It’s best if you all leave until we settle this,” Giles said, ushering them out the front door.

Giles quickly went to the door and flipped the sign to close as Buffy came through it.

“What is going on?” Buffy asked.

“You aunt just came in and physically assaulted Willow,” Xander said, looking upset and at a loss.

“I’m going to kill her,” Beth vowed, struggling to get out of Kayce’s arms.

“That’s enough, Beth!” John yelled. “Stop it!”

“You don’t know, Dad! You don’t have any idea what she did to Buffy. What they all did to Buffy, but she is the ringleader, the fucking witch with real power,” Beth said, pulling away from Kayce.

Buffy stood in front of Willow, mentally groaning as she realized what had happened. “Are you okay, Willow?” she asked her.

“I don’t know,” Willow said, wiping the blood off her busted lip.

“You are hurting the money, Beth,” Anya said, frowning at her. “Can’t you attack Willow after business hours?”

“Sorry, Anya, but Buffy told me that she died and was dead for months. You, Xander, and Tara, helped Willow do a spell to bring her back,” Beth said, looking at Anya.

“I told them it was a bad idea, but no one ever listens to me,” Anya said.

“Well, it worked. Buffy was brought back,” Willow said. “You’re welcome.”

Beth found the arrogant bitch’s word infuriating and charged at her again, but this time Buffy grabbed her. “Aunt Beth, stop it,” Buffy said. “I’m not going to let you hurt my best friend. I didn’t tell you my secret, so you could do that. I’m not angry at her, and you shouldn’t be either. If she hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t know you.”

“What kind of fucking best friend pulls you out of fucking heaven, Buffy?” Beth said. “I don’t even believe in heaven, but you were at peace, and she took it from you. She had no right. No fucking right to bring you back to this hellhole because she wants you to keep fighting.”

“What?” Willow asked the same time as Giles and John.

Everyone stood looking at Buffy.

Buffy wished that she had just kept her big mouth shut.

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

So John is ALMOST in the know now. I just pictured Beth reacting with violence and had to write this scene. If you don’t watch Yellowstone, this is EXACTLY how she would most likely react. If you do, I hope you agree with me!

Chapter Text

******Where We Left Off*****

Everyone looked at everyone else. No one said anything. It was like a frozen tableau for a long moment, but John wasn’t having it.

“Damn it, enough!” John said. “Beth attacked Buffy’s best friend, making insane accusations. All of you look guilty, so clearly you all know something that I don’t know. Start talking!”  He waited a beat to see who would talk, and then said in a voice that was not used to being ignored. “Now!”

Giles told everyone to sit down. He looked at John. “This town is on a hellmouth. A door of sorts between this world and a hell dimension. There are several hellmouths around the world, but the one in Sunnydale is very strong and draws many supernatural creatures to it. The world is . . . .”  He explained about Sunnydale and about Buffy being a vampire slayer.

“It’s true, Dad,” Kayce said. “I went with her on Wednesday patrolling. I saw her fight demons and vampires.”

John stared at his veteran son a long moment and looked at his granddaughter, who looked very scared and anxious. He looked around the shop and began putting everything else into a different framework.

“So for the past five years, you have spent your time basically fighting a war,” John stated.

Buffy nodded. “I guess you could say that,” she said.

He looked at Giles. “You are like her commanding officer, and this is her support team,” he said.

“That’s one way of looking at it,” Giles said.

“So when you died,” he prodded, remembering her remarks in previous conversations.

“The first time, I was a sophomore,” Buffy said. “I was fighting a Master vampire who bit me but didn’t drain me completely. He threw me into a fountain, and I drowned. Xander gave me CPR, and he got me to a hospital where I got blood.”

“The second time?” John asked. “Explain why Beth assaulted your best friend.”

Buffy told him about Glory wanting to use Dawn’s blood to open portals, and he looked at his youngest granddaughter, who was sitting next to him. She looked afraid of his reaction also, so he grabbed her hand as Buffy kept telling her horror story.

“So her blood opened the portal, and demons were coming out of it,” Buffy said.

“There was a dragon!” Dawn added.

Buffy nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “I knew our blood was the same. Giles sent me on a vison quest, and the First Slayer told me that death was my gift. I thought it meant that I was just a killer after all, but suddenly, I knew. I was supposed to jump in her place, so I did. The energy accepted my blood, and it closed the rift.”

“She fell,” Dawn said. “We buried her in May, and Willow resurrected her last month.”

“Explain,” John said, looking grim, staring at the redhead. Now the comments about magic and witchcraft took on new significance.

“They did a spell, Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander,” Buffy said.

“I told them it was a bad idea!” Anya exclaimed.

“We all agreed,” Xander said. “We all wanted Buffy back.”

“I thought she was in a hell dimension,” Willow said. She looked at Buffy with tear filled eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What would be the point? I knew you didn’t mean me any harm,” Buffy said with a shrug.

“Well, the dumb fucks sure meant you harm when they did the spell without first digging the coffin up!” Beth said, glaring at the group of them. “You all have to be the most selfish, idiotic dumb mother fuckers I have ever met! You did a spell to bring her back to life and didn’t even have enough sense to dig up her casket, so she woke up in her mother fucking casket.  Then you left her to dig her way out of the casket!”

This time when Beth reached for Willow, Buffy grabbed her. However, Kayce surprised everyone by slugging Xander. “You should have thought of that,” he said, glaring at him.

Xander rubbed his jaw while Buffy moved to shove her uncle hard. “Stop it! All of you!” she shouted. “You have no right to judge him. To judge any of them! How many times have you saved the world? You went to war. That’s good. Xander slayed his best friend the first week he met me. He has had my back since he was fifteen. Fifteen, Uncle Kayce. Where you ready to go to war at that age? Aunt Beth, Willow turned down scholarships to Oxford, MIT, Harvard and just about every Ivy League college you could think of to stay in this hellhole to fight with me. She is the most selfless person I have ever known. She made this one mistake. One! I have made many. My mistakes get people killed, though. Do yours? No. She thought she was saving me, and who knows? Maybe this is fate. Maybe I was meant to come back and meet you all. Maybe I’m not done. I just know that none of you have a right to judge any of my friends who have fought next to me for the past five years.  They have kept Dawn alive and took care of her all the months I have died. Willow and Tara were basically her parents all those months. So back the hell up! They are not perfect, and neither am I. Neither are any of you either, I’m sure. They may not be my blood, but they are my family just as much as you are. We have been to literal hell and back. They fight actual demons with me and never waver. How many of you have friends like that?”

Everyone was silent a long moment.

“I need a drink,” Beth said, getting up and heading to the car.

Kayce looked at Xander. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Beth looked back at Willow from the door. “I’m not,” she said, glaring as she opened it and stepped out.

“She would’ve made a really good vengeance demon,” Anya remarked.

“No, you were right. We should’ve known the spell would’ve returned her soul to her body in the ground,” Xander said. “We were extremely stupid.”  He gave Buffy a look of anguished regret. No amount of sorry could make up for what they did to her. Protesting her eventual leaving, however, was off the table. She didn’t deserve that from him.

John stood up and went to Buffy. “You are extraordinary, granddaughter,” he said, pulling her in for a hug.

Relieved, Buffy returned his hug, careful not to squeeze him too tightly.

“It’s Black Friday. You are hurting the money,” Anya announced. “Time to relocate to your own residence.”

“Yes, I would appreciate it,” Giles said before anyone could scold Anya for her rudeness.

“Sorry for Beth,” Jamie said, opening his wallet and throwing a hundred-dollar bill on the counter.

Anya took it with a bright smile.  “We appreciate your business!” she said.

John opened his wallet and took out several and handed them to Anya. “Kayce is going to pick out a gift for Monica. Maybe you can help him pick out something for his grandson, too,” he said.

“My pleasure!” she said.  “We should let Tate have the mummy hand. He’ll get a real kick out of it!” She pointed it out to Kayce. It was in a glass case by itself.

“That thing is too dangerous,” Giles said as he turned the sign back to open.

“What does it do?” Kayce asked.

“Oh, it can do anything a hand can do,” Anya said, taking the hand out of the display.  Once she touched it, the hand began walking on its fingers.

“How is it doing that?” Jamie asked.

“It’s a cursed mummy hand,” Anya said. “Magic.”

“Why would anyone want it?” Kayce asked.

“It’s a conversation piece or used in spells,” she said. Then the hand walked fast and jumped on Jamie. “Unfortunately, though, it tends to be a bit homicidal.”

It began choking him. Buffy had to come and yank it off. “Put that thing up!” she said, glaring. “You are not selling it to my uncle!”

“You thought my son should have it?” Kayce asked.

“If he is a young child, probably not,” Anya said. “I have some spiders.”

“Do they come back to life?” Kayce asked.

“Well, yes. That’s what makes them fun for boys,” she said.

“I’m not sure Monica would like that,” he said.

“Magic spiders? Who wouldn’t like that?” Anya asked him puzzled.  She showed him the display.

Kayce grinned and rubbed his jaw as he contemplated his complicated wife.  “How does it work?” he asked. They looked like plastic spiders. That seemed harmless enough.

She demonstrated the magic powder that reanimated the spiders.  There were three black tarantulas in a glass cage. “Okay. I’ll take it. We’ll have to put it in a box, so I can get it through airport security.”

“Just give me your address, and I’ll have it shipped to your house,” she said. “It’ll be much easier than airport security.”

“Great idea,” Kayce said. “Now something for Monica.”

“She recently was hurt, right?” Anya asked. He nodded, and she picked something up to show him. “Here’s a crystal that speeds up healing and wards of negative emotions.” It was purple and on a long black leather binding.

“So it’s a necklace?” he asked.

“She should wear it when she sleeps at the very least,” Anya said.

“Okay,” he said. “Thanks.”

John took it all in, but he said nothing. Buffy and Dawn were left wondering what he was thinking.

That night, Buffy took the family patrolling. Of course, Beth just held a bottle of liquor and stood in the back with Anya, who sported a crossbow.

“Don’t worry, I rarely have to shoot anything. Buffy and Xander always get them before they get to me and Tara,” she said.

Tara decided there were enough people and stayed back with Dawn, who was advised by Beth to not even try to come.  Jamie was in the back with her, holding a stake and a sword as was Kayce.

Jamie wanted to come and see what his niece was really fighting. At the first graveyard, two vampires were walking, and John watched his granddaughter throw her wooden stake at one, and it dissolved. Then she engaged the other. It didn’t take her long, however, to dispatch it.

“Those were vampires?” he asked.

“Yes,” Buffy said.

“Fucking god,” Beth said, taking a long drink.

At the next graveyard, Jamie screamed as a hand poked out of a grave by his foot.

“Oh, good,” Xander remarked. “A fledgling. Who wants to get their cherry popped?”

“Excuse me?” John asked.

“He means, does anyone want to try and stake a vampire? Newly born vampires aren’t as strong, so they’re easier to slay,” Buffy explained.

“I do,” Kayce said. He handed his sword to Jamie.

John watched in morbid fascination as the vampire pulled itself from the grave. From Buffy’s remark, Kayce assumed it would be easy to fight. However, it hit very hard.

“Thought you said it weak?” he asked.

“Weaker,” she said. “They still are supernaturally strong. If Xander and Willow can stake one of these, I know you can.”

He wasn’t about to be humiliated, so he held the stake in his left hand while he moved into the snarling creature.

“Be careful, Kayce,” John called.           

Kayce was determined to win without being rescued by his niece, so he swung his fist hard, hitting the vampire and moved quickly to stake it before it could retaliate.

When it dissolved, John said, “Damn.”

“You forgot to pull out your stake, but it was still great!” Buffy said, hugging him.

“That was fast, Kayce! Great job!” Xander said, high fiving him.

John was relieved his son was okay and followed them as they encountered hideous creatures that Xander called demons.

Spike appeared.

“I wondered when you’d show up,” Buffy said as the two fought the demon pair.

John and his kids watched the couple fight. Xander pulled out a bag of chips and offered some.

“No, I don’t want chips!” John said, looking at him like he was crazy.

“Why are you standing there? Go help!” Jamie said.

“They don’t need our help. Demons are tough and most likely to maim and hurt us,” Xander said.

“We’d just be in their way,” Willow said, grabbing a chip. She wasn’t carrying any noticeable weapon except for a stake.

“They fight together like two people who know each other very well,” Kayce remarked.

“Oh, well, Spike used to try and kill her a lot,” Willow said.  “Then he got the chip and became obsessed with her. Now he loves her.”

“He’s a demon, Willow. It’s obsession, not love,” Xander said. “He’s not Angel. He doesn’t have a soul.”

She shrugged, not willing to argue.

“Why does Spike fight his own kind?” Jamie asked.

“He loves fighting, killing, and violence,” Xander said.

“It’s his nature,” Willow said.

“Lucky for us, he’s on our side,” Anya added as Spike killed the first one.

“Hurry it up, Slayer,” Spike said, lighting a cigarette.

“Why aren’t you helping her?” Kayce asked him.

“She doesn’t need my help,” Spike said as he took a puff.

Buffy proved that by using the sword she had to cut off its head.

“Finally,” Xander said. “You were enjoying that too much.”

“Yeah, well, I needed the exercise,” she said with a shrug.

“Slayers like to fight,” Willow explained to her family.

“You say that like you know more than one,” John said.

“Oh, well, after Buffy died, Kendra was called,” Willow explained. “She was Jamaican. Very sweet but very by the book. Spike’s ex-girlfriend, Drusilla killed her our junior year. She didn’t last a year. Then Faith was called. Faith loved fighting a lot. She loves being a slayer. She sided with our mayor, who ascended into this giant forty-foot snake on our graduation.”

“He ate our principal,” Xander added. “Not a loss. There was a solar eclipse that day, so the vampires attacked. Angel helped fight, but we still lost several classmates. We had to arm the entire senior class. I was key guy, leading the attack.”

“Buffy’s job was luring the snake mayor into the school that was had wired with explosives, so we could blow him up,” Willow explained.

“So she really did destroy her school?” Jamie asked.

“Well, she had to,” Willow said. “The mayor was going to eat us all.”

John shook his head. Every story was horrific.

“Where was the other slayer?” Kayce asked.

“Oh, she had sided with the mayor and tried to kill Angel. Her and Buffy had a big fight before graduation. Buffy put her in a coma,” Willow said. “When she got out of the coma, eight months later, she had some do-hicky that the mayor left that allowed her and Buffy to swap bodies for a day. She slept with her boyfriend and then went to Los Angeles and tried to kill Angel again. But somehow, Angel got through to her, and she turned herself in, pled guilty to the murder the mayor had her do.”

“You think she will come here and help now?” Jamie asked. “That’s a lot of bad blood.”

“I don’t,” Willow said. “Angel and Buffy do. Buffy went and visited her in prison already.”

“So she’s dangerous?” Kayce asked.

“She’s almost as strong as Buffy with homicidal tendencies,” Willow said.

“Well, maybe you should think about transferring to one of those Ivy League schools you got into,” John said pointedly.

Willow thought about what she would do if Buffy actually left. Could she handle living here if Faith was the slayer?

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

Buffy was nervous. Her grandfather said very little about her slaying. He just seemed to watch and take it all in. He hugged her before bedtime and told her that he loved her.

Beth said, “You are the most insane, brave, kick-ass chick I have ever met. I am very glad to be your aunt.”

“I’m sorry if I’ve given you nightmares,” Buffy told her.

“I already had them,” Beth replied, a haunted look in her eyes.

Buffy felt for her aunt, who seemed more than a little broken as she went up to her room.

Now it was morning, and they were going to leave by ten as their flight wasn’t until two or three.

When Buffy joined them in the kitchen, Dawn was there with Kayce.

“Where’s Grandpa?” Buffy asked.

“He’s in the living room talking with Jamie,” Kayce said.

“How does he seem?” Buffy asked.

“Okay,” Kayce said.

“Is Beth awake?” Buffy asked.

“I’ll go see,” Kayce said, going upstairs to rouse her.

Buffy poured a cup of coffee and said good morning to Dawn.

“I don’t want them to go,” Dawn said, looking sad.

“We’ll see them at Christmas,” Buffy said.

A short time later, they all were in the kitchen, Beth included.

“So I haven’t said much as it was a lot to take in,” John said. “There’s no doubt that I’m very proud of you, Buffy. I hate that this has been your life, and I am so glad that you are in our lives now. Jamie and I will do what we can to make sure that Faith, the other slayer, is released and sent here after we speak to her and make sure she will be a help and not a problem for Giles. We’ll make sure that she has some type of ankle monitor on, so she has incentive to behave. Give her a few years of good behavior before it’s removed.”

“That’s a good idea,” Buffy said, nodding. Faith wouldn’t like it, but she’d deal.

“As for Dawn, there is no way, she is staying another night on this hellmouth, Buffy,” John said firmly. “I know you want her with you, and I know you are great at protecting her. However, one time your protection forced you to die for her. Then she was left without your protection. She needs to be away from this place.”

“I don’t want to leave, Buffy,” Dawn said.

“That’s just too damn bad,” John said flatly. “It’s happening. You are not a child, but you are also not an adult. You are fifteen and very mature. Buffy will see you at Christmas and will be living with us in Yellowstone by the summer. You’ll be okay until she is ready to leave here.”

“I have three weeks left in my semester. I can’t just leave school!” Dawn protested.

“Sure, you can,” John said. “There’s this new thing called the internet. You can do anything nowadays. Jamie is staying until Monday, and he will go to the school with legal papers, forcing the school to let you do it online. You can fly in for the final exams, but you will leave the same day. You will arrive very early and leave before the sun goes down.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Grandpa. She’s survived the hellmouth for years,” Buffy said.

“No, she hasn’t!” John exclaimed, looking stern. “She was nearly sacrificed. You basically were. She has three more years until she’s an adult. I had much rather she be on my ranch fighting with the Indians over land, riding horses, and gossiping about boys than worrying about whether or not is today the day she might die, or you might die!”

“Our mother died of a brain aneurysm,” Buffy reminded him. “Death can be very random. Grandma lived all her life on a horse ranch and died when a horse fell on her. No one can predict when death comes. I will always be a slayer. The supernatural will always come after me.”

“Well, on my ranch, there are two thousand acres of land where we can see them coming. Where my men and I can help protect you from anything that would hurt you!” he informed her. “There, I can hire a damn army to help you!”

“Jamie has changed my ticket to leave tomorrow and bought her one to go with me. Kayce and Beth are still leaving today,” John said.

Buffy opened her mouth to argue, and John stood up, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Buffy, don’t fight me on this. You won’t win. I love you, and I don’t want to fight you,” he said. “I’m the grandfather, and she’s a minor. Legally, you have very little standing as your background is shaky. I will be ruthless to get my way on this. Dawn will be in Montana by tomorrow. Make your peace with it.”

Buffy stared at her grandfather in surprise. How was she going to respond to this?

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

If you watch Yellowstone, I hope you feel this was in character. If you don’t, John is not one to ever overreact or to ever just react impulsively. That’s Beth. 

Chapter Text

******Where We Left Off******

Buffy stared at her grandfather and looked at Dawn, who looked anxious at John’s proclamation. She knew he wasn’t really wrong, and he was rich and politically connected. Did she actually want to fight him when she did want Dawn safe?

“Okay,” she said, shrugging. “I get what you’re saying. Dawn, let’s go upstairs to your room and see what warm clothes you have.”

“I don’t have much,” she said.

“That’s okay. I’ll take you shopping,” Beth assured her.

Dawn did like that idea and followed Buffy up to her room.

“Are you serious about this, Buffy?” she asked.

“I don’t really think we have much of a choice, Dawn,” Buffy told her, sitting on her bed. “Do you think we can fight Grandpa and win?”

Dawn winced. “Probably not,” she said.

“Not to mention, I don’t want to fight with him. He’s been so amazing about everything,” she said. “He didn’t totally freak out when he learned about me.”

“That’s true,” Dawn said. “But Montana is so far. And there’s snow. It’s cold!”

“There’s horses, Dawn. You loved every bit of the ranch,” Buffy reminded her.

“Yes, but it wasn’t winter. I don’t know how I’ll handle the cold,” Dawn said.

“Well, it won’t be easy, but you’ll manage,” Buffy said, throwing her arm around her shoulder. “We’re Duttons now. That makes us extra tough.”

Dawn laughed. “Okay, that’s true,” she said. “At least we have cell phones, and I can call everyone now.”

“That’s right,” Buffy replied. “We can speak every day. Willow has a phone and so does Xander. Anya is always at work, so you can call her and Giles there any time.”

“All right,” Dawn said. “Can you call everyone to come over, so I can say goodbye? I’ll pack up stuff.”

“I will. Mom’s big suitcase is in the attic,” Buffy said. “Let me go get it, and then I’ll make the calls. You’re not leaving, though, until tomorrow.”

While they were doing that, John was downstairs talking to his children.

“Are you okay, Dad?” Kayce asked him.

“I am,” John said. “I am very glad that we came here for Thanksgiving, but I don’t know if I’ll ever sleep much again.”

“Sleeps overrated,” Beth said.

“I didn’t even believe in God,” Jamie admitted. “Does this mean we have to believe in God now?”

“I’m not. I just believe in my kick ass niece,” Beth said, sipping her coffee.

“Well, her school is over a hell dimension,” Kayce said. “How can there be a hell and a heaven if there’s no God?”

“I’m sure there is a God,” John said. “Only He would see fit to bring our granddaughters into our lives just after we lost Lee, and they are trying to take our land. Buffy is a fighter, and she may be just what we need to make sure our ranch is never taken from the family.”

Kayce laughed. “You have such a one-tracked mind, Dad,” he told him.

“I just know what is best for the family and preserving our way of life,” John said. “I want you to have the ranch and Tate. But if you don’t want it, they can have it. Hell, it’s a big ranch. You all can have it. Buffy’s decided to go to law school. Jamie can get the power in Montana he wants to protect our ranch, and Buffy can do what he’s always been doing.”

“So you’ve got it all figured out, huh?” Kayce asked, sharing a smile with his brother.

“I do,” John said. “Buffy died for her sister. She killed her lover when she was seventeen to save the world. That’s who she is.  I don’t think anyone of us can say we have it in us to be exactly that selfless. Kayce, would you kill Monica to save the world? I would have let it burn if I had to make a choice like that over your mother.”

“I couldn’t do it,” Kayce said. “I’d die for my siblings or Monica or Tate. I was a solider, but I couldn’t kill someone I loved to close some hell portal. We’d all just die together.”

“Okay, I’m going to have to trade my coffee for booze if we keep talking about this,” Beth said. She admired the hell out of her niece, but she would never understand what drove Buffy. Dawn and Buffy needed another woman in their life, though, so Beth would find a way to be there for them.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” John told her and Kayce.

Buffy and Dawn came down to say goodbye to the pair as they had to catch their flight.

“Be safe, my kick-ass niece,” Beth said, hugging her. “If I were you, I’d shag the vamp while you can ‘cause life is too damn short.”

“Beth!” John scolded while Kayce snickered, and Jamie frowned in disapproval.

“Ignore her,” Jamie said.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Jamie, I plan to,” Buffy said.

“Or you plan on not kissing and telling,” Beth replied with a grin.

“Goodbye, Aunt Beth,” Buffy said, pushing her toward the door (gently).

Dawn was giggling as she hugged her aunt, whispering, “I totally agree,” in her ear.

Beth was looking forward to having the teenager so close to her, which was odd because she rarely liked anyone.

******Yellowstone*******

Rip was putting horses in the corral by the house when he saw the car pull up indicating that the family was home. He decided to go to the house and see how the Thanksgiving went. Of course, he wasn’t fooling himself. Beth was the attraction and had been since he was fifteen. She was the only thing he had ever loved besides his mother and the ranch.

When she got out of the car, he smiled. 

“Hey,” he called out to her.

Beth turned from the front porch. “Hey, yourself,” she said, returning his smile.

He quickly moved to her and pressed himself against her, happy when she didn’t push him away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him. “God, you won’t believe my weekend,” she told him. Then she let him kiss her, so he was prepared to believe anything she had to say.  She had been burning hot and cold on him for so long that anytime she let him in at all, he counted himself very lucky.

Rip followed her inside and accepted the drink she poured for him and watched her down one for herself.

“Was it a good dinner?” he asked.

“My niece Buffy is the most incredible woman that I have ever met,” Beth stated. “And you know me. I don’t like other women ever.”

Rip smiled. “Well, that’s good. She’s your family,” he pointed out.

“No, Rip, I’m not kidding. She’s incredible. A goddamn superhero with actual superpowers,” Beth said.

Rip frowned. “What do you mean?” he said.

“I’m not drunk yet,” Beth said. “You can ask Kayce, Jamie, or even my dad as they all saw the impossible the same as I did. First, we saw Buffy spar with Kayce, and she actually held her own.  Then I found out she’s something called a vampire slayer, and Sunnydale is on a hellmouth—a portal to a hell dimension.”

“You’re shitting me,” Rip said, assuming she was joking.

“You think I could make up something this insane?” Beth said, knocking back her drink.  “I saw a man crawl out of his fucking grave. Kayce stabbed it in the heart with a piece of wood, and it turned to fuckin’ dust!”

“Seriously?” Rip asked, stunned.

“Every goddamn word is true. I don’t like horror movies—you know that,” Beth reminded him. “No fuckin’ way I could make this insane shit up! My niece fights the fuckin’ living dead. And demons. I watched her and her vampire sidekick named Spike kill two demons. I’ve tried to stay drunk since then, but then I got so pissed when she told me that in May she died for Dawn when some insane hellgod tried to sacrifice Dawn.”

“Sacrifice? What do you mean?” Rip asked, his mind struggling to follow the outrageous conversation.

“Human sacrifice is a part of my nieces’ insaneo word, Rip. Hellmouths, vampires, and demons weren’t enough, so they had to throw in human sacrifice,” Beth said, pouring herself another drink. “Buffy figured out that their blood was the same, so she jumped in her place—I forgot to mention that the hellgod trying to sacrifice Dawn had opened up some type of dimension that was going to destroy our world and all other dimensions.  To close the portal that was opened by Dawn’s blood, one of them had to jump into the portal.  Buffy did. She died.”

“God,” Rip said, drinking his drink.

“That’s not the craziest thing,” Beth said, gesturing with her hands and drink.

“There’s more?” Rip asked in disbelief.

“Her best friend Willow is a witch,” Beth shared. “I’m talking real fucking magical powers. Her mentor, Rupert Giles, owns a magic store. Willow and her lover Tara—that was funny Buffy not bothering to tell Dad about the lesbian couple she and Dawn lived with.”

Rip chuckled, picturing the straightlaced rancher’s reaction to the realization.

“Anyway, Willow the witch, who I got to deck before I left,” Beth shared with a smirk, “used her magical powers to raise Buffy from the dead after she had been dead several months. The morons, however, were too stupid to dig up her coffin. Buffy had to dig herself out of her own fucking grave. Can you believe that? They thought she was trapped in a hell dimension, and it never occurred to the four of them that she would wake up in her body in the ground.”

“Unbelievable,” Rip said, stunned.

“The worst thing is she said she was in heaven,” Beth said. “Those dumb fucks pulled her out of a place of peace, not a hell and let her dig herself out of her grave. She was only alive about ten days before she first came here.”

She sat down next to him on the sofa, and he put his arm around her.

“That’s a lot to believe,” he admitted.

“I know it is,” Beth said. She looked up at him. “But I swear that it’s all the truth. I couldn’t begin to make something this insane up. Buffy has superstrength, kick-ass fighting skills, and has died twice already. Hell, once when she was seventeen, she had to kill the man she loved to save the world. That’s the kind of thing she does, Rip. Save the fuckin’ world like a goddamn real-life superhero. How the hell am I related to someone so fucking amazing?”

“Well, I’m not sure what to think about all that,” Rip said after a few minutes. “However, I happen to think you’re pretty damn amazing yourself.”

Beth looked into his eyes for a long time and asked herself why was it that she stayed away from him all the time. He was the only man she had ever loved.

Naturally, she never gave him the words he wanted, but she kissed him, allowing herself to do what she often did when she came home. She got lost in the arms of the man she loved.

*****Several Days Later*****

Dawn could not believe how much her life had changed in such a short time. First, she had to say goodbye to everyone she loved in Sunnydale, including her friends at school in less than twenty-four hours as her grandfather had them leaving Sunday morning as the flight out of LAX was at noon.

Spike promised to come visit her while Tara and Willow promised to come during spring break. Xander said that he and Anya would come next summer.

It was going to be hard, but they promised to video call her at least once a week.

Saying goodbye to Giles was the hardest. He promised to join them for Christmas.  Only the fact that she would see them for finals in a few weeks made saying goodbye easy.  Eventually, Dawn knew that she would be less and less a part of their lives.

The Yellowstone Ranch was all consuming and covered in snow as she had imagined.  The cold took Dawn’s breath away, but she grinned to see the snow.

“I’ve never actually seen snow,” she told her grandfather and Beth.

“Well, you’ll see a lot of it here,” John said with a chuckle.

“You’ll grow to hate it,” Beth said. “I do.”

Dawn couldn’t imagine that, especially when Beth took her Monday afternoon to Bozeman shopping for more clothes than she ever thought she could wear. However, she was much warmer when she arrived back on the ranch wearing a new outfit with the Montana sold coat instead of her flimsy California jacket.

Jamie made it back Monday night, having unenrolled her in having to in person to school and gotten her schoolwork set up for online. He also bought her a top-of-the-line Mac laptop—much to her glee.

“The Wi-Fi here is great as Dad put in a tower,” he explained.

Jamie didn’t waste time as Tuesday he had her signing papers that made her name Dawn Dutton since Buffy never got around to doing it.

When she called Buffy and told her, Buffy decided to go ahead and file her own papers there in California.

It was Thursday before she noticed that Beth and Rip had something going on as she had caught them kissing after dinner on the front porch.

“Oh, my God!” Dawn exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.

Beth pulled away from her lover and glanced up at her niece. “Have you never seen two people kissing before?” she asked her.

“Well, yeah, of course, but I didn’t know you and Rip were a couple,” Dawn said, grinning. “That’s awesome!”

“We’ve been a couple off and on since we were your age,” she revealed.

Beth was sitting in his lap, and Rip rubbed her back. Then he said, “She keeps breaking my heart, and I keep letting her.”

“How come?” Dawn asked.

“I’m a glutton for punishment,” Rip said, smiling at Beth.

“I’m worth it,” Beth said.

“That’s true,” Rip agreed, kissing her cheek.

“Aww!” Dawn exclaimed, shocked to see her aunt in such a girlie way as she was so tough. However, the revelation that she loved the same man basically her entire life was an eye opener. She fled the porch and went inside to call Buffy.

John saw her practically run toward the stairs, however, and stopped her. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked in concern.

“Yes, I just want to go call Buffy and tell her the good gossip,” Dawn said, grinning.

“Well, how about you tell me the good gossip first,” John told her.

“I just saw Beth on the porch making out with Rip,” Dawn said, not hesitating to tell her grandfather, who she assumed knew.

“She’s been toying with him a long time,” John remarked. “He deserves better. He’s a good man.”

“Why aren’t they married with kids by now?” Dawn wondered.

“The only thing Rip loves besides my daughter is this ranch. Next to me, no one loves the Yellowstone more than Rip. When he was a teenage, his stepfather murdered his mom and his brother. I found him in one of the stalls covered in blood as he had to kill his stepfather in self-defense. He was a bit younger than or close to your age when I hired him as a farmhand, and now he has taken your father’s place as my foreman,” John said. “He will never leave this place as he needs it to breathe, but Beth hates the ranch that killed her mother.”

“Wow,” Dawn said, feeling incredibly sad. “That’s so sad.”

John nodded. “But it has a happy ending,” John assured her. “Beth has never loved any man but Rip.”

“How do you know that?” Dawn asked.

“Because she’s never brought a man home to meet me,” John said. “That’s how I know. It’s only ever been Rip as she’s every bit as loyal as he is. She as mean as a rattlesnake—make no mistake, Dawn. Beth is a complicated woman, but she has succeeded in a man’s world in her career. Between her and your sister, you couldn’t ask for better female role models. They will teach you how to be strong.”

Dawn smiled. “I’m surprised that you are sharing so much with me, Grandpa,” she said.

“I want you to know your family, Dawn,” he said. “We’ve missed a lot of years with you, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be close now.”

Dawn hugged her grandfather. “I love you, Grandpa,” she told him.

John felt joy at her words and returned the sentiment. “I love you, too. You’ve made this old man very happy. I hope you’ll be happy here,” he said.

“I already am,” she assured him.  Then she said goodnight and went upstairs to call her sister.

There was no way she could keep all the good gossip to herself!

*****Chapter End******

If you don’t watch Yellowstone, now you know more about Rip Wheeler, who is the one who does all the killing for John on the show and throws the bodies in a canyon on the border of Montana and Wyoming. John takes advantage of his loyalty because the broken and abused teenage boy was lost, and John taught him how to be a man. He loves John and is loyal to him utterly as you can imagine he would be after all that and twenty years or so have gone by.

Chapter Text

*****A Few Weeks Later*****

John had made one son happy and comforted another as he had decided to allow Jamie to run for Attorney General and welcomed Kayce home. His crazy idea to make Beth run for state assembly was abandoned as he knew that she would never control her mouth to make it in politics. The girl was too full of piss and vinegar.

Dawn took the news with her normal inquisitive nature. “So Kayce is moving here? Will he stay in the house with us?” she asked. She had gone home the Friday before to take her final exams. Like he said, her grandfather had her on a flight back that night. Dawn was glad, though, she got to see her friends and eat lunch with them at least.  She showed off the many photos on her phone of the ranch. She had an early dinner with her sister and their friends.

“No, he’ll stay in the foreman house,” John said.

“Isn’t that Rip’s house now?” she asked.

“It has been because he has been acting foreman since your father died,” John said.

“So you’re just kicking him out and making Rip move where?” she asked.

“In the bunk house with the other ranch hands,” John said.

She frowned. “That’s really sucky of you, Grandpa,” she told him. “He’s been loyal to you most of his life, and you trust him.”

“Of course, I do, but Kayce is the one I want running this ranch after I die,” he said.

“Well, then, why would that not make Rip foreman? Kayce’s the boss-boss like you, and he will still need a foreman,” she pointed out. “You’re just making Rip resent his future boss by pulling this stunt. You can build Kayce his own house, can’t you? Wouldn’t that be better? He can stay here while you get it built.”

John looked at his youngest granddaughter in consternation. She did bring up a valid point. “Building a house costs a lot of money,” he said. “We’re mostly cash poor.”

“Isn’t he a veteran? Can’t he get a veteran’s loan? Then it’s his home, not just you paying for it,” she said. “It will mean more to him.”

John stared at her as he considered her words and nodded. “You bring up some valid points,” he acknowledged.  “I will talk to him and Jamie.”

“Why Jamie?” Dawn asked.

John grinned as her questions kept coming. “You just don’t stop, do you?” he asked.

“Nope,” she said, grinning.  “Buffy says it’s my most annoying trait.”

John laughed. “Being tenacious is how you become successful in this world, so I don’t mind,” he said. “Jamie is our attorney and can help navigate details of any type of loan.”

“That makes sense,” Dawn acknowledged.

“So do I finally meet with your approval?” John asked in amusement.

“Yep,” she said, giving him a cheeky grin.

He got up to hug her, pleased like he always was with her. Dawn was whip smart like his daughter, but she was a whole lot more pleasant to be around. Her presence in his household made waking up a joy instead of a chore.

“After I talk to Jamie, do you want to help me do some Christmas shopping?” he asked.

“What about putting up a tree?” she asked.

“I have a lot of decorations in the attic,” he said. “I’ll have someone bring it down.”

“We should ask Kayce to come with us,” she said.  “I’ll call him.”

She did exactly that. Since he had nothing else really to do, he agreed.

Dawn didn’t waste any time telling him about her and John’s discussion.

Kayce gave the plan some consideration. A home of his very home that he paid for would be something to be proud of.  “I could help build it,” he said.

“I’m sure a few of the guys could help for a bit of extra money,” John said. “Of course, we would need to high a contractor to oversee it and bring in his own guys. Ours would just help get it done.”

“We’ll have to wait until the snow melts,” Kayce said.

“We could rent you an RV if you want privacy,” John suggested. “Then you could have your own space away from here when Tate and Monica come.”

“Now that is a good idea,” Kayce said.

“Let’s go look at RV’s,” Dawn suggested. “Then you can pick out where you want your place.”

Kayce liked that idea. “A spot by the creek would be nice,” he said. “Tate loves to fish.”

“That’s true,” John said, thrilled at the idea of his son and grandson living on his land.  He tried to contain his excitement.

“We could probably get the septic and well put in as long as it stays in the 20’s,” Kayce suggested.

“It’s harder to dig, but it’s not impossible with the right equipment,” John said. “Bob Seeright, who owns the closest ranch near us, owns a backhoe. I’m sure we can borrow it from him.”

The trio was excited that things were coming together the more they talked. John called Jamie to get started with the V.A. application for Kayce.

“I’m going to have him put him down as you work at the ranch,” John said.

“I guess that will be okay,” Kayce said. “It’s not like I have anything better unless I go back to the Seals.”

“Navy Seals?” Dawn asked, her eyes lighting up. “That would be exciting but dangerous. I bet Monica and Tate won’t like that.”

“No, they won’t,” Kayce agreed. “Working here would be better.”

“Well, I’m thinking of retiring by next summer from my day job as commissioner,” John said. “I would really like to have you put in as my replacement. I know I can get the other guys to support my veteran son.”

“I’m no cop,” Kayce said.

“Neither am I,” John said. “Not really. But it’s important that we have control over what happens in this state. It’s why Jamie is running for attorney general.”

“You want to control everything and everyone,” Kayce said with an edge of bitterness.

“It’s necessary, son,” John said. “They are always trying to take our land. Right now, I have Chief Rainwater conspiring with that Paradise Development man buying land around us. They tried to take our water.”

“But you stopped that,” Dawn said, grinning. “It was very Slytherin of you.”

“I’m not sure what that means, but I had to do it, or our cattle would die,” John said.

“Slytherin is the house in Harry Potter that is clever and sneaky with the potential to be diabolical,” she explained.

John looked at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?” he asked.

Kayce laughed. “She’s referring to a popular fantasy book for kids. I watched one of the movies with Tate,” he said.

“There’s like seven books in the series,” Dawn said. “The movies are pretty good, but the books are better.”

“They always are,” John said. “Except, of course, Dancing with Wolves. That was an excellent rendition.”

The trio discussed movies and books as they drove to Bozeman, and John could not remember a time when he and Kayce managed to just be around each other without any tension.  It was a nice gift Dawn had given him, and she didn’t even know it.

*****Two Days Later*****

Kayce could not believe how fast things moved.  His application was in with the V.A., so he was waiting for approval on his loan. It would be two to ten days as the V.A. was unpredictable when it came to anything.  He resisted sharing his plans with Monica until the loan came through.  However, he did get a RV picked out, and his father went to work arranging for the backhoe and experts in finding where the well should go. His dad would pay for that until the loan came in.

Kayce would pay him back as he wanted to say to his wife with all honesty. “This is our home, and I provided it.”  It was important to him, and he knew it would make a difference with his complicated wife.

Dawn picked out the Christmas tree, and Kayce picked up his son to help decorate that night when Jamie and Beth were home.

For John, it was one of many great memories his granddaughters were responsible for. Beth had Buffy on video, so she could micromanage from California, insisting they were doing it wrong. A lot of laughter was heard that night.

Beth snuck away to see Rip, telling him about the night.

“Your niece is a special girl,” Rip said, pouring her a drink. “John told me that he had been considering making me move to the bunk house and give this place to Kayce, but Dawn pointed out how humiliating that might be for me. Then she gave him the idea of having Kayce build a home of his own on the land.”

“She is a sneaking one,” Beth said, smiling proudly.

Rip laughed. “I see that makes you proud,” he remarked.

“So proud,” she agreed. “Dawn is like a nicer version of me, and I know she will be more like Dad, getting people to like her and bend them to her will.”

“Contrasting with the fear you inspire,” Rip said, grinning.

“Yes. Buffy is the most like me,” Beth said, looking smug.

Rip pulled her close, happy to see her smiling. The girls had done much to still the restless inside her, and she wasn’t pushing him away like she normally would.

The girl in question showed up three days later. It was December twenty-second, and Giles would arrive on the twenty-fourth as he was spending three days with them. Buffy was going to stay until after the New Year as her college class had started, but it was out a full week for the holidays. It would finish up before the Spring term began right before MLK Day.

Buffy was excited to see all the snow and spent a great deal of time staring out the window.

Her Aunt Beth took her shopping for winter clothes to wear in Montana. Of course, she would leave them there as California was never more than chilly.

When Giles arrived, he was impressed with the beauty of the ranch in December. The house was decorated with Christmas lights as Dawn cajoled Rip and Kayce to put up lights everywhere. Tate was thrilled as it was his first time seeing such over-the-top decorations. There was also a blow-up Santa and reindeer that lit up in the front yard. The presence of his cousin made Tate even more excited about the holidays.

They were going to have Tate over for Christmas Eve, and Monica would join them in the morning around nine to open gifts with Tate and the girls.  A holiday brunch would be prepared, and then she would take Tate to her family to celebrate.

For the first time in many years, John was looking forward to the holidays. For once, they did not disappoint.

“Let’s go sledding,” Buffy suggested while they were waiting for Gator to finish dinner. “We have all this snow, and I have never been.”

“I think we have an old sled in the back of the barn somewhere,” John said.

The girls went and dragged it out, and Kayce showed them how it worked.  He went down the best incline they could find without too many trees to hit. Tate went with him, screaming with glee the entire time.

Buffy and Dawn went down next. Then Giles gave it a try.

“I’ve not done this since I was Dawn’s age,” he said, feeling the rush of adrenaline.

They played in the snow with the sled for over an hour, and then Gator rang the dinner bell.

The girls were half frozen, but it was a fun time.

“Why haven’t we done that before, Dad?” Tate asked.

“It just never occurred to me,” Kayce said with a shrug.

“Mom is missing out,” Tate remarked.

“She is just getting over a head injury. This kind of thing isn’t a good idea,” Kayce said.

“Why not?” Tate asked.

“Sledding can be dangerous,” Kayce told his son.

“How?” he asked.

“People often hit trees or a rock and go airborne,” Kayce said.

“That sounds fun!” the boy said, grinning.

“Not if you’re recovering from a head injury,” his father replied.

“Oh,” he conceded.

The next morning was festive. They exchanged gifts with a lot of laughter and good cheer. Monica showed up at nine, the agreed upon time. Of course, Tate was up at seven. His mother’s arms were full of gifts as she came into the house. Then she sent Tate to bring in a few more.  The thrilled young boy ran to do her bidding. Dawn smiled at the mother, introducing herself before going to help. This was actually Monica’s first time to meet the two sisters.

They spent half an hour opening and exchanging gifts. Beth got her nieces expensive and stylish boots that they loved. She was touched by their gift to her—a heart shaped gold locket with their pictures in it.

“The chain should not turn your neck green,” Dawn said, making her aunt laugh.

Predictably, Giles bought everyone books.  The girls received two different books about Montana while John a popular western book. Beth was given a book about finance that she might actually read while Tate got one for children. Kayce was given a book about horses, Jamie law, and Monica a history book about the various Native American tribes in Montana and the Dakotas.

Monica was surprised that a man she never met would find a book that she hadn’t read.

“This is an old book with a small publication,” Giles said. “I have a rare book connection that helps me find books.”

“Anya and Willow showed him the internet,” Buffy said, grinning.

John, of course, had to steal the day by telling Tate and Dawn to go outside for their gifts.

The two grandkids flew outside where Rip and Kayce were standing with two matching jeeps.  One, however, was a miniature version of the bigger one.

“You bought me a car?” Dawn shrieked in surprise. “I don’t even have a license.”

“Well, you will in the upcoming year, and you can drive this one the ranch. It’s made for that kind of driving.”

Dawn and Buffy went over to the blue jeep.  “I can’t believe this,” Dawn said to her sister, who had mixed feelings about the premature vehicle.

“I got a car, too?” Tate asked, going toward the one his dad was standing next to.

“It’s an electric vehicle for you to drive around the ranch area,” John said.

“It has a battery that stays charged for 20 miles,” his father explained.

“Thank you, so much, Grandpa!” Dawn exclaimed, looking at it.

“Yes, thanks, Grandpa,” Tate echoed, hugging him.

John pulled out an envelope. “Buffy, I got you a weekend at spa hotel in Santa Barbara for you and your friends during your spring break,” John said, handing it to her.

“I helped him find a good place,” Beth said as Buffy looked at the five passes.

“This is amazing, Grandpa. I’ve never actually been to a spa,” Buffy admitted.  “Thank you.”

John accepted her hug, happy that she was pleased with his gift.

Monica smiled at her son’s enthusiasm even as she resented the expensive gift. He was making the ranch even more attractive for her son.

At brunch, Kayce finally shared his idea with his wife, deciding that he couldn’t wait for the official approval letter. Jamie said that shouldn’t be a reason he would be rejected.

“That’s a lot to take in,” she admitted.

“We’re going to live here?” Tate asked excitedly.

“I hope so, son,” Kayce said, looking at his wife.

Monica did like the idea of building a home of their own. She just hated the idea of living on the ranch.

“So what do you do?” Giles asked Monica.

“I am a teacher at the reservation,” she said.

“She’s the best!” Tate said, smiling at his mother.

“That’s wonderful,” Giles said. “I have found working with young people to be very rewarding myself.”

“Giles teaches us dead languages and folklore,” Dawn explained.

“How can a language be dead?” Tate asked. “And what’s folklore.”

“A language is dead when it is not spoken but read in old books,” Dawn answered.

“Folklore is what you call ancient stories,” Giles told him.

“That sounds cool. I like stories,” Tate said.

Kayce pulled his wife outside onto the porch.

“I am sorry for not talking to you alone first, but I was excited to tell you about it. I’m staying on the sight I picked out with an RV that I rented,” Kayce told her.

“It’s a lot to take in,” she admitted.

“I know that you don’t like the idea of living so close to Dad, but my nieces are here. Buffy will be here more in the summer, and then she hopes to transfer schools to the local college,” he said.

“Tate does adore Dawn,” Monica admitted.

“She’s great with him,” he said. “Buffy’s been teaching us Tai Chi. We would love to have you join us and learn.”

“Buffy is dangerous,” Monica said. Kayce, of course, had told his wife all about the hellmouth and his niece.

Kayce nodded. “So am I, but Buffy was dealt a shit hand. She needs family around her,” he said. “Lee would want us to do that.”

Monica’s eyes flashed at the mention of the man who led to her own brother’s death, but she refrained from commenting.

“When will you find out about the loan?” she asked instead.

“Jamie said sometimes in January,” he said. “But they never refuse veterans.”

“You aren’t employed,” she pointed out.

“Jamie put that I was working at the ranch,” he said.

“So that’s what you want to do? Work for your dad after everything?” she asked.

“He’s not a monster, Monica,” Kayce said. “It’s a big ranch—my heritage. Will you stay the night at the RV?”

She didn’t want to rehash old arguments, so she agreed to see where he wanted to build the house.

Kayce was happy, and they went back inside.

“Mom, Dawn says we can go sledding again today!” Tate told her excitedly.

“Let’s warm up some muscles first,” Kayce said. “How about Buffy lead us in some Tai Chi?”

“That’s a great idea!” Tate said. He looked at his cousin, who smiled.

“Sure,” Buffy said. They all left the dining room. The mess from the gifts was cleaned up and gifts were taken to rooms to clear space.

Beth sat on Rip’s laugh in the chair to watch while Giles sat on the sofa with John. This time Jamie decided to learn as Dawn was joining them.

“Do you do that?” John asked, gesturing to the Tai Chi movements.

“Oh, no. I taught Buffy some fighting forms, but that one was Angel’s thing,” Giles said.

“The ex-vampire boyfriend?” John said.

Giles nodded. “Yes,” he said.

Beth snickered at Jamie’s awkward movements. “He’s pathetic,” she said.  “The kids are making you look bad, Jamie.”

“Be nice,” John admonished her.

“That was me being nice,” Beth said, grinning.

Rip found the display intriguing. “She should teach the guys. They would enjoy this,” he said.

“I was thinking the same thing,” John said.

Buffy spent half an hour showing the movements, and she was surprised at how much she enjoyed teaching and sharing this with her family.

Then they went sledding for two hours, and even their grandfather took a turn this time. Rip convinced Beth to also while Dawn recorded it all.

It was a great day.

John hoped it would be the beginning of many wonderful holidays. For the first time in a long time, he looked forward to what the new year would bring.

******Chapter End*****

I hoped you enjoyed the update. Don’t worry, this story will get into events of Season 2 of Yellowstone, but it’s not there yet in the timeline. Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Chapter Text

******New Year’s Eve*****

John decided to do something he had not done since his wife was alive. He threw a New Year’s Eve party, so that all the ranchers and his friends could meet Dawn and Buffy. Buffy had to return to Sunnydale on January second, so she helped Beth plan the party.

Of course, Beth made time to take her nieces shopping for a New Year’s Eve party dress.  Buffy decided to get her hair cut.

“Dad will freak,” Beth said, grinning. “I’ll take you to a place in town that does good work.”

“Can I get some highlights?” Dawn asked, knowing her aunt wouldn’t say no.

“If you want to start adding chemicals to your gorgeous hair, sure,” Beth said with a shrug. “It’s your hair.”

Naturally, her comment made Dawn reconsider highlights.

Grinning, Buffy decided to cut it to slightly above her shoulders. New year, new hair style, new goals, and soon a whole new life! She was very excited.

Her grandfather did frown when he saw her, but he said, “You look lovely, Buffy.”

Then he looked at Dawn. “What did you do to yours?” he asked.

“Oh, I just got a blowout and deep conditioner treatment. I was going to get some highlights but decided not to,” she said.

“You both are very beautiful. Buffy’s going to have to fight off all the ranchers, who will be lining up their sons to meet her,” John warned with a smile.

“Seriously?” Buffy asked. Then she gave him a considering look. “Please tell me that wasn’t your plan in having a party!”

John chuckled. “No, of course not. It’s just a nice side effect,” he said.

Dawn laughed at the disgruntled look on her sister’s face.

When the party began, however, Buffy decided not to worry about that.

Her dad had one of his hands named Walker provide the music. Buffy was surprised how good the man was. When he took a break, she went up and introduced himself.

“Do you know who your grandfather really is?” he asked, a note of bitterness in his voice.

Buffy frowned, looking confused. “What do you mean? He’s a rancher and the stock commissioner,” she said.

“He’s one step from being the head of a criminal enterprise,” Walker said.  “Why don’t you ask him about his tradition of branding his own men like we’re cattle?”

“What?” Buffy asked, stunned. “That’s barbaric.”

“It is,” Walker said.

Rip saw him talking to Buffy and knew that Walker would have nothing good to say. He moved to break up their conversation.

“Good singing, Walker,” he said, giving his ranch hand an easy smile.

“Thanks,” Walker said. “I’m going to go get a drink.”

“What did he say to you?” Rip asked. “I can see you’re a bit upset.”

“He said that Grandpa was the head of a criminal enterprise and that he branded his men like cattle,” Buffy said.

“That’s bullshit,” he said. “Walker is a felon, who resents that he has little options. I took a chance on him because I thought he would appreciate having a home and being a part of something. It’s clear that he is unhappy.”

“So you all don’t do illegal things?” she asked.

“The only thing we do is keep the ranch and the cattle safe,” Rip said. “Do we cross lines sometimes? I wouldn’t say. We protect our own. What all that means, you can ask your grandfather.”

Buffy wasn’t satisfied with his answer and knew she would have to ask her grandpa about the rancher’s comments.  However, she didn’t think the party was the best time.

Distracted, she didn’t notice when she was standing next to a man with long dark hair pulled back into a two long braids. He was extremely tall—at least compared to her.

“Hello,” she said.

He nodded to her.

“I’m Buffy,” she said, holding out her hand.

The man was surprised as rarely did white women go out of their way to speak to him.

“I’m Mo Plenty,” he said.

She smiled. “I bet you understand exactly how it feels to get digs about your name. People always make comments on mine,” she said.

He shrugged. “Buffy is a fine name,” he said.

She flashed him a beaming smile. “I like yours, too. It’s unique,” she told him.

“Most people just call me Mo,” he said.

Another man came up to them, and Buffy saw he was in a designer suit.  She was surprised that her dad would invite Indians to his party since he was always fighting with them.

“I can’t believe Mo is engaging in conversation with someone,” the man said. “You must have an extraordinary gift to get him to talk to you.”

Buffy laughed. “I’m Buffy. Buffy Dutton,” she said, holding out his hand to her.  It was the first time she introduced herself with her new name as it had been her grandfather who had done so earlier in the evening.

The man looked surprised to hear her name. “Dutton? I thought I knew all the Duttons. I am Chief Thomas Rainwater,” he said.

“Really? A real Indian Chief? That’s amazing! I’ve never met one of those,” she said. She didn’t count the reanimated one that tried to kill her freshman year of college.

“I am Chief of Broken Rock Reservation,” he said. “Just recently elected.”

“Oh, I didn’t know chiefs were elected,” she admitted. “I thought it was like a kingship thing. Your father was one, so you get to be one. That kind of thing.”

“That was the last century way of doing things. I take it there aren’t many Indians where you are from,” he said, smiling.

She shook her head. “Nope. I’m from Southern California,” she admitted. “I am sure there are some, but not enough in my town for me to know any personally.”

“How are you related to John?” Rainwater asked.

The man in question joined them and answered the question. “I see you have met my granddaughter Buffy,” he said, holding out his hand to Thomas. “Glad you could make it.”

“I was so surprised to get the invitation that I just had to come,” Rainwater said.

“I wanted Buffy to meet all the important people in my life,” John said. “As Chief of her aunt’s tribe, I thought you should meet.”

“Don’t you mean as the thorn in your side?” Rainwater said with a smile.

John laughed, nodding his head. “That, too,” he said.

“So where have you been hiding her?” Rainwater asked.

John gestured to Dawn to join them. “This is Dawn, Buffy’s sister and my other granddaughter,” John introduced. “We discovered at the reading of Lee’s will that he had two daughters in California.”

“Really?” Rainwater asked. “That’s both good and bad. It’s good that you are reunited with them now, though.”

“Yes, that’s exactly how I feel,” he said. “Their mother died last spring, so Dawn is now living here full time.”

“I’m taking some classes back home in Sunnydale and then will be here in the summer,” Buffy explained.

“I am sorry for your loss. What are you studying?” Rainwater asked. There was something about her. She seemed very normal, but he had a feeling that she was holding back something.

“I am just a sophomore, but I am thinking of going into law,” Buffy said.

“Now that Jamie is running for public office, we need a family lawyer,” John said, smiling proudly.

“So you think Jamie has a chance to win the office of attorney general?” Rainwater asked.

“He has the governor’s support, so, yes, I do,” John said. “I will understand, though, if you don’t vote for him.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Dawn asked.  “Jamie’s nephew is from his tribe. All the fighting about land seems silly when one day, Tate will own it all, and it will be back in Indian hands.”

Rainwater laughed, enjoying the teenager’s logic. “I suppose you have a point, young lady,” he said.

“The thing is, Dawn, the tribe shares everything,” John said. “They don’t really believe that one person should have that much land to themselves.”

“It belongs to the people,” Mo said, speaking for the first time.

“That’s not how things work in America,” Dawn said. “People buy land all the time, and they leave it as an inheritance for their children.”

“That’s how white people do it,” Rainwater said.

Dawn scoffed. “Have you ever read the Bible? Jewish people were doing that a long time ago, too, and most wouldn’t consider them white,” she said.

“Since when do you read the Bible?” Buffy asked, surprised by her comment.

“Oh, I’ve been learning Greek and Hebrew ‘cause no schools have the dead languages that Giles was teaching me,” Dawn explained.

“That’s impressive,” Rainwater said. “How old are you?”

“Fifteen,” Dawn said.

“She’s a big ole nerd,” Buffy teased.

“Better to be a nerd than a danger magnet like you,” Dawn said.

“Says the girl who is prone to getting kidnapped,” Buffy replied.

“That just happened the one time!” Dawn insisted.

“Once was enough,” Buffy said with a smirk.

“Okay, ladies, you need to stop,” John said.

Rainwater laughed. “I can tell they’re sisters,” he said.

“Buffy, I was telling Governor Perry about your Tai Chi,” John told her. “She asked me if you would do a demonstration.”

“I’m not overly familiar with Tai Chi,” Rainwater said. “It’s a type of martial art, right?”

“Yes, it’s an ancient Chinese martial art,” Buffy said. “I don’t use it for that, though. It’s also a low impact form of exercise.”

“Giles once told me that Tai Chi is a moving meditation that creates harmony between the mind and body,” Dawn explained.

“That’s a good way of saying it since I use it for meditation,” Buffy said.

“You know Native Americans often use mediation in our ceremonies,” Rainwater said.

“Cool,” Buffy said. “Maybe Mo can learn how to do it, too.”

“I will watch you closely,” Mo told her.

Buffy looked down at her dress, wondering if she should change. It wasn’t particularly slutty—conservative really. It was red and slinky but didn’t have a low neckline. She decided her four-inch heels could be kicked off and put them in front of the fireplace while her grandfather got everyone’s attention.

“I appreciate all of you coming to my little get together,” John said, causing everyone to laugh as over fifty people were crammed into his house and patio with heaters.  “It has been a great and tragic year for my family. We lost Lee, but we gained his daughters, Buffy and Dawn. Dawn is brilliant—on her way to being a real linguist at the age of fifteen. Buffy, on the other hand, has a different skill set. She is a deadly fighter, and she knows Tai Chi, an ancient form of Chinese martial art. However, she doesn’t use Tai Chi for fighting, but it is used as a warmup exercise, a meditation of sorts. I thought you might enjoy a demonstration.”

Buffy wasn’t used to so many eyes on her, and she felt nervous, which wasn’t normal for her. However, she pulled on her California, sunny façade and smiled.

“I’m not exactly dressed for martial art, but Tai Chi isn’t physically demanding,” she told them. “Any of you could do it.”  She began to move and show them, and murmuring could be heard.  The movements caused her to relax as she did the repetitive movements. Her demonstration went on for several minutes.

“If you were fighting, of course, you would speed up the moments.” She did so, causing some clapping to break out.

Then she slowed it back down. “Does anyone want to try it?” she asked.

Governor Perry stepped forward, so Mo Plenty decided to also. The governor kicked off her heels like Buffy did as she joined her.

“Great,” Buffy said, smiling brightly at them. “Get on each side of me.”  They did so, and she went through the movements slowly.

The governor was delighted while Mo was very intrigued as he worked hard to memorize her movements.

Rainwater watched, fascinated. This girl was special, he knew, and eyed her in speculation.

John beamed in pride as his granddaughter made a deep impression.

If they only knew the predator who was in the room, they would not smile in enjoyment at her movements.

He noticed that Rainwater looked at her in speculation.

John smiled.

He had no idea and would never believe it unless he saw just how dangerous his granddaughter was.

They would never see her coming.

*****Chapter End*****

Chapter Text

*****Sunnydale*****

Buffy was too busy to miss anyone as after she returned back to the hellmouth. Her intense accelerated course that Willow helped her pick was so much work. Fitting a sixteen-week course into four weeks required more devotion to her studies than she had ever managed before.

When the regular semester started after MLK Day, she became a full-time student once more. Willow walked her to her first class.

“So what do I declare for my major?” Buffy asked. “I had liked psychology until Dr. Walsh ruined it for me.”

“Well, many pre-law students major in English due to how good at writing lawyers have to be. They write a lot of briefs,” she told Buffy. “Or criminal justice. History majors do a lot of reading, too.”

“Hmmm. English, history, or criminal justice?  I feel like being the slayer, I dream history. That would probably be easy. I’m not planning on being a prosecutor, so I’m not sure criminal justice would be that worthwhile,” Buffy said.

Tara waved at them as she appeared in their line of sight.  “Good morning!” she said.

“She got an early start,” Buffy observed.

“Tara has an eight o’clock class on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays,” Willow said. “If I go five days a week, I don’t see a reason to start so early.”

“Did Willow tell you that she’s going to try to finish by the summer, so we both will be finished?” Tara asked.

“Tara is a year ahead of me.  She was just going to take five years to graduate, but we both are taking a full load of classes this semester like you. We’ll graduate in August,” Willow said.

“I have to student teach in the fall, so technically, I won’t graduate until December,” Tara said.

“I tested out of twelve credits before my freshman year, so I was a bit ahead anyway,” Willow explained.

“Cool!” Buffy said. “What grade do you think you’ll do?”

“Elementary,” Tara said.

That evening, they were finishing up homework at the Magic Box before going on a patrol. A surprised guest showed up, making them forget their homework.

Faith walked in the door. She looked nervous but smiled. “Hey,” she said.

“Faith! What are you doing here? When did you get out? How did you get out?” Buffy asked, standing.

Willow felt tense. Did she want her here?

“Your grandpa didn’t tell you?” Faith asked.

“Tell me what?” Buffy asked.

“He’s the reason I’m here. I thought he would have let you know, so I didn’t call,” Faith said. “Sorry.”

“What did he do?” Buffy asked.

*****Flashback*****

After the first of January, Jamie had arranged for John to visit the current slayer, Faith Lehane, in prison in California. The governor had an appointment to speak to California’s governor about commuting Faith’s sentence a few days from now.  John wanted to check her out before that happened.

Jamie told them they were her new attorneys in order to get a private meeting with her.

Faith looked confused when she came into the room.

Jamie noted that the girl was very beautiful. Was that a requirement for being a slayer? He could see how it might make the slayers more likely to draw vampires to them.  The implication was disturbing to him. What powers decided such things?  One day they were normal young girls, and the next they were chosen to fight might monsters. It seemed very wrong.

John, though, noticed that the girl looked wary and suspicious. He approved of her instincts as she should be both of those things.

“Who the hell are you?” she asked. “Angel didn’t tell me that I was getting new lawyers.”

“I am Jamie Dutton, a lawyer, but more importantly, Buffy’s uncle,” Jamie introduced. “This is my dad, John Dutton.”

Faith’s eyes opened in surprise as she sat across from them. “It’s great to meet you. Buffy told me about what she found out about her real dad. I am really happy for her. Losing her mom was tough. Mrs. Summers was a very nice lady,” she said.

“I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting her, but Buffy has told us about her,” Jamie said. “We’re here to talk to you about your willingness to return to Sunnydale and take over as slayer there if you are released.”

“Of course,” Faith said. “I really screwed up, and if I can make things right, I wanna.”

“That’s good to hear,” Jamie said. “The governor of our state is willing to ask the governor of California if he will commute your sentence.”

“How will that happen? Is he going to find out about what I do? Or what I am?” Faith asked.

“He will be told you have certain gifts needed for national security,” Jamie explained.

John finally spoke. “I love my granddaughters. Finding out about them and getting to know them has been the greatest thing to happen to me and my family in a long time.  I want this to work out,” he told her.  “But if you can’t do what you are meant to do—if you become a problem, I will see you put down like a rabid dog.  Another slayer will be called. No one and nothing will harm my family and live. If you are going to cause harm by failing to do your job, I will make sure someone else is brought in. Do I make myself clear?”

Faith nodded. “I understand. I can do it,” she assured him.  His cold delivery of a death threat shook her like nothing had in a very long time.

****End of Flashback*****

Faith had looked into John Dutton’s eyes and saw a killer. One that saw killing as just a matter of living. He wasn’t a sociopath or psycho, but he was from a different age. He wouldn’t hesitate to do what needed to be done. He would have her killed if she wasn’t going to do her job. It had rattled her for a moment, but at the same time, she felt relieved.

This man would be able to handle having a demon magnet for a granddaughter.

“Your grandpa told me that if I would do what I was called to do, he would get me released. I told him I would, and he did it. Somehow, he got the governor of California to commute my sentence,” Faith told everyone.

“He has a relationship with the governor of Montana. She knows the governor of California,” Buffy explained. “I taught her how to do Tai Chi. She’s pretty cool.”

“I hope you don’t plan on trying to kill any of us or join the bad guys again,” Willow said as she packed up her things.

“Willow, that was uncalled for,” Giles said, frowning at her.  He walked toward Faith. “It is good to see you, Faith.”

Faith smirked at Willow as she shook Giles’ hand. It looked like mousy red had gotten her big girl pants finally.

“Welcome, Faith,” Tara said, smiling warmly at her.

“Tara, right?” Faith asked.

Tara nodded. “Yes. I am glad that you are here,” she said.

“Me, too,” Buffy said. “Let’s spar and see how rusty you are.”

The slayers went to the back room, and Faith enjoyed getting to go full-out with her sister slayer. Buffy was on a different fighting level it seemed and knocked Faith on her ass after some intense sparring.

“A bit rusty,” Buffy said, grinning as she held out her hand to pull Faith up.

“Some,” Faith agreed, getting to her feet. “But you are definitely better than you were three years ago.”

Buffy smiled. “I’ve had more practice,” she admitted.

“Yes, it seems that slayers get better with age,” Giles said. “It is good that Buffy will be here until the middle of August. You will get to sharpen your skills.”

Of course, it also relieved her friends that Buffy would be around while they got used to having Faith on the team.

Faith was the one who noticed that Willow was abusing her magic.  After a month of being back, she pulled Tara aside and asked her about it.

Tara had noticed and was more and more concerned about it.

“I-I know,” Tara said. “Magic is becoming very easy for her, and she is using it to make her life easier, which is not what it’s for.”

“I think it’s very cool—don’t get me wrong,” Faith said. “It’s just a bit startling to see how much she’s changed in just a few years.”

Tara knew it wasn’t cool. It was dangerous, and the dark energies from the hellmouth wouldn’t make things any better.

She and Willow had words about it. Willow didn’t see her point at all, so she spoke to Giles at the beginning of March about it.

Faith had just caught the three peeping toms and beat them up pretty badly, causing Jonathan to cry and Andrew to swear he would leave the darkside forever.

She didn’t know that Warren left, vowing vengeance.

Giles reached out to the coven he knew in England, and he planned an intervention.

Buffy wasn’t sure about the wisdom of doing it, and Xander never thought Willow could do any wrong. However, Anya knew what a slippery slope the magics caused as they led her to become a vengeance demon.

“Willow, I know you had planned on going with Buffy to Montana for spring break, but I think you should go with me to the UK instead,” Giles said to her. Tara, Faith, and Buffy were there while Anya worked the register.  Xander didn’t want to be included, so Giles didn’t wait for him.

“The UK? That would be amazing. We could go to Montana in the summer the week before summer school starts,” Willow said as she looked at Tara, who nodded and smiled.

“You bought the insurance on our Montana tickets, so we can easily change the dates,” Tara pointed out.

“What would we do in the UK?” Willow asked.

“You would spend some time with the coven I know there after I show you some sites, of course,” Giles said.

“You know an entire coven? Why haven’t I met them before?” Willow asked.

“Yes, well, they helped me a lot after my period playing around with dark magic,” Giles said. “The spell you did to resurrect Buffy was a dark spell. With living on the hellmouth all your life, I worry that you’ve not learned enough about staying away from dark magic.”

Willow frowned, trying to figure out if she should be insulted or not.

“I think it’s awesome how bad-ass you’ve become,” Faith interjected.

“But it’s good to learn magic from an entire coven,” Tara added, seeing the struggle on Willow’s face.

“Can you come, too?” Willow asked Tara.

“I don’t really have the money for a trip there,” Tara said. Willow rarely spent all the money her parents had given her over the years, so she had a lot saved up.

“I can pay for your ticket,” Buffy offered. “I’m loaded now, remember?”

“I can’t ask you to waste money on me like that,” Tara said.

“It’s not a waste. You guys took care of Dawn for months. I owe you,” Buffy said. "I have the five passes to the spa Grandpa got me. We can go this weekend, so you both can join me. Faith can watch over the town while Anya and Xander go too.”

“Happy to do so,” Faith said.

“That sounds really nice, Buffy,” Willow said. “Thanks.”

“If you’re sure?” Tara asked.

“Of course. I’ll get the tickets for you and Giles,” she said.

“I will have the council re-imburse you,” Giles said.

“If you can get money out of those cheapskates, that’s great. If not, no worries,” Buffy said. It was nice that she could do something little for the people that spent so much time and energy helping her. They had no idea the debt she felt she owed them. Sure, Willow pulled her out of heaven, but if she had been in a hellscape, it was nice to know the lengths Willow would go to save her. No one could have a better friend than Willow.

Giles was pleased that speaking to Willow in a casual manner did not result in a fight. Hopefully, the trip would help her cleanse her aura and magical signature.

*****Spring Break*****

Buffy went to Montana for Spring Break while Willow, Tara, and Giles went to England.  Faith didn’t feel abandoned. Instead, she loved getting the hellmouth mostly to herself. Xander and Anya were not bad company as Faith found the ex-demon a riot.

Now, she had two dweeb shadows as Jonathan and Andrew had declared her the dark slayer and vowed to serve her like she was some insane princess. No matter how much she threatened to maim them, the two followed her on patrol. Both did have some basic understanding of magic, and Jonathan had the battle experience from graduation at least.

Tonight, however, was different than normal. An angry Warren appeared out of nowhere.  “Now let’s see what you can do!” he announced. Then he came up and hit Faith. She didn’t expect much from his hit, so she didn’t even dodge it. However, her head swung back from the force of the blow.

“Looks like someone went and got himself some superpowers,” Faith said, rubbing her jaw.

“That’s right, bitch,” he snarled. “I’m going to hurt you bad.”

“Having strength doesn’t mean shit,” Faith said, hitting him hard. “Can you take a hit? Can you fight?”

Before he could recover, she was on him, never stopping her fists to his face. Warren wasn’t prepared for such fury as he had spent most of his time watching Buffy Summers, not this slayer. This woman brought pain, and Warren didn’t know how to handle the pain. His orbs gave him strength, but they didn’t keep him from feeling some of the pain.

Faith knocked him to the ground and kicked him. “You want to play in the big leagues, you’re gonna feel the hurt,” she told him.

His orbs shattered, and he screamed as the magic left him. All the pain from her blows hit him at full force.

“Stop, Faith!” Jonathan called out. “He’s human. You can’t kill him.”

Faith pulled him up with one hand. “I suggest, Warren, that you leave town. I’m not Buffy. I’m not gonna put up with your shit,” she warned her.

Warren nodded. “I will. Okay,” he said. He could see the look in her eyes.

This slayer would kill him if he pushed her too far.

Faith released him, and he fell back down to the ground.

Andrew crouched next to him. “Are you okay?” he asked his former leader.

“I need a hospital,” Warren told him.

“Come on, Jonathan. Let’s get him to a hospital,” Andrew said.

“I’m not helping him. He nearly destroyed our lives. I’m with Faith,” Jonathan said. He moved quickly to catch up to his dark goddess.

Faith snickered. “I guess you win the award for my number one fan, huh?” she said to him as he fell into step next to her.

Jonathan’s chest swelled with pride as he gripped his battle axe, looking for anything that might attack them.

Faith kind of liked having her very own fan boy. Unlike Andrew, Jonathan wasn’t annoying. She just needed to mold him.

Smiling, she charged a demon who made an appearance.

******Yellowstone******

Buffy was excited to be back on the ranch for her spring break, and it was a blanket of snow that greeted her.

Rip and Beth had picked her up at the airport.  Beth told her all about how she annihilated Dan the wanna be man who tried to steal their land.

Buffy’s eyes met Rip’s in the mirror, and they both were amused at her enthusiasm.

“You shouldn’t enjoy another person’s pain so much,” Buffy said.

“If a person is going to set out to hurt my dad, they are going to feel pain,” Beth said without remorse.  “That’s how they learn.”

Buffy laughed. “You are so evil,” she said.

“Evil is a matter of opinion,” Beth insisted. “I am protecting me family. That’s not an evil thing.”

“No, but taking pleasure in another’s pain is a bit evil,” Buffy pointed out.

Beth just smiled, unrepentant. When the car pulled close to the Yellowstone, Buffy looked outside and saw all the snow.

“I can’t believe there’s still snow here. It’s March,” she said.

“We can have snow until May or June sometimes,” Rip said.

“Dawn told me, but it’s still hard to believe,” Buffy said.  She did have on a pair of stylist boots and a sweater under her jacket. Luckily, her warm Montana clothes were in her bedroom inside.

Dawn ran outside without a coat when they pulled up.

“I can’t believe you’re finally here!” she gushed, running to hug her sister.

“I talk to you nearly every day,” Buffy said as she hugged her.

“It’s not the same thing,” she said.

“Dawn, you don’t have on a coat!” John called out. “Get inside the house.”

The two girls quickly went inside, and John hugged Buffy. “Welcome home,” he said.

Buffy smiled as she did feel it was home. Without her mom, Sunnydale didn’t feel the same, and she was very happy to have a new place to call home.

The week flew by as she enjoyed time with her family. Tate came her first night there since it was Saturday and stayed until Monday morning. It wasn’t his spring break yet. Dawn was enrolled in school in the closest town, so she, too, went to school daily while Buffy was there.

For Buffy, it just meant that she got to spend more time alone with her grandpa. She would sleep in, and Gator would have a brunch ready for her at ten. Then he would prepare a lunch for two. They normally didn’t eat dinner until seven as that’s the earliest Beth or Jamie could make it some days.

Lloyd or John would normally pick Dawn up in her own car, and she would drive it back to town herself.

“You know that’s so illegal. She doesn’t even have a permit,” Buffy pointed out.

“I put the Yellowstone sticker on it for a reason,” John said. “No one is going to pull her over.”

“Green isn’t a good color on you,” Dawn teased.

“Whatever,” Buffy said dismissively.

“So have you heard back from your school for the fall?” John asked.

“I applied to both the University of Montana in Missoula and Montana State in Bozeman,” Buffy said. “Will says I should get acceptance letters by the time I get home.”

“Which one are you going to go to?” Dawn asked.

“Montana State,” Buffy told them. “I’ll be able to live here and commute. I will go to Missoula for law school since it’s the only one in the state.”

“You might consider Utah,” Beth told her. “Salt Lake City isn’t much further than Missoula, and they have two schools: Brigham Young and the University of Utah. It’s a beautiful city even if it’s full of Mormons. Both have top ranked law schools. ”

“Okay. I’ll check them out,” Buffy said.

It was nice to plan for a future that didn’t involve death and world endings.

On Friday, Beth insisted that she go to Bozeman with her to a bar that often had live music.

“You turned twenty-one in January, so now it’s legal!” Beth told her.

Buffy didn’t think her age would’ve stopped her aunt on a mission, so Dawn was made to stay home while she went to town with Beth and Rip.

Rip knew how unpredictable Beth could be, so he had some of his cowboys, including Ryan and Jake come with them.

“Why are the cowboys here?” Buffy asked.

“For backup,” Rip said.

“You know I can handle any human problem that arises,” Buffy told him.

“No, you will not,” Rip said firmly. “Your grandfather will have my balls if I let you get into a brawl at a bar. The boys and I will handle anything that comes up, and you will let us.”

Buffy grinned, enjoying a rare experience of being protected. “Okay,” she said.

“Don’t worry. We’re just going dancing,” Beth said.

Rip hoped things would go smoothly.

It did for the first two hours. Buffy kept her drinking to one fruity drink an hour as her experience freshman year was never far from her mind whenever the subject of alcohol came up. She danced with all her grandpa’s men, finding Jimmy the most entertaining as he reminded Buffy a lot of Xander. Ryan let her flirt with him, and Buffy was very glad to be there.

The problem began when she encouraged Jimmy to ask someone else to dance.  Unfortunately, he unknowingly picked a girl with a boyfriend, who was in the bathroom at the time.

When the boyfriend returned to his girlfriend’s side, he did not appreciate Jimmy chatting up his girl.

“Who the hell are you?” the guy snarled at Jimmy.

“This is Jimmy. He asked me to dance, but I told him you were in the bathroom,” the woman said.

“Sorry, man. I didn’t know she was with anyone,” Jimmy said, giving him an easy smile.

Buffy was watching the interaction closely and winced when she saw the boyfriend appear.

“I better go save Jimmy,” she said to Beth.

“No,” Beth said, holding her back. “That’s for Rip to do. Jimmy belongs to him, and he will defend him.”

Sure, enough Rip was already over there, moving to stand in front of Jimmy. He pushed the big guy back, and then the guy slugged Rip. Naturally, Rip hit him back, which caused all his men to jump into the fray.

Buffy couldn’t believe how quickly the place descended into an all-out brawl. Random guys just started slugging each other. It was insane.

Beth laughed as she enjoyed the show.

“I should stop this,” Buffy said.

“Why? It’s just good, clean fun,” Beth said with a smirk as she dodged a beer bottle. “Hey, throw something else at me and see what happens!”

Unknown to Beth, Dan Jenkins had come into the bar to drown his sorrows as his wife had filed for divorce since he lost everything. Thanks to that bitch Beth Dutton and her father.

When he saw the fight, he felt annoyed. Can’t a guy drink in peace anymore?  Then he spotted Beth at the end of the bar, smiling at the show.

There she was. The woman who had brought him to ruin. There was so much chaos going on that he knew he had a chance to finally get his revenge.

He picked up a broken beer bottle that had a long, jagged edge off the floor and moved toward her.  He was coming from her right side as she was looking left, and he hoped she would be unaware.

“Bitch, you deserve to suffer!” he called out. He was about to shove his broken bottle into her stomach when his hand was grabbed in a vice grip.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Buffy asked, looking at the deranged man about to attack her aunt.

“I’m going to kill that bitch!” Dan announced, trying to get his hand away from the young woman. “Who the hell are you? She ruined me!”

Beth looked at Dan with a smirk. “You are a stupid mother fucker,” she told him. “I don’t know if I should let my man beat your ass or my niece.”

Buffy snapped his wrist, and he screamed, releasing the bottle. “No need for either,” she said as she grabbed the broken bottle falling from his hand.

Beth was about to kick him in his balls when Buffy stepped in front of him. “We don’t kick people when they’re down,” she told her aunt.

“You don’t,” she said. “I do!” She moved and kicked him in his back since he was curled inward, blocking his balls.

“Okay, let’s go,” Buffy said. She grabbed Beth and pulled her out of the bar.

Beth tried to get away from her freakishly strong niece, but she couldn’t.

“Rip!” she called out. “We’re leaving!”

Rip nodded and nudged Ryan, who was hitting some tourist, who foolishly tried to jump into the fight.

When they made it home, Beth was still annoyed about Dan, vowing revenge.

“You already destroyed the man, and I broke his hand. Let it go, Aunt Beth,” Buffy said. “There is something to be said for winning with style.”

“What happened?” John asked.

Buffy filled him in, and John shook his head. “Why am I not surprised?” he asked.

“I miss all the fun,” Dawn complained.

“It was insane,” Buffy said. “I could’ve just went and stopped the guy from hitting Jimmy, and there would have been no brawl at all. But Beth said you’d be pissed if I did.”

“She’s right,” John said. “Sometimes, guys need to blow off steam. I rather it be with strangers at a bar than with each other one day on the job. They work very hard and don’t get a lot of money for their long hours. A fight is something to look forward to.”

“I will never understand men,” Buffy said, shaking her head.

John laughed, happy to have all his girls home.

He wished like he often did that his late wife could be there.  She would’ve loved so much getting to know their granddaughters.

When Jamie made it home, he asked Buffy if she and Dawn would attend a fundraiser for his campaign.

“It’s a small breakfast for ranchers’ wives,” he said. “Wealthy wives.”

“Oh, that will be fun,” Buffy said.

“I can’t promise that, but I would appreciate your presence,” Jamie said. “I’m single and without kids. It’s a detriment. Having family with me will make up for it.”

The girls were excited and discussed what they were going to wear.

“Are you going to come, Aunt Beth?” Dawn asked her.

She laughed. “I don’t plan on voting for Uncle Jamie, so why would I?” she asked.

“You’re not going to vote for Jamie? Why not?” Dawn asked, shocked.

“I don’t vote,” Beth shared.

Buffy smiled but shook her head. Her aunt was a real trip.

The next afternoon, she and Dawn dressed up in nice clothes and stood on each side of Jamie as he introduced them to about fifty ladies of various ages.

“These are my nieces, Buffy and Dawn Dutton,” he introduced.

Buffy smiled and shook hands and did her best to impress with her words for the first time in her life.

Although she was still the slayer, she wasn’t Buffy Summers anymore.

She was Buffy Dutton, and she would fight with her family now, not just for strangers.

Although she was still the slayer, she was the granddaughter of the largest rancher in Montana. She was the niece of a former Navy Seal, a cutthroat business woman, and a future attorney general.

Buffy smiled. A year ago, she was desperate to keep her sister alive, terrified of failing her, heartbroken about her mother’s death. Six months ago, she was dead and buried. Seven months ago, she was pulled out of heaven, believing that she would never know peace again.

Today, she felt peace; she felt joy.

Buffy Summers lived a life in the shadows.

Buffy Dutton lived in the light.

Today would be one of many days that she would fight in the light. 

*****The End*****

Reviews are appreciated. I hope this chapter didn’t disappoint. Thank you for reading.