I couldn't have made it what it is without the help of my beta Tanydwr, thank you :D


Chapter 1 - Joyce's sister

California, Los Angeles, Summers House, February 1991

Whistler had left Buffy with a number back at her parents'… well, her house. She was nervous, and scared as she looked at the house in front of her. The door was closed. Taking a deep breath and letting it go, Buffy walked towards the house and grabbed the spare key under the mat to open the front door. After she entered the door, she closed it behind her. Buffy panicked for a moment when she saw her mother's body was gone, but a quick replay of her memories allowed her to realize that the black car she had ignored running out must have belonged to the coroner's office. In her haste to leave, she had left the door open for them. And with the Hendrickson there… No one seemed to be here now.

Now, she walked over to phone in its cradle, one of the Hendrickson's must have replaced it in the horn. Buffy stared at it for a long time as she mentally bullied herself into picking it up. She really didn't like the phone anymore. It brought her people who couldn't help Mom and the hospital telling her about her Dad. After checking if it still worked, she started to dial the number Whistler had given her.

The phone rang three times before it was answered by a female voice, "The Roadhouse."

Buffy was silent for a moment thinking of what to say before saying, "I'm looking for Ellen Harvelle."

"Speaking, who's this?" Ellen asked.

"I'm, uh, Buffy… Buffy Summers. Your sister Joyce's daughter," Buffy explained nervously.

"Buffy?" Ellen asked, surprise obvious in her voice. She and Joyce had a rocky relationship. Ellen's parents disapproved of the company Ellen kept, specifically her now husband Bill Harvelle.

"I need you to come here." Buffy's voice brought Ellen out of her memories of her sister.

"I don't think your mother would like that very much," Ellen replied grimacing.

"She's… she isn't here anymore," Buffy replied quietly.

"What do you mean Buffy? Where is your mother?" Ellen asked, confused. She hadn't seen Buffy since she was a few days old. Joyce had called her and she had come over to see her niece.

"She's dead," Buffy whispered softly, barely loud enough for Ellen to hear.

Ellen's world swirled before her, her sister dead? Impossible. No way. She was the one with a Hunter as a husband. If anyone would die it would be she, not her big sister Joyce. It just wasn't possible.

"Are – are you still there?" Buffy question went unanswered until an new voice came through the phone.

"Hello? Who's this?" a man's voice came over the line.

"Uh, Buffy, Buffy Summers," Buffy answered the man. "What happened to Aunt Ellen? Who are you?"

"Aunt El-" the man cut himself off then said, "You're Joyce's daughter. I'm Bill Harvelle, Ellen's husband. What did you say to my wife?"

"That – that my mommy is dead," Buffy said and bit her lip really hard not to start crying again.

After a few seconds of silence, Bill's voice sounded through the phone again. "Buffy, I'm sorry. How are you and your father holding up?"

"D-Daddy's dead too," Buffy informed him, before she began to babble a fuller explanation. "I called him after I found… M-Mom. I called 911 first, but… Daddy told me he was on his way over and not to move. Then the paramedics came and tried to bring… Mom… back… but – but they couldn't. I had to wait for the coroner's office and Daddy still hadn't arrived. Then they called, the Presbyterian Hospital, they told me my daddy died in a car accident, probably on his way over." She decided not to tell him about what happened after, with the vampires, demon and everything.

There was another silence on the other end of the line and then Buffy could hear muffled voices, she wondered if she should continue to wait or just hang up. Her Aunt Ellen's voice came back making the decision for her. "Buffy, sweetie, where are you now?"

"Home," Buffy answered.

"Buffy, we live in Nebraska so it's going to be a couple of hours before I can get there. Is there anyone else with you there?" Ellen asked her niece.

"The – The Hendrickson's were here, but no one else is here now." Buffy replied quietly looking over to the place she found her mother's body and feeling another pang of loss and pain.

The other end was silent but Buffy could hear her aunt saying words her Mommy and Daddy sometimes used in one of their fights.

"Buffy?" Ellen's voice sounded over the phone line again. "I want you to call someone to stay with you. A friend's mom, a neighbor. Just until I can get there."

"That's what the nurse from the hospital said… I'll call someone," Buffy responded.

"Okay, honey, I'll be there as soon as I can. And hey, you can even meet your cousin Joanna, she's five," Ellen informed her attempting to brighten the mood. After a pause she added, "We'll get through this, Buffy."

Buffy, even hundreds of miles away from the woman who was her mother's sister, felt herself hope she would somehow be able to get through this… this feeling of wanting to die to be with her parents and not feel so alone… only she wasn't alone anymore. She had an aunt that was coming for her. That alone helped to make her feel slightly better.

***

Nebraska, Harvelle's Roadhouse, February 1991

Ellen Harvelle – a woman who everyone that had even heard of knew not to mess with – was reeling in shock from her big sister Joyce's death. After her husband had taken the phone from her numb hand and spoken to her niece, he had informed her that Buffy had also lost her father and now had no one there for her. Her motherly instincts took over immediately. Buffy was all she had left of a sister whom she had become estranged from, and Buffy had called her for help. She would take care of her niece and together with her husband and daughter, they would get through this.

Looking at her husband, she said, "We need to pack. Buffy's waiting for us."

***

California, Los Angeles, Summers House, February 1991

Buffy couldn't remember much after her phone call to Ellen. Apparently she had called Natalie and spoken to her mother who had come over with Natalie and stayed the night with her.

Buffy had not slept well. Her mind simply didn't want to fall asleep afraid she would wake up and still find her parents dead. But somehow she had managed to get some sleep. Though throughout the night, she had woken up from nightmares or Natalie's mom opening her door to check on her.

It wasn't until late that morning that the doorbell woke Buffy up. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her alarm clock for the time. She had slept late on a school day? Why didn't her mom wake her? It was then that the memories of the previous day hit her. Buffy stifled a sob trying to escape from her throat, clenching her hands into fists as she tried to get her emotions back under control. Her nails digging into her own hands, the pain she felt from them forcing her other pain away. Taking a couple of deep breath and letting them out, she forced herself to calm down.

She heard a soft knock on her door followed by the voice of Natalie's mom. "Buffy? You awake, honey?"

"Yeah," Buffy said, getting out of bed and walking towards the door which now opened completely.

"Your Aunt Ellen is here with her husband and daughter," Natalie's mom informed her.

"Ok, thanks," Buffy replied, then added, "And, Mrs. Harrison, thanks for staying last night and checking up on me… I… I didn't want to be alone."

Jennifer Harrison gave her a sympathetic smile. "That's what you've got friends for, honey. You ever need anything else, just call, okay?"

Buffy nodded in reply.

"Okay, I'm going home now to see what my husband did to it while I was gone," Jennifer joked. "Natalie is at school. If you need me, I'll be at the house, ok?"

"Okay," Buffy responded, "and thanks again."

"Anytime, sweetheart," Jennifer replied with a warm smile, and left Buffy's room.

Nervous about meeting her aunt, Buffy soon followed Mrs. Harrison down the stairs. She just saw the door close and realized she had already left. Her eyes then fell on a man, woman and little girl.

"H-hi," Buffy greeted, coming all the way down the stairs and standing nervously in front of the family… her family too she realized.

"Hi," her Aunt Ellen repeated her niece's welcome as she studied the ten-year-old blonde in front of her. "You've grown a lot since I last saw you."

"I… I didn't know we met before," Buffy admitted.

"You'd just been born. Joyce called me and I came out here to see you," Aunt Ellen informed her.

"Why didn't you come after that?" Buffy inquired.

"Your mother and I… we didn't have the we just… drifted apart," Aunt Ellen said, her regret showing in her eyes and voice.

"I-I don't know what to do now," Buffy admitted, looking uncomfortable.

"You don't have to do anything. I – we are going to take care of everything," Aunt Ellen promised her.

"Am I going to live with you?" Buffy wanted to know.

Ellen glanced at her husband before looking back at Buffy. "We'll see. I don't know who Joyce appointed custody of you should anything happen to her and her husband."

"I don't know anyone else related to Mom, and Dad's sister doesn't want to be around me after…" Buffy trailed off not wanting to relive the memory of her Cousin Celia dying in her presence.

Jo tugged on her father's sleeve, "Is Buffy my cousin?" the little girl whispered, breaking Buffy from unwanted memories. "Do you want to play with me?"

Buffy looked at the blonde girl, she recalled Aunt Ellen mentioning her to be five years old. "Yeah, I am," Buffy replied.

"I have to make some phone calls," Aunt Ellen said, and walked off to find Joyce's address book and the phone.

"How are you holding up?" her Uncle Bill asked her.

"I honestly don't know how I'm still standing. I don't think I've absorbed everything yet." Buffy told him then admitted, "This morning I woke up worrying I had slept in and wondering why my mom hadn't woke me up."

Bill saw the tears form in her eyes and hugged her to him, but noticed that although the girl hugged him back, she didn't cry.

***

California, Los Angeles, Graveyard, February 1991

The last week had been unreal to her. She had gotten to know her Uncle Bill a little. Oddly she found herself unable to spend a prolonged amount of time around him. Her emotions would almost break through her control. Most of her time was spent with her cousin Joanne, or Jo as she preferred to be called. She liked taking care of someone else and taking her mind off her parents' death. Time spent with her Aunt Ellen was the most uncomfortable. It was like the woman wanted or expected something from her that Buffy wasn't sure she could give, now or ever. On the upside of things, at least her Aunt Ellen had made sure that she didn't have to go to school. Apparently the plan was to go to school back in Nebraska.

Everything seemed to have dragged by, but at the same time, it had all gone so fast. Buffy did her best to keep up, but it was a struggle she had to endure every day.

It had been after the funeral that Buffy just stopped. Aunt Ellen had explained that due to some problems with the hospital her father would be buried at a later date, but that the funeral would be for both Joyce and Hank Summers.

"Let's go, Buffy, it's starting to get dark," Ellen informed her with the unspoken message they should leave.

Buffy didn't reply at first, but then said, "I'm not ready." She didn't want to leave her parent's graveside.

"Saying goodbye is hard. But it's something you have to do," Ellen replied.

"I don't want to! I shouldn't have to! It's not fair you're making me!" Buffy yelled at the woman, turning her anger towards her aunt.

Ellen was surprised at first. This was the first time Buffy had shown any emotions, though she shouldn't have been that surprised that her niece finally broke down. The surprise quickly faded, however. "You're only saying goodbye to their graves, Buffy. They're still alive, inside of you. You're your mother and father's legacy."

Buffy's anger faltered. "I… I can't say goodbye. Because when I walk away, then – then they're really gone." she finished in a voice so quiet, Ellen almost couldn't hear her. "And I need them! I need them to be here," Tears started to roll down her cheeks again. "I can't do this alone." The soft whisper of the last sentence nearly escaped Ellen's hearing before she engulfed her niece in a hug.

"You're not alone, Buffy. You'll never be alone. I promise you, I'll always be there for you. So will Bill and Jo," Ellen assured her niece as Buffy hugged her, needing the comfort her aunt was providing, needing to feel like she wasn't alone.

The sounds of a scuffle broke the two apart. Buffy watched Bill fly through the air and land in front of their feet. She then spotted the man responsible. She also soon saw this was not in fact a man but a vampire.

"We've got to go," Buffy cried out, surprising Ellen as she helped Bill get to his feet.

"I – I know I'm gonna sound insane for saying this, but that's a v-vampire. We don't have any weapons to kill the monster, so-so we need to go," Buffy explained quickly with an undeniable urgency in her voice.

"How do you know about vampires?" Ellen demanded, shocked.

"I-I met a few the night… I met some about a – a week ago. This man and a boy helped me and we killed one each…" Buffy stopped, then asked, eyes wide, "Wait, how do you know about vampires?"

"I'm a Hunter," Bill said as he pulled out a handgun.

"I- I thought those didn't work on vampires," Buffy questioned surprised.

"We're going to have a talk later on how you know that. All you need to know right now is that this will hurt them, or at least slow 'em down. Ellen, get her and Jo out of here. I'll hold it off." Buffy ran off before Ellen could lead her away. Ellen grabbed Jo and ran after her as she carried her daughter in her arms.

Ellen found Buffy breaking off a branch from a tree.

"He's gonna need this," Buffy relayed as she noticed her aunt. Ellen hesitated as she looked at Jo. "Go, I'll stay here and watch over Jo."

Ellen took the tree branch and sprinted back towards where she last saw her husband.

Buffy reached towards the tree and broke off another branch. "Just in case another monster shows up near us," she told Jo, who nodded and smiled.

Buffy's eyes scanned the surroundings, the gravestones and quietness making her feel on edge. Jo's question distracted her and she turned towards the little girl.

"Are you a Hunter too, like Daddy? I wanna be a Hunter too when I grow up, but Mommy says I can't," Jo pouted.

Flashback

"A Potential what?"

"A possible champion. Within you, Buffy, you have the potential to be something more than you are now. To be gifted with power so you can be a champion for the Powers," Whistler explained to her.

"I don't want a life where I have to fight these vampires every night," Buffy immediately replied.

"You could save your world," Whistler informed her.

End Flashback

Buffy gripped the rough stake tighter, it might not be the world, but she had a cousin to protect. "That's because it's dangerous. It's much safer to try and lead a normal life," Buffy tried to persuade her from the idea.

"Normal is overrated," a new voice interrupted, causing Buffy to jump and stand between where the voice came from and Jo.

She didn't see him until he was suddenly in front of her. Buffy lunged at the vampire trying to tackle him to the ground but failing the strength and weight to do so. The vampire did stumble back slightly but grabbed her by the arms. Buffy raised her arms as much as she could and clawed at the vampires eyes. In order to protect his eyes, the vampire shoved her away causing Buffy to land painfully on her ass a few feet away.

The vampire stalked towards her and pinned her to the ground. "So you like it rough, huh?" he commented as he moved his face closer to hers. He then sniffed her neck.

"Boys have cooties. Vampires must be worse," Buffy bravely told the vampire off. Hearing a growl from the vampire on top of her she decided she wanted it to end quickly, hopefully buying enough time for him to forget about her cousin so she would be able to get safely away. "Not to mention, really should have some sense in how to dress oneself. I mean really? What's with that shirt, and don't even get me started on those shoes."

The vampire ripped her shirt apart, saying, "I think I'm gonna have some fun with you before I kill you."

The vampire sucked on her neck and Buffy felt physically sick as she desperately tried to break free from his grip. "Hold still, will ya?" the vampire scowled, raising his head and looking her in the eyes.

Buffy screamed as hard as she could, It didn't seem to have any effect since no one was coming to her rescue this time. She helplessly watched the amber eyes of the monster on top of her, and, knowing that this was going to hurt, Buffy thrust her head forwards as hard as she could. Her forehead connected sharply with the vampire's nose. It hurt a lot, and she saw stars, but she forced herself to move, squirming out from under the vampire. He was swearing savagely, but his own pain had caused him to break the steel grip he had been holding her with.

Buffy tried to shake off dizziness. Successful, she grabbed her previously dropped tree-branch before she got back on her feet.

"You should really consider taking better care of your personal hygiene. Breath mints, for example," Buffy managed to quip aside from the paralyzing fear she felt towards this monster. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jo still standing there watching, apparently conflicted in helping and running for help from her parents.

"Stay there, Jo!" Buffy ordered, and then looked back to see the vampire advancing on her. Buffy remembered her Mom once brought her with her to a self defense class. She had observed mostly but her Mom had allowed the instructor to show her one move.

Praying to God this would work while at the same time cursing the Powers That Be Whistler mentioned Buffy let herself fall on her back as she used the vampire's own strength and momentum against him.

She sent him crashing into the tree. Running over to him, she moved to plunge the tree-branch in the vampire's heart only to have the vampire grab the arm with the tree-branch and squeeze it hard, making her drop her makeshift weapon with a cry.

Buffy used her free arm to try and break the vampire's grip on her arm, but the vampire seized that arm too. He grinned, and then Buffy grinned and used the grip he had on both her arms to lift herself up into a handstand, she had learned just last month in gymnastics and since then perfected, before coming down with on foot on the ground and the other in the vampire's groin. The vampire gasped, trying to catch a breath he didn't need in order to alleviate the pain he felt in his lower regions. Buffy was thrown away before the vampire moved his hands towards his groin, clutching it in pain.

Buffy dragged herself to her feet and watched the vampire still clutching his family jewels in pain. She grabbed Jo and screamed out of breath and in pain, "Let's go before he recovers."

As Buffy and Jo ran, Buffy limping slightly while trying her best to run along, they noticed two figures approaching. "Crap!" Buffy cursed then looked back to see the vampire now recovered was running towards them. "Run and hide Jo. Don't come out until either your parents or I call for you," Buffy commanded before turning back to the vampire running at her and wiped the stray strands of blond hair from her face. Weakly, she held her hands up in a fighting stance she had seen somewhere on TV.

"Let's go, perv," Buffy called out with more bravado than she felt as the vampire stopped running and slowly approached her, growling lightly.

As the vampire and Buffy fought each other, Buffy mainly focused on trying to evade the vampire's punches and further injury, but barely succeeded in keeping herself from not getting killed during each blow.

Then the vampire was thrown backwards, but not by Buffy's doing. Confused, she tried to make her eyes work better in the darkness. She saw the vampire lying on its back before it turned into dust.

Only then Buffy saw that a dark figure near where the vampire was in fact her Aunt Ellen. Her aunt dropped something, probably her stake, before running over to her and embracing her fiercely. Looking around, Buffy's eyes fell onto Jo clutching her father's leg.

Buffy let out a relieved breath knowing her cousin was safe, she suddenly felt very tired now that the adrenaline supply her heart had been pumping through her veins, had dropped.

"God, Buffy. Never do that again, you hear! You are not allowed to hunt!" Ellen commanded sternly as she pulled back, then clutched Buffy back into her embrace once more. "I just lost my sister; I don't want to lose you too… but thank you for protecting Jo."

"Are you girl both alright?" Uncle Bill questioned.

"Jo?" Buffy inquired immediately.

"I'm okay." Jo replied.

"Then so am I." Buffy let out with an exhausted breath.

***

Nebraska, Harvelle's Roadhouse, February 1991

Buffy Anne Summers looked at the place in front of her and cringed inwardly. She would have to live here with her Aunt Ellen, Uncle Bill and Cousin Jo. She wondered how far away the closest Neiman Marcus was.

Soon after the ordeal at the graveyard, Ellen had grilled Buffy about her vampire attack. Both in the alley and what had happened when she went to help Bill at the graveyard.

Buffy had answered her questions, keeping some things from her answers. Like the identity of the Hunters whom had saved her in the alley. She figured they must be Hunters, if they knew about vampires and killed them saving other people. She didn't want her aunt hunting them down and beating them to a pulp for not making Buffy leave the alley, so she would be safely away from the vampire. Even though they had saved her life, she doubted her aunt would see it that way. Maybe eventually, but she didn't want to go through all the yelling.

Buffy also kept her conversation with Whistler to herself. Knowing from Jo that Ellen hated the idea of her daughter being in danger. She guessed that her aunt would hate her being in danger as well.

Buffy also left out the part where she was told she could be chosen as a Champion. She knew that was something that would not go over well with her aunt, and the last thing she wanted to do is to be even more of a burden then she already felt. It wasn't like the fact that she could be trusted in this world with monsters and dangerous fight went over well with her either.

Though Buffy had to admit it felt really good when Bill had told her how proud her parents would be if they had seen her fight against the vampire the way she did, horrified, but proud. He also said he was proud too, and if she wanted he'd teach her self-defense in case she ever came across more vampires, although Ellen had been against that

The long winded argument those two had made Buffy miss her parents fight, funny how you miss things you used to hate hearing. Buffy mused. Bill had won the argument by suggesting Buffy, and later Jo, would need to know self defense because of what goes on in young men's heads nowadays. Ellen didn't doubt both Jo and Buffy would turn out to grow into beautiful young ladies, and thus conceded.

***

Nebraska, Harvelle's Roadhouse, November 1991

Buffy had been with the Harvelle's for about nine and a half months. And although she still had nightmares every now and then, she was doing slightly better. It had taken months of nagging and coming up with good arguments before Ellen had finally allowed Buffy to be trained. Buffy had actually squealed and hugged her aunt.

Buffy was coming around to her new lifestyle, she had Uncle Bill and even Aunt Ellen drive her to a decent mall every couple of weeks to keep up with fashion as well as rubbing her taste in fashion and looking good off unto Jo. It wasn't really to show off her body or anything like that. It just reminded Buffy of times her Mom took her shopping.

Buffy found herself liking training with Bill and sometimes Ellen. Bill had even showed her how to use a gun before Ellen had found out and yelled at both of them for a good thirty minutes. Because her Aunt Ellen had forbidden Bill to teach Buffy more about shooting guns, Buffy had him teaching her about using more medieval type weapons, swords, quarterstaffs and such.

It wasn't really that Ellen didn't want Buffy to learn how to use a gun eventually, it just that she was ten and therefore not be allowed to handle a gun of any kind until she was at least fourteen years old.

Still learning how to handle medieval type weapons was an tiring, but exhilarating experience for her. One she knew she never would have followed if she had still been living with her parents. The only problem was that when she looked at it like that, guilt for doing things making her happy was difficult to get through.

Buffy needed to remind herself of what Ellen told her, that her parents lived on in her, and they wouldn't want her to feel guilty but be happy. Still, it was hard to look at it that way. And, despite being accepted by Ellen, Bill and Jo as part of the family, she still missed talking to her mother and being spoiled rotten by her father. What she missed the most about them were little things, like how her mom washed things in a certain order, or put things differently than where Aunt Ellen put them, or how her father would take her to the ice show every year. She was doing better, the times the guilt hit was becoming less, and what used to be every day was now maybe every two or three weeks. The parent missage, as Buffy put it, had lessened… Buffy had figured out, keeping small traditions they used to do as a family alive, helped.

"Aunt Ellen, can you take Jo and me to the movies?" Buffy inquired.

"Sure Buffy, what movie do you want to see?"

"Either Hook or Robin Hood, not sure yet, where do you want to go to Jo?" Buffy wanted to know.

"The one with the better fight scenes," Jo replied enthusiastically, earning an eye roll from her mother.

"Well since Peter Pan flies, those fight scenes are not as realistic as the ones in Robin Hood," Buffy answered.

"Robin Hood then," Jo conceded.

"Fine by me. Get your jacket, kiddo," Buffy told her. One thing Buffy did hate was how cold Nebraska could get. She missed the warm winter days in California. But it was kinda fun to see actual snow and to see Jo play around in it. Not to mention she could snowball Bill and other Hunters into oblivion. Buffy of course had asked Ellen to be on her team when her aunt had come out to see what was going on. Together with Jo, the men never stood a chance.


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