I honestly thought I had already posted this chapter! Sorry for the long wait.

Chapter 8: A Surprise Attack

*****A Week Later*****

Buffy had nearly put the bear incident out of her mind when Kayce showed up with a bear skin rug.

"Buffy, Felix made this for you," he said, unrolling it and showing it to her.

Buffy felt a kick of guilt as she gazed at the black rug, but she couldn't resist touching it. It was as soft as she remembered. "Tell him thanks," she said.

"Are you sure you don't want any of the meat? Dad's cook can make some nice dishes with it," Kayce inquired. They had tried to give her the meat a few days earlier, but she had been horrified at the suggestion. Now she simply shook her head.

"I am sure there are plenty of people on the reservation that would appreciate the meat," Buffy said. "Please assure him that I really want him to give it away."

Rip and Lee were there, as always. Her grandfather was with Jamie in a meeting somewhere.

"That's very generous of you," Rip said, touching the soft rug. "Why don't you go put this rug in your room? The floor by your bed will be a great place for it."

Buffy nodded and gave her thanks again to Kayce before she left.

"Our little warrior queen is skittish about bear meat," Lee said, grinning. "It's cute."

"You should have seen her face when Kayce first brought up the idea of eating the bear," Rip said, chuckling. "She said that they might kick her out of California if word got out that she ate a bear. Her best friend Willow would probably cry if she found out."

"That's just one more reason why she should stay here with us," Lee remarked.

"Is she considering that?" Kayce asked.

"We haven't exactly brought it up," Rip said. "She only has a year of high school left. I doubt she'd want to leave her friends."

"We should still ask," Lee said.

"I know Tate would really like that. I think Buffy has replaced me on his hero list," Kayce said, grinning.

"Well, she did kill a bear with her bare hands. How can anyone compete with that?" Lee said with a snort.

Rip had not discussed with Lee or Kayce the things Beth had overheard. Although Beth had brought up some of it at a dinner, she had not revealed everything. There was something very different about his daughter; something he didn't understand. He wanted to ask Buffy about it, but their relationship was new, and he did not want to push her away.

After Buffy put the rug in front of the bed, she called her mother back home. "Hey, Mom," she said.

"Hello, Buffy. How are you doing?" Joyce asked.

"Good," Buffy said. She had not told her mother about the bear, and she wanted to tell her about the rug. Therefore, she had to share the entire story.

"Has something happened?" Joyce asked.

"Well, it already happened a few weeks ago when I went to my cousin Tate's place," Buffy admitted.

"What? You know you can tell me," Joyce reminded her as she sensed her daughter's reluctance.

"We were playing soccer with his cousins from his mom's side of the family, and my Uncle Kayce was playing also," she shared. "Then Tate's cousin, Jamison, chased the ball after it was kicked into the trees. He was attacked by a bear."

"What?" her mother asked in a shriek. "Did you say bear? There are bears?"

"It's Montana, Mom," Buffy said. "Black bears and rattlesnakes are part of the package."

"I don't know that I want to know that" Joyce said, a note of fear in her voice. She had just come to terms with the vampire and demon part of her daughter's life, and now there were bears. "Is the boy okay?"

"Yes, he's fine," Buffy said. "But you know me—someone cries out for help, I run to help them," Buffy said.

Joyce realized what she was trying to share. "Did you fight a bear? Are you okay?" Joyce asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. Jamison was only swiped once with the bear's claw before I jumped on the bear and pulled it away," Buffy said. "The bear was huge, and I only did what I had to do. I snapped its neck."

"Of course, you had to, honey," Joyce said. "You couldn't let it maul the boy to death. Bears are known to do that. Not often, but it does happen."

"It was such a magnificent animal, Mom, and I killed it," Buffy said, a note of sadness in her voice. "I slay ugly demons and vampires, Mom. This was the first time I ever had to kill something that was beautiful."

Joyce realized that Buffy was feeling guilty for killing the bear. "Buffy, you know cops sometimes have to kill in the line of duty to save a life or even their own. It's an ugly reality," her mother said. "You have a calling to protect people, so you did what you had to do."

"That's basically what Giles said," Buffy admitted. "But Felix, Tate's grandpa from his mom's side, skinned the bear and tried to give me the meat. I told him to give it to the people on the reservation. The thought of eating a bear made me gag."

"I hope you didn't tell him that, Buffy. Native Americans would probably consider it a privilege, if I remember correctly from my history classes in college," she told her. "The bear was a revered spirit animal, and to defeat one in battle was considered something only chosen few would ever do."

"That explains the looks they all gave me," Buffy said. "Today, Uncle Kayce brought me a bear skin rug Felix made from the fur."

"Wow, honey, those are works of art," Joyce said. "I'd love to see it."

"I don't think I could handle bringing it home," Buffy said. "Willow would freak."

"Take a picture for me," Joyce said. "Be proud of what you did, sweetheart. A bear that would attack a boy when not defending cubs is a real danger to the community. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been there?"

"Uncle Kayce would have fought it off," she said.

"And probably been severely injured in the process," Joyce said. "What do they think after you killed the bear?"

"Well, Uncle Lee thinks that I'm like Wonder Woman. My grandpa just smiles proudly like I'm the best thing he's ever seen in his life," Buffy admitted. "Rip, my dad, seems to be wondering how it was possible, so is Uncle Kayce."

"Do you think they could handle the truth about you?" Joyce inquired.

Buffy considered it. "I'm not sure about Beth, but I think the men would," she said. "Life up here is harsh, and I haven't been through a winter, which is the harshest time. The men are strong and pragmatic. I think my grandpa is the law in the county because the head livestock guy is, like, a big deal."

"Really?" Joyce asked. "That's very different."

"They have a county sheriff, but he's been over for dinner once since I've been here," Buffy shared. "He seemed to defer to my grandpa, and Grandpa is dating the governor of the state."

"How fascinating," Joyce said. "I guess the state has a lot less people, so a prominent landowner would be in a position of power."

"Did you know that people, not just the Indians, are always trying to take his land?" Buffy asked. "One group wants the land while another group wants to be able to cut timber from the land."

"That doesn't seem right," Joyce commented.

"It's a very different place," Buffy said. "Well, I better get back outside before the ranch hands come looking for me."

"Don't forget to send me a picture of your rug," her mother said before saying goodbye.

Buffy hung up feeling better about the situation. It was nice that she could talk so openly to her mother, especially after the distance between them the past few years. Then she bent down and ran her hands through the rug one last time. It was very soft, but she still felt a bit wrong about the entire mess.

*****A Few Days Later*****

Buffy didn't know how she felt when her grandfather took her with him into work. They went walking down the street to grab some lunch and so many eyes were looking at Buffy.

"Why do I feel like everyone is staring at me?" she asked him.

"Because they are," he said.

"Why?" she asked, dreading his answer.

"Word has gotten out that I have a granddaughter that killed a bear with her bare hands," he shared. "I even had to turn down an interview with a newspaper about it."

"Seriously?" Buffy asked in alarm. "You told them no, right?"

"That's what turn down means," John said, grinning at her in amusement.

"I'm just not used to all the attention," Buffy said. "In Sunnydale, I saved lots of people from dangerous things, and they usually just ran away. When I'd see them again in school or other places, they'd pretend they didn't recognize me."

"Well, sweetheart, people in Montana are raised to face life head-on," he said as he opened the restaurant door for her.

Again, the eyes followed them both as they went to a booth in the back.

"This is starting to creep me out," Buffy complained as she looked over the menu.

"Just ignore it," John said. "That's what I do."

Buffy looked up and smiled. "Yes, I guess you do get stares wherever you go," she said.

"Regardless of what you think, I bet lots of eyes were on you back in your high school," her grandfather told her.

"Maybe," she said. "I guess when I am with my friends I don't notice because we're in our own little world."

The server came up and poured John some coffee and took their orders.

"Do you come here a lot?" Buffy asked as she sipped her soda.

"I probably come in two or three times a week for lunch," he said. "I'd like to retire and have Lee or Kayce take over my position."

"Does the job involve talking to people?" Buffy asked. "Because only one of them can do that."

John laughed. "Kayce can talk when he wants. He's like my grandpa that way," he shared.

A Native American woman around her grandfather's age approached the table. A younger man was a step behind her; both were focusing all their attention on Buffy.

"Excuse the interruption," the woman said. "I'm Verda Stands Alone."

"Hello, Verda," John said. "How may we help you?"

"I just wanted to meet your daughter and ask her a question," she said, barely sparing John a glance.

John was amused as he couldn't recall ever being so ignored.

"I'm Buffy," Buffy said, smiling at the woman.

"Are you the one? The lioness, our protector?" she asked, knowing her chief would be annoyed at her boldness.

Buffy ignored the giant leapfrogs that were suddenly inside her belly as she tried not to show how the woman's question rattled her. "Well, I've never been compared to a lion before," she replied with a careless grin.

"She's just a teenager," John said. "My granddaughter."

The woman glanced only briefly at John before looking back at Buffy. "I had a dream, and I think you were in it," she said. "You will protect us from the demons."

Buffy stood up, alarmed. "What demons? Has someone on the res been attacked?" she asked.

"It's a metaphor, Buffy," John said. "Sit down."

"There's no attack?" Buffy asked the woman as she sat back down. The man behind her shook his head no.

The woman smiled; her relief was obvious. "I knew it. You will protect us," she announced.

"If you need me to, of course," Buffy told the woman. "Call my grandfather if you need help."

The woman left as her shadow apologized for bothering them.

"It's okay," Buffy told the man, who said he was her son.

"Buffy, you shouldn't encourage them," he said. "You can't get involved in Indian affairs. They police their own and get really upset if a white man, or woman, tries to interfere."

"I just said what I needed to, Gramps, to make her feel better," Buffy said with a shrug. "Humoring old people is what teenagers are good at."

John laughed, delighted with her wisdom and good manners. He got a text message. "Beth's going to be home for dinner."

"Does she know about the bear?" Buffy asked.

"Probably," he said. "I never told her."

"Lee?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I can't see Rip or Kayce calling her to gossip," he replied. "Can you?"

Buffy shook her head. "I'm sure it was your oldest," she stated, annoyance in her tone.

"You know Beth's bark is worse than her bite," he shared.

Buffy gave him an incredulous look. "You know that's not true. Your ranch hands have told me too many stories," she said. "So has Lee."

"Okay, so maybe her bite is bad," John said, opening his wallet for some bills.

Buffy popped the last fry in her mouth. "She'd better be nice," Buffy said.

"I'll protect you," John assured her as they walked out of the restaurant.

Buffy allowed herself to lean against him for a moment as she basked in his genuine warmth and affection for her. When they got outside the restaurant, she looked up at him.

"I'm really glad that I decided to come find you," she told him.

John put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "So am I. You've brought a lot of joy to my family this summer—something we've not had a lot of since your grandmother died," he shared.

Buffy wished that she could've known the woman that her grandfather loved so much that he wouldn't even consider remarrying.

"You know sometimes you remind me of the stories my grandpa used to tell us about his sister Elsa," John said. "That'd make her my great aunt. She died on the land we now live in."

"Really? How?" Buffy asked, fascinated to hear about an ancestor.

"They were traveling by horse, foot, and wagon from Texas as they took a train with her parents. My grandpa was only five or six at the time, but his sister Elsa was nearly eighteen. They were originally going to Oregon—the Oregon trail was a popular trail at the time," John shared.

"I've heard of that," Buffy said.

"But it was extremely dangerous from Texas. Lots of Indian territory to cross, rattlesnakes, tornadoes and winter all worked against them," he told her. "Elsa could ride a horse like a man, so she was often allowed to help herd the cattle they were taking. She was a wildcat—much to my great-grandmother's dismay. She wore pants on the trail and felt in love twice on the journey."

"She sounds amazing," Buffy said in fascination.

"She had blonde hair like yours, but brown eyes," he shared. "I have a small picture of her at the house. My grandpa said his dad adored her and promised that wherever she died, they would remain. She fought off some Lakota Indians, but an arrow through the torso poisoned her."

"This was before medicine and stuff, right?"

"Long before. It was in 1883," John said, his eyes took on a faraway look as he recalled his grandfather showing him Elsa's portrait and his memories. "She took out a lot of Indians, but the lead poisoning was too much. It took several days. They were in Wyoming and got her to a doctor, but it was too late. She died a few days later in Paradise Valley, the heart of our ranch. My grandfather said that his father couldn't bear to leave her, so they never moved to Oregon."

Buffy couldn't wait to see the photo of his great aunt, and she asked about it as soon as they got home.

John led her into his study and pulled a small palm sized picture frame. The young woman had a bonnet on head, loosely tied and wore a light-colored dress—the photo was black and white. Even without the color, it was clear that her braided hair was blonde. Her eyes seemed to be looking for something, and Buffy felt a pang of sadness. She had died so young.

"She is my age," Buffy remarked.

"Elsa was probably sixteen when this photo was created," he said. "It was back home in Tennessee where our family came from before they joined the Texas-Oregon Trail."

"It's sad," Buffy said. "She died before she really got to live."

"From what my grandfather said, she lived every day to the fullest, not caring what anyone thought," he said. "Beth is like her except she doesn't used guns or horses."

"I don't think she likes me much," Buffy said.

"Beth doesn't like anyone really," John said, grinning. "She's frustrating that way. But she loves deeply and completely. She will protect this ranch with every fiber of her being."

"Why? She doesn't seem to like it much. Not like you and Lee or even Kayce," Buffy pointed out.

"But she loves me and her brothers. Her mother is buried on this land, and one day, I will be buried next to her," he said.

Buffy didn't like all the talk of death and was glad when her father interrupted.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked.

Buffy nodded and showed him the photo of Elsa. "This is Grandpa's grandfather's sister Elsa."

Rip looked at the picture with interest. "That looks like Beth when we were younger," he said. "I can see you in her, too. I wish I had a picture of my mother to show you."

"What happened to her?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy let's go see if Cook has dinner ready," John said, interrupting. Rip never talked about his family, and John never wanted him to relive the trauma.

"My stepfather murdered her and my brother when I was a few years younger than you are now," Rip said flatly. "He tried to kill me, but I'm hard to kill."

"Oh, God! I'm sorry! I didn't know," Buffy said, glancing at her grandfather. Why hadn't he warned her?

"It's an ugly topic of conversation," John said, answering her unspoken question. "And it's really Rip's story to tell."

"Your grandfather found me hiding in one of the horse stalls still covered in blood. I used an iron skillet to bash my stepfather's head in because it was all I had. He tried hard to kill me, but I wasn't ready to die yet," Rip shared in a hollow voice. "I had been scared for so long, and I thought I'd go to prison for sure. I was barely a teenager."

"I couldn't bring myself to turn him in," John said. He never shared that he had told the sheriff, a good friend of his, about Rip and his story. The evidence of the scene had matched Rip's version, so there had been no need for a statement.

"He gave me a place to stay and a job," Rip said. "Yellowstone became my whole world, and I've been here ever since."

"Rip loves this place nearly as much as I do," John said fondly as he slapped his ranch foreman on the back.

Buffy could read what was unsaid. John gave Rip a home, and in return, Rip gave her grandfather his absolute loyalty.

John saw a car pull up. "Beth's here," he said.

"Joy," Buffy muttered as they headed to greet her. "I'll go tell Lee supper is ready."

She nodded at Beth before brushing passed her to go outside. It was cowardly, but her bio-mom was never an easy person. There was no telling how she would react to the bear story, and Buffy wasn't sure she could be polite. The ranch felt like a second home to her, and she had no plans to let Beth ruin it for her. However, she also knew that there was a lot about herself she wasn't sharing, and she was afraid they would not want anything to do with her if they found out that she was the Slayer.

A half hour later, they were all sitting at the dinner table. Jaime and Kayce weren't there, but Rip was sitting next to Beth, while Buffy was across from her father. Lee was finishing up some work, telling Buffy they could start without him, so John didn't wait for him.

Buffy greeted her birth mother cordially and picked up a knife to cut the delicious looking steak in front of her.

"How's work, sweetheart?" John asked his daughter.

"Good. I don't think you need to worry anymore about those developers," she said as she sipped her wine.

"That's good," he said. "Jaime filed an injunction. What did you do?"

"I had my boss buy their company," she said with a smug smile.

John laughed as he took a bite of his food.

"It's like the Wild West around here," Buffy joked, smiling.

Rip gave her a warm look as he nodded. "Sometimes, it can be," he admitted. "We're a bit more ruthless than people probably are in California."

"Oh, I don't know. Too many women at a shoe story can get pretty violent," Buffy shared, grinning.

Rip chuckled. Then he glanced at Beth. "You should go upstairs, Beth, and see the rug that Tate's grandpa made out of the bear Buffy killed," he suggested.

"I'll do that," Beth said. Then she stared hard at Buffy as if wanting to figure out something.

Buffy swallowed her food, bracing herself for whatever Beth was about to say. She felt confident that she could handle it.

She was wrong!

"First, though, I wanna know what kind of freak our daughter is that she can kill a bear with her bare hands, fight her boyfriend with a sword and the rest of the insane shit I overheard her saying to her mother on the phone," Beth said. "We need to know just who we've let in our lives."

"That is uncalled for!" John yelled in anger. "You will not talk that way about my granddaughter! She is special, and you should be grateful that you are getting to know her."

"Grateful that the kid I thought I aborted shows up with crazy tales of hypnotism?" Beth said with scorn. "No one can kill a bear with their bare hands. I asked a vet. What she did is impossible, and I want to how she could do such a thing. I'm not leaving here until she explains why she is such a freak because there's no telling if she could turn on us like she did her boyfriend!"

Buffy's face paled as she absorbed the words Beth said. The real pain she felt warred with her desire to do violence.

She had to get out of there, so she jumped up from the table and ran for the door. Lee was coming in as she pushed passed him, nearly knocking him down.

"Woah! What's the rush?" he asked. He could see that Buffy was very upset and reached out to pull her close, but she stepped out of reach.

Buffy said nothing as she took off running.

Lee stepped inside and looked at his dad, who had jumped up to follow Buffy.

"What did I miss?" he asked.

John just stared wordlessly at him as he walked toward the still open door.

Buffy was already far down the road.

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

If you watch Yellowstone, you know that Beth is both cruel and ruthless and never hesitates to go for the jugular. I don't think she'd warm to Buffy all that quickly as she's very distrusting. The mention of Elsa comes from the Paramount+ streaming prequel 1883. Elsa was the star of the show, which is very much worth viewing. Review if you have the time or inclination!