This chapter gets into the pilot episode of Yellowstone. If you haven't seen it, Lee is shot in the back by Kayce's brother and dies. My version goes a bit differently.

This chapter is un-beta'd, so let me know if I missed a typo!

Chapter 10: Becoming a Family

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

Rip insisted that Buffy ride on the horse with him back to the house. No words were spoken until they made it back home. He slid off the horse and helped her down.

"You know, Buffy, I love you," he said, feeling the need to counter the pain Beth caused her.

Buffy's eyes filled with tears at his words, and she hugged him tightly.

Rip realized just how strong his daughter was when her hug became almost painful. However, he didn't voice a word of complaint. She was here; she was unhurt; and she was his daughter. To him, nothing else mattered.

When they made it back to the house, she slid off the horse and waited for her grandfather to do the same. Rip and Lee took the horses into their stalls.

"Come on, sweetheart," John said, reaching for her hand. "Let's get some hot chocolate."

Buffy smiled, grateful for his attempt at normalcy.

A short time later, they all were in the living room with a drink in hand. Rip had spoken to Beth, insisting she come out of her room to hear Buffy's tale as they saw her defeat something evil on the edge of the property that shared the border to Yellowstone Park.

Beth was incredulous as she heard Buffy begin her tale: "The world is older than you might think. . ."

"I was sixteen when I died, splitting the slayer line. I was unable to defeat a vampire who fed from me until I was unconscious," she paused to indicate the scar on her lower neck, "then threw me into a fountain of water to drown. Luckily, my best guy friend Xander found me and gave me CPR."

It struck Rip hard that he could have lost her before he had ever had the privilege of knowing her, and he reached out for her hand, giving in a squeeze.

"We totally need to get these friends of yours to come for a visit before you return," Lee said. "What do you think, Dad?"

"I think that could be arranged. Maybe your mom would come too? It would be great to meet her," John said.

"I could ask," she said. The way they were handling her truth was sort of blowing her mind—in a good way.

Beth was surprisingly silent as she listened to the tale, but she refrained from commenting as it was clear that the men in her life were completely bewitched by Buffy Summers.

After Rip left to go to his bunk house, Buffy went up to her room.

"Well?" John asked, looking at his daughter.

"Well, what?" she asked, sipping her drink.

"Tell us what you're thinking," he commanded.

"I don't think you want to know, Dad," Beth said with a snort.

"You don't believe her," Lee commented.

"I don't know what to believe," Beth answered honestly. "It's like she's bewitched all of you."

"Do you think we are lying?" John asked.

She shrugged.

"All three of us had the same hallucination?" Lee asked incredulously. "We fought men who didn't turn to dust when stabbed with wood?"

"Honey, we're not lying. We are not under some spell," John said. "If you don't start acting like the mother you actually are, you're going to regret it. Buffy is very special. She can fight like no one I've ever seen before. Kayce, a trained fighter, will tell you that. That alone makes her special, but she fights monsters. That's why she was strong enough to snap a bear's neck. She keeps the world safe. You should be proud, not suspicious."

"So she says," Beth said skeptically. "I'm sorry. It's just a lot to take in. I'm not sure I can believe in demons and vampires."

"Well, I can't say I blame you for that," John said. "I didn't want to believe it either until I fought one."

"For real," Lee said. "It's insane. But we're not drunk nor are we experiencing the same hallucination."

Beth knew not to press the issue and nodded. "Okay. It's just an incredible tale."

"I know it is, sweetheart," John said.

"I bet the fact that she says hell is real is what's got you freaked," Lee remarked, giving his sister a knowing smirk. "Better be careful, little sis. The preachers could be right!"

Beth glared at him, not willing to show that his words struck home. She had been an atheist since her mother died and a nihilist since she took her first philosophy class in college. It would be difficult to change who she was now.

"Let's get some sleep," John suggested. "It's a lot to take in."

"My niece is a superhero!" Lee proclaimed as he stood to his feet. "It's the coolest thing ever."

John smiled at his oldest as he went to his own room. His family had fought so hard for so long to keep their land. Now they had an heir strong enough to protect the land from the Devil himself.

He fell asleep with a feeling of peace and joy that he had not felt since his wife was alive.

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

The next day, Buffy was confused as her father's men got into a dispute with some Indians over cattle that was not on their side of the Yellowstone.

"I don't get this," Buffy said to Rip. "Our cows have the Yellowstone brand, right?"

Rip nodded. "They do," he agreed.

"How can they claim it as theirs?" she said.

"The law is your grandfather, and he covers all land and cattle not on the reservation property," Rip explained. "The cattle have wandered onto reservation land, so we can't check it."

"Wandered?" Buffy asked incredulously. "They cut the fence!"

"I know, sweetheart," he acknowledged. "It's a delicate dance."

John, of course, wasn't about to take it meekly. He organized the Cattle Commission that he ran and had air support by late afternoon.

He tried to tell Buffy to stay at the ranch, but she just glared at him.

It was his grandmother's glare. How could he argue further?

"Keep her safe," he instructed Lee and Rip.

Rip intended to do just that, but they didn't know exactly how fast a slayer could move if she had a mind to.

Buffy was a bit surprised that Indians from her cousin's tribe were flat out stealing her family's cows in broad daylight. She spotted Kayce helping them and stared in disbelief. Angry, she pointed her horse toward him. "Uncle Kayce, why are you helping steal our cows? How could you do that?" she asked, glaring at him.

Kaye felt the weight of her judgment and didn't know how to reply. He went to war and left his wife and son. Then he came back a bit broken, feeling guilty for what he put Monica through. She hated his family. The brand on his chest was, to her, proof of abuse from his father. The ranch seemed near occult-like to his educated wife. Kayce didn't know how to explain it or that he had chosen to have the Yellowstone brand, a symbol of his loyalty.

Now his niece was looking at him with the glare that reminded him strongly of his sister. However, the disappointment in her eyes made him think of his mother although they were physically very different. How could he explain that he felt like a failure as a husband and father? His wife deserved his loyalty above all others, and her family was also his family now. Buffy's looks of judgment, though, pierced him. He couldn't hold her gaze.

Buffy didn't wait for her traitorous uncle to answer. Instead, she moved toward Uncle Lee, who was moving the cows back toward their land. When Buffy saw Tate's uncle pull out his gun, she moved quickly. Before Lee could react, Buffy dived off her horse to intercept the bullet Tate's uncle had meant for him. Lee turned when he heard the gunshot, he moved quickly toward it. Without hesitating, he raised his own gun and shot the man still pointing a gun at him.

Kayce took in the scene, feeling sick. Quickly, he called out, pushing the cattle back to the Dutton property line. Then he joined Lee and Rip beside his niece.

Buffy winced at the bullet that was in her shoulder. "Damn, that hurts," she complained.

"Lie still, sweetheart," Rip ordered. "We're getting the helicopter to land and take you to the hospital."

"You can't do that, Dad," she said. "Get me to the house and get the bullet out. It's in my shoulder, not my chest."

Rip looked confused for a moment. Lee had already called his father, who was in the helicopter landing and scaring the cattle. Lloyd and the hands were rounding them up as Buffy lay bleeding on the ground.

"Why was Tate's uncle trying to shoot you in the back?" Buffy asked Lee.

Lee looked at the dead Indian in surprise. "That's Monica's brother?" he asked, surprised.

"I recognized him," Buffy said as she got to her feet, holding onto her father's hand.

Kayce finally made it to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked as he slid off his horse.

"Do you care?" Buffy replied, glaring at him. "Your brother-in-law tried to kill your brother. He was going to shoot him in the back, and you're here helping him? What's wrong with you?"

Rip was holding a rag to the entry wound. "Come on, Buffy. We don't have time to argue with Kayce. We need to get you to a doctor," he said.

John was now out of the helicopter, marching toward them. "What happened? Is she okay?" he asked, a note of panic in his voice. He couldn't bear to lose his newly discovered granddaughter, not so soon and due to violence that he caused.

"I'm fine, Grandpa. Just a flesh wound," Buffy said, casually. "We need to get the bullet out before my body heals over it."

"She needs to go to the hospital!" Rip insisted, glaring at his stubborn daughter.

"Get into the helicopter, and we'll look," John suggested.

As Kayce was the only one with any medical training, he went with them while Lee stayed to lead the men to handle the cattle. Of course, the sheriff was called, and Lee would need to give a statement as would his men.

"What happened?" John asked as he gently pulled her shirt down to examine the entry wound. The blood was already slowing.

"I saw your traitorous son, Kayce helping the Indians steal our cows—"

"Cattle," all three men corrected.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "After I yelled at him, I turned and saw Tate's uncle pulling out a gun. He was pointing it at Lee's back," she explained.

"Damn," John muttered. He turned to Rip. "Call the Doc. Have him come to the ranch."

"I already did," Rip replied. "He's not far, so he will get here soon."

"You have a doctor on standby?" Buffy asked.

"No, he's our vet," John explained.

Buffy snorted in amusement but said nothing. It didn't take them long to arrive at the ranch.

Getting out of the helicopter jarred her shoulder, and she winced.

"Just a little bit further, sweetheart," John said, helping her out.

Beth was on the porch and actually looked concerned. "What happened?" she asked as they made it to the porch.

"I got shot by Kayce's brother-in-law," she said.

Beth looked at Kayce. "What the fuck, Kayce?" she remarked.

"It's complicated," he said.

"Why isn't she going to a hospital?" Beth asked in concern.

"I heal too fast. I don't need any doctor poking at me," Buffy explained. "It's just a shoulder wound."

When Kayce tried to cut off her shirt, Buffy slapped his hand. "There are too many males here for me to be taking off my shirt," she told him.

"Now is not the time for your modesty," Rip told her, frowning.

"I'm not particularly modest, but I draw the line at showing my dad and grandpa my boobs!" she informed them with a glare.

Beth laughed and all three men gave her various degrees of dark looks. "What? That's funny!" she said. "I'll do it. Go away."

The doorbell rang. "It's the doc," Rip said, moving quickly toward the door to let him in.

"Okay, Dad. You and Kayce make room for the doctor," Beth ordered. She looked at Rip. "Go get her some clean clothes."

Rip nodded and went up to her room to do so. When he saw a picture of her mother on the dresser, he felt more anxiety. What if her mother didn't allow her to return?

He worried about that as he grabbed a buttoned-up shirt and bra.

When he made it downstairs, the doctor gave Buffy a shot of antibiotics. "What did I miss?" he asked Beth.

"He got the bullet out and now is giving her some antibiotics," Beth told him.

"No biggie. I don't need a hospital," Buffy said.

"Normally, I would insist," the vet told them. "However, she doesn't seem to have lost much blood, and it's clotting well. She should get a medical doctor to remove the stitches in a few days."

"Thanks, doc," Rip said, shaking his hand.

"Let's get the bullet to the sheriff," John said, handing it to Kayce. "He'll need to match it to the gun and clear Lee."

Kayce nodded and glanced at his niece. "I'm sorry, Buffy," he said. "For everything."

"I don't know why you'd be willing to steal from your own family," Buffy said. "But if your wife is pushing you to do that, you need to re-evaluate your relationship dynamics 'cause that's just messed up."

"Monica never told me to do anything," Kayce said. How could he make them understand that he felt guilt for everything? For the lives he took in war, for the poverty of the tribe, for the abundance of land his family owned. He left his father's house, wondering how he was going to tell his wife that her brother was dead.

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

Buffy's shoulder was a bit stiff, but she was good to work. However, the men in her life gave her an emphatic no.

"You are going to rest," John said firmly. "Beth will keep you company while the cook brings you some breakfast, so relax. Watch some TV."

She was in the living room, and her bio mom was eying her warily. When the men left Beth asked, "So you took a bullet for Lee. That's pretty impressive."

"I live to impress you," Buffy said sarcastically.

Beth went to her room and came back with a stack of magazines. They were all either stock market related or issues of Cosmo.

"Cool," Buffy said, grabbing a Cosmo. "Thanks."

They sat in silence for an hour, and Beth kept trying to figure out how to start a conversation. However, she didn't really have the words. She and Buffy had very little in common.

Then Buffy asked her to do a quiz, and that seemed to break the ice. Buffy showed her some shoes that she liked. Then they looked at the Oscar issue and critiqued the clothes. Beth found Buffy amusing and was surprised to discover that they had very similar taste when it came to what dresses work tacky and which were appealing.

Buffy saw a dress similar to the one she died in and closed the magazine.

"What's wrong?" Beth asked.

"The white dress brings back bad memories," Buffy said.

"Bad breakup?" Beth asked.

"Not exactly," Buffy said. "That was the dress I wore when I died."

"No shit?" Beth asked.

Buffy nodded. "There was a school dance, but I had to face the Master—this really old and ugly vampire that was trapped in the hellmouth. He could mesmerize me a bit, and he bit me, draining me of my blood until I passed out. Then threw me unconscious in a pool of water. I died long enough for another slayer to be called."

Beth could tell by the haunted look in her eyes that she wasn't lying. "That must have been horrible," she said.

Buffy shrugged. "I thought it was the worst thing that would ever happen to me," she admitted. "Then I lost my virginity to the man I love, which caused him to lose his soul. Then I had to kill him and send him to hell after he murdered my watcher's girlfriend, a teacher at my school. You cannot fathom the horror that is my life."

Beth felt a bit sick as considered the life her daughter had to live. "You could stay here," she said.

Buffy shook her head. "I draw evil to me. The blood of a slayer is intoxicating to vampires, and they often hunt me up. That's what happened the other day. Somehow, they found out I was here," she said.

"How do you know that?" Beth asked.

"They told me," she answered. "The first one I killed did. Where I live in Sunnydale is on a hellmouth, so supernatural creatures are already drawn to it whether or not I'm there. Word has gotten out that I am here."

"What's a hellmouth?" Beth inquired.

"There are lots of various hells, but some places on Earth have like a seal to hell dimensions that aren't very strong. Basically, a hellmouth is formed when the seal is very thin. It can be opened by the right ritual," Buffy explained.

"Seriously?" Beth asked in dismay. "Hell can really be on Earth?"

Buffy nodded. "The one in my town keeps out a lot of evil. If it's opened, the demons who are trapped in that particular hell will have free reign," Buffy explained. "My friends and I are like guardians. I keep the vampire population in check, and we prevent the hellmouth from being opened."

"How much does this job pay?" Beth asked.

"Nothing," Buffy said with a shrug. "I mean the Watchers Council pays Giles, my Watcher, but the slayer doesn't get paid."

Beth's eyes narrowed. "You're telling me that a group of misogynistic men force young women into service and pay them nothing?" she asked, outraged.

"I can't stop what I am, and I can't do anything about the lack of pay," Buffy said. "They'll just say it's my sacred duty."

"What's the average life span of most slayers?" Beth asked.

"A year," Buffy replied. "I'd be dead still if it wasn't for my friends. They give me an advantage."

"I want the number to this council," Beth said. "Jamie is sometimes good for something. I will have him draft a strongly worded letter to sue their asses unless they start paying you more than they're paying their watchers!"

Buffy laughed. "I don't know their number, but I guess, I could call Giles. He knows," she said.

She was surprised that Beth insisted and called Giles. "Hey, Giles. I got shot, but I'm okay," she told him.

"Shot? How did that happen?" he asked.

"Well, there were vampires here, and my family now knows my secret," she explained.

"And they shot you? Did they try to use a gun on a vampire?" Giles asked.

"No, they didn't shoot me. My Uncle Kayce's brother-in-law was trying to shoot Uncle Lee because they were stealing our cows," Buffy told him.

"Cattle. When you have more than three cows, the proper word is cattle," Beth corrected her.

Buffy stuck out her tongue. "Excuse me. Cattle. They get real worked up when I say cows even though the cattle are cows," she said, purposely being obtuse.

When Giles went into a long explanation about the epistemology of the word, she laughed. "I miss you, Giles. No one can be as boring as you can be!" she told him.

"That's not very nice," Beth said, frowning at her.

Buffy snickered. "Giles, can you believe that my bio-mom just reprimanded me for being rude to you? She's the rudest woman I have ever met, and I go to school with Cordelia Chase," Buffy said.

"Buffy, can you not use some decorum?" he asked her.

Beth grabbed the phone from her. "Excuse me, Mr. Giles. This is Beth Dutton," she said.

"Oh, it is nice to meet you—so to speak," Giles said, a bit discombobulated.

"Hey, Buffy tells me that she isn't get paid to kill monsters for your group of misogynists," Beth said.

"Misogynist? That's a bit—" Giles paused, unable to find the right word.

"It's an accurate description of men who seem to get off controlling young women and not valuing their well-being," she said. "Your group sees these girls as a tool. One dies, another is called. No big fucking deal. Am I right?"

Giles was caught off guard by the woman's harsh assessment. "Well, some in the council have such attitudes," he said. "I do not."

"Yes, I know. Give me the contact information of your leader. He is who we will sue if my daughter does not get what is due her," Beth said.

Buffy was shocked that her bio-mom was even claiming her to another person let alone wanting to fight on her behalf.

Giles looked through his rolodex and shared Quentin's contact information, grinning at the thought of his reaction.

"Can I have my watcher back?" Buffy asked Beth after he wrote down the number.

Beth nodded. "I'm going to call Jamie. He'll get right on this," she said, getting up and heading out of the room.

"So that was your birth mother?" Giles asked.

"Yep. I told you she was a piece of work," Buffy said.

"She seems feisty," Giles said.

"Is that British for really bitchy? 'Cause she is that," Buffy said, amused.

"She seemed protective and not necessarily wrong about the Council," he said.

"Do you think they'll start paying me? Being able to buy new shoes would be, like, very awesome!" she said.

"I could not begin to speculate," he said. "How are you feeling? Does your mother know you were shot?"

"I'm fine. The bullet hit my shoulder," she told him. "They didn't even get me to the hospital. They wanted to, but I told them not to bother. They called the vet. He took the bullet out."

"Oh, dear," Giles muttered. "You probably shouldn't tell your mother that."

"I know," Buffy said. "Grandpa wants to bring her, Willow, and Oz here before I leave. I will tell her then."

"That will be nice. Be careful," he said.

Buffy said goodbye and got up to stretch. Sick of sitting down, she went out into the yard to do some Tai Chi.

That was what she was doing when Beth came looking for her. She stood on the porch, sipping a coffee, watching her daughter. Her moments were controlled and yet beautiful.

How was this nearly grown woman hers?

Rip came to the house to check on his daughter and saw Beth watching Buffy do her Tai Chi. Grinning, he called out.

"I see you're resting," he said.

"This is me resting," Buffy replied. "I sat down on the couch for a few hours—ask Beth."

Beth nodded from the porch. "She did," she confirmed.

"Why don't you teach us some of that fancy stuff you're doing?" he asked.

"What is it?" Beth inquired.

"It's Tai Chi," Rip answered. "Buffy said that she'd teach me some time."

"Anyone can learn it," Buffy told them.

"I don't do exercise," Beth said.

"How do you stay thin?" Buffy wondered.

"I don't eat much," she replied with a shrug.

"That's not healthy," Buffy responded.

"No, it's not," Rip said. "Come join us."

Beth put her coffee down on the porch table and decided to give it a try.

John and Lee were surprised at the family activity as they approached the house.

"I guess things went okay," Lee said, watching the trio.

"I guess so," John said, smiling. Buffy stood between Rip and Beth as they mirrored her moments.

"They look like a real family," Lee observed.

"Yes, they do," John said. Finally, his daughter was opening her heart to Buffy.

"Hey, I want to learn how to do that!" Lee called out.

John watched, feeling the peace of the moment wash over him.

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

I hope you enjoyed this overdue update. Are you happy that I saved Lee? I have started the next chapter, deciding to cut this chapter into two. The next chapter will be the final chapter. Take a minute to leave a review!