Chapter 2: Taking a Test
*****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 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.
"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 ago."
"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," 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."
"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 End*****