Because Buffy has met her Dutton family, and Giles is working to get Faith out of prison, Xander is not feeling the need to call the demon to bring the fun. That means the "Once More with Feeling" episode doesn't take place. This means no Spuffy, which I detest and never willingly write.

I can't reconcile the time frames between season 6 of BTVS and season 1 of Yellowstone. I mean the month in the year (obviously the year can't be reconciled) as Yellowstone happened over the summer months, and Buffy started in October. So I'm just ignoring the discrepancy. It doesn't fit perfectly, but let it go. Season 1 is when Jamie's relationship really begins to deteriorate as he runs for Attorney General after his dad tells him to pull out of the race. I am going with the will happened about halfway through the season as the season happened quickly and wills can be read whenever.

Chapter 5: Visiting Family

*****Several 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 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*****