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STAKE YOUR CLAIM


Chapter 8: ‘Trouble At The School House’


Time passed quickly for Buffy Summers, once she had settled into her new house. Right off, she began her teaching lessons with Anya Harris, who arrived promptly at 1:00 PM twice a week at the school house to learn her letters and numbers. The pretty Mrs. Xander Harris was beginning to show, really show, her pregnancy and Buffy enjoyed watching the eager woman’s progression; learning wise and pregnancy wise.

It was now late August and school, regular school that is, would be starting soon. For the last few weeks, not only had Buffy been pursued, affection wise, by Riley Finn, but Spike Giles was never too far away from her. When Xander brought his wife into town for lessons, Spike usually came with him, using the excuse that his ranch hand needed company while Anya studied with Buffy.

Then there was the times, that Mr. Spike Giles showed up to see Buffy, soon dropping the ruse that he was bringing Demon to visit Cloud. Of course, Riley Finn was giving Spike a run for his money, no question. Riley and Buffy had a standing engagement at the Cheyenne Diner, every Saturday afternoon for supper.

Spike never gave Riley a break however, he wooed Buffy with the determination of a miner digging for gold. Once, for no reason at all, Spike showed up at Buffy’s house with a huge bouquet of flowers, from his Stepmother’s gardens no doubt, but carefully chosen and arranged to please her.

Buffy found herself looking forward to Spike’s visits when she would set out some coffee and biscuits for him, probably overlooking the proprieties of a single woman and how she should behave. However, Buffy always made sure an appropriate chaperone, an ‘objective’ one was close at hand, at least next door, whenever she received either Spike or Riley.

Buffy had come to the conclusion that it was best for her to be supervised, for conventions and reputations purposes, only, of course. He, Spike was constantly bringing little gifts to Buffy, a slim book of poetry, a box of chocolates and he never mentioned the competition that Riley was trying so hard to give him, not to her anyway.

It was almost as if Spike never really feared Riley’s rivalry for Buffy and Buffy soon realized that Mr. Giles believed what he had said from the start: “I’m a patient man, Buffy. Okay, I’m not, but for you I’ll make an exception. I’ll wait, I’m the long haul guy, no other man. You’ll come to your senses, some day.”

Besides, Buffy realized, right off, that Spike had a good mind, was well read and could recite Shakespeare from memory. ‘Now, just who the heck could reject a suitor like that?’ Not Buffy, that was for sure.

However, there was still that sticky little matter of Buffy’s guilt over Parker, her young late husband. Riley was ‘safe’ in Buffy’s mind, mainly because Spike was ‘who’ he was. The older, dark haired Riley seemed to pale in comparison to Spike Giles, personality wise and everything. This proved to be a tad bit scary for Buffy.

This afternoon, young Connor Giles and his friend Ford had come into town to help Buffy set up the remainder of the school house. Classes would be starting soon and the two young men had eagerly offerred their services in the school room. Xander Harris had brought Anya into town to pick up some readers Buffy wanted her to have, he and his wife had gone with Spike over to the Mercantile to get supplies.

It wasn’t as if Buffy could’t handle herself, she reasoned later on when all of the upheaval was over, but it was nice to know that Spike, Xander and even Connor had been close by when the trouble started at the school house that day.

She, Buffy, remembered it clearly, Ford had gone outside to gather some firewood for the little stove that was housed in the one room school house. He had not come back in a timely manner and Buffy, for some reason, had grown anxious, noticing that Connor kept glancing at the school house door, nervously.

Buffy thought she heard a slight commotion outside of the window and hurried to it to see what was going on.

What she saw scared her, of course, but it also angered her and she quickly turned to Connor, “go get your brother and Xander Harris,” she ordered the youngest Giles firmly. Connor rushed to the door of the school house, but looked at Buffy with apprehension, “is it Ford?” he asked fearfully. Buffy pointed to the door again, “go, Connor, get Spike and Xander, go fetch Riley, too. Now!”

Without another word, Connor scooted out the door as Buffy grabbed the long rifle she had wisely brought with her that morning and hung over her own desk on the wall. She checked to make sure the gun was loaded, it was, and she scurried out of the school house and straight to the old Willow tree behind the structure. There, she found poor Ford, surrounded by three men, ones Buffy had never seen before, being harrassed and pushed about.

“Hey Indian, don’t you work for the Giles family?” the tallest of the men taunted Ford as he pushed him over to one of the other men.

Buffy checked the safety on the rifle, raised it and rested it on her slim shoulder, just like a professional sharpeshooter, “take your hands off that boy,” she ordered the men before her.

The tall, dark headed bully turned to stare at her then burst into laughter, “what the…..” he exclaimed, “well, what do we have here?”

Buffy leveled her rifle right at the mouthy, albeit good looking man before her, “let the boy go,” she ordered again, more firmly then before. “You okay Ford?” she asked anxiously as the the young man hurried past the men and joined Buffy at her side.

When he reached her side, Ford nodded silently, he never said much, Buffy had noticed that before. It was at that moment that Spike, Xander and Connor reached the school house, their guns drawn.

“Why am I not surprised,” Spike muttered, taking his place next to Buffy and glaring at the mouthy stranger. “Thought you were going to make yourself scarce around here, Holden,” Spike said evenly, glancing over at Buffy with a proud look in his eye.

“You don’t own the fucking Territory, Giles,” this Holden snarled back, “I’ll come to Cheyenne whenever I damn well please.”

“I’m Holden Webster, Miss….” Buffy stiffened, finally lowering her rifle, settling her gaze on Spike who still stood with his gun leveled right at Holden’s chest.

“She could give a flying….” Spike answered for Buffy, stopping at the word that she could only imagine he had planned to say. ‘Webster,’ Buffy thought to herself, trying to remember where she had heard that name before, then it struck her. Webster was the name of Quentin Travers’ married sister, this must be the nephews of the man Spike had killed a few years prior.

“Sorry for the fucking word, Miss,” Holden grinned giving Buffy the twice over, “can’t help that I was raised like a wild animal.”

Spike snorted and Xander Harris, who stood at Buffy’s right, stifled a chuckle.

“Animal being the key word here, Holden,” Spike mumbled, eyeing the other two men with him.

“Who’s these two morons? Your cousins?”

Holden flinched and answered through clenched teeth, “my little brother, Tucker and that there is our help, Devon. Ford, huh,” Holden smirked at the young man who Buffy had rescued, “figures you and your family would hire Indian trash like that.”

Spike cocked his gun and growled low in his chest, “apologize, Webster,” he ordered, “to the lady and Ford here. Now.”

Spike was so pissed off by now, he actually hoped that Holden Webster would refuse to apologize, go for his gun at his side and force him into shooting the fuck dead.

“Apologize,” Spike ordered again, leveling his gun right at Holden’s head.

“I’m sorry, Miss,” Holden nodded at Buffy, “and you Ford,” he added reluctantly.

“Morons?” Spike looked over at Tucker and Devon, “you wanna’ add your apologies to Miss Summers and Ford?”

The two younger men apologized quickly, nervously eyeing Spike and Xander’s guns. Spike did not like the way Holden Webster or the other two fucks were eyeing his Buffy and really wished he had a good excuse to blow their stupid heads off.

“She your woman, Giles? Does the little school teacher belong to you?”

Holden asked with a smirk as he again had the nerve to look Buffy over, but before Spike could answere, Buffy snarled, “I belong to no man!”

Xander sighed, apparently aware that Spike was quite ready to blow a hole in Holden Webster’s ugly head and Buffy’s declaration of independence was not helping matters.

Again, Spike cocked the gun, leveled it at Holden’s head and sighed, “you know, mate, you are a bloody idiot. First you harrass a mere boy, real manly of you I might add, then you insult a true lady. A lady, by the way, who is probably a better shot then the three of you bloody morons put together. And could have blown you to hell in a second.”

Buffy smiled softly and dared a look at Spike, ‘he remembered,’ she thought proudly. She had told Spike, right away, that by the time she was thirteen, she could shoot better then half the men or boys in Greenville, Tennessee.

Hank Summers had insisted that his oldest, Buffy, learn to shoot a rifle, at least, and become proficient in it. Her Mother, Joyce Summers, had, at first, been horrified, but once Mammy Buffy had jumped on board with the idea, all was well and Mama had relented.

Buffy actually won a competition, just a few months before her wedding day. Another strike against her on Sally Abrams list. When Spike looked at Buffy, his blue eyes full of pride and admiration, she darn near went weak in the knees. Looking away from her number one fan, just to keep a strong face if nothing else, Buffy gave this Holden Webster a look to kill and was about to say something really witty and brave when Riley Finn came running up behind them.

“Buffy!” Riley cried with concern, stepping in between her and Spike who swore under his breath and rolled his eyes. “Are you all right, Buffy dear?” Riley asked, giving Spike the evil eye while he relieved Buffy of her rifle, gently.

“I can’t believe you would stand up to Holden Webster, Buffy. And over an Indian? What were you thinking darling?”

Riley patted Buffy on the head, ‘much like a puppy or errant child,’ Buffy thought, a stab of resentment shot through her.

“Ford is Connor’s friend, Riley,” Buffy said calmly, “these men were bothering him and I stopped them, nothing more. I mean, it is your duty as a Deputy to help people and keep the peace, right?”

Riley blushed red and averted his eyes from hers, “well, yeah, but an Indian? I mean Buffy, he’s certainly not worth….”

Buffy grabbed her gun from Riley’s hands and turned to go back into the school house, calling back to Holden and the other two men, “good day, sirs, it certainly was not a pleasure to meet any of you.”

Holden called back to her, “good day ‘little one’ and it certainly was a pleasure to meet ‘you’ I’m sure.”

When Buffy got back into the one room building, she sat down at a nearby desk and placed her head in her hands.

“I’m tired,” she sighed softly, “I’m really tired and sometimes I wonder if….” Then a thought hit her and she wondered out loud, “did Holden Webster just call me little one?”


A/N: A little quick chapter to throw a bunch of characters together and reveal the shooting skills of Buffy! I would also like to assure everyone that I am trying to be realistic about intolerance during this time period. I myself am part Native American and very proud of it, so please, no offense meant in this chapter. Please read this story, review if you like and any constructive criticism is, of course, welcome. Next chapter, there will be a ‘tender’ (?!) Spuffy moment, by a river no less! Thanks, Luv, Spuf





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