Disclaimer: I claim no rights over the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer portrayed in the
piece of fiction. All rights of the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer is reserved by Mutant Enemy,
Sandollar, Kuzui Enterprises, Fox and(or) WB TV. This piece of fiction is not to be reproduced
anywhere or edited without the express consent of the author as named above.

Warning: This piece of literature contains scenes with violence, strong language and religious
references that may be considered offensive. Parental disgression should be applied.

Note: This story takes place just before Surprise during the 2nd
season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It represents an alternative storyline, which moves away
from the BtVS story arc as represented in the series for the purpose of the story I want to tell.

Chapter 6: Beginning of the End

"I think I found it! Spike", the vampire growled and pointed down a tunnel. "It's a large cave
with a lot of burned out candles, a huge cross and stuff", it eagerly reported. Spike looked down
upon the growling creature. "Thanks", he said dryly and kicked the weak vampire in the face. It
flew clear across the sewer intersection into the wall.

The creature wailed and crawled away. Spike was annoyed by the weakness of his followers. He
walked into the Master's cave. Spike looked around. "All right old man, let's see where you hid
your secrets", he said and gestured to the vampires collected behind him. "Find all the books in
here. Don't destroy anything or I'll kill you where you stand", he growled. The vampires surged
into the room and began searching.

She ran her morning tour along the docks. The salty air tasted fresh and she felt a bit better. She
had killed another bunch of vampires last night, but somehow it didn't seem to matter anymore.
She felt that something would change soon. Something would go wrong and the world would
suffer the consequences. She reached a small beach and stopped. She marveled at the beauty of
this world as she looked upon the blue waves coming ashore.

Officer O'Neill walked up to the Summers house. He carried a small black box with a video tape
in it. The bell rang. The good looking Joyce Summers open the door. "What is it mister O'Neill?
Have you found my daughter's things yet?", she asked hopefully. James shook his head. The
news he carried was much more disturbing. "No, but Mrs. Summers I might have some news on
the matter. Can I come in?", he asked. She nodded and moved out of his way.

He sat down on the couch and put the tape on the table. "What is this about then?", Joyce asked a
bit nervously. "You said that your daughter died a year ago? Could you please show me another
picture of her then?", he asked and tried to sound as neutral as possible. Joyce frowned a little
then took down a portrait photo of Buffy from the wall. She handed it to O'Neill in silence. He
looked at it in absolute silence for a while.

"Thank you", he said and handed it back to her. "What is wrong?", Joyce asked even more
pertubed than before. "Well I might have a strange clue for you here then. Do you have a VCR",
he said and handed her the tape as she nodded. "Please sit down Mrs. Summers", he cautioned
after she had handed him the remote control. He turned on the TV.

"We recieved this tape in connection to another investigation, and I stumbled across this, while
watching. Please brace yourself", he said and pressed the play button. Joyce looked at the strange
police man then at the screen as a black and white picture sprang into view. "I have stopped it at
the spot, you should watch. Look", he said.

On the screen the automatic door to one of the entrances of the new mall open and admitted a
beautiful blond girl wearing all white. Her hair was swept back in a pony tail and her face had
the sort of openness you'd see in a person with absolute selfconfidence but none of the usual
arrogance of such persons. She strode into the mall. At the button of the screen a display showed
yesterdays date. The clock showed that it was a quarter past eleven in the morning.

Joyce gasped. Her eyes filled with utter pain then incomprehesion then dispair. "Why! Why!
Why do you show me this? Haven't you made us suffer enough? First you made her kill herself
with your accusations of murder then this? Get out of my house of my life. Why are you showing
me lies. This can't be. She's dead. Dead", Joyce raged then sobbed and began crying.

Her heart filled with pain. The picture of her daughter was frozen on her TV screen. "I'm sorry to
put you through this Mrs. Summers. I'm aware that you thought that your daughter was dead, but
I looked at the files, the body that was found, was so badly burned they had to identify the corpse
on jewelry, and that is actually only circumstancial evidence of the corpses identity. Maybe your
daughter survived the fire or wasn't actually in it. Maybe this is her", he explained and hoped this
woman would stop crying for it made him fell very bad.

Joyce looked up. Her chin was tearstreaked and her eyes puffy. She sniffled slightly. She looked
once again at the TV screen. In her head the wheels were turning. Buffy's strange behavior, her
unprovoked suicide, the strange clothing and weapons and finally the missing diary. It all pointed
in one direction.

"I don't know", she whispered, "what has this got to do with my daughter's things being stolen".
James sighed. "Maybe nothing, maybe everything. I would like to put an APB out on a person
matching her description though, if that's okay with you that is. Maybe we could all get some
answers this way", he offered. Joyce nodded mutely but kept staring at the TV screen. She still
couldn't understand. But she knew who might help her.

Spike looked around the now cleared floor of the factory. The girl at his side began to struggle
once again. "We are ready Master", one of his vampires said. "Good then begin. Here uses this
one for starters. Listen to me people", he said and paced around the room.

"We're about to do something even more evil and heinous than any act ever before commited
upon this world. I hope we're all clear about that. But the reward shall be truly great. For a few
days from now we'll rule the miserable planet and all mankind shall be our cattle", he yelled. All
the vampires cheered and began slitting the throats of their victims. The ritual began.

Joyce stopped her car. She sat a while soaking in the silence. Dark clouds hung on the horizon. It
would rain soon. She looked at the school. She hadn't been here since a few months before
Buffy's death or...

Joyce shook her head and unbuckled her seatbelt. She had a feeling that either Willow or Giles or
many everyone of Buffy's supposed friends knew something about the mystery of which she had
learned only a few hours ago. The school seemed abandoned at the late hour and most students
would already be home with their families. Joyce walked towards the buildings.
She stepped inside. Everything was silent. Slowly she walked towards the place that most
unlikely of all to search for clues of her daughter. The Sunnydale High School Library. Joyce
looked inside.

"Strange", she thought as she looked through the small glass windows. The lights were still on
and the place was far from abandoned. Willow sat with her boyfriend and was reading some
really old looking books. Xander stood by the table with his back to the doors and was busy
talking.

A black haired younger girl stood up on the mezzanine and leaned against the rails, she seemed
occupied by an even larger older looking leather bound book. Giles the school librarian was
talking on the phone. Joyce frowned then sighed. Slowly she pushed open the door and walked
towards her goal.

Giles looked in total surprise when Joyce Buffy's mother came in. She seemed preoccupied and
very intent on something as she walked towards the table where Buffy's friends sat. "Willow I
have to speak with you in private", she said in a tone that tolerated no opposition.
Willow looked innocently to her best friend's mother. "Hello Joyce", Giles greeted her and
smiled, but Joyce only nodded and looked back at Willow while ignoring their surprised
greetings. "What is it?", Willow asked. "In private Willow", she said once again. "O-O-Okay",
Willow stuttered. Giles pointed to his office.

Joyce closed the door behind Willow. "You're making me a bit nervous here", Willow smiled
thinly to Joyce. Joyce seemed very sad and angry at the same time. Willow had never seen her
like that before.

"Willow have you lied to me about Buffy's death?", she asked without blinking. Willow gasped
in surprise. "N-No", she stuttering unconvincingly. "Really", Joyce demanded. Her tone
revealing her knowledge. "We... I can't. You mustn't ask", Willow sat down. "Listen to me
Willow. I don't know what going on, but I'm sure there is a lot about Buffy that you're not telling
me. And I don't believe your suicide story either. It's just to unlikely", she spoke loudly and
harshly.

Willow had never forgiven herself for her own lies about Buffy, but she had to respect her
wishes, and she always kept her mother out of her dangerous world. Willow couldn't break
Buffy's trust, but it tore her up inside. Suddenly she began weeping and stormed out of the office.
"Willow", Joyce called out to her. "Shit, oh why did you have to do that Joyce?", she cursed and
slowly went out to meet the angry stares of Willow's friends. Joyce didn't speak to anyone after
that she just left.

It was already dark thanks to the deep rain cloud hanging over Sunnydale. Hunt was a young
police officer, but he knew his job and he actually liked most of the time. His partner was just
getting them coffee from a donut shop and he used the time to look through some pictures of
wanted persons they had got at the watch change.

"Wow there's a looker", he whistled while looking a picture of a tanned blond girl. The photo
was over a year old but the girl was wanted for questioning. Hunt continued to leaf through the
papers.

The symbols were taking shape on the factory floor already. Tomorrow the end would begin.
Tomorrow the world would fall to him. And it would only cost him a few thousand souls. But
what did he care for the lives of mere humans they were cattle anyhow. "Work faster", Spike
bellowed to his followers, while the unholy symbols began to burn with an infernal light. The
clouds grew heavier and thicker.

Angel crouched in the shadows behind a large dumpster. Two vampires stood nearby. They were
Spike's guards.

"Do you think he has gone insane", the one asked the other. "Nope, I just think he's pissed
because that cloaked bitch crushed his minicrusade last week. Now he feel justified in bringing
those things to destroy his enemies", the other answered. "Yeah, but isn't that insane. Not even
the other demons will consort with pure chaos. What did he call them. The Empty", the first said.
"Yep that what he said. But he seems to think he can handle them. And I won't argue with him
on that. Besides he says they can actually give us the world on a silver platter if they get what
they want", the second said.

Angel had heard enough. The One would have to wait now the entirety of creation was
threathened. He stepped out to kill them. Then there would be less to contend with later.

Buffy looked out the window. She could feel evil hanging over the city like a cloth. The time
was coming nearer. She could feel it. Soon she would know why she had been returned. She
went over to gather up her cloak. She would have to stop it. Stop evil before everything she
loved was threatened.

"There is some pretty strange weather outside. It looks like it should rain, it smells like it should
rain, but it doesn't", Xander said and walked over to get his jacket. "We're heading home then",
Cordy said with a smile. "Sure", he replied and smiled to her as well.

Willow were still sitting silently in her chair. Whatever she and Joyce had said to each other it
had clearly upset her. "You coming with us?", Cordelia asked, "I have the car today". Willow
nodded vaguely and stood. Giles and Wendy were busy discussing their course of action now
that the One had been identified as the Messenger a kind of mystic portent of very bad times for
the Slayer. Suddenly Angel walked in the doors, he seemed very distraught.

"GILES!", he roared. "Wow", Xander yelled and jumped in surprise. Willow was shaken out of
her apathy. Giles stormed out of his office. Wendy followed right behind him. "What's wrong?
Are we under attack?", he asked in alarm. Angel shook his head.

"We're in big trouble I'm afraid", he said and walked heavily up to the table. "You know already
then. We only found out a few hours ago", Giles said rather smugly. "How can you be so calm,
when our world is standing at the brink of disaster", Angel grabbed Giles by the collar
threateningly.

"Wait, be calm Angel. What are you talking about?", Giles asked a slight tone of fear in his
voice. "What! Why the Empty of course. Don't be daft man, we're standing at the brink of the
Apocalypse, and you sitting around drinking tea and discussing. We must...". Giles interrupted
him.

"Wait a minute. I wasn't talking about any Empty. We were referring to the Messenger. We
finally identified the One. It's a creature called the Messenger. We haven't positively identified
it's purpose yet, but it seems to foretell dire end to the Slayer and possibly the world", he
explained. Angel scowled a little.

"I'm sorry, Giles. All your precious research is irrelevant now. Spike is trying to raise the Empty
and when they arrive, we won't have time to care. We'll all suffer for eternity", Angel stated
matter-of-factly.

In the meantime Willow had risen from her chair and moved around to flank Angel. "What are
you talking about? Who are these Empty you're talking about?", she asked meekly. Angel
frowned and sat on the edge of the table. He sighed and began to explain: "The Empty are
oblivion. Entropy and chaos taken to the max. Imagine creatures made of evil, hate and immense
magic. Not even the most insane demons dare summon them. They were cast out from Hell for
being too disruptive or so Darla told me. You see even the Master feared them, and he personally
supervised the massacring of a cult of demon worshippers, who had tried to raise them. And he
chose me for the job. That's how I know about them. Spike must have gone insane or something
after the Night of Creation. Right now he's at the warehouse trying to bring them here. We must
stop them now, before he succeds, for there will be no after".

"That sound really bad", Willow whispered. "You had too ask", Angel mused. "There is only one
thing to do then", Wendy said. Everybody looked at her. "We have to assault him and bring an
end to William the Bloody once and for all", she said and walked purposefully towards the
armory. Everyone followed her intent etched upon their faces.

Buffy hadn't drawn the hood over her head yet. She was still along way from her goal. "Damn,
how can I know this", she thought and walked into the dark evening. A strange dread drew her
across town toward her enemy. "I must stop him", she mumbled and walked across a street. She
didn't remember to make herself unnoticed by the people around her.

Officer Hunt sat in the dark car and relaxed. They were waiting for a small time dealer, whom
the guys over from the Drug department wanted to ask a lot of questions, but he seemed a bit
late. Hunt's partner was slowly leafing through a magazine he had brought. Hunt sighed and
looked out into the night again.

A beautiful and surprisingly small girl crossed the street. She walked as if lost in thought about
something important. Hunt almost choked on a bite of his donut. "Shit. Lopez look. There isn't
that the girl they want for questioning down at the station", he asked and pointed her out to his
surprised partner. "Yer right", Lopez nodded and replied, "let's pick her up". Hunt opened his
door and stepped out into the warm evening.

"Excuse me miss", a voice called out behind. Buffy should have made herself scarce at that
moment, but curiosity made her turn around. "Yes?", she asked. "I'm sorry Miss, but I'll have to
take you down to the station for questioning", a young very well built police stood before her.

Buffy considered running or evening knocking him out for a moment, but couldn't bring herself
to do it. She had felt so bad hitting her successor and she didn't want to compound her mistake
by beating up a police man. Besides his partner was well out of reach and both were well armed.

"Ok, I surrender", she replied with a sad smile, "but I really haven't done anything, and I've got
to be somewhere soon". "I can't help you with that. You're for questioning that's all. I don't think
I'll have to cuff you or anything, if you come quietly", he said. "Sure", Buffy replied and ducked
her head, as he helped her onto the backseat. A strange calm seemed to fill her.

Joyce walked unsteadily into the police station. O'Neill had called ten minutes ago and told her
that a patrol car had picked up a girl, who's description matched that of her daughter. Joyce had a
huge lump in her throat. What if Buffy hadn't died? Why would she have faked her death? If so
who had they buried? Thought buzzed around in Joyce's mind.

"Hello Mrs. Summers", O'Neills familiar voice greeted her into the busy main room of the police
station. "H-Hello", she stuttered and turned to her left to meet the nice police man. "It's this
way", he said and gallantly lead her towards the much quieter interrogation rooms.

"Do you recognize this girl?", O'Neill asked and pointed to the one way window. Joyce walked
slowly up to the glass and stared into the bleak room. A blond girl sat sullenly at a small table.
The light of the single ceiling lamp shone upon the girl's necklength blond hair, which was held
up two butterfly hair clips.

The girl seemed to constantly shift in her chair, as she was really uncomfortable with the
situation. Joyce stared at the beauty sitting before. A lone tear rolled down her chin. "I'm not
sure", she lied, "Could I talk to her?". O'Neill winced at the enormous pain in the woman's voice.
"Sure", he said.

Buffy knew that they would be watching her from behind the mirror, but she didn't care. She
couldn't stay much longer, her sense of urgency was building constantly. Suddenly the door to
the room slowly opened. Buffy looked on in utter detachment.

She didn't really have anything to say to the police. Slowly a woman walked inside. Buffy
gasped in surprise and shock. Her mother was standing before her. "Oh, my god", she whispered.
What could she do now?

Spike rose and walked slowly into the immense design drawn upon the concrete in the blood of
innocents. He stopped in the exact center and took out the ancient leather bound tome. The
summoning could finally begin.

Giles shoved the key into the ignition. "I have some more weapons at my place. Let's all meet up
there", he yelled out the still open door. Cordelia nodded vigourously opened her car door.
Xander, Willow and Oz rode with her. Giles looked back at Angel seated behind him.

"Do you think this will work?", he asked. "Why shouldn't it? We have all the advantages this
time. He might be stronger, but his forces are next to zero and not even Spike can create killer
vampires within a week. He's our only problem, everything else is just dust waiting to fall",
Angel said with a slight growl from his demon hidden deep within.

Joyce walked slowly over to the empty chair standing opposite to her. She didn't dare look at the
girl, she couldn't because if she did she would cry and right now wasn`t the time for that.
Buffy looked at her mother. Her dear dear mother, who had nurtured her, who stuck with her
when everyone else had called her a delinquent or worse. Her mother, who had loved her always
in the weird silent way mothers love their children.

And Buffy loved her back. She couldn't help it, no one could help to love a loving parent no
matter what they said. Deep down all children love their parents, even if they grow apart and
grow to hate each other. You always remember your mother's love. And right now her mom was
looking very sad. "God, this is so painful", Buffy thought and swallowed a lump in her throat.
Joyce drew in a breath. It had to be Buffy, she looked exactly like her. But she couldn't be sure,
she didn't feel sure of anything anymore. How should she start a conversation. What could she
possibly have to say. Joyce looked at the girl. She stared back at her. She seemed to have tears in
her eyes.

"So what have you been doing Buffy?", it blurted out of her. The girl seemed rattled by this.
Joyce felt a strange anger building inside her. Buffy couldn't have. She couldn't have faked her
death, why would she do that? She wouldn't have made her suffer like that.

"Mom, please. I-I can't", the girl stammered. "What! You can't. Do you have any idea how
you've made us all suffer. God Buffy we buried you, we mourned you. It took me months to even
work up the guts to leave the house. I-I. How could you! You ungrateful bitch. And and your
friends. I have never seen anyone so unhappy. It took Willow almost this entire year to get over
it, and Xander. And Giles. And....And. I can't believe this", Joyce raged without looking at
Buffy.

Suddenly she became aware of someone crying. She stopped and looked at Buffy. She was bent
over the table, her tears dripping on the black surface, her sobs shaking her body. "I'm sorry. I'm
sorry. But Mom you don't understand. I am dead. I really am", she muttered between each
heartwrenching sob.

"Talk sense Buffy", Joyce frowned and looked down at the crying girl, "You can't be dead Buffy.
You're sitting right here". "I-I know", Buffy replied her crying slowly subsiding, "But I died
mom. I was in the fire, I couldn't get out, the house collapsed and I was burned alive". "You
faked it, so you should know", Joyce replied quickly. "But mom I died. You buried me on the
southern cemetery near our home, and...", suddenly Buffy's real memory returned, and she
remembered the Light and...

"Mom. I can't explain it to you. I'm not allowed to. But I was sent back to Earth to do something
and I must do this soon", she explained with conviction. "God, has she gone insane. Is that why
she did it? Did she really have a breakdown as Willow said?", Joyce thought and examined
Buffy with her eyes.

Buffy looked back at her. A certain clarity and peace had come over her. "Mom, when all this is
over. Go to Giles and ask him to give you my diary, read then ask him, Willow and Xander
questions. They'll tell you the truth. And my stuff is over on 23rd Street on the top floor of the
warehouse, please take it home again. I got because I thought my stay here would be longer", Buffy
rose from her chair and walked towards the door.

Joyce was taken aback and didn't react fast enough. Buffy gave the door a solid kick. It didn't
even have time to splinter, it just flew straight out of it's hinges and into the opposite wall.
Joyce jumped up in surprise and ran after her daughter, who had left the room in a quiet walk.

When she turned the corner, she found Officer O'Neill unconcious. There wasn't a mark on him.
Joyce looked around. Buffy was nowhere in sight. "What the hell is going on?", she cursed and
ran.