AN: In this chapter we see that reality isn't always what it seems, as everything Buffy and the gang thought was real is torn apart by a revelation.

In a cave on the outskirts of Sunnydale, two women one younger than the other are having an argument. The younger of the two throws up her hands. "Mother how am I suppose to tell them."

"You must," the older woman said, "they need to know. I never hid who I was from you, or the fact that you would have to take my place someday as you have done."

"I hid this from them so they could have a normal life, or as normal as it can be when you are what they are."

The older woman smiled sadly. "What is normal, daughter. In two thousand years I have seen supposedly normal people do some horrible things. What have you seen in the thousand years you have been in this world. You have seen death, destruction, war."

This time it was the younger woman who smiled sadly. "I never could make you see mother, that those things you speak of death, destruction and war are sometimes necessary to keep the balance."

The old woman nodded her head, her lips thin. "You think I don't know this, I know this and can still despise the necessity of it. Since the dawn of time the women of our family have held the Balance between good and evil in them. You are the balance Daughter, but your time will grow short and you will have to pass the balance on." The old woman looked at her daughter, they have always been at odds with each other, neither thinking the other understood, but the old woman understood more than her daughter knew. She had listened to her daughters anguished sobs when her daughter's daughters destiny was revealed to her but could show no comfort, fate was what it was. She had only known her granddaughters and now her great granddaughter from a distance. "Daughter I have not interfered with your daughters because you didn't want them to know me, it pained me but I didn't make myself known to them, but if you do not tell them I will."

The young woman glared at her mother. "Fine mother it is time for them to know where they come from. You will get your wish, you will know your granddaughters, I will tell them the truth, god help us all." She turned from her Mother and moved to the mouth of the cave. "Goodbye Mother, I will be in touch."

The woman watched her daughter leave. "Goodbye Joyce, I love you."

Sunnydale cemetery

The gang had decided to separate for patrol, Buffy and Xander taking the parks, Dawn and Conner, Faith and Spike taking a cemetery. Willow, Anya, and Xander had taken the campus. Dawn was moving through the headstones at a fast clip, Conner rushed to keep up with her. "Dawn have you been able to use any more of your powers?"

Dawn sighed, she so didn't want to talk about this, all they have talked about for two weeks was her powers, her and Roses destiny. "No, though I know the triggers for them I can't seem to get them." Willow had called the Charmed Ones to find out what to do and it was decided that Leo would be her White lighter and due to the circumstances she wouldn't travel to San Francisco to train. "The only power I don't seem to have a problem using is the Freezing powers. I can't even make things blow up."

Any more talk was cut off when six vampires attacked them, Conner dived in while Dawn looked over her shoulder for Spike and Faith but they were no where in sight. The bigger of the Vampires stalked Dawn. "Give us the Baby!"

Dawn felt a burning anger deep in her chest. "You want her, you have to go through me."

The Vamp charged, Dawn spun away from the charge, her anger growing as the undead man attacked again, this time knocking the stack from her hands. Dawn spared a glance over her shoulder and saw that Faith and Spike had arrived and were helping Conner. She looked back at the big Vamp and he was sizing her up. "You know little girl when I get through draining you dry, I am gonna take that baby and drain her too, there is nothing more filling than a newborn."

Dawn screamed with rage and threw her hand out and without touching the vamp sent him flying into a tree, he stood up and growled as charged her, she felt the burning anger and concentrated to bring it to her hands so that when she threw them up instead of freezing the vamp exploded into just. Dawn looked at the ashes blowing away. "I guess I ain't such a little girl."

Across the cemetery, behind a statue, Jezebel watched the battle, and wondered if that pixie was the champions protector. The others were of little importance, the power raiding off the pixie was enormous. She stepped from behind the statue to make her presence known to the small group.

Dawn was the first to see the Dark haired woman moving gracefully through the headstones. Dawn fell wearily into a defensive stance, as the others flanked her. The woman's sapphire blue eyes laughed at them. "I have no wish to fight you yet."

Dawn relaxed a small degree, so the woman could read her more easily, her eyes widened she was a descendant of the balancer, this information could be used. "I am Jezebel Redfern and you have correctly guessed that I am not an ally in your battle, I too want the child. Will I have go through you pixie to get to her."

Before Dawn could say anything the woman vanished before there eyes. They couldn't explain and after the night they just had they didn't want to. Faith, Spike and Conner walked Dawn home. Dawn unlocked the door and found her Mother in the kitchen. "Mom I'm home."

Joyce turned and smiled. "Home safely."

Dawn smiled. "Is Rose upstairs?" Joyce nodded, Dawn headed up the stairs and into what had been Buffy's room, found the baby awake and fussing, Dawn lifted her into her arms. "Come now Rose don't fuss, Do you want Aunt Dawn to sing you a song." Dawn used her free hand to flip on the small radio as the music filled the room, Dawn started singing.
"All the colors of the Rainbow

All the colors of the wind

Every dream that reaches out

That reaches out to find were love begins

Every word of every story

Every star in every sky

Every corner of creation lives to testify

For as long as I shall live

I will testify to love

I'll be a witness in the silences

when words are not enough

With every breath I take

I will give thanks to Goddess above

For as long as I shall live

I will testify to love

From the mountains to the valley

from the rivers to the streams

every hand that reaches out

every hand that reaches out to offer peace

Every simple act of mercy

Every step to kingdom come

All the hope in every heart will speak

what love has done

For as long as I shall live

I will testify to love

I'll be a witness to the silences

when words are not enough

With every breath I take

I will give thanks to Goddess above

For as long as I shall live

I will testify to Love."

As the music ended Dawn laid a now sleeping Rose back into the crib and stood there watching her, she turned to leave and found her mother, Buffy and Xander standing in the door smiling. Dawn blushed and closed the door. "How long have you guys been standing there?"

Buffy smiled and put her arm around Dawn. "Long enough to know that you have a wonderful singing voice. How did patrol go?"

They moved into the living room and sat. "We were attacked by six vamps wanting Rose, my telekinesis became active so I was able to defend myself, But the vamp knocked the stake out of my hand, so I blew him up." Joyce was looking through the mail, and found an envelope addressed to Dawn, she sat it aside and picked up Dawns conversation. "Then this dark haired woman came waking out from the headstones, she said she wanted Rose too and that her name was Jezebel Redfern."

Joyce sighed she was gonna have to tell them and she would after Dawn read this letter from San Francisco. "Dawn you got a letter here."

"Oh, Guys it's from the Charmed Ones listen.

Dear Dawnie,

I hope you don't mind me starting the letter that way Tara always called you Dawnie, So I feel as if I know you. We, Phoebe, Paige and I wanted to let you know that even though you are not a blood sister to us, you are a sister witch. That makes you family. So call on us whenever you are in need. Or even if you're not in need, we would like to get to know you.

Blessed Be,

Piper.

Dawn smiled and looked at the paper, then back to her family, Joyce sighed. "Darlings I have something I need to tell you and I don't want any interruptions while I tell this story. I know you don't know much about your grandmother."

Buffy nodded. "No all you would say was that she died right after you married Dad."

"That was just one of the lies I told you and justified by believing it was keeping you safe. My mother isn't dead, she is very much alive and healthy. Buffy, Dawn the women of our family since the dawning of time were the balancers."

Dawn eyes widened, Buffy looked shocked. "Mom are you saying your the Balancer the prophecy spoke about?"

Joyce lifted her skirt enough for them to see the mark of the scales on her leg. "I hid this from you two to keep you as safe as possible considering what you are. But no I can't be the one mentioned in the prophecy, you see we keep the balance between good and evil with in us and it can only be held for a thousand years."
Dawn sputtered. "Mom are you a thousand years old?"
"Yes Dawn I am, My mother passed the balance on to me when it was time but because of the complications she wasn't able to pass it all to me until about two years ago, so your grandmother is two thousand years old."

Buffy sighed. "Mom so which one of us will you pass it on to, I mean don't we have enough destinies."

"Well neither one of you can take the balance. The other part that I wanted to tell you girls about is, Buffy you have a twin sister."

T.B.C.

AN' hehehe, a cliff hanger, I know who Buffy's twin sister is already but who do you think it is. In the next story Jezebel makes her first move against Rose and we see what kind of power Joyce as the balancer actually possess. Stay tuned