"Is Hank Summers my father?"

Buffy practiced saying the words over and over again as she walked home.

It should have been easy; it was just one little sentence, yet it stuck in her throat each and every time.

How could it not? Hank Summers was her father. He was the one who took her to the ice show on her birthday. He was the one who had put the fear of God into Brian, her date to the middle school dance. He was the one who had picked her up when she had fallen off her bike. He was the one who had been there for her.

He hadn't done it because their DNA was the same. He had done it because he loved her, because he still loved her. Sure, their quality time had been cut way down since the divorce, but that was just a casualty of her move to Sunnydale.

But what if that's not the reason? a tiny voice in the back of her head said.

The thought made Buffy almost trip over her own feet.

It had always been a fear of hers that she had been the reason behind her parents' divorce. Though they had fought a lot before she had been Called, they had taken it to a whole new level afterwards. Add to that the fact that her dad had actually filed for while she was in the psych ward, and well, Buffy really didn't believe in coincidences, no matter what her parents said.

But what if it wasn't because of her Calling? What if it was because her father had found out the truth and didn't want anything to do with her anymore, since she wasn't his?

Buffy tried to tell herself that it wasn't possible, that her dad loved her and her imagination was just getting the better of her. After all, she still didn't even know for sure if any of it was true. But now that the thought was there, it wouldn't go away, and it brought a bunch of other less than pleasant thoughts with it.

She felt like she was going to be sick. She just couldn't take it, the not knowing. It was eating away at her.

Desperate to get some answers, Buffy broke out into a jog. By the the time she reached the last few streets, she was practically sprinting, her step only faltering when her house came into view.

There was a kid standing on the porch, hugging her mom. That in itself was a little weird. Then the kid turned his head a little and she caught sight of his face.

Buffy felt her blood run cold. It was the Anointed One.

Before she could even process the fact that the littlest vampire was standing on her doorstep hugging her mom, he spotted her. He immediately turned toward her mother and pushed her into the house, making sure to send Buffy an evil little grin as he did.

Then he walked into her house and slammed the door shut.

Buffy had never run so quickly in her life. The neighbors' houses passed by in a blur. When she finally reached the front door to her house, she didn't break stride; she simply dropped her shoulder and charged.

The door gave way with a loud crack!, splintering around Buffy. She felt the bite of the wooden shards as she pushed her way through, but she ignored it. All she could think about was getting to her mom.

She found them in the dining room. Her mom was seated in one of the chairs on the far wall; she was clearly unconscious, her head lolling to the side like she was a rag doll. The Anointed One stood behind her, using one hand to hold her upright, the other to grip her throat, his claws digging into the sensitive flesh there.

Buffy felt herself practically vibrating with anger, which only increased when she tried to step into the room and was rebuffed.

"That's close enough."

Clenching her fists, Buffy tried to calm down. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I want the Master's Bones," he serenely replied.

Buffy felt her breath catch. She tried her best not to show it, though, and instead made a face.

"Why do you need those gross things? Gonna cry yourself to sleep at night on them?"

His smile dimmed a little at this. "Just give them to me, and I won't kill her."

With a bravado she didn't feel, Buffy smirked. "I know you're the Annoying One and all, but you really still have the mind of a child. I mean, seriously, I don't give you the bones, you kill my mother. I give you the bones, you get what you want, and you kill my mother. What part of that would make me want to do what you say?"

She knew she was taking a gamble in saying this, but she had no other choice. She needed to buy herself some time to think.

She didn't know where the bones were. The last time she had seen them was in the library the night she killed him. And in her dreams, of course. They were permanently implanted there, but-

Her dreams. In a rush of sickening clarity, Buffy understood; the ritual, the blood, the Master resurrected. She hadn't been having nightmares. They were prophecies. Which meant that if she did what the Anointed One wanted, she would be trading her mother's life for the Master's.

Could she do that, especially when there was a very good chance her mother wasn't going to walk away from this alive no matter what?

Thankfully, the Anointed One was oblivious to her inner dialogue.

"But I really won't kill her, not if you do what I say," he promised. "I don't care if she lives. Her end will come soon enough. Everyone's will."

His smile returned at this cryptic threat. Buffy refused to take the bait. But then, she already knew what he meant.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't have them on me. I must have left them in my other outfit," she said. "Seriously, were you the brainchild behind this brilliant plan?"

The Anointed One actually pouted. "I thought I'd have a little more time before you came home," he said defensively. "Just go get them. I know you know where they are."

"And leave you alone with my mother?" Buffy laughed. "Not gonna happen."

His patience finally started to wear thin. "You don't have a choice," he sneered, squeezing a little tighter. "And don't think about getting help, either."

As he spoke, Buffy noticed the shadows in front of the windows.

Vampires. They were surrounding her house.

Buffy hesitated, unsure of what she should do. That, of course, was the exact moment her mother started to come around.

"Buffy… wha…" her mom said groggily, absently pulling at the restriction around her throat.

Her eyes flew open when she realized it wasn't going away, all her mental fogginess instantly turning to terrified confusion as she futilely clawed at the Anointed One's hand.

Before Buffy could even attempt to calm her down, the Anointed One made a sound of impatience.

"So what do you say, Slayer? Your mother for the Master's bones?"

The sound of the Anointed One's voice startled her mom out of her shock.

"Buffy, what's going on?" she cried, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Who is this boy? How does he know you? And what's this about bones?"

"Tell her, Slayer," the Anointed One taunted. "Tell her why she might die tonight."

Buffy bit her lip. She could have made up an excuse; she probably should have, just so her mother wouldn't completely freak out. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Aside from the fact that it would have been a very lame and very unbelievable story, she was tired of all the lies.

She looked her mom straight in the eye. "He's a vampire, Mom. He's here because I'm the Slayer."

She saw the words register with her mother, watched as they settled over her. A moment later, she watched the denial set in.

"NO. It can't be true," her mother exclaimed, almost desperately. "Don't talk like that… again."

Buffy laughed, one that was verging on the hysterical. "Okay, mom. A vampire doesn't have you by the throat right now. He's just a freakishly strong ten year old in need of a nail clipper. Continue living in the land of denial. You're good at that. Is that what you did when you discovered you were pregnant with some British guy's baby?"

The words came out in a rush; she couldn't stop them. Before she could apologize and take them back, however, all the blood drained from her mother's face.

"How did you…" she whispered.

Those three little words seemed to suck all the air out of the room. Buffy staggered backward, unable to breathe. It was true.

For a moment, her mother looked back at her, her anguish and guilt written all over face. It quickly disappeared, though, replaced with a look of sheer determination.

"Buffy, whatever he wants, don't do it. Just get out of here. Don't worry about me."

Buffy didn't know what her mother's intention was, trying to sacrifice herself like that in order to protect her daughter, or what she thought Buffy's reaction would be. She was pretty sure her mom didn't expect her anger.

"No, you do not get to play the martyr here, not after dropping that bombshell on me!" she hissed. "We are going to-"

"Enough!" the Anointed One cut in, clearly not thrilled that he had lost control of the situation.

Buffy's eyes flew up to meet his, skewering him with a gaze so fierce he flinched. "What? Going to throw a temper tantrum now?"

Furious, the Anointed One snarled at her as his claws dug further into her mother's throat, scoring it deeply.

Whether he meant to do damage or just send a warning message, Buffy didn't know. She didn't care. She had too many emotions roiling around inside her, too much anger, and something snapped. Her vision went red, red as the blood now flowing from her mother's neck, and at that moment, she knew one thing. She was going to make sure he burned in Hell for all eternity for this, even if she had to follow him there herself.

Before she could actually follow through with her promise, however, there was a sudden flash of light. The next thing she knew, screams filled the room as the Anointed One was engulfed in flames.

It took her a moment to realize he wasn't the only one screaming.

Though unexpected pain of fire made the Anointed One let her mom go, sparing her from the worst of the flames, he managed to grab her by the arm when she tried to escape.

"NO!" Buffy shouted.

Her heart in her throat, she raced across the room and tore her mom away from the Anointed One. He didn't give up so easily, though, and immediately lunged for them. Buffy, weighted down with her mother, was only able sidestep him.

Thankfully, it was enough. Now a literal fireball, the Anointed One went careening past them, crashing into the floor as his legs gave out. Moments, later he was ash.

Buffy barely saw. She was too busy putting out the flames that were eating away at her mother's clothes. As soon as they were extinguished, she ripped the bottom of her own shirt off and began tying the fabric around her mother's neck, trying to stem the bleeding.

"Buffy, I-"

"Shh, Mom, it's okay," she said, trying to keep the panic from her voice as she worked.

Though the Anointed One hadn't nicked the artery, there was still a lot of blood, and her mom was already starting to lose consciousness. Add to that the burns on her arm…

Buffy swallowed heavily as she continued to work.

Behind her, she could hear the other vampires hissing and snarling at her as they watched what was happening from the windows and broken door. Though they were obviously enraged, they couldn't do a single thing about it without an invitation, though it wasn't for lack of effort.

It was a small blessing, one that was getting smaller by the moment.

In his attempt to attack Buffy and her mom, the Anointed One had managed to set half of the first floor on fire. The drapes, the rugs, the furniture, the stairs to the second floor. Flames devoured them all, and they were starting to spread.

Buffy had to get her mom out of there, fast.

As soon as she finished tying the last knot of the makeshift bandage, she was on her feet, assessing her options. The front of the house was completely out of the question. She'd have to carry her mother through the flames just to reach it, only to face a cadre of vamps on the other side. Same with the windows.

That left the back door. Though she had no doubt there were vampires there as well, it was her best bet.

Hoisting her mother up as gently as she could, Buffy dashed into the kitchen, where she began yanking drawers open, looking for some kind of weapon. She hit the jackpot when she found the butcher knife and some wooden spoons.

With her new weapons in one arm and her mother in her other, she made a beeline for the door. Ignoring the four vampires on the other side for a moment, she opened it and set her mother just inside the door frame where she would be out of reach from both the vamps and the fire.

Then she took a deep breath and charged into the waiting vamps. Instead of running into them head on, however, she dropped down at the last second into a sliding kick, right as she crossed the threshold.

Just as she had hoped, the vamps went down like a set of bowling pins. Before two of them could get to their feet again, they were dust.

Rolling to her feet, Buffy faced the remaining two vamps. She knew it was only a matter of time before the vamps at the front of the house came around, so she wanted to take care of these two before then.

Unfortunately, they were thinking along the same lines, and they rapidly put some distance between her and them.

They were joined by their friends a few seconds later, making it twelve to one.

Grimly, Buffy gripped her weapons, bracing herself for the coming attack. They, in turn, began to surround her.

Knowing it was a losing battle if she let them get behind her, she attacked, the edge of her knife slicing through the belly of the closest vamp trying to sneak behind her. A quick jab with a spoon, and he was toast.

Before his ashes even hit the ground, another vamp was practically on top of her. She threw him off into two others, but it left her back vulnerable, a fact that another vamp immediately exploited.

Her back exploded in pain as he made contact, and she fell to her knees. It was a mistake she couldn't afford. She tried to get up, but the vamps began to pile on.

"BUFFY!"

To her shock, in what had to be one of the best timed entrances ever, Giles burst into the backyard, a crossbow in his hand. Not far behind him was Ms. Calendar; she had with her a stake and a squirt gun.

Giles fired into the crowd and hit a vampire square in the chest. As he exploded into dust, another vamp snarled and began to charge at him as he reloaded. Ms. Calendar hit her with the squirt gun right in the face. The vamp screamed and held her eyes as the holy water did its work - never seeing the stake as it plunged for her heart.

Distracted, the other vampires took their eyes off of Buffy. She made them pay dearly for it. With a burst of renewed strength, she threw them off of her and began slicing and dicing her way out. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Giles and Ms. Calendar continue their own attack.

Unfortunately, they were still outnumbered, and though Giles' and Ms. Calendar's attack worked once, the vampires weren't fooled again. Giles' next two shots went wide, and Ms. Calendar ran out of holy water soon after that. While Buffy still had her knife, she was out of spoons and had several deep gashes to boot. With seven vampires still to go, it was not looking good.

The vamps seemed to think so, too, advancing on the three of them with smiles on their face.

They didn't know Buffy still had one more ace in the hole. Of course, she didn't, either.

In another moment of epic timing, Dumbledore suddenly appeared. Though the slight rise of his eyebrows revealed that he had not known what he was walking into, he took it all in stride, and, with a wave of his wand, sent a jet of golden light screaming towards one of the vampires.

As soon as it made contact, the vampire was gone, disintegrated into nothingness. Two more quickly followed before the vamps had enough sense to run. Between Buffy and Giles, however, they didn't make it very far.

Before the dust had a chance to settle - literally and figuratively - Buffy dashed back into the house to her mother.

She heard the others come up behind her, but her focus was on her mom. The bleeding from her neck had slowed significantly, but her arm looked... terrible.

Buffy fought back tears as she looked at the burns.

"What did they do to her?"

Buffy flinched at Ms. Calendar's words. She looked up at the others hollowly. "They didn't. I did this," she said. "We have to get her to a hospital."

Giles nodded. "My car is out front."

"If I may," Dumbledore interrupted.

At first, Buffy was confused, not quite sure what he was saying. She was also distracted by the fact that he was walking towards her from inside the house, which incidentally was no longer on fire. Then she saw the way he was extending his wand, pointing it at her mother in askance.

Buffy bit her lip before nodding.

Dumbledore swished his wand in an intricate fashion, and suddenly the bleeding from her mom's neck stopped entirely. Another swish, and the burns looked less angry.

Then he stopped.

"I'm afraid this is only temporary," he explained apologetically. "These are magical burns, and they will take some time to heal. She needs a Healer."

Buffy frowned, immediately understanding what he was getting at. "And I suppose you know just the one I can go to? How did you know to come here?" she asked.

"The same way I located you before. Your use of magic," he replied. "As for the Healer, I'm sure there are many qualified witches and wizards here as well. I will take you wherever you wish. Time is of the essence, though."

Buffy bit her lip. She was being ridiculous. She knew that. At most, Dumbledore was taking advantage of an opportunity here. Going to England had never been her plan, though, and she still had misgivings about the whole situation.

But this wasn't about her, not at the moment. It was about her mom. Going to a normal hospital would raise lots of questions, one that Buffy wouldn't be able to answer; ones that could possibly send them both to the psych ward. Besides, she didn't have to stay. Once her mother was healed, she could leave.

She wasn't ready to do this alone, though.

"Giles?"

Giles looked around at the wreckage uncertainly. "Someone should stay behind and take care of this mess," he began.

Buffy felt her heart sink until Ms. Calendar of all people stepped in.

"Go, Rupert, I'll take care of things here."

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance, once Mrs. Summers is settled?" Dumbledore offered.

Ms. Calendar nodded. Then she looked at Giles. "She needs you."

Something passed between the two of them before Giles turned back to Buffy and nodded.

Satisfied, Dumbledore picked up one of the stones that paved the walkway and held it out to Buffy and Giles, indicating that they should touch it.

"If you will," he said.

Tentatively, they both touched it, Buffy holding her mom's hand in hers.

Dumbledore nodded. "Portkey travel is perfectly safe, though you will feel a tug behind the navel when it first activates. Now, on the count of three… 1… 2… 3… Portus."

Hidden in the shadows in a neighboring yard, Absalom silently raged, furious that their plans had been thwarted, his brethren dead. He had underestimated the girl… and perhaps overestimated the Anointed One, a mere child for all his exalted status.

Then there was the wizard, of course. He looked familiar, though Absalom couldn't quite place him. That in itself was an annoyance. What really struck him, however, was his presence at all.

Absalom frowned. He had never heard of one allying himself with a slayer. It was a dangerous prospect, one he was all but powerless to prevent.

And yet... it was a powerful piece of information to have.

Perhaps all was not lost after all.

A/N: So… I've been really nervous about posting this chapter. If you feel like throwing something at me in disgust, please do so gently… possibly with something made out of foam... Also, I hope no one wanted the Anointed One to be the Big Bad of this story, because clearly that ain't happening!