Before they could come up with a strategy to fight the Hell goddess, she found them. She brain sucked Tara and killed Buffy. Giles was badly injured and Xander, Faith and Amy were trying to buy time for Cordelia and Kari to escape out of town. They were heading for Colorado and SG 1. Xander threw another of his uv grenades, the last one he had with him. Amy was swaying, barely able to stand, as she'd drained herself trying to fight. Willow was desperate to help Tara and charged in. She Magically stuck her fingers in the Hell goddess's head and redirected energy from her to Tara. Faith, seeing an opening, charged in with the hammer the troll had left behind. Giles' research had found that it amplified the user's strength. Suddenly, every thing froze. Xander looked around, confused. What was going on?

A glowing ball of light appeared in front of him and turned in to a teenage boy. The boy looked curious.

"Why do you do it?" He asked.

"Do what?" Xander asked, trying to understand what was going on.

"Fight. Your stated wish is to grow old with the woman you love. So why fight knowing you might die?"

"Because it's the right thing to do, because the needs of the many out way the needs of the few or the one, because I can't live with myself if I don't at least try. Any or all, take your pick."

"All are truthful, but the last is the most truthful."

"You're one of those Ascended Alterrans, aren't you? Those responsible for these messes we have to keep cleaning up."

"Yes and no. Yes, I am Ascended. No, I am not Alterran. My ancestors were kidnapped from Earth 5,000 years ago and enslaved to a race called the Gou'ald. They are a parasitic life form. They burrow into a host body and take control of it. Though the use of technology, they pretend to be gods wielding Magic. The gods of this world."

"Yeah, that's not going to go over too well with our gods. So how did you come to be Ascended?"

"My mother was kidnapped and forced to be a host. Then she was forced to bear me. The father was also a host. Such is forbidden. The Goa'uld have genetic memory. When two conceive a child together, the child will also have the memories of the Goa'uld. Thousands of years worth of memories of a creature contemptuous of humans that enjoys torturing them."

"You were being overwhelmed like I was with the repository."

"Yes. One of the Ascended saved me. She made a mistake a few years ago. One of the Goa'uld pretended he had reformed and sought Ascention. She helped him to Ascend. The moment he did, she knew she had made a terrible mistake. He wanted power. The others sent him back, but only half way."

"So you're telling there's a half Ascended Goa'uld out there?!"

"There was. He destroyed my mother's Homeworld. Our people and valuable knowledge were lost. Knowledge, such as, the true location of Atlantis. It is not on Earth. I'm sure you'll figure out where it is. Oma, the one who Ascended us both, went to war against him. She sacrificed herself to save others, just as your group is doing. I am trying to understand why. I think I do. It is the same reason SG 1 fights."

"SG 1? Colonel O'Neill and them? You know them?"

"Yes, Daniel Jackson was married to my mother. SG 1 has led Earth's war against the Goa'uld. They have achieved many victories."

"Good for them. Why are you trying to figure it out?"

"You do not have the power to defeat this creature and yet you are still trying."

"She's a threat to our world, our way of life. To those we love. It's enough reason to at least try."

"Yes, it is. You may tell SG 1 of this conversation. Tell Daniel Jackson, I would have called him father, if I had the chance."

Suddenly the world was moving again. A glowing ball of light appeared in front of them all. It turned in to a teenage boy. They were all staring now, confused.

"What are you?" The Hell goddess asked.

"I am one, who was once human. I am now living energy. I can not stand by and allow anyone to harm these people or this world. I am Shi'fu and I challenge you."

"Little creature, I am a goddess!"

"But you are a severely weakened goddess, which makes us equal and you can do nothing less then fight me back." The boy became an energy ball again and attacked. The goddess fought, oh she fought, but in the end they both simply ceased to be.

Xander healed Giles and called Cordelia and she turned her car around and headed back to Sunnydale. Joyce was nearly inconsolable, her daughter was dead. The others comforted her and she welcomed their support. After the funeral, Xander and Cordelia returned to their apartment.

"We need to go to Colorado anyway." He said. "Shi'fu told me, he knew SG 1. Dr. Jackson was married to his mother. He told me alot of things. Things they probably don't want me telling you, but I'm going to anyway. I won't tell the others, I'm going to file it under the non disclosure. Earth is at war against a race called the Goa'uld. A parasitic life form that is kinda like a vampire, except it takes a living host instead of a dead one. 5,000 years ago, they took humans off of Earth and enslaved them."

"Great, more monsters."

"There's more. Atlantis was Alterran and it's in the galaxy the Alterrans went to when they left Earth. The one that is 3.1 million light years away. If they can figure out which galaxy that is and a way to get there, can you imagine what they will find? Shi'fu wanted me to tell SG 1. There must be a reason. He also left a message for Dr. Jackson. It's the kind that needs to be delivered in person."

"Then let's go to Colorado."

"I was hoping you'd say that."