TITLE: High Demonic Activity in Cleveland
AUTHOR: Venus Blue
SUMMARY: Takes place in the Wishverse. Buffy Summers never came to Sunnydale. This tracks her life up to and including "The Wish."
RATING: R for one obscenity.
SPOILERS: The Wish, and Helpless.
FEEDBACK: Most loved.
DISCLAIMER: The amazing Numfar formerly known as Joss Whedon owns all rights to cast and crew. I’m just borrowing them for my own sick pleasure.
AN: am changing the facts a bit. I realize "Helpless" came after "The Wish," but I need it to already have taken place, so there. Please r/r. I wrote this quite awhile ago, and I love it. I’d like to know what you think.


Buffy Summers sat in her room, clutching her stuffed pig. The room that she had grown up in for the last 16 years was now packed away in boxes and cartons. She watched quietly as the movers came in and out, bringing her belongings to the moving truck.

"Buffy?"

Looking up, she saw her mother come into the near-bare room.

"Hey, honey. You almost ready to go?"

Looking up hesitantly, she nodded, saying nothing. Seeing her daughter was upset, Joyce walked over and sat next to her on the stripped mattress.

"Buffy, I know you don’t want to leave, but we have no choice. First the business with your school, then your father…well, we just can’t stay here any longer. I’ve sure you’re going to love Ohio just as much as California."

Putting on a brave front, Buffy said, "Yeah. I’m sure it’s gonna be great."

Standing up, she followed her mother out of the room, taking one last look back before turning off the light and closing the door.

*********************

Six months later:

"God, watch where you’re going!"

Buffy glared at the popular girl who had bumped into her in the hallway.

"So sorry, your royal highness. Shall I scrape and grovel now?"

Rolling her eyes, Ashley continued down the hall, followed by her groupies. Loudly, she said, "Some people just have NO class."

Narrowing her eyes, Buffy continued to her class, looking everywhere but at her other schoolmates. Being the slayer had taken its toll on her, and she was withdrawn, removed from her surroundings. Her watcher, Leramick, insisted that she go straight from school to the abandoned warehouse where they trained, then immediately at sunset, she went on patrole. Her mother, having found a new boyfriend a month after their arrival in Cleveland, barely noticed she was gone, assuming she was with friends. On the rare occasion she was asked where she’d been, she vagued a reference to her imaginary friend Lacey, and the subject was dropped.

Glancing over her shoulder, she watched as Ashley and crew stood to the side of the hallway, trash-talking the majority of students who walked by.

Wistfully, she thought back to her pre-slayer life. It had been such an easy, carefree time.

"Miss Summers!"

Spinning around, she came face to face with the school Vice Principal, Mr. Weatherby.

"Yes, sir?"

"I understand you missed several classes yesterday. Care to explain?"

"Well, my mother was sick, and I had to go home to take care of her."

"We called your mother. She said she didn’t know why you’d missed your classes, and that she hadn’t seen you."

"Well, see," Buffy said, ready to launch into a full excuse.

"Save it," he said. "Come with me to my office."

He spun around, expecting her to follow. After a moment’s hesitation, she rolled her eyes and followed him. Students in the hallway turned and smirked at the "outcast" being once again sent to Weatherby’s office.

*********************

"It’s not my fault!" Buffy yelled, slamming her bag down on the card table. "What was I supposed to do, tell Weatherby I was fighting a Vlaknar demon and had to skip Biology?!"

Leramick sighed and said, "Buffy, you’re duties as slayer come before any and all others."

"So I’m just supposed to drop out of school and have no chance for a future because someone ‘chose’ me to poke vampire with sticks?!"

"It is your destiny. Your destiny comes before all else."

"That’s right. It comes before school, it comes before family, it comes before friends, it comes before-"

"That’s enough," he said, cutting her off harshly. "Now it is time to train. I won’t hear anymore on the subject, and you will not be going to detention tomorrow. You have much more important things to worry about."

Biting her lower lip, Buffy walked to the weapons cabinet, not allowing herself to show her emotions.

*********************

One year later:

"Well, this takes the cake."

Buffy looked up from her spot on the floor to see Mr. Weatherby and the Principal, Mrs. Bridgan.

"Look at this place. You’ve destroyed the science lab!" Mrs. Bridgan said, glancing at the enormous hole in the ceiling.

"Yeah, but-"

"And look at all the dirt on the floor!" she cried, pointing out the several piles of dusted vamps.

"Wait, I can explain-"

"There’s no need. I think we’ve seen enough," Mr. Weatherby said as Buffy quickly stood up and dusted off her pants. "Miss Summers, I believe we have no choice but to expel you."

"What?!" Buffy said, her voice wavering.

"We’ve ignored your…many…violent incidents in the past, hoping you would improve. But I see now that we were just prolonging the inevitable. The school board will, of course, hold a meeting, where you will appear with your parents to plead-"

"No. Really, that’s okay."

Grabbing her bag, Buffy headed out of the lab. As she reached the doors, she spun around and said, "And you know what? The next time this school is about to be overrun with beings wanting to eat the populace, I won’t be here. And I hope they eat you slowly."

The two adults exchanged glances. This chick was obviously on something.

Storming out of the science lab, Buffy felt the knot in her stomach tighten, and she found it was easier to ignore the sadness sweeping over her.

*********************

Buffy’s 18th Birthday:

"How could you do this to me?!"

Buffy sat in a chair across from Leramick, her face a bruised and bloodied mess. The Cruciamentum had been extremely hard on her, and she was completely drained of energy.

"Buffy, I already explained to you that it is a time-honored tradition, and I had no other choice."

"You poisoned me? Do you even have a heart?"

"Yes, I do. And it’s not that I don’t care for you. But it doesn’t matter. You’re a slayer, I’m your Watcher. I did what had to be done."

He handed her a first aid kit and said, "You’ll be fine. You’ll have your strength back in a matter of days."

Dabbing a bit of antiseptic onto a piece of gauze, she gently wiped at the gash above her eye. She glanced over at the training mirror, and was shocked by her appearance. She felt like she’d aged twenty years in the last two.

After she’d cleaned her entire face, and put a bandage over her split lip, she grabbed her bag and said, "Leramick, I’m going home."

"Not now. We have to-"

"Fuck you. Try to stop me."

Taken aback by the harsh tone and language, he simply watched as she exited the warehouse.

*********************

"Mom? I’m home."

Setting her bag down by the front door, Buffy walked into the kitchen, fixing herself a glass of juice. The house was eerily quiet, even though her mother’s car was in the driveway.

"Mom? Are you home?"

She looked up the stairs, and called, "Mom?"

Walking into her mother’s room, she froze in the doorframe, her blood running cold.

There, laid out on the bed, was her mother’s body. She wasn’t moving, and there was a look of fear frozen on her face.

"M-m-mom?"

Slowly walking to the bed, she started to check her pulse before noticing the two puncture wounds on her mother’s neck.

She stared for a moment, waiting for the tears to start. Surprisingly, they didn’t.

Turning, she walked to her own room, almost mechanically.

The room differed greatly from her old room in L.A. The walls were bare of any posters, there were no framed pictures of friends or family, and the bed held no stuffed animals, only a blanket and pillow. Even Mr. Gordo had been stored away in the attic with the other memories from her past.

Opening her closet, she pulled out a pair of sweat pants and a tank top, changing out of her torn and bloodied fighting clothes. Then she undid the ponytail her hair had been in, and swiftly braided it.

"Buffy."

Spinning quickly, she saw her mother standing in the doorframe, a confused look on her face.

"Mom? But…"

"Oh, god, Buffy, what happened? Keith was here, and then…did I pass out?"

"I think so," Buffy said, smiling a little. "But everything’s okay now. You’re going to be fine."

"Oh, thank god," Joyce said, moving forward to hug her daughter.

"Yeah, Mom, everything’s going to be okay…I’m just sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"That I couldn’t protect you."

"But, Buffy, you don’t have to protect me. I’m supposed to protect you."

"You can’t. Not anymore. You’re a vampire."

Pulling back, Joyce growled, her vampire features finally showing. Reaching behind her back, Buffy pulled the stake from her waistband, and, although still weak, used all of her might to swiftly bury it in Joyce’s chest. A surprised look crossed her face, and she managed, "Buffy," before she turned to dust.

Still calm and collected, Buffy moved to her closet, pulling out her suitcases. She packed her clothes, and put all her weapons in her bag, then went into Joyce’s room.

She went through Joyce’s purse, taking the cash from her wallet, then the keys to her car.

As Buffy walked downstairs, she took one last look around the house, then left, locking the door behind her.

*********************

"Buffy?! Where on earth have you been? I haven’t seen you in weeks, the police were-"

"Shutup, Leramick," Buffy said, sitting up on the bed. "I only called to say I won’t be coming back. I’ve settled down elsewhere. I’m starting a new life, and you’re not in it."

"You can’t turn your back on the council."

"They’re in England. I don’t think they can tell which way my back is facing."

"Buffy!"

"Deal with it, Leramick," Buffy said, moving to hang up the phone. She heard him yell, "Wait! Wait!"

Sighing, Buffy pulled the receiver back to her ear and said, "What?"

"I got a very interesting call from a place called Sunnydale, California."

Cocking an eyebrow, she said, "You have two minutes."

*********************

As Buffy ran through the mass, heading for the Master, thoughts flashed through her mind.

Could this be it? Am I about to die?

And she realized she actually hoped it was. All of this fighting, all of this battling to save the hapless human race? Protecting people who had no idea that she was doing it, and didn’t even appreciate it? It wasn’t worth it. Staking vamps…sure, it was a good time. But all this death? This wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted more.

Is this going to hurt? she wondered. What’s beyond this?

The Master grabbed her, and his hands went towards her throat. And for Buffy Summers, the dance ended.

But the music went on.

~The End