"Buffy! You'll be late if you don't hurry!" Joyce Summers called from the kitchen, after popping a couple of slices of toast in the toaster for her daughter.

"And wouldn't that be a shame�" mumbled Buffy, as she bounced lightly down the stairs, greeted by the smell of warm toast. On entering the kitchen, she watched as her mother gave her the usual 'once-over' with her eyes, sighed, and turned away to finish buttering the toast.

"Really, Buffy," Joyce began, handing the bread to the dark-eyed blonde standing behind her, "Aren't you tired of wearing black?! I know you hate me interfering, but�" Her voice trailed off as her eyes met with Buffy's intensely cold gaze. She sighed. It was a gaze she was getting very used to seeing. Joyce wished she knew why, ever since her birthday, Buffy had been different - and after she discovered her daughter's duty as the Slayer six months later, Buffy had suddenly become very distant, very cold, and sometimes, when she didn't know her mother was looking, looked very sad. No matter how much Joyce tried to talk to her, Buffy refused to give a reason. She was the Slayer, and that was as big a detail Buffy let her know.

"Mom, please. Just deal. They're only clothes after all, right?" replied Buffy sharply. Remembering that her mother didn't know about a certain vampire she'd been forced to send to Hell barely two months ago, Buffy took a deep breath, and softened her voice. "I'm�.I'm sorry�I'm off - I'll see you tonight, okay?" and with that, she walked quickly out of the house, and headed for Sunnydale High, trying desperately to clear her mind of�him.

"I love you�"
"I love you."
"Close your eyes�"
"Yo! Dream girl!"

Buffy's eyes snapped open, and she glanced wildly around the room.

"Angel?!" she cried out, blinking back tears that threatened to spill over. The library full of chatter immediately fell into silence. This wasn't the first time Buffy had called out his name, but it didn't make it any less uncomfortable. Xander coughed uneasily as Buffy blushed slightly, and quickly reverted back to showing her usual impenetrable gaze.

"Umm�no, Buff, it's just me�umm�have you finished with that�umm�book?" he asked nervously, pointing to the thick volume of pages that had just previously served as a pillow. The look of annoyance Buffy shot at Xander made him step back involuntarily - she was becoming known for having a somewhat unpredictable temper, and he wasn't willing to be her punching bag! Buffy looked away briefly, and sighed.

"Yeah. Here." She handed the demonology volume to Xander, before turning to Rupert Giles, standing close by. "Anything?" she asked tiredly. The librarian shook his head.

"Not one of these�these books have produced any information regarding the�the wall," Giles stated, removing his glasses and rubbing the lenses with a small cloth he's produced from a pocket," Willow, have you found anything?" He looked over at the student tapping furiously away at her laptop keyboard. Willow glanced up momentarily before returning to her attention to the screen.

"No, nothing yet," she replied, frowning slightly, before continuing, "Damn! It's like, everyone that we usually turn to for help has vanished or something�which is really weird, since most of the vampires around Sunnydale have also disappeared into thin�oh my! Giles!! I�I think I've got something!" she announced excitedly.

"Well, read it out!" ordered Cordelia Chase as she emerged from behind a set of book shelves. Giles nodded, and Buffy walked over to Willow as she began to read:

"Beware the invisible wall - purpose: to protect the outside world. Hell is opening, a demon will return, and chaos will reign."

"That's it?!" exclaimed Buffy, leaning down in disbelief to look at the screen. Willow nodded.

"Yep, that's all there is. I guess that kinda explains it, in a way�right, Giles?" asked Willow, turning to face the Watcher, who stood deep in thought.

"Well, what *does* it mean, Giles?" asked Xander, seating himself on top of a nearby desk.

"I�I'm not entirely sure," began the librarian, removing his glasses and cleaning them again, "It would appear that the invisible wall that is rapidly forming around Sunnydale's perimeter has some�some connection with Hell, and the release of a demon. I suspect, with all this commotion, that the demon is not a�a particularly friendly one, either - if "chaos will reign". Which would explain why our�our contacts for information, and most of this town's vampire population, have left town."

"Great, just what we need. A demon from Hell sending the entire society of the undead into Wiggins World!" Buffy said with irritated sarcasm, impatiently tapping her fingers on the desk. "So, Giles, what do we do? If the demon can't be stopped on release, then maybe we can stop the wall from popping up." Giles shook his head.

"I doubt it, Buffy. The wall is probably close to complete, judging from the complete lack of vampire activity over the last week, and I think we will soon see what chaos follows this demon's arrival firsthand. Our�our best strategy, I believe, is to prepare for the demon itself, before the wall becomes fully formed. Otherwise, it may be too late to stop�"

"Uhh, Giles?!" Xander interrupted with a slightly shaky voice, "Take a look skyward." Everyone followed Xander's wide-eyed gaze out the sky-light window in the roof of the library, and gasped as they watched dark clouds race madly across the sky, followed by lightning flashes, deafening thunder, and heavy rain starting to pound the roof.

"Uh-oh�" Buffy mumbled, glancing at the rest of the pale-faced group. She looked at Giles, and raised a knowing eyebrow. He nodded slowly, and quietly confirmed her suggestion.

"Yes�I think�I think the wall is complete. I�I think we are about to receive a visitor."