Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS, unfortunately. Joss, UPN, and ME are the owners, I just borrow the characters for a bit of fun, so don't sue me.

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As soon as Buffy left, Willow suddenly got an idea. She raced up the stairs to her room, and began to search through her drawers for something. After throwing some of the junk in there onto the floor, she found what she was looking for, a talisman. Quickly she grabbed some magical sand and went into the bathroom. She poured the sand onto the floor, forming a circle and sat in the center of it. She chanted something, and with a flash of lighting, D'Hoffyrn appeared with his back turned away from her.

The demon spoke in a loud official voice. " Behold, D'Hoffryn. Lord of Arashmahar. He that turns the air to blood and rains-" He turned and noticed the familiar face that had summoned him. "Miss Rosenberg. How lovely to see you again. Have you done something with your hair?" He spoke conversationally.

Willow stared at him; her business face was on.


After spending most of the afternoon contemplating the possible death of the woman he loved by one of his dearest friends, he made his way into the frat house as the sky darkened. This was just too hard. Even after all the things that had happened between Anya and him after the break up at the altar, he still loved her. He had never stopped loving her. If only he hadn't broken up with her at the altar, maybe he wouldn't be going through this now. She wouldn't have returned to her demon ways, if she had married him. They might have been living happily together, but he made the choice of not marrying her and she had made her choice to return to being a vengeance demon. He had made that choice because he was afraid that their future would be more of a mess than it usually was. Except now, he was starting to have second thoughts about that decision. If he had known that this was going to happen if he hadn't married her, maybe then he would have married her, but he hadn't known at the time.

Shaking away his thoughts, he entered the frat house and spotted Anya immediately. She was by one of the walls, tracing the blood on the wall.

"I thought I'd find you here," Xander stated. He stared at her briefly then added. "Have you forced yourself to look at the bodies yet?

Anya didn't answer at first. Her lips were set in an angry scowl. " What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help," Xander told her.

"Everyone is so considerate today. I should have slaughtered people weeks ago," Anya said sarcastically.

Feeling bad, he quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I did to you. Everything I put you through…"

Anya shook her head and said. "Thank you. All better! Thank goodness you got here on time." She mocked him.

"You don't understand. This isn't an intervention. Buffy's coming to kill you." He interrupted her.

Anya blinked at that information. "She's coming to try." She informed him calmly. Not even the least bit of surprise showed in her eyes.

Xander's eyes almost bulged out of their eye sockets. He couldn't believe how calm she was, but that was Anya for you. "Did everyone have their crazy flakes today? You guys are friends, how can you talk like this?" He cried out.

"I have a job to do, and so does Buffy." Anya stated matter of factly.

The door opened and Buffy strode in wielding the sword she had obtained earlier. She had been thinking trying to delay this moment as possible, but the search for Anya had proven to be time consuming anyway. Finally, she had found her.

"Get out, Buffy," Xander yelled at Buffy.

She ignored him and said, "Move, Xander." She approached Anya, readying her sword to attack at any moment.

Xander was the only barrier between Buffy and Anya. "Buffy, please stop. You can't do this. Besides, the sooner you stop slaying the better it'll be for the baby. Don't you want your baby to be born?"

Now, he starts acting like a caring friend, Buffy thought. She knew earlier, he had just said those things to try to stop her from killing Anya, but it hadn't worked and now he was doing the same thing, except this time with concern for her well being.

"Get out of the way, Xander," Anya yelled at her ex-boyfriend.

When Xander turned to face her, she was in demon face. She punched him in the face and sent him flying into a nearby wall. He slumped down onto the floor, unconscious.

"This is getting to be a pattern with you, Buffy. Are there any friends of yours left you haven't tried to kill?" Anya noted, as she side stepped the first jab Buffy made with her sword.

Anya avoided several more attempts when she clocked Buffy on the head, sending her stumbling back.

"And what's this you're having a baby? I've never heard of a Slayer having a baby, I suppose it's because they end up killing it just like their friends. I see now why Slayers are meant to be alone," Anya remarked.

Buffy gritted her teeth biting the urge to say something. She ducked just in time as Anya reached for her, then rose giving Anya a front kick to her face.

"Congratulations. That is the customary thing to say isn't it?" Anya dodged a kick. Buffy nodded as the fight progressed.

The vengeance demon growled, then grabbed one of Buffy's arms and twisted it, making the Slayer hiss slightly from her firm grip. With her free hand Buffy tried to poke Anya with her elbow, but failed, and was sent into the wall for her trouble. Anya then rained punches on the Slayer's face.

Buffy then raised one of her hands blocking Anya's own hand from making contact with her face yet again. Using the other hand that held the sword, she directed it towards Anya, who backed away immediately. Quickly, Buffy stood up, approached Anya and managed to kick her into the sofa. Just as the Slayer brought her sword down, Anya moved to the left, narrowly missing getting sliced. Anya tried to get off the sofa, but caused it to fall back. Anya stood, kicked Buffy's hands, causing the sword to clatter onto the ground. Anya reached it first, then tried to drive it through Buffy, but she ducked, and the sword just sliced the air. Buffy spun out of Anya's way and appeared behind her, kicking her into the wall, then just as the sword slipped out of Anya's hand she grabbed it, and stabbed Anya in the chest.

Anya winced as she looked down at the sword impaled into her chest. Pain shot through her as she moved her hands towards the sword. In one quick moment, she pulled the sword away from her chest. She screamed in pain.

"I'd forgotten how much swords through the chest hurt," Anya said.

They continued fighting a few minutes more, when just as Buffy gained the upper hand again, Xander awoke and pushed Buffy away before she could finish Anya off. But just as everyone stood, a brilliant flash of lighting illuminated the room, which also shook the room, causing everyone to fall again.

It was D'Hoffyrn. "Oh, please continue with ever it was that you were doing."

"D'Hoffryn, what are you doing here?" Anya asked her boss, as he held his hand for her to take. She took it and stood.

Buffy eyed him warily; her sword was in her hand. Xander stood beside her.

"Easy now. I'd be gone before you even swing," he warned her.

"Isn't that just like a slayer? Solving all her problems by sticking things with sharp objects," He said, then continued on. "I talked to your friend, Miss Rosenberg. A real fire brand really."

"You stay away from Willow," Xander shouted.

"Ooh, he's gallant isn't he? I understand what you saw in him," D'Hoffryn told Anya. "Miss Rosenberg seems to think that Anyanka would be better suited out of the vengeance world. I think we already know what lady "hacks-away" wants and the young man sees with the eyes of love. But I'm not sure if anyone's bothered to find out what Anyanka herself really wants."

"Her name is Anya," Xander corrected him.

"Actually...funny historical sidebar, her original name was.."

"I take it back," Anya said suddenly, interrupting D'hoffryn. She walked over to him and stared at him, regret evident in her eyes.

"I'm sorry what was that?" He asked.

"I take it back." She repeated. "I want to undo what I did."

"Hmm. There must be twelve bodies in there. Are you sure? Such a thing is not easily done. But it's not impossible. You're a big girl Anyanka, you understand how this works. To balance out the proverbial scales, a sacrifice is required. The life and soul of a vengeance demon."

"Do it," Anya told him.

"Wait!" Xander exclaimed.

"Xander, stay out of it," Anya warned him.

"Right… That seems like the smart thing to do. He just said you had to die! Perhaps there's some alternative price," Xander suggested. His heart started beating frantically against his rib cage. There just had to be another way! His mind told him.

"You can't help me," She responded. "I'm not even sure there's a me to help."

"Do it." She once again told the demon.

"Are you sure? Is this what you want?" D'Hoffryn questioned her.

"It is. Undo what I did."

"Very well," He acknowledged her wish.

"No!" Xander shouted.

D'Hoffryn did something unexpected. He turned away from Anya just as there was a flash of light. Anya blinked. She was still alive. She noticed that Hallie was there. Hallie smiled at her friend. Anya stared at her in confusion. In less than a minute, Hallie was consumed by flames that had just burst out of nowhere.

Anya felt tears run down her cheeks. She felt like a large part of her had been ripped from inside. She stared at D'Hoffryn in confusion.

"Did you really think it would that be that easy?" He growled.

"Why?" she asked still stunned by what she had just witnessed.

"You wished it."

"But she was yours."

"Yes she was mine, just like you were. Haven't I taught you anything, Anya? Never go for the kill when you can go for the pain. I have many girls but you are not part of it no longer, your wish is granted."

"You should have killed me," she said.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. From beneath you it devours. Be patient. All good things in time."

He disappeared with a snap of his fingers, leaving Anya filled with despair and pain. Buffy soon left leaving Xander and Anya alone in front of the frat building.

"It was good what you did," he told her.

She didn't say anything, her gaze was on the ground. He hesitantly placed his hand gently on her shoulder, then removed it. They stood there in companionable silence.