Aren't You Dead?

Buffy tiptoed into the room and looked around, "You guys still awake? You should really get some sleep for training tomorrow." The room was silent. Buffy waited a few seconds for a response, "Huh. Thought I heard something. Must have just been the bed bugs."

As she headed back upstairs the figure rematerialized into the room, "Meddlesome Slayer!" She turned back to Anya, "Now, where was I? Oh yes. Let my wish..." She was silenced by an arrow piercing her back. She turned around to see Buffy standing in the doorway with a crossbow.

"You just can't take your eyes off these bed bugs for a minute can you?" Buffy said as she grabbed a sword and headed for the figure.

She pulled the arrow out of her back, "You Slayers and your swords, you think you would have learned last time." The figure said as she blocked Buffy's thrust.

Buffy backhanded the figure, "Well, you know us Slayers. We tend to lean towards the classics." Buffy paused, "What do you mean last..." A kick to Buffy's stomach interrupted her thought. Buffy bent over in pain and the figure knocked her to the ground with a round house kick. The sword fell from Buffy's hand.

Buffy looked up and got a clear look at the figure's face, "Halfrek?!" In that moment of pause, Halfrek stabbed the arrow she had been holding into Buffy's shoulder. Buffy screamed in pain and was then tossed to the far side of the room.

"Now then," she said turning back to Anya, "let my wish be..."

"Halfrek NO!" Buffy yelled as she leapt for the vengeance demon.

"...done!"

There was a bright flash of light and Halfrek disappeared. Buffy went right through where Halfrek once stood and landed on the Slayers-to-be, "Oh sorry girls. I didn't mean to..." she noticed they were still asleep despite the mid evening brawl, "to...do absolutely nothing to you." Buffy got up carefully and pulled the arrow out of her shoulder. "Man, these were my favorite pajamas," Buffy said looking at her bloodied shoulder.

Willow came rushing down the stairs, "What's going on? I heard some noises down here."

"Halfrek is what happened. It appears that her biting the big one was a hoax. She showed up, made with the mad mojo, and pulled a vanishing act."

"Halfrek?" Willow looked puzzled, "ANYA!" She rushed over to Anya and tried to wake her.

"Willow, they all seem to be down for the count."

Willow closed her eyes and held out her hand, "Not all of them." She moved her hand towards the Slayers-to-be, "Awake." The girls lying on the floor suddenly woke up and snapped to attention.

Kennedy held her back as she stood. "Ohh, " she groaned in mild pain, "what hit me? It feels like a ton of bricks was dropped on my back."

"HEY! I will have you know I..."

"WHO got blood on my new silk nightie?" interrupted Molly.

Buffy turned hiding her bloody shoulder, "Umm...I think it was Halfrek." She said smiling.

"Buffy," said Willow, "you should see this." Buffy walked to where Willow was inspecting Anya. Anya was still asleep.

"What's going on?" Buffy questioned. She was hoping it would be something easily fixable.

"I'm not sure exactly. The only thing I DO know is that it is the wish that is keeping her asleep. Oh, and it is affecting Xander too." Buffy looked over to Xander and he too was asleep on the couch. Buffy sighed. Two of her friends were downed by a supposedly dead vengeance demon. How was she going to handle this one?

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Another chapter up. And it is a good one I think. Halfrek back from the dead?!?! How can that be possible? She also granted her own wish. Now all the rules are being broken! Don't worry my readers, all will be revealed in good time.

One more thing, my story does refer to some past episodes and I will be adding a small History section here at the end with a basic description of where the "in-joke" came from, or give relevant information. After all not everyone can remember every little detail from previous seasons.

HISTORY:

-Halfrek was killed earlier this season. Anya reversed a wish she made and as penance, D'Hoffran killed poor Halfrek instead. He said Anya would feel worse knowing that she got her best friend killed.

-The reference to the sword is that Buffy seems to love to use swords against both Halfrek and Anyanka even though they are completely ineffective against Vengeance Demons.