Chapter One
I'm dreaming. I went upstairs, and now I'm dreaming. But then how . . . It'll be okay. I'll be okay. I'll be okay. Since it's a dream, I'll just play it out like last time, thought Buffy. When she opened her eyes, she opened them to the familiar sight of her coffin. Since she said she'd play it out, Buffy did. As she hurried to dig out of her nearly oxygen-less casket, her hands began to bleed, again, and it hurt. She had prophetic dreams, but none like this . . . None THIS real.
THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS.
The gasp she took couldn't cover it. Buffy had heard the voice in her mind. It had been IN her. So much for playing it through, she thought. "Uh . . . who are you?," she asked. She recognized the voice . . . And then it hit her. "Halfrek?"
YES. IN THE VOICE.
"But . . . I watched you die. D'Hoffryn killed you." Buffy was now only in the dirt filled grave from her waist down, but wanted to get out. Fast. Faster than her body would allow her. "Can I see you? It would be easier to talk to you. To understand."
OH, ALL RIGHT. TAKE THE MYSTERIOUS-FEEL RIGHT OUT OF IT.
With the noise much like that of a finger snap, which it was, Halfrek emerged from an exaggerated cloud of smoke. Coughing, like usual.
Buffy took her hands and tried to fan the smoke away, now standing beside her grave, but not having much look. Plus, it only made her hands sting worse. "Again with the whole "you're dead" subject. How can you be here?"
After a quick sigh, Halfrek answered. "Well, you see . . . Yes. I am dead. To your dimension. But, once a vengeance demon is killed, there are many other dimensions. Certain wishes can affect said other dimensions. Dreaming, the dream world you enter while dreaming, is another dimension. Therefore, I had access to it. Thank God D'Hoffryn hadn't killed me entirely, because then we wouldn't standing here today. Oh. I guess you wanted to know why you're here."
The stare she got from Buffy signaled she was right.
"Okay. You're here because, even though you probably aren't aware and don't remember, in one of your dreams last night, you made a wish. You wished that you could live over again, from the point of which you were resurrected. And, you should be living it exactly the same, but . . ."
"But. What but? I'm not a fan of the word but. Especially not when it involves a dead vengeance demon and a Slayer."
"It's just that since parts of my privileges were provoked and certain rules apply to the different dimensions . . . When you made that wish in your dream, the dream dimension rule is that you cannot live a moment from your past exactly the same the second time around. Therefore, a few changes were made. I'm only aware and can inform you of a few. First off, after being convinced by Tara and Giles, your friends did not resurrect you. You were resurrected by a higher purpose, for a higher purpose. I don't know what that purpose is, so I can't help you there. Second, the bikers are still here, and your friends are still having trouble. There's an underworld prophecy that "The Warrior will arise from darkness, and be brought back to the light." Simple, but tells a lot. Although, your friends seem to think that the other Slayer, Faith, is back to fight some pretty powerful demon. They either read to much or didn't read enough into it, because it's pretty obvious it means you coming back from the "beyond".
Buffy's eyes closed for a moment, fighting back un-foreseen tears. "So, you mean my friends didn't bring me back?" Halfrek knew it was rhetorical, so she kept her place and waited for Buffy to continue. "Huh. I mean, I knew I was upset last year, about being torn out of Heaven, but it hurts to know they could be talked out of something so easily. It hurts."
Knowing to pause another beat, Halfrek gave Buffy her moment of silence, then continued. "But Buffy, you have to keep in mind I know very little about this situation. I was only informed of the basics. Oh, and I also heard you thinking that you would play it out the same as before? Well, I've been informed that you can't and if you try, something very bad for both good and evil will arise. This is your chance to live it out better. Plus, this is your dimension now. It's real. If you want to leave, the only way to get out is to play it through 'till the end. Or, so D'Hoffryn says. Once you've played your part, you will be given the choice to remain here, or to go back to what you know. Have fun. Oh, and I may come back to check on you every so often."
With that, Halfrek began to fade away. Buffy was not too thrilled about that, or anything else, really. "Hey! Stop!." It was too late. Halfrek was gone. And there was nothing she could do.
I'm dreaming. I went upstairs, and now I'm dreaming. But then how . . . It'll be okay. I'll be okay. I'll be okay. Since it's a dream, I'll just play it out like last time, thought Buffy. When she opened her eyes, she opened them to the familiar sight of her coffin. Since she said she'd play it out, Buffy did. As she hurried to dig out of her nearly oxygen-less casket, her hands began to bleed, again, and it hurt. She had prophetic dreams, but none like this . . . None THIS real.
THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS.
The gasp she took couldn't cover it. Buffy had heard the voice in her mind. It had been IN her. So much for playing it through, she thought. "Uh . . . who are you?," she asked. She recognized the voice . . . And then it hit her. "Halfrek?"
YES. IN THE VOICE.
"But . . . I watched you die. D'Hoffryn killed you." Buffy was now only in the dirt filled grave from her waist down, but wanted to get out. Fast. Faster than her body would allow her. "Can I see you? It would be easier to talk to you. To understand."
OH, ALL RIGHT. TAKE THE MYSTERIOUS-FEEL RIGHT OUT OF IT.
With the noise much like that of a finger snap, which it was, Halfrek emerged from an exaggerated cloud of smoke. Coughing, like usual.
Buffy took her hands and tried to fan the smoke away, now standing beside her grave, but not having much look. Plus, it only made her hands sting worse. "Again with the whole "you're dead" subject. How can you be here?"
After a quick sigh, Halfrek answered. "Well, you see . . . Yes. I am dead. To your dimension. But, once a vengeance demon is killed, there are many other dimensions. Certain wishes can affect said other dimensions. Dreaming, the dream world you enter while dreaming, is another dimension. Therefore, I had access to it. Thank God D'Hoffryn hadn't killed me entirely, because then we wouldn't standing here today. Oh. I guess you wanted to know why you're here."
The stare she got from Buffy signaled she was right.
"Okay. You're here because, even though you probably aren't aware and don't remember, in one of your dreams last night, you made a wish. You wished that you could live over again, from the point of which you were resurrected. And, you should be living it exactly the same, but . . ."
"But. What but? I'm not a fan of the word but. Especially not when it involves a dead vengeance demon and a Slayer."
"It's just that since parts of my privileges were provoked and certain rules apply to the different dimensions . . . When you made that wish in your dream, the dream dimension rule is that you cannot live a moment from your past exactly the same the second time around. Therefore, a few changes were made. I'm only aware and can inform you of a few. First off, after being convinced by Tara and Giles, your friends did not resurrect you. You were resurrected by a higher purpose, for a higher purpose. I don't know what that purpose is, so I can't help you there. Second, the bikers are still here, and your friends are still having trouble. There's an underworld prophecy that "The Warrior will arise from darkness, and be brought back to the light." Simple, but tells a lot. Although, your friends seem to think that the other Slayer, Faith, is back to fight some pretty powerful demon. They either read to much or didn't read enough into it, because it's pretty obvious it means you coming back from the "beyond".
Buffy's eyes closed for a moment, fighting back un-foreseen tears. "So, you mean my friends didn't bring me back?" Halfrek knew it was rhetorical, so she kept her place and waited for Buffy to continue. "Huh. I mean, I knew I was upset last year, about being torn out of Heaven, but it hurts to know they could be talked out of something so easily. It hurts."
Knowing to pause another beat, Halfrek gave Buffy her moment of silence, then continued. "But Buffy, you have to keep in mind I know very little about this situation. I was only informed of the basics. Oh, and I also heard you thinking that you would play it out the same as before? Well, I've been informed that you can't and if you try, something very bad for both good and evil will arise. This is your chance to live it out better. Plus, this is your dimension now. It's real. If you want to leave, the only way to get out is to play it through 'till the end. Or, so D'Hoffryn says. Once you've played your part, you will be given the choice to remain here, or to go back to what you know. Have fun. Oh, and I may come back to check on you every so often."
With that, Halfrek began to fade away. Buffy was not too thrilled about that, or anything else, really. "Hey! Stop!." It was too late. Halfrek was gone. And there was nothing she could do.