Disclaimer: Same as always.

Note: Okay, I know this chapter is pretty short, but I tried adding more, and it came out really crappy, so I decided to keep it at the length I had intended. I'll try to make up for it in future chapters.

Chapter Six

Buffy sighed. "Look, Spike. I have no idea what time it is, but I have to go inside and prove to everybody I'm really okay. I'd let you in, but . . ."

Spike followed Buffy's gaze to the slowly lightening sky. "Oh. Right. Well . . . you know where to find me. If you need anything."

With that, he ran off in the direction of his crypt.

Buffy stood for a while, just watching the sun rise. Once it was through, she went inside, following the voices of her friends to Willow and Tara's room. "Hey guys."

Dawn immediately perked up. "Buffy! We were just about to check on you. So, what did you two talk about?"

Buffy cleared her throat. "Oh . . .well, I'll tell you alter. All of you. I promise. Just . . . not now."

Willow nodded. "Yeah. I guess you'd be tired . . . with the rising from the dead and everything . . ."

Buffy shook her head. "Well . . . not really tired. I don't really know how to describe it. I'm too tired to sleep, but too awake to . . . stay awake? Was that even a sentence?"

Tara looked thoughtfully at Buffy. "We were just going to go to bed, once you came in. We could make coffee, if you wanted. Or just talk."

"But not about death or- or anything involving . . . Sorry." Willow added.

Buffy smiled. "No. It's okay. But, I'd just kind of like to try to go to sleep. But we could do the talking thing later. Although, there's something I want to know now. Am . . . Am I broke?"

There was a long beat before anyone even dared to reply. Willow braved the danger. "Just a little."

"And on that happy note, I'll never be able to get to sleep. But, thanks for telling me. I needed to know that. Good night."

"Goodnight" came the response from the three other girls. Buffy walked to "her" room and quickly tore off the dress, folded it, put it on her dress, then got changed into something a little less . . . morbid. She slowly got into bed and attempted to sleep. Amazingly enough, she did. But, it wasn't necessarily sleep.

HI BUFFY. I THOUGHT IT WAS ABOUT TIME TO CHECK IN ON EVERYTHING.

'Hey, well, that's a great start for you,' Buffy said.

WHAT IS?

'Thinking. I never thought it was one of your strong points.'

DO YOU EVER WANT TO GO BACK TO YOUR WORLD?

The silence told Halfrek she did.

ALL RIGHT. WELL . . . YOU DO REALIZE EVERYTHING WILL TAKE PLACE JUST AS IT HAPPENED BEFORE, UNLESS YOU CHANGE IT, RIGHT?

'Yeah. You pretty much covered that before.'

GOOD. YOU KNOW SOME PEOPLE JUST AREN'T AS QUICK TO UNDERSTAND. LIKE WHEN THIS ONE GIRL IN RUSSIA MADE A WISH . . . CARNAGE EVERYWHERE, BUT SHE COULDN'T UNDERSTAND . . .

Buffy's exasperated stare made Halfrek trail off.

OH. SORRY. I GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT.

'That's nice. Uh . . . There's been this . . . question I've been wanting to ask you ever since this . . . happened.'

ASK AWAY.

'What . . . What higher purposes were you talking about?'

WELL . . . A LOT OF US DEMONS LIKE TO CALL THEM . . . THE "POWERS THAT BE".

'I'll just pretend to understand all of this. Oh. And . . . what did the "Powers That Be" resurrect me for?"

THIS WAS ONE OF THE PARTS I'M NOT COMPLETELY SURE OF. D'HOFFRYN JUST TOLD ME ABOUT IT, ACTUALLY. BUT, ONLY THE BASICS.

'Such as?'

DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE TWO OTHER HELL GODS THAT FORCED GLORY INTO EXILE?

'That's really not something I'll forget.'

WELL, SINCE GLORY WAS DEFEATED AND KILLED, LEAVING THEM BOTH IN EQUAL POWER, SOMETHING IS GOING TO COME ALONG AND CHANGE THIS.

'This something would be?'

I TOLD YOU I ONLY KNEW THE BASICS. ANYTHING THAT I HAVEN'T TOLD YOU, I DON'T KNOW. I'M SORRY. OH, BUT THERE IS ONE MORE THING. YOUR FRIENDS . . . SOME OF THEM MIGHT GET OR BE CAPABLE OF GETTING BITS AND PIECES OF THEIR MEMORIES FROM THE OTHER WORLD. RIGHT NOW, "SPIKE" AS YOU CALL HIM, IS THE MOST VULNERABLE TO THIS BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU TOLD HIM. I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU THAT, BUT IT'LL COME IN HANDY EVENTUALLY . . .

'Eventually . . . What do you mean eventually? What are you talking about?'

SORRY, BUT OTHER PEOPLE NEED TO MAKE WISHES, TOO. BYE.

'No. No bye. Come back here!! Dammit, Halfrek! Come back!'

But Halfrek didn't come back. For the next sixteen hours, Buffy slept until she sensed it was time to patrol.