Anya Jenkins :

Thinking It Over

Previously On Buffy, The Vampire Slayer...

"So we're ready now. Let's get married," Anya announced.

"I'm not. I'm not ready. I can't, Ahn, I'm sorry," Xander replied as Anya turned back and looked at him, confused.

"But it wa- it wasn't real. What he showed you wasn't real," Anya looked at Xander.

"I know it wasn't real. But it could be," Xander watched as Anya got teary again.

"What was it? Was it about me? 'Cause he wanted you to hate me, Xander," Anya asked.

"It wasn't you. It wasn't you I was hating. I had these thoughts, and... fears before this," Xander sighed and looked at the floor. "Maybe we just went too fast."

"Look, everybody has thoughts. It's natural, it doesn't mean that, that getting married is wrong," Anya replied.

"I know, I know..." Xander continued to look at the floor.

"Look, you're just shaken up, okay?" Anya asked. "You just calm down and we'll start over, okay?"

Xander looked over to the main room and watched as his mother and father argued.

"We can't start over. If this is a mistake, it's forever, and... I don't want to hurt you. Not that way," Xander looked back at Anya. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

"Are you okay?" D'Hoffryn asked.

"I'm tired... of crying. I'm just so tired, D'Hoffryn," Anya shook her head.

"Oh, Anyanka. I'm sorry. But you let him domesticate you. When you were a vengeance demon, you were powerful, at the top of your game. You crushed men like him," D'Hoffryn apologized. "It's time you got back to what you do best... don't you think?"

Anya looked up at D'Hoffryn with a blank expression on her face.

Anya Jenkins rounded the corner of the street, heading to the Vengeance Demon Hall of Fame. She had walked down three streets already, over a lake and through a forest. She reached the end of the road and walked inside a huge building that had a sign outside saying VENGEANCE DEMON HALL OF FAME.

She walked over to a desk that had a female vengeance demon behind it. Anya had been in this place so many times when she was a vengeance demon and now she had just lost her way.

"Hello. I'm Peninsula," the woman called Peninsula greeted. "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for my hall of fame," Anya replied.

"You're what?" Peninsula asked.

"My hall of fame," Anya replied once more.

"I'm sorry but this is a vengeance demon hall of fame, no humans allowed," Peninsula gestured for Anya to go elsewhere.

"I was sent here by D'Hoffryn. I have to make a choice and I need to see me when I wreaked wrath upon men!" Anya shouted.

"You were sent by D'Hoffryn. Okay what is your name?"

"Anyanka," Anya replied.

"You're Anyanka? The Anyanka? The one that turned her cheating husband into a troll and the one that sent Ms. Chase to that hell place?" Peninsula asked.

"Yes that one," Anya glared at the demon.

"Let me just find it," Peninsula replied. "Buffy Summers. Halfrek. Here we are Anyanka."

"Why is Buffy Summers in there? And why isn't it in alphabetical order anyway?" Anya asked.

"Buffy Summers kills demons and vampires, thus making her a savior amongst her people. And we don't have an alphabet here in Arashmahaar. You must have gotten so used to human ways that you forgot," Peninsula replied. "Your hall is down that corridor, first on the left. Be careful though. It's pretty big."

Anya turned and walked down the hall. She reached her room and pulled open the doors. She walked inside and looked at the things that surrounded her. On the table there was a purple crystal, and there was the troll hammer Buffy had used to fight Glory leaning against the wall and there were bunnies hopping around the floor. Anya was too angry to even care. She sat cross legged on the floor and opened a box.

"Hello D'Hoffryn," Halfrek walked inside D'Hoffyn's room.

"Ahh Halfrek. What can I do for you?" D'Hoffryn looked at the vengeance demon for scorned children.

"I want to talk to you about Anya," Halfrek sat down.

"Very well. Let's talk about Anyanka," D'Hoffryn sat down as well.

"I wanted to know if you are planning on giving her her powers back. I mean she is staying here and she needs a hobby to get over that Xander guy," Halfrek began.

"I am planning on giving Anyanka her powers back. But only she can make the decision," D'Hoffryn answered.

"And what if her decision is not what you want?" Halfrek asked.

"I will set her free on the mortal plain where she can live out her life as a human," D'Hoffryn looked up at the clock on the wall. "She is currently looking at her fame. Why don't you go and see her?"

"Okay," Halfrek made a gesture with her hands and then disappeared.

Anya put the lid on a box and reached forward for another. She pulled the lid off and placed it on the floor next to her. She had made three piles already, all of them contained things she had done in her 1000+ years as a vengeance demon. A flash filled the room and Anya was joined by Halfrek.

"Anyanka," Halfrek patted the bottom of her hair, making sure the trip hadn't messed up her style.

"Hallie," Anya closed the box and stood up. Halfrek hugged Anya and then looked around the room.

"Oh! St. Petersburg, 1905. Good times," Halfrek looked at a book, inside were various pictures of the revolution that Anyanka was somewhat responsible for. A man running into a dining hall, on fire, her and Anyanka sitting at a dining table, drinking wine.

"I know. I mean I remember," Anya picked up one of the bunnies and put it on top of a box pile. "I remember how much pain women feel. How much they need a patron saint."

"Anya there will always be justice demons. Some with their own raison d'etre and the ones that are more well rounded," Halfrek explained.

"I remember that as well," Anya headed for the door. Halfrek followed her and they walked out of the Hall Of Fame.

Anya opened a door and walked into D'Hoffryn's office. D'Hoffryn was sitting at his desk. He gestured to Anya to take a seat.

"So what's on your mind Anyanka?" D'Hoffryn asked.

"I was just wondering about the offer you made me," Anya replied.

"Very well. What about it?" he asked.

"If I do become a demon again, do I have an amulet?"

"No. The last time you had an amulet things went wrong, I mean that blasted watcher got his hands on it. You will just have the powers," D'Hoffryn replied. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Okay," Anya replied and D'Hoffryn made two cups of coffee appear.

"Very well. I will return you your powers," D'Hoffryn clapped his hands and a blinding flash filled the room. Anya screamed and then fell back in her chair.

Fade To Black