Shaking in fear, Anya turned and bolted from the room, only to run smack into Buffy. The move surprised Buffy and she fell back from the impact. Anya gave her a sharp shove and sped towards the front door ignoring Giles' surprised voice calling her name.

She almost made it to the door before small, strong hands grasped her and swung her around.

"Anya, what's wrong with you?" Buffy asked, not a little confused at the girl's reaction to Giles' request.

"I-I can't do a spell to return her to her dimension. I-I don't know what happened. I just want to leave. Mr. Giles," she cried out looking past Buffy to where Giles stood in the training room door, "I'm sorry I've caused such a problem. I resign my position. I'll just get my purse and go."

She attempted to step around Buffy to fetch her purse from behind the counter only to find her way blocked by an increasingly pissed-off Slayer. "It doesn't matter whether or not you know a spell to return the vampire to where she belongs. We have two Watchers here, one of whom is extremely smart, and two witches, both of whom are also extremely smart," Buffy explained with forced patience. "Just give them the spell you were using and they'll figure out a way to reverse it."

Anya stood before Buffy, twisting her hands nervously. Never since her pendant had been broken had she felt so frightened and defenseless. When the Mayor was planning his Ascension, she had just skedaddled out of town until the danger had passed. But now, faced with such a formidable group, Anya was terrified. What would they do to her? She was human now, yes. But she had been a Vengeance Demon for over a thousand years. She had killed more people and destroyed more lives than she could count. It had been her spell, her endeavor to regain her power source, her desperate attempt to become a demon once more, that had brought forth the vampire. Would the Slayer ignore her now human state and kill her anyway?

Tears welling in her eyes, she looked desperately at Giles and begged, "Please, just let me go! Please!"

Xander pushed past Giles and walked slowly towards the distraught young woman. Her distress was touching a place deep inside him, and he felt the need to offer her comfort.

"Anya? I don't know why you're so upset, but whatever it is, we're your friends. Just help us with Vampire Willow and we'll help you. Okay?

Xander's voice was calm and when he reached Anya he ran a soothing hand up and down her arm. Anya looked at him with tear-filled eyes and then breaking down she flung herself into his arms, soaking his shirt with her tears.

"Please don't let her kill me, Xander. Please!"

Looking at Buffy with shocked eyes, Xander found himself wrapping the weeping girl in his arms and making calming shushing sounds to her. Spike had come to stand next to Buffy and he was watching the current drama with narrowed eyes. When Anya had finally pulled herself together somewhat, he said, "You know, pet, I've felt there was something not quite right about you since the first moment we met. You want to let us in on your secret now?"

"Secret?"

"Well, there's obviously something not right here, Slayer. For a young mortal woman she knows too damned much about demons and such. She's no family we've ever heard of and from what you've told me, she just appeared at school one day claiming to be a transfer. I'd say there's more to her than meets the eye.

Am I right, Anya?"

Sniffing and wiping her eyes, Anya nodded her head in defeat. There was no use in pretending anymore. They weren't going to allow her to leave until they had the truth out of her. She could only hope that they would take pity on her now helpless human status.

"I'll help you send the vampire back where she belongs," she said with a shaky voice. "Just let me gather up the ingredients, okay?"

"Sure," Buffy said coldly. "Just as long as you don't try to leave our sight."

Anya nodded again, swallowed nervously, and began gathering up the necessary items, her arms filling up with the supplies. She was surprised when strong hands reached out to take the overflow from her. Xander was standing next to her, looking at her with kind regard. Why hadn't she ever noticed how nice his eyes were?

When she had gathered everything she needed, she slowly walked towards the training room. Stopping near the chained vampire, she knelt down and began to arrange the items in a circle.

"I'm going to need Willow's help again," she stated softly.

"Please explain to us exactly what you are doing, Anya," Giles told her firmly.

Taking a steadying breath, Anya replied, "I'm going to perform a transdimensional temporal fold. It's nearly the same as the original spell I cast with the exception that I'll be returning something instead of trying to call something forth."

"A transdimen... Are you telling us that you meant to pull something from another dimension when you originally cast the spell?" Giles asked incredulously.

Anya looked up at Giles and then looked around for Xander begging him with her eyes for support. He was standing close to her and reached out to squeeze her shoulder comfortingly.

"I was trying to recall my pendent," she said in a voice barely breaking a whisper.

"Pendent?" Giles asked in confusion. "You lost a pendent in another dimension? How?"

Spike was staring at Anya with widened eyes. "Pendent?" he echoed. "I'll be fucked! You're a Vengeance Demon, aren't you?"

Anya gave him a startled look, while Giles and Buffy said simultaneously "A Vengeance Demon?"

"Sure," Spike answered with a snort. "Knew one once. Name of Halfrek. Had Daddy issues. You know her, pet?"

At Anya's nod, he continued. "Vengeance Demons are human women who've been hurt or betrayed in some way. Sometimes by men, sometimes by parents. Doesn't matter really, just so they burn with the need for vengeance. D'Hoffryn, the grand poobah of Arashmahar, recruits these women and turns them into demons. Then they set about wreaking vengeance on behalf of those who summon them. Those pendants they wear are the source of their power."

Everyone was staring at Anya. "Are you saying that Anya is one of these Vengeance Demons?" Buffy asked.

"She's human, not a demon," Tara insisted.

Anya gave Tara a tremulous smile. "I am now, but Spike's right. I was a Vengeance Demon until Mr. Giles broke my pendent and turned me back into a human."

"What?!" Giles exclaimed. "I did no such thing. I'm sure I would remember if I had met you in the guise of a demon. I've only known you as a student and now my employee. And I've broken no one's pendent"

Swallowing again, Anya explained. "I was a Vengeance Demon when Cordelia summoned me."

Cordelia, who had been listening in fascinated silence jerked in surprise and exclaimed, "I never summoned you. The first time I ever saw you was when Harmony introduced us."

Anya nodded. "That was after you found Willow and Xander kissing, remember? You performed the proper ritual, I heard your plea and answered it."

All eyes now turned to Cordelia who protested, "I never performed any ritual to summon any demon!"

"Did you not cut up and burn all of the pictures you had of Xander and did you not weep and wish vengeance against him?"

"Well, yes. But-but I wasn't trying to summon any demons. I mean, he had cheated on me with her for god's sake." Cordelia pointed an accusing finger at Willow, who blushed and looked down. "I was just mad and-and humiliated. I did not summon a demon."

"I answered the pain in your heart, the burning of your lover in effigy, not your words. You summoned me, Cordelia. I answered the summons."

"Xander was never my lover," Cordelia insisted indignantly. Xander glared at her in reply and she glared back.

"Well this is very interesting," Giles said, "but just how exactly does all this tie in with your claim that I broke your pendent and turned you back into a human? And just where does this vampire double of Willow come in?"

"Well, you see," Anya said, "it all came about because of Cordelia's wish."