"Tales of D'Hoffryn…"

Disclaimer: Would Joss want his name associated with this? I think not...But anyway all BTVS characters remain the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and all other owner/creators of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series...Though his brother Mort gets nothing...

Archived at the Cicelyverse page of the Buffy Rebecca verse, .com...

Summary: While saddled with the job of tending the discombobulated First Evil, the Lord of all Things Vengeful tells a few tales of his (well, his people's) exploits with some old friends…

"Sunset…"

Part XII…

Bank of Sunnydale vault…

Anya, desperately catching breath after Buffy's release on her showing her how to summon her Lord via the amulet, watched as D'Hoffryn took form in the room.

Fortunately pretty much as the Boss wanted, else I'd have more than Cicely, bad enough as she is right now, to worry about…

Buffy for her part coldly watching the demon take form before her…Putting the amulet off on a pile of stacked bills.

Just a bit ironic, given the amulet's potential to provide all that many or most humans could wish for…At a price…Anya thought, looking for a chance to slip in and recover her property and power source.

"Miss Summers or I suppose you prefer Mrs. Walthrop just right now." D'Hoffryn, now in full form…And his fancy robes, Anya noted…Boss really wants to impress here, I see…But she is the prize he's hungered for for centuries…Eyed Buffy.

"Mrs. Walthrop, yes…Lord D'Hoffryn, I presume." Cool regard.

"The same…It's a privilege to finally meet you. I have followed your career with the keenest interest for…Quite some time." He smiled.

"Indeed. With the hope of ensnaring me in your troupe of feeble-brained trollops…" Buffy indicated Anya to her side.

Hey…?

"There's no need for insults, Mrs. Walthrop." D'Hoffryn, genially. "My girls are quite efficient and all have valid reasons, generally to do with oppression…Human, frequently male, oppression…To have taken my gift"

"There's every need, you filthy murderer." She frowned. "And it's hardly a 'gift'. More a draining of their immortality."

He held up a hand… "I would take care, madam." Hard stare. "I am a tolerant and very patient, as you should have guessed, being, but there are limits. I can't let you demean my staff."

"Please…I know you could care less about your little friend here…" Buffy noted Anya.

D'Hoffryn, smiling coldly. "Quite right, in specifics…Sorry Anyanka…But you did fail me several times with her. And I can always get another girl. It's really the principle of the thing here."

"D-H?" Anya blinked.

"Little fool, did you believe a demon lord cared about you?" Buffy sneered. "Sadly, without this little trinket…" she nodded at the talisman in her hand… "You're a mere mortal and liable to head off-wrenching…Or strangulation…Or perhaps merely to fall." Cold smile. "Any preferences?"

"See how much easier it is, Slayer…Without soul?" D'Hoffryn noted with gleam in eye, sensing his chance. "Join me and you're free of such nonsense, forever. And your husband keeps his soul and is free to join you."

"Me soulless and a slave to you…" Buffy shook head. "Seems a rather poor bargain…And I assume William would still be burdened by his vampiral existence, even with his soul restored."

"He'll be immortal, able to defend himself, and to be with you forever." D'Hoffryn, solemn tone.
"As for you, you need not lose your soul if you prefer. As you can sense, Anyanka…Aud by her original name, retains hers as does…" he smiled at Buffy's icy stare. "The one your Watcher…And you…Previously employed. I only ask you join me, freely. And, from time to time, at our mutual agreement, you provide justice to certain fairly important clients." He smiled. "Whom, I assure you, will deserve such."

"Better…But not quite good enough…" shrug. "Anything more you can put on the table…?"

"Your own immortality…Guaranteed. No need to fear Death stealing you away from him before you've had any chance to be with him. Your chance to do good, if you wish, with him…Eternally."

"Indeed?" she eyed him.

"I've no concerns about what you'd do in your free time." He shrugged. "Save the world, save anyone you please…"

"Just so long as I carry out your orders as you need me…" smile.

"I offer a very flexible schedule…" he smiled back. "And, if you should be interested, excellent fringe benefits."

"Really? Such as…I should warn you, especially in my current state, I can imagine a good deal of such…"

"My dear, anything your heart desires in addition to your little vampire…" D'Hoffryn, indulgently.

"Ah…Anything…And Everything…" nod. "And yet your little friend here…" she smiled coldly at Anya… "Seems rather chained to your demands and hardly enjoying 'anything her heart desires'. Please don't make her do a commercial for you. I can imagine you'd offer me the moon and deliver it for a short time till you were sure of me."

"Anyanka and the other you've met, Halfreck…" D'Hoffryn began.

"Yes…Halfreck, that's it. The one who took my place that night!" Buffy, eagerly. "Bring her to me, now!"

He eyed her, rather surprised…

This easy?

Haly? Her head on a platter, no doubt…But…

This easy? Hmmn…

Of course, loss of soul does focus the rage and crystalize the desire…And it does make sense…

"Are you saying that in exchange for Halfreck…?"

"I'm saying…If you wish to survive…Bring her now…" Buffy, a malevolent gentleness in tone that chilled even Anya.

"You can't harm me, Slayer. I'm the Lord of Vengeance…Not some foolish vampire demon projecting into your dimension…"

"No? Perhaps not…" Buffy regarded him. "Yet…You may have succeeded a bit too well, Lord D'Hoffryn…"

He stared…

"I feel the whole power of the Slayers now, raging through me…Rooted in your world as well as mine…With no puny single soul to hold it back…" Buffy glared, her face crimsoning, eyes red. "And all of us know…" her voice multiplying, amplified now… "Cicely…Elisabeth Pepys…Anne Hathaway…And all, all the way back to the First…That William, my beloved William is the soul of our Mate. Mate of us all…And you…" she regarded the now somewhat nonplused D'Hoffryn. " You petty little demon…Have been trying to destroy him. My Mate…For all Eternity."

"D-H…?" Anya gasped…

"Quiet, miss…" Buffy in multiple voice… "Lord D'Hoffryn…The Slayer in One…Declares You her Enemy. And She will destroy you, now."

Boss?…Anya eyed D'Hoffryn….

She can't really…

"…Unless…Because you hold her current soul, the reborn soul of the Slayer…Captive…You agree to release the souls of those you've placed in limbo and abandon your efforts and leave this quest for the Slayer's soul. Forever…Now."

"Nev…" D'Hoffryn begin…Writhing in agony as he was surrounded by a flickering field of pure energy.

"You Fool! The Slayer in One is Your Enemy! The Slayer in One can reach into your dimension to kill you like swatting a fly!" Buffy cried, eyes black now…

"D-H!?" Anya cried.

"No! No!..." D'Hoffryn gasped… "I agree! I agree!"

"On your mother's soul, Cain." Buffy eyed him, speaking in normal voice.

Cain? Anya stared.

He glared, twisting… "On…Mother Eve's soul…" he gasped, collapsing.

"D-H…." Anya moved to him. He waving her off, angrily…

"There's one more little thing…" Buffy noted. "I know now is not our time…That we can't be together yet…I have seen it through the Slayer in One…" she sighed deeply. "Even without soul I know now I must accept this, but only because our time is near, thank God and my brave, noble husband." Her face lightening. "Yes, our time is coming, soon, if I can just be patient a bit longer. And that's nothing you can affect, either for good or bad. You're powerless to change the time as even I am and it would be a mistake to do so, we have enemies to face for whom I'll need Spike, as he is, and William must find his own way back if he's to stay with me. Not through some trick by a side-show freak of a demonic so-called Lord."

"What…Do…You…Want…?" D'Hoffryn glared.

"Oh, no…No wishes, D'Hoffryn…" Buffy eyed him. "This will be your wish, freely given, as a little…Shall we say?...Wedding present. You having attended so many of our weddings without ever bringing a present."

"What do…You Want?" he grimaced.

"What every good wife wants…" Buffy smiled. "To see her husband have a chance to shine…"

(What can I say? D'Hoffryn in Cicely form eyed a demon attendant in Buffy form as the First listened contentedly…

I'm a storyteller and a true one must remain true to the tale, even if I don't come off so well. Though D'Hoffyn is our mortal… She shook head. Gods, what is happening to me? I'm D'Hoffryn, Lord of All Things Vengeance, despicable creature. Forever seeking companions in his eternal misery over killing his brother at the start of Humanity and…

What? Get a grip here, DH.

"Come on, tell me the rest, Cicely." The First insisted. "When do we kill this evil D'Hoffryn guy?"

Author of so much of our sorrows…Wait. Ok…Ok… D'Hoffryn/Cicely blinked. Just finish and then we get back to our true vile and disgusting nature.

"Look at her/him…" Mears chuckled to Angelus, they watching via portal from Mears' office. "He's really cracking up now." "This 'hear the thoughts' feature is neat." Angelus beamed.

Yeah…Mears, smirking inwardly. You poor little papa's whimpering boy… It is.)

….

Wesley, pondering as he and Ronsom followed Drusilla into the heart of downtown Sunnydale, barely keeping pace with her reduced gait…She pausing occasionally to kindly allow them to catch up but anxiously urging them on.

I know what Duty requires here…And we may yet need to be as harsh to the pure humans as well as these pitiful creatures.

Still, does seem a bit harsh…Even impractical…To refuse any possibility of cooperation, let alone assistance to these poor people…

Whom, despite Council dogma, experience has taught me are more often than not, quite innocent victims of forces they can't hope to fight alone…

And we all know, however unspoken the fact, that there are ways to recover the innocent souls of these people. However firmly the Council may officially deny it. And despite the quiet cautionings of seniors to beware meddling in such things for fear of disastrous outcomes, including the creation of a hybrid human-demon master race, however benevolent soulwise, sure to dominate Mankind, it's as much the fear of loss of power and purpose that holds us back from further attempts at rescue of the damned.

Well, one more black mark in my book…No doubt holding me back from full Watcher status for another three or four years…

I still maintain…He hurried along at Drusilla's anxious but kindly glance back. She urging them to mind several burning buildings ahead on the sides of the street, targets of the soulless looters before they'd been rounded up.

Anyway, I still maintain it's cruel to label these poor people as evil…We could at least further verify William the Bloody's story…

But I fear verification's not the problem…For the Council. He sighed inwardly.

….

William with Willow at his side, hurrying along to the main containment area…Dru having informed him by cell that the Watchers had landed and she was bringing two along.

"Red, keep a watch out for magics activity." He noted to Willow as they moved along a side street. "Anything occult. I want to know what the Councilors may be up to here. They're the 'extreme prejudice' sort, I've come to learn."

"Yes, William. There's some minor stuff going on…Probably defensive spells and a block to the soul removal, back there, maybe a mile to a thousand yards. Probably the Watchers, coming in." She pointed down the street. "But something's going on at the Bank as well."

He paused, tensing... "Where we left my wife?"

She sighed and shrugged. "Yeah. A fairly powerful couple of presences…But one is Buffy's, only really enhanced. Like she's on Slayer-overcharge."

"Who's the other?" hard stare. "Angelus?"

"No, I don't know who, William, but not Angel. I know his aura pretty well. It's a powerful one, stronger than his but…"

(Angelus frowning…What?)

"…Not as strong as Buffy's, now. She's really accessing some kind of dark power. Cool…" wan smile.

"Christ." William sighed. "Just when I thought I had this sorting out. Hold up a moment. Dru?" he spoke into cell.

"Are those Watchers still with you? Good. Ask them if they know what the hell's up with my wife. Red here says she's on some sort of overcharge, Slayerwise. Did they fire up her demon battery or something? Tell them the deal here's off, on my part, if they're manipulating her. And who the hell is the other, with her?"

"The Watchers are probably scheming against you, William. Giles was once a very powerful developing wizard before he foreswore more magics work and joined the Council." Willow noted. "You'd be wise to kill them all. I could help, anything to protect you." Smile.

"Red, please…Thanks, but no…And I mean, no." he put up a hand, trying to hear Dru's words.

"They say they've nothing to do with it? Do you believe them? Ok. I'll have to go back and check it out. Can you manage? Good. Dru? Don't trust these people too far. I still am not sure what their game is here, even if in general protecting Humanity is their goal. It may not include protecting citizens of this town from being killed for the greater good, you understand? And it sure as Hades doesn't involve protecting us. Great, thanks love. Yes, I'll check in soon as I know what's what. No, I think we'll have to try the faster way. Yes, I'll take care…Myself and Red, yes. Thanks, love." He closed phone.

"Red, if you're up to it, I think I can make use of your services." He told the quickly eager Willow.

…..