Nature of the Game
Summary: A man comes to congratulate the group on a job well done.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Timeline: One-shot, directly post 'Chosen.'
"I just wanna sleep, yo, for like a week," Faith said, her exhaustion palpable to all.
"I guess we all can, if we wanted," Dawn said, knowing full-well that that probably wasn't true.
"Yeah," Willow said with a smile, "First is crunched…what do you think we should do, Buffy?"
"Yeah," Faith put her two cents in, "You're not the one and only now, B. You're a regular person."
"What are we gonna do," Dawn asked.
Buffy looked into the destruction of the Hellmouth and thought about what was to happen next…she smiled at the thought of finally getting a break.
"Yes, that is a question," a masculine voice said to her left, and she, along with the group, turned to look at who it was that had joined them.
He was a tall man, dressed in an expensive black suit, with a white shirt, black tie, polished Italian shoes, a Rolex on his right wrist, and a cigar in that same hand. He was white, with black hair and sunglasses on, and very handsome. Buffy, Faith, Dawn, and even Willow were instantly attracted to him, and it took all their considerable will to not beg him to take them, then and there.
The man smiled at them all and walked over to the pit that had once been Sunnydale, clipping the cigar end off as he did so, and lighting it with an unseen match.
"So," the man muttered, more to himself than anyone else, "This is the Hellmouth. I haven't seen it in…oh, so many years. It's so odd, seeing it this way…so…pure…exposed."
"What," Buffy asked, putting aside her attraction of him. He was even hotter than Spike, and she hadn't even seen his abs yet.
"My, my, my," the man spoke again, "This is exactly as it was meant. You all," he said, turning to the group, "Have done very well. My praise."
"Well…thanks," Dawn said, not sure how to respond to the man, "But…who are you?"
"Oh, I do beg your pardon," Faith blinked as she realized, for the first time, that the man was speaking with a foreign accent, though his vocabulary was obviously influenced by Western culture, but, she couldn't quite place the country.
"Please allow me to introduce myself," the man said with a smile, puffing his cigar as he spoke, "I'm a man of wealth and taste."
Giles and Xander both straightened at that, both recognizing the wording for what it meant.
"What," Faith asked, also recognizing the words but, not quite placing them.
"Well…you certainly look wealthy," Willow said to him.
"Who are you," Buffy demanded, starting to get a little edgy around this unknown person, "What are you doing here?"
The man smiled at her, and she felt her knees go weak.
"Oh, I've been around," he said, "For a long, long year."
"Really," Willow asked, "How long?"
"Since Jesus Christ had his moment of doubt and pain," that made Willow back up slightly, everyone of her friends knew not to mention that blasphemer around her. Granted, she wasn't a devoted Jew, but, she wasn't willing to deny her roots.
That also made Faith straighten up, having finally placed where she knew his words.
"I was around when you," he pointed at Giles, "Set fire to half of White Chapel."
Giles paled at that, realizing what the man knew about him…and not liking it one bit.
"I was around when you," he pointed again, this time at Dawn, "Were little more than a ball of energy."
The Key backed up at that, fearing the worst of this man.
"Pleased to me you all," the man said, puffing on his cigar, "I hope you've guessed my name."
It was obvious that only three had, thus far.
"But, what's puzzling," he said, looking directly at Buffy, "Is the nature of my game.
"See, I stuck around Sunnydale when you saw it was time for a change, and washed your hands of your duty," Buffy gasped at that, automatically remembering when she had rebelled against her destiny to go fight the Master.
"I saw you push all your friends away," the man smiled again, very evilly, and turned his attention to Xander, "I made damn sure that spirit entered into you."
The one-eyed man snarled at him, easily knowing what he meant.
"I was there when you," he smiled sexily at Buffy, who had to remind herself that she was afraid of this man and not to jump out of her clothing for him, "Made love to that demon that killed his lover," he gestured towards Giles, who paled even more, a lone tear threatening to come down at that.
Buffy snarled at him, and moved to take him down…only to find that she couldn't even move her legs.
"I laughed with glee when you let the one with the Angelic face kill so many people," the man grinned happily, "And roared in rage when you stopped my home from coming to yours.
"But, I laughed when you ran away with your tale between your legs," Buffy glared at him even more, but, the man just shrugged it off.
"I screamed with anger when the souled one came back," the man continued, "But, I had you keep it a secret from your friends.
"I had your father and his friends have their dirty way with you," he sneered at Faith, who looked ready to eat his heart out…literally.
"I made you two raw with lust for each other," he said to Willow and Xander, both of whom were nearly passed out from fear and anger.
"I watched with glee as you came over to me, and even more so when you two fought," Buffy and Faith shared a glance before turning their attention back to the man.
"So, is the nature of my game still confusing to you," the man asked, but no one answered, "Still? Even after I made sure you met Walsh and became her good, little girl," Buffy snarled at that, "Or when I had her make that monstrosity named after my rival's first true creation? Certain not when I had you keep dear William safe for me?
"Or when I had your beau sleep with your enemy," Buffy paled at his words, too lost in the emotion to think of anything aside from listening to him.
"Or when I asked your platinum undead lover to betray you all for that monster," the man laughed at her look of outrage and the former potentials looks' of disbelief, "Or when I told Dracula to come and visit you and your mother?
"What about when I sent my former concubine a message as to where she could find her key," Dawn stared at him, not sure what to do or say.
"Speaking thus," he walked up to the youngest Summers and extended his hand, which she automatically shook, "Pleased to meet you, at last. Hope you've guess my name."
"I haven't," she admitted.
"You will soon," he said to her with a wink, and she smiled despite herself.
"Maybe you will once I tell you that it was me who stole your mother from you," Dawn and Buffy both stared at him, dumbstruck by his words, before the elder Summers' look turned to wrath.
"You know what the First Slayer said to you," Buffy didn't say or do anything, just waited for him to continue, still unable to move or anything, "'Death is your gift,'" he took on a comical look of embarrassment and said, "Sorry…that was me.
"And, it was also me who convinced you that suicide was a great idea, too."
Buffy collapsed to the ground, with Dawn not too far behind her, the sheer force of all this just too much to bear standing up. Almost immediately after her, the other Scoobies joined the two sisters on the ground, sitting around the man as he spoke, like children in a classroom, paying rapt attention to the teacher.
That wasn't too far off, either.
"I had her bring you back from the dead," he said to Buffy, "And, you weren't in Heaven…I just had you think that.
"I even convinced you that only William could ever understand you, even after I had told him to fall in love with you.
"I made sure you were depressed and ignored everyone," he turned to Dawn, "Even when your sister turned to theft to get your attention.
"I whispered into your ears," he said to Willow, "Telling you that your abuse of magic was ok, that it was just a few mistakes, nothing serious. I was the one who made sure that Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew killed that girl and got away with it.
"I told your blonde girl to dump you, so that your addiction could grow," the man grinned evilly at Willow, who now had black eyes and was desperate to unleash all her dark energy on him, just to make him pay.
"I'm the one who sent that man out to you on your wedding day," he said to Xander, "Told him just what to do to make sure that you left her at the alter."
Xander stared at him, tears running freely from his eye.
"I'm also the one who made sure that you would leave your family behind," Giles glared at him and tried desperately to stand, to flick him off, but…he simply couldn't do it.
"I had you hide your affair with the vampire from them all," he said to Buffy, "And, then, right when it would hurt the most, I arranged for them all to find out."
Buffy tried to spit in his face, but, found that she had no saliva.
"I had the boy kill your girl," he smiled at Willow, "And, then, made sure that you would summon my good colleague, Osiris, and kill him. Then, I told you to kill that boy, and end the world."
Willow had magic pouring out of her eyes, mouth, nose, ears, anywhere that it could escape in a vain effort to destroy this man.
"And…I had your vampire try and have his beasty way with you, without your consent," Buffy cried openly at that, and all the people there, save Xander, stared at her in disgust and horror.
"Have you guessed who I am," they all nodded, save Buffy, who was still too wrapped up in his words to her responded.
"I'm a man of great wealth and taste," he smiled at the blonde Slayer, who stared at him, and said, "I had you push all your friends away again, and spare a psychopathic vampire, who had been convinced he had a soul by a servant of mine."
Buffy gaped at him, she had been so sure that he'd had a soul.
"I told him exactly what to do and say to get you to distrust him," he pointed at Giles, "I made you," he pointed at Buffy, "Want to kill the demoness, even when you could see how much she regretted it, just to drive more of a wedge between you and him."
Buffy looked back toward Xander, her eyes begging him to forgive her…and, he did.
"I told my betrayer, who calls itself the First Evil, how can it be when I was here before it even became a spirit, to control William, and, then, I told you to trust him yet, to keep him alive just a little longer.
"I had you stand up for my boy when your former employer tried to kill his mother's murderer, even threaten to kill him if he did it again," Buffy had gone catatonic by now, doing nothing more than listen to his words.
"I had the Evil's servant come to you," he said to Xander, "To bleed you out…and, made sure that she checked on my boy, William, first before you."
The young man, formerly so proud and able, bowed his head in defeat, no fight left in him.
"I had them all doubt you," he said to the Englishman, "I made them believe you were my former servant. I told you to tell her to be cruel, cold, and hard…the exact opposite of what a good leader should be."
Giles, the wisest man amongst them, and one of the strongest there, too slouched down, his soul and mind defeated as it had never been before.
"I had my little girl, who loved you so, make you think you were your girlfriend's killer," by now, Willow's magic had run dry…there was nothing left, and her will to fight was almost gone…within moments, she, too, was defeated.
"I brought Angelus back, just for you, my dear," he said to Faith with a grin, "I watched as you two fought, then, made sure your confidence crumbled when you returned to the town of your turning. I told you to lead those girls into an obvious trap, to get them killed…you're so helpful, dear."
Faith could feel, literally feel her fire dying…very soon, she would be defeated like the others.
"I honestly didn't know if it would work," he admitted, "Particularly after I told you to go to prison instead of claiming redemption by fighting evil, like you should have."
Finally, at that moment, Faith, the Dark Slayer, felt her fight end…she was lost, no longer with the strength to even consider standing up to him.
"I made your sister shove you away for an undead attempted rapist," Dawn was crying now, "I tried to stop your mother from talking to you, but…Heaven was so much more powerful before all this. Still, you didn't heed her warning, so, it made no difference."
With that, the Key lay her head to the ground, crying her eyes out at what the man had said.
"I had you make stupid decision after stupid decision," he said to the Slayer, a horrible grin on his handsome face, and he squatted down in front of her, blowing cigar smoke into her face, "Get potential after potential killed, all in your obedience to me. I had you face the preacher-man alone, without knowing anything about him. I had him come to you…defeat you. I made sure you found your weapon," he pointed to the Scythe, "So that you could do exactly what needed to be done…what I told you to do. I had you kill Caleb. Then, I had you rape every potential in this world, plunge a demon essence into them, all against their will."
"Stop…please," Buffy sobbed, "I know who you are…please…stop this."
"…I made him lose his eye due to your decision," Buffy cried even more in guilt, her own will dying down with the rest of theirs, "I had your first lover come to town, after so helpfully taking over my head servants' LA branch, and give you the key to victory…for me. I killed your blonde lover," Buffy collapsed into the desert, her body wracked with guilt and pain unlike any she'd ever felt before, "And made you all believe that with the end of the vampires in the Hellmouth, it would end it.
"Instead…all it did was make it naked and bare…perfectly ready to release the devilry down below."
Buffy, the last one to hold out, felt her fight die, at last, as she realized what she had done.
"You lot were so helpful," the man came to his feet and smoked his cigar, "You played your parts perfectly. Your first love fulfilled the prophecy that he would willingly take over Wolfram and Hart, thereby being on my side, and you fulfilled the prophecy of winning the battle with the First Evil, but losing the war with me.
"So…have you all guessed my name yet," he smiled at them all, and everyone nodded.
"My game's not so puzzling anymore, is it," everyone nodded again.
"…Well," he took one final puff and tossed his cigar onto the ground, stamping it out with his foot, "It certainly was a pleasure, finally meeting all of you. I guess the old saying really is true…don't make a saint out of a sinner.
"Now, if you'll excuse me," Lucifer said as he turned back to the pit, "I have work to do."
He walked forward to the pit and pointed his ring finger and index finger down into it…there was no light, no flames, no lightning…nothing…but, almost a minute later, he simply disappeared.
Buffy and the others slowly came to their feet and, not knowing what else to do, moved to look down into the pit.
As soon as they did, a terrible roar came from down below…and, they died a few moments later, devoured by the Devil's great beasts.
Lucifer smiled and said, "Courtesy and sympathy…such a waste for the Devil."