Catherine was resting in the house of some sleazebag she'd made explode. Looking through his address book., the amount of women's phone numbers he had was extraordinary.
Catherine didn't like being somewhere he had befouled, but she had to rest to get her strength up. She might be powerful, but the magick took a lot out of her.
She was almost asleep when D'Hoffryn appeared.
"Catherine Madison." he said.
She was startled, but she didn't show it. The ancient, powerful demon advanced towards her.
"Your power is great. You have a flair for spells of revenge and destruction, a real talent. Do you know who I am? " he asked her.
"I can guess." she said, coldly.
"D'Hoffryn? The lord of vehemence and ruler of the world Aroshmaharr."
"You've heard of me." he remarked.
"Obviously."
"Well, I have a little proposition for you." he said as he held up a beautiful necklace with a sparkling emerald in the middle,
Catherine knew what he meant immediately.
"I have a feeling I'm going to accept your offer." she said with a smile.
"She did what?" Buffy asked incredulously.
"Hey be fair Buff, relax." Xander said. "She didn't know what she was doing."
"but….still!" said Buffy.
"I- I think it would be for the b-best if we summoned D'Hoffryn and got the facts…." Tara shyly suggested.
"I agree." said Giles, grateful for the voice of reason. "Willow, Tara, you should set up. Anya, do you remember the incantation this time?"
"That was a one-off" she muttered irritably. "I'd only been using it for a thousand years…."
Anya stood in the middle of the circle of magickal sand Tara had poured accurately, and Willow lit the candles.
"I'll go with you to Aroshmaharr, Anya." she said. I know you're used to it, but it can't hurt to have a witch there, can it?"
"I guess not." agreed Anya. "Okay, here it goes- Blessed be the name of D'Hoffryn…
With a jolt they disappeared from the Magic Box and into the dimension of Aroshmaharr, D'Hoffryn's vengeance world.
"Well...I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
"Sorry Willow, I don't understand your Pop Culture references." Anya replied.
Willow rolled her eyes. The wizard of Oz? Pop Culture?
It was part of the mystery that was the insanity of Anya.
Willow couldn't deny that she sometimes felt moments of jealousy.
She had been love with Xander when she had been in High School, before she had started seeing Oz. But Xander was dating Cordelia Chase, the it girl of Sunnydale back when, and on-off Scooby Gang member.
When they were eighteen there was some unfaithfulness problems that had brought Anya there in the first place, as the Vengeance Demon Anyanka.
Her feelings for Xander in that way were gone, she had Tara now. But when Oz had left, just before she had met her girlfriend, she couldn't help feeling a little bit wistful.
"Anyanka!" D'Hoffryn's voice interrupted Willow's thoughts. "and the witch, Willow Rosenberg! You haven't changed your mind about coming to work for me, have you?" He asked, hopefully.
"No, sorry." Willow answered.
"We're here for some information about Catherine Madison." said Anya.
"Ah, yes, Catherine!" said D'Hoffryn "I caught up with her today. She's one of us now."
"You made her a demon." Willow said dispiritedly. "I don't suppose you could...undo it?"
"No Willow, he won't." said Anya. "I can tell."
"You know me well, Anyanka. I'd like to help you, but it is done now, and anyway, why should I give up a perfectly good demon for an ex-employee and a witch who won't enter my services?"
They hesitated.
"You can go now." he finished, and with just a wave of his hand they were back in the store.
"You know," Xander was explaining to Tara, "the fact that Spiderman is Peter Parker has no significance to the Green Goblin. He just wants his nemesis dead so he can-"
Xander cut off when he realised they were back.
"Hey, my two favourite girls!" he said. "Tara and I were just discussing your Spider Sense tingling about the magick yesterday."
"Now that's a pop culture reference." Willow informed Anya.
"Never mind that, how did it go?" asked Buffy.
"We
were too late." said Anya simply.
"And he won't reverse
it." continued Willow.
"Guys, this is bad." Buffy said wearily. "Giles, this is bad isn't it?" she checked.
"Undoubtedly yes." he agreed. "But it could be worse. She could be-"
The lights suddenly flicked off.
"Here." completed Buffy, looking determined.
and sure enough, she heard Catherine's twisted laugh.
"I have been scrying," she said, "and I sense that some people in this room require vengeance, and one elsewhere! One by one the problem's fade, when acceptance comes to aid!"
The lights came on, and her presence was gone.
Catherine was pleased. She no longer had to resort to cauldrons and Barbie/Voodoo dolls to cause pain, suffering and...blindness.
She sighed contentedly.
The last guy she had made spontaneously combust look of pure terror was wonderful to her.
That wasn't the only reason she was pleased.
She had warned of the little Scooby Gang for getting in her way.
She had been doing some scrying into their past and she knew some secrets.
Xander deserved punishment for cheating on Cordy. Willow deserved it for cheating on Oz.
Cordelia Chase for being involved, Tara because it would piss Willow off, that Willow who was responsible for her daughter's downfall.
Hell, she decided. I might as well torture them all.
The pain and confusion of what she had planned was greater than tying them up and threatening them with flames and chainsaws.
She couldn't wait to get D'Hoffryn's approval. This was the ultimate revenge.
Sweet, sweet revenge.
And she couldn't wait to take it.