"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 VI…
"Team Six…" William spoke into his cell phone…Glancing into the window of the campaign office of the mayor of Sunnydale…Hmmn… "Vote Dick?". "Hello, Willie…Nothing yet, just checking in. Everything going well? Good, all right…Tell Dru we've completed a sweep from First to 10th st on Main. Nothing yet, so we'll start the side streets. All right, then…Call me at once if there are any problems. Thanks, lad…" he closed the phone…
Willow a bit blank beside him, eyeing him…
"Anything, Red?"
"No…Not yet…" she shook her head. "Buffy is around somewhere…I feel her a little. But not here…"
"Ok…Well, we'll try two blocks over, back up to First. Just try to focus as Dru showed you…"
"Yes, William…" Willow nodded. They proceeded, she following him, he keeping careful watch on her and the street ahead…
"Been with Buffy and co, long, Red?" he asked, politely. Peering down an alleyway… "I mean have you and she been friends long, that is?"
"A while now…Since she started at Sunnydale High after she moved here…"
"Ah…" he nodded. "And thick as thieves since…That's nice…You know, Cicely had no close girlfriends, I believe. It's nice to hear she has someone this time…"
"She was a jerk to leave me alone like this…" Willow frowned, wanly…
"Couldn't help herself, Red. No soul means a little less on the caring/compassionate, you know? It's a tribute to her dedication that she's even inclined to risk it on the Slaying at all…" he noted…Refraining politely from stating the obvious… "Lets take a gander in here…" he jerked a thumb at the large bank tower before them. "Just to be sure…It's an old demon's trick to block the vibes. Buildings like this then to soak them up a bit…And provide good cover."
"Yes, William…" she nodded.
They entered the foyer. The locked revolving door already smashed open by looting humans earlier. Now though, no trace but some smashed pots, papers strewn, and doors thrown open…
"Anything?" he asked her. She shrugged. "No…Not here…"
Hmmn…He glanced round…
Would've thought she'd be keeping in close…Trailing me…
Still could be of course, just keepin' her distance…Dru may feel she's a gift but no way to be sure how good Red's senses are with the effects of thrall and soul loss combined…
"Lets hole up here, just a mo…See if she might be following us…"
"Yes, William…" yawn.
"You ought to sit a spell, Red. Here…Have a seat…" he pulled a chair over from a security desk, long abandoned…
"Thank you…" she took seat.
"Hungry? I can try and find a vending machine or something…"
"No…" yawn…
"Sorry to keep you up so late…" he apologized. "But it is a major crisis…"
"I understand…" she eyed him. "Buffy's wants to dust you bad…"
"Maybe…But that's not the crisis, love…So, tell me…" he took a seat, perching on an edge of the security desk. "I know it's takin' unfair advantage, but as you said…I may be dust soon, if I'm lucky…Or a monster again…" he paused… "Buffy ever show any…Interest in me? I mean during our little recent encounters…"
"She thought you were a real psycho…" Willow nodded.
"I can imagine…" he sighed… "But…Never any…Interest? Any suggestion she might have been…I don't know, thinkin' about me. Besides strategy and tactics, that is…"
"Sorry, I didn't ask if she was hot for you…" Willow looked a bit downcast. "I figured she and Angel…She was pretty frantic about him this year. Though it was strange…"
"Angel…Right…" he frowned…Hmmn?
"What? How, 'strange'?"
"She was pretty upset about Angel…Till tonight…But…She didn't ask. I thought that was strange…"
"Ask what?"
"Giles…Or me…How to get him outta Hell or go there…I mean…" Willow looked at him… "I woulda gone, for Xander…"
"The unconscious boy toy in the car?" he eyed her…
"He's mine…" Willow nodded. Firm stare…
"I hope he appreciates it…" smile…
"No, he doesn't …" renewed downcast look… "He doesn't know I exist…Outside of being a bestest bud. All he thinks about now is…" she eyed him. "Well, not now, I guess. In fact he's kinda given up on her since she turned him down and Angel showed. But he doesn't think about me…"
"Ah, Red…" he smiled sadly. "I know the feelin'…And I am sorry. But, hang in there…If he's really the one you want…Though don't take that as either order or subconscious implant, please…Your call, really…"
"I dunno if I wanna wait a century…" she shook her head slowly…
"Wise beyond your years…" he grinned. "Still…" he reflected. "I'll tell you, Willow…If I had the chance to actually decide my fate over again…"
"I'd take another route home on March 13, 1880." grin… "But everything else…The same…"
So long as the mass murder gets by-passed…he noted.
"William?" Willow looked at him…
"Yeah, girl? You need another drink?"
"Was I supposed to tell you if Buffy came in while you were talkin'…?"
"Hello, husband…" Buffy, brittle and cold tone. Eyeing them both from a balcony on the second floor overlooking the foyer… "Where'd the adulteress get to? Or has this friend of mine from the modern era stolen you from me now?"
"Cicely…" he sighed, rising and looking up to her… "Willow is in thrall, just helpin' me find…"
"Thrall…How romantic…" Buffy sneered, fussing with the shawl round her gown…
Damn fluffy thing… "…And just helping you find true and eternal bliss?"
"Girl…You may be sorry for those words tomorrow. Assuming you remember them…"
"I'll have them engraved on your tombstone, dearest…" Buffy glared. "You faithless…!"
"No one's betrayed you, Cics…" he frowned up at her. "God knows, I understand that you were deceived in all that happened back then but you've no right to start accusing me…"
"I don't need any 'right'!" Buffy yelled, face darkening… "I'm the Slayer! And no two-timing friend is playing me for a fool with my husband! Thrall or no thrall!…" she stamped a foot.
"Well…Fine…Come on down then and get me…" he called up. "Just let me get Red here along to safety before we duke it out, eh? Willow?"
"Willow! You stay right there!" Buffy cried. "One step toward that door and I won't need to fret over Drusilla's absence…!"
"That's totally uncalled for, Buffy…" William frowned. "The girl's done nothing to merit that kind of disparagement. And as for poor Dru…"
" 'Poor Dru'!" choking sound…Buffy vanished…
"Willow! Go!" he pointed to a hallway… "Try to get to the street and find Dru or one of the other team leaders as soon as you…"
"Too late…!" Buffy was in the hallway facing them. Bitter smile…
"Sorry to bring your latest romantic entanglement to an abrupt end…" she gave a cold smile…Waving stake…
"Speakin' of which, love…How is Angel?" he replied.
"In Hell…Give him my best!" she raged, hurling stake. Which he dodged, like a bullfighter…
Well, what do you know? He thought, a bit happily…She really doesn't want to kill me…That was a deliberate miss…
"How dare you mention Angelus to me!" she cried, racing past to retrieve the stake buried deep in the wall behind him, he turning to face her. Waving to the staring Willow to get moving, girl…Willow vaguely rising from her seat…
"How dare…I?" he frowned. "As I recall from my counterpart, your sleeping with him triggered the whole series of events we just got through…"
"That was modern girl sans memory. She doesn't count." Buffy was pulling at the stake in the wall, fuming… "Damned stupid thing! My ole stake 'Dickens' would never…Arggh…"
"And Spike does?" he called, a tad annoyed…
"This isn't my old body! Damn! OW!"
He hurried over… "Are you all right?"
"I broke my nail…Right down to the…OW! Oh, it's bleeding now…"
"Stop fussing with that stupid stake and let me see…" he reached for her hand. She whirling on him…
But…Pausing…Extended the injured hand. He took it…
"It's not too bad. Lets find some water…Come on…"
"This has been a bad day…" she shook her head. "I just want the pain to stop…" her face eyed his. Eyes pleading, a little girl on the edge of tears…
"I'll do my best, love…" he patted her arm.
"Willow stays…" she growled.
"Fine…Red? Just stay at the table? We'll be right back…"
"I want my stake…" Buffy looked at the wall. "Don't let anyone take Mr. Pointy."
"No, no…No one else is here. And I doubt there's many in Sunnydale who could pull that out. It's fine…Come on and lets see to this…" he pulled her along…
"Where's your jacket?" she looked him over… "I like the jacket…" Narrow look… "I suppose Drusilla…"
"No, she doesn't…I leant it to…A fellow who needed one. I'll find another later…"
"They have nice ones where I got this…" she indicated the green gown…
"That's lovely…I did mean to say so before…" he led her to a ladies room.
"I know…" she smiled, a bit pertly. "But thanks…"
"Come on…"
"William? It's a women's room…" she frowned. Looking round…
"No one's about but us…The whole town's either busy looting the malls or home in bed sleeping the whole thing off. Come, I want to wash that finger. It's a bad cut…"
"You have no sense of propriety. Never did…" she shook her head.
"I really liked that…" she grinned as they entered…
"Now, then…Better?" he daubed at the injured finger with some tissue paper…
"Much…Thank you…" she nodded. "You belong to me, you know…" stern look…
"I've no objection…" smile, cocked head.
"Really?" an eager tone…
"I'm here, aren't I?"
"You didn't come to Sunnydale looking for me…"
"I wasn't here until tonight…" firm stare. "But something must have drawn Spike…"
"Really?" bright smile…
"I'd say so…"
"Probably Drusilla…You were lookin' to cure her, right?" frown…
"He was…Not me…"
She eyed him… "Honestly?"
"Cics…Soul or no soul, you know when I'm tellin' the truth." he eyed her…
"So you are…Perhaps…" she looked away.
"Do you remember? Everything, now?" he asked, staring at her…
"I think so…" she nodded. "I was Cicely…I won you…I married you…I lost you and…"
She hesitated…Ummn… "…And died. But you know me, William, a little thing like murder doesn't keep me down…" arch look…
"I guess not…" he smiled. "Won me, eh?" cocked head…
"Certainly…And you didn't make it easy, you know." she sighed.
She frowned again as they stepped back into the foyer. Willow waiting patiently at table…
"Now…Cics…?" he eyed her. "You know Willow isn't here voluntarily and that I needed her help to find you…"
"Perhaps…" she shrugged. Swaying suddenly…
"Cics…?"
"I'm tired…" she sighed. "It's been a long night…"
"Might do well to take forty winks, eh?"
"No…" she shook her head, narrow look at him…
"You'll be gone…"
"I'll wake you in a couple of hours. There'll be plenty of time…"
"No…" she refused…Pulling hand loose. "You just want to be back with your whore…"
"Cics…"
"Besides…" slight relent… "If this soul nonsense is true, we have to go find Giles. Have him take care of you…"
"I'm sure he'd like to…" wry grin…
Frowning stare…Wrinkling her brow…
"Yes…Well…If he gives you any trouble, I'll deal…"
"Nice of you, thanks…But we can't leave town just yet. Too many lives at stake, if you'll forgive the pun…"
"Lives, schmives…Our bank account there is quite to the plus…Including yours, William, after the other day…" she eyed him. "I was very proud of you, you know…Once I remembered who you were. An admirable Slayer's mate, I thought…"
"Thanks…But you will care about the others later. I promise you…"
"That dratted soul thing again?" she eyed him. "I suppose so…."Sigh… "Couldn't we have one quiet evening together? We've certainly earnt it. You may recall we didn't even have a proper wedding night. Let alone a decent honeymoon." she frowned. "But you now must have your chance to play the hero, I know. Fine…" shrug…Then brightening… "But at least we could do our duty from here or together for the evening. Right? If we must fret about all these little lives…"
"And speakin' of lives…What about your mother? Joyce?" he asked.
"She was sleeping when I…This rather rebellious young thing…" she indicated herself. "Left for Patrol…Before things became odd…I'm sure the woman's fine…"
"Buffy…She is your mother…And a good egg, I should say. Guess that makes her my…Hmmn…"
"Only technically as to the mother business…" Buffy shrugged.
"But didn't yours…I mean Cicely's…Die in childbirth?"
He would have to mention 'childbirth'…she frowned.
"You mean you think she might be…?" she paused. "My mother? The original…?"
"Anything's possible, Cics…"
Hmmn…Would be a nice stroll…And it would help to remove him from the association of a certain re-souled whore for a bit. And my room's there, just waiting for a long overdue sexual encounter. Plus a cellar to lock him in, since this nonsense about putting another silly "save the world" thing ahead of our happiness is quite over, whatever he may think…
As is any further association with needful young women, however menaced by evil…And however good a friend…She narrowly glanced at Willow…
"Well…Perhaps we should go and check on the poor woman. Dear Mom…" Buffy noted. Offering arm…
"Delighted…" he took the proffered arm. "Just let me check in…With our guy, Willie…" he put up a hand to her frown. "At base camp…"
"Hmmn…" she eyed him as he closed phone, having passed the good news along… "You do have this well-organized…I'm impressed. This 'Willie' is a male whatever he is, right?"
"Quite male…Thanks…" he grinned. "Coming from the Slayer and all… Hey, Red? We're pulling out…" he called to Willow…
"She doesn't need to come, surely…" Buffy eyed her.
"We can't leave her here. Something or someone might drop in…She'd be helpless…Buffy, you'd regret it later…"
"Fine…Just have her keep off…" she said, annoyed. "I want a little quality time. That's hardly a lot to ask considering what we've done for Humanity…"
"Thank you…" he smiled. "Cics…?"
"Hmmn?..." she was eyeing Willow. Who, now standing by chair, still waiting patiently…
No, no real threat there…
"It is nice…Even for a little while…And even if you're not all here…To be back with you…"
"Naturally…" she shrugged. "Now, come along…" she pulled him…
"What?" he eyed her look as they left by the front revolving door, Willow trailing docilely…
"You haven't mentioned how you liked the blonde yet…" Buffy noted.