A Letter to Harmony: Dear Harmony
by vogonguard
None of the Buffyverse belongs to me.

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Harmony,

Inside this envelope you’ll find all that you need to get yourself a new job (well, assuming you can find an employer that will tolerate a secretary that doesn’t show up in mirrors and lives on blood): I’ve given you a reference that speaks pretty highly of your skills, your ingenuity, your pleasant manner. Notice I didn’t say anything about your loyalty though.

You’ll be needing to find a new employer because if things go the way I think they’re going to go, Wolfram and Hart LA is going to be out of business before sunup. Now, it may have occurred to you that you can transfer to one of the other offices worldwide but I’ve gotta warn you that this is Not A Good Idea.

Several reasons. Firstly, me and my little band of conspirators are going to do our damnedest to bring down the Circle of the Black Thorn and that’s going to mean an awful lot of corporate demonic wrath coming down from the Senior Partners onto the heads of anyone unfortunate enough to survive what we’re going to do. You know the way even human-form demons look down on us vampires. To true demons we’re not much better than cockroaches. If people are looking for a scapegoat guess who has a bit target painted right over her unbeating heart?

And it won’t do you the least bit of good pointing out that you already sold me out: they’ll just ask you why you didn’t do it earlier. Telling them you only just figured out what I was up to isn’t going to cut it: the paranoid security types they’ll send to figure out what happened are going to see your genuine cluelessness as some sort of subtle ploy. They might believe you before they finish torturing you or not. You would not enjoy having Holy Water dripped onto your naked flesh. Believe me on this: I’ve been there.

So where can you go? You can always try hiding out: probably leaving LA would be sensible. There are always bars where you can pick up a victim or two, trailer parks where you can hide during the day. But, Harm, you’ve always been a luxury loving girl. Dead or alive, I can’t see you living the way I used to: in the gutter, feeding on rats. Sooner or later you’re going to surface and start buying yourself some of the finer things in life. And then they’ll find you. You know how much the technical division loved hacking into corporate databases: they can find anybody on the planet who’s been seen by a CCTV camera or used a credit card. You can run but you can’t hide.

So, Harm, what you gonna do? Here’s some advice. You don’t have to take it but it’s for real. I could have dusted you at any time. I probably should have. But for some reason, maybe because I know Cordy wouldn’t have wanted it, I’ve decided to give you a chance.

On the card at the bottom of the envelope you’ll find a phone number. It will connect you with Rupert Giles at Watcher Central in England. Ring him. Tell him what’s happened. And offer him your services.

Now, I know by now you’re probably cursing and calling me crazy: it’s got to be suicide for a vampire to hand herself over to the boss of an organisation filled with Slayers. But think about it for a moment: where else on Earth can you hide from a bunch of vengeful demons? If you offer him everything you know about Wolfram and Hart and let him set the conditions on which you’ll get to go on existing and make him give you his Word (that last is very important, Harmony) then you’ll be safe. Trust me. I know you won’t understand why his sense of honor makes him play fair with you but think about this: if he betrays you then he ensures that no other turncoat will ever trust the Watchers again.

One other thing. Rupert won’t live forever. And it may be that the day will come when you have to trust to the sense of honor of his successors. Before that day comes I want you to think about doing one more thing.

Ask them to restore your soul.

It’s the only way that they’ll trust you even half as much as they did me. (And that wasn’t saying a lot.) Don’t worry that it will make you the miserable bastard it made me: I was cursed with a soul. I think it makes a big difference (it certainly did to Spike) if you choose it freely.

There are still things for The-Vampire-With-A-Soul to do, Harm. And rewards for the one who does it. Those deeds, those rewards will never be mine now even in the unlikely event of my surviving what I’ve chosen to do. You can have them, if you choose to step into that path. I’m not saying you’re the person I would have chosen to succeed me as the Champion of the Powers. But maybe they disagree with me. Maybe they put this idea into my head. Your choice, anyway.

Take care, Harmony. Run and hide.

And if you see Buffy tell her I’m sorry I couldn’t be around for the cookies to finish baking.

Your former boss.

ANGEL


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