Title: Eyas
Author: Forsaken2003
Pairing: S/X, G/E
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own none, all belong to Joss Whedon
Comments: Always welcomed!
Summary: Ethan comes back to Sunnydale.
Warnings/Spoilers: Season 5
Beta'd by: Unbeta'd

Prompt #429 from tamingthemuse- Eyas

Note: From now on most of my tamingthemuse stories will be named as the challenge.

Note 2: My muse wondered down a very different path this week.

Everyone was at the Magic Box waiting for Xander to show up so they could go patrol. So when the door opened end the bell rang they were all shocked to see Ethan Rayne. Everyone stood up including Spike. He didn't know what was going on but if it put everyone else on alert it put him on alert.

"Ethan?" Giles asked shocked to see his old friend. "What the bloody hell are you doing here? I thought the Initiative had you?"

"They did until you all took them down. So many demons got out that day, myself included. Did you miss me, Ripper?" Ethan purred. He made sure he had a good distance between him and the Scoobies.

Giles glared. "Yes, like the black plagued. What do you want, Ethan?"

"I came to tell you I have no hard feelings about throwing me to the wolves… so to speak," Ethan said.

Buffy wasn't buying anything Ethan was shoveling. "Yeah, because you've never lied to us before. Now tell us what you want before I knock your teeth down your throat," she threatened.

Ethan looked at each person. "I see you are missing someone. The boy."

Spike growled and took a step forward. "What have you done with him?"

Everyone tensed when they realized what Spike was saying.

"He's safe…ish," Ethan assured. "I have an eyas keeping an eye on him. A demon eyas to be precise."

Everyone's eyes widened. "What the hell is an eyas?" Buffy demanded to know so she could assess what kind of danger Xander was in.

"It's a baby hawk or falcon that is taken in and trained," Willow explained. "Where is, Xander?"

"I'll tell you where Alexander is if Ripper comes with me," Ethan said with a wide grin.

Buffy looked confused. "Goes with you? Why?"

Ethan ignored her and stepped closer to Giles. "Come on, Ripper. Just let the old days, yeah?"

"Because of you, Buffy almost killed me," Giles reminded him. "Besides I'm needed here."

"Come on, I wasn't going to let anything really happen to you," Ethan said sincerely. "You know me; I just like to have a little fun."

Giles took a step towards Ethan. "And you think kidnapping one of my children would make me trust you? Make me want to go with you... be with you?" Giles shook his head sadly. "Our times has come and past. I'm a different person now and you're…not."

Spike had enough of all this chitchat. "Tell me where the whelp is or I'll break your bleeding neck!" he threatened.

Not only was Ethan confused by Spike's threat but everyone else was. "Why do you care about the boy so much? You're not friends."

"No, he's not my friend," Spike agreed. "But he is my lover." He took a menacing step toward the man. "Now tell me where he is."

Ethan opened his mouth but was stopped when the door chimed.

"Hey guys," Xander said chipper. He paused and frowned. "Oh God, new demon?"

"Xander?" Willow asked confused. "What are you doing here?"

Xander looked at everybody and noticed Ethan. "We were going to meet here. What's Ethan doing here? I thought the government had him?" Xander was becoming more confused by the minute.

"Ethan kidnapped you," Buffy explained to him.

"No, he didn't. I was at work. My boss wanted to talk to me," Xander enlightened. He looked at Spike who was now in vamp mode. "Spike?"

Spike's yellow eyes went from Ethan to Xander. "He didn't hurt you?"

"No. I'm fine, Spike," Xander said.

"Bloody hell," Spike said and rushed over to Xander pulling him into his arms. "Don't ever do that again, pet!"

"All I did was go to work," Xander said. "Um… you know the others can see us right?"

Spike buried his face into the crook of Xander's neck. "Don't care."

"Ethan, I demand you tell me what is going on right now," Giles said clearly as confused as the others.

Ethan didn't say anything.

Buffy rushed him and punched him in the nose. "Answer him!"

Ethan's hands flew up to his nose. "I didn't know how else to have you come with me," he admitted. "Thirty years you're the only person I've ever loved. I know I'm not a good man but I want to be… for you. I just don't know how."

No one said anything for several minutes. Xander was the first to speak. "Give him a chance, Giles."

"What?" Giles said.

Xander pulled away from Spike who grumbled. "If you love him and you want to be with him. Give him a chance."

"Xander, while I appreciate your opinion you don't know what is going on," Giles replied. His eyes never left Ethan.

"I think out of everyone here I'm the only one that has a clue of what's going on," Xander shot back. "Ethan is a bad guy, I know that. But guess what so is Spike. Who is a hundred times badder than Ethan by the way and look at Spike. He is helping the slayer keep Sunnydale safe for me. Because he loves me."

Giles closed his eyes and didn't speak.

"Xander's right," Spike said. "A bad man can be a good man. He just needs help."

Giles swallowed hard. He had no idea what to do.

"Giles, you can' honestly be thinking of leaving with him?" Buffy screeched.

"Of course not," Giles said. He opened his eyes to see Ethan sagged. "I'm thinking of asking him to stay."

Ethan's head flew up. "Ripper?"

"Rupert," Giles corrected. "I haven't been Ripper in a long time. If you want to be with me you have to realize that. I no longer cause destruction, I help prevent it. And these people are my family. I would die for each and every one of them."

"If they are important to you they are important to me… Rupert," Ethan said.

Buffy and Willow were absolutely confused by what was going on. Was this some sick joke? "Giles?" Willow asked.

"I have loved this man for thirty years," Giles announced to everyone. "And I cannot deny that being able to have the life I have now and Ethan at the same time would be amazing."

"I swear on my life, Rupert that I will do anything to make you happy. All I ask is for you to give us another chance." Was Ethan begging?

With nothing left to say Giles made his way to stand in front of Ethan, wrapped his hand around Ethan's neck and smashed their mouths together.

Spike pulled Xander against him again. He would be having a conversation with Ethan later about using Xander as a way to get what he wanted. Spike would be making it clear that if Ethan ever did that again he'd pay a Scarsgis demon to pull his heart out through his chest and shove it up his arse.

Minutes later Buffy spoke. "Wait… when did Xander and Spike get together?"

The End