Persuasion
Giles and Angel reached 15C a few minutes later. They simply stood outside the door in silence, not sure what to do.
"Should we just bust down the door?" Angel asked.
Giles contemplated the suggestion for a moment before taking a running start at the door. He limped backwards in pain. 'Perhaps you ought to try."
"Yeah. Probably a good idea." Angel landed a solid kick to the door, sending it flying off its hinges.
The door crashed to the floor, causing the occupant of the room to look up in surprise. The look of surprise was immediately replaced by shock as Angel stormed through the doorway and grabbed him by the throat.
"How do we get her back?" the vampire demanded, shoving Ethan against the nearest wall.
"I don't know what you're talking about," the man gasped.
"Wrong answer." Angel slammed his fist into Ethan's jaw.
Giles stood silhouetted in the doorway watching the exchange. He wanted to be a part of it but he knew Angel needed to let off some steam first. The Watcher would have his turn in due time.
"I swear I've no idea what you're talking about."
Angel let his grip around the man's throat go slack for a moment before punching him again.
"Buffy. You sent her back in time. How do we bring her back?"
Ethan let out a half gasp, half laugh. "Oh, that 'her'. Why didn't you just say so? Haven't a clue how she got wherever it is she's gone."
Angel looked away, reverting to his true appearance. "Listen pal. I may have a soul but I have no issue with ripping your throat out if you don't tell us what we want to know."
Ethan managed to peer over Angel's shoulder to see Giles standing calmly in he doorway. "Hello, Ripper."
"Let him go," Giles said, his tone betraying none of the raw emotion coursing through his veins.
"You're joking right?" Angel asked.
"No. Now, let him go. He's going to tell us what we want to know."
Angel let go of Ethan's throat, giving him one last shove against the wall before taking a few steps back. Giles finally moved into the room, hands clasped behind his back.
"You should have never come back to Sunnydale, Ethan."
"Why's that, mate?"
"You aren't welcome here. And I am fairly certain I would have no problem letting him kill you."
"Watcher working with a vampire. Bet the Council's having a field day with that," Ethan laughed.
"The Council has nothing to do with this."
Giles took another step closer to Ethan. The other man simply leaned against the wall, catching his breath.
"Honestly, Ripper. I have to say I'm a little disappointed. Took you all this time to figure it out."
"What did you hope to gain from sending me back in time?" Giles asked, sitting on the edge of the unmade bed.
"Get you off my back you, ponce. Why else."
"But you didn't anticipate the...innate nosiness of a teenage girl, did you."
"What can I say...I'm evil? It's what I do, Ripper."
"He's not giving us answers, Giles. And I'm getting a little testy," Angel muttered.
"He will. If he values breathing."
"Idle threats, mate. Short time ago you'd have me on the ground beaten to a bloody pulp by now," Ethan sneered.
"No worries. I fully intend to."
Ethan merely shook his head. "You joining the Council was the stupidest thing you could have done."
"Why, because I made something of my life?"
"Because we could have done amazing things together...wreaked all sorts of unimaginable havoc."
"Well I suppose you've succeeded haven't you, Ethan...leaving the Hellmouth without its guardian."
"Not to be picky but...we still have a Slayer," Angel interjected.
"Two Slayers?" Ethan asked.
"Buffy was sent to Sunnydale, drawn here to guard the Hellmouth. Faith is under my watch until the Council assigns her a new Watcher."
As the two men bickered, Ethan began to inch away from them along the wall. Unfortunately, Giles stood and in one fluid motion pinned him back to the wall.
"What did you send with the letter, Ethan? What was it?"
Ethan shook his head. Giles, still keeping his calm exterior began to land blow after blow to the man's face and gut.
"Alright, I'll tell you," Ethan rasped as he slid to the floor.
"We're listening."
"A ring. It was a ring."
"What spell did you use?"
Ethan gasped for breath. It was clear he had no intention of giving them more than that. Giles bent down, grabbing the man by the front of his shirt.
"I suggest you answer the question."
"Or what?" A cough. "You'll pummel me to death."
"Well, yes."
--
Several weeks had passed since the graveyard confrontation with Angelus and she had not seen him on her rounds. William worried that he was still in town but Buffy wasn't so sure.
"How do you know he's not here?" William asked one night as they made their rounds at one of the larger cemeteries.
"I just...have a feeling that he's not around. It's kind of a Slayer sense."
"I would feel more comfortable if we knew for certain."
Buffy nodded. "Where's Willy when you need him," she mumbled to herself.
"What was that, Anne?" William asked.
"Huh? Oh nothing. Come on. I think I see a few fresh graves over here."
They made their way towards the edge of the cemetery. A row of three graves lay freshly dug before them.
"We wait?" he asked.
"We wait," Buffy replied.
They stood by the graves for nearly two hours, the moon making its climb high into the sky. Nothing emerged.
"We should go home," William yawned.
"I suppose you're right. If they aren't popping up by now, then they aren't popping up."
Just as she turned around, a vampire lunged at her from behind a tombstone. She managed to dodge it just in time.
"Ok...you couldn't have saved us the trouble and done this earlier?" she snapped.
"Silly girl out at night," the vampire laughed.
"You know...you guys really need to learn some wittier banter. Your banter...not witty."
"I know what you are, Slayer."
"Well good...I guess my reputation is spreading."
William watched the exchange and finally took a step towards the vampire, knocking its legs from underneath it. Buffy moved to stand over it.
"Before I kill you, I'm going to ask you something."
"I'll never talk."
Buffy lowered the stake closer to its heart. "Angelus...big tall, brooding guy. You see him around recently?"
"Angelus? No...he...I heard he left the country."
"I think I'd like to confirm that for myself. You know where he and his friend were living?"
"Why should I tell you? You're going to kill me anyway"
"Good point. Telling me means you get to live just a little bit longer."
"Kill me. I won't tell you anything."
"Ok then. But I'm going to keep killing your friends until one of them talks. And just think what that would do the vampire population."
"A house on the edge of the city. The windows and boarded against the sun. You cannot miss it."
"Thank you. Now see how easy that was."
The vampire began to nod his head when she shoved the stake through his heart. He turned to dust with a surprised expression on his face. Buffy took a step back to brush the dust from her skirts.
"Are you alright?" she asked, looking at William.
"I am. Are you?"
"Yes. Let's go see the house. Then we can go home."
They linked arms and made their way out of the cemetery. They wandered up a long dirt road until they found the house the vampire had described.
"It looks abandoned," Buffy murmured. She handed William a stake. "Just to be safe."
They approached the front of the structure slowly. Buffy pushed the door and it creaked open on old hinges. She crossed the threshold and looked around. It appeared to be empty.
"Looks like they really did take off," she muttered.
"Then you were correct. They will not return, will they?"
"I don't know. Hopefully not for a long time."
William heaved a sigh of relief as they walked out of the house and back down the road. Buffy couldn't help but feel a little pang of loss now that Angelus was gone. Even if he had tried to kill her, she still missed knowing he was around.
--
Angel watched as Giles continued to beat Ethan. He had to admit the librarian was beginning to scare him.
"It was...a...time travel curse," Ethan finally wheezed out, blood dripping from his nose and out the side of his mouth.
"How does it work?"
"One way...can't bring her back."
"We will see about that." Giles slammed Ethan's head against the wall, knocking him unconscious.
"Well now he really isn't going to help," Angel muttered.
"We're taking him back to the library. I need to see how the others are doing."
"Oh. Right." Angel reverted to his human form and helped Giles carry Ethan out of the hotel room. "I'll just...put this back on its hinges," he said, doing his best to right the door.
By the time they arrived back at the high school, Willow, Xander and Faith had ordered pizza. They sat around the table, eating.
"Find anything?" Angel asked as he held the door open for Giles.
"Some references to the demon Chaos but nothing about what might help figure out what kind of spell we're looking for," Willow answered.
They all looked up when they heard Ethan moan. Giles set him down in a chair and looked to Xander.
"There is some rope in my office. Go get it and help me tie him up."
Faith couldn't help but let her mouth hang open in surprise. "Damn boys. You had a field day with this guy."
"It was mostly Giles...I only got to hit him once." Angel sounded almost disappointed.
"We're looking for a time travel curse," Giles informed them as Xander returned with the rope.
"Makes sense," Willow said and began searching under the ever growing piles of books.
"So what are we going to do with him?" Xander asked he held Ethan's wrists together.
"We're going to make him reverse the magic and bring Buffy back."
"Ok...got that part. How?"
"Persuasion."
"You mean kicking the crap out of him some more," Faith corrected.
Giles cleared his throat. "Well, technically...yes."
"Man, why didn't you tell me Giles was so cool."
"Oh, pizza," Giles said, reaching across the table for a slice.
"So...Angel have you had any new memories pop up?" Willow asked.
"Nothing big. I think she hit me with a crossbow once...but that could have been from last year when I was evil."
"Oh...yeah probably was."
They sat in silence for a while finishing the pizza. Ethan remained unconscious, moaning every now and then in his stupor.
"I'm going to call Joyce and let her know what we've found," Giles said, standing up.
He received several nods as he went into his office and closed the door. He dialed the number and waited while it range a time or two on the other end.
"Hello?" Joyce said.
"Joyce, it's Rupert Giles. We've learned a few things about Buffy's disappearance."
"What happened? Where is she?"
"An old acquaintance of mine from England cursed a ring that sent her to the past."
"The past? You can get her back can't you?"
"We're doing all we can. We have my acquaintance with us and I certain he will be very forthcoming with information. I'll let you know as soon as we know anything else."
"Thank you."