Chapter Eleven
Jonathan followed Ethan out the door, shaking his head as he went. "Next time, I'm going to be more careful picking my disguise."
Ethan chuckled. "Oh, I would have found you eventually," he replied, glancing briefly over his shoulder at Jonathan as he walked. "But, you're right. Riley Finn wasn't a very good choice. What made you pick him?"
Jonathan wrinkled his brow, studying Ethan's profile, wondering how much he should tell. If he said it had been prepared in the interest of distracting Buffy, he'd be pretty much admitting what he was running away from. But what other excuse could he use?
Suddenly, he realized that he *had* seen Ethan before. Back in the year the swimming team had gone whacko. Back in the year he'd finally noticed that *everything* was going whacko. "Wait a minute," he said, alarmed again. "I have a question for you first. You're the guy from the costume shop, right? The one that sold me a frog costume?"
Ethan glanced back at him again, with a strange expression on his face. "Yes, actually. I'm rather surprised you remember."
"How could I forget?" Jonathan's voice rose in horror. "I was picking bug parts out of my teeth for days! Ugh!" He shuddered. "I should have taken the knight costume I wanted first!"
Ethan chuckled. "But you had a lot less chance of being injured as a giant frog, you must admit."
"You did that on purpose?" Jonathan couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Well," Ethan shrugged, "I was there in the interests of chaos, but chaos is, after all, a balancing force. Someone had to be the frog. Why not you?"
"That isn't really an answer." Jonathan scowled at the Englishman. "And who are you, anyway? Seems like you already know a lot about me."
Ethan stopped at the edge of the street and turned to look at him again. "I ..."
Abruptly, he cut himself off and squinted over Jonathan's shoulder. "We're being followed, and ... well." He smiled, the dangerous smile Jonathan had seen first. "Well, well, well. Someone else is about to join the party. Come."
Jonathan scowled again, but followed Ethan anyway as he set out across the street. "Whatever, man. I'm getting sick of the mystery routine."
Ethan didn't comment. He hurried into the bar, then stepped to one side and gripped Jonathan tightly around the upper arm. Just when Jonathan was about to protest, Ethan began chanting quietly in Latin, and the world dimmed around them. It stopped at about half-light, but all of a sudden people weren't noticing them anymore.
"Whoa," Jonathan whispered. "That's pretty cool."
"Shhhh." Ethan admonished him. "Being invisible doesn't help if they can hear you."
"Duh," Jonathan said, rolling his eyes. As if he didn't already know *that* from the whole invisibility-ray disaster. Just thinking about it made his skin smart where Buffy had pulled his chest-hair.
They waited there a moment, then the door swung open once more and their pursuer stepped inside. It was Wesley. Jonathan still didn't know the Watcher's last name, but it was plain that the guy wasn't feeling too well.
Ethan was grinning again. Jonathan frowned at him. What was so funny about this? Wes was pale and sweating, and the bandage around his neck was showing spots of fresh blood. He obviously wasn't here for the hell of it. He looked worried. And maybe he had a right to be.
"Well, if it isn't the little Watcher," Ethan finally said, grinning, leaning over next to Wesley's ear.
Wes sighed. "Well, there goes that idea."
Ethan laughed. "Sneaking up on us? That wasn't necessary. Why don't you just join us for a drink?" He waved a hand and muttered a few more words, and the world brightened up again.
Jonathan blinked at each of them, nonplussed. "Is this some kind of game?"
Wesley turned to look at them. "I could ask you the same question, Riley Finn. I wasn't aware that you knew Mr. Rayne."
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "I don't. And I'm not really Riley Finn, either. If I were, I'd be with my wife in Nepal." *That* whole ordeal had sure been interesting to watch on the monitors.
"Nepal?" Ethan said, sounding interested.
"Wife?" Wesley asked, sounding confused.
"Let's just get a booth, guys," Jonathan said. "I'm getting impatient here. Let's skip ahead to the explanation part of this little outing."
"Yes, let's," Wes said, turning his gaze on Ethan.
"All right, all right." Ethan threaded his way to a little table near the left edge of the room, studying each other as they went.
Wesley heaved a sigh as he sank into a seat and immediately flagged down a waitress. Ethan watched him, a little smirk on his face.
Jonathan watched them both. He didn't want to talk first, and for all his impatience, the dynamic between the other two was kind of interesting. Strangely enough, it reminded him of Xander and Spike.
Finally Ethan spoke, but it was to Wesley again, not to Jonathan. "You've grown in strength, haven't you? It's really too bad I didn't just borrow you that day, instead of waiting for Rupert. If I'd had a chance to teach you, before the Council sank its teeth into your psyche ..."
Wesley snorted, and tilted back his first drink. "Not possible, considering who my father is. I was indoctrinated from the cradle."
Ethan frowned at him. "Oh? Oh! Right. Wyndham-Price. One of the senior Watchers."
Wes gave him the raised eyebrow, and Ethan chuckled.
"That day you got me kicked out wasn't my first visit. I was determined to be a bad influence on Rupert, it's true, but that wasn't all I did on Council grounds. I picked some things up, and I've kept an ear out since." Ethan paused, studying Wesley again. "You know, it's surprising, really; you're nothing like him."
"Who, my father?" Wesley asked, starting on his second glass. "Thank God for that."
"Speaking of fathers who don't resemble their sons ..." Ethan drew the sentence out, glancing at Jonathan.
Jonathan grumbled. "I don't know why you're bringing up my dad, but whatever it is, it doesn't matter. I'm adopted."
Ethan nodded, as if something had been confirmed. "I'd been wondering if they ever told you that."
"Why?" Jonathan almost jumped out of his chair. "You've been hinting around at something ever since you knocked on my door. Give me the reason already!"
There it was again, that dangerous grin. "All right. Ready, then, Jonathan? How's this. I'm your real father."
TBC
Jonathan followed Ethan out the door, shaking his head as he went. "Next time, I'm going to be more careful picking my disguise."
Ethan chuckled. "Oh, I would have found you eventually," he replied, glancing briefly over his shoulder at Jonathan as he walked. "But, you're right. Riley Finn wasn't a very good choice. What made you pick him?"
Jonathan wrinkled his brow, studying Ethan's profile, wondering how much he should tell. If he said it had been prepared in the interest of distracting Buffy, he'd be pretty much admitting what he was running away from. But what other excuse could he use?
Suddenly, he realized that he *had* seen Ethan before. Back in the year the swimming team had gone whacko. Back in the year he'd finally noticed that *everything* was going whacko. "Wait a minute," he said, alarmed again. "I have a question for you first. You're the guy from the costume shop, right? The one that sold me a frog costume?"
Ethan glanced back at him again, with a strange expression on his face. "Yes, actually. I'm rather surprised you remember."
"How could I forget?" Jonathan's voice rose in horror. "I was picking bug parts out of my teeth for days! Ugh!" He shuddered. "I should have taken the knight costume I wanted first!"
Ethan chuckled. "But you had a lot less chance of being injured as a giant frog, you must admit."
"You did that on purpose?" Jonathan couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Well," Ethan shrugged, "I was there in the interests of chaos, but chaos is, after all, a balancing force. Someone had to be the frog. Why not you?"
"That isn't really an answer." Jonathan scowled at the Englishman. "And who are you, anyway? Seems like you already know a lot about me."
Ethan stopped at the edge of the street and turned to look at him again. "I ..."
Abruptly, he cut himself off and squinted over Jonathan's shoulder. "We're being followed, and ... well." He smiled, the dangerous smile Jonathan had seen first. "Well, well, well. Someone else is about to join the party. Come."
Jonathan scowled again, but followed Ethan anyway as he set out across the street. "Whatever, man. I'm getting sick of the mystery routine."
Ethan didn't comment. He hurried into the bar, then stepped to one side and gripped Jonathan tightly around the upper arm. Just when Jonathan was about to protest, Ethan began chanting quietly in Latin, and the world dimmed around them. It stopped at about half-light, but all of a sudden people weren't noticing them anymore.
"Whoa," Jonathan whispered. "That's pretty cool."
"Shhhh." Ethan admonished him. "Being invisible doesn't help if they can hear you."
"Duh," Jonathan said, rolling his eyes. As if he didn't already know *that* from the whole invisibility-ray disaster. Just thinking about it made his skin smart where Buffy had pulled his chest-hair.
They waited there a moment, then the door swung open once more and their pursuer stepped inside. It was Wesley. Jonathan still didn't know the Watcher's last name, but it was plain that the guy wasn't feeling too well.
Ethan was grinning again. Jonathan frowned at him. What was so funny about this? Wes was pale and sweating, and the bandage around his neck was showing spots of fresh blood. He obviously wasn't here for the hell of it. He looked worried. And maybe he had a right to be.
"Well, if it isn't the little Watcher," Ethan finally said, grinning, leaning over next to Wesley's ear.
Wes sighed. "Well, there goes that idea."
Ethan laughed. "Sneaking up on us? That wasn't necessary. Why don't you just join us for a drink?" He waved a hand and muttered a few more words, and the world brightened up again.
Jonathan blinked at each of them, nonplussed. "Is this some kind of game?"
Wesley turned to look at them. "I could ask you the same question, Riley Finn. I wasn't aware that you knew Mr. Rayne."
Jonathan rolled his eyes. "I don't. And I'm not really Riley Finn, either. If I were, I'd be with my wife in Nepal." *That* whole ordeal had sure been interesting to watch on the monitors.
"Nepal?" Ethan said, sounding interested.
"Wife?" Wesley asked, sounding confused.
"Let's just get a booth, guys," Jonathan said. "I'm getting impatient here. Let's skip ahead to the explanation part of this little outing."
"Yes, let's," Wes said, turning his gaze on Ethan.
"All right, all right." Ethan threaded his way to a little table near the left edge of the room, studying each other as they went.
Wesley heaved a sigh as he sank into a seat and immediately flagged down a waitress. Ethan watched him, a little smirk on his face.
Jonathan watched them both. He didn't want to talk first, and for all his impatience, the dynamic between the other two was kind of interesting. Strangely enough, it reminded him of Xander and Spike.
Finally Ethan spoke, but it was to Wesley again, not to Jonathan. "You've grown in strength, haven't you? It's really too bad I didn't just borrow you that day, instead of waiting for Rupert. If I'd had a chance to teach you, before the Council sank its teeth into your psyche ..."
Wesley snorted, and tilted back his first drink. "Not possible, considering who my father is. I was indoctrinated from the cradle."
Ethan frowned at him. "Oh? Oh! Right. Wyndham-Price. One of the senior Watchers."
Wes gave him the raised eyebrow, and Ethan chuckled.
"That day you got me kicked out wasn't my first visit. I was determined to be a bad influence on Rupert, it's true, but that wasn't all I did on Council grounds. I picked some things up, and I've kept an ear out since." Ethan paused, studying Wesley again. "You know, it's surprising, really; you're nothing like him."
"Who, my father?" Wesley asked, starting on his second glass. "Thank God for that."
"Speaking of fathers who don't resemble their sons ..." Ethan drew the sentence out, glancing at Jonathan.
Jonathan grumbled. "I don't know why you're bringing up my dad, but whatever it is, it doesn't matter. I'm adopted."
Ethan nodded, as if something had been confirmed. "I'd been wondering if they ever told you that."
"Why?" Jonathan almost jumped out of his chair. "You've been hinting around at something ever since you knocked on my door. Give me the reason already!"
There it was again, that dangerous grin. "All right. Ready, then, Jonathan? How's this. I'm your real father."
TBC