Buffy stood as she heard a commotion at the door. Turning, she waited with
her arms crossed. Xander and Spike dragged a complaining, no whining, Ethan
through the door. "Well, well, well. Look what drifted back in town."
Ethan was pushed by one of his captors until he faced Buffy over the couch. Knowing his old pal couldn't be far away, and would be more grateful than these whelps he allowed some of his confidence to return. "Buffy. How are you dear? Got any new tattoos?"
"You are skating on very thin ice. The only reason I haven't killed you is so you can undo what you did to Giles?"
"Undo.." Before Ethan had a chance to complete his comment he was interrupted by the Billy Idol imitation.
Spike had been looking around for a sign of the remaining presence of Buffy's boyfriend. "Where's your tin soldier boy?"
Buffy never took her eyes off Ethan. "I sent him home. There was no need for him to stay." She moved around the couch and closed in on Ethan. Too quick for him to react, she shoved him against the wall, pushing her body into him. "Now, if by some sick perverted method of reasoning you think I'm coming onto you, let me assure you that your imminent death is even closer than our bodies."
Ethan swallowed. He'd never seen the slayer that pissed. "Where's Ripper? Didn't he like my present?" By the slayer's look, he'd obviously said the wrong thing.
"Oh, I don't know. Let's see, you turned him into a demon, he's been chased by a whole bunch of army guys, got beaten up, and I almost killed him. What do you think?"
Ethan frowned in confusion. "Demon? What are you talking about? I turned him into a nineteen year old."
It was Buffy's turn to frown. "What would make you think Giles would want to be a teenager again?"
"Maybe he thought it was the only way you'd pay any attention to him." Buffy released him in shock. Straightening his clothes, Ethan decided to get down to business. "Are you sure it's Rupert?"
"I'm sure. Your spell went wrong."
"I don't think so. It only required him to." Ethan stopped, shocked by a memory. "Oh Janus." He looked down at Buffy urgently. "Where is he?"
"Upstairs. What's the rush?" She yelled after his retreating back as he rushed up the steps.
"The spell has a time limit on it. If I don't reverse it, he'll remain a demon forever."
Buffy let him go, then remembered the state of Giles. "Ethan wait! He's badly hurt. If you turn him straight away, the shock of the wounds could kill him." She ran after him.
Spike and Xander looked at each other in the remaining quiet. "Well, I'll get going?"
"Wait. Aren't you gonna stay to see what happens?"
The blonde vampire turned back to the young boy. "Nah. People'd think I was getting maudlin. I only did it cause I owed Giles. 'Sides, a feller doesn't get much appreciation round 'ere."
Xander waited until Spike was at the door. "Spike." The other man turned back to him. "Thanks." The two nodded at each other before Xander found himself alone. He paced the floor for a minute, then decided he couldn't wait downstairs as if he was an expectant father. He took the steps two at a time. Ethan tiredly made his way down the stairs. Three pairs of eyes looked expectantly up at him. He sighed. "With plenty of rest he should make it. But knowing Ripper he'll open his wounds a few times before they heal completely."
Buffy stood. "And he's back to normal?"
A look of bitterness crossed Ethan's face. "Oh yes. Back to how he was before. Physically anyway." He paused to gather his jacket from the coat hanger. Probably the little redhead left it there for him. "Oh, he said you're not to kill me this time. The spell going wrong was his fault, and you'll get a chance next time. Although I didn't appreciate that last bit."
"What did he mean, his fault?" Ethan had been surprised at how much help the girl Willow had been. She'd obviously been practicing her magic. Untrained though, and wild. Obviously Ripper hadn't taken her under his wing. Knowing his old friend, Ethan doubted that was by choice.
"The spell I cast required the subject to utter their wish as the absorbed the herbs and the incantation was spoken. Rupert had drawn on his toke."
"Giles was doing drugs?" Funny, after all the lad had seen, he got upset over the idea of their mutual friend having a bit of weed.
"Herbal this time. Although he didn't know it," Ethan shrugged. It wasn't important, "Anyway what I didn't know as that he'd already drawn on his, er, cigarette and spoken a wish. By the time I told him to wish he were nineteen it was too late. The other wish was put in place."
"But why would Giles want to be a demon?"
"Same reason I thought he might want to be a teenager again." Ethan and Buffy stared at each other as they remembered their aborted conversation from earlier on. "Time for me to go."
"Wait. What makes you think he needed to do something for me to notice him."
Ethan sighed. How he hated taking the part of the moralizing good. "Because I'd spent the whole bloody night listening to him wallowing about how you didn't need him any more, how you left him out and ignored him, and never told him anything. And because when I found him he was trying to get himself killed by some demons at Willy's bar."
Buffy hung her head. "I never meant.."
"Of course not! But you're the slayer aren't you. The Chosen One. She who sacrifices everything. Rupert thought that always meant that it gave you the right to behave more, selfishly, than other girls. I disagreed. Because I always knew one of the first things his slayer would sacrifice was him. And we were good friends once." He shook his head. He knew it wasn't worth the words trying to argue with her. "Tell Ripper I probably won't see him next time I'm in town. But it was fun not being his enemy just once more." With that he left, a despondent and shocked trio standing silently behind him.
Ethan was pushed by one of his captors until he faced Buffy over the couch. Knowing his old pal couldn't be far away, and would be more grateful than these whelps he allowed some of his confidence to return. "Buffy. How are you dear? Got any new tattoos?"
"You are skating on very thin ice. The only reason I haven't killed you is so you can undo what you did to Giles?"
"Undo.." Before Ethan had a chance to complete his comment he was interrupted by the Billy Idol imitation.
Spike had been looking around for a sign of the remaining presence of Buffy's boyfriend. "Where's your tin soldier boy?"
Buffy never took her eyes off Ethan. "I sent him home. There was no need for him to stay." She moved around the couch and closed in on Ethan. Too quick for him to react, she shoved him against the wall, pushing her body into him. "Now, if by some sick perverted method of reasoning you think I'm coming onto you, let me assure you that your imminent death is even closer than our bodies."
Ethan swallowed. He'd never seen the slayer that pissed. "Where's Ripper? Didn't he like my present?" By the slayer's look, he'd obviously said the wrong thing.
"Oh, I don't know. Let's see, you turned him into a demon, he's been chased by a whole bunch of army guys, got beaten up, and I almost killed him. What do you think?"
Ethan frowned in confusion. "Demon? What are you talking about? I turned him into a nineteen year old."
It was Buffy's turn to frown. "What would make you think Giles would want to be a teenager again?"
"Maybe he thought it was the only way you'd pay any attention to him." Buffy released him in shock. Straightening his clothes, Ethan decided to get down to business. "Are you sure it's Rupert?"
"I'm sure. Your spell went wrong."
"I don't think so. It only required him to." Ethan stopped, shocked by a memory. "Oh Janus." He looked down at Buffy urgently. "Where is he?"
"Upstairs. What's the rush?" She yelled after his retreating back as he rushed up the steps.
"The spell has a time limit on it. If I don't reverse it, he'll remain a demon forever."
Buffy let him go, then remembered the state of Giles. "Ethan wait! He's badly hurt. If you turn him straight away, the shock of the wounds could kill him." She ran after him.
Spike and Xander looked at each other in the remaining quiet. "Well, I'll get going?"
"Wait. Aren't you gonna stay to see what happens?"
The blonde vampire turned back to the young boy. "Nah. People'd think I was getting maudlin. I only did it cause I owed Giles. 'Sides, a feller doesn't get much appreciation round 'ere."
Xander waited until Spike was at the door. "Spike." The other man turned back to him. "Thanks." The two nodded at each other before Xander found himself alone. He paced the floor for a minute, then decided he couldn't wait downstairs as if he was an expectant father. He took the steps two at a time. Ethan tiredly made his way down the stairs. Three pairs of eyes looked expectantly up at him. He sighed. "With plenty of rest he should make it. But knowing Ripper he'll open his wounds a few times before they heal completely."
Buffy stood. "And he's back to normal?"
A look of bitterness crossed Ethan's face. "Oh yes. Back to how he was before. Physically anyway." He paused to gather his jacket from the coat hanger. Probably the little redhead left it there for him. "Oh, he said you're not to kill me this time. The spell going wrong was his fault, and you'll get a chance next time. Although I didn't appreciate that last bit."
"What did he mean, his fault?" Ethan had been surprised at how much help the girl Willow had been. She'd obviously been practicing her magic. Untrained though, and wild. Obviously Ripper hadn't taken her under his wing. Knowing his old friend, Ethan doubted that was by choice.
"The spell I cast required the subject to utter their wish as the absorbed the herbs and the incantation was spoken. Rupert had drawn on his toke."
"Giles was doing drugs?" Funny, after all the lad had seen, he got upset over the idea of their mutual friend having a bit of weed.
"Herbal this time. Although he didn't know it," Ethan shrugged. It wasn't important, "Anyway what I didn't know as that he'd already drawn on his, er, cigarette and spoken a wish. By the time I told him to wish he were nineteen it was too late. The other wish was put in place."
"But why would Giles want to be a demon?"
"Same reason I thought he might want to be a teenager again." Ethan and Buffy stared at each other as they remembered their aborted conversation from earlier on. "Time for me to go."
"Wait. What makes you think he needed to do something for me to notice him."
Ethan sighed. How he hated taking the part of the moralizing good. "Because I'd spent the whole bloody night listening to him wallowing about how you didn't need him any more, how you left him out and ignored him, and never told him anything. And because when I found him he was trying to get himself killed by some demons at Willy's bar."
Buffy hung her head. "I never meant.."
"Of course not! But you're the slayer aren't you. The Chosen One. She who sacrifices everything. Rupert thought that always meant that it gave you the right to behave more, selfishly, than other girls. I disagreed. Because I always knew one of the first things his slayer would sacrifice was him. And we were good friends once." He shook his head. He knew it wasn't worth the words trying to argue with her. "Tell Ripper I probably won't see him next time I'm in town. But it was fun not being his enemy just once more." With that he left, a despondent and shocked trio standing silently behind him.