DISCLAIMER: Joss is Boss.
Ch14.. Rayne, Rayne get the hell away from me
3 BA & CD LOVE 3
Buffy was getting the most wicked case of Déjà vu, books of every language known to man and some that weren't scattered the table, Angel's finished sketch of Ethan Rayne was pinned to the dartboard by a dart through his forehead. The brooding artist himself was reading a thick tome she vaguely recognized using one hand to turn the pages and the other to play with her hair. She had just woken up having kept the book in front of her and her head resting on her hand. Giles had given her that look, the one that said he wasn't fooled but he hadn't commented. Buffy figured he was too busy marvelling over Angel's collection of books that he had managed to collect, he'd offered to show Giles to full collection at his storage space and the watcher had all but drooled. Of course that was after Giles had apologized profusely for believing the drivel Andrew had supplied him after his visit to Wolfram and Hart, he had mentioned something about the coven and a spell for someone named Fred but Buffy had been too caffeine deprived to understand much.
"I can hear you, calm down."
Willow's eyes were white and her body was rigid. Gunn was gripping his battle-axe tightly but not moving, he could recall black eyed Willow but not white.
"Don't do anything, we'll be right there."
"Is she-" Angel murmured leaning into Buffy who nodded.
"Yeah, perks of being a goddess."
The witch blinked and her natural brown eyes returned although the resolve face came with it much to Buffy's chagrin.
"Ethan Rayne just showed up at Dawn's lecture, Kayleigh and Connor are with her but she's still freaked. She thinks he's going to do something bad and soon."
"Are you sure I can't just kill him?" Buffy whined pouting at Giles who managed a chuckle.
"At this point I am beginning to waver." Giles paused showing distaste. "He is human although a barely evolved one at that."
"There has to be something we can do, can't we trap him in some room where he can't access magic or anything like Magneto in the X Men movie?"
Gunn snorted at the petite blonde, figures she'd like a mutant movie.
"What about a box like we did with Pavayne?" He suggested his eyes taking on a glint. "Willow's supposed to the tightest Mojo girl around right? Can't she make him forget everything? Like a memory wipe so he thinks he's actually a stationary salesman in Vegas?"
Willow shook her head. "I could but there's no guarantee that it would hold, one little thing and all his memories could come flooding back and bite us on our tooshies."
"I agree, it's much too risky. Although you could strip him of his magical ability." The former watcher run his hand through his grey hair. "You'll need to be linked with the coven of course."
"That hardly seems like a punishment." Buffy grumbled as she pulled on the jacket that Angel handed to her.
"Well he'll have to be distracted while Willow performs the spell so you'll have to smack him around a little."
Buffy brightened noticeably and after wavering for a few moments decided on bringing along a small dagger in her boot.
"So I go into the lecture hall and beat down on Rayne while Will does that mojo she does so well, Gunn?"
"As much as I'd love to get my violence on I'm still a couple of dozen stitches away from throwing a punch so it looks like I'm the wheels guy." He frowned, those damn stitches itched like crazy and he was pretty pissed about missing out on the action although not as pissed as Angel it seemed.
"I'll brave this evil mastermind and shepherd the students away from the danger." Andrew proclaimed standing up and opening his trench coat in what he thought was a dangerous pose.
"You're staying here." Angel snapped vetoing the idea quickly. "We still need someone researching this prophecy. I'll hit the tunnels and meet you guys there."
Andrew watched admiringly as Angel stalked out of the room his black leather duster billowing behind him.
"He does like to make an exit doesn't he?" Andrew asked everyone receiving a variety of glares and frowns in return. "Shut up and do research?"
"Let's get gone, Giles if he touches one hair on those kids heads." Buffy warned.
"We'll figure something out Buffy I promise."
Giles smiled assuredly at his slayer smoothing down her hair, what he didn't tell her was that if any of those children were harmed he would kill Ethan Rayne himself.
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Dawn was definitely getting antsy, realistically she had only sent up the bat signal ten minutes ago but that was ten minutes she had had to spend listening to Ethan Rayne lecture the students on the different kinds of dimensions and magics.
"How much longer until our big rescue?" Kayleigh asked Dawn reflexively making fists, all her slayer senses were screaming that he was a bad guy.
"Soon." Dawn replied not taking her eyes off Ethan. "Between Buffy and Angel the beat down this guy is going to get will probably get its own volume in the watcher diaries."
Kayleigh relaxed a little which was Dawn's intention; she was keeping the fact that the guy was an experienced practitioner of magic whom worshipped chaos, freaking out one of the two people in the room who could possibly help her would do nothing.
"Dawn try not to let him see that he's getting to you." Connor whispered leaning in close so no one could hear, he was so close his breath tickled her neck. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly, she gripped it gratefully threading their fingers.
"Ah you, what's your name dear?"
Dawn gritted her teeth. "Dawn Summers."
Ethan smirked. "How would you like to help me with a little experiment?"
She was caught, either she could refuse and let one of the other students walk into Ethan's game or she could get up and risk her neck and later the wrath of Buffy and several other scoobies.
"What kind of experiment?" She asked trying to buy more time for her sister.
"Wimp!" The girl behind fake sneezed her friends tittering with giggles.
"Just a little fun." Ethan answered extending a hand. Dawn hesitated before begrudgingly standing Connor still holding her hand halted her shaking his head and frowning.
"It'll be fine, the cavalry will be here soon." She whispered leaning down speaking with far more confidence than she felt.
"He makes one move I don't like and I'm throwing this." Connor promised opening his jacket to show the row of small daggers concealed there. Before he could think he leant the smallest bit forward and brushed his lips over Dawn's freezing when he realised what he had done.
Dawn blushed and squeezed his fingers once more stalking down to the small lectern Ethan was perched behind.
"So nice of you to join us Miss Summers." Ethan joked earning more giggles Dawn smiled fakely sending out warning bells to Willow.
"Who here would like to see a little magic?"
The class all begun to mutter to each other Dawn exchanging anxious looks with Kayleigh and Connor.
Buffy where are you?
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"This is the truck you sold your soul for?" Buffy asked breaking the silence that had loomed over them since leaving the apartment.
"Nah, this one Angel bought for me as a sorry for the whole nearly dying thing." Gunn replied. "How'd you know bout that truck anyway?"
"Angel told me about it after he lost that card game. A three? You should have known better than to let Angel play cards, he has the worst luck." Buffy giggled.
"Oh yeah, remember the time he was playing go fish with Dawn?" Willow added smiling. "He lost like ten games in a row."
"Oh yeah." Buffy remembered. "God, that seems like a million years ago."
The air was thick with nostalgia and Gunn was beginning to feel a little uneasy.
"So this Rayne dude, how bad are we talking?"
"Let's just say he deserves everything he gets and then some." Buffy answered darkly. "I can't wait to punch that guy again."
"I've got the coven connected." Willow broke in. "The spell is pretty simple, the magic will be released into the ether and destroyed. Just keep him busy long enough for us to finish."
"How long?" Buffy asked tightening her boots.
"Fifteen minutes tops." Willow answered. "Try to get to Kayleigh, we don't want anyone around when it happens, she'll need to move the students."
Gunn pulled to a stop in front of the lecture hall and turned to the girls.
"I'll be here, kick his ass for me."
"Don't say that." The girls said in unison.
"Uh, break his leg for me?" he tried again. Buffy smiled and crawled out of her seat.
"Now that I can do." Walking with Willow into the building she kept her voice low. "Hang back until Kayleigh gets everyone out then do your thing."
"Piece of cake." She promised taking her spot near the door. "Go hurt him."
"Gladly."
The door of course made a loud creak as she pushed it open. The students were staring enthralled at Ethan who was standing next to Dawn and chanting, a bright blue bubble appearing above her head.
"Oh great." She muttered. Dawn looked over and mouthed Sorry, they would so be talking about this later.
"Ah Buffy, I'd say it's nice to see you but I think we both know I'd be lying." Ethan greeted, the blue bubble disappearing instantly.
"Like that ever stopped you before." She quipped. "I thought you were in a maximum security prison." Buffy signalled to Kayleigh with her eyes. "I guess we're both disappointed."
"Not for long." Ethan grabbed Dawn and threw something at Buffy; she ducked and spun out of the way.
"Everyone out now!" She barked. Connor and Kayleigh immediately started pulling people from their seats while Buffy jumped at Ethan. "Big mistake, huge. You can mess with me, I'd prefer if you didn't but hey I'm the slayer it's expected. But you don't mess with my sister."
"Really I heard it was a neat little tradition back in Sunnyhell, kidnap the kid every Tuesday." Ethan snapped back grabbing Dawn around the neck.
"Hey." She yelled through gritted teeth bending her leg and kicking him swiftly. "Not a kid anymore."
Ethan although a fairly powerful mystic was a cry-baby when it came to pain, abandoning his hold on Dawn he howled in pain and grabbed his leg giving Dawn the chance to run.
"Dawn, outside. Now." Buffy ordered keeping her eyes on Ethan.
"Got it." She agreed not really having it in her to argue, besides if she did nothing to piss Buffy off now her lecture later might be less painful. Connor and Kayleigh were standing guard at the two doors into the hall, which meant there was no one to calm down the students who were probably wondering what the hell was happening, as always watcher junior to the rescue.
Willow was chanting in the hallway, which was surprisingly clear, or was until a billow of black leather stormed down it and into the room. Dawn waved at the spot where he had just been.
"Hi Angel."
So the usual gangs on PCP story didn't really work anymore, she could possibly substitute ice for PCP but it was still iffy. When in doubt go with the simplest explanation; the group were huddled outside in the sun all speaking over each other, she took a small amount of pleasure in the fact that the snooty girl from behind her was now freaking out spectacularly earning looks from pretty much everyone.
"Uh guys? Can I have your attention?" Her voice was a little hoarse from Ethan's chokehold on her.
The group shushed pretty quickly, even the professor was giving her his wrapt attention, if she wasn't so used to having to get groups of slayers to shut up it probably would have freaked her out.
"So I guess you're all wondering what the hell just happened." She began pretty much saying whatever came to her head. "That guy used to be Ethan Rayne professor of Mythology, he's also a paranoid schizophrenic who used to be a lounge magician."
No one would buy this, she thought to herself babbling on.
"I spent the last few months living in Rome I only returned here because I was told he was in prison. Ethan Rayne has terrorised my family for years."
Not exactly a lie, just not the whole truth. Somehow they were believing this, it's like they grew up in Sunnydale, that whole selective memory thing.
"Thankfully you all were here before he could do anything." She grimaced really selling it. "The last time I saw him he blew up the town I was living in; you all have heard about Sunnydale right?"
Mix in a little fact with the fiction and you have gold. There were murmurs throughout the class and a few people even walked over to give her a hug, which was extremely uncomfortable.
"So now that this is over you guys should all go home and rest." She finished lamely; she was dying to know what the hell was happening in the lecture theatre. The crowd started to disperse falling into their own small groups, her professor was still stupefied and gazing at the building. She didn't bother making sure he was okay there was definitely more important matters to attend to.
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