Giles gathered the take away curry and headed for the address in Mayfair. It had been so many years. He rolled his broad shoulders under the imagined weight.

He had last made this walk in the eighties, desperate with longing and more than a bit legless. He took a deep breath as the house came into view. His heart ached. It had been his home for such a short time.

The bag with the book pricked at him. There was no choice. Buffy was failing fast. She hadn't returned home the night before. Giles closed his eyes against the possibility that there would be no new year for his slayer.

The coven in Devon might be able to help, but this was dark magic. Time was of the essence. He walked up to the glossy black door and knocked.

The door swung wide and he sagged in relief.

"I need your help." Giles looked into the familiar eyes and held his breath. Ethan sighed and stepped to the side, allowing him entrance.

"The curry had best be a damn sight better than that other crap your carrying, Ripper." Ethan took the plastic bag from him. "Your looking good, Head of the Council. The power agrees with you."

"At the moment, it means nothing to me. I'd cede the position to you if that's what you want." Giles swallowed.

"You know what I want, Ripper, but we can't turn back time." Ethan sighed. "Not in any meaningful way. So, what have those idiot children you are so obsessed with done now?"

"They used a spell from this damned book on Buffy." Giles swallowed and looked away from Ethan's probing gaze. The gentle hand on his shoulder broke him. He turned and buried his head against Ethan's shoulder and sobbed. The strong arms that wrapped around him brought only comfort.

Buffy leaned back against the wall of the tube station. She had dusted eighteen vamps, but it wasn't enough. They never managed to wear her down. Some part of her kept fighting. She slammed her shoulder against the wall and shuddered as her shoulder popped back into place. It was better than another trip to the A&E.

There were four slayers in London, now. Where were all these damn vamps coming from, and why couldn't they fight worth a damn?

Going home and falling into bed sounded good, but Giles would be waiting for her. Dawn had let the cat out of the bag in a big way. He woulda been all over that. She sighed. There was nothing any of them could do. They had known Spike was back, but they hadn't gone to him to lift the curse. They hadn't let her know he was back, either. She hadn't gotten to tell him she loved him again, hadn't gotten a chance to convince him.

For a moment, watching Dawn model her hat, she had thought they might have forgiven her. Then everything had blown up. She had seen Giles' pain and lost it. She knew better than to let them see her suffer. It made the punishment that much worse.

She took a deep breath, held it. She deserved the pain. Her failure had cost them all. Tara, Anya, and Spike, all gone and all her fault. If she had stayed dead like a good slayer should, they would all be alive. If she had been quicker or smarter, she might have saved them all.

She bit her lip. Praying did no good. The pain never lessened. She needed a fight.

The tingly feeling on the back of her neck warned her that a vampire was approaching the nest she had just dusted. A straggler. Oh, joy. She rolled her weak shoulder and smiled. This vamp was about to have a very bad day.

Ethan watched as Rupert paced. The silver of his hair glistened in the ever changing glow coming from the fairy lights hisThis tree. The man was still something to behold. Ripper in his dotage would still inspire that quickened pulse and tingle of desire. This man, even in agony, held him in thrall.

The situation was dire. He could help, and he would. The girl he had tried to destroy was far too dear to Ripper. Letting her die would not serve him. He rubbed his chin. Rupert's happiness was reason enough, but maybe there was more to be gained. Perhaps they could find their way back to each other. Friendship would be better than the void between them.

He looked over at Rupert and considered his options. Information was always at a premium with Ripper, but there were ways of gaining it. He smiled. Time for a bit of fun.

"You have hundreds of girls now. What is so special about this one?"

"Hundreds of girls, and one Buffy. I know you blame her for my walking away, but she wasn't even an idea when I left. I love her."

Ethan took a deep breath. It hurt to hear his Ripper declare his love for the chit. He had known it, but to hear it said so plainly was another matter.

"I knew she was living with you, but I had no idea."

"No, Ethan." Ripper's green eyes widened. "I love her like she's my own flesh. She is my daughter. She is. Genetics be damned. She's mine, and I'm failing her."

"You haven't failed her. We can fix this." Ethan smiled. He appreciated the irony. The one creature in all the world that he had blamed for losing Ripper had brought him back. If he could be of assistance in saving her, Rupert would let him in.

"She's suffered for three years, Ethan. I don't think we have much time. She won't kill herself in a traditional manner, but she's the slayer."

"Getting herself into scrapes?"

"She's been hunting master vampires. There are none left in Europe or Asia. When a master that had been living in Australia tried to relocate here, she met his ship by herself."

"How many?"

"Thirty, plus the three hundred year old master. I would have sent in a flotilla of slayers, but she handled it alone with not one bit of dust making it to shore."

The sheer power of the girl would frighten most demons. Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. It was time to change his ways.

"I will find your solution, but there's always a price." Ethan watched Rupert eyes, looking for the flash of indecision, but it never came.

"We can deal with the price after we've saved her." Rupert ran a hand through his hair. "Ethan, I need your word that you won't play us. I'm putting my faith in you."

"You have it. She reminds me of you, brash and beautiful. I'm actually quite fond of the girl when I'm not jealous." Ethan smiled and shrugged. "Do you think she might come around to liking me?"

"It's possible, anything is with her." Rupert looked at his drink and tilted his head slightly. "Why?"

"Because I'm not sure I can let you walk away again." Ethan stood up and walked over to Rupert. Time to put his cards on the table. "I love you. Have for bloody ever."

Buffy moved towards home. Her energy levels were down and her injuries needed some time to heal. The overcast sky gave her no clue to the time of day. She sighed and trudged on, ignoring the odd looks she garnered.

She missed the Scoobies most at times like this. They had always been there to bolster her flagging spirits. She shivered. Things never got back to normal after she died The second time.

She closed her eyes and tried to summon up a mental image of Tara. Tara wouldn't have cursed her. Buffy sighed. There was no comfort to be had. Imagining the others in happier times never worked. They were gone and it was her fault.

Buffy took a deep breath. She looked over toward a group of young boys cavorting as they headed home. Her eyes caught the flash of something dark.

The muffled sound of a struggle drew her attention. She saw the shadow move and took off. Duty called.

Giles watched as Ethan drew the symbols meticulously on the floor. They had been at this for hours, but Ethan's hand was sure. Each move of the chalk was elegant. The man could make even the most difficult of magics look easy.

The sharp pull of power surged as Ethan began to chant. An image of Buffy swirled up from the smoke. She was wrapped in weights and chains like a Dickensian ghost. Giles swallowed and fought the urge to look away.

A form coalesced next to Buffy. It stalked around her, agile and powerful. The smoke Buffy fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around the beast. It rose in her arms, ripping away the chains.

Ethan collapsed, and the entwined figures lost form.

"I'm sorry, Ripper." Ethan rolled on to his back. "I had hoped for more information than that."

Giles knelt beside Ethan and propped him up. He water a glass of water to Ethan's lips.

"Actually, I think you may have helped quite a bit."