Ripper 2/3 - B/W/T G/J - PG13

["Hunter Ash" <carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ripper
Part 2
Red Moon, Book 7

Author: Frau Hunter Ash 
Copyright © 2003by Hunter Ash. All Rights Reserved.
Email: carrkjar@xxxxxxxxx  Feedback welcome!!
Homepage Addy: http://www.hunterash.com/ 

Disclaimers: The characters and show all belong to Joss Whedon, Fox,
Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, and God only knows whom else. The storyline,
however, is the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold
or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for
private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.

Dedication/Thanks:  Dedication/Thanks: To Rachel for allowing me to
use the idea of the attack by Eyghon. She's a fantastic writer and a
great RPG player. I'm grateful.  Check out her stuff at: 
http://www.palaceofwinds.com/ink/ original beta reader and best friend
and sometimes muse.  With the three of you - I stay slightly sane.

Also to Stephanie - my BTVS Beta reader and always, Dev. My 

F/F romance: the story assumes a loving and sexual relationship
between people of the same gender and may even include 3 at the same
time <G>.  If this offends or is illegal for you, then please leave. 
Come back when you are older, have an open mind, moved, or changed
your laws. 

Spoilers: This series starts at Season 4 and branches off. 

Summary:  One of the Scooby Gang takes on the dangerous risk of going
into Giles' mind to discover what has caused him to snap and retreat
from his memories. Can they all make it out alive and sane? What
caused Ripper to become the Watcher? What role did Ethan play in those
decisions? Is there more than just the incident with Eyghon?

Rating: Strong, strong R for graphic violence and non-consensual
sexual violence. Demons aren't nice, guys.


Buffy entered the hospital room slowly. She hated coming here now. It
had been two weeks since they had gotten Giles back. His body, anyway,
Buffy mentally corrected.  When he had awakened it seemed like his
mind didn't. He stared straight ahead and showed no sign of hearing or
seeing anything.

Everyone had tried for hours to get through to him, including Quentin
Travers with no success.

Joyce Summers-Giles almost lived at the hospital now with Tara and
Willow running the gallery and Anya and Xander running the Magic Box.
She had a small cot in the room and barely ever went home. She spent
hours talking, reading, singing, and just sitting with her husband.

"Any change, Mom?" Buffy asked softly as Giles stared at the ceiling.

"No, none," Joyce shook her head, fighting back the endless tears.

"Mom, should we try that thing Quentin was talking about?" Buffy asked
with a frown as she took in how pale and gaunt her stepfather, watcher
and friend had become.

"You trust him?" Joyce asked, matching her daughter's frown.

"No, not for a minute," Buffy said slowly. "It might be the answer
though."

"Taking a sight seeing trip through Rupert's mind?" Joyce asked
bitterly. "How can that help? Oh, I know, Quentin Travers says that we
can reconnect Rupert to his surroundings by guiding his mind back. It
just feels& so invasive."

"If it could get Giles back I'd tap dance through Dracula's mind,"
Buffy countered.

"I don't want one of Quentin's magic users doing it," Joyce said after
a few minutes. "I know Quentin is aware of Rupert's past but I don't
want anyone outside seeing it."

"I know that Giles was wild in his youth, did magic and people died,"
Buffy said thoughtfully.  "What could be worse?"

Joyce frowned. "He isn't& he hates to disappoint any of you. He and
Ethan were& close."

"I know they were a couple," Buffy said softly.

"That's part of it," Joyce nodded. "I think it's what they did
together that he can't face."

"We love him, Mom," Buffy said, reaching out to touch Giles' hand.

"All right," Joyce sighed. "I& I need him, Buffy."

"I know, Mom. We all do," Buffy agreed.

# # #

Buffy sighed as the magic instructor from the Council, Quentin, Joyce,
Willow and Tara argued about who would do what and what to expect from
the venture to try and recover Giles.

"All right!" Buffy snapped, her voice loud. "Okay, let's do this
logically and quietly."

"What do you suggest, young lady," Quentin grumbled.

"That you not sound condescending when you talk to me," Buffy snapped
back. "Let's go over what to expect with this spell, ritual, psychic
thing or whatever. Then we'll decide who gets to risk this."

"I suggest that a magic user go into a trance, find Rupert's life line
and follow it back to his mind," Quentin began, going over it again as
Willow took notes and Xander looked on uncomfortably with Anya.  Buffy
knew they were feeling left out of the conversation and that Quentin
didn't want them there.

Buffy had insisted, pointing out that they were considered family and
had dealt with the Hellmouth for years and survived.

"Once inside Rupert's mind," Quentin continued. "The worker will see
whatever is blocking him from being aware of his surroundings. What he
refuses to look at and accept. It's bound to be unpleasant. After
seeing it, hopefully, the worker will be able to talk to him in there
and encourage his return as Rupert."

"Dangers?" Buffy asked firmly before anyone else could jump in and
steer them off topic again and cause another argument.

"The worker could get so caught up in Rupert's memories that they
loose touch with their own life-line and become lost in that
dream-state. They'd die," Quentin said bluntly.

"They could also become tainted from his evil past," the Magic
Instructor added.

"So none of you can do this," Quentin said calmly.

"Excuse me?" Buffy grumbled, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"You and Willow have been tainted and given into the darkness before,"
Quentin said, almost smirking.

Buffy wasn't surprised to glance over and see her wife blushing almost
as bright a red as her hair. "Easy, Will," she said softly. "Willow
has conquered her darkness and I fought back."

"This is an old argument," Willow complained. "We've been doing well
with Instructor Kerr."

"I can do it," Tara said softly and began blushing immediately.

"Tare?" Buffy asked softly as Willow grabbed Tara's hand.

* Baby? * Willow called mentally. * You've always been afraid of dark
stuff because of thinking you were a demon and stuff. *  

* I'm not now * Tara said firmly mentally and looked up at Quentin. "I
can do this."

Quentin frowned. "I'm not so sure. Instructor Kerr says you're very
talented and well grounded but you have no idea what you'd be facing
inside Rupert's mind."

"Yeah, did you like finding yourself back in England abruptly?" Buffy
smirked.

"Buffy," Joyce hissed. "Tara, I don't want to risk you, please. It's
bad enough that we might not get Rupert back. I couldn't take losing
you and I know Willow and Buffy couldn't."

"I'm well grounded, I haven't given into dark stuff and I love him,"
Tara explained.

"I insist on Instructor Kerr to be grounded in with you," Quentin growled.

"No way," Willow said quickly. "Giles retreated because he couldn't
face stuff. He definitely would wig with a stranger in there."

"I must agree," Joyce said slowly with a nod. "I trust Tara and if
anyone is going to be there it should be Buffy or Willow."

"How do we do this," Buffy asked. "Is it dangerous to Giles?"

"No, I don't believe so," Quentin said thoughtfully. "Either he'll
come back to conscious awareness or he won't. I still insist on
Instructor Kerr being involved."

"Fine, he can watch and take notes," Willow suggested.

"Let's set this up then," Buffy said, her voice confident. "I wish
Ethan hadn't disappeared before we got him back. I have a few
questions for that jerk."

# # #

Xander and Anya pulled chairs out into the hallway of the hospital
outside Giles' room, right in front of the door, ignoring the strange
looks from the nurses.

Inside the room Willow, Tara, Buffy and Joyce gathered around Giles'
bed. They had set up a cot next to the hospital bed for Tara and
chairs for the remaining family members.  

Joyce looked nervous and uncomfortable as Willow and Tara sat down on
the floor and chanted softly, holding hands.

"It's okay, Mom," Buffy said softly.  

"It just... I feel so helpless," Joyce complained.

"Yeah, this is their talent though," Buffy said with a smile, watching
her lovers merging their energy. The trust and love evident to anyone
watching.

Tara and Willow smiled, feeling Buffy's love reaching out to them,
encouraging them. The blonde witch took the goblet Willow offered her
and tried not to gag as she drank the herbal mixture.

Willow whimpered softly as she took the goblet from Tara and the
blonde witch sighed, her body beginning to go limp. Buffy and Willow
gently lifted Tara onto the cot next to Giles' bed and the Slayer
stepped back.

Willow closed her eyes, standing next to her lover and surrogate
father, extending her energy and line to find theirs.  The redhead
found their lines and gently guided her way to Tara's consciousness
and smiled as warmth and love surrounded her and Tara's spirit
welcomed hers.

The hacker witch spent several moments with Tara's spirit and then
slowly led it down Giles' lifeline, backing off just before entering
the Watcher's mind and dreams as Tara continued.

# # #

Tara's spirit opened its eyes and looked around with a frown. It
looked eerie, almost as if the witch had stepped onto a movie set
or... Surrounded by fog, cobblestone streets, dampness, "I'm in England?"

"Actually you're in Ripper's mind, luv," a voice said cheerfully just
beyond her sight.

"W-who's there?" Tara called out, somewhat apprehensive.

A figured stepped through the fog into the light of the street lamp.
Tara's eyes widened.

"E-ethan?" she squeaked, looking around for an exit.

"Been waiting long enough," the sorcerer complained. "I knew one of
you would show up sooner or later."

"Are... are you here to stop me?" Tara asked with a frown. In
Dreamscape, she knew anything could happen and that the dark magician
in front of her was probably more experienced, especially after his
dealings with Eyghon.

"No, or you'd be dead already," Ethan smirked. "Lose the stutter, I'm
not that bad. Actually, I'm here to help you."

"Why? You try and kill Giles every time you come around," Tara
demanded, wondering what London of the 1880s symbolized to Giles or
perhaps Ethan and how the heck she was going to find Giles' spirit.

"No, if you look at each case carefully, I never hurt Ripper," Ethan
smiled, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his trench coat. "Only
aimed at your little group."

"Bespelled candy? I heard about that," Tara countered.

"Did he get hurt? Actually got a good shag out of it, I hear," the
sorcerer shrugged. 

Tara frowned, thinking. "The Sleep Demon?"

"It was loose and after all of us in the circle," Ethan frowned. "I
got here when it was just the two of us left. I was going to get that
thing off my arse and grab Giles, let the demon take the gypsy and was
to get him safe."

Tara watched Ethan's eyes and blinked in surprise. "Why? Why are you
connected to him?"

"That's none of your business unless you see it in his mind," Ethan
said flatly. "If he doesn't come back, he dies. We all lose then."

"Why this?" Tara asked, motioning to their surroundings. "Like
Sherlock Holmes or something."

"You're smarter than that quiet exterior lets on, aren't you?" Ethan
smirked glancing around. "The exact timeframe for this little
background. A bit of fascination for our boy, one reason he got his
name. Being named Jack you know and his study on his namesake."

"Jack? I thought his name was Rupert," Tara asked, confused.

Ethan laughed bitterly. "That's what the Council wants. His goddamn
name is John Rupert Giles. Growing up he was called Jack, it's a
British thing."

"Jack the Ripper," Tara said softly, remembering Giles' nickname when
he was with Ethan.

"Eureka!" the sorcerer smirked. 

"Why call him Ripper?" Tara asked as Ethan began walking and she
trotted to catch up with him. She didn't know if it was a good idea
but there was no sign of Giles and, to be honest, the place was spooky.

"Lots of reasons, maybe you'll find out, maybe you won't," Ethan
shrugged.  

"How do we get him back?" Tara asked anxiously, listening to the sound
of their shoes echoing on the cobblestone street.

"Take a tour through his mind and coax him back," Ethan sighed. "Won't
be easy. You're not here to see a tour through the British Museum, you
know. There's reasons Ripper snapped."

"If we get him back you'll lose him," Tara pointed out with a frown
beginning to shiver in the damp fog. 

"Maybe," the response was calm and nonchalant but Ethan's eyes flashed
with anger at the suggestion.  "I just might get him back too if we
break through that damned wall the Council put up between Ripper and
your bloody Watcher. Want to risk it?"

"Where do we start?" Tara asked, her voice firm.

# # #

Buffy tapped her foot impatiently, wondering how long it could take.
Sometimes dreams felt like they went by like a speeding car, other
times it seemed as if they went on forever.

Willow's head dropped forward as she sat against the wall on a
blanket. The Council seer watched both girls and Giles closely, his
eyes a bright blue. 

"Are they okay?" Buffy asked softly.

"Yes," he nodded, his eyes unblinking. "Tara has gone into Mr. Giles'
mind and Willow is hovering just outside of the dreamscape. If Tara
loses her way, it might be possible for Willow to guide her back."

"Possible?" Joyce asked softly with a frown.

"Willow could also be drawn into the dreamland and be lost as well,"
the seer shrugged. "You would lose all three of them."

Buffy felt her heart skip a beat and reached for her Mom's hand. 

"How... how long?" Joyce whispered.

"No one can tell, it could take an hour or days," Seer Mombasalia
responded. "If it takes days then their bodies will die and they will
be lost."

"Oh God," Joyce muttered.

"He could only help at this point," Mombasalia nodded.

# # #

Tara instinctively moved closer to Ethan as the fog became thicker,
almost like spider-webs crowding in.  

Ethan surprised Tara by taking her hand as the scene cleared. The
witch tried to pull back, seeing they were in someone's living room.

"Don't worry, unless we approach them and join the nightmare, they
won't see us," Ethan said softly. "Don't do anything sudden, it's
almost like going back in time as a ghost."

"Damnit, Billy, leave me be already!" a voice shouted from somewhere
upstairs.

Tara heard heavy footsteps pounding across a room upstairs and getting
closer. The house looked like something out of a movie set or
expensive old house. Very British, even a suit of armor by the door of
the library.

"Looks like we're at the Giles' homestead," Ethan frowned. "He snuck
me in a couple of times to... uh, grab some of his things."

The boots trotted down the stairs and it took Tara a moment to
recognize a younger Giles. She thought he might be around eighteen and
was very different than the scholar she was accustomed to. Even
getting Giles to wear jeans and t-shirts more hadn't prepared her for
this Giles.

Giles was dressed in well-worn ripped jeans that were tight enough to
show he didn't favor underwear at this stage of his life. Combat boots
were scuffed and open at the top with the jeans tucked into the tops.
Tara blinked, still trying to piece the two individuals together in
her mind.

Black t-shirt and a Levi jacket topped the clothing, spiked leather
wrist bands and a pair of sunglasses complimented the outfit. What was
most surprising was the long hair that came down to his shoulders.

"Call me William!" another voice shouted and followed Giles down the
stairs. Tara quickly spotted the relationship between them. He looked
like a Giles.

"I've been calling you Billy since I was three years old," Giles
shouted back at his older brother. Unlike the young Giles, William was
dressed in slacks, button down shirt and dress shoes, much the way an
older Giles would one day dress. "Just because you're the oldest and
heir apparent! Apparent to what? This place, his rules, him choosing
your job? Not for me!"

"You can't keep fighting this!" William yelled, grabbing Giles by the
shoulder. "I don't have the gift! You do! It's your destiny, just as
mine is to inherit the business and the title."

"I don't care what you all think my destiny is!" Giles shouted back,
shaking off his brother's hand. "I just want my music. I'm damned good
and you know it! Things are happening in the scene, we're getting
noticed!"

"You're to be a Watcher, not a goddamn rock star," William said
flatly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. 

"Wrong, I'm going to be what I choose," Giles growled as he pulled off
his glasses to let his brother see his determination.

"If you persist in this ridiculous endeavor of yours, you'll find
yourself cut off," another voice joined the argument. Tara and Ethan
turned to find an older, distinguished Englishman standing in the
doorway of the house. "The Council will reject you and when you come
to your damn senses, you'll find yourself cast out."

"Bloody hell, like I bleedin' care, Da'!" Giles shouted, throwing his
hands up in frustration.

"Stop with the gutter talk," Stewart Giles snapped. "Your low-life
friends may talk like that but you know better."

"Right, you paid enough for it, eh?" Giles snarled. "I'm almost
eighteen, I should be allowed to choose my own damn destiny!"

"You're not an adult until 21, I'll point out once again," Stewart
sighed. 

"Then send the Bobbies round for me, I'm leaving," Giles threatened,
bending over to pick up a battered army knapsack and small case. 

"Is this the part where I say `if you leave, don't come back'?"
Stewart smirked but looked surprised when Giles pushed past him.

"Don't bother, Da'," Giles growled. "Heard from Dad Junior there."

The door slammed behind the future Watcher and would-be rock-star.

# # #

Buffy sat up, alert as Willow twitched in her "sleep." She glanced
over quickly and found Tara and Giles both unmoving. The observer
shook his head. "It's just starting."

The Slayer looked at her watch. It was going to be a long wait.

# # #

Tara was beyond being surprised and only blinked when the scene
shifted and she found herself in a smoky room somewhere. It was almost
dark and the music was loud, fast, barely anywhere close to chords and
rhythm and the place was crowded with punk rockers and metal-heads,
some slam dancing in front of a small stage.

The witch looked up and saw Giles on lead guitar. Barely able to
distinguish the noise, she realized he was the best of the group. It
was hard for Tara's mind to wrap around Giles as a rocker but he
seemed so natural at it.

Ethan moved up next to the witch, his eyes fixed on Giles. 

"Janus, he was beautiful!" he said softly, surprising Tara that she
could hear him. "So strong and talented."

The sorcerer blinked and pointed out a figure standing off to the side
of the stage, one also watching Giles. Tara recognized a younger Ethan.

"This is when we met," Ethan explained. "Something drew me to him. The
band was interesting but it was Ripper that grabbed me. I found out he
was the one who wrote the lyrics and the knowledge of the occult
hidden in them intrigued me. I could tell that it wasn't just a Black
Sabbath-image thing."

"It all comes back to this time in his life, doesn't it?" Tara asked,
trying not to sound judgmental. "What happened that was so horrible
his mind would split into an alter?"

Ethan frowned. "You'll have to see for yourself," he grumbled as the
fog surrounded them again.

# # #

Tara next saw Giles bent over some books at a second-hand kitchen
table. The witch looked around and shook her head. The small apartment
looked like a typical musician's place. Milk crates functioned as
bookshelves, tables and lampstands. Records, tape players and guitars
were the main decoration aside from the concert handbills taped and
tacked to the walls.  None of the furniture matched and some of it
looked like Giles had been dumpster diving for it.

Giles had changed slightly, his hair was almost down to nothing and it
looked like he hadn't shaved in several days.

Despite the hair and youthful appearance, this was more like the Giles
Tara knew. Huddled over books, taking notes and unaware of his
surroundings.

The younger Ethan came in the door of the flat and walked up behind
the musician/scholar and wrapped his arms around Giles and nuzzled his
neck.

Giles shrugged, trying to shake Ethan off but not firmly. "Told you, I
don't swing."

Ethan shook his head and moved to a seat at the table, glancing at the
books. "Good grief, Ripper, ancient Sumerian archaeological texts?"

"Researching something," Giles mumbled. After a moment he looked up
and grinned impishly. "Hey, sorry. Where have you been the last few days?"

"Picking out a spot for the group's next working," Ethan smiled and
reached for Giles' hand. The future Watcher frowned but didn't pull
away. "Obviously you haven't been anywhere but here."

"I guess," Giles nodded. "If I'm right, this could lead to stuff
beyond summoning Pan."

"Tell me something, my rock god," Ethan said softly, rubbing his thumb
lightly over Giles' knuckles. "Why look for sex spells, rituals and
demons if you're going to fight so hard against it? I know you want me
and I want you, what's the problem."

"I, uh, never been attracted to a man," Giles said with a blush.
"Never been there."

"I'm somewhat bisexual but not usually. With you I am," Ethan
admitted. "Rip, stop fighting, luv. Why does it matter so much if I'm
a bird or bloke?"

"I don't know, guess proper upbringing and such," Giles muttered,
continuing to hold Ethan's hand. 

"Right and your old man probably visits a tart wearing a school-boy
outfit and gets off being paddled," Ethan smirked.

Giles blinked, trying to wipe the sudden image out of his head.

"Uh, that's my da' not me," Giles growled, pulling his hand away from
Ethan.

Ethan's eyes hardened. "Not good enough for a posh type like
yourself?" he growled.

"Oh sod off!" Giles growled back, looking back to his books.

Both Tara and Giles were surprised by the backhand that sent Giles
flying backwards in the chair. He shook his head but before he could
raise up, Ethan was on him, hitting him across the jaw.

"Bloody idiot!" Ethan muttered just before Giles struck back, sending
Ethan off of him.

Giles scrambled after his friend, tackling Ethan to the hardwood
floor, punching him in the ribs.

Ethan again surprised Tara and Giles by grabbing the musician below
the belt, obviously firmly. Giles cried out and braced himself with a
hand on either side of Ethan's head, his body covering the sorcerer.

"Let go, mate!" he warned. "I don't know what this is about but let go
or I'll really bash you."

"Feels like you'd rather shag me," Ethan taunted and Giles blushed.

Tara's face matched Giles when she realized Ethan was slowly moving
his hand, stroking the man she thought of like a father, arousing him.

The witch glanced away and the older Ethan beside her laughed.

"You wanted to know," he smirked.

Younger Ethan flipped Giles over onto his back and kissed him firmly.
Giles started to try and sit up but fell back with a moan. Ethan
pulled Giles' t-shirt up and attacked the other man's nipples. Instead
of hitting him, Giles' hand went to Ethan's hair, encouraging him.

Tara turned her back as Younger Ethan moved lower, his hands working
at Giles' large studded belt and jeans buttons.

Older Ethan laughed and the room was filled with fog again.

# # # 

Tara glanced around at the familiar first scene of cobblestone streets
and fog.

"What type of rituals were you doing with him?" she asked calmly.

"Usual stuff at first," Ethan shrugged. "Talking with the dead, minor
revenge stuff for some of the members, some good luck for business or
school. Then we decided to take it further and started playing with
sexual rituals. Dedicating ourselves to Pan and Janus and such."

Tara frowned. "You were right to ask, why would he seek that out if he
wasn't interested?"

"Part of it was the times, sexual revolution, Pre-AIDS, rock n roll
lifestyle," Ethan said slowly, obviously remembering. "It was so
ingrained in him to hate sex actually, he was trying to rebel against
that and his feelings. Ripper found himself falling in love with me
and it caused a lot of inner conflict. He was hoping, I think, that
sex in the group would distract him from that."

"I read about Eyghon, there was only one woman in your group," Tara
pointed out with a frown. "If he couldn't handle being attracted to
you, how do the other men fit in?"

"We would work with a group that was predominantly female," Ethan
smirked. "Worked out well. They drew the line at Eyghon though. They
agreed to participate but not be the vessels."

"Giles is the one that found the ritual, isn't he?" Tara surmised.

"You catch on eventually, don't you?" Ethan smirked. "Yeah, he found
the ritual and researched it and everything. Talked the group into
trying it, even to getting tattooed with the symbol, giving the demon
permission to enter us within the confines of the ritual circle."

Ethan frowned. "It went fantastic for awhile. One of us would take
drugs to fall asleep and then the party would start. Male, female,
didn't matter. The demon hated that he could only come through when we
wanted and that we could effectively banish him when we were done."

Ethan sighed. "Rip was getting noticed for his guitar playing and the
others were progressing in their fields as well. I seemed to be a
natural at the darker arts and Rip and I worked nearly non-stop except
when he was playing. They were beginning to compare him to some great
players."

"And things went wrong," Tara surmised.

"More than wrong," Ethan said softly.

# # #

Tara felt herself blushing when they were suddenly watching an orgy in
progress. The young witch couldn't help turning away as Ethan
chuckled. Then he lost his smile and Tara glanced back. She could see
the young Ethan moaning as a young man thrust into him. 

Tara wasn't sure how long she could watch and intentionally avoided
looking for Giles among the group of moving bodies.

"His name was Randall," Ethan said softly. "He was part of our group,
a good mate."

Tara's head was ducked, as she desperately tried to ignore the sounds
in the room, the scent of sex, marijuana smoke, alcohol and incense.
She looked up at the sound of the door crashing in.  She blinked in
surprise when she recognized Giles' older brother standing there, his
face livid.

"William!" 

Tara glanced over and saw young Giles trying to extract himself from
two women who didn't want to let him go.

"Goddamn stupid punk!" William shouted and started towards the group,
his fists clenched.

"William, no! Don't break&" Giles shouted, tripping over a couple as
William crossed the boundary of the ritual circle.

Tara screamed along with the others as blinding light filled the room
and the sound of a thunderclap knocked those who had been struggling
to their feet to the ground. The witch glanced beside her and saw
Ethan looking down at his shoes, avoiding the scene.

The witch saw Giles on the floor holding his ears and then a new sound
filled the room. Laughter. Laughter that chilled Tara to the bone and
then a scream. A high pitched scream of absolute fear.

"Ethan! No!" Giles shouted, pulling his trousers up as he got to his
knees. "Not him! Demon! Over here!"

Tara felt her stomach lurch as she realized what had caused Younger
Ethan to scream. Randall was beginning to change as he continued to
thrust into the sorcerer. Blood flowed from his nose and mouth as the
skin began to decompose on his bones. The demon, Eyghon laughed as his
hands wrapped around Ethan's throat.

"Oh my Goddess, what?" Tara whispered.

"Ripper's brother broke the ritual circle, breaking the contract,"
older Ethan whispered.  Tara looked at the sorcerer as his eyes
widened in fear and memory and the turned away quickly. "The demon was
in Randall at the time. Once the control was broken, he claimed
Randall's body as he tried to shag me to death."

Tara vaguely was aware of the others screaming and trying to get out
of the room but the door had slammed shut and seemed to be locked. One
of the males picked up a chair and attempted to shatter a window only
to have the chair bounce back.

"Eyghon wanted a blood bath. Blood and sex, preferably both at the
same time," older Ethan continued and Tara was sure he was going to retch.

Tara watched Giles pick up the chair and break it over
Randall/Eyghon's back. The demon glanced back at the sorcerer and
laughed. He thrust his hips hard and Ethan screamed. 

"No! Take me, damn you! I brought you here!" Giles shouted, trying to
pull the demon from Ethan. Eyghon backhanded Giles, sending him flying
across the room into William. Both brothers fell heavily against the wall.

Ethan was turning bright red and purple when the demon suddenly howled
and released him. One of the females had grabbed an oil lamp and
thrown it against the demon's back. Eyghon roared in anger and rolled
off of Ethan.  The sorcerer rolled the opposite way as the woman
grabbed him, pulling him away.

"Grace," Ethan muttered. "One of ours, she was a favorite of Ripper's
and mine."

The demon turned his attention to another female and pinned her to the
floor as she screamed.

The rest of the group were nearly tearing each other apart in their
frenzy to find a way out. Tara watched Grace grab a robe and hand it
to Ethan and take one for herself. "We've got to stop him!" she shouted.

"It'll kill Randall," young Ethan protested.

"He's dead already!" Grace snapped, grabbing up a ritual dagger from
the altar.

Tara saw Giles shake his head and crawl to the altar as well, his hand
reaching for the ceremonial sword. Both Grace and Giles turned and
headed towards the demon. The witch glanced over at older Ethan and
found him curled up in the corner, shaking and moaning. She was torn
between comforting him and the sickening desire to see how the scene
played out.

The young witch saw the demon grin and turn over at the last minute,
rolling his female victim on top of him. Grace and Giles, unable to
stop their strikes, stabbed the girl and decapitated her.

Giles screamed in rage and terror as Eyghon shoved the girl's body at
Grace and threw the head at Giles. The demon grabbed a young male and
snapped his neck.

Grace rushed the demon again but was backhanded away. Giles saw his
chance and rammed the sword through Randall's body. The demon coughed
and shoved Giles back but the sorcerer held onto the sword, pulling it
out. Eyghon stumbled to the wall, wounded.

"Randall," older Ethan whispered, tears streaking his face. "He was
just a kid looking for kicks, a giggle."

Giles stepped over the bodies and those witches in shock. His face was
grim but determined as he approached the demon.

The demon fell next to William just before Giles decapitated Randall's
body.

Giles fell to his knees, breathing heavily as he leaned on the sword. 

"Ripper!" Ethan screamed into the crowd.

"Here!" Giles called out and started to get to his feet when a
familiar laughter filled the room again. "No," young Giles said softly.

William sat up next to Randall's body, his eyes demon red.

"No!" Giles screamed.

# # #

Tara looked around in confusion. "What?" 

"His mind threw us out," Ethan grumbled as he looked around at the
cobblestone streets of Victorian London. "Even in here he can't take
it long."

"How did the demon move? How does it work?" Tara asked.

"He's a sleeping demon, it can jump from one body as it's dying into a
dead or unconscious one nearby. William was unconscious," Ethan
explained as he got up from the cobblestones. He brushed at his pants,
steeling his expression.  Tara knew he was trying to recover from
showing emotion and weakness in front of her and didn't offer to help
or mention how he had reacted.

"What happens to the body it inhabits?" 

"If it isn't restrained by ritual and contract, it takes over the body
and the body begins to die," Ethan shrugged, leaning against a wall.
"You saw with Randall. It can stay in the body only as long as it can
keep it moving. When the body deteriorates too far and it must find
another host or be sent back to sleep."

"How do you drive it out of a person?" Tara asked, hoping they knew
the answer 20 years before and William had been saved but the witch
knew the odds weren't good that he had been.

"Threaten the body with immediate death and force it into someone
else," Ethan shook his head. "He could enter any of the group at that
moment because of the tattoos or if someone was unconscious. To stop
him, you have to kill the body while he's in it."

"Oh Goddess," Tara whispered and the scene shifted to the room again.
Giles had the sword drawn back as Eyghon/William grabbed a male and
laughed.

"Do it, Rip!" young Ethan shouted as he and Grace tried to get through
the crowd attempting to get far away from the demon.

Giles hesitated and the demon castrated the boy with his claws. The
sorcerer flinched and closed his eyes for a moment and then moved
forward with blinding speed, feinting with the sword, forcing the
demon into a corner.

"You would kill this body? Kill your brother?" Eyghon taunted. "You're
too weak, Ripper! You always have been. Too much on the side of the
light for the rest of this group."

"Shut up!" Giles shouted, drawing the sword back but hesitating again.

"You would have your brother pay your price?" Eyghon continued
taunting. "I'll let him go if you become my willing vessel. The body
lasts much longer when it's willing."

Giles paused.

"He's a demon!" Ethan shouted. "You do and we're all dead!"

The sword lowered slightly and the demon grinned. Giles snarled and
swung with both hands, taking his brother's head off.

Tara screamed as Giles stood stunned, dropping the sword.

A moment later, the young sorcerer screamed, looking down at his
brother's blood on his chest and hands and ran, crashing through a window.

"Ripper!" Ethan yelled, dashing to the window. Younger Ethan, Tara and
Ethan watched as Ripper got to his feet and began running into the
darkness, screaming.

# # # 

Tara leaned against the wall with Ethan when the scene shifted again
back to the London streets.

"You loved him," she said softly.

"Yes, very much," Ethan nodded, opening his eyes. "He always fought
against the dark magic and against his own bisexuality. Rip was
tearing himself apart inside before that happened. Close to the end
there it had become something twisted, even for us. Most of the time
he wouldn't touch me unless we had been fighting, sometimes
physically. It was like he could shag me if it was violent."

"Goddess," Tara muttered.  "What happened?"

Ethan waved his hand. Tara thought she was going to get motion sick
from all the abrupt shifting from scene to scene.

Giles was strapped down to a hospital bed, legs, arms and stomach
restrained. The young man hadn't shaved in several days or showered,
Tara thought. His eyes were manic as he struggled against the straps.

The future Watcher screamed and thrashed as much as the straps would
allow.

"This was about two weeks later, I found out," Ethan said softly, his
face pained as he watched Ripper struggle. 

"Where are we?" Tara asked.

"Hospital outside Cambridge," Ethan frowned. "He never came back to
the flat and we began hunting for him desperately. When we went back
to take care of the bodies, everything was cleaned up and the bodies
were gone."

"What?"

"Yeah, we were confused as hell," Ethan nodded. "No sign of Giles and
no police either. We didn't know it but the Watcher's Council had
stepped in. They had followed William when he found out where Ripper
was. They wanted John back on track to his destiny."

"They covered up the killings to protect him?" Tara asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, and as a favor to Sir Giles, retired Watcher and member of the
High Council," Ethan explained. "They managed to find him two weeks
later, strung out on alcohol and any pills he could get his hands on.
Totally insane."

"And they never told you," Tara surmised.

"No, all of us in the group received visitors late one night," Ethan
growled, watching as a nurse injected something into Giles' IV and a
few moments later the sorcerer quieted down, his eyes drooping. "We
were threatened, most of us beaten badly. We were told that we never
knew Ripper, had never heard of the Giles family and Randall had died
in an auto accident."

"You gave up?" somehow Tara didn't think Ethan would let go of Giles
that easily, especially given his track record even after Giles had
moved to Sunnydale and taken over his destiny as Buffy's Watcher.

"Not bloody likely," Ethan smirked. 

Again the scene shifted and they were on London streets. "I found out
years later that they shifted him to Germany for reconditioning."

"Reconditioning? That doesn't sound pleasant," Tara frowned.

"It wasn't," Ethan nodded.

# # #





Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                     'Choices'

Community email addresses:
     Post message: buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
     Subscribe:    buffywantswillow-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
     Unsubscribe:  buffywantswillow-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
     List owner:   buffywantswillow-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shortcut URL to this page:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow

Official archive for the list:
     http://www.ikoly.com/fanfic

Other links to Buffy/Willow fics:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow/links  

Yahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buffywantswillow/

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
buffywantswillow-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/