I first met Ethan in a pub. He pulled someone off me who was intent on murder. I think I liked him immediately. It was the way his expressions changed so quickly indicating a lively mind. If your face remains in one expression too long you begin to feel depressed. Even smiling too much gives you face ache after a while.

Back to the reason for the fight. Chloe had travelled with me to Oxford. I was starting my studies there and she thought I needed the company. On our way through the crowded bar someone accidentally tripped over her sticks and swore at her.

"Fucking Cripple! Oi! You I’m talking to you!"

I think it safe to say that we had never heard Giles lapse into gutter English before I was shocked. I wanted more! More characterisation, being told a story is much better than reading a story. A voice brings it to life.

Giles paused to sip his tea sparing us a smirk at our shocked faces. He resumed.

Chloe took no notice. I couldn’t ignore it and took a swipe at him. Never mind that he was built like a brick out house, a member of the Rugby team with all his mates in tow. He had insulted my sister! Chloe stood by and looked at her watch while the team attempted to extract my brain through my nose. She tutted in disgust and finally helped me out by braining one or two with her crutches then Ethan took care of the last three with my help. We had a celebratory pint and all three of us reeled off in the direction of my dorm room at closing time four hours later.

I didn’t even have a chance to go to the library to collect my books. (He smiled again he looked like a guilty school boy.) The next morning feeling a little heavy in my cups I opened my eyes to see a naked Ethan pouring boiling water into a tea-pot. Understandably, I was a little perturbed. He had been living on his own for so long that he didn’t feel the need to wear anything until absolutely necessary. I think he had some jeans hidden somewhere in case of fire.

He gave me my tea and I decided I simply had to buy him some clothes; it was going to be a very distracting year otherwise. We had our first lecture that afternoon. I crammed like mad all morning. Ethan lounged on his bed reading a magazine. At two in the afternoon, he poured himself into a T-shirt and his jeans and we went off to the lecture. We must have made a very odd looking couple, he looking like a beatnik and me with a multicoloured bruise down my face. We were not precisely eager and fresh-faced. Someone made a crack about ’starting early’ but Ethan hushed him with a look.

I placed my notebook on the desk. Ethan didn’t have a bag with him. He explained that he had enough trouble holding himself up let alone carrying a heavy bag as well. He astonished me by not looking at our Professor for the whole two hours. However later that night I discovered why he didn’t have any books. He had a photographic memory and could reproduce any amount of text at the drop of a hat. The other students called him Wizard. I preferred Mage and told him why. I found myself telling him all the secrets of my Watcher family and my own background in Elemental magic. He flung his arm round my shoulders and said we were going to be great friends but Rupert was a bit of a sissy name. Couldn’t I change it?

I thought for a moment and the only name I came up with was one my Maiden Aunt gave me when I was six. On birthday’s and Christmas I would get so excited I would tear round pretending to be a racing car and ripping all the paper from the presents. She called me Ripper. Ethan liked it so I was stuck with it although he didn’t use my explanation of the ’nick’ name to his friends.

Giles paused and took another mouthful of his drink. We all smiled at him. I had realised just how much I missed the sound of his voice all these years. It was the voice of sanity in an insane world.

Jack looked at his watch. "Almost dinner time Dad, do you want to stop now?" Giles blinked heavily and took a deep breath nodding. Jack collected the tea tray and took it out.

"Was that really how you got the nick name Ripper?" Oz asked

"One of them. Are you going to stay for the week? Jack will take your things upstairs to your rooms. One story per day that’s your ration." Everyone left, Cordelia and Anya giving him a kiss in thanks for the story. We didn’t see the facade crumble as the door closed. His hands shook as he finished the long draft in his mug. It wasn’t tea.

End of Part 1

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