Xander helped Willow to light a fire against the early morning chill. Xander was eating again. It was strangely perverse; Giles dozing and Willow looking at the firelight. Even Buffy and Ethan were getting along; they were playing cards. It was pleasant. Peaceful…

"What place is this?" The voice boomed out from the sofa frightening all those present.

"Oh Lord," Ethan sighed. "What is it now?"

Giles rose from the sofa and prowled about the room. Ethan didn’t recognise his friend at all. Giles stopped every now and then fingering ornaments and picture frames. He rested his hands briefly on his most recent diary and opened the book leafing through a few pages.

"These words dance; I know them not." He closed the book. "I am the Watcher where is the Slayer?" Buffy stood.

"I’m the Slayer you know that, Giles, how old are you now?" Buffy was unable to disguise the tinge of exasperation in her voice. The Watcher took a step back, aghast at her appearance.

"Hold thy tongue wench, thou knowest me? Cover thyself; thy dress offends me!" Buffy looked frightened suddenly. The Watcher paced around her. He produced a small cross from his pocket and placed it on her shoulder and seemed surprised when it didn’t burn. He paused in his pacing and pointed at Willow.

"You… Wench," He pointed at Willow, "What place is this?" Willow cringed before she answered.

"Sunnydale, your house in Sunnydale." She glanced at Ethan and Xander, they looked worried.

Xander tore through the Watcher diaries. He had remembered something he showed the page to Ethan, who looked at Giles as he circled Willow. Ethan was fairly sure that Giles was now a Watcher from the Middle Ages, one that had a sideline as a Witch-Hunter. He got ready. Suddenly the Watchers’ expression changed to unbridled hatred and fury. Giles pounced on Willow shoving her nearer the fire he grabbed a flaming log and brought it close to her body.

"Witch!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. Willow’s hands flew to her ears, hoping never to hear that sound again.

"Shit!" Ethan exclaimed and jumped on Rupert. Buffy grabbed at the arm that held the log. Giles was muttering in Latin. Ethan recognised the spell and heaved him away from the fire. Willow managed to get away from the flames. Giles concluded the spell and snapped his fingers the flames grew in the fireplace reaching for Willow.

"Burn Witch. Dost thou renounce Satan, thy master?" Giles chuckled evilly. Willow couldn’t move. She stared at the flames licking along the floor and thought of all the witches that had perished at the stake. She glanced back at Giles the handsome face she knew and loved transformed in the fires glow. Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head.

Buffy thrust the burning log into Giles’ side as he lunged for Willow. He roared in pain and collapsed backwards. The flesh on his abdomen was blistered and smoking.

Buffy threw the log back on the fire then moved to comfort Willow who sobbed hysterically. She glared at Ethan, who was stroking Giles’ head.

"He’s getting worse, more violent…" He looked up at Buffy she saw tears in his eyes. He took her hand and placed it on Rupert’s forehead. "Feel? He’s fighting, but he’s not strong enough." Giles opened his eyes briefly and began to murmur again. Ethan caught his breath."Salt Quick!" Buffy rushed to the kitchen and threw the canister to Ethan who poured it in a rough circle round Giles. He moved everyone out of harms way.

Giles staggered to his feet."Why?" Giles’ voice was full of anguish as his hands held his aching head. "Why have you brought me here again, Ethan? It’s not enough that you have to torment me with her night after night? You killed Red; you let her die!" He pointed at Willow who was very much alive and confused. Ethan went to her side to reassure her, but Giles was having none of it.

"Don’t you dare touch her body!" He growled dangerously. "Do you think it gives you power to violate the dead? It means you’re a pathetic shadow of a man who can only make love to a woman when she’s drugged or dead."

Giles swayed and held his head. When he looked up again he saw everyone gathered round the circle. He raised his arm to show them the mark, sniffing back tears and flinching in pain.

"Look. I bear the mark; his mark." He pointed at Ethan. "Do not follow him. He is unclean…" He managed to load the statement with enough loathing and disgust that he looked as though he was about to vomit. "Please… Hurry away from this place."

Rupert closed his eyes and took a long slow breath his lips moving silently. Ethan backed away from the circle.

"No! Please God, not him…"

Giles’ eyes opened and he glanced over his shoulder into the shadows. "The demon comes." Rupert’s head snapped back uttering a horrified gasp he flung his arms wide as a dark fog swirled round his feet, the fire died and a demon smiled with Rupert’s lips. He lifted a foot to step from the circle. He couldn’t leave. The smile widened "Ethan! Hello, old friend. Only you could stop me here. Your new friends, don’t they want to play?"

Ethan gasped. He had hoped he would never see Rupert as Eyghon again but here he was. Buffy shuddered at the coldness of her Watchers voice.

A thought occurred she had to get Giles to sleep, nothing happened when he slept. Giles was still talking. Buffy whispered to Willow who nodded and slipped away to the kitchen.

"…I choose him!" He pointed to Xander and beckoned him into the circle. The young man seemed to have no control over his limbs and nearly broke the salt boundary of the circle. Giles’ arm shot out he hissed with the pain of the encounter. He gripped Xander’s neck smiling over at Ethan he said, "Break the circle Ethan or I’ll snap his neck. You know I can do it!"

Giles shook his head the demon gone for a moment he whispered to Xander, "Sleep Xander; I need to sleep."

The eyes grew cold again and the pressure increased. Willow whacked Giles with a heavy frying pan and he dropped like a stone. She fell to her knees dropping the pan. Xander crawled to the sofa gagging and gasping.

"I haven’t killed him have I?" She asked anxiously.

Ethan shook his head. He looked like a broken man. "Willow, do you think when he wakes if we took him back to library, would it help him?" Willow stared at him as if seeing him for the first time. She nodded slowly. Ethan settled back into the sofa cushions and gave himself to sleep.

Willow stayed awake at Giles’ side while the others slept. She wet a cloth and bathed his forehead. He woke. She smiled at him and his eyes were full of love for her.

"What hit me?" She blushed then shrugged. "Thank you, I didn’t hurt you did I?" She shook her head. "Say something Willow, or I’ll think I’ve gone deaf." He laughed gently.

"I don’t want to break the spell.… It’s so nice having you back. Ethan is here; he’s been helping." Giles lifted his head from Willow’s lap and looked round. He spied Ethan and Xander at opposite ends of the sofa.

"Now there’s a sight you don’t often see. Ethan asleep fully clothed." He laughed again, stopping abruptly when it became too painful. "My, that was unpleasant! I sent for him y’know. I didn’t know if I could still affect him that way. It seems that I can. Can I wake him I wonder?" He smiled and looked at Ethan intently. The man on the sofa woke suddenly with a smile on his lips. His gaze fell on Rupert.

"Why, Rupert. I didn’t know you cared!" He slid off the sofa and knelt beside him. "How are you feeling?"

"Rough. My head feels strange." His eyes rolled back and he fell onto Willow. She shook him. He wasn’t going to wake this time. Ethan shouted orders and they all piled out the door. Buffy grabbed some clothes for Giles. They were off to the library.

Willow hunted for his keys and opened the door. It was five in the morning and for the most part they’d had hardly any sleep. Ethan and Xander supported Giles between them. They heaved him through the door and set him in front of the computer. Ethan turned the seat round and stared at his friend. Giles woke with a start. Now would he stay awake long enough?

"Please, Giles. Press the button." Willow pleaded. Giles lifted his hand the fingers were stiff and misshapen.

"Can’t.… He broke me… He broke my fingers…Please make him stop Willow. It hurts. I can’t." She seized his shoulders and shook him hard.

"C’mon, Giles focus, you need to press a button, any button!" He seemed to respond and he lifted his finger and pressed ’return’

The lights dimmed and a giant shock arced Giles away from the computer. He jolted from the chair and landed dead on the library floor. Ethan was by his side in an instant trying to re-start his heart, all the while muttering to himself.

"Ripper you’re a bastard! Don’t you dare die on me! Who will I torment? Who will beat me up on a regular basis?"

Giles took a shuddering breath and opened his eyes. He lifted his shoulders from the floor shivering with cold. Ethan crept off to the shadows so no one would see him weep. The Slayer was at his side.

"Hey, Ethan you big softie." Buffy cooed. "Your cover’s blown." Ethan smiled.

"I have always been soft on him. On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind being hard in you. Wear leather next time we meet and I’ll be your friend forever."

Willow helped Giles on with the sweatshirt Buffy had brought. She brushed her fingertips over his nipples as she did so and blushed when he moaned softly, capturing her hands with his own. He dipped his head to steal a kiss…

"SO Willow! Do you fancy some breakfast before class starts?" Xander’s voice broke the spell and Giles growled in frustration. Willow smiled and mouthed the word ’later’.

The End.

Follow on story: Gentle Rayne. A magical field trip goes awry (doesn't it always?)

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