TITLE: Ripper (episode 1)
SERIES: Virtual Ripper Series
AUTHOR: Anne
RATING: this part R
PAIRING: this part Giles/Ethan (friendship)
FEEDBACK: Oh yes please!
E-MAIL: bookmangal@yahoo.fr
SUMMARY: Ethan visits Giles and says to him that Randall is alive and wants to kill them both.
DISTRIBUTION. VSS; ODD. GRB; GN; Tweedybookguy; WatcherGirls. HardRayne. Anyone else please ask first.
DISCLAIMER: The characters are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Productions, Kuzui Enterprises, 20th Century Fox Television and the UPN Television Network. The story is written for the pleasure of the author and readers, and has no lucrative purpose whatsoever. Please do not reproduce this story anywhere without the author's consent.
SPOILERS: None.
TIMELINE: season 6 before "Grave." (virtual) Season 1 of "Ripper" episode 1.
WARNING: minor graphic violence. Mention of a past rape. Mention of sex between Ripper and Ethan (in the past).

NOTE: #1 "Ripper" (virtual season) first episode.
NOTE #2: Challenge fic. Lizz on the HardRayne list wrote: the ripper show will be out September 2003, possibly earlier. Now, I don't know if that's true, but it did give me an idea: who's up for a little challenge? It's simple: "Ripper Virtual Season". Only, not too seriously because I don't feel like archiving and managing a real virtual season. But if people want to write stories taking place in the new show, going places with it, from serious joss-style writing, to weirdass parodies, go with it! Flow with it! And why, you ask, does this belong on an Ethan list? Well, my dears, because we all know Giles moves back to England because of Ethan. What other reason is there? (No, don't answer that). It does *not* have to be g/e (believe me, its hard to say that). But it does have to include Ethan Rayne. People want?
THANKS: I want to thank Caz my wonderful beta reader.

Rupert Giles put his travel bag on the table in the living room, staggered over to the couch and collapsed there. He had no more strength; he lay down on the cushions and remained immobile against the backrest, limp between two pillows. He exhaled a long sigh. His last mission had completely exhausted him without counting that the ghost of Lady Margaret Dowson had rather manhandled him before he managed, thanks to the magic to arrest it and to convince it that it was time that it leaves this world for heaven. His body was covered with bruises. All his muscles were sore and the gash, which he had on his forehead stung. He had to add to it all the other pains, which assailed him day and night, constantly. The cancer ate away at his bones, at his organs, at his flesh. His throat tightened. Next day the suffering would begin and he would terminate it by committing suicide.

Giles collected his meagre forces and managed to get up. He dragged himself up to the bathroom and turned on the hot water in the bathtub. He undid the knot of his tie when he heard the doorbell ring. He swore in a low voice. It was probably Hawkins his supervisor at the Council who'd come to listen to his report, typing it on to his laptop at the same time. This time he'd have to wait until he had his bath because he needed to relax, clean himself and to have a little breakfast because he had swallowed nothing for two days. He cut the running water.

The Watcher opened the door and blinked with surprise discovering Ethan Rayne in the corridor.

"Ethan?"

The sorcerer grinned. "Hello Ripper, old mate! It's good to see you. Happy to see me?"

Giles groaned. "I wouldn't go that far Ethan. I thought that you were still a prisoner in a small cell of some Initiative detention facility, somewhere in the Nevada desert."

Ethan looked hurt. "Oh, you should know me better, Ripper. I didn't even set foot there. I escaped before we arrived. A small spell, and pop! No Ethan in the military vehicle. Those moronic soldiers underestimated me. May I come in? Please? … I swear to you that I am not a vampire." He held out his hand. "Take my hand. It is warm and I have a pulse."

Giles did it. Ethan's hand was not warm but ardent and his pulse was fast. He frowned worried.

"Ethan you're sick?"

The older man shook his head before suddenly going pale and staggering. Giles caught him up before he fell and helped him to walk up to his bed. He then helped him to lay down and sat down near him on the mattress.

"Ethan what do you have?"

Ethan had a derisive smile. "You care about me? Oh! That's new." His face darkened. "I'm injured Ripper. My right shoulder and upper arm are burnt. It's serious and very painful. The discharge of energy, which touched me there was, magic and cursed so that the wound, cannot be treated or cured. I understood it after I had cast all the healing spells I knew and that none of them worked." He seized Giles' arm and squeezed it. "Ripper, Randall did this to me. I saw him. He talked to me after and said to me that he would make me suffer before killing me, and that you were next."

Giles shivered. "Randall died, Ethan."

The sorcerer shook his head. "Ghosts don't fire balls of magic energy at somebody Ripper."

Giles shook his head, unbelieving. "It is impossible. You and I saw him dying and we attended his funeral … it can't be him. It has to have another logical explanation."

Ethan snorted. "What other reason? There is not. It is he. He came back to take revenge on both of us. Oh yes! I forgot to say Randall is just, as we knew him: a fair young man in his twenties. I also forgot to mention that he described to me in great detail everything that happened before Eyghon possessed him and all those who were present that evening died, except you and I. And we shall also die if you do not stop him."

"Giles frowned. "Me? Why me?"

"You're a Watcher, aren't you? And I don't know how to fight."

Ethan wanted to get up and cried out in pain. Giles placed his hand on his back and raised him slowly. The magician gritted his teeth and tears ran down his cheeks. His face was pale, sweaty and he was shivering with fever.

"I can't leave you in this state Ethan, especially if you have to fight at my side."

Ethan gave a weak smile. "I thought that you would fight for me and yourself Ripper and that I would stay behind."

"To count points? No Ethan. This story concerns us both. We are both threatened by … Randall and we shall fight against him side by side." He slid his hand under the left armpit of the sorcerer then an arm around his waist and helped him to get up. "Are you going to be able to walk up to my study?"

"I believe so yes. Thank you Ripper I really love it when you're kind to me you know?"

"If you became good again, the kind generous and peaceful man whom I knew formerly before you chose to worship and to serve Seth and to create chaos around you for his pleasure and yours, and before the dark arts transformed you into somebody cold, fiendish, immoral, devious, self-centered and sadistic, I would be kind to you all the time Ethan. But I shouldn't hope for the impossible."

"No, you shouldn't hope for it. For nothing in the world would I change who I am."

"Who you became, not whom you are, because you could become again that Ethan Rayne if you wanted it. The real Ethan Rayne."

Ethan grinned. "And you, you could become Ripper again, because he's who you real are, and not Rupert. He is there, underneath your skin a simple thing is enough so that he shows himself, you just lose your temper. I had the painful experience several times already. Believe me, if my real Id is an angel, yours is a demon."

Giles quivered. "Ripper is only a side of my personality Ethan, my dark side. He is not I."

"Keep this speech for others not me. I know who you really are. Why do you think that I continue to call you Ripper after more than 20 years? Because Ripper is the real you. You became Rupert to get into the good favors of your father after Randall's death… let us say Randall's apparent death, so that he using his huge influence could hush up the affair. You then let the Council model you according to their perfect image of the perfect Watcher and kept a low profile. You became mister discreet-man. You then accepted the post of Curator of the department of ancient books of British Museum that your father had obtained for you, to show him that you had become a good boy… which really you were not and still aren't. You are worse than the man whom I became Ripper. The proof, I am very afraid of you. You are Rupert only on the surface and only because it serves your interests. If you had remained Ripper, you would not have all that you have today: a beautiful apartment, a beautiful car, lots of money, you would never have been Curator of the BM and then the Watcher of the Slayer…By the way are you still her Watcher? If yes, what are you doing here in Bath? You should be in Sunnydale, not here, to take care of your precious Buffy. Hum?… No, if you had remained Ripper your father would have doubtless deprived you of your powers by using magic, would have thrown you in one of the cells of the Compound and let you rot there for years … "

Giles' eyes suddenly changed color became dark green, color of storm. His gaze became cold and merciless and his features hardened. He squeezed his fist. Ripper was surfacing.

Ethan was suddenly very afraid that Ripper would beat him up. He stepped back from him, staggered a moment and fell heavily on his rear.

"You see I'm right." He said with a small voice trying to get up with difficulty.

Ripper growled like a wild beast and glared at Ethan. The sorcerer moaned in distress and protected his face with his arm.

"Don't hit me, please! I'm hurt!" Ripper shook his head. "I'll not strike you Ethan … But if you ever repeat anything you have just said to someone else…"

"I won't. I promise. Nobody will know that Rupert is only a sheepskin which covers a wolf." Ripper smiled." Beautiful image. " He bent and held out his hand to Ethan. "Get up old mate."

Ethan got up grimacing with pain. He staggered then managed to stabilize himself.

"Follow me Ethan I have books of magic in my study which contain numerous healing spells. Maybe you'll find one that you haven't cast and which will work."

"I hope for it."

When the sorcerer entered into the Watcher's study he was stunned at first to find so many books of magic there (four walls were covered by book shelves up to the to ceiling) and then jealous that he had a much larger collection than his and eager then to know it's content. When he went to take one book at random, his hand hit an invisible magic force field, which immediately pushed it away. He grinned.

"Mmmm… I should have suspected that you would protect your fabulous library Ripper."

Ripper smiled in his turn. "I'm not going to leave all my books unprotected. Some of them contain spells which could bring hell on Earth or destroy it." His hand went through the invisible magic force field and he took a big book with a red leather cover. "Only I have access to my library. And if unfortunately somebody managed to remove the force field, which protects it, all the books would burn immediately. Take this book and sit down Ethan. I am going to prepare some tea."

Ethan grinned. "You know Ripper, you can stop being Rupert in my presence and drink beer or Scotch."

Ripper chuckled. "All right. Would you prefer to drink beer or Scotch Ethan?"

"Beer."

Ethan took the book of magic and went to sit on the Chesterfield. Giles left his study. When he came back the sorcerer had leafed down near half of the pages.

"Still nothing?" He asked Ethan handing him a beer bottle."

Ethan shook his head. "No, nothing." He took the beer bottle and swallowed a mouthful, then another one. "Mmm good beer."

Ripper nodded. "I'll leave you alone Ethan, I'm going to have a bath then eat my breakfast."

"All right, go Ripper."

Ripper went away. He left the bathroom half an hour later and headed to the kitchen. He prepared then ate his breakfast, taking his time then feeling clean and stomach-full he came back in his study. He discovered the room empty.

"Ethan? Ethan where are you?"

"In your bedroom!"

Ripper went in his bedroom and discovered Ethan standing in front of the big mirror. He was stripped to the waist and caressed the intact skin of his right shoulder with a delighted air.

"I see that you found a spell that worked Ethan. Good!"

"Indeed."

Ethan moved towards Ripper only dressed in his bathrobe, wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him to him. They were so close that their noses contacted.

"What are you doing Ethan?"

"Now that I am not hurt anymore, not incapacitated anymore, I am going to be able to make love to you."

Ripper got free of the older man's embrace. "No."

Ethan blinked twice, stunned. "No? No? Why no? Ripper is gay. Ripper loves me … "

Ripper sighed. "Ethan the Ripper whom you knew formerly does not exist any more. I still like partying, getting drunk, fighting dirty, although it hasn't happened for a long time, I'm not a wild lad anymore. I grew up, I matured, I became an adult contrary to you and I'm not gay Ethan, I never was, never."

Ethan giggled. "You? You must be kidding? You loved that I made love to you Ripper."

Ripper shook his head. "No, it was Eyghon who loved that, not me. He possessed me when you made love to me. You never wondered why when I was myself I did not caress you, why I did not kiss you, why I did not sleep with you?"

Ethan shook his head. "No, as you never expressed your feelings I just believed that you were uptight.

"And you never wondered why I never made love to you either?"

"No, never. I believed that you preferred that I make love to you… and you didn't love it?" "No, I hated it. I had the feeling of being raped by you every time you made love to me."

Ethan was aghast. "What? But why have you never told me? I would have stopped immediately."

Ripper sighed. "It pleased you and I wanted you to be happy … you were my best friend, all I had at the time."

"Oh Ripper…"

Ethan reached out and placed his hand on Ripper's shoulder. Ripper let out a choked sob and stepped back.

"Don't touch me anymore Ethan. Do not touch me any more. Ever, you understand? Ever."

With that The Watcher turned on his heels and went away. Intrigued Ethan followed him and once in the living room he blocked his access to the kitchen.

"What happened to you Ripper?"

"Let me pass Ethan."

"I want you to tell me."

Ripper gave way to Rupert. Ethan noticed it when he could read fear in his glance. Ripper was never afraid of anything.

"Say it Rupert."

"There-there is nothing to-to say." The Watcher stammered fighting for remaining calm.

When Ethan seized Giles' wrist the man jumped as if a scorpion had pricked him with its sting and hurried to move back terrified. He began to choke. Then suddenly the fury replaced the terror and Ripper surfacing again hit Ethan square in his face. The sorcerer gave a shout of pain and fell over backwards, half knocked out.

"Don't touch me!" He exclaimed in a hoarse voice, his throat dry, his hands trembling, and his head on fire.

He staggered up to the door of the bathroom and locked himself in there. Ethan heard him crying. Using the magic he opened the door and came to kneel down near Rupert who was rolled in a trembling ball against the bathtub.

"Leave me alone Ethan, please. I need to be alone."

Ethan shook his head. "Rupert speak to me. It will do you good to talk. What happened to you?"

"I can't bear a man putting his hands on me anymore Ethan, you understand?" "Why?"

Ethan saw Rupert's haunted glance and understood then why. He paled and trembled, horrified.

"Oh! Bloody hell! Ripper…"

He wanted his old mate in his arms to rock him tenderly so that he was less afraid and does not cry any more, Ripper pushed him away him violently, showing his teeth like a tiger. Ethan was intimidated and jumped up on Ripper and pinned him on the floor. The two men rolled around on the floor until Ripper was on top and strangling Ethan. The sorcerer closed his arms around the younger man and pulled him closer to him. Giles could read a genuine fear in Ethan's dark eyes… and was astonished when he felt the sorcerer which was turning an interesting and dark shade of purple started to caress his back, in comforting circles. He blinked twice at a loss for this inexplicable behavior.

Ethan managed to gurgle: "Let… me… help… you. You need… to be touched, comforted… you need… to cry."

Ripper loosened his fingers staring at his former best friend while he coughed uncontrollably. Finally sucking in enough air to speak, Ethan said:

"I apologize. I just want to help you."

Giles suddenly wrapped his arms around Ethan and burst into tears against his chest.

"Yes Ripper, hold me tight and cry… you need to." Ethan said, stroking Ripper's head with affection. "You didn't tell anyone about your rape and you didn't cry did you?"

"No. I couldn't." Ripper murmured. "I was so ashamed and crying would have been useless."

"You didn't have anything to be ashamed of Ripper…"

"I' m a Watcher Ethan I was trained for years to face all sorts of situations, the worst conceivable and-and I did nothing! I let Angelus rape me … I should have fought, resisted him but I was paralyzed by the terror Ethan. It should not have happened. No, it should not have happened."

"Ripper, you are a Watcher it's true, but a Watcher is not a superman. You are just a man with his strengths and his weaknesses. Understand it."

"I should have fought, resisted him …"Rupert moaned. "I stayed there, immobile, frozen, watching him undressing me, watch him take his sex and-and he-he pushed me against a table and …"

Rupert was trembling now, his whole body. Ethan tightened him strongly in his arms. "It is finished, finished." "I can't, I can't."

Rupert started to sob uncontrollably. Ethan sighed his heart squeezed by horror and sorrow and began to cast a "memory lost spell" to erase his rape from Ripper's mind and all had happened over the last 30 minutes. When he had pronounced the last word Ripper stood up very fast, blinked twice and backed away. He frowned.

"What was I doing lying one top of you Ethan?" He touched his face wet with tears. "What the hell happened?"

Ethan sat down and smiled. "You don't remember? … You gave me a big floor cuddle. It was sooooo good! You cried in my arms saying that you forgave me for all that I had done to you and that you wanted us to become friends again."

Ripper got up and frowned again. "Really?"

They suddenly heard the door chime. Ripper went to open the door. It had to be Hawkins. Once the door opened he was not able to refrain from giving a shout of total surprise seeing Randall in front of him.

"Hello Ripper!" Randall said before hitting the Watcher in his ribs, making him gasp for breath.

Ripper received another punch, on his chin this time and collapsed on the floor unconscious.

NEXT