Title: Forgotten 2/?
Author: Cyberwulf
Rating: 18s (NC-17) from the outset
Pairing: B/G, explicit and sexual from the outset
Disclaimer: B:tVS characters belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Donovan Rayne, Sue, Rick and the other members of the Giles family belong to me (except James, who belongs to Nick Fisher), as do the vampires.
Spoilers: Set after `Wrecked'. Buffy slept with Spike once, but she's been staying away from him since then. Willow and Tara are not together.
Summary: Written in response to michamon's `Mindscape' challenge at ODD. Giles has been kidnapped, and to escape a reality of pain, his mind creates an alternate reality where he's married to Buffy and all is well. Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies have flown to England to try and rescue him. They have an unusual ally – Ethan Rayne.
Feedback: Feed the Wulf! cyberwulf_1andonly@yahoo.co.uk
Author's Note: Oh, the title of this is bitterly ironic now, isn't it? Blame my final exams – my last exams ever (touch wood). I can't believe it – I'm finished college!
Author's Note 2: // // denotes thoughts. ~~~ denotes reality change.
"Rupert Giles!"Buffy admonished. She wriggled against his erection. "You're supposed to be concentrating."
Giles scowled up at her.
"How am I supposed to concentrate when you come to training wearing that see-through white top?"he panted.
Buffy looked down at herself. "I guess I could've worn something else..."She traced her finger around one of her nipples. "Maybe something tight and black next time..."Giles moaned as she cupped her breast, idly kneading it. "Or something red and strappy..."She leaned forward, pushing back against his cock. "Or blue with lacy things..."
"Buffy!"Giles grunted. He tried to buck his hips up, but she had him pinned to the floor.
"Y'know,"Buffy remarked, "for a guy with a seriously big happy, you look pretty miserable. Aren't you comfortable?"
"I think I'll get a kilt,"Giles declared breathlessly. "I'm sick of trousers. Too confining..."
"So let's take 'em off,"Buffy said with a smirk. She lifted herself up slightly and tugged at the waistband of his tracksuit pants. Gently, she freed his erection.
"Nice,"she murmured. She sat back on his thighs and slid one hand down her belly, to the top of her pants.
"Wait, love,"Giles moaned. "Not here, I've still got wood burns from the last time."He looked around. "Let's do it on the crash mat."
Buffy grinned. "Sounds comfy."
Giles arched an eyebrow. "Wipes clean."
"You're such a pig!"Buffy giggled. She stood and helped him up. "Come on."
They undressed each other quickly, clothes flying everywhere. Giles pushed Buffy down on the crash mat and crawled on top of her. He paused to gaze into her hazel eyes.
"I love being married,"he murmured quietly.
"I love fucking you,"Buffy countered with a grin.
Giles grinned back, then lowered his head and began to suckle at her breasts. The pleased sounds she made encouraged him and sent yet more blood rushing to his groin. He took his time, fingers searching out all the places that made her squirm and moan and purr in pleasure. Buffy rubbed her wet core against his thigh, trying to find relief.
"Gi-iles..."
He relented, and, repositioning himself, slid his throbbing cock inside her.
"Do you have any idea how good you feel?"he murmured.
Buffy leaned up slightly and kissed him. Giles began to move, thrusting gently at first, then using more power when she whimpered and thrust back against him. Her nails stung as she raked them down his sides, finally bringing her hands to rest on his bottom. She was so tight and hot and wet around him.
"Harder, Giles... I need it harder... oh, Rupert..."
"Oh, God, Buffy -"
His rhythm grew more irregular as she pulsed around him, and a second later they were both crying out each other's names as they came. Giles collapsed on top of her, panting, trembling.
"Honey..."Buffy patted him on the shoulder. "Just because I'm the Slayer doesn't mean I like being crushed."
"Sorry, love."Giles pushed himself up on his elbows and gazed down at her. Her face and body were flushed, her nipples were hard and wet, and her bosom heaved as she tried to get her breath back. He pushed a few strands of blonde hair out of her face.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone who looked as beautiful as you do right now,"he whispered.
Buffy smiled at him. "That's sweet,"she murmured. "Corny, but sweet."She reached up and stroked his hair. Giles shifted and pulled out, then flopped down beside her.
"I love you,"he mumbled, sliding an arm around her waist.
Buffy nestled against him, then poked him in the chest.
"Hey, don't go to sleep!"Giles shook himself and blinked blearily at her a few times. "We've gotta clean up and go home,"Buffy continued.
"Just a quick nap,"Giles pleaded. "I've been half-asleep ever since... lunch."
Buffy played with his chest hair. "I wanted to make up for feeling icky this morning,"she replied. "I'm sorry if I wore you out."
Giles kissed her on the forehead. "I love that you wear me out."
Buffy sat up and patted Giles on the shoulder. "Come on. It's my turn to make dinner tonight."
Giles grunted, then sat up and stretched. "All right."He looked down at the sticky puddle on the crash mat, and giggled. "Where's the Kleenex?"
~~~
Buffy grabbed her bag from the conveyor belt and joined the rest of the gang, huddled together in a group.
"I thought Ethan said he'd be here,"Willow yawned.
"He'd better be,"Buffy growled. "If this is a trap..."
Xander rubbed his tired eyes. Then he stared.
"Hey, is it just me, or does that skinhead over there have a sign that says `Summers'?"
Buffy looked around. "Where?"
Xander pointed to a young, shaven-headed man in black, sporting a dark goatee and holding a cardboard sign.
"It does say `Summers',"Dawn replied.
Buffy's eyes narrowed. "But that's not Ethan. I'm thinking `trap'."
"Maybe it's not a trap,"Willow suggested. "Maybe he's waiting for a different Summers."
"Maybe Ethan couldn't make it and he sent a friend,"Anya said. "I'm gonna ask him."
She strode towards the young man, ignoring the cries of, "Anya, no!"and "How dumb ARE you?!"behind her. One by one, the other Scoobies picked up their bags and charged after her.
"Hi,"Anya said sweetly, waving at the young man. He grinned back. Anya pointed to his sign. "Are you waiting for a Buffy Summers, or a different Summers?"
"Buffy Summers,"the young man replied. He took her hand and carried it to his lips. "You're her, I take it?"
The rest of the gang caught up with Anya. Xander grabbed her and pulled her away from the stranger.
"Hey!"the ex-demon protested.
"I'm Buffy Summers,"Buffy said, scowling at the skinhead. "Now where's Ethan?"
"In the bog,"the skinhead replied. He offered her his hand. "I'm Donovan. Donovan Rayne."
Buffy kept scowling. Donovan raised his eyebrows, shrugged, and stuck his hand in his pocket.
"Ethan has a kid?"Xander asked in disbelief.
Donovan chuckled.
"Lord, no,"he explained. "He's my uncle."
"Uncle, huh?"Buffy remarked. "Convenient."
Donovan looked around at the rest of the group. "Can I take your bags, or..."
"We're not going anywhere with you,"Buffy answered. "Not till we see `Uncle' Ethan."Donovan shrugged. "Suit yourselves."
Buffy regarded Donovan suspiciously. Ethan's nephew – yeah, right! She didn't buy the guy's story at all. Although... the more she looked at him, the more she started to see a family resemblance. He had the same kind of eyes as Ethan – dark and shifty. He had the same lean, skinny build. And there was a certain similarity about the mouth, too.
"Here he is now,"Donovan said suddenly, looking over Buffy's shoulder. The Slayer turned as the sorcerer came into view.
"Ah, Buffy,"Ethan declared with a smile. "So good of you to come."He gazed at the rest of the group. "And you've brought your little friends with you. Excellent."He glanced at Willow, then at Xander. "I know you... and I know you..."He glanced at Anya, but gave Tara a longer look. "I don't know either of you. And you..."Ethan gazed at Dawn thoughtfully. "I distinctly remember selling you the most adorable enchanted werewolf costume, about four years ago. And the peculiar thing is, I know that didn't really happen."
Dawn backed up a few steps as Ethan continued to stare at her.
"There'll be time for introductions later,"Buffy growled, stepping in front of her sister. "After you explain what happened to Giles."
Ethan ignored her and continued to scrutinise the Scoobies. "A Slayer, two witches, and assorted... hangers-on."
"Hey!"Xander said indignantly.
"Well, I was going to say cannon-fodder,"Ethan answered with a shrug, "but-"
Buffy cut him off by grabbing him around the neck.
"Listen very carefully, Ethan,"she hissed. "I just got off a ten-hour transatlantic flight, which I spent worrying about someone I care about. The food sucked, and the in-flight movie sucked even worse. In other words, I'm cranky. And if you don't start co-
operating, and tell me what's going on here, I won't just be cranky. I'll be the stabby kind of cranky."
As the rest of the Scoobies gaped at the scene, Willow felt a surge of heat, and a strange sensation pricking at the edge of her awareness. She held her breath for a moment before she realised that it wasn't Ethan's magic she was feeling. She stared at Donovan and saw something thin and orange curl under the sleeve of his T-shirt.
"Buffy!"
The Slayer turned and found herself looking at Ethan's nephew. His eyes were flickering strangely, and now she felt the heat radiating from him, too.
"Don't even think about it,"Buffy warned. "Or I'll break his neck."
Ethan shook his head slightly. Donovan looked away and stepped back, the heat dissipating as he did so.
"Charming and polite as ever, I see,"Ethan choked out. Buffy glared at him. Ethan tried to clear his throat, but found that he couldn't. "Would you mind letting me go? I can't tell you anything if you crush my larynx."
Buffy released him, but not before giving his neck one last squeeze. Ethan coughed and massaged his throat. "The van is this way. Come on."Buffy took a step towards him and Ethan held up his hands. "I'll explain as we go."
Buffy tossed her bag at him.
"Start."
"All right."Ethan caught the bag and started to walk towards the exit. The rest of them followed. "I ran into Ripper on Saturday night. He was thrown out of a pub, right in front of me. He was..."Ethan shook his head. "He was very drunk. I tried to get him to come home with me. He wouldn't. There was an off-license on the corner of the street. He headed that way."The sorcerer took a deep breath and let it out. "After that..."He shrugged.
"Wait a minute."Buffy grabbed Ethan by the arm. "Giles was drunk, and you let him walk down a dark street to a liquor store to buy more booze? Why didn't you try and stop him? Why'd you leave him there?"
Ethan halted and pulled his arm away.
"I didn't *let* Ripper do anything!"he snapped. "I begged him to let me take him home. I pleaded with him. He punched me."Ethan pointed to a fading green bruise on his cheek. "There's no talking to Ripper when he's like that."He looked away. "Though now I wish I'd tried harder."He turned and started walking again.
Momentarily stunned by Ethan's outburst, Buffy scrambled to catch up.
"It's not your fault,"she mumbled.
"How very gracious of you to say so,"Ethan drawled sarcastically.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay?"Buffy snapped, blushing. "I'm just worried."
Ethan glanced at her but said nothing. Buffy looked away.
"What happened then?"
Ethan sighed.
"I called Rupert on Sunday morning,"he answered. "Just to make sure he'd got home all right. There was no answer, so I went round. He wasn't there."The warlock shrugged slightly. "The bed didn't look like it had been slept in. I thought maybe he'd gone out, so I waited around in case he came back."
"Except he didn't,"Buffy finished quietly.
Ethan shook his head. Donovan reached out and squeezed his uncle's shoulder.
"I didn't panic till his mother phoned,"Ethan continued. "Rupert was supposed to go round to his parents' house for dinner. He didn't turn up, and he hadn't called her to say he wasn't coming."He glanced at her. "And you know Ripper."
"Hold up,"Xander said, frowning. "Giles has a mom?"At Ethan's look, he amended, "Well, sure, he's gotta have parents, I mean I'm not gonna be winning any genius awards, but even I know he didn't just, y'know, appear..."
"Honey, you're babbling now,"Anya told him.
"Right."Xander paused and composed himself. "The point is, what with Giles being kinda old and all, I just sorta assumed that Mama and Papa Giles were no longer with us. Hence the surprise."
Ethan regarded them coldly.
"I don't know how he put up with you lot for as long as he did,"he remarked.
"What's that supposed to mean?"Willow asked indignantly.
Ethan ignored her.
"Here we are,"he declared, stopping at a white van. Donovan opened the sliding side door.
"Hop in,"the younger Rayne invited. "Sorry there's no proper seats, but we have some lovely cushions. Two of you can get in the front."
Xander grimaced at the musty smell inside the van. "Anyone mind if I call shotgun?"
"Not if it keeps you from barfing all over us,"Willow replied with a fleeting grin.
Xander flashed her a grateful smile, then stowed his bag in the back of the van and climbed into the front next to Buffy. The Slayer was sitting beside the driver's seat, glaring at Ethan.
"I'm right here watching you,"she warned the sorcerer, "so no funny stuff."
Ethan looked offended. "I wouldn't dream of it."
The rest of the Scoobies climbed into the back of the van. Donovan was last, slamming the side door shut before taking a seat next to Tara.
"So, where are we headed?"Buffy asked as they set off.
"Rupert's got a sister,"Ethan replied. "A police detective."
"Sister?"Xander exclaimed, then shrugged. "Okay, I got it. Giles has a family. Check."
"So, she's investigating his disappearance, huh?"Buffy remarked.
"Not officially,"Ethan told her. "Even if she wasn't on leave, she wouldn't be on the case. She's too closely related. But she's managed to gather some information about what happened to Ripper."
Buffy waited. When no further information was forthcoming, she snapped, "Spill it!"
"The CCTV camera footage isn't very helpful,"Ethan continued, shooting her a brief glare. "But it seems whoever took Ripper snatched him when he came out of the off-license."He gave a mirthless laugh. "The car involved could be black, or blue, or red, or lavender with pink polka-dots. And an eye-witness mentioned people in lizard costumes."
"Demons,"Buffy muttered.
"Man, it's stuffy in here,"Xander remarked, swallowing. "Is it okay if I roll down this window?"
"Go ahead, dear boy,"Ethan replied.
"Are you okay, honey?"Anya called from the back. "I told you not to eat all those airline peanuts."
Xander gulped. "I'm fine."
Willow shifted awkwardly. Donovan was sitting opposite her, and he kept staring at her. She could sense his magic – primal, untamed, and hot. It made her feel extremely uneasy.
"You're powerful."
Willow looked at Donovan, startled. He smirked at her. The redhead dragged her gaze away and shuffled a little closer to the front of the van.
"Did you try a locator spell to find Giles?"she asked Ethan.
"Of course,"Ethan replied, slightly contemptuously. "The problem is, it didn't work."
A heavy silence fell over the vehicle.
"Y...you mean he's..."
"No,"Ethan said, cutting Dawn off. "The spell didn't work. As in, someone blocked it. Donovan and I tried it together, with slightly more success. We know the general area where Ripper is. Hopefully, with Willow – it is Willow, isn't it?"
Willow nodded.
"With Willow, and..."Ethan glanced at Tara in the mirror.
"Tara,"Buffy supplied.
"... and Tara's help,"Ethan continued, "we can pinpoint the exact location."
Willow looked down at her hands and didn't say anything.
Buffy gazed out the front window as they drove through the city. She gave a brief, bitter little smile. Here she was in London, England, and she couldn't enjoy it for worrying about Giles. She stole a look at their driver out of the corner of her eye, and wondered again how smart she'd been to take Ethan Rayne at his word.
The city gave way to the genteel, trimmed hedges of suburbia. Ethan brought the van to a halt outside a small, semi-detached house on an estate.
"Here we are."
Xander slid out of the van and stood in the fresh air, taking deep breaths. Willow opened the side door and the rest of the gang stumbled out, followed by Donovan. Buffy walked up to Ethan and grabbed his arm.
"If this isn't where you say it is, you know what I'll do, right?"she warned.
Ethan winced. "Yes."Buffy squeezed his arm once and then let it go. She took a deep breath, then marched up to the front door of the house and rang the bell.
A boy a few years older than Dawn, sporting long, curly black hair, answered the door.
"Hi."The youth stared at Buffy, then looked past her at the rest of the Scoobies making their way up the path. "Oh, you must be Buffy and... and everyone."
Buffy nodded, crossing her arms. "And you are...?"
"Oh! Sorry, yeah."The youth offered her his hand. "I'm Rick. Rick Wilkinson. You know my uncle, Rupert."
Slightly stunned, Buffy took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you."
"Man, the Giles family tree just keeps on growing,"Xander remarked.
Rick stood aside and gestured for them to come in.
"Sit down,"he invited, shepherding them into the lounge. "I'll just get my mum."He disappeared down the hall. "Mu-um! Company!"
Xander flopped gratefully onto the couch and was joined by Willow, Dawn and Anya. Tara perched awkwardly on the edge of an armchair. Donovan hovered by a sideboard. Buffy remained on her feet, gazing around the room. There was a TV in the corner, with a VCR and a silver box underneath it. Above the fireplace, a few photographs and ornaments dotted the mantelpiece. There was a coffee table in front of the couch. Everything was so ordinary... she wasn't sure whether to relax or be suspicious.
Ethan was leaning against the wall near the door, across the room from her. Buffy caught his eye and he lifted an eyebrow. Buffy looked away.
The door opened and a tall, thin woman, with short dark hair shot through with grey, entered the room. Rick followed her.
"Hello."She swept the group with her eyes and stopped on Buffy. "Buffy Summers?"
"That's me,"Buffy replied, nodding.
"Recognise you from Rupert's pictures,"the woman explained. Buffy was thrown a little. Giles had pictures of her? Pictures he showed his sister? "Sue Wilkinson."Sue shrugged and flashed a quick grin. "Well, welcome to England."
Buffy quickly introduced her friends.
"So, now that we're here,"the Slayer declared, "what's the plan?"
"Until we find out where Rupert is, there really isn't one,"Sue confessed. She pulled a packet of cigarettes out of her pocket, lit one and started looking for an ashtray. Wearing an expression of distaste, Rick handed her one. "Ta. Ethan's filled you in on most of the details, has he?"
"Pretty much,"Xander answered with a nod.
Sue coughed and cleared her throat.
"Good. It all hinges more or less on the success of the locator spell,"she explained. "If we know where they took Rupert, then we can carry out some surveillance."
"And come up with a strategy,"Buffy finished, nodding.
"I think we should get Uncle James in on this,"Rick suggested.
Xander mouthed `Uncle James?' at Willow, who shrugged.
"James?!"Sue snorted in derision. "A fat lot of good he'd be."She flicked the ash off her cigarette. "You're nearly a fully trained Watcher, Ricky, how many demons are there that die if they're chatted up by a sad old git with a flash car?"
Rick looked away.
"Well... shouldn't we at least tell Granddad -"
Sue shook her head. "No, he'd just worry."She took a long drag off her cigarette and blew the smoke at the ceiling, then gazed at her guests. "But look, you must be dead tired after your flight."She looked at Ethan. "How'll we work this?"
"The witches really ought to come with me,"Ethan remarked, giving Willow a long look that made the redhead shrink back into the cushions. "Save me coming back to get them for the spell."
Buffy stepped between Willow and Ethan.
"Then I'm going with you, too,"she declared, glaring at the sorcerer.
Ethan made an attempt at nonchalance. "If you like."
"Right,"Sue replied. "That leaves Xander, Dawn and..."
"Anya,"the former demon supplied.
"Anya, with us,"Sue finished. "Ricky, go get their bags, good lad."
"I'll help,"Dawn volunteered, following Rick out to the van.
Buffy took Xander aside.
"If you feel like there's anything weird going on, or these people aren't on the level, call me, okay?"she said quietly. "You've got my cellphone number, right?"
"No problem,"Xander agreed, nodding.
Ethan jangled his keys.
"Come along, ladies. Mustn't waste time."
Buffy took a deep breath and glanced at Willow and Tara. "Here goes nothing."
Cold.
Sudden, numbing, cold, that made his eyes fly open, set his muscles trembling and seemed to go all the way down to the bone. Giles blinked and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. Belatedly, he realised that he was wet, too. There was a loud click and a pair of white fingers snapped in front of him.
"Wakey, wakey."
Giles looked up. There was a table, and a man sitting behind it. Giles could feel his back resting against something – a chair. Cold hands gripped his arms. Cold hands... he knew that meant something important. But he couldn't remember what it was.
The man behind the table leaned forward. He had long, limp, dark hair and a scraggly beard.
"Now then,"he rasped. "I know we've asked you this before, but maybe you'd like to answer us this time. How do we get into the building?"
//Building...wha...?// Giles frowned in puzzlement. The man was waiting for an answer.
"Through the door...?"he replied with a shrug.
An open hand hit the side of his head, making a flat, clapping sound and knocking him to the right. "How do we get into the Council building?"the man behind the table asked impatiently. "It's not a private dwelling, we should just be able to walk in!"There was a scraping sound as he pushed his chair back. The man put his hands on the table and leaned forward until he was right in Giles' face. "What wards are in place?"
"Wards...?"Giles squinted up at him. "You mean hospital wards?"
The man snarled, his face morphing into a vampire's ridges. He reached out and punched Giles in the mouth. The chair gave way behind the Watcher and he landed on the cold floor. He touched a hand to his stinging lips. The blood on his fingers seemed to glow – the only brightly coloured thing in this dark place. He could hear voices above him.
"He's fucked from all the drugs,"someone snapped.
"No he's not!"someone else insisted vehemently. "He's just trying to be clever."
"You can't fake those glassy eyes!"the first voice hissed. "Wouldya look at his pupils, they're like pennies!"
"That's 'cos it's DARK, you moron,"the second voice sneered. "Now take him back to his room. I need to review our interrogation techniques."
The cold hands gripped Giles' arms again. He was dragged along the ground, none too gently, but his body was too numb and heavy for him to do anything about it. There were more voices, but they sounded as if they were underwater. He was flung onto something hard. At his feet, a door slammed shut.
Giles looked at his fingers again. The blood was brown now, and crumbly. His hand seemed to shimmer in front of his eyes. He felt as if the whole room was spinning.
//What sort of dream...//
He passed out before he could finish the thought.