TITLE: Double Date
AUTHOR: freerose28
EMAIL: freerose28@hotmail.com
RATED: PG13
SUMMARY: Ethan finagles something out of Giles, and Willow and Tara go along for the ride. Ethan/Giles, Willow/Tara
DISCLAIMER: A Vague Disclaimer Is Nobody's Friend.
FEEDBACK: Send feedback or I'll slit my wrists and die on the bathroom floor in a pool of my own blood. You have two hours."
Thank to Gail for betaing.

"Are-are you sure this is a good idea?" Tara asked nervously.

Willow finished brushing her lover's hair and kissed her on the cheek.

"I trust Giles.If he says it'll be okay, then it'll be okay."

"Did Mister Giles tell you anything about w-why he w-wants to eat dinner with Mister Rayne? I thought he didn't much like him?"

They put on their jackets and walked down to the front door to wait for Giles to arrive with the car.

"Don't know,"said Willow. "He said something about Ethan having some information to give him. "

"Mister Giles is such a m-mystery. I'm always learning new things about him."

Giles pulled up in his little red sports car. He got out and opened the car door for the girls. The dark haired man sitting in the passenger's side of the front seat didn't make a move to help him.

Giles glared at him.

"I believe you've met Miss Rosenberg?"

The man nodded.

"Blessed Be. " Ethan turned around and stuck out his hand. "Ethan Rayne. And who is this blonde goddess? I must say, Miss Rosenberg, you've got wonderful taste."

Tara blushed and ducked her head.

"Tara M-Mckay."

"Ahh, an Irish lass. Wonderful people, the Irish, wonderful people."

"Ethan, you're overdoing it," Giles grumbled.

"I'm sorry, would you rather I not talk at all?"He grinned. "Ripper doesn't like me to talk to people. I embarrass him. "

Giles' knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel a bit too hard. Ethan leaned over and flipped on the radio.Loud, 1970's rock pounded out of the stereo speakers.

Giles reached down automatically and quickly changed it to a classical station. Ethan changed it back. Giles' finger slammed down on the preprogrammed button. Ethan went to change it again and Giles' hand clamped tightly around his wrist.

"Wot? You know you like it. "

"I'm sure the girls don't want to hear that sort of music,"Giles said .

"Yes, you must have some Sarah Mclaughlan or Tori Amos somewhere." Ethan said sarcastically. He pulled open the glove box and started tossing Giles' tapes and cds onto the car floor. "Aha! Lorena Mckennit-close enough!"

********************

"Giles, party of four."

"Right this way, sir."

Tara sat across from Willow, leaving Giles to sit across from Ethan. The waiter came and handed them each a menu.

"Tonight is Father/Daughter night.We have some wonderful specials."

"We're not their fathers," said Giles.

"Would you gentlemen like to buy roses for your dates?" The waiter asked, not to be deterred.

"Actually, they're with each other." said Ethan. "We're their middle aged bisexual friends."

"Speak for yourself," said Giles.

"You aren't middle aged, you aren't bisexual or you aren't their friend?" Ethan queried.

"Believe it or not, Ethan, there is such a thing as too much information."

"At least I'm not ashamed of my choices."Ethan drawled.

Giles ignored him.

"I'll have the steak, well done. "He requested.

"I'll have the chicken," said Ethan. Willow ordered the Borscht and Tara requested a vegan menu. After much bickering between Ethan and Giles, they finally settled on a wine.

"Would you pass the salt?" Giles asked Tara. The shaker rose from it's stand, floated across the table and deposited itself in Giles' hand.

"Thank you," He smiled.

"How long have you two birds been seeing each other?" Ethan looked at both girls.

"Since May of last year." Tara said shyly. "We met at school."

"In Wicca group," said Willow. "It was through magic that we first discovered our feelings."

"Magic opens the doors to so many new things. "Ethan agreed, giving Giles a meaningful glance.

The look Giles returned was one of undisguised contempt.The food arrived,along with the wine. Giles reached to begin pouring it, at the same time Ethan did and their fingers brushed. Ethan's eyes widened slightly.Giles removed his own hand as if he were afraid of catching germs. Ethan smiled brightly.

"And I hear you've both been helping to save the world."

"Yeah," said Willow. "Three weeks ago, we teleported a hellgod."

"Willow dropped her out in the middle of nowhere!" Tara laughed.

"Well, that's good. Good, wholesome work. Unlike the wild shenanagins me and Ripper got up to in our day. But are you that advanced already?"

"I got a bloody nose," Willow confessed.

"Poor baby, she keeps trying spells she'd not ready for yet," Tara said.

"We used to have that problem with Ripper. Just couldn't accept his limits. Liked to be daring, liked to push things."

"Ethan, shut up,"Giles said through his teeth.

"So wild and passionate. Back before he became The Amazing Tweed Man."

"So, Mister Giles was like, r-really wild in his youth?" Tara asked.

Willow choked on her soup, by no means a mean feat.

"Ethan, how about you give us that information you agreed to give us in exchange for this outing?" Giles deftly changed the subject.

"Ripper an' me did this spell once where we-OWW!" Giles' foot descended onto Ethan's under the table.

"BLOODY-!"

"I-I have to powder my nose," Willow said, getting up from the table.

"M-Me too."

"Look what you did." Ethan complained when the girls were out of earshot."You ruined the fun and made them want to go talk about us. Killjoy."

"Would you like to die now, or later? I'm comfortable with either."

"Then you'd get no info from me, would you?"

"I can make you talk."

"You can make me scream, but you never would. You don't do that anymore."

They ate in silence for a few moments before Giles spoke again.

"Ethan, why?"

"Why what?" Ethan chewed his food as his eyes wandered innocently around the room.

"Why are you making this so difficult? You don't usually worm dates out of me. All you've ever been after before was a beating."

"I'm doing this because I hate you, and I enjoy making you miserable."

"The feeling is entirely mutual,"said Giles.

"Oh, Ripper, I figured that out years ago. You know, back when you LEFT ME."

"Don't."

"Don't what? Do you want me to pretend that I don't miss you? We shared something, we shared a bed, or don't you remember? I have to hate you. If I stop hating you,I'll remember what we used to feel."

"We felt nothing," said Rupert.

"No, you felt nothing."

"We weren't capable of loving each other. We couldn't even manage our own lives, let alone some sort of relationship."

"I know, it was the magic, the drugs, the music,the sodding *times*, two screwed up little boys fooling around in the back of a van. I know. I have the list of excuses memorized."

"Then leave it alone. Dammit, Ethan! Leave it alone."

"I can't!" Ethan's voice rose. "I loved you!"

"I'm not the same person I was 25 years ago. I'm not Ripper." Something wasn't right here. Ethan was bieng too honest, they were both bieng too honest, the conversation was spiraling bizzarely out of control.

"The Hell you aren't!"

Willow and Tara came back from the bathroom, they took their seats again, eyes going back and forth between the men like ping pong balls. The wizards noticed their return and tried to pretend that nothing had been going on in their absence.

"How was the bathroom, Ladies?" Ethan asked.

"It-was-uh-a bathroom." The expression on Willow's face was hard to read.

Ethan smiled. The sort of tight, forced smile found on a society matron who has just stepped in something distasteful left by someone else's housepet. Giles' dinner suddenly turned into a huge green toad and hopped away. It landed 30 feet away, on the table of an elderly couple who started screaming and waving their arms around. The Maitre'd came running.

"Put it back," said Giles,"whoever did it and I think I know who..."

"I'd never dream of denying you."said Ethan. "What Ripper wants, Ripper gets. I know the drill,but that toad's long gone, baby."

Giles' wine glass levitated and with one quick motion, flung ruby liquid on the front of Ethan's shirt.

"HEYYY! That shirt is brand new, I'll have you know!"

"It was ugly. I did you a favor."

"You can't keep doing this to me!" Ethan cried. "You can't keep shutting me out and treating me I don't deserve to live. I'm a person too and I have feelings!"

"Uh oh," Willow whispered to Tara.

"Well, perhaps if you behaved a bit more human and less like a-a-a freak!"

"You used to dig this *freak*. You used to boff this *freak*, did you think I was a freak when I was down on my knees in front of you?" Ethan shouted.

"No, I thought you were beautiful!"

They were standing now, and the whole restauraunt had fallen silent.

"I t-think the s-spell we tried in the bathroom-um-b-backfired," Tara worried.

The two British wizards rounded on the two American witches.

"YOU WHAT?"

"The-The 'No more secrets, no more lies' spell we did when we pretended to-to have to go to the bathroom?" Willow said weakly. The tiny redhead gave them her best 'Please don't hate me' smile.

"W-we thought-you were s-so closed o-off and-"

"Emotionally constipated, that-that we thought-"

"Well, thank you! Now we've got emotional freakin' diarrhoea!" Ethan snapped.

"You thought you'd help by messing with our minds and forcing us to tell each other things we never wanted to share? Yes, I believe it backfired," said Giles.

"I said it was a bad idea." Tara fretted."I knew it would only make things worse. I knew we shouldn't meddle."

"We didn't meddle, we helped." said Willow."See-see? They-they're talking, a-and getting their feelings out?"

"It wasn't nice. We lied to them, and we made them make spectacles of themselves. In a fancy restauraunt. And I've never been anywhere this pretty and nice before, and now they'll kick us out!"

"You could've said no, you didn't want to do it!"

"Do you ha-have any idea h-how difficult you are to say no to?"

"Me? It's not hard to take charge when you're all 'Yes Willow', 'Whatever You Say, Willow'. Show some backbone!"

"All I'm s-saying is that it was m-mean of us." Tara started crying.

"It's not like-like it's part of your stupid Witch rules! We thought we were helping!"

"Stupid Witch rules? I don't tear down your traditions. When was the last time I sat down next to you on a Friday afternoon, chompin' on a big ole pork sandwhich? And that's not just because I don't eat meat. It's because I love you and I respect your traditions."

"Oooh, Honey," Willow sniffled.

The girls started hugging and crying. "I love you too!"

"Why can't we be like that?" said Ethan.

"We're men, we're English and our parents weren't hippies." said Giles.

"My mum was a lush," said Ethan, leaning his head on Giles' shoulder. "Damn spell's makin' me say all sortsa things."

Tossing some bills on the table, Giles kissed him on the nose.

"Take us to my place."

When Willow and Tara turned around, Giles and Ethan were gone. The Maitre'd swore later that they disspeared into thin air.

The shock of bieng transported from one place to the other so quickly was dissorientating. They lost their balance and landed on the floor. Ethan fell on top of him and lay there. His wieght was still light, he still smelled like herbs and his eyes were as brown and full of mischief and mystery as they had always been. It was as if nothing had changed, at least for the moment.

Giles grabbed the back of Ethan's hair and pulled him down for a kiss.

"Your reentry skills aren't what they used to be, " He teased.

"I was aiming for the bed, " Ethan pouted, "You moved it."

"And how do you know where my bed is supposed to be?"

"Who do you think got you home the last time we were pissed together, Mon Chere?"

"Because you were so concerned for my well being and safety, Dearest?" Giles tightened his grip on Ethan's hair, Ethan made a pained face.

"Ooohh, are you still mad at me? It was just a silly prank. " Then his eyes sparkled seductively. "Do I still need to be punished?" Ethan breathed. They both found themselves rock hard at the suggestion, neither one wanting to move from their awkward postioning for fear of losing the moment. Ethan slowly straddled Giles, the friction created by his hardness rubbing against Rupert's made the other man moan audibly.

Giles pulled him down for another kiss, his tongue delving into the familiar territory of Ethan's mouth.

"You should get out of that shirt. " He murrmurred, indicating the stained fabric of Ethan's dress shirt. "Here, let me help. " And he unbuttoned it, ripping it off Ethan's shoulders. Ethan's body had changed little in the time they'd spent apart. He was no longer a teenager, but his stomach was still flat, his waist still slim, his arms still well defined and his thighs still firm. Ethan's nimble fingers were busying themselves with undressing him, desperately, urgently.

"Slow down! " Giles laughed. "We have time.."

"No, "Ethan moaned. "No, we don't! I don't want you to change your mind. "

He rolled off Giles and wriggled out of his pants, kicked off his shoes and presented one socked foot to Giles. Giles pulled it off and motioned in a commanding way for the other one. Ethan yanked Giles' pants off and threw them behind him dramatically. There was a loud crash as the trousors hit a statuette and tipped it over.

"Mind where you hurl my trousors. "

"Oh, that statue isn't very valuable anyway," Ethan said dismissively, "Some would even consider it to be bad luck to own one. "

"That would explain your presence in my life again. How did you - escape from Nevada?"

"Shush, " Ethan laid a finger to Giles' lips, " I remember when you didn't like to talk during sex. "

Giles remembered saying that to his lover once, when he was young and angry and just wanted to fuck. And pretend he wasn't taking advantage of his best friend in the worst possible way. And now they were here again, and the darker feelings rose up inside. `Own this man,' `Possess him.'

Ethan scrambled onto the bed and wiggled his finger in a way that said `C'mere.' Giles stood up and stalked toward him, smiling what he was sure was an oddly Ripperish smile. Ethan watched him, with wild eyes and parted lips, stroking himself.

The time for talking was definetly passed. Ethan waved his hand and a couple of condoms and a tube of lubricant popped out of thin air. Ethan opend the tube and applied it to himself, then rolled over and raised himself onto his knees. Giles slipped the condom on.

"We didn't used to need those," Ethan complained.

"I thought we agreed, "Giles smiled, "No more talking?"

Ethan lifted his arse up and shook it.

"Then what are you waiting for, Silly? Let's see how YOUR reentry skills are."

******

"Are you sure we should be bothering Mister Giles?" Tara asked as she and Willow crossed the campus the next morning.

"I'm worried,"said Willow, "They just dissapeared last night, and I know they probaby went back to his place to-you know-" she blushed "but we don't know if Ethan will take advantage of the situation, so I gotta know that he's okay."

"Can he really not-not be trusted? He s-seemed like such a nice man."

"He is a nice man. That doesn't mean he can be trusted. He's still sort of evil."

"What sort of things has he done?"

"One Halloween, he made everyone turn into whatever it was that they had dressed up as. Then there was this other time he tried to get Buffy killed by this demon, and another time when he made chocolates that made all the grownups in town act like teenagers. And the last thing he did was turn Giles into a demon."

"Oh."

"Giles says he's an incredible sorcerer, though." Willow said. The girls walked to Giles' car and Willow got behind the wheel. "Whatever else, I bet Giles wants his car back after he left it at the restauraunt last night."

*********

Giles opened his eyes slowly and breathed in the scent of the warm, thin body fitted against him.

"Good morning, " Ethan smiled.

"Good morning."

"Been a long time since we did that."

"Nothing's changed. I thought things would have-changed."

"Since we aren't 20 anymore?"

Ethan rolled over and propped himself up on his elbows.

"Why did you invite the girls?" He asked out of the blue.

Giles sat up.

"They're my friends, I explained that already."

"You don't have any gay friends your own age?"

"Well, this is Sunnydale, Ethan, there are very few gay people my age here,"He paused, "The truth is, I, didn't want to be alone with you, I didn't trust myself or you."

"When have I ever given you a reason to mistrust me?" Ethan joked awkwardly."Are you sure you weren't giving the baby witches an object lesson in how they might end up in 25 years? "

"Using ourselves as an example? I have been trying to impress upon Willow the dangers of dark magic. It certainly wasn't premeditated though."

"Willow's into dark magic? Now that is suprising. The thing that I found the most interesting about last night was in fact, the spell. Now, I would have done it because it's funny, you would have done it to make some bloody point. Your girls did it because they seriously believed that they were helping us, and in some ways, that's as dangerous as any black magic we tried."

"I agree, but they've got good hearts, and good intentions, and they are adults, I can't tell them what to do."

"There's nothing like a 20 year old for not listening, "Ethan laughed.

Giles watched his lover, sleepy eyed, tousled, flushed, the white sheets contrasting against his brown skin.

"You really are beautiful," he said before he could stop himself.

"I know I am. I don't need you to feed my ego, Ripper. "

"That you never needed," Giles agreed. "I-I've never told you that before, I wanted to see how it sounded out loud."

Ethan looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"People say a lot of things they don't mean. No one's ever not meant it when they tell me I'm beautiful, however. You need to come up with something better, Rupert darling."

Giles whacked him with a pillow.

"Hows that?"

Ethan grabbed his own pillow and whacked him back.

"Hurt me, baby, hurt me," He said in a bored voice.

Giles whacked him again, Ethan started laughing and Giles joined him as they play fought.

***

Willow knocked on Giles' door. There was no answer, so she tried the knob. The door swung inward, Willow and Tara stepped caustiously inside.

"What's that sound?" Tara wondered.

They could hear yelling, laughing and muffled thumps coming from upstairs.

Willow raced for the stairs, with Tara following close behind.

"Say Uncle!" Giles growled.

The witches skidded to a stop in the doorway of Giles' bedroom.

"Oh. My. Gosh." said Willow.

"Goddess.." Tara gasped.

Giles was straddling Ethan and they were naked, sweaty and covered with feathers.

"Hello, ladies,"Ethan grinned.

"Lesbian, lesbian, lesbian.."Tara chanted under her breath. Willow's face was lobster red and she was blinking rapidly.

"We-we-we shouldgoTara," she babbled, "They lookprettybusyorsomething."

They turned and fled down the stairs, squealing in embarrassment.

"We'll do lunch?" Ethan called after them.

THE END.