Title: Misunderstandings - Part 13
Author: Michelle
Rating: FRAO (Adults Only)
Pairing: Buffy/Giles (eventually)
Summary: Another birthday has tragic consequences for Buffy
Setting: set after season seven
Warnings: contains non-consensual sex
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy. This is purely for fun.
Previous parts are here: http://bripper.drakeleather.com/Misunderstandings01.shtml
“Her father?” Gunn stepped forward. “That doesn’t tell us who you are.”
“The name’s Ethan Rayne,” he said with a smile. “I’m an old friend of Rupert Giles. Ripper and I go way back.”
Faith was immediately on guard. “That’s not the way he tells it,” she said. “How do we know you’re not behind all the trouble?”
“Ripper’s in trouble,” Ethan mused. “Why am I not surprised? Perhaps, I’ll leave these girls in your hands and pay him and his Slayer a visit.”
Faith and Gunn blocked his path as he started to walk away. “No. You’re going to help us take these girl to the detention area where they can be locked up,” Faith said. “And you won’t go anywhere near Buffy.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow as he appraised Faith. “Such hostility. You must be a Slayer.” He turned to Gunn. “Who might you be? Her Watcher?”
Gunn refused to back down from his stare. “I’m Charles Gunn, Buffy Summers’ attorney.”
“A Council lawyer,” Ethan sneered. “I’m not impressed.”
“I’m not employed by the Watchers’ Council,” Gunn said. “I work for Wolfram & Hart.”
This got Ethan’s attention. “Really? Why would she need the services of Wolfram & Hart?” he asked.
Faith started to say something, but Gunn held up a hand to silence her. “That’s confidential information. I won’t betray my client’s trust.”
“Intriguing,” Ethan whispered. “Chaos is brewing, and I haven’t done a thing. It’s almost as if you were expecting me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Faith said as she turned to the girls. “You can voluntarily come with me and be locked up,” she said. “Or you can stay here with him.” She gestured to Ethan. “Your choice.” She glared at Ethan.
Ethan waved his hand, causing the force holding the girls to dissipate. It was clear that some of them still contemplated running.
“You won’t get two feet before you’re dead.”
Faith and Gunn turned at the voice, surprised. Rachel stood innocently off to the side, but they had both heard her clearly.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Let. Me. Go,” Buffy repeated.
“No,” Giles said . “We’re going to talk.”
Buffy made a disgusted sound. “Nothing to talk about.”
“I know how you feel, Buffy,” he said quietly.
She laughed. It was a short, coarse sound. “No way in hell you know how I feel.” She struggled again, hoping he might let her go.
“I raped you. I remember that now,” he said, choking on the words as he fought to remain calm. “Something happened . . . somehow I saw it though your eyes. Buffy, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” she yelled. “You drugged me and raped me, and now you want to just say ‘sorry’ and forget it happened?”
“I never drugged you,” Giles said. “And I don’t expect your forgiveness. What I did was terrible.”
“Who drugged me, then?” Buffy asked. “Who are you going to blame for what you did to me? Or were you just too drunk to remember?”
“I don’t know who drugged you, but I have an idea who’s responsible.” A tear fell from his eye as he thought of what had happened in such a short time. His whole life had been shattered by these people in just a few short hours. “They will pay for what they’ve done. I promise.”
“And you? How will you pay for what you did?” Buffy asked.
“I lost your love. That’s the worst punishment I could ever endure.”
“Love is a lie,” she muttered. “It’s a lie men use to get what they want. You got what you wanted. Now let me go.”
“I never wanted to hurt you, Buffy.”
“A little late for that.”
A noise outside the room caught Giles’ attention, and he looked to the window. Faith and Rachel were there with a man he didn’t know and someone he never expected to see. He caught Ethan’s eye as Faith walked to the door to his room.
* * * * * * * * * *
Faith gasped when she saw Willow and the others on the floor in the detention area near Giles’ room.
“They’re alive,” Gunn said as he checked on everyone. “But I think we’ve got bigger problems.” He gestured towards Giles’ room.
Faith immediately walked to the door to let Buffy out.
Ethan stared into the room and met Giles’ gaze. He understood what the others didn’t and stopped Faith with a hand on her arm. “Don’t,” he said quietly. “He needs to do this himself.” He pulled Faith back from the door.
She watched Giles and Buffy through the window. Giles mouthed a silent ‘thank you’ to her. She nodded in return.
Buffy was staring at the floor and didn’t see them.
“Who’s computer is this?” Rachel asked quietly as she stared at the screen showing the video of her talking with Faith, Willow and Giles.
* * * * * * * * * *
Inside Giles’ room, he still held Buffy as she continued to struggle.
“You can’t hold me forever,” she said. “Eventually, I’ll get my strength back.” When he didn’t respond, she asked, “Why are you doing this?”
Giles looked down at her. “You need to realize there is more to this than just you and me. Someone did this to us.”
“Someone made you rape me? You expect me to believe that?” she asked, almost screaming.
“I don’t think they expect that to happen,” he replied calmly. “That trip I took was a trap. Someone implanted a trigger that when activated blocks my soul, my conscience.”
“Without a soul, you’d rape people all day? Even Spike and Angel didn’t do that. Tell me something I can believe.”
“I don’t know why I raped you. I apparently tried to rape Faith as well.” He took a deep breath. “The people that did this blame us for killing their families. They want revenge and will stop at nothing to get it. They blame us for destroying the last Council Headquarters and everyone in it.”
“Are they insane?” Buffy yelled. “That was the First, not us.”
Giles sighed in relief. For the first time that day, her anger was directed somewhere else. If he could just help her channel that anger, he could help her.
“If you hadn’t been brought back, none of it would have happened,” he told her. “It was your death and revival that started the chain of events that allowed the First to gain strength.”
“It’s not our fault! I never asked to be brought back, and you weren’t even there!.” She twisted a little to stare up at him with tear filled eyes. “We don’t deserve this.”
“I’m your Watcher,” Giles said. “I should have been there to stop it.” He watched her intently as she processed the information.
Buffy looked up into his eyes and her heart almost broke at what she saw there. She looked away; it hurt too much to look at him. “Please let me go,” she whispered.