Title: Changes, Past and Present
Author: Gibberish

Rating: FRAO
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Feedback: Yes, please
Spoilers/Timeline: Through Season 3
Distribution: Solo and Abby if they want it. Anyone else, please just ask.
Disclaimer: These wonderful characters do not belong to me. They are the property of Joss Whedon, WB and Mutant Enemy.

A small shop, formerly Ethan's Costume Shop, Buffy and Giles were arguing with Ethan Rayne. Suddenly, Ethan stopped and grinned at something behind them.

Buffy and Giles turned and looked at something over their shoulder. They saw a swirling vortex. "What is that?" Buffy asked in a hushed voice.

"Tag." Ethan said and her Buffy through the vortex. "You're it." He moved to follow, but Giles grabbed him. Painfully.

As suddenly as it appeared, it was gone.

Giles' grip on Ethan tightened. "Where is she? What have you done Ethan?"

Both men felt something akin to jolt go through them. Giles' eyes widened, then narrowed. "You shouldn't have done that Ethan."

"Bloody hell." Ethan managed to mutter just before Ripper's fist made contact with his face.

London, 1977

Ripper, Ethan, Deirdre and Philip were yelling at each other about Randall's death. There was a flash of light and something knocked Ripper and Ethan to the floor.

"What have we here?" Ethan asked, intrigued by the blonde that had fallen from ... Nowhere.

"Ethan, I am *so* going to kill you." Buffy said. She had her hand around his throat before she realized that something was wrong.

"Looks like she knows you Ethan." Ripper said with a grin.

"Giles?" Buffy asked in a frightened voice. "What did Ethan do?"

"You tell me Luv." Ripper told her. "Should I beat the 'ell out of 'im for ya?"

Buffy's hand was still at Ethan's throat. "That's okay, I can do it. But I need answers first."

"Answers to what?" Ethan choked out.

Buffy looked at Ethan. With a pang, she realized that this Ethan would not be able to help her. "What year is it?"

"What?" Ethan asked surprised.

"The year?" Buffy squeezed his throat tighter.

"1977." Ethan choked.

"1977." Buffy echoed. "What did he want here?" She asked herself aloud.

"Would you please let me go now?" Ethan asked.

Buffy released him. "How'm I gonna’ get home?" She instinctively turned to Giles, but he wasn't Giles. He was Ripper.

"Where's 'ome?" Ripper asked.

"Sunnydale, California." Buffy said dazed. "1999."

"She's crazy." Deirdre said.

"Maybe she's on something." Philip added.

Suddenly Buffy grabbed Ripper's arm. She looked at the tattoo. "You've already done it, haven't you?" She asked softly.

Ripper yanked his arm away angrily. And suspicious. "What are you talkin' about?"

"Eyghon." Buffy stated. "Randall’s already dead, isn't he?"

They looked at her in shock. "How did you know about that?" Deirdre asked in a harsh whisper.

"Giles told me." Buffy said.

"Who the 'ell are you?" Ripper asked in a dangerous tone.

"I'm Buffy. The Vampire Slayer." Buffy told him.

"You're a Slayer?" Ripper asked with a derisive laugh.

Buffy glared at him. "Are you making fun of my calling?" She asked. Without turning, she grabbed Ethan before he could take off.

Ripper's eyes narrowed as well. "What if I am?" He asked in a tone that challenged.

"Then I guess I'd have to teach you some respect for it." Buffy returned.

"You can try." Ripper said.

"What about him?" Buffy asked, indicating Ethan.

Ripper glared at Ethan. "You move, I'll deal with you myself." Ripper threatened.

Ethan nodded; he had a very good sense of self-preservation.

Buffy pushed Ethan away and challenged Ripper. "Take your best shot."

They fought, fairly evenly matched. Buffy, however, had a double advantage. Not only was she the Slayer, but Giles had trained her. She knew his strengths and his weaknesses.

Buffy watched him carefully. She saw the desperation in his eyes. These were his friends, he was a leader. If he lost, he would lose face. She couldn't do that to him, even if he did deserve it. She let him take her down.

Ripper pinned her to the floor. She was on her back and he was on top of her. He leaned down close. "You let me win." He said in a hushed but angry voice.

"You know that, and I know that." Buffy said just as quietly. "But they don't."

"Why?" He asked, bewildered.

"You're my ... Friend." Buffy told him. She didn't mention Watcher, Ripper didn't much care for Watchers.

"We're friends?" He asked surprised. Then he gave a wicked grin. " 'ow good of friends? This good?" He kissed her hard and thorough.

"Geez Ripper." Philip said in exasperation.

Buffy didn't push him away, nor did she respond. Ripper pulled away. If he'd been patient just a moment more though, he would have been surprised.

Ripper stood and helped Buffy to her feet. He watched in admiration as she dusted off her backside. Of course, so did Ethan and Philip.

Deirdre glared at her. "He won. Get out." She told Buffy.

Buffy barely glanced at her. She looked at Ripper and, grudgingly, at Ethan. "I need your help."

"Sorry." Deirdre said, not sounding it. "Get out. We don't want you here."

"Speak for yourself De." Philip said.

"Oh please Philip," Deirdre said in return. "Like she'd notice you with Ripper around."

Buffy blinked, they sounded like Cordie and Xander. "I just want to go home."

"No one's stopping you." Deirdre looked at her in distaste.

"Enough." Ripper said. "De, Philip, go home. We'll talk about Randall tomorrow."

"Ripper." Deirdre said.

"Tomorrow." Ripper said firmly.

Deirdre glared at Buffy again. "Don't get comfortable. He bores easily."

"Maybe it's the company he keeps." Buffy responded calmly. Ripper smirked.

Deirdre turned and stalked out. Philip, resigned, followed.

"How to make friends and influence people." Ethan drawled.

Buffy glared at him. "If I killed you now, I'd be saving a lot of people a lot of trouble. I'd keep that in mind if I were you." Buffy told him.

Ripper snorted. "I think I see why we're friends." He said.

Buffy looked at him. "You believe me then?" Buffy asked. "You don't think I'm crazy."

"Hell, I don't care if you're crazy or not." Ripper said. "I want to know how you knew about Randall, Eyghon and the tattoo."

"You told me. We're friends." Buffy told him. "I'm not saying any more in front of Ethan. He pushed me here."

Sunnydale, 1999

Giles had Ethan chained to the wall at Angel's old place, the mansion.

Ethan had a bloody nose and a black eye. Giles had settled into a cold anger.

"How did you do it?" No answer. He took a threatening step closer, a hard glint in his eyes.

"A book." Ethan told him, giving in. "At the shop."

"That's a good start." Giles said coldly. "Now tell me why you did it. Why did you push Buffy through?" No answer. Giles backhanded him across the face. "Why?"

"Because she was there." Ethan said. "The plan was to go alone. But the opportunity couldn't be passed up. I would have been her only way home. She would have had to protect me."

"You have the memories now." Giles said. "You know what happened."

"You can thank me later." Ethan said dryly.

Another backhand. "She could have died!" Giles paused, "Where's the book?" He asked in disgust.

London, 1977

After they threatened Ethan with dire consequences, Ripper and Buffy had sent him off. Then, they wondered around London at two in the morning.

"So, Ethan pushed you through some kind of vortex and here you are." Ripper summed up what she told him. "Not that I don't think Ethan capable of it, but 'ow do I know you're tellin' the truth?" He asked. "Why shouldn't I take you straight to Bedlam?"

"I'm guessing that Bedlam isn't a good place." Buffy commented wryly. "Do they know that you're supposed to be a Watcher?"

Ripper looked at her sharply, "Ethan does, the bloody snoop. 'ow d'you know about it?"

"Would you believe me if I said that you told me?" Buffy asked.

"Why would I do that?" He asked in return. "If what you said is true - And I'm not sayin' it is. - I'd be in my forties. Why would I be confiding in a twenty year old girl?"

"Nineteen." Buffy corrected absently. "Because I'm your Slayer. You're my Watcher. At least you were, now you're just my friend."

"Now I know you're outta' your mind." Ripper said. "Even if I wanted to go back to the Council, and I don't, they'd never give me a Slayer. Not with my history."

"Well, they did ... They will ... Whatever." Buffy said, confusing herself for a second. "Maybe your history is why they sent you. I'd already gotten a Watcher killed."

They walked in silence for a while. Buffy finally spoke. "Would it make you feel better to know that you were fired for breaking the rules?" She asked, only half kidding.

He just walked, eyes straight ahead.

"You told me that you were ten when your father told you." Buffy said softly. "That he, and his mother, had been Watchers. But you didn't want to be a Watcher." Ripper stopped and looked at her in shock. She stopped and returned his gaze steadily. "You wanted to be a fighter pilot." She smiled. "Or a grocer."

"No one knows that." Ripper said, shocked. "I never told anyone."

"How would I know if you didn't tell me?" Buffy asked. Her eyes pleaded with him to believe her.

"C'mon." Ripper grabbed her hand and walked at a quick pace, as he dragged her along.

"Where are we going?" Buffy asked as she tried to keep up.

"My place." Ripper told her. "I've gotta' think."

Sunnydale 1999

"Damn you Ethan." Giles said upon finding the book. It was in Gaelic. Not a language Giles knew. Just a few phrases, mostly curses, insults and physical impossibilities. Ethan knew Gaelic, but Giles didn't trust him.From his memories, he knew that Buffy had returned. He just didn't know how. He'd just have to beat it out of Ethan. He gave a feral grin, if Buffy wasn't at stake, he might have enjoyed this.

London, 1977

Ripper was pacing around his small flat. Buffy watched with a growing sense of unease. She finally asked, "Are you okay?"

Ripper swung around to look at her. She looked concerned. For him. The knowledge did something to him. It touched something in him he thought long dead. He crossed the room and crouched in front of her. He reached out a hand and gently touched the cheek of her concerned face. "Who are you?"

"I told you. I'm Buffy." She said uneasily. She hadn't expected gentleness from Ripper.

"Do I make you nervous?" Ripper asked as he gently ran his fingers across her throat.

"I'm not nervous." Buffy said, but she swallowed hard.

"Don't I ever touch you?" Ripper asked with a knowing grin.

"Not like this." Buffy whispered.

"I must be an idiot." Ripper concluded. "I bet I've wanted to."

This was bizarre, Buffy thought. This wasn't like the kiss earlier. That had been dominance. This was ... Something else. This time when he kissed her, she responded.

The kiss started gentle, but rapidly became intense.

This was Giles, Buffy thought. Which, she realized, was probably why it seemed right. Giles was a part of her. No matter where she was, he was there for her.

Ripper fell to his knees and pulled her to him tightly, then pulled away. He stood and walked away from her. He kept his back to her as he thought. In just a couple of hours he felt about her in ways he never had before. Ways he thought impossible for him. He wanted to protect her, which was new. And she was a Slayer, she didn't need his protection. And his body had reacted, he never got that worked up, that fast. Not from just a simple kiss. But he knew that there had been nothing simple about it. That scared the hell out of him and he didn't scare easily.

Buffy watched him. He stood there; rigid. <What is he thinking? What did it matter?> She told herself sternly. She needed to find a way home. "Gil ... Ripper?"

"Yeah." Ripper responded without turning around.

"I don't know much about magic." Buffy said. "How do I get home? *Can* I get home?" She asked hesitantly.

Ripper looked at her then. "We'll find a way to get you 'ome. If I 'ave to break every bone in Ethan's body."

"That could be fun." Buffy said. "But he probably doesn't know. I mean, if he did, why wait twenty years?"

"There's no tellin' with Ethan." Ripper told her. "But if he knows, I'll make him tell us."

"Why?" Buffy asked. "You don't even know me. Why do you care if I get back?"

"Maybe I just don't want you following me around." Ripper said defensively.

Buffy just looked at him for a second. "Not a problem." She stood and walked to the door.

Ripper placed his hand on hers where it held the doorknob and stopped her. "What do you think you're doin'? You wouldn't last an hour alone in this city at night."

"I think I can handle it." Buffy said. She tried to pull the door open, but he stopped her. She looked up at him.

"You can't go out there alone." Ripper insisted.

"I can take care of myself." Buffy told him. "I've patrolled alone in LA at night. London can't be worse."

"You're not familiar with London." Ripper pointed out. "Know your ground before you fight on it."

"I'll take my chances." Buffy said. She forced the door open, nearly knocked Ripper to the floor and walked out.

"Bloody hell!" Ripper said emphatically as he slammed the door. He swore for five minutes before he went after her.

He caught up to her five blocks away. For such a little thing, she could move. He grabbed her arm to stop her. Then found himself flat on his back with her heel at his throat.

"Don't you know better than to grab people?" She asked. She removed her heel and reached down a hand to help him up.

Ripper pulled himself up, but didn't let go of her hand. "Not bad."

"I try." Buffy said as she tugged at her hand. He didn't release her. "What do you want from me?"

"That's a loaded question Luv." Ripper commented. He tugged on her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Maybe I want something that you won't give."

He leaned down and kissed her. He released her hand and wrapped his arms around her. He felt her hands move hesitantly around his waist. He deepened the kiss.

Buffy's hands gripped the back of his shirt, under his leather jacket. She couldn't believe the way he made her feel. She felt his hands slide down until they cupped her bottom. He lifted her against him so that he was pressed against her stomach.

Ripper knew that he had to stop before he ravished her right there on the sidewalk. He released her mouth slowly and leaned his forehead against hers. They were both breathing heavily. "Come back with me Luv?"

"Why?" Buffy asked. "Why do you want me to go back with you?"

"Because I need to know you're safe." Ripper told her. "I don't understand why it's so important, but it is."

"And I'll be safe with you?" She asked humorously.

"As safe as you want to be." Ripper responded.