Title: One Wish
Author: Rari

(notes and disclaimer with part one)

One Wish: Part 4

Xander and Giles had finished going through almost all the books on the coffee table when there was a knock on the door. Giles got up to answer it and stepped back in surprise when Spike shoved Ethan through the open door so he landed in a sprawl at Giles' feet. Giles looked up at Spike. "How did you…?" He couldn't imagine how Spike could have brought Ethan here against his will with the chip in his head.

Spike sneered at Ethan who was attempting to stand. "I told him I'd bite him if he didn't come with me."

Giles' eyebrows rose and then he nodded. He realized that, of course, Ethan wouldn't know that Spike couldn't hurt him. Giles just watched Ethan stand the rest of the way and brush himself off.

Ethan was having a hard time keeping a look of satisfaction off his face. Considering the look on Giles' face his spell had struck hard. He looked around, grinning. "Where's Buffy?"

Giles clenched his fists barely resisting the urge to hit Ethan. He needed information and if he started hitting Ethan now he didn't know if he could stop. Giles turned a hateful look at Ethan. "None of your goddamn business." He took a step towards Ethan and Ethan backed up one. "What did you do to her?"

Ethan laughed and the sound of it sent chills down Xander's back. "I'm sure you know exactly what I did to her. At least I hope you do."

Giles started to lose it. "What do you mean by that?"

Ethan smiled, his face like a predator. "Come on Ripper. Was she good? Did she whimper? Did she cry? Did she let you take her, rutting like a dog in heat?"

Giles grew very still. "You wanted me to rape her?" His voice was quiet, and very deadly.

Ethan just laughed again. "Of course. That way I get two for the price of one. I destroy her and I destroy you." He leaned towards Giles. "So, come on, tell me. How was she? Did you like it?"

Xander was moving, ready to silence Ethan himself, but Giles had his hand around Ethan's throat and up against the wall before Xander could take more than a step or two. "How do I break the spell?"

"You can't, old man, only I can. So you better be nice to me."

"Ethan, I'm willing to guess that if you're dead that the spell will be broken. I'm thinking I don't really need you at all." Giles' hand tightened around Ethan's neck.

Ethan put his hands on Giles' arm, trying to push it away. He was unsuccessful. He spoke painfully through his constricted throat. "Rupert, you know you won't kill me. You've become far too civilized for that." He sneered. "Too bad you weren't civilized enough to protect your slayer."

Giles laughed in Ethan's face and at the sound Xander took an unconscious step backwards. Giles hauled Ethan away from the wall and removed his hand from his throat. Giles let go with a vicious punch that knocked Ethan to the ground. "Ethan, old man, you're always saying you want Ripper to come out and play. Well guess what? Here he is, you fucker." He hauled Ethan back up just to punch him again.

Xander couldn't believe the Giles standing in front of him. Buffy had told him what he'd been like when he'd gone after Angelus but Xander had not been able to visualize it. But right now, standing in front of him, Giles was the most dangerous thing he could remember seeing. The look on his face and the stance of his body spelled death. Xander exchanged a quick look with Spike and knew he was having the same thought.

Ethan knew it too. He tried to crawl away from Giles but Giles just kicked him over and then crouched down, one knee digging into Ethan's chest. Giles leaned down close. "You've seen me kill, Ethan. You know better than anyone what I'm capable of." He backhanded Ethan across the face. "Tell me what you need to break the spell or I'll kill you and figure it out on my own."

Ethan spit out some blood and just smiled at Giles. "Just like old times, eh, Ripper? Why don't you go get Buffy and we can both have a bit of fun with her." If he was going to die tonight he was going to die stabbing a knife in Ripper's gut.

Giles hit Ethan over and over again until Ethan was curled up in a ball on the ground not even trying to fight back anymore. Giles lifted Ethan's head by his hair. "Ready to talk yet, Ethan? Or do you still want to play?"

Giles reached into one of his pockets and pulled out his handkerchief. He began wiping the blood off of his hands. He stood looking down at Ethan to see what he would do. Ethan just shook his head. "Go fuck yourself, Ripper." He laughed, spitting out some more blood. "On second thought, go fuck your slayer."

Giles' eyes got even darker and Xander wondered if he was actually going to watch his friend murder someone. He wondered if he would be able to stop Giles; he wasn't sure he wanted to. Instead Giles headed for the coffee table. He started shuffling books around until he found the one he was looking for. Giles opened it up and flipped through the pages. A very unpleasant smile formed on his face and Xander found himself taking another step backwards.

Giles walked back over to Ethan and rolled him over onto his back. Even Ethan shrank back when he saw that smile on Giles' face. "Want to play a new game, Ethan? Your old pal Ripper always wanted to try this one. Let's give it a go, shall we?" Giles put his hand on Ethan's face, his fingers stretching out to rest on his forehead and temples. He started to chant, the syllables hard and guttural. Ethan's eyes widened and he began to struggle. Giles just pressed down harder and continued his words. Ethan started to scream.

Xander went to stand by Spike, frightened by what he was seeing and hearing. Spike was glad for the company. They both watched Giles as he continued whatever he was doing to Ethan. Ethan's screams grew more terrified and he tried futilely to push Giles' hand away. Spike and Xander moved closer together, Xander's hand grabbing Spike's arm. They watched as eventually Ethan's voice got weaker and weaker and then stopped all together. His body started to convulse and still Giles chanted, his voice relentless. Then Ethan's body grew slack.

Giles stopped the chant and pulled his hand away. He looked down at Ethan and he spoke to him, or what was left of him. "Was that good for you? How did you like that mind-fuck?" He stood and kicked Ethan one last time. He smiled. He glanced at Xander and Spike and nothing in his face reassured either one of them.

Giles walked over to them and smiled grimly when both Spike and Xander took a couple of steps backwards away from him. Giles spoke to Xander. "Stay down here." He turned and headed for the staircase.

Xander and Spike exchanged alarmed glances. Xander called out. "Uh, Giles?" Giles ignored him and started up the stairs. Xander tried again. "I don't think you should be going up there."

Spike pushed him into the house. "Go stop him."

Xander gave him an incredulous stare and pointed at Giles' back. "Go stop him?"

Spike glared at him. "He's gone round the bend. He'll hurt Buffy."

"If I go up there, I could hurt Buffy. And Giles might hurt me." Spike glared at him again and Xander grimaced. He slowly headed for the staircase, following Giles. Xander heard Giles pounding on Buffy's door.

Anya and Buffy looked at each other when the pounding started. They heard Giles' voice. "Anya, let me in."

Anya glared at Buffy when it looked as if she might get up. Anya yelled back. "No, go away."

"I know how to take the spell off. Open the door."

"No, you told me not to let you in."

The door started to shake and Buffy and Anya could tell that Giles was slamming himself against it. They looked at each other. Anya held the knife up in front of her. Giles yelled again. "Open the fucking door."

Xander had reached the landing. "Hey, Giles, maybe you want to rethink this. Hmm? Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

Giles turned his head to Xander and Xander stopped moving, swallowing nervously at the look on Giles' face. Giles gritted out the words. "I can feel her from here. Don't come any nearer. I know how to take the spell off but I have to be touching her." He took a step towards Xander and snarled. "She's mine, she belongs to me."

Xander held his hands up. "I'm the last one to argue that big guy. I just don't want you to do anything you'll be sorry for." He looked at Giles, trying to see some trace of the friend he knew. "How do you know the spell? You didn't know it before."

"I stole it out of Ethan's mind. Along with the rest of him."

Xander let out a shaky laugh. "So, you're sort of a combination Ripper and Ethan, huh?" He bit his bottom lip. "Any Giles in there? Just a little? Just the tiniest bit?" He held his thumb and forefinger up, a short distance away from each other, a hopeful look on his face.

"I need to do the spell now. I don't know how long I'll be able to access Ethan's memories." Giles pointed downstairs. "And he's bloody useless now." He turned back to the door and started kicking it. Xander took a step towards him and Giles turned back to him, a warning clear in his eyes. "If you come any closer you'll start to feel it. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if the spell starts to affect you."

Xander didn't know what to do. He didn't know whether to believe that Giles knew how to get rid of the spell. He did know that Buffy's spell would affect him. He was reasonably certain that Giles would hurt him. He ran his hand over his face. "Shit."

Giles finally kicked the door open. Anya ran at him with her knife. Giles easily disarmed her and shoved her out into the hallway. He spoke to her. "Keep your boyfriend away. He'll want her, he won't be able to help himself."

Anya hesitated, torn between trying to stop Giles and wanting to make sure Xander went nowhere near Buffy. Her concern about Xander won. Anya ran to him. She knocked him down on the ground and sat on him. "You can't go in there."

Xander tried to get out from under her but Anya had always been stronger than she looked. He tried to reason with her. "He's not himself. He might hurt her."

"Xander, she's the slayer. If she can't stop him, what are you going to do?" Xander could hardly argue with that and the knowledge that Giles would definitely hurt him was another powerful argument for staying put.

Buffy watched Giles as he came into the room. The knife was still in his hand. Giles could feel the spell affecting him but he was able to resist. Ethan had been protected from the spell and Giles was able to access that protection and he wrapped it around himself, inside, in his mind.

Buffy saw the desire in his eyes but this man who was walking towards her wasn't anyone she wanted to touch. She didn't know who he was. She started backing away. Giles could see the nervousness in Buffy's eyes and he stopped. He tossed the knife into the corner of the room. His voice was rough when he spoke. "Buffy, I know how to get rid of the spell but I need to touch you."

Buffy stared at Giles trying to understand what was going on. "What happened to you? You're so different."

Giles barked out a laugh. "This is how I used to be a long time ago. I wasn't a very pleasant fellow. You've seen shades of it, but this…" He stopped and let out a breath, waving his hand as if to signify that it was unimportant. "I won't hurt you. Let me get rid of the spell and then I'll leave."

"Who was that screaming?"

"Ethan."

"What happened? Why was he screaming like that? What did you do to him?"

"Do you care? He put this spell on you. He wanted me to rape you. He wanted to destroy both of us."

Buffy's face blanched. "How…?" She shook her head. "How could he have known you for so long and known so little about you? How could he think you would ever hurt me like that?"

"He didn't know me, Buffy. Not the me that you know. All he knew was what I used to be like. Under that spell, the man I was would have used you and hurt you and walked away."

"So how are you fighting the spell now?"

"Ethan was protected from the spell. I took that knowledge from him. I know how to shield myself now and how to get rid of the spell."

She smiled softly at him. "Sounds like you're still taking care of me, despite the…the trip down memory lane."

He let out a rueful laugh. "I'm still here too. There are just too many other people in my head right now. The Giles you know, Ripper, Ethan. I need to work it all out and I will, after I've helped you."

Buffy walked to him. "What do you need me to do?"

He pointed to the chair. "Sit." Buffy sat. Giles put his hand on her face, again stretching his fingers to touch her temples and her forehead. "Ethan cast the spell so he would have been able to remove it on his own. We need to say it together. I can't write or say the words out loud until we do the spell so you need to read the words from my mind." He looked at her. "Are you ready? It might hurt a bit, especially if you fight it."

She nodded. Giles spoke just a few words this time, still harsh and guttural. Buffy gasped as information started becoming available to her. She saw the phenomenal control he was exercising to keep his anger and violence in check. She felt his desire for her from the spell still coiled within him, ready to strike like a snake; she saw what he did to Ethan. And next to it all she saw the love he had for her. She let go and trusted him. Giles felt her surrender to him and he gave her directions. "Speak the words with me now." They both repeated them, Buffy's tongue stumbling over the unfamiliar Latin words she could see in Giles' mind.

Giles stayed connected with her for a minute more. He waited until he was sure the spell was gone. He could feel the effects of it leave his body. Buffy felt it too, the coiled tension, the angry lust fading away. What she also felt was that underneath it there was still desire, a longing for her that took her breath away. Then she felt steel doors slam shut in his mind and the anger and violence she had felt before returned. Giles took his hand away. She sagged back in the chair feeling momentarily bereft of his presence. He turned and started walking out of the room. Buffy jumped up and followed him. "Where are you going?"

"Away. I'll be back."

"When?"

"In a few days, maybe longer." He stepped around Xander and Anya. Xander tensed as Buffy walked by him but he didn't feel a thing. Xander laid his head down on the floor in relief and Anya slid off of him. He sprang up following Giles and Buffy down the stairs.

Buffy grabbed Giles' arm as he reached the bottom of the staircase. He shook her off and turned to her. "Buffy, I have to go."

"Why? Why can't I help you? Why do you have to leave?"

Giles didn't answer her. He headed for the door. Spike got out of his way. As Giles headed down the sidewalk, Spike called out to him, gesturing into the house. "What are we supposed to do with the bloody bastard?"

Giles quickly turned around and Spike backed up to the barrier at the door. "Spike, he'll be spending the rest of his life as a fucking vegetable. I don't give a shit what you do with him. Drain his blood, drop him off at the nearest mental institution, chop him up into little pieces and fertilize Buffy's garden. I don't give a fuck. Now, just leave me the hell alone." With that he got in his car and pealed off.

Buffy and Spike watched him as he drove off, speechless. Xander and Anya stared equally stunned. After a minute Buffy walked over to where Ethan lay on the floor. She realized Spike was still standing at the door and she invited him in. He came over and stood beside her.

Xander kept his distance. He'd already seen enough. He spoke to Buffy. "Okay, the next time I say, 'oh, look, Giles is going all Ripper' like that's a cute thing, hit me." He pointed at Ethan. "Because this, this real Ripper, what he did, the way he was, I don't ever want to see that again because it scared the shit out of me."

Spike looked over at Xander and then at Buffy. "For once I agree with the whelp here."

Buffy shook her head. "It was still Giles."

Xander let out a short laugh. "That was not Giles."

Buffy was insistent. "It was."

Spike shook his head. "Look slayer. All I've heard from you lot is how bad this guy Ethan was. I know he changed Giles into a Fyarl demon and because of him I almost bagged my third slayer that Halloween a few years back. But I'm telling you, however tough this wanker was, he never had a chance with Giles. From the moment I pushed him through the door he was a goner. He never even got a punch in."

Xander walked a little closer. "You didn't see what he did, Buffy."

"Yes, I did. I saw it in his mind. I saw exactly what he did. I saw what he was like, the Ripper part. But, underneath it all, it was still Giles. All he wanted to do was get this spell off of me, to take care of me. No matter how scary he was, he never lost that."

Xander made a face. "Well, maybe it was him underneath." He sounded doubtful. "But, the stuff on top, that was bad."

Spike nudged Ethan with his boot. "What should I do with him?" He grinned at Buffy. "Want some fertilizer for your garden?"

"Eeww. No thank you." She looked down at Ethan and grimaced. "Let's just call 911 and tell them he had a major seizure or something. It wouldn't really even be a lie." At their nods she reached for the phone.

End of Part 4