Work Text:
Three Left '2'
by Mera
Giles
The middle aged man tiredly opened the door to his grungy hotel room in London. He had had a long day breaking and entering into one of the Watcher's Council hidden archives.
He clicked the light on and stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened when he saw the figure reclining in the wooden chair. Giles distinctly remembered avoiding that chair thinking it looked like it wouldn't hold a fly mind it a middle aged man. Not unlike the one getting up off the still intact chair and taking a few steps to the centre of the small room. The visitor smirked.
"'ello Ripper," Ethan said calmly. "How long has it been this time, old boy?"
"Four years," Giles replied distantly still not believing that this man was standing right in front of him. His eyes hardened. "What are you doing here Ethan? How did you get into my room?"
The Chaos worshipper donned a sad face. "Are you saying you aren't glad to see me?"
Giles' face was cold. "I'm never glad to see you."
Ethan blinked surprised. "Really? Not even before?" His faced turned mischievous.
There was a visible twitch in the ex-watcher's face but that was all there was to indicate that the other man had affected him.
Ethan sighed reminiscing. "I seem to recall how good those times were... what happened to us, mate?"
Giles closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them. He looked straight at his old friend and now enemy. "You know why... you started worshipping Eyghon."
"So its jealousy." Ethan nodded as if he had received an explanation.
Giles started. "What?! Bloody hell Ethan you took it too far... I couldn't stay after that."
"So you scampered off to repent and became a bleedin' watcher." The mage huffed. "Pansy always listens to daddy."
"Shut up!"
Giles watched in amazement as his hand went though the other man's body. Realization that resulted from years of experience and knowledge hit him. "Oh God."
Ethan's smile turned evil. "Oh don't bring him into this."
"You-"Giles backed away shaking his head in denial. "The First... but... but that means..."
The First still in Ethan's form nodded. "Yeah, lost one of the best mischief makers I know, pity that."
Giles reclined against the shabby bed. "How?" he let out in a whisper.
"Oh old boy don't tell me you haven't figured it out?" It shook its head before pointing at him. "You killed him," it simply said.
Giles opened his mouth to deny but was interrupted. "Don't tell me you haven't thought what they would do to him. I bet you haven't given poor Ethan a second thought after you gave him to them. How they experimented on him. Cut him open to see how he... ticks."
Giles' face looked stricken and not a little green.
The First continued in its conversational tone. "'Course they had to do it while he was aware to test that whole magic thing they didn't believe in." It made quotations with its fingers as it nodded. "Sure hurt if his screams meant anything..."
"Stop," Giles said weakly but the other kept talking.
"They'd lock the poor chap up in a white room, stripped, freezing, they used to watch as he rocked mutterin'... and they'd laugh." It shook its head before it got an interested look on its face. "Oi! Do you know what he was saying?"
Giles shook his head too tired to form a reply.
"Actually it was a lone word he kept sayin' over..." It smirked if possible more evilly. "Ripper."
That did it and Giles ran to the small bathroom and threw up.
It whispered behind him but didn't startle him. It only caused cold shivers to run down his back. "You betrayed him... left him to die... did he deserve that? He trusted you. But you see she's smart, she won't make the same mistake as poor Ethan. She won't trust you... she's beyond you... doesn't need you anymore... never did."
Giles refused to raise his head and look in the small over hanging mirror knowing whose face was staring at the back of his. He knew it wasn't Ethan. His old friend was dead. The First Evil was impersonating the dead man trying to break him and doing a fine job at that.
Distinct British words continued to drift into his ear. "A disgrace and a waste... you'll always be a killer."
Reserved Giles raised his head and looked into dead green eyes. "I'll protect her."