Work Text:
Band Candy – A different tune
by Lilithangel
abchainey@xtra.co.nz
http://www.livejournal.com/users/lilithbint
"This is a drag," Ripper said to Joyce as she finished the bottle of wine, "I want to go and find some fun."
Joyce tried to stand but collapsed back onto the sofa giggling, "I think I’m drunk," she said.
"Then you’ll have to stay here luv," Ripper said with a shrug heading for the door.
Joyce pouted but simply curled up on the sofa still holding the empty bottle.
Ripper wandered the streets of Sunnydale bored out of his mind. The air crackled with magic and he was just itching to tap into it somehow and really have some fun.
His attention was grabbed by a leather bomber jacket in a window. He grabbed a rubbish bin and threw it into the glass. When the window failed to break he whispered a quick incantation and blew the glass out like confetti. Ignoring the wailing alarm he climbed into the window and snagged the jacket off the dummy.
Checking himself in the next window Ripper smirked and modelled the jacket. The screech of tyres told him the alarm had actually alerted someone. Funny how dozens could die without a murmur but break a window and the filth came running.
A car pulled up in front of him and a uniform got out. Ripper put on his best I’m just an innocent young man out for a stroll face on but it didn’t seem to be working. He couldn’t be stuffed arguing so a couple of good punches later and he was wandering off down the street wearing his new jacket.
Something was tickling at him caressing his skin like a warm breeze. Somewhere close by someone was using magic, big magic and Ripper wanted in.
The feeling got stronger as he wandered into an alleyway. He ducked behind a dumpster when a door was opened further along and reddish light spilled out. Two men tossed a pile of empty boxes into the alley and went back inside.
Ripper caught the edge of the door before it could close and slipped inside. The magic was so strong now that he could practically taste it, that and chocolate.
He snuck through the rows of boxes realising they were boxes of the chocolates everyone had been selling. He hadn’t really noticed any magic when Buffy had sold him some but it certainly explained the clarity in his mind now.
He could hear people talking up ahead and moved to a position where he could see them. Some of the group were leaving and he caught a glimpse of what could be the mayor. Then his attention was grabbed by the other figure.
"Ethan?" he stepped out of the shadows, "bloody hell it is you."
Ethan turned around at Ripper’s words, "I am amazed you worked it out Rupert." Before he could say anymore he was silenced by a demanding kiss.
Ripper pulled back from the kiss but didn’t release his hold on Ethan. "What happened to you man, you look old?"
"So do you actually," Ethan replied irritably even as he realised that Rupert must have eaten the candy.
"Yeah but you look really old," Ripper quirked a smile, "still rather tasty though. So you’re responsible for all the stuff happening in town?"
"At the request of a client naturally," Ethan said pulling free of Ripper’s embrace.
"It’s pretty cool." Ripper surveyed the room and lit up another cigarette.
"Thank you. Your slayer is trying to mess things up though," Ethan said watching Ripper’s face for any indication of his feelings.
"Yeah." Ripper frowned, "who’d thought I’d end up a watcher?"
"Me," Ethan said wryly, "you were only ever playing at being the bad boy."
"I wasn’t playing at anything," Ripper said with another frown, "Randall died."
"People die you know that," Ethan said, "and don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy the rush any less than you enjoyed beating the hell out of me. Is my chaos any worse than your precious order? Did keeping control get rid of the urges? I don’t think so."
"Shut up." Ripper grabbed Ethan and pushed him against a wall. Their teeth clashed as Ripper kissed him hard but it didn’t take long for Ethan to start participating.
A noise broke them apart and Ripper turned to see Buffy staring at them in shock.
"Giles?" Buffy moved forward slowly her face creased as she tried to puzzle out what she had just seen.
"Don’t frown, Buffy," Ripper said, "it’ll give you wrinkles and you don’t want to age any quicker than you already are."
"What’s going on Giles?"
"That’s what I was about to ask Ethan here," Ripper hedged trying to make a call on what she would do next.
"With your tongue in his mouth?" Buffy frowned again and then smoothed her face out nervously.
"What’s going on Ethan?" Ripper grabbed Ethan by the scruff of the neck and squeezed.
"I’ll convince him to talk," Buffy said moving closer.
"As much as I’d love to watch you smack Ethan about," Ripper said with a grin, "I’m sure I can get more out of him without damaging him. Can’t I Ethan?" he squeezed even harder enjoying the way his nails bit into Ethan’s flesh and the soft panting noises that told him Ethan was enjoying it just a little bit too.
"A client just wanted a simple distraction so they could collect the tribute needed to raise a demon," Ethan said.
"What sort of demon," Buffy demanded, "and what sort of tribute?"
"Come on now Ethan, play nice and you’ll get a reward," Ripper whispered into his ear.
"Lurconis," Ethan confessed reluctantly, "I am a businessman you know, this isn’t good for business. They never mentioned what the tribute was."
"Maybe you should move your business elsewhere," Buffy said.
"Maybe you should call the others and get them researching this Lurconis," Ripper suggested to her.
"Okay," Buffy said, "are you coming?"
"I’ll be right behind you," Ripper said still keeping his grip on Ethan.
"Well?" Ethan said when Ripper still didn’t let him go.
"I’m thinking," Ripper grinned, "I’m thinking you should come with us."
"You got what you wanted." Ethan tried to pull away.
"I only started to get what I wanted," Ripper said and Ethan stopped fighting.
Buffy came rushing back inside. Pushing Ripper aside she punched Ethan hard. "Babies," she said with a glare, "it eats babies you bastard."
Eyes narrowed Ripper picked Ethan up and slammed him into a wall. "Babies Ethan? I should let her finish you off."
"I don’t know anything about babies." Ethan wiped the blood from his lip and glared back at Ripper, "I was just hired to create a distraction."
"So they could steal babies and sacrifice them to some Lurky demon," Buffy said with a hiss of disgust.
"Lurconis," Ripper corrected her. He frowned as a memory tickled at his mind, "sewers. It likes to hang out in sewers."
"Let’s go then," Buffy said heading for the door again.
Ripper dragged Ethan along convincing Buffy to let him drive so she could keep an eye on the chaos mage. It wasn’t much of a car really but Ripper put it through its paces.
"Where are we going anyway?" he finally thought to ask.
"The main sewer junction," Buffy said still glaring at Ethan who sat calmly in the backseat, "hopefully I can get a clue about where they’re holed up."
"There’s a couple of places down there big enough to hold a ceremony to raise a demon," Ripper said bringing the car to a halt in the middle of the street.
They made their way into the sewer and Buffy scouted around while Ripper stayed close to Ethan.
"Vampires," Buffy said returning to them, "stay close."
"I wonder if she smells them or something," Ripper mused as they followed, "I’ve never really asked."
Ethan snorted with amusement, "You really are more fun as Ripper."
Ripper smirked and then pulled Ethan to a stop to watch Buffy take on the vampires in the large chamber the passageway had opened up into.
"Come on," he said dragging Ethan forward, "we better get the kids."
Both men gingerly picked up the crying babies as Buffy dealt to the vampires and then the demon.
"She is quite good at what she does isn’t she?" Ethan said as they awkwardly carried the bundles back to the car.
"Yeah, and she’s my slayer," Ripper said with pride.
They convinced Buffy that it was better that she took the babies back to the hospital. Two grown men with babies that don’t belong to them might not even get past the notorious Sunnydale blindness. She looked about as uncomfortable as they did but dropped them off at Ripper’s flat with one last warning to Ethan.
"Now what?" Ethan asked.
"Now you get your reward," Ripper kissed him uncaring if any neighbours were watching, "and then you get the fuck out of my town."
Ethan didn’t argue then and definitely didn’t argue later when he was pinned him to the bed and reminded of why he had never been able to get Rupert’s scent off his skin.
* * * * *
Rupert woke up alone the next morning with a pounding headache and an uncomfortably clear memory of everything that had happened under the influence of the candy.
On the dresser he found a bar of the chocolate and a brief note.
Call me if you get the urge to play again.
Ethan
Giles slipped the note and the chocolate into his dresser drawer telling himself it was just to keep it safe and maybe get it analysed.
Maybe.
END