Author: Kate R.
Disclaimer: Not mine and never will be.
Rating: PG-13 to R maybe one NC-17 part not sure yet
Pairings: Giles/Ethan, Xander/Spike, Ares/Joxer, Cupid/Strife
Summary: Willow cuts Dawn to get rid of Giles. Oops.
Past Tense
by Kate R.
Prologue: Happy Landings
"Dammit mom! Why do you have to play with people like this?" Cupid groused as he finished undoing the spell on Joxer so he stopped following the Harpy and the Bitch around. "God, it isn't funny at all."
Cupid was sitting thinking still too pissed with his mother to go home when there was suddenly a tear in the fabric of time itself and five people fell through it.
"Look Out Below!" a male voice yelled just before three out of the five landed on him. One landed on the ground and the other landed in a crouch near that one.
"Uhm, sorry," the only girl in the group said. She landed on top of all of them. A man directly on top of him growled to himself and the young man partially on the man on top of him and partially on him seemed to be the same way.
"Yeah, what she said," a man who sounded like he was from Briton said. "Our bad. Ethan? Rupes okay? He ain't look so good before we fell through the hole."
"He's worse now," the dark haired man said. He too sounded as if her were from Briton but he looked like one of them. Cupid scanned and found out why a moment later.
"Holy Shit!" Cupid exclaimed. "Lust! Ace!"
Two other being appeared a moment later but there was so much going on the dark haired man did not react to them right away. He was sitting cradling the other man in his arms gently stroking his hair. The man was very obviously sick. Joxer, having woken up, had gone and fetched water and was pulling herbs from his bag.
"I don't think those will help," Cupid said gently. "But thanks. Ace? Can you tell what's wrong?"
"No, but my dad can I bet," Asclepius said.
Ethan did not let anyone else touch the man. He gathered him into his arms and Cupid watched him hug him close. The girl moved to be by the bleached blond who sounded like he was form Briton and the other man, young man, was there as well. Lust and Ace and Cupid each touched two and they all moved to Olympus. Joxer included.
"Dad!" Ace yelled as they appeared.
Apollo was there in an instant, running his hands over the unconscious man's form.
"Who did this?" he asked coldly after a moment. "Who beat this man?"
Chapter 1: Recovery
"Here, get him on the bed," Apollo said making a large bed appear in the hall. He needed the man lying down for the reading to be complete.
Ethan laid the man down and everyone watched as Apollo went into a healing scan on him. He stopped after a good ten minutes and he looked furious. "Ace, go get one of the extra temples prepared for our guests. Ask the pharins to help but I need you to put medicines in there."
"Sure dad," Asclepius said. "Is it that bad?"
"It's worse than that bad.... Uncle Hades, I'm going to show you some souls. Is there any way we can mark them even though they have't been born yet?"
"Yes there is," Hades said. "Why?"
"Because I don't like rapists getting off because they have high positions or 'Special Destiny'. Ar, one girl will be called as a Slayer. Buffy Summers. Let her be called, let her hang herself with his abuse, and then slam her ass through the floor. This man has been beaten brutally and raped repeatedly in the last few months. He's sick, malnourished, cold, hungry, tired, in pain and a shit load of other things. He needs rest and care. Our questions about how they got here can wait."
"Buffy cut me," the only girl with the group said. "I'm The Key and she cut me and knocked Giles into the portal thing. I tried to grab him and started to fall through. Spike grabbed me and Xander grabbed Spike. Ethan goes wherever Giles goes so he was just with us suddenly as we all crossed the barrier in the portal. We landed here and here we are and I really want to stay with Giles so can more questions wait until later? Please?"
"Of course child," Hera said. "It can all wait until you all have rested, eaten and your friend is well."
"He's my mate," Ethan's voice finally spoke.
Everyone turned to stare at him and Janus, a God with two faces, went white suddenly.
"You hurt my son," the Goddess known as Lust said. "You hurt my baby boy. You twisted him and warped his Godhood. Ethan should be passion but instead he's Chaotic. Why?"
'He was jealous," the man on the bed whispered as he gripped Ethan's hand tightly. "Janus was jealous of Ethan. He was jealous of you and Ace having a son when Ace had told him no about making children with him. He wanted to make you hurt so he took your son, slashed the hell out o his power and threw him into time knowing he would land in a place he would be abused. Ethan won though, Ethan surivived and grew strong and powerful. I'm tired luv, will you lay here with me awhile?"
"Of course, Ripper," Ethan soothed gently. "I'll stay right here beside you and you can rest."
The man in the bed nodded and Ethan lay his head down gently on his shoulder. Apollo smiled and began to heal the man. Ethan held him through the more painful parts and then the man sighed in relief as if some great pain had been relieved.
"Put him to bed," Apollo said transporting the bed and it's occupants to a nice temple where they could all rest. The others were sent as well and then the gods sat absorbing the information Apollo had gleaned from Giles while he was healing them.
"I want that Council," was all he said. "I want them to suffer for this."
END PART 1