Title: Ripper's Rage

Author: Kate R.

Disclaimer: Own nothing and no one used herein. All belong to Joss

abelard950@aol.com

Rating: R I think

Pairing: Giles/Ethan

Summary: What happens when Giles discovers one of the council's cruelties?


Ripper's Rage
by Kate R.

"I was small the first time I ever saw him. He was in a cage in the cellar of one of the council's buildings. My father's home. I was in the cellar as punishment and it was so dark. Punishment for what? Oh, I don't even remember anymore to be honest. There was rarely ever a real reason given beyond me forgetting part of a passage. Anyhow, the darkness was absolute in the basement and I was frightened. Badly frightened. I think I was crying when I heard his voice the first time.

'There there,' he said to me. 'The darkness wont hurt you.'

I couldn't stop crying though so he made me a light. A light no one else could see. I saw him that first time and he was young. Not really much different than he is that photo of yours. What? How do I know it's him?

Oh, because he told me when we introduced ourselves. I said 'My name is Wesley.' He smiled and told me his name was Ethan Rayne. He said he'd been there since you were dragged back to the council and brainwashed. They thought he was pretty to look at and they said they knew from their spies that he was talented in--- Other areas.

Where did I get this? When I went to say farewell to him, he asked where I was going. When I told him I was coming here he gave me this and told me if I saw you to give it to you. He said since he doubts he'll be able to get out again he'd like you to have it. Yes, I know what it is. He said it was the only thing he was allowed to keep? What? Oh, just rags mostly. Yes, I have actually witnessed it. No, I couldn't stop it. I wasn't important enough for anyone to hear my voice. That's why I pushed for this. I had to get that to you. It had to be you. He said you were the only person who ever cared for him and since you gave it to him, he'd like you to have it back. He dares not even dream anymore because his realty is so---so---bleak I think is the word I want. He would give anything for it not to be a dream but I'm rather afraid he's given up. You've never heard his soul crying. Last time I saw? He was being punished. You KNOW how. You know what the Council does to those who escape it. He's gotten loose three times. Yes. No I think all three. Why? Giles? G-Giles? What are you---Never mind---."

Wesley watched as Giles stood slowly after setting his teacup down. He made his way upstairs with a deliberate step that scared Wesley more then the anger the man had directed at him in the past. He looked up as the front door opened and Xander and a bleached blond he recognized as Spike walked in the door.

When Giles came back down, the vampire pulled the boy and Wesley behind the couch as he sensed the rage about to explode. Giles' eyes were glowing with power and he lashed out with it. The sound of exploding glass was heard and when it stopped and Xander opened the door, up and down the street, for five blocks in any direction, the windows in all cars and businesses was blown out.

Giles had done it, Xander was sure but he had no idea why.

"Anyone up for a trip to London?" Giles asked including Spike in the invitation.




London

Did you think we'd not catch you again Ethan? You know you always go to Rupert and we are always watching. Why do you do it? He does not love you, our Rupert."

"Wan' the person hurting me to feel something," Ethan gasped as he was kicked repeatedly. "Makes all the difference you know."

"Still a smartass, eh, Ethan?" the fat man said. "I think you need another lesson."

By the way Ethan trembled, the man knew he was afraid. Good. Little whore needed to be afraid. How else would they be able to control him?

As Ethan was dragged out of the room and to another room made especially for punishing, Quentin Travers found himself smiling. In about five minutes---, ah, there is was.

Ethan's screams echoed and Quentin smiled. They were muffled and Quentin knew he had been gagged. Excellent, Ethan would endure the full punishment, as he could not scream for Mercy. As a matte of fact, he couldn't make any sound beyond whimpers. Travers was happy. He knew the Punishers had been waiting for Ethan for weeks. They loved him because he bruised and bled so easily. Travers smiled. They now had him for a week. Whatever they wanted to do, they had a week to do it in. He certainly hoped they enjoyed themselves and he hoped Ethan still did not learn his lesson. It was fun to order him punished after all. Travers enjoyed the look of fear when Ethan was taken to that room. It was meat and drink to him. And he knew, as surely as everyone else in the Council knew, that no one would ever come for Ethan.

Would they?

XXXXXXX

Three days later and Quentin was discovering to his eternal regret that yes, someone would come for Ethan. He had not expected Giles to come though. Giles had blown the doors open with powerful magic and flattened anyone who got in his way.

"WHERE IS HE?!?!" Giles roared as he lifted Quentin by his collar. "Where is Ethan?!?!"

"Find him yourself, if you're so powerful and smart, Rupert," Quentin said. He froze when he saw Wesley slip a chain from around his neck. He'd seen it before but not understood what it was.

"Show us where your master is," Wesley said as he broke the glass phial that was attached to the chain. A bright ball of light flared and flew off through the house. Wesley followed it, as did the others, down to the lowest bowels of the Council Head Quarters where the light began to hover outside a door. Giles got there and he heard the whimpering noise. His eyes flared bright green again and the door exploded inward. What he saw froze him and he was stunned for a moment until Ethan scream/moaned again. The gag turning the screams in to moans. Ripper pulled his knife from the boot he was wearing and went after the two punishing Ethan. He didn't touch them before Ethan's whimpers got his attention. He used the knife to cut the bonds instead. He looked and saw Spike had taken care of the torturers. He had not fed off of them, merely killed them. Giles got Ethan unrestrained and then slipped the gag off. Before Ethan could make a sound, Giles dropped his mouth to Ethan's and kissed him. The scream, when it came, went into Giles' mouth as Ethan's body finally vented the pain. Giles took it all and held Ethan as he was left trembling and weak afterwards.

"Better?" Giles asked. His accent had been slipping more and more since they had arrived in this country, Spike knew and he knew what he was hearing was Ripper. Rupert Giles had left the building in Sunnydale. It had been Ripper since Wesley told his story. WESLEY! Spike suddenly realized the young man had vanished at one of the turns in the hall. Where was he?

He back tracked the noise and found Wesley being held against the wall by an older version of himself. The man was holding a gun against his son's stomach and he smiled at him cruelly as he pulled the trigger. Spike reacted in a rage. He ripped the man's head off and then knelt by Wesley who lay bleeding on the floor.

"It's gonna be okay, pup." Spike whispered. "I swear it will."

"I know, Spike," Wesley said choking on blood.

Spike realized the bullet had exploded in Wesley's body and he knew the man was dying.

Worse, the man knew he was dying.

"Thank you," Wesley whispered as Spike lifted him and carried him to where Giles was waiting with Xander and holding Ethan.

"For what, mate?" Spike asked as Wesley's eyes slid closed.

"For being nice to me," Wesley said as a rush of blood came out of his mouth.

Spike felt tears in his eyes as he kissed Wesley's lips and forehead one time. "You're welcome, mate," Spike whispered as blood tears started to fall. "You're welcome."

He looked up at Giles with stricken eyes and he stared as Giles began to glow. Not just his eyes, but also his entire body, began to glow.

"BURN!" Giles screamed in rage. "ALL OF YOU BURN!"

The council Head Quarters suddenly seemed to become a fire ball/bonfire and Spike stared as the glow spread to all of them. Including the body in his arms. Spike simply stared as everyone the light touched was protected by the green flames Giles had created. He watched as the people were consumed slowly in an unending agony by the flames before they died and Spike just held his second mate in his arms. Xander joined him a moment later and stared down at Wesley's pale face. He felt tears burning his eyes as he held Wesley with Spike. Their third, Wesley was, had been, their third. No! He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't.

"Wesley," Xander whispered as tears slowly slid down his cheeks.

"Please, Wes. Please don't leave us. We need you."

XXXXXXX

"Move," Ethan said gently. Xander wanted to know why but just backed up as Giles was telling them to trust. Ethan knelt over the boy on the ground and reached into Wesley's wound with his power. He felt the rents and tears the bullet had made and he began to hum as his power flexed inside the young man and began to mend the damage. Giles stared as he had forgotten over the years that Ethan had at one time been more than Chaos. Apparently was still more than Chaos. Ethan was a Healer. And he stared as he watched Ethan undoing the damage Quentin and the boy's own father had done. It seemed to Giles, that even after the body was healed, Ethan was healing more. He was healing the very soul of this young man. He held his breath and waited and he finally heard the slight inhale from the form on the ground.

"Your time is not yet done, young one," Ethan said.

Giles watched as Xander and Spike were staring and Wesley slowly woke up and then sat up.

He looked up and Ethan and smiled weakly

"Thank you," he said. "No one has ever..."

"No effort," Ethan said gently. "You came here for me, Little One. How could I not help you? You are family to me now, Wesley. And you have two mates there who look like they are waiting for you. Go to them, and let yourself live. I've healed those rents in your heart and soul as well as the ones in your body and mind. You have a lot of living to do, son. Go do it."

"Xander," Giles said. "I can't go back. I can't take living there anymore. Could you maybe..I don't know...could you three come and visit me sometime? I want to be here now. Here with the one I love."

"Yeah, G-Man," Xander said. "We can do that. Have a nice life."

And Xander hugged him tightly and then watched as the two men known as Giles and Ethan walked off. They seemed to vanish and Xander felt in his pocket money and plane tickets home. He looked at Wesley and Spike and they grinned at each other. They were free and together and nothing would ever separate them again. And the best part, Ripper's Rage had finally cooled.

Looking up at the rising sun, Xander looked at Spike and Wesley and smiled as he saw the ring now on Spike's finger. Ethan must have put it there. It was going to be a beautiful day. And seeing the sun no longer burned Spike and seemed to actually warm Wesley, Xander reconsidered. It was going to be a beautiful Life.


(End Ripper's Rage. Who wants a sequel? Let me know)