Title: Unexpected
Author: Froxyn
Rating: FRM
Pairing: Buffy/Giles (References)
Timeline: One year prior to the events in Downpour. Prequel to the A Way Back series.
Synopsis: Giles is not coping, someone tries to help.
Author’s Note: As always, thank you to A for looking over this fic. Prequel 2/3.


Giles glanced around the pub as he swallowed a mouthful of beer. No one had caught his eye yet, but he wasn’t worried. He’d never left without someone when he wanted to. He exhaled deeply as the sound of rain pelting against the glass windows became somewhat louder. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket pocket and dropped them onto the table, lowering his eyes as he reached into the pocket of his jeans for his lighter.

“Mind if I have a seat?”

Giles rolled his eyes, instantly recognising the voice. “Last time we had a drink together, I woke up as a demon.”

Ethan chuckled and sat down across from him. “Ah, those were the days, hey?”

“I s’pose.” Giles shook a cigarette out of the pack and lit it as he stared at Ethan. “I’m not fucking you.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow and helped himself to one of Giles’ cigarettes. “Big leap there, Rupert. At most, I was thinking blowjob.”

Giles lifted his glass and took another large swallow. “You’d let me fuck you.”

Ethan lit the cigarette and shrugged a shoulder as he grinned. “So, you’re obviously on the prowl…”

Giles’ eyes narrowed, causing Ethan to laugh.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, Rupe. I remember well how you are when you’re prowling. Especially considering you’ve mentioned fucking me twice in less than sixty seconds.”

Giles glanced out the window, his jaw clenching as the rain started coming down harder. Ethan studied him for a moment and then whispered a few words in a language decidedly not English. And then he waited, watching Giles stare out the window. It had been a few years since he had had a good look at Giles’ aura and it was taking its time updating. He watched as the colors shifted and changed, signifying major events in Giles’ life. His eyes suddenly widened.

“You finally shagged your Slayer!”

“Fuck you, Ethan.” Giles growled, taking a drag from his cigarette.

“No…no it’s more than that. Whoa, your aura is all sorts of fucked up.” Ethan dusted his ashes in the ashtray and tilted his head in concentration as two distinct colors melded together. “Fucking hell…you let her in!”

“Fuck. You.” Giles grumbled, flicking his ashes in the general direction of the ashtray.

Ethan’s smile faded as he watched the colors explode. He took a deep breath and met Giles’ eyes. “Jesus Christ, mate…what did she do to you?”

Giles stared at him and shook his head. “I’m not discussing this with you. I’m here to find someone to fuck and then I’m going home.”

Ethan gestured towards the door with a tilt of his head. “Right, let’s go then.”

Giles snorted and then quickly finished off his beer. “I’m not fucking you.”

Ethan smiled and tapped the lighter on top of the pack of cigarettes. “No, you’re not. But you are leaving with me.”

“Ethan…”

Ethan interrupted him quickly, rolling the cigarette between his thumb and index finger. “You’re not in the right state of mind for this tonight.”

Giles rolled his eyes and took another drag from his cigarette. “I beg to differ. I’m in the perfect state of mind for this.”

“How much have you had?” Ethan asked, glancing at the empty glasses on the table. “Besides the three beers you’ve had here…”

Giles shrugged and blew a ring of smoke out of his mouth. “Half a bottle, maybe.”

Ethan sat back in his chair and carefully regarded Giles. He could easily see the pain in his old friend’s eyes when Giles briefly looked at him.

“What’s going on with you, Rupert?” He asked softly.

Giles glanced at the window, lifting his hand to the glass and following a raindrop with his fingertip.

“It’s a downpour.” He replied sadly.

At that moment, Ethan knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t leave without him. But, he’d sit here with him for as long as was needed before he could convince him to leave.

“How did you know?” Giles asked after a long moment’s silence.

“How did I know what?” Ethan asked, catching the bartender’s eye and requesting two more beers.

“That I was here. About…Buffy…”

“I just happened in, mate. Saw that you were looking…thought I’d come over to give you a bit of a hard time over it.” Ethan crushed out his cigarette and sighed. “Buffy, though…that’s all in your aura.”

“You and your fucking auras…”

Ethan smiled and whispered a ‘thanks’ to the bartender as he placed two glasses on the table. He pushed one of the glasses to Giles and lifted the other one to his lips. Giles glanced at the glass and then looked at Ethan dubiously. And then he shrugged a shoulder and took a drink.

“What happened? The last time I saw you, you guys were tight. Like…twisted together tight. Hell, I tried to break that bond and it just twisted even tighter. Now…” Ethan took another drink and gestured vaguely. “Your green is shattered all over the place and her orange is…”

“Gone?” Giles asked, leaning his head on his hand.

“No…embedded in every single shard of yours.”

“That actually explains a few things.” Giles replied drunkenly, taking another drink from his glass. “Not only did she fuck me, she fucked my aura.”

Ethan sat quietly, watching Giles as he laughed sadly. “I loved her, you know. Still do, I s’pose. Probably why I’m in the predicament I’m in now. I would’ve given her anything and everything. But, she fucked me…and then fucked off.”

“How long ago did this happen, Rupert?” Ethan asked gently, leaning forward and moving the glass out of Giles’ reach.

“Last year…around this time, actually.”

“Is that what brought this on? This…situation that you’re in right now…”

Giles narrowed his eyes. “This situation? Oh, me being drunk and needing to fuck someone? No…no that’s brought on by the rain. Because the rain reminds me of being with her…and I try to forget all about that.”

“The rain? It rains a lot here, Rupert.”

“Yes. Yes, it does. Which means that I drink a lot…and I fuck a lot.”

“And the forgetting part?” Ethan looked into Giles’ eyes, the pain he could clearly see giving him the answer before Giles could even start to respond.

A single tear spilled down Giles’ left cheek. “I can’t forget any of it.”

“Rupert…”

Giles wiped his face and cleared his throat. “Fucking hell…I think maybe I am too drunk for this tonight.”

“Yeah. Yeah, mate, I think so.” Ethan said softly. “Come on, let me help you get home.”

Giles started to stand and then stared at Ethan. “If this is another one of your games, can you just go ahead and kill me instead?”

Ethan sighed sadly and shook his head. “I’m not playing games anymore, Rupert. Those days are gone. And I have no intention of killing you. I’m just worried about you.”

“Worried…” Giles stood and waited for a moment, the room seemed to be spinning a bit too much for him to walk. “The world must be ending if you’re worried about me.”

Ethan moved around the table and put his arm around Giles’ shoulders. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

As they slowly made their way to the door, Ethan smiled at a young blonde who glanced at Giles. “Not tonight, love.”

“Hm?” Giles murmured, focusing extremely hard on walking.

“You could’ve had her…if you could’ve been able to walk.” Ethan replied with an amused tone. “But, instead…you get to come home with me.”

Giles looked at him as Ethan opened the door and led him outside. “Did you say something about a blowjob?”

“Ah, mate…not tonight, Rupe. Not tonight.”

Giles sighed heavily and shivered against the cool rain as Ethan led him to his car.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“What are we doing here?” Giles asked as Ethan helped him up the front stairs.

“Told you I was bringing you home with me.”

“Oh…yeah, okay.” Giles looked at him and rubbed the back of his neck. “But, we’re not – “

“No.” Ethan interrupted as he unlocked the front door. “For the umpteenth time…you’re not fucking me, I’m not giving you a blowjob. That’s not what this is about.”

“What’s it about then?” Giles asked, walking through the door that Ethan was holding open.

“It’s about you being safe tonight, sleeping it off in a warm bed…that I trust you won’t vomit in.”

“I won’t.” Giles chuckled as he stumbled into the living room and dropped down onto the sofa. He looked around the room slowly. “Nice house, Ethan.”

“Thanks. Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

Giles narrowed his eyes as Ethan disappeared down the hall. “This is probably one of the most fucked up hallucinations I’ve ever had…”

Ethan laughed as he walked back into the room, a bottle of water in one hand and a pill bottle in the other. “What makes you think you’re hallucinating?”

“You…me…not fighting?”

“I’ve changed a lot over the years, Rupert.” Ethan sat down next to him and smiled. “Here…drink this, slowly. And take three of these before you go to bed.”

Giles rubbed at a spot on his abdomen and grimaced. Ethan furrowed his brow.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. I got hurt a couple of months ago. Sometimes there’s a twinge.” He glanced down and then shook his head. “No blood coming through, so I’m guessing it’s okay.”

“Blood? You got hurt a couple of months ago and it still bleeds?” He asked in concern.

“Sometimes. Pretty sure they took the sutures out too early. Nothing to worry about.”

“Let me have a look.”

Giles grinned at him. “You just want me to take my shirt off.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Show me.”

Giles fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, chuckling as Ethan took over. “Easy now…”

“Fucking hell…” Ethan breathed as he carefully removed Giles’ shirt. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Perks of being a Watcher to the most successful Slayer in history. Come to the battle, leave with a scar – courtesy of a lance to the side or a claw of a demon or hey…” He pointed towards the small scar in the middle of his chest. “A letter opener from when your Slayer stabs you because she thinks you’re a demon who killed her Watcher.”

“I really am sorry about that, Rupert.” Ethan said, pushing Giles back against the cushions and examining the most recent injury. “This is a stab wound. A…bad place to be stabbed.”

“Mm, yes. Nearly died, probably should’ve died. Didn’t expect to wake up in recovery. Huge shock to me.”

Ethan looked up from the wound and furrowed his brow. “You nearly died…”

“Not important, Ethan. Please, just leave it alone. Does it look infected or anything?”

“No. No, it doesn’t.” Ethan replied softly. “But, it probably should be covered…it seems to be rubbing against your shirt a little.”

Giles leaned his head back against the sofa and closed his eyes. “I should’ve stopped her.”

“Who?” Ethan asked, glancing back at the healing wound.

“Buffy. I should’ve stopped her when she kissed me. But I didn’t. I kissed her back…lying in the wet grass in the middle of a downpour. I kissed her…and then I took her inside and made love to her. Three times that night…once more in the morning.”

“There was never anything wrong with your stamina.” Ethan supplied with a small smile.

“No, still not.” Giles replied absently.

“So…what happened?”

“She was going to the shops to pick up something for…something. I don’t know…food, maybe? I got up, took a shower and then she called. She’d been gone about an hour. And she was saying she needed to go.”

“Fuck me.”

“Quite right.” Giles opened his eyes and turned his gaze to Ethan. “At least I didn’t tell her I love her.”

“Rupert…”

Giles gently shook his head and popped open the pill bottle. He tipped three pills into his hand and met Ethan’s eyes again. “Are you sure it’s safe for me to take these?”

“The only thing they’ll do is help with tomorrow’s hangover.” Ethan replied, concern showing clearly in his eyes. “Is there anything I can do?”

Giles shrugged his shoulder and sighed heavily. “I really don’t know, E.”

Ethan tilted his head slightly and smiled. “You haven’t called me that in well over twenty years.”

“Pillock has been used more often than not.” Giles replied with a chuckle.

“Pillock? I would’ve expected you to come up with something a bit more offensive than that.”

Giles smiled briefly. “Thank you for helping me tonight.”

Ethan nodded, noticing Giles’ eyes starting to droop. “Come on, let’s get you into bed, mate.”

Giles arched an eyebrow at him, causing Ethan to laugh.

“You’re less than five minutes from passing out, Rupert. Besides…we both know that’s not what either of us needs right now.”

Ethan helped him up and escorted him down the hall and into the guest room, pausing to gesture towards a door across the hallway. “Loo is there, yeah?”

Giles gave a thumbs up and then unceremoniously fell face first onto the bed. Ethan shook his head and laughed softly. He carefully rolled Giles over and removed his shoes and socks before pushing him towards the middle of the bed. He glanced at Giles’ abdomen and sighed before leaving the room.

Giles was snoring softly when Ethan came back in with some gauze and tape. He sat down on the edge of the bed and carefully covered the angry looking wound. Looking at the large scar on his side, he shook his head and gently traced the edges with his finger. He narrowed his eyes, wondering how many times he had nearly lost his life. He was currently looking at three scars that could have easily killed him. One of those, he was directly responsible for…

He glanced at Giles’ face as he lifted his hand and softly touched the scar in the middle of his chest. If it had been a silver letter opener, it would have killed him. If Buffy had stabbed him three inches to the right, she still would’ve killed him – a Fyral’s heart is not in the same location as a human heart.

Giles shifted slightly in his sleep, mumbling incoherently. Ethan placed his hand on Giles’ chest and whispered a soft goodnight before moving from the bed.

He glanced back at him one last time before turning off the light and pulling the door closed. With a heavy sigh, he made his way back into the living room, poured himself a drink, and sat down on the sofa.

“Bloody hell, Rupert. You’ve gotten yourself into a right mess this time, haven’t you?”

He shook his head sadly and took a sip of his drink.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sun was up when Giles opened his eyes. He slowly looked around the room, slightly confused as to where he was. He glanced down at his body and narrowed his eyes.

“And…why am I only wearing jeans?” He muttered to himself.

He sat up slowly, expecting a stabbing pain to hit in his head. But there was no stabbing pain, just a dull ache that he could easily deal with. He found his shoes and socks quickly and slipped them on before standing up.

He stretched and then winced at a loud crack that came from between his shoulder blades.

“Where the hell is my shirt?” He asked the empty room and then took a deep breath. “Hm…bacon…”

He slowly made his way towards what he could only assume to be the kitchen, since that’s where the aroma was emanating from. He arched an eyebrow when he found Ethan cooking scrambled eggs and bacon.

“Hello.”

Ethan smiled at him. “Ah, Rupert…good morning, mate. How are you feeling?”

“More than slightly confused at the moment.”

Ethan nodded slowly. “Don’t remember coming home with me, do you?”

“Oh, I remember that. I remember talking a little…” He paused for a moment and rubbed his chest. “I don’t remember why my shirt is missing or how I ended up in the bedroom.”

Ethan gestured towards the living room with the spatula. “Shirt is folded over the back of the sofa. I asked you to take it off so I could have a look at your stab wound.”

“I got stabbed again?” Giles asked, suddenly looking down at the bandage on his abdomen. “Oh…that stab wound.”

Ethan chuckled softly. “You can take a shower if you want while I finish off breakfast.”

Giles stared at Ethan. “Did we…”

Ethan barked out a laugh. “No. Decidedly not. I wouldn’t have even if you had wanted to.”

“Um…”

Ethan grinned and shook his head. “Not even a blowjob, I promise. We behaved ourselves quite well.”

Giles nodded slowly and slipped his shirt on, sighing as he did the buttons. “How much did I tell you about what happened?”

“A fair bit, I believe.” He replied quietly. “But, I highly doubt everything.”

Giles was quiet for a moment and then rubbed the back of his head. “And…now you’re making breakfast?”

“Eggs, bacon, toast…shitloads of butter.” He glanced at Giles and grinned. “Pretty sure that’s right, yeah?”

Giles nodded and opened the fridge. He exhaled softly and pulled out a carton of orange juice.

Ethan watched as Giles poured two glasses of juice and lifted one to his lips. “Are you okay, Rupert?”

Giles shook his head slowly. “I rather think I’m not. I also feel that you already knew the answer to that question.”

“Have you spoken to her? Since?”

“Briefly. I, uh…I’ve stopped taking her calls.”

Ethan turned to look at him, eyes widening at the statement. “You’re her Watcher.”

“Bond’s broken.” Giles whispered. “I’m no one’s Watcher any longer. Just Head of Council.”

“Rupert…”

Giles met his eyes, not bothering to hide the sadness in his. “Please, Ethan. I can’t talk about this right now. It…” He swallowed the lump in his throat and took another sip of juice. “I’m alright when the sun is out…when there’s no downpour.”

“And if there’s a downpour?”

Giles chuckled, but there was no humour in it. “You saw me last night.”

He paused and narrowed his eyes at Ethan. “Was there a blonde there last night?”

“Yep.” Ethan replied, pulling two plates down from the cupboard.

“She wanted to leave with you?”

Ethan laughed and shook his head, filling both plates with food. “No, mate. She was watching you. Even blind drunk, you can pull them in…always could.”

He carried the plates to the table and gestured towards the chair. “Sit down, eat…talk if you want.”

Giles stood there for a moment, just staring at Ethan. Ethan sat down and looked up at him expectantly.

“I just…wasn’t expecting any of this.”

“Sometimes…you don’t get what you expect, you get what you need.”

Giles nodded in agreement and sat down across from Ethan. “So…how have you been?”

Ethan grinned and stabbed his fork into his egg.

He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to convince him to eventually talk to Buffy, but he was fairly certain that he had been able to rekindle a friendship that he’d been missing for many years.

He’d work on the Buffy issue later.


~ End

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