Ficlet. S7 Giles M15+
Feb. 6th, 2006 03:27 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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lateseasonloveAuthor: Always_jbj
Title: The Hard Calls
Characters: Giles with references to Giles/Ethan
Rating M15+
Season 7 set in 'Lies my Parents Told Me'
Word count: 672
Disclaimer: I own nothing Joss owns all....
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lillianmorgan suggested I post some Gethan, but as my Gethan series is set in S2 and earlier I didn't have any... of course because I am supposed to be working on the next update for my Spuffy wip Duty Bound the muse decided that a S7 Gethan (of sorts) sounded like a fabulous idea!
This is just a short ficlet set within canon and is not a part of my "Days of Blood and Wine" series.
The hard calls.
It wasn’t that he’d never thought of him; never wondered about his fate. It was more that he hadn’t allowed himself to dwell on something that he could do nothing about. That didn’t mean he’d forgotten, or didn’t care, it simply meant that he accepted his limitations and learned to live with them. At least this is what he told himself in the depths of the night when he awoke drenched in sweat with visions of chiselled cheekbones and deep brown eyes filled with disbelief at the callous and unforseen betrayal.
That Ethan had expected some form of punishment for his latest ‘prank’ was without doubt. The anticipation of his almost-inevitable comeuppance most likely even sweetening the deal for the chaos mage; Ripper’s attention had always been a strong driving force behind Ethan’s actions and he had never much distinguished between the different forms that attention might take being equally pleased with Rupert’s fists pounding mercilessly into his flesh or the slow sensual slide of his cock coaxing Ethan's body tenderly towards pleasure.
Now the news that Buffy had been in contact with what remained of The Initiative made him pause to wonder just how much of his inaction had been caused by impotence and how much had been lethargy or even, if he was brutally honest, by the desire to remain unsullied as far as possible in the eyes of his slayer and her friends. His association with Ethan Rayne and the reckless hedonism of their youth was something he had gone to great pains to distance himself from over the years.
Since his arrival in Sunnydale he had earned the respect, and he liked to believe, the love of these young people, they had become his family and in many ways he had stepped into the role of father-figure in their lives. It was bad enough that the children knew something of his past, having seen brief glimpses of it due to Ethan’s semi-regular appearances in California, his ego, however, didn’t want their vague summations of his pre-Watcher days to become any more detailed that they currently were; his pride fuelling his reluctance to see the recrimination and disappointment in their eyes. It was simply too difficult to find a reason why he would want to track down and rescue the trouble-maker without going into his motivations. So he justified his lassitude by telling himself that it was impossible for him to find the former secret agency, no one he could contact in order to discover his former-lover’s fate.
It was easier, therefore, when Buffy told him what she’d done, how she’d made the decision to have Spike’s chip removed, to rail at her over the irresponsibility of her action than to allow himself to think about how easy it would be to locate Ethan and have the man released into his care. Never mind that a man of Ethan’s power could be of benefit to them in the upcoming battle, Ethan was treacherous, and unpredictable, just like the vampire that Buffy had placed far too much trust in. No, far better he at least remain strong in the face of foolish sentimentality. Ethan was as dangerous a loose canon as Spike.
With logic and reason behind him to balm his uneasy conscience he pushed all thoughts of the chaos mage from his mind as he made his way towards the cemetery with his Slayer by his side. Buffy was a good slayer, one of the best in recorded history and certainly, in his opinion, the most remarkable, but she too often allowed her heart to colour her judgement. It was his place as her Watcher, and surrogate father to help her, to try and counsel her—and when that failed, to make the decisions she wasn’t strong enough to make. She was a good leader and he didn’t doubt that in time she would learn, like he had, that sometimes you needed to make the hard calls; until that day he would do what she found herself unable to.
Title: The Hard Calls
Characters: Giles with references to Giles/Ethan
Rating M15+
Season 7 set in 'Lies my Parents Told Me'
Word count: 672
Disclaimer: I own nothing Joss owns all....
lillianmorgan suggested I post some Gethan, but as my Gethan series is set in S2 and earlier I didn't have any... of course because I am supposed to be working on the next update for my Spuffy wip Duty Bound the muse decided that a S7 Gethan (of sorts) sounded like a fabulous idea! This is just a short ficlet set within canon and is not a part of my "Days of Blood and Wine" series.
The hard calls.
It wasn’t that he’d never thought of him; never wondered about his fate. It was more that he hadn’t allowed himself to dwell on something that he could do nothing about. That didn’t mean he’d forgotten, or didn’t care, it simply meant that he accepted his limitations and learned to live with them. At least this is what he told himself in the depths of the night when he awoke drenched in sweat with visions of chiselled cheekbones and deep brown eyes filled with disbelief at the callous and unforseen betrayal.
That Ethan had expected some form of punishment for his latest ‘prank’ was without doubt. The anticipation of his almost-inevitable comeuppance most likely even sweetening the deal for the chaos mage; Ripper’s attention had always been a strong driving force behind Ethan’s actions and he had never much distinguished between the different forms that attention might take being equally pleased with Rupert’s fists pounding mercilessly into his flesh or the slow sensual slide of his cock coaxing Ethan's body tenderly towards pleasure.
Now the news that Buffy had been in contact with what remained of The Initiative made him pause to wonder just how much of his inaction had been caused by impotence and how much had been lethargy or even, if he was brutally honest, by the desire to remain unsullied as far as possible in the eyes of his slayer and her friends. His association with Ethan Rayne and the reckless hedonism of their youth was something he had gone to great pains to distance himself from over the years.
Since his arrival in Sunnydale he had earned the respect, and he liked to believe, the love of these young people, they had become his family and in many ways he had stepped into the role of father-figure in their lives. It was bad enough that the children knew something of his past, having seen brief glimpses of it due to Ethan’s semi-regular appearances in California, his ego, however, didn’t want their vague summations of his pre-Watcher days to become any more detailed that they currently were; his pride fuelling his reluctance to see the recrimination and disappointment in their eyes. It was simply too difficult to find a reason why he would want to track down and rescue the trouble-maker without going into his motivations. So he justified his lassitude by telling himself that it was impossible for him to find the former secret agency, no one he could contact in order to discover his former-lover’s fate.
It was easier, therefore, when Buffy told him what she’d done, how she’d made the decision to have Spike’s chip removed, to rail at her over the irresponsibility of her action than to allow himself to think about how easy it would be to locate Ethan and have the man released into his care. Never mind that a man of Ethan’s power could be of benefit to them in the upcoming battle, Ethan was treacherous, and unpredictable, just like the vampire that Buffy had placed far too much trust in. No, far better he at least remain strong in the face of foolish sentimentality. Ethan was as dangerous a loose canon as Spike.
With logic and reason behind him to balm his uneasy conscience he pushed all thoughts of the chaos mage from his mind as he made his way towards the cemetery with his Slayer by his side. Buffy was a good slayer, one of the best in recorded history and certainly, in his opinion, the most remarkable, but she too often allowed her heart to colour her judgement. It was his place as her Watcher, and surrogate father to help her, to try and counsel her—and when that failed, to make the decisions she wasn’t strong enough to make. She was a good leader and he didn’t doubt that in time she would learn, like he had, that sometimes you needed to make the hard calls; until that day he would do what she found herself unable to.
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 05:35 am (UTC)Oh no, poor deluded Giles, eh?
With logic and reason behind him to balm his uneasy conscience
Hmmm...
It was easier, therefore, when Buffy told him what she’d done, how she’d made the decision to have Spike’s chip removed, to rail at her over the irresponsibility of her action that to allow himself to think bout how easy it would be to locate Ethan and have the man released into his care.
Wow, I love how you took something from canon and manipulated it to work so very, very well for you and make it totally plausible. No wonder he was in such a snit. Superb stuff.
Thanks for sharing :)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 05:42 am (UTC)demandswishes.no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 08:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 11:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 10:45 am (UTC)Very nice parallel between Buffy and Giles here. But IMO Giles is wrong Never mind that a man of Ethan’s power could be of benefit to them in the upcoming battle, Ethan was treacherous, and unpredictable, just like the vampire that Buffy had placed far too much trust in.
Spike is trustworthy. Ethan is not. Spike isn't Buffy's Ethan. But still...poor Ethan.
He must have escaped the Initiative by himself, he had to...
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 11:07 am (UTC)*cries* Both Spike AND Ethan can be trusted *kicks Giles* Ok... so I have a soft spot for Ethan and think he is much maligned!
If you would like to read more of my Gethan fics my "Days of Blood and Wine" series can be found HERE (http://www.bringonthebloodshed.com/axisoflove/Joss_100/joss100prompts.html)
Also Giles and Ethan are the month's characters at my my community
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 11:13 am (UTC)I love Ethan to bits, but I don't think he's a romantic character like Spike. Of course he has his own limits he won't cross...
PS: Yes of course Spuffy is my first OTP. Have you read Eurydice72's last fic?
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 11:31 am (UTC)No I haven't read Eurydice's fic, unfortunately between children, running a community, writing and betaing I don't get as much time to read as I would like.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 11:36 am (UTC)As for Eurydice's last fic, you should give it a try, because Ethan is in it, and she wrote him so well that I felt almost challenged in my Spuffy certitude (it's an AU fic and Spuffy but...)!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 11:39 am (UTC)I'll definitely add the fic to my MUST READ list then!! Thanks!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 11:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 01:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-07 07:16 am (UTC)Yes, Quentin really would have been proud, wouldn't he!? NOT one of Giles' finer moments!
I *heart* Ethan!!