No Place Like Home, chapter 14

[maryperk73703]

Ethan gets caught.

Chapter 14

"I can't believe they're ignoring me," Dawn grumbled. She looked into the mirror. She hated being thirteen again. Her grades were better than ever, but that was no consolation prize to her.

"Maybe if you weren't acting like a little snot, you'd be in the know."

Dawn whirled around to find a short, badly dressed man in a fedora lounging in the bedroom doorway. "Who the heck are you, and what are you doing in my house?"

"Whistler's the name, doll." The balance demon tipped his hat to the former key. "The reason you're here now, in this time and place, is because somewhere in another dimension Dark Willow unmade the Key. The balance has been thrown off."

Dawn felt slightly sick. She remembered Willow's threats while under the influence of the dark magicks. "What does that have to do with me?" Dawn asked with curiosity.

"Nothing really, other than you're no longer the Key." Whistler grinned. "You're all normal girl now, but just as Anyanka is appearing in all the dimensions so are you.

"Huh?" Dawn looked confused. <I>What was all this dimension stuff Whistler kept talking about?</I>

"All the Keyness is being funneled into one girl," Whistler replied. "However, if you go to the Immortal Guardians of this dimension you'll have a new destiny."

"Immortal Guardians?" Dawn raised one eyebrow. "Who the heck are they?"

"Why, Spike and Buffy of course." Whistler faded out of sight.

"Okay!" Dawn muttered to herself. "That's the weirdest conversation I've had in ages."

"Dawn, I need to run down to the gallery," Joyce called out from the hallway. "You want to go along? I'm meeting Spike and Buffy later."

Hmmm, might as well get to the bottom of this right now.

"Maybe we'll go out for dinner afterwards," Joyce continued.

"Sure, Mom," Dawn answered. She took a quick look in the mirror before she went to join Joyce.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cordelia stopped outside of Giles' apartment to rub her head again. She wished the medication she had taken at her parents' house would kick in soon. She gave a quiet knock on the door. Within seconds the door was opened by Spike.

"Angel's been kidnapped," Cordelia blurted out as a greeting. She wasn't surprised to see Spike at all. After the ranting she had been subjected to on the drive to Sunnydale by the dark-haired vampire, she knew that the bleached blond vampire was in residence. "What's Room 314?"

"How'd you know about that?" Spike asked as he ushered Cordelia inside.

"Exploding headache, followed by visions, and followed by a worse headache," Cordelia muttered. She put her hand over her eyes when she stepped inside the apartment. "Lights are too bright."

"Dim them, Giles. Spike, help Cordy to the couch," Buffy ordered. "I'll get an ice pack." She went to the kitchen.

"Come on, cheerleader. We better do what General Buffy says." Spike took Cordelia's arm as Giles rushed to lower the lights.

"I heard that!" Buffy's voice came from the other room.

"How come you're not trying to eat me?" Cordelia stared at the vampire who was trying to mother her.

"You're a right fine bird." Spike flashed a leering smile. "However, I'm a one woman man."

Buffy stepped out of the kitchen with a baggie full of ice. "How come she gets to be a bird, and I'm a bitchy bint?"

"She keeps her fists to herself." Spike smirked at Buffy.

Buffy snorted. "I always knew all that hitting was like second base with you." She walked over to Cordelia, and she handed the other woman the ice bag.

"Instead of flirting, we need to rescue Angel," Cordelia snarled. Sadly, it came out weak and ineffectual.

"Don't worry about the poofter. He'll just end up with a chip in his head." Spike touched the back of his own skull. "As long as he stays away from hurtin' pulsers he'll be fine for a few years."

"We're not equipped to mount a full out assault on the Initiative," Giles replied. "We need to get reinforcements."

Buffy handed Cordelia a pillow, and she helped the dark-haired woman to get comfortable. "Too bad we didn't have something on Ethan that'd make him help us. At this point, I'm not above blackmail and intimidation."

"Perhaps meeting up with him will make your powers work with him," Giles suggested despite the fact that Buffy had said humans hadn't been affected by said powers before this point in time. He had been wondering if a human's contact with the supernatural world, or bending of magical forces would affect their 'human' status according to Buffy's new abilities.

"It's worth a try, I guess." Buffy shrugged. "If that doesn't work, we'll have to try the fear of Spike method."

"Well, that's settled then," Giles replied.

"Ethan stayed over at the Motor Inn last time." Buffy glanced at Spike. "We'll check in there on the way home."

"What about me?" Cordelia kept her eyes closed as she willed her headache to go away.

"Take her to our house, Giles," Buffy said to the older man. "The guest room is done. She can stay with us."

"She can?" Spike didn't think that the two women were even friendly. He had never gotten that impression from their former life.

"I don't know," Cordelia sighed weakly. "Dennis might be lonely."

"Dennis?"

"My ghost roommate."

Buffy chuckled. "Okay, that's a new one. I don't remember that ever being mentioned. Wesley can drop by and leave a message if you like?"

"Sure, whatever." Cordelia waved her arm in the air. The movement made her head hurt enough that she didn't really care at that moment.

"Okay, we're off then," Buffy replied. She waved Spike towards the door. "We'll check on Ethan. See you back at our house, Cordy. You too, Giles."

Spike gave Giles a nod before he opened the door for the Slayer. "Might get the real seer to help the Cheerleader, Watcher."

"Seer?" Giles had a puzzled look on his face.

"Serina." Spike swaggered out, pleased that he had confused his fellow Brit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan Rayne was startled by a knock at his hotel room door. Nobody knew he was in Sunnydale. This made him wonder exactly who was on the other side of the wooden barrier.

Another knock echoed through the room.

"Who's there?" Ethan called out.

"Pizza delivery," a bland male voice answered.

"You have the wrong room," Ethan replied.

"Ethan Rayne, Room 113?" The voice sounded exasperated now. "Paid for in full. Come on, man, I have three more deliveries to make."

Ethan's eyebrow lifted. Pizza wasn't his favorite, but he wasn't one to pass up free food. He went to answer the door. Immediately upon opening said entrance, Ethan found himself slammed against the frame.

"Hello, Ethan!" the petite blond girl said with a perky growl.

Ethan struggled to speak despite the firm grip on his larynx. "Slayer, fancy meeting you here." He ended with a gurgle as the hand tightened.

"You're in <I>my</I> town again, Ethan," Buffy snarled. She gave the chaos mage a toothy grin. "I really don't like having to deal with you, but I'll give you one chance to so some good before you blow outta town and never come back."

"Pet, he's turnin' blue," Spike chuckled. "She's been overly excited since the whole Immortal Guardian thing happened." He addressed Ethan casually.

The chaos lord's eyes widened. Immortal Guardians were a legend at best. They were a tale to scare the demonic and magical worlds into playing nice.

"We have to rescue Angel from the Initiative, and you ARE helping." Buffy glared at Ethan. "It's time you used your powers for good instead of evil."

"What if I don't want to?" Ethan whined in a petulant tone. Everyone knew being evil was so much more fun and rewarding than being a white hat.

"I'll take Spike up on his footnote in history offer."

"W-what about letting me leave t-town?" Ethan stammered. His eyes darted to Spike's smirking visage. He had heard through the grapevine that William the Bloody was in Sunnydale, but he never expected the infamous Slayer of Slayers to be working with one.

"I'm a woman. I'm permitted to change my mind at a moment's notice with absolutely no warning." Buffy gave Ethan a feral grin. "So, what's your choice? Fight the good fight or footnote?"

"Fight," Ethan croaked. Maybe he could still get some revenge on Ripper. He couldn't do that as a footnote.

"Awesome!" Buffy grinned brightly. "I knew we would put those chains in the basement to good use."

"Thought we already did, pet." Spike smirked at Buffy.

Ethan grimaced to himself. He hoped the two blonds kept their sexual antics far away from him. He hadn't looked at sex the same since his Aunt Muriel had tried to join him and one of her friends for a night of life-altering bedroom antics when he was a young man.

"Grab his stuff, Spike," Buffy ordered.

Ethan watched in dismay as the bleached blond vampire grabbed his valise and started to toss his belonging inside. He wanted to protest the ill treatment of his things, but he didn't want to brass off the small blond powerhouse attached to his throat.

"Done!" Spike tossed the bag at Ethan. "Let's go, Slayer. Your mum and the Bit are probably waiting for us already."

"Oh great. The hormone bomb awaits." Buffy rolled her eyes. She released Ethan, and she gave him a push towards his overnight bag. "Let's get a move on, Ethan. I'm sure Giles will be thrilled to see you."

Ethan grunted as he picked up his bag.  God, white hats were way too cheerful.  He covertly glanced at the vampire, thinking he could turn the creature against the Slayer. However he saw the besotted look on Spike's face as he gazed at Buffy.  Nope guess not. A vampire in love with a Slayer. It's rather poetic in a maudlin sort of way.

 

Comments

No Place Like Home, chapter 14

[cordykitten]

Clever, to make your enemies do the work for you :)
So if Ethan isn't going to betray them he'll the work for them and they have time for other things... like Dawn's new destiny. Looking forward to find out what it will be.

Re: No Place Like Home, chapter 14

[maryperk73703.livejournal.com]

Well, Dawn's thing is that all the Key power is going into Dee from The Dimension Adventures, leaving all the other Dawn's just a girl.

Re: No Place Like Home, chapter 14

[cordykitten]

"However, if you go to the Immortal Guardians of this dimension you'll have a new destiny." I was just guessing because Whistler said so.

Re: No Place Like Home, chapter 14

[maryperk73703.livejournal.com]

Well she's gonna be a companion to the IG rather than the Key. (Yet another chapter I wrote before the big paxil snoozeathon)

[lil-leti.livejournal.com]

okay, it took me a little while to actually sit down. I am so happy to see you continue your stories. And as always, Dawn always felt left out at some point. But that is really what happens to the younger sibling. But what a way for Ethan to be found and "given" (HA) the opportunity to help out. Awesome chapter.

[maryperk73703.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was out of it for awhile, but I'm back now trying to get back in the swing of things. Glad you liked the chappy.