The London Sonnets

Spoilers: Anything through Buffy S4 is fair game.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Property of Joss and ME. Just playing.
Summary: Trouble Sunnydale style.
A/N: Follows Sometime Too Hot the Eye of Heaven Shines. The title is taken from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 88. Yet again, if it weren’t for Savvy keeping me on task this might not have gotten done. I think smut and interactions come far easier than fight scenes for me to write. For previous installments of the Menageaverse, please visit our website at www.responsibleadults.sadbhyl.riverworld.net.


Giles returned to the table because there really wasn’t any other option. Even he knew better than to chase after Joyce right now.

“I think I’ll take that as my cue to leave,” Cassandra said as she approached. “I didn’t mean to cause you any trouble, Rupert.”

“Cass, you don’t need to—”

“It’s the right thing to do. And it’s getting late as it is. Not all of us are on holiday,” she added lightly.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. These things happen,” she put a hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

“It was good seeing you again,” Giles said genuinely.

“Same here. Take care of yourself,” Cassandra smiled. “And, Ethan, it was a pleasure.”

Ethan waved with a faint smile.

When Cassandra was gone, and Giles had sat down, Ethan spoke at last. “Things went well with the lady, I see.”

“What’s wrong with Joyce, Ethan?” Giles was at a loss.

“What’s wrong with her? Oh, Ripper, your powers of observation fall short yet again,” Ethan tsked. Giles glared at him. “Fine. If you’re too thick to figure it out, our girl felt a bit threatened tonight.”

“Threatened? By whom?”

“Jealous,” Ethan clarified. “Your watcher friend was encroaching upon Joyce’s territory, and she did not like it one bit. Can’t say I cared for it much myself.”

“She had nothing to be jealous of!” Giles said in exasperation.

“Didn’t she?”

“Are you both daft tonight? Of course not!” Giles studied Ethan closely and the answer dawned on him. “It bothered you, didn’t it? Joyce’s reaction.”

Ethan shrugged.

“It did!”

“You seem surprised.”

“Well, yeah, I am.”

“You’re an idiot, mate. Why wouldn’t it bother me that she cares more for who you share your company with than who I do?”

“Cares more for—You really have gone crazy, haven’t you?”

“Like you haven’t thought about it. Tell me it didn’t bother you when she was out dancing with me. Or that it doesn’t sometimes make you jealous when I’m with her and you aren’t.”

Giles considered Ethan’s words carefully, letting them sink in. Sometimes he really hated Ethan’s keen sense of observation and perception. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t,” he conceded finally. “And I’ll tell you this, there are times, Ethan, when I’m not quite sure which one of you I’m more jealous of.”

Ethan’s drink stopped midway to his mouth and he set it back down, eyes narrowing. Then he laughed, “Good show, Ripper, you had me going there for a second.”

“I wasn’t joking,” he said firmly, not surprised Ethan didn’t believe him. Might be better if he didn’t.

“You weren’t, were you.” Ethan said soberly, giving Giles an indication of how much the words had affected him.

“I don’t think I realized that until today. I’m on this trip with Joyce, but I resented her being here when she came back this afternoon. You know I actually enjoyed being with just you for a change. And I think Joyce picked up on that. Maybe that’s why she’s been acting like she has tonight.”

“I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink, Rupert.”

“You started this topic of conversation.”

“Actually, Joyce started it but—” Ethan’s face fell. “Where is Joyce?”

Giles snapped to attention. “She should have been back by now.”

“She went out back, right?”

“Right.”

They were both on their feet and pushing through the crowd toward the back exit.

“I’d like to think you really pissed her off, Rupert, but—” Ethan ran into Giles, shoving him hard against the door.

“It won’t budge,” Giles explained, winded.

“Did you try pulling the door open?”

“It’s a push door, I’m not an idiot.”

They heard a scream. Looking at each other, “Joyce!”

“Move,” Ethan brushed past him. Closing his eyes, he raised a hand to the door. A moment later the door exploded outward.

Giles emerged in the alley behind Ethan to find Joyce backing away from a lumbering demon. Sensing them, the demon turned its ram-horned head and growled gutturally. Giles had enough time to register the relief on Joyce’s face before the creature charged at him and Ethan.

Giles dove and grabbed for the nearby door bar he had spied as the creature lunged at him. Standing, he brandished the metal as a makeshift weapon, getting between the creature and Joyce.

“Would you bloody do something about this, Ethan!” he screamed, thwacking the demon alongside its head. The angry roar told him that probably wasn’t the smartest move.

“Joyce, are you alright?” he heard Ethan ask behind him.

“I think so,” she replied uncertain. “What is that thing?”

“Fyarl,” Ethan said simply.

Giles groaned. Of course it would be a Fyarl. “Is this your idea of a joke, Ethan?”

“Yes, I like to sick Fyarls on all of my lovers,” the man replied dryly. “You have to admit it is quite amusing. Do you feel like you’re looking in a mirror, Ripper?”

“Ha bloody ha. Would you shut up and do something?” Giles shouted, ducking a sweeping blow from the Fyarl.

“Joyce, my dear, you wouldn’t happen to have a bit of silver on you by any chance?” Ethan asked.

Giles heard a snap that fortunately had nothing to do with the blow he had taken on his right side. “Will this do?” he heard Joyce say.

“It’ll have to.”

He turned to see what was going on and was nearly knocked down by the demon. Probably a good idea to keep an eye on the task at hand. He’d find out soon enough what his companions were up to.

Silence from all but the Fyarl who was now raging in some gravelly language at having Giles elude it’s grasp yet again. Then Joyce cried out, “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Trying to save our asses,” Ethan said. “Now if Rupert would be so kind as to move out of the way.”

Obliging, Giles hit the demon once more and twisted out of the way. He heard something whiz through the air near his head and looked up to find a very stunned Fyarl with a silver barrette buried in its eye. Giles backed up to join Ethan and Joyce as they waited, and waited. Finally the Fyarl grabbed at the offending object and let out a scream of rage.

“I thought silver worked instantly,” Giles said watching the demon thrash about as it tried to remove the barrette.

“Could be it’s not pure silver,” Ethan offered.

“For what I paid, it is most definitely pure silver,” Joyce interjected, wincing as the creature roared again.

“Well, my dear,” Ethan grinned, “it appears you were mistaken.”

Joyce turned on him, “I’ll have you know that—”

“We can discuss the finer points of silver knowledge later,” Giles interrupted, “but we have more important matters to attend to at the moment.”

The important matter decided that this was the prime opportunity to charge. But in mid stride it suddenly dissolved. One minute the Fyarl was there, and in the next it was nothing more than a puddle of green goo on the ground.

They all exchanged stunned looks.

“They don’t normally do that, do they?” Ethan said, walking tentatively forward.

“Usually they just fall over dead on the spot, leaving a corpse behind,” Giles said thoughtfully.

Ethan bent down and studied the green puddle. He looked up with a frown. “Ectoplasm.”

Giles went in for a closer look. “Fascinating,” he said, poking at it with the bar.

“Would on of you mind telling me what the hell is going on?” Joyce said, her voice heavy with annoyance.

“It seems someone was trying to send us a message,” Ethan explained. Catching Giles questioning look, “And I know what you’re going to ask, but no, while I have many enemies, this isn’t quite up to their standards. Impressive but . . . well, lacking.”

“So if it wasn’t a demon, what was it?” Joyce asked, peering down at the puddle.

“An illusion,” Giles stated simply.

“That can fight back?” she looked at him like he was crazy. “It seemed fairly real to me.”

“Oh, it was very real, just not really a Fyarl,” he explained.

She shook her head and looked to Ethan for a better explanation.

“Basically, the ectoplasm gives the illusion substance, makes it more real,” Ethan answered. “I’m sure Rupert could give you the detailed metaphysics of it all, but that’s the basic gist of it.”

“And the power to conjure an apparition like this . . .” Giles trailed off in thought. “I think it’s best we get out of here.”

“The sooner the better,” Joyce said, voice heavy with meaning, as she leaned down to pick up her barrette. Pausing, “Is it alright to touch this?”

They both nodded.

“It’s harmless now,” Ethan said. “The energy’s gone.”

After Joyce retrieved her etteette, they turned and headed out of the alley. Giles looked back one more time at the puddle, not liking the unsettling feeling it gave him. So much for an uneventful vacation.