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When Rupert Giles awoke, it took a minute for him to realize where he was. He looked around recognizing Deirdre's apartment. More precisely he was on Deirdre's couch. His back ached from folding his body to fit the small couch. He sat and stretched gingerly, trying to identify what had awakened him. After a moment he realized that Deirdre seemed to be singing in the shower. Giles smiled, she had a truly wretched voice, but it was such an innocent thing to do.

He went into her tiny kitchenette and pulled out the makings of a simple breakfast. She had eggs and not much else in her refrigerator, so he made scrambled eggs and toast. Together with some orange juice that would make a meal. Just as he was putting the plates on her table, she reappeared from the direction of the bedroom.

When she saw the breakfast on the table her face broke into an almost blinding smile. Her eyes were bright like it was an effort not to cry. "Thank you so much. You know I've lived here for a year, and there have been a lot of men that spent the night in my apartment. None of them ever cooked for me."

"It was the least I could do. Here, sit. You date the wrong kind of men." He hadn't meant to let that last bit slip. He had watched her last night. Despite all the years they had spent apart, he saw her like a sister. The men she had danced and flirted with were not deserving of her. They were plain and vulgar. They had neither the class nor the intelligence to be worthy of his Deirdre. But it was her life.

"I date the ones that will have me. Now tell, me what kind do you date?" Her tone started out a little harsh, but became light as she questioned him.

Rupert laughed, "What kind of men? I usually don't. I've had my share of lovers, but at this point they've all been women, usually nice but not overly bright women."

"Oh really, I could have sworn from the looks you were giving Ethan Rayne last night, that you were interested." When Rupert had first arrived in London, Deirdre had thought that perhaps they would become lovers. Now she knew better. She had noticed him watching Ethan the night before, and had realized then that she didn't mind. Rupert was like a brother to her. She loved him, but she couldn't imagine taking him as a lover.

A playful note injected itself into his voice as well, "Recall, that I said 'at this point.' I never said I wasn't interested."

"Well, if he's the kind of you\you're interested in, I'd say you have no call to complain about the ones that I date." Her tone was a bit disapproving. "The man cares only about himself, and he's an arrogant bastard at that. I don't know why poor Phillip puts up with him."

"Remember, Deirdre, dear, I don't know him as well as you do. Maybe my mind will be changed when I know him better. Still, I dare say that he has attributes that make Phillip quite willing to put up with most anything. I'm meeting the two of them this afternoon." Rupert purposefully kept his voice light. "At your shop as a matter of fact."

"And what are you doing with the rest of your day?" Deirdre's tone sounded almost maternal.

"I thought I'd go shopping. I need some new clothes if I'm to be a singer. And speaking of singing, if I'm going to be in a band, I really need to get a decent guitar as well."

"I don't have to be to work until two. I could go with you. We could get you some clothes and then I could show you the shop. There's a real music store just down the street, you could go there, while I'm working." Now her voice was almost pleading. Deirdre loved to shop, and finding Rupert clothes to fit his new lifestyle would be fun.

Hours later, Rupert wondered why he had agreed to this shopping trip. He had more clothes than he knew what to do . As. As a matter of fact he was doubtful that they would fit in Deirdre's small apartment. And you could add to that the clothes that Deirdre had convinced him to buy for her. That had actually been a pleasure. He wanted to do something for her, and he did have money, if not much else. The largest annoyance was actually the earring that she had talked him into getting. Deirdre had sworn to him that it wasn't painful, either she had lied or he was less tolerant to pain than he had thought, because his ear still throbbed. He had to admit it looked good though. They put away their purchases and Rupert changed clothes. He really was wearing much the same outfit as he had the day before. Blue jeans and plain white t-shirt, but now he had a leather jacket to go with it. The jacket made all the difference in the world. Or at least that's what Deirdre had told him.

They headed off to the record store that Deirdre worked at. They got there a few mes ees early and she chatted with the clerk who was on duty before her. Rupert browsed through their records. They really did have a good mix. He would have to buy some things. After a few minutes of looking he left to go to the music store that Deirdre had told him about. For half an hour, he just browsed the store. He picked up some basic things that he knew he would need. Finally, a clerk came over to talk with him. The man seemed a bit disdainful at first, but Rupert knew how to fix that. He gave the man a price range, a very high price range. The clerk quickly became very helpful. An hour later, Rupert left the store with a beautiful new acoustic guitar. They were holding an electric for him; he would come back for it tomorrow. He had also managed to get several leads on where he should go to try and find a band. One of those places was a local club that allowed its clientele to perform once a week, a very prominent local club. It just so happened that tonight was the day. He'd be there. No point in putting it off. He walked the short distance back to the record store and waited for Ethan Rayne to arrive.

A short time later the man breezed into the store, Phillip following behind. Ethan’s energy was running high today, the air around him fairly crackled with it. Rupert reached out with his own power allowing the two to intermingle. They reacted sending sparks of power through the room that even those with a nose for magic could feel. Deirdre shivered as one slid by her. Ethan and Giles displayed wry smiles. Phillip looked about to scream at the injustice of it all.

Ethan laughed, "Ready Rupert. This should be a fun ride at the least." He asked.

"Let's go, I've got someplace to be at 10, so we'll have to have this wrapped up by then. I'll be in late tonight Deirdre." He kept the magic out of his voice. It came out crisp and cool, and just slightly harsher than normal. He realized that the change was very much like the shift in Ethan's voice last night.

"I'll be home late myself, got a date. So I guess, I'll see you in the morning." Deirdre responded.

A short while later Rupert, Ethan and Phillip were in a rather large room. Ethan's apartment was good sized. He had a room that he had dedicated to magic. "So, what should we try? Something simple, harmless, I think." Ethan spoke using his normal voice, no magic touch to it at all, but also without the harsh edges that it held in everyday life.

Rupert had never cast before, but he knew the mechanics of it. He searched his mind for something to do. Finally it came to him. He wanted rain, more really, a storm. Something that he could pour his pain and anger into, something cleansing. "Rain, I want rain. Thunder, lightning, the whole bloody bit."

Ethan's eyes glittered with excitement. This was the kind of magic he liked, it was wild. It meshed well with his own power. They could do this. He knew there was a spell, he and Phillip had toyed with it once, but without any power of his own, Phillip wasn't enough to make it work. He would know the spell though. He would remember the words, the ritual. "Phillip we tried a storm once, what was that spell."

Phillip's face darkened. They had tried a spell. It hadn't worked. He could feel the power that these two men had, it would work this time, but they wouldn't need him, not really. Eventually he would become superfluous, they would shut him out completely, as one or the other of them learned the craft of casting. Oh, well he would enjoy this while it lasted, bask in their power, and perhaps they wouldn't forget him completely. "It's not a difficult spell to cast, but it does require a great deal of energy..." Phillip prepared the room and walked them both through the necessary steps for the spell. The preparation took more than an hour. It was near six by the time they were ready to start. The spell was cast smoothly, Ethan's magic clashed and reacted with Rupert's, but they still worked together. They didn't mix but both contributed to the spell. The wild nature of Ethan's magic making the storm self-sustaining and the emotion in Rupert's making it harsh and angry. When they were finished they walked outside to see what they had wrought.

The sky had darkened to a deep charcoal grey and the rain was pouring down. They were soaked to the skin in a matter of moments. Lightning broke across the sky in violent streaks almost constantly. The thunder rolled and crashed. And through it all their power rose. They could feel it surrounding them. Rupert was enveloped by his own power and that of Ethan Rayne. Phillip had hung back close to the building, sheltered. He could feel the power, but he couldn't seem to touch it, to grab hold of it. Ethan and Rupert had moved on down the street, oblivious to his absence. He watched as Ethan grabbed Rupert and kissed him hard. He watched and allowed his first silent tears to fall. He was going to lose this power and Ethan as well.