When You Are Tired of London
Part Ten: The Parlor Scene, continued
“Reveal!” incanted Willow. There was a flash of light, and suddenly Ethan Rayne was standing there amid them, looking a bit confused.
“Hello, Ripper,” he said, quickly regaining his balance. Buffy clocked him. Mostly on principle.
“Ethan!” exclaimed Giles.
“When I heard about the store, I knew. Ethan’s just the sort of bad guy who’d keep the same M.O. after he’s been busted. The shop was closed, but I found these.”
Buffy dangled the dog tags.
“It’s my guess Ethan walked out of his U.S. army prison disguised as a soldier,” she said. “Isn’t that right?”
“It’s called a glamour, Buffy. It’s not just a game of dress up.”
“Bite me,” said Buffy, who then returned her attention to the group. “In addition to being the sort of idiot who always waits around to get caught, Ethan’s the sort of guy who keeps souvenirs.”
“Right. So you got me,” said Ethan. “Bully for you.”
“My guess,” said Xander, “is that when Caterina set out to fulfill Elizabeth’s wish, Ethan here stepped in to help up the ante.”
“Well, you have to admit it almost worked,” said Ethan. “Caterina was about to curse James there with a nasty growing curse or something, but I interceded. Figured I’d have a bit of fun at Ripper’s expense. Almost trapped James in that dreadfully boring life of Rupert’s, while Rupert was supposed to be tempted by the cheap allure of easy women and booze. Would have worked, too, if it hadn’t been for… Oh, God. I’m starting to sound like you people.”
“ What was the mask for?” asked Willow.
“It manifested his worse fears,” said Ethan.
“Wait,” said Giles, turning to James. “Your worst fear is being shouted at by a cartoon ghost?”
“Well it’s scarier than it sounds!” said James.
“It won’t matter,” said Caterina. “The spell holds and as soon as you separate, you’ll be unable to undo it.”
“I’ll smash your power center,” said Buffy.
Caterina looked defeated. She sighed, and asked for her necklace back, so she could undo the spell. With a snap of her fingers, everyone’s perceptions returned to normal, and she and Ethan were gone.
“Well, that solves that problem,” said Buffy. No one looked convinced. James and Giles particularly gaped at one another, unsure of what to say.
“Do you understand any of this?” whispered Gary to Terry.
“Not a word,” said Terry casually, and then, with a jovial smile, he addressed the room.
“So,” he said, “who’s up for a drink?”