Ficlet: Secrets (BtVS: Giles) Title: Secrets Author:scratchingpost1 Rating: FRT (nothing you wouldn’t see on the show) fic_variations Prompt/Claim: Hallowe'en and Carnival / Giles from BtVS Spoilers: none Warnings: character death, but not a main character Word count: 777 Author's Notes: This takes place sometime after season seven. Thanks to aaronlisa for the beta.
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He didn’t know why he’d let them drag him along. This was no place for a man his age.
He sighed. Yes, he did know the reason he was here. He couldn’t very well explain to them why he didn’t want to go to a carnival on Halloween. They wouldn’t understand.
“Come on, Giles,” Dawn said as she grabbed his arm. “This is the best part.”
He looked to where she pointed and groaned. “A haunted house?” He watched as the others took their place in line.
“You don’t want me to share a car with some stranger do you?” Dawn asked. “Who knows what kind of creep might be lurking around just waiting for a chance.”
“What kind indeed?” he whispered as he followed her to the ride’s entrance.
They watched as Buffy and Willow climbed into the first car, then Xander and Faith sat in the second car.
Giles was poised to escape, but Dawn grabbed his arm and pushed him into the car.
It wasn’t as horrible as he’d imagined. The ride was more aimed at children than adults. He smiled as he heard the others laughing and making jokes up ahead. Dawn made the occasional comment on how lame the ride was. Though he knew she had known it would be.
Giles actually began to relax. The ride would be over soon, and they could all go home. “This isn’t nearly as traumatic as I’d imagined. It’s almost fun, really.”
“I told you —” Dawn stopped as they were plunged into darkness. “Is this part of the ride?”
The cars jerked to a halt. “I doubt it.”
He heard movement up ahead. Buffy and Faith had jumped out of their cars to investigate.
“Giles ” Dawn shouted. “I can’t get out.” She rattled the bar that had them locked into their seats. “It won’t move ”
Giles grabbed the bar and yanked it up and away. He sat still a moment. When Dawn didn’t question him, he scooped her into his arms. She clung to him as he carried her to the car ahead of them. “Xander?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m leaving Dawn with you until I find out what happened. Keep her safe.”
As Giles put Dawn down, she clung to him tighter. “No. You can’t leave us here. We need to stick together.”
“Yeah,” Xander agreed. “This has ‘trap’ written all over it.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m here.”
Xander jumped at the sound of the voice. “Will, don’t sneak up on us like that.”
A soft light appeared in Willow’s upturned hand. “We’ll be fine, Giles. You go find Buffy and Faith and get the power back on. I’ll stay here with Dawn and Xander.”
Giles could hear Buffy and Faith in the distance as he walked alone in the dark. They seemed to think a demon had laid a trap for them. Giles knew better. This was the work of someone else, someone he knew all too well.
He walked straight to the man watching from the darkest shadows. “Ethan,” he said with a sneer.
“Hello, Ripper.”
“Enjoying the show?” Giles asked.
“Not as much as I could be.” Giles heard Ethan shuffle his feet. “I set it all up for you. The dark. The demons to distract the Slayers. A dampening spell to keep the witch from being a problem.”
“I won’t do this.”
“It's who you are now, Ripper. You can’t fight it.”
“I refuse to become a monster.”
“You don’t need to kill them to have fun,” Ethan said.
“I won’t hurt them.”
“It’s only a matter of time before they find out.” Ethan brushed past Giles. “I could tell them myself … right before I kill them, starting with the young girl.”
In an instant, Ethan sprinted away. Giles was close on his heels. “Get Down ” he shouted as he pulled a stake from his pocket. In the dim light, he saw Xander and Dawn duck, but Ethan grabbed Willow by the throat and lifted her from the ground.
Willow fell as Ethan turned to dust. Giles didn’t even remember plunging the stake into his back. He was too horrified by what he’d heard Ethan whisper in her ear. He turned the stake and pulled his arm back to plunge it into his own heart. Three hands on his arm stopped him.
“Giles, don’t,” Dawn said.
“Did you think we didn’t know?” Xander asked.
Willow rubbed her neck. “We’ve known all along.”
“And you didn’t say anything?”
“We thought you’d tell us when you were ready,” Buffy said from behind him.
“Ready to talk about it now?” Faith asked.
“Perhaps,” he said as they all made their way outside. “Perhaps.”