Disclaimer in part 1.
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The doorbell sounded at exactly 6pm. Ethan was nothing, if not punctual. Joyce checked around the room, made sure everything was ready. Then she put on her best hostess smile and opened the door.
“Mr Rayne.” At his admonishing look. “Sorry, Ethan. Right on time. Won’t you come in?” Said the Spider to the Fly. She stepped aside.
“Thank you. Oh. These are for you.” He handed her a bunch of wild flowers. Not too pushy, but enough to head in a more personal direction.
“They’re beautiful. Thank you.” She took the flowers off him and indicated he should precede her into the living room. “Oh, by the way. Did I tell you I had a surprise visitor this afternoon?”
Ethan turned. Why would she tell him? “No. Anybody interesting?”
“That would depend on your point of view. Hello Ethan.” Buffy loved that particular sickly green colour. She might paint her bedroom with it one day.
“B-Buffy?” Oh, God. He was a dead man. He swallowed hard. “This IS good news. When did you get back in town?”
“Oh. About two days after you had my Watcher arrested.” He tried a feint left. She blocked, and pushed him against the wall. Funny. Now he was turning blue. But that might have something to do with the elbow at his throat. “Tell me. Why shouldn’t I kill you now?”
Joyce felt she should intervene. “Honey. He can’t answer you while you’re choking him.”
“Pity.” She waited a few seconds longer, then eased her elbow off.
Ethan looked towards the older woman. “Mrs. Summers. Joyce.”
“Yes?”
“Help?”
“No.”
Now he was really dead. “Killing me won’t get Rip..” He felt the pressure on his larynx increase. “Rupert out of prison.”
Buffy pretended to think about it. “Yeah. You’re right. I know. You write a confession. Admitting your lies and manipulation. We’ll help.”
“What do I get out of it?”
“I’ll only beat you to a pulp. But, on the up side. You’ll still be alive.”
Ethan cast one more appeal at Joyce. Her response wasn’t encouraging. “Sounds like a good deal to me.”