No more than he deserved.
Ripper wasn't exactly sure why he had gone to England, but he had and was there. At the moment he was going to his favorite bar, when a noise in a side alley caught his attention and he went to investigate.
Ethan lay where he'd fallen, bruised, bloodied and battered -- he liked how he could be alliterative even when he was probably bleeding to death internally -- and barely even noticed when Ripper arrived in the back alley. The sons of bitches who'd left him in that state had already fled, leaving only a fading magical signature from the hex Ethan suffered under. He took shallow breaths, his eyes closed against the pain.
So this is how it ends, then. The thought was a little bitter. More than a little, really. Cold and alone in some miserable fucking little alley. No more than you deserve.
As soon as Ripper realizes exactly who it is laying on the ground, his face shifts from human to vampire and he snarls out loud. After a few moments of rage pass through him, he forces it down and shifts back into his human mask. Once that was done he went to his knees at Ethan's side, then settled into a sitting position.
"Ethan, Ethan, Ethan."
He struggled to open his eyes, reaching up to touch Ripper's face. "...Ripper? Rupert." He laughed -- it hurt, but everything hurt right now and did it really matter? It was a painful sort of a sound to hear, too. "Of all the people who could be with me right now, it's the man I always thought would put me in this situation."
Ripper chuckles bitterly, a look of pain briefly flashing across his face. Oh christ, I actually still love the fucker. He collects himself, seemingly easily.
"Ethan. I love you still, you know."
There was a look of almost wonder in Ethan's eyes, shallow breaths coming faster. "You actually mean that, don't you?"
His hand closed weakly weakly around Ripper's, clutching desperately. "You always belonged to her." He didn't think he needed to specify who 'she' was. "I love you so fucking much, you miserable bastard, and there was never any room for me. And when there finally is, I'm dying. You have the most fucking godawful timing, do you know that?" he laughed, but it turned into a coughing fit, and the coughing brought up blood.
"God. Don't leave me."
"I do mean it, and I doubt anything more than your impending death would have shook it loose. I am a pigheaded bastard after all."
He squeezes Ethan's hand lightly, and even drops a brief kiss on his lips.
"Always did have bad timing. And you know I wont leave you. Is there anything you want me to pass on? To your children, or...anyone?"
Ripper's only hoping that Ethan has enough left to answer him.
"Miserable git," he coughed, clutching at Ripper's hand. "...Tell...oh God, I'm not doing one of those dramatic death sequences, oh, I fucking am..." He grimaced, half from the indignity of it all and half from the very real pain he was feeling. "Not that I think you'll ever run into Yvaine, but if you do, tell her that I loved her. Because I did. I just fucked up. Again. Tell Jenny that I'm sorry. For everything. She knows I loved her, or at least she damn well better. And my daughters...just, I was thinking of them." His grip on Ripper's hand was growing weaker with every passing moment. "And tell Xander that I'm sorry."
Ripper can barely contain the laughter at Ethan's opinion of the 'dramatic death scene', but almost immediately sobers as the reality of the situation really truly hits him.
"I'll tell them, all of them, what you would have wanted them to know. Xander might be rather hard to get to, but I'll do it."
He takes Ethan's limp hand in both of his, and kisses it.
"We'll see eachother again, in another life."
He took Ripper's face between both his hands and kissed him, determined to die happy. Or at least contented.
He leaned back, smiled up at Ripper...and then the light died in his eyes, and Ethan Rayne was gone.
Ripper pulled the crumpled form of his first love, and lover, to his chest and held on. He remained that way for several minutes before lifting himself off the ground with Ethan's corpse in his arms.