On Giles and Ethan

During the first four seasons of BtVS, Giles was definitely my favourite character. He was charming, well-read and good-looking; he had depth and a fine sense of humour. I thought he was the most attractive man on the show and I'd wait for the final shot in the credits, where he'd be pulling on his tweed jacket with with a determined air.

Last night I watched four episodes, centred on Giles, the ones which also feature Ethan Rayne. I've been trying to work what we know about Giles's lost years. I know this is well-mined territory in fanfic terms, but I want to be able to separate canon from fanon.

( Like to crush. Crush now? )