Prompt 22: Enemies
I can't wait to have a boyfriend or other manly creature for this very thing.
…
"Laurie!" she said in a panic as she stood on his feet, her arms somewhere behind his head. She was scanning the floor madly with her eyes and he had to hold back a laugh at the look on her face.
"Where is it? Where'd it go?"
"Jupiter Ammon, Jo!" he patted her back but didn't ask her to get off as he began to move about the room for something to hit the spider she'd spotted twelve or so minutes ago. As it was 'a dirty great big one' he reached for the paper that lay on the table end by the March's old sofa only to find when he lifted it up, their furry enemy was lying in wait beneath.
"Oh God!" Jo cried heretically as she scrambled from in front of Laurie to hiding behind him. The black spider, which was as large as Jo had called it to Laurie's surprise scuttled off, frightened from the exposure as Laurie lifted his hand, armed with newspaper to squat it.
"Rats," he said unhelpfully as it disappeared under the flimsy table cloth. Jo's fingers were digging into his back and he turned his head to frown at her. "You trying to bust me open Miss Jo?"
"Sorry," she said simply and curled her hands together by her chest as she returned to watching where the spider was last seen, making Laurie wish he hadn't said anything. Her eyes were wide and face flushed and Laurie found himself highly distracted as the creature reappeared and made a run for the sofa.
"Ah! Look! There!" Jo cried pointing at the spider that began to head under the seat cushions. Laurie dived after it, feeling a little sorry that he was going to have to kill the spritely thing if just to keep Jo's peace of mind. He lifted the cushion up and aimed quickly before thwacking at the big black thing.
Stunned by only one mostly-missed shot it teetered to the side and worked its way under the next cushion to Jo and Laurie's disappointment.
"For heaven's sake!" Jo had her fists against her head and was pacing behind him, clearly wishing the thing would just be taken care of and die, out of her sitting room and out of their house filled with dark corners and hiding spots.
"It's just a spider, Jo."
"Just a spider'? Didn't you see the size of that thing?"
Laurie couldn't stop from smiling that time and he scratched his back with the paper looking a little foolish for what he would say next. "Sure you wouldn't like to give it a go?"
Jo hit him as expected and he laughed as she pelted him with her small fist again for the suggestion. "It's not funny!" she told him, still whacking him on the shoulder as he clutched his belly still chuckling at her expression.
"Alright, alright!" Laurie threw up his hands in surrender and tried vainly to straighten his face before he went to find the spider again, Jo's hands holding the little tails of his vest.
"This time don't miss."
Laurie threw a look over his shoulder that wasn't nearly as serious as he would have liked before he gently picked up the cushion they had seen it burrow under. Slowly he lifted it, ready to see the black creature waiting again but as he peeled it back the familiar shape was gone.
"Oh no," he could feel Jo's fist curl under the edge of his vest and he turned his head to her looking very sorry.
"What is it?" she said tentatively, knowing she wouldn't like what Laurie was going to say.
"Uhh," he paused unsure how to break it to her that he'd lost the spider and it was very likely still alive and running about somewhere unknown in the room. He was going to be hit again, he knew it. "You see –"
Jo peered past his shoulder to under the cushion and her face changed all too quickly. "You lost it!?" She hit his back and Laurie smiled sheepishly as he replaced the cushion and she stood with her hands on her waist looking very mad with him.
"Don't be upset!" he said raising his hands to calm her. "I'm sure it's around here somewhere. I'm sure I can find it."
"You'd better Theodore Laurence."
She spun him around and prodded him in the back until he started walking forward to find the spider. Jo was not pleased to say the least and the only way he would redeem himself would be finding and ending the creature so Laurie dutifully ducked his head under and around the objects of the room.
Suddenly Jo wasn't following him anymore and he stood from his position half-crawled under the coffee table in the corner of the room to find her staring at the wall by the window in horror.
"Found it," she said quietly, stepping away from the wall to stand closer to his side that carried the newspaper rolled up.
"Well then," Laurie marched forward and hit the spider which fell until it regained its balance and sat a little lower on the wall. Jo had unwittingly yelled when it moved and Laurie struggled to remain focused on the poor black arachnid that stood as still as possible, hoping that the tall man couldn't see him.
Laurie raised the paper one final time and hit it square on the head, watching it fall to the grown with a frown, feeling Jo's hair fall across his shoulder as she leaned over to inspect the creature.
"It don't look so big anymore," she said a little sadly and Laurie looked at her in their half-crouched shape hoping he hadn't killed it for nothing. Jo was still frowning at it with her hands clutching his arm and shoulder and he wondered if she realised just how close she was standing to him as she kept her eyes clamped on the dead spider in case it moved again.
"I'm glad it's gone though," Jo said finally, leaning closer to his face to kiss his cheek quickly before taking off for a jar to carry it outside.
Laurie was still hunched over as he watched her go through the door into the kitchen, his skin tingling and his heart beating just a little faster than it had when he'd aimed for the spider curled by the skirting board.