"Play it Again, Mert..."
by,
Bunny


Tommy's Narrative: Ever watch a musical and wonder how everyone is so perfectly choreographed and always seems to know the words to the songs? Ever wish real life could be like that? Yeah, me neither...


Merton sat, pouring over his books, sighing. Everything was just so... *boring* lately! He wanted to liven things up again... make it all... exciting...

"Gotta be a spell in here *somewhere*..." he muttered. "Aha!" he cackled excitedly. "I got it, I got it, I got it..." he sang, getting ready for the invocation...

~*~

Merton walked into school, whistling a happy little tune. Pretty soon now, his spell would be working, and excitement would abound, just like the invocation promised...

"Merton!" Lori called.

"Yeeeeeesssss?" he smiled, running quickly over.

"You're not gonna *believe* what's going on!" she said.

"What is it?"

"People are singin' and dancin' like crazy... all kinds of nutty stuff..."

"Singing and dancing?" Merton echoed, confused.

Oy, he must've made a bit of a miscalculation...

"Merton, what's with the look?" Lori asked him suspiciously.

"N-nothing, nothing..."

"Merton..." Tommy said sternly, grabbing him by the collar to keep him from running off.

"Okay, *maybe*, just maybe mind you, this is an accident of an excitement spell?"

"Excitement spell?" Tommy frowned.

"Well... things were getting boring around here---"

Tommy sighed, annoyed.

"For you, maybe. For me it was a nice little vacation where I could finally *relax* from fighting big bad whatevers!"

"Sorry..." Merton winced.

"Okay, you didn't know it would turn into this... whatever is going on?" Lori questioned.

"No... I just thought there would be fun?"

Tommy quirked a brow, smirking at Merton.

"Okay... so, what is that you know about what *is* going on, though?"

Merton looked pensive for the merest of moments, then turned to his friends.

"Well, if it's what I *think* it is, it's almost like a truth serum."

"I don't follow..." Lori said, apprehensive.

"Well... if you get taken over and start a little song-and-dance number? You can't lie in song. You have no control over what comes out of your mouth, but you inevitably reveal some sort of deeply hidden truth about yourself."

"WHAT???!!!" Tommy exploded.

"Calm down, Tom---"

"I will *not* calm down! What if I accidentally reveal I'm a... werewolf?" he demanded, lowering his voice to a whisper on the last word.

Merton's eyes widened.

"May--- maybe we should take you to the lair until we figure out how to stop this?"

"Yeah, maybe we *should*..." Tommy muttered sarcastically.

As the trio started to leave the school, they saw Hillary Choate approaching.

"H-hillary..." Merton smiled weakly.

"Dingle."

They looked as though they might get into one of their arguments, but, suddenly, pretty music started playing and she started looking at Merton funny.

"Hillary?"

"Can you hear it in my voice? Was it something I let slip? Does the whole world know? Isn't it obvious? I'm the one who's in control. Now, I'm acting like a fool. Do my feelings show? Is my face aglow? Whoa. Isn't it obvious?"

Lori looked at her almost angrily as she started dancing around Merton.

"That I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm feeling like a little girl. Caught up in emotions, I'm out of control. Isn't it obvious? Ooooooh."

Merton started to look all dazed and goofy, and Tommy just watched with wide eyes and kind of a proud smile for his bud as Hillary put her hands to his face.

"Do you see my hands? They tremble. Wonder why I can't look you in the eye. Don't know how long I can keep this inside? Isn't it obvious? Oooooh, yeah. Ohhhh, I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm feeling like a little girl. Ohhhh, yeah. Caught up in emotions, I'm out of control. Isn't it obvious? Oooooooooh. Yeah. Suddenly, these emotions have got control of my heart. I'm seeing my light. Every breath, every smile, must give me away. Cause I feel so much I can't hide. Oh, and I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm feeling like a little girl. A little girl. Caught up in emotions, I'm out of control. Yeah. Isn't it obvious?"

She suddenly leant down for a searing kiss, then got wide, shocked, frantic eyes and ran away down the hall.

Merton didn't notice, however, as he still wore the goofy grin as Lori started dragging him out towards the hearse, Tommy quickly in tow...

~*~

Later that afternoon, they were still pouring through Merton's books, trying to find an antidote spell for all that was going on. Merton didn't want to tell Tommy and Lori, but it was possible that page could just be *missing*, as alot of his spellbooks were second-hand...

Becky walked downstairs, wearing her hair in a high ponytail, Daisy Duke shorty-shorts, and a halter-top. Tommy eyed her and bit down on his lip, praying he wouldn't wolf out.

"*Damn* she looks nice in that..." he thought. "Too bad about the wolf thing--- well, and Merton would freak..."

Becky smiled slightly at Tommy then turned her head away.

"He doesn't even know I'm on the planet..." she thought morosely.

"Uh, is there somethin' you want, Becky?" Merton asked a bit apprehensively.

"Mascara. Left it down here yesterday." she explained, picking it up off his desk.

"Oh, okay..."

"What're you guys doin'?" she asked curiously, perching on the desk and crossing her legs.

"Becky, don't pretend to be interested."

Becky frowned, slightly hurt.

"I was just *askin'*, but I know when I'm not wanted." she said coolly, getting up to leave.

Merton sighed guiltily.

"I'm sorry? We're just... researching a project? School stuff, very bland?"

"Oh..." she shrugged.

Suddenly, the music started again, and Tommy got up, and he and Becky walked over to each-other, looking into each-other's eyes.

"Oh, lordy, not again..." Lori grumbled.

"Everyone's getting seranaded but *me*." she thought, pouting.

"Late at night when all the world is sleepin', I stay up and think of you. And, I wish on a star that somewhere you are thinking of me too. 'Cause, I'm dreamin' of you tonight. Till tomorrow, I'll be holding you tight. And, there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be. Then here in my room, dreamin' about you and me..."

Tommy picked her up around the waist and plopped her on top of Merton's large safe, keeping his hands resting on her hips and looking into her eyes.

"If you said goodbye to me tonight. There would still be music left to write. What else could I do? That hasn't happened for the longest time. Once I thought my innocence was gone. Now I know that happiness goes on. That's where you found me, when you put your arms around me. I haven't been there for the longest time..."

"Wonder if you ever see me, and I wonder if you know I'm there. If you looked in my eyes, would you see what's inside? Would you even care? I just wanna hold you close, but, so far, all I have are dreams of you. So, I wait for the day and the courage to say, how much I love you. Yes, I do..."

"Whoa. For the longest. I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall. And, the greatest miracle of all, is how I need you. And, how you needed me too. That hasn't happened for the longest time. Maybe this won't last very long. But, you feel so right, and I could be wrong. Maybe I've been hoping too hard. But, I've gone this far, and it's more than I hoped for..."

"I'll be dreamin' of you tonight. Till tomorrow, I'll be holdin' ya tight. And, there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be. Than here in my room, dreamin' about you and me. Ahhhhhh. Corazon. I can't stop, dreamin' of me. Dreamin'. I can't stop dreamin' of you. Mi amore..."

"Who knows how much further we'll go on? Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone. I'll take my chances. I forgot how nice romance is. I haven't been there for the longest time. I had set good thoughts at the start. I said to myself, "hold onto your heart". Now, I know the woman that you are. You're wonderful so far, and it's more than I hoped for..."

"Late at night when all the world is sleepin', I stay up and think of you. And, I still can't believe that ya came up to me and said I love you. I love you, too."

"I don't care what consequence it brings.I have been a fool for lesser things."

"Now I'm dreamin' with you tonight. Till tomorrow, and for all of my life. And, there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be. Then here in my room, dreamin' with you, endlessly."

"I want you so bad. I think you ought to know that I intend to hold you for the longest time."

"Dreamin'. With you tonight."

"Whoa. For the longest time."

"And, there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be."

"Whoa. For the longest time."

"Then here in my room. I'll be dreamin'."

"Whoa. For the longest time."

"Dreamin' of you tonight."

"Whoa. For the longest time."

"Endlessly."

"Whoa."

"And, I'll be holdin' you tight.

"For the longest..."

"Dreamin' with you tonight..."

Becky slipped down off the filing cabinet into Tommy's arms as they started making-out on the floor...