TWENTY-ONE
Before Buffy had anymore time to think or react, the scenery around her
melted and dissolved as if they were water-colored paintings. Buffy stared
blankly, already used to the idea of sudden changes in her surrounding. She
closed her eyes and crossed her arms. When she reopened her eyes she found
herself in Faith's motel room, leaning against the wall…
"What's this now," she mumbled. She turned her head slightly and spotted
Xander and Faith.
"…dislocated my shoulder, though," said Faith as she removed her jacket and
tossed it aside, carefully minding her arm. She looked back at Xander. "Hold
me."
Buffy looked back and forth between Xander and Faith. Faith took his right
hand and put it on her left upper arm, before pulling her shoulder back and
then pushing it forward. Her shoulder snapped back into place and she
shrugged, giving a heavy sigh.
"That's better," Faith sniffed. "She got me really wound up."
She looked at Xander and ran her hands over his chest. She gave a deep
breath. "A fight like that and... no kill... I'm about ready to pop." She
smiled at him.
"Really?" Xander answered nervously, looking down at her hands on his chest.
"Pop?"
Buffy's mind suddenly clicked and she realized what was going to happen
next. Her heart sank, and she turned away and walked towards the door.
"I don't need to see this," she thought out loud. She put her hand on the
doorknob and tried to turn it. Even though she could feel the cold steel of
the doorknob, she couldn't move it. She pressed her left palm on the door
for leverage and twisted the knob again.
"Oh, sure, now I can't move things," grumbled Buffy in annoyance. She kicked
the door hard, but it didn't make a difference. She looked over her shoulder
at Xander and Faith.
She was just in time to see Faith pull Xander towards her, kissing him full
on the lips. Buffy winced without knowing.
"Just relax... And take your pants off."
A nasty word ran through Buffy's mind.
"Those two concepts are antithetical."
Faith almost ripped his shirt and jacket off. She wrapped her arms around
him and kissed him passionately. Xander responded equally. Faith turned him
around and shoved him back onto the bed. She jumped on him and straddles
him.
Buffy turned away.
"Don't worry. I'll steer you around the curves."
Buffy walked over to the other end of the room, wrestling between sulking in
a corner or taking part in a voyeuristic activity. A curious part of her
wanted to have a little peek at what was going on… after all it wasn't every
other day she was trapped in Xander's mind.
Faith gave a loud moan, and Buffy wondered just *how* good he was in bed.
After a long debate (and several more moans from both Faith and Xander)
Buffy decided against peeping, and sat at the table with her back towards
them, her hands over her ears.
After all, if she wanted to find out, she could always do it the old fashion
way.
* * *
Buffy followed Xander as he was shoved out of the motel room. The only thing
he was wearing was his boxers and he held his clothes in his arms. Buffy
turned back to look at Faith only to find the door slammed in her face.
Buffy made a rude face and turned back to Xander.
She looked at him up and down, secretly enjoying his lack of clothing, her
eyes trailing from top to bottom. She realized that her mouth was hanging
open and shut it. She followed Xander to his car, guiltily enjoying the view
from behind.
She was thankful that Xander's whole 'ordeal' with Faith was over… she
didn't think she could stand being there, in the same room as them, for
another minute. Even though she had her ears covered most of the time, Buffy
could have sworn she heard Xander call her name in his thoughts. She
shrugged it off as partly a delusion and wishful thinking.
"She used me," Xander's thoughts echoed loudly. Buffy pursed her lips and
stared after him, walking fast to catch up with his big strides. "And I
thought…" He stopped and shook his head.
"You thought what?" asked Buffy.
Xander climbed into his car, and Buffy jumped in the passenger seat after
him.
"You thought what?" Buffy pressed again. "Don't leave your thoughts in mid
sentence."
Xander stared straight ahead, ignoring her. Buffy sighed and leaned back
against the seat, wondering if she was ever going to accomplish what she set
out to do. At the rate things were going, she was probably going to be in
his mind for a while.
She thought she heard the sound of the engine starting, but when she turned
to look at Xander, she found he wasn't sitting next to her anymore.
And she wasn't in his car.
She looked around. She was in a long and dark passageway. A small light
flickered overhead, and Buffy struggled to make out her surroundings in the
faint lighting. She took a few cautious steps forward, running her fingers
along the wall as a guide to where she was going. She cringed as she felt
the cold, stony texture of the wall.
As she walked down the passageway, the lighting seemed to improve. As she
reached the end, she made out a door. A few steps closer revealed that it
was a wooden door, with her name embedded in gold, stretched out across it.
Buffy frowned in confusion as she stared at her name printed on the door,
its golden letters almost screaming out at her. She ran her fingers along
the letters, feeling them and wondering what they were doing there.
"Well, if it's my door, I guess I'm supposed to go in," she said to herself.
She took a step back as her words echoed continuously up and down the
passageway, almost to a point that it was deafening. She reached out and
turned the handle, pushing the door open.
As she stumbled in, she was blinded by a bright shining light for a moment,
and she covered her eyes defensively. When she opened them, she found
herself in another corridor. She turned around and noticed that the door
behind her had disappeared. She wrinkled her forehead, and peered gingerly
ahead.
Even though it was dark, she could see quite clearly. She walked down
slowly, staring at her surroundings. Her name was sketched and carved deeply
continuously along the walls, floor and ceiling of the corridor. She
shivered at the weird scene and continued walking down.
She nearly jumped as she spotted a figure moving to her right. She calmed
down as she realized it was only her reflection, captured in a full length
mirror hanging from the wall She stared at herself for a while, noticing
that she was now dressed in a long, blood red dress. She touched her dress
for a moment and then screamed as the mirror shattered without warning.
She stumbled backwards into somebody.
She turned around and gasped softly.
It was Karakos.
Before Buffy had anymore time to think or react, the scenery around her
melted and dissolved as if they were water-colored paintings. Buffy stared
blankly, already used to the idea of sudden changes in her surrounding. She
closed her eyes and crossed her arms. When she reopened her eyes she found
herself in Faith's motel room, leaning against the wall…
"What's this now," she mumbled. She turned her head slightly and spotted
Xander and Faith.
"…dislocated my shoulder, though," said Faith as she removed her jacket and
tossed it aside, carefully minding her arm. She looked back at Xander. "Hold
me."
Buffy looked back and forth between Xander and Faith. Faith took his right
hand and put it on her left upper arm, before pulling her shoulder back and
then pushing it forward. Her shoulder snapped back into place and she
shrugged, giving a heavy sigh.
"That's better," Faith sniffed. "She got me really wound up."
She looked at Xander and ran her hands over his chest. She gave a deep
breath. "A fight like that and... no kill... I'm about ready to pop." She
smiled at him.
"Really?" Xander answered nervously, looking down at her hands on his chest.
"Pop?"
Buffy's mind suddenly clicked and she realized what was going to happen
next. Her heart sank, and she turned away and walked towards the door.
"I don't need to see this," she thought out loud. She put her hand on the
doorknob and tried to turn it. Even though she could feel the cold steel of
the doorknob, she couldn't move it. She pressed her left palm on the door
for leverage and twisted the knob again.
"Oh, sure, now I can't move things," grumbled Buffy in annoyance. She kicked
the door hard, but it didn't make a difference. She looked over her shoulder
at Xander and Faith.
She was just in time to see Faith pull Xander towards her, kissing him full
on the lips. Buffy winced without knowing.
"Just relax... And take your pants off."
A nasty word ran through Buffy's mind.
"Those two concepts are antithetical."
Faith almost ripped his shirt and jacket off. She wrapped her arms around
him and kissed him passionately. Xander responded equally. Faith turned him
around and shoved him back onto the bed. She jumped on him and straddles
him.
Buffy turned away.
"Don't worry. I'll steer you around the curves."
Buffy walked over to the other end of the room, wrestling between sulking in
a corner or taking part in a voyeuristic activity. A curious part of her
wanted to have a little peek at what was going on… after all it wasn't every
other day she was trapped in Xander's mind.
Faith gave a loud moan, and Buffy wondered just *how* good he was in bed.
After a long debate (and several more moans from both Faith and Xander)
Buffy decided against peeping, and sat at the table with her back towards
them, her hands over her ears.
After all, if she wanted to find out, she could always do it the old fashion
way.
* * *
Buffy followed Xander as he was shoved out of the motel room. The only thing
he was wearing was his boxers and he held his clothes in his arms. Buffy
turned back to look at Faith only to find the door slammed in her face.
Buffy made a rude face and turned back to Xander.
She looked at him up and down, secretly enjoying his lack of clothing, her
eyes trailing from top to bottom. She realized that her mouth was hanging
open and shut it. She followed Xander to his car, guiltily enjoying the view
from behind.
She was thankful that Xander's whole 'ordeal' with Faith was over… she
didn't think she could stand being there, in the same room as them, for
another minute. Even though she had her ears covered most of the time, Buffy
could have sworn she heard Xander call her name in his thoughts. She
shrugged it off as partly a delusion and wishful thinking.
"She used me," Xander's thoughts echoed loudly. Buffy pursed her lips and
stared after him, walking fast to catch up with his big strides. "And I
thought…" He stopped and shook his head.
"You thought what?" asked Buffy.
Xander climbed into his car, and Buffy jumped in the passenger seat after
him.
"You thought what?" Buffy pressed again. "Don't leave your thoughts in mid
sentence."
Xander stared straight ahead, ignoring her. Buffy sighed and leaned back
against the seat, wondering if she was ever going to accomplish what she set
out to do. At the rate things were going, she was probably going to be in
his mind for a while.
She thought she heard the sound of the engine starting, but when she turned
to look at Xander, she found he wasn't sitting next to her anymore.
And she wasn't in his car.
She looked around. She was in a long and dark passageway. A small light
flickered overhead, and Buffy struggled to make out her surroundings in the
faint lighting. She took a few cautious steps forward, running her fingers
along the wall as a guide to where she was going. She cringed as she felt
the cold, stony texture of the wall.
As she walked down the passageway, the lighting seemed to improve. As she
reached the end, she made out a door. A few steps closer revealed that it
was a wooden door, with her name embedded in gold, stretched out across it.
Buffy frowned in confusion as she stared at her name printed on the door,
its golden letters almost screaming out at her. She ran her fingers along
the letters, feeling them and wondering what they were doing there.
"Well, if it's my door, I guess I'm supposed to go in," she said to herself.
She took a step back as her words echoed continuously up and down the
passageway, almost to a point that it was deafening. She reached out and
turned the handle, pushing the door open.
As she stumbled in, she was blinded by a bright shining light for a moment,
and she covered her eyes defensively. When she opened them, she found
herself in another corridor. She turned around and noticed that the door
behind her had disappeared. She wrinkled her forehead, and peered gingerly
ahead.
Even though it was dark, she could see quite clearly. She walked down
slowly, staring at her surroundings. Her name was sketched and carved deeply
continuously along the walls, floor and ceiling of the corridor. She
shivered at the weird scene and continued walking down.
She nearly jumped as she spotted a figure moving to her right. She calmed
down as she realized it was only her reflection, captured in a full length
mirror hanging from the wall She stared at herself for a while, noticing
that she was now dressed in a long, blood red dress. She touched her dress
for a moment and then screamed as the mirror shattered without warning.
She stumbled backwards into somebody.
She turned around and gasped softly.
It was Karakos.