(A/N - more Lock/Shock action to come I assure you, just be patient)
Shock lay in bed and furiously wiped away the tear that fell down her cheek. She was crushed and embarrassed and furious at herself for letting her emotions get the better of her earlier that night. She was tired and morning was coming soon. Too soon. The ball was 5 days away and suddenly she wasn't as excited about it. Sobbing lightly, she rolled over and buried her head in her hands. Shock had thought about Lock continuously since returning to the tree house. He hadn't spoken to her or even LOOKED at her since they left Cupid's palace. No matter how she tried to set things right by telling off Barrel, Lock still must have thought all the wrong things about her. He just locked himself into his room as soon as they had stepped in the door and the sounds of him working out and playing with fire were the only ones heard.
::Pull yourself together:: Shock thought pulling herself up onto her elbows. She looked out her window. Although it was early, the moon was still out and Shock decided to take a walk outside and hopefully clear her head. If fresh air didn't work, she was sure that she would never sleep again, face Lock, and probably go insane.
Creeping out of bed she made her way out into the hallway and paused as she remembered the night she had heard the noises coming out of the basement. She spotted the place on the floor where Lock had pinned her beneath him and begin to feel the sting of hot tears behind her eyes. Shaking her head, Shock passes silently through the rooms and paused again at the old shrine the three of then had built for Oogie-Boogie. The "mouth" had been sealed up crudely with plywood and nails stuck out at odd angles. The witch shivered and lowered herself via basket elevator to the base of their tree house.
The wind was light and the air smelled of burning wood and dry leaves. The scents of Hallowe'en that she had grown to love and embrace with open arms - never once taking it for granted. Shock let the tears and hurt flow from her eyes and drip down her cheeks. Her sobs were carried away from the wind and before she knew it, Shock was running full speed towards the graveyard, barefoot in the moonlight. She cast herself upon the dead earth and cried until her throat burned and her chest heaved, and until all that remained of her sorrow was ragged gasps and sobs.
For the life of her, she didn't understand what was going on. She didn't understand why she hurt so much or why she was crying, Shock hadn't cried like that in..She couldn't remember how long. The more she thought about it, the more her neck began to burn and she reached up a small slender hand and wrapped it around her frail form. It reminded her of Lock.
:Everything reminds you of Lock, idiot. Why don't you just accept the fact that you lov-: She shook the thought out of he head roughly. "I do not!" She said out loud. :Yes you do, Shock. You love Lock. You always have, and just haven't really noticed it before.: Her conscious cooed softly. Shock began to cave as she thought about dance floor and the red pillar. She thought about Lock's strong arms encircling her waist and pulling her close. She thought about the taste of his mouth and how his breath came out as harsh gasps when she took his lip in her mouth. She thought about how gently he held her and how close she had come to kissing him. She had even asked for it. Even now, hours later, she could still feel his heart against her chest and the hardness in his pants against her stomach. She could feel Lock against her body still and desperately wanted to feel it again. Maybe she did love Lock - but he didn't love her. Or did he? Had it been a spell they were under? No. It couldn't have been. "It couldn't have been.could it?" She asked aloud again.
"Could what?"
Shock jumped and turned to face the voice. Lock gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged. "Do you always talk to yourself, Shock, or only when you abscond for the evening?" He asked.
"What are you doing here? Where's Barrel" She stammered.
"I woke up when I heard the elevator. I thought someone was coming up so I ran to get you and Barrel but you were gone. I figured you had left so I followed you. I needed to talk to you anyway' He paused. "Shock.have you been crying?"
"N-no!" She wiped the tears off as fast as she could but froze as Lock extended his hand and brushed her wet cheek.
"Yes you have. What's the matter with you?" Shock sighed and took a deep breath.
"I was.thinking about tonight and I was worried that you were mad at me. I figured that's why you locked yourself into your room." She flashed him a naughty smile. "Unless you were doing something you didn't want Barrel or I to see?"
"Yeah yeah, whatever.sicko." Lock took a step towards Shock and her heart skipped a beat. "I wanted to apologize for what happened back there. At the dance, I mean. I didn't mean to.come on to you like that. I know it's probably the last thing you want but I couldn't help it. I guess it was some sort of spell, like you said." Lock chuckled deeply. "I just don't want you to think I was serious or anything! No harm done though, right?" Lock's last words burned Shock's ears like acid and she suddenly felt numb. All she could do was plaster on her fakest smile and nod robotically.
"Yeah, Lock.no harm done." Shock felt a new flood of tears well up in the corners of her eyes and turned away, pretending to be deeply fascinated with the epitaph of one of the gravestones. She tried to hold herself together but felt a though she were coming apart at the seams and no matter how hard she tried to force them back, hot tears spilled out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. *** Lock kicked himself mentally as he watched Shock turn away from him and bend at one if the tombstones.
::Great - she's still pissed off:: He thought making a tight fist. ::Why don't you just tell her the truth, ah? Why don't you just tell her that you're not sorry for coming on to her because you liked it and you knew she did too:: Lock cast a glance at Shock who was still bent over the grave, shaking slightly. Probably because of the cold. ::She asked you to kiss her, remember? She wanted you to!:: Lock shook the thoughts off abruptly when he realized that Shock was looking at him, fresh tear marks on her face.
"Shock?"
"Listen to me, Lock. You're not sorry for what happened in there and you know it. I know I too. The same way I know that there wasn't any spell that made me feel that way." Shock said clearly. Lock shook his head.
"I don't understand what you're saying."
"I'm not angry at you Lock. I never was.But I know that you are, and that's why I just wanted to say this before I never get another chance,' She paused and steeped into the bright moonlight. A light breeze swept her hair off her neck and behind her shoulders. Lock narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.
"Shock, wait." He looked at her closely. "You have something on your neck." He reached out his hand to brush the faint red marks away but Shock gasped and slapped his hand roughly. She trembled and looked at him with terrified eyes. Wordlessly, she took off, running back towards the tree house, leaving poor Lock at the graveyard. He knew that Shock was hiding something and had to get to the tree house before she did and raised the elevator. He took off after her and was rapidly catching up. He was surprised at how fast Shock could run and he was finding it rather hard to keep up with her.
"Shock!!" He called against the wind. "Shock, don't run! What's the matter with you anyway! Get back here! SHOCK!" Lock called out to her in vain as she wasn't in the mood for listening and it didn't matter anyway, the tree house was only a few yards away.
Shock crossed the wooden bridge and headed full speed for the elevator. If she could get there before Lock and upstairs she would be fine for the night.
"Shock? Why are you running from me?" Lock screamed. He sounded to close, but there was something else in his voice. Sadness? It didn't matter, she was almost across the bridge anyway and-
Shock gasped and slid to a halt at the edge of the deep pit. The elevator was raised already, and she had no way of getting up without Lock. "Shit!" She could her Lock on the bridge and he was closing in on her fast.
"Shock?" He sounded out of breath and confused. "What's the matter with you, you crazy bitch? Why did you take off like that? Why did I do now? Are you mad because I touched your neck? Boo-hoo, take a pill-" Lock was effectively cut off as Shock's fist connected with his jaw.
"Fuck you." She said darkly. "Don't talk down to me like that! I thought I told you not to ever touch my neck, is that so hard? Would you like for me to say it slower so it'll sink in, asshole? DO - NOT - TOUCH - MY - NECK!"
Lock brought his hand away from his mouth and spit out the blood that collected on his tongue. She had gone too far this time and he wasn't going to stand for it.
"Bitch" He muttered flinging himself at her and knocking the smaller girl onto her back. They rolled around on the bridge, coming precariously close to the edge. The pulled at each other's hair and jabbed at each other's faces screaming in rage and calling filthy insults at one another. Lock's tail swished wildly from side to side as he pinned Shock close to the edge of the pit and pulled her up to him by the collar. Breathing hard he shook her roughly and gritted his teeth as she slapped him hard across the face. He wanted to kiss her right now, fiercely and passionately. He wanted to crush his lips against hers so hard they bleed. He wrapped his tail around one of her wrists and felt he squirm beneath his waist. One of the straps of her violet nightshirt slipped down her arm and exposed her creamy shoulder to the moonlight. She growled and struggled against his grasp and glared at Lock viciously.
"Do something about it!" She yelled furiously, her chest heaving with exhaustion. Lock tightened his grip on her collar and leaned his head down to her bare shoulder. He placed a soft kiss on the crook of her neck before biting her hard enough for Shock to gasp and run her nails down his back with her free hand. Lock let a soft moan escape his lips and arched his back against her fingers. He bit her shoulder again, sucking on the skin the same way she had his lip the night before. Shock dug her nails into his back harder and arched against him. Lock released his hold on her nightshirt and grabbed her wrists again, using his tail to steady himself on the edge of the bridge. After a minute he pulled away and looked at Shock. "Good enough?" He breathed. She nodded and pulled the strap back up to her shoulder. She stood up slowly and opened her mouth.
::Tink:: ::Tink:: ::Thump::
Shock stopped and looked down into the pit behind her. Suddenly a long black shadow rose up from the pit and wrapped part of itself around Shock's middle. She screamed and reached out for Lock. Before she could grab his hand another tendril shot out and shoved Lock close to the edge of he pit. He started calling for Barrel who was the only one who could lower the elevator. Shock started screaming again as the shadow wrapped itself higher and higher around her body. Lock reached into his back pocket of his pants and produced a small red firecracker and a long match. He struck the match on the bridge and threw it at the shadow, careful no to hit Shock in the process. It exploded close to the amber holes Lock assumed were eyes and released Shock. She landed hard on the bridge but quickly scrambled back up and into Lock's arms. Barrel appeared at the top of the tree house and gave them both a puzzled look.
"DROP THE CAGE!" They both screamed in unison as the black shadow descended into the pit. Barrel lowered the elevator and Lock and Shock scrambled inside and shut the door. When they were almost at the top, the black shadow reached up one final time and grabbed Shock's wrist. She screamed and pulled her hand free wincing in pain. When they got upstairs, the three tens barricaded the doors and huddled in the living room. Shock glanced down and gingerly touched the three large scratch marks that left blood trailing down her arm.
"Guys...I think it's time we spoke to Jack."
Shock lay in bed and furiously wiped away the tear that fell down her cheek. She was crushed and embarrassed and furious at herself for letting her emotions get the better of her earlier that night. She was tired and morning was coming soon. Too soon. The ball was 5 days away and suddenly she wasn't as excited about it. Sobbing lightly, she rolled over and buried her head in her hands. Shock had thought about Lock continuously since returning to the tree house. He hadn't spoken to her or even LOOKED at her since they left Cupid's palace. No matter how she tried to set things right by telling off Barrel, Lock still must have thought all the wrong things about her. He just locked himself into his room as soon as they had stepped in the door and the sounds of him working out and playing with fire were the only ones heard.
::Pull yourself together:: Shock thought pulling herself up onto her elbows. She looked out her window. Although it was early, the moon was still out and Shock decided to take a walk outside and hopefully clear her head. If fresh air didn't work, she was sure that she would never sleep again, face Lock, and probably go insane.
Creeping out of bed she made her way out into the hallway and paused as she remembered the night she had heard the noises coming out of the basement. She spotted the place on the floor where Lock had pinned her beneath him and begin to feel the sting of hot tears behind her eyes. Shaking her head, Shock passes silently through the rooms and paused again at the old shrine the three of then had built for Oogie-Boogie. The "mouth" had been sealed up crudely with plywood and nails stuck out at odd angles. The witch shivered and lowered herself via basket elevator to the base of their tree house.
The wind was light and the air smelled of burning wood and dry leaves. The scents of Hallowe'en that she had grown to love and embrace with open arms - never once taking it for granted. Shock let the tears and hurt flow from her eyes and drip down her cheeks. Her sobs were carried away from the wind and before she knew it, Shock was running full speed towards the graveyard, barefoot in the moonlight. She cast herself upon the dead earth and cried until her throat burned and her chest heaved, and until all that remained of her sorrow was ragged gasps and sobs.
For the life of her, she didn't understand what was going on. She didn't understand why she hurt so much or why she was crying, Shock hadn't cried like that in..She couldn't remember how long. The more she thought about it, the more her neck began to burn and she reached up a small slender hand and wrapped it around her frail form. It reminded her of Lock.
:Everything reminds you of Lock, idiot. Why don't you just accept the fact that you lov-: She shook the thought out of he head roughly. "I do not!" She said out loud. :Yes you do, Shock. You love Lock. You always have, and just haven't really noticed it before.: Her conscious cooed softly. Shock began to cave as she thought about dance floor and the red pillar. She thought about Lock's strong arms encircling her waist and pulling her close. She thought about the taste of his mouth and how his breath came out as harsh gasps when she took his lip in her mouth. She thought about how gently he held her and how close she had come to kissing him. She had even asked for it. Even now, hours later, she could still feel his heart against her chest and the hardness in his pants against her stomach. She could feel Lock against her body still and desperately wanted to feel it again. Maybe she did love Lock - but he didn't love her. Or did he? Had it been a spell they were under? No. It couldn't have been. "It couldn't have been.could it?" She asked aloud again.
"Could what?"
Shock jumped and turned to face the voice. Lock gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged. "Do you always talk to yourself, Shock, or only when you abscond for the evening?" He asked.
"What are you doing here? Where's Barrel" She stammered.
"I woke up when I heard the elevator. I thought someone was coming up so I ran to get you and Barrel but you were gone. I figured you had left so I followed you. I needed to talk to you anyway' He paused. "Shock.have you been crying?"
"N-no!" She wiped the tears off as fast as she could but froze as Lock extended his hand and brushed her wet cheek.
"Yes you have. What's the matter with you?" Shock sighed and took a deep breath.
"I was.thinking about tonight and I was worried that you were mad at me. I figured that's why you locked yourself into your room." She flashed him a naughty smile. "Unless you were doing something you didn't want Barrel or I to see?"
"Yeah yeah, whatever.sicko." Lock took a step towards Shock and her heart skipped a beat. "I wanted to apologize for what happened back there. At the dance, I mean. I didn't mean to.come on to you like that. I know it's probably the last thing you want but I couldn't help it. I guess it was some sort of spell, like you said." Lock chuckled deeply. "I just don't want you to think I was serious or anything! No harm done though, right?" Lock's last words burned Shock's ears like acid and she suddenly felt numb. All she could do was plaster on her fakest smile and nod robotically.
"Yeah, Lock.no harm done." Shock felt a new flood of tears well up in the corners of her eyes and turned away, pretending to be deeply fascinated with the epitaph of one of the gravestones. She tried to hold herself together but felt a though she were coming apart at the seams and no matter how hard she tried to force them back, hot tears spilled out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. *** Lock kicked himself mentally as he watched Shock turn away from him and bend at one if the tombstones.
::Great - she's still pissed off:: He thought making a tight fist. ::Why don't you just tell her the truth, ah? Why don't you just tell her that you're not sorry for coming on to her because you liked it and you knew she did too:: Lock cast a glance at Shock who was still bent over the grave, shaking slightly. Probably because of the cold. ::She asked you to kiss her, remember? She wanted you to!:: Lock shook the thoughts off abruptly when he realized that Shock was looking at him, fresh tear marks on her face.
"Shock?"
"Listen to me, Lock. You're not sorry for what happened in there and you know it. I know I too. The same way I know that there wasn't any spell that made me feel that way." Shock said clearly. Lock shook his head.
"I don't understand what you're saying."
"I'm not angry at you Lock. I never was.But I know that you are, and that's why I just wanted to say this before I never get another chance,' She paused and steeped into the bright moonlight. A light breeze swept her hair off her neck and behind her shoulders. Lock narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.
"Shock, wait." He looked at her closely. "You have something on your neck." He reached out his hand to brush the faint red marks away but Shock gasped and slapped his hand roughly. She trembled and looked at him with terrified eyes. Wordlessly, she took off, running back towards the tree house, leaving poor Lock at the graveyard. He knew that Shock was hiding something and had to get to the tree house before she did and raised the elevator. He took off after her and was rapidly catching up. He was surprised at how fast Shock could run and he was finding it rather hard to keep up with her.
"Shock!!" He called against the wind. "Shock, don't run! What's the matter with you anyway! Get back here! SHOCK!" Lock called out to her in vain as she wasn't in the mood for listening and it didn't matter anyway, the tree house was only a few yards away.
Shock crossed the wooden bridge and headed full speed for the elevator. If she could get there before Lock and upstairs she would be fine for the night.
"Shock? Why are you running from me?" Lock screamed. He sounded to close, but there was something else in his voice. Sadness? It didn't matter, she was almost across the bridge anyway and-
Shock gasped and slid to a halt at the edge of the deep pit. The elevator was raised already, and she had no way of getting up without Lock. "Shit!" She could her Lock on the bridge and he was closing in on her fast.
"Shock?" He sounded out of breath and confused. "What's the matter with you, you crazy bitch? Why did you take off like that? Why did I do now? Are you mad because I touched your neck? Boo-hoo, take a pill-" Lock was effectively cut off as Shock's fist connected with his jaw.
"Fuck you." She said darkly. "Don't talk down to me like that! I thought I told you not to ever touch my neck, is that so hard? Would you like for me to say it slower so it'll sink in, asshole? DO - NOT - TOUCH - MY - NECK!"
Lock brought his hand away from his mouth and spit out the blood that collected on his tongue. She had gone too far this time and he wasn't going to stand for it.
"Bitch" He muttered flinging himself at her and knocking the smaller girl onto her back. They rolled around on the bridge, coming precariously close to the edge. The pulled at each other's hair and jabbed at each other's faces screaming in rage and calling filthy insults at one another. Lock's tail swished wildly from side to side as he pinned Shock close to the edge of the pit and pulled her up to him by the collar. Breathing hard he shook her roughly and gritted his teeth as she slapped him hard across the face. He wanted to kiss her right now, fiercely and passionately. He wanted to crush his lips against hers so hard they bleed. He wrapped his tail around one of her wrists and felt he squirm beneath his waist. One of the straps of her violet nightshirt slipped down her arm and exposed her creamy shoulder to the moonlight. She growled and struggled against his grasp and glared at Lock viciously.
"Do something about it!" She yelled furiously, her chest heaving with exhaustion. Lock tightened his grip on her collar and leaned his head down to her bare shoulder. He placed a soft kiss on the crook of her neck before biting her hard enough for Shock to gasp and run her nails down his back with her free hand. Lock let a soft moan escape his lips and arched his back against her fingers. He bit her shoulder again, sucking on the skin the same way she had his lip the night before. Shock dug her nails into his back harder and arched against him. Lock released his hold on her nightshirt and grabbed her wrists again, using his tail to steady himself on the edge of the bridge. After a minute he pulled away and looked at Shock. "Good enough?" He breathed. She nodded and pulled the strap back up to her shoulder. She stood up slowly and opened her mouth.
::Tink:: ::Tink:: ::Thump::
Shock stopped and looked down into the pit behind her. Suddenly a long black shadow rose up from the pit and wrapped part of itself around Shock's middle. She screamed and reached out for Lock. Before she could grab his hand another tendril shot out and shoved Lock close to the edge of he pit. He started calling for Barrel who was the only one who could lower the elevator. Shock started screaming again as the shadow wrapped itself higher and higher around her body. Lock reached into his back pocket of his pants and produced a small red firecracker and a long match. He struck the match on the bridge and threw it at the shadow, careful no to hit Shock in the process. It exploded close to the amber holes Lock assumed were eyes and released Shock. She landed hard on the bridge but quickly scrambled back up and into Lock's arms. Barrel appeared at the top of the tree house and gave them both a puzzled look.
"DROP THE CAGE!" They both screamed in unison as the black shadow descended into the pit. Barrel lowered the elevator and Lock and Shock scrambled inside and shut the door. When they were almost at the top, the black shadow reached up one final time and grabbed Shock's wrist. She screamed and pulled her hand free wincing in pain. When they got upstairs, the three tens barricaded the doors and huddled in the living room. Shock glanced down and gingerly touched the three large scratch marks that left blood trailing down her arm.
"Guys...I think it's time we spoke to Jack."