FOOLS FOR LIFE:
CHAPTER 28: Stuck
"I can't sit here anymore!"
"Buffy, easy, I'm sure they'll.."
"They'll what? Mess me up even worse? Make it so I'll start bleaching my hair and gelling the crap out of it every day?? Start drinking micro waved pig's blood with weed?" She shrunk back into her chair. "......or be able to pee standing up??"
"I don't think that...." Tara tried now, but Buffy had stood up already with a very determined movement.
"No! I'm not going to sit around here while that that accident-prone vampire who got me into this mess in the first place is trying to play Lancelot." She strode to the hallway and got her jacket.
"Buff, maybe they have a point. You shouldn't be running around town in your..condition." Xander said, coming in from the kitchen.
" 'Condition' ??" Buffy said. "What am I, pregnant?"
"Buffy you can't even find Rack's place without Anya or Spike. I mean I could, but I really don't think we should go, and I ....really rather not....."
Buffy looked at her friend. "I know Will, I'm not asking you to go. I can go bust some demon heads at Willie's, or maybe Clem will help me. I'll figure something out."
"But Buffy, what if...."
"No!" she said, and walked out the front door, into the early morning sun. Halfway the garden path however she stopped and looked at her hand. At first it itched, then it hurt a little. Then she saw it turn red.....
"Aow!" she said, rubbing it. It got worse and now her other hand followed suit, as well as her face, particularly her nose. "Aow, aow, AOWW!!" she called out, furiously! "No, no, no, NO! This is not bloody happening to me!!!"
She looked up at the sun and her bangs started to smoke. "Aahhhh!! Noo!" she yelled and turned around, running back to her worried friends in the door. She ran back inside, lost her footing and rolled over the floor.
"Buffy what is it!?" they asked in unison.
She looked up at them with a little girl's pout. "I got sunburn." She said with a sad little voice. Her face and hands looked red and painful, like she had been at the beach all day without any sun block.
"Ouchie." Willow said as she gently touched Buffy's red nose.
"I can't go out into the sun!! I'm turning into a vampire!" she cried out.
"Buffy no, maybe it's just another , you know.....'trait' you've picked up," Tara tried to comfort her. "You're not undead or anything. This spell's just..."
"All wonky" Willow finished. Buffy just groaned.
"Come on let's get some aloe on that," Tara said as they helped her up. They went to the kitchen, and softly Buffy mumbled:
"I am SO going to punch him in the nose....!"
** **
"What do you mean you CAN'T??" Spike asked frantically.
"I can't......I'm.....blocked!" Halfrek said as they stood in the alley where the entrance to Rack's place was located. They had just left it, after Anya signed an I.O.U. that had some magical extras. (If she hadn't given Rack his items before a certain date, she'd be getting some dreams about bunnies. She didn't know how he knew her fear of them and didn't ask. She signed the paper shooting daggers from her eyes at Spike.) All in all, they had left a very content sorcerer behind.
Anya frowned. "Blocked.... you mean......"
"D'Hoffryn." Halfrek sighed. "You remember the wish I granted Buffy's sister on her birthday party right? Well, I had to take that back. Because I got trapped myself."
Anya nodded. "You probably got into trouble for that one already." Then she added for Spike "You see taking a successful spell back for whatever reason is also a big no-no. Almost as bad as to mess up a spell like she did here."
"Yes, thank you Anyanka!" Halfrek said. "And I did get into trouble! D'Hoffryn lectured me on my clumsiness, and decided I needed to be taught a lesson. To be a little more careful about my spells and the consequences and to not make those kinds of mistakes."
She sighed. "So he decided that my first next 5 curses would stay permanent, no matter what! If I'd made that birthday mistake now, we'd all be stuck in that house for eternity!"
"Bloody hell!" Spike cursed. "So....now what!? Watch Buffy turn into me?!"
Anya shrugged. "Well, you always seemed to be pretty pleased with yourself...."
Spike kicked the wall. "Of all the bleedin' stupid bad luck. What's gonna happen to her now?"
Anya watched him trash about. "Hey I'm the one who just lost a whole bunch of perfectly good magical retail merchandise just to get to see Ms. Useless over here!"
Halfrek cleared her throat. "Yes, thank you Anyanka. I'm standing right here, you know! And I didn't ask for you to come look for me."
Spike gained his composure with a clenched jaw. "Alright, maybe...maybe we can figure something out. Or the wiccas. Let's get back to them." He turned and started to walk out of the alley when he was stopped short by the bright light hitting the sidewalk.
"Oh no...the sun's up. Any sewer entrances here??"
"No," Anya shook her head as she looked around. "And I'm not going down in any sewers anyway!" she added.
"Well, you wouldn't have to, would you??" Spike groaned.
"Oh, yeah right."
"Look, can you go over there and let them know what the deal is? Maybe take Halfrek with you....."
"I'm not going to the Slayer's house!" Halfrek protested. "Her, with her witch friends? They're going to kill me! I don't think so. I'm sorry William, I am, but there's nothing I can do anyway."
"She has a point." Anya nodded. "I'll just teleport over there and tell them seeing Halfrek was pointless and Buffy's probably cursed for all eternity."
"NO! Don't put it like that!" Spike said, but Anya was already gone in a puff of black swirling smoke.
"Bugger...." He whispered. Halfrek looked at him. "Well, I'm going to go too. I'm sorry but there's nothing I can do. And D'Hoffryn will probably come for me soon now." she groaned. "Toilet brush here I come."
Spike sighed. He had run out of ideas. "Bloody great...."
She walked up to him. "William? One more thing.....I was impressed with what a feared, powerful vampire you'd become. But what really got to me....in all honesty.."
She touched his face.
"....was that behind all the violence and the adventures, I still saw that sensitive guy that wrote me poems."
He looked at her, not knowing what to say. She kissed him gently and smiled.
"Guess that's irony for you....." she said sadly and she disappeared in a cloud, similar to Anya's, leaving Spike alone in the alley, trapped by sunlight.
He stood there for a moment. Then walked to a wall, fell back against it and slumped down onto the ground.
"Women....." He muttered.
"Indeed" he heard a voice say in the corner of the alley. He looked up and saw Vraak I'Lek walk up and sit down next to him.
"Oh, it's you. Thanks for earlier mate."
"Not at all. You are an honorable warrior......I am glad we shared a great battle."
"Uh yeah, right." Spike said and offered another cigarette.
"Thank you." Vraak said and his nose flames did their work again. " Now.....uhm, I wanted to make sure I got that dock number correctly...that was 16 yes?"
"Hm? Oh yeah right. Yeah 16. Krayceck always has plenty in stock. Just tell him Spike sent you. Should have you 'up' and running in no time."
"Indeed," the demon grinned uncomfortably. "Have you ever......uhm....personally found it to work?"
"Me? Ah no it doesn't work on vampires....." He looked up at his companion. "Not that.....I ever tried...."
For a few moments they smoked in silence.
"I gather your meeting with the wizard did not go as you hoped?" the demon asked politely.
"Ah, it did and it didn't. He let me see her, but turns out she can't lift the curse. Complications. Not sure what to do now." He pointed at the sunlight that the shadow of the surrounded buildings protected him from. "And I'm stuck here for the day."
He gripped his head and groaned. "Ahhh man....Buffy is going to kill me. And then probably have Willow raise me from the dead just so she can kill me again!"
The demon patted him on the shoulder in a comforting way. "Oh, my soul- other has tried to kill me on many occasions." he shrugged and added:
"Really, I would not read too much into that."
"Ain't love grand." Spike mumbled.
** **
TBC!
CHAPTER 28: Stuck
"I can't sit here anymore!"
"Buffy, easy, I'm sure they'll.."
"They'll what? Mess me up even worse? Make it so I'll start bleaching my hair and gelling the crap out of it every day?? Start drinking micro waved pig's blood with weed?" She shrunk back into her chair. "......or be able to pee standing up??"
"I don't think that...." Tara tried now, but Buffy had stood up already with a very determined movement.
"No! I'm not going to sit around here while that that accident-prone vampire who got me into this mess in the first place is trying to play Lancelot." She strode to the hallway and got her jacket.
"Buff, maybe they have a point. You shouldn't be running around town in your..condition." Xander said, coming in from the kitchen.
" 'Condition' ??" Buffy said. "What am I, pregnant?"
"Buffy you can't even find Rack's place without Anya or Spike. I mean I could, but I really don't think we should go, and I ....really rather not....."
Buffy looked at her friend. "I know Will, I'm not asking you to go. I can go bust some demon heads at Willie's, or maybe Clem will help me. I'll figure something out."
"But Buffy, what if...."
"No!" she said, and walked out the front door, into the early morning sun. Halfway the garden path however she stopped and looked at her hand. At first it itched, then it hurt a little. Then she saw it turn red.....
"Aow!" she said, rubbing it. It got worse and now her other hand followed suit, as well as her face, particularly her nose. "Aow, aow, AOWW!!" she called out, furiously! "No, no, no, NO! This is not bloody happening to me!!!"
She looked up at the sun and her bangs started to smoke. "Aahhhh!! Noo!" she yelled and turned around, running back to her worried friends in the door. She ran back inside, lost her footing and rolled over the floor.
"Buffy what is it!?" they asked in unison.
She looked up at them with a little girl's pout. "I got sunburn." She said with a sad little voice. Her face and hands looked red and painful, like she had been at the beach all day without any sun block.
"Ouchie." Willow said as she gently touched Buffy's red nose.
"I can't go out into the sun!! I'm turning into a vampire!" she cried out.
"Buffy no, maybe it's just another , you know.....'trait' you've picked up," Tara tried to comfort her. "You're not undead or anything. This spell's just..."
"All wonky" Willow finished. Buffy just groaned.
"Come on let's get some aloe on that," Tara said as they helped her up. They went to the kitchen, and softly Buffy mumbled:
"I am SO going to punch him in the nose....!"
** **
"What do you mean you CAN'T??" Spike asked frantically.
"I can't......I'm.....blocked!" Halfrek said as they stood in the alley where the entrance to Rack's place was located. They had just left it, after Anya signed an I.O.U. that had some magical extras. (If she hadn't given Rack his items before a certain date, she'd be getting some dreams about bunnies. She didn't know how he knew her fear of them and didn't ask. She signed the paper shooting daggers from her eyes at Spike.) All in all, they had left a very content sorcerer behind.
Anya frowned. "Blocked.... you mean......"
"D'Hoffryn." Halfrek sighed. "You remember the wish I granted Buffy's sister on her birthday party right? Well, I had to take that back. Because I got trapped myself."
Anya nodded. "You probably got into trouble for that one already." Then she added for Spike "You see taking a successful spell back for whatever reason is also a big no-no. Almost as bad as to mess up a spell like she did here."
"Yes, thank you Anyanka!" Halfrek said. "And I did get into trouble! D'Hoffryn lectured me on my clumsiness, and decided I needed to be taught a lesson. To be a little more careful about my spells and the consequences and to not make those kinds of mistakes."
She sighed. "So he decided that my first next 5 curses would stay permanent, no matter what! If I'd made that birthday mistake now, we'd all be stuck in that house for eternity!"
"Bloody hell!" Spike cursed. "So....now what!? Watch Buffy turn into me?!"
Anya shrugged. "Well, you always seemed to be pretty pleased with yourself...."
Spike kicked the wall. "Of all the bleedin' stupid bad luck. What's gonna happen to her now?"
Anya watched him trash about. "Hey I'm the one who just lost a whole bunch of perfectly good magical retail merchandise just to get to see Ms. Useless over here!"
Halfrek cleared her throat. "Yes, thank you Anyanka. I'm standing right here, you know! And I didn't ask for you to come look for me."
Spike gained his composure with a clenched jaw. "Alright, maybe...maybe we can figure something out. Or the wiccas. Let's get back to them." He turned and started to walk out of the alley when he was stopped short by the bright light hitting the sidewalk.
"Oh no...the sun's up. Any sewer entrances here??"
"No," Anya shook her head as she looked around. "And I'm not going down in any sewers anyway!" she added.
"Well, you wouldn't have to, would you??" Spike groaned.
"Oh, yeah right."
"Look, can you go over there and let them know what the deal is? Maybe take Halfrek with you....."
"I'm not going to the Slayer's house!" Halfrek protested. "Her, with her witch friends? They're going to kill me! I don't think so. I'm sorry William, I am, but there's nothing I can do anyway."
"She has a point." Anya nodded. "I'll just teleport over there and tell them seeing Halfrek was pointless and Buffy's probably cursed for all eternity."
"NO! Don't put it like that!" Spike said, but Anya was already gone in a puff of black swirling smoke.
"Bugger...." He whispered. Halfrek looked at him. "Well, I'm going to go too. I'm sorry but there's nothing I can do. And D'Hoffryn will probably come for me soon now." she groaned. "Toilet brush here I come."
Spike sighed. He had run out of ideas. "Bloody great...."
She walked up to him. "William? One more thing.....I was impressed with what a feared, powerful vampire you'd become. But what really got to me....in all honesty.."
She touched his face.
"....was that behind all the violence and the adventures, I still saw that sensitive guy that wrote me poems."
He looked at her, not knowing what to say. She kissed him gently and smiled.
"Guess that's irony for you....." she said sadly and she disappeared in a cloud, similar to Anya's, leaving Spike alone in the alley, trapped by sunlight.
He stood there for a moment. Then walked to a wall, fell back against it and slumped down onto the ground.
"Women....." He muttered.
"Indeed" he heard a voice say in the corner of the alley. He looked up and saw Vraak I'Lek walk up and sit down next to him.
"Oh, it's you. Thanks for earlier mate."
"Not at all. You are an honorable warrior......I am glad we shared a great battle."
"Uh yeah, right." Spike said and offered another cigarette.
"Thank you." Vraak said and his nose flames did their work again. " Now.....uhm, I wanted to make sure I got that dock number correctly...that was 16 yes?"
"Hm? Oh yeah right. Yeah 16. Krayceck always has plenty in stock. Just tell him Spike sent you. Should have you 'up' and running in no time."
"Indeed," the demon grinned uncomfortably. "Have you ever......uhm....personally found it to work?"
"Me? Ah no it doesn't work on vampires....." He looked up at his companion. "Not that.....I ever tried...."
For a few moments they smoked in silence.
"I gather your meeting with the wizard did not go as you hoped?" the demon asked politely.
"Ah, it did and it didn't. He let me see her, but turns out she can't lift the curse. Complications. Not sure what to do now." He pointed at the sunlight that the shadow of the surrounded buildings protected him from. "And I'm stuck here for the day."
He gripped his head and groaned. "Ahhh man....Buffy is going to kill me. And then probably have Willow raise me from the dead just so she can kill me again!"
The demon patted him on the shoulder in a comforting way. "Oh, my soul- other has tried to kill me on many occasions." he shrugged and added:
"Really, I would not read too much into that."
"Ain't love grand." Spike mumbled.
** **
TBC!
