ON A DARK & STORMY NIGHT
CHAPTER 5: MIND WHAT YOU SAY
** **
"Why...did you fall through the ceiling? You alright?" Spike said, still a little surprised.
He looked up for a moment at the hole in the ceiling she'd created. "What happened there? We fighting someone?"
She coughed at the dust in the air and crawled to her feet. As he always did while they were patrolling and she was on the ground, he offered his hand to help her up. She was so used to him being there, doing just that, she reached out and took his hand without even looking.
"No," she said. "No fighting, I don't think so. Those ghost things pretty much leave you alone if you tell them off harsh enough. I'm sure you noticed that too."
Spike cleared his throat softly. "Uh, yeah. Right. Pushovers, them. So what happened to you then? Quite a tumble you made."
"Yeah," she said, "old floors, couldn't hold me. I had to jump. But look, I got it!"
She proudly held up her hand and in it, Spike saw a gold amulet with a round glassy jewel in it, it's chain hanging through her fingers.
"Oh, good job. That's it, huh?"
Buffy looked at it. "Yeah it was hanging in some tinkerbell lights as I got all chanty. Pretty much how it was supposed to be. Huh, doesn't look all that powerful."
"Ah you can never tell. Magic stuff is tricky. Better not mess with it." Spike said. "Can't say I'm sad I didn't get to chant along. Not really my thing."
"Yeah, well, mine either. Next time Willow or Tara can do it. Okay, let's get out of here, I'm sure Giles will want to study it with one of those Sherlock Holmes magnifying glasses or something."
Spike chuckled. "Yeah, Rupert's gonna be giddy for days with this one. Probably won't be able to utter a word under 11 syllables for a while."
Buffy giggled. "Yeah better stay clear before he starts expecting us to know what he's talking about."
They chuckled some more and walked out of the room into the hallway looking for the staircase that would lead to the ground floor. They walked for a while, turned a few corners, saw a lot more doors, a staircase or two leading up, everything but stairs going down.
"Okay...I really think this house is not THIS big. And wasn't the staircase kinda closer to that room?"
Spike nodded. "Yeah, something's fishy. Like when we got separated. I turned around and the door was gone."
"Ah, thought so. I went to look for you through that door and you were gone. Great. Don't you love magic houses. I just hoped after I got this thing, it would all be normal again."
They walked back and forth, trying to find anything that led to downstairs. Not only didn't they find anything, but they found that every time they turned back, things were different from the first time they walked through.
Buffy kicked a door off it's hinges in frustration. "Ahhh! Crap! I hate this! I'm tired, I'm barely dry and I have to get back out into the rain again! I did my job, I got the thing, now I want to go home! I want that stupid staircase here now!"
Spike looked down and raised his eyebrows. "Uh, pet."
But she had already seen it too. There was the staircase. Going down. Except it hadn't been there. "Yeah...that's...."
"Yeah," Spike nodded. "And you notice how it didn't..you know..no 'poof, there it is'. No...'whooom'...it just..."
"It's just there like it has been all along. Yeah..."
They looked at each other and then their eyes simultaneously went down to Buffy's hand where she still held the amulet.
Spike whispered softly "Uh, pet, I'd be careful with what you say..from now on.."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah...still, pretty handy right now."
They slowly walked down the stairs, both a little surprised and relieved it was real, and bore their weight. Once downstairs however, the same problem continued. They were lost and all the old rooms and corridors with old doors leading to more old rooms seemed to go on forever. The door leading outside was nowhere.
Buffy groaned. "Okay, maybe I should carefully 'command' something to happen again, like maybe us back home already..." She frowned and stopped herself. "No."
"What?" Spike asked.
Buffy held up the amulet. "No, I already did that. Before the staircase appeared. I said I wanted to go home. But we're not. So...maybe this didn't do it after all?"
Spike frowned. "Had to. I mean....right when you said it...."
"I know," Buffy said. "But we're not home and I said that too. Hm, maybe I should test it. With something small." She looked around her seeing if there was anything that gave her an idea.
"Careful luv," Spike said. "That's dangerous stuff. If you say something wrong....."
"I know, I know," Buffy waved him away, in that cute but ordering manner. "Just something small. Like this."
She stood in front of an old cabinet, broken on the floor. "I want this cabinet to be whole again."
And it was. And once again, no effects, no lights or moving parts. The cabinet simply was mended and whole. And it was like it had been all along.
"Huh," Buffy mumbled. She looked at her expensive leather coat and pants, kind of grungy after walking in the rain all night. "I want them as good as new," she whispered.
And with that they looked as new and smooth as they had been in the store. She smiled and turned to look at herself. "Hmmm, shiny again. I'd say this definitely works."
Spike nodded. "Yeah, looks like. Still say you better be careful, luv. And it doesn't explain why it won't send us home."
Buffy thought about it. "Yeah, maybe try that again? Maybe phrase it more clearly? Ahem, I want us both to be back in Sunnydale, uh, in the Magic Shop. To be..precise."
For a moment they stood in silence. Nothing happened.
"Okay, now I'm confused. Again then! I want.." But before she could finish Spike interrupted her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Luv, really. Don't. I've seen this sort of thing. Before you know it, we're in some other dimension or one of us is turned to stone for all eternity, or..I don't know. But it's dangerous. It's not helping us, so let's look for a door or a window."
Buffy nodded. "Okay, yeah. I mean. Yeah you're right. Tricky stuff. Let's crash through a window or something."
And they looked and looked. But the house kept changing, no doors led to outside and the few rooms that had windows were boarded up. And the boards were unmovable. Either by vampire strength, Slayer strength or 'amulet- commands'.
After another hour like that, they'd found themselves in the room with the fireplace again, where they crashed into the old comfy chairs. The fire was still burning albeit a bit smaller.
"Ahhh great! I hate, HATE magic houses!" Buffy pouted. "And what good is an all-powerful amulet if you have to stay in this dump?"
Spike shrugged. "I dunno, luv. We tried using it, just carrying it, and even leaving it on the floor didn't do much. And it may still be our only ticket out for all we know. Let's hold onto it for now, eh?"
"Yeah, yeah..." She dangled it in front of her face, sticking her tongue out at it. Her pout got even deeper. Spike suppressed a grin trying not to notice how sexy her lower lip got when she pouted.
"Ahem, anyway, let me get some more wood on the fire." As he got up from his chair to do that however, Buffy shrugged and said. "Oh why bother. 'Fire bigger'!"
And instantly the fire was bigger. Unfortunately, a little too big.
It flared out of the fireplace and nearly hit Spike head on. Only his vampire speed saved him from a fiery death. He fell several feet back, a little singed.
Buffy jumped to her feet. "SPIKE! No! Uh..STOP! I mean, 'fire small again'! How it was! Whatever! Back to normal!"
The fire went back to normal and she knelt down by Spike who lay on the ground looking a little flustered and singed. "Spike! I'm sorry, are you okay?"
"Luv.?" he said as he looked up.
"Why don't we... put the amulet on the table for now?"
** **
TBC!
CHAPTER 5: MIND WHAT YOU SAY
** **
"Why...did you fall through the ceiling? You alright?" Spike said, still a little surprised.
He looked up for a moment at the hole in the ceiling she'd created. "What happened there? We fighting someone?"
She coughed at the dust in the air and crawled to her feet. As he always did while they were patrolling and she was on the ground, he offered his hand to help her up. She was so used to him being there, doing just that, she reached out and took his hand without even looking.
"No," she said. "No fighting, I don't think so. Those ghost things pretty much leave you alone if you tell them off harsh enough. I'm sure you noticed that too."
Spike cleared his throat softly. "Uh, yeah. Right. Pushovers, them. So what happened to you then? Quite a tumble you made."
"Yeah," she said, "old floors, couldn't hold me. I had to jump. But look, I got it!"
She proudly held up her hand and in it, Spike saw a gold amulet with a round glassy jewel in it, it's chain hanging through her fingers.
"Oh, good job. That's it, huh?"
Buffy looked at it. "Yeah it was hanging in some tinkerbell lights as I got all chanty. Pretty much how it was supposed to be. Huh, doesn't look all that powerful."
"Ah you can never tell. Magic stuff is tricky. Better not mess with it." Spike said. "Can't say I'm sad I didn't get to chant along. Not really my thing."
"Yeah, well, mine either. Next time Willow or Tara can do it. Okay, let's get out of here, I'm sure Giles will want to study it with one of those Sherlock Holmes magnifying glasses or something."
Spike chuckled. "Yeah, Rupert's gonna be giddy for days with this one. Probably won't be able to utter a word under 11 syllables for a while."
Buffy giggled. "Yeah better stay clear before he starts expecting us to know what he's talking about."
They chuckled some more and walked out of the room into the hallway looking for the staircase that would lead to the ground floor. They walked for a while, turned a few corners, saw a lot more doors, a staircase or two leading up, everything but stairs going down.
"Okay...I really think this house is not THIS big. And wasn't the staircase kinda closer to that room?"
Spike nodded. "Yeah, something's fishy. Like when we got separated. I turned around and the door was gone."
"Ah, thought so. I went to look for you through that door and you were gone. Great. Don't you love magic houses. I just hoped after I got this thing, it would all be normal again."
They walked back and forth, trying to find anything that led to downstairs. Not only didn't they find anything, but they found that every time they turned back, things were different from the first time they walked through.
Buffy kicked a door off it's hinges in frustration. "Ahhh! Crap! I hate this! I'm tired, I'm barely dry and I have to get back out into the rain again! I did my job, I got the thing, now I want to go home! I want that stupid staircase here now!"
Spike looked down and raised his eyebrows. "Uh, pet."
But she had already seen it too. There was the staircase. Going down. Except it hadn't been there. "Yeah...that's...."
"Yeah," Spike nodded. "And you notice how it didn't..you know..no 'poof, there it is'. No...'whooom'...it just..."
"It's just there like it has been all along. Yeah..."
They looked at each other and then their eyes simultaneously went down to Buffy's hand where she still held the amulet.
Spike whispered softly "Uh, pet, I'd be careful with what you say..from now on.."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah...still, pretty handy right now."
They slowly walked down the stairs, both a little surprised and relieved it was real, and bore their weight. Once downstairs however, the same problem continued. They were lost and all the old rooms and corridors with old doors leading to more old rooms seemed to go on forever. The door leading outside was nowhere.
Buffy groaned. "Okay, maybe I should carefully 'command' something to happen again, like maybe us back home already..." She frowned and stopped herself. "No."
"What?" Spike asked.
Buffy held up the amulet. "No, I already did that. Before the staircase appeared. I said I wanted to go home. But we're not. So...maybe this didn't do it after all?"
Spike frowned. "Had to. I mean....right when you said it...."
"I know," Buffy said. "But we're not home and I said that too. Hm, maybe I should test it. With something small." She looked around her seeing if there was anything that gave her an idea.
"Careful luv," Spike said. "That's dangerous stuff. If you say something wrong....."
"I know, I know," Buffy waved him away, in that cute but ordering manner. "Just something small. Like this."
She stood in front of an old cabinet, broken on the floor. "I want this cabinet to be whole again."
And it was. And once again, no effects, no lights or moving parts. The cabinet simply was mended and whole. And it was like it had been all along.
"Huh," Buffy mumbled. She looked at her expensive leather coat and pants, kind of grungy after walking in the rain all night. "I want them as good as new," she whispered.
And with that they looked as new and smooth as they had been in the store. She smiled and turned to look at herself. "Hmmm, shiny again. I'd say this definitely works."
Spike nodded. "Yeah, looks like. Still say you better be careful, luv. And it doesn't explain why it won't send us home."
Buffy thought about it. "Yeah, maybe try that again? Maybe phrase it more clearly? Ahem, I want us both to be back in Sunnydale, uh, in the Magic Shop. To be..precise."
For a moment they stood in silence. Nothing happened.
"Okay, now I'm confused. Again then! I want.." But before she could finish Spike interrupted her with a hand on her shoulder.
"Luv, really. Don't. I've seen this sort of thing. Before you know it, we're in some other dimension or one of us is turned to stone for all eternity, or..I don't know. But it's dangerous. It's not helping us, so let's look for a door or a window."
Buffy nodded. "Okay, yeah. I mean. Yeah you're right. Tricky stuff. Let's crash through a window or something."
And they looked and looked. But the house kept changing, no doors led to outside and the few rooms that had windows were boarded up. And the boards were unmovable. Either by vampire strength, Slayer strength or 'amulet- commands'.
After another hour like that, they'd found themselves in the room with the fireplace again, where they crashed into the old comfy chairs. The fire was still burning albeit a bit smaller.
"Ahhh great! I hate, HATE magic houses!" Buffy pouted. "And what good is an all-powerful amulet if you have to stay in this dump?"
Spike shrugged. "I dunno, luv. We tried using it, just carrying it, and even leaving it on the floor didn't do much. And it may still be our only ticket out for all we know. Let's hold onto it for now, eh?"
"Yeah, yeah..." She dangled it in front of her face, sticking her tongue out at it. Her pout got even deeper. Spike suppressed a grin trying not to notice how sexy her lower lip got when she pouted.
"Ahem, anyway, let me get some more wood on the fire." As he got up from his chair to do that however, Buffy shrugged and said. "Oh why bother. 'Fire bigger'!"
And instantly the fire was bigger. Unfortunately, a little too big.
It flared out of the fireplace and nearly hit Spike head on. Only his vampire speed saved him from a fiery death. He fell several feet back, a little singed.
Buffy jumped to her feet. "SPIKE! No! Uh..STOP! I mean, 'fire small again'! How it was! Whatever! Back to normal!"
The fire went back to normal and she knelt down by Spike who lay on the ground looking a little flustered and singed. "Spike! I'm sorry, are you okay?"
"Luv.?" he said as he looked up.
"Why don't we... put the amulet on the table for now?"
** **
TBC!