A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT
CHAPTER 7:
AN: Okay sorry this came so late. I usually try to be a regular updater, but I got banned! For a friggin' week! For something I didn't even know was illegal. Ah well...live and learn. On with the show.
** **
"Wuh...what the bloody hell????" He looked down at himself, completely naked from top to bottom. Then he looked at her. "You...you do this? What the hell for?? This a joke?"
Buffy nearly choked on her peach chunk as she shook her head and tried to speak. Spike looked at her with wide eyes, still waiting for an answer. "Tell me pet, what's the punch line?"
She blushed a nice pinkish red that was even visible in the weak light of the fire and pulled an ugly face as she tried to cough without spraying peach bits and syrup on her clothes.
"Hmbnn *COUGH* I didn't *COUGH COUGH*....I mean....didn't mean to..."
As she struggled, Spike's put his hands on his hips in a slightly put-off pose. He was making no attempt to cover himself up. If she wanted to get an eyeful, let her!
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes from the coughing. "Ahem, I...I didn't do anything I was just...thinking..."
Spike raised one eyebrow. "Really.....well, it's.....flattering. That sort o' thinking."
She glared at him. "Noo, don't get all excited now......I mean...NO...I didn't mean to say 'excited'..."
In a reflex her eyes darted down to his loin area and lingered for a second. She shook her head, closing her eyes as she already saw her new thought was also 'working out'. "No! I mean....."
But it was too late. Spike looked down as well as he felt a familiar feeling.... "Ahem. And the hits keep coming. That's never happened THIS fast! Wanted a 'salute' did you?"
Buffy searched for words as her eyes were drawn back to his loin area, and after each time, she closed her eyes and looked away again. "Noo, I-I...."
"No really," he continued. "If you wanted to see this, all you had to was ask, Slayer."
"I didn't! I mean I was just having a-a......stray thought! You know...like people have....."
He folded his arms. "Well, yeah I DO know actually." He looked her body over with a slight smirk.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any amulets to help me out, like some people."
Buffy gulped for a moment and pulled the neck of her sweater a little higher. "Well, good! And you're not going to have it either. Don't get any ideas, this was just...."
"Hey, excuse me, *I'M* not the one who just magicked one of the people in this room all in the 'buff'!! Pun intended by the way."
"It was an accident!" Buffy yelled. "Like I said, just a stray thought. People have them all the time!"
In reflex, her eyes flashed over his body every now and then while she tried to talk, as our eyes do when we're not supposed to look at something we're curious about. Especially his still 'affected' loin area kept drawing her attention. She frowned and looked to the side. "Can you....ahem, put your duster on or something? This is really...distracting."
He raised his eyebrows. "What, naked in my duster? And sit around like some Chippendale right before he goes 'on'? How about you 'think' me my clothes back?"
"Fine, fine I'll try." She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.
Spike swallowed. Maybe he spoke too fast. Who knows what she'd do now!
"Uh Buffy maybe....."
"NO! Fine, just let me concentrate." She sighed and tried to calm herself.
'Just think about Spike clothed' she told herself. 'What happened to those clothes anyway? Are they gone? Or back at his crypt in the closet? No concentrate, focus. Uhm black shirt, black jeans..no wait, should I wish new clothes or visualize what he had on? Or turn back time? Come on, thoughts can go all over the place, you don't want another repeat of this. Or something worse, something even more embarrassing, like earlier when I thought that little funny about him on a leash....'
"Uh oh", she muttered as se opened her eyes. Sure enough, the still-naked Spike was now wearing a big dog leash around his neck. Black leather with spikes. He stared dumbfounded at the holding end of it hanging by his knees. He lifted it and looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"This...uh....would be that punch line then?" he asked.
Buffy buried her face in her hands. "I suck as a sorceress...." she moaned.
Spike cleared his throat. "Ahem. I'm....ah....shocked. Had no idea you were so....what's the word now...kinky?"
Buffy looked up. "I am NOT kinky! I-I....."
Spike tilted his head at her and swung the end of the leash back and forth.
"Really. Then I guess you wanna take me for a walk to the nearest fire hydrant?? And do get me something chewy then. One of those fake bone things should do...."
"Enough! I'm sorry! Now shut up and let me think. I'll just say it out loud then, 'I want Spike to be dressed in his usual black shirt and pants and boots!'"
She looked at him and smiled when she saw she was successful. Spike nodded, noting he didn't feel them 'come back' anymore than he'd felt them disappear.
"That's better luv. Of course...."
Buffy looked up at him and her smile faded. He still had the leash tightly around his neck.
He grinned and shook his head. "That's okay luv, let's not push our luck. I'll just take it off myself." He reached behind his head and fiddled with it for a while. He dropped his hands and said, kind of embarrassed.
"Uhm....can't reach..and kinda tight....Don't suppose..."
She looked at him, and cleared her throat. "Ahh..yeah, of course. Sure, yeah. Only fair. I'm the one who got it ...on there. Ahem"
He lurched down on his knees as she got up and tried to open the buckle of the leash on the back of his neck. Took a few moments of fumbling and Spike muttered: "Glad no one's here to see any of this... Wouldn't be able to show my face again at the poker place."
Buffy had to giggle at that one as she finally got the strap end going through the buckle. "Ohh, big bad doggy would fit fine in a place with all those kittens..."
He gave her a slow burn.
"Oh, don't you pout at me, or maybe I'll leave this on. I only thought of it earlier as a joke you know, Mr. Mind-in-the-Gutter. Because you went off again instead of listening to me."
Spike looked at her as he got up.
"Yeah..so you imagine me in a dog collar, obeying your orders, and I'M the one with the dirty mind? I think you're losing track of who's the victim here."
She looked to the side and tried to shrug. "Oh, get over yourself. We got problems. The amulet is even working from a distance now."
Spike nodded. "Which really will be a problem unless you learn to reach a Dalai Lama level of meditation right now and empty your head of all those nasty stray thoughts."
She gave him a chastising look but didn't say anything. "You're right," she sighed and took the amulet out of her coat pocket. She put it on the table and they both stared at it.
"Maybe we should get rid of it. Maybe that would free us as well. I mean we prevented anyone else from getting it. If there even were other people working the same ritual at the other spots."
"Yeah, but how do we get rid of it? Do that chanting again and toss it back into that light business you described?"
"No, I doubt that's how it works. Maybe we can find somewhere in the house. Preferably some bottomless pit or.."
It was only their reflexes that saved them. She hadn't finished saying those words or a big hole opened right in the middle of the room, nearly claiming them both.
They managed to reach the edge as they fell and each rolled to a side of it, watching one of the chairs fall in and disappearing in the darkness, along with Buffy's coat.
"Bloody hell!" Spike yelled. Buffy steadied herself, trying to think quickly. She created it. Now close it.
She tried to think of the hole gone, or it filling up, and then it briefly reminded her of that deep water well she saw in that movie the other night. And suddenly the hole in the room WAS filled with water splashing over the edge. It all happened so fast, her mind was caught in a chain reaction of instant thought jumps now.
Seeing the water caused her to think how quickly it happened, and the thought of what would happen if it would flood over was in her mind before she knew it.
"Oh no." she muttered.
Spike looked at her and saw what she meant. As soon as the image entered her mind, it was happening. The water poured out of the hole, filling the room. Everything that flashed through her head became reality now. And of course her realizing it made it more dangerous.
She'd try and NOT think of dangerous things...thereby thinking of them.
Spike eyed the amulet on the table and without hesitation jumped for it, the water already up to his knees. He grabbed it from the table and looked at it for a second. Maybe he could use it too, although it was most likely responding to her because she'd done the ritual.
"Spike, what are you doing?" Buffy yelled trying not to think of getting sucked into that dark, water-filed hole and immediately losing her grip as the water suddenly whirl pooled, pulling her in.
Spike saw it and made a decision more on gut instinct than rational thought. With a quick and furious move, he smashed the amulet against the wall with all his strength.
There was a loud sound that was not unlike ice cracking mixed with a gigantic power surge. The amulet flashed brightly where it hit the wall and suddenly Spike's hands were empty.
Buffy fell to the floor, the hole gone and everything just dry and dusty again. They both looked around the room.
The one chair that had fallen in the hole was still there. It had fallen over but was still here.
The floor was normal.
The fire was burning steadily but a little low.
They looked at each other in relief.
"Good one," Buffy mumbled. She started to get up. With some relief, she saw her leather coat was thankfully also still there.
Distracted by that thought, she once again blindly reached out for his hand to help her up.
As always it was there.
** **
A couple of days later, back in Sunnydale, Spike was sitting in his crypt, watching TV but not really seeing it. He absent-mindedly sipped his blood from a mug.
He had a lot to think about.
They'd gotten back okay. After everything got back to normal they found the front door easily at the end of the corridor. It had opened and they'd gone back to Sunnydale. The watcher had been a bit disappointed they didn't have the amulet but he was glad they were alright.
Well, mostly glad Buffy was alright.
She'd caught it and joked about how he'd saved the day again. Giles had nodded to Spike. Seemed like a little thing, but for the watcher that was practically gushy when it came to him.
Of course he hadn't told anyone he still had the amulet.
** **
TBC!
CHAPTER 7:
AN: Okay sorry this came so late. I usually try to be a regular updater, but I got banned! For a friggin' week! For something I didn't even know was illegal. Ah well...live and learn. On with the show.
** **
"Wuh...what the bloody hell????" He looked down at himself, completely naked from top to bottom. Then he looked at her. "You...you do this? What the hell for?? This a joke?"
Buffy nearly choked on her peach chunk as she shook her head and tried to speak. Spike looked at her with wide eyes, still waiting for an answer. "Tell me pet, what's the punch line?"
She blushed a nice pinkish red that was even visible in the weak light of the fire and pulled an ugly face as she tried to cough without spraying peach bits and syrup on her clothes.
"Hmbnn *COUGH* I didn't *COUGH COUGH*....I mean....didn't mean to..."
As she struggled, Spike's put his hands on his hips in a slightly put-off pose. He was making no attempt to cover himself up. If she wanted to get an eyeful, let her!
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes from the coughing. "Ahem, I...I didn't do anything I was just...thinking..."
Spike raised one eyebrow. "Really.....well, it's.....flattering. That sort o' thinking."
She glared at him. "Noo, don't get all excited now......I mean...NO...I didn't mean to say 'excited'..."
In a reflex her eyes darted down to his loin area and lingered for a second. She shook her head, closing her eyes as she already saw her new thought was also 'working out'. "No! I mean....."
But it was too late. Spike looked down as well as he felt a familiar feeling.... "Ahem. And the hits keep coming. That's never happened THIS fast! Wanted a 'salute' did you?"
Buffy searched for words as her eyes were drawn back to his loin area, and after each time, she closed her eyes and looked away again. "Noo, I-I...."
"No really," he continued. "If you wanted to see this, all you had to was ask, Slayer."
"I didn't! I mean I was just having a-a......stray thought! You know...like people have....."
He folded his arms. "Well, yeah I DO know actually." He looked her body over with a slight smirk.
"Unfortunately, I don't have any amulets to help me out, like some people."
Buffy gulped for a moment and pulled the neck of her sweater a little higher. "Well, good! And you're not going to have it either. Don't get any ideas, this was just...."
"Hey, excuse me, *I'M* not the one who just magicked one of the people in this room all in the 'buff'!! Pun intended by the way."
"It was an accident!" Buffy yelled. "Like I said, just a stray thought. People have them all the time!"
In reflex, her eyes flashed over his body every now and then while she tried to talk, as our eyes do when we're not supposed to look at something we're curious about. Especially his still 'affected' loin area kept drawing her attention. She frowned and looked to the side. "Can you....ahem, put your duster on or something? This is really...distracting."
He raised his eyebrows. "What, naked in my duster? And sit around like some Chippendale right before he goes 'on'? How about you 'think' me my clothes back?"
"Fine, fine I'll try." She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.
Spike swallowed. Maybe he spoke too fast. Who knows what she'd do now!
"Uh Buffy maybe....."
"NO! Fine, just let me concentrate." She sighed and tried to calm herself.
'Just think about Spike clothed' she told herself. 'What happened to those clothes anyway? Are they gone? Or back at his crypt in the closet? No concentrate, focus. Uhm black shirt, black jeans..no wait, should I wish new clothes or visualize what he had on? Or turn back time? Come on, thoughts can go all over the place, you don't want another repeat of this. Or something worse, something even more embarrassing, like earlier when I thought that little funny about him on a leash....'
"Uh oh", she muttered as se opened her eyes. Sure enough, the still-naked Spike was now wearing a big dog leash around his neck. Black leather with spikes. He stared dumbfounded at the holding end of it hanging by his knees. He lifted it and looked at her with raised eyebrows.
"This...uh....would be that punch line then?" he asked.
Buffy buried her face in her hands. "I suck as a sorceress...." she moaned.
Spike cleared his throat. "Ahem. I'm....ah....shocked. Had no idea you were so....what's the word now...kinky?"
Buffy looked up. "I am NOT kinky! I-I....."
Spike tilted his head at her and swung the end of the leash back and forth.
"Really. Then I guess you wanna take me for a walk to the nearest fire hydrant?? And do get me something chewy then. One of those fake bone things should do...."
"Enough! I'm sorry! Now shut up and let me think. I'll just say it out loud then, 'I want Spike to be dressed in his usual black shirt and pants and boots!'"
She looked at him and smiled when she saw she was successful. Spike nodded, noting he didn't feel them 'come back' anymore than he'd felt them disappear.
"That's better luv. Of course...."
Buffy looked up at him and her smile faded. He still had the leash tightly around his neck.
He grinned and shook his head. "That's okay luv, let's not push our luck. I'll just take it off myself." He reached behind his head and fiddled with it for a while. He dropped his hands and said, kind of embarrassed.
"Uhm....can't reach..and kinda tight....Don't suppose..."
She looked at him, and cleared her throat. "Ahh..yeah, of course. Sure, yeah. Only fair. I'm the one who got it ...on there. Ahem"
He lurched down on his knees as she got up and tried to open the buckle of the leash on the back of his neck. Took a few moments of fumbling and Spike muttered: "Glad no one's here to see any of this... Wouldn't be able to show my face again at the poker place."
Buffy had to giggle at that one as she finally got the strap end going through the buckle. "Ohh, big bad doggy would fit fine in a place with all those kittens..."
He gave her a slow burn.
"Oh, don't you pout at me, or maybe I'll leave this on. I only thought of it earlier as a joke you know, Mr. Mind-in-the-Gutter. Because you went off again instead of listening to me."
Spike looked at her as he got up.
"Yeah..so you imagine me in a dog collar, obeying your orders, and I'M the one with the dirty mind? I think you're losing track of who's the victim here."
She looked to the side and tried to shrug. "Oh, get over yourself. We got problems. The amulet is even working from a distance now."
Spike nodded. "Which really will be a problem unless you learn to reach a Dalai Lama level of meditation right now and empty your head of all those nasty stray thoughts."
She gave him a chastising look but didn't say anything. "You're right," she sighed and took the amulet out of her coat pocket. She put it on the table and they both stared at it.
"Maybe we should get rid of it. Maybe that would free us as well. I mean we prevented anyone else from getting it. If there even were other people working the same ritual at the other spots."
"Yeah, but how do we get rid of it? Do that chanting again and toss it back into that light business you described?"
"No, I doubt that's how it works. Maybe we can find somewhere in the house. Preferably some bottomless pit or.."
It was only their reflexes that saved them. She hadn't finished saying those words or a big hole opened right in the middle of the room, nearly claiming them both.
They managed to reach the edge as they fell and each rolled to a side of it, watching one of the chairs fall in and disappearing in the darkness, along with Buffy's coat.
"Bloody hell!" Spike yelled. Buffy steadied herself, trying to think quickly. She created it. Now close it.
She tried to think of the hole gone, or it filling up, and then it briefly reminded her of that deep water well she saw in that movie the other night. And suddenly the hole in the room WAS filled with water splashing over the edge. It all happened so fast, her mind was caught in a chain reaction of instant thought jumps now.
Seeing the water caused her to think how quickly it happened, and the thought of what would happen if it would flood over was in her mind before she knew it.
"Oh no." she muttered.
Spike looked at her and saw what she meant. As soon as the image entered her mind, it was happening. The water poured out of the hole, filling the room. Everything that flashed through her head became reality now. And of course her realizing it made it more dangerous.
She'd try and NOT think of dangerous things...thereby thinking of them.
Spike eyed the amulet on the table and without hesitation jumped for it, the water already up to his knees. He grabbed it from the table and looked at it for a second. Maybe he could use it too, although it was most likely responding to her because she'd done the ritual.
"Spike, what are you doing?" Buffy yelled trying not to think of getting sucked into that dark, water-filed hole and immediately losing her grip as the water suddenly whirl pooled, pulling her in.
Spike saw it and made a decision more on gut instinct than rational thought. With a quick and furious move, he smashed the amulet against the wall with all his strength.
There was a loud sound that was not unlike ice cracking mixed with a gigantic power surge. The amulet flashed brightly where it hit the wall and suddenly Spike's hands were empty.
Buffy fell to the floor, the hole gone and everything just dry and dusty again. They both looked around the room.
The one chair that had fallen in the hole was still there. It had fallen over but was still here.
The floor was normal.
The fire was burning steadily but a little low.
They looked at each other in relief.
"Good one," Buffy mumbled. She started to get up. With some relief, she saw her leather coat was thankfully also still there.
Distracted by that thought, she once again blindly reached out for his hand to help her up.
As always it was there.
** **
A couple of days later, back in Sunnydale, Spike was sitting in his crypt, watching TV but not really seeing it. He absent-mindedly sipped his blood from a mug.
He had a lot to think about.
They'd gotten back okay. After everything got back to normal they found the front door easily at the end of the corridor. It had opened and they'd gone back to Sunnydale. The watcher had been a bit disappointed they didn't have the amulet but he was glad they were alright.
Well, mostly glad Buffy was alright.
She'd caught it and joked about how he'd saved the day again. Giles had nodded to Spike. Seemed like a little thing, but for the watcher that was practically gushy when it came to him.
Of course he hadn't told anyone he still had the amulet.
** **
TBC!