Enter the labyrinth
TITLE: Enter the Labyrinth
AUTHOR: Fyredansa
EMAIL: Fyredansa@hotmail.com
SUMMARY: Spike and buffy find themselves forced to take part in a re-enactment of a famous movie, being giving the lead roles in Labyrinth
FEEDBACK: Hey, if you like it, please comment. If not, I'll go and sulk in the corner.
DISTRIBUTION: Just here at the mo...but anyone can have it :-) Just ask nicely ;-)
SPOILERS: This is prolly set during season 3, but it doesn't matter yet, what with a parallel dimension and all that crap.
COUPLE: Spike/Buffy
RATING: I'm not sure, but whatever it starts out as, it could get worse...obviously :-)
DISCLAIMER: Let me get this clear - if I owned these guys, do you THINK I would waste time writing? Ho no! ;-) These chaps and chapettes (chaps preferred) belong to Joss Whedon and all the other companies involved with the TV show. I should have asked for permission to use them, but I didn't and its too late now, so please don't sue me cos I'm poor! Also, none of the labyrinth bits and bobs are mine either...sadly. So I play with them *innocent look*
CLASSIFICATION: This is part one of the "Labyrinth" series.
NOTES: Heck, you watch too many Buffy episodes, followed by Labyrinth and strange things will happen!
DEDICATED: Anyone who actually reads it :-D
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“This is effin’ ridiculous!” Tugging at the front of the costume, he glared at the Sinister behind him. “No way in hell am I going to be seen dead in anything like this... and take a note...I said 'seen dead' - and being dead, it works...you got that?”
Shrugging, the humanoid demon smiled a toothy smile. “You have a choice, William. You can play along with the Master’s wishes or you can be left to starve for all eternity...”
“Let me think...” Looking from the costume to the demon, the Vampire raised an eyebrow. “I think I prefer death, so if you don't mind getting me a nice stake, I'll do the messy business myself...”
“Play the game or starve.” The gravelly-skinned demon’s copper eyes flashed with dangerous fire. “Death is not an option.”
Reluctantly picking up the outfit, the platinum vampire started putting the various pieces of the costume on, muttering in disgust at the elaborate decorations.
“I hated this stuff the first time round...Angelus liked it...” Raising his eyes indignantly to the demon, he looked at what was going to be done to his bleached hair with a low sigh of despair. “Why didn’t you just get the poofwad to do it anyway? He would have loved it.”
“It wouldn’t have worked in the game.” The Sinister responded calmly, stifling a snort of laughter as the vampire fiddled with the annoying little buttons. “We needed a pair whose natural reaction will be to hate each other...the characters are meant to be conflicting and Angelus was too in love with her to fit the role.”
“Angel? In love...” Spike’s jaw sank a little. “NO! Bloody hell...you’re pittin’ me against the Slayer? Again? This is just a soddin’ mistake...” He started pulling off the odd parts of the costume. “I’m not playin’ the game...not if she’s involved...”
“Its too late now.” The demon’s two pairs of lips curled back from his teeth in a snarl. “You’re in the costume now. No backing out. She IS the perfecting casting of the sweet, innocent all-American girl against the bloody, evil English villain...”
The demon abruptly found himself slammed against the wall, face-to-face with Spike’s snarling game features, his golden eyes blazing. “I’ve seen the soddin’ film, you know.” He growled menacingly. “The girl is meant to be dark-haired...younger... not the effin’ Slayer!”
“And you really are a Goblin with poofy hair?” If the Demon had had an eyebrow, he would have raised it, but – instead – one of the ebony horns above his right eye twitched upwards in a sardonic gesture.
“Watch it, mate.” Dropping the smirking Sinister, the vampire pivoted on heel and stormed across the room, savagely pulling on the remaining pieces of his costume. “If I want to get out of here, I have to take part, so I don’t have any bleedin’ choice at all, do I?” The demon nodded, with an almost-naughty grin. “Bloody hell...”
“Are we ready to start?” The demon’s gravelly skin rippled as he shifted forms.
Draping his new, midnight-black cloak around his shoulders, Spike gazed longingly down at his duster, wishing he wrap himself in the leather’s reassuringly comfortable material.
Even so, his new garb did make him feel unusual, as he remembered the role he was playing in this little drama. It made him feel powerful. Invincible. And damned sexy too. That was definitely a good feeling.
“Lets go.”
*
Standing in her mother’s dark bedroom, Buffy flicked the lightswitch several more times, frowning into the darkness. More than anything, she wished she had a stake or a cross or something...anything.
“Toby?” She called falteringly, then frowned again. “Toby? Who’s Toby? And why do I care if he’s crying or not?”
Those words triggered a vague memory of something. A scene from a movie she knew well...only she couldn’t remember which one. Toby. Crying. The silence...it all seemed so familiar.
Then she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.
“Oh my go...”
Her exclamation was only cut off by the rattle of something at the window.
Forcing her eyes away from the 80’s fashion disaster that stared at her from the mirror, she spun round in time to see the windows explode inwards, a winged creature hurtling through and colliding with her, wings and claws slapping across her face.
Instinctively, she threw her arms up in front of her face with a girlish shriek.
A shriek?
Since when did she – Buffy the Vampire Slayer – shriek?
Distracted from this shocking concept by the shadow that was lengthening over her, she slowly lowered her hands, opening her eyes to come face-to-face with an incredibly mystical-looking character...with unruly peroxide blond hair shifting in the breeze.
“You’re him, aren’t you?” She recited from memory, the sardonic twitch of his lips stirring more memories. “You’re the...” Narrowing her eyes, her hand flew to her mouth. “Spike?” Recognition hit her and she doubled over with a giggle. “You look completely ridiculous!”
“Take a look at yourself, pet.” He growled, knowing that he would probably be blushing if he had the capacity for that which mortals did. His ice-cold gaze made her shrink back into character. “I don’t like this deal any more than you do, but we better just get it over with if we want to go home...”
“Please, I want my...brother?” Frowning, she fumbled for lines, casting him a weak glance. “Oh...er...I want my brother back...”
“What’s said is said.” He took a slow step towards her, his dark cloak swirling around him mysteriously, his body moving with a power and sensuality that made her breath catch in her throat.
** God, he’s sexy in that costu...NO! Bad Buffy! Bad! Spike. Is. Bad! NOT Sexy! Not!** Tilting his head, his lips curled in a slight smile, the soft moonlight playing over the sharp contours of his face, the night framing him perfectly.
“Your line, ducks.” He murmured, winking his mischievous blue eyes at her. He’d seen this movie far too many times, she realized. So had she, though...
“But I didn’t mean it!” She countered, narrowing her eyes defiantly at him.
Folding his arms, he quirked an eyebrow. “Oh? You didn’t?”
“Please...where is he? And do I have to play this dorky character?” Shuddering, she pushed a strand of dark hair back from her face. “Uh...?”
“Don’t ask about it...” Spike suggested mildly, pointing at his own wacky hairdo as he continued. “You know very well where he is.”
“Please bring him back...please?” Her lower lip trembled and she felt tears misting over her eyes, much to her surprise. Funny that she could never turn the waterworks on when she needed them before.
Spike gnawed on his lower lip awkwardly, wishing he could just get out of the room. He could never stand to see a pretty girl cry, even though he knew she was just playing a role to save both their hides. Maybe if he improvised some of the lines... make it go faster...that might work...
“Look, pet.” Opening his hand, he did some balancing tricks with the infamous crystal ball. “I’ll give this magic bally thing if you forget the baby...it’ll let you be what you want and do what you want...but this isn’t a gift for any ordinary girl who takes care of a screaming baby...”
Gazing at her, he wondered how she managed to fit in the same sentence as ‘ordinary’...there was no way in or out of Hell that Buffy was ordinary at all.
“Do you want it?” She raised those gorgeous hazel eyes to his, a smile twitching her lips, as she threatened to fall out of character, laughing hysterically at what they were doing. “Then forget the baby...”
“I...I can’t...” Although she was in fact fighting back a giggle fit, it added a new emotion to her voice. “Its not that I don’t appreciate what you’re trying to do for me, but I want to have my brother back...he must be so scare...”
“Slayer.” Raising his hand, Spike watched the crystal starting to change shape with astonishment. “Don’t def...EEEEK!” Shaking his hand viciously, he dislodged the hissing reptile. “A snake! They didn’t tell me they were going to do the snake thing! I hate snakes!”
Biting back a grin, Buffy cleared her throat. “Uh...that wasn’t in the script, Spike.”
“Sod off." He growled abashedly, kicking the scarf that the snake had become. "You’re no match for me, Slayer.” Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, he continued, once again relieved he couldn’t blush, adding under his breath. “Unless you attack me with a bloody great big snake...”
“But I have to have my brother back!”
“He’s there...” Gesturing out of the window, Spike paused, frowning. Damn sceneshifters. “In my castle...do you still want to look for him?”
Catching her lower lip between her teeth, Buffy forced back another grin, raising a skeptical eyebrow at the not-too-impressive cardboard cut out. “It doesn’t look that expensi...er...far...”
“That’s cos it isn’t...on both counts...” Spike mumbled under his breath, adjusting his leather gloves. “Why am I tempted to play the arse-on-set...or is that arsonist? One of them, I think...I always mix my words up...”
Stifling a chuckle at the appropriateness of his words, she hissed. “Get on with it. I’d rather not be stuck in here with you any longer than I have to be...”
“You mean I can burn it?” His eyes lit up as he reached into his deep pocket for the lighter. “Oh! You mean the script...right...it’s further than you think...not that you think far anyway...”
“You want a stake between those ribs of yours?” Glaring at him, she forced back her impatience. “I’m not exactly loving this either...”
“Awright, awright...” Raising his gloved hands in submission, he stepped close behind her, pulling her back against his chest, one arm sliding silkily around her waist. “You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth,” His cool lips brushed her ear as he spoke softly. Seductively. “Before your baby brother becomes one of us ...Forever...” Drawing away, he faded into the background. “Such a pity.”
With a subconscious shiver, Buffy raised her finger to touch her ear, the chill of his lips still lingering there.
It was all in the character – like every other teenage girl who had seen the movie, she had the biggest crush on the undeniably sexy Jareth...the character and role her nemesis was now taking to even sexier heights.
Clearing all thoughts of the blond vampire from her mind, she turned her attention to what lay ahead, trying to remember what Sarah had done, but her mind blanked.
“The labyrinth...” Staring at the maze, she tried and tried to piece together the best path, but nothing came to her. “Well... c’mon feet...” With a shudder of disgust, she started down the hill with a groan. “I always did hate this character.”
*
Back in the ‘castle’, Spike glanced out of the arched windows with a sigh.
This game wasn’t one he was planning on enjoying. Despite loving the feeling the costume gave him, there was that bloody awful underlying chemistry between Sarah and Jareth’s characters that he just didn’t want between him and the now brunette Buffy.
As if there wasn’t enough tension between them already.
Dropping his cloak on the floor, he was startled when he caught a glimpse of himself in a tall mirror...a reflection! He had a reflection! Something he couldn’t even remember from...well...before...
But this was the world of the labyrinth, where “Everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems.” and there it was – his reflection.
Raising one trembling hand, he touched his wild hair, laughing with childlike awe as the image duplicated the motion.
“Cor, mate!” Touching his own cheeks, he blinked, his reflection’s blue eyes staring back at him in equal amazement. “You’re bloody gorgeous!”
Running his fingers over his face, he scrutinised himself, admiring his naughty smile, his sharp-enough-to-cut-diamonds-on cheekbones, his mischievous blue eyes and that damn fine body, clad in the sexy Jareth costume.
**So that’s why Buffy went funny!** He smirked, delighted by the knowledge that he was much better looking than his sire. It wasn’t just the Jareth-thing that had gotten Buffy worked up. It was him too! **Bloody hell! If I was her, I’d want to shag me too!**
Things certainly seemed like they were going to get interesting now!
*
“Ex...cuse me?” Trying not to look at the troll’s exposed...parts, Buffy twisted her hands shyly together.
“Oh...it’s you...” The troll responded, leering up at her. “You know, cutie, you’re much better-looking than the original.”
“Yeah?” Curling her hand into a tight fist, she wagged it threateningly under his nose. “I’m also smarted, stronger and have homicidal tendencies towards horny little demons, so I think we’ll get along just fine.”
In the Hoggle guise, the Sinister cringed. She knew already. She was good at her job, that was for sure.
“Care to tell me why we gotta do this?” She enquired, hiding her distaste as he sprayed a few cutesy little fairies, her eyes wandering over to where she knew the gate had to be.
“Do what?” Looking up from piddling on the fairies, he blinked innocently at her, his eyes wide.
“Go through this stupid film.”
‘Hoggle’ smirked. “What stupid film?” His voice dripped with virtuousness.
“Its useless asking you anything!” Buffy snarled, throwing her hands in the air with a groan of misery.
“Not if you ask the right questions.” ‘Hoggle’ reminded her, prodding her back towards the actual script.
Raising her eyes to the gates, she sighed. “Just let me in there and let’s get on with it. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.”
‘Hoggle’ simply nodded and the gates opened behind her. “Have fun, Slayer.” He remarked. “This is definitely going to be one of those days you’ll remember for a very long time.”
“Don’t I know it.” She sighed, entering the labyrinth.
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