Thought I'd give you kids some fodder for your antics...It's not my usual weird stuff...but the troll is conveniently snoozing...
And TJS....you are special and talented...even if you don't feel like translating this into a dead language right now... (wink)
So this took a lot out of me...I think I'll rest some...
Play on!
The Sickly Nickly Edition:
Chapter 153: Unconscionable Acts.. " Pip…get back in here and stop making a spectacle of yourself." Pru says to the door of the Crypt Where Pippa had stormed out into the rain….I can hear her stomping around outside…probably too frightened to actually go farther than earshot from us…but trying to make her point all the same.
And then she goes mysteriously quiet.
" Pippa?" I call…worried that the skittish Willow had fallen….or perhaps…
Well in a cemetery full of creepy-crawlies…perhaps…worse….
" Pip?" Pru says…taking a step toward the door…the expression on her face trying to remain firm…but faltering around the edges with concern. " Pippa?"
Danger looks from me to Pru…his worry visibly multiplying ten-fold…He pulls the small terrier close to his chest.
" What’s going on?" Danger hisses to me…
And just as we start towards the crypt door…Pippa ducks back inside…water coming off her clothing in oceans. She looks pale…and when she looks up at Pru her lower lip is quivering.
" Pru…we’re in big trouble." Pippa says stoically.
" What do you mean, BIG trouble…?" Pru demands…looking relieved to see her likeness nonetheless…
" She means that you two have a heap of explaining to do…" Spike says…coming through the doorway sideways…to keep from knocking Willow’s head against the jamb. He looks at Pru and rolls his eyes again. " Gah! How many of you ARE there???" He snarls at Pippa.
" Just us two…and…and.." She nods off to the Willow dripping in his arms…" And the prototype there…"
I’m next to Spike in a flash…
Look there…I don’t even have to have Vampire powers to move THIS fast…" That PROTOTYPE is my girlfriend!" I say and put my hand on Willow’s brow smoothing her wet hair back… "I-is she okay??? Is she hurt?"
" Nah…she’s just got herself all worked up trying to find you and conked out a little ways back." Spike says…laying her down in the open casket nearest us…
" Uhm…That’s my bed…" Danger says…looking morosely at us as the interior is ruined… " I sleep there…."
" Well now you can swim here…" Spike says.
I stroke Willow’s cool cheeks…
" Come on, Baby….wake up…" I say.
" What is SHE doing here???" I hear Pru demand…sounding more frightened than angry…
Why in the world would Pru be afraid of her own…" Don’t yell at me…I didn’t bring her here…" Pippa retorts…flittering nervously around Willow and I…not sure what she should be doing…
" Blondie…you and Red been playing the Extra Willow game again??? I thought you two got that out of your system…" Spike chides.
" It’s a long story…." Pippa says.
" I’ve had coming up on almost two centuries to learn the art of patience, Pigtails…you’ve had…what…a week…maybe two… to learn how to tell a story?…I think I win." Spike says.
" You might win, Fang Face…but let me just sum it up for you…’None of your BUSINESS’…" Pru says…not even gracing Spike with a full few seconds of eye contact as she glances back down at my Willow.
" I can guess what time of the month Red made this version……" Spike says nodding to Pru.
And as sure as rain in….well rain…right now….He does his Spikely duty of pushing the buttons of at least one person in the room.
Pru picks up a nearby candelabra to lob at his head. Pippa rescues it from her grip and sets it back down.
I turn away from Willow long enough to make my point.
" No one here says ANYTHING ELSE….to ANYONE….for the rest of…EVER…" I say glaring as hard as I can at each of them in turn…and then I go back to trying to wake Willow…
" Hey, Blondie…don’t get all snippy with me…I’m here to SAVE you…"
" Since when are YOU in the saving business…?" I say…not even bothering to turn around this time.
And what part of don’t say anything do you all not understand…?" Maybe I’ve changed…" Spike says belligerently.
" A leopard doesn’t change his spots." Pru says.
" He merely hides in the bushes until his chip wears out…" Pippa finishes on cue. Spike looks from one red head to the other…
" That’s just bloody….creepy…and…well…I don’t have to take this…especially not from the two of you…you aren’t even REAL…" Spike says…but as I catch out of the corner of my eye…. makes no move to leave….it raining out there and he’d rather not be out in it…
" We are as real as anyone else…and we have feelings, you know…" Pippa says.
" Sure…feelings…so you kidnap Red’s bird and hold her hostage to get what you want…great feelings, those…" He says.
" You don’t know anything about what we want." Pru insists…still casting looks over to where I’m trying to bring Willow around…" What I want right now is for you to keep HER asleep…ether…whatever…I don’t want to see her eyes open." Pru says to me.
" Or you’ll WHAT???" Spike rises to the challenge.
But you know exactly what she’ll do, Tara…don’t you….and there’s no way you can let her do it…There’s just no way…" Spike…don’t…" I say…moving reluctantly away from my Willow. " She’s still sleeping…okay, Pru?" I say calmly.
Pippa looks at Pru as well…knowing her twin will do exactly what she threatened earlier…and then where would they be…?
Pru rolls the amulet around in her fingers…almost casually….but making sure I can see her doing it.
Making sure I know she isn’t bluffing…
She’ll break it.
And if she does that without a source "wishing" them gone…they’ll die…and one thing you can’t do is watch a Willow…any Willow…die…and Pru knows it…" Okay…fine…I’ll do it…" I say…meeting her eyes.
" I’ll make more ME’s for you…"
Eww…say that five times fast, Tare…" What???" Spike says incredulously, and then he shifts his weight…unbelieving to the other foot. As though the change in stance would allow him to hear things differently…
" WHAT??" He says again.
TBC…
at: 4/24/02 9:04:43 am
Now THERE'S a song I haven't thought about in years. I used to sing that song to a friend of mine in college named Nikki. 
Maybe it's time to dig out my old Purple Rain cd...
I'm sorry you still aren't feeling well.
3 days in the hospital with a tube in my arm. Plus about 2 weeks of make-up homework
(I think I liked it better in the hospital
).