Something Wicked
by Jillbone
The Clothes Make the Man
[reviews]
"The dreams keep getting more and more intense, Giles," Buffy panted out as she and Faith sparred in the library after school. "What do you think? Am I turning into some sort of skeevy slayer dominatrix?"
Giles removed his glasses and set them on the table in front of him. (I had hoped to have a little more time before this talk, but I suppose that was wishful thinking on my part.) He cleared his throat nervously. "Why don't we take a break for a moment and talk?"
Sweaty and out of breath, the slayers stopped fighting and settled into seats opposite Giles. Faith leaned back in her chair, ready to enjoy any discussion that could make their watcher anxious. "What's up, G? Is this gonna be like another 'birds and the bees' talk? 'Cause we all remember how that one went." The slayers smiled at each other, remembering the talk they'd had with a stammering Giles.
The watcher blushed and slipped his glasses back on. "Girls, please, I need your full glib-free attention as I don't plan on repeating myself anytime soon." Buffy and Faith sat up straight and put on their best 'listening-to-Giles-lecture' faces. "You already know how your being slayers affects your sexual preference. But your demons will also manifest their personalities through you. You've seen how they control your aggressiveness when slaying. This aspect will also spill over into your relationships."
Giles stopped, unsure of how to word this next part. (I would be willing to bet that none of the other watchers ever had to have this conversation with two fifteen-year-old slayers.) He groaned internally and continued. "When you find someone you wish to have a, uh, relationship with, it is only natural that your need for dominance will assert itself...um, sexually." (Please, please don't make me go into details.) Giles sighed with relief when the slayers nodded in understanding. "So my best advice to you, Buffy, is to simply accept this need or it will begin to show up in your life in other more negative ways."
The door to the library opened revealing Willow, Amy, and Xander. Satisfied that he had answered Buffy's questions with the minimum of embarrassment to himself, a very relieved Giles spoke to the group as a whole. "Since Halloween is this weekend, everyone should be happy to know they have the night off." Three bewildered faces and two relieved looked back at him.
Utterly confused, Xander was the first to speak up. "You're kidding, right? I mean, Halloween? Isn't that a major suckfest?"
As Buffy and Faith shook their heads, Giles answered the teen. "Actually, it's usually quiet on Halloween."
Before he could continue, Willow scrunched her face and asked. "Vampires don't like candy?"
"That's probably a matter of taste for each I suppose, but more to the point, they find it tacky really. All those children running around dressed as monsters takes the fun out of being scary."
Buffy leaned forward getting everyone's attention. "Anyway, Faith and I have been talking and this year we'd like to include all of you in a tradition of ours. Since you're all kind of like family now."
Faith nodded and grinned. "Every year, mom and dad would put everyone's name in a hat and whoever's name you chose you got to pick the costume for." Her grin grew decidedly wicked. "Giles participated last year and he had fun."
The watcher gave a delicate shudder remembering how the girls made him give out candy dressed as a nun. (One day I'll find those pictures they took.)
Pulling out the big guns, the brunette turned on her puppy eyes. "Come on guys, you gotta."
Seeing her sister's plan, Buffy turned on a cute little whine. "Please." Unable to resist the double slayer pout, and honestly who could, the remaining members of the group reluctantly agreed as the slayers passed out little slips of paper.
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"I'm just relieved neither of you girls picked my name this year. I can handle being a cowboy." Giles looked up hopefully. "Maybe this year the neighborhood children won't laugh at me."
Faith looked over at the watcher scowling. "You and Buffy have it easy. She already had everything for her outfit."
As they reached the costume shop, Buffy shrugged and opened the door. "Come on, Faithy. It was Xander. Of course he wants me to dress all sexy like Lara Croft. I'd have been more surprised if he didn't." Faith's scowl only deepened.
Giles grinned as he looked around the store. "I thought I did quite well in choosing your costume." (Ah, paybacks are wonderful.)
"Please. How am I supposed to pick up chicks dressed as a bunny?"
Trying, and failing, to suppress a giggle, Buffy patted her sister on the back. "I happen to think you'll make an adorable bunny." Buffy and Giles continued to tease Faith as they searched for the required outfits. No one noticed the Englishman who quickly ducked into the back room.
Ethan Rayne smiled to himself. (This is going to be more fun than I thought.)
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Across town, Willow was freaking out. Amy sat on the Rosenberg's couch watching her friend frantically pace in full babble mode.
"I'm not sure I can do this, Ames. I mean, I know there was agreeage on the whole thing, but I can't. Maybe if someone else had chosen my name. But Faith. Oh god. I can't dress like some kind of slutty biker chick."
Trying to look on the bright side, Amy broke in. "I don't think the slutty part is required." Willow stopped pacing and raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, maybe. It is Faith."
The redhead resumed her anxious pacing. "You're not helping here. I'm still trying to come to terms with this whole Buffy thing. Ever since that night, I've been having these dreams. And not like Martin Luther King dreams. Sexy dreams. Really sexy dreams." Willow paused and looked down at her feet, her voice almost a whisper. "And I think I kinda like them."
Amy got off the sofa and pulled her friend into a hug. (Now I see the problem.) "Nothing's wrong with that, Wills. There's no denying she's sexy and from what you tell me the dream was intense." Willow blushed. "I guess the real question is: how do you feel about liking the dreams?"
The redhead finally looked up, the confusion plain on her face. "Honestly? I don't know."
Satisfied that Willow had at least stopped panicking, Amy prodded her towards the door. "No need to decide today. We have better things to do. Let's go to that new costume shop that opened up and look around. You can help me find a proper Southern Belle costume. And I'll see if we can find you something that's not too whorish to wear."
"Should we go get Xander?"
"Nah. He said he was just going to pick up his Army Guy stuff at the surplus store. Besides do you really want him there when we're trying on outfits?"
Willow's eyes went wide at the thought. "Good idea. Let's go before I change my mind."
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Buffy, Amy, and Giles stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Faith to appear. Her pouty voice finally called down to them. "I'm not coming down! You guys can just go without me!"
Buffy rolled her eyes while Amy and Giles grinned like idiots. "Count of three, Faith, and then I'm coming up to get you!"
"All right, all right." Slowly, the brunette appeared at the top of the stairs. Or what used to be the brunette. The two teens and Giles burst out into hysterical giggles. Faith made her way gingerly down the stairs with a surly look. Completely embarrassed, her demon was desperately plotting revenge with almost maniacal enthusiasm. "Yuk it up you guys. Just remember there's always next year."
With one final chuckle, Buffy slipped her ray-bans on. "C'mon, let's go pick up Will and Xander. Miss Scarlett and I will make sure no mean hunters try to get you."
The teens made their way across town to pick up their friends for the Halloween Bash at the Bronze. Buffy tried yet again to get Faith to tell her what outfit she had picked for Willow. All her sister would tell her was that she would be "pleasantly surprised." Buffy's little demon came up with all sorts of ideas that would please her. Each more dirty than the last.
Before they could knock on the Rosenberg's front door, a fully fatigued Xander swung the door open anxious to see Buffy in all her spandex glory. His eyes glazed over slightly at the sight. Then he spotted Faith. As he cracked a smile, the brunette growled warningly. (Ok. No teasing the slayer.) His mouth dropped open as he finally saw Amy standing behind the slayers. (Wow.) The red satin ball gown hugged Amy's waist as the front dipped showing just the hint of cleavage. "Wow. Amy, you look...you just...wow."
Buffy quirked an eyebrow at Faith, filing away the usually verbose Xander's reaction to their housemate for later. She was about to ask after Willow when the redhead stepped shyly into the doorway. Coherent thought was a thing of the past at that point. Her eyes drunk in the vision that was Willow. In a black leather mini and matching halter, she looked so sexy and vulnerable at the same time. Buffy's eyes shifted from hazel to yellow and back to hazel again as she attempted to control her salivating demon (Gah?) For once, the blonde agreed with him. No words could describe the sight before her. Eventually, Buffy noticed Willow's lips moving. (Oh god. What did she say? Pay attention. Pay attention.) "Huh?"
Willow smiled timidly, blushing under the slayer's stare. "I said you look nice, Buffy." (More than nice.) Images from her dreams came rushing back to her as her eyes traveled over the blonde's toned body encased in black spandex shorts and tank top. With the sunglasses and two guns slung over each thigh, Willow thought Buffy looked as dangerously sexy as any one person could. Catching Amy's eye, she motioned her head. "Maybe we should...you know, go now?"
"Might as well get this over with," Faith muttered stomping off in the general direction of the Bronze. Xander walked between Amy and Willow eagerly discussing tonight's party while Buffy stared at the redhead's back. (Even better from behind.) Leering, Buffy started after them. (I have GOT to remember to thank Faith for this.)
The teens quickly made their way to the club and Faith immediately spotted a hottie dressed as a French maid to hit on. Buffy, Amy, and Xander grabbed a table to sit at while Willow ran to the restroom to calm herself. As she looked in the mirror, she sighed. (It's going to be a long night.)
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In the back room of his costume shop, Ethan Rayne lit a candle and knelt in front of the bust of Janus. (Now is the time. Chaos will rule the night.) He smiled and began to chant in Latin. "Janus, evoco vestram animam. Exaudi meam causam. Carpe noctem pro consilio vestro. Veni, appare et nobis monstra quod est infinita potestas. Persona se corpum et sanguium commutandum est. Vestra sancta praesentia concrescet viscera. Janus! Sume noctem!" As he finished his chant, a bright light filled the air.
Although Ethan knew he should leave town before his spell was uncovered, he couldn't resist staying to enjoy the chaos. He stepped outside his shop and was almost knocked by a three foot demon which used to be a child. A smug grin appeared on his face. (Maybe I should visit my old mate Rupert and see how he's enjoying the new him.) With a jaunty whistle, he set course for Revello Drive.
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Buffy looked around the club uneasily. She was sure something was off, but couldn't quite figure out what it was. (Oh well, no vamps in the area. Probably just being paranoid.) She looked across the table at her friends. Amy was fanning herself with one hand as she watched the dance floor with a small frown. Xander kept sneaking looks at the southern belle trying to figure out why he hadn't noticed how beautiful she was before. Buffy jumped when she felt a fingernail drag over the back of her neck and warm breath on her ear. "Let's dance."
Buffy turned her head and her nose collided with Willow's. With an audible gulp, she tried to control herself. "Wills?" Her voice came out an octave higher than normal. She slowly backed her face away from the redhead's hearing her demon freak over the loss of closeness. (What the hell are you doing???) Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Xander lean forward in his seat, his hormonal attention fully focused on the scene being played out in front of him.
Willow leaned in close to the slayer's ear again, her mouth practically touching it. "Come on. Show me your moves."
(Oh my god. Was that her tongue?) With a graceful faint, the rational side of Buffy's brain shut down. Her demon rubbed his little hands together gleefully eager to take advantage of the situation. (Waste not, want not.) Buffy grabbed Willow's hand and led her onto the floor. As the beat of the music rolled over her, the slayer closed her eyes and began to move sensuously in front of her friend.
Her eyes flew open when she felt Willow's hands settle on her hips. The redhead moved closer to her and the dance turned palpably suggestive. Buffy settle one hand on Willow's waist and the other behind her head. The demon felt no qualms about insinuating her thigh between the girl's own and did so quickly. Rubbing her thigh against Willow's center, she felt a soft gasp against her neck. (Hell yeah. This is what I've been talking about. Oh Fuck!) Buffy growled as she felt Willow's teeth graze her pulse point. The two continued to become more aggressive as the logical half of Buffy's mind slowly sat up.
(Huh?) The slayer gently pushed the redhead away from her. (What the hell is going on?) She looked at the table where she left her friends and saw Xander smiling and talking with her housemate. (I need a drink.) Leaving Willow on the dance floor, She made her way back to the table towards her water. She sat down and knew why Xander was smiling. Amy was arguing with him in the most outrageous southern accent she had heard since Gone With the Wind. Watching her friends being silly, she felt rather than saw Willow sit down beside her. But she noticed immediately when the redhead's hand settled on her thigh. Unsure of what was happening, Buffy stood to look for her sister. (Maybe Faith'll know what's going on.) With a relieved sigh, she spotted her near the bar. On all fours sniffing at the floor. (Is she drunk again?)
As Buffy approached Faith, the brunette's head popped up. (Not drunk.) Faith's face was a hybrid of rabbit and human features and she looked skittish as the slayer neared. Looking around the club, Buffy noticed subtle changes in its patrons. Some but not all seemed to be acting out their costumes. (Well, whatever it is, I seem to be ok. I think. Shit. I gotta get home to Giles. He'll know what to do.) Softly she herded Faith towards the table where she left her friends. "Xand-Man, we got trouble."
Xander looked up and his eyes widened as he noticed the weirdness that was Faith. He glanced back at Amy, his brain finally registering that she was not joking with the accent. Putting two and two together, he stared at the slayer with a goofy grin. "Since everyone else is out of action, can I be your new sidekick?"
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When they came near the Summers house, Buffy saw several bullet holes in the front door. (I'm pretty sure those weren't there before.) Before she could open the door, Willow's fingers trailed along her backside for the hundredth time since they left the club. Buffy stood up straight and tried to corral the redhead's advances. "Hands! Hands! Put 'em where I can see them, Will." Willow smirked and held her hands in front of her. Buff's demon complained grumpily. (Why do you keep stopping her? I was having fun.) (Shut up. We have work to do and I can't concentrate with her playing grab-ass back there.) Satisfied that the groping was over for now, she cautiously opened the door. She never expected to get shot at.
Only her quick reflexes kept her from getting hit. She rolled quickly across the floor and knocked the gun out of Giles' grip. Unfortunately the excitement startled Faith, and she hurriedly ran off through the open door. "Shit."
"What are you doing here, little lady? I coulda killed you." Giles took his hat off and wiped his forehead, appalled that he almost shot a woman. Even one as oddly dressed as this one.
"Giles?" All of Buffy's hopes for a quick reversal of whatever spell caused tonight's highjinks fell at the sound of the Englishman's drawl. "Why is the door all shot up? Do I even want to know what you've been doing after turning into Wild West Man?"
"I jist managed to scare off this other fella who was here earlier." He put his hat back on and grimaced. "Some English dandy. Kept talkin' goin' on and on about costumes and magic and what not. I finally had to fire off a few rounds to frighten the little sissy. Took off so fast I thought his tail was on fire." He grinned at Xander who had his mouth open in shock.
Buffy rubbed tiredly at her forehead. "I don't have time for this shit." She turned to Xander. "Xand, why don't you go see if you can find Faith? She could be anywhere by now." Xander started to protest, but Buffy waved him away. She thought for a moment, knowing she was on her own with this on. (Think, Buffy, think. Why did everyone else turn into their costumes but you and Xander? What's makes the two of you so special?) You could almost see the light bulb come on over her head. (Costumes. That's it. Everybody else got their costumes from that new shop. What was the name of it again?) Then her brain finally registered what Giles had been saying. "Wait. The guy who was here earlier was talking to you about magic?"
Giles nodded so fast he almost lost his hat. "Sure was. Said somethin' about some spell he'd done."
Realizing this was her best lead, Buffy was trying to come up with a plan of attack. She was distracted, however, when she felt Willow's hands on her ass again. (Fuck this. Violence always works in a pinch.) She looked up at Giles. "Giles, you stay here and take care of Amy," she said pointing towards the brunette in the hoop skirt. "I'll take Miss-Grabby-Hands with me and pay a visit to the dandy." She grabbed Willow's arm and led her to the front door. She turned back at the last second. "And if anyone tries to come in, ask who it is first and shoot second."
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Pushing the back door to the costume shop open, Buffy looked around for signs of life. Her eyes settled on a small table in the center of the room. A statue of a head with two faces sat in the middle. She stepped into the room and motioned for Willow to do the same. (At least she's stopped molesting me.) Her demon stuck his little tongue out at her. (Spoilsport.) "Will, look around for a spellbook or something. We need to figure out how he did this." She and Willow started opening the filing cabinets looking for a clue and didn't notice Ethan walk into the room.
"May I help you?" The girls turned around quickly and Ethan finally saw their faces. "Slayer, how nice to see you. I assume Rupert sent you after me. He never could lighten up."
Buffy started at hearing her watcher's name. "How do know Giles?" Her eyes narrowed and pinned him to the spot.
Ethan smiled at the slayer's glare. "Ripper and I go way back, dear. We were mates a long time ago. Back when he used to be fun."
Buffy swept her arms out indicating the statue and obvious magical aura in the room. "Fun? You call this fun?" She stepped towards the grinning Englishman threateningly. "Now you're going to tell me how to reverse this or I'm gonna start getting upset."
"Nice bluff, but I know you can't kill me, Slayer. Against your code and all that."
Buffy smiled menacingly. "Who said anything about killing you?" She swung her fist swiftly catching him in the jaw. As he fell to the ground, she stepped on his hand breaking several fingers. "I may not be able to slay you, but I can still hurt you." She switched her foot to his other hand and ground down. "A lot."
Ethan grimaced in pain, but continued taunting her. "I can see what Ripper likes about you. You two share the same cruel streak."
Buffy knelt down and straddled the Englishman, putting her arm across his throat. When she spoke, she was eerily calm. "Never, ever talk about Giles that way or I just might forget that your human."
Ethan's face began to turn an alarming shade of purple and he stuttered out to her. "Wait...wait...the statue...break the statue." Buffy stood up and moved towards the table as Ethan lay gasping on the floor. She picked the head up off the table and felt Willow's hands creep up her chest. She groaned and lifted the statue above her head. "I really hope this works." (I'm not sure how much more I can take.) She flung the head to the ground shattering both the faces. Looking back to where she had left Ethan, she saw the floor was empty and the back door was open. "Dammit!" (Oh well, I'll get him next time.)
Willow's hands were frighteningly still on Buffy's chest. She was trying to figure out how they got there when she saw Buffy swallow nervously. (Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god.) Willow's mind seemed unable to leave the fact that she was molesting her best friend. She moved her hand off of Buffy's chest quickly and blushed.
Buffy took this as a sign that all was normal again and a wave of relief washed over her. "Hey Wills. Funny story for you." She chuckled uneasily. "Well, you make not think it's funny now, but trust me..." She and Willow headed towards her house to check on the rest of the gang as Buffy gave an abbreviated version of tonight's events.
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Across town, Xander had finally caught up to the bunny normally known as Faith. He was trying to figure out a way to convince her to head home when she raised her head. He almost jumped for joy seeing her human face again.
Faith, on the other hand, awoke from what seemed to be a dream, only to find herself on her hands and knees in someone's garden. "What the hell?" She looked around her and saw Xander's pleased face. "What the hell is going on here man?"
Xander reached his hand down to help her up and started smiling. "Long story. I'll tell you about it on the way home." He brushed some grass off her costume. "Glad to see your you again though."
Hearing her demon ranting about being embarrassed and ashamed, Faith knew whatever happened had been humiliating enough. She grabbed Xander by his collar and lifted him on his toes. She growled into his face, eyes yellow. "If you ever tell anyone about this, I'll rip out your heart and show it to you." Releasing the boy, she stomped off towards home.
Xander shook his head remembering Faith as a bunny. He grinned and started after her. "Wouldn't dream of it, Faithy. Wouldn't dream of it."