The Dare

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Precursor to the Great Post-It War of 2005.

1 The Stupidest Plan in the History of Stupid Revenge Plans.
2 Handy Links

The Stupidest Plan in the History of Stupid Revenge Plans.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Election results party.

"Truth or dare? People still play that?" Krycek's already got a drink, but this could be interesting.

"Of course people still play it. Truth, or dare?"

"Dare." He gives her a 'try your worst' grin.

Lilly grinned. "I dare you to... make out with that boy over there," she says, pointing at Logan Echolls.

Krycek blinks; not exactly what he expected. Looking in the direction she's pointing, he frowns slightly. Wasn't that Jake's roomie? The one they stole booze from? "Is he going to punch me in the face for even suggesting it?"

Lilly shrugged. "I don't think so, unless he'd punch you in the face for another reason to. I mean, you can say 'Hey man, that bitch over there dared me to kiss you, and I can't risk my manly pride by backing down'. Or something. I doubt he'd object."

Taking a sip of his drink, he shrugs philosophically. "It's a dare." Nodding to Lilly, he smirks again and lifts his drink. "Wish me luck." Turning, he goes over to do the deed.

Krycek crosses the room to where Logan's standing and waits for an opportune moment to interject. "Excuse me, Logan, right? Have you ever kissed another guy on a dare?"

"Hey, um - what?" Logan stares at the other guy. Hasn't he seen him around the house once or twice? Friend of Jake's?

"I'm Krycek. And that girl-" He points back across the room at Lilly, who's turned towards them. "-Dared me to kiss you."

Giving Logan a smirk, he cocks his head. "So?"

"That girl?" Logan asked. He glanced at Lilly, and grinned. "Well, we can't disappoint the ladies, can we?" He puts an hand on the back of Krycek's head and pulls him in for a full-on enthusiastic kiss, tongue and all.

Rory catches sight of this...little tryst across the room.

"Oh, no," she mutters to herself. "Like a train wreck"

Krycek makes a slightly muffled sound, surprised at first, but decides this is the dare and tilts his head to return it just as enthusiastically.

Lilly, watching this, grinned and applauded.

Logan pulls out of the kiss and gives a grand bow to Lilly, with a sweep of his arm for added flourish. He spots Rory watching, and his cheeks turn a little pink, but he turns to Krycek and pats him on the upper arm (in a manly way). "Will that do?"

Rory turns away when Logan catches sight of her, making a noble effort not to laugh.

Blinking once as he comes out of it a little breathlessly, he gives Logan a grin, laughing. "Good enough for me." Looking over, he sees Lilly and gives her a questioning look, raising his voice. "Satisfied?"

"Of course," Lilly says with a grin. "I'm impressed, I didn't think either of you would do it."

"I can still surprise you?" Logan exclaims. "Oh, I'm touched." He presses his hand to his chest over his heart.

"I know you're touched, I just watched. Duh." Lilly rolled her eyes. "Besides, for all I knew, this kid'd say no, or you'd throw something at me for my awesome ideas.

"It was a dare. Can't go back on that." (Alex) grins and takes a sip from the drink he managed not to drop.

Lilly toasted him with her drink. "You're a man of honor."

[edit]

NEWSPAPER PLANNING

Newspaper crew planning.

Beka waves. "Hey, Rory. Have a good time last night?"

Rory nods. "It was fun, especially since I abstained from drinking and, as a result, still have my dignity intact."

"There was drinking? Where?" Jake looks up from his mug.

"Dorm party last night. There was truth or dare, too." Rory arches an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, and my boyfriend and your boyfriend made out. Lilly dared Alex to kiss Logan and...well, we as spectators were not disappointed."

Beka grins at that. "Not disappointed at all." Then she shakes her head, rueful. "I didn't have much dignity to begin with, so drinking didn't hurt it. Glad I didn't stay too late though. Could've been worse."

Chloe's eyebrows raise a little bit at that. "They kissed? Damn, why do I always miss the good stuff?"

Rory sighs and wrinkles her nose. "Oh yeah. Hottest ever. My boyfriend making out with another dude. What every girl hopes to see at her victory party." She rolls her eyes. "I'm hoping someone had a camera, though."

Jake's eyes widen as he realised what they were discussing. "Who did what now?"

"Logan and Alex made out," Rory repeats. "It was a dare, and they embraced it - and each other - with gusto."

Jake stares at her, face completely blank. He has absolutely no idea what to say to this. It is unexpected to say the very least. He'd thought Krycek... "What?" he says again, blinking a little.

Rory arches a brow. "Are you all right?"

Chloe glances over at Jake, concerned as well.

"Yeah, I'm fine. is totally not. I just -- he said nothing interesting happened!" Jake exclaimes outraged, almost glaring at Rory. If this isn't interesting, I wonder what the hell would be? An orgy with Jack Harkness and dates?

"Huh. Odd," Rory says, shrugging. "And why are you looking at me like that? I deserve a little sympathy! I had to watch."

Chloe shrugs, hoping to downplay Jake's outrage. "Maybe he didn't think it was a big deal." She looks back at Rory. "It was just a dare, right?"

Rory nods. "Yeah - Lilly was just trying to annoy Logan, more than anything. You know how those two are," she says, rolling her eyes. "Alex was but a fly caught in their web of animosity."

"But enthusiastically so?"

"Well," Rory says, frowning. "Granted, I was across the room, but from what I saw, they both got into it - Logan probably to annoy Lilly back, and Alex...probably because Logan's tongue was in his mouth, and really, what was he supposed to do?"

"I guess you've got a point there," Chloe says weakly, getting the feeling that this isn't what Jake wants to hear.

Jake stared at her. He could think of half a dozen things right now and none of them included making out with his fricking roommate. He didn't say any of that however, instead he said, "And you're okay with that? I mean, Logan's your boyfriend, right? And didn't he get all upset when you kissed whoever?"

Rory frowns. "Well, it was a dare, so I'm not inclined to be upset. It didn't mean anything, after all. But...yeah, that's a really good point."

Her voice gets a tad shriller as she exclaims, "Who is he to tell me that because I got kissed as an assignment, I should feel horrible, but it's completely okay for him?"

"Not on," Jake agreed. He cuddled his coffee mug, frowning down at it. "That's all double-moral-y. He should pay," he added, maliciously. He was so not overreacting. Or worrying about what exactly Krycek wanted to talk to him about later. He was calm, collected .. and he was going to kill Logan.

"You know, he should. Because you know what? He left me there after that. Alone," Rory says, angrily. "So first he kisses someone else, then he abandons his own girlfriend. What, exactly, is so abandonable about me, huh? Because people keep doing it."

She takes a breath. "So. How are we getting back at them?"

Chloe looks back and forth between Jake and Rory, fearing that she's quickly becoming the only sane one between the three of them. "Guys, it was just a silly party dare. No reason to get upset, right?"

Rory frowns, and then realization dawns on her face. "Oh, I forgot you didn't know. Chloe, but a few weeks ago, as part of an assignment, a guy kissed me in my Comm class. And Logan threw this huge fit and made a scene and generally made me feel like crap over it. Now, do you think it's fair that he can just gleefully go along with this dare - which, like my assignment, didn't mean anything - without consequences? Seems a bit hypocritical."

Jake ignored Chloe completely. "Don't know. But it will have to be good. I could nick Logan's booze again but that lacks a certain... something." Like poetic justice, maybe.

"Hmm. And that'll just make him mad," she muses. "It'd be like kicking a pit bull."

Jake nodded back. "I'd just be forced to replaced it again, so's he doesn't throw me out of the house or something. You know him better than I do... What do you think?"

"Okay wait, time out," Chloe says quickly. "I can understand why you're less than pleased with Logan right now, and I say go ahead and kick his ass," she says to Rory, before turning to Jake. "But what are you pissed at Logan for?"

"That is a good question," Rory agrees, crossing her arms and turning to Jake.

The sudden interested silence that came after that question made Jake squirm. "Uh, for Rory's sake? 'Cause that was a shitty thing to do?" he said. Chloe might buy it. Chloe might -- Chloe had watched him panick over the dress before homecoming. Chloe would not buy it

Oh fuck.

"It was a shitty thing to do," Rory agrees solemnly. "I'm glad I have an ally such as Jake," she says, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

Chloe just looks at Jake for a few moments. She knows there's more to this than a desire to play backup for Rory - she does remember how Jake was right before Homecoming. But if this how Jake wants to play it, then she's not going to argue - at least, not in front of Rory.

"I guess you're right. That was really shitty. I knew there was a good guy deep down in there somewhere," she says, smiling.

That is one suspicious smile, but Jake decides to take his reprieves when he can and smiles back, a little uncertainly, before turning his head towards Rory and grinning brightly. "I'm here for you, man. Logan must pay.

Now... how do you feel about poetic justice?"

"Poetic justice?" Rory asks, arching a brow. "Do go on."

"Well, obviously, you got to show him that he can't treat you like that," Jake says reasonably. Or me, he added in his head. "So..."

"Hmm. So, what are you proposing I do? Because the only thing I'm coming up with here is something you probably wouldn't be able to help with," Rory replies, blushing.

Jake arched an eyebrow at the blush. "...Don't bet on that." He eyed her for a moment, then grinned. His features blurred for a moment, and when they solified again, the girl version of him was grinning up at Rory.

"Was this what you had in mind?"

"Don't get stuck," Rory replies immediately. "I was thinking of how unfortunate it would be if you or I were dared to kiss the other in front of those two. Because that would just suck wouldn't it? But we'd be forced to do it - rules of the game, y'know."

She doesn't add that she had initially thought of witholding sex, which Jake, girl or no, could certainly not help with.

Jake nodded solemnly, switching back quickly just to make sure he wouldn't stick. "Oh it would. But, you know. What could we do?" He grinned. "Have to follow the rules, after all. Like they -- he did. Bet finding someone to dare us wouldn't be that hard," he added thoughtfully, looking around the classroom.

"Yup," Rory practically shouts across the room to Beka, "Sure would be bad if someone were to DARE US TO KISS IN FRONT OF KRYCEK AND LOGAN, huh Beka?"

Jake nodded in agreement, attempting to look like that would pain him horribly.

Beka looks up startled from her laptop where she's been working on an assignment for class. "What?" She blinks. "Dare you to kiss in front of Krycek and Logan? Sure, why not?"

Chloe looks back and forth between Jake and Rory and just shakes her head. "I want it stated for the record that I had nothing to do with this maniacal little plan."

[edit]

Jake and Krycek at the Perkolator

Jake and Krycek at the Perkolator.

[edit]

JOURNALISM CLASSROOM

Journalism Classroom.

"Hey," says Logan, sitting down next to Rory.

"Hi," Rory says shortly, not looking up where she's writing some project details down.

"Whoa!" Logan shivers and wraps his arms around himself. "Did you feel that? Like a blast of cold air. Or is it just me?"

"What, were you talking to me?" Rory asks, innocently. "I'm sorry. Hard to tell when you actually remember I'm there."

Logan sighs. "I'm sorry about leaving the party without you the other night. I just... needed some space. Which, ok, crappy excuse, but you deserve better than being around me when I'm like that."

Rory offers a little half-smile.

"Well...you still could've called."

He nods. "I should've called," he agrees.

Rory nods, and the other half of her mouth lifts in a smirk.

"So. You and Alex Krycek, huh?"

Logan shakes his head. "Not in a million years," he says.

Rory tilts her head, the smirk not leaving her face. "Hmm. How funny, that it's totally okay when you're forced to kiss someone, it's just dandy. Interesting.

Logan looks at her in confusion. "What? It was a dare. To kiss a guy."

After scoping out the classroom and noting the conspirators and the necessary parties all present, Beka approaches Jake. "Time to pay the piper, pal. Told you that column would up our circulation. You know what you have to do."

Jake looked startled, then it dawned. "Oh. Oh, right. Yeah, 'cause.. we bet? And now I have to..?"

"Uh huh," Rory says, nodding understandingly. "I see. So, you're saying that since you had no real control over the situation, it doesn't count?"

"No," Logan says. "I was totally in control of the situation. The point is, it's a guy. I'm interested in girls. There is no conflict here. I'm not going to run off and screw Krycek in the coat closet or anything."

"Okay," Rory says evenly, "so you're saying that since Krycek's someone you're not interested in even remotely, I shouldn't be upset, right?"

Logan meets her eyes. "Yeah, that's what I'm saying."

About a second after Logan's voice died out, Jake walked up to them, smiling sweetly. "Hey, Rory? You know how me and Beka bet on that thing, right? Well, she won and as a punishment, I have to kiss you."

Logan's eyebrows raise as Jake shifts from male to female. "Oh," he says. "Well. That explains the girl that's been hanging around the house." When Jake mentions the bet, Logan's expression darkens for a second.

Jake gives his roommate a disbelieving look. "...Seriously, at some point, we have got to communicate through something other than post-its, no matter how handy that is."

Logan shrugs. "I just figured you were getting some," he says.

Rory manages to keep her face straight. "Ah, well...if it's for a bet," she replies after a beat, taking a step towards Jake.

Realizing something's going on that he wanted to be there for, Krycek gets a little closer to watch. He definitely looks more curious than angry.

Jake stops giving Logan the disbelieving look, turning to smile sweetly to Rory. "It is. I mean, you understand, right? After all, it's a bet." She waves her hand in a sort of explanatory gesture, ending up placing it on Rory's wrist, tugging her a little closer.

Logan leans back in his chair with a tight grin and puts his hands behind his head.

Rory shoots Logan a glance, smiling demurely, and leans down to kiss Jake.

Tilting her head up, Jake grinned against Rory's lips, whispering barely audibly. "Still on?" Moving her hand away from Rory's wrist to her shoulder, she stepped closer still, waiting for Rory's reply.

Rory murmurs, "Still on," against Jake's mouth, smiling and gently wrapping her arms around her waist.

Krycek blinks. He's glad he asked to be present.

Logan's still got a grin on his face.

"Good," Jake grins, before shutting up to kiss her for real, free hand moving up to cup her jaw. This was.. This was not a hardship at all.

A close observer might notice Logan's eyes narrow.

Rory shuts her eyes and leans into the kiss.

This is...weird. But also not weird. Because it's a girl. But also not a girl.

She enthusiastically kisses Jake back. There may be some tongue. Who knows.

Getting a little closer to where Logan's sitting, he leans against a table, arms crossed as he watches as well. Krycek snorts softly, as Jake (and Rory) seems pretty damn into doing the deed.

Jake knows that there is, and when she pulls back a little, their captive audience can tell there is too. Jake moves her hand up to brush agains her chin. Soft. Rory was soft and sweet and girly, and nothing at all like the firmhardwarm he connected with Alexeij.

Her eyes glittered as she stared into Rory's, trying to judge how far they should go. The point should be well and truly made, after all.

Rory arches a brow and grins, nodding every so slightly towards the spectators, as if to say, "May as well give 'em their money's worth."

She winks imperceptively, and leans down, kissing Jake soundly once more.

Logan draws in a sharp breath. His grin fades a little.

Krycek glances at Logan, then at Rory and Jake. He look curious still, but it's a little agonizing in its own way.

She was probably having a little too much fun, Jake admitted to herself, but what the hell, it wasn't like she was going to get another chance. Conscience thus pacified, she returned Rory's kisses with interest, nipping at her lower lip.

"Her bra fastens in the front," Logan offers, in a deceptively bored drawl. The grin is back on his face.

Rory blushes. Oddly enough, making out with a girl-who's-not-a-girl didn't embarrass her nearly as much as Logan talking about her bra.

She ignores it, though, and readjusts her arms around Jake's waist.

Exhaling sharply in surprise as their breasts come in contact, Jake curls her arm around Rory's neck. She's flushing now, and is not really paying attention to her surroundings any more.

Logan gets up casually, wraps his fingers in the hood of Jake's hoodie, and yanks her off of Rory. "I think you've made your point," he says to both of them, genially. "That switching thing is interesting," he adds to Jake. "Can you switch back and forth, just like that?" He snaps his fingers.

Rory frowns, blinking innocently. "What point? I was just helping my good friend Jake out with a bet."

"Um, what?" Jake says, blinking a little to get her eyes back in focus. She shook her head, clearing it. Harder to turn on.. Pff. Maybe Chloe was... Logan's question finally sank in, and she nodded distractedly, already changing back, not really taking into account that turned on as a girl also meant turned on as a guy.

"Thanks," Logan says, punching Jake in the face. "My daddy taught me never to hit a girl." He quirks his head to the side. "Which is ironic, really, considering."

"Whatthefuck?!" Jake exclaimed, staggering backwards, brain not really back online yet.

"Logan!" Rory gasps, grabbing his arm frantically. "Jake, are you okay?" she adds, glancing at him with concern. She turns back to Logan, angrily. "What the hell was that for?"

It takes approximately two minutes to reach the Journalism Classroom from Spider's apartment. Spider managed it in ninety seconds. Never underestimate the speed of a man who spends most of his life running to or from acts of violence.

"Hold it right there," he snarled, sliding to a halt in front of the altercation.

Jake stares as the professor suddenly appears. "...What the fuck?" he repeats, with feeling.

Spider pointed a finger at Logan. "You. Detention. Non-negotiable. Argue and we'll make it two." He swiveled to point at Jake and Rory. "You two. An explanation." He narrowed his eyes, "And it had better be good."

Rory flushes. "I'm sorry, sir. It was a...joke, and we took it too far. It's my fault. Jake and I were supposed to...um...kiss, and I should have called it off. I'm so sorry," she adds to Jake, wincing.

"So Logan deciding to take a swing at Gavin is your fault. How decidedly noble and heroic of you. You're not in love, are you?" Spider turned to glare at Jake. "And what part did you play in this little soap opera, Intern?"

"Innocent by-stander?" Jake says automatically, then actually thinks about it and puts a hand up to his hair, tugging at it. Friends, loyalty, love, crap, crap, crap. "..It was a joke, like Rory says. A dare, sort of."

"It's not Jake's fault," Rory volunteers. "I...exercised poor judgement. I'm sorry."

"A joke?" Spider smiled at him gently, voice soothing. "Just a silly joke? Not, say, carefully planned revenge for a pair of jealous children?"

Rory bites her lip, glancing sidelong at Jake.

"No, why do--" Jake's eyes widened as the penny dropped. "Oh fuck me." The hand moved from his hair to cover his face. "...Everything is recorded, all the time, isn't it? Not just in class?"

Dad is going to kill me. He glanced over at where Krycek was standing. Alexeij is going to kill me. I am so very dead.

"Everything that happens in this room is recorded," Spider reminded him almost gently. "Detention for you as well." He turned back to Rory. "Have you anything further to say for yourself, young lady?"

"Oh..." Rory breathes, glancing at Logan.

She rapidly regains her composure, and speaks quietly to Professor Jerusalem. "Sir, I think 'revenge' might be a strong word. And honestly, from watching that recording, you would know that what we planned was not intended to hurt anyone. We really were just being...silly," Rory falters, shaking.

I am so dead. Logan is going to break up with me. And I'm never getting into Harvard.

"Intentional mischief-making, then." Spider's voice was still deceptively gentle. "Detention for you as well, Miss Gilmore."

He turned, taking in the others in the classroom. "Would anyone else like to get in on the act, or will this be a trio only?"

Krycek watched silently, surprised, and stayed still for the moment. He'd only known about it, but he wouldn't be surprised if that was enough to get him into trouble as well.

Chloe swallows hard, looking away from the group carefully. She wonders if failing to stop Jake and Rory is worth detention too, but she's not about to ask.

Beka notes the commotion, having tuned out as soon as she issued the required challenge. This, she's sure, is not going to turn out well. She sighs, and scratches Saturday off her social calendar.

"Ah, and Ms. Valentine." Spider glared at her. "I expected better of you, especially. For your actions in aiding and abetting this... display of idiocy, you also receive detention... and I think I'll be issuing an invitation to Miss Kane as well. All five of you will see Professor Drusilla on Saturday. I'll be sending a message to the Dean to inform him of your punishment."

He whirled on Logan. "And if you set so much as a toe out of line from here on out, Mr. Echolls, I will have you expelled."

Glaring angrily at all four of the students to be punished, he turned on his heel and stalked away.

Beka just sighed. Really, it had been a joke. She couldn't fault the logic of the consequences. But, no one hit anyone the first time. And it wasn't Lilly's fault it had gone badly here.

Logan throws up his arms in surrender. After Spider leaves, he looks directly at Rory and says, "I guess the score's 2 to 1 now. I gotta do some catching up," and leaves.

After Professor Jerusalem leaves, Rory sinks into a chair, not looking at anyone.

"I am so stupid," she mutters, her face in her hands.

Jake comes back from mentally kicking himself. He walks over to her and crouches down. "Hey, no. It was my fault."

"No it's not," Rory says mournfully. "It's mine. I should've known...." She glances up. "How's your face feel?

"What?" Jake asks blankly, then remembers. "Oh, fine. He didn't hurt me," he dismissed. "I was just surprised."

Krycek watches Spider leave, still quiet. He finally shakes his head and gets his bag, heading out of the room without a backwards glance. He didn't get implicated, so he might as well keep it that way.

Rory nods. "I'm sorry, by the way." She drops her head back into her hands.

Jake watches her, not really sure what to do. He looks up again, and catches the sight of Krycek leaving the classroom without a look back. "Oh fuck," he muttered. "Um, Rory? Totally not your fault, okay? And, um.." He straightened from the crouch, and sighed. "Gotta go see how much I've managed to screw this thing up." He throws her a final, little worried look, then goes off to track down Krycek.