Disclaimer – I do not have the copyright for the characters etc. Just borrowing them for a while. The story is set after the conclusion of season one of the show.

This story is a sequel to The Switch and I would suggest checking out that story first. The full list of stories and the reading order is in my user profile. Cassie and Matt are my own inventions and first appeared in The Deception.

I love hearing from people who read any of my stories so be sure to leave a review if you do read this. Incidentally I have set up a Tru Calling C2 if you want to check it out in my user profile. If you like Harrison focused fics I hope you will consider subscribing.

Thanks and enjoy!

Switched Again

Chapter One

A fine rain was falling as Jack stood at the meeting place waiting impatiently for Richard Davies to appear. He glanced at his watch repeatedly. He'd arrived a little early but even taking that into account, Richard was late in joining him. He was about to give up entirely and call it a night when the car finally pulled up at the curb. The door swung open and Jack climbed into the vehicle. He ran his hand through his hair, a subtle hint to his mentor that he was now rather damp from the rain he had been forced to wait in. He was not surprised when Richard ignored the gesture.

"I think he's ready," Richard said, foregoing any form of greeting.

"You're sure?" Jack asked hesitantly. From what he had seen of Harrison in recent weeks he wasn't sure that he had changed his way of thinking enough for what Richard had in mind.

"Harrison and Tru are barely speaking to each other right now. There are storms coming in and if Harrison should rewind now…"

"He won't save the victim?" Jack questioned. He had noticed the continuing strain between the siblings even from a distance, but he was not sure that it was enough for what Richard had in mind.

"Not if the victim is someone he doesn't think deserves to live," Richard suggested with a sly smile.

"But we can't control who asks for help," Jack pointed out. "There's no real pattern."

"On the contrary, Elise believed that it was people who died before their time who asked. Tru thinks the same thing," Richard advised him.

"I know that," Jack replied. "But how can we make sure that the person who dies is someone who Harrison would let die? Most of the people who ask for help are strangers."

"We make sure that someone dies before their time," Richard answered with a casual shrug.

"You don't mean…?" Jack's voice faltered. Keeping the balance was one thing, but to actively go out and find someone to die to trigger a rewind day. It was not something he had expected Richard to suggest, but he was in too deep to back out now.

"That's exactly what I mean," Richard said whilst glancing out the window to see the rain that was coming down harder now. "And I have just the person in mind."

"Who would that be?" Jack asked, curious despite his misgivings.

"Tru's on the phone for you," Cassie called across the room to Harrison.

Looking up from where he was eating his breakfast he quickly shook his head. Cassie sighed before making his excuses to Tru. She could tell she didn't believe her any more than she had any other time she had called in the last week, but Cassie wasn't going to force Harrison onto the line.

"You have to talk to her some time," Cassie pointed out after she had hung up.

"I will," Harrison muttered. "Just not yet. She's got to learn not to interfere in my life like she has been doing."

"I think she's learnt that pretty well already," Cassie replied. "It's been over a week now. Have you ever gone that long without talking to her?"

"Sure."

"After an argument?"

"I'm not phoning her back so give it up," Harrison snapped.

Cassie sighed again and took his advice. There was no point in letting his problems with his sister stretch into their own relationship. She just hoped that he and Tru would sort out their differences soon because she was getting very tired of seeing her boyfriend as miserable as he had been in the last week.

"He won't come to the phone," Tru said after hanging up.

"Just give him time," Davis advised her.

"It's been a week," Tru stressed. "I thought he'd have calmed down by now. He's never been the type to hold grudges this long."

"You have to admit that he has good reason to be mad at you," Davis pointed out.

"I thought it was for the best," Tru replied with a sigh. "Lindsay was back and she wanted to make a go of things with Harrison again. Cassie was planning on leaving for a new job…I thought I was doing the right thing."

"But you know how he feels about Cassie," said Davis.

"Better than he does," Tru agreed. She still hadn't managed to forget the look on her younger brother's face the day she had found him with Cassie's dead body in his arms. She just wished she had remembered that before encouraging Lindsay in her efforts to win him back.

"Just give him time," Davis repeated, patting Tru's arm consolingly. "He'll come around. Cassie isn't holding a grudge is she?"

"Not exactly," Tru admitted. "But she's not been as friendly as she had been. I've pretty much screwed up our friendship too; she's speaking to me, but she's not going to force Harrison to talk to me when he doesn't want to."

"Just give him some more time."

Tru nodded and carried on working, her mind no more on her job now than it had been before she had tried to phone her brother.

Later that afternoon Harrison arrived back at Cassie's apartment, now his home too, after another fruitless job hunting afternoon. She was a worse nag about his getting a proper job than his father and Tru combined, but she had insisted that if he was going to be living with her he would have to get a job and pay part of the rent.

Tru had been paying his rent for months at his own place, at least most of the time. His father had also paid a few of the bills but he didn't want to ask him for money. He had never had a problem asking Tru for money but for some reason he didn't like asking his father so the only times his father had paid the bills for him had been when he had offered. So with a choice between asking Tru for money or moving in with Cassie, it had been no contest and he had moved all his belongings to Cassie's apartment as soon as he realised he didn't have the funds to pay the rent himself. Now he just had to find a new job to pay his share, something that was easier said than done.

Finding the door locked he took out his key while wondering if Cassie had altered her shift at the diner because she should have been back a couple of hours ago.

Seeing the apartment was deserted he decided to try and appease Cassie by cooking dinner, reasoning that it might make up for the fact he still had no job.

He was only just getting started when the door opened and Cassie walked in.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed at seeing her in the doorway. The right side of her face was covered in the beginnings of bruises and there was a long gash down her cheek. Her upper lip had also been cut and looked painfully swollen. She had clearly been to the hospital as there were neat little stitches holding the deeper cuts closed. Her eyes were red and she looked shaky as she shut the door behind her.

Dropping the groceries he had picked up Harrison hurried across the room.

"What happened?" he asked with concern. "Why didn't you call me?"

Cassie managed to get only one word out before she dissolved into tears. "Matt."
Scowling Harrison guided Cassie over to the sofa and sat her down. He'd only met Cassie's ex once, on the night Cassie had almost drowned after the brutal man had lost his temper with her following Tru causing a scene in a restaurant whilst they had been on a date. It had also been the night he and Cassie had got together.

He hadn't thought there had been anything serious between Cassie and Matt though. As far as he knew they had only been casual acquaintances and it had been their first date that Tru had spectacularly ruined by throwing a bowl of soup over Cassie.

He wanted to question Cassie more but she was in no state to answer his queries at the moment.

Finally Cassie quietened her sobs to an embarrassed sniffle. "He just turned up as I was leaving work," she explained. "I turned the corner and there he was."

"He should be in jail," Harrison scowled.

"He's just been released," Cassie continued. "He lost his job while he was serving time for assaulting me and…"

"And he blames you for it," Harrison concluded. "They should've thrown away the key. Have you called the police?"

"They came to the hospital while I was being stitched up," Cassie nodded. "I don't know if they'll find him though. Someone passing by heard me scream and he took off. He'll know they're looking for him."

"Your face is bleeding again," Harrison said on seeing a thin trickle of blood was running from the top of the longest gash. "Have you got anything in the bathroom for it?"

"No," Cassie shook her head.

"I'll go to the store," Harrison said, standing up.

"You're going out?" Cassie asked, her worry clear on her face.

"Lock the door after me," Harrison said as he stood up. Leaning down he gave her a quick kiss on the unbruised side of her face before leaving to get supplies. Ten minutes later he was walking back along the block, his head down from the pouring rain, antiseptic and plasters obtained. He didn't expect to feel a strong hand grab him by the arm and yank him into a shadowy alley.

"Well, well, if it isn't the hero." The vaguely familiar voice of Cassie's ex sounded as menacing as ever in the eerie twilight.

Harrison struggled to free himself but it was obvious that Matt had spent his time in prison working out and he was no match for the much larger man. The pure fury on Matt's face told Harrison he was in more trouble than he could ever remember being in before. Still there was no point in just letting him win.

"Get your hands off me," Harrison yelled whilst hoping that someone would hear him like they had heard Cassie earlier that day, someone with the sense to check and see what was happening. The street may have been deserted but there were homes nearby and surely someone would hear sounds of a fight.

"Now you wouldn't want to be shouting like that," Matt advised with a shake of his head. "This is just a little payback for the three of you and you wouldn't want to add to it."

"Three?" Harrison questioned before realising that he was including Tru in the numbers. He had to warn her, but first he had to get himself out of trouble. He looked at Matt and knew instantly that he was not going to be able to talk his way out of this. The man was harbouring the rage that had built up since their last encounter and nothing he could say would make a difference…He wanted payback and with no one coming to investigate he was going to get it.

The first blow to the gut brought Harrison to his knees on the wet and muddy floor. He gasped and clutched his stomach as he tried to get his wind back. He hadn't recovered from the first blow when the second to the jaw sent him spinning into the wall behind him.

He slid down the wall and cautiously brought his hand up to his jaw, moving his tongue about his mouth and realised that a few of his teeth had been loosened although luckily he hadn't actually lost any. He spat blood onto the pavement and felt his stomach churn.
He hadn't managed to stand up again when he felt himself being dragged back to his feet from behind by the collar of his shirt. Struggling to release himself, he tried to elbow Matt but his blows had no effect on the man who merely laughed them off before throwing him across the alley and into the spilled trash.

Harrison lay still, hoping it was over, but Matt was not quite done yet and yanked him up again to deliver one final blow that set Harrison's head reeling. The only things that kept him from slipping into blessed unconsciousness was the knowledge that Cassie would be worried about him if he didn't get back to her soon and that he had to warn Tru that she was next.