Big Sister by Serrafina
Summary: This is a what-if about Graduation Day. After Buffy stabs Faith, Faith punches Buffy off of the balcony, instead of onto it as she does in the show.
Spoilers: Up to the end of season 3. Eventually, will have some season 4 stuff.
Disclaimer: With the exception of Jim, all of the characters are owned by Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc. But I own the story. Don't steal it.
Feedback: I live for reviews. Well, not really, but exaggeration's my friend. I love reviews. That's a little more accurate.
Ok, on with the show:
Well, look at you. All dressed up in big sister's clothes.
You did it. You killed me. Still won't help your boy though.
Jim whistled along to the old eighties song blaring on his radio. When the song ended, a pop song came on, and he bent his head to fiddle with the dial. As he was searching for a satisfactory station, he glanced up just in time to see a large object fall half a block in front of him. He jerked and slammed his foot on the brake, swerving to the side to avoid hitting whatever it was. With his truck now parked halfway on the sidewalk, he opened his door and hopped onto the asphalt.
His jaw dropped as he realized that the object was a person. A very injured person. He gagged and covered his mouth as he staggered towards the limp form of a young woman. She lay face down on the street in a rapidly forming pool of blood. Her limbs were twisted at impossible angles, and she did not move. He dropped to his knees beside her and reached one trembling hand towards her neck. He nearly passed out with relief as he felt the weak but present pulse beneath his fingers. He rolled her over the slightest bit so that he could see her face. He pushed her blond hair away and was shocked by her youth. She couldn't be twenty. He glanced up at the tall apartment building from which she must have fallen just in time to see someone stagger away from a balcony. He frowned at the balcony, but the figure quickly disappeared from sight, and he turned his attention back to the injured girl. He climbed to his feet and rushed back to his truck. He scrambled onto the driver's seat and opened the glove compartment in search of his phone. He pulled it out and dialed 911.
"Hello?" he said in a panicked voice. "I need an ambulance, there's a badly injured girl..."
There was so much blood. I scowled irritably at it as the water washed over my hands. I rubbed the black tank top between my hands, scrubbing at it in desperation. There was just so much blood. The leather jacket was completely ruined, as were the red leather pants. But this shirt was salvageable. It had to be.
My frown deepened as I scrubbed harder and harder. Yet even as I washed the blood away, more of the dark red liquid dripped onto the shirt. Puzzled, I looked down at my abdomen. A large knife was embedded in me, and blood was flowing from the wound. This is no good, I thought as I placed the garment out of reach of the blood flow. My hands wrapped around the handle, and I pulled it out of myself. I held it in front of my face and turned it in the air, inspecting the blood-encrusted blade from all angles. My dark brown hair fell in front of my eyes, and I tucked it behind my ear, smearing blood on my cheek in the process.
"Well, look at you," a familiar voice said.
A girl sauntered into my view, and I looked at her in confusion. She was so familiar, but who was she?
"All dressed up in big sister's clothes," she continued.
I looked down at the clothing I had put on after my own had been ruined by the blood. I was wearing a white t-shirt, a dark jacket, and tight-fitting jeans. I looked back up at the girl as I pulled the knife out of her body.
Then I was falling.
The wind rushed past me, and my blond hair whipped out in front of my face, framing the figure of my enemy with a demented halo. I watched as the brown-haired girl pulled the knife from her abdomen and stumbled away from the edge of the balcony. Then my world exploded around me, and everything was dark.
"We're all going to die."
Xander looked up at Cordelia. He placed his book down on the table and turned to face her.
"What makes you say that?"
She gave him a stony look. "Come on. You said it yourself: there's no way you're getting out of this school alive. For once, you're right."
Xander turned to Giles, who was sitting across from them sipping coffee and studiously ignoring them. "Was I imagining it, or did she just say I was right?" Giles glared at Xander over the top of his book, but Xander only grinned. "Just so you know, I may ask you to sign a document saying you witnessed this notable event."
"Very funny, Xander, but I'm serious," Cordelia snapped. "There is no way this can have a happy ending. We're all going to die. This isn't going to be some fluffy bunny movie, this is going to be an 'everybody dies' Exorcist-type movie."
"I dunno," Xander said, "exorcisms are a bit old. Been there, done that. Lots of snakes, some bees, which, on the bright side, closed school..." Xander trailed off as the seed of an idea began to form in the back of his mind. He jumped in his seat as the phone rang.
"Buffy?" Giles said as he put the phone to his ear.
Xander sat up straight, eager to hear if there was any news. Cordelia exhaled loudly, and continued to flip through her book.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," Giles said into the phone, and Xander felt his hopes sink. "I was expecting...Yes, I am Rupert Giles. Yes, I do know a Buffy Summers..."
Xander could hear the concern in Giles's voice loud and clear, and he was beginning to worry himself. Some stranger was calling Giles about Buffy? This is not good, he thought as he rose from his seat and went to lean against the counter not three feet away from Giles.
"Dear lord," Giles breathed in horror. "Is she...No, I am not family. Her mother is out of town at the moment...Yes, thank you. I will be there as soon as possible."
Giles hung up the phone and looked up at Xander. "We're going to the hospital. Now." With that, the ex-Watcher strode quickly out of the library, leaving Xander and Cordelia to hurry after him.
"What is it?" Xander said as they walked. "What's wrong? Is Buffy okay?"
"For once I am glad that she has a criminal record," was all Giles would say.
"What's that supposed to be mean?" Cordelia said loudly.
"A truck driver found her a few minutes ago. He called 911, and they took her to the hospital. They were able to identify her because of her criminal record, and they found her contact information. Apparently, I am listed as an emergency contact."
Xander was having trouble suppressing his panic. "What do you mean a truck driver found her? What happened? Is she okay?"
Giles did not acknowledge that he had heard any of Xander's questions.
This is so not good, Xander repeated to himself.
TBC
A/N: This is a story idea that's been floating around in my head for a few months now. I'm not sure where I'm going with it yet, so please be patient. I'll try to update with some semblance of regularity, but between school and writer's block, I can't guarantee anything. Anyway, please please please review. Sorry if that middle scene was really confusing, but it was supposed to be. So...REVIEW!
