Twin Envy: Alternate Ending

Chapter Seven: Sarah's Secret

"Okay, Elliot. You can do this. It's just a date like any other. We'll go out, we'll have fun at the concert, we'll have a nice romantic walk back in the moonlight, we'll kiss goodnight and go home. Simple."

Sure. Simple. Now it totally made sense that he was standing in her living room, shaking as though he were planning on proposing or something.

He shook his head sharply. Oh yeah. That was an image that did wonders to calm his nerves.

He glanced warily at his watch. What was taking her so long? It was already nine-thirty. He heard girls liked to make guys wait for them before dates, but they kind of had a deadline to follow. The concert started in half an hour, and it wasn't going to wait for them.

Curiously he wandered over to her room, intending to politely ask if she was ready yet and hope she'd get the hint. As he approached, though, he heard her mumbling inside, rustling something around.

"Get…back…in there…" he managed to interpret. Curious, he raised a fist and knocked lightly. She didn't respond, but the impact did nudge the door open a crack; apparently she'd left it slightly ajar. It occurred to him a second too late that he probably shouldn't peek in, in case she was still dressing, but he'd already looked by the time that thought registered.

Fortunately she was decent, as best he could tell through the tiny crack. She was trying to close the door of her standing wardrobe, but it was apparently so full she was having difficulty doing so. It took her another few seconds of grunting and struggling to finally get the door closed and turn the lock with a breath of relief. Figuring that was why she hadn't heard him knock, he tried again, and this time she responded.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm ready!" she breathed as she flung the door open. For a long moment, Elliot could only gape at her as she stood there in the doorway dressed in a pure white, low-cut blouse, dainty heels that almost eliminated their height difference, and a denim skirt that was short enough to give Elliot a really, really good view of her legs. Her hair was tied back in a short ponytail save for two bunches toward the front, which she'd tucked behind her ears so as not to hide her face, which by itself gave Elliot goose-bumps thanks to the gorgeous smile she wore.

He managed to get over this initial shock when he heard her giggle at him, and he grinned like a fool. "You look incredible."

Sarah laughed again. "You don't look too bad yourself."

Elliot shrugged modestly. "What, this old getup?" he gestured to his casually-formal khaki pants and black button-up shirt. S'nothing special."

"I think it looks perfect."

Elliot couldn't help but keep grinning. He gestured behind her. "Having trouble with your wardrobe there?"

"Oh, no, nothing big," Sarah quickly assured him. "Just a little overfull."

"Funny, that used to be pretty empty. What made you start using it?"

Sarah shrugged. "It came from my grandparents, so I figured…y'know, now that grandpa's gone…I should make use of it…it's as good a way as any to keep his memory alive, right?"

Elliot nodded. "Still, that door looks like it could use some work. Maybe Tedd and I could--"

"No, no, really, it's fine!" she interrupted him. "I'd rather not have anyone mess with it. Don't worry, I'll manage."

Elliot nodded again and smiled. "Alright, fair enough. So you're ready to go, then?"

Sarah nodded quickly. "Definitely, let's go!"

Elliot took her hand in his with another jolt of goose-bumps, and together they headed out on foot, as the concert was being held in the park, a mere fifteen minute walk from Sarah's house. All the way Sarah held tight to Elliot, moving from simply holding his hand to wrapping her arms around one of his and half-leaning on him as they neared the park, and Elliot couldn't help but mentally pat himself on the back for putting together such a perfect evening. Already she looked so utterly happy, he knew the money he'd invested was totally worth it. And the concert hadn't even started yet.

Whoop…scratch that… Elliot corrected himself as he heard the band play a few opening licks. His hold on Sarah tightened. "C'mon, they're starting!"

Sarah broke out into a frenzied grin and ran with him inside, backstage passes in hand…

ZZZZHHHKKKKTTT!!

"GAH!" Tedd jerked back from his desk, shaking out his suddenly numb hand. "Dammit!"

A second later he heard Grace bolt into the room. "Tedd! Are you okay?! What was that noise?!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine, just a little electric shock…" Tedd muttered, and let out an annoyed growl, glaring at his work bench. A digital camera memory card sat there, connected to a small data reader, both of which were suddenly blackened and smoking.

Grace clutched the affected hand and quickly began massaging it with both of her own. "Tedd, you gotta be more careful, you could've really gotten hurt…"

"I have to figure this out, Grace…" Tedd insisted. "I have to know what happened down there." He grumbled again. "Damn…I really thought I had that one…stupid crossed wires…lucky it didn't fry the computer too…"

"You're lucky it didn't fry you," Grace admonished.

"I promise, Grace, I'm fine," he assured her with a squeeze of his hand that was slowly regaining feeling. "Just annoyed…the first card was damaged a little too much to salvage, and then this one fried itself before I could get at its data records…"

He removed the third and final memory card from its place in a small protective box, and held it up in front of him. "…I just have one left to work with. If I screw up with this one…I'll never find out who broke the cameras in the first place."

Grace squeezed his hand back. "You'll get it, Tedd. I know you can do it."

"I really hope so…" he murmured, and picked up his tools. "Grab the backup card reader…time to start from scratch…"

It was long after midnight before the final chords played, Sarah got to shake the hands of the Random Dudes, and Elliot had insisted on getting her a souvenir jacket before they left because she couldn't stop shivering. But they didn't care. It had been an incredible show.

"That has got to be the best concert I've been to in my entire life," Sarah gushed as they passed through the park gates and started their walk home.

"I can see why you like those guys," Elliot agreed. "I gotta admit I didn't know too many songs by them, but they were really good. That was some impressive guitar work."

Sarah grinned at that. "God, that last guitar solo…hearing it on their CD is one thing, but hearing it live just blows the CD out of the water!"

Elliot nodded along. "I'm gonna be tone deaf tomorrow, but you're right, it's totally worth it."

"And meeting them up close…I had no idea they were such hunks!"

"You're not gonna run off and be a groupie, are you?" Elliot joked.

Sarah socked him in the arm with a giggle. "You're mean!"

"I'm sorry!" Elliot laughed back. "You never tell me I'm a hunk, but you'll say that to them? Pardon me for getting concerned."

"I don't need to tell you you're a hunk, you already know you are," Sarah threw back.

"Oooh, nice save," Elliot smirked, and pulled her tight into his arms from behind. "I guess I can forgive you admiring other guys just this once."

"Psh…like you wouldn't do the same thing if they were a bunch of hot chicks," she said as she leaned back into his arms.

He swiftly leaned in and kissed her cheek. "They'd have nothing on you."

"Oh, you're just saying that."

It's true," Elliot assured her, and grinned again. "Besides, I don't think I'd like my eye-candy girls to be quite that hairy."

Sarah snorted with laughter. "Elliot, practically all rock bands are that hairy!"

"I rest my case."

They both laughed again, and Elliot let go of her so they could continue walking. They did so in silence for a handful of moments, glancing at each other every few paces and smiling.

"Elliot?" Sarah spoke up at last, quieter than before.

"Yeah?"

"…How much did you spend on those tickets?"

Elliot winced slightly, almost invisibly, and to his relief Sarah didn't seem to notice. "It was nothing, Sarah, I was happy to--"

"How much did you spend?"

Elliot stiffened a little. He didn't want to say…but he couldn't lie either. Aside from the fact that he was awful at lying and she'd see right through it anyway, it didn't sound like a brilliant idea to lie to his girlfriend. So for a long moment he was silent. And that much, Sarah saw through.

"…It's a lot, isn't it?"

"You're worth every penny, Sarah," he responded instantly. "If it makes you happy, it's always worth it, and those guys are your absolute favorite band, and I knew you've wanted to see them for the longest time. So I figured I might as well go all out with it. Besides, it's not like I was gonna spend it on anything else anyway…I just saved up for a while, is all. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Elliot, you don't need to--"

"I know. But I wanted to." He took her hands in his, and stepped in front of her. "I love you. And I will do anything to see you happy."

Sarah's cheeks colored a little despite the cold. "…I love you too."

"I know," he said.

"Just…stop totally killing your wallet for me, okay?"

Elliot smiled a little. "I'll try to stop showering you with gifts."

She smiled back, and they walked onward again. All too soon, they'd reached Sarah's house, and they stood together on the doorstep, hand in hand, neither of them wanting to stop gazing at the other.

"Well…guess this is goodnight…" Elliot said quietly.

"…It was wonderful, Elliot…" she almost whispered. "…probably the best date I've ever had. Thank you…"

"You're welcome…"

He leaned in to kiss her goodnight just as she did the same, and they met halfway, holding each other gently and kissing with a soft and tender touch.

At least, at first.

When the kiss didn't end there, it grew stronger, more heated. Their hold on each others' bodies closed in, and they pressed themselves tightly together as they stumbled back slightly to lean against the doorframe. Elliot felt goose-bumps shoot across his skin as Sarah's hands slid under his shirt to trace soft circles on his back, and when he responded with a gentle stroke along her hips, she had to break their kiss just to catch her breath.

"Wow…" Elliot whispered.

"Yeah…wow…" Sarah added.

Elliot started to tell himself he should probably say goodnight now, but his body just didn't want to cooperate. His hands still rested on Sarah's hips, holding her body very close to his. Her hands were slowly removing themselves from his shirt and sliding over his shoulders up to his cheeks. Their faces hovered bare inches apart.

"Sarah…I…"

"Shut up, Elliot…"

She closed the distance in a second, and their lips were joined again. She was kissing him with that fiery passion again, that incredible driving force that left him completely uncaring about who might see or what classes they were late for. It was downright electric, and even his rational brain couldn't say no to the feeling. Maybe it was this kiss…maybe it was the date…maybe it was them still getting over that stupid fight…maybe some combination of all three…but he had never been more attracted to her than he was at that moment.

Before he could stop her, her lips slid off his and trailed slowly across his cheek. A second later they brushed against his ear, and in the barest of whispers, Sarah said four little words that sent him into near-total brain failure.

"My parents aren't home…"

And he offered no resistance, no resistance at all as she pushed the front door open, pulled him wide-eyed across the threshold, and shut it behind them.

"Come on…c'mon c'mon c'mon…"

"Careful, careful…"

"I know, I know…just a little…more…there."

Tedd set his tools down and lifted the memory card up to the light, as though inspecting it. "What do you think…?"

"Looks okay to me," Grace said from over his shoulder.

"It better be…I've done all I can," Tedd admitted. He lowered the card and slid it swiftly into his backup card reader. "Here goes nothing…"

He started the card reader and looked at his computer, hoping it would bring up the video file he knew was stored there. He waited…waited…

Blip!

The media player popped up and began loading the file.

"YES!" Tedd exclaimed.

"You did it!" Grace squealed, squeezing his shoulder.

"It's not six angles at once, but it's something!" Tedd said, and stared intently at the screen. "Alright, you gorgeous piece of technology, show me what you got!"

And show him it did. The camera image filled the screen a second later, showing the pair an angle of the basement directly facing the computer. It was currently at the beginning of the recording, and all he could see was himself at the computer, talking to Elliot, whose feet were just barely visible at the far right edge of the image. At least, he assumed they were talking, from the movements of his mouth. The audio, apparently, had not survived the damage.

"This is too far back…" he murmured, and sped up the recording, until he left the frame briefly and returned carrying a cage full of rats and looking a bit awkward. He let go of the fast-forward button at that moment and let the recording play normally as he placed one rat from the cage inside the clear case containing one of his TF Guns and the dewitchery diamond.

"Is this it?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, this is it…you can't see it here, but Sarah and Elliot are arguing by the stairs…any second now Sarah'll--"

Right on cue, a large and heavy book was suddenly flung into view, smacking him in the back of the head. Tedd himself winced and instinctively rubbed the offended spot as he watched himself pitch forward onscreen and strike the TF Gun's activation button hard enough to break it. The TF Gun began firing its experimental new stun beam into the dewitchery diamond, and before long both were glowing and pulsing with bright green transformation energy.

"Whoa…"

A second later Elliot appeared in the camera's view, reaching into the case for the TF Gun. The instant he touched it, a shock bolted through his body, the effects of the stun setting taking hold instantly. He tumbled to the floor, dragging the whole case to the floor with him, and as the TF Gun shut itself down, Tedd gazed at the violently strong energy pulsing from the diamond. Sarah appeared next, rushing toward Elliot's fallen form, but she froze upon seeing the diamond and backpedaled a few steps to the corner of the camera's vision. A second later the diamond's energy exploded outward, a series of beams shooting out from it in completely random directions. A handful came within inches of hitting his and Elliot's limp bodies, but one struck Sarah dead-on, throwing her backward out of the camera's view before the energy burned out.

"That had to hurt…" Grace murmured sympathetically. "…Weird…I could've sworn she said the TF Gun knocked her out…"

A handful of minutes passed in silence, nothing moving in the screen at all. Tedd tracked forward quickly, rolling the empty minutes along and watching intently for the slightest change…

"Wait, go back, I saw something!" Grace blurted out. Tedd complied without an argument and rewound the recording a bit, letting it play again at normal speed. Grace leaned forward over his shoulder, narrowing her eyes at the screen. "…There!" she pointed.

"What is it?" Tedd demanded, backing up a few frames and playing the video again in slow motion.

"Watch your computer…it's got the webcam window open…right there! See it?!"

Tedd did indeed see it this time, though he had to strain to do so. His basement computer showed all six of his webcams' lines of vision, and though the images themselves were far too small and grainy to see what they each displayed, he saw one of the six squares suddenly turn into nothing but grey fuzz.

"Someone just broke one of the cameras…" Grace realized. Her eyes widened a bit more as the tape continued. "There goes another one!"

"Whoever broke the cameras is in there, right here…" Tedd agreed. "Which means when they reach the camera that this card was pulled from…or if they pass through this one's line of vision while breaking another one…we'll have our vandal…"

And right on cue, a figure appeared from the right side of the camera. A girl of average height, and unmistakable short, blonde hair. Carrying his precious TF Gun. Snatching the camera off the top of his computer, dropping it to the floor, and slamming her foot down upon it.

Grace's eyes widened in disbelief. "Sarah…?"

"What the hell is she doing?!" Tedd burst out, his expression rapidly degenerating into one of fury. "That's over a thousand dollars worth of equipment! AND she's stealing the TF Gun!"

"She wouldn't…Sarah wouldn't do that…"

"Grace, look at her, she IS doing it!"

"Tedd, I've been friends with Sarah for only a few weeks, and even I know she wouldn't do this! You've known Sarah for years! You know our Sarah wouldn't do something like this!"

"Grace, the video doesn't lie! That's Sarah on that screen there, destroying and stealing my stuff for no good reason! There is absolutely no way that's not Sarah!"

But abruptly he froze, his rage vanishing and quickly being replaced with a shocked awe.

"…Unless…"

She blinked her eyes open, yawned, and stretched out her limbs, but pulled them back under the quilt before too long; it was a bit chilly still. Though it was four in the morning.

Sarah smiled broadly, content with herself. Thing were going absolutely perfect. She'd made up from the fight, brought their relationship to a higher level, and gotten him to fall even more hopelessly in love with her than ever. And it had only taken her a week.

Yes…change was good, she thought.

She sat up from her spot on the living room couch, holding the thick quilt to her chest, and looked back at where she had been lying. Nestled nice and cozy beside her spot was the shirtless figure of Elliot, snoring lightly as he lay on his side. She smiled coyly as she admired his upper body, and her eyes wandered a little farther downward, to his boxers that she didn't quite remember him putting back on. He probably didn't like to sleep naked, she guessed. Oh well, she'd seen it all, now…and what a sight to see it had been. He really was an immensely attractive person. And he certainly seemed to think the same about her. The way he reacted as her clothes kept coming off…oh, the looks on his face had been priceless…and so was his expression when she spied the small, crescent-moon-shaped birthmark way down his back, almost on his butt. It was this that she was looking at again now. She'd never seen it before. It was almost…cute. She'd have to remember to tease him about it later.

She swung her legs out from under the quilt and grabbed her clothes off the floor, fitting them back on before she let go of the quilt and laid it over Elliot's body. He'd be fine there for the night. No one was coming home for a while yet, and she had something to check on of a rather…private nature.

She left Elliot where he was and crossed the living room to the hallway. She turned into the door farthest down the hall. Her room.

Thump. Th-thump.

The wardrobe doors were rattling.

"Persistent little pest, aren't you…" Sarah muttered, her expression darkening. She strode over to her dresser, dug under a pile of old jeans, and drew out a familiar device: one of Tedd's prized TF Guns. She carried it with her to the wardrobe, which continued to shake. She reached for the lock, turned it, and let the door fly open. She stepped back and pointed the TF Gun at the doors…

….as another Sarah spilled out of the closet.

Bound.

Gagged.

Pale and shaking out of pure fear as she fell to the floor and stared up at the freakishly identical figure standing over her, pointing the TF Gun in her face.

"Well well…you're up early…" 'Sarah' said with a sneer. "The stun setting on this thing really isn't keeping you down long enough…"

"Mmmpphhmmm!!" the Sarah on the floor screamed, muffled into near-silence by the thick tape stuck over her face.

"Even if you weren't gagged, screaming wouldn't do you any good," the other Sarah mocked her. "No one's home. Mom and dad went off to that couple's retreat weekend…you remember that, don't you? I mean, you must…otherwise, how else would I have known? Hmm? Well, go on…say something."

She set the TF Gun on the dresser, reached down to the bound Sarah and peeled the tape off nonchalantly.

The girl gasped for breath briefly before glaring at the figure above her. "You're never going to get away with this…my friends will figure you out…Elliot will figure you out! He'll expose you for the clone you are!"

"No. They won't," the clone sneered. "Don't you get it, Sarah? I am you, down to every last detail. Your memories, your education, how you act, your taste in clothes, your bra size…every single thing about you is a part of me, too. I know everything you know." Clone Sarah smirked. "Oh, and just in case you're thinking about Tedd's little web-cameras recording the evidence, forget it. I took care of that little inconvenience right off the bat."

"They'll still figure you out!" Sarah snapped. "I know they will! You won't ruin my life like this!!"

The clone threw her head back and laughed. "Oh, foolish little Sarah…you've had a week to sit in there and think about it, and you still haven't figured it out…"

"Figured what out?!" Sarah demanded.

The clone knelt down and hovered right over Sarah's head. "Y'see, Sarah…Ellen had it all wrong, when she first came around. Sure, she tried to ruin Elliot's life…but she was too soft about it. She didn't have what it takes to be an evil twin. She only thought of the petty things. Screw with his reputation a little, maybe get him into a bit of trouble at school….small beans, all of it." The clone sneered. "But me…I'm a little more ambitious."

She leaned down even closer. "See, you don't have to worry about me doing what Ellen tried to do. I have a very different path in mind."

"What path?" Sarah demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" Clone Sarah said, suddenly glaring. "I have the same problem Ellen did. What can I do as a clone? Hang out with friends who won't know me? Live with a family that won't love me? No. I won't live a life like that. That much Ellen and I had in common."

She hoisted Sarah up and propped her against the wardrobe wall. "But I have an advantage Ellen never had…do you know what that is?"

"Ask me if I care, you psychotic bi--"

SMACK!

Before she could finish, her duplicate had slapped the tape back over her mouth, leaving a stinging pain across her cheek. She glared pure hatred at the other girl, struggling in vain to free herself.

Clone Sarah just smirked. "From the very moment Ellen was created, people knew who she was…where she'd come from…but you and me, Sarah? No one has any idea that that diamond did this to us. No one has any idea that there are two of us walking the earth…so what do you think would happen, Sarah…if one of us were to just…disappear?"

Sarah's face paled, her expression turning to sheer horror.

"Yes…you see it now, don't you, Sarah…?" the clone said, dropping her back in the wardrobe. "I'm not ruining your life……I'm taking it."

She picked up the TF Gun again.

"And not your friends…"

She raised the device and took aim.

"Not your parents…"

She dialed the gun's setting to 'stun.'

"Not even your dear, darling Elliot…"

She smiled a horrible smile at the terrified girl.

"…Will ever know the difference…"

FLASH!

Author's Notes: The changes to this chapter compared to its original release are relatively mild, admittedly, but since it is the point where the critical change itself occurs, it's necessary to reprint this chapter. Rest assured, though, subsequent chapters will have much more new and different content.

Comments and critiques welcomed and appreciated, as always.