Disclaimer: I do not own Angel: the series or Buffy: the Vampire Slayer shows or characters. I do however own the characters of Cathy Lucy Angel and Nicholas (Nicky) Wood. No money is exchanging hands. Please don't sue me. I'm just a poor college student without a dime.
Summary: This story is the sequel to Fast Forward. Connor has finally come back home after living in Quar'toth for ten years. Each chapter will focus on a separate character's point of view as Connor adjusts to being back home and living with his family.
Pairings: Angel/Cordy, Faith/Wood, Fred/Wesley, Gunn/OC, Spike/Buffy, later on Connor/Dawn, Anya/Xander, Willow/Kennedy.
The song that inspired this story is This Year by Christina Aguilera. (Click to get the lyrics)
If you want to skip around to other chapters first you can, but they might not be up yet. I just put in the links in advance. They are all separate stories with different points of view.
Rating: PG-13 to R for Language. Mostly the F word. I use some other bad language, but nothing you probably haven't heard anywhere else.
PS—I have tried really hard to figure out WHAT city Tru Calling takes place in. I think it's either San Francisco or New York City. I'm leaning towards New York, though. In all honesty, it could probably be ANY United States city…All cities have those kinds of buildings somewhere. But for this story, I'm going to say that Tru and her family live in San Francisco, just to keep it all in California, so they can drive there, instead of fly. I don't know if I want to take Faith all the way across the country. If anyone knows for sure, email me…I'll change it, but for now, I'm just going to stick to San Francisco.
This Year
By: Sensue
Chapter Three: December. Part I. (Faith's POV) x-over with Tru Calling
**NOTE: I messed up in Fast Forward Chapter 7: Huh? I wrote that Tru's mother's name was Louise; It's not, It's Elise Laura. Sorry. Also I can tell already, this is going to be one long chapter…
I could probably write it separately, but I won't. **
Thanksgiving this year was five by five. Hell, it was awesome. I just couldn't believe Wesley and Fred turned Lorne Fucking Blue. At least, it wasn't baby blue or robin's eggshell blue. When Robin and I saw him, we couldn't help ourselves, we almost peed in our pants laughing so hard.
And boy, are Fred and Wes going to get it on! I mean, even I could see it.
The entire week was perfect, that was until Tru called me. Shit, that was my first thought, my half-sister is calling me. My other thoughts included: How the hell did she find me? Are Harrison and Meredith okay? Whey is she calling me? What does she want?
I picked up the phone reluctantly, "Hello, this is Faith." I answered it this way on purpose. Let her ask me first. It's easier this way.
The voice that spoke on the other end sounded extremely similar to my voice, but I had gotten used to that. Even though we had different mothers and I was older by a few years, we looked almost like twins. As children, we would have fun pretending to be the other. That was, until I got the tattoos. "Faith, um. It's Tru. I can't believe I found you. I mean, the last I heard you were in—it doesn't matter. Um, Listen, I really need your help. Meredith needs your help, so does Harrison. I can't do it all by myself anymore. I feel so alone. I need you, I need my big sister. God, I can't believe how desperate I'm coming off, but I am. Desperate, I mean."
"Tru," I answered, not believing that my sister was practically crying on the phone. She was always the strong one in the family. I mean, she watched her mom die, in her arms and still she didn't cry. Even at the funeral, she knew that everything would be okay. "God, I haven't seen or talked to you in almost seven years. What are you talking about?"
"Listen, Faith, I need you to come home. I really need you here, in San Francisco. I'll explain more when you arrive."
"No. You need to listen to me, Tru. God, you don't know anything about me. I'm married now. I have a five year old little boy. I can't just leave them because you asked me to. I have a job, a boss; I can't just leave. I do have responsibilities here. Now, either you tell me what's going on or leave me alone!"
She answered back. "I can't get into it now, Faith. I'm sort of at work right now. I don't have time; I have to stop someone from di—doing something really bad. Ok. How about I give you my phone number and you can call me back when you get a chance? I work at the City Morgue now; the number is 555-4177. I also have a cell phone; the number is 555-8262. Please, Faith, call me back. I really need you here. Bye."
Well, shit. She has to call me and ask for my help. God! Why me? Tru never needed my help, she never needs anyone. They always seem to do this to me. I have to drop everything for 'my family'. Especially my half-brother, Harrison, and half-sister, Meredith. They hated me. I was the black sheep of the family. The problem was that they knew that I was responsible for them because I was the oldest, they could always come to me if they needed help. Even if it made ME look worse than them. My father thought I was the one causing all the problems. What about Harrison? She and he were always tight. Why couldn't she ask him for help? How, she calls me; now that my life is almost perfect. What they hell am I going to do?
I walked around in a daze and found myself back in the family room. I don't know how I got here. Suddenly, Robin stood up and put his hands on my shoulders. "Faith, are you alright? Who was that on the phone? What did they want?" I seriously couldn't take his questions right now. I think that I snapped at him, but I don't remember what I said. I just remember yelling at him, then running up the stairs to my bedroom. I slammed the door shut.
Pacing the room, I thought, Faith, girl, you need to calm down, before Nicky feels this. I don't want to hurt my son with feelings that even I can't handle right now. I don't need to be sharing them with Nicky.
Nicky, my little Empath, my little boy. Every time, I think of him, I see my redemption; I see forgiveness for the crimes that I've committed. The people I've killed. In a weird way, when I see him, I think of Tru. My sister, the gifted one in the family. The smart one that always dreamed of being a doctor. I was, of course, the trouble child, the outcast; the rebellious one. They never knew who I really was. Meredith, she had a huge chip on her shoulder. She always had to be the best at everything. She was the oldest in the Davies family; I was an Evans, I didn't belong in her family. Unfortunately, right before I ran away, she was also the family junky. That was the tip of the iceberg. My brother, Harrison started making bets with friends; the problem was that he lost. They would beat him to an inch of his life. And there was nothing I could do to help them. I couldn't even help myself. The Chosen One, my ass! I couldn't even save my family or my Watcher. It was too much to handle. I ran away from home, never to look back.
In a way, I think I've been running away my entire life from them. Running from Tru…She never hid her secret, her gift from us. We always knew that she could speak to the dead. She never kept it from us. We noticed it right after her mom died. She told us Elise forgave her and told her that it would be okay. It was strange because after our father got remarried and ditched us, she stopped talking about her gift. I honestly don't think she even remembers it.
I kept lots of secrets. Hid everything from her and the others. My Watcher told me that it was a secret, my calling. No one was to know. I also knew who Elise's killer was. Just because the police had no clue, didn't mean that I didn't. Shortly after I got all chosen, on my first patrol, I ran into alley, listening to a vampire talking shit about killing this lady in front of a little girl. At first I didn't understand. I didn't want to. The other vampire next to him told him something that made me realize, this was step mother's killer. He said, "Stop talking about that kill. It was years ago. The little girl's probably in her teens now. Get a new story." It was him. He killed Elise. So I killed him and his vamp friends. Thinking back, that actually was my first kill ever. I'd never staked a vampire before. Hell, I didn't even know that they existed.
Then our dad got remarried and the shit hit the ground. I got a new Watcher, a new destiny, a new stepmother not that much older than me, and my family was collapsing on itself.
Tru and I used to be close. I was the oldest; It was my job to keep them safe. I had to take care of them. I failed. Absolutely had no fucking clue that Meredith was using that shit she snorted into her body. Not until she ended up O.D.ing I had to force her into rehab. She hated me even more for doing that to her. I felt like Hell that week and just to put icing on the cake, Kakistos came to town.
I didn't know what to do. My Watcher, she tried to tell me that I was off my game. I fought with her and told her to stay out of my way. I was fine and could take care of everything myself. Didn't she know? I was the Slayer. There was nothing that could defeat me.
I was completely fucked up. I wasn't listening to anyone anymore. My mind wasn't on those damn vampires and she knew it. So she tried to help me, tried to take care of it for me. She left me a note telling me that she found Kakistos's lair and was going to dust them. I found it too late. By the time I had arrived, my watcher, hell, my mother figure was dead. Completely drained by that Bastard.
I froze, then when the henchmen came after me I ran. Ran all the way to Sunnydale to the other Slayer, Buffy, and my own personal fall from grace. I was already screwed up as it was, and now I was a murderer. I betrayed my friends, family, the Watcher's Council, everything. And the worst part about it, I didn't give a fuck. I was frozen; a cold bitch from hell. I couldn't feel regret. I couldn't feel anything but empty.
It took Angel, a vampire with a soul, to get through to me. To help me feel again. I gave myself up, went to prison and came out a better person. So I wasn't released, I escaped; still I can help more out in L.A. than in a maximum security prison. I helped fight Angelus and won. I went back to Sunnydale, helped fight the First Evil, gained forgiveness from Buffy, and fell in love. I'd say I was a changed woman.
I could've stayed with Buffy, helped her train and find all of the new slayers that Willow called forth. I didn't. I didn't want to, that was Buffy's tuff. Not mine. Let her be the leader, the general of sorts, it was her destiny, not mine. I needed to find my own place in the world, not one that revolved around being Buffy's sidekick. Surprisingly, Robin wanted to come with me. I didn't even know Where to go, yet he said that he would go wherever I wanted, no matter the time or the place. It didn't take that long. The only place I was welcome was L.A.
Soon, I was a member of Angel Investigations. My crimes were forgotten and forgiven. My past seemingly erased. The only thing that mattered to Angel was that I tried. He would tell me, one day at a time. Keep control and try to think before I react. It was strange but the person I was most afraid of ended up being my cheerleader. I hurt Wesley. I hurt him bad, I think I was going to kill him, yet he still encouraged me. Still loved me in his own way. Helped me, even. I thank the Powers That Be that I have such friends.
The person who most surprised me was Cordy, though. She hated me in High School, was a complete bitch to me, hell to everybody. When I first arrived, I planned on steering clear of her to give her some space. My plan didn't work. She approached me and, in her own way, put out an olive branch…a shopping spree. She became my best girl friend along with Fred. Weird, huh?
Shortly after, I got pregnant with Robin's son. I acted like it was an annoyance, just to get back at Robin, but I loved it. A new life was growing inside of me, a new life for all of us. When Nicky was born, it was the happiest day of my life. Robin wanted to marry me…I said no. I knew what marriage was like, and I didn't want it. I wanted my life to be mine and only mine. I was sick of having to worry about a family, a family who hated me, with the exception of Tru. It took five years to learn the true meaning of family, what love was really like. And that I didn't have to fear it. I married Robin and became Mrs. Faith Wood. No longer was I an outcast. I was a member of a family. A family that loved me for who I was, knew all of my secrets, and still wanted me, in spite of it.
And now, my forgotten past is coming back to haunt me. I know that I've got to go back, help my family, the question that remains is what do I do? How can I help them?
A light knock on the jars me from my thoughts. "Come in," I say quietly. The door cracks open slightly, a head poking through. "Hey, Angel, you can come in. I promise I won't bite."
"Hey, Faith. You okay?" Angel looks uncomfortable. He actually looks like Nicky used to when he first started to potty train. That slight jumping that he does.
"Yeah. Sorry I snapped. I just had lots to think about. Help me, please. I really don't know what to do." I look up at him, hopeful, and knowing that Angel always had the answers.
"I'll try, Faith. Tell me what you can."
So I did. I told him the whole sob story of my life. Never once did he interrupt, try to calm me when I shouted, or tell me what to think. He just listened. "What should I do? Should I go back, go to San Francisco? Try to help Tru, Harry, and Meredith? 'Cause in all honesty I don't know what I could do to help them. I mean, it's their lives. What right do I have to just jump in and make things all better? They should be able to do it themselves, you know. They aren't children anymore. I'm afraid if I do it this once, they will keep calling for me to fix all their problems. On the other hand, I am their big sister. Angel, what do I do?"
"I think that you should go. Even if you can't help them, you need to talk to them, a closure of sorts. But Faith, this may not be closure. It may be a beginning. A relationship with your family. They may need you in their lives and want to start over with you. Are you willing to let them back into your heart?"
That's my Angel, always asking the hard questions that I have no idea how to answer. "I guess so. I really don't know. I mean, Harry and Meredith hated me. Tru was the only one I was close to. And she's the one who asked for my help."
"Ok. Tru gave you her phone numbers, right. So why don't you just call her and ask her what she needs from you and save yourself the frustration and worry? Just ask her," Angel suggested. "Then talk to your husband. He's worried about you. He loves you, you know. He doesn't want you to be hurt or upset. He just wants to help you. Maybe you can take him along with you. You know, introduce your husband to your brother, and sisters. Maybe even finish that honeymoon you started."
"Good idea. On both accounts. I will, I promise. I'll call Tru and I'll talk to Robin."
He patted me on the head on the way out the door. I laughed when he did this. Sometimes I think that he thinks of me like a little sister. He definitely treats me like it. Patting me on the head…Jeez. I lay back on my bed, still thinking. The door opened again a short while later, Nicky and Robin walking in.
Nicky ran over and jumped on the bed until he was snuggled close to me. God, I love him so much. My little boy. His warmth seeps into my cold heart, filling it with love and joy, instead of uncertainty and wariness. I hold him close to me and kiss his forehead. "I love you, Nicky. I hope you know that. I always will." Robin comes over quietly, trying not to disturb the peace surrounding me for the moment. He sits on the edge of the bed, placing his hands on mine.
It's time. I know it is. It's time to tell the family of my heart about my other family. The one I ran from. Then, we can decide what to do, together, as a family should.
After talking to my husband and son, we all decided to go to San Francisco during Christmas break. You know, the two weeks that school is let out for the holiday. It was decided that we would go starting Friday night on the last day of school and come back a week and a half later, Wednesday afternoon, right before Christmas Eve. That way both Nicky and Robin didn't miss any of their work and school. We also wanted to be back so we could spend the holiday with our real family.
I called Tru later that evening. I told her that I would come and that I was coming with my family. She thanked me so much; I thought she was going to run out of breath.
I told the rest of the gang of our plans to visit my family. They were very kind about it, even joking that they didn't think they could handle kicking demon butt without us.
So I planned until the time came to leave. I packed all of our clothing, toiletries, and supplies into Gunn's truck. No one was more surprised that I, when he actually agreed to have us borrow it. That new girl of his has really melted him because there is no way in Hell he would've let us borrow it before.
Robin and Nicky actually seemed excited to go to San Francisco. Robin had never traveled there, since he was born in New York City, he usually stuck to the east coast until he found out that there was a slayer in California, Buffy to be exact. He moved to Sunnydale to help her, to rid the world of evil and, while he was at it, to be a principal in the newly reconstructed Sunnydale High School. Nicky, well, the only place he's ever been is Disney Land. We jumped in the truck, already blasting with good music that we all loved and made our way to Tru's apartment.
I, on the other hand, was dreading it. I called Tru again last night. She finally told me the real deal. Meredith O.D.ed again. She's really bad off in the hospital. Not only that, but she lost her job. Her bosses found out that she used drugs, they fired her. That night, Meredith decided to take enough Cocaine to kill an elephant. Tru wasn't sure if she was trying to kill herself or if it was an accident caused by being high. Harrison isn't doing too well either. The gambling has gotten worse. He's got a broken leg, some goons he owed money could've killed him. They came after him with a baseball bat. Any other person would've learned their lesson, but not Harrison. He's still at it. He's still gambling everything away. Still hurting himself. Tru was scared. She really doesn't know what to do anymore. She can't help Meredith. No one can. And Harrison won't listen to her. She told me that she had a new job, working in the City Morgue. That she worked the midnight/graveyard shift. It seemed like she was going to tell me about something else, but she stopped herself, telling me that she had to get back to work. Then she said she'd see me in the morning and hung up.
It was a nice drive, especially since we waited until rush hour was over before leaving the Hyperion. It was still busy due to the other people traveling for the Christmas holiday. It was nice though, when we got closer to the city, Christmas lights shown through store windows. There was even a light show display featuring cartoon characters like Bart Simpson, Mickey Mouse, The Little Mermaid, etc. Nicky practically hung his head out the window, trying to catch all of displays. (We have this in Niagara Falls, New York and in Niagara Falls, Canada every year…It's really pretty. Though I must admit the Canadian side is way better than the US side. ~Sensue) It was very pretty to look at. Then we got closer to the city. That wasn't as pretty. The air became thicker with smog and pollution, while hookers littered the corners looking for 'dates' for the evening. Oil drums were lit on fire for warmth.
This was the town I grew up in. It was strange being back after all of these years. I turned my head away and took a breath. I need to focus. I'm here for a reason. I have to help my family. I pulled out the address that Tru gave to me out of my jeans pocket. She told me that she wouldn't be home because she was at work, but told me to let myself in with the hidden key. I shook my head at her…she put her extra key above the door frame. That was dumb; any robber with any sense looked for the key there. I have to remember to tell her to think of another 'secret' spot.
After driving around for another fifteen minutes trying to find the place, we finally arrived around 7:45 pm. We got out of the truck to stretch our legs. Then we started pulling out our bags and went up the stairs to find Tru's apartment. I found her key and opened the door to her apartment. It was a very warm and friendly place, her things neat and organized, like I remember Tru was. Nicky was bouncing off the walls, he'd been sitting in a car for too long and needed to release that pent up energy. He ducked around and looked over every crevice of her place. I let him, it was safer to know your environment, know where everything was in case of an emergency than to be shy about it. We put our things in the living room for a moment. On the counter, a note told us to make ourselves at home and to put our things in her room. "My room is now your room," Tru wrote. I thought that was rather nice of her.
I found her room adjacent to the bathroom. It was really nice and cozy. I walked in and found another note: it seems like my sister had emptied her bottom drawers for our things. I called out for Robin to bring in our bags and started to unpack them into the drawer. After everything was all unpacked and we sat down for a little while, I went into the kitchen in search of some food. Again, a note on the fridge told me that she already made us a chicken vegetable casserole; all we had to do was warm it up. I have to thank her, she must've spent days cleaning, cooking, and organizing for our arrival. The only thing that would've made it better was if she was here.
After dinner, there was a knock on the door. I opened it hesitantly, not knowing if I should let that person in the door. I didn't even have to think about it. The blonde girl at the door just walked in, saying "Hey… I have to borrow that shirt you bought last week, you know the cream one with the ruffles. I have a date this evening and I think that it'll make or break my date. I mean, I have to look good, right? So can I, please, Tru?"
"Um, I'm not—," I started.
"Ok. Thanks." She walked into Tru's bedroom and dug around through her closet. "I found it. Thanks again. You're the best friend any girl could ask for." Then the woman walked over to me, kissed me on the cheek, and walked out the door. Before she left she said, "I'll call you later tonight and tell you how it went. Or maybe I won't if I take him home with me. Anyway, I'll call you. Bye."
Robin and Nicky peaked their heads out from the couch. "Well, I guess you do look a lot like your sister. That girl had no clue that you weren't Tru." Nicky was laughing.
"Mommy, that girl is funny. I like her. She's nice."
"You know what, Nicky? I do too. I think that she is a good friend. I'm glad that Tru has someone she can trust. I just wonder what her name is."
So now that we were all fed, unpacked, and washed up, we were sort of bored. Nicky's exploration had revealed a massive video collection. Tru must have every movie in the world. We each picked one movie then decided which one we were going to watch first. Nicky had chosen to watch a Disney movie. Internally, I groaned, I really hated Disney movies, but he was begging to watch "Finding Nemo" so I had to put it on for him. I went back into the kitchen before the previews had finished and found some popcorn in the cabinet. I made some for us and sat down to watch the movie. Surprisingly, it was the best Disney movie I ever saw. It was so funny, especially that little fish Dory, with the short term memory loss.
Nicky had fallen asleep on my lap more than a half through the movie. Robin picked him up and put him on the inflatable bed in Tru's room that we blew up for him to sleep on. He came back and we snuggled together on the couch watching the Clown-Fish find his son. I relaxed in my husband's arms. Angel was right, I didn't need to worry. It doesn't matter how protective you are, shit happens. I actually learned that from that Disney movie.
We put on another movie, but we weren't watching it. We were busy doing other important things. Like kissing. After a wonderful evening of…watching movies, we went to bed.
I woke up at the sound of the door opening and closing. I didn't know where I was for a moment, finding myself alone in a strange bed, so I reacted on instinct and pulled a stake out from under my pillow. I heard someone tiptoe to the bathroom. That's when I realized, yes, I am in San Francisco. In Tru's apartment. Tru must be home from work. I looked at the clock next to the bed. 9:45 am. Time to get up.
Robin was already up, probably going for his morning jog around the block. I looked on the floor, yup, Nicky was still sleeping. I quietly pulled some jeans and nice shirt from the drawer and put them on. I'm going to let Nicky sleep in.
I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me. On the way to the kitchen for some coffee, I ran into a towel covered Tru. My morning fog lifted, a smile taking up my whole face. I really didn't think I would be so happy to see her, but I am. She smiled too, embracing me tightly, even though she was still wet from the shower.
"Faith. Oh, my god, it's so good to see you. You look great," she said enthusiastically. I shushed her with my hand.
"So do you, girl. I missed you, ya know. It's been forever," I whispered back.
She looked at me, still smiling, asking, "Why are we whispering?"
"Nicky, my son. He's in the room sleeping."
"Aww. Can I see him?," Tru looked so excited, "I've never had a nephew before and now I do. I, honestly, can't wait to see him. Can I just look in on him now? Please, Faithy?"
I shook my head. My sister. "Ok. You can look in on him, just don't call me Faithy, ok, Tru-y." I said this with a smile. She knew I hated it when she called me Faithy.
I reopened the bedroom door and we both poked our heads in. My little boy was sleeping soundly, his hand against his cute little face, looking angelic in his sleep. She stood there taking in her fill of him then we both went into the kitchen for some coffee. We both sat on the kitchen table. It was awkward at first; I didn't know what to say to her.
She took a breath. "Faith. I lied to you. I wasn't at work last night. My shift starts at midnight. I was trying to stop someone from dying last night." She looked at me with half closed eyelids, trying to judge my reaction.
"You mean, like patrol?" I asked. This was taking a turn for the weird. Tru was about to answer when the front door opened, then shut, Robin coming in from his morning run. Sweat was dripping off his body. If we were alone, the things that I would do—anyways… Tru's eyes went wide. I smiled thinking, yup, girl, he's all man and he's all mine.
"Tru, this is Robin Wood, my husband." Robin held out his hand to Tru. He looked shocked at the resemblance. I hit him on the shoulder, "I told you that she looked like me."
"Wow. I mean, Faith told me she had a look-alike. I didn't believe her. But now that I'm looking at you, I stand corrected."
So we all sat down in the living area, while Tru told her story. The entire story. Her reliving the future, dead people that speak to her, the entire thing. She was telling us the story as if she didn't know that I already know about her gift. I had to interrupt the poor girl. "Tru, sweetie. I know. I know you talk to dead people. I know about your gift. It's wasn't that well hidden…much like your house key."
"What? What do you mean? You know?" She looked sort of scared.
"Tru, I know. I know all about it. You've always been able to speak to the dead before they've moved on. It was weird but after Elise, your mom died, and Dad got remarried and left us, you just stopped. I figured you were doing some kind of repressing your inner demons stuff. But I know. We both know. I told Robin just before we came here. It's really not a big deal, ya know."
"You remember me talking with dead people as a child? The only person I remember talking to was my mom." The fear turned into confusion. She couldn't remember anything like that.
"Ok, Tru. You know how little kids have 'imaginary friends', well, you had tons of them. Except they weren't imaginary, they were dead. Remember Georgie, that little girl imaginary friend of yours that didn't like the beach? Well, you were little, so you probably don't remember, but Georgie Walsh drowned at that beach four months before you started 'talking' to her. There are others. Um…Bobby, the imaginary friend that never let you touch chemicals in the house, he lived down the street from us and died of inhaling bleach and ammonia fumes before you ever 'met' him. You don't remember them though, I mean you were about ten years old when they stopped."
"I don't. I don't remember it. Thank you for telling me. That's why I called you. I need help. So many people are coming into the Morgue where I work, they died, but they still beg for help. I can't save them all. There are too many. I work all night and all day to prevent it and sometimes, I fail. God, I fail, Faith. I'm trying my best, but I can't even save Harrison or Meredith. I mean, Mer is in the hospital. I can't keep her there. She'll just go back and get high. Harrison can't stop his gambling. He's hurt. They're going to kill him soon and I'm afraid that I won't be able to stop it."
"Well, it's big sister to the rescue, Tru. I'll help anyway I can." I don't know what to do. My sister has just blurted out every secret that she has to me and I have yet to even mention that I'm a Slayer. I don't know if I should tell her. Should I? Should I tell her about me; about Nicky's gift? I look covertly at Robin; I see the same questions in his eyes. He doesn't know her. Doesn't know if he can trust her yet. The last time someone in our family trusted too soon, Connor got kidnapped.
I make my decision. I'm not going to tell her yet. I'll hold off until I'm sure that she's still the Tru that I know and trusted as a child. A plan begins to form. I know exactly what to do to help Harrison. He's a teenager. Just like Connor.
Now, Connor, Angel and Cordy's teenaged son has something of an attitude problem when it comes to authority figures. I guess it comes from living in a Hell Dimension for ten years, never having to answer to anyone. He thinks that he knows everything. He jumps into everything without thinking and argues with anyone, except his mother, who tells him what to do. I'm not the type to take shit from anyone, so I put him in his place. He fought with me on how to interrogate a vampire: he wanted to stake it; I wanted to tie it up and ask it questions. He tried to push his way in, but I ended up beating him up, sitting on him, and telling him that I'd kill him if he ignored me again. Then I sent him home. Trust me when I say he's never argued with me about my decisions again. It's sort of my tough love philosophy because I personally think that he needs discipline, not coddling.
That's just what Harrison needs. I told Tru that I would handle Harrison. Meredith's drug problem was going to be a lot tougher to handle. I was scared of having Nicky near her, especially if she was high. She could hurt my son. If I was going to help her, and stop her from EVER even touching drugs again, she needs to go through all the steps of withdrawal. I know that lots of drug program advocates believe that druggies should 'sleep through' withdrawal, but I don't think that works as well as actually going through the pain. It'll remind her of what she put her body through taking that shit; not only her body, but her family and the people taking care of her had to go through.
We talked about how we were going to handle them for a little while until Tru started yawning. I told her to go to bed. Nicky was awake now, he had to be. I went in the bedroom to check on him. Just as I had suspected, he was sitting up in his blown up bed, reading a book. He saw me and hugged me good morning. Then he did a double take when he saw Tru.
I introduced them to each other. He got shy and hid behind my legs a little, but said hello to her. The thought hit me just then, Nicky's got two more aunts and an uncle to add to the mix. We just had to get them on the straight and narrow path.
As Tru took a short nap, I started researching detoxification centers that we could send Meredith to. Another knock on the door interrupted our research. I opened it again, shocked to see my brother, Harrison standing on the other end. He looked like shit. His hair looked like it hadn't been combed in weeks, his clothes rumpled and dirty, and to top it off he was on crutches.
Surprisingly, he knew that I was Faith and not Tru. "Faith, long time no see." He nodded to me. "How's it going?"
"Harrison, I'm doing great. I hear that you're, on the other hand, doing shitty. I'm here to help you out of that hole." I looked at him. He had that stupid teenaged smirk on his face, you know the one; the one that says, 'I know what I'm doing and don't care what you think.' It always makes me want to slap him.
"I don't know where you heard that from," he pokes his head through the door to look for Tru. "Are you doing to let me in? My leg hurts, you know."
I pulled the door open and gestured to come in. He caught sight of Robin and asked me if he was my boyfriend. "Harrison, meet my husband, Robin Wood. The little boy hiding behind him is Nicholas, Nicky, my son. Nicky, Robin, this is Harrison, my brother, your uncle, Nicky."
Robin also saw the 'smirk'. I smiled when I saw his expression. Robin was no longer the concerned husband and father, he was now in what I call "Principal Wood" mode. A couple hours with the both of us and the kid will never again think of gambling.
Harrison asked where Tru was, said something about her telling him who would win the football game that evening. Oh, god. Tru has been helping him. She's been telling him who's winning sporting events; I know that she doesn't think of it that way, but she's encouraged his gambling. Not helping him quit. Well, now it's my turn. I told Nicky to go into the other room and watch a video or read a book.
I sat him down and prepared to give him the lecture of a lifetime and if he didn't listen, I was going to beat the shit out of him. And if that still didn't help, I was prepared to sic Robin on him. If the both of us weren't enough to stop him from gambling and hurting himself, I was going to ship him off to L.A. to live with us for a couple of months. It wasn't like the kid had a job or anything. If Robin and I couldn't get through to him, then trust me, Spike and Angel could.
We must have spent four hours talking to the kid. He is so stubborn. Wasn't listening to either of us. He reminds me of when I was younger. Nothing that we said got through to him and I was getting frustrated. He was just telling us that he wouldn't do it again, but he didn't mean it. He was just telling us things that we wanted to hear.
Finally, I was going to snap, and I think that Robin was too. We had to let him go. There was nothing more to say to him. After we got Meredith setup in a good detox and rehab program, we were going to drag him to L.A. with us. Let's see how the kid does in L.A. dealing with drug dealers, serial killers, and OH yeah…demons. Demons, that got me thinking, Lorne told me that he helped lots of girls get off the drugs. Of course, the girls didn't use cocaine; they used some kind of drug that vampires got high off of too when they drank the girls blood. It was a two way system, I guess. The girls got high of the drug…the vampires got high off the girl's blood which contained the drug and they got to drink their favorite drink from a willing victim. The girl got the sexual feelings the vampire feeding off of them gave them and they all got happy. Weird and stupid. Most of the time, the vampires got too high and just killed the girl when they were done.
I could take both of them back with me. Lorne can help Meredith with the drugs, Angel and Spike can scare the shit out of Harrison, and we can go back to L.A.; back to our own turf.
After Tru woke up from her nap, I explained my plans to her. I told her that I wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer from any of them. They were coming with me, even if I had to drag them there. I asked Tru if she wanted to come back with me, until they both got better.
Tru looked at me, hope filling her eyes. I know that she wanted it to work. She wanted them to stop hurting themselves, but she couldn't come with me. "Faith, I hope that it works. Hell, I know it will if you're not willing to give up on them. But I can't go…I have to stay here. I have to help those people I see in the morgue. But if you can even help me with Mer and Harry then I can focus on helping those people without having to worry about my brother and sister getting into trouble. Faith, I don't know how, but you've changed. For the better, I mean. Thank you, thank you for helping me. For helping them. I'll never forget this for as long as I live." She kissed my cheek, and then pulled me into a tight hug, once more whispering in my ear, thank you, Faith.
I kissed her back on the cheek, then rubbed her back until she let go. I reached over for her phone, calling ahead to L.A to tell them the change in plans. Angel agreed that it was the best solution and told me that he'd get two rooms ready for my guests.
Robin looked on, his stance ready to pick up our little troublemakers. I gave Tru one last hug and asked her to watch Nicky for a couple of hours for us. I repacked our clothing with Robin's help and got our things packed up in the truck. All I could say was thank god that we have enough room for everybody due to Gunn's back seat. I put all of our things in the back of the truck and jumped in, ready to pickup Meredith from the hospital. I was seriously hoping that the hospital kept her drugged up…if she was lucid, she'd fight us and I don't want to hurt her. I will if I have to, but it would be easier on everybody if she cooperated.
The plan was to pick up Meredith, then to find Harrison, wherever he was and put them in the truck. Then I would call Tru, once we were in front of her apartment, to sent Nicky down to the truck in the front. For just this once, I was going to put Nicky in the front seat. There was no way that Nicky was going to get anywhere near Meredith until she was sober.
Well, it was easier said than done.
First of all, you now have to prove your relation to a patient in the hospital for drug abuse in order to come and visit. I guess that I must've looked like a drug dealer or gang member or something because the nurse called a security team to escort me out. They wouldn't even let me explain that she was my sister, just grabbed me and tried to drag me away. Now, I don't usually let anyone manhandle me, but I was trying to remain calm. So I did the next best thing to kicking their asses: I yelled at them in a really loud voice. I guess that was enough commotion to wake Meredith from her drug induced haze and she came out of her room to see what was happening.
She told them to stop; that I was her sister Tru. God, she was so high, she couldn't even tell us apart. Now, you are all thinking that Tru and I are almost identical so, how can we tell you apart? We'll let me tell you, first of all, I'm older, so I look older than Tru. I also don't dress the same as she does. I like to wear baggy clothes and especially like the color black, whileTru is a more pastel and lace type of girly girl.
After the security team left the area, I got the chance to speak to Meredith's doctors and unfortunately her shrink at the hospital. They all encouraged me to commit her to a rehab clinic to get help for her addiction. I told them that I already had something setup for her care during her withdrawal period; a friend of mine who had lots of experience in helping people with their addictions. After 'discussing' the doctor's concerns, I finally got them to release her into my care. The dumb idiots didn't even notice that I signed the papers with my real name, Faith Wood, instead of Tru Davies. Oh, well. Too bad for them.
Then I went into Meredith's room and told her that I had signed her out. I explained that I was in charge of her care and that if she didn't like it, I would change my mind and just let the doctors commit her to a special clinic for 'these types of problems.' She still thought I was Tru, still thought that she could just sweet talk Tru into whatever she wanted. I mean, Tru is extremely smart. Hell, I wish I was half as smart, but the girl lets people walk all over her. I mean, even that internship that she wanted at S.F. General, her advisor screwed her over and told her to work at the City Morgue. If I got screwed over like that, especially if it hurt my chance to go to medical school, trust me, that advisor would be splattered all over the wall. But no, Tru just accepted it and started working in that place.
Meredith was still a little slow at moving, so I packed up her belongings, signed her out AMA (against medical advice) and called the nurse for a wheelchair to take her out to the truck waiting for us by the main entrance. I had wheeled her out in the chair and pulled her into the back seat of our truck. By the time I had put on her seat belt she had fallen asleep, leaning her face against the side window. Since she was sleeping, she missed the entire drive to Chang's Restaurant where Harrison played his card games in the back room.
Robin stayed in the car with Meredith. I walked through the restaurant and passed the seating host at the door. I knew exactly where the backroom door was, I'd been to tons of places like this before. Some goons tried to stop me, but I don't know about anyone else, but I'm sick of people trying to drag me out of places I need to be. I mean, I got work to do. A swift kick in the balls certainly stopped them in their tracks.
I continued on walking to the back room as if no one could stop me, because, come on I have the strength of ten men and all that. I opened the door, the men at the table stopped passing cards and stared at me. Harrison stood up quickly and stopped them from pulling out their guns by announcing that I was his sister.
I've had enough bullshit for the day. "Boys, I'm sorry to interrupt, but the game's over for my boy Harrison. Harrison, just cash in your chips, we're leaving." My hands were crossed over my chest, my stance in the typical "mommy's mad" pose.
Harrison looked livid. Angry that I'd embarrassed him by making him leave the table. The guy at the head of the table grabbed him by the arm and prevented him from leaving. "I'm afraid that your brother owes us some money. Something around the tune of $850."
I gaped at my brother; the dumb fuck owes how much? "Shit, Harrison. $850. Wait her, I'll get the money to pay off your debt, but you are going to pay me back every cent, got it?" I stomped off back to the truck. Luckily, Robin and I came prepared for this mission with over $2000 in the well armed and unbreakable lock of Gunn's glove compartment. I gave Robin the heads up on the situation inside, noticing that Mer was still sleeping in the backseat. I pulled out exactly $850 and went back to pay the 'house'.
After I had paid them, the men seemed more kind to, even issuing a personal invitation to join them in the game whenever I wanted. God, what assholes. I gave them a glare and grabbed Harrison by the collar. I actually dragged him out to the truck.
He started yelling at me, and trying to pull away telling me that it was none of my business and all that shit like I'd never been there for him when he needed me. I finally got tired of listening to his bull and just clocked his lights out. I'm really not in a good mood. I thought about what Angel would tell me; probably something like take deep breaths and count to ten, no, actually that's what Cordy'd tell me. Robin had seen me and climbed out of the truck to help me drag him into the backseat along with Meredith.
Just like planned, I called Tru and told her that I was all set to leave San Francisco, the only thing that I needed was my baby. We waited out in the front of the apartment building as Nicky, hand-in-hand with Tru skipped all the way to the truck. I got out of the truck hugged him, then proceed to push the two sleeping passengers closer together so I could squeeze in next to them. Nicky was placed snuggly in the front seat, Robin taking the time to fasten two sets of seatbelts on him to hold him securely.
We were now all set to go back home to L.A. It's not going to be easy, I know this right now. But I'm going to try my best to help my brother and sister through all of this. Lorne and I will take care of Meredith during withdrawal and help her to live her life without drugs. And hopefully, with the help of Angel and Spike, Harrison will be able to control his gambling addiction. I actually hope that forcing them to live in the Hyperion with my friends and family will show them both what a true family is all about, especially during Christmas.
End of December: Part I.
Link to December: Part II. (Please note that it may not be up yet, I just put up the link in advance. It should be up soon.)
Yes, that does mean that in Part II, the Davies family is going back to L.A.
Give me a week to put up Part II, though. I'm sort of stuck for ideas. It's not that I don't have any, it's that I have too many of them and they all conflict.
This part is for me; I'm writing it down so I don't forget. These are my ideas. If you like one more than the others, or if you have any of your own, please tell me.
* Connor is going to become Harrison's friend because they don't have any friends their own age.
* Somehow Faith either got to tell them both about demons or find a way to hide it from them. (This is where it's conflicting because Lorne has to help Meredith. I'm thinking that they could hide it from her, but making him where gloves and a hat. Then they could use special costume make up to make him look human.) Or they could just tell her that he's a demon.
* Tru and her friend, Lindsay (?? Maybe??) will come down for Christmas dinner (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) and meet the Angel Investigations team.
* Also Faith does NOT tell Meredith, Harrison, or Tru about being a slayer or about Nicky's gift. If it took her five years to agree to marry Robin, she's not going to trust her brother and sisters that quickly.
* Faith is going to get sick (ill) taking care of Meredith and Harrison. She's so busy trying to help them that she doesn't take care of herself.
* Angel gets mad at Harrison for sneaking out and playing cards. He's going to punish him in some way. ???
* Lorne tries a magic potion to see if he can make the withdrawal process for Mer easier.
* Possibility: Willow comes over and tries to help too, by telling them about her addiction. (But, then is she going to tell them that she's a witch who had an addiction to magicks or does she just tell them she had some other kind of addiction, like a drinking problem.)