I'm really sorry this has taken so long-combination of no time, biology field trip and being really difficult to write. A lot of it is very similar to the gift but it's got some pretty major differences so look out for them. Anyway on with the story.
To Save her world
"Tara, baby?" Is there somewhere you should be?" Willow repeated and Tara looked over at Buffy.
"They held me down."
"No one's holding you. It's the big day right?" Willow asked her girlfriend but Tara looked blank.
"Hey it's no problem, I know where we're going." Tru offered and Buffy looked over at her sharply.
"No. You can't be involved, it has to be the same so we go like we did." Buffy and Tru stared at each other in an intense gaze until Tara broke the moment.
"You're a killer." She said and pointed at Giles. "This is all set down."
"What does she mean?" Giles asked Xander who only shook his head, not knowing the answer and watched Tara walk out the door. Willow followed, pausing only to hear Buffy's short address.
"Everybody knows their jobs. Remember, I'll kill anyone who comes near Dawn." She turned away as Giles and Spike looked at each other and Xander looked confusedly at Tru.
"Isn't there something missing from that?" Xander murmured but everyone was busy gathering up weapons and leaving.
"Well, not exactly the St. Crispin's Day speech, was it?" Spike commented dryly and Giles responded sardonically,
"We few…we happy few."
"We band of buggered." Spike interrupted and Giles couldn't help but smile wryly as the door closed behind vampire and watcher.
It was from then on that Tru began to see the Scooby gang at work. She was not allowed to interfere but sheltered behind a massive pile of rubble and watched as the most remarkable scenes unfolded. Despite Willow's claim to need courage it was obvious that was one thing none of the gang lacked. Willow didn't hesitate in grabbing hold of Glory's head and Tru's mouth fell open as she saw the sparks of blue light which built up to a blast of energy that threw the three women apart. She gasped as Willow crashed into a pile of crates but true to her promise to Buffy she stayed still and allowed things to play out as they must have the day before.
It was the face off that caught Tru's attention next, amongst all the crazy people wandering around and the random fights that were springing up it was two figures who stood out, neither of whom looked particularly imposing but both extremely powerful. Tru smiled at the banter and her grin widened with every punch the Buffybot landed until suddenly her head was kicked clean off and Tru's smile rapidly disappeared, only to return with Buffy's quip.
"Glory, you're not the brightest god in the heavens are you?" It was just brilliantly timed, add in the troll's hammer and Tru would have said you had a brilliant piece of theatre if it wasn't for the extreme reality of the life at stake, a concept brought home by Dawn's petrified cry for her sister from the top of the tower. Buffy ran to the tower but seemed to deliberately keep fighting Glory. She climbed up, then engaged in a brawl, on losing her hammer Buffy didn't hesitate to slide down the tower again even falling off it in order to retrieve her weapon. The next thing Tru saw was Xander's huge ball of concrete smashing through the wall and his satisfied smile as Glory once again went flying.
Tru was joined by Giles, Anya and Spike who shared worried expressions.
"Has anyone noticed we're going backwards?" Anya asked and Tru had to admit things weren't looking good.
"We should have done something differently, this can't be right." She said anxiously.
"Don't worry. It's not time to panic yet." Giles said confidently. "Buffy will be doing everything she can to save Dawn, she doesn't often fail."
"She did yesterday." Anya pointed out but Spike's comment was more distracting.
"Uh watcher-when would be a good time to panic, only there's someone up there with the niblet and it ain't Buffy." It was true. They looked upwards to see a figure approaching the platform on which Dawn stood.
"Oh no." Xander said joining the others.
"Xander. Be more specific." Tru said coldly.
"This is too similar, I don't
like it."
"It has to be the same, Buffy
was rather insistant." Giles pointed out as Willow's voice sounded in each of
their heads.
"Uh guys. Someone needs to get up there. Now." They all paused, looking at each other but none more expectantly than Xander at Spike.
"What you looking at me for bricklayer?" The vampire asked.
"Why aren't you going?" Xander asked and Spike looked confused for a moment then sprinted off in the direction of the tower calling back,
"You'd better explain what I've missed builder." As the crazies and minions parted before him like the red sea.
They continued to watch, eyes drawn between Buffy repeatedly pounding Glory and Spike making his way up the tower towards Dawn.
Spike was breathing heavily, he didn't understand why he would have come up here earlier but those thoughts disappeared as he saw Doc slicing a silver knife slowly towards Dawn's stomach.
"Spike." Dawn called and Spike was glad to distract the demon, normally he would have cursed the girl for spoiling his surprise attack but if Doc had been given one second more it would have been the end-literally.
"Doesn't a fella stay dead when you kill him?" Spike quipped and then tried to engage Doc in a fight. Unfortunately he quickly found a knife in his back but pulled it out and continued his 'conversation'. "You don't come near the girl, Doc."
"I don't smell a soul anywhere on you. Why do you even care?"
Spike was stumped for a second then looked Doc in the eye.
"Just don't like you much is all."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Doc said and shot his immensely long tongue at Spike. The two grappled for a moment before Doc pushed Spike over the edge of the tower and he fell to the ground.
Tru watched in horror from behind the barrier. She could hardly believe what she was seeing, it was a scene from a nightmare or a horror movie and she didn't even know what the outcome would be. Buffy had promised it would be different from the day before but had insisted everything stay the same and from Xander's horrified face Tru could see that the scene was as disastrous as he remembered. Spike was crawling towards them, bloodied. Willow and Tara were out of sight and Buffy was pounding Glory not so far away. The small group watched as she suddenly stood up and ran towards the tower looking upwards to the source of screaming.
"Giles." Xander suddenly said. "You have to go somewhere, you went somewhere yesterday."
"I-I did?" Giles looked confused for a moment and stared blankly around the war-torn area. His eyes fell on Ben, lying bloodied on the floor and the memory of Tara came into his head. 'You're a murderer' she had said and now he knew why. Giles stood up and walked over to Ben. Everyone watched him until they heard Dawn's voice once again screaming,
"Buffy!"
In the sky above a ball of light was forming and it wasn't just Xander who knew what that meant. Tru too recognised its power and knew what was coming next, her mind re-wound and she saw again the bolts of blue lightening flashing through the sky and the pools of light forming on the ground.
"It's started." She said and no one could disagree. Xander held Anya close and they all watched as Buffy reached the platform. Her tiny figure strode along and without pausing pushed another off the tower so that only the two sisters remained, high above the opening portal. The light pulsed and became more powerful and Xander exclaimed,
"No." He drew a deep breath. "No it can't be. It's exactly the same, dammit. She said it would be different but it's too late. It's started and there's no difference. Dawn's gonna die all over again 'cause it's the only way to stop it. She said she'd do anything to save Dawn, she said it yesterday and Dawn died and she said it today and it's no different. She said it would be different, she said she would do anything, she'd do…"
"Whatever it takes." Tru finished and stood up sharply.
"What are you doing, get down here." Anya said but Tru ignored her and instead ran towards the base of the tower as forked lightening emerged from the sphere of energy. Everyone stared upwards as Tru climbed the tower hurrying as fast as she could, desperate to stop what she knew would happen. As she reached the top she could hear Buffy talking to Dawn, hurriedly trying to say all she could whilst the destruction around them continued and the tower quaked.
"Listen to me. Please, there's not a lot of time, listen. I love you. I will always love you more than I can say and that's why I have to do this." Tru quickened her pace even further, her heart pumping wildly as her fears were becoming confirmed. "Tell Giles…tell Giles I understand, and its okay. And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now. You have to take care of each other. Tell Tru…tell Tru that I figured it out, and thank you, thank you more than I can ever say. Dawn she's given us the chance, we have to be take it. We have to be brave, you have to be brave. Dawn the hardest thing in this world…is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me."
Tru reached the platform as Buffy hugged Dawn one last time, she saw the slayer's face looking straight at her and saw her mouth form the words, "Thank you." Then Buffy turned and ran, graceful as a doe to the platform's edge where she dived like a bird into the brilliant light. Tru stood behind Dawn on the runway staring down into the shrinking glow, watching Buffy hang there as the light faded, unable to move as the slayer sank to the ground her life given away for that of the girl in front of her. Something seemed to pass through Tru, a wave of something more powerful than anything she could remember. Grief. Guilt. A combination of the two that she had come close to experiencing only once before, when she was twelve years old. As she stood there the words of a song flickered through Tru's head and never before had they seemed more appropriate.
Tell
me it's not true,
Say it's just a story,
Something on the news.
Tru continued to stare at the spot where Buffy had stood a moment before. Dawn stood there now, a young girl alive because of the actions of two girls. One of them lay on the ground, a figure in white surrounded by those she loved. The other stood atop a tower, frozen by what had just passed.
Tell
me it's not true,
Though it's here before me,
Say it's just a dream,
Say it's just a scene,
From an old movie of years ago.
Say it's just a show on the radio,
That we can turn over and start again,
Tru gasped and hurried to the ladder. She slipped and slid her way down the tower, desperate to reach the bottom where a small circle of mourners stood. Dawn remained at the top of the tower, not knowing Tru had ever been there, staring with tear filled eyes at her sister's sacrifice.Tell me it's not true,
Say I only dreamed it,
And morning will come soon. Tru was crying now and pleading under her breath. "Please." She murmered. "Please." She reached the ground and ran forward. She flung herself down next to Buffy and held the slayer's lifeless hand sobbing. "Please Buffy. Please. Come on, it's not your time. Please Buffy ask me for help. Please, come on. You don't have to do this. Please, I came here to save a life, please don't let me take yours. Please Buffy." Tru placed her head on the ground and sobbed, not noticing Dawn slowly descending the tower steps and staring at the scene in front of her. "Tru?" Dawn said quietly and she looked up to see a circle of faces around her. Whether it was real or not Tru saw hatred on their faces, saw blame for the loss of their friend. She stood up and turned, only to see for the first time Dawn's face, tear-streaked but alive. "Tru?" Dawn repeated but Tru heard accusation in the girl's voice and saw it in every face. "I'm sorry." She whispered and ran away from everyone, away from the place where the world didn't end and the place where the Slayer lay dead, because of her. She didn't hear Dawn's whispered words, nor see the looks of understanding on several faces, too strong was her self hatred and sense of horror. Tru ran towards the road and saw a cab driving along slowly. She hailed it quickly and clambered in. "Where to?" asked a familiar voice and Tru looked up to see the face of the driver she had the day before. "Airport." Tru muttered and the cab driver drove on to a turning spot to take her to the airfield she had landed at. As they drove she stared out the window at the cracked road, not listening to the driver's burble about the freak storm, the song still resounding through her head. Tell me it's not true,
Say you didn't mean it,
Say it's just pretend,
Say it's just the end,
Of an old movie from years ago,
As she watched she saw a band of warriors walking through the smoke rising from the burning ground. There was a dark haired man carrying a woman in his arms, a look of surprising tenderness on his face, a figure cloaked in a long black coat held over its head as if shutting out the world, a red-haired girl, crying bitterly and holding onto a brunette as if she might collapse without support but these were not the clearest images. A tiny figure walked alone looking as if the world had fallen from beneath her feet. Though Tru had been too far away to see her clearly she could sense fragility, as if the slightest contact would merge two worlds throwing everything into chaos. An older man was among the group, he had been carrying another girl, the girl whose life had been given so generously and yet who Tru felt she had robbed. As the taxi drove away from the small group Tru twisted her head to look back at them. Just before their faces became obscured by distance she saw for an instant a beautiful face, deathly pale, and for a second thought the lips were moving and that she would be given another chance. It was not to be.
Tru never knew how she made it through the flight
home. She couldn't sleep, a film played
behind her closed eyelids of a figure swan diving into brilliant light and all
the time the song kept playing in her head.
Tell me it's not true,
Say I only dreamed it,
And morning will come soon.
Tru ran into the morgue calling for Davis but there was no
answer. She ran into the arrivals room
where one body lay on a trolley, covered in a sheet.
"Davis?" Tru called. "Davis?" She leant back against the wall and once again tears broke forth. "Davis. I need to…I have to talk…to tell you."
"Tru." Called a voice.
"Davis?" Tru asked but of course it was a ghostly whisper that called her name.
"Tru." She walked slowly towards the body murmuring,
"No, no. No way." It sat up suddenly, still covered in the sheet, startling her. "Don't even think about it. I'm through with this. Callings go to hell, I'm not doing it any more. She said she'd quit if Dawn died but she died so I quit. That's it, no more do-over days, it never helps. People still die dammit and the Slayer, the most selfless, amazing person in the world and she's dead because of me, because of what I can do. Well I'm not doing it anymore. I quit. Don't you dare ask me for help." The sheeted figure laughed throatily.
"Wasn't going to." It said and pulled off the sheet to reveal a face distorted by bumps and ridges and a mouth with pointed fangs extruding. "Slayer."
Ooh cliffie?
The song's from 'Blood Brothers' the musical by Willy Russell which is amazing-go see it or at least listen to the soundtrack (I might write a cross with Tru Calling and Blood Brothers if I get time)
Reviews please-I really wanna know if anyone thought this was what was gonna happen and if anyone knows what's gonna happen next.