A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed this; you're so kind (oh, and keep 'em coming!) Updates will be a lot more frequent now that I have actually written most of the story already, with the exception of the last two chapters. And I forgot to mention last time that this story will be part of a trilogy, so to speak. I'll keep you guys posted on that in the future, but now on with the present...

Disclaimer: Tru Calling is not mine. I own nothing but the computer I type with.

Blood Of A Stranger
Chapter Two: Collide

The snow fell like dappled sands of the white wilderness during a storm and the pale flakes pattered softly against the foggy windows. The halls of the campus were alight with mindless chatter and forced laughter and as she picked her way through the crowds, Tru felt herself redden as she carelessly stumbled into someone. Apologising without looking up, she continued walking, not realising the person was someone she knew.

"Tru?"

Tru stopped and whirled around, obscured by the bustle of students. "Avery. Hey sorry, didn't see you."

"Obviously not," Avery retorted as she tucked her blonde curls behind an ear and shuffled her books beneath her arms. "You're in such a hurry to get to the lab; anything I missed?"

Tru rested a careless hand on the back pocket of her jeans and lifted her other hand to her forehead, breathing out heavily. "No, just…long night."

Avery sighed and cringed at Tru's nasal tone. "Yeah, and I'm guessing the weather doesn't agree with you."

Letting out a pathetic laugh, Tru turned and walked to the laboratory leisurely, Avery beside her. "You're not wrong there."

There was a cold breeze present when Tru stepped into the room, suddenly overwhelmed with the sterile stench of formaldehyde. She saw him standing near a body and her heart skipped a beat strangely, her pulse rate increasing almost dramatically. He was hovering over Tyler, laughing as the two held clipboards and studied the unfortunate cadaver laying still and ready before them. Jensen's messy blonde hair was casually tucked behind his ears, giving him an almost radiant look as the sun streamed through the blinds and beat down on his face. He turned to glance at someone behind his shoulder and gave another hearty laugh. He looked like a child, innocent and enjoying the moment as if it were his last.

A chill ran down Tru's back and caused her to shiver. He had died once. And he almost didn't come back. He owed it all to Tru's ability to relive the day to save the lives of those who asked her to. Though Jensen had not asked, had he? And yet Tru saved him just the same. A haunting voice taunted her from the back of her mind.

There are consequences, Tru…

Consequences? If there were, Tru couldn't see them. She had saved a person she felt needed to be saved. And not just for his sake. For hers, as well. God forbid she thought herself selfish. She wasn't. She just needed a security blanket, and Jensen was just that. Well, he had been before the previous night at least. Now she wasn't so sure, after he had confessed his love to her. She wasn't ready for that, not yet. Not so soon after Luc.

He swept his gaze over to her, his eyes flickering with a doubtful sorrow before lighting up and igniting warmth. He waved her over to where he was stationed and Avery followed willingly, laughing as Tyler struggled with the incision into the cadaver. She quickly took charge of the scalpel and put on a slow voice, tauntingly instructing Tyler on how to cut properly.

Jensen looked to Tru with welcoming eyes and nodded, biting down on his lower lip almost reproachfully. Like he had done something wrong. Though it was only for a second then he laughed along with Avery.

"Taught by a girl," he quipped to Tyler, "that's something to put down in your memoirs."

Tyler looked up with curious eyes. "I'd like to see how well you cut into a body as cold as stone."

Jensen lifted his brows as he grinned mischievously. "I think I'd do quite well, don't you reckon, Tru?"

Tru was caught off guard by his sudden gleefulness. It was as if he hadn't been at her apartment last night at all. He was ignoring their current situation, pretending like nothing was wrong in their relationship. And that was fine with Tru.

She was quick to recover and replied almost flirtatiously, "Is there something the great Jensen Richie can't do?"

Jensen's smile grew, his lips stretching widely. "Not at all. I'm the man of steel. You heard it first here, folks."

Tru couldn't help but smile even as she picked her way cautiously through the thick snow. She could feel her feet becoming numb through her boots but she hardly gave it a caring thought. Everything seemed fine between her and Jensen, far from what she had expected from the day.

The diner seemed like a blazing haven compared to the chilling air of the cold outside world. The heaters burned above her on the walls, blaring the heat down on the few customers rubbing their hands together for warmth. She spotted her brother sitting amongst the crimson red booths, his eyes skimming over the newspaper carelessly.

"Ponies again?" Tru said quietly, guessing half-heartedly as she slid in opposite him.

Harrison looked up with tired eyes. "Economics, actually. I don't understand it but I thought I should take an interest in these things before I get the boot from the office."

Tru threw him a smile and shrugged off her coat. "Better than the ponies I guess. You ordered yet?"

"Yeah," Harrison replied eagerly, "and I got you a toasted salmon sandwich. They were out of tuna."

"Thoughtful," Tru mused, impressed at Harrison's sudden maturity. "So Dad let you take the afternoon off?"

Harrison blew into his hands, rubbing them, trying to warm them. "He practically handed it to me. I don't know what I've done but he seems to like it."

Harrison's phone began to ring in his pocket and he fumbled with it, his hands on their way to becoming numb with cold. He flipped it open and answered professionally, nodding and adding in a couple of 'yeses' and 'no problems'. He hung up, looking to Tru with apologetic eyes.

"That was the old man," he remarked sullenly. "He wants me to come in. Says he has a new assignment for me."

Blowing her brother a fleeting kiss, Tru leaned further into the cushioned booth and closed her eyes, washing her mind over the day. Jensen seemed fine. That was the main thing. As long as he was okay with being in a relationship limbo with her at the moment, she was fine with it as well. Maybe one day she would sit down and realise she did love him after all, that she could love him like she had Luc. Though however near that day may be, it seemed far away. A speck on the horizon, moving closer each day yet not advancing too fast.

She opened her eyes when she heard a rustle. Nearly jumping at the sight of a slightly bemused Jack Harper, Tru frowned angrily at him, watching his lips twitch into a cunning smile.

"What are you doing here?" Tru whispered loudly so as not to rouse attention. She looked away from Jack's piercing gaze, finding suddenly she was uncomfortable.

"Eating," Jack replied immediately, speaking as if she had asked him a ridiculous question. "Last time I checked, this was a public diner. Anyone can just wander in off the streets and get something to eat."

She had no need to speak; her look said it all. Get out of here, Jack.

Jack shifted in his booth and pulled his jacket tighter over his cold body. "Although, on the other hand, I was hoping we could chat about the Jensen problem. I know you don't think it's an issue, but I beg to differ."

Tru was quick to respond, her mind set determinedly. "I don't see what possible consequences there could be, Jack, because I saved his life. There are no repercussions that I'm aware of to upset your precious balance."

Jack lined his face into a frown, serious at last. He was frustrated that nothing he ever said reached her in the way he wanted. "There's where you're wrong, Tru. You feel it, don't you? It's like a tension that's straining your relationship. He's feeling invincible and you're feeling hesitant, doubtful even."

She looked at him dully and said flatly, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Even to a deaf person that wouldn't sound convincing," he spoke with a calmness that intrigued her. "I'd watch out if I were you, because he wants something you don't. He wants to take that risk, to commit, but you don't. You still love Luc."

Tru swallowed a lump in her throat at the sound of his name. And coming from Jack Harper made it sound like a sorrowful hymn sung in a tenor. "Don't say his name. Not after what you did."

He looked at her with almost sad eyes. He hated how she looked at him; pure hatred for what he had done almost a year ago now. He hated himself for doing it now. He regretted the decision to choose Luc. But he had done it for a reason; to teach her a lesson, to make her stop. It hadn't, though. It only made her more determined to save the lives of those that chose her. However, Jensen was not among those. Yet she had saved him anyway.

It made no sense to Jack. However reasonable it may sound to Tru, Jack didn't believe it. Tru didn't choose those she saved; they chose her. And Jensen was affected. Tru couldn't see it yet but Jack knew it would be a matter of time before she became unsettled at the mere mention of his name.

The night dawned in a blanket of darkness. The snow fell softly in a slow rhythm, pattering on the ground as it landed. He trudged through the icy substance, silently cursing the many layers that had fallen during the day. His hands were numb. His feet felt wet and soggy as his steps became heavy and burdened. The cold bit at his face and stung him but he could feel the slippery numbing wash over him and soon he couldn't feel anything. Still he persisted though, further down the quiet road that lay completely covered in a white sheet.

He saw the young woman in front of him, walking slowly through the sinking snow. She had dark hair, black almost in the poor light of the street lamps. There was no moon. Not this night. The thick clouds shielded it from the harsh night, its beauty hidden behind shadows of darkness.

The woman felt his presence behind her and she turned over her shoulder, glancing about pathetically before picking up her pace. She walked almost deliriously through the cold, searching for her apartment building. He could tell she was new here, or she would not have been having such a hard time finding her building.

She was fresh, vulnerable. He liked that. He liked the ease of the kill and the thrill of the chase. And most of all, he liked that he was going to win.

The icy gun felt like paper in his hands, thin in between his fingers and so light he thought it would be blown away in the chilly wind. She turned back again and this time he saw she was holding a knife in her hand, ready to defend herself with. He almost laughed at her simplicity. Didn't she know she wasn't going to stop him?

The blast of the gunshot was muffled by the thick air around him and she fell to the ground without a sound, her body sinking slowly into the deep layers of snow. Her dark hair fell across her face, tangled with the snowflakes that lowered monotonously over her.

She was a lost soul now, scattered amongst the many other lost ones. He looked down on her, and smiled as the knife was still clutched close to her heart. Even in death she held it close to her, trying to desperately defend her life. But her life was gone, never to return.

He watched, mesmerised, fascinated that he could do this and not feel guilt. It was powerful to believe you were doing the work of the universe, killing those who would be fated to die anyway. Still, he felt that same longing he had after the first one. He wanted to be there amongst those lost ones, his body laid to rest in the ground like hers was. And his soul free to return to death.

A/N: Ooh, what's gonna happen...?

Peace