Chasing Shadows
Disclaimer: Tru Calling and Buffy the Vampire Slayer don't belong to me.
Spoilers: None really for Tru Calling, but it helps to have seen the Pilot. The end of BtVS.
Pairing: We'll just have to see won't we? ;)
Summary: With Sunnydale gone, the Scoobies flee to L.A. for some down time with Angel and his gang, but when Cordy has a vision; Faith has no choice but to face her past.
A/N: I don't have any Angel spoilers, so if anything seems like it doesn't fit exactly with the show, then I have changed it to suit this story.
Cordy glances up from the work she is pretending to do on the computer in front of her for the hundredth time in the last fifteen minutes. Sure enough, Faith is still sprawled across the couch reading a copy of some magazine and Cordy narrows her eyes suspiciously.
"What's wrong Queen C?" Faith asks casually without looking up from the picture of a honey roasted turkey and mashed potatoes.
Cordy jumps slightly and scowls at the poorly concealed smirk on Faith's face. She clears her throat to regain her composure. "Since when did you like Martha Stewart?" She asks.
Faith looks up from the magazine. "It's not my fault that Soul Boy only subscribes to Martha Stewart Living," she counters before looking back down and flipping a few more pages to see a close up of Key Lime Pie. She sighs and sets down the magazine to find Cordy still watching her. "I take you're not a fan?" Faith guesses.
Cordy smirks and opens her mouth to respond, but instead grimaces in pain and holds her head as a vision hits her. Faith, who has never witnessed one of Cordy's visions, rushes to her side to see if she is all right. She leads the Seer over to the couch where she was previously lounging on and lets Cordy lay down while she goes to get her a glass of water. "Are you okay?" She asks with concern as she returns, awkwardly holding the glass in her hand.
Cordy blinks rapidly for a moment before she focuses on Faith's question and gratefully accepts the water. "Uh, yeah," she stammers before looking at anything except Faith.
Faith sighs and knows it has something to do with her. "What did you see?" She asks with a little impatience. When there is no response, Faith narrows her eyes. "I don't go all evil again do I?"
Cordelia looks up at Faith with an empathetic expression. She sighs and rubs her eyes. "I saw you die," she whispers and Faith can barely hear her.
"What?" A stricken Faith asks as her back tenses. "How?" She finds herself asking before her mouth is able to consult with her brain.
"You looked kind of different," Cordy muses. "Longer hair I think and lab coat with no leather, which is strange for you," she explains, adding the last part as an afterthought with a hint of confusion in her tone.
Faith's stomach sinks as she begins to process what she just heard. Please no, please no. She repeats in her head. "Oh," she eeks out in response. "Did you see who killed her-me, did you see who killed me?" She asks, covering for her slip.
"There was a guy," Cordy says after a moment. "He was standing over you with a knife and someone grabs him and he yells something strange," she tells her scrunching up her eyebrows in thought.
"What did he say?" Faith prompts eagerly.
"He says 'True. It's the wrong one,'" Cordy tells her, her face scrunched up, not understanding what it means.
Faith takes in a shuddering breath and closes her eyes. "You rest okay? I need to use your computer really quick, okay?" Cordy just nods with a confused expression on her face, but lays down nonetheless. Faith walks over to Cordy's desk and sits down in front of the computer and logs on to the internet with a worried expression marring her features.
On the other side of the room Cordy watches as Faith types on the computer with unreadable emotions crossing her face and an intense look of concentration the whole time. She watches as Faith's face lights up as she finds what she was looking for.
Faith sits for a moment, beaming with pride over having still been able to hack her way into the files on people in Boston. After a moment she scans the names and clicks on the one she needs. Truth Anne Davies. She smirks as she skims through the general information until she finds the important stuff. 1423 Thomas Avenue, Apartment 13 Boston, Mass. After a moment, she scrolls down and sees what Tru Davies is up to now. Works at the City Morgue…that's fitting. She smirks to herself. Hey now! Accepted to Harvard University.
A sense of pride washes over her as she looks at the screen after jotting down the information. However, the moment is cut short as she hears Cordy get up from the couch. Quickly she logs off so she can go upstairs.
"Do you need some help with something?" A perplexed Cordelia asks as Faith moves to go upstairs.
"No, everything is going to be fine," she yells as she runs up the steps to pack some of her things and make a call to the airport. Twenty minutes later she comes flying down the stairs, duffel bag in hand.
"Where are you going?" Cordy asks, more confused as ever, wondering if she's in some weird dream.
Faith comes to a screeching halt and looks at Cordy as if she never saw her before. After blinking rapidly a moment or so, she answers. "Home," she says simply before running out of the hotel to catch her flight.
Cordy stands there staring blankly at the door and jumps slightly when it comes flying open again. Buffy walks through the door, glancing back behind her. "Where's Faith going?" She asks Cordelia as she glances behind her again.
"She said she was going home," she answers.
"But Sunnydale is just a hole in the ground now," Buffy says with confusion.
"I think she meant Boston Buffy," Cordelia explains
Faith steps out of the airport and adjusts her bag hanging off her shoulder. She sighs and looks around and hails a cab.
"Where to?" The cab driver gruffly asks as he looks at the young woman in the back.
"2071 Jefferson," Faith mumbles from her position in the back.
"The Morgue?" The driver asks with amusement in his tone. Faith glares at him and he shakes his head. "Okay, whatever," he says shaking his head.
Fifteen minutes later they pull up to the building and Faith gets out and pays the driver. "Hey, could you tell me what time it is?" She asks before he drives off.
"Quarter to six," he says before speeding off.
"Thanks," she grumbles to herself as she walks up the steps and pulls open the door. Faith casually walks through the building, looking around for any signs of life, so to speak.
"You're early," a short bearded man comments as he notices Faith walking around.
"Huh?" Faith grunts with confusion.
"You're not supposed to be here for another fifteen minutes," he looks up from his clipboard then back down nervously.
"Oh," Faith chuckles dumbly. "I'm not Tru," she explains.
"Well you look a lot like her," he says.
"Maybe because I'm her twin sister," Faith smirks. "I'm Faith," she says, offering her hand to the man.
"I'm Davis, her boss," he introduces himself, shaking her hand. "She never told me she had a twin," he tells her.
"I've been away for a few…years," Faith says with a shrug.
Davis smirks slightly. "I, um, have to leave now, but I'll see you around then," he says, though it sounds more like a question.
"Yeah," Faith shrugs, she herself wondering about the truth in that statement. "It's okay that I wait for her here right?" She asks uncertainly.
"Oh, yes, of course. As long as you don't mind dead people," he says while bouncing from one foot to the other nervously before he smiles weakly then turns and leaves.
Faith wanders her way around the morgue until she gets to 'the Crypt'. She then just begins chuckling and shaking her head at the irony of being in a morgue. Then she hops up on the edge of one of the tables where the bodies are put.
The entrance to the room flies open as a preoccupied Tru walks in as she puts on her lab coat while talking on her cell phone. As she notices the smirking figure on the table, she drops the phone and her jaw moves up and down, but never forming any words.
"Hey," Faith says, suddenly shy.
Without taking her eyes off Faith, she reaches down and picks up her phone. "Sorry Lindsay, something just came up," she says into the phone and hangs up without waiting for an answer.
"Harvard, I'm impressed," Faith says with a smile.
Tru is taken aback and looks at her sister. "Where did you come from?" She asks with a sudden smile. "You disappear for seven years and here you are…in the morgue," she says.
"I bet you don't get many live people through here," Faith smirks hopping off the table.
"Not technically," Tru evades, unsure.
"Still hear dead people?" Faith nods with understanding, knowing that it's true even if her sister denies it.
"Uh, how did-never mind," Tru begins, but changing her mind as she shakes the question out of her head. "Did you just get here?" She asks.
"Yeah, I just flew in, took a cab and got here about fifteen minutes ago," Faith tells her.
"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Tru asks with concern.
"Not yet. I was going to just get a hotel room or something. I probably won't be in Boston for to long, so don't get all worried," Faith jokes.
Tru wisely decides to disregard the last part. "Why don't you just crash at my apartment. I have plenty of room," she offers.
"I don't know. I mean, I don't want to cramp your style or anything," Faith says, self consciously brushing off an invisible piece of dust off of her pants.
"Oh, please. It's no big deal," Tru replies, brushing off Faith's comment. "You came straight here from the airport?" She asks curiously.
"Uh, yeah, why?" Faith asks, scrunching up her face with confusion.
"Harrison and Meredith don't know you're here?" She asks and Faith shakes her head. "Lindsay is going to trip," Tru laughs.
"You two are still friends, that is so cool," Faith smiles.
"Oh my god, she was a mess after she found out you took off," Tru tells her while shaking her head.
"Well, I had to leave in kind of a hurry," Faith explains.
Tru had no idea how to respond, but she figured she could pursue that topic later. "I should probably take you to my apartment," she says as she starts to take off her coat.
"No, it's fine. I can find my way there," Faith shrugs.
"Let me give you my address at least," Tru says as she looks for a piece of paper.
Faith decides to humor her and takes the offered paper and key. "Thanks," she says with a genuine smile. "See you later," she says.
"Oh, yeah, I get off at midnight," Tru says. "I'll you then."
"Have fun," Faith smirks as she takes off.
Faith unlocks the door and steps into the living room area and looks around appreciatively. She puts down the key and wanders around before setting down her duffel bag next to the table in the dining area.
After a moment she hears the front door open and someone walks in and turns on the light. "Hey Tru, I thought you were at work," a startled girl asks.
Faith puts her hands on her leather-clad hips and smirks. "You look good Lindsay," she says.
A moment passes and Lindsay looks dumbfounded, then perturbed and then a look of realization crosses her face. "Faith?" She asks, venturing a guess.
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How will everyone react to seeing Faith after so much time? Can Faith figure out how to help Tru? Can I follow up to this chapter in a timely manner? Find out in the next installment (which I promise will be updated soon).
P.S. I will hopefully be able to update 'Role Playing', I am just having a slight case of writer's block. Any suggestions are welcome as feedback or email me at roving [email protected].