|
|
“Let me get this right, somebody you SAW just die, is a vampire, and your other DEAD best friend is appearing in your dreams?” Buffy asked disbelievingly.
“That’s right. We ran off before Jen was fully drained, and we never found a body. I don’t know what’s up with Michelle, but my father said she was supposed to help me. And she is, from beyond the grave.”
Xander grinned weakly. “Our own Casper. She is friendly right?”
Before Taela could answer, a vision of Michelle appeared. “Right.”
Everyone stared at her in shock. “You-You’re d-de-dea-dead.” Willow managed to get out. Michelle smiled faintly.
“Actually I was sent to help you. Spike is planning an attack tonight, here, at 11:00.”
Buffy grinned. “Cool! This’ll be useful, thanks.”
Michelle smiled again before fading away. “My pleasure.” She was gone.
Cordelia was the first to speak. “EVERYONE saw that right? I’m NOT going crazy?”
“We saw it Cor, I just don’t believe it.” Xander said.
“Well we should get to work, it seems we’ll have visitors tonight.” Giles said motioning for everyone to get to work.
Taela sat on the steps of the library, she picked up her purse and was about to take something out when Giles came along. “Are you alright?” He asked concerned, she nodded.
“Yeah, it’s just been a wild few days.”
“I’d believe that.” Giles said with a small smile, Taela took the object out.
Giles glanced at it curiously. “What’s that.”
She handed it to him. “A photo of Michelle. It was her favourite, taken last summer at her cousin’s wedding.”
Giles looked at the smiling blond in the long purple dress, her smile genuine and happy.
“She was very pretty.” Giles said, handing the picture back to Taela.
She took it and looked at it sadly. “Yeah. I knew her my entire life, well since I was three. It’s hard to imagine that because of me she’s dead.”
“It’s not you’re fault.”
“I know, it’s just, hard.”
“It will get easier in time.”
“How do you know?” Taela asked, looking at him closely.
“I buried you’re mother.” “Oh,” Taela said quietly. She pulled out another picture out, this one of three girls.
“You, Michelle, and Jen?” Giles guessed taking a good look at the picture.
Taela smiled. “Yeah. Michelle’s 15th birthday, we had such a blast.” She then put the picture away. “We have work to do.”
“Yes, we do.” Giles agreed, they both got up, and went back to help the others.
At 11:00 the group stood ready for an attack, all the lights went out and Buffy picked up the crossbow. “We’ve got company.” She said dryly, Taela picked up a stake.
“That we do.”
“Ah, shucks the surprise was ruined. Oh, well, I’ll just have to kill you all.”
“Yeah, right. Next?” Buffy asked, heading straight fore the voice, she stood in front of Spike. “Spike, so nice to see you. Ready to die?”
“No.” Spoke said, easily moving out of the way, Buffy kicked him, but he managed to knock her over.
They started to fight.
As other vampires approached the other members of the Scooby gang, Jen went straight for Taela. “Long time no see.” Jen said, tossing her hair with her hand. Taela froze. “Oh, does that remind you of Dear Michelle? She used to do that didn’t she, miss her do you?”
Taela didn’t say anything, just looked at her. Finally she spoke. “Yeah, I miss you too, the real you.”
Jen laughed. “Taela, this is the real me.”
Taela just shook her head. “No. The real you is dead, just like Michelle.”
Jen shrugged. “Oh, well, you’ll join her.”
With that she changed into her game face and struck at her. Taela ducked, and threw herself into fighting Jen, trying to forget who this was.
Spike knocked Buffy over and ran out of the library, Buffy turned her attention to Taela and Jen.
Taela approached Jen, stake in hand and had her cornered by a wall. She raised the stake, and paused for a second.
Jen saw this. “You can’t do it, can you? You can’t kill me.”
Taela moved the stake towards her heart. “Wrong. This is for Michelle.” She said shoving the stake in Jen’s heart.
Jen crumpled to dust, Taela watched her before bursting into tears.
Giles comforted her. “There, there.” He said.
She just cried louder.
Cried for Jen, for Michelle, for the life she left behind. It was over, that life was over. It had crumbled along with Jen, everything was different now.
She was different.