Title:        Porphyia’s Twin IV I Greive

Author:        Hemotodypsia

E-Mail:        Trustno_731@yahoo.com

Distribution:    Anywhere and everywhere Just keep me attached

Content:        Major Angst fest

Rating:        High PG-13 for ekyness

Spoilers:        None realy

Summary:    Stephanie Explains how it all started

Disclaimer:    All surviving members of the slayerettes do not belong to me but Katie, Stephanie, Sarah and Anna are mine.  I Grieve written by Peter Gabriel belongs to Real World Music LTD

Authors notes:    This is what happened in new York.  To create the second scooby gang. Warning major angst ahead and I mean it not for the easily depressed. This should also tie up a the loose ends left at the end of Porphyia’s Twin III

Feed back:    Yes! Yes! Feed me I get an insane happy when the nice lady goes “You have e-mail”
 
 
Part 1/%

Stephanie was numb; numb to the soul she was another funeral she had been to, too many in her short life.  She was just a month shy of her twenty third birthday and she had seen all her friends and family to the grave out lived them all this had to be the worst yet.  They were burying Katie.  That night was emblazoned in her memory Stephanie hadn’t been able to get a descent night sleep since then.

After Xander’s valiant attempt to save Anya had failed costing him his life.  Anna had gone wild hauling Sarah to her feet instruction Faith to kill Katie and Stephanie.  Katie somehow got free from the vampires only to be stabbed by Faith the blade went clean through her chest.  Stephanie wasn’t sure what happened next but the splitting crack of the canopy falling she looked on the whole world slowed as it came down crushing Faith under it.  Grabbing a large shard of wood with wild fury and a determination to protect Katie. Stephanie began to slay vampire’s left right and center not caring whether she lived or not as long as they all died.

That was what bothered her the most she hadn’t cared.  The rage, pure rage and hatred all she had wanted to do was kill and she had.  By the time Flick had arrived there were no vampires left except Anna.  Then she had frozen.  Anna had ripped open her wrist and had it clamped over Sarah’s mouth forcing her to drink.  They locked eyes for the longest moment she could see the will going out of them.  Anna was in full Vamp mode.  Sarah broke eye contact and for the second time that night, time slowed.  Sarah launched her self on to one of the broken posts it went through them both killing Anna instantly.  Sarah however took a little longer she had not been completely turned. She died and then the demon took over for the briefest of seconds before she also turned to dust.

“Penny?” Willow asked

“Humm”

“We’re here” Cordelia said

This was the last of the funerals Xander and Henrys had been last week.  Katie’s parents hadn’t been able to arrive earlier.  The world fazed out as she entered the church.  Flipping back to when this had all started…

 
Part 2/%

It was early December 1996 thanksgiving was just a week a ago. Stephanie had nothing to be thankful for she had just been orphaned. Her parents murdered, Stephanie’s mum had worked for the FBI in the VCU she had been tracking a serial killer when he had struck back.  She had been out of town at her grandparents when it happened. So her she stood on the doorstep to her uncle’s house surrounded by suitcases as Mr Pratt her father’s lawyer rang the doorbell. It was beginning to snow and bitterly cold.  Her grandparents were just to old to look after her full time so she had been sent to her uncles in New york.  Her Aunt answered it and ushered them inside her uncle bringing her suit cases in.  

“Thank you Mr Pratt for bringing her” Her uncle said shaking him warmly by the hand.

“It’s was a pleasure Mr Williams, There’s a few documents for you to sign and I’ll be on my way” he said taking his coat of and reaching for his briefcase

“Yes come sit down”

“Katherine Honey” Her Aunt yelled

“Yes mar” Katherine snapped as she came down the stairs

Katherine looked at her cousin standing in amongst her suitcases.   Wearing a long navy trench coat her hands planted her pockets. Red pig tails sticking out from under her hat.  She was deathly pale with red rimmed eyes.

“Will you take Stephanie up to her room”

“Yeah sure,” Katherine said then turned to Stephanie “Cone on Steph lets get all this up stairs”

“Stephanie I don’t like Steph” Stephanie stated

“Okay”


“That should be it” Mr Pratt said Putting the documents back in his briefcase

“Thank you Mr Pratt” Mr Williams said shaking his hand firmly

“Would you like to stay for some Lunch before you head back to DC that snow is beginning to really come down maybe you should stay” Mrs Williams said taking his hand

“Thank you very much for your kind offer but I really must be going If I want to be back before dark”

“Drive carefully”

“Will do! And again I offer my condolences.  I Knew them both very well and was horrified when I heard the news.”

“Thank god Stephanie was out of town with friends”

“Small mercy”

“I’ll be going then” He said as he walked to his car

“All signed and sealed” Stephanie said from the stairs

“Yes”

“Good, have my transfer documents come through I want to get back to school as soon as possible”

“Yes I talked with the principal and you can start the beginning of next week”

“Good” There was a long awkward silence.

Her pearents death had been all over the news, how Geoffrey Peterson had raped and murdered eight women.  As the FBI were closing in he had slipped through their fingers and struck back going after the agent in charge.  Stephanie stopped herself there refusing to think. They were dead, that was enough.  He was dead and that was enough. Time to move on.


 

Part 3/%

Stephanie walked slowly solemnly into the church behind the coffin.  Funerals were down fine art in Sunnydale, in her life this was her seventh.  She felt like she going through the motions mindless repetition…

Spring was here finally melting the snow.  March hailed the end of the drudge of winter and the joy of mid terms.  The whole school was in a quiet frenzy the exams were nearly over this was the last, English lit.  Stephanie had settled in nicely now had made fast friends with Sarah and adopted a somewhat sisterly relationship with Katherine with all the trials and tribulations that came with it.  Katie as it turned out had been skipped two grades.

“How did it go” Katie said bounding up to her

“Fine I think I waffled in all the right places”

“Yeah me to, have you seen that brother of mine”

“Guess who” her brother said placing one of his big hand over her eyes

“Junior!” Katie chided

“Correct”

“Chatting up the ladies again” Mary remarked slid in beside him.

Junior just looked at her one eye brow raised spock like

“When are you going to figure out how to do that with both” Katie said looking up at her brother

“Now where are the twins” Katherine asked joining the group.  The hall was almost empty now.

“Has any one noticed Anna she been looking a bit off colour recently”

“Yeah that sun burn is really a beauty”

“That’s what comes of falling a sleep on a sun bed”

“I did not” Anna snapped

“I believe you” Sarah said

“Now we’re all here lets get going” Junior said

“Mom lent me the car” Katherine beamed. She had only passed the test last term and her mom had been very cautious about letting her out but this was a special occasion.

“Yeah dad’s meeting us there he’s coming strait from work” Sarah said

“As long as they don’t come in the a squad car like last time” Katherine said

Katherine and Twins dads were partners in the NYPD the two families were close had been for years Katherine and the twins had virtually grown up together

“Come on come on were going to be late” Sarah said agitated

They all piled into Katherines car and set off.  It was the state finals of the fencing tournament and both Anna and Sarah had made it through.  Stephanie had never really thought of fencing as a sport until now it had been what got the whole group together.  

Fitting seven people in a station wagon was proving problematic even with the extra seats in the trunk, plus Sarah and Anna’s gear.  They set of they had to be in New York in a hour they set off, Katherine and Stephanie in the front, the twins and Katie in the back and Mary and Junior in the trunk.

They arrived as they sung the last verse of found a peanut in high spirits. There was no doubt either Sarah or Anna would walk away with the trophy.

It was a close run thing right up until the end.  Both Sarah and Anna had won their pools so the final was between them.  They both stood on the en garde line poised and ready the judges and referee ready.  

“Fight” The referee, said dropping his hand

Anna opened with a lunge which was quickly parried by Sarah.  Anna disengaged and lunged hitting Sarah just under the arm

“Holt” The referee said and looked an the judges in turn. One on either side of Anna an Sarah

“Off target”

“Abstain”

“Hit”

“Off target”

The referee muttered to him self, flapping his arms “Okay, Off target. Fight”

This when on for a while Anna scored one hit, Sarah two she only need one more to win.  Anna lunged hitting Sarah high on the shoulder evening the score.

Anna felt a wave of dizziness she simply hadn’t been feeling her self recently.  Her momentary laps cost her dearly Sarah lunged catching her square in the middle of her chest.  With a loud thump as the sword hit her breastplate.  It didn’t register as the dizzying sensation took over.  She felt her self falling.

Sarah saw Anna falter took the opportunity and lunged hitting her with a satisfying thump. Metal hitting plastic.  She had won.  The room erupted into cheers and clapping.  Sarah lowered her sword extending her hand to shake her sisters.  She watched as Anna slumped to the floor.

“ANNA!” Sarah yelled

Dropping to her knees beside her sister “Anna, Anna” she shouted shaking her.

“Call the paramedics” One of the judges, yelled
 
Part 4/%

Anna had been diagnosed with Porphyria. A rare genetic condition so she was allergic to sunlight.  It had hit Anna hard and fast she was now confined to the house.  By the end of the summer Sarah had begun to show symptoms and was unable to return to school.  Nobody could have known the changes that one-day could make.  Anna head withdrawn into herself and had taken to going out at night quite often all night coming back just before dawn.  Sarah could go out during the day as long as she was well covered or it was twilight.  This caused many problems between her and Anna.  

The new term heralded a new crisis.  The principal had decided that all pupils had to take up an extra curricular activity.  Stephanie did not want to take up a sport and would rather die than become a cheerleader.  So that left chess club, <no!> The science club, <only if I really have to.>  Art, <I could do that> with Mrs Anderson <she hates me> School paper <there’s something> PI club <What’s that>

Curiosity soon got the better of her and after school on Wednesday Stephanie along with Katie and Katherine.  Turned up at the lecture theatre they were met by a rather excitable man in his mid twenties called Geoffrey O’Looney and he lived up to his name.  He was one of those teachers that could make Algebra fun also helped by the fact that he wasn’t that bad good looking.  So the course was sold.  

“Hello and good afternoon, Thank you all for coming.  Even if it is out of curiosity.  So lets get started during the next semester we will be looking into law and it’s applications, methods of Investigation and detection, forensics and such like.  There will be no tests no papers and no Final exam.  I just want you to turn up and learn”

Over the coming weeks they had enticed Mary to come and it was rapidly becoming one of their favourite activities.  That was when the first murder happened.  It shocked everyone, the school janitor had been found in his closet dead. Completely exanguinated.  

“Who could do something like that” Mary asked

“I mean the average human has eight pints, he was left with less than a half” Katherine stated

“Did you hear the rest” Stephanie said

“What”

“Dad’s got the case, I over heard him say that there was two puncture wounds on the neck over the jugular” Katherine added getting excited

“What you trying to say it was a Vampire.  Pull the other one it’s got bells on” Katie scoffed

“Okay calm down, I know that this tragedy has everyone whipped up.  The police are handling it” The history teacher said as she entered the classroom

“Yes but, It must have been on sick person to do this”

“Not a Vampire”

“Well yes obviously”

“There’s nothing to say it wasn’t someone who thinks they are”

“Ugh! That’s disgusting”

“Can we get on with todays lesson.”

“Yes”

The first murder turned into a second then a third then a fourth.  It was the fifth that was the most interesting and the first that struck home.  It was the lead Cheerleader, Marcia, killed the same as all the others, the second on school property.

The press were having a field day “Vampire strikes again” read one headline “Mayhem in Manhattan” Read another

 

Part 5/%

The church swam back into view “Stephanie” Willow whispered “You’re up”

“Oh” Stephanie said as she got to her feet and walked to the front of the church.  I had become tradition at the funerals Sarah had sung it at Mary’s all those years ago.  Again at her mothers, Katherines and Juniors.  It was her turn now she had sung it last week at Xanders and Henrys.  This would hopefully be the last time.

“It was only an hour ago
It was so different then”

That was true, When her uncle came home late from work and woke both her and Katherine.  She felt it that all-consuming dread she had felt it when her mothers partner had come to her Grandparents

“Nothing yet has really sunk in
Looks like it always did
This flesh and bone
Just the way that we are tied in
But there’s no one home”
 
Mary had been murdered by who ever it was what ever it was.  She had rung only an hour ago saying she had something Important to tell them god knows what it had been.

“I grieve        For you

You leave        Me”

Mary was gone she had taken the knowledge that would save so many lives to her grave.

“So hard to move on
Still loving what’s gone
Still life caries on
Caries on and on and on and

The news that truly shocks
Is the empty, empty page
While the final rattle rocks
It’s the empty, empty cage
I can’t handle this”

The truth had been so hard to swallow no one would have believed that it was Anna.

“I Grieve        For you

You Leave         Me

Let it out and move on
Missing what’s gone
They say life caries on
They say life caries on and on and on

Life carries on in the people I meet
In everyone that I saw on the street
In all the Dogs and Cats
In the Flies and Rats
In the Rot and the Rust
In the Ashes and the Dust

Life carries on and on and on and on and on and on and on

Life carries on and on and on and on and on

Life carries on and on and on and on and on and on and on

Life carries on and on and on and on and on

Just the colour we write in
The home we reside in
The face that we hide in
The way we are tied in

Life caries on and on and on and on and on and on and on

Life carries on and on and on and on and on”

Dose it? Sarah couldn’t believe what we were telling her and went out after Anna with disastrous consequences.

“Did I dream this belief?
Or did I believe this dream
How will I ever find relief?

I GRIEVE”

The last syllable rang out clear across the church across time filled with pain and loss.

Stephanie calmly walked back to her seat before she burst into tears…

*****

Sarah’s voice rang out loud and clear, across the church.  The church was packed they were all here for Sarah’s best friend Mary she had been murdered.

“That was wonderful the” Vicar said as Sarah got down and went to sit next to her mum

“Don’t worry” Jessica said as she hugged her daughter

“We’ll find him” her dad said patting her shoulder, Nodding at his partner who was comforting his daughter and Stephanie.

Junior sat motionless between his parents and Mary’s.  Something Mary had said was troubling him.  Haemotodypsia that word she had said it in his last conversation with her.  He must ask Katherine she had really taken a shine to science.

It was a simple gathering, Mary’s mum was an excellent cook and had gone all out and prepared a buffet that far exceeded the need.  Nobody said anything.  

Katherine, Stephanie, Katie, Junior, Sarah and Anna were all siting together in the corner when Junior brought up his question.  “What is Haemotodypsia”

“Why do you ask” Katherine asked

“Something Mary said” Junior replied

“I’ll have to look it up”

“Something to do with blood” Katie said

“Yeah Haemo”

“It’s the Todypsia that’s the problem”

That night everyone disappeared into textbooks and Internet.  To come up with Haemotodypsia: a physiological fixation for consuming blood. Which fit with the case.  

“Mary had said that Anna had been scene outside one of the Goth clubs the really, really freaky kind.” Junior said

 
Part 6/%

My burst of energy had ended.  I was getting frantic I had been down this path before and still no Anna.  Everything is beginning to look different with the setting of the sun.  How could she get lost we’ve been coming this way for years it’s the quickest way home.  Cutting through the wood instead of going around it.  It cuts a good fifteen minuets off our journey. We had been late leaving school and mum would kill us for being late and even for us coming this way.

“Anna this isn’t funny!” I snap

But the woods yield no response and I plough onwards thinking back on what got me in this mess.  It had been such a stupid argument; it was just like Anna to take it the wrong way.  She had run off straying from the path.

“Does not!” Anna snapped back at me

“Does to!” I had chided “It’s so obvious!”

“Did you hear what Katie said about…”

“Oh! Changing the subject, sure sign!”

“Sarah!” Anna warned

“Anna!  Come on!”

“Fine then” she had snapped and stomped off.  

After a few minuets I became concerned and now I am lost, cold and absolutely starving. My rumbling stomach sounds deafening, fighting to be heard over the pounding of my heart.  It disturbs the quiet of the forest.  The trees close in on me as dusk gives way to night. Bringing with it a chill breeze the thin T-shirt I am wearing does nothing to keep out the gnawing cold.  I stumble on in my confusion; my eyes are not accustomed to the complete, all encompassing darkness.  A few stray rays of moonlight manage to brake through, illuminating stray objects.

The once quiet forest seems to come alive with the disappearance of the sun. Having been deprived of my sight.  My other senses come alive with, touch taste but mainly smell, hearing and the other senses long forgotten in the modern world, the thrum of silence is deafening. The primeval fear of the dark takes hold of me creeping in gnawing at the very edge of my soul but. Fight it, I must

I stop dead in my tracks, my ears straining to interpret the sound that rippled though the woods.  The last resonant echoes dying in the wind.  Around me the woods react, preparing itself with an age-old mode of protective actions.  The birds scatter from the treetops seeking safety far from this place as possible.  The woodland floor becomes alive with scurrying creatures of various shapes and sizes as they burrow in to their shelters.

Fear is a palpable force you can smell it, taste it, feel it hanging in the air, it bubbles up from the soul and spills out in one singular sound, the scream.  This all happens in the blink of an eye as the brain struggles to process what the senses are telling it.  Scrambling the body into action.  Fight or Flight.  The oldest reflex, from before man, before evolution took hold and gave us thought. Rational thought seaces as again it comes louder like the very bowels of hell have opened reached up and given birth to it.  A loud high pitch laughter, piercing my soul.

It is there, ever present, it surrounds me.  Evil has a touch. It’s an encompassing cold, filled with pain endured and endless more yet to come.  It caresses my exposed flesh sending shivers deep into my soul.  I quicken my pace faster and faster I go stumbling on branches, twigs and leaves hindering my progress, snagging, clawing at my bare arms.  Someone, something, the unknown is crashing towards me.  I run, I run, I feel the quaking shake of the ground being rocked with the force of this thing’s power and presence. The embodiment of evil, lumbering towards me with purposeful harm and deadly intentions.  It’s only reason for existence is to steal my own, from me.

I stumbled and fall hard.  My breath coming in ragged gasps, my blood pounding in my ears.  Paralysing fear takes over me as it approaches as power over my arms and legs seeps away.  The full moon comes out from behind a cloud.  Illuminating the clearing casting and eerie glow and sending woods into even greater darkness.  It is there on the edge of the clearing. Even though there is not nearly enough chill in the air to manifest fogs of breath, but they were there nonetheless.  Leaving its putrid mouth in waves.  Not condensation. Decay. A visible decomposition. The staggering smell reached me; it was the foulest odour I have ever smelled the sight of it rips the breath from my lungs.  It approaches me promising the end. I try to scream but my lungs have ceased to function. I am immobilised by fear as it reaches in and takes hold of my soul freezing it.

The pain awakens the memory. I know what this is; I force my body to relax as I struggle to breathe.  Forcing the paralysing pain out.  My eyes spring open and I suck air into my lungs.  The coldness leaves replaced by the warmth of my bed.  I relax and breathe taking in deep gulps of air.  Rational thought returns.  Sleep Paralysis, A Hypogogic state, scientific fact.  As my breathing rate and pulse rate return to normal I reach over and turn my light on, wincing as the light hits my eyes.  I look over to my twin who is sleeping soundly in the bed opposite me. I turn the light off and roll over and go back to sleep.  It was only a dream as it is only the dark I can’t hurt me. Can it?

Sarah shoved off the covers and walked over to her sisters bed as she got closer she realised that her sister was not sleeping soundly at all in fact she wasn’t even in her bed.

Sarah reached over to the lamp and turned it on and sat down on the bed Junior’s words came back to her “Mary had said that Anna had been scene outside one of the Goth clubs the really, really freaky kind.”

As she pushed herself up the heal of her foot hit something, she bent down to take a look.  It was a small chest she had never seen it before.  It was locked she set it down on the bedside table and began to rummage around for a hairgrip. One thing the PI club had taught her was how to pick a lock. After a couple of minuets and a many muttered curses the lock sprang open.

Sarah wasn’t sure what she had expected the contents to be but this wasn’t what she had expected.  There were two leather bound books each with locks, one entitled History Of Vampires, the other didn’t have a title just a symbol embossed into the leather. The chest was also filled with small jars filled with different coloured powders; some had what looked like herbs of some sort, and few bottles of liquid then right at the bottom rapped in a cloth was a dagger.

She had been so engrossed in the contents of the chest that she didn’t notice her sister enter,

“What are you doing”

“I could ask you the same thing” Sarah said indicating to the items on the floor and then to her outfit of a long black cloak

“How dare you go through my Private things!”

“But what is this” Sarah asked pointing to the History of Vampires with her foot.

“It’s what we are” Anna said

“What”

“You know it, it’s in you. We’re the same, we’re twins,”

“What” Sarah asked getting more worried

“You’re going to get it to, were twins, it’s in the blood”

“You think you’re a Vampire” Sarah gasped realisation dawning on her

“I have to have a transfusion once a week I cant go out during the day, and were both allergic to garlic, How much of a clue do you need”

“Vampires don’t exist”

“They do”

“Oh my god it’s you, you killed her and all those other people”

With that Anna took off, Sarah didn’t think not chase after her, she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her coat on her way out.

<Could she be the one that killed all those people Killed Mary> Sarah followed Anna to a warehouse down on the docks. <What is she doing here> Sarah thought as Anna knocked on the door and was let in.

There was a phone box around the corner the police were hastily tipped off but curiosity got the better of her. <Curiosity Killed the cat> she thought to her self as she scrambled in a broken window at the back.   She hid behind some scaffolding.

Watching Anna and a few others perform some kind of ritual. A sixteen year old girl was tied to a make shift alter.  Wriggling and screaming for her life.  Sarah was frozen wanting to help but terrified of the consequences.  Anna raised the knife just as it was plunge into her heart, dad and his partner stormed in.  Sarah was just about to come out from her hiding place when hundreds of people with something seriously wrong with their faces appeared.  

“NYPD” her farther yelled

“Freeze” his partner yelled

The ugly people just laughed and advanced Peter fired at one of them catching him in the shoulder he didn’t stop he fired again nothing they reached out and grabbed him.  One pulling him back out of Sarahs view there were screams. Followed by the twisting wet snap of his neck being broken.  It was a sound that you hear your stomach
Sarah gasped and gagged fighting the urge to be sick to scream, she was about to turn tail run and get the sirens of the police cars were getting louder closer.  Anna’s voice rang out loud and clear “Bring him here”

“Anna NO! What are you doing”

Sarah crept foreword to get a better look.  Horror filled her as she watched Anna bite deep into her father’s neck, Blood gushing out running down his white shirt.

A scream was trying to force its self out but Sarah clamped her hand over her mouth it escaped when a large hand grabbed her by the hair hauling her to her feet and out of her hiding place.  She locked eyes with her dad and watched the life go out of them only to be replaced by the cold insane stare of the sister. Anna picked up a length of broken wood off the floor, while two other guy's were holding Sarah Anna said, “They'll think it was you” then she drove the Stake deep into her heart.

“It’s over” Cordelia said snapping Stephanie out of her revere the church was emptying not that there had been many guests.

“I said I’d drop by Angel’s after the funeral” Flick said

“Lets all go”

“Is Buffy up for visitors yet”

Nobody knew what to do with Buffy.  I had been such a shock finding her. There was now the possibility of Three slayers, which had the council in a tizzy.  Flick was currently watcherless not that she minded.  She missed Henry and all his stuffiness.  Stephanie still couldn’t believe that she was the soul survivor of her group not that the Sunnydale lot had got of easy.  Angel had taken Buffy up to his mansion to take care of her; she was a shadow of her former self.  It was the most horrifying thing of all.  Everyone else had had a clean straight death but Buffy had been kept alive for the soul purpose that another slayer would never be called.  But life goes on and on and on.