Tru glanced out the window, watching as Faith disappeared for her nightly patrol, before she turned to Sam.
"So, I heard you're big with the research."
~*~*~*~
Airlia was walking alongside Dean, on the way to the diner. She shoved him lightly.
"Bet you I could beat you in a fight."
Sam & Dean
"Yeah, kinda," Sam agreed, having pulled out his laptop once Faith had announced she was leaving.
"I mean someone's gotta do it, right?"
~*~
"Girl, I've tangled with a lot worse than you," Dean teased.
"But hey, I like a woman who likes it rough."
Tru and Airlia
"Yeah," Tru said, smiling faintly. "I stand by my earlier sentiment. Nerds are cute."
She twisted a curl around her finger.
~*~*~*~
Airlia laughed and shoved him again.
"I think I could make you beg for more," she said, grinning seductively.
Sam & Dean
Sam blushed a little, clicking through some local websites.
"So... what has your Mom told you about me?" he asked almost nervously.
~*~
"I'm sure you could," Dean agreed, "feel like testing that theory?"
Tru and Airlia
Tru moved a little so she was laying on her stomach on the bed opposite Sam.
"Mmm, this and that," Tru shrugged. "The basics. Some other stuff. And then there's the stuff that Lia and I can just tell, without her telling us."
~*~*~*~
"What kind of girl do you think I am?" Airlia teased, but her eyes were inviting.
Sam & Dean
Sam looked across at Tru, nervously.
"Like what?" he asked.
~*~
"The hot chick with agood head on her sholders kind," Dean mused.
Tru and Airlia
"Well," Tru considered, tilting her head the same way Faith always did when she was thinking. "You've lasted this long and she hasn't made any move to leave you. I love my Mom, I do, but even I can see, she has issues when it comes to commitment. I think it's a childhood thing."
She shrugged.
"So, she hasn't picked out a flaw and let it nag at her so much that she can't stand the sight of you. So, you've made the six month mark or thereabouts, that's good."
~*~*~*~
Airlia slipped her arm through Dean's and leaned in close to him.
"So, you were saying about finding somewhere to go?"
Sam & Dean
Sam nodded with a small sigh of relief.
"Six months," he shook his head, "it feels like a lot longer. We've been through a lot lately."
~*~
"There's always my car," Dean grinned.
Tru and Airlia
"I heard," Tru said softly.
She ran a hand through her hair and flipped so she was laying on her back.
"But she actually seems happy. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's not like Mom's a giant sad sack, but we only see her this happy when she's with us. So, like I said earlier, you get our vote for that."
~*~*~*~
"Alright," Airlia said, leaning over to kiss Dean.
"But if I get leg cramps, I'll punish you. Severely."
Sam & Dean
"I guess that's a plus," Sam shrugged, "I mean, that we're still together after all that. Anyone would think I was a bad omen with what's happened."
He fell silent at that thought, remembering back when he thought he was cursed.
He still did, really.
~*~
Dean kissed her back, then grinned to break it.
"Oh don't worry, my car has plenty of room."
Tru and Airlia
"Trust me, she would get into as much trouble if you weren't around," Tru said dryly.
She paused awkwardly.
"You love her, don't you?"
~*~*~*~
Airlia grinned.
"Oh good, coz we're gonna need some space, with what I'm planning."
Sam & Dean
Sam looked up at her like a rabbit in headlights, much like he had to Dean when he'd accused him of pushing Sarah away in the name of Jessica's memory.
"What makes you say that?" he asked curiously.
~*~
"I like the way you think," Dean grinned, rounding the corner and greeting his baby.
He ran his fingers down the framework before opening the back door chivalrously.
Tru and Airlia
"The way you look at her, it's just... it's different," Tru shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel awkward, I just... just thought I'd put it out there.:
She paused.
"You haven't exchanged the 'I love you's' yet, I'm guessing?"
~*~*~*~
Airlia slid inside the impala, then grabbed Dean by the collar and pulled him on top of her.
Sam & Dean
"It's ok, I never really get to talk about it," Sam assured.
"And no, we haven't. I'm just not sure that it's something she'd want to hear."
~*~
Dean fell in on top of Airlia, careful not to hurt her, his mouth like a magnet to hers as his foot educatedly closed the door behind them.
Tru
Tru nodded slowly, watching Sam through her long eyelashes.
"Mom can be hard to read," she said. "But Lia and I know her like the backs of our hands, and trust me, you're not going to get a bad response if you say it."
She paused.
"You can ask me about my Dad, if you need to. Like if you're curious about their relationship."
Sam
"I'd like to know what went wrong, if she felt she should marry him," Sam looked confused again.
"Because you know, marriage is supposed to be forever. I don't want the same thing to happen to us."
Tru
Tru thought about it for a second, trying to word it correctly.
"I think the problem was, ultimately, Mom wasn't in love with Dad. Dad was head over heels, but Mom... don't get me wrong, she liked him a lot, but, I just don't think it was enough."
She scratched her head.
"From what I've heard of their relationship, before they married, they were really on and off. And I think Mom just figured it was something she should do, she thought maybe what she was feeling was love. And then she realised it wasn't."
Sam
"But if I told her I loved her..." Sam looked hesitant.
"Maybe that'll prompt her to start questioning her feelings, you know?"
Tru
Tru looked up at him, blue eyes meeting brown.
"Don't you think you should take a risk? I mean, it's better than sitting in limbo, right?"
She rolled back onto her stomach.
"The bottom line is... Lia and I like you. Angel likes you. And the three of us are the ones that Mom cares the most about. Well, aside from you, but you know. Outside of that. We're her family."
Sam
"But you guys also liked Zac, right?" Sam mused.
"It can't really be a pushing incentive, if you know what I mean."
Tru
"Of course, he's my Dad," Tru replied. "So I'm a little biased on that one. And he's... well, sorta Lia's dad. Not by blood though."
She paused.
"Angel... well, he was never fussed on Zac either way. But trust me, it's different with you. She's different with you."
Sam
Sam nodded a little, distracted for a moment by his laptop going to sleep.
"There are things you guys don't know about me though," he cleared his throat, finding it hard just to spit the words out, "which make it harder."
Tru
"The bottom line is, we trust Mom," Tru said simply.
"And if she trusts you, then it's all good. Besides, if you go evil and start killing a whole mess of people? In case you haven't noticed, the three of us can hold our own."
Sam
Sam tilted his head a little, looking across at her.
"How did you know?" he frowned.
Tru
Tru looked at him for a long moment.
"Ok, I was just pulling things from my ass then, but... really? That's a possibility?"
Sam
Sam's eyes widened.
"Oh, no, no!" Sam insisted, very obviously lying, "there is nothing to worry about in that respect. I just... have a bad history with... you know."
He gulped slightly.
"With women."
Tru
Tru raised her eyebrows, her expression showing just how much she wasn't buying that.
"Mmmhmm."
Sam
Picking the less of two evils, Sam ran with it.
"Really," Sam suddenly went emotional very quickly.
"I had a girlfriend - almost a fiance. Three years ago. And she died, the same way my mother did."
Tru
Tru watched him carefully, and could see that he wasn't lying.
"You don't have to explain yourself to me," she said, shrugging. "I mean, really, my view on love is probably as screwed up as Mom's."
Sam
"Bottom line then," Sam nodded.
"I feel cursed. Whenever I think I have something good going, some demon comes along and pulls the rug out. And I don't want that to happen to Faith. And I know she can hold her own, it's been demonstrated many a time, but the demons we deal with?"
He shook his head.
"It's not a great risk to take," he looked down.
Tru
Tru thought about that, rubbing her neck.
"Well, in the lives we have, any sort of relationship is a gamble," she said simply. "I mean, Mom was always worried about getting Dad killed. Lia is worried she'll try to end the world... again. Angel's afraid he'll lose his soul. I'm worried... well, I'm worried about a lot of things, but I think I'm the worrier of the family."
Sam
Sam shook his head.
"That's not enough," he shrugged.
"The pain I went through when I lost Jess... I can't go through that again. I really can't. I just lost my brother, and if I lost Faith..."
He hesitated, realising for a moment that he'd forgotten Dean had come back.
Tru
"Yeah, Angel filled us in on the thing with Dean," Tru said, nodding.
"Look, like you said, Mom can handle herself. I mean, I don't know how much of her past you know about, but she's gotten herself into trouble."
She shrugged.
"Obviously, there's a higher risk of death with the lives you guys lead, but it's something you just have to accept, really. We almost lost Lia last year, but you bounce back."
Sam
"Yeah I know," Sam nodded.
He hesitated, really wondering if he should disclose anything else.
Tru
Tru shrugged.
"I mean, on the same note, Mom could lose you," she said evenly. "And that's probably weighing on her mind too."
Sam
"I know," Sam nodded.
"And that's probably more likely than the alternative."
Tru
"The way I figure, you only get one shot at this life thing, right? So you gotta take chances," Tru said, shrugging.
"Otherwise you just sit at home, scared and alone."
Sam
"I'm on round two, just like my brother," Sam mused, wondering for a moment if it counted as round three.
Because his life pretty much ended at six months...
"But I won't get another chance, I'm sure of it."
Tru
"Mom's on roung like... one thousand, but you know what I mean."
Tru rubbed her cheek absently.
"I'm a big believer in chance taking. I think I'm also the optimist of the family too, but whatever."
Sam
Sam nodded, hesitated again, then focused his telekinesis on the bathroom door - banging it shut behind her.
Tru
Tru jumped, the noise startling her as she turned around. She immediately whipped her eyes back to Sam.
"Did you...?"
Sam
Sam's lips tightened, almost embarrassed, but he nodded.
"I'd appreciate you keeping it from Dean, but your Mom knows."
Tru
Tru nodded slowly.
"Alright."
She paused.
"Well, I mean, since we're sharing... I haven't told Mom or Lia yet, but... I think I'm developing a new power of my own."
Sam
"Oh yeah?" Sam was all ears.
Tru
"It sounds crazy but..."
Tru paused, thinking of how to say it.
"I'm... I can talk to the dead."
Sam
Sam amused, thinking it through.
"That's not so uncommon actually," he reasoned.
"Is it just audible communication, or do you see spirits as well?"
Tru
"So far, just audible communication."
Tru shrugged.
"But it's weird in that... I mean, as a hybrid, I shouldn't have another power. We only get one specialty. And mine is shifting. Unless this is a latent power of Mom's, but she's never mentioned it."
Sam
"Not to me either," Sam shook his head, "and we've shared power stories quite a lot, especially since she started having prophecy dreams like mine."
Tru
"Yeah, I mean, I get the occasional dream, but it's mostly the enhanced senses and healing. And the strength."
Tru scratched her head.
"So, I don't know where this one has come from, or if I'm mutating or something."
Sam
"Possibly," Sam considered.
Then he decided to go full ball.
"I'll be straight with you, Tru," he shifted in his seat slightly.
"When I was six months old, a demon visited my home in Lawrence. Azazel. He came to me to do something... to feed me some of his demon blood. My Mom walked in on us, and he killed her."
He gulped a little at that.
"Dad brought us up as hunters, I don't know how much you know about that. THen three year ago, after I'd run away to college and was getting ready to propose to my girlfriend Jessica, the same demon came for her. Dean and I spent the next two years hunting it down, and Dean did finally kill it - but not before it took our father. And I was killed in the process, I don't know what you know about that either. Subsequently that's how Dean ended up in Hell. Anyway while we were hunting Azazel, that's when I started getting visions. And a bout of telekinesis once. Towards the end I met other kids like me who Azazel had also chosen, and they each had abilities like super strength, telepathy, killing people with a touch... and controlling demons. Not long after the final showdown, I met a demon who started teaching me how to hone those skills after Dean wet to Hell. He doesn't know it, because he was adament I not follow that path. But now I can do some of the things the others were doing, like some minor telepathy and controlling demons."
He paused, smirking a little.
"The point of that rant, was that maybe you've had something dormant inside you all along that's just starting to sprout. I was 22 when it started happening. And even though your source is extra terrestrial rather than demonic, maybe it's the same sort of deal."
Tru
"Wow," Tru said, after hearing the whole story.
She decided to go for the light approach.
"You're just as damaged as Mom."
Sam
Sam couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah, I guess so," he nodded.
Tru
Tru grinned.
"I can see why you guys are together. Never could see it with Kim. He never really got her. Which was a shame, coz I think he really liked her. And Logan... he never got it either. Thought he had to protect her, and Mom doesn't really like to be made to feel helpless. Don't know if you've noticed that yet."
She paused.
"Point is, not a lot of people understand the Slayer deal."
Tru was quiet for a long moment.
"Angel never intended for me to hear it, but sometimes I think he's right when he says that Wesley destroyed Mom. From what I know about before... when she was in jail... and as much as I love Uncle Wesley... I think I agree when Angel says that Wesley turned Mom into what she became. It makes me sad, really, to think about Mom back then. I read the diaries Wesley took on her, and it just... it's sad."
Sam
Sam squinted, curiously.
"What do you mean by Wesley 'destroying' her?" he asked.
Tru
Tru was quiet for a moment.
"There's a lot that I don't know, a lot they won't tell me, but I've pieced some of it together."
She scratched her head slightly.
"Wesley was Mom's Watcher once, did she ever tell you? He... I don't really know all of the facts, but it was Wesley that pushed her over the edge. Made sure she couldn't trust anyone back then."
Sam
Sam's eyebrows rose, and he turned away.
"Oh. Figures."
Tru
"Yeah, they have... a rocky relationship, to put it mildly."
Tru scratched her nose.
"But really, Mom was already well on the way to destruction when she first met Wesley. I think he just pushed her that little bit further."
She shrugged.
"But what do I know, really? I'm just the cute one."
Sam
"No, actually, I meant I wasn't surprised," Sam rubbed his nose absently.
"I used to be rather fond of Wesley. Not so much anymore."
Tru
"What happened?"
Tru regarded Sam carefully.
Sam
"I'm not sure if I should say anything, it should be up to your Mom," Sam cautioned.
"But suffice to say he got to her again."
Tru
"Things were a little tense there," Tru mused.
"But Lia and I figured it was coz of the Fred thing."
She looked sad, remembering.
Sam
"The Fred thing?" Sam frowned.
Tru
"Oh," Tru said, looking at Sam in surprise.
"Fred... um... she died."
Sam
Sam shifted in his seat, face going pale.
"Fred's dead?" he shook his head, "since when?!"
Tru
"I'm not sure when it happened exactly," Tru said.
She rubbed her eyes.
"I was away when it happened... but she was used as a host body for Illyria. I don't know if you've heard of...?"
Sam
"Illyria..." Sam paused, thinking it over.
"Maybe in passing. I have a frind that would know."
Tru
"One of the Old Ones," Tru said, glancing at her feet.
"I'm not so up on my demonology, but I think she was a pure demon."
Sam
"As far as I know there's no such thing," Sam said.
"All demons were human once. Even Lilith."
Tru
Tru shook her head.
"Nope. Pure Demons. The ones that roamed the earth long before we made our mark."
She shrugged.
"Wesley has volumes on it. Well, he has volumes on everything, I guess."
Sam
Sam shrugged.
"In that sense... I guess someone had to be in Hell before Lucifer got there," he reasoned.
Tru
"Yeah," Tru shrugged.
"Either way, the whole powers thing is pretty nifty."
Sam
"Whose?" Sam asked.
Tru
"Well, everyone's. Depending on what you use them for, I guess."
Tru shrugged.
"My uncle is doing power research at the moment, he's going to make it a book... or a website. Or something. For the alien community."
Sam
"Uncle?" Sam tilted his head, before realising.
"Oh, right. Father's side. Nevermind. Alien powers work differently though, don't they? They have a set... pattern or level."
Tru
"Yeah, I mean, there's the shared power of atom manipulation, and then you get a specialty. Well, hybrids don't always get a specialty. I was one of the cool ones."
Tru rubbed her stomach absently.
"With some powers, yeah, you can compete. My aunt is a telepath, and she's like... one of the most powerful in the world. And only really young still. And Uncle Ike, he's a really strong telekinetic, like stronger than a lot of them."
Sam
Sam nodded, wondering where he'd come in on the scale.
"Do any of them have multiple powers?" he asked, about 2% of him hoping he was alien rather than demon.
Tru
Tru thought for a moment.
"I don't know, I'm not clear on my Dath history. I mean, I have two powers, sort of. Like shapeshifting, and then I got Mom's Slayer stuff... but if you were an alien who mutated, then yeah, sure. I know mutants can have multiple powers."
Sam
"I guess it's complicated," Sam nodded.
Tru
"Either way," Tru said, shrugging again. "We all have a choice. A choice to use the power you have for good or evil. Sometimes it's a hard decision. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's just really complicated. But you have a choice."
She paused.
"And I think... you know, it's what separates us from the soulless. Choices."
Sam
"I agree," Sam nodded.
"And... I think I'll be re-hashing that argument with my brother eventually."
Tru
Tru smiled faintly.
"Good luck with that one. He struck me as someone who gets violent in arguments."
She pouted playfully.
"Lia does. We'll be fighting and then bam! I have a black eye."
Sam
Sam nodded.
"Yeah. But he has to. It's the way we were brought up, you know. Shoot first, ask questions later."
Tru
"Well, then Lia is just violent for the hell of it."
Tru shook her head slightly.
"Although, she probably gets that from Mom."
Sam
Sam chuckled.
"Yeah maybe," he agreed, "she does tend to come off that way. Needless violence, that is."
Tru
Tru smirked.
"Yeah. Man, don't ever get in the way when she and Spike are having a full blown argument. She threw him out a window. Of course, he stabbed her through the leg with a sword, but you know."
Sam
"Spike's not one I'd want to tango with," Sam shrugged.
"It's not that I couldn't defeat him, it's more that I wouldn't be able to without killing him."
Tru
"He's pretty cool when you get to know him," Tru said.
"He looks out for me and Lia. Though he'd never admit it, he looks out for Mom too."
Sam
"Yeah I got that vibe from him," Sam agreed.
"In a funny way he reminds me of Dean." P>
Tru
Tru tilted her head, thinking for a moment, before the dimple appeared on her cheek as she smiled.
"Yeah... I guess I could see that. A little. I don't know your brother that well."
Sam
Sam grinned at her.
"In other words, the smart-ass do-gooder with a penchant for violent means," he nodded.
Tru
Tru snorted.
"Bout sums it up. Although, kinda sums Mom up too."
Sam
"Nah, she's not a smartass," Sam reasoned, thinking for a moment that technically she wasn't a do-gooder either.
"Which doesn't make her any less endearing by any means."
Tru
"Yeah, my Mom is pretty much the best."
Tru smiled faintly.
"I mean, I spend some time with Dad, but I'm mostly with Mom. And Angel. Angel is kinda like our Dad sometimes."
Sam
"Yeah I could see that," Sam said.
"I know how protective he can be."
Tru
"Angel has his people," Tru said, nodding.
"Hurt them, and... you don't have a good chance of coming out of it unscathed."
Sam
Sam nodded.
"Same goes for Dean. And me," he reasoned.
Tru
"Think it's a family thing," Tru mused.
"Though, not all families would kill. Or torture. But you know."
Sam
"Oh yeah, boy do I know," Sam's eyebrows rose.
Tru
"I mean, I get the typical American family from Dad's side. Kind of. I mean... typical as in... they don't slay demons or anything."
Tru rubbed her nose.
"I mean, they're aliens, but not hunting ones. So... you know, we do the family dinner thing. And the... talking about feelings thing. Which, totally weirds me out, and I think that's another Mom trait."
Sam
"I can attest to that," Sam nodded.
"But mostly she just doesn't need to."
Tru
"Mmm," Tru mused. "After awhile, you can read her like a book."
She paused.
"Though, Gunn did once say that Mom had the coldest eyes he had ever seen."
Sam
Sam frowned.
"That's not true," he insisted.
Tru
Tru shrugged.
"Lorne says they scare him sometimes. That he can't look at Mom or Angel at times."
Sam
"Well she doesn't scare me," Sam insisted.
"I don't think we'd have gotten this far if she had. And I just don't scare easy."
Tru
"Mmm, and you're all ass backwards in love," Tru teased.
She raised her eyebrows.
Sam
"Something like that," Sam nodded.
"So you know... any objections should really be voiced now."
Tru
"Nah, I like you. And I can tell Lia does too. Of course, she also wants to screw your brother and come to think of it... they're probably... ew."
Tru shook her head.
"Not the point. Yeah. You have our votes. Do we have yours? I mean, really, you should be running to the altar, considering how awesome we are."
Sam
"I don't really get a vote," Sam pointed out, amused.
"I like Faith for who she is and who she is, is a mother."
Tru
"It's a whole new side, right?" Tru grinned.
She laughed slightly.
"There's like... bad ass Slayer Mom... and then warm and fuzzy Mom."
Sam
"I like to say it's easily rolled into one," Sam reasoned.
Tru
"So you didn't want to run for the hills when you found out she had kids?"
Tru looked amused.
"Adult kids, no less?"
Sam
"No, actually," Sam realised he hadn't even really thought about it.
"But I guess in my mind you're more like sisters, really."
Tru
"Yeah, we get that a lot. Coz of the age thing."
Tru paused.
"And coz Mom doesn't treat us like we're kids. We're all kinda equal."
She grinned cheekily, a smile that resembled Faith.
"So, are we gonna get a stepdad?"
Sam
Sam's face fell a little, unsure.
"I guess we'll find out eventually," he smiled a little.
Faith and Tru
"Find out what?" Faith asked as she opened the door. Her pants were covered in dust and she had a cut across her arm.
"Nothing, are you ok?" Tru replied.
"Yeah, vampire with a knife," Faith shrugged.
Sam
"Hey," Sam greeted with a nod.
"I don't suppose you saw Dean out there at all?"
Faith, Tru and Airlia
Faith shook her head as Tru carefully cleaned the cut on her mother's arm.
~*~*~*~
Airlia snickered as the police officer walked away.
"Well," she said, pulling her pants up. "That was awkward."
Sam & Dean
"Great," Sam rolled his eyes, waking his laptop up again to shut it down.
~*~
"But awesome," Dean mused, eaning over to kiss her.
Faith, Tru and Airlia
Faith glanced at her daughter.
"You gonna continue on tonight?" she asked.
Tru shrugged. "Depends on Lia. Probably."
~*~*~*~
Airlia laughed into his mouth, wrapping herself around him as they kissed.
"Well, yeah. Come on, before he changes his mind and we get thrown in jail for a night."
Dean
"We could always go back to the car," Dean suggested hopefully.
"I know we started there, but it would be less conspicuous."
Airlia
Airlia grinned, and kissed along his jawline.
"I was thinking more along the lines of a motel room. I'm nowhere near done with you."
Dean
"But we do have to use my car to get there," Dean reasoned.
"There's no reason she should feel left out."
Airlia
"Well alright."
Airlia grinned.
"But only coz you're so damn hot."