The following is a fan fic about Trent having a nightmare themed on "The Crow". It takes place some time before Alternapalooza. Realization by Maeve Johnston It was a stormy night in Lawndale. Mystik Spiral had a gig planned, but that wasn't for another three hours. Trent, sober for once, had retreated into the basement after reminding Jane to wake him at 8:00P.M. It was one of the few evenings that he actually had time to spare, so he decided to watch one of his favorite films,"The Crow". Even though he had seen it at least twenty times, it never grew stale. It had everything he could possibly want in a film: graphic violence, romance, sex, unending curses, and great acting. He winced as he remembered how Brandon Lee had died during filming. I hope nothing like that ever happens to me he thought. Trent then leaned back, to savor the opening sequence. After about a half-hour into the film, Trent was becoming drowsy. Tinting had just been murdered by an enraged Eric, when he finally conked out. ****************************************************************************** "Daria,"Trent called as he opened the door to their New York apartment,"are you there?" He stepped through, and heard screaming coming from the bedroom. "Are you alright?" The moans became more frequent, as he started to run through the halls. When he reached the sleeping quarters, he saw 4 strange people holding Daria down to the floor. "Leave her alone!"Trent yelled. In a rage, he charged at them, when a pistol shot went off. Before he knew anything had happened, he was flying through a six-story window. "Trent!" Daria screamed. "No!" As one of the intruders leaned over to kiss her, he said,"We'll treat you real nice, missy." About 15 minutes later the police arrived. Officer Mackenzie was helping to prepare the victim to be driven to the hospital, but he knew it was too late for her. A young girl ran into the crowd, shouting. "This your sister?" Officer Mackenzie asked her. "No,"she replied,"She's my cousin or something." They had removed the oxygen mask so she could talk to the girl. "Where's Trent?",Daria gasped. "He's fine,"Officer Mackenzie lied. "Tell him to take care of Quinn,"she said. Then she was taken away. "You lied to her about Trent,"Quinn said,"and you lied to me about Daria. She's not going to live, is she?" "I'm real sorry 'bout her. There's nothing we could do." ****************************************************************************** A few months later, the only one who remembered that anything happened was Quinn. As she bent down to put roses on the graves, a crow squawked at her. "Ewe, what are you supposed to be? I got go guys." As soon as she left, it began to pour. Lightning struck the ground, as thunder roared the lament of the lost. The ground began to shake beneath the grave of one: Trent Lane. Suddenly, a hand groped around and he was pulling himself from the ground. Where am I? he thought. He looked around and saw the crow staring at him. Maybe I should follow him. Trudging through the mud and mire, he approached his old apartment building. Climbing the stairs, he felt an eerie coldness. Around his door was yellow "crime scene" tape. What happened here? Then he saw the window, broken shards of glass upon the floor. Trent ran up to it, and jumped, stabbing his hands into the glass. He glanced down at his palms, there was nothing there. Not a mark or scratch. But in his mind he now knew what had happened that night. "The bastards!" he muttered under his breath. "There's Hell to pay." Soon after, the crow led Trent to what was to be the first step of his redeeming task. A tall girl was walking away from O'Neill's Pawn Shop, when he approached her. "Halloween's not until tomorrow,"she stated. "And aren't you a little old for Trick or Treat?" Trent just stared at her, eyes cold. "I have some friends for you then,"the girl said, as she drew two throwing knives from her coat. She aimed the first at his chest, but it was deflected off of a wall. "Try harder, try again,"Trent said. She threw the other, but he caught it in his hands. "Do you remember a man and a woman in a loft ten months ago? You came and murdered them the night before Halloween. And now you're going to die." "Daria Morgendorffer and her crazy musician boyfriend, sure I remember. God, I hated that girl. She was the only one with better grades than me." Trent sliced her throat. That will end this conversation. Knock, knock, knock. Trent pounded on the doors of the shop. No one answered, so he barged in. "Suddenly I heard a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. I guess you heard me rapping?" Trent asked as O'Neill came to the front desk. "I'm sorry. We're closed." "I'm looking for a gold engagement ring. One of your lackeys brought it in about ten months ago." O'Neill just stood there. Trent was becoming impatient. "A gold engagement ring, yes? Where is it?" "On the second shelf of the cupboard on the right." Trent looked around and found a small hinged box of rings. He stared closely at each one. "No, no, no," suddenly, he sighed. He had found it. He remembered the night he had given it to Daria. Everything had been perfect then. Why did it have to go so horribly wrong? He paced back to the counter, bringing with him all of the rings. He tossed them at O'Neill saying,"Each of these was a life. A life that you helped ruin." Trent loaded them into a gun. "You can tell your friends that Death is coming for them. Trent Lane sends his regards." He then turned from the establishment and fired into the building. It burst into flames. Trent continued his vigilante raid by finding the building Kevin lived in. When he walked in, Kevin and Brittany were on the bed, making out. "Get out man,"Kevin said. "You tell him, Kevie." Trent stood there, silent. Kevin, using his only skill, charged at him, giving Trent plenty of time to dodge. He then aimed a revolver that he found at Kevin, and shot him. As Brittany huddled over her lover, Trent thought of Daria. Officer Mackenzie was off duty. Sitting on his coach, sipping some beer, he stared at some old photographs of Mystik Spiral. Thinking of something, he doodled onto the pictures. And there in his chair was the spitting image of one of the musicians. "Nice art work," he commented, seeing the additions. "You're Trent Lane, the singer that was murdered with his fiancée, aren't you?" "Yeah." "I'm real sorry 'bout your girlfriend man. Thirty hours they had her in the hospital. I stayed there, hoping she might pull through. It would have helped with the case." He picked up a cigarette, and started smoking. Trent reached over, and grabbed it away from him. "These things will kill you. Daria used to appreciate all these little things. I used to think they were trivial. Believe me, nothing is trivial." "You going to disappear again?" "I thought I'd use your front door," Trent said in a hurt voice. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it's my fight." Then he was gone. Upchuck and Jeffey were parked outside of a QuickMart. Upchuck was ordering Jeffey to get some jerky and beer. As he sat there waiting for him to return, Trent was sitting beside him. "I am your passenger. Drive,"he ordered. They sped down the road with Jeffey chasing after them. The car stopped, and Trent got out. In the trunk, he found some explosives and duct tape. Binding Upchuck to his seat, he then strapped on some dynamite and ran behind some crates. Pressing the ignition, he ducked as the sound rang in his ears. Jesse was sitting at a table with Jane in his lap. Throughout the room, the most vile scum of the streets stood around, waiting for their leader's orders. Jeffey was at his right hand telling him what had happened to Upchuck. "Interesting. Perhaps we ought to show him how tough we can be." Jesse whispered something to Jane and she led Jeffey away. "My friends,"Jesse announced with much pomp,"tonight we must show them how great Devil's Night can be. What greed and anarchy can really do!" The crowd erupted into applause. Quinn was walking through the streets, when she saw a figure she vaguely remembered. "Trent?" she asked. Whoever it was just stood there. It was raining again. She started to complain about it when the figure replied,"It can't rain all the time." She thought that might have been a Mystik Spiral song, but she wasn't sure since she didn't listen to alternative. She glanced behind her, and no one was there. Approaching a church, she stopped inside to get away from the storm outside. Strong hands pulled her in, and held her there. "Let go of me,"she cried. Somehow, Trent saw what was happening and rushed to the aid of his would-be sister-in-law without any delay. He thundered in, when Jane began shooting at the crow. She had read somewhere that it was the source of his power. If it died, he died. She had to choose between her brother or Jesse, and it was an easy choice. Her aim was off. "Hold it right there,"Officer Mackenzie ordered. Everyone looked over and stared at him. "I'll take care of her,"he said to Trent. Jesse had taken Quinn to the roof. "Go help your friend." "Thanks." His feet pounded on the rickety old stairs as he raced up them. I can't let anyone else die because of me. He had reached the roof. Jesse was standing at the edge, holding Quinn by the hood of her jacket. "It's me you want,"Trent cried,"She has nothing to do with this." Jesse's grip was loosening. Quinn slipped and grabbed onto the roof. "Everyone always liked you better. You wrote the songs, I just followed you like some lost dog. I was sick of it man, sick of it." "Help!" Trent reached over to help Quinn up, when Jesse punched him in the back. He then unsheathed a sword at his waist and lunged at Trent. Trent ripped a spire from the roof and parried the thrust. Trent had an advantage. He somehow managed to throw Jesse over himself and he plummeted to the next gable, where he was impaled. When they reached the basement , Officer Mackenzie lay on the floor gasping for breath. Jane was dead. "Aw, Janey, why'd you have to do this? You okay, Mack?" "Sure. Nothing I can't handle. Glad you got your men." "Yeah." Trent reached into his pocket and felt Daria's ring. He took it out and handed it to Quinn. "Never forget what happened,"he said."Take care of Officer Mackenzie." He then walked away. Reaching the cemetery, he collapsed on the ground. He heard a voice calling him, but he wasn't sure if he was imagining things or not. "Trent,"the voice soothed,"thank you." Daria bent over and dragged Trent into his grave. They would have all eternity to be together. ****************************************************************************** "Daria!" Trent yelled in his sleep. "Come back to me!" Jane was wandering down the stairs to wake her brother when she overheard his rants. "No!"