Pairing: Faye Chamberlain/Diana Meade

Fandom: The Secret Circle

Length: 1000+

Description: The power had been demonstrated, the stakes had been set, and the demands stated. There was no other choice. None. Nothing could be done. Absolutely nothing. She didn't move when the thin silver chained dropped to settle around her neck and only flinched when her hair was brushed back and adjusted behind the necklace. A slightly smaller hand settled in her own, interlocking their fingers and the smile was all bright white teeth and deceptive softness.

Warnings: Bitches be cray, man. But, seriously, this treads on the dark side and there is clearly abuse.

The headache was back.

Her hands trembled and the book slipped from her fingers to land with a thud on the floor of the hallway in which she stood. The most that she could do was hastily bend to grab the fallen text to shove back in her locker so that she could still escape while there was time. The throbbing in her temple blinded her to the ambient noise and made her fumble with the clutch of her bag. It hurt so much. It was disorienting. But, that was probably her purpose in causing it.

"Faye."

The voice was musical and, while it almost felt like it carried across a great distance to reach her ears, was clear enough to startle her. This voice was one that she had become accustomed to hearing on a daily basis ever since its arrival in her life a few weeks ago. It had seemed innocent then; a passing sound that would fade away into the boring lull of high school.

She had been at her locker, much like her current position, when she heard the voice say her name for the first time and found herself turning around. The sarcastic snipe that had been ready on her tongue tumbled back into her throat and she choked on it. The silence had not been the result of shock or attraction or any other lame excuse that she could think of. No, it literally felt as though she were being slowly choked even as the owner of the voice let out a soft laugh and leaned in, a hand on her shoulder, to whisper in her ear.

The words had made her gasp as she felt the pressure lift from her neck and clutched at her throat in relief, frozen to the spot. She couldn't speak as she gazed into those glittering eyes, so outwardly innocent and attractive. It was only in the coming days that she understood the madness that lurked beneath the surface. She could see the changes and phases that those eyes went through and it terrified her. She knew when they hid brutal, boiling rage. She knew when they foretold a violent act. She knew when they meant trouble for her. Most of all, she knew that they were utterly serious when they uttered the threats against her mother and the Circle.

The power had been demonstrated, the stakes had been set, and the demands stated. There was no other choice. None. Nothing could be done. Absolutely nothing. She didn't move when the thin silver chained dropped to settle around her neck and only flinched when her hair was brushed back and adjusted behind the necklace. A slightly smaller hand settled in her own, interlocking their fingers and the smile was all bright white teeth and deceptive softness.

When Cassie had learned the this girl was her new girlfriend, the reaction had been a flickering expression and then a smile. A half-hearted smile, Faye could tell. Something was in those baby blues that she couldn't quite understand and wasn't sure that she wanted to with the blonde being such a new addition to her life. She had made a point of trying to communicate with and get to know her new 'love', as an extension of an olive branch to Faye. Adam had not been pleased with Cassie's special attention to Faye and, predictably, griped and sulked about it in his very Adam way.

Melissa had stared Faye down with a certain curiosity before engaging herself by talking to the newcomer. Occasionally, there would be laughing and joking. Faye could see sweet Melissa's walls dropping and the girl was trusting and relaxing far too easily. Perhaps it was that a new presence was more welcome as a distraction from the omnipresent feeling of loss after Nick's death.

Diana had in an entire league of her own as far as reactions went. Her eyes had never left Faye's, not once since the announcement. Not once even when the new girl attempted to get her attention. Those eyes bore into Faye's and there was something deep and powerful in them that made her voice catch in her throat. It was odd and unlike any expression that Faye had seen before. There were so many emotions in that intense gaze that she couldn't even begin to sort them out except for the one that flashed the brightest: hurt.

That hadn't made sense at all.

"Faye, come on now, love." The voice grounded her back in reality, ringing loudly in her ears.

"Yeah…" Faye pushed her locker closed without really thinking about what was going on. Her hand slipped down and accepted the one that waited for her so expectantly. The grip was tight. No, the grip was too tight. She was being punished for not responding to the witch's summons immediately. Her fingers were being crushed uncomfortably to the point of pain.

"Faye, I- Oh, hi."

That was Diana. She stood, book clasped across her stomach as she looked uncertainly from Faye to the girl grasping her hand. Diana's eyes lingered their held hands and she chewed on her bottom lip as she considered them for a moment. It was a very curious display of behavior even considering just how odd Diana had been acting since the announcement.

"We're in a bit of a rush, did you need something from my girl?" There was an underlying threat to that voice, as civil and even friendly as it sounded. Faye didn't think that Diana knew just how much danger she could be in even though she creased her brow at the possessive claim. How could anyone know? Who would suspect when Faye was forced to play along?

"Did you want to come to Cassie's for, for time with just us this weekend?" Diana's voice was strong. "I mean, you're invited too, if you wanted…"

A smile made Faye's heart sink. There was nothing kind about that look.

"No, no, that sounds great. Faye should have some times with her friends, shouldn't you, babe?" This decline of the invitation made Diana's mouth twitch up at the corner ever so slightly. Faye blinked and shook her head slightly, but the expression was gone. Maybe she imagined it.

"Yeah," She cleared her throat, trying her best to sound casual, "A night with you losers would be fine, I guess."

"Great. We'll see you there." Diana's smile was genuine when she left.

The girl who was known as Shannon Tangari to the rest of the world just smiled sweetly as she continued to crush Faye's hand in her own. Faye knew her as Shaitan, the demon