A few seconds later, the elevator dinged on the ground floor. The door opened and the women stepped out, their jaws dropping. All around them were deep red wood floors and paneling that shone under the fluorescent lighting. The floors were polished and smooth, with the walls just as polished. Off to the side was an area with couches, where a girl sat reading a book.
Over in another corner, people performed yoga poses over a tranquil waterscape. There were other areas too: a drawing corner, a massage corner and at the far end of the room, through a doorway, was a pool.
Buffy whistled. "Wow. This place is nice. How bad can it be here? I wonder what Giles was wigging out about?"
"I don't know. I still don't get a good vibe from this place."
"Faith..."
"B, look around. Everybody's smiling."
"They're happy."
"And serene."
"So?"
Faith put her hands up in surrender. "Hey, all I'm sayin is that in a place where people are this happy and serene, there has to be something. Nobody in life is this fucking happy. Something's off."
"You're being ridiculous. It's probably just a day spa. You know how people get with rumors. First there's a little rumor, and then it becomes a really big one. I'm sure there's nothing wrong here." She looked around, noticing a girl coming their way. "Look, I'll prove it." She walked up to her. "Excuse me. I'm Buffy Summers and this is my girlfriend Faith. We're...uh...new here. Would you mind telling us where we can find Angel?"
"I try to be my best."
Buffy blinked. "Oh. Your best. That's nice. I think you misunderstood me. I was asking where Angel was. Um...big guy. Broad shoulders. Dark and mysterious? Broody?" The girl stared at her blankly."Okay, let's try this again. WHERE. IS. ANGEL?"
Faith smirked. "Let me try B." She grabbed the vacant girl by the shoulders. "Listen you little robot, you're going to tell me where Angel is, or things are going to get very difficult for you."
"I like banana pancakes."
Faith bent over, slowly taking something out of her boot.
"Faith, no. Don't!"
"Where's Angel you little psycho?!" Before the vacant girl could respond, Faith stabbed her with a knife, dropping the girl in a bloody heap on the floor.
Buffy's eyes widened. "Faith, what did you do?! You weren't supposed to kill her! We were asking for information, not signing her death certificate!"
Faith calmly put the knife back in her boot. "She wasn't answering. I'm tellin ya B. The people around here? Fucking robots."
"I'm not talking about the robots," Buffy responded through clenched teeth. "I'm talking about the fact that you just took a human life for no reason! And this time, you didn't have the excuse that you were amped up on adrenaline from dusting vampires and didn't realize this was a human being! You just took a life Faith; that comes at a high price!"
"A very high price indeed." Buffy started, slowly turning around as a well dressed woman emerged from the shadows.
Faith whipped around, the color draining out of her face at the sight of the well dressed woman. "Shit. Oh god. B, we have to get out of here."
"Faith?" Buffy blinked at her girlfriend. "Faith, what's wrong?"
"It's her. The one I told you about. The woman who visited the penitentiary when I was serving time."
"The one who offered to take you away from there if you just signed a five year contract with her?" Buffy started, everything falling into place. She glared at the woman before her. "Alright, where's Angel?! What have you done to him?! And what did you do that has Faith same damn scared?! This is a slayer who isn't afraid of anything, yet she's terrified. What did you do to her?!"
"That is written down in a confidentiality agreement between myself and Miss. LeHaye. It is not to be divulged." The woman stepped further out of the shadows, regarding the brunette slayer. "How quickly you forget our last meeting Miss. LeHaye." She turned to the other slayer. "As for your friend, let's just say he's become our latest asset."
"What did you do to him?!" Buffy lunged forward, swinging her arm out and attempting to land a punch to the woman's nose. Instead she was gripped by three security guards, her strength worthless. "Where is he?! What did you do to him?!"
The woman smirked. "Oh, Angel is fine. In fact, I will show you." She turned to someone standing nearby. "Bring me Victor." The man nodded before leaving the room. A few seconds later he returned, Angel in tow.
"Angel!" Buffy strained against the security guards.
"Let her go," the woman commanded.
The security guards released Buffy, causing her to run to the vampire's side. "Angel! Are you alright? What did they do to you?!"
"This room's nice." He turned to Buffy, smiling serenely. "Hello, I'm Victor." He tilted his head to the side. "You're pretty."
"Angel, listen to me. What these people did to you? It's nothing. It's not real, it's not anything. This is a bad place. We need to get out of here. Now." She grabbed his arm, trying to yank him forward, but he stayed rooted to the spot.
"Why do we need to go? I like it here."
"Angel, listen to me. We have to go. It's not safe here."
"Looks like your friend doesn't want to leave," the woman stated matter of factly. She nodded at the other security detail. "Take him away."
"Victor, would you like a treatment?" asked the guard.
Angel smiled serenely. "Yes. A treatment would be nice. I enjoy my treatments."
"Angel, no. No. NOOOO!" Buffy cried out, only to be held fast by the security guards once more.
"Your friend is gone now Miss Summers."
"How do you know my name?"
"I have...connections." The woman smiled wryly, walking toward Buffy. "My name is Adelle DeWitt. Proprietor and owner of the Dollhouse." Her eyes swept over the dead body lying a few feet away. "It appears you have killed one of our best actives. Now, I can't have an active missing, so I am prepared to make you a deal Miss Summers. Your life for Angel's. You sign a contract to be in my service for five years and Angel goes free. Do we have a deal?"
"My life for Angel's? You mean...I'd become an-"
"Active."
"Active. I'd become an active like he is now. Live here, do whatever it is you people do here and he goes free?"
"That is correct."
Buffy glanced at the security guards holding her, her eyes landing on Faith. "I-"
"I'll do it."
"What?!" Buffy stared at her girlfriend, stunned. "Faith, no. You don't have to do this. I couldn't stand losing you."
"I get it B. It's about sacrifice. Look, I'm never gonna amount to anything. I have no home, no family, no life-"
"That's not true! You have me!"
"Yeah. And there's a small part of you that's still hung up on Angel. I know how much he means to you. If I take your place, then you and Angel can live happily ever after like you've always wanted."
"That's not what I want. I want you."
"I know. But you want him more."
"No. Faith, don't say that. Don't-"
"Look B. Adelle's been trying to fucking recruit me for the past year. Just, let me do this. For you. Please. I love you Buffy; I'd do anything for you."
"There is one stipulation," Adelle cut in, looking between the two of them. "if Miss Summers chooses to sign with us, Angel goes free. If Miss LeHaye signs instead, there will be no releasing Angel." She smirked. "So Miss Summers. What's it going to be? What's your answer?"
"That's not fair! You can't force me to make that kind of decision!"
"Which is why I'm making it!"
"Faith, no. I already told you-!"
"God B. Stop being so dramatic. It's just for five years. It's like going to sleep. Let me do this for you."
"But-"
"Buffy, please?" She stared into the blonde slayer's eyes, silently pleading.
"Faith..." A strangled cry escaped her lips.
Faith gently cupped Buffy's face in her hands. "I'll be alright. I love you B. I love you more than anything else in the world." She kissed her tenderly, brushing a strand of her from her face. "See ya in five years." Faith dipped her head and turned away, back towards DeWitt.
"Are you ready Miss LeHaye?"
"Yeah. I'm ready. Just show me where to sign."
Buffy watched helplessly as Faith followed Adelle up the stairs to her fate. She might never see her girlfriend again. She sank to the floor, sobbing.
One of the security guards looked down, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Come on, stand up. I'll escort you out." With a hand placed gently on the slayer's back, he lead her out of the Dollhouse. Out of the place that in a few short hours had brought so much pain and misery Buffy could hardly stand it. Her girlfriend and friend were lost forever.
