A Cell in the Wolfram and Hart Basement

BUFFY'S P.O.V
The bars are cold as I lean against them. I'm not sleeping, I'm just resting. I don't need to open my eyes to watch the slayer in the cage I'm leaning on. I can feel her pain, her resentment and her guilt but I'm not sure if It's mine or if It's hers. Why does she constantly feel the same as I do. I can feel Faith near but again not sure if It's the slayer in the cage or the one that understood me tonight. It was confirmed when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I didn't jump, just opened my eyes. I opened them just in time to see the rogue in the cage sit cross legged in front of me and Faith beside me. I sighed, "Well here's the big slayer talk."

Faith just nodded followed by me. We both stared at Dana and we knew she would start it.

"You...You have so much pain. All I feel...You two!" Dana whispered

Buffy just stared at her, "So you can tell the difference between memory and visions?"

Dana still stared and whispered, "I see...I feel...I understand now. He hurt me. He hurt you."

She just stared at me and I just stared back. Emotion was not something I could allow myself to show right now. "Not the same him. The man who hurt you was someone different. His name was Walter Kindel and he was murdered after trying to rob a store."

"He used a knife and needles...He needed me not to feel until after. But you...Emotion. Us 3...The same Pain. Alone."

I couldn't help but understand. "I am sorry for what happened to you Dana, nobody should have to go through this but you need to know that no matter what there is always pain."

I heard Angel and Spike stop at the door. Knowing them they were going to listen so I figured let's give them something to listen to. Dana made a move but quickly decided against it when she saw my eyes and Faith smiled. "Heart...and head. Stab the heart, cut off the head. Only way to be sure. Keep cutting until you see dust."

"I like this girl." Faith spoke up for the first time in our conversation. "The thing about today is not all pain comes from demons and evil. That strength in your blood that we feel isn't always going to keep you alive."

"I don't understand."

I finally looked up getting down to the point, "What that man did to you was physical pain, the pain the strength that runs through your veins could help now but the hurt inside of your heart that your feel is love. You can sense it from me can't you?" She just nodded and I watched as Faith got closer to me and also listened. She wasn't the only one intensely listening. Spike and Angel stared at each other and then gazed at me from the doorway.

"Well my life story, I love...loved a vampire a long time ago, I died, he went evil, I killed him him, he lived, then he left me. That's love that never goes away. When I finally found out that if he did love me and wanted me to be happy then he'd realize I would never be happy without him, he even said he didn't want to be with me. Anyway when I realized that I moved onto a guy who I thought would be nice and cool but nope he was an army guy. He started paying for vamps to bite him and well another vampire showed me that and well Riley said hey you still love someone else so I'm leaving you too. For a rebound after The vampire there was Parker but that was total sex...Kind of what I'm used to now. Last but not least...Another nuetered vampire. The thing was he actually loved me but the reason I couldn't love him was because he was a killer and I already lived and lost my heart about 5 years ago. I finally realize I care about him and he goes and dies to save the world. What a heart wrenching story huh?"

I stared at Faith and she stared at me. Dana was looking at Faith too...It was her turn for her story. "No big story like that. I guess my big inner turmoil thing came from power. My dad...Not much of a dad. Never had one. I was always made to feal weak...Loner...Used. When I got to teenage years I got the body so I got the boys." I heard Spike whisper a hell yea but she continued. "I never lasted with boyfriends and when I got the strength to do what I wanted I felt like I didn't need a boy toy. I felt like I was the top of the line until that loneliness kicked in. Then I saw the first slayer here and then..."

"Jealousy, she had it all...Now you know she is alone and always was." Dana interrupted.

"Yea but to realize that I had to try kill her and all her friends, hit on the love of her life, try turn him evil, go in a coma, switch bodies with her, go to prison and then help save the world." Faith told her

"Redemption?" Dana stared at her

"Exactly the word I was looking for." Faith told her

Dana stared down and then looked at me with anger. I could hear it in her voice as well, "You betrayed our line. Slept with vampires...Loved vampires."

I sighed, the hard part had come. "Listen Dana, there are two and only two vampires in this world you will not stake. Hate, loathe and avoid but not stake. They have their souls. They were killers just like all the others but now they're like Faith. You know...Redemption. If you're going to come back into this world as a slayer you need to know that not all demons are bad. Most yes but there are a few that...we keep alive."

"This makes now sense. I feel...Love...But not yours. I feel my heart ache. I miss them. Do you have family?"

Faith shook her head and I shook mine. "Just Dawn and she's not even my sister."

Spike and Angel shook their heads thinking, 'She would never talk of Dawn like that."

"I had a mom, so did you. Mine was killed with a knife. Yours died of her head."

I sighed knowing what she was doing. "Yes that's it. You're seperating your visions of memories."

Faith smiled at me, "Nice job B. I knew you would be the one to turn her around."

I just stared at her, "Are you kidding? She's not even close." It was time to do it. To test her. I stared at Dana, "I'm going to introduce you to some people and I want you to think about everything we talked about okay?" Dana nodded and stood up against the cage bars as close to me as she could and Faith stood back knowing what could happen. She held the tranq gun close to her but not in her hand yet. "Angel, Spike...I want you in here!"

They looked at each other obviously wondering how long I'd known they'd been there. They didn't care to say anything just obeyed. They walked towards me and one stood on each side of me. Dana just stared at me as I opened the cage. Dana stood in there a while like she was learning to trust herself. She took a step toward me and moved my hair behind my ear like I always do. She then slowly walked in front of Angel. I grabbed his hand just in case I had to move him. I wasn't prepared for what she really did though.

She started to talk to him still whispering in small words. "You hurt her!" She hit her heart. "She's bruised now. You don't feel what you should feel. Torture...You know so much. It glows inside of you...The redemption seeker." She walked passed me once again and in front of Spike, "William...You physically...No means no...You killed...Fed off one...Snapped the neck of two...Loved number 3." She walked towards Faith. "You share affection...I'm starting to understand the affection of love."

Faith looked shocked but said nothing. This was mine and Dana's moment. Dana walked back to Angel and knelt in front of him. I wasn't even close to being prepared for what happened next. She threw a punch he easily blocked by knocking her down. She begand to cry and when Angel was about to help her up grabbing her shoulders she started crying words I remembered too well. "What about me? I love you so much. And I tried to make you go away. I killed you and it didn't help. And I hate it..."

I couldn't help myself I started crying and I grabbed her hand. and I continued it, "I hate that It's so hard and that you can hurt me so much. I know everything that you did because you did it to me." I snapped back into reality and got up to see Angel standing in a corner. I knelt down by Dana who was crying with me and wiped her tears. "That's my memory, that's not yours."

Dana just stood, "There's so much you forgive, of course they get redemption if you forgive."

I stared at her, "I didn't forgive him for anything. It's just buried...deep inside where I don't talk about."

Angel kind of came back to reality finally also and walked up to me with the most hurt look on his face. Also one of those faces saying...We are so going to talk later. He just grabbed my hand which by instinct I took. I slipped out of it and followed Dana to Spike. She stood in front of him as if admiring him.

"You know you love me." Spike looked confused as she grabbed his waist and tried to kiss him. He struggled yelling no's and ow's. "You love me, I'll make you love me."

I knew it then when Spike started struggling. I just ran to a corner and started to ramble about something. I could hear Spike's cries and I couldn't do anything. Angel ran to me and I could hear him and feel him trying to shake me out of it. I caught a glimpse of Faith run to Dana and get her off of him. I got up and ran to Spike and he ran to me.

We kinda hugged and I strated to ramble in his ear, "I hate you for it Spike, I will always but...It was my fault...I couldn't help myself before and you just believed and I'm so sorry."

I guess he couldn't believe me because he pulled away slowly and gazed at me funny, "Buffy...That was all me...The control and just it wasn't you. I just loved you...and I didn't know any other way."

Dana walked up to us and grabbed my hand slightly. We walked to Faith and she connected my hand with hers. "You two...same. Bad memories with the good vampires. Both of you."

I understood and I knew she was about to show Faith what she just showed me. She looked at Faith who followed her as she walked towards Angel. I could tell he didn't know if he was ready for this but he knew it was for Dana and somehow for him.

Dana walked to Angel and touched the spot where his unbeating heart would be. She gasped at him and started to speak, "You didn't shoot to kill. We're gonna have to up the stakes, get you in the game a little."

Angel easily replied to her playing along with it, "What's the game exactly, Boredom? Revenge?"

Dana continued "Dude, I'm getting paid. They hate you almost as much as I do."

"Ever occurred to you this might be more fun for me?"

"You think? Because what if you kill me - and you experience that one true moment of pleasure? Oops! I'd get off on that. Go ahead. Do me. Let's take that hell ride together. Come on, Angel, I'm all yours! I'm giving you an open invitation. - Jeez, you're pathetic! You and your little tortured soul, got to think everything through. Well, think fast, lover. You don't' do me, you know I'm gonna do you!" Dana makes her fingers in a gun shape and pulls the trigger Angel just stands this time and stares at her.

Dana looked at him out of the skit for a second, "She tried to kill you and you did nothing. Now I know why." Dana dropped to her knees and Faith followed along suit. In the moment both slayers started to cry and cry. "I'm evil! I'm bad! I'm evil! Do you hear me? I'm bad! Angel, I'm bad!" Dana begins grabbing a hold of Angel's shirt and shaking him. "I'm ba-ad. Do you hear me? I'm bad! I'm bad! I'm bad. Please. Angel, please, just do it. Angel please, just do it. Just do it. Just kill me. Just kill me"

All three sink to their knees only no ones holding Faith this time so she realizes now that it wasn't real. Dana stood now also and walked to me, "They are same too. They both hurt you."

I just shook my head and watched as Dana walked in front of Spike. Spike ran behind me, "No, Not again! Plus me and Faith...We don't have much of a history so no bad things."

Dana quickly spoke, "There's always bad. Our lives...So much pain."

"Never did anything to the girl."

Faith walked up, "Not intentionally." Spike stared at her and waited until she continued, "You did what Angel did. Buffy had them too. Every single night when I was in Sunnydale, I kind of had dreams about torture and dieing and when I found you back in town I figured, hey my savior. Those dreams became reality everytime I saw you. I hide well."

Dana walked up to Spike as I moved out of the way. "I was chained up in the basement most of the time screaming, just waiting for you to finish with the shallow cuts and fire. You killed two and I wanted to be number three. Then I'd wake up and seeing you help out Buffy here and It slipped for a few minutes and I'd picture something else like that."

Faith looked at Dana and then at Spike. She looked at Angel then at me. She held her gaze on me as tears came out of her eyes, "Why is she doing this to us?"

I walked over to Dana, she was a masterpiece. The slayer was back on my face, any sign of Buffy was finally gone. "She needs to understand about pain, love, suffering, strength and life. If it dredges up old painful memories then deal or leave now."

"Mood change B." Before I could say anything, "Don't worry, I'm not starting again. I'm here to help."

Two watery eyed vampires just stared at me and immediately strengthened their faces. This tells me that they're here to play. I look at Dana who is kneeling on the floor. I stare down at her, "Dana, you know me and Faith's memories, do you know any other slayers?"

Dana nodded her head and stared at Spike, "Just the dead ones. Snapped her neck and my last thought was Robin. The mission didn't matter."

"No no Dana, Stay with me. That was a memory of a different slayer. You aren't her."

"So real! So strong." She made fists and kept her gaze on Spike

Spike took this as his turn. "Use your strength Dana."

I looked confused but those two didn't. Dana walked to Spike and hit him accross the face until she fell to the ground. Spike soon followed, "It's not me, I wasn't there...he was." Dana said slowly standing up.

I smiled, It's working, "You're getting it Dana, just try and seperate the difference between memory, vision; Yours and others."

Dana just stared at me, "You're not one to tell me what to do." I stood shocked as she was all of a sudden in my face. "You're not helping you...Why do I help me?"

"I can't talk to you about this. Just know that because I don't want me helped doesn't mean that I don't want you..."

Dana cut me off, "NO! Not listening."

I couldn't help myself. I pushed her into the cage and locked it. She punched me through the bars and I returned the favor. She stared at me with those almost sad yet evil eyes...kind of like Faith and I ran out the door. Everyone in the room was clueless.

Faith walked to the cage, "Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Believe in you to believe in me. My daddy used to say that to me..."

They finally got in, Buffy doesn't believe in herself so she can't believe in others. Faith turned to the vampires, "You guys already finished that fight?"

"Yea, wasn't as bad as I thought."

Angel just smiled, "It was rigged."

Faith looked at the slayer in the cage and knelt in front of it, "Could you see a lot of her memories?"

Dana started rocking in a corner, "There's so many. Confused."

Faith got impatient, "Try, focus on here. Can you see her in that place?"

"She was happy for a while. Then it was so dark. She was...torture. He hurt her like he hurt me. Hell, she was in hell." She stopped rocking and walked up to the front of the gate. She stared at Angel, "You were in the dark too. Showed you pictures. She was same. You're dead inside...Now she is same. You two are one."

Spike shook his head in realization. Every chance he had with Buffy was down the drain but for some reason he wasn't that sad. I guess deep down Spike always knew Angel would be the one. Spike inched for Angel and Faith to leave and they followed him out the door with only Faith waving goodbye. They exited but before the door slammed shut Buffy walked into the room. She tossed the slayer a pillow and a blanket and then laid out a blanket and pillow for her. She laid down and both slayers slept a very restless sleep.