Lyrics belong to Linkin Park

:I woke up in a dream today
Remembering I'm pretending to be
Where I'm not anymore
A little taste of hypocrisy

And I'm left in the wake of this mistake:

Buffy's POV

"I dropped Faith off at the gate, not allowed to go in with her. She told me where to park the car, and said she would be back soon. She's devastated by her mother's death, I can tell, and I very much feel her pain."

"Oh, Buffy. Is she shooting right now?" Willow asked.

"She said she had one scene," I answered, shaking my head. "I don't know how she can do it."

"She's not dealing yet. Just getting through, it hasn't hit her yet I bet. Just be there for her."

"I know, I just feel so bad. I know exactly what she is going through, and I still don't know what to say to her."

"Like I said, just be there for her," Willow repeated. My phone beeped, cutting off whatever she said next, I frowned and glanced at my phone, thinking maybe it was Faith. I frowned more when I saw who it was.

"Will, I gotta go. Angel's on the other line."

"Angel, our Angel?"

"No, one of the other three I know that you don't," I answered sarcastically. "Be right back," I clicked over. "Hello?"

"Buffy, we need you." He sounded out of breath.

"Angel, what's wrong?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

"It's Spike, we got a tip, it didn't seem very probably, we sent Fred and a team over to check on it. The distress call came in about an hour later. By the time I got there they were all dead. All but Fred."

"But how? The chip..."

"It's not working; he went to some shaman, in Africa or somewhere. Buffy, he killed Fred in front of me, I barely got away."

"But Spike, he's..."

"Stronger than I have ever seen him," Angel interrupted. "And he is out for your blood, Buffy."

"Fuck," I muttered, rubbing my head.

"Can you come over here? Meet me at my office?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I need to do something and then I'll be there."

"Hurry," he hung up. I hung up my phone and it immediately rang back. Willow.

"Hey, sorry," I answered.

"No problem. What did he say?" I took a deep breath before answering her.

"Spike's back."

"Did they contain him? I should get to the lab."

"He got rid of the chip, Will. And there's something else."

"What?" She asked her voice heavy like she didn't really want to know the answer.

"He killed Fred." I said it matter a factly, no energy to soften the blow.

"Oh god," she cried, he voice thickening. "I gotta get over there."

"I'm heading over as soon as Faith comes back. She'll drop me off and we can go over. Okay?"

"Yeah," she answered quietly.

"I'll see you soon," I clicked off the phone as I saw Faith making her way back across the lot. She climbed into the car, slammed the door, and sat, staring straight ahead.

"You okay?" I asked.

"They're writing me off the show," she answered flatly.

"What?" I asked, shocked. "You're one of the main characters."

"The studio got a new programming head, Gail somebody or another, she said the shows too expensive and to cut back. They figured my character would be the easiest to write off."

"Fuck," I muttered again. "No, screw this. Something is going on Faith."

"Yeah, god is smiting me," she laughed bitterly.

"No, it's something bigger than that. In the past hour you've lost your mother, and you're job. You remember that girl Fred?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"She's dead."

"What?" Faith turned to me, looking shocked. "How?"

"A long story you won't understand. I need you to come with me to Angel's office. I'll explain on the way."

"Explain what?" She still looked confused. Outside, rain was starting to fall again.

"Everything," I answered, putting the car in reverse.

Faith's POV

Either this girl is completely wacked out on crack, or the most honest individual I have ever met. I honestly am not sure which. I am also currently considering myself to be in the 'on crack' category, since I am going along with it.

"So you hunt vampires?" I ask, maybe for the third time, but the first time with Red in the car. I glance back at her, and she nods. I'm driving now so I quickly turn back to the road.

"Yes, I am a vampire slayer," she is starting to sound bored with repeating it. "I slay the vampires, demons, and the forces of blah, blah, blah."

"And Red's a witch, and there is an evil vampire after you, and your ex boyfriend. Who is also a vampire, and a lawyer."

"We'll, he runs a law office," Buffy nods.

"And you think there is some sort of spell on us, making all these horrible things happen?"

"Well what's your theory?" Buffy asked.

"Life throws shit at you?" I ask, she glares over at me.

"Pull in here," I turn into the underground parking structure, following it's winding drive down into the depths of the building until it opens into a parking lot. I park the car, turning it off and glancing at B, she's tilting her head, looking back at me. In that instant I think of how vulnerable she is, how easy it would be to hit her right now, crack her head against the window.

"Faith?" She puts her hand on mine, jerking me from my thoughts.

"Yeah, let's go." I hop out of the car stretching. Willow leads us to the elevators, entering a security code before we ride up. The doors open into a swank office.

"Angel," Willow calls.

"Swank digs," I nod approvingly.

"Thanks," Angel answers, shutting the office door as he enters the room. He certainly looks pretty banged up, one eye shows a fading bruise, while a cut is starting to heal on his forehead. As he crosses a room I see he's limping slightly.

"Angel, god," Buffy rushes to his side, helping him
into a chair.

"You brought starlet Barbie with you?" He asked, looking up at me.

"Hey, Barbie was blonde jackass," I snap, plopping on the couch.

"This involves her," Buffy rolls her eyes. "Something is going on, and it involves her too. At least by association, I think there's some sort of spell on me, maybe her too."

"Well, we can do a scan on you both. If there was a spell, there will still be a trace glow."

"And that means?" I ask.

"It means you go with Willow to the lab, while the big guns figure out how we're going to stop a crazed killer," Angel answered.

"Okay, that's it, I'm leaving." I stand and Buffy rushes to me.

"Faith," she places a hand on my arm, and I stop. "I know how crazy we all sound, but even if we are, what harm can getting tested do?"

"Um, lots it's my body they would be testing."

"It's a mystical test. Non invasive," Willow rushed to explain. "Come on Faith." She led me out of the room and up into the labs.

"Alissa," Willow called, a smart looking tall blonde hurried over to us.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I need a full trace scan of Faith," she motioned to me. "We're looking mostly for some sort of negative force spell, something with the power to make things around her act negatively."

"Possibly a wrecking spell?" Alissa asked, looking at me like I might have the clap.

"No we're looking for something a little more local, only hitting those closer to her."

"Alright. If you'd follow me please," she waved me forward; I gave one last look at Willow, then followed Alissa.

"We're just going to run a few standard tests, should take about fifteen minutes. We just need you, please sit down, to stay still for us." I sat when asked, and she busied herself around me, attaching electrodes to either side of my forehead, my wrists, and my ankles.

"You're not going to electrocute me are you?" I asked, again feeling a little crazy.

"It's just a mild shock," she answered; I pushed myself out of the chair, ready to bounce outa there. She put a hand on my shoulder, pushing me back into the chair. "That's a joke, Faith."

"Oh," I answered, laughing a little nervously. "That wasn't really funny."

"Sorry," she apologized with a laugh of her own. "You won't feel anything, it's a small spell channeled through the wires into you, the results will print out and we'll be able to see if there are any spells on you. Actually we'll be able to tell if there is anything off in you. Even if you were pregnant."

"Doubt that," I grin.

"Ready?" I nod and she flips the switch, I shut my eyes, expecting to feel something, surprised when I feel nothing.