The Quickening

Notes: Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've started my internship and I don't have a lot of time. That should change in a few weeks. Thanks for the reviews.

Previously:

"I want you to talk to Angel," Giles said. "I may not particularly like the man, but he knows that it's like to kill a person. He can help you talk through your issues. I know you don't like to talk about things," Giles said off her look, "but you need to. If you don't, darkness will build up inside of you until it consumes you entirely. You need to let it out."

Chapter Fifty-Eight:

Faith fell into an uneasy sleep after her exchange with Giles in the kitchen. Though her mind was relieved that he took her news without recrimination, she could not help but feel as if she was changing. The feel of Alan Finch's blood on her hands had awoken some primitive feeling inside of her soul. She could feel something squirming inside of her, begging and pleading to be released. However, Faith was terrified of what would happen if she gave in to the primordial call haunting her mind. She did not dream of anything for the longest time. Her mind was a blank slate, black as the night, and empty as the void of the universe. Then images began to flood her vision. She could vividly see Alan's face as she plunged the stake into his heart – the disbelief and sudden pain as the wood pierced his flesh and ended his life. He had thought that she would help him and, instead, she had killed him.

She could see the look of horror on Buffy's face as she pulled her hand away from Alan's dead body after failing to revive him. The look spoke volumes to Faith. It told her that she would never be Buffy's sister slayer again. All of her hard work in gaining Buffy's respect and trust had been destroyed in a single second by a freak accident. The images shifted until she found herself standing in the center of an apartment. She instantly recognized it as the one from her previous dreams. However, instead of finding herself on the balcony, she found herself standing in the bedroom.

Faith waited for something to happen, but after several long moments, when nothing did, she took to gazing at her surroundings. The apartment seemed to be hers, though she knew she would never be able to afford anything like it. The bed was made with silk sheets that felt cool and soft under her inquiring touch. There was a stack of comic books on the bedside table. Track lighting lit the place in a dim, ethereal glow. Faith moved further into the apartment and noticed that it was stocked with every technological advancement she could have wanted. A large television sat in the corner with Playstation controllers lying in front of it. Her eyes drifted to the sliding glass door leading to the balcony. Though she was tempted to walk outside to take in the view, something warned her not to leave the safety that the apartment afforded.

"So what do you think?" A voice asked from behind her. Faith quickly turned to find a man standing in the doorway. She did not instantly recognize him, though his face seemed familiar to her somehow. As Faith watched him wander aimlessly through the apartment, surveying it as if giving it his approval, she recognized him from the television. Her blood ran cold when she realized that the man invading her dream was none other than Mayor Wilkins himself; their new dreaded enemy.

"What?" Faith asked in surprise, wondering why Wilkins was talking to her as if she were his equal in some way.

"Do you like your new place?" The Mayor asked again with a chuckle. "I want you to have everything you want, Faith, so if something isn't right, just let me know."

"This is my place," Faith stated, looking around the apartment again. She had felt almost at home within its walls, though it still seemed foreign to her.

"I know, it's a lot. But you're very important to me, Faith," the Mayor said sincerely, looking into her eyes as he spoke. Faith looked back at him and felt something warm stirring in her heart. She knew that the Mayor was a soulless creature, but she felt that his words were truly sincere.

"I am?" Faith asked. The Mayor chuckled at her question and shook his head.

"Always needing encouragement, Faith? Of course you are. You're essential to everything I want to do here in Sunnydale. And I want you to have everything you want. So look around, tell me if something isn't right," he replied.

Faith turned away from him, chills running up and down her spine. She did not like how comfortable he seemed around her, as if they were allies. Faith knew that she would never align herself with someone so evil as he, yet, she was surprised at her own comfort in being near him. "It looks fine," Faith absently replied.

"Good," the Mayor replied, plopping down in an easy chair. He watched her as she paced uneasily around the apartment.

"Is everything alright? You seem a little discombobulated today," the Mayor said good-naturedly.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Faith replied, turning to face him, and plastering a fake smile on her face.

"There now, that's what I like to see," Wilkins said happily.

"So what's the plan, Boss?" Faith asked, the nickname unconsciously rolling off her tongue.

"The plan?" The Mayor asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. "The plan is the same as always. Infiltrate them. Find out everything they know about me and tell me everything. I want you to be their best friend. It's like the old saying, Faith, 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,'" The Mayor said, rising to his feet. "I'm glad you like the place," he added, moving over to her and squeezing her shoulder. "See you later, kiddo."

Faith awoke with a start, nearly falling out of her bed as she did. The dream had entirely unnerved her. She knew that it was a slayer dream, just like her dreams of Alan had been, though she did not know it at the time. Those dreams had come true and, as Faith sat in her bed trying to calm her raging heart, she knew that she could not let her new dreams come true as well. She could not imagine betraying the people she had come to love, but she knew in her heart that she had the capability to do so. She could feel something dark stirring in her soul, something that longed to cause pain and suffering to everyone she cared about.

"Faith?" Giles asked, knocking on her half closed bedroom door and pushing it open. He stood inside the doorway, awaiting her permission to enter.

"Yeah?" Faith asked faintly, still trying to recover from her dream.

"What's the matter?" Giles asked, moving into the room. Faith watched him, noting how, as she regarded Giles as a father figure, she had seemed to regard the Mayor as the same in her dream.

"I had a strange dream, that's all," Faith replied, running a hand through her wild, dark hair.

"What kind of dream?" Giles asked, sitting on the side of her bed. Faith swung her legs over the side so that she was sitting next to him.

"I dreamt that I was in an apartment. It was mine apparently, the Mayor gave it to me. He was talking to me about infiltrating 'them' and finding out everything 'they' knew. He said I was important to him," Faith replied, looking over at Giles. Her heart sank at the disconcerted look on his face.

"A slayer dream?" Giles asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah," Faith nodded slowly. "I had dreams like that just before I killed Alan."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Giles asked softly.

"I didn't think it was important," Faith lied.

"Faith…," Giles started. Faith sighed and looked down at her hands.

"They freaked me out, okay? I didn't know what they meant. But I didn't want anyone to know about them," Faith replied.

"I understand," Giles responded. "It's hard to admit to the darkness in us," he said knowing. "But you have to tell me about your dreams when you have them. Hopefully, we'll be able to prevent anything else from happening."

"Yeah," Faith said absently. "Although…"

"What?" Giles asked wearily, looking over at her as if he somehow knew that what she was about to suggest would cause more trouble than good.

"What if we did exactly what the dream suggested?" Faith asked.

"How do you mean?"

"What if I went to the Mayor and pretended to be on his side. I could find out everything about what he was planning and report back to you," Faith suggested.

"No," Giles instantly replied. "We need you on our side always, Faith."

"You're afraid that I would stop pretending," Faith said, reading between his words.

"I just don't think it's wise," Giles replied carefully. Faith sighed and nodded.

"Whatever you say, G-man," Faith responded disappointedly.

"However, the plan might work in another way," Giles said brightly, an idea suddenly dawning on him.

"How?"

"If we sent someone else. Someone that the Mayor would never suspect was playing both sides," Giles answered.

"Like who?"

Giles smiled a little, knowing the reaction that his next statement would receive. "Cordelia."