Episode 6:

I cry out to God

Seeking only his decision

Gabriel stands and confirms

I've created my own prison

'My Own Prison'- Creed

The light filtered through the bars of the window, drawing shadowy lines on the floor. Shadowy bars. No matter where she looked, all she could see were bars.

You've looked for this. You came here willingly.

Yeah, she had. That didn't mean she liked it, did it? Day after day, seeing the same bars everywhere, always reminding her why she couldn't go outside, why she was locked up in here...

And the bars were only the physical form of her imprisoment. Because she knew that mere steel bars wouldn't be enough to stop her if – only if – she decided to get out. But there were other bars – or chains – not made of steel, but a much stronger material. Guilt. Those were the bars and chains that kept her in this cage. They would keep her there until – until what? Until she was too old to do nothing useful? Until all the people she'd harmed and she had to make up for had long ago forgotten about her? Until when?

She did not know. All she knew was that she'd stay in the cage, day after day, watching life go by through the bars.

Because this was her place. Her own prison...constructed all by herself.

'Bloody hell, Darla, you got to stop doing that, y'know'

She opened her eyes innocently. 'Doing what?'

Spike snorted. 'Scarin' the hell out of me, for one thing'. He looked at her, frowning, as he took a seat on the nearest tombstone.

'What are you doing here?' She asked, also sitting on a grave. 'I thought you no longer did the whole 'cemetery haunting' thing'.

'I was doin' a lil' bit of patrolling...' His frown became more pronounced. 'I should be the one asking what the bloody hell you're doing here. Last time I saw you, you were on soul quest. What happened?'

She shrugged and averted his eyes.

'I got it'.

Spike looked at her impatiently. 'And?'

'And I went to see Angel's friends'.

'And?'

Sighing, Darla told him what Wesley had said.

'So, what are you goin' to do now, pet?'

Darla raised an eyebrow at the addressing (in the old times, such audacity wouldn't have gone unpunished by Angelus – or herself), but Spike's interest sounded sincere, so she answered truthfully.

'I don't know. I guess I'll start looking for him – but I don't have a clue of where to start. Maybe I could do a locating spell...'

'Spike, are you there?'

Both of them jumped to their feet. Great, now she'd have to face the Slayer, as if she hadn't enough to deal with right now...

Darla blinked. Ok, it had been a long time since she'd last seen the Slayer (hell, she'd been only a girl) and it wasn't like they'd been all matey-matey, but certainly this wasn't like she remembered her. For one thing, hadn't she been blonde?

At the sight of the red-haired woman in front of them, Spike visibly relaxed. 'Lo, Red. What's up?'

The woman, who'd been staring at Darla as if she were an alien, winced and turned to look at Spike.

'Oh, n-no, it's nothing. I just... I just thought Buffy would want us to get going. You know how she freaks out if... well, if we're out of her sight for that long. With the First and all'.

"Red" kept looking at her, intrigued. Darla was looking at her curiously too. She looked somewhat familiar, although she couldn't place where she'd seen that face before.

Spike, noticing the staring contest, realised it was time to introduce everybody.

'Red, this is Darla. Darla, this is R-Willow, a friend of the Slayer'.

Suddenly, realisation hit her.

'You're the one who taught her History, weren't you?'

Willow gaped. 'Y-yes, h-how...?'

Darla shrugged. 'I never forget a face'.

'Shouldn't we get going? Not wanna make the Slayer wait' Spike said, with the slightest hint of sarcasm. Willow blinked.

'Sure. Let's go'.

After taking a few steps, she noticed that Darla hadn't moved from her spot. She glanced at Spike, who said nothing, then she looked at Darla.

'You aren't coming?'

Darla's lip curved in a wry smile.

'I don't think the Slayer would be happy to see me'.

Willow let out a small 'oh'.

'Sorry, but as Spike's said you'd gone to get a soul and all...'

Frowning, Darla turned to face the vampire. 'Did you publish it in the Daily Sunnyhell?'

Spike had the grace to look a little bit uncomfortable at her glare. 'It sort of came out'.

Darla rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, sure'.

'But you've got your soul back, didn't you? I mean, now you fight for the good guys, don't you?'

She stared at Willow. Until that very moment, it hadn't occured to her that she was one of the good guys.

'Cos, you know, we could use some extra help'.

Darla's eyes were as round as saucers. Never, in nearly four centuries of existence, anybody had dared to ask for her help. And she'd never thought someone would want it anyway, being bad and all. But it seemed that things were different in a Hellmouth.

'Well, I'm not sure. I mean, I'm not very used to this whole being a good guy thing'.

Willow nodded, as if she understood what she was talking about. And Darla thought that maybe she did.

'I know. But the thing is... we're in big trouble. We need all the help we can get. And if you don't want to stay here, because of the whole 'end of the world' thing, or you don't want to see Buffy, it's alright. But, if you want, you could do us a little favour'.

Now Spike was also interested in the conversation. 'What kind of favour, Red?'

'Well, with Buffy we've been talking about it, and we've thought that we could need an extra Slayer'.

Obviously her words made sense to Spike, whose eyes widened and his lips formed an 'O', but to Darla it was incomprehensible. An extra Slayer? But if there was only one! The woman kept on talking, oblivious to Darla's astonishment.

'So, we thought of going to see her and ask her to join us, but all of us have our hands quite full right now. And then, Buffy wrote a letter for Faith, and asked me to give it to you, and you might go and give it to her, but you're needed here, and then I saw your friend, and I thought that maybe she could...'

'Ok, ok, got it' Darla cut her in. 'All you want me to do is to deliver a letter?'

Willow and Spike exchanged unfathomable glances.

'Well, yeah' She said. 'Here, this is the address', she added, handing her a piece of paper.

Darla took it and, when she read what was on the paper, she gasped:

'She is in the freaking jail!'

When Darla arrived, the time for visits was nearly over, however, when she said who she had come to see, the guard's cold attitude changed. She almost didn't bother to register her, and she hastened to take her to the visits' zone, with a look on her face Darla knew too well: fear. Well, whatever the crime she had been committed for was, there was no doubt that Faith the Rogue Slayer still scared the hell out of the people who surrounded her. And the Sunnydale gang wanted her on their side. Weren't they supposed to be the good ones? Then again, they had asked her, from all people, to help them. They were truly desperate.

She sat in the orange plastic chair and waited. She took a curious look at her surroundings – the last time she'd been in a prison it had been called 'dungeons'. She checked the security. Probably it was efficient enough for humans, but she calculated that two persons with superpowers could easily take them and flee before they knew what had hit them. As for the glass? Piece of cake.

Or at least she hoped so. Otherwise, Spike would have to look for a very deep hole to hide in...

At the other side of the glass, one of the guards appeared escorting a young woman fully dressed in blue. Most of the convicts and prisoners Darla had seen always looked down, with a perpetual expression of defeat, but not this one. Her head was up, and her gaze was fixed in some point beyond Darla and their surroundings. The guard walking by her side didn't dare to touch her or look at her straight in the eye, and the other convicts stepped aside when she passed by.

At first, when she'd seen her brown curls and her petite form, Darla hadn't been impressed. But now that she could see her eyes and the way she moved... Darla had been around long enough to notice which people was better not to mess up with.

So, this is Faith, the Rogue Slayer. She still found a little bit ridiculous the idea of a Slayer – synonym of everything good and pure in this world – gone bad. It's not as ridiculous as a bloodthristy vampire fighting the good fight, she reflected.

The brunette sat down, with the grace and also the air of potential danger of a feline. She eyed Darla intently, raising an eyebrow. Obviously, she didn't get many visits.

Darla grabbed the phone, and so did she.

'You're not a fucking lawyer, are you? Have enough of those'.

Darla repressed a wry smile. From what Angel had once told her – back when she was human, and he was trying to show her she could do some good – Faith had had enough trouble with Wolfram and Hart back in the day. According to him, they'd tried to use her to get to him. Join the club.

'Do I look like a lawyer?'

Faith examined her outfit. There had been a time Darla had dressed only with the best of everything, when she hadn't cared about murdering the shop-assistants. Now, though, her clothes were a little bit more modest.

'Then who the hell are you? Social worker?'

This time, Darla couldn't hide her amusement.

'Certainly not. I don't know if Angel's mentioned my name' At the mention of the vampire, a fleeting look of sadness crossed Faith's features. 'I'm Darla'.

Faith showed no reaction.

'Oh. I knew it. He's always liked 'em blondie' She frowned. 'So what are you here for? You plannin' on kill Buffy 'cuz she stole your lover, or...?'

Darla raised an eyebrow. 'You've really been out of touch, haven't you?'

There was more surprise than anger in her voice. Obviously, no one had bothered to fill her in about the circumstances of her protector's death. Well, she wasn't going to do so.

'Actually, I come from Sunnydale, with a message from the Slayer. I mean', she quickly corrected, 'a message from Buffy'.

The shock was evident on Faith's face.

'B wants to tell me something? And she's given you the message? She gone mad or what?'

Darla shrugged. 'There was no one else available. Anyway, here it is'

She opened her purse and pulled out the envelope Willow had given her. She opened it, unfolded the single sheet of paper inside, and put it on the window, so Faith would be able to read it through the glass.

Her gaze scanned the letter's contents within a couple of minutes, then she nodded to indicate she'd finished. Darla folded the letter and put it in her purse again.

'So' Faith said 'you got a car right? Fast?'

'The fastest we could borrow. It'll do'.

Faith nodded. 'You're a vamp, aren't you? Working for the white hats, but still a vamp?'

Darla nodded and Faith looked satisfied with the answer.

'Ok. Well, this is the plan. Stand up slowly and move aside. Get ready for running like hell'.

Darla hung up the phone, mirroring Faith's actions, and rose from her seat. She took a couple of steps aside, as if she were just getting ready to leave... instead of mentally calculating distances and probabilities for their escape. She didn't have much time for planning, though.

Faith cartwheeled and hit the glass with her feet, smashing it. Before any of the guards could react, Faith headed towards the nearest window, with Darla right behind her, and jumped through the glass.

They fell, some seconds and two floors later, flat on their backs on top of a car, which alarm began ringing loudly. Driven by adrenaline, Darla jumped to her feet and stretched out a hand to help the Slayer. Faith grabbed it and let herself be pulled to her feet with a faint moan.

'Out of shape', she sighed. 'Where's the Batmobile?'

Darla pointed at the stolen car Spike'd got for her (seemed that the soul didn't bother him that much). 'It's the red one'.

'Predictable'.

They got to the car before the guards were able to react. However, by the time they had left the prison's parking lot, a police car began to follow them.

'Great', Darla said through gritted teeth. However, soon a grin curved her lips. She threw a quick glance at Faith. 'Wanna see how fast this can go?'

Faith's grin mirrored her own. 'Thelma & Louise, always a favorite'.

Darla's grin broadened.

'Hellmouth, here we go' She said, while she pressed the pedal until everything surrounding them turned into a blur.

By the time they were approaching Sunnydale, Faith seemed to have lost her old fondness of speed. In fact, her face had turned into a pale shade of green and she looked about to throw up her dinner.

'Can you slow down, girl? We've lost them'.

Darla checked the mirror once more to make sure they weren't being followed before slowing down a bit. Faith was staring at her, astonished.

'How did you learn to drive like that?'

Darla gave her a quick glance, then shrugged. 'You really don't wanna know. Besides, weren't Slayers supposed to be super resistant?'

Faith snorted. 'Sure. But we also got a stomach, see'.

Darla turned the car (a little too briskly for Faith's taste, judging from the way her face contracted) on Revello Drive, and too soon they were parked in front of the Slayer's house.

The silence between them seemed to thicken at the sight of the house. Both of them had good reasons not to want to see that place again.

Darla felt the already familiar pang of guilt when she was forcibly reminded of the time she'd gone there and bitten the Slayer's mother. Sure, she hadn't drank enough blood to kill her (Angel had interrupted her) but the thought didn't ease her consciense at all.

Faith, on the other hand, probably had her own share of past faults. She was avoiding to look at the house, as if she were afraid it would swallow her or something.

'So', Darla said, her voice somewhat hoarse, 'this is your stop. Nice to meet you and all'.

Faith turned to look at her, surprised. 'Aren't ya coming?'

She gave a small snort. 'I doubt the Slayer would like to see me'.

The brunetted shrugged. 'Me neither, so what?'

Darla sighed.

'My case is a little bit different. I tried to kill her mother'.

Faith looked pensive. 'Once I threatened to kill her with a knife, but B came crashing through the window'.

Not completely surprised, Darla added:

'I also allied with a guy who wanted to end the world and I tried to kill her'.

'Been there, done that'.

'And I tried to make Angel evil again'.

'Yep, that was me, too'.

Now Darla was surprised. But like hell she was going to show it.

'And I was an soulles creature for four centuries, who killed thousands of innocent people, and I slept with Angel, when he was already souled'.

She turned to look at the rogue Slayer, something akin to triumph gleaming in her eyes. Surely she couldn't beat that.

Faith, for once, looked a little bit impressed.

'Whoa, you screwed Angle? I tried. Didn't work. But I did kill a couple of people, thretened to do so to many more, and once managed to switch bodies with her and make her life a living hell. Must count for something'.

Darla turned to stare at Faith, her eyes widening in shock.

'What's your problem?'

Faith shrugged. 'The shrink at jail said "traumatic childhood". You can think whatever you want'.

Silence fell upon them, and this time it felt even thicker. Now it was obvious to Darla that the ex-con had as many reasons as she had not to want to see the goody-two-shoes Slayer again.

Minutes passed in complete silence, both women staring dully right in front of them, not daring to glance at the house. Faith finally broke the silence.

'This sucks. Look, if you go into the house, I'll go with you'.

'But I haven't been invited'. The reply sounded lame to her own ears, but it was sort of true. Faith shrugged.

'Then go with me into the porch. Like hell I'm going in there alone'.

There was an edge to Faith's voice that hadn't been there when Darla had almost crashed the car a couple of times, a mixed note of fear and guilt that the vampire had begun to recognize. She glanced at the Slayer, and was surprised to see how much she looked like a scared child waiting to be punished. For the first time since they'd met, Darla was aware of how young Faith truly was, in spite of the hell she'd gone through. I wonder if I looked like that when the Master found me.

'Ok' She said, trying to sound careless. 'Let's go in there and see the Slayer. I bet she'll be waiting us with pastries'.

Faith snorted. 'If B gets anywhere near the oven, then we'll be in real trouble. C'mon, girlfriend. Let's get over this.'

They got off the car and climbed the porch's steps in silence. In spite of their bravado, they hesitated when they found themselves in front of the door. Finally, while muttering a 'what the hell' Faith put up the courage to knock.

They heard the sound of loud voices and hurried steps inside, and the door opened to reveal the form of Willow. Darla relaxed. Faith didn't.

Willow's eyes widened and she smiled.

'You did it!' She exclaimed, and Faith winced, Obviously this wasn't the greeting she had been waiting for. 'Come on, get in'.

The magical barrier was off, and the women took an insecure step inside.

'Wait here, I'll find Buffy'. Before any of them could protest, she left them alone. They stared at each other dully. Time was up.

As they waited, they saw at least a dozen of teenaged girls running around the house, shouting and giggling, carrying books and weapons, and paying no attention to any of them.

'What's this, a freaking school?'

'Sort of, luv'.

Spike had appeared out of nowhere. Faith tensed when she saw him, and Darla hurried to put her hand on her arm, stopping her movement. 'It's ok, he works for the Slayer now. He's got a soul now'.

Faith blinked. 'It's a fashion or what?'

Before any of them could answer, the Slayer – the original, blonde version one – appeared.

She no longer looked like the cheerleader she'd been. A few lines circled her eyes now, and she'd lost weight, making her to look skinny. Her hair was pulled in a tight ponytail, which made all her facial muscles to tense, and there was some rigidity in her movements now. Her eyes were shadowed, and she no longer looked like a carefree girl. She no longer was a carefree girl.

'Hey, B, what's up?' Faith said, in a forcibly cheerful voice. 'Did you miss me?'

The Slayer looked at Faith and calmly said 'Faith. It's been a while'.

Then, without no further talking, she punched her on the face.

'Hey!', the brunette protested, grabbing her nose. Buffy turned to look at her.

'Darla' She said, in the same calm voice. The vampire raised her chin, ready for the punch... that never came. 'Spike and Willow told me about your soul. Congrats'

Buffy left them to chastise one of the teenagers, who had jumped down the stairs. Faith's jaw opened in disbelief.

'Hey, that's so not fair! She got as many reasons to punch you as she had to punch me!'

Darla shrugged. 'What can I say? I'm prettier'.

However, Darla was shocked at the Slayer's treatment. Sure, it had been a long time since she'd tried to kill her and her mother, but she'd thought there'd still be some resentment. Guessing what she was thinking, Spike said:

'I told her to go easy on you'.

Darla turned to face him. 'Seems like you're one of the team'.

'Sort of'.

They both shifted, somewhat uncomfortable.

'Well, I guess I should get going'.

Spike looked surprised. 'What? You aren't staying?'

She frowned. 'Why would I stay here?'

It wasn't Spike who replied, but Buffy, who'd returned without them noticing.

'Cos we could use an extra hand. That if you can bear the pressence of twenty teenagers in the house'.

Darla's eyes widened in shock, but a voice was heard from upstairs calling Buffy, so the Slayer disappeared once more. When she regained some composure, she turned to face Spike.

'Did she really mean it?'

Spike nodded. 'Sure she did. We're kind of desperate, in case you haven't noticed'. Before Darla could open her mouth, he added. 'As for the kid, I'm sure he's in a safe place. But things, see, are getting really out of hand here – and I'm sure you've guessed that if there's an Armaggedon, it'll affect him wherever he is. If you stay, we'll have more chances of stopping it. Superpowers kind of come in handy'.

Darla reflected on it. Spike had a point (who'd thought that could be possible?): if things went wrong in Sunnydale, then it'd be pointless for her to find Connor. He'd die anyway. She shuddered at the thought.

On the other hand, she hadn't a clue of where Connor was. It could take her ages to find him, while in Sunnydale things went to hell. What difference would it make to stay a while at the Hellmouth before starting to look for him? And it wasn't like she'd felt anything wrong with her son lately. He was probably safe, wherever he was. He wouldn't need her pressence right now.

And finally, here was the chance to show Wesley and everybody else, including herself, that she hadn't just gotten back her soul for nothing. This was the chance to show that she could be useful to others.

And of course, there was Faith's reasoning:

'C'mon, Blondie. There's gonna be loads of fun. An Apocalypsys is always quite an event around here'.

Sorry guys for all the time I took to update this, I hope the length of this episode makes up for it. And don't miss the next one: things in Sunnydale start getting out of hand and chaos ensues...

Imzadi: I hope you aren't so disappointed that Lindsey didn't show up here yet. He'll make an appearance, but you'll have to wait for it a while. However, don't keep your hopes too high: this story, although it migh contain some Darla/Lindsey, was never intended to have that as a central theme, so his appearance won't probably last many episodes. But I'll try to make them worth the wait!

chunky-01: Hope you've enjoyed this one too, and keep reading!