Authors Note: Sorry about the delay, and thank you to everyone who reviewed!
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Buffy ran her hands slowly across her bed, feeling the coarse texture of the starched sheets. They were thin, old and tired from being washed and reused so often. The chunky metal bed was bolted to the floor and the sharp edges had bits of crusty foam taped to them. Instead of a wardrobe there were two small fabric hampers in the corner of the room, one for clean clothes and the other for dirty laundry. The only other pieces of furniture in the room were three soft plastic chairs crowded around a matching table which looked like it had been taken from a cheap outdoor setting. The plastic might have been white once but now it was graying and slightly cracked in places, the tiny seams and crevices in the design accentuated by dust and dirt. The walls, like the bed sheets were an off white color, faded with age and stained near the roof with yellow-brown watermarks. There was a window in the corner covered by a grating, so that the light that shone in made checkerboard patterns across the floors and walls. The only color in the room came from the small smattering of old photo's which were taped up behind the bed. Shots Joyce and Hank and friends from Hemery High she couldn't even remember. This was Buffy's room. This was her life. This is what she had chosen.
There was a soft creak as her door swung open. The doctor her parents had been talking to before peered in, giving her a warm smile. "You're up."
"I am," Buffy nodded, a slight frown forming on her face as she realized the doctor was alone. "Where are mom and dad?"
"I sent them home, they've had a long day. All of you have," The doctor said as he pulled one of the chairs over to the bed, settling himself down and resting a folder on his lap. "You we're asleep for nearly four hours."
"You mean unconscious," Buffy retorted. Whatever they had injected her with in the hallway had knocked her out in seconds and left her feeling groggy and weak even after she'd come to. Wait… the hallway. Faith. She'd seen Faith.
The doctor must have noticed her panic as he quickly opened the folder on his lap and pulled out a pen. "Buffy, can you tell me what happened earlier?"
Buffy hesitated. Her first instinct was to lie. Lying had gotten her out of an institution before, at least in her imaginary world. But this was reality, and the doctor was looking at her in a way that made her sure he'd know if she wasn't telling the truth. "I saw Faith."
"The other ah… Slayer?" the doctor said after a quick check of his notes.
"Yes, it was her. I… am I seeing things?"
"No Buffy." The doctor said calmly. "But the girl you saw is not the person from your imagination."
Buffy frowned. "I don't understand."
"You found the… inspiration for some of the friends in your world from people in reality." The doctor said.
Buffy stared blankly at the doctor. "So Faith …"
"Faith…" the doctor opened his folder again, flipping through a few pages, "was a patient in the same ward you stayed in three years ago."
"We knew each other?" Buffy said weakly.
"In a way. Both of you were in a catatonic state, but on some level you would have been aware of each others presence."
"But… she called me B," Buffy whispered. "That was her nickname for me," she added, panic rising again inside her. The doctor was wrong, this didn't make sense. The brunette had definitely recognized her, and had panicked. Both of them we're convinced that the other shouldn't be there. It was all too much of a coincidence.
The doctor's brow furrowed at this, but after a few second a knowing smile spread across his face. "Your shirt Buffy," he said, pointing with his pen.
The blonde grabbed the fabric and twisted it so she could see it. Near the bottom of the hem was the letters 'B.S.,' drawn onto the fabric with permanent marker. "Oh."
"I think that explains it."
"I guess," Buffy conceded weakly after a long pause. The doctor had an answer for everything. But Buffy could clearly remember the flicker of recognition in Faiths frightened brown eyes. She hadn't been reading the initials off her shirt. She knew Buffy.
"Miss Summers?"
Buffy's head jerked up. "What?"
"I lost you there for a moment," the doctor said with a soft smile. "Are you alright?"
"Fine, just kinda tired I guess."
"Well I'll let you get some rest then. Dinner is at six. A nurse will come and wake you." The doctor said as he snapped the folder shut. "Welcome back to the world Buffy," he said, offering her a small smile before striding out of the room. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, Buffy was out of bed. She had only one goal in mind right now. Find Faith.
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Tara sat crossed legged at the foot of Buffy's bed, eyes closed and hands resting flat and open on her knees as she chanted softly. "Trans vicis quod tractus , reperio meus amicus quod reverto suus ut suus vox locus."
There was a heavy moment's pause punctuated only by Buffy's soft, even breathing. Slowly Tara cracked her eyes open and looked sadly up at Xander, who was pacing around nervously beside the bed. "It's not working."
"Try again," Xander said.
"Xander I-I…" Tara started weakly. She could feel the boy's pain and anger. Like everyone in the house he was torn between fear for their friend and the hurt the blonde's actions had caused.
"Try again," Xander repeated, his voice shaky and rough.
Tara sighed, closed her eyes, and began to chant again.
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Buffy padded down the white hallway, keeping close to the wall as she cautiously moved forward, peering into each room she passed. Some patients stared back at her silently, some yelled and cursed her and others didn't even give her a glance. She was beginning to worry. She was getting close to the end of the hallway, which was blocked by large, heavy double doors which were obviously locked. What if Faith wasn't in her ward? Maybe the doctors had her moved after what had happened earlier today. Suddenly Buffy caught a glimpse of familiar chestnut hair. Slowly she stepped into the small room. On the bed near the window lay a familiar figure, who was curled up and facing away from her.
It was time to work out what was going on. Taking a deep breath Buffy crossed the small distance to the bed and placed her hand on the brunettes shoulder. "Faith?"
Tbc?