Author's note: A quick jaunt back to April 9, 2001 . . .

Disclaimer: Daria, Buffy characters 'tain't mine. Dr. Vaughn and Bonita Juarez are.

X X X X X

Earlier:

Daria was startled to come back to herself on what appeared to be the same day -- at least, if Dr. Vaughn's clothes were any indication. There was a sheet of paper on the table in front of her in Faith's handwriting.

Frowning slightly, she said, "This is still April 9, right?"

"It is," Dr. Vaughn said.

"I'm confused, then."

"I understand why. I've been . . . talking with Faith for the last half hour or so. The clock on the wall put it just past 11:30. "There's no easy way to say this."

"Then say it the hard way," Daria said.

Dr. Vaughn took a deep breath. "Today, at 1:30, your aunt and ADA Fisk are going to court to have you declared mentally incompetent."

"What?" Daria said angrily. "Did you --"

"They're using my report," she said, "But I have nothing to do with it."

"Why would theydo that?"

"They're convinced it's for your own good. And they're convinced of this because the DA has agreed to let you out of jail . . ."

Daria caught on. "If Faith, the multiple murderer, doesn't come along for the ride." Dr. Vaughn nodded. "Let me see if I can figure out what's likely to happen next. They'll come in here today or tomorrow and explain this to me -- Mrs. Silber will no longer be my attorney, since as an officially licensed lunatic I won't be entitled to make my own decisions about hiring one -- and within a few days I'll be shuffled off to some mental institution to be poked, prodded, and drugged into oblivion until they're sure that Faith is no longer around to trouble them. Never mind that I promised her I'd make sure her personality didn't vanish; who cares about what a crazy person wants, right?"

"I wouldn't quite make them out to be the avatars of evil that you seem to think they are -- and I doubt your aunt is going to let them 'drug you to oblivion.' She seems to like your personality more or less the way it is. Beyond that, you seem to have it."

"I know they're not evil," Daria said. "I even understand their motives. I just wish someone gave a crap about what Faith and I want." When Dr. Vaughn cleared her throat, Daria said, "Present company excepted."

"That private investigator, Angel, seemed as upset as I am. I'd definitely say he's on your side."

"For all the good it does me," Daria said.

Dr. Vaughn said, "He argued loud and long about it at the meeting yesterday. And when Ms. Fisk and your aunt still decided to have you declared non compis mentis, he stormed out. It might not have helped you, but it's good to remember that there's someone else out there who sees it the way you do."

"I'll keep that in mind. So. Why did you tell me this?" Presuming that Dr. Vaughn was on her side -- and she'd given Daria no reason to doubt her so far, which meant that Daria was only mildly suspicious -- she knew the woman came down here for a reason.

"Read."

Daria looked down.

Heya, Daria. The Doc and me, we've been hashing it out for about twenty minutes, trying to come up with a plan. I think hers works, but there's going to have to be some sacrifice on both our parts. Me, I'm going to need to go away for a while. You, you're going to need to agree to forget about this letter and conversation so no one else gets suspicious.

Here's how it's going to work: The Doc's already switched around the phrase she uses to turn you into me. Faith Ellen Lehane ain't going to bring me out. Since I'm not going to be around for a while, she didn't need to bother changing the one to turn me back into you. She'll give you the details and a couple of new trigger phrases -- going by the theory here that you'll go along with all this. I wish it didn't have to be this way, DM, but it's the only thing I can think of short of busting out of here, and I'd be screwing with too many people if I tried that.

(By the way -- the DM thing is my new nick for you. I kind of give a nickname to everyone. Hope it doesn't bug you.)

You have to forget all this cause we need your reaction to be real. The Doc's going to take all the heat for erasing me -- don't know how she's going to explain it away, but that ain't on me. I'm sure she'll come up with something. And you've got to be pissed, DM. You've got to be really, really pissed at the Doc and everyone else for taking me away from you. And, no offense, but while you got that Vulcan thing going and a good talent voices I don't think you can fake this kind of anger.

Please go along with this. If you want to save me, it's the only thing we can do.

Faith Ellen Lehane

Daria looked up and said, "Yes."

Dr. Vaughn seemed a bit startled by the suddenness of Daria's assent. "You don't have any questions?"

"None that are likely to do me any good in the next ten minutes, because I won't remember them. Just do me a favor and don't take anything I say after you erase my memory of this conversation personally."

"I won't," the psychiatrist said. "Faith and I set up some trigger phrases to remind you of this if it ever becomes necessary."

"Good idea. I hope it doesn't." After a second, "What are the trigger phrases?"

"Something out of Faith's past. I'm not sure of the significance; I only know they meant a lot to her. I'll say, 'I never knew you had such rage in you.' And you'll say, 'What can I say? I'm the world's best actress.' And I'll say 'Second best.'"

"Kind of elaborate."

"That's intentional. It's not something I want anyone else to be able to guess." She looked up at the clock on the wall. "There will be other triggers, but we're starting to run up against the clock here. Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Absolutely." She wasn't sure, but she couldn't come up with any other ideas. And like Faith, she wasn't going to try to break out.

"Okay, then," Dr. Vaughn said.

X X X X X

This all came flooding back to Daria instantaneously. Dr. Vaughn saying "Okay then" was the last thing she remembered, so that must have been when the psychiatrist put her into the trance.

"I agreed to this," she whispered. The rage wasn't gone, but for some reason for the moment it seemed easier to maintain.

"You did," Dr. Vaughn confirmed. "I wouldn't have done it otherwise." Then she laughed ruefully. "What I wasn't expecting was how far you'd go to try to bring Faith back on your own."

"It didn't work. Obviously."

"Not only didn't it work, it backfired about as badly as it could have short of you getting yourself shot." Then, looking warily down the hall, "Not that that wasn't an outside option."

"If that's the tranquilizer rifle," Daria said, "I told Warden Juarez to use it if things got much worse. That would have been better than taking any chance on me hurting someone."

"I don't think that's going to be necessary now."

"Sure," Daria snorted. "Now, it's not. But what about when you make me lose my memory again?" The psychiatrist started at that. "I'm not stupid, Dr. Vaughn. And Faith was right -- I'm not a good enough actress to keep up that level of anger. And I don't think the way I went about it last night makes an acceptable substitute. Not unless the warden doesn't actually mind holes in the walls of her prison."

"She does," Dr. Vaughn said. "Speaking of which . . ."

"How am I doing this? Adrenaline, plus the fact that Faith is stronger than she looks." Daria certainly wasn't about to tell her the truth.

"Hmmm." Dr. Vaughn didn't sound like she believed Daria, but also sounded like she had more important things to worry about. Then she stepped closer to the bars, holding up her right hand in a "stop" gesture as she did so, saying, "Don't worry. I think the danger has passed."

"Yeah," Daria said. "Until you trigger my amnesia again and I decide to try some other stupid maneuver to get Faith back."

"I'll give you a post-hypnotic suggestion not to do that," Dr. Vaughn said. "And I'll make sure you come see me at some point after you get out."

"Good idea," Daria said. "Do me a favor. Before you bring back my memory loss, bring me back to myself for a couple of minutes."

"I will," she promised.

X X X X X

Dr. Lynette Vaughn triggered Daria's trance state.

While she was under, she told her not to reread her aunt's book and that she would not remember the chapter that had set off her emotional outburst. She would have told Daria not to remember she'd even read it, but that would have brought about a greater puzzle -- finding a new way to explain Daria's fit of rage.

She told her not to attempt to bring Faith back at all on her own. That she could be angry and upset at the "removal" of Faith's personality but that that was it. And that, once she was out of prison, she was to find Lynette -- whatever pretext she needed -- and that Lynette would say the phrase that would bring Faith back.

At that time, she told Daria, she would set it up so Faith and Daria could trigger the personality switches on their own.

"When you wake up from the trance," Lynette said, "You will remember everything I've said to you, so you can have some time to come to terms with it."

"Thank you," Daria said.

Then she was struck by curiosity. "Daria, why are your punches damaging the cell?"

"No."

"No?"

"I don't care how deep this trance is," Daria said. "I'm not answering that question."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not my secret to tell," Daria said.

"Would Faith tell me?"

Despite being under deep hypnosis, Daria smiled faintly. "I don't know. I'm not Faith."

Lynette hesitated, then gave up. This was a mystery, definitely, but not one she desperately needed answers to.

"I may do that . . . but it's not important right now."

Then she spoke the phrase that snapped Daria out of her trance. Daria scowled at Lynette and said, "Don't do that again. And don't discuss it with anyone else, either. I'm not sure Faith will tell you about it, but I can't and won't. When I say it's not my secret, I'm not kidding."

"Fair enough."

Daria took a deep breath and said, half mumbling, "Thank you for rushing down here. Especially after everything I've said about you. And everything I'll say again five minutes from now."

Lynette smiled. "You're welcome, Daria."

"I guess I really can trust you."

"You can. But it's nice to hear you say it. Especially given your general opinion of most other members of the human race."

"A perception I haven't changed, by the way," Daria said. Then, muttering once again, "And you're also welcome."

Lynette sensed that Daria felt awkward about what she'd done and the things she'd said. "There's no reason for you to feel guilty about any of this. You and Faith and I deliberately ser it up this way. You're supposed to think about me in those terms. I'm not taking any of it personally."

"I'm glad to hear that," Daria said. "One more thing. How are we going to smooth things over with the warden?"

"I'll use the adrenaline excuse to explain the damage to the wall and floor," Lynette said. "It's not a bad idea." Even though she knew full well it was an excuse.

"And to explain why I had this two-three hour fit in the first place?"

"I'll blame myself," Lynette said. "When I removed the Faith person from you, I did a somewhat sloppy job, which left you having to deal with emotions you weren't prepared to handle. And, of course, I am to blame for not telling her what had happened. And by that, of course --"

"The same thing you told everyone else," Daria said. "I get that."

"Almost everyone," Lynette said.

Daria's smile returned briefly. "Of course." Then she took another deep breath. "Okay. Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."

X X X X X

Daria came to suddenly, and glared at Dr. Vaughn through the bars of her cell. Her rage was gone -- contained, she supposed, since she knew it was still inside, waiting for a day that would never come, the day Faith could deal with it again.

She supposed she should thank the psychiatrist, but she couldn't bring herself to do so.

After all, no matter that she'd prevented Daria from destroying the cell and getting thrown into solitary, this was still the woman who'd sent Faith away.

At least now, she knew better than to reread that chapter. She knew she'd read it, but she couldn't remember anything in it. No doubt, that was also Dr. Vaughn's handiwork.

Still staring angrily at the woman, Daria said, "I think the crisis has passed. You can leave now."

"Will you be okay?"

"Assuming you care? Probably. I can't make any guarantees," Daria said. "I'll certainly be better once you're gone."

"This is my fault," Dr. Vaughn said. "And I'll tell them that. You won't get blamed for this."

"I shouldn't," Daria said. "It is your fault. And on the off chance you're waiting for me to thank you, you'll be settling in for a good, long wait."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Dr. Vaughn said, and turned around and walked off.

So. Faith wasn't coming back. Everyone except Faith's PI friend Angel had apparently conspired to get rid of Faith. And there was nothing Daria could do about it.

She wished she could go to back to bed. At least then she could get some training done.

X X X X X

"You're in a suspiciously good mood today," Wesley said. Given the outcome of Faith's hearing, that Angel hadn't spent all of yesterday and most of today brooding had come as somewhat of a surprise.

"Yes, I suppose I am," Angel said, and kept right on walking.