Sorry for taking so long to update, but I have been busy at work. Most of this chapter will be dedicated to exploring more of Illyria as she slowly becomes involved in Slayer and Watcher Council Politics as issues of what she can do slowly become apparent to the other Slayers.

Also I would like to thank the actress Navi Rawat who played Dana in the episode "Damaged" for creating such an interesting character to delve into this world of Slayer internal Politics with. Given how Navi looks in various publicity photos, and that Dana has spent most of her life inside, letting her have a darker shade of skin in this chapter is my creative prerogative and to give a connection to something I am going to be presenting in the future chapters of this story with the Slayer Mythology. That and I am using Joss's other character of River Tam from FireFly as a reference for Dana's character for a person who has been through so much trauma as Dana has been.

Oh, I apologize in advance for any pronunciation problems with the Languages Dana uses; I used Altavista's Bablefish to translate some of the lines of what I wrote into the Languages she uses.

Well On with the story,


Part 6,


Spike was sitting in his apartment as he attempted to watch Passions on the tele. So many of the plot lines had changed. The boy that had played Timmy had been written out of the show after he had become a real boy. Soon after that the actor playing him died. The old Witch that created him her apprentice had started to become more powerful with the dark arts. Hell Willow could have written a better storyline. Lets see old Red was humping Latina Slayer babe,

Buffy was humping the Immortal, her two Vampire ex-boyfriends wanted to kill the guy, just waiting for the most opportune moment. First Vampire boyfriend was shaggin' a Werewolf art teacher during the day times of the monthly full moons. Second Vamp boyfriend, himself was not playing X-Box games in an attempt to not think about sex, but the heavily cleavage action character on the screen was doing nothing but to remind him of Buffy. Man he needed to get laid. That was when the phone started to ring.

"What on a second, I'm coming." Spike said as he got up after he paused the game. Spike was expecting to hear some Telemarketer that wanted to sell he something. But it wasn't to be.

"How's my favorite Hobbit. Spike." Andrew said as Spike expected to hear about some lurid thing about Buffy and the Immortal.

"Fine Andrew. So unless you are calling to tell me that Slutty the Vampire Slayer tossed out that oversized wank's ass, I'm not going to listen." Spike said, as he was about to hang up the phone as Andrew screamed out over the line.

"Spike... Buffy broke up with the Immortal." Andrew said as Spike nearly placed the phone back on the receiver. Those words forced spike to tear the phone's receiver up with such speed that he slammed the earpiece into his head nearly giving him a concussion.

"Ow..." Spike said as he attempted to recover from the self-imposed bludgeoning he had given himself.

"Spike are you okay?" Andrew said with worry.

"No you bloody bloke... I banged myself in the head with the dang bloody phone." Spike said as he rubbed his head with his hand.

"Well Spike, I was hoping that you are feeling better since you and Angel had your little Facade here in Italy." Andrew said as Spike sat back down on the couch.

"Yeah, Yeah... Well tell me the details about Buffy tossing the Immortal out on his flat butt." Spike said waiting for details.

"Well the main reason that Buffy broke up with the Immortal, well the Immortal thought that Dawn was Buffy while she was taking a shower after she had come back from Track and Field." Andrew said listening.

"So let me take a guess she heard Dawn scream when the Immortal came in. Buffy barged in grabbed the Immortal by the neck and..." Spike said as Andrew butted in.

"Actually it was by his nuts." Andrew said as the wince of pain in his voice could be heard.

"Ouch." Spike said as he winced at the image of Buffy grabbing the Immortal's Man Sac in a not so good mood.

"So after that, Old Joe, as Buffy Calls him was marched to the wall, but she was so furious that she must of missed the wall and he went out of the window and crashed into his car." Andrew said as Spike started to grin.

"Well that is Buffy being a big sister. You know she beat a God of the Greek sort to death just for laying her hands on Dawn." Spike said leaning forward looking at the phone. "Um, Doesn't Buffy live on the Sixth floor of her apartment?"

"Yes. She does. Well, lets just say Buffy said as the Ambulance took the Immortal away to have his arms and legs put into casts, she said that if he ever laid a hand on her sister..." Andrew was wincing as he debated to say the next few words.

"Well come on Man Speak up." Spike said literally hanging on the edge of his seat.

"She threatened to turn him into a eunuch." Andrew said as Spike got a good idea of what that meant.

"Way to go Buff..." Spike said Triumphantly as he got up and started to waltz around the room.

"Andrew who are you talking to on the phone?" Buffy inquired as Spike and Andrew Stopped in their Trans-Atlantic tracks.

"No one..." Andrew said, as there was a shuffling on the other end.

"No one..." Buffy said in a not so nice mood. "Mind that I talk with No One." Buffy said as Andrew shifted as he handed the phone to her.

"Okay who is this?" Buffy said, as Spike couldn't get the words out of her mouth. "Joe... If this is you calling to suck up on me with the: Oh, I thought it was you Buffy, excuse. It isn't going to work. Now if I ever see you again... Your Balls will be in a jar and I will make fried chicken from them and feed them to you." Buffy said with the aggression in her voice. All Spike could do was Gulp. Very Loudly Gulp.

"Um, Buffy. It's Spike. I'm Alive well and Andrew knows that I'm alive. Let's not talk about the Psycho Slayer you sent him to get. I still have the scars from where she cut my hands off." Spike said waiting for the "Your Alive Spike or, I'm going to kill you Spike." To be said.

"Spike..." Buffy said as he could hear Andrew shift on her leather couch. "Is this you?" The questioning of this was real was starting to set in.

"Luv... I'm okay... The reason that I called wasn't to so much to check up with you... Well actually I was... But it was more of an Intel gathering from Andrew." Spike said as he attempted to sort through his feelings and probably get on task.

"Spike, how long.... have you..." Buffy said as Andrew attempted to sort through his conversation.

"Buffy... The First... Glory is back..." Spike said as he wished he had attempted to rephrase what he had just said.

"Glory... She's back!!!" Buffy said with a strong tone of distress.

"Don't worry Buffy, she won't be going after Dawn any time soon. Trust me I have a friend here that spoke a few things to her and trust me. Dawn last thing on that Broad's mind." Spike said remembering some of Illyria's words of something like: "our species just had its butts kicked. So I would suggest that you don't piss off me because I'm going to kick your ass if you remember what you did to tick of the Queen of the Slayers. She won't kill you... I will." Given the tones she used in that unpronounceable language she used around Gloria.

"Listen have you heard anything from the wee beastie community about anything coming from Sunnydale?" Spike said waiting to hear the answer.

"No I haven't heard anything. Andrew. Have you?" Buffy said letting the pause set in.

"Well I have heard rumors here and there, but mostly about something called the Deeper Well and demon sarcophagi, but other than that rumors about the dead of Sunnydale." Andrew said to Buffy and Spike just paused for a moment.

"Listen, about the deeper well Stuff... Was there a name like Knox mentioned?" Spike said waiting for the answer.

"Yeah, there was. Good news. The threat has been taken care of from the Deeper Well. Though a good pal of mine here in L.A. is on a time share with her body." Spike said as Andrew started to butt in.

"Oh, so how is old Fred doing?" Andrew said as he butted in his usual geeky way.

"She is the one with the Time share on her body." Spike said as he thought about how Dawn was doing.

"Listen how is Dawn doing? Other than the entire catching the Immortal touching her body." Spike said wishing he could have said that better.

"Well Dawn has been having a rough few nights with strange dreams. Something about a woman with Blue Goth style hair and a blue forehead asking her a lot of weird questions about her choosing to be human even though she is made of magic. Then she is having dreams about Glory." Buffy said as Spike started to think about how to phrase the next few words he was going to say.

"Buffy, Tell Dawn that I have a friend that she might want to talk to." Spike said thinking of the little "Niblet."

"Buffy..." Dawn's voice rang out over the phone as Spike listened in.

"Yes Dawn." Buffy said getting distracted from her talk with Spike.

"Buffy, I'm having those strange dreams again." Dawn said as he could almost see dawn in her pajamas leaning against the hallway wall leading from her bedroom. "I had this strange dream where I see Glory in my dream and she is holding a child that keeps calling her mommy and Glory looks scared like you are going to kill her again that and the entire Giles giving me away at a wedding." He could hear the scraping of a chair.

"Don't worry, Glory won't be coming after you." Buffy said as Spike could hear the tension in her voice.

"Yeah, I know a former Demon Goddess that will beat the crap out of Glory. Considering that old Red lobotomized her butt." Spike said as Buffy attempted to muffle the phone with her hand.

"Who are you talking too Buffy?" Dawn said as Spike realized that he soon had to get her to hand the phone back to Andrew. Then it hit him.

"Ms. Summers. This is Randy Burkle of Gunn and Associates. I know it is late there in Italy but we have gotten in touch with several of your Associates here in the Cleveland Area." Spike said in his attempt of doing his "One of Xander's Buds" tones of voice to keep Dawn from knowing it was him. "There is a large amount of a personal estate that has been left in your name of your late Mother Joyce... Now thanks to Ms. Rosenberg we are to inform you that...." That was when Buffy got back on the phone.

"Yes...." Buffy said on the phone.

"Buffy, listen just keep an eye open on anything coming from Sunnydale okay..." Spike said, as he wanted to end this conversation and let Buffy tend to Dawn. Telling Buffy that he was alive was done but he felt that he wanted this conversation to continue.

"Will do William." Buffy said, "I'll get in contact with you at a better time. But it was nice that we talked." Buffy said as she read some of the difficulty in his voice with the situation she was in.

"Buffy... Listen... I know that you have moved on... Just know... I consider you and Dawn as Family... If you ever need anything..." Spike said as he started to get choked up.

"I'll just give you a call." Buffy said as she hung up the phone. Spike just held the receiver in his hand looking around his apartment... His hands... And the scar on his wrists... How far to become a real boy... How far to save a Slayer... then it hit him... Dana... Would she ever be free of her ghosts?


Dana lay in the Ball pit asleep. Faith had been right... She wasn't alone... She had family. Mina was making sure of that... The Whistling man would still be in her thoughts, but he was rotting dead in some prison graveyard and would never touch her ever again. Now Dana had to think about breakfast. Boy did she love the Syrup here in Ohio; it smelled like sugar and apples.


"How's Dana doing today?" Faith said as Mina a Brunette Slayer with a degree in Psychology looked at the computer monitor of Dana's playroom.

"Well considering that between the therapy, the medication and the Spells cast on her... She is somewhat having one of her better days." Mina said as she turned to look at Faith.

"That's good. I'm just wondering how Dana can sleep in a bed made of those plastic Balls?" Faith said as she adjusted her black leather Jacket.

"Well, trust me she is behaving like any ten year old would." Mina said as Dana shifted again as Dana rolled around again as she moved out of the pit. "That and the Horse Whisperer technique I'm using on her had clamed her down a lot. That and she has definitely taking a liking to you Faith"

"Yeah well considering that she is eighteen years old. But she acts like she is still a scared kid of ten." Faith said looking at the screen.

"Well be glad that Willow, Giles and I splurged on creating this room. Do you want her doing a repeat of sleeping in your bed again?" Mina said as Faith looked at her with the, 'Okay you win' face.

"Yeah... I remember coming back from doing a nightly patrol with Wood, and were planning on doing some major love making..." Faith just left off the last of the details.

"And with the two of you stripped down to just your underwear... Wood Laid you back and was pulling off your panties when you felt this kick from under the sheets and you found Dana curled up sleeping peacefully without a care in the world in your bed." Mina said as Faith started to Blush.

"Yeah... Killed the mood completely... and nearly gave me and Wood a heart attack." Faith said as Dana was changing into some regular clothes.

"Well between you and I, she is like any other Potential mentally..." Mina said looking at the screen. "Just with a ton of mental baggage and an adult body to contend with."

"Well so far she isn't the worse case we have run into. Between the Five pregnant Slayers, one of them no older than fourteen, the Meth Addict, the eight Gang members, the rape victim, the paraplegic, and the autistic case that we found last week. I think we still have a lot of work to do before they are able to blend in with the rest of the Slayer and Watcher Community." Faith said as she turned to look at the pile of journals laid out pertaining to the other cases they were whittling on.

"Yeah, well at least some of the work is emotional support. Faith... I'm glad that she has latched onto you... Well due to your..." Mina was attempting to be polite with what she was going to say next.

"Going All Psycho..." Faith said that her past Wrap was something she had to contend with often.

"No, you having rough spots in your life and not having someone give up on you... See how you turned out... I think if anyone can let Dana be free it is going to be you... Well it looks like Dana is ready for another day." Mina said as the computer control scanned the implant in Dana's body and scanned the hallway so that Dana would be given a wide birth as she moved about preventing the three-foot think sliding door to her room to be kept close until it was empty. Then slowly the door opened to reveal her friend Marie... One of the Slayers that Dana had started to come to trust. That and Marie was a ten year old Potential who was empathic to Dana and loved Dance.

"Hi Dana... You ready for breakfast?" Marie said as Dana started to slowly move forward.

"Yes I am... Marie..." Dana said as she started to scratch at her wrist where her computerized watch that was permanently attached to her wrist. "Thanks for letting me sunbathe with you. Sorry about me going topless." Dana said cautiously as she slowly moved out the door.

"It's no Big... you needed the sun." Marie said as Dana ran her hands through her dark brown hair. "Listen, Faith and Mina told me to take you down to the Infirmary to get your watch recharged." Marie said as Dana looked at her wrist.

"I know..." Dana said feeling the hallway before entering into it. "The medicine in my watch keeps the voices out." Dana said as Marie handed her a hairbrush.

"Listen I wanted to give you this." Marie said as Dana felt the surface of the Dark wood of the Brush handle.

"Dark Oak... good for Killing Vamps with. This came from a woman with a singing voice." Dana said as she started to pull it through her still somewhat feral hair. "It sounds like my mom. But I sense this belonged to your family."

"Dana, how did you know it came from my Grandmother?" Marie said as Dana started to walk down the hallway with her comfortably.

"I feel its connection with you. Why do give this to me?" Dana said as her dark Central Mediterranean Skin tones highlighted her curiosity.

"Well, I feel that since you have this sense about you. I knew that the only way that you would let anyone brush your hair is if the Brush came from mother figure." Marie said as Dana started to grin.

"I like you, Marie... Are we having pancakes today?" Dana said as they entered the Glass Elevator and headed up to the main floor.

"Yes we are, Oh... remember we have class today." Marie said as she started to grin.

"I like School... Will we be studying demons today?" Dana said as she leaned on her friend with her side-tilted head.

"Well I think we will be learning about computers and math." Marie said as Dana started to grin more.

"Computers as we will be playing on computers?" Dana said as they entered the infirmary like a child who knew too much about what it was like to be sick as she licked her dry mouth that never seemed to stay moist no matter how much water or lip balm she used.

"Yeah, well not so much play but learn how to use them to track and find demons." Marie said as Dana looked like she was having one of her better days.

"Marie... this gift I have... you and a few of the other Slayers don't see it as a curse..." Dana said as she sat down on the medical table.

"Dana, the fact that you are reading the minds of Slayers and have the memories of past Slayers means you have to contend with a lot of darkness other than the daily evil stuff we have to fight." Marie said as she took the brush from Dana and started to Brush Dana's dark hair.

"I like the memories of the Dark Skinned Slayer from the Seventies..." Dana said, as she felt dreamy at the time.

"You mean Wood's Mom... Yeah I see where he gets his fighting spirit from." Marie said as Mina came in twisted off the dial of the watch put a key into the watch and popped one medication module out and inserted another in.

"Yeah, I like him. Him and Faith are in love." Dana said as she felt her hair and worries melt away as Marie combed her hair. "I'm glad to see her little boy all grown up. It makes me happy that he has found someone to love."

"Well Dana, you are good for another few days." Mina said as she handed Dana a bottle of Water. "How are the dreams?"

"Good... I'm doing what you told me to do... to tune into the daily lives of the Slayers I have memories of and experience the full memories. Some times it is hard, I just keep remembering where I spent most of my life at." Dana said as she looked at the backwards-running clock set up in the infirmary.

"Well, remember Dana the Feral... You have to find yourself, it is going to be a long road a head of you, but you have the strength to get through it, just don't let it take you over." Mina said as Dana's eyes opened and she grinned with the emotion of a ten year-old.

"I will" Dana said as she rubbed her wrist. "Tell Faith I am sorry about being in her bed... Her memories are very intense and powerful. I thought I was her... Tell her I will only enter her mind with her permission that and I will keep my clothes on the next time I am in her room." Dana said as she got up and started to walk with Marie. "Ms. Mina... " Dana stopped for a moment as she turned to face the Slayer Psychiatrists.

"Yes Dana..." Mina said as Dana closed her eyes and searched for the correct terms to use to state what she had in her mind.

"Why does Faith Sleep in the nude when she is Alone? And who is Xander?" Dana said as Faith stopped dead in her tracks in the hallway door...

"Umm..." Mina did not know how to proceed and Faith looked like a deer stuck in the headlight of a car at night.


Illyria was watching one of the female members of the Shadowmen work in front of a computer.

"Mina... I've been working on an idea about Dana... you say that she possesses telepathic powers..." The dark haired Watcher said over her video like with the Cleveland Watcher's council offices.

"Yes, she does.... She even has demonstrated some linkages to some of the other Slayers Leia." Mina said as Illyria watched from a distance as she looked through several texts pertaining to some of the Slayers of the past.

"So, how is the protection Spell that was cast on her doing? Has it prevented her from going fully feral?" The Watcher said as Illyria moved from the texts she was reading and moved into the background with her cloaking powers and watched the conversation with interest. .

"Yes it has Leia. She cannot harm anyone unless the Spell perceives them as being a physical threat to her." Mina said, as she looked at the streaming file at the bottom the screen.

"Well I am glad for hearing about this. So the mental work is going along great in making Dana able to deal with the trauma that she has been through." Leia said as the image of a young woman of Mediterranean decent appeared on the computer screen, with brown eyes, dark hair and a wild feel about her. "Recently she has developed a friendship with one of the younger Potentials, now given Dana's emotional age... it has worked out to where I can start to treat her mental state in a controlled manner. But she has taken a strong liking to Faith and I think with Faith's help we can beat back some of the ghosts in her head."

"If this warrior needs aid, why not cast a spell of forgetfulness to remove the trauma along with a age reversal spell on her so that she can be healed and integrated into your society." Illyria said as she butted into the conversation as she decloaked behind Leia. The sudden appearance of the Blue Demoness behind the Watcher threw her off her train of thought.

"Illyria..." Leia said as she spun around in her chair to face Illyria.

"You wish to help this Dana with her Trauma. Learn what she wants to live her life and grant it. If she has experienced loss teach her to gain strength from it. She has a guide, then have the Guide show her the path." Illyria said speaking from her own experience. "She may resist at first, but the guide's patience with her must allow her to find something to fight for." Illyria paused as her closed her eyes as tears started to streak down her face. "Let her know that... there will be pain... she will hate herself... She will feel.... Alone. She must know that she isn't..." The last words that came out of Illyria's said it all. "Alone..............."

"You sound like you have been there?" Mina said over the videoconference.

"Yes... I am still there... I know... Now that I am not the only one on the path." Illyria said as she slowly moved away leaving Mina and Leia with questions of their own to answer.


Chloe was sitting in the basement of Slayer house looking at Data do his search for Demon activity. The thing was he was using a computer to track down vampires' nests in the area. A really big computer that looked like it belonged to Tom Cruise's character in 'Minority Report'.

"Come on between the major demon activity, in the area.... I thought that the vamps would be thinking about getting some idea of having a feeding fest or at least be hitting the butcher shops for their daily blood." Data said searching the computer logs of the various attacks and muggings in the police records from the local PD.

"Well probably one of Gunn's crew might have a lead on something in the local area?" Chloe said as she moved to look at a few of the logs on the camera based curved Plexiglas computer terminal screen, the rear screen projectors occasionally flickering as the image attempted to right itself on the jumping plastic from Data's keystrokes on the laser projected keyboard.

"Well you could take Illyria on a patrol of the college campus." Data said as he called up a map of the local area.

"Yeah, well starting her out on some basic Slaying should b good for her." Chloe said as Data started to pound away at the keyboard some more, but he stopped for a moment and turned towards Chloe.

"Chloe... did you hear what Illyria said today about Dana?" Data said as he moved away from the computer terminal as the search program ran it scan for the information it had been asked for.

"Some, mostly it was second hand... she said something like she wanted to Neuralize Dana, and do an age reversal spell on her." Chloe said as she took up sitting on the edge of the Plexiglas.

"Yeah... she might be right about Dana." Data said as he moved away from his computer terminal. "She needs a lot of work, now if she were to forget or have most of the trauma of her life erased then she might be able to make some path of recovery."

"Well I don't like the idea mucking with people's minds. It sounds too much like the Manchurian Candidate" Chloe said, as she looked at all the computer gear Data had stashed around his basement layer.

"Well, if there was a way for Dana to understand that the events that happened to her were beyond her control, and that the bastard that did this to her is dead. Then she might want to think about doing what Buffy did." Data said as he moved and picked up a plain looking journal and flipped through its many blank pages and placed his index finger in. "Cross Reference Slayer Buffy Summers with the references of the vampire known as The Master." With that the text started to form on the pages.

"What is that?" Chloe said as Data handed her the text.

"It is a codex template. Andrew saw one at Wolfram and Hart which Wesley was using and when old Andy told Giles about it. Giles wanted to see if we could do the same thing with our texts to prevent the bureaucratic mess that lead to the First Watcher's Council from being wiped out by The First." Data said as Chloe started to flip through the pages.

"This is the entire Watcher's Journal on Buffy... All of her Battles, all of her enemies she had fought... Allies... Heck... There is even a section about Willow in here." Chloe said as she looked through the pages.

"Yeah, Well it just deals with most of her first year as a Slayer, along with dealing with some of The Master's followers." Data said as Chloe stopped ever few pages.

"Read the section focusing on what she did to The Master's remains." Data said as Chloe read through that section of the text.

"She... She was killed by the Master, revived then..." Chloe said looking through more of the text. "My God... After the Master was slain... His followers attempted to resurrect him... She fought them, then... Data is this right... She pounded his remains to dust before she reburied them." Chloe said looking at Data as she slowly got up and moved over to one of the beanbag chairs and plopped down as her legs gave out underneath her. "I didn't know..."

"Now many do... It is a chapter of Buffy's life that she keeps secret. So she has been through pretty much of what Dana has experienced, except for the murder of her family and being raped." Data said as Chloe looked at him.

"And I thought I had it rough... This makes the Battle with The First look like a yearly event like Thanksgiving, Halloween and New Years Eve." Chloe said as Data's large screened computer beeped.

"Yeah it does... Wait, we have an incoming transmission from the Council." Data said as he hit several keys and an image of Willow appeared life-sized on the screen.

"Hey Willow... What's up?" Data said as Chloe got up from the Beanbag chair and moved into camera view.

"Hey Data, how's the Techno-Pagan research team doing down there in L.A.?" Willow said as her short cut red hair shifted some as she turned her gaze to her take on her computer.

"Well considering in the past week we have two members of Angel's crew staying here, along with several demon hunting commando dudes. All in all things have been getting real interesting with the Bathrooms and all." Data said Willow started to scan through something on her end of line.

"Well, geeze... Talk about the house getting crowded." Willow said as suddenly Kennedy came down the staircase from upstairs.

"Hey Willow." Kennedy said as she moved up to the computer. "So how is Cleveland treating you?" The olive skinned Slayer said as Willow's knees turned to jelly.

"Pretty good, well considering that the young Watchers that we have here and the SITs had their first food fight in the cafeteria before the end of semester break." Willow said as Data started to look at the red haired witch more closely and saw something still in her hair.

"Um, you look like you have something in your hair." Data said as Willow put her hand up into heir hair and pulled out an off brown bacon bit from her scarlet locks.

"Yeah... I'm heavily leaning to the fact it was one of the Potential's with this evidence." Willow said as she sorted through the list of possible suspects in her head.

"Well given that several of the Slayers and Potentials that still have folks around, there has to be some stress relief before they go see what they have left of their families." Kennedy said remembering the slumber party incident from when they were in Sunnydale.

"Yeah, that and Dana is getting worried some about losing her friend Marie." Willow said as Kennedy, Chloe and Data all looked at the screen.

"Have you told Dana that Marie has folks in the area." Data said remembering his time at the new Watcher Academy.

"Not yet, but considering that several of the older Slayers have decided to stay during the three week break. I think Dana won't feel too much alone." Willow said she looked at Kennedy some more.

"Well there has been a roving idea around here by our resident Warrior Smurf, that we should Neuralize Dana and do an age reversal spell on her." Chloe said as Willow looked at them with curiosity.

"I heard about it through Mina's conversation with Leia earlier. Some of it was interesting but I want to give Dana the chance to make the decision on her own... It is something that she her self should make... we she let her know about the risks and the consequences of the actions she is about to make if she goes through with it." Willow paused for a moment to think of the implications of what she would say next. "She won't lose her powers, even if we could take her powers away from her permanently, the effect of this magic would hurt the other Slayers." Willow said, as there was a sudden change in her voice. "Given how she feels about being around others like herself and all the strength she has, she would be too afraid to give that up..."

"Willow..." Dana said hanging in the shadows of the doorway behind her; her gray t-shirt and black jeans highlighted her olive skin. Willow turned to see Dana standing behind her. "You were speaking about me... You were trying to find a way for me to stop the monsters in my mind." Dana said as tears started to flow down her eyes.

"Oh, Dana..." Willow said as she got up out of the chair and moved over to hug Dana. "It's going to be okay, we were just shooting ideas..." Willow said as she moved back and let Dana's chocolate Brown soul filled eyes look at her.

"No... Take powers away." Dana said as she sniffled some as she bit her lips.

"No taking powers away..." Willow said as she moved Dana over to the computer terminal and pulled up another chair and let Dana sit down... "Dana, we have been learning about how other Slayers in the Past like yourself have dealt with the darkness." Willow said as Dana studied her.

"I know of them... I Slayer. EyW yvwPíchw... I know... " Dana said as she moved towards speaking in Greek which meant that she had found a calm persona to take on.

"Dana, if for a year you could live without the voices and all of the memories and learn to be a person for that little bit... you might have the strength to take those memories back and use them to make you stronger." Willow said as Dana reached out and touched her on the face.

"To be normal???" Dana said as she leaned forward as she started to sniff at Willow taking on some of her Feral senses of studying people.

"Well Slayer normal..." Willow said uncomfortably...

"You say you will tell me of the risks... I heard..." Dana said as she turned towards the computer monitor. "Kennedy... You tell her of this? Ddeud 'm chan naill sy cara 'm... fi must chwrdd channddyn! Tell me of the one that is like me... I must meet with them! " Dana spoke in a language Willow instantly recognized as Welsh.

"Dana, the person that is like you is in L.A. and we are trying to sort out the mess there before we decide to take you back there." Willow said as Dana looked down some in shame.

"It is because of the people I killed during my awakening?" Dana said as tears started to come down her face.

"Yes Dana... you have much more healing to have to occur before you go back there." Willow said as Dana sifted some. "That and the little tribal dance you did by the lake after you came here, when Mina did that memory search ritual on you." Willow said as she tried to make Dana cheer up.

"You saw that?" Dana said as Illyria came down the stairs and looked at the scene unfolding on the large computer screen.

"Yeah, you singing in Greek and dancing by the waterline in the nude. You looked very peaceful as you struck at the water with your limbs." Willow said as Dana started to grin. "The sun and shore of the beach remind me of a girl in a fishing village from long ago. She wore only tunic, but the song she sang and the dance she performed was her way to appease Poseidon for the storm that took her father. She shed her garment so that he would see her body and come and take her, but he didn't. But the song helped her be at peace with herself. The Shadow Man offered to become her father figure, from that point on... through all the battles, she felt happy." Dana said as she shifted some and started to pull her shirt out of her pants. "You said I had to channel a memory of something good to hold on to... Well I found it. I like the cold of the water and heat of the sun against my bare flesh... I feel safe and able to feel the world around me. Not like the walls of the institute. To feel alive." Dana said as Willow started to look at her.

"You mean you like to dance?" Willow said as Dana just nodded in acceptance.

"You are Dana, the Feral Slayer?" Illyria said as she came into view of the camera.

"I am..." Dana said unsure how to perceive Illyria's presence on the screen.

"I am Illyria of the Prymordium... you have heard of what I have spoken of with the removal of your memories." Illyria said as Dana started to study her on the screen.

"You are demon, but you are not." Dana said as Illyria moved towards the camera. "It is very confusing for me."

"The same here... Humans are such strange creatures... I have the shell of one and the memories of one, but my emotions are confusing. I wish to be part of this world, but like you I am damaged. Unsure of what powers I have or if I will ever fit into the world." Illyria said as Dana studied her through the monitor. Willow moved her hand and clicked on the mouse some to change the aspect ratio on the screen so that she could make out more detail on the screen of this Illyria person. It wasn't until Willow clicked on the image view and focused the zoom of Illyria that her jaw hit the floor.

"Fred...." Willow said in almost a gasp. That single word got Illyria's attention.

"You are Willow, the red haired follower of the Earth Mother. I am honored to be in your presence." Illyria said as Willow just looked at Illyria seeing this demon carrying the face of her science geek friend in L.A.

"How did you get into her body?" Willow said in anger and fear.

"I did not have the choice in choosing this form. It was chosen by another, one of my followers who I now see in hindsight as not as being one of the most wisest." Illyria said as she shuttered at the thought of finding Knox's journal. "To him I was a thing... Something to be idolized... But he did free me through placing the shell in an area where I could get to it, but after spending so many centuries and millina entombed... Desperation enveloped me and I chose your friend Fred as my body." Illyria turned her head down in shame and kneeled down before the projected image of Willow. "The beings whom I respect, The Powers that Be, did something to me and my shell... We were merged... My thoughts and her's are slowly becoming one... I fear at times I am losing myself with these Human Emotions and she, "Fred" fears she is losing her humanity with my urges for violence and power." Illyria said as she started to cry. All Willow could do was see the same pain in her eyes as she had when she was addicted to the dark side power of magic.

"Fred... If you are in there... I just want to hear your voice..." Willow said, as Dana looked concerned as she noticed the scarlet Wiccan's hair slowly turn white.

"Willow..." the sound of a Texan accent bleed through. "...Don't be angry with her... I am her guide in a way... She is so fragile as I was after I came back from Pylea... She had no choice in the matter... she is so alone... She is still a little rough around the edges, but right now... she is where she needs to be." Fred's voice said as Dana reached out and touched the screen as her nails made a thlunk against the computer screen on Willow's end.

"You have a voice inside of you... Like me?" Dana said as Fred slash Illyria looked at her as she cocked her head to one side.

"Only one voice... but I have lived many lifetimes." Illyria said as Dana and Willow looked at her.

"I have memories of many lives too... So many I cannot count... It gets difficult at times; some are violent while others are very... soothing. My own memories disturb me... But there are a few of the girls in my mind that I feel safe being in... Juman... She loves the Sun and worked in her garden... Mtopeí va kpúyei, ntav kyéqtns... She can hide, she was a thief Noa... She's also Greek... She is old and has skin like mine... ntav attó éva xwpió aaieías, o dnynoe ta áaoya óttws tov aépa...Kai nEepe TTwc va koa urttnOei; Kai Xópewe otnv eoEuría o íoaoc ettávw. She was from a fishing village; she rode horses like the wind... And she knew how to swim in a time people knew not how to, and she danced to cheer herself up. I love to dance, I feel free like there are no walls that can hold me back and I can feel happy... like Marie... My friend... I like her... she see's me as a kindred spirit, that and we read Teen People together." Dana said as she grinned, for many in the room this was the first time they had seen this olive skinned girl grin.

"You like the ones from the land called Greece. Why?" Illyria said as Dana paused for a moment before she answered.

"They are not all from Greece... Noa and Juman... Are two who lived in the same land or type of land, they went through the same pain I have been through... I feel like, I am them... I see them as they guide me... I don't feel like I have been through hell alone... Though I do sense the memories of the one called Buffy, They are..." Dana shifted some uncomfortably. "Helpful." Dana said as she attempted to sort through the right word to use.

"Human language is very limited... When it comes to terms you cannot fully express." Illyria said as an understanding came between the two of them... Both accepting of their humanity and their warrior heritage thrust upon them to be protectors.

"If you were to have one thing Dana... Illyria... what would it be?" Chloe said as both figures turned towards her both physically and virtually.

"I would wish that I could have some of my childhood back so that I could make sense of the world." Dana said as in her eyes you could see the ten-year-old girl screaming to get out in her adult body.

"In my time age meant nothing but to mean status... yet youth could be easily maintained even reverted to with the proper spells. Do you wish to revert to a younger form?" Illyria said as Dana looked at Illyria thinking for the first true time in her life of getting something back that she had lost.

"You mean do I wish to be a child again... I do not know... To experience life without memory of the whistling man, to grow up knowing that I was safe even if it was with foster parents then I could live with that. I wished that I could have Mr. Wood and Ms. Faith as my parents... I like them..." Dana paused as reality set in for her... "You could do that... take my memories away of the whistling man... Make me whole..."

"I do not know... My powers have been so greatly reduced... I do not know even if I am even capable of such a task..." Illyria said as Dana was almost to the point of crying... "But I will try with what strength I have. You need to belong with your people, find your place. I... Know what pain is... to have someone to care about to have a sense of peace even if it is for a year or a day will allow you to battle beyond what your limits you think they are." Illyria said as Dana waited for the answer...

"You mean I can be normal..." Dana said as Willow looked at the group conference on the screen...

"I do not know... But I do sense we are kindred spirits, cut from the same cloth. I have violence and arrogance I must temper with compassion and humility... you have Aggression and fear you must balance with humanity and hope." Illyria said as an unspoken understanding started to develop between them.

"Illyria you mean you can help Dana..." Data said as Illyria moved over by the computer and attempted to touch Dana's face on the screen.

"I will not know... there is much for her and I to prepare for... It isn't until the next new moon that I will be ready... I still have to help with the funerals of the fallen that died in battle to protect this realm." Illyria said as Dana leaned forward in her chair and knew it would be a long journey for her to take in the next few days...

"Illyria... Thanks you... for..." Dana got choked up as she started to hug Willow. "... The whistling man will no longer haunt my dreams." All Willow could do was just hold on to Dana as the concept for release from her pain started to set in.

"I cannot stop him from hunting your dreams... I can only give you the weapons to challenge him and free yourself from his hold. But for that little while you will have true strength that will either make you or break you Slayer..." Illyria said as those words started to sink into Dana's mind. "I can only place you in the right direction." With that Illyria used her powers and disappeared from the room.

"Well Chloe, it looks like your little patrol tonight with her will be a bit more about learning about her and why she wants to do this?" Kennedy said as Chloe looked at the screen.

"What the hell is Illyria up to?" Chloe said as she looked at Dana on the screen in Willow's arms as the scared little girl saw hope of being whole again. Or was it something else all together?


TBC

Author Note, the ball bed Dana sleeps is actually exists. It us used in a type therapy called Horse Whispering. This is where the patient is place in an environment where they have controlled mobility but they have to work at it. During this they have to think about what they need to do, they have to gain focus so that they move in the ball pit they are in. The more at rest and calmer they are; the more the doctor is able to get through to them on a mental level. This therapy is mostly used to treat autistics patients but it has been know to work well to treat cases of aggression, disconnection, and trauma. This would seem like a plausible path Mina would take on Dana given the trauma she has been through. That and what kid doesn't mind playing in a ball pit.