AN: Through my week of thinking about Season 5, I felt that I can't decide about one event and will ask you the readers to decide. Do you want Joyce to develop her illness? Thank you for the reviews and BTVS doesn't belong to me. Please stay with my indecision for another week while I get your answers.

*Lilith's dream*

Lilith felt like she was held in place but she couldn't see anything through a pitch black space. There were voices rising in the blackened area and slashes of pain accompanying the voices. They kept repeating three words over and over with the young brunette clenching her jaw to stop herself from screaming at the pain.

"Killer." A rough voice accompanied what felt like a slice up her midsection.

"Murderer." The gravelly stated as cut to her upper thigh.

"Monster." An almost demonic voice said as a stab was felt through her heart.

"Agh!" Lilith screamed as she bolted upright from her sleep.

Before she gained her senses, there was a figure leaning over her and she snapped off a right hook. The figure caught the young slayer's wrists and pulled her arm across her chest also grabbing the wild swinging left arm doing the same with it.

"Lilith, Lilith, It's me, Faith. Calm down, nothing is going to hurt you. You're safe." Faith soothed from behind the girl holding her tight.

Lilith calmed at the sound of Faith's voice and the older brunette holding her. Eventually, the teenager realized the situation she was in and stiffened up causing Faith to sigh at her clone shutting down. The older brunette let go of the other and moved to sit beside her. Faith sighed again before she turned to Lilith and looked at her with worry.

"What was causing you to thrash and scream?" Faith questioned.

"It's nothing. I didn't mean to wake you." Lilith dismissed.

"Ugh, look, you don't always have to be so distant from everything. I guess you really are too much like me." The once rouge slayer commented.

"It's all I know, Faith. There is no room for emotion in being a soldier." She stated it as the Initiative had branded it in her.

"You don't have to live that way anymore. This isn't the little hell in the ground that beat you and they were wrong. Soldiers do have emotions 'cause that's how they stay sane." Faith informed.

"Then, why do what they did to me? Why was it so important that I remain so distant?" Lilith asked confused.

"I don't know but what I do know is that you don't have to be what they wanted you to be." Faith answered with certainty.

"What am I supposed to be?" the younger looked at her older counterpart like she had all the answers.

"Whatever you want to be, L. You decide your own fate but just try to have some fun while you live." Faith surprised herself with her own words. "Now, we should get back to sleep."

Later that morning, Buffy and Riley were talking and, suddenly, the conversation started getting heated when Riley brought up the fact that Buffy was hanging around Faith and Lilith so much.

"I told you, Riley. I'm trying to help them both actually settle down and help them with some of their issues." Buffy retold the ex-soldier.

"They have therapist to help them with their issues and I'm sure by now they have settled down. I don't know why you even bother with them. They deserve to be locked up for the murders they committed. If the Initiative was still around, they would be in cages where they belong." Riley seethed.

"Fuck you, Riley!" Buffy exploded. "They don't deserve to be in some cage or jail cell. They didn't know how to react to the situations and they made a bad call but, in the end, they tried to make it right. As for the Initiative, they never should have tried their fucked up operation in my territory. I was right when I thought they were just a big disaster waiting to happen. Look at what they did to Lilith, she can't even hardly show emotion because they tried to beat it out of her. Why did you even bring this up? I'm here with you, aren't I?"

"For now and then the next time Faith calls, you will run off to help her." Riley huffed.

"It's called being a good friend. I don't want Faith to feel like I'm back to just hanging her out to dry." Buffy replied.

"I understand being a good friend for somebody but you just drop everything. Sometimes, I wonder if you would rather be there than here with me." Riley accused.

"Maybe, at least with them I have some fun." Buffy said in anger as she stomped away from her equally angry boyfriend.

'I can't believe Riley. What was I supposed to do? I can't just leave them on their own or they may end up hurting themselves or each other. I know I haven't spent much time with him but he shouldn't have said anything about something he doesn't understand. I get it that their hands aren't clean but that doesn't mean they don't regret it. Hell, Lilith wouldn't even understand that what she did was wrong. This mess can't be fixed in just a couple of months. I don't know, maybe, I just want to feel helpful. I mean, everyone has their own thing and Faith is really good with Lilith. Is it too much to want to be helpful and there for them? Maybe, I should leave them be for a while but I kind of don't want to. They are just fun to hang with sometime and I shouldn't have to give that up just because my boyfriend doesn't like it.' Buffy thought as she headed to her Watcher's apartment for the main source of her focus and, hoping, to be of use to the still sleeping brunettes.

AN: I know it will probably be a little short but I wanted your opinion on the Joyce matter before I delve deeper into the story. So please voice your opinions and review. I really hope that by next week I will have a clear picture.