A dream come true

Air date: 20/11/2000

6 Aug 2000, Sunday evening

Mary and Jonathan are still tinkering with camera equipment and discussing ways to detect vamps – are they odd through binoculars as well as on video, etc. Jayde is finally doing some reading about course outlines. Gemma describes what she saw to Alex. Alex looks sad and her aura goes silvery. "The key is a memento of a friend of mine. He died. Its important we find out what those colours mean." She and Gemma read more on auras and discover that violet means excitement and deep red means lust/desire. It's late. Everyone heads home for the evening.

Jayde gets home before Gemma and decides to wait until she sees Gemma's car pull up before heading inside. A police car pulls in two doors down the road, two policemen get out, head to the house directly across the street from Jayde and unholster their guns. Gemma pulls in and asks Jayde what's going on. The cops head down the driveway and around the back of the house. Jayde crosses over to the house and listens from the front yard while Gemma watches from the shadows of their driveway. Jayde hears "Drop it!" followed by two gunshots and bolts back over to Gemma who only heard one shot. The watch for a while, nothing happens. There is no activity from the house. A strange shivery sensation overcomes both girls and they notice that the police car has gone without their hearing or seeing it. "It's none of our business anyway. We'll just make sure we watch the news tomorrow." Both head for bed.

7 Aug 2000, Monday

It's the first day of classes. Jayde wakes around 9am to find that Gemma has already left. She heads off herself, attends her first class, arranges to be enrolled at the end of the class. Not a problem. This college thing will be a breeze. Another class at 11am then off to meet with her girlfriends for lunch at that trendy little place they found last week on the other side of the campus. Wandering along a path, the sun is nice and warm, birds are singing, there are students seated out on the grass and under trees reading between classes. There's a statue up ahead, one of the founders of the university or something. Gemma storms out from behind it looking very pissed off.

"You know why I'm here. I know you know where it is. Tell me!"

Jayde is very confused. Gemma continues yelling until a guy who was seated under a tree nearby approaches. He looks familiar, like the blond guy who stabbed Gemma in the first dream.

"Is everything ok here?"

"This is between me and her."

"Well you're disturbing people by yelling like that. Perhaps you should go somewhere a bit more private."

"Yes Gemma, then you can explain to me what this is all about"

Gemma notices that his aura is pink and sparkly (magical) and he seems to have a fine silver thread coming out of his back, like the threads described in books about astral travel. It leads back to the tree where it is tied around the trunk. Gemma is tracing the thread back with her eyes, he notices an turns to look where she is looking and as he does an opulent marble room slides into place around the three of them.

In the centre of the room is a large six pointed star inscribed with magical symbols. At five of the points lies a white robed figure, three men and two women. All have bloody red stains on their robes and one is twitching and moaning softly. Various pools of dark red blood pool underneath each of them. Other white robed figures stand around the room, calmly surveying the scene before them.

At the sixth point, the blonde man stands, blood dripping down his white robes as he holds aloft a bloody and ornate dagger. He slowly turns and gestures gently with his hand and a girl in the same white robes floats gently towards him. She seems to be in some sort of trance, unaware of her surroundings.

Inside the circle, a robed woman, agitated and almost desperate, runs towards the man with the dagger and his gently floating victim. She snatches out, but the man raises his dagger into the air and a sparkling wall appears and she is thrown back violently.

Having seen enough, Jayde leaps into action and charges towards the man with the knife. He twists in one fluid movement and Jayde too is thown back, landing with a solid thump as her back impacts on the cold marble. Her chest and arms tingle from what seemed to be a sudden shock of electricity. Gemma rushes over to check on her sister.

There is a scuffling sound as the woman who was previously knocked back has run up and grabbed the floating victim and pulled her into the circle while the man with the knife is distracted with Jayde. The victim lands hard on her side and immediatly her eyes go wide and she starts to scream in terror.

As if to make a bad situation worse, two large doors on the other side of the room to Jayde burst open and vampires with game faces rush in. They clear the way for a huge, muscled vampire who is obviously in charge. He gestures quickly with one hand and the other vampire spring into action, cruising round the edge of the circle on the floor, herding everyone around the circle and towards the twins and the man with the knife. Neither the vampires or the other robed figures seem to be willing to walk inside the circle, leaving only a thin, circular path around the edge of the room, and with only one door, nowhere for anyone to escape. The large vampire looks at two others and they silently nod and stand guard at the door.

He turns to the room and quietly snaps out his orders, "Noone leaves. Take them all." The vampires stop and listen. He looks to the far side of the room where the action with Jayde, Gemma, the man with the knife and the women and victim in the circle are. With a slight twitch of his head, he continues, "Kill them. No feeding. We kill now, feed later." The vampires spring back into action and continue herding.

The man with the knife doesnt seem at all surprised or disturbed by the arrival of the demons. He stares at the screaming woman in the circle for a short while and then turns to Jayde and Gemma. His face takes on a serious look and he firmly states, "Gemma, your sister doesnt need you". He pauses and looks directly into Gemma's eyes, his expression sincere as he continues "But my work needs you." He switches the dagger to his left hand and reaches his slick blood red covered hand to Gemma in invitation. "I need you." His voice makes a honest, open request, dispite the situation.

Gemma stares into his eyes for a short time and then turns to look into Jayde's eyes, torn between the two. Jayde looks down, confusion and a little fear on her face. Gemma looks back to the man with the knife and reaches out to take his hand, their fingers gently touching and the blood is smeared onto Gemma's hand. Jayde's look is replaced by one of shock and she is spurred into action once more as she grabs her sister and drags her out of his grip.

Suddenly the spell or trance that Jayde seemed to be in is broken and the events surrounding her flood back. The vampires have driven the people around and will soon be on top of them. Jayde pulls a stake from her jacket and turns to face the vampires. Gemma, still at her feet from where she was dragged, shifts round and starts to move towards the man with the dagger.

Jayde looks down, fear on her face, and she grabs her sister and holds on tight. Her mind is racing, looking for some way out. Gemma is gently trying to pull free requiring Jayde to keep one arm around her sister. The vampires slow from a run to a careful walk as they approach their prey. Behind her, Jayde can hear the man with the knife moving. She twists to keep an eye on each of the approaching dangers, but that just seems to bring Gemma around infront of the vampires. Her senses are screaming that there is just not enough room to fight with Gemma so close.

Jayde's eyes dart from side to side, the vampires, teeth extended, cautiously approaching on one side and the man with the knife, hand still outstreached to Gemma on the other.

"Ah what the Hell" Jayde says to noone in particular as she swings the weight of her sister out, over the magic circle towards the middle of the room. Gemma goes sliding out into the open space and Jayde deftly dodges out, avoiding the vampires before they can close to fighting distance. She turns and takes fighting stance, ready for the stuggle that is about to begin.

The lady who dragged free the floating victim (who is now wimpering and cowering on the floor), runs up beside Jayde and takes on a fighting stance too. Turning slightly to cover each others back, the two ready themselves for the approaching vampires.

The vampires leap, and the battle is joined. The other woman is thrown back by the diving vampire and the two start to struggle on the floor. Jayde's attention is quickly focussed on her own attacker as the vampire dives in and knocks her to the ground. The two struggle, both attempting to overpower and pin the other.

Jayde twists, attempting to break the vampire's hold, but that just seems to make the restriction tighter. She attempts to kick the vampire off, but her foot is slowed by the sheets as they wrap themselves around her more tightly.

Jayde's brain kicks in and she wakes in a panic, pulling herself out of the sheets quickly and looks around, muscles tensed for action, uncertain of her surrondings and exactly what is going on.

Her alarm is buzzing 9:01.

7 Aug 2000, Monday (real)

It's the first day of classes. Its around 9am and Gemma has already left. Jayde feels sick with Deja vu. She heads off herself, attends her first class, arranges to be enrolled at the end of the class. Not a problem. This college thing will be a breeze. Another class at 11am then off to talk to Alex and tell her about the police car and the weird dream, taking care to avoid the statue on the way. Alex agrees to look into it. Still shaken, Jayde goes to find Gemma, she's probably in the library, yes, there she is coming out now. Gemma spots Jayde and looks pissed off. Jayde pinches herself to make sure she's awake.

"I know you know where they are."

Jayde looks very freaked.

"You took my sunglasses again didn't you!"

Jayde breathes a sigh of relief.

"I haven't touched your sunglasses."

"Oh. Maybe I left them in the car. Nevermind."

Jayde tells Gemma about her dream as they head across campus for lunch. Gemma attempts to interpret it (badly) and asks if Jayde had any marks on her when she woke this morning like the other night. Jayde says no and they discuss the possiblility that the mark was related to Faith given that they'd dreamed she was handcuffed to a bed and Leda said she had been drugged. They are just passing the statue when out steps Buffy looking pissed off.

"You know why I'm here. You know where she is. Tell me. Where's Faith?"

Jayde pinches herself again. Gemma crosses into Buffy's field of vision.

"You're Buffy aren't you?"

Now its Buffy's turn to look disconcerted.

"There are two of you? Which one's the slayer"

"I am."

"I'm her twin"

"Oh. I had a dream that you, one of you, knows where Faith is. You were telling a woman. You have to tell me. Its important that I find her. She's dangerous."

"We thought you knew. We heard you were looking for her in LA."

"I was. She's here now. Somewhere in this city."

"I think we'd better go and talk to Alex"

Jayde takes Buffy to Alex while Gemma goes to pick up some sandwiches. She runs into Mary on her way back and tells her that Jayde is a bit supernatural but she doesn't know how it happened.

Buffy tells Jayde and Alex that they have reason to believe that Faith escaped from jail by leaving someone else in her place. They think she had help from a crooked law firm who they have had less than pleasant dealings with in the past. Alex and Jayde explain about Conrad and their reasons for believing he might know what's going on. Buffy demands that Alex take her to Conrad. Jayde says she's coming too.

"No. This is my problem. This is between me and Faith."

"If it concerns Conrad it concerns me"

Gemma and Mary arrive back at the office to find it deserted. There's a note on the table.

"Gem, Gone to confront Conrad. Should be back by 6. For your own safety don't follow. Will talk to you about it later. J."

Gemma and Mary decide to follow.

There is no answer at Conrad's house. Buffy breaks the doorknob and they enter. The door to the kitchen is locked and there is no sound from within. Buffy kicks the door open and they find Conrad sitting in a meditative pose at the table within. He looks up and reaches for his cane as the door slams open but relaxes again as he sees them.

"Sit down."

The three enter the room. Buffy closes the door behind them and goes to stand in front of Conrad.

"Where is she?"

Conrad looks calmly up at her. She pulls him up by his collar and holds him face to face.

"Where's Faith?"

"I can't tell you that."

She lets go of him with one hand, looks menacingly into his eyes and draws back her hand into a fist aimed straight at his face.

"Where's Faith?"

Blackout. End Credits roll.

Lawyers take note: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Angel and all characters related belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and fox.