Dream Date.....

Air Date: 26/06/2001

Sleepy land

Hi, this is Casey only stuff, and it'd be best if you didnt read this until we were onto the next story.. or you found some way for your character to talk to Casey... thanks....

Anger had carried her here. Its bad enough to have to live like this, but to be hassled every day.... to have your friends dragged off... well it made her mad... enough to.... do something stupid.

Her throat was try and she was shaking. No hope for people like her. She lived on the street, she knew how people blocked out seeing the person and just saw the dirty clothes and not a human being. Noone would stand up for her. Noone would listen. Noone would even notice when they came for her.

She shook her head. Those @#$&ing rent-a-cops made her life suck enough as it was, but she knew that now they were going to lock her away. She was going to prison. No escape. No freedom. Trapped. It sucked enough when her parents locked her away when she was young, but this would be different. She knew that once you went down once, the cops never let you get back up. If it sucked now, her life would be over when The Man said 'guilty' and locked her away.

She pulled the curtain back and looked outside down at the driveway. Another cop car pulled up and the cop got out. Not a uni rent-a-cop this time, but a real one. A couple of campus cops walked up and started pointing to the mansion and talking. She couldnt hear what they were saying, but she knew the gist of it. 'Homeless'. 'Dangerous'. 'Assulting a police officer'. 'Riots'. 'Weapons charge'. 'Bombs'. 'Armed'.

Her voice broke as she tried to speak, but could only croak out "thats not me...".

The cop looked up, almost at her window. She clenched her fists and whispering a quiet plea "dont... please.... no...".

Earlier she had wanted to make a statement. For people to see what it was like, and hear what she had to say. People.. any people. But now it seemed so much harder than she expected. It wasnt like what she expected. No flashing lights and cops with megaphones talking her out. No crowd. Just some cops, dressed in black coming for her in the middle of the night.

The cop looked at his campus buddies and nodded sternly. He reached in and let the the dog out of the car. She felt bile rise in her throat as he pulled out his pistol, clicked off the saftey and chambered the first round.

Shivering, she felt cold and noticed the thin layer of sweat on her body for the first time.

She knew then she was going to die here now.

Robot like she picked up the phone and dialied the number.

Things started to move faster now. The cops heading into the building and the phone rang and rang and rang. Tears welled up in her eyes as she waited patiently for them to answer the phone.

Downstairs she heard the door open and their boots thump into the entrance. She smiled as she wondered if they were allowed to bring dogs into the house.

Someone answered the phone. She didnt remember saying anything, but the voice said "I'll get him."

She waited.

The boots pounded on the stairs. Someone yelled out "Clear.".

She waited, examining the intricate portrate that hung in the study above the fireplace. Some guy in academic robes looking out, sage like on the room. It really was a beautiful work. Such detail. Such fine work. Someone would probably pay a fortune for it. Probably enough to house most of us for a year, she thought bitterly.

"Ill take this end."

"Yeah, watch it. She's armed."

Someone picked up the other end of the phone. "Huh?"

The tears had made her nose run and her throat wasnt dry any more. She swallowed and tried to keep her voice calm. "Hey, this is Rosebud. I called to say good-bye. I'm at The Chancellor's place. They're going to shoot me. Go tell the people in the Park."

There was a pause on the end of the phone. She smiled. He never really was a morning person. She slid the phone back down and hung it up.

"What is it boy? Smell somthin'?"

She waited.

The guy in the picture stared out, unblinking. She hugged herself for warmth.

Suddenly she imagined her body, bleeding here on the floor full of bullets. She didnt know who the guy in the picture was and she didnt really care, but such an ugly end infront of such a beautiful painting didnt seem right. She heard the dog scratch at the door and she ran.

Adrenaline pumped through her body as she headed for the ensuite, she opened the door to the clean white bathroom and rushed in just heard the door behind her open. She knew she was going to die, but her body suddenly seemed alive, ready for flight.

She rushed into the bathroom stopping briefly to look at herself in the mirror. His eyes stared back out at her. Full of fear, he stood in the bathroom, his arm wrapped around himself just like hers were. Both of them hunted, running for their life.

The floorboards behind Casey creaked and he turned.

The shadows hid the figure, but as it slowly flowed forward, the black knife in its hand came clearly into view.

Casey turned and ran, his feet pounding on the tiled floor as he accellerated for the other exit to the bathroom.

Bursting out into the hall, he heard a gentle swoosh as the figure moved forward, giving chase.

Turning towards his bedroom he ran. The sound behind him was regular and unrushed. It was paceing him.

Opening the door to his bedroom, he quickly slammed it behind him. The following seems hauntingly familiar....

Mary gives out a *nervous giggle* "What did you see?"

Casey is looking stunned and confused when Mary throws herself on Casey and ask "Are you alright?". Something wet starts to soak through Casey's shirt.

Still with Mary hugging him, Casey locks the bedroom door. "Me, I'm fine.... I thought that was you...". Turning to the closed door, confused, Casey shouts "Faith, did you scream?"

Mary's eyes go wide and she blurts out "SorryifIfreakedyououtIwasreallyscared, *Breath* Faith crept up behind me and I freaked." Mary steps back and Casey sees for the first time that her throat has been cut open and blood is flowing down her chest.

Casey wants to say something, but Mary doesnt seem upset. Trying to think of how to break the news to Mary that she seems to be dead, Casey just stands and blinks for a few moments.

Mary and looks at Casey who has skinned his knuckles when... when... before.. in the past. Mary looks horrorfied and cries out "Oh my god! Your bleeding! I'll get some bandaids."

Mary goes to unlock the door to go and get the bandaids, but Casey grabs her hand.

Casey: "don't wanna talk out there."

Mary figits, she is wearing what she was sleeping in. "Ummm, should we go somewhere?" Mary seems to realise she is in shorts and nothing else and clamps her hands over her chest.

"Nah, I sound proofed my room because... I dont know why..." Casey thinks and stiffens as he drones "It has no speech. No name. It lives in the action of death. The blood-cry, the penetrating wound. It is destruction. Absolute. Alone.'" Casey looks confused at what he just said. Then suddenly smacks his forhead, "Oh yeah, the bloody cry. Thats it. Didnt wanna wake Neo."

Mary gives out a *nervous giggle* "What did you see?"

"Didnt you say that already?"

Mary pulls one arm from her chest, carefully hiding her, errr, assets, and points at the open window. "I'll chat to you tonight. I have a scooby meeting now. I gotta run and so should you."

The crude black stone knife punches through the door, ripping through Casey's 'Ghost In The Shell' movie poster

"Hey... careful with that...."

Mary squeeks as something leaps onto her, knocking her to the bed. Casey spins to see Faith's push follow through, leaving Mary knocked down onto the bed. Faith draws back, backhanding Mary's face as she spins. Without looking, her hand snatches out, pulling a soldering iron off the floor. Faith continues spinning on one knee, bringing her round to face Mary. Mary raises her hands to try and fend Faith off and opens her mouth but before she can say anything, Faith finishes her spin and her arm lashes out driving the soldering iron into Mary's neck.

Casey goes to scream....

But suddenly.... backstep...

The crude black stone knife punches through the door, ripping through Casey's 'Ghost In The Shell' movie poster

"Hey... careful with that...."

Mary squeeks and moves infront of Casey obviously scared of something behind him.

Faith steps up. "I should... err... Ah, Mary. I guess Im sorry about er...". In her right hand, Faith holds in intricately bladed knife, dripping in blood. She looks down at it for a moment before continuing, "...scaring you. Im... Er, ok?"

Casey looks at Mary. Casey asks Faith "Hi.... um Faith, are you okay...?" Suddenly scared, Casey snaps, "Actually, what are you doing in my room? What about your bedroom? And dont you ever knock!!??!"

Faith looks suddenly angry "My Bedroom?!? My Bedroom? Everywhere I sleep, there are bones under all the Earth." She points to the quickly splintering door. "See if I care. Everything burns." she leans forward and taps a finger, hard, on Casey's chest "It's not my job to put it out! Buffy's the fireman now, Jayde too."

The door starts to burst open. Mary pulls Casey away, towards the window and Faith turns to the door and smiles. "It's not my job. Go and hassle your Preppy bimbo's. Leave me alone! Buffy, Conrad, goody goody little scoobies, Watchers, that bitch Alex, vampires, evil, screw it all. Im not the Slayer. Im not even a Slayer. LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The figure bursts into the room. She is a primitive figure, dressed in rags and body paint. She crouches, ready to spring. Faith ignores her and crosses her arms. The Primal speaks in a rough seldom used voice, "Not... Watcher pet. No scooooo... obies. Not Watcher. Are Slay.. er." Faith smiles and turns back to the Primal, their eyes meeting in recognition. The Primal continues, "Slayer. No... friends... just the kill... we are... alone."

Mary gets to the window and crawls through, urging Casey through.

"You, I understand. Try tellin' B that tho..." says Faith.

"Not good. Not evil. Blood calls... we chase, hunt, catch, kill, destroy, revel. We kill... is right, not... job. We are alone. Not herd, predator. Leader always.. alone. Never bow... rather die. My...."

Faith pulls a knife seemingly from nowhere and leaps upon the Primal. Faith's knife punches at the Primal's face, but the Primal falls back, avoiding the blow. Faith's leg swings around, trying to sweep the legs out from under the Primal, but the Primal latches onto Faith's arm and pulls her to the ground. Putting her momentum into the fall, Faith drives the knife down with all her might. The Primal rolls to the side just as Faith's knife effortlessly buries itself to the hilt in the floor. Both move like liquid, seemingly built for this.

The Primal punches out, catching Faith's jaw with a sickening thud. Faith falls back, but as she does her foot lashes out and kicks the Primal on the side of the head. The Primal is stunned for a second and Faith rolls clear.

The two of them stare at each other before leaping into the fray again. Faith grabs the Primal's head and smashes it into the door frame, splintering the wood and the Primal's knife lashes out, Faith pulls backwards but the knife slices from the center of Faith's chest up towards her neck.

"Bitch!" snaps Faith and headbutts the Primal producing a the cracking sound of bone...

But suddenly.... backstep...

Mary gets to the window and crawls through, urging Casey through.

"You, I understand. Try tellin' B that tho..." says Faith.

"Not good. Not evil. Blood calls... we chase, hunt, catch, kill, destroy, revel. We kill... is right, not job. We are alone. Not herd, predator. Leader always.. alone. Never bow... rather die. My.... gift to you...."

Faith shakes her head, "I told you its not my job".

"Not job.."

Looking around, almost sadly at the retreating Mary and Casey, Faith turns back to the Primal, "Man, I'm gonna miss this..."

The Primal whips her knife round and buries the knife in Faith's stomach to the hilt.

Faith goes wide-eyed, a tiny stream of blood burbling from her mouth. The primal wrenches the blade free and Faith clutches her stomach. She sags... And then uppercuts the Primal halfway across the room. The Primal lands hard on her back.

Faith folds over, in pain, "You did it... " There is both confusion and pride in her voice as she looks at her prone counterpart. "You killed me."

Faith starts to fall, her eyes close and face almost peaceful. She whispers "....boss?"

The Primal flips to her feet and turns to Casey and Mary.

Mary yells "Run!", blood still flowing down her chest.

They climb out the window and run for their lives. Furtive glances behind show the Primal in steady pursit, slowly closing the distance between them. They rush to an intersection, in one direction is the psychology building, in the other, just open park with.

Mary turns and says "We have to split up! Ive got a scooby meeting. Ill see you after lunch, ok?" Then she turns runs towards the psychology building.

Casey sees the shape in the shadows, just an outline. The Primal or Faith? The figure turns towards him and ....

Sitting bolt upright in bed, Casey's wide eyes turn to the alarm on the bench next to him. He is sweating and shaking, but Mary sleeps quietly by his side.

..............................

Casey is really freaked, but he checks on Mary who seems fine. Mary seems fine and that seems to calm him down a little. Casey's throat is dry and he needs a drink so he carefully slides out from underneath Mary and heads out to the kitchen, hesitating before opening the door.

Walking towards the kitchen takes him past the living room which is lit only by the flickering of the tv. Peeking round the corner, he see's Faith, playing PS2 games with headphones. Looks like Dead or Alive 2. Faith's fingers madly click on the controller as the combat on the screen plays out, but her facial features are calm almost passive.

The battle is nearly over. One opponent, a huge country bumpkin guy, is down to half health, the other, a girl in a manga type sailor suit, has had only one or two light hits. The girl spins on the spot, kicking the man back against the wall. The wall explodes, and the letters 'You win!' appear on the screen. Faith bites her lip and springs to life, hitting more and more buttons, causing the girl to suddenly start spinning on the spot, lashing out and kicking the big guy before he hits the ground, throwing him back against the wall, once, twice, three, four times, before eventually he hits the floor and the game ends.

"Four, yes!!!" The screen changes to the end of character animation, but Faith drops the controller, bored, and picks up the game cheats that neo printed out and starts leafing through them. Not looking up, she whispers quietly, "Think I finished all the characters, Casey. Its game over. What else you got?"

"Er. I got nightmares and shakes. How about you? What time is it?"

"5:17am assuming you know how to set your VCR clock. Know what you by shakes and nightmares. Had this nice big long drug induced one thanks to Conrad. Dont much like to think about it actually."

"Err....?"

"Nope. I didnt just have one before you ask." Flicking the console tray closed, Faith settles down infront of the TV again. "Night time. Time of the Slayer and all that. Stalkin' the night, fightin' Evil, rightin' wrongs, killin' the baddies, Watchers on the left o' me, scoobies on the right, Im an unstoppable machine for... fightin' the good fight an' all that crap."

'Resident Evil!' flashes on the screen.

"Oh, I love Zombies. Fought a few in a fast food store when I was workin' for the Mayor back in SunnyHell. Man did that get messy. Tough bastards, Zombies." She turns and looks at Casey "Take my word for it, Case, you cant shoot 'em like in this game."

Casey waits until Faith is fairly engrossed in the game, watching with that slightly glazed expression of those who have got way too little broken sleep. "Just how much weird stuff is out there anyway?"

"I dunno." Faith shrugs. "All of it I guess. Go ask a Watcher. I've seen lots of stuff. Vampires, zombies, spooky magic dudes, freaky apocalypse sisters. Um. Oh yeah, I helped Buffy and her scoobs fight this three headed, eerrr, Willow called it a Hydra thing, from the HellMouth. Wicked cool, huh? Oh, yeah, the Boss, err, the Mayor, he was invincible and full of these little black wriggly things like on the xfiles." She pauses for a bit. "Apparently he turned into this big snake demon thing. But I guess I wouldnt rightly know.... becuase.." On the screen a zombie staggers forward and Faith calmly pulls out a gun and backs her character back... "*bang* I.. *bang* wasnt.. *bang* there *bang*."

She leans forward and resets the Playstation. "But tell ya what. People still take the cake for bein' evil. Believe me." She picks up a driving game and opens the case.

Casey walks over "I read some philosophy stuff ages ago, and the difference that the priestly dudes came up with is that humans can be evil or good, and demons and all are just straight out evil. No chance to become good sort of thing. Guess that Angel guy says otherwise."

"Well I wouldnt know. I dont read philosophy stuff. I know that Angel lost his soul when he got vamped. Some gypsies put it back and so he's tryin' to repent for all the stuff he did. Scoobies dont get it tho, he wasnt the same guy who did all the killin'. Guess that dont make 'em feel better tho."

Casey flops on the couch and yawns "You think people can change, become good? I mean, everyone assumes that becoming evil is something that people so, but the opposite always seems to be a problem."

"I dunno. I... I... see it in everywhere. Evil I mean. People like spirit posessed Conrad are easy, he's a soul less thing. Big E evil. But what about before that? He #@*#!$ing killed me so the @#*($ing Watchers could get a better Slayer. That evil? Huh? What about little superhero Buffy, she's all 'let me help you Faith' but we're patrolin' together and I stab some guy by accident and suddenly its all 'you killed someone, Faith'. Me? It was a @#*&$ing mistake! But yeah, Buffy's too good to a mistake. Xander, harmless guy everyone thinks. He talks me up to poundin' on Angel and fightin' Buffy, but everyone's like 'that Faith's bad' but I didnt know jack, I just know some vamp who killed all these people has this #*$&ing magical glove thing. Suddenly Im fighting Buffy and screwin' up with the one person who knows what its like. Gee the list goes on. Mum? Bob, my step Dad? Duncan and his possey at school? Cops & social services people who just dont care? My first watcher who I thought liked me, but now I find was just playin' me like for the idiot I am to make me jump through her little hoops. Buffy who wants me to take over so she can go to school. Wesley who wants me locked up back in England because I killed some.. some.. little human?" She shakes her head and mockingly shakes a finger, "Evil? Naaa, just normal people who dont care or want something from me."

Seemingly on a ranting roll, she continues, "Then lets look at the Mayor? Evil? Yeah. Wants to eat Buffy and her friends and become some snake thing." hostility plainly obvious, she puts on a childish tone "Yeah, sure, we gotta kill him." Scowl on her face, she continues ranting, "I mean the guy actually liked me. I know he did. I saw him lose it in the hospital after Buffy gutted me with the knife. He actually cared for me and he needed me. Yeah, he asked me to kill and I did. So? Family, I figure. You fight for ya family, but yeah, I'm evil! I mean Willow as a vampire gets to kill some of Buffy's school friends, but noooooooo, gotta let the soulless killer go because she looks like cute little Willow. Gotta #@$*@&# kill Faith and the Mayor 'cause there Evil."

"Everyone wants stuff for themselves and screw whoever has it now. Want, take, have. Whats wrong with that? Everyone else does that, why am I Evil when I do it? *(&#@ this 'let me help you' crap. @#*$& this altruism crap. Yeah, its a big @#(*$&ing word and I looked it up."

Rant over she crosses her arms and sulks back down against the sofa.

Casey is a bit taken aback, and tries to take in and remember everything Faith says. He sits and gnaws at a fingernail while thinking furiously. "So... you think people can be good or evil and switch back and forth? Or that they can be both?"

Not looking at Casey, Faith snaps back "I think everyone is rotten and evil inside. If they screw with you, or are better than you or they want something you have, then they are Evil. If they leave you alone or are weaker than you or they dont want anything from you then they are Good. Everyone screws everyone else over." She pauses for a moment. "But what would I know? Im damaged good. Offically apparently." Slowly she turns round to look at Casey and she seems to be crying. "Aw, Hell. Im sorry. You must think Im a psycho and I'm gunna kill you or something but... ah, well I guess I probably am. Psycho I mean." In small voice she whispers "I'm trying, but its so hard."

Casey is more taken aback at the first outburst, and then blinks when he realises Faith is crying. He glances around and grabs napkins from some fast food joint or another and scoots along the couch. "Shove up. Here y'go." He cautiously moves to put his arm around her, making sure the body language is cool with that, otherwise just sits next to her.

"Dude, everyone's damaged goods, one way or another. The only perfect people are on tv, and that's only because all the damaged bits are hidden. Stuff sucks and... man, almost everything has sucked for you, and it ... makes me wish I could do stuff about it... but its kinda been and gone. Ages ago I worked out that shit happens and it bangs into you like a car crash, right? Except that you've kind of got a choice - you don't have to take it on, you can learn and all from it, but not take the scar tissue.... "

Casey trails off for a second or two, but keeps talking even when Faith starts to reply. "I mean, its not like 'nah, it doesn't worry me, end of story' - not that easy, cos shit sticks. But you can do it, learning from the mistakes and not sucking on the damage, I mean. Takes a while sometimes, but the alternative is just to wear it and end up messed up. " Casey sort of shrugs and says reluctantly "It might mean you have to ditch everything.. take the money and run and get away from everyone here... but.. " he trails off finally...

When Casey moves closer, Faith slides away. "Dont touch me! I dont want your #@*(ing pity. Anyway, nice try bozo, but youre not damaged. Mary isnt. Virginia's some perfect little Watchers material, but Im just some #@*$&ed up waste of space thats better off dead. Yeah, fine, whatever, dont belive me me, then. Well I got this nice offical lookin' report that says just that. Mighty Alex, professional psychologist has spoken. Neo confirmed it."

Casey quietly says "Says what?" (not expecting an answer)

Faith stands up and pulls open her shirt, pointing to a scar on her stomach. "Scar tissue, eh? Well I tried saying 'dont be there', but it doesnt go away does it? The only person who shares this with me did this to me and took away 8 months of my life!" her voice is rising,

"You know that's not what I meant." Casey tries to keep a soothing tone to his voice, not just to not wake the others. He stands up. "I've got scars too - this one here on my side? Can't hardly see it no more, but this is what I got from a guy at school, he shoved me off the swings and I landed on a bin. This, though, you can see." He traces out a scar along his thigh. "I went back the next day or so, and tried to let it go, the fight, right? Only he decided that I was up to something and shoved me again, only this time I went off the side of a wall and onto a branch. Right idea, wrong tactic to get over the problem and I got burned twice. No one said it was easy."

"What the #*@#$ do you know, anyway? You dont have the choice do you? Huh? Someone pisses you off you cant pull their #*#@*(ing heart out. Some college jock slaps your arse you aint strong enough to snap his arm off. Chat to some guy then his bitch comes over and tells you to go back to the trailer park, you cant rip her throat out. Why the @#*$&@# should I listen to you? Huh? What can you do? Why do you care what happened to me? You want something? What do you want from me? Huh? Money? Protection? Sex? Huh? Isnt that what live boils down to? Well I got all that now. I dont need any of that from you. I dont need anything or anyone!"

".... except for maybe that last one." Her hand snaps out grabs casey by the neck, choking off his reply. With no effort at all and dispite all his availabe resistance, she pushes Casey back onto to the sofa. "Want," Casey tries to break her hold, but the grip is like steel. "take", She has a cruel smile on her lips, "have. The hunt, the chase, the....".

She stops, staring at Casey's paniced eyes and lets her grip go and backs away, now looking scared. "Im sorry. I just.. dont know how... to..." She slips to the floor, her gaze dropping to her feet. " I dont know why you prefer Mary to me. I mean money, protection, sex, right. I got it all right. She doesnt even bone you, right? Ive been thinkin' about it. Only three reasons I can think of. One, she's smarter, and I cant argue that one. Two, you think Im going to hurt you, and... I dont want to, but I... cant blame you for thinkin' that. Especially after just now. Or three, that I dont make ya laugh" she shrugs, "maybe you like funny chicks. I guess I just dont really laugh much any more. Nothin' seems funny."

She lifts her head up and looks Casey in the eyes. "Mary's woken up. Better go run back to ya girl. Im sorry ok. Im really #@*&$#@ed up right now and youve all be great. I think I... should move... out... away... from people."

Casey tries to slow his heart a bit. He has a glimmering suspicion where some of this is coming from. At least right now. "Mary's another topic entirely, don't change the subject. I'd... I'd really like to keep talking - so, if I have to be after something from you, I guess its conversation. Wanna give it to me? The beach will be empty just now, we could wander down there."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." She looks away and just sits there staring at the floor.

Mary wakes up.

A few seconds later, the silence in the house is broken by the sound of Casey's door opening and Mary's voice gently calling out "Casey? Err, you ok?"

Casey runs up to Mary and says, "I'm going for a walk with Faith, and you should go back to bed. Ill be back in a while ok?"

"is she allright?"

Casey hmms. "I dunno. I'd just like to talk with her for a while and ... I dunno. I get the feeling no one's bothered to stop and just talk without wanting something."

"Shall I come, too?"

Casey winces and shakes his head. "Later dude. Its a tangled web we weave." He leans forward and kisses Mary. "I'll be back in a bit - you sleep."

"umm, okay."

"I'll fill you in later. I'll be fine, promise." Casey grabs some clothes and throws them on and then runs back downstairs. "Come on." Figuring a beach can't be too far away, Casey starts to walk.

"Let me know if I've got this right or not. The major problem you have is that it would be easy to just use your super powers to make other people do what you want, just because you can, right?"

"So? This is all my fault then? Why shouldnt I use 'em? And dont give me that 'Oh, good people dont do that' crap. If you had the powers, you'd use em. So I should just not use em? That what youre sayin'?"

"Hell no. It'd be like saying 'Gemma, don't think' or 'Jonathan, don't be taking photos'. Its not whether you use them or not, its how." He puts on a 50's sci fi scientist voice "Science is neither good nor evil, it is a tool. How men use it determines the morality of this tool". Casey drops back to normal. "'sides, I thought we'd agreed that people aren't good or evil absolutely. So 'good people' is meaningless. You do good actions, or evil actions. That mayor guy - evil actions to this Buffy chick, good actions to you. "

"So, who says what's good and evil then? I mean people arnt ment to kill each other, right? Well I got armies of the undead trying to kill me every night and noone helps me with that. I stake some loser in an alley while tryin' to save the world and I'm evil 'cause I dont... what? I dont even know what Im ment to feel about it. I mean, his eyes... they just... they stayed open... and..." she starts rubbing her hands, "it.. it was just this small hole. I mean under the blo.. but.. but, yeah, so Im sorry, but its a mistake right? I save how many lives and Im ment to cry over some guy in an alley? He.. he shouldn't have been there anyway. Like turns out he worked for the Mayor anyway, right, so he must have been evil. But if if you say he was good to me and evil to buffy, how do you tell? So, what the Hell do I do then? Huh?" She stops and grabs Casey's arm, hard, "Well? Tell me!! I... sure dont wanna go to Hell, but I know I am. Angel might have forever to atone but Im a Slayer. I aint got any time. Angel's been at it for what, 80 years or more? Buffy's like the longest lived Slayer in recent history, and she's been a Slayer for, what, 5 years? Im hittin' three and I spent 8 months in a coma and 2 in prison."

"Hey! Calm down for 5... you've got time to think about it now, right? So lets put your brains and my brains on it. Ok... you killed some guy you shouldn't have. Fucked, true. Wrong, true. And /you know it/. In my books, that's... that's not something someone Evil would worry about. They'd just shrug and move on. You... y'know, I read ages ago that the vikings had this thing for this sort of situation. If you killed someone, you took on their obligations like their wife and kids and whatever.... just a thought... As for knowing who is being good and who is being evil... man, I dunno - I've got the scars to prove that I'm usually not right in guessing. " He tries to catch Faith's eyes and smile. "You have to go with gut feelings, and sometimes its wrong. You get burnt... bear in mind that I'm talking about normal people here, not zombies or witches or vampires or whatever - I'll have to bow to your greater experience in those areas... I mean normal just folks."

Faith walks quietly for a bit, "But thats the thing. I want to kill... normal people too. I get these... these.. urges. Just after I got here I was patrolin' with Jayde and I bumped into this guy.. in the park. He was supplyin' some @#$*&ed up junkie and I almost killed him. Jayde stopped me and... but I really wanted to. I just.. I mean look, when I went to LA, I got off the bus and this guy latches on and is talkin' about how its 'not safe' and stuff like that. We both knew he was gunna do me over once we got somewhere dark, but he picked on the wrong target, see. So he's in hospital eatin' through a tube and I get hunted by the cops. See, I think you, well, care, but I dont. He's just some guy in my way. Just someone else trying to #@*$& with me. I dont know him from Adam."

Casey walks along for a bit, frowning slightly... "Do unto others I guess. Its really hard to think why smacking around some guy that was going to do to you what you did to him... the only argument is 'will it help?' I mean, in the long run. From an outside point of view, I think the only other thing you could have done was to not be there... but does that mean that he would have gone someone else? In which case you did the right thing by this theoretical person...." He looks up and meets Faith's eyes "Sorry, I know I'm just tossing up more questions, but I'm just thinking out loud."

"So you dont know either, brain boy. Fine, its not just Im stupid then. I think I should have killed him. The guy at the bus station. I thought he'd die if i left him, but someone must have found him." She shrugs. "So many people that the world' be better off without."

Casey grins quickly. "I never said I knew the answers. I just said I was happy to talk to you about the questions. When do all the evil actions that someone does add up enough to say that they will always be a minus in the world, and nothing they can do will make them a plus? Killing people is a fairly harsh way of saying that you don't approve of their behaviour - its not like they can make amends after that point."

"What the Hell sort of answer is that? All this talk for basically 'I dont know' and 'do what you feel'? Great." She gives a little snort. "Well thanks for nothin'. Jez, you're at the same point I am then? Im glad I dropped out of school then, 'cause its done Jack for you, man."

Casey bites back on a sarcastic response - its late, he's tired and the passive/agressive thing is beginning to wear a little. "Give me a couple of days to think about it, ok? 'sides, I've got some questions for you to answer, if you're up for it."

"Yeah, sure, ask away and feel free to take some time, I mean its not like Ive gotta go anywhere or anythin'." She looks up at Casey "And you're not allowed to mention this to the others, 'K?"

Casey makes a face. "I was going to chat to Gemma about some stuff, but I can ask you - I just thought you didn't want to talk about what this Slayer thing is."

"No! No Gemma, no Jayde, no scoobies at all, 'K? What's there to tell about the Slayer? We got the whole supernatural speed & strength thing goin' for us. We're built to kill, err," she does the finger quote thing "'Slay'. Its all pretty simple really, meet, bad guy, fight bad guy, kill bad guy. And.., err, yeah, thats it."

Casey frowns. "Ok, I won't say anything to them about this. Well, there's a lot actually about it that I don't know - why are /you/ the slayer? Why is there only a couple rather than lots?"

"I got no idea why. Even the Watchers dont know who gets chosen. They know who the possibles are and they wait for them to be called when the last one dies. @#*$&ers. There is only ment to be one, the Chosen One, but Buffy died and was revived. That called Kendra. Kendra got her throat slit and that called me. Conrad and his @*#&$@#* @#*$&#@ Watchers strapped me to a #@*&$ing table and killed and revived me a couple of times, but that just called Jayde. Apparently it only gets passed on once. Guess that means that Jayde's the true slayer and B and I are just leftovers. Still, when we die, it'll go back to just one, under the Council's thumb I guess."

Casey quietly says "That's fucked up." He traces in the sand for a bit. "Ok, so there's one Chosen one, out there to take on the world of Evil(Tm). Are ... are all the supernatural evils totally evil, or do they have a will of their own? Or are we back to 'what's evil?'"

"How do I know? My first watcher just said kill 'em and I did. They seem evil to me." she chuckles, "and thats gotta count a lot, eh? Ive seen them do lots of bad stuff. I mean my first Watcher, she.. er, yeah, she died slow. I guess they have a will of their own. Most of 'em dont wanna die when I finally do 'em. They seem to be like you and me, only with more tendancy, well you know, play with their food. Thats just the vamps. You got all other sorts of demons too. But I guess I dont really care. They wanna kill me and their aint no way thats happening."

Casey sort of smiles at Faith. "Ok... so these watchers might know more, but there's every chance they'd lie or just say 'go away'. Mmm. A pain, because I've got some ideas... I'll think about them for a while though. Ok, a less slayer-based question. What exactly did Alex say about you? ..if you want to talk about it."

"Yeah, Watches dont seem to like me much. Funny that." Faith pauses and they walk along the beach in silent for a while, looking at the waves.

Casey's attention is distracted by a jogger who was coming down the beach and was about 15 meters away when suddenly the guy has had to veer off the beach into the park to chase his dog, which has suddenly turned from running beside him and run into the trees with its tail between its legs.

As Casey turns away to follow the action, Faith continues, "Alex? Well she said I'd be a dangerous #@*$&#@ed up psychopath if I was chosen. She said that I'd be a handfull for any Watcher. She said I'd have, err, trust issues and problems with authority 'cause of my childhood. She told the council how to trick me into trusting my Watcher, oh Hell, the first two actually. She... bitch."

Casey keeps watching the dog, then glances back at Faith. "Maybe its just me, but I'm not seeing a world where she voluntarily told you this. Soo.. either you snuck a look at her files, or someone else told you?"

Faith looks at Casey with a goofy grin and says "Can I help it if Watchers keep detailed diaries? Gwendolyn Post my second Watcher had these reports on me." the goofy grin goes away. "I found 'em after we killed her. Hospital reports, school, social security, police, the whole lot. My whole life. Those @#$*@#ers knew it all. Plus there was some Council psych report on how @#$*&#@ed I was going to be. Alex wrote it."

Casey looks concerned. "'We killed her?'"

"Yeah, tough bitch. Called me 'Spartan'. Yeah, I was in with the scooby gang and all back then. Well somewhat. B and I were bestest buds. Suddenly Mrs Post rolls up. She's all business and efficeniency. She starts training me. Real hard and real good. She didnt take no crap from anyone. She was great. Anyways, some big bad demon glove rocks up and we gotta stop it falling into the wrong hands. Anyway, turns out Buffy's boy toy, Angel, who turned nasty and killed people and stuff was back. 'course B never told anyone 'cause she's all in lurv and all. Scoobies have meetings about it, but little old Faith aint invited. So, Xander's pissed so he tells me that Angel's back and he's got the glove. I stake up and go on the hunt. I get there and he's poundin' on Mrs Post. So, I punch the crap out of him and Im about to stake him when B comes in and stops me. We do the whole 'back off', 'no way', then we throw down. Punch the crap out of each other. That us until Mrs Post grabs the glove for herself and then starts blastin' away at all of us. So, I distract her and Buff cuts off the glove, well the whole arm really, and Mrs Post gets fried, nice and Cajin style. Turns out she got thrown out of the Council. And dumb old me just fell right for it. I found Alex's psych report in Mrs Post's belongings along with her diary and stuff."

"Oh, right." He shakes his head a little. "So, they have a list of - is it always women? and they keep an eye on all of them? Hey, have you still got it? I could take a look...."

"Na, I never had the list. I just found a couple of pages of letters in her stuff. Mrs Post didnt keep much stuff. Just some crap on me with red marks on the pages with notes on how to play me. One of the pages talked about some other chick who was a possible." She shrugs. "Yeah always chicks and I guess they watch em all. Oh, maybe not. They missed B when she was first called. Maybe some slip through the net."

Casey blinks. "Sorry, I meant that other stuff." He looks around, hoping that the sun has chased all the lingering darkness away. Definately want it to be bright and shiny before mentioning the dream.

"Er, I only have a couple of pages. I had it stashed in Sunndydale, but I cant go back there. I just got a few pages that I had on me when I had to run. Ive been sneakin' into Alex's office and going back through her stuff but I aint found anything. Im... uncomfortable with other people knowin' this stuff about me. Guess the whole @#(*$&ing council already knows, so why shouldnt every one else know too, huh?"

Casey looks at her. "I can chill with that - its past tense stuff, so it might be best to leave it there. But I could go and get it for you - presuming that this Sunnydale place isn't far away and that the reasons you can't go back don't include "I burnt it down". If you'd like. Means you'd have it and it wouldn't be floating about for someone else to find."

"Oh, noone else 'ill find it. Made sure of that."

"Ok. Offer remains open. In any case, its probably not much help if its just mundane stuff. I'm just trying to get a feel for how things work and all. Supernatural stuff... um. Y'know how I said that I'd had a nightmare? You were in it..."

"Oh great. What'd I do this time? Mary, right?"

"Er, it was a bit more complex than that." Slight frown, staring out across the water. "It started with that whole ghost thing, and then got mixed up with some of what happened tonight with Mary. And then it got a bit weird. You said something about bones wherever you sleep and then something attacked us. It stabbed you. Um. Does the word 'primal' mean anything?"

"Yeah, Spirit of the First. Somethin' Buffy called up to deal with the latest Big Bad. It... it was freaky. I remember bein' in solitary with all these images and stuff flooding through my brain. I thought I was goin' insane. It sucked my Slayer power away, but it sort of added it to a pool. We both had it, but neither of us did. Its hard to discribe. Anyway, it came back later. When the Council had me, they kept me in this steel box. I couldnt see anythin', but it was in there with me, clawing at me. Although I was pumped full of drugs at the time.... so who can tell."

Casey goes to say something, but Faith raises a hand. She thinks for a bit. "Bones... yeah I remember... I was in a hospital bed and I was watching Buffy talk to this Slayer thing. It was a dream"

BUFFY: I'm not alone. The Primitive growls, snaps her teeth at Buffy. TARA: The slayer doesn't walk in the world. BUFFY: I walk. I talk. I shop, I sneeze, I'm gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back. There's trees in the desert since you moved out, and I don't sleep on a bed of bones. Now give me back my friends. Faith is still and bruised in the hospital bed, the heart monitor is beeping as it flat lines. Being dead, her lips don't move as she speaks. "I'm always running, to catch up or run away. I shout, but no one listens. I take whatever I need. Actually, I never get sick. I'm going to burn so bright I light up the heavens. Trees burn, everything burns, and there are bones under all the Earth, wherever I sleep. I have no friends, no family, only me. Now, its only me."

Casey is a bit wide-eyed. "Er, um. Yes. That's what you said. What you both said. " He frowns in recall "Everywhere I sleep, there are bones under all the Earth. Everything burns. Buffy's the fireman. And then the primal thing burst in and you fought. And then it jumped and you said different things and fought again. And then it stabbed you with this weird knife. And then it chased us."

"Sounds like I'm still on the drugs, huh?" Faith's arm shoots up infront of Casey and in her hand is an intricatly curved, double bladed metal knife. "Like this one? Ive been stabbed by this one before." She pulls up her top to show a scar along her stomach.

"A bit. Pointy end near me, blunt end near the other person. It was a black one, onyx maybe, though. I /did/ mention this was inside my head, right? And therefore fairly unlikely to be as a result of your drugs?"

"Oh yeah, thats right. Your head not mine. Sorry. Err, I think I remember fighting her for that knife." Faith flips her knife in her hand, rolling it around and then sliding it behind her back, out of sight. "Made of bone or rock or somethin'? Wicked sharp if I remember my dreams right. Can a bone knife or whatever be that sharp?"

Casey glazes over a bit "If its volcanic rock, then it can be. I mean, basically its a glass knife, only really hard as well as sharp - What do you mean, if you remember your dreams right?"

"Well I was dreaming. I remember.... B and me fightin'. In a graveyard. Then there were these vamps and B 'n me flipped to double dustin' mode, for vamps I mean. Then the Boss, er the mayor, comes up, err, he was dead by then, anyway, he comes up and starts talking about some crap. We dust the vamps, scratch up 6 for the good guys then B wanders off somewhere. I get fightin' this other vamp and lose her. Then the cave bitch appears and tries to gut me and we fight over her knife. Rolled into a grave if I remember right. *Thud* And B and I are back on the roof of my old place, back to when she came to kill me and ended up givin' me the scar. Weird huh? Mean anythin' to you? Just says 'you were made to punch Slayers, Faith' to me."

"Oh right - I thought you meant you'd had the same dream." Casey grins at the last and takes on a sing song, horoscopes-on-the-radio voice "Or maybe it is representative of your internal struggles with your slayer nature and your uncertainty about your relationship with the other slayer...." Casey looks over at Faith who is just staring at him with one eyebrow raised and a puzzled look. "Woops, sorry."

Faith shrugs. "Maybe its like wolves. Slayers are ment to be alone or somethin'." She skips forward and then bounces into a cartwheel and bounces a few rolls before slowing on the upswing and handstanding for a moment before her hand sinks into the sand and she tips over and rolls up to a kneel. Throwing open her hands, as if for applause she throws her head back and exclaims "Tadaaaaaaaaa!" She smiles and looks around at the sun slowly rising. "I like it here, Case. Its quiet. And pretty."

Casey smiles and golf claps. "Wolf packs? The primal thing said something like that in my dream. I mean the meant to be alone part. I dunno that its such a good idea." Casey kicks back. "Its like when people couple up and don't speak to anyone else but each other, they go a bit strange. No other input." He yawns. "I'm normally not here now. In a couple of hours, yes, but not at dawn. Its weird without people."

"Packs. Oh yeah, errr, but... err.... so why is it 'lone wolf' then?" She looks around and sniffs the air. "I like it. Without people I mean." She looks up at Casey with a wicked grin. "Not that we're alone here." She tilts her head towards some undergrowth at the edge of the sand. "Couple up there gettin' sweaty. The jogger with the dog goin' away. Two other joggers comin' up behind us. Some other losers like us, walkin' up ahead too goin' all deep and meaningfull. See?" She points down the beach to the two people off in the distance. "Still its a nice thought."

"You ever thought of taking a holiday? I mean somewhere like tahiti or hawaii or something? Just going somewhere, well relatively alone and sunny and nice. No vampires, no watchers, no slayer, just Faith kicking back for a while and having some fun?"

She shrugs. "Maybe. I dont think Id know what to do if I did. I mean Im not exactly 'sit on her arse guy'." She goes all talk show "Hi, I'm Faith. My hobbies are comics, TV, loud music, screwing and poundin' the undead into the next century." She snorts. "And I do what in Hawaii? Sleep all day, stay up all night, dance, pick fights, shag guys. Hey man, I can do that here." She stands up and puts her hands in her pockets and continues quietly "Plus I love the slayin'. I couldnt stop even if I tried. I just end up putting plain humans in hospital again."

Casey chuckles at the talk show intro. "Most people aren't going to listen past the second last option anyway... You ... ah, hell, I don't particularly want you to leave, so I won't argue the point just now." He lays on his back and stares up at the sky. "You really don't want me to talk to Gemma about generic slayer stuff? I won't if you say so, but I'm kinda interested in where it all comes from."

"I guess I just feel.. Im scared of them. I can tell you this because they probably expect me to kill you anyway. So my secret dies with you, right? Im jokin' by the way. Its hard enough to not smack the @#*$& out of Conrad now, same with Alex and the others. If they knew... if they said anything... Id lose it. Im expectin' Jayde and me to toss down any day now. And before you ask, no their aint no problem, but its just a feelin'. Spooky Slayer preminition maybe."

Casey keeps looking at the sky, not glancing at Faith. "Its up to you. I've had some ideas for spotting vamps for those of us without wonder twin powers and all, so I could be asking out of general interest as far as they know, especially if I give them the idea for the detector thing." Casey starts thinking about the design and drifts away for a few seconds. "Oops, sorry. I was thinking about and had another idea." He sits up. "So why are you staying here rather than going somewhere slayable but without the complications?"

Suddenly Faith flips up to kneeling and spins round and points to Casey. "Dont you dare tell them any of this! I mean it. And none of the #@$*&ing 'if hypotheically' stuff. If they find out... @*#&$*@#! Just... just dont, ok?! Im stuck here, right? You really think the Watchers are gunna leave me be? They were willin' to shoot Buffy to get to me so the only thing keeping me safe here is that the need to suck up to Jayde or she'll leave them just like B did and just like I did. If I leave this town or when Jayde dies, they'll be comin' for me once again and Im not goin' quietly."

Casey holds up his hands. "Said it was up to you - chill, dude." He smiles. "It was just a thought.... " The smile fades into a frown. "How big is this Watcher thing? I got the feeling it wasn't that big, really. Is it a government thing?"

"Then the dude says no. Remember, I know where you live." She smiles at that. "Watchers huh? How do I know? Its gotta have some clout. Conrad got to come and examine me in the slammer, so they must have been able to swing that. Plus they got me this fake ID and stuff and apparently thats all semi-offical. But really dont know. Why?"

Casey sticks his tongue out. "Very funny. Ok. Because they suck, by the sounds of it. And it sounds like they don't care about anyone else and my friends are hanging around one of their Slayers. I mean Jayde." Casey chews his lip for a bit. "Not to mention your predicament. You know, I kind of like you, would prefer you had a longer life expectancy than Jayde's attention span."

She shrugs. "Watchers aint too scary at the moment. They cant have that many wetworks teams left after Buffy and I got through 'em. Hey, dont worry about your friends. Alex seems to be tryin' to make them all huggy and carey so I wouldnt worry about your friends." She pops back onto the sand and stares up. "Not sure what it is with Jayde and me. We sometimes..." Suddenly the train of thought changes direction, "She doesnt need Watchers runnin' her life. I mean she's a Slayer right? Why the hell should she be watchin' that wall all night? Screw that. Watch wall equals Watchers work to me. The name's gotta mean somethin' right?"

"Still, I'll going to think about it. Might be able to foil them enough to leave us all alone. What's with this wall? " Casey bounces to another topic...

Who knows.

Casey's story continues

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