“For being outta the way this place is huge,” Faith said, looking around the cemetery.

 

“’Spected you’d like it.”  Spike nudged her.  “Vampy boy say anything else to you?  Anything interesting?” he asked.

 

Faith thought for a moment. “Is anything they say ever interesting?”  She knew that wasn’t the answer Spike was looking for, so she added quietly, “Said he wasn’t going to kill me.”

 

Spike stopped walking. “And why was that?”

 

Faith stopped at looked at him.  “He wasn’t around long enough to tell me.”

 

“Slayer,” he said, holding up one finger.  “One.  He knew who you were.”  Holding up another finger.  “Two. He wasn’t going to cease your existence.  Don’t you find that a least bit off?”

 

Faith started walking again.  “No.  Coincidence.  Nothing more.  Chill already.”

 

Spike caught up to her and grabbed her arm.  “Hold it!  What aren’t you telling me?”

 

“What?” Knitting her eyebrows together and getting defensive.  “I told you everything back there.” She indicated over her shoulder.  “I know you were there.  I wasn’t talking to myself.” Faith pulled her arm free.  “Get this straight.  If you’re going to hang with me, you’re going to need to pay attention.  Got it?”

 

Spike grabbed her and slammed her up against the nearest tree. 

 

“Who do you think you’re fooling?  I know you.  Know how you can get.  Pushing people away.  Not letting anyone in.  You’re not the first to do it and I ‘spect you’re not going to be the last.  Don’t stand there and tell me nothing’s wrong when I know damn straight away that something is!”

 

“Enough with the spazzing.  Nothing to tell,” Faith said, feeling somewhat drained. “Not much anyway.”

 

Spike glared at her, waiting for her to continue.

 

Faith sighed, hard.  “Dreams.  I’ve been having bad dreams.  No big, it’s cool. Really.” Faith looked at him quickly to see if he bought it.

 

“Should I make that Number three?” he asked, the scowl still apparent on his face.

 

“Damn.”  Faith pushed him away and gave it back to him as good as she got it. “One.  Vamps have a tendency to know Slayers’ names.  They talk.  They’re like a bunch of old ladies sitting around gossiping because they don’t have anything else better to do.”  Holding up a second finger.  “Two.  Just because fang-boy said he wasn’t going to kill me didn’t mean he wasn’t going to kill me.”  Holding up a third finger. “Three.  Bad dreams Spike.  Not prophetic.  Bad fricken’ dreams.  After everything that’s happened, I think I’m entitled to a couple of those.”

 

Faith could tell Spike was processing what she just told him, she just wasn’t exactly sure what his next reaction was going to be.

 

Faith didn’t expect the one she got.

 

“Anything else,” he said, grasping her chin softly and looking into her eyes, “and I mean anything else happens, vamps on a first name basis, another dream, you tell me.  You promise me that and it’s dropped here and now.”

 

Yelling?  Faith could handle.  Being slammed up against a tree?  That she could handle, too.  The sudden shift to concern… not so much.

 

Wanting the situation to end quickly, Faith finally said, “Fine.”

 

XXXXX

 

By the time Faith got back to her room, she was exhausted.  Battling vamps was one thing.  Battling Spike was something entirely different.

 

She stripped, showered, toweled herself off and fell into bed, pulling the covers up to neck, her nakedness feeling good against the cool, clean sheets.  In no time at all, Faith was fast asleep.

 

Again with the being strapped down

 

Faith knew she was back in her dream.  The same damn one.  The room was the same, the bindings were the same, and the doorway was the same.  They would be coming through anytime now.  Not that it mattered; as soon whatever it was came in, she would wake up. 

 

Happened before, it’d happen again, so she waited.  It seemed to take longer, was it a him?  For him to appear. 

 

Faith fussed with the straps to see if maybe she could loosen them.  She tried the right foot, and then the left foot.

 

Nothing. 

 

Left hand, right hand…

 

Wait.  Was it possible?

 

The strapping on her right hand was loose.  That never happened before. She twisted and turned and her right hand came free with little effort.  Faith finished taking the straps off her other hand and then her legs.

 

Faith was free.

 

XXXXX

 

She still felt the terror, but what should she do?  This was all new territory to her.  It was a dream, not like she could escape.  Play it out?  See if there was an actual point to it??  Confront whatever demon it was so it would go away?

 

Faith began looking around.  She had the dreams so many times, she knew the room she was in by heart.  She decided to take it head on, walk through the door that ‘he’ always came through. 

 

Taking a deep breath she stepped through the doorway... And found herself back in the room she had just left.

 

The same fate awaited her with every doorway she tried.

 

“This sucks,” she grumbled. Then yelling to the room, “What’s the point of bringing me back here night after night if it’s not to tell me something?”

 

“She bears the mark,” a voice boomed from above.

 

Faith jumped and looked hurriedly up towards the ceiling.

 

Nothing.

 

“She’s a Slayer,” boomed another voice coming from her right.

 

No one there either.

 

“Blood is the answer,” shouted the first voice.

 

“Then we shall spill it,” came the second.

 

Faith found herself strapped down.  How did she get there?  She was free she knew she had freed herself.  When she looked up again, she saw him coming through the doorway.  This time she saw what he was holding.

 

“No way!” she screamed, trying unsuccessfully to free her arms and legs.

 

“Wake up!  You’re dreaming.  Now!  Damn it.”

 

Faith’s eyes shot open.  “Spike?  What…?” she asked obviously confused.  “How did you get in here?  What happened?”

 

“Take it easy,” he said putting his hands on her arms.  “I’m checking on you.” 

 

That didn’t help.  Faith was still confused.

 

“I lied.  I didn’t drop it.”

 

Faith rolled her eyes, but still, she couldn’t be upset with him.  She wasn’t sure what would’ve happened if he hadn’t show up when he did.  They were cutting her up.  She felt it.  She could still feel it and Faith knew she was going to die.

 

XXXXX

 

The longer Faith was awake, the more the dream started to fade.

 

“Better?” Spike asked.

 

Faith knew he was concerned and if she was the least bit honest with herself, she’d be concerned too.  “God, I could go for a smoke,” she said.

 

Spike smiled. “Had them days m’self.”  

 

Faith threw back her covers and then realized she was still naked. Using all the Slayer speed she could muster, she grabbed them back up as quickly as she could.  “Do you mind?”

 

“Can’t say I mind at all.”

 

Faith, not being the least bit modest, threw the covers back again and got out of bed.

 

Spike went and sat in a chair, adverting his eyes from her.

 

She grabbed some clothes out of her bag and put them on.  She grabbed a soda off the nightstand and sat back down, crossing her legs in front of her. 

 

Spike got up and joined her on the bed.  “Care to tell me what this is all about?”

 

“Beats the hell outta me.  Been having this really bizarro dream since I got here. Every time I have it, I remember a little more, but nothing really happens.”  She shifted nervously.  “This time something happened.”

 

“What?”

 

“They started cutting me,” she stated matter-of-factly.  “They were rambling about some mark and Slayer’s blood.  They used this weird looking knife-thing on me.  I could feel it… Still can.”

 

Faith could feel herself getting upset.  It started in the pit of her stomach, remembering the fear and the anxiety, and the pain.  Faith reached out and touched a spot on her leg, rubbing it slowly.  They had cut her there.  Part of her wondered if maybe she really had been cut. 

 

She needed to push the emotions back down where they belonged.  If she didn’t…

 

Faith didn’t have time to finish her thought.

 

Spike had reached out and pulled her into his arms.

 

XXXXX

 

Spike really didn’t even think about it.  He could see the various emotions being played out across her face.  She didn’t verbalize them, but Spike had a pretty good idea what they were.  So, without even thinking, he took her in his arms.

 

There was a strength in Faith and he could see it slowly slipping away piece by piece.  It angered him that someone or something was taking that spark away.  She had just started getting her life back together and he’d be damned if he’d let anything take it away.  His strong feelings surprised him, but he pushed the alien thoughts aside.  His own life had taken so many turns, sometimes he wasn’t sure which way was up, but right now it was about her, about this Slayer and nothing else.

 

It didn’t take long, Spike could feel her pulling away.  It was as though her wall was a visible barrier and he could see it coming back up. 

 

Abruptly pulling away from him, Faith began pacing around the room.  “This is not going to happen to me.  I’m not going to become someone’s…” she said, angrily.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

“Bears a mark.  Slayer’s blood.  Ritualistic knife.”

 

“Wesley,” Spike said.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

XXXXX