Something goes bump in the night...

[Raquel]

"Oh, it's quite alright," Raquel said, holding her position for a moment and wiping roughly at her bloodied nose. "Ya' know, I would think that your moral struggle, all that internal fighting, would wear you down after a while. But hey, you still got the moves, babe."

She tilted her head at the Slayer. "Road to redemption's a rocky one, idn't it? I fell from grace once, too. Pretty much decided to stay there once I landed. But you...you're trying to claw your way back up. Don't get me wrong; it's admirable. Totally useless, though. You can't take back anything that you've done. And your friends...they'll never forget who you really are, or what you're capable of," she declared, reading the troubled girl's psyche like an open book.

"Having trouble escaping those demons, Faith?"

[Faith]

"Road to redemption's a rocky one, isn't it?"

Faith frowned, the little bells in her head ringing with familiarity. What she was saying to her...it was like she knew her. Like she was inside her mind.

"...You can't take back anything that you've done. And your friends...they'll never forget who you really are, or what you're capable of..."

Paranoia was taking hold again. Faith hesitated, her confidence knocked slightly. She thought back to earlier that night. She'd attacked Wesley for no reason. She was losing her grip on things since she'd escaped the hell dimension, and this vampire was right, they'd never forget what she was capable of. Chances are if she went back at all, they'd lock her up for being insane.

"Having trouble escaping those demons, Faith?"

Faith's face went completely white. Her eyes transfixed on the woman taunting her. The words echoed in her head, but it was Wesley speaking them.

"How do you...?" She replied, confusion on her face. Her voice almost a whisper.

[Raquel]

Raquel smirked and shrugged. "Little talent I have," she replied. "People used to say I wasn't right in the head. And well...you know how cruel they can be."

She held Faith's wide-eyed gaze as she inched closer. "One by one, they left you. Abandoned you. Betrayed you. And there you were all alone, in a tiny cell, in a dank cavern, with only your despair to cling to. You've run so far, suffered so long. Don't you ever wish it would end?"

[Faith]

"One by one, they left you. Abandoned you. Betrayed you. And there you were all alone, in a tiny cell, in a dank cavern, with only your despair to cling to. You've run so far, suffered so long..."

For a moment Faith lost track of where she was and of what she was meant to be doing. The feeling of isolation she had when she'd been trapped in the hell dimension came sweeping back. The air got colder and her muscles froze. Her gaze fell to the ground as if she was defeated.

"Don't you ever wish it would end?"

But it only lasted a moment.

Raquel came closer, ready to pounce on her prey, confident that her abilities were taking hold. It was a mistake.

In that split second, Faith's mind snapped back to reality as if she was suddenly awake for the first time. She slowly looked back up at the vampire in front of her. Ferocity in her eyes as the words came out calm and controlled.

"Do you?"

She was faster than she thought she could be, her arm moving from pure instinct, her gaze never leaving the vampires. It was only the surprise on Raquel's face that told her she'd hit home. The stake clearly embedded in her chest, piercing an undead heart beneath.

[Declan Clay]

He could hear the fighting. He could Raquel stop talking suddenly. He could hear everything.

Frantically, he smashed at the top of the dumpster with all his might.