It was nearing the end of summer vacation. Buffy was due to leave for college in a fortnight, and she was looking forward to getting away from Sunnydale. There were many reasons for wanting to escape the Hellmouth, one being her co-slayer, her partner in crime, her younger, wilder self. Faith. Just knowing that the girl was in hospital, in a coma and severely injured was enough for Buffy to cope with, but knowing that it was her own actions that put the other girl in that position was a whole other story. Sure, she did it for a good reason, to save Angel. But at the time, she didn’t realise the guilt of doing what she felt she had to would be so strong – so punishing. Buffy laid across her bed on her stomach, scribbling in her diary about that nights slayage – about battling demons. Not literal, physical demons, but emotional demons; demons she deserved to be fighting. She threw a glance to her bedside radio clock. 01:37. She wasn’t the least bit tired, and had so much more to write.

And so onto the subject of Faith, I wish that . . . A voice broke her thoughts. "You’re outta school, shouldn’t you be doing something a little more summer vacation-like. For example, sleeping?"

Buffy dropped her pen onto her diary, staring ahead of her, not fixating on anything. No, it can’t possibly be . . . Buffy turned and looked towards her window. "Faith!" Buffy scrambled to sit up, almost falling off of the edge of her bed. She stared at Faith, who was standing casually by the window. "You can’t be . . . you’re in . . ."

"A coma?" Faith intervened. A roguish grin appeared on her face. "Yeah well," Faith put her fingers to her lips, "shhh," the look in her eyes was as it ever was, mischievous, threatening, "I am." She folded her arms and sat on the windowsill.

Buffy stared at her, her expression overcome by confusion and disbelief. "How can you be here if you’re . . ."

"Ah, well . . . I’m not really here." Faith whispered informatively, leaning forward slightly. "Or I am here, but I’m not, if you know?"

"No, I don’t." Buffy said noncommittally.

"Oh, well. Clarification needed here. Okay, uh . . . have you ever read that play by that Shakespeare guy?"

"Which exactly? There are so many." Buffy said. She still didn’t know quite what to make of this, so she went along with it until her head figured something out.

"That Scottish play. The one with the guy and his psycho wife. Shit, what’s it called? Jeez B, this head trauma’s getting me nowhere, is it?" Faith threw Buffy an accusing look. The blonde slayer shrunk back slightly, her eyebrows creasing with slight worry. "Goddamn it! What was it called?!"

Faith stood up and paced up and down Buffy’s room, squeezing her eyes shut as she thought hard. Buffy watched her, still trying to find an explanation. Maybe she was dreaming. Yeah, dreaming. Pinch yourself. Buffy pinched her left forearm hard and she gritted her teeth in pain. Okay, not dreaming. Uh . . .

"Macbeth! That’s the one!" Faith laughed with achievement and took a seat on the edge of Buffy’s bed, facing the window. Faith glanced back at the other Slayer. "Have you read it?"

"In English, yeah." Buffy replied, watching Faith warily. Faith turned back to the window.

"Well, in that play, Macbeth kills that king right? And then he’s like, really guilty about it. Then he kills another guy and at this royal meeting thingy, he sees his ghost." Faith looked back at Buffy again, and saw the bemused look on her face.

"And this is leading to . . ?" The blonde slayer enquired, enlightening her lack of comprehension.

Faith let out an exasperated sigh. "Jesus B! You’re the one going to college here!" Faith adjusted her position on the bed so that she faced Buffy. "Okay, Miss College Student Buffy I-put-someone-else-into-a-braindead-state-of- mind-but-I-act-like-I’m-the-one-with-no-intellect Summers, let me explain." Faith took a moment of silence for herself to think about the easiest way of explaining her point to Buffy – she could be so dense sometimes. "Macbeth was guilty – he saw apparitions – these apparitions represented a guilty conscience. Dos thou comprehend?" Faith drew out her last sentence for effect.

Buffy gave Faith an insulted look, but it was quickly replaced by the expression of revelation. "Ohhhh . . ." She said, staring off into a space. "So what I’m sayin’ is, you’re Macbeth, I’m the apparition – and your guilty conscience, or maybe I’m just my own soul. I dunno!" Faith grinned cheekily as Buffy edged her eyes slowly towards her. "This so can’t be real . . . apparitions only happen to those crazy people,"

"Well, I never went through any, and apparently, I was crazy." Faith said calmly. "I was so crazy that I decided to do what my duty as Slayer asked of me – or at least I tried to. I tried to kill a vampire; one who happened to be your pointy toothed boyfriend." Faith glared at the other Slayer with a sardonic glint to her eyes and a mocking tone to her voice. "So, you put me into a coma for no reason – because I was only doing my job. Angel the vamp, Faith the slayer, slayer kill the vamp. But I couldn’t do it because Buffy, the leader of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Vampires, wouldn’t let me!" Faith’s voice began to rise with every word. "And so now, while my body weakens day by day in that stupid goddamn hospital, I get to drive you crazy." Faith’s eyes locked with Buffy’s angry, worried stare. "You made me crazy when you were walkin’ and talkin’ like Miss Thang." Buffy growled. "And so the practice will come in handy." Faith said, still grinning. "What exactly do you think people will say if they find you talking to thin air, or shouting at nothing? Hm? This is gonna be a whole lotta fun, B. I just hope I . . ."

Buffy’s diary caught Faith’s eye, "Ooh, what’s this?" She muttered interestedly, reaching for the book. Buffy’s arm shot out to grab her book, but Faith got there first. "Snooze ya lose, Buff." Faith said with a smirk of false commiseration.

The brunette Slayer flicked through the pages of Buffy’s diary, her eyes scanning for something interesting. She spotted the word graduation and stopped flipping the pages there. "Hmm," Faith murmured with fascination, "Graduation Day."

"Don’t read that!" Buffy lunged forward at Faith, her arm stretched out to grab the book. Both Slayers fell off of the bed and onto the floor into a heap. Faith looked up at Buffy with a grin, holding the diary tightly. "Bet you wish I was Angel right now, huh?" She whispered.

Buffy looked at Faith with disgust and delivered a lethal backhand strike to her face. Faith’s head snapped to the side in reaction, but the smile never left her face. "Now, now," Faith said, looking back up at the other Slayer, "violence solves nothing."

"I wouldn’t bet on that, Faith." Buffy growled, looking down at the other girls amused visage.

"Well, stabbing me got you nowhere did it?" With that, Faith threw Buffy off of her with an effortless push. The brunette jumped to her feet and walked over to the window, looking down at the open book in her hands.

"Dear diary," she read out aloud, "I did it, I killed the mayor, and my friends were by my side all the way."

Buffy scrambled to her feet and ran at Faith. Without taking her eyes from the book, the other slayer was quick to notice, and threw her fist out, hitting Buffy around the jaw as she ran at her. The blonde fell back onto the floor in surprise of Faith’s power. Faith resumed reading. "Faith is in a coma, and couldn’t make it to the Ascension. I’m happy about that. I didn’t have to fight her or kill her. At least I know she’s staying out of trouble at the hospital," Faith looked at Buffy, eyebrows raised. "Out of trouble?" She scoffed. Buffy got to her feet and glared at her enemy. "Angel’s gone, left town, no goodbyes, he just went. I’m going to miss him so, so much. I’ll miss the way he kissed me, the way he held me, touched me, the way he. . ." Faith paused for a moment, reading silently to herself and then burst out in laughter, "ran his teeth along my throat!" Faith grabbed at her side as it ached with laughter. "Is it coincidence that this sounds a hell of a lot like erotic description writing?"

Buffy was seeing red as she looked at Faith, as she heard her gasps for air in between her hysterics, as she heard excerpts read out from her diary – her private diary. Once again, she dived for Faith, but the brunette was quick to move, and Buffy ran into the wall. The blonde fell back to the floor again, seeing stars.

"Driving you crazy yet, B? Because, I have to be honest, reading your diary was not part of my plan." Faith continued looking through the no longer confidential book. Buffy recovered quickly, but thought her actions through this time. She slowly and quietly approached Faith from behind, creeping her arm out and around . . . "Ah-ah." Faith slapped Buffy’s arm away.

"Listen! You’ve had your fun now . . ."

"Oh no, far from it, B. This is just a little teaser of what fun can be like. I have so many plans . . ."

"Would you just give me the goddamn book!" Buffy yelled, reaching for the book again.

Faith held it above her head, facing the other slayer. "What’s the magic word?" Faith teased.

Buffy pushed the brunette back onto the bed, falling on top of her. Faith held the book above her still, over the other side of the bed. Buffy stretched her arm for it . . .

"Knock, knock." The door opened and Joyce popped her head around the door. Buffy looked startled. "Are you okay, honey?" Joyce asked, stepping into the room. She saw Buffy extended across the bed, her arm outstretched and her hand clasping her diary.

Buffy looked down at the other slayer beneath her and then at the book that they were both holding onto. "Mom! It’s not what you think, I . . ."

"Here, let me put that away for you." Joyce walked across to where Buffy was holding her diary and she took it from her hand. "I didn’t realise stretching across rooms was part of your slaying power." Buffy’s mother placed the diary in one of Buffy’s drawers and then turned to face her daughter, who was still stretched out. "Honey?" She frowned inquisitively.

Buffy quickly moved herself from Faith and jumped off of the bed. "Listen, I know you thought Faith was in hospital, but she’s here now and she’s-"

"What do you mean here, hon’?" Joyce said, giving Buffy a peculiar look. Buffy looked behind her at Faith who was standing at the other side of the bed, and then at her mother.

"You mean you can’t . . ." She heard Faith sniggering behind her, and it all became clear. "Forget it, I was probably dreaming or something. It was a very real dream." Buffy gave Joyce a reassuring smile.

"Nice save, B." Faith called from behind. Buffy ignored her, and waited for her mother to speak.

"Yes, well, you should try and get some sleep. I heard you yelling and I thought that you might be . . . well, I was right. Dreaming." Joyce touched Buffy’s hair. "Goodnight." With that, she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Buffy turned and glared at Faith. "Are you trying to make me look crazy?!" She exclaimed.

The door opened once again. "I’m sorry?" Joyce called.

"I said goodnight!" Buffy yelled back. The door closed again, and Buffy waited until she heard her mothers door shut. "You handled that well, B. I’m impressed." Faith said approvingly as Buffy walked around the bed to her. They stood facing each other, neither saying a word for a few silent, tension filled moments. Buffy let her head wrap around what was actually happening while Faith let hers wrap around what to say next.

"Screw this." Faith attacked Buffy with two backhand strikes to the face and one upper hook to her chin. Buffy stood, dazed by the blows to her head. "Sleep tight." Faith grabbed the back of Buffy’s neck, pulling her forward, and kissing her forehead fiercely. "Don’t let the vampires bite." With that, she pushed Buffy back onto the bed and left her drift off into a deep, nightmarish slumber . . .

Most likely to be continued . . .