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Faith and Anita walk through the front doors together, both looking...really quite pleased with themselves. Faith's dressed in her catsuit, carrying her motorcycle under her arm, twirling a stake in her fingers, and she tosses off a salute as she and Anita part company, heading for her suite.

A few minutes later, she re-emerges, sans motorcycle but still dressed in the clingy leather, and heads for the bar.

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"Isabel!"

Faith's voice is, perhaps, a little sharper than it ought to be. Isabel reminds her of Buffy sometimes.

"Isabel, focus. I know you don't want to live here. I'm sorry. But if you want to live, and you want Warren to live, you need to get him back here like now."

"He won't listen to me! I know he won't...I...I fucking hate this! It's not fair! Max and Michael get to be safe now, but not me! Never me!"

"Make him listen! Hogtie him and drag him if you have to!"

Faith runs her hands through her hair, agitated. "I know it's hard, Isabel. I know. My life's been in danger every day since I was 16, I get it, I do. But life's not fair for anybody, Isabel, and that's just how it is."

"I can't do this...I can't I can't I can't...I can't...God I fucking give up already. I thought I could have redemption...I thought...but I can't. Not after what I did."

"What? What are you talking about?"

Faith is confused.

"Isabel? What did you do?"

"Killing Kivar! It was supposed to make it all better! It was supposed to set me free but it didn't! It didn't and I'm still being punished. Max and Michael are safe. Because they didn't do anything wrong...not like I did."

You did what you had to do.

"You just shut up! I don't want to talk to you right now!"

Faith blinks, taken aback, and then gets up.

"Alright. I'll leave you alone," she says, calmly. "If you do want to talk to me, you know where I am."

Recent killing-things time has her in a mellow mood.

"No! Don't leave! Where are you going? I..."

Don't waste your time on her. She's only being nice to you so her precious Max doesn't get upset. They have to win you over to get to him. That was Liz's problem.

"Stop it! Stop it stopitstopitstopitstopitstopit!" She sits down on the floor of the bar, curling up in the bar and crying.

Michael comes racing over at this point, alerted by Rath to what's going on, and drops at Isabel's side.

"No... Faith, she didn't mean you. Izzy?"

Faith is teh confused.

"...you should take her someplace more private, maybe?" she hazards, eyeing Isabel worriedly. "I don't think she...what do you mean she didn't mean me?"

You're weak, you know that. Get up you weak little girl. You think you're being punished for what I did? You could never do what I did. Never. Because you don't have the strength. You only killed Kivar because I was his weakness. But look at her over there. She's strong. Faith is strong. She saved Michael. And Max is falling for her. She's replacing you because she can help. Because she's worth something.

"No. That's not true." She whispers. "It's not true..." She can barely make out Michael's voice, but she knows he's there...knows..."Michael..."

Michael grabs her hands, making her focus on him, but he looks up at Faith for a moment.

"She means Vilandra. Who she was in her last life. They talk to us..."

Vilandra! Stop this!

Oh. Well. That's new.

Faith chews on her lower lip and gets down on her knees next to Isabel, putting a cautious hand on her shoulder.

"Is it hurting her?"

A huge mental wall slams down in Isabel's head, almost forcing Michael out of it.

Your darling Michael. Who you were too stupid to know about...you lost him to a mortal. A normal human girl, normal being a bit of an overstatement in this case. You ruined everything. Your life isn't shit because of me. It's shit because of you. Because of your weaknesses, your inadequacies. You can't even shut me up. You can't get me out of your head. Try it Isabel. Come on, just try to make me leave. You invited me in...why not close the door?

"No...let me go let me go let mego letmegoleggoleggoleggo."

Michael rocks back as if from a physical blow when he's pushed out.

"She's talking to her, saying things... she won't let me in."

He tries again, with Rath adding his power this time.

Vilandra, she won't do you any good if you push her to a breakdown.

Mind your own business, Rath! Stay out of this!

"Ow...let me go..." Isabel balls up, moving into Faith's arms, whimpering.

Let me rule again, Isabel. Let me in...I can take over, get you the life you should have...the life we deserve.

"Isabel!"

Faith wraps her arms around her friend, holding her tight.

"Isabel, listen to me. Remember when we were in New York? Remember the salesgirl that was being snooty, remember how you put the smackdown on her? Bring the bitch, Is. Do it. Show her who's in charge. I have faith in you, there's nobody you can't out-bitch."

If you break the girl's mind, it is my business.

"Izzy... Izzy, come on and fight. You can do it."

She doesn't know what to do with her mind! I do. Just because you never had the initiative...really Rath, just back off. I know what I'm doing! See Isabel. They don't trust me either. No one will ever trust you. You didn't save Michael, Faith did, and here you are surrending in your weakness to her. She's superhuman too. Not like you. You just happen to have some alien in you. You're worthless. Give up Isabel...give up.

And she just whimpers, starting to shake.

"Isabel!"

Faith snarls, softly, tightening her grip on her friend.

"Get out of her head, you bitch, or I will show you what a Slayer can do, and trust me, you will not enjoy it."

Michael shakes his head, helplessly.

"I wish Moiraine was here..."

I swear to God, Vilandra, if you don't stop this, I will find a way to get you out of there myself.

And then the voice in Isabel's head changes.

Isabel

"Alex?"

Isabel...I've missed you...God I've missed you so much. I had to find you.

"Alex...Oh God I've missed you."

Come be with me. Let's have what we couldn't before...let me hold you...it'll be okay

"Yes..."

And Isabel's body goes limp.

See Rath? I win again

And silence.

Michael grabs her shoulders and shakes her.

"No! Fucking... Vilandra. Let her go."

Faith reaches back and smacks her across the face - not hard, not enough to do any serious damage, but certainly enough to be felt.

"Isabel! Fight it! Don't let her do this!"

But there's no reaction. Her breathing is shallow, like one in a coma, and while her head moves with the slap, her eyes don't even flicker. She's not registering the feeling at all.