Faith woke with a start, breathing heavily. She scratched absently at her bandaged hand, then slipped out of bed, heading for the bathroom. She caught sight of her reflection in the window and stopped, staring at herself for a long moment.
"Faith, can you hear me?" the doctor asked, peering deeply into her eyes.
"What is this?" Faith's eyes were confused and afraid.
"Do you know where you are, Faith?" he questioned.
"Ohio," she replied.
"No, none of that's real. None of it. You're in a mental institution. You've been with us now for almost ten years. Do you remember?" the doctor was staring her down now.
Faith shook her head, coming out of her daze. She moved closer to the window, tilting her head at her reflection.
A flash of a dishelleved brunette, cowering in a corner, then back to normal.
She could've sworn she saw something just then.
Sam
Sam rolled over in his sleep, arm hitting an empty other half of the bed. His eyes opened, and he sat up.
"Faith?" he called softly, so as not to wake Dean.
Faith
"Faith, it's ok, it's ok," the doctore reassured her. "Look who's here."
"Faith?" Faith's social worker stood in the doorway. "Faith, honey?"
"V?" Faith squinted slightly.
"Oh, you're here!" Vi said, delighted.
"She's lucid. Keep talking, maybe the sound of your voice will ground her," the doctor told her.
"I've missed you, kiddo... oh no, Faith. Stay with me, honey."
Faith jumped at the sound of Sam's voice, tearing her eyes away from the window.
"Oh. Sorry, did I wake you?"
Sam
"It's ok," Sam insisted.
"But it's like 2am, come back to bed..."
Faith
"Are you saying Faith could be the way she was before any of this happened?" Vi asked the doctor.
"Ms Collins, you have to understand the severity of what's happened to Faith. Over the last ten years she's been in a undifferentiated type of schizophrenia..." the doctor explained.
"I know her condition, that's not what I'm asking," Vi replied.
"Faith's delusion is multi-layered. She believes she's some type of hero," the doctor continued.
"The Slayer," Vi said.
"The Slayer, right. But that's only one level. She's also created an intricate latticework to support her primary delusion. In her mind, she's the central figure in a fantastic world beyond imagination. She's surrounded herself with friends, most with their own super-powers, who are as real to her as you or me. More so, unfortunately. Together they face grand, overblown conflicts against an assortment of monsters both imaginary and rooted in actual myth. Every time we think we're getting through to her, more fanciful enemies magically appear and she's..."
"Sam?"
"Sam?" Faith's eyes were confused.
"That's the boyfriend, right?" Vi asked.
"Yes, he has his own powers."
Faith shook her head slightly.
Sam
"Come on Faith," Sam groaned, closing his eyes, "it's too early."
Faith
"Sorry," Faith replied absently, climbing onto the bed again.
"You don't have a boyfriend, Faith," Vi told her gently.
"Sam?" Faith shook her head.
"Say it, it'll help you believe it," Vi coaxed.
"I don't know a Sam," Faith said slowly.
"It's your mind, a trick to keep you sick," Vi said.
"Sam's not real," she mumbled.
Sam
"Very funny Faith," Sam mumbled, "get some sleep."
Faith
"Ok?" Faith replied quietly.
She lay back against the pillows.
"It's not going to be easy, Faith. You have to take it one step at a time. You have to start ridding your mind of those things that support your hallucination. You understand? There are things in that world you cling to. For your delusion they're safe holds, but for your mind, they're traps. We have to break those down."
As she closed her eyes, she whimpered softly, a frightened noise.
Sam
Sam frowned, turning over to face her.
"What's up?" he asked, knowing he wouldn't get any sleep if she was making those noises.
Faith
"I don't know."
Faith rolled over.
Sam & Dean
"Sure?" Sam asked.
"Just knock her out already," Dean groaned from the other side of the room.
"Shut up Dean."
Faith
"You have to do whatever it takes to get your mind healthy again," the doctor told her.
Faith bit her lip, making another scared noise.
"Um..."
Faith sat up again.
Sam
"What is it?" Sm asked, sitting up with her.
Faith
"Should we go outside so we don't keep Dean up?"
Faith couldn't look at Sam.
Sam & Dean
"Don't worry about him, he'll sleep through anything."
"Yeah. Like cockroaches crawling across the floor. Not emo lovey dovey blubbering."
"Dean!"
"Nevermind," Dean grunted, getting out of bed and grabbing the impala keys before disappearing out the door.
Faith
"Something's happening," Faith said, glancing at Sam.
She scratched absently at her bandaged hand.
"I'm not here. Or I am... I don't know."
Sam
"What do you mean... 'not here'?" Sam frowned, confused.
Faith
"I don't know."
Faith rubbed her head.
"I'm... in an institution."
Sam
"Right," Sam nodded slowly.
"So this is one of those dream sequences?"
Faith
"No, it's..."
"Faith, you have to fight it, you're stronger than this," Vi said.
"I know," Faith replied, confused.
Faith shook her head, catching sight of her reflection again, but seeing herself in a hospital gown.
Sam
"Faith, come on," Sam practically whined.
"I'm not awake enough to handle incomplete sentences. Just tell me what's wrong so we can sort it out."
Faith
"I think something poisoned me."
Faith glanced at him.
"I keep seeing... being in an institution and being told that none of this world is real."
Sam
Sam hesitated, then leant up to turn the bedside light on.
"You've been drugged again?" he frowned, suddenly a lot more awake.
Faith
"I don't think so."
Faith scratched again at the bandage on her hand.
Sam
"What else could cause that?" Sam asked.
"A spell? Curse? Some delusion inducing telepathic creature?"
Faith
Faith thought for a moment.
"Kim and I hunted a weird demon last night... and I think I got it's blood on me."
Sam
"Weird like... hallucination inducing?" Sam was confused.
Faith
"I don't know, he just called and wanted me to come hunt it."
Faith shrugged and scratched her hand.
"It's really itchy now."
Sam
"Right. Poison," Sam nodded to himself, finally awake enough to put two and two together.
"Maybe we should head back to Wolfram and have-"
He cut himself off, remembering last time they were there.
"I could call Bobby in the morning, maybe could swing by South Dakota and see if he's dealt with something like this before?"
Faith
"What if I'm still there?" Faith mumbled, more to herself than to Sam.
Flashes of hospitals ran through her head.
Sam
"Then we'll get you back," Sam said insistantly.
"It's all in your head, you've got to try to remember that. I will not lose you, Faith."
He took her hand and squeezed it.
Faith
"I was in an institution once," Faith admitted, her voice quiet.
"Back before... when I was first called as a Slayer. I freaked out and told my social worker, and she... I've never told anyone that."
Sam
"It's ok, you're not going back," Sam insisted.
"I don't care what it takes."
Faith
Faith reached out for Sam, hands shaking.
"But what if I'm still there?" she asked, images in her head confusing her. "What if I never left and this... what if none of this is real?"
Sam
"Faith... I can't convince you if you can't convince yourself," Sam was back in worry-mode.
"But if you can feel me, feel my heart beat, then you know you're here. And I'm here, with you."
Faith
Faith seemed to calm at that, feeling Sam's heartbeat thud against his chest.
"We'll fix this, right?"
Sam
"We will," Sam squeezed her hand tighter, pulling her in so that her ear was against his chest.
"We will..."