One foot pounded after the other, each in time to her heart beat until it became a tune that beat at her consciousness. Whispers, another set of feet pounding next to her a small misstep unheard by anyone normal but zoomed in on by her. Turning off the tread mill in time to catch her friend, because friends help each other out. Time seems to have no meaning but underneath all of this peace is something prowling in a cage and getting more upset as each day passes. Glances from under lashes, every exit mapped, each person judged and found wanting… except for two. Both are strong like…

"Echo would you like a treatment?" Her body responds and soon she is someone else, again.

She was Jordan, a struggling singer. Her first real break, she got taped to go to an audition for Rayna Russle. She sang with her heart and her hopes and everything fell into place as Rayna stepped up to sing with her after a quiet word with her manager, Biz. Moments later dreams came true as she realized she had the job. Eyes everywhere, Biz lying with his words but not his body. He said he smelled attitude but his body showed relief. Layers of lies again.

Rehearsal, Rayna practicing choreography with a group, while Jordan sings and gets fitted. The other back-up singers gossip and giggle, their voices grate but you don't piss off your co-workers. The talk turns to Rayna and the fact that she no longer received her own fan mail. More muscle than talent walking around the threat is serious but there are gaps in security. Ride with Rayna to the gig and join her for the party afterwards.

Walking into the party, all noise and people. She and Rayna stride to Rayna's table only to find a girl there. The singer starts to throw a fit but Biz steps in to remind her that the girl was Audra, the winner of the on-line video contest. Audra is sweet, innocent but strong, so very strong. A dark haired man in a leather jacket approaches at speed his hand reaching inside the coat. Action before thought and she has to pull her move back or risk killing him. She flips him over the railing onto a couch , his camera falling from his coat as he falls and security escorts him out. Her excuse "I'm a southie."

Another night another show.

"WHAT!?" Rayna's voice rang out.

"It's me!"

"Hey."

"Get in here"

"Damn girl!" She stared at the profusion of orchids that seemed to cover every surface.

"Oh, aren't they gorgeous?" she let out a happy little grunt while walking up to them. "You know orchids are the symbol of pure affection."

They made her uneasy for some reason, like rot under the smell of roses or an open sewer line in an expensive restaurant. "Wow, you sure have a lot of them."

"They help me relax."

"Nice I could use some of that." Even as she said it she could feel tension rippling through her back. Something wasn't right. Rayna was wired in way that wasn't her usual.

"Have you ever felt so unbelievably alive? This is going to be the best night of my life!" She was glowing with joy and a manic gleam in her eyes showed her excitement. "I am ready. I am so ready." Rayna spoke with tone that sounded more like she trying to convince herself.

Rayna was drinking a water and told her to grab one. When she noticed a piece of red paper. It was fan mail. She remembered what the girls had said, no mail for Rayna "Hey, I thought you weren't getting fan mail anymore." The singer seemed a bit off put by the question and turned back to the mirror to fool with her hair. "These people really think they actually have a relationship with you." The letter was overflowing with poetry and imagery.

"Comes with the territory. My music touches people, so they want to touch me back." She said it like it meant nothing but she had become nervous when the subject had come up.

Shouldn't the cops be getting all this stuff?"

"Oh those are old." Jordan looked down at yet another letter, noticing that it mentioned the show from the night before. Rayna had just lied to her.

"This one isn't. It mentions last nights show." She picked up half a dozen more letters. " These are all from the same guy." This was wrong on so many levels. "It's him. The one they are all afraid of. You're communicating with him?"

"He's my number one fan. Audra's a sweet girl," the winner that had been sitting with them at the party and would be at the show, "but… she's got nothing on him."

Something was pushing at her to make Rayna see reason. "Yo, he's not a fan. He's insane."

Rayna got pissed and stood up walking to Jordan like she was the queen of the universe. "What do you know? You're a background singer. A wanna be, a nothing." A stage hand knocked on the door to say they had three minutes. Like a light switch Rayna changed into the diva. "Show Time. The biggest show ever." She walked off leaving Jordan staring after her.

Jordan looked down the empty hallway and and back at the flowers. She felt something, knew something. She walked over to the flowers, her fingers trailing over the blooms and reading the cards. A tip of red caught her eye under one of the vases. It was the size of a post it and had only one word 'Tonight'. She started pushing over the vases until she got to the next note. 'Will be your last', panic was setting in and hit when she found the last 'Good-bye' She ran after Rayna knowing that nothing she could say right now would help but needing to try. "Don't do this!"

Rayna didn't even look at her when she responded "This is what I do."

"He's gonna kill you. I think you know that."

"You have no idea what it's like." Rayna was getting angry again or had never really calmed down.

"You can't go out there." It was like trying to get her sisters Buffy and Dawn to listen.

"You don't tell me what I can and can't do." And there was their standard response when she tried to tell them things they need to know and were ignoring.

"You want him to shoot you. On stage. Tonight. You're crazier than he is."

"I'm not crazy. I just want to be free." She was crazy but she needed help and she couldn't stand by and let this happen. She had to stop this before it went too far.

She should be worried, but she's not, she's pissed. Searching for Biz to tell him. He believes but the stage manager doesn't. The show must go on. He tries to stop her from going on stage and she knees him and rushes onto the stage, no luck until she grabs a spot light. She spots him he shots, misses. She runs to Rayna toppling her over as another shot rings out. They are both rushed off stage and shoved into Rayna's dressing room. Rayna rails at her. She argues, tries to get Rayna to see the light and get help.

"I don't exist, I'm not a real person. I'm everybody's fantasy." Rayna continues talking but it sounds like she is talking from a long distance, her words echoing in her head. A real person, everybody's fantasy. Snap out of it and she speaks up again. More words and then Rayna fires her grabs her.

Click.

"You can fire me, but, bitch don't think you can take me." The words tumble out and she knows them for fact. Every move has to tested, felt, made sure of, because she is too strong and a wrong move can hurt some one. She walks out of the room and loses her self in the crowds for a bit. Her stomach is churning and she knows there are things that are wrong.

She returns a little more than an hour later to walk in on a hostage tape from the crazy stalker fan. He had kidnapped Audra, and was threatening to kill her if Rayna didn't meet with him. His last words on the tape were 'Call Me'. Biz looked at Rayna in utter disgust . She felt something horrible rise up inside her as she watched Rayna's manager smacked her. He said something about Rayna wanting all of the fame and someone else spoke through her for a moment. "Getting what you want may not be the best thing for a person." A flash of herself being strapped down to a gurney and wheeled to an ambulance while she watched on being held by an older woman. None of it made sense.

"You're supposed to be with her." He looked at her almost in a curious fashion.

"She fired me."

"Does that make a difference?" He was looking at her now with a strange glint in his eyes.

"No, I don't know why, but even after everything that's happened, I…" She turned to look at the last frame up on the screen of the stalkers video. It showed Audra, terrified and sweating. Treadmills and stumbles "I have to help her." It was anyone's guess whether she meant Rayna or Audra.

She walked into the virtually empty rehearsal hall to see Rayna mapping out moves for another dance. It infuriated her. She tried to talk to her but she refused to listen just like her sister Buffy.

"Rayna, I know you don't feel anything or think you don't, but you will. You will if you do something to save this girl… and you will help this girl." She faded into the shadows with the last of her words. Unseen and unheard by the brat star that was speaking, a chair and a quick tap and silence. "Friends help each other out." One phone call later and good strong rope and she would save her friend.

Catwalks above the stage and a verbal struggle with a madman. Rayna terrified and having second thoughts about her own death. Stories change and the stalker is terrified for Rayna, tied and then pushed off the catwalk. He rushes to her aid and that click again. The adrenaline pumps through her body as she kicks the gun away from him. The combat is short, he is after all only human.

Everyone walks away. Rayna has found new hope and Audra thinks this day is the best in her life. Things are going well until the middle aged man tell Audra that it is time for her treatment. That man makes her skin crawl and though Boyd is there for her treatment she wants to kick the guys ass. He is slime but the chance passes.

She is laying back in the chair and as she feels the slight pinch her memories drain away again until the last one. A man with blond hair standing at the other end of the catwalk watching the show with a smirk and a smoke. Then it is all gone.

"Did I fall asleep?"

"For a little while."

"Shall I go now?"

They are watching her. Eyes always on her. Sierra is her friend but sometimes it is better to walk past. A shake of the head and Audra is safe…. Sierra is safe. Slime is NOT safe.