buffy8x07
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.

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        10     INT. DAWN'S ROOM. NIGHT.                                10

               Closing shot of Ellen curled up on the bed next to the
               sleeping Emmily.

                                                              FADE OUT.



                                   END OF ACT ONE
                                       ACT TWO

                                                               FADE IN:

        11     INT. WILLOW & KENNEDY'S ROOM. MORNING.                  11

               The girls are in bed when there is a knock at the door.
               Willow is asleep but Kennedy is wide awake. She carefully
               gets out of the bed, pulls on a dressing gown and heads over
               to the door, putting her eye to the peephole.

               Fish-eyed through the peephole we see Kennedy's UNCLE KEITH
               and her father, JED. Both respectable looking middle aged
               men, Jed in a smart suit and tie and Keith in an old college
               baseball jacket and jeans.

               Kennedy takes a deep breath and reaches a hand out for the
               lock on the door. She notices her hand is shaking and closes
               her eyes, trying to steady herself.

               Looking in from the outside, Kennedy opens the door with a
               smile and makes to give her father a hug, but he shakes her
               hand instead. Kennedy sighs a little - it's the level of
               emotional involvement she's come to expect with her dad.

                                   KENNEDY
                         Morning, dad.

                                   JED
                         Hello there, Kennedy. Is everything
                         alright?

                                   KENNEDY
                         I'm good. Still in bed but
                         otherwise okay.

                                   JED
                         You never could get up in the
                         morning..

                                   KEITH
                         Hello there, possum.

               Keith smiles at Kennedy and reaches out for a hug. She
               doesn't look at all happy about it as he wraps his arms round
               her.

                                   JED
                         Can we come in?

                                   KENNEDY
                         Just give me a minute to wake up
                         Will.

                                   JED
                             (raises an eyebrow)
                         Will?

                                   KENNEDY
                         Willow, my, uh, room-mate. We're
                         sharing the bed till we can get
                         somewhere a bit bigger!

                                   JED
                         Okay, honey, we'll wait here.

               Kennedy shuts the door and gets back into the bed. Willow
               stirs and shifts over in the bed, looking up at Kennedy with
               a smile as her eyes open. She yawns once and speaks.

                                   WILLOW
                             (sleepily)
                         Someone at the door?

                                   KENNEDY
                         My dad's here, Red, time to get up.

                                   WILLOW
                         Mmkay, jus' give me a minute..

               Kennedy fidgets, looking towards the door, as Willow yawns
               and pulls herself up out of the bed.

                                                                CUT TO:

        12     INT. SUMMERS' RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM. MORNING.         12

               Buffy comes downstairs in her pyjamas to find Dawn asleep on
               the living room floor, surrounded by the books she's been
               looking through. Buffy smiles and gently shakes her to wake
               her up. Dawn jolts upright.

                                   DAWN
                         Wass'matter?

                                   BUFFY
                         Breakfast time.

                                   DAWN
                             (yawns)
                         Yeah, good, breakfast, right.

               Dawn stands and follows Buffy into the kitchen, her hair
               sticking up.

        13     INT. SUMMERS' RESIDENCE - KITCHEN. MORNING.             13

               Dawn follows Buffy into the kitchen as Buffy rustles up two
               bowls of cereal for them both. Dawn plops the pile of books
               on the kitchen counter, one of them is bookmarked and open.

                                   BUFFY
                         Did you find anything out?

                                   DAWN
                         How about these guys?

               She holds up one of the books, an illustration shows one of
               the demons from earlier.

                                   BUFFY
                         That's them. I never forget a face.
                         Especially when it tried to kill
                         me.

                                   DAWN
                             (reads)
                         They're wynn demons, they're kind
                         of like special agents for the
                         underworld. Do a lot of cleaning up
                         for whoever they're working for,
                         removing people with power or
                         obstacles to their plans.

                                   BUFFY
                         So what do they want with Emmily?

                                   DAWN
                         That I don't know. I'll see if it
                         mentions any kind of prophecy or
                         something.
                             (peers down at the books)
                         This could take a while. These wynn
                         demon guys have a long rap sheet of
                         demonic underworld jobs, from
                         assassinations and kidnappings to
                         ritual sacrifices and conjuring.
                             (takes a gulp of O.J.)
                         Not nice people.

                                   BUFFY
                         Does it say anything about
                         preferred base locations?

                                   DAWN
                             (reads)
                         Oh, like it'd be that easy..
                             (beat)
                         Uh, yeah, actually.

                                   BUFFY
                             (eating cereal)
                         Mm?

               Dawn reads a little more of the section of the book.

                                   DAWN
                         They like to pick places with the
                         right sorts of energy for them.
                         Wynn demons feed on humans but they
                         like a certain kind of humans,
                         especially with high levels of
                         these certain chemicals in their
                         system.

                                   BUFFY
                         Which would be?

                                   DAWN
                         Uh..
                             (grabs a piece of paper
                              with some notes on it)
                         Endorphins.

                                   BUFFY
                             (nods)
                         Sports people. Or 'jocks' to anyone
                         who went to high school.

                                   DAWN
                         Exactly. Find the jocks and the
                         spookies will be nearby. And where
                         do we find the biggest cluster of
                         jocks in this town?

                                                                CUT TO:

        14     EXT. CLEVELAND STREET. DAY.                             14

               We're looking across the street at the Fitness World gym
               complex, a large building with tall windows looking out onto
               the street, displaying the exercising citizens within -
               treadmills, rowing machines, exercise bikes and other keep
               fit equipment, all in use by rows of sweaty men and women.

               We look down as Kennedy, Willow, Jed and Keith pass by
               beneath us, picking them up and following them down the
               street.

                                   JED
                         So then your mother says 'no,
                         that'd mean I'd have to wash it
                         front and back!'

               Jed laughs at the joke, Kennedy manages a half-hearted smile.
               Keith is hanging back a little to talk to Willow.

                                   KEITH
                         So, you two girls stay together,
                         right?

                                   WILLOW
                             (trying not to give too
                              much away)
                         Uh, yeah, we met last year and
                         we've become good, er, friends.

                                   KEITH
                         Sounds like fun. Bet you two must
                         get up to all sorts of mischief,
                         eh?

                                   WILLOW
                         Uh, no, no, we're very well behaved
                         really. Kennedy works nights and I
                         just do this and that, you know..
                             (laughs nervously)

                                   JED
                             (turns round)
                         Drinks, everyone?

                                   KEITH
                         Drinks sounds good.

                                   WILLOW
                         Yeah, that'd be great.

               Kennedy makes eye contact with Willow. Kennedy's dark look
               doesn't help ease the nerves Willow's picking up on.

                                   JED
                         Let's try in here.

               He points his thumb towards a diner they're stood outside.
               Kennedy nods and the group head inside.

                                                                CUT TO:

        15     INT. DINER. DAY.                                        15

               Willow hangs back and grabs hold of Kennedy's arm to whisper
               a few words into her ear. Jed and Keith walk on ahead, Jed
               snapping his fingers towards a waiter to get some service.

                                   WILLOW
                         What's the matter?

                                   KENNEDY
                         Huh?

                                   WILLOW
                         Kennedy, my hair's almost standing
                         on end with the amount of negative
                         energy pinging off you at the
                         moment. I can pick up on these
                         things, you know.

                                   KENNEDY
                         It's nothing, trust me. Okay?

                                   WILLOW
                             (nods, but looks
                              concerned)
                         Okay.

               The girls take a seat at a table with Jed and Keith. Willow
               notices that Kennedy seems very reluctant to sit next to
               Keith so she gets between the two of them. Willow watches
               Kennedy as Jed calls a waiter over.

                                   JED
                         Thanks. Two beers and two cokes,
                         please.

                                                                CUT TO:

        16     INT. SUMMERS' RESIDENCE. LIVING ROOM. DAY.              16

               Ellen heads downstairs to see Buffy suiting up, grabbing an
               axe from the weapons chest behind the sofa. Xander is
               watching the TV.

                                   ELLEN
                             (yawns)
                         Got some news on our bad guys
                         already?

                                   BUFFY
                         Dawn found some information on
                         them, says they like to make their
                         nests in places near places where
                         humans can be found exercising.
                         They have a thing for sweat socks
                         and communal showers, apparently.

                                   ELLEN
                         Sweat socks?

                                   BUFFY
                             (grins)
                         Just kidding. There's a big gym in
                         the centre of town, that's where we
                         think they'll be.

                                   ELLEN
                         Yeah, Fitness World, I know the
                         place. I have a membership there
                         which I've left gathering dust in
                         my wallet.

                                   BUFFY
                         You up for some field work?

                                   ELLEN
                         Hey, slow down, Buffy, I only found
                         out I was a Slayer last night!
                         You told me it takes months of
                         training to be ready for these
                         sorts of things.

                                   BUFFY
                         Wanna be my wingman then? You can
                         back me up if I need it. And
                         hopefully get a bit of payback on
                         these demons too.

                                   ELLEN
                             (beat)
                         Deal.

               Buffy tosses a sword towards her, which Ellen catches in mid
               air without thinking. As she stares at the sword, surprised
               by her own reflexes, Buffy grins.

                                   XANDER
                         It's all in the reflexes.

                                   BUFFY
                         Besides, half of this job is
                         instinct anyway.

                                   ELLEN
                             (grins)
                         Let's go!

                                   BUFFY
                         Dawn, Xander, watch Emmily. Anyone
                         comes round for her, let me know.

                                   XANDER
                         Will do. Go burn some calories.

               Buffy and Ellen leave. Dawn watches them go, then turns back
               towards the kitchen. She freezes when she sees Emmily
               standing at the top of the stairs, looking down on her
               without blinking. Dawn stares back for a few moments, then
               walks away, unnerved, into the kitchen.

        17     INT. SUMMERS' RESIDENCE. KITCHEN.                       17

               Dawn heads back for the reference books spread across the
               tabletops, but as she goes to close one she notices a passage
               in it. She leans in closer to read it.

               The passage has an illustration next to it of a human torso
               covered with claw marks and wounds like the ones Dawn has
               been seen sporting.

               Dawn stares at the book, a panicked look starting to cross
               her face. She slams the book shut as Xander walks in to the
               kitchen behind her.

                                   XANDER
                         Still up to the eyeballs in the old
                         necronomicons, Dawny?

                                   DAWN
                             (trying to appear calm)
                         Uh, yeah, all good over here.

                                   XANDER
                         And yet, I still can't resist those
                         eye jokes.

               Xander grabs something from the fridge and heads back into
               the living room as Dawn tries to hide her distress.

                                                                CUT TO:

        18     INT. DINER. DAY.                                        18

               As before. Jed and Keith talk to Willow and Kennedy. Kennedy
               still looks uncomfortable.

                                   JED
                         So where's this place you're
                         working at, Kennedy?

                                   KENNEDY
                         It's called No Man's Land, it's a
                         club for, er..
                             (beat)
                         They have bands and things,
                         standard kind of place.

                                   JED
                             (missing the point
                              entirely)
                         Sounds good, what about you,
                         Willow?

               Willow gulps down her Coke nervously, and tries to think of a
               convincing cover story.

                                   WILLOW
                         Well, I was a Sunnydale College
                         student but, what with the, uh,
                         epidemic and all, I had to move out
                         and I never finished my degree, so
                         I'm going to look for some work
                         round here once I'm settled in.

                                   KEITH
                         Which hopefully won't be too much
                         longer!

                                   KENNEDY
                         What do you mean?

                                   JED
                         That's why I came out here,
                         Kennedy. It's about your trust
                         fund. I know you didn't part on the
                         best of terms with your mother, but
                         you're still our daughter and we
                         love you.

               He delivers that last line without a hint of emotion.

                                   JED (cont'd)
                         And as your parents, we're here to
                         help you in any way we can. Which
                         includes the large sum of money
                         sitting in the bank with your name
                         on it.

               Kennedy looks across to Willow, who smiles brightly. Jed is
               still talking, not really paying any attention to Kennedy.

                                   JED
                         You're a grown woman now, old
                         enough to be able to take
                         responsibility for your life, and
                         your mother and I agreed that it
                         was time we gave you access to that
                         money to help you make your own way
                         in the world.

                                   KENNEDY
                         Dad, I..

               Jed holds up a hand to stop her talking.

                                   JED
                         No strings attached. It's been your
                         money since the day you were born,
                         now it's time to give you the key
                         to the bank, so to speak.

               Kennedy smiles, the first time she has since she was told her
               father and uncle were visiting. She reaches across the table
               to give her dad a hug.

                                   KENNEDY
                         Thank you, daddy.

                                   JED
                             (awkwardly pats her on the
                              back)
                         Uh, not a problem, Kennedy.

               Uncle Keith reaches over to give Kennedy a hug as well, but
               the smile drops from Kennedy's face in an instant. Before
               anyone notices, the waiter arrives with their drinks.

                                                                CUT TO:

        19     INT. SUMMERS' RESIDENCE. DAY.                           19

               Xander sits watching the TV with his feet up. Anya pops
               through the wall behind him, but noiselessly so Xander
               doesn't notice. He jumps half a mile when she speaks after
               watching him for a few moments.

                                   ANYA
                         Well! Don't just sit there, Xander,
                         why aren't you helping people make
                         me corporeal again?

                                   XANDER
                             (jumps)
                         Yow! Honey, I told you not to do
                         that!

                                   ANYA
                         It's the best way to get your
                         attention!

               Anya paces up and down the room in front of Xander, who leans
               from side to side as he tries to keep watching the TV.

                                   ANYA (cont'd)
                         I'm just having a hard time getting
                         used to this whole being dead
                         thing. I used to be able to slap
                         people around, and hitting things
                         with swords and clubs, that was
                         always invigorating and now.. now
                         look at me. I'm a wisp of air. A
                         phantom. A reflection. Reduced to
                         getting a cheap thrill by walking
                         through things all day long! I
                         mean, what do I have left in this
                         stupid world anymore?

                                   XANDER
                             (shrugs; patiently)
                         You're still my Anya.

                                   ANYA
                         I'm your..
                             (realises what he said)
                         Your what?

                                   XANDER
                         You're my girl. Dead or alive,
                         physical or all floaty and light.
                         I prefer to think of this as the
                         diet version of you, till we get
                         you all fixed up again.

                                   ANYA
                             (smiles)
                         You mean that?

                                   XANDER
                             (beat)
                         Anya, you didn't see me when I
                         heard you'd died. I wanted to run
                         back into the school, even as the
                         Hellmouth was eating it up, just so
                         I could try and get you out of
                         there. I didn't want to never see
                         you again.

                                   ANYA
                         I was very messy. And bloody.
                             (points to visible wounds)
                         As you can see, I was sliced open
                         from here to..

                                   XANDER
                             (puts up a hand to stop
                              her)
                         Yeah, thanks, honey, I can see. The
                         point is, I'm glad you're back.
                             (beat)
                         I guess it's not until you lose
                         something that you realise how
                         precious it was to you.

                                   ANYA
                         Even with the leaving me at the
                         altar thing?

                                   XANDER
                             (sighs)
                         We've been over that..

                                   ANYA
                         Yes, yes we have, sorry. I can't
                         wait to be solid again. First I'm
                         going to slap Andrew, then I can
                         get back on with the sex again.
                         Xander's head snaps round.

                                   XANDER
                         The what?

                                   ANYA
                             (matter-of-factly)
                         Well, if we're going to be a couple
                         again, we've got to get started
                         with all that sex again, silly!

                                   XANDER
                             (grins)
                         I guess we have..

               She sits back, and forgetting herself for a moment, Anya
               makes to sit down next to him, succeeding only in falling
               straight through the sofa, leaving her legs sticking out.
               Xander looks down at her and sighs.

                                   ANYA
                             (muffled from inside sofa;
                              sarcastic)
                         Right, yes, still a ghost. How
                         forgetful of me.

                                                             BLACK OUT:



                                   END OF ACT TWO
                                      ACT THREE

                                                               FADE IN:

        20     EXT. FITNESS WORLD - REAR ENTRANCE. DAY.                20

               Buffy and Ellen are at the back of the large gym we saw
               earlier, near the bins and staff car park. Buffy looks around
               on the ground for anything leading down into the basement
               level.

                                   ELLEN
                         You sure they'll be underground?

                                   BUFFY
                         Oh yeah. If it's a toss between
                         warm and fuzzy and cold, dark and
                         gooey, demons go for the gunge
                         every time.

                                   ELLEN
                         Great. Good job these are my old
                         clothes then.

                                   BUFFY
                             (finds a rusty window)
                         Here.

               She gives it a shove but it's rusted shut. She wipes some of
               the dirt from the windows and peeks in.

               It's the basement level of the complex, with boilers, pipes
               running to and fro and many large containers with spare parts
               for the exercise machines and food for the cafeteria. No sign
               of any demons.

                                   ELLEN
                         Are we heading down there?

                                   BUFFY
                         There's another gym a few miles
                         from here, but this place is
                         closest to where we saw those first
                         two demons, so we start here.

               Buffy reaches back and punches the window open, holding it up
               so Ellen can climb through.

        21     INT. FITNESS WORLD - BASEMENT. DAY.                     21

               Dark and cold, the basement isn't the cosiest place in the
               world. The girls pace forward slowly, eyes scanning the floor
               for any signs of activity.

                                   ELLEN
                         So what are we looking for?

                                   BUFFY
                         The usual. Signs of a base, like
                         clothes, empty food wrappers,
                         beds..

               With a ROAR, a large wynn demon jumps out in front of them
               both.

                                   ELLEN
                         Will that do?

                                   BUFFY
                         Works for me!

               The girls leap in to the attack. This demon is tougher than
               last night's goons - it swats Buffy to one side and lunges at
               Ellen, who bashes her sword handle down on its forearm. 

               The demon howls in pain and kicks out at her, but she manages
               to dodge it. Buffy swings in with an axe strike that catches
               the monster on the back, and as it yowls Ellen punches it
               squarely in the face. It gurgles once and then drops to the
               floor.

                                   ELLEN
                             (panting with exertion)
                         Whew! Quite a rush, isn't it?

                                   BUFFY
                             (smiles)
                         It has its moments. Come on.

               The two follow the path the demon came from, past several
               large boiler units until they reach a corner. They press
               themselves against the wall and Buffy peers round as they
               hear voices coming from up ahead.

               Up ahead, the basement opens up into a small walled area
               which eight wynn demons have made their home. Pentagrams and
               other symbols adorn the walls and floor, as one demon lays
               and lights candles at set point on the floor. The hooded
               demons are chanting as one reads passages from a book in an
               unintelligible language.

               Buffy turns to Ellen.

                                   BUFFY (cont'd)
                         Eight of them, three left, three
                         right and two centre. We move in
                         and split them up, try to force
                         them into each other. Don't let
                         them box you in. Got it?

                                   ELLEN
                             (grips sword)
                         Got it.

                                   BUFFY
                         Follow me.

               Buffy heads round the corner, using the shadows cast by the
               flickering candlelight to creep in closer. She manages to
               sneak right up behind one of the chanting demons, and then
               knocks him out with an axe blow to the head. 

               The other demons turn and growl as they see her. Buffy hefts
               up her axe and looks round, unflustered by the posse of
               demons as usual.

                                   BUFFY (cont'd)
                         Department of Safety, we've had
                         reports of naked flames down here? 

               The demons growl again and rush her.

               She leaps in to the attack as one of the demons rushes into
               frame towards her.

                                                                CUT TO:

        22     EXT. CLEVELAND STREET. DAY.                             22

               Willow, Kennedy, Jed and Keith are walking back to the
               apartment. Jed's mobile phone rings and he stops to answer
               it. 

               The other three stop but he waves at them to carry on, but as
               Willow turns to go he lays a hand on her arm to stop her.

                                   JED
                         Mind if I just have a word?

                                   WILLOW
                         Uh, yeah, sure.

                                   KENNEDY
                         Is everything okay?

                                   JED
                         Just fine, you and your uncle go on
                         ahead, we'll catch you up in a
                         minute.

               Kennedy doesn't look very thrilled about being left alone
               with her uncle but carries on walking.

                                   WILLOW
                         What's the matter?

                                   JED
                         Nothing at all, Willow.
                             (beat)
                         I'm not stupid, you know.

                                   WILLOW
                         Sorry?

                                   JED
                             (matter-of-factly)
                         I know that my daughter is.. well,
                         that Kennedy's gay.

                                   WILLOW
                             (taken aback)
                         Oh.

               Jed nods once and carries on.

                                   JED
                         Her mother doesn't, but I doubt
                         she'd understand. I always half
                         knew, and from the little I'd heard
                         from her I'd gathered that she'd
                         met someone down here. Seeing the
                         way you two have been looking at
                         each other gave it all away.

                                   WILLOW
                             (smiles; relieved)
                         I wasn't sure what to say..

                                   JED
                         No need. I can see you're happy
                         with her. My daughter's always been
                         loyal to her friends, so I guess
                         it'd go even further for someone
                         she cared about.

                                   WILLOW
                         Yeah, Kennedy's.. Kennedy's
                         special.

                                   JED
                         So I just wanted to let you know
                         that I approve of it all, and it
                         doesn't affect anything I've said
                         today.

               Willow wasn't aware she needed anyone's 'approval' to be gay,
               but she can tell that Jed means well, despite his clunky way
               of getting the point across.

                                   WILLOW
                         Oh, right. Er, yay! 

               They start walking again.

                                   JED
                         If Kennedy's mother had come along,
                         she'd probably have tried to talk
                         me out of giving over the money,
                         which is why I brought my brother
                         along instead. Kennedy's always
                         been a little..
                             (beat)
                         Excitable. She used to make all
                         sorts of stories up about things
                         when she was a child, and if I know
                         my wife, and after twenty-five
                         years of marriage I think I do,
                         then she'd have put you down to
                         another of Kennedy's 'phases.'

               WILLOW I think we can safely say it's the real thing this
               time. Jed nods and starts walking again, the conversation was
               all business for him.

                                                                CUT TO:
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