buffy9x09
Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
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TEASER
FADE IN:
1 INT. CIRCLE – GRAND LIBRARY. DAY. 1
The cloud-topped shelves of the library fade into view, the
entire room empty save for a few stray butterflies that have
flitted in from the jungles outside.
Books float from shelf to shelf, re-ordering themselves, some
hovering in mid air as their pages turn, and a scribbling
sound denotes some of them rewriting their own contents,
updating themselves to mirror the events they all keep track
of.
Into this serenity skips TATTLES, the brown-haired girl
humming to herself as she weaves through the long tables that
line up before the bookshelves, idly picking the petals off a
huge flower.
TATTLES
She's the Teach… she's not the
Teach… she's the Teach… she's not-
Tattles freezes as she hears a THUD from off screen. She
looks round, trying to find the source of the noise.
TATTLES (cont'd)
H-hello?
Silence. Tattles shrugs and carries on, but a second, louder
THUD, much closer to her this time, makes her pull up
sharply. She looks all around, starting to get a little
scared by now.
TATTLES (cont'd)
Is someone there?
She creeps slowly forward, passing in and out of view as she
paces between the shelves. Still no more noises, but there is
definitely something other than her in here.
Twice, she GASPS and spins round, sensing something behind
her, but each time there's nobody there.
Tattles finally scowls, puts her hands on her hips and looks
like any ordinary nine-year old about to start yelling.
TATTLES (cont'd)
Alright, mister! Come on out. I'll
go get my brothers if you don't
play nicely, and they'll make sure
you…
Tattles trails off and looks up as a SHADOW falls over her,
cast by something off screen – and something tall.
She pales and takes a few steps back, a cry of alarm trapped
in her throat.
TATTLES (cont'd)
T-th-the-th-t-the…
It's THE CARETAKER! The tall demon, still impeccably dressed,
leans down purposefully slowly, and places one raised index
finger against his sewn shut lips – time to be quiet.
So, naturally, Tattles SCREAMS for all she's worth!
2 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE – WILLOW'S ROOM. MORNING. 2
WILLOW snaps awake and half jumps out of bed, the sound of
Tattles' scream still echoing around her.
WILLOW
Tattles!!
3 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE – KITCHEN. NEXT. 3
BUFFY is munching through a bowl of cereal, still looking
sleepy, and she doesn't look up as a dressed and near-frantic
Willow bound into the kitchen, yanks open one of the drawers
and starts rifling through the cutlery. Buffy notices at last
and blinks at Willow's odd behaviour.
BUFFY
Uh, Will? We have plenty of spoons,
still, I got Andrew to wash up last-
WILLOW
It's not here, it's not here!
BUFFY
What isn't here?
Willow doesn't answer, instead she pulls the whole drawer
bodily out of the kitchen unit and upends it over the kitchen
table.
Buffy pulls her cereal bowl out of the way as the cutlery
scatters in every direction, looking alarmed as Willow
continues to comb frantically through it.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Did we forget to take our crazy
pills this morning?
WILLOW
Buffy, I can't find my- ah!
Willow lifts something up – a silver amulet with a yellow
precious stone set into it. It glitters in the morning
sunlight, and Willow sighs with relief.
BUFFY
And that's your…?
WILLOW
The Circle, they gave me this, so,
uh, if there was ever an emergency,
or, ah, they needed me, I could,
you know, get there quicker, 'cause
my out of body thing can take a
while, 'cause, uh, I'm still
practicing with it, and I left in
here so if we got robbed I wouldn't
lose it, and-
BUFFY
Willow! You need to explain to me
what's going on before I put your
jewelry back in the box till you
calm down!
WILLOW
Sorry, Buffy, but they're in
trouble, and I've gotta go!
BUFFY
Go? Go where? Willow!
Willow clutches the amulet tightly in one hand, closes her
eyes and mutters an incantation – and then with a POP and a
flare of yellow light, she's gone.
Buffy looks down at the mess on the table before her.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Yup, just another Tuesday in
Cleveland…
4 EXT. CIRCLE – JUNGLE. DAY. 4
Willow beams into the Circle's dimension with the same flash
of yellow light as before, and she takes a beat to catch her
breath before starting to race through the thick jungle as
fast as she can.
5 EXT. CIRCLE – VILLAGE. DAY. 5
After a few moments of running, Willow breaks tree cover and
gets a look at the Circle's village at last – and brakes
sharply, her jaw dropping.
WILLOW
(softly)
Oh, no…
The village is in flames – the tower where Trinkets' workshop
stood lies broken on the ground, the other buildings are
either being eaten by the inferno or have huge holes punched
in them, and the whole complex is in ruins.
On the ground before Willow lies the dead body of Tattles'
pet snake demon.
Willow's hands cover her mouth as she tries to take in the
destruction before her, as we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. CIRCLE – VILLAGE. DAY.
Willow runs up to the edge of the complex, one arm raised
against the heat from the flames as she tries to work out
what to do first. She raises her other hand and directs it at
the nearest burning building.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Portare piogge raffreddare!
A thick wind starts to kick up, and the flames build eagerly
for a moment, before the main part of Willow's spell arrives
– a crack of thunder and a heavy shower of rain, quickly
falling across the whole complex.
Willow is drenched in moments as the monsoon-like downpour
covers the flames, and in a few moments she's subdued the
fires enough to get closer to the wrecks.
The storm dies away with a last few rumbles of thunder
overhead, and Willow starts to wander through the plumes of
smoke into the closest building.
INT. CIRCLE – PLAY ROOM. DAY.
The first house Willow enters is Tattles' play room, brightly
coloured until the fire scorched the walls charcoal black,
small wooden toys and puzzles scattered across the floor.
Willow picks up a flame-grilled doll and looks around, soot
marks already staining her face.
She coughs through the smoke and fumbles in her pockets for a
tissue, and with it held across her mouth she drops the doll
and moves on.
INT. CIRCLE – TRINKETS' WORKSHOP. DAY.
The interior of the workshop is absolute chaos – all of
Trinkets' carefully constructed and maintained clocks lie
broken and crushed on the floor of the room, the whole tower
on its side and a gaping hole torn out where the floor used
to be.
There are still some small fires here, and Willow dodges
round them, trying to find any clues of the fate of the
Circle.
There's nobody in the workshop, so she moves on, coughing
still as she heads toward the Library.
6 INT. HARRIS RESIDENCE. DAY. 6
Meanwhile, back at Xander and Anya's place, things are much
more peaceful – the morning's rays of sunlight catch specks
of dust as they fall across the bed – and the cosy-looking
forms of newlywed ANYA and XANDER. Anya is on her side, one
hand stroking her pregnant belly, while Xander dozes
alongside her.
After a few moments, his eyes flutter to life, and he grins
as he sees his wife.
XANDER
Good morning, Mrs. Harris.
ANYA
Good morning, Mr. Jenkins!
XANDER
(blinks)
Huh?
She gives him a light kiss on his forehead and rolls onto her
back, pushing the pillows so she can sit up.
ANYA
She was very quiet last night, I
think she knew we needed a little
time to ourselves.
XANDER
Who was? The baby? How do you know
it's a 'she'?
ANYA
(raises hand)
Pregnant ex-demon, I think that
gives me some bonus points in my
'Intuition' statistic.
Xander groans and rubs his eyes.
XANDER
You've been talking to Andrew
again, haven't you…
ANYA
Oh, he plays so many of these
fascinating little games, Xander!
You get to be warlocks and vampires
and elves and archers – all the
things you're not!
Anya beams, but Xander lets that last comment slide and sits
up, yawning ad stretching his arms.
ANYA (cont'd)
But, seeing as he's such an
annoying little chimp boy, nobody
wants to play with him, so I said
I'd do it! I said, 'Andrew, it'd be
my pleasure to play with you all
day long as long as you let me be
the demons!'
Xander raises an eyebrow – but Anya misses the entendre in
her last line.
XANDER
Well, demon roleplaying aside, I
think it's safe to say we're gonna
have ourselves a Xanderiffic day
today. Something about the fact
that it's already ten-thirty and
neither of us are at work is giving
me all kinds of good vibes…
Anya leans next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.
ANYA
Won't your bosses mind you having
so much time off to be with me?
XANDER
It's alright, An, they've met you.
(beat)
They understand what I'm going
through…
Anya sits up – not looking pleased at Xander's comment.
XANDER (cont'd)
Uh, I mean, they know how special
you are, and how important it is
for me to spend plenty of time with
you before the baby is born, so
that, you know, I can, uh, be a
good father, and…
Xander trails off – Anya's hormones are waking up and he
knows the warning signs when he sees them!
XANDER (cont'd)
(quickly)
Say, I think I'll go make us some
breakfast…
He scoots out of bed and dashes off screen. Anya settles back
down, going back to rubbing and studying her belly.
7 EXT. CIRCLE – OUTSIDE LIBRARY. DAY. 7
The two huge doors that lead into the Grand Library have been
smashed open, dark clouds of smoke flowing out from within.
Willow treads carefully around the stray piles of rubble and
burning wreckage as she makes her way through.
8 INT. CIRCLE – GRAND LIBRARY. DAY. 8
The inside of the Library isn't faring much better – the
shelves are ablaze, smoke and flames stretching off overhead,
books hurtling through the air and from shelf to shelf, many
in flames.
Willow yelps and dodges as a large burning book spirals out
of the air, crashing into the floor and missing her by
inches.
Willow takes a beat to absorb the scene before getting the
solution ready.
WILLOW
Gelo il libri!
With a sound like a whisper, a blue-tinted veil of mist blows
across the room, a fine powdery snow falling across the
blazing shelves, gradually calming the fires.
Several books lie flapping on the floor like wounded animals,
chunks singed away from their pages, but as the snow falls
across the room, things calm back down.
Willow keels over and retches as she tries to breathe through
the smoke, waving a hand around her and calling up a little
extra wind to make some air around her.
She stands back up, looking exhausted as snow and blackened
fragments of books gently drift down from the ceiling way
overhead.
WILLOW (cont'd)
What happened here?
She takes a few steps forward – and then freezes as she hears
a loud THUD. Her head snaps round and locks onto a row of
fallen smaller bookshelves on the opposite side of the room.
As Willow watches, one of them seems to be moving! Willow
begins to carefully creep towards it…
9 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - STAIRS. MORNING. 9
GILES wanders down the stairs, yawning and scratching lazily
at his stubble, an old dressing gown thrown round him and his
hair a mess. He hears voices from the kitchen and turns to
enter.
10 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE – KITCHEN. MORNING. 10
As Giles enters, he sees MARIE and MAX, busy putting the
wayward cutlery back into the drawer. Marie is also still in
her nightshirt and dressing gown, and still managing that air
of quiet elegance that Giles loves so much, while Max is
fully dressed and clean shaven – and easily the most
appealable-looking person in the room.
Max and Marie are chatting and laughing, and look up as Giles
enters.
MARIE
Morning, Rupert! You got about as
good a night's sleep as I did, I
see…
GILES
What? Oh, yes, I, ah, had a few bad
dreams. You're over here for the
work we have scheduled, I take it,
Max?
MAX
Certainly am, I've got a lot to do
before my hearing, so I'm glad I
slept like a log! Looks like those
dreams of yours were pretty rough,
though...
Giles glances down at his unkempt appearance, and throws an
irritated glance back at the immaculate Max as he heads to
the fridge.
MARIE
Max here was just telling me about
a time when he was training back at
the Council, and that old Watcher
you and I used to work with, what
was his name?
MAX
Anthony Cogan.
MARIE
Tony Cogan, that was it! Well, he'd
sent Max out on this run to go and
find some books about halaffla
demons, and…
Max and Marie descend into giggles, and an unamused Giles
watches on as he pours himself some juice.
MARIE (cont'd)
Oh, sorry, Giles, it was just… oh,
I suppose you had to be there!
GILES
(tight-lipped)
Quite.
MAX
So, anyway, Giles, I'm glad you're
up, because we've still got a lot
to get through today! Buffy's
trotted off to work, so I told her
we'd spend the day catching up on
our Caretaker research.
MARIE
Again.
MAX
(smiles)
Yes, yet again.
Marie and Max share a grin – and Giles doesn't like this at
all! Gulping down his juice, he heads back out.
GILES
Well, I'd better go and get
dressed. I'll see you both down
here in a moment.
Giles leaves the kitchen, and Max glances from the door, to
Marie, then back with a satisfied smirk.
11 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE – BUFFY'S OFFICE. DAY. 11
Buffy is scribbling on a notepad at her desk, when her
intercom buzzes.
BUFFY
(answering it)
Yes?
BUFFY'S P.A.
(filtered; through
intercom) )
It's a Mr. Shaw, Miss Summers, he
says he isn't one of your clients
but he does know you.
BUFFY
Mr. Shaw? Did he say his first name
was Jackson?
BUFFY'S P.A.
Uh, yeah, that's him.
BUFFY
Alright, put him through.
Buffy's phone rings, and she answers it.
BUFFY (cont'd)
(mock professionalism)
Mr. Shaw, I must warn you, contact
with me outside of scheduled hours
is highly inappropriate!
12 INT. CLEVELAND PD – JACKSON'S OFFICE. DAY. 12
JACKSON grins, reclining in his chair as he talks over the
phone to Buffy.
JACKSON
Alright, you got me. I figured if I
made the excuse to talk to you as
lame as possible, I had more chance
of getting through!
BUFFY
(filtered; through phone)
Well… it worked. Just don't push
it. What's up?
JACKSON
Honestly? Not much. I've just been
trying to get the chutzpah to call
you up for a few weeks now, and now
that I've finally done it, I'm
running out of things to say
alarmingly quickly…
13 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE – BUFFY'S OFFICE. DAY. 13
Buffy's phone is cordless, so she takes the receiver and
strolls over to the window.
BUFFY
That happens to me a lot, guess I
must put people on edge! Although,
when people are paying me by the
hour, I find they talk surprisingly
quickly… How's the office?
JACKSON
(filtered; through phone)
Quiet. If somebody doesn't get
mugged or murdered or something
soon, I'm gonna have to go out
there and start threatening old
ladies myself! And if I get one
more day of Dan's lame stories to
pass the time, well, order me up a
sniper rifle and meet me at the top
of the clock tower!
BUFFY
Welcome to the slaying business,
Jackson. You spend all the busy
times running and fighting so fast
you keep forgetting to stop and
breathe, and then whenever it's
quiet, you just hold your breath
waiting for something new to
happen!
JACKSON
Does it get any easier?
BUFFY
Nah, not really.
JACKSON
Well, thanks! I thought you were
supposed to be the counsellor? To
put my mind at rest?
BUFFY
(smiles)
That's only for my actual clients,
Jackson, not for people I know who
call me up whenever they get bored.
JACKSON
Oh, yeah… so, anyway, there was
something I wanted to ask.
BUFFY
Go on.
JACKSON
I know things have been weird
between us for a while now, and I
could spend days trying to talk
through that, see how I can make
things right, but…
BUFFY
But?
JACKSON
Screw it – Buffy, do you want to
get a coffee, or bagel, or
something?
Buffy waits for a beat before answering, smiling like a coy
teenager for the first time in a long time.
BUFFY
Cream cheese bagels. There's that
stand down by the new Chinese
place.
JACKSON
Yeah, I know it. What time can you
sneak out for lunch?
BUFFY
One, same as the rest of the
working world. Meet you there at
ten past?
JACKSON
It's a date.
(beat)
Well, not a date, more of a-
BUFFY
It's okay, I get it. See you later,
Jackson.
JACKSON
Yeah… bye.
She hangs up and puts the phone back, looking pleased with
the way that all turned out.
14 INT. CLEVELAND PD – JACKSON'S OFFICE. DAY. 14
Jackson replaces the receiver and lets out a huge sigh as DAN
knocks on his door and enters.
DAN
Hey.
JACKSON
Man, that was tough.
DAN
Yeah, well, once you and your ex
are finished making arrangements
for lunch, we got something.
Jackson stands – his professional mode clicking on in a
heartbeat.
JACKSON
Like what?
DAN
I'll fill you in on the way, let's
go.
Jackson grabs his coat and heads for the door.
DAN (cont'd)
And are my stories really that
lame?
JACKSON
(beat)
Yeah.
DAN
Damn…
The two cops leave Jackson's office.
15 INT. CIRCLE – GRAND LIBRARY. DAY. 15
Willow edges towards the toppled shelves, which continue to
move, as though something trapped underneath is trying to
push its way back out.
Willow looks scared half out of her wits – then takes a look
round at the burned-out shell that used to be her library,
and when she looks back she's gritted her teeth and put fire
in her eyes.
She lifts one hand, ready to move the shelves aside to find
what's underneath – and then with a CRACK of splintering
wood, the shelves are torn in two, and Willow is sent to the
floor as huge chunks of timber blast out towards her!
Willow lands in a heap, and as she tries to gather her
senses, and as a tall shadow falls across her, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
16 INT. CIRCLE – GRAND LIBRARY. DAY. 16
Willow, terrified, starts to scoot away from whatever's
casting the shadow over her, but with slow, easy steps it
keeps up with her.
Willow shouts in pain as she strays too close to a burning
chair, and this is all the distraction the figure towering
over her needs to reach one huge hand down towards her…
THE CARETAKER holds his hand out towards Willow, as if
offering to help her up. She looks at it, then back at him,
confusion mixing with the fear on her features. She reaches
her hand out very slowly towards him – and he gently takes
hold of it and lifts her to her feet.
As a stunned Willow look son, the Caretaker politely doffs
its hat to her, then turns and starts to walk away. He's
taken a few steps when Willow finally snaps her sense back
into focus.
WILLOW
W-wait! Stop!
The Caretaker pauses and rotates on one heel to face her.
Willow gulps, rubbing her burned hand and trying not to show
how nervous she is.
WILLOW (cont'd)
What did you do to them?
The Caretaker looks from side to side at the wreck of the
library, as if to indicate exactly what he did with the
Circle – and then leans his head towards her, as though
raising an eyebrow. If he had eyebrows, that is.
He turns to leave again, and this time Willow gets her nerve
back, marching up to him and reaching out to grab his arm.
WILLOW (CONT'D) (cont'd)
No, stop! You can't just-
Before Willow's hand can touch his arm, the Caretaker's other
hand SWATS her away, and Willow is knocked off her feet,
bouncing off one of the bookshelves and hitting the floor.
The Caretaker throws a glance at her, then carries on walking
away.
He doesn't see Willow jump to her feet, her eyes JET BLACK as
she lets her anger take her. Her hair starts to stand on end,
and little flickers of electricity zap out from her and she
walks steadily towards the Caretaker. Willow is pissed.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Fermata malvagio con fuoco!
Willow raises a hand – and a FIREBALL bursts into life before
her, sucking up energy from the fires around it, which die
down considerably.
The Caretaker cocks its head to one side, as if curious to
see what she'll do next. Willow lets the fireball fly with a
YELL – and it hits the Caretaker square in the chest,
knocking him backwards and sending him clattering to the
floor just before the Library doors.
Willow stalks over, breathing heavily, power still radiating
off her. The Caretaker isn't moving, and Willow raises her
hand again, this time conjuring black tendrils of energy into
the air before her. This spell looks downright nasty.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Bandire nemica il nullo!
The black energy starts to grow, and with a low rumble like
thunder, a PORTAL starts to form out of it.
Willow opens her mouth to continue the spell, but before she
can, the Caretaker is suddenly on his feet, one huge hand
clamped round her throat, marching forward and pushing the
helpless Willow backwards.
She struggles to fight him off, but he's too damn strong, and
before she can try anything else, he lifts her into the air
and THROWS her – and Willow sails clean through one of the
holes torn in the Library wall and out into the jungle
beyond.
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.