buffy9x11
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TEASER
FADE IN:
1 INT. DISUSED LIBRARY. NIGHT. 1
We're inside an abandoned, dusty library, a few books
littered on its otherwise bare shelves. There are no lights
on, but a noisy wind is howling outside, making trees rattle
their branches against any windows.
As we pan across the scene, we start to pick up a faint glow
of light, and as we continue, we pick up dozens of candles,
arranged in a loose circle.
Panning across further, the candles have been arranged around
a tall figure, sitting cross legged with its back to us in
the centre of a large and elaborate magic circle.
We push in on the figure, who shifts position and turns to
face us - it's THE CARETAKER, and he seems to be meditating.
After a beat, small, purple orbs of light start to form in
the air around the demon, and after circling the Caretaker
for a few moments, they all start to zip off in different
directions, new orbs appearing to replace the departed.
2 EXT. OUTSIDE LIBRARY. NIGHT. 2
Watching from the path leading up to the dark library, either
side of which are more run down and empty buildings, the
purple orbs zip free of the library and hover in the air
above it.
Buffeted by the winds, they each take a moment before flying
off again, each going a different way, at tremendous speeds.
As the last of the first batch of orbs disappears, the scene
is broken by someone's BOOT stepping into frame.
3 INT. DEMON LAIR. NIGHT. 3
Changing scene to the interior of a ramshackle apartment, one
of the orbs appears at the window as we pan across to pick up
a DEMON, humanoid but with a boar-like head, slumped on the
sofa, flicking through TV channels.
The orb flits around at the window for a moment, before
backing up - and then SMASHING through the glass, darting
forward and into the apartment proper.
The Demon scrambles to his feet, almost getting lost in his
baggy, mismatched clothes, staring up at the orb.
DEMON
What in the-
The orb starts to zig zag in the air like an insect, and as
the demon's eyes track its movements, we cut back to:
4 INT. DISUSED LIBRARY. NIGHT. 4
The Caretaker shifts its head to the side a little.
5 INT. DEMON LAIR. NIGHT. 5
The demon's head tilts the same way, before its eyes widen.
DEMON
I... I understand.
The orb FLARES brightly and then disappears. After a beat,
the Demon blinks, then marches to the far side of his
apartment, scooping piles of empty food cartons out of the
way, before re-emerging with a wicked looking AXE in his
hands.
The Demon laughs to itself, then hurries towards the door of
its apartment, throwing it open and racing out, down the
hall.
We hear raised voices and an off-camera SHRIEK before we cut
back to:
6 INT. DISUSED LIBRARY. NIGHT. 6
The Caretaker smiles, and looks up as another cluster of
purple orbs POP into the air around him.
7 EXT. OUTSIDE LIBRARY. NIGHT. 7
We're back with the boot, slowly tracing it up to find its
owner - and it's BUFFY, dressed all in black, her hair back
in a neat ponytail, the scythe in her hands.
With her are WILLOW, XANDER, GILES, JACKSON and ANDREW, all
armed and looking as determined as Buffy.
Well, maybe not Andrew so much.
Buffy studies the orbs as another wave of them leaves the
library.
BUFFY
What are those things, Will?
WILLOW
Messenger spirits. Probably taking
instructions out to any nasty in a
ten-mile radius.
(turns to Buffy)
We should hurry this up.
Buffy nods and grips the scythe tightly.
BUFFY
Alright, everybody ready?
Everyone nods - except Andrew, who raises his hand.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Andrew, tonight of all nights,
really not the time.
Andrew sheepishly lowers his hand as Buffy starts to stride
towards the library, leading the team on.
8 INT. DISUSED LIBRARY. NIGHT. 8
The Caretaker watches as more orbs start to POP into the air,
before an off screen door SLAM makes him crane round.
Buffy and the gang have entered the library, and Buffy steps
forward, staring the Caretaker down.
BUFFY
Sorry, I'm afraid the library's
closed for the night.
The Caretaker stands, and everyone except Buffy looks a
little unnerved.
We push in on her as she raises the scythe:
BUFFY (cont'd)
We're gonna have to ask you to
leave.
Off her determined grin, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
9 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - BUFFY'S ROOM. DAY. 9
TITLE OVER - THREE HOURS EARLIER...
Buffy sits on her bed, looking out through the window as she
talks on the phone.
BUFFY
No, you're right, we should
absolutely do this.
JACKSON
(filtered; through phone)
You're sure? I mean, I didn't want
to push it, because God knows, this
is a big deal.
BUFFY
Look, it's like you said. We keep
missing our chance to start talking
about what happened, and it's
time...
(beat; sighs)
Let's just do it. Dinner, tonight.
Eight o'clock. You pick where,
Surprise me, but make it somewhere
quiet, alright?
JACKSON
Deal. I'll call you later. You off
work all day today?
BUFFY
Yeah, no clients 'till tomorrow.
Lucky me, huh?
JACKSON
Sounds like the life to me! See you
later, Buffy.
Buffy hangs up, puts the phone down and takes a deep breath -
then turns to see a beaming Willow standing in her doorway.
Buffy grins, caught red-handed.
WILLOW
Was that a good call? It sounded
like a good call. Well, your half
sounded good, I mean. Was it good?
BUFFY
It's just dinner, Willow. Jackson
and I have been skirting round
things for too long, it's time we
started clearing the air.
Willow steps into the room and sits on the bed, next to
Buffy. Willow looks more excited about the evening's
prospects than Buffy does!
WILLOW
Dinner is still something, right? I
mean, dinner is not only an
excellent source of nutritional
goodness, but it could also, uh,
lead to things like talking, and
talking is always good - better
than not talking, so maybe-
BUFFY
Willow?
WILLOW
(still going)
You could even, maybe, I don't
know, go catch a movie or something
afterwards, and even get drinks
after that! I mean, the night's all
yours, who knows what's going to-
BUFFY
Willow!
Willow stops at last as Buffy stands up.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Just dinner. Then I'm coming home.
Alone. No matter what gets said.
I'm not just gonna jump back into a
relationship with Jackson again,
there's still too much we have to
sort out.
WILLOW
(pouts)
Are you gonna keep using that
excuse? 'Cause, gotta say, it's
starting to sound a little old.
BUFFY
It's not an excuse, it's just...
(sighs)
Never mind. Any more news about the
Circle?
WILLOW
No, nothing yet, I was gonna go
back up later to look around.
BUFFY
Is it safe by yourself up there?
WILLOW
Yeah, I'm pretty sure the angry
volcano and horde of snake demons
last time were just a blip.
Buffy doesn't look convinced, but heads out of the room as
Willow follows.
10 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM. DAY. 10
The girls walk down the stairs and into the front room, where
Andrew and Xander are slumped on the sofa, their eyes glued
to the TV. Popcorn and drinks are in good supply.
BUFFY
Xander? Why are you still here?
XANDER
Oh, Anya's still making sure I
spend a few hours each day out of
her arm's reach. She says it's best
for everyone. Plus, Andrew has
pretty much every film I ever
wanted to see but didn't have time,
and so while I have time...
Buffy rolls her eyes and heads into the kitchen as Willow's
attention is drawn to the TV.
WILLOW
So, what are you guys watching?
ANDREW
'Dog Soldiers.' It's a British
movie, kinda like 'Evil Dead' but
with werewolves instead of zombies.
XANDER
And from my perspective, a film
about seemingly normal people who
turn into ravenous, animal-like
killers once a month is giving me
plenty of parallels to the times
I've spent around you girls.
Xander smirks as Willow playfully swats him upside the head.
WILLOW
Well, if you ask me, there's a lot
to be said for-
Willow trails off, staring into the distance suddenly. Xander
notices and sits up, looking round at her.
XANDER
Will?
Buffy re-enters from the kitchen, carrying a glass of water.
BUFFY
Hey, I've got a few hours to kill,
any of you guys fancy...
Buffy senses something's wrong as Willow slowly straightens -
then she blinks once, and her eyes turn PURE WHITE!
XANDER (O.S.)
Uh, Buffy? What's she-
Willow GASPS - and we:
WHITE OUT:
11 EXT. CLEVELAND - STREET. DAY. 11
We cut across to a quiet, suburban street, modest houses
lining the road as a middle-aged man heads past us, walking
his dog.
After a beat, there is a loud CRACKING sound, and the man
freezes as a PORTAL rips itself open in the air in front of
him!
A large HAND appears through the portal, slicing downwards as
if cutting its way through something, and with another loud
RUMBLE, the Caretaker steps through the portal, planting his
feet firmly on the sidewalk.
The portal flickers and dies away as the Caretaker, smoking
slightly from his journey, looks up and down the street, his
gaze falling on the man with the dog.
The dog is BARKING furiously at the Caretaker, but the demon
takes one heavy step towards the dog, and with a WHINE it
suddenly loses its nerve, cowering behind its owner.
With a last glance at the terrified, shaking man, the
Caretaker picks a route and starts walking, his stomping
footsteps fading away as it heads off screen and away.
We stay with the man for another beat as he watches the demon
stride away, before we SMASH CUT back to:
12 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM. DAY. 12
Willow GASPS again as her eyes return to normal, and she
staggers. Buffy is there to catch her, and Xander and Andrew
jump up as Buffy helps Willow down onto the sofa.
BUFFY
What was it, Will? What did you
see?
Willow tries to speak but can't, struggling for breath.
Andrew hands her a large glass of something fizzy, which she
gulps down greedily.
XANDER
Okay, now I may have had less
visions than Andrew has had
successful relationships...
ANDREW
(scowls)
Hey!
XANDER
... but even I could tell that was
a bad one.
BUFFY
Willow? What was it?
Willow pause, still catching her breath, then turns to look
up at Buffy and the others.
WILLOW
He's here...
Buffy stands - she knows what that means. Xander doesn't,
however, and blinks.
XANDER
Who?
WILLOW
(irritated)
The Caretaker, Xander! I just saw
the Caretaker step right back into
our dimension, like he owned the
place or something.
BUFFY
Where?
WILLOW
Uh, hard to say, just looked like a
normal suburb, but he's somewhere
close. He's in Cleveland for sure.
XANDER
Better than nothing. Want to rustle
up a posse and go track the varmint
down?
BUFFY
(shakes head)
No, not this time. Every time we've
tried that, he's still been a match
for us. We need to start thinking
outside the box.
ANDREW
Um, we could try this trap I saw in
this one episode of 'Millennium'
Season Two, where Lance Henriksen
has to find this killer before he-
A look from Buffy shuts Andrew up.
WILLOW
(darkly)
He's not getting away again, Buffy.
I won't let him!
BUFFY
Don't worry, he won't.
(grins)
I think I've got a plan. Willow,
first you've gotta find him. I'll
take care of the rest.
From Buffy's confident look, we cut to:
13 INT. GILES' APARTMENT. DAY. 13
Giles sits at a chair behind a small desk, a pile of papers
with the official stamp of the Watcher's Council marking them
out as official business, but the glum expression makes it
clear he's in no mood to work today.
In contrast, MAX is in the background, cheerfully humming to
himself as he rustles up a cup of coffee. He glances across
at Giles and smirks.
MAX
How are you feeling today, Rupert?
GILES
Tired.
(rubs eyes)
I don't think I slept very well
last night, I had a troubling dream
that I can't quite make sense of.
Max walks over and hands Giles a coffee, before settling back
down on the sofa, which is still piled high with various
books.
MAX
Well, you may or may not be glad to
hear I think I'm starting to get
somewhere with all this research
you've had me doing.
Giles turns, glad to have something else to focus on.
GILES
Oh?
MAX
Absolutely. I was getting stuck for
a long time because I kept looking
through compendiums of demonic
weaknesses, trying to find a hint
at how to hurt or even kill the
Caretaker, but then I had a
brainwave last night.
GILES
You did? What was it?
Max smirks, knowing he's about to put one over on Giles.
MAX
I can't take full credit, it was as
much Marie's idea as mine, but over
dinner the other night, she
mentioned a theory she had.
Giles' look darkens rapidly as Max mentions his dinner date
with Marie, and Max tries not to grin again as he sees his
comment is having the desired effect on Giles.
MAX(cont'd)
Yes, she said that perhaps we're
approaching the problem from the
wrong angle.
GILES
Which means what, exactly?
MAX
What if instead of trying to kill
the Caretaker, we look at ways to
contain it? Trap it somewhere, keep
it out of harm's way and away from
the Hellmouth for good?
Giles ponders this for a second, nodding.
GILES
It's certainly plausible, although
we'd most likely need a spell of
considerable power to have any
effect on him. Where were you
thinking of looking?
MAX
Finding a spell won't be a problem,
I've already found half a dozen
high-level conjurations that'll
trap a being of pretty much any
power inside a holding dimension
for an indefinite period. The only
question is who we get to cast said
spell.
Max sips his coffee, and Giles frowns, knowing full well
there's only one person in town with the required power.
GILES
You want me to ask Willow, don't
you.
MAX
Not necessarily, I know the trouble
you had with her a few years ago, I
wouldn't want to be responsible for-
GILES
Max, you can drop the pretence at
diplomacy. You know as well as I do
that Willow is the only wicca we
have available at short notice who
has that kind of power.
Max puts his drink down and nods, holding a book out for
Giles to read.
MAX
Even so, I didn't feel it was my
place to suggest something so
drastic of her. Marie told me all
about what happened, so I wanted to
make sure you knew about the plan
before we tried anything.
Giles studies the book - on its pages are illustrations
showing witches and wizards casting huge, whirlwind-like
spells at towering beasts and demons. Giles lowers the book
and looks up at Max.
GILES
We need to be absolutely sure about
this, Max.
I fought Willow myself when she was
last at full power, and even with
an entire coven feeding me power, I
was no match for her. If anything
goes wrong with this, the
consequences could be-
MAX
(interrupts)
Something we're just going to have
to be prepared for. Rupert, this is
our best shot at getting rid of the
Caretaker. You've tried brute force
and it's had no effect. Let's take
things up a notch.
Giles settles back in his chair, a hand on his chin
thoughtfully.
GILES
(beat; nods)
Alright. Let's try it.
As Max grins and gathers up the books he'll need, we cut from
Giles' still concerned look to:
14 INT. OFFICE SUITE. DAY. 14
Inside a busy, open plan cubicle farm style office floor,
full of busy suits and workers, with plenty of background
chatter, we pick up ROLLINS, a somewhat overweight, balding
man with glasses, dashing across the suite, dodging past
various workers.
Rollins looks out of breath, and carries a printout in his
hands, which he holds in the air like it was the Olympic
Torch, shouting out for people to move out of his way.
He eventually reaches the door to a conference room, and
after knocking and waiting a beat, he opens the door and
hustles inside.
15 INT. OFFCE SUITE - CONFERENCE ROOM. NEXT. 15
The room is dark, as a Power Point presentation flips past on
a big projection screen mounted on one wall. Rollins wheezes
for breath, eventually holding up the paper.
ROLLINS
Sir! Sorry to intrude on your
meeting, sir, but you need to see
this.
VOICE (O.S.)
What is it, Rollins? Take a seat,
catch your breath.
Rollins sits, and as we pull back a
little we see that
there are five more men in the room, two either side of the
long table in the centre of the room, and a fifth seated in a
high-backed chair at the table's head, out of view.
ROLLINS
We just had confirmation come in,
sir, from the surveillance
department.
Rollins holds the paper out, and it gets passed from suit to
suit before the man at the head of the table gets it.
ROLLINS (cont'd)
Hostile One re-entered our
dimension at approximately three
forty-seven, sir, and it's
currently on the move again.
VOICE
I see. Any idea where it's heading?
ROLLINS
No, sir, not yet, but you said you
wanted to be alerted as soon as we
knew it was back, sir, and, well...
It's back.
VOICE
(beat)
So I see. Thank you, Rollins, that
will be all. Rollins nods, stands
and exits the room.
As the door closes, the man in the high-backed chair holds up
a remote control, switching off the presentation and turning
the room's lights back up.
As he speaks, we begin to slowly walk round the room,
gradually bringing him into view.
VOICE (cont'd)
It's as we feared, gentlemen. The
hostile is indeed back, right here
in Cleveland.
SUIT #1
I think it's time we moved against
it.
SUIT #2
I agree, we've wasted too much time
waiting for it to make the next
move, it's time we took action!
There is a murmur of agreement from the suits, before we see
the man at the head of the table raise his hands to ask for
quiet.
VOICE
I appreciate your concerns - and
this time, I fully agree with you.
Our teams are assembled and ready,
our resources are in place, we're
never going to get a better chance
at this.
We follow the man as he stands, revealing himself to us at
last - and it's IRWIN KANE!
KANE
It's time we dealt with the
problem, once and for all.
The other men in the room nod and chatter in agreement, as a
smile creeps across Kane's features.
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
16 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - LIVING ROOM. DAY. 16
Willow has taken over the front room, with candles, incense
and a wide circle of yellow powder marked out on the carpet.
As she continues arranging small ingredients, busily setting
up a spell, we pull back to see Xander and Buffy watching
her. Andrew is absent.
BUFFY
(grimaces; quiet)
Please tell me that stuff's gonna
come out of my carpet...
XANDER
(quiet)
Relax, I'm sure Willow knows what
she's doing. And besides, maybe a
big, circular stain on your carpet
will come into fashion? You know,
we could get on a home makeover
show or something, and...
Xander trails off as he sees Buffy's look.
XANDER (cont'd)
Point taken. Shutting up now.
Buffy steps over to Willow, who is muttering to herself as
she flicks through a large spell book.
BUFFY
Willow?
Willow doesn't answer, absorbed in her work.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Willow, are you alright?
Buffy reaches out a hand for Willow, but before she can touch
her, Willow's head snaps round, and Buffy recoils.
WILLOW
I'm fine, Buffy, really. I just
need a little time to get this
ready.
Buffy steps back, sensing that Willow's a girl on a mission
right now.
BUFFY
Okay, we're here soon as you need
us.
Willow glances up at Buffy, then back at her books.
WILLOW
Thanks.
Buffy rejoins Xander, nudging him away, out of earshot.
BUFFY
Alright, she's making me edgy now.
And I don't like being edgy in my
own home.
XANDER
She's fine, she's just... Focused,
that's all.
BUFFY
'Focused'? Xander, I'm worried
about her. You didn't see what she
was like when she took me up to the
Circle, I think this may be
starting to affect her again, just
like-
WILLOW (O.S.)
It won't be like last time.
Buffy jolts and looks over to Willow, who has stopped her
preparations to stare over at Buffy. Willow doesn't have a
very friendly look in her eyes.
WILLOW (cont'd)
I'm not going to go evil on you,
Buffy. I just wanna get this guy
before he does any more damage. To
any of us.
Willow gets back to work, and Buffy bites her lip, still
concerned about her friend.
XANDER
Oh, hey, before I forget, Andrew
said he'll be back later, he just
had to go do something.
BUFFY
Alright, fine. I'm gonna go make a
phone call, something tells me my
evening with Jackson's gonna have
to wait.
Buffy heads upstairs. Xander waits a beat, then double takes
and calls after her.
XANDER
Wait, you've got a date with
Jackson? When was I going to be
told about this?
Buffy's already upstairs, and Xander mutters to himself.
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Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.