buffy9x16 Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
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7 INT. HOSPITAL - DELIVERY ROOM. DAY. 7
The shadowy Man still has his hand pressed to Anya's temples,
but no-one in the room can see him as Xander squeezes her
hand.
XANDER
Okay, honey, we're getting there,
just keep doing what you're doing!
Anya turns to look at him. Through her eyes, the scene seems
to have slowed down, all the sounds of the room muffled and
faint.
Anya turns to look over at the doctor, but we can't make out
what he's saying.
The room slowly begins to WHITE OUT, and we cut to:
8 EXT. FIELDS. DAY. 8
We find ourselves in a long, green field, which stretches off
into the horizon in every direction. Overhead is a blue sky
with patches of fluffy white cloud, the sun blazing over the
scene.
The colours around us are oversaturated and bright, and as we
pan across the fields, taking in a soft breeze of air and the
gentle chirping of birds in trees dotted around, we find Anya
- but she's dressed differently, her hair long and curly and
a long, flowing white dress swaying around her in the breeze.
Anya blinks, looking around her, confused.
ANYA
(calls out)
Hello?
She looks down at her dress, touching herself all over as if
to make sure she's still there.
ANYA (cont'd)
What's all this?
(looking around)
Where am I? Where's Xander?
She realises something and pats her noticeably flatter belly,
alarmed.
ANYA (cont'd)
Where's my baby?
(calls out; louder)
Hello?!?
VOICE (O.S.)
There's no need to shout, Anya.
Anya jumps half a mile out of her skin and looks round - the
shadowy Man from the hospital is standing a few feet away
from her, still wreathed in shadows despite the brilliant
sunshine overhead.
MAN
Forgive me for the manner in which
you were brought here, but is has
taken me some time to find you.
Dark forces are conspiring against
us, and time is short.
Anya blinks, looking the Man up and down, alarmed.
ANYA
'Dark forces'? Who, exactly?
(beat)
Did I work for them?
The Man steps towards her, looking up and revealing his
features at last. His face is young, with black hair flopping
down over his eyes, but the eyes themselves have a dark
intensity to them that makes Anya step backwards.
ANYA (cont'd)
(suspicious)
Who are you?
MAN
My name is Asha, and I'm here to
bring you some important
information. It concerns your
child.
ANYA
My baby? Where is she? What's going
on here?
ASHA
You have many questions, so I will-
Asha GULPS as Anya suddenly lunges forward and grabs him by
the throat.
ANYA
(furious)
Okay, monkey boy, here's how this
is going to work! You're going to
tell me where I am and what's going
on here very quickly, or I'm going
to remind you why I used to love
being a vengeance demon so much!
Save the cryptic, mystical crap for
somebody who hasn't seen it all
before!
Asha eyes her for a second - then nods.
ASHA
Very well, then. Let's move along.
Anya lets him go, and Asha takes a second to compose himself
before he starts to walk away, across the fields, beckoning
for Anya to follow.
ASHA (cont'd)
Come, there are things you have to
see.
Anya watches him for a moment, then starts to jog after him,
finding that her dress makes progress slow, despite her
bunching it up as best she can.
ANYA
Hey, wait! If I'm here, then what's
going on back in the delivery room?
I'm in the middle of having a baby!
Why do people keep interrupting me
before I've finished anything?
Hey!!
Asha walks on, and we cut from him and Anya to:
9 INT. HOSPITAL - WAITING ROOM. DAY. 9
Giles is still talking to Buffy as we rejoin them.
GILES
... and that's about the sum of
things at the moment.
BUFFY
Wow.
(beat)
So, you really, really like her,
huh?
GILES
(nods)
I think it's the strongest I've
felt about anyone since Jenny.
BUFFY
(eyes him)
Didn't you have a thing for my mom,
too? You know, the whole band candy
incident and that thing with the
police car...
GILES
(evasive)
That was... Let's try to stay
focused, shall we?
BUFFY
Right, sorry. So, you like Marie
but you haven't said anything to
her and now she's sleeping with
Max... And you still haven't said
anything to her. Is that about
right?
GILES
(sighs)
Yes, unfortunately.
BUFFY
So just march your British ass over
there and tell her!
GILES
It's not that simple, Buffy.
BUFFY
Of course it is! Who ever got what
they wanted by sitting back and
waiting for it to come to them?
Whenever you do that, someone else
comes along and takes it away -
someone who bothered to ask. You
seeing the pattern here yet?
GILES
It's too complicated, we both have
our work, and don't forget I'm Head
Watcher, it would be inappropriate
to-
BUFFY
So it'll be an office romance, big
whoop! What are you afraid of, are
the other Watchers gonna write
'Giles loves Marie' over your desk
when you get home?
Giles manages a smile, and Buffy reaches out to take his arm,
starting to lead him back towards the others.
BUFFY (cont'd)
Come on. Just say you need to talk
to her about something in private,
act like it's business. Then, when
you get her to yourself, just grab
her and-
Giles raises a hand to stop Buffy.
GILES
I get the idea.
She smiles up at him as they head into:
10 INT. HOSPITAL - CORRIDOR. DAY. 10
Buffy and Giles turn back into the corridor outside the
delivery room - but Max and Marie are nowhere to be seen.
BUFFY
Hey! Where'd Max go?
SOFIA
Oh, uh, they left.
WILLOW
Yeah, Max said he needed to talk to
her about something in private, it
sounded kinda official, so we...
Willow trails off as she picks up on Giles' dark look. Giles
sits calmly down in a chair, and Buffy sighs, stepping away
from him.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Uh, should we have stopped them?
GILES
(bitter)
Somehow, I doubt anything would by
now.
Sofia looks around at everyone's dour expressions for a beat,
before she stands.
SOFIA
Well! I think it's time I went
somewhere else for a few minutes.
You all look like you need some
quiet time.
She walks away down the corridor, and Buffy watches her go.
WILLOW
I think we scared away the newbie.
BUFFY
I can't say I blame her, this isn't
exactly an easy introduction to
life in the Scooby Gang!
WILLOW
(to Giles)
Are you okay? 'Cause you look a
little-
GILES
(snaps)
I'm fine.
Willow blinks and looks at Buffy, who shakes her head.
WILLOW
Okay! Right. I'm just gonna sit
here quietly and not say anything.
Willow sits and looks round for something to keep her
occupied, as Buffy looks over at Giles again, his brow
furrowed.
We cut from his unhappy expression to:
11 EXT. FIELDS. DAY. 11
Anya follows Asha over the crest of a hill, bounding down the
slope after him.
ANYA
(panting)
Do we have to walk so quickly? I'm
pregnant, you know!
ASHA
Here, you are not.
ANYA
Well... You should still make
allowances! I've been carrying a
tiny person around for nine months,
it's going to take me a while to
readjust.
She looks around - they're standing outside a typical
suburban house, oddly out of place in the fields, as though
it fell out of the sky and landed there.
ANYA (cont'd)
(confused)
Is this meant to be the house from
that movie about that awful Dorothy
girl who murders those witches?
Xander made me watch it to some
rock band's album once, he said the
soundtrack matches to-
XANDER (O.S.)
Okay, kids, who wants to take
another ride on the Harris Express?
CHILDREN'S VOICES (O.S.)
Meee!!
ANYA
(quietly)
Xander?
Anya dashes towards the house, leaving Asha, who stands and
watches her, his hands folded before him.
12 INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE. DAY. 12
Anya bursts in through the house's front door. Inside, it
looks a lot like the current Harris Residence - the marks of
Xander's DIY-manship shows itself in several extensions and
improvements, while Anya recognises the furniture.
ANYA
Xander? Are you in here?
She steps forward cautiously into the house, her attention
drawn to a row of photographs above a crackling fireplace.
She lifts one up to examine it - it's of her and Xander on
their wedding day. The next is of them honeymooning somewhere
exotic, and as she lifts the third she GASPS - it's of Xander
and Anya with a baby, beaming proudly up at the camera.
She looks across the other photos - more happy family
pictures. Anya smiles and reaches out for another, when a
commotion coming from the kitchen makes her turn round.
In rushes Xander, with three small KIDS hanging onto him, all
four of them laughing happily.
XANDER
Next stop, the front room!
The kids laugh with glee as Xander careens around the living
room, two blonde girls hanging from each of his arms and a
dark-haired boy holding on round his chest.
XANDER (cont'd)
Please ensure all your luggage is
safely stowed away, as we may be
experiencing... turbulence!
Standing by the sofa, Xander shakes his whole body, and the
whooping children fall off and land on the sofa. Xander joins
them, the four of them lost in laughter.
Anya steps over, her eyes wide, not sure what she's seeing.
Xander looks up at her.
XANDER (cont'd)
Oh, hi, honey. Kids, say hi to your
mother.
KIDS
(together)
Hi, mommy!
Anya's hands go to her mouth, and she sobs once, a tear
rolling down her cheek. Xander notices and nods to her,
patting each of the kids on the head in turn.
XANDER
Okay, Harris Battallion, your mom
and I have some grown up stuff to
talk about now. Go tear up your
play room for a few minutes, okay?
The kids blast away from Xander, racing upstairs and out of
view. A stunned Anya looks at Xander, who pats the sofa.
XANDER (cont'd)
C'mon, Anya, come sit down.
She slowly steps over and sits, and Xander grins at her.
XANDER (cont'd)
They're really something, aren't
they?
I can't believe sometimes that
three kids of mine ended up so damn
perfect. Especially when you look
at how the rest of my family turned
out...
Xander nudges Anya, who manages to nod, fighting to hold back
the tears as she smiles over at him.
XANDER (cont'd)
'Course, without you, none of them
would be here anyway, so...
ANYA
Xander, what's happening? Where am
I?
XANDER
The future. Our future, actually.
This is us about four years from
now.
Xander cranes round to look out through the window.
XANDER (cont'd)
Well, not here here, if you know
what I mean. This is kind of a
sneak preview of what's coming.
ANYA
So... So it's all okay? The baby,
our baby, nothing goes wrong?
Xander looks evasive for a moment, and Anya looks up as a
shadow falls across them. Asha has entered the house.
XANDER
It's... complicated. It's probably
best if Asha here explains it to
you, I'm just an avatar from your
subconscious.
ANYA
(confused)
You're a what?
XANDER
It's a long story, honey. Andrew
knows about it, though. If you get
a chance to ask him, he'll explain
it.
ANYA
This doesn't make any sense...
Anya stands, turning to Asha.
ANYA (cont'd)
Where are we? What are you trying
to show me here?
ASHA
I'm showing you a vision of your
own future. This is what's in store
for you, Anya - a happy home, a
devoted husband and three wonderful
children.
ANYA
(beat)
Oh. Good. That beats the last
vision anyone had of my future -
Xander told me that he killed me
with a frying pan!
ASHA
Yes, that was... an unfortunate
affair. Trust me, this time, what
you see is real.
ANYA
How do I know that? Prove it.
ASHA
In time. First, I must tell you
something about this future.
ANYA
(rolls eyes)
And here comes the cryptic part...
I was in this business for a
thousand years, don't you messenger
people ever get any new tricks to
use on people?
XANDER
Listen to the man, Anya, he's
trying to help.
ANYA
(snaps)
Xander! I'm busy!
Xander raises his hands and looks away. Anya looks back to
Asha, thinking about something.
ANYA (cont'd)
Okay... so that part was pretty
realistic.
(beat)
What do you have to tell me about
this future, then?
ASHA
All of what you see can be yours.
ANYA
(smiles)
Really? Great!
ASHA
But I'm afraid there is a price you
must pay.
We push in on Anya as the smile drops from her face.
ANYA
Oh.
And from that, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
13 EXT. CITY STREET. NIGHT. 13
We're looking down on a dark, grimy inner city street, a
light snowfall filtering across our vision as Asha walks into
frame, heading away from us. Anya follows him, looking up and
all around her.
ANYA
Where are we now?
ASHA
I will explain in time. Follow me.
Anya jogs up to him as Asha stops outside a set of stairs
leading down to a club below street level. Anya joins him,
squinting to read the faded name out above the stairs.
ANYA
(reads)
'Hogar del Oraculo'?
ASHA
We must head inside.
Asha starts down the stairs, and after a moment's hesitation,
Anya follows.
As she disappears into the darkness, we cut to:
14 EXT. HOSPITAL - ROOFTOP. DAY. 14
An access door opens, and Max and Marie step out onto the
roof of one of the hospital buildings. Marie looks
uncomfortable, rubbing her arms as Max strides out into the
sunlight.
MAX
(breathes deeply)
That's better! I had to get us out
of there, sorry. I'd only been
there five minutes and it was
already starting to feel like
somebody died! I thought births
were meant to be happy occasions?
And who was that new girl back
there with the others?
MARIE
A lot's happened in a short space
of time, Max, that's all.
(beat)
What did you want to talk to me
about?
MAX
Ah, yes. It's about us.
MARIE
'Us'? What does that mean, exactly?
MAX
(grins)
You know... you and me. I know
Rupert isn't exactly over the moon
about what's going on, but I think
it's time we decided what to say to
him about it.
MARIE
I... I'm really not sure what to
say. I'm not even sure what's
supposed to be going on between us,
Max! I'm supposed to be monitoring
you until your hearing with the
Council comes around, not...
She trails off, and Max steps closer. She's looking at her
feet, so he raises her head up with one finger underneath her
chin.
MAX
Sleeping together? I didn't plan on
that happening either, you know!
Max suddenly stops smiling and steps away, turning his back
on her. Marie reacts, stepping forward.
MARIE
What?
MAX
I know what this is about. You
think I seduced you to try and
influence my hearing.
MARIE
You... Oh, for goodness sake, Max!
That's got nothing to do with it.
MAX
Hasn't it?
MARIE
(beat)
Alright, I'll admit, I'm concerned
that I've broken some rules in
fraternising with you the way I
have, but I won't be part of the
tribunal that judge your actions
over your Slayer's death. It's
nothing at all to do with me.
We move around to look at Max, his back still turned to
Marie. A victorious grin creeps across his face.
MAX
So you mean that? You trust me?
MARIE
(sighs)
I trust that you're not trying to
worm your way out of things, yes.
I'm not sure why, but still...
Max manages to hide his grin as he turns back round.
MAX
I don't like people accusing me of
things I haven't done, Marie. I'm
prepared to accept responsibility
for Sierra's death...
Max walks right up to her, tracing one finger down her cheek.
MAX (cont'd)
... but what I feel for you is the
real deal.
Marie hesitates - then looks up to him, and the two start to
kiss. We leave them on the rooftop, and cut back to:
15 INT. UNDERGROUND NIGHT CLUB. NIGHT. 15
Asha and Anya descend the staircase into the bar itself - a
cosy place, dark wood furnishings and old style fake
gaslights hanging from the ceiling.
What Anya notices more is the clientele - a mixture of humans
and demons, in all shapes and sizes, smoking, drinking and
chatting as soft, guitar-driven music pipes out from overhead
speakers.
ANYA
Am I going to end up in a bar?
(gasps)
Is Xander going to become an
alcoholic?
ASHA
Neither. This way.
Asha heads towards a back door, just to the left of a small
stage, and passes straight through it. Anya blinks, then
cautiously reaches out a hand - which passes through the
door!
Surprised, she reaches out further - and YELPS as Asha leans
back through the door to grab her arm!
ASHA (cont'd)
Please, Anya, we don't have a lot
of time!
He pulls her forward, and she disappears through the door,
leading us into:
16 INT. UNDERGROUND NIGHT CLUB - BACK ROOM. NIGHT. 16
Asha and Anya are now in a darker room, decorated like an old
dressing room complete with lighted mirror and makeup table,
but in the far corner of the room is a figure wrapped in a
long, dark coat, a hood covering their face.
Before the figure kneels a demon, green-skinned with long,
grey hair, his hands raised as if making an offering.
DEMON
Great Oracle, I beg of you, aid me
with my troubles...
The hooded figure watches the demon for a moment - then pulls
back the hood to reveal a strikingly attractive young woman.
She's in her twenties with blonde, curly hair.
ORACLE
Oh, come on, Grijnel! You know you
don't have to do all that fawning
stuff for me. Take a seat over
there and tell me all about it.
I'll see if there's anything I can
do to help you.
Anya peers at her, spotting the resemblance instantly.
ANYA
She looks just like-
ASHA
You, yes, she does. That's because
this is your daughter. This is the
child you are giving birth to at
this very moment.
Anya looks disbelievingly at Asha, then marches forward to
get a closer look at the Oracle. This time, no-one in the
room can see them, which is fortunate as Anya leans right
over the young woman, studying her features carefully.
ANYA
She doesn't have my nose. That's
Xander's Definitely. Oh, and her
left ear looks more like his too.
But, other than that...
She takes a few steps back, one finger on her chin like an
artist studying a finished painting. She nods.
ANYA (cont'd)
She's perfect.
Anya turns to Asha, beaming.
ANYA (cont'd)
She's beautiful! Just like her
mother. Is this what I needed to
see?
ASHA
This is part of what you need to
see.
ANYA
That demon called her 'Oracle,'
though. I couldn't help but notice
that, seeing as this place is
called 'Home of the Oracle' and
everything. Guess she must have
picked up her subtlety from me as
well. So does that mean...
ASHA
Yes, your child is the next Oracle.
When the last child was murdered by
Ulithios, another was called, and
her spirit sent into the body of a
growing human foetus.
(beat)
Yours.
ANYA
(shocked)
You shot an Oracle into my baby?
What kind of sick messenger are
you?!
ASHA
It has been this way for thousands
of years, and will continue to do
so long after this new child is
gone.
ANYA
Wait, so - are we in the future
now?
ASHA
Twenty-two years, to be exact.
Today is the Oracle's birthday.
ANYA
Oh!
(to Oracle)
Happy birthday!
(beat)
Even though you can't hear me, but
still...
ASHA
The Oracle is chosen to pass
messages on from the Powers That
Be, but they are also seen as great
spiritual beacons in these dark
times. Your daughter's powers are
strong, enhanced by the demonic
blood that will always be part of
your body. She will help literally
thousands of people during her
lifetime, saving lives and passing
on the wishes of the Powers That
Be, helping their champions
continue the good fight against the
darkness.
ANYA
Yes, that's all very poetic, and
well done for that, but what does
this have to do with me? And where
are the other children I saw
earlier? Are they all grown up now
too?
Asha falls quiet, and Anya frowns, stepping towards him.
ANYA (cont'd)
Well? Come on, don't start giving
me the silent treatment now, you've
shown me this much, let's keep
moving!
Anya snaps her fingers as a thought hits her.
ANYA (cont'd)
I know, this is like that other
movie, isn't it! The one with the
funny man from 'Ghostbusters,'
where the ghosts show him what a
horrible life he's going to grow up
to have? Is that what this is?
ASHA
(shakes head)
I'm afraid it is not that simple.
We must get back to the fields,
time is short.
Asha turns round and steps through the door of the back room,
and with a puzzled look, Anya casts one last glance towards
the Oracle, then follows.
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