buffy9x17 Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
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18 INT. HOSPITAL - FAMILY ROOM. DAY. 18
The family room is a quieter, warmly furnished room, away
from the bustle of the main wards of the hospital. Buffy and
the others are seated on the various large, comfy chairs
inside.
Buffy stands as Xander opens the door and shuffles inside,
sitting slowly down on the nearest empty chair.
Nobody speaks for several moments, until Xander is the one to
break the silence.
XANDER
Could somebody please say
something? Because, I really,
really don't want to sit here in
silence right now.
The others exchange glances - Sofia is the first to speak.
SOFIA
The baby's fine.
XANDER
(nods)
Good.
SOFIA
I just went to check on her over in
the nursery again, the nurse there
told me she's perfectly healthy, so
as soon as you're ready to go and
see her...
Sofia trails off. Xander nods, managing a brief smile at her.
Buffy reaches out to take his hand.
XANDER
I don't really know what's supposed
to happen now, so if anybody has
any ideas, I'd love to hear them.
BUFFY
We should get you home. Some of us
can stay here with the baby,
they'll want to keep her overnight
to run a few tests, that kind of
thing.
WILLOW
I'll stay.
SOFIA
And me.
Buffy glances at Sofia, surprised that she'd volunteer for
such a personal job, but Xander nods at Sofia again.
SOFIA (cont'd)
(gentle humour)
I mean, I'm still jet lagged from
the flight anyway, so I won't be
getting sleepy for a long while
yet!
Giles stands, straightening his clothes out.
GILES
I think sleep is an excellent idea.
I'll drive you and Buffy home,
Xander, we can come back first
thing in the morning for the baby.
XANDER
Okay. All good. But what about...
(beat; swallows)
What about Anya? What happens to
her?
The others look at each other, as if trying to decide who
should tell him.
GILES
They'll take her to the mortuary
and keep her there until she's
ready to be moved for the funeral
service. Don't worry about any of
that now, the Council will take
care of it.
Max raises a wry eyebrow at Giles' remark, but no-one's
watching him.
GILES (cont'd)
We have funds specifically for this
sort of thing, and I'll be damned
if being Head Watcher doesn't give
me any say over how and where I can
spend my money!
Marie stands as well, noticeably close to Giles.
MARIE
Come on, Rupert, let's start making
a few calls, the sooner we set the
wheels in motion on this, the
better.
Giles nods, and the two exit the room. Max waits a beat, then
stands and follows them. Buffy motions to Sofia.
BUFFY
Let's grab some drinks, okay?
Sofia nods, understanding that Willow and Xander need a
moment alone together, and she and Buffy make their way out
of the room too.
Willow moves closer to Xander, taking one of his hands in
both of hers, looking over to him with as good a smile as she
can muster.
WILLOW
What did you say to her?
XANDER
(shakes head)
I couldn't think of much.
I just told her that I'd make sure
I'd always take care of the baby,
no matter what happened. I owe her
that much.
Willow rests her head on Xander's shoulder.
XANDER (cont'd)
I don't know how you did it.
WILLOW
Did what?
XANDER
When you lost Tara, and then
Kennedy too. I don't know how you
made it through each day.
WILLOW
Well, I did sort of go evil at
first, that helped pass some time.
Xander manages a short, mirthless laugh.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Sorry. Inappropriate humour.
XANDER
Don't stop. I don't want anything
to change because of this. It's all
that's holding me together right
now.
WILLOW
It was one hour at a time.
XANDER
What?
WILLOW
You asked me how I made it after
losing Tara and Kennedy, that's the
answer. Every hour I got through
was like a small victory, another
step along I'd made on my own
without them. It wasn't exactly a
fast healing process, but it
helped.
XANDER
I just... I don't know what I'm
going to do, Will.
WILLOW
None of us do! You hadn't noticed
that by now?
XANDER
I'm a father now. That hasn't even
had chance to sink in yet. I've
lost my wife but I've gained a
daughter... Is that meant to be a
fair trade? Is that what Anya would
have wanted?
WILLOW
She'd have wanted you to carry on,
no matter what. That was what she
loved about you, Xander. You saw
past so many things about her and
loved who she really was, deep
down, past all the things that made
her become a vengeance demon, past
all the terrible things she'd done
to people.
XANDER
'Rewarding pain with more pain,'
that's what she always used to say
about it.
Willow sits up, looking into Xander's eyes.
WILLOW
This isn't about pain. This should
be about love. You've got your baby
now, she's what's important.
Xander nods slowly, coming close to tears again.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Anya would have wanted you to love
that baby as much as you loved her.
That's all she could ever have
asked of you. Do you think you can
do that?
Xander thinks for a long moment, before looking up at Willow
with a hopeful smile at last.
XANDER
What the hell. I'll give it a shot.
Willow grins and hugs him tightly again. We cut from the two
of them, holding each other, to:
19 INT. JACKSON'S CAR. EARLY EVENING. 19
The sun is starting to set now as we pan down to look into
Jackson's car, parked across the street from a large,
unmarked building.
We appear to be inside some kind of industrial district, the
streets around us peppered with similar big, plain buildings,
a train track visible just beyond those.
Jackson looks bored as all hell as Dan munches contentedly on
a donut, offering one to Jackson.
DAN
Sugar frosted?
JACKSON
No thanks.
DAN
Come on, Jacks, you've gotta try
one of these things! I found this
little bakery down a back alley off
Waylon Street, and I don't know
what he puts in these things, but
man! They are the greatest pieces
of pastry I have ever had the
fortune to put into my mouth.
Jackson looks over at Dan, and wordlessly reaches out a hand
to pat Dan's belly, before turning to look back out through
the window.
JACKSON
That's why I don't eat those
things.
DAN
Oh, what, you're saying I'm fat
now, too?
(mock tears)
And I thought you said you didn't
care how I looked on the outside...
Jackson chuckles and sips from a fresh cup of brand name
coffee sitting on the car's dashboard.
JACKSON
I could give you a hundred reasons
why shovelling that processed crap
down your throat is bad news, but
that's not really the point. End
result is the same - padding.
DAN
Hey, I know cops who took a bullet,
and that 'padding' saved their
lives!
JACKSON
(wry)
And here was me thinking not
getting shot was the best way to
survive a bullet...
DAN
Come on, Jacks. Dance with the
devil in the pale moonlight for
once in your life.
He shakes the bag in Jackson's direction again, and with a
weary sigh, Jackson reaches in, lifting out a donut covered
with frosting.
He winds the window down, shakes most of the frosting off,
then finally takes a bite. He chews for a moment before
turning to Dan, nodding.
JACKSON
Okay, point taken. These do indeed
kick ass.
DAN
(smiles)
As if you could ever doubt me!
The car's CB radio crackles to life, and Jackson grabs it.
RADIO
Car two, come in, over?
JACKSON
Jackson here, go ahead.
RADIO
All quiet over here, anything over
by you and the Marshmallow Man?
DAN
(offended)
Hey! I heard that, Kochanski!
JACKSON
(smirks)
No, still quiet. What are we
expecting tonight, anyway? Just
Lemar and his boys, or a little
extra something?
RADIO
No-one's sure. We think we're about
to see a major deal go down
tonight, maybe as much as fifty
k's, but until the dealers step out
of the car and shake hands we won't
know much more.
JACKSON
Copy that. Jackson out.
Jackson replaces the radio receiver and stares out through
the windscreen again.
DAN
Okay, now you've got your trademark
'I'm thinking about Buffy' look on.
JACKSON
(without looking round)
No, I don't.
DAN
Yeah, you do! The frown, the
distant look in your eyes, the
vague feelings of longing... You
know, it's okay if you want to call
her again. I won't tell anyone.
JACKSON
I'm not going to call Buffy when
we're in the middle of a stakeout!
DAN
Why not? It might impress her.
JACKSON
Because, at any moment, something
could...
Jackson trails off, spotting something up ahead. Dan picks up
on it and follows his gaze.
Looking through the car windshield, we can see that a large
black car has pulled to a halt some way up the street, next
to what looks like a disused warehouse.
The distant booms of the bass coming from the black car's
stereo can be felt even over here.
The car doors open and five black men get out, typical
gangsters in their sports gear, garish jewelry and baseball
caps. With a few glances up and down the street, they all
head into the warehouse.
Jackson looks across at Dan, who grins back.
DAN
Would the real Slim Shady please
stand up!
Jackson reaches for the CB radio again.
JACKSON
Car one, this is Jackson, over.
RADIO
Go ahead, but I think I already
know what you're going to say.
JACKSON
Visual sighting of one Lemar Jones
and four of his gang, entering
target location. Possible fifth
suspect still inside their car,
parked outside.
RADIO
Copy that, we've already called for
backup.
DAN
What's the plan now?
RADIO
Sit tight, wait to see who he's
here to meet. Lemar always likes to
be first on the scene, so hopefully
we won't have to wait long to find
out whoever he's dealing with
tonight. Reckon you boys can manage
that without pulling a Starsky and
Hutch and bursting in there?
JACKSON
(grins)
You must have us confused with
somebody else, Kochanksi! Jackson
out.
He replaces the receiver and reaches into his Jackson,
checking that his gun if fully loaded.
DAN
So what happened to 'only using
your gun when you need to?'
JACKSON
That's only the first half of the
sentence.
DAN
Oh yeah? What's the rest?
Jackson looks up as he slots the magazine back into his gun
with a loud CLICK.
JACKSON
Be prepared.
Dan nods, and as Jackson settles back down to keep a watchful
eye on the developing scene before him, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
20 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE. EVENING. 20
The front door opens to Buffy and Xander, Xander heading
straight for the sofa as Buffy shrugs off her jacket. ANDREW
heads down the stairs to meet them, still in his cafe
uniform.
ANDREW
There you are! Um, where did
everybody go? I got in and there
was no-one here, and no messages
telling me anything, so I thought
maybe you'd all had to go off and
fight something, or-
XANDER
(flatly)
Anya had the baby.
ANDREW
Oh.
(beat; smiles)
Oh! That's, er, great!
XANDER
Yeah, then she died.
ANDREW
(blinks)
What?
Xander leans forward, placing his head in his hands, and a
startled Andrew looks from Xander to Buffy and back.
BUFFY
It's a long story, Andrew. I'll
explain everything in a little
while. Can you make us some coffee?
ANDREW
Uh, yeah, sure.
Andrew hurries into the kitchen as Buffy sits down next to
Xander. She pulls her shoes off and sits back, waiting for
him to recover from his moment.
He looks up, tears in his eyes once again, and looks round at
her.
BUFFY
For once, when I say 'I know how
you feel,' it's true.
Xander nods, leaning back on the sofa as far as he can. He
stares up at the ceiling, and Buffy gives his hand a squeeze.
BUFFY (cont'd)
I'm gonna go and check in with
Willow, okay?
XANDER
Okay.
Buffy stands and heads for the kitchen, leaving us looking
down on Xander. As we slowly push in on him, we start to hear
Giles' voice.
GILES (V.O.)
Yes, I'm afraid there's been a
death.
(beat)
No, not the Slayer, one of her
close friends. I need to arrange a
funeral service and burial straight
away.
(beat)
I'm fully aware of the regulations
on this matter, Henry, I helped
draw the damn things up! Look, we
need to take care of this quickly
and efficiently. The poor man's
suffered enough already, I want him
to have some peace of mind in
knowing his wife had the best
possible send off.
(beat)
Thank you, Henry. I look forward to
hearing from you.
As we hear the CLICK of Giles replacing the phone receiver,
we cut to:
21 INT. GILES' APARTMENT - FRONT ROOM. EVENING. 21
Marie watches as Giles hangs up, before he starts leafing
through a small address book.
MARIE
What's next?
GILES
Next, I call Bill Bryant in
Accounts and make sure that he gets
the instructions off me personally.
If I left this to Henry, he'd-
MARIE
(smiles)
He'd forget half the details,
wouldn't he?
The two share a smile - and it's been a while since they did
so. They both pick up on the moment - which is quickly broken
as Max paces back into the room, lazily eating an apple.
MAX
So you're going to arrange for the
whole funeral, burial and
everything else, Rupert? Out of the
Council's wallet?
GILES
(already irritated)
Of course. When Kennedy was
murdered, I did the same. This is
no different, and no less tragic.
MARIE
(cross)
Max, I must say, I'm noticing an
alarming lack of sympathy coming
from you over all this! A good
friend of ours just lost his wife,
the least you could do is show her
a little respect!
MAX
I'm sorry if I'm not as affected by
this as the rest of you, but I
barely know any of these people!
Yes, it's a damn shame she died,
and I feel bad for Xander about it,
but I'm not exactly close to anyone
around here!
Max eyes Marie, daring her to answer his last remark, but
when she just glares t him, he takes the hint, standing and
entering the spare bedroom.
Once his door is closed, Marie makes an irritated grunt and
sits back in her chair, arms folded.
GILES
If you'll allow me to speak freely,
I really haven't the faintest idea
what you see in that arrogant
bastard.
MARIE
(shocked)
Giles!!
(beat; sighs)
You know, I'm starting to think
more and more that I made a
terrible mistake with all of
this...
GILES
Only recently?
She throws him an annoyed glare, and Giles wisely decides not
to push it.
MARIE
I'll admit, when we first... when
things first developed, I should
say, it took me by surprise. I was
supposed to be watching him, not
getting involved with him, as you
made a point of reminding me on a
daily basis!
Giles looks up at her. He doesn't openly confirm or deny what
she just said, but his expression says it all.
MARIE (cont'd)
And the last few days... I'm not
sure, he's different, somehow.
Brash, cocky, swaggering about the
place like he knows something we
don't.
GILES
While this may make me sound quite
suspicious, I've found that when
somebody acts like that, it's
usually because they do know
something you don't.
Giles finds the number he was looking for and dials the
number into his phone. Marie falls quiet, deep in thought.
GILES (cont'd)
Hello? Bill? Hello, it's Rupert.
(beat)
Rupert Giles?
(beat; smiles)
Yes, good to hear you too, I must
have been away too long! Listen,
Bill, I've just made an arrangement
with Henry but I wanted to confirm
the details with you as well, you
know what he's like, and- what's
that?
(beat; listens)
They have? Oh, well, that's...
(smiles)
That's bloody marvellous.
Yes, yes, I'll call you back about
it in a while. Good bye.
He hangs up, and Marie sits up, intrigued by Giles' suddenly
bright expression.
MARIE
What is it?
GILES
The rest of the Council Board,
they've approve my proposal!
MARIE
Which one? The one about organising
the Slayer retrieval teams better,
or...
GILES
Better. They've given the green
light to start work on the Academy.
MARIE
(pleased)
Rupert! That's tremendous news!
GILES
(also happy)
Yes, I suppose it is...
Giles' smile suddenly fades. Today isn't exactly a day to
celebrate much of anything.
GILES (cont'd)
Still. There are other things to
sort out first. That can wait.
Marie nods, leaving Giles to make some more calls as we cut
back to:
22 INT. HOSPITAL - NURSERY. NIGHT. 22
There is a small waiting area just past the main nursery
room, and it is here that we find Willow and Sofia.
Sofia has finally succumbed to her jetlag, and is curled up,
fast asleep, across one of the long sofas in the room, dozing
as Willow lays a blanket across her.
Willow sits in one of the other chairs, a bottle of water in
her hand as she watches Sofia, thoughtful.
Another thought hits her, and she looks up and around, making
sure that there's no-one around.
She looks back down at Sofia, making sure she's fast asleep.
WILLOW
I'll be right back.
She stands, closes her eyes - and in a moment, she's consumed
by the same YELLOW GLOW that spirited her away before.
The glow fades, taking Willow with it, leaving Sofia in the
room by herself.
23 EXT. CIRCLE - OUTSIDE VILLAGE. DAY. 23
Willow makes her way through the tall grass at the edge of
the jungle, over towards the still-ruined village that used
to house the Circle members.
She pauses, surveying the blackened and heavily damaged
buildings with a sad look on her face, when she hears
something and looks round. There's nobody else around - no
snake demons prowling around, thankfully, and the huge
volcano in the distance is being well behaved, staying
silent.
Willow starts towards the buildings again, but pauses when
she hears something again - and it sounds like a child's
laughter!
She looks round carefully, squinting - and makes out
something moving in the grass up ahead!
Willow tenses, hunching down and slowly starting to creep
forward, her fists clenched. Everything is silent around her,
the only noise coming from a breeze as it rattles through the
tree branches and blows across the tall, chest-high grass all
around her.
Willow stops and stands up, not sure whether there's actually
anything there or not...
... and then TATTLES leaps out at her!
TATTLES
Boo!
Willow YELLS in alarm and stumbles backwards, landing in a
heap on the floor. She looks up in disbelief as Tattles
giggles and skips away.
Willow scrambles to her feet, frantic.
WILLOW
Wait! Tattles? Tattles!!
She spots the small, brown-haired girl skipping merrily back
towards the village, and chases off after her.
As Willow pursues her, we cut back to:
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