buffy9x18 Script created with Final Draft by Final Draft, Inc.
[previous | bottom] ACT TWO
FADE IN:
13 INT. SUMMERS RESIDENCE - LOUNGE 13
Xander is sitting on the couch once more, watching Hope sleep
on the couch and nearly dozing off. As his head occasionally
bobs, the room is suddenly bathed in WHITE LIGHT.
Xander blinks, shakes his head and starts to wake up, just in
time to see a warmly smiling Willow step into frame.
She kisses him lightly on the top of his head, and Xander
grins, instantly more at ease with her around.
XANDER
Hey, you.
WILLOW
Hey. Sorry I had to dash off
earlier, it's... it's a long story.
XANDER
Do we have any other kind?
WILLOW
Heh, I guess not.
Willow looks down at Hope, wrapped in a blanket and wriggling
slightly in her sleep.
WILLOW (cont'd)
I wonder what she's dreaming about?
XANDER
Hopefully, her mom. It breaks my
heart to think that she's never
going to know her.
Xander pauses, a sudden wave of emotion starting to well up
inside him, and Willow quickly sits opposite him, taking his
hands in her own.
WILLOW
(softly)
Hey! Come on, Xander, focus.
There'll be plenty of time to feel
sad when you're old. Right now,
you've got a new girl to take care
of!
XANDER
I know, it's just... I never saw
this coming, Will. I always thought
that when Hope was born, then it'd
be me, her and Anya.
For good this time. After all the
false starts and breakups we had, I
just knew in my heart that this
time, this was the one that was
going to work, no matter what.
(beat)
I just wish I knew what she meant.
WILLOW
Who?
XANDER
Anya, just before she died, she
whispered 'I'm sorry' to me. I
don't know what she meant by it,
but it was just a few seconds after
saying it that she...
(beat; deep breath)
Do you think she knew?
WILLOW
Maybe she did. I mean, she may have
been all human, but she was a demon
for a thousand years, that's gotta
leave a few marks on the old DNA,
right? Maybe she just knew it was
her time?
XANDER
Yeah, maybe... So, where'd you go?
Willow sits back on the sofa, looking thoughtful.
WILLOW
Catching up with a few old friends.
I went to see Oz.
XANDER
(surprised)
Really? How is he?
WILLOW
Oh, you know him, he's just... Oz.
Same old. Man of few words, I had
to do most of the talking.
XANDER
I used to think of it as having a
limited but carefully selected
vocabulary.
WILLOW
(chuckles)
Yeah, that's right...
Willow looks down at Hope again, a sad look in her eyes, and
Xander picks up on it, leaning forward.
XANDER
Is everything okay?
WILLOW
(evasive)
Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, everything's
fine. Just went a bit 'woah' for a
second there.
XANDER
(not convinced)
Uh-huh. You know better than to
test the patented Harris Lie
Detector, Miss Rosenberg! Is there
something you're not telling me?
Willow looks up at Xander, then sighs heavily, looking all
around, trying to gather her thoughts. She sits up, her chin
resting on her hands, and she opens her mouth a few times
before she gets round to actually speaking.
WILLOW
Xander, I have to go.
XANDER
Oh, that's okay, I'm good with Hope
here for an hour or two. I May not
be all that experienced with kids,
but i figure I can look after her
by myself for a bit without burning
the house down, and-
Willow takes one of Xander's hands, not looking at him.
Xander twigs that this is something serious, and his
expression shows his growing concern.
XANDER (cont'd)
Will?
WILLOW
(hesitant)
Xander, I... it's just that, it's
time that I...
(sighs)
Xander, I have to go. Tara came to
see me, she said it's time for me
to go join the Circle.
(beat)
For good.
XANDER
The Circle? I thought you said
they'd gone missing? Didn't the
Caretaker kill them?
WILLOW
No, they were just hiding. I found
them again yesterday, that's where
I went off to while we were still
all at the hospital.
XANDER
Oh.
(penny drops)
Oh, now wait a minute-
WILLOW
They asked me to join them a long
time ago, Xander, and I decided I
would, and now... now, it's time
for me to keep my promise.
XANDER
What? Well, tell them you can't!
They've waited this long, they can
wait a while longer!
Willow sits back, looking close to tears as Xander continues
to react badly to the news.
XANDER (cont'd)
You can't go, not now! Willow, I
can't lose you too. You're the only
person I've got left!
WILLOW
That's not true, there's Buffy, and
Giles, and-
XANDER
But I need you.
A tear rolls down Willow's cheek as she shuffles closer to
Xander, running a hand down the side of his face.
WILLOW
I'm sorry, Xander, you know I
really, really am... but I can't
change things. It's time for me to
ascend, I have to go and help
people now. It's where I'm meant to
be.
XANDER
(getting angry)
No! No, you're meant to be here! My
daughter doesn't have a mother, but
she's got you. That's all anyone
could ask for! You can't take that
away from her - from me!
WILLOW
I can't, I have to go, I have to-
XANDER
What? You have to do what?
Xander takes Willow's hands, staring deep into her eyes.
XANDER (cont'd)
Willow, if you're as powerful as
people keep saying you are, if you
really are on the edge of becoming
a Goddess at last... then you know
you've got the power to change
this.
WILLOW
No, I can't do that, I can't change
what's been destined, it'd be-
XANDER
It'd be what? Wrong? Bad? Are you
trying to say that going and
joining the Circle is more
important to you than me and Hope?
Willow stands, obviously very close to breaking down, pacing
away from Xander.
After a beat, he sighs, stands and goes to her, wrapping his
arms round her.
XANDER (cont'd)
I'm sorry.
WILLOW
It's okay, I know, you must hate
me, I'm being-
XANDER
Ssh.
(kisses top of her head)
It's okay.
They stay there for a few moments, not saying a word,
Xander's arms holding her tightly.
XANDER (cont'd)
When do you have to go?
WILLOW
Today.
Xander closes his eyes, trying to keep his emotions in.
XANDER
Right now?
WILLOW
No, I've got the day, that's why I
was gone this morning.
She steps away from him, looking up at him with a tearful
smile.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Before Oz, I went to see Tara and
Kennedy's graves again. I wanted to
make sure I said all my goodbyes.
Hope GURGLES as she wakes up, and Xander looks round. Willow
smiles at him as he looks back at her.
WILLOW (cont'd)
See? You've got someone important
to look after now. And so do I.
She prods him gently in the chest.
WILLOW (cont'd)
You think just because I'm
ascending, I won't be keeping an
eye on you?
XANDER
(smiles)
I guess not.
WILLOW
They way I see it, you've only made
it this far because somebody's been
up there, watching out for you -
and now, it's my turn.
Xander grins and hugs her tightly again.
XANDER
Who else do you need to go and see?
Xander releases her and steps back, both having to pause to
wipe tears away from their eyes.
WILLOW
I think it's just Buffy and Giles.
Are they both out?
XANDER
Buffy took Sofia out, said she
wanted to go and chase up some
leads, find out why it's been so
quiet round here lately. Giles is
back at his place still.
WILLOW
Okay. I can wait.
Willow looks down at Hope again, crouching down and tracing a
finger tenderly across her little head.
Xander watches her for a moment, the smile fading from his
face.
XANDER
Don't go.
WILLOW
(sighs)
Xander...
XANDER
Please don't go.
Willow looks up at him, and the look in his eyes makes her
heart break. She can't find any words to say to him, so the
two just share a long look at each other.
We cut away from them to:
14 INT. THE DIVE. DAY. 14
Buffy strolls into Tammazel's demon bar, the place now in
much better shape than when she last saw it. SOFIA follows
her in, the young Slayer trying to look tough as she eyes up
the patrons inside.
The blaring heavy metal music and demonic clientele lurking
in the shadows are still present and correct, but the bare
walls and half-built furniture is now all in place - vibrant
fresco paintings adorn the walls and ceilings, and the
tables, booths and chairs have an intriguing organic look to
them. Tammazel's clearly been hard at work!
As Buffy approaches the bar, pausing to soak up the new
environment, she spots TAMMAZEL herself, the tall,
blueskinned demon hard at work mixing up two cocktails at
once.
When she sees Buffy approaching, her concentration slips for
a second and she drops both cocktail shakers, which crash to
the floor below.
TAMMAZEL
(hostile)
You!!
BUFFY
None other.
TAMAMZEL
Don't you even start to think about
wrecking this place, Slayer, I've
been sweating blood the past three
months to get things just how I
want them!
BUFFY
(looking round)
Actually... it looks pretty good!
TAMMAZEL
(blinks)
Huh?
Buffy pulls up a bar stool and sits. Some demons at the bar
start to shuffle away from her, and Sofia pulls up a seat
next to her. Tammazel eyes Sofia warily.
TAMMAZEL (cont'd)
Who's the kid?
BUFFY
She's with me. I mean it about the
new look, though. I like the
paintings on the wall, what are
they?
Tammazel eyes Buffy suspiciously, then scoops up the stray
cocktail shakers before she starts talking again.
TAMMAZEL
Landscapes of my home dimension. I
thought they'd brighten this room
up.
BUFFY
They do. The Giger thing you've got
going on with the furniture really
works, too.
TAMMAZEL
(suspicious)
Alright, Slayer, what do you want?
BUFFY
(innocently)
Me?
(turns to Sofia)
Does it look like we want
something?
SOFIA
(playing along)
Absolutely not, we're just two
girls here to see the sights,
aren't we, Buffy?
BUFFY
Absolutely.
TAMMAZEL
(chuckles)
Right, and I'm in line to be the
next President. What do you two
really want here?
BUFFY
What you serve best. And it's not
the drinks.
TAMMAZEL
Looking for some information?
SOFIA
Buffy told me you have a knack of
knowing what needs to be known
around here, and with things being
so quiet since they took care of
that Caretaker chap I've heard so
much about-
TAMMAZEL
(interrupts)
You figured you'd come rough up
Tammazel and see what she knows,
eh?
BUFFY
Did we mention roughing?
SOFIA
I certainly didn't use the phrase
'rough up' at all.
The girls smile innocently back at Tammazel, who GROWLS
quietly, then looks up and down the bar, making sure no-one
is listening in before she leans forward.
TAMMAZEL
You're right, it has been quiet
round here recently. But I did see
someone I wasn't expecting in here
the other day.
BUFFY
Really? Who?
TAMMAZEL
(leans back)
Oh, no, that's not how this works,
Slayer.
(beat)
Slayers, even. You want to know
more, you have to do a little
something for me.
BUFFY
(sighs)
Alright, what is it?
TAMMAZEL
Simple little job. Killing a demon
who's been hassling some of my
regulars. I think we can both agree
it's something you can handle.
BUFFY
And if we kill this thing, you'll
tell us more.
TAMMAZEL
(crosses heart)
Demon's honour.
Buffy raises an eyebrow at Tammazel, then turns to Sofia.
BUFFY
What do you say, fancy going
hunting?
SOFIA
(smiles)
I'd love to.
BUFFY
(to Tammazel)
Alright. Point us at the problem.
Tammazel grins, and off that smug look we cut to:
15 INT. CHARLESTON & SMITHE - KANE'S OFFICE. DAY. 15
IRWIN KANE sits behind his wide, executive desk, flipping
through the morning's papers when his phone RINGS.
KANE
(answering it)
Hello?
(beat; frowns)
A call from where?
(listens)
Alright, put it through.
(beat)
Irwin Kane.
We can hear the other end of the conversation - whoever is
talking to Kane is having to shout over a HOWLING wind,
almost as if they were in a small phone booth in the middle
of a hurricane!
VOICE
(filtered; through phone)
Kane!! You said you'd get me out of
here, where the hell are you?!?
KANE
(smiles)
Ah, I was wondering when I'd be
hearing from you again.
VOICE
Don't play games with me, Irwin! We
had a deal, remember?
KANE
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten.
Be patient, I'll come and find you
when the time comes.
VOICE
(incredulous)
'When the time comes'?!? How about
right now, damn it!
KANE
Patience, all things come to those
who wait.
Kane is already leaning forward, ready to hang the phone up.
VOICE
Kane... Kane! Don't you leave me
here another second! Kane!!
Kane hangs up, chuckles to himself, and then gets back to
reading his papers, and from that, we:
BLACK OUT:
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
16 INT. THE DIVE. NIGHT. 16
It's later in the evening now, and Tammazel's bar is more
lively, the tables and booths full of laughing and joking
humans, demons and the odd vampire. The front doors suddenly
CRASH open, and everyone stops what they're doing and looks
round.
Buffy and Sofia walk in, both covered with cuts and bruises,
dragging the very dead body of a huge demon in after them,
each girl taking an arm.
The demon, about six foot six with two huge, curled horns
sticking out from its red-skinned head, has the Scythe
protruding from its chest. It's very dead.
Buffy drops her arm, and the bar falls absolutely silent as
the patrons looks from the dead demon, to Buffy and Sofia,
and back.
Over by the bar, Tammazel allows herself a satisfied grin.
BUFFY
(to room)
Bar's closed. Go home.
Without needing another prompt, the demons inside quickly
gather up their things and hurry out through the doors, and
in seconds the bar is deserted except for Tammazel and the
two Slayers.
Buffy marches up to the door, as Sofia plants one foot on the
demon's chest in the background, heaving at the Scythe and
trying to remove it.
BUFFY (cont'd)
There you go. One dead demon.
TAMMAZEL
(nods)
I'm impressed. I was hoping he'd at
least take an arm off you, give me
a little something extra.
BUFFY
(not amused)
Har har. Now start talking.
Who did you see in here that you
thought was strange?
Tammazel takes a moment to carefully wipe clean a beer glass,
then replaces it in the overhead racks and looks back at
Buffy.
TAMMAZEL
Your boss, Irwin Kane.
BUFFY
(disbelief)
What?
TAMMAZEL
(nods)
He's started coming in here a lot.
I see him talking to all kinds of
people - mercenaries, usually.
Demon's who'll sell their claws to
whoever'll pay them the most.
BUFFY
But...
TAMMAZEL
Yeah, Kane's already got his own
little army, with tanks and guns
and everything. I know.
BUFFY
You do?
TAMMAZEL
Wealthy businessman who likes to
cruise round in armoured cars,
blasting demons for fun? It's the
sort of thing that gets you
noticed.
Sofia joins Buffy at the bar, the Scythe finally free from
the demon. She drops it onto the bar, and Tammazel takes a
beat to stare at its blood-stained but still extremely sharp
edge.
TAMMAZEL (cont'd)
So what you should be asking
yourself is 'why would a man who
has that kind of firepower be
looking to hire a bunch of lowlife
demons, and what's he going to do
with it all anyway?'
Buffy frowns, trying to process this new information.
SOFIA
Can I get a drink?
(off dead demon)
We're quite thirsty after getting
rid of that big old thing for you.
TAMMAZEL
Are you twenty-one?
SOFIA
(rolls eyes)
I just want some ice water.
Tammazel reaches behind her and fills a glass with cold
water, but as she goes to hand it to Sofia, Buffy snatches it
away, drains it in one gulp and then scoops up the scythe.
BUFFY
Come on. We need to go.
SOFIA
But what about-
BUFFY
It's Tammazel's mess now. Let's get
moving.
Buffy heads towards the doors, and after a beat Sofia hops
off her bar stool and follows.
As Tammazel looks down at the large and very messy body of
the dead demon, lying in the middle of her once clean floor,
she sighs and we cut to:
17 INT. GILES' APARTMENT. NIGHT. 17
Marie is fast asleep in one of the chairs in the small
apartment's front room, and as she dozes Giles steps into
frame, gently laying a blanket across her.
As he returns to his chair, he spends a moment watching Marie
sleep, a smile on his features before the apartment door
opens, and MAX steps inside.
Giles stands, not looking pleased as the new arrival lays two
brown paper grocery bags down on the ground.
GILES
Where on earth have you been? Marie
told me you went out shopping hours
ago - the last time I checked, it
didn't take four hours to walk down
to the store and back!
MAX
I'm sorry, Rupert, I just thought
I'd take the opportunity to have a
little stroll before I bought any-
GILES
(annoyed)
'A little stroll'? You're under
house arrest, Max, you're not on
bloody holiday!
Why I let you leave my sight at all
continues to escape me, but if you
continue to flaunt the-
MAX
Rupert, calm down. Marie was with
me all last night, up until she
came over here earlier. I'm under a
strict curfew.
Giles falls quiet, staring coldly at Max as he walks over to
the sleeping Marie and kisses her once on the forehead. Marie
stirs but doesn't wake up, and Max smiles down at her.
MAX (cont'd)
She's quite something, isn't she?
GILES
(cold)
Quite. Max, I have a lot of work to
do, and I don't want to disturb
Marie, so I suggest you-
MAX
I understand, I'll stay in my room
like a good little boy.
With a smirk, Max heads towards the spare room he's been
sleeping in, closing the door behind him.
Giles sits back down, clearly wound up by Max's presence, so
lost in his thoughts that he doesn't notice the soft glow of
WHITE LIGHT that heralds Willow's arrival. She looks across
to Giles, who still hasn't seen her.
WILLOW
Ahem.
Startled, Giles jumps to his feet - then sighs as he sees
Willow, who heads over to him with a grin.
GILES
I must say, Willow, I'm far from
comfortable with this new method of
transport you've been using.
WILLOW
You'll get used to it.
Willow pauses as she realises the implications of her last
remark - Giles won't have time to get used to it if Willow's
ascending!
She sits on the sofa, her expression suddenly very sombre,
and as Giles sees the change in her he sits as well.
GILES
Is everything alright, Willow? You
look rather-
WILLOW
(quickly)
Giles, I'm leaving.
GILES
(beat)
I'm sorry?
WILLOW
Sorry. I thought if I just came out
and said it, it'd be easier to get
started, when I was talking to
Xander, I didn't know how to start,
and we just-
GILES
I'm sorry, you've lost me. Leaving
where?
WILLOW
It's the Circle, Giles. They're not
dead, I found them again, they'd
been hiding out from the Caretaker,
and... and they sent somebody to
tell me it was time.
GILES
Time for what?
WILLOW
Time for me to join them. To
ascend.
Giles leans back in his chair, his hand over his mouth. He
stares intently back at Willow, trying to figure out what he
should say to her.
WILLOW
(nervous)
Um, so I just came to say goodbye,
because, you know, pretty soon I'll
be moving on upstairs, I guess, so-
GILES
(calm)
It won't be the same without you.
WILLOW
(beat)
Well, I won't really be gone, I
mean, I'll still be able to keep an
eye on everyone, and I'm pretty
sure they'll let me visit, so it's
not like I'm gone for good!
GILES
(sincerely)
I mean that, Willow. We both knew
this day was coming, ever since the
Circle first made contact with you
a year ago.
Giles sits forward, smiling at last as he takes Willow's
hands.
GILES (cont'd)
I should know more than anyone how
powerful you can be, I had the rare
opportunity to find out first hand,
remember?
WILLOW
Yeah, kinda hard to forget the
whole 'Dark Willow' thing. Did I
ever say sorry enough times for
that?
GILES
I saw you emerge from the darkest,
most desperate time of your life
and return to the light, Willow.
When everyone had given up on you,
I always knew in my heart you'd
recover, that you'd be able to
rejoin us and continue to help us,
and there's never been a day when
I've doubted you.
Willow smiles, and Giles reaches forward to hug her.
WILLOW
(smiles; tearful)
Okay, uh, wasn't expecting that!
Xander didn't take it too well, but
I can't blame him for that.
Giles sits back in his chair, his expression serious again.
GILES
I'll admit, the timing of events
could be better.
Willow sighs and leans forward, running her hands through her
hair.
WILLOW
I don't know what to do with him,
Giles. I mean, I promised myself
I'd do this when the time came, no
matter what, but now...
GILES
But now, you don't want to go.
Willow shakes her head, and Giles nods sagely.
GILES (cont'd)
It's perfectly understandable. You
feel as though you're leaving us
all when he needs you the most, but
no matter what he may say in anger,
I'm positive Xander would never
want to consciously stand in your
way.
WILLOW
You think so?
GILES
He's only ever wanted what's best
for you. Xander loves you like a
sister, he's always done anything
for you, and I think in his heart
he'll see that this doesn't mean
goodbye forever.
Willow smiles hopefully.
GILES (cont'd)
Have you spoken to Buffy?
WILLOW
Not yet, she's out with Sofia.
GILES
Well then, I have a suggestion.
Let's drive over to Buffy's and
wait for her together. That way,
you can say goodbye to me, Xander
and Buffy all at the same time.
It's only fitting.
WILLOW
(smiles)
That sounds great. But I can just,
you know, 'poof!' And have us over
there in-
GILES
(quickly)
Impressive as that new talent of
yours is, I'd personally feel safer
just driving.
WILLOW
(chuckles)
Okay, whatever you say.
(glances at Marie)
Will she be okay?
GILES
(darkly)
Max is here. I'm sure Marie will be
quite well looked after.
Giles stands and heads for his jacket, and Willow senses
Giles' mood rapidly turning for the worse, so she jumps up
and follows him, as we cut to:
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