All commentary will be red text inside of a light gray box... kinda like this one.
I shouldn't have to say this, but... Beware of spoilers for all
of the Season 8 scripts!
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One of my favorite characters from the show was Cordelia. More so on Buffy than on Angel. She just had so much character to her, and layers that made her interesting to watch. Plus, you never knew what she'd say next.
Because of this, I wanted to bring her into season 8, despite what had happened to her on Angel. I wanted to see how Cordelia would interact with the characters today, and how she would fit into this group. When I came up with this idea, and wrote it, I had absolutely no idea how they were going to bring Cordelia back on Angel, since she was in a coma. Needless to say, I was surprised when their story fit in perfectly with mine.
Actually, it was a little creepy…
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TEASER
EXT. PARK - NIGHT
CLOSE ON : BUFFY and XANDER
They are sitting on a swingset. Light flurries are falling
around them. Xander is looking down as Buffy stares off into
space.
XANDER
How long are you planning to mope?
BUFFY
Thirteen years sounds about right.
XANDER
I don't want this to come out the
wrong way, but you have to get over
it.
She turns around to him.
BUFFY
How do I get over it? How many lives
have I ruined, Xander?
XANDER
Yeah. I know. Big badness resulting
from things that we did.
BUFFY
I did.
XANDER
You didn't do it alone.
BUFFY
I was in charge.
XANDER
Whatever. The point is, it happened.
It's bad, but there's no way to change
the fact that it happened.
BUFFY
Maybe I could pull an Amy and hop
back in time.
XANDER
Wouldn't help. Dawn told me that
whatever Amy does, she can't change
the past. It already happened. She
was there when we were there.
(beat)
The past is the past.
2.
BUFFY
So, if there's no way to fix what I
did, how am I supposed to get over
it?
XANDER
You just have to. We can't live in
the land of the big "What If". We
have to move on with life, and just
try to make it better when we can.
BUFFY
That's deep.
XANDER
Thanks.
BUFFY
It doesn't help me at all, but it's
deep.
Xander stands up.
XANDER
So if we're not doing anything but
moping, can we do it someplace a
little warmer?
BUFFY
I think I just wanna hang out for a
while.
Xander thinks for a moment, and then sits back down.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
You don't have to.
XANDER
I know.
Feeling the love, Buffy smiles at him.
XANDER (CONT'D)
We now return you to your regularly
scheduled moping.
Buffy appreciates his staying there with her.
PULL BACK on them, just sitting on the swings. Nothing but
silence between them.
As we continue to pull back, we REVEAL a DEAD DEMON not far
from their feet. A long sword sticks out of his chest.
XANDER (CONT'D)
I guess it is kinda relaxing out
here.
3.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
Snow is still softly falling. Just flurries, nothing too
big. We PAN OVER the town, seeing that there are only a few
cars driving by.
The SOUND OF FOOTSTEPS on the street echo through the town.
ANGLE ON : THE STREET
The far end of the street, toward town hall. In the shadows.
A car pulls into view, and stops. The MAN inside rolls down
his window and pokes his head out at a person that we cannot
yet see.
MAN
Excuse me?
(beat)
Could you tell me where Baker Street
is?
REVEAL CORDELIA CHASE, beautiful as ever, dressed in only
the most stylish (though out of place in this cold climate)
clothes.
She looks at the man.
CORDELIA
Right. Does it look like I'm from
here?
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF TEASER
4.
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. BUFFY'S STREET - NIGHT
Buffy and Xander are walking down the street, toward their
house. Buffy is holding the sword in her hand.
XANDER
Buff, can I ask you something?
BUFFY
Have I ever denied you the chance
before?
XANDER
(beat)
When you and Willow were in Florida,
did she seem different at all?
BUFFY
Different how?
Xander thinks about his reply.
XANDER
Did she seem- I don't know-
distracted? Preoccupied?
BUFFY
She was working a lot. I really didn't
spend much quality time with her. I
guess she's been quiet since we got
back though. Why?
XANDER
It's nothing.
BUFFY
Then why are you asking?
XANDER
Forget it.
Buffy knows that something's up, but she doesn't want to
press. They continue to walk in silence.
XANDER (CONT'D)
It's just--
Before he finishes what he's saying, a VAMPIRE jumps out at
them. He manages to catch Buffy off-guard and pushes her to
the ground.
5.
Xander jumps into action and grabs the vampire by the shirt.
The vampire breaks free and is about to hit Xander, but Xander
avoids him.
Buffy gets to her feet and swings the sword through the air.
She takes off the vampire's head. It POOFS off-screen.
Buffy looks at the air where the vampire once stood. She's
puzzled.
BUFFY
Two kills in one night.
XANDER
Has to be a record for this place.
The fact troubles Buffy.
BUFFY
Yeah.
They start to walk again. Buffy shakes off her bad feeling.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
So, what were you saying?
XANDER
It's nothing.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Buffy and Xander walk into the house and find DAWN in a chair,
exhausted. She's wearing old clothes and has spots of paint
on her.
BUFFY
(to Dawn)
I go out and kill two hellspawn, and
somehow you manage to look more worn
out than I am.
DAWN
Why did I let them pull me into this
production of theirs?
XANDER
Look at the bright side. At lease
you don't have to be on stage.
BUFFY
Right. Not all of us have always
been so lucky.
DAWN
The play is in one day, and we're
still not done with the sets.
(MORE)
6.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Seriously, I don't know how much
more paper mache I can handle before
I snap.
XANDER
If you want, I could always help
you.
DAWN
How would you help?
XANDER
I don't know.
(then)
Oh, right! I'm a carpenter!
DAWN
I totally forgot about that.
(beat)
I'm really tired.
BUFFY
Is Willow home yet?
DAWN
Yeah. She got back right before I
got here, but she just grabbed a cup
of coffee and went to bed.
BUFFY
She's been pretty quiet lately. I
hope she's okay.
(to Xander)
She hasn't said anything to you, has
she? Is this why you were wondering
about Florida?
XANDER
No.
Xander is a little uncomfortable, knowing that Willow is
avoiding him.
XANDER (CONT'D)
Like you said, she hasn't said much
to me at all since you guys got home.
DAWN
I'm sure it's just work. She has a
ton of files to... file.
BUFFY
Yeah.
(beat)
Maybe I'll go talk to her.
7.
DAWN
Good plan. While you do that, I'll
see about sitting here and doing
nothing so that my feet will stop
throbbing to the beat of Seventy Six
Trumbones.
BUFFY
You'd think they could at least pick
a more festive song, like Jingle
Bells or something.
Buffy starts to walk toward the stairs. Just as she's about
to step onto the first one, the DOORBELL RINGS. Buffy looks
back to Xander and Dawn, confused.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Who would be ringing the doorbell
this late?
XANDER
Especially since you've pretty much
tapped the well of long lost father
figures.
Buffy smirks at Xander as she walks to the door.
DAWN
If it's Mrs. Gimly, run.
Buffy opens the door and sees Cordelia standing on the other
side, smiling big.
Buffy's eyes widen.
CORDELIA
Buffy!
XANDER
Cordelia?
Buffy turns to Dawn.
BUFFY
Can we pretend it was Mrs. Gimly?
CORDELIA
Did I mention that it's freezing out
here? There's actually snow falling.
BUFFY
Sorry. Come in.
Cordy walks into the house.
XANDER
What are you doing here?
8.
As Dawn struggles to get up, Xander goes to Cordelia and
gives her a big hug.
CORDELIA
Well, I managed to get a few days
off from shooting my latest movie,
up in Canada, and figured I'd stop
in and see the old gang.
(then)
Let me have a look at all of you.
|
Yes, I know. Cordelia never actually became a successful actress. In this story she is though. In this story, she is the Cordelia that she could have been, because she's the Cordelia she wants to be.
|
She stands back and looks at everyone.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
Wow. You guys look... just... Wow. I
mean, Xander, you look... passable.
Aside from the weird eye situation.
I don't really know how one turned
blue, but you might wanna look into
those colored contact lenses, cause
it's kinda grossing me out little.
Xander's suddenly very self conscious of his eye. Cordy turns
her attention to Dawn.
DAWN
I was working.
CORDELIA
I was hoping.
Dawn gives Cordy a hug.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
But seriously, you've grown.
DAWN
As tends to happen.
CORDELIA
Right. Y'know, with the right clothes,
you might have been a Cordette.
Dawn gives a polite smile as Cordy turns to Buffy. Buffy
speaks before Cordy has a chance.
BUFFY
You really don't have to give me
feedback on how I look.
CORDELIA
That's probably for the best anyway.
(beat)
But on the bright side, at least
Dawn inherited your mother's
complexion.
9.
BUFFY
How many days did you say you were
in town?
WILLOW comes down the stairs.
WILLOW
Did I hear the doorbell ring?
She stops short when she sees Cordelia.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Cordelia?
CORDELIA
Hey, Willow.
WILLOW
What are you doing here? I mean, not
that I'm not happy to see you, but
it's just a little weird since you
haven't visited us in like... ever.
DAWN
She got a break from filming her
latest movie.
WILLOW
Oh.
Willow comes down the stairs and gives Cordy a hug.
CORDELIA
Not that I don't feel the love, but
since when are we huggers?
BUFFY
I'm pretty sure they were checking
to see if you were the the first
ever, ultra-powerful evil on the
face of the planet.
CORDELIA
Oh.
(beat)
Well, I'm not.
WILLOW
Which we can tell by the not going
right through you.
(beat)
Now... Movie? Did I miss something
since the last time I saw you in LA?
CORDELIA
You saw me in LA? When?
10.
WILLOW
A few months ago. Remember, you were
all sick and in bed?
CORDELIA
Umm, I just got back to the US last
month after being in England for a
year.
WILLOW
But...
CORDELIA
You probably just saw one of my
lookalikes or something. Did I have
a five o'clock shadow? There's this
one guy who looks just like me when
he has the right makeup on.
WILLOW
(to Buffy)
Am I asleep right now?
Buffy shrugs.
DAWN
I think I'm gonna go get depaintified.
Dawn heads upstairs.
Cordy walks into the living room and looks around at the
house.
CORDELIA
Nice house. I'm guessing early 1900's?
XANDER
Yeah.
CORDELIA
Original furniture?
XANDER
Some of it. Some stuff was broken
after we moved in, so I kinda pieced
together some new stuff.
CORDELIA
I always said you were good with
your hands.
Xander isn't sure how to react to that comment.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
So I'm assuming that you're still
into the demon stuff then?
11.
XANDER
Yeah, it kinda stuck. You know us.
Always wanting to save the world for
that little bit of attention.
CORDELIA
I guess I was the lucky one. I haven't
even said the word "vampire" since
2001. It would have been even longer,
but I did this really bad TV movie
before I made it big. I just know
that one's gonna haunt my Leno
appearances for the rest of my life.
XANDER
Cor, are you feeling okay?
ANGLE ON : BUFFY AND WILLOW
Still near the front door. Buffy leans in close to Willow,
keeping her eyes on Cordelia.
BUFFY
(whispered)
Something isn't right here.
WILLOW
(also whispered)
I noticed that too. What do you think
it is?
BUFFY
I don't know, but either that's not
Cordelia, or something's happened to
her. Is there some way to tell if
it's her?
Willow thinks about it.
WILLOW
I think so. One of the herbs in the
back yard, Sesari, was used a long
time ago for detecting sorcerers who
could alter their form. If we get
her to drink some and it's not her,
her lips will turn blue for a few
seconds.
BUFFY
Good. Get on it. I'm gonna make a
phone call.
Willow nods and heads into the kitchen. Buffy walks into the
living room.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Willow went for some tea.
12.
CORDELIA
Great. I haven't had anything to
drink since the plane, and that was
just really bad coffee. It had chunks.
First class, my ass.
Buffy picks the phone up, off of the table.
BUFFY
I need to make a call. I'll be right
back.
XANDER
(to Cordy)
While they're gone, we can talk about
what we really think of them.
CORDELIA
Neat. I won't have to hold back
anymore.
Buffy smiles at them as she walks out of the room, toward
the dining room. Once she's gone, Xander turns to Cordy.
XANDER
Hey, you know what I got in the mail
a couple days ago?
CORDELIA
What?
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT
Willow comes into the house from the back door. We can see
that it's still snowing, and she's without a jacket.
In her hand, she holds a few leaves. She takes them to the
counter, and starts to set up a tray for the tea. She opens
the tea pot and drops the leaves in, along with some actual
tea.
Buffy walks into the kitchen, still holding the phone.
BUFFY
Weird.
WILLOW
What's weird?
BUFFY
I just tried calling LA.
WILLOW
Okay, that's a little unusual, but
I'm not sure I'd call it weird.
13.
BUFFY
Seriously. I tried calling, but I
couldn't get through.
WILLOW
What do you mean?
BUFFY
I mean, the phone's dead. I can't
even get an operator.
WILLOW
Weird.
(beat)
Maybe the lines were taken out by
the slight flurries that we've been
having.
BUFFY
All I know is that something's not
kosher, and I want to find out what
it is.
The KETTLE BEGINS TO WHISTLE. Willow grabs it and pours the
hot water into the tea pot.
She looks to Buffy. Her brew is ready.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Xander and Cordelia are sitting on the couch, flipping through
a book. Buffy and Willow walk in.
BUFFY
We're back.
WILLOW
And we have tea.
Xander and Cordy don't look up.
BUFFY
Whatcha looking at?
XANDER
Yearbook.
WILLOW
(to Cordy)
You brought your yearbook?
XANDER
Actually, it's mine.
BUFFY
You have possessions? How do you
have possessions?
14.
XANDER
My parents packed it when they fled
Sunnydale. It was in the care package
that they sent.
(to Cordy)
And by "care package", I mean the
yearbook and a bill for a toaster
oven that I borrowed after uncle
Rory's last visit.
CORDELIA
Sweet.
Willow sets the tea down.
Xander turns the page in the yearbook.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
Wow. Was I cute that day, or what?
ANGLE ON : CORDY'S YEARBOOK PICTURE
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
You know, I think I look as good in
that picture as I do today. I didn't
even think that was possible.
WILLOW
Where am I?
Xander flips ahead in the book. He points at Willow's picture.
Willow looks and winces.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Right. I forgot about that.
(beat)
And by "forgot" I'm pretty sure that
I meant "repressed".
She pours the tea and hands the first cup to Cordy.
CORDELIA
Do you have any Splenda?
WILLOW
Sorry.
Xander turns another page, and a warm smile forms on his
face. His mind drifts to a slightly less happy place. Buffy
notices this.
Cordy looks down at the yearbook.
CORDELIA
What's that?
15.
ANGLE ON : THE YEARBOOK
Among the pictures on this particular page is a totally out
of place picture of Anya, taped to the page.
XANDER
She wanted to be a part of the
memories.
CORDELIA
Okay, that's just weird.
Cordelia takes a sip of her tea. As she does, Willow and
Buffy watch with baited breath.
As Cordelia sets her cup back down, she notices Buffy and
Willow watching her.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
What? Do I have something in my teeth?
BUFFY
(to Willow)
Nothing's happening.
WILLOW
I noticed.
CORDELIA
(to Xander)
Are they speaking English?
XANDER
The words sound familiar.
(to Buffy and Willow)
What are you talking about?
Buffy and Willow look a little guilty.
WILLOW
We kinda, sorta tested Cordelia to
see if she was really Cordelia... a
little. But the good news is that
you're you.
CORDELIA
You put something in my drink?
WILLOW
Not a bad something.
CORDELIA
(to Buffy)
And you knew about this?
Buffy hesitates.
16.
BUFFY
So, where am I in that yearbook again?
|
Of course, Buffy's not actually in the yearbook. Cordelia made her miss picture day during senior year.
|
Cordelia shoots Buffy a "don't give me that crap" look. Buffy
tries to look innocent.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT ONE
17.
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Buffy is standing at the counter, dressed in pajamas and
with her hair in a ponytail. There's a bowl of cereal in
front of her, and she has the phone up to her ear. Whoever
she's trying to call, it's not working.
BUFFY
Damnit.
She turns the phone off and puts it down.
Cordelia walks in, looking as good as ever.
CORDELIA
Wow. If I knew we were dressing up
for breakfast, I would have packed
my good moo-moo.
BUFFY
Have I mentioned how much I missed
your company?
Cordy pours a cup of coffee and sits down at the table. Buffy
takes her cereal and sits next to Cordy.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
So, about last night--
CORDELIA
When you slipped something into my
drink?
BUFFY
Yeah. I'm really sorry about that.
CORDELIA
I'm past it. Surprisingly, it's not
the first time that's happened since
I moved to LA. At least this time, I
didn't have to worry about medical
bills afterwards.
Buffy doesn't like the sound of that at all.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
Anyway, where is everyone? When I
went into the bathroom, they were
all still asleep. When I was finished
getting ready, everyone was gone.
18.
BUFFY
You were in there for an hour and a
half. Dawn had to brush her teeth at
the kitchen sink... without a
toothbrush.
CORDELIA
Oh.
BUFFY
But she left for school a few minutes
ago. Willow went to work. Xander's
in the backyard, working in the
garden.
CORDELIA
I'd go and say hi to him, but that
would get these pants dangerously
close to dirt, wouldn't it?
(beat)
So I guess I'll settle for catching
up with you.
BUFFY
I'm flattered.
CORDELIA
What's there to catch up on?
BUFFY
Not much, really.
(then)
Oh. I died.
CORDELIA
Again? What is that, like the sixth
time that's happened?
BUFFY
Second.
CORDELIA
And that makes it less creepy?
BUFFY
Moving on.
CORDELIA
By the way, I was sorry to hear about
Joyce. She was really nice.
BUFFY
Thanks.
There's a bit of an awkward silence. Cordelia looks around
the room. She sees a stack of newspapers (tied together with
twine) near the back door.
19.
CORDELIA
Forget to take the recyclables out?
Buffy looks over at the papers. She's surprised to see them.
BUFFY
I guess Dawn forgot them. They're
for her school.
CORDELIA
Because they don't have their own
papers?
BUFFY
They're running low. They need it
for paper mache set pieces.
Buffy gets up and walks to the papers. She picks them up and
puts them on the table.
CORDELIA
Set pieces? Do I smell a production
of some kind?
BUFFY
Annual winter thing. This year, it's
The Sound Of Music.
CORDELIA
Neat.
Buffy notices something on the top paper. She unties it and
picks the paper up.
Cordy can see that something's up.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
Buffy?
Buffy doesn't respond.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
Is something wrong? Oh, God. This
isn't a demon thing, is it? Like
that whole "cell phones don't work
here" thing. What's that about?
(beat)
Buffy?
BUFFY
(reading)
"Male found dead off of Yeager
Street."
CORDELIA
Vampires?
20.
Buffy doesn't respond.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
Buffy? You know, this whole dramatic
silence thing is really annoying in
the real world.
BUFFY
I know this guy.
Buffy sets the paper down on the table.
ANGLE ON : THE PAPER
Under the "Male Found Dead Off Of Yeager Street" headline is
a sketch of the victim. That victim is Luka (Dawn's potential
Watcher-figure from "The Trouble With Hah'Ree").
CORDELIA
Who is he?
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - DAY
Dawn is looking a little guilty.
DAWN
My teacher.
REVERSE ANGLE to reveal PRINCIPAL SHAW looking at Dawn.
PRINCIPAL SHAW
Mrs. Newton?
DAWN
Yeah. She wanted to talk to me after
the bell, so I didn't get here on
time.
PRINCIPAL SHAW
Mrs. Newton was just in the lounge.
I saw her myself.
DAWN
Okay, so that was probably a bad
excuse then.
PRINCIPAL SHAW
Dawn, with Mr. Hatfield out sick,
this production is in enough trouble
as it is. We need you here on time.
DAWN
I know. I'm really sorry. Would it
help if I told you that what I was
doing kinda involved the big party?
21.
PRINCIPAL SHAW
That depends. What were you doing?
Dawn hesitates.
DAWN
I was... In the girls' bathroom,
playing with different hairstyles.
Principal Shaw looks away, wanting to be upset, but
understanding Dawn's situation. A small smile forms on her
face, but she tries to hide it.
PRINCIPAL SHAW
Just don't let it happen again, okay?
DAWN
I think I can manage that. Besides,
there's only, like, a day left for
it to even be an issue.
PRINCIPAL SHAW
Make it an issue-free day.
DAWN
Will do.
Principal Shaw walks away. RYAN walks up behind Dawn.
RYAN
Trouble?
Dawn is a little surprised when she hears him behind her.
She jumps, and turns around.
DAWN
Only if you sneek up on me like that
again.
RYAN
Sorry. It's the play shoes. They're
all soft on the bottom.
DAWN
Which reminds me, I forgot to mock
you today.
RYAN
Yeah, yeah. Can I help it if I happen
to sing Edelweiss better than anyone
else?
DAWN
Well, all I know is that I'm glad
I'm not on stage here.
(MORE)
22.
DAWN (CONT'D)
The last time I broke into song at
school, it involved a squeeky voice
and math with letters. I'm pretty
sure I would prefer the whole "show
up at school naked" nightmare instead.
Ryan looks away. Tons of comebacks in his mind, but none
that he should say.
Dawn senses the awkwardness. She tries to recover.
DAWN (CONT'D)
I probably could have saved that
line for after we've been dating a
while.
(beat)
Not that I assume we'll be dating a
while.
(beat)
Not that I assume we won't.
(beat)
I think I'll shut up now before you
turn me over to the guys playing
Nazis.
RYAN
There's not one good comeback in my
head right now.
DAWN
Yeah, I think I've officially killed
this conversation.
There's more silence. Dawn looks at her watch.
DAWN (CONT'D)
So, I wonder when Xander will get
here.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Buffy and Cordelia are still sitting at the table. They're
not saying anything.
Xander walks through the back door, wiping his hands on a
rag.
XANDER
I think I'm just about finished
separating the mystical root plants
from the mystical leafy plants. Of
course, I say this with not one bloody
clue what I'm talking about.
He goes to the refrigerator and gets a drink.
23.
XANDER (CONT'D)
I realize that I just used the word
"bloody" in a sentence, but c'mon. I
know I'm not the only one who got
used to the word being around over
the years.
He sees that the girls aren't in their happy faces.
XANDER (CONT'D)
Is something wrong?
When Buffy doesn't respond, Cordelia takes it upon herself
to answer.
CORDELIA
We're good.
XANDER
You sure?
CORDELIA
Actually, no. It's just not something
that we're gonna be discussing for a
while, so I was saying "we're good"
when I actually meant "we're not
telling you what we're talking about".
XANDER
Oh.
(beat)
Okay. I guess. Just as long as you
know that if you wanted to, you could
talk to me.
Buffy looks up at him.
BUFFY
I know.
XANDER
But you don't want to. And I'm cool
with that. But you know that you
can.
BUFFY
I think there's someone else who
needs to know before I tell you.
XANDER
Oh. That kind of something.
(beat)
I guess I'll be heading out then. I
promised Dawn I'd help her out at
school. You wanna come, Cor?
24.
CORDELIA
I'm good here for now. Meet you later?
XANDER
Yeah. See ya.
Xander leaves. When she's sure he's gone Cordy turns back to
Buffy.
CORDELIA
When are you gonna tell her?
BUFFY
Today, I guess. I just have to find
the right time.
CORDELIA
The right time? To tell her that you
pretty much blew her only chance to
know what she is meant to be? That
she has this whole well of untapped
potential, and you threw away her
bucket?
BUFFY
(sarcastic)
I really can't hear that enough.
Thanks.
CORDELIA
You know what I mean. There isn't
going to be a good time. You have to
tell her.
BUFFY
You're right.
Buffy looks at the stack of papers.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
I guess I could bring her the papers
she forgot.
CORDELIA
And then tell her about letting her
teacher guy get killed.
BUFFY
Well, yes. That's kinda where I was
going with that.
EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY
Snow is falling a little harder now. Not too bad, but more
than flurries. Xander walks down the street, on his way to
the school. As he walks, his eyes are focused on the sidewalk
in front of him, and his mind is somewhere else.
25.
Finally, he stops walking. He looks up. If he stays on his
current path, he will soon be at the school.
He looks to the other direction. In the distance, we can see
town hall.
Finally, Xander decided to start walking again. He heads
toward town hall.
EXT. TOWN HALL - DAY
Xander walks up the stairs, and is just about to walk into
the building when Willow walks out. She sees Xander and stops
short, wishing there was a way for her to get back inside
without him seeing her, but knowing that's not very likely.
WILLOW
Xander. What are you doing here?
XANDER
We need to talk.
WILLOW
Talk? About what?
XANDER
I think we both know the answer to
that.
WILLOW
We do? I'm not so sure. There's
nothing I need to talk about. How
about you?
She's very uncomfortable right now.
XANDER
Will--
Before he can say anything else, MRS. GIMLY walks out of the
building. When she sees them, she smiles.
MRS. GIMLY
Hello, there.
Xander gives her a polite smile.
XANDER
Hi.
He tries to turn back to Willow, but Mrs. Gimly doesn't leave.
MRS. GIMLY
(to Xander)
You know, I don't think I've ever
seen you here at town hall. Have you
ever been here?
26.
XANDER
No.
He tries to turn to Willow again, but Mrs. Gimly keeps on
talking.
MRS. GIMLY
It's an interesting place. It's full
of history. If you'd like a tour,
I'd be happy to give you one.
XANDER
No--
Willow jumps at the opprotunity.
WILLOW
Yeah, that's a good idea.
(to Mrs. Gimly)
You should give him the same exact
tour that you gave me. Right down to
the story about where the nails came
from.
XANDER
But--
MRS. GIMLY
Great!
Mrs. Gimly grabs Xander's arm and pulls him away. Xander
looks back to Willow, not thrilled.
XANDER
We'll talk later.
Willow pretends not to hear him.
WILLOW
What?
Xander turns to Mrs. Gimly.
XANDER
I really have to get to the school
soon. They needed help.
MRS. GIMLY
This won't take long.
(then)
Now, we'll start with the shrubs.
Donated in 1988, by one of the oldest
families in town, the Cranes. They've
survived all these years.
27.
As Xander and Mrs. Gimly walk off, Willow watches them. She's
confused and feels kinda bad about making Xander go with
Mrs. Gimly, but she really didn't know what else to do.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
Dawn walks out of the auditorium, into the hallway. She's
been hard at work and is in need of a drink from the nearest
fountain.
When she stops at the fountain, SHELLY walks up to her,
dressed as Baroness Schraeder.
SHELLY
Have you seen Amanda anywhere? We're
supposed to be rehearsing a scene,
and she's nowhere to be found.
(beat)
I swear, the teacher is out sick and
the whole thing goes to heck.
DAWN
Heck?
SHELLY
It feels wrong to say the other word
while dressed as a Sound Of Music
character.
DAWN
Ah.
(then)
I think she's getting her costume
checked out in the Home Ec room.
SHELLY
Great. How are we gonna solve our
Maria problem?
Dawn is about to laugh.
SHELLY (CONT'D)
Shut up. I just realized what I said.
DAWN
Shutting up. What's the problem?
SHELLY
You mean there needs to be a bigger
one than the fact that she's not
here?
DAWN
I'm sure she'll be right back. No
need to freak out.
Shelly takes a deep breath.
28.
SHELLY
You're right. I guess I'm just
nervous. Every year, no matter how
many times I've done this, I'm always
nervous.
DAWN
You've done this before?
SHELLY
Ever since I was twelve. I love it.
(beat)
You should try it sometime.
DAWN
Or not. I'm not really a "hey, look
at me" kind of person. I tend to
thrive in the shadows.
SHELLY
Oh, get over it. It's fun.
DAWN
Shadows are fun. You get to hide and
then jump out at people. You can't
do that in the spotlight.
PRINCIPAL SHAW (O.S.)
Shelly!
Shelly turns back to the autitorium.
SHELLY
I have to go.
DAWN
Break a leg.
SHELLY
Thanks.
Shelly leaves.
DAWN
I can't believe there's a subculture
where that phrase is a good thing.
Dawn is about to get back to the fountain when she sees JENNA
walking to her locker. Dawn watches for a few seconds as
Jenna puts some books away. Finally, she decides to talk to
her.
Jenna sees Dawn coming, and tries to walk away. Dawn rushes
ahead and cuts Jenna off.
29.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Wait.
(beat)
I haven't gotten a chance to talk to
you lately.
JENNA
There's a reason for that.
DAWN
Look, I know you're not interested
in being my hair-braiding buddy, but
you don't have to avoid me.
JENNA
Avoid you?
DAWN
I assume... I haven't seen you around.
JENNA
Gosh, could that be because my brother
had to go to a hospital in Seattle
and I went with him?
Dawn can't help but feel a little stupid.
DAWN
I guess that's possible.
JENNA
Look, I killed that...
She has a hard time with the word.
JENNA (CONT'D)
I killed the vampire because I had
to. I'm not joining any clubs, or
wearing any uniforms.
DAWN
We don't have uniforms.
JENNA
Whatever. The point is, I want to be
left alone.
DAWN
Okay. I can respect that.
Jenna starts to walk away.
DAWN (CONT'D)
But do you think that'll help?
Jenna stops, but doesn't turn around.
30.
DAWN (CONT'D)
There's always going to be another
alley, and another vampire. You're
always going to be a Slayer. You
can't turn that off and make it go
away.
(beat)
You have a destiny, Jenna. You owe
it to yourself to explore that.
JENNA
So, what? I can kill things for the
rest of my life? So I can shatter
more bones and cause more pain?
DAWN
So you can save people from shattered
bones and pain.
Jenna doesn't want to hear this anymore. She walks away,
leaving Dawn behind.
Dawn lets this conversation sink in. As she turns around,
she sees something at the other end of the hallway.
REVERSE ANGLE to reveal Buffy, standing at the end of the
hallway.
Dawn can tell that something isn't right. Buffy coming to
school like this hasn't been a good thing for Dawn in the
past.
She slowly walks toward Buffy. She doesn't say anything else
until she's close to Buffy.
DAWN (CONT'D)
What's wrong?
BUFFY
We have to talk.
DAWN
About what?
BUFFY
About you.
Dawn doesn't know what this means, but she's listening.
EXT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
The snow continues to fall, covering the ground.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT TWO
31.
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
Buffy and Dawn are still in the hallway, talking. Dawn is
holding the newspaper page by now. She's trying to absorb
the information that Buffy's just given her.
DAWN
You turned him away?
BUFFY
I didn't know... I did.
DAWN
This guy had answers. He knew what I
was. What I could do.
BUFFY
Yes.
Dawn looks up at Buffy.
DAWN
How could you do this to me?
BUFFY
I wasn't thinking right. Dad was--
DAWN
Stop.
Buffy stops talking.
DAWN (CONT'D)
I don't want your excuses. I don't
want you to try to make this sound
better for you.
BUFFY
I'm not. Dawn, I was wrong. I know
this.
DAWN
Then why?
BUFFY
I don't know.
DAWN
Yes, you do. Tell me.
Buffy hesitates.
32.
BUFFY
I didn't want you taken away from
me. It seemed like everywhere I
turned, someone else was pulling you
away from me, and I couldn't stand
it.
DAWN
Is that the only reason?
BUFFY
Yes.
DAWN
So this had nothing to do with you
wanting to keep being the powerful
one in the family? You wanted me to
stay beneath you.
BUFFY
Dawn, no. I never--
DAWN
Yes, you did. It's always been that
way. You're the Slayer. You're the
special one. You're the one who gets
all of the attention, and you like
it that way. Admit it.
BUFFY
That's not true.
DAWN
It is.
BUFFY
No.
DAWN
So, you're saying that you've never
seen the rest of us as being less
than you?
Buffy hesitates.
BUFFY
I don't see you like that.
Dawn senses something in Buffy's response. Something that
justifies her comments.
DAWN
But you have. You've seen yourself
as better than the rest of us.
BUFFY
It's not like that.
33.
DAWN
Then what's it like? Explain it to
me.
BUFFY
I didn't want you to have this burden
that I have. Do you think it's easy
being different?
DAWN
You think I'm not different? How
normal is it to have to sit down and
calculate the odds that the boy who
asked you out might be a demon of
some kind before you can agree to go
on a date with him? How normal is it
to look around and realize that I
don't belong here? That my entire
existance is a figment of some monk's
imagination? Do you really think I'm
normal, Buffy?
Buffy doesn't respond.
DAWN (CONT'D)
I had one chance to actually fit
someplace. To have something about
my life be real. You took that away
from me.
BUFFY
I'm sorry. You don't know how sorry
I am.
DAWN
Sorry won't help me.
BUFFY
I'll try to make this right.
DAWN
How? Are you planning to bring this
guy back from the dead, because the
last time I checked, we didn't do
that anymore.
Ryan sticks his head out of the auditorium. He looks around
and finally spots Dawn.
RYAN
Dawn! We need you.
Dawn turns and forces a smile.
DAWN
Coming.
34.
Ryan goes back into the auditorium. Dawn turns back to Buffy.
DAWN (CONT'D)
I have to go.
BUFFY
Dawn...
DAWN
We'll talk later.
Dawn walks away from Buffy, and goes into the auditorium.
Buffy stands, alone, in the hallway, wishing that there was
something to be done.
EXT. TOWN HALL - DAY
Xander and Mrs. Gimly find their way back to the front steps
of the building.
MRS. GIMLY
The bricks near the front steps are
from the original town hall, built
when the town was founded, in the
early 1900's. They, along with the
lightning rod on the roof, are the
only pieces of the old building left,
after the fire.
XANDER
Fire?
MRS. GIMLY
In 1963, there was a big storm. The
building was struck by lightning and
burned down.
XANDER
And yet they put the lightning rod
back up. Does that make sense to
you?
Mrs. Gimly shrugs.
|
The mysterious lightning rod. One of the few remaining pieces of the original building, only because it survived the lightning-caused fire. Of course, this is because the rod has some rather mystical properties, as we'll later come to learn.
|
MRS. GIMLY
I guess they needed something to
bring the old and the new together.
XANDER
But still, couldn't they have found
something that... Nevermind.
Mrs. Gimly tries to open the front door to the building, but
it's locked.
35.
MRS. GIMLY
I guess they all went home to get
ready for the party tonight.
Xander's disappointed. He looks at his watch.
XANDER
I should get going to the school.
MRS. GIMLY
I'll see you tonight then.
XANDER
Yeah.
Xander walks away, still upset.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - DAY
Cordelia walks onto the stage, looking around. Dawn is back
to painting by this point. Cordy walks to her.
CORDELIA
I guess you got stuck with the grunt
work.
DAWN
Hey.
CORDELIA
So, judging from you're expression,
I guess you spoke with Buffy.
DAWN
You know about that?
CORDELIA
Yeah. I was there when she read about
him.
DAWN
I can't believe she'd do that to me.
CORDELIA
I can.
DAWN
What?
CORDELIA
Think about it. Wouldn't you have
abandonment issues if you were her?
First, your dad takes off. Then your
mom dies. Then Giles leaves the
country. And I don't see Angel
anywhere. What, did he lose interest
once she became legal?
36.
Dawn starts to think about this.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
The point is, Buffy tends to lose
the people she cares about. Is it
such a shocker that she'd be a little
freaked out by the idea that you'd
leave too? Not that anyone could
blame you. I mean, I've only been
back for a day and I'm just about
ready to move on.
DAWN
I guess. I mean, I didn't really
think about it that way.
(beat)
Not that she's right.
CORDELIA
I never said she was right. I just
said she was a freak with issues.
Dawn starts to soften a little. She's not as upset as she
was.
She looks to Cordelia.
DAWN
Why are you really here?
At that moment, the auditorium door swings open and Xander
walks in.
XANDER
Worker bee, reporting for duty. Point
me to a hammer and something to...
Well, hammer.
DAWN
Hey.
Cordy looks back to Xander. Dawn can tell from the look on
her face that this is the reason for her return.
CORDELIA
I thought you'd be here by now.
XANDER
I had to stop somewhere, and got
caught in a Gimly trap.
CORDELIA
A what?
XANDER
Long story.
37.
He finally reaches them.
XANDER (CONT'D)
So where am I needed?
DAWN
There's a set piece backstage that
needs fixing. Leisl almost broke her
ankle when she went up the stairs.
XANDER
Ouch. I guess I'll get on that.
DAWN
Thanks.
Xander waves to Cordy, and heads backstage. Dawn looks over
at Cordelia.
DAWN (CONT'D)
You so want him.
CORDELIA
What? Xander? Please.
(beat)
So tell me what his deal is. Is he
seeing anyone?
DAWN
He's hardly left the house since we
moved here. I think it's safe to say
that he hasn't met anyone... Unless
he and Mrs. Gimly are seeing each
other in secret.
(beat)
Okay, that's a disturbing mental
image.
CORDELIA
What about the girl whose picture
was taped in the yearbook?
DAWN
I didn't see that.
CORDELIA
Short, curly hair. Looked kinda
familiar.
|
Cordelia did know Anya, but they only hung out for a while in season 3. It seemed reasonable that someone like Cordy wouldn't remember Anya too well… especially if she didn't want to.
|
DAWN
Are you talking about Anya?
CORDELIA
I guess. Were they dating?
DAWN
More like, engaged.
38.
CORDELIA
Oh.
DAWN
Even after they broke up, there was
something there.
CORDELIA
So, what happened.
DAWN
(beat)
Anya died. Last May.
CORDELIA
Oh.
EXT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - DAY
Willow walks up to the high school and stops. She's not sure
if she wants to go in or not.
Buffy walks out of the school. Very distant.
WILLOW
Buffy.
Buffy looks at Willow. Willow can see that something's not
right with her.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Are you okay?
BUFFY
Yeah. I think I just need to take a
walk.
Buffy starts to walk away.
WILLOW
Is Xander in there? Do you know?
Buffy turns back to Willow.
BUFFY
Not sure. Sorry.
With that, Buffy continues to walk away. Willow looks back
at the door to the school.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - BACKSTAGE - DAY
Cordelia walks backstage, and finds Xander working on a
staircase.
CORDELIA
Since when are you a carpenter?
39.
XANDER
Since I needed money a couple years
ago. It's cool though. I like it.
CORDELIA
It looks good on you.
XANDER
Thanks.
Cordelia walks to him and gets a little somber.
CORDELIA
So, Dawn told me about Enya.
XANDER
The singer?
CORDELIA
Your ex.
Xander's mood changes to a much less perky one.
XANDER
Anya.
CORDELIA
Whatever. Anyway, I wanted to say
that I'm sorry.
He tries to fake a smile.
XANDER
Just don't let it happen again.
CORDELIA
I know it can't be easy for you.
XANDER
I don't really think I should be
talking about this while hammering.
It could result in one of those
throbbing cartoon thumbs.
CORDELIA
Okay. But if you ever want to talk,
I'm here.
She puts a hand on his shoulder. He looks at it, and then
looks her in her eyes.
XANDER
Thanks.
Just before she can say something else, Willow walks
backstage. She goes to them, a little uncomfortable.
40.
Xander's surprised to see her.
XANDER (CONT'D)
Willow. Hey.
WILLOW
Hey.
(then)
Could I talk to you? Alone.
XANDER
Yeah.
Xander looks to Cordy.
CORDELIA
Don't worry. I'll go.
Cordelia walks through the curtain, toward the stage. Willow
and Xander find themselves alone. Willow takes a deep breath.
WILLOW
I can't stand this. I don't like not
talking to you.
XANDER
I know. Me neither.
WILLOW
It's just, things are weird now.
With the... thing. You know the thing,
right?
XANDER
Yeah. So what do we do about it?
WILLOW
I think we need to discuss this like
rational adult type people. We need
to just come out and talk about it
in the open. Clear the air.
XANDER
We should probably get comfortable
acknowledging it first. I don't see
us getting far without admitting...
it.
WILLOW
Right. Admitting that we...
XANDER
That we almost kissed.
WILLOW
Right. We should talk about that.
(MORE)
41.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
(beat)
The almost kiss.
ANGLE ON : THE CURTAIN
We can see that Cordelia is trying to free her watch from
where it's snagged on the curtain. She's been listening to
what they're saying. Pain fills her face. A GUST OF WIND
blows her hair back.
On her stomach, blood begins to soak through her shirt, in
the same spot where she was impaled back in "Lovers Walk".
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
The school's front door BURSTS OPEN with a GUST OF WIND AND
SNOW.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Buffy walks down the street. Snow is falling around her.
She stops walking when she hears a SLIGHT RUMBLE. She turns
around, and looks back toward the school.
She can't see far. What looks like fog is blocking her view.
But it's not fog. It's something else. It's something that's
coming closer.
The RUMBLE BECOMES A ROAR.
BUFFY
Crap.
As she says that, a WALL OF WIND AND SNOW rushes at her. As
it hits, it throws her into the air, and tosses her to the
ground.
She stands back up, and looks around. All around her, snow
is falling so heavily that she can only see white. The wind
makes it hard for her to remain standing.
She turns around, trying to figure out which direction the
school is in, but her tumble has messed up her senses. She
is lost in this blizzard.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT THREE
42.
ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
EXT. STREET - DAY
The wind and snow is still blinding. Buffy struggles to remain
standing. She looks around, trying to spot a landmark, but
obviously can't see one.
BUFFY
(calling out)
Hello?! Can anyone hear me?!
Of course, she can barely hear herself over the wind.
She decides to take her chances and walk in a random
direction.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - BACKSTAGE - DAY
Willow and Xander are still talking. It's a little awkward.
Willow is fidgeting with her necklace as she talks.
WILLOW
And I think that, maybe, we were
just really tired and we got a little
too comfortable. I mean, obviously,
nothing can happen, right? What with
the me being gay and all.
XANDER
As reasons for not getting involved
with someone go, that one's pretty
sound.
WILLOW
So we're agreed? Nothing can happen.
XANDER
Yeah.
WILLOW
So, we're still friends?
XANDER
Will, you could try to burn me alive
and we'd still be friends.
(beat)
As evidenced by the fact that you've
tried to burn be alive, and we're
still friends.
WILLOW
Geez, you have one bad day and they
never let you live it down.
43.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - DAY
Cordelia walks across the stage, back to Dawn. Dawn sees the
blood on her shirt. She stands up, at alert.
DAWN
Cordelia, are you okay?
Cordy doesn't answer.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Cordy?
Finally, Cordy finds her voice.
CORDELIA
I'm fine. Never been better. Say,
you wouldn't happen to know where I
might find some clothes that aren't
blood-soaked?
DAWN
What happened? Are you hurt?
Cordy puts a hand on her stomach.
CORDELIA
I'm not sure. I don't think so.
DAWN
Maybe you should sit--
Before Dawn can finish the sentence, Ryan rushes into the
auditorium. He's still in costume.
RYAN
We have a problem.
Dawn looks at Cordy, and her bloody shirt. She steps in front
of Cordelia, hiding her from Ryan.
DAWN
What's up?
RYAN
Looks like the show might be called
on account of blizzard.
DAWN
Blizzard? It was hardly snowing a
few minutes ago.
RYAN
Yeah, well, tell that to the janitor
who's shoveling about a foot of snow
out of the hallway.
44.
DAWN
This can't be good. How do we get
home?
RYAN
We don't. Not until the snow clears.
DAWN
Great. I'd say we should call someone
for help, but seeing as how the phones
were down before the blizzard, I
don't see that happening now.
RYAN
Anyway, I'm gonna get changed out of
this costume. I'll be right back.
Ryan walks backstage. When he's gone, Dawn turns to Cordelia.
DAWN
Something's up here, and I think it
has something to do with you.
CORDELIA
Way to jump to conclusions.
DAWN
Look at the facts. You pop into town,
and we're hit by a freak blizzard at
the same time as your spontanious
blood letting.
CORDELIA
Okay, things look bad for me, granted.
That doesn't mean that it's my fault.
DAWN
We need Willow and Xander.
CORDELIA
They're talking backstage.
DAWN
I know. Let's get them.
Dawn walks backstage. Cordelia follows, fresh blood soaking
her shirt.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - BACKSTAGE - CONTINUOUS
Willow and Xander are still talking when Dawn comes through
the curtain. When they see her, they stop talking.
WILLOW
Dawn.
45.
DAWN
We have a problem.
Cordelia comes through the curtain, unable to look Xander in
the eyes. Willow and Xander see her blood.
XANDER
Cor, what happened?
CORDELIA
I'm fine.
DAWN
Surprisingly, that's not our problem.
WILLOW
Then what is?
DAWN
Blizzard.
WILLOW
What?
XANDER
Outside, I hope?
DAWN
Yeah. We're pretty much stranded
here. I think it has something to do
with--
WILLOW
Buffy!
DAWN
I was going to say Cordelia.
WILLOW
No. Buffy's out there. I saw her
when I came in. She said she needed
to walk.
Dawn's face drops.
DAWN
Are you sure?
Willow nods.
DAWN (CONT'D)
We have to help her.
Dawn charges back through the curtain.
XANDER
Dawn, wait!
46.
The others follow Dawn.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
Dawn walks into the hallway, heading for a door to the
outside. The others catch up to her.
WILLOW
Dawn, slow down.
DAWN
We have to help Buffy.
WILLOW
I know, but think about this.
DAWN
I have.
Dawn opens the door. A gust of wind and snow blows in. Dawn
is thrown back. Xander and Willow struggle to get the door
closed again.
CORDELIA
Apparently, not enough.
EXT. STREET - DAY
Buffy continues to stumble through the whiteness. The wind
is starting to wear her down. Her lips are dry and cracking.
Her cheeks and nose are red.
It's a struggle for her just to walk. As she does, she holds
an arm over her face, trying to block the snow.
She stops, looking around again. Everything looks the same
to her. There is nothing but white. She is hopelessly lost.
She once again presses on.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT
The gang is sitting in the seats by now. Ryan is sitting
behind Dawn. She is sitting silently. Helpless.
Xander, and Willow look equally helpless. They sit next to
each other. Xander, with his hand on Willow's shoulder.
Cordelia is staring at the hand on Willow's shoulder.
RYAN
I'm sure she'll be okay.
XANDER
Yeah.
47.
DAWN
We were fighting. She left because
we were fighting.
XANDER
You'll have plenty of time to make
things right.
WILLOW
Yeah. We've seen worse than this,
and we're all here to talk about it.
Xander takes his hand off of Willow's shoulder, and his eyes
drift to the floor. She doesn't notice. Cordelia does.
|
Xander's reaction to Willow saying that they're all still here to talk about it stems from the fact that they're not all here. Anya is gone. I tried not to make the loss of Anya or Spike the main focus for either Xander or Buffy, but I did try to put subtle things in here and there, just to show that they didn't forget and just move on.
|
RYAN
As soon as the snow stops, we can
look for her.
DAWN
(to Willow)
There has to be something else we
can do. Right?
RYAN
Not in this mess.
Willow knows that Dawn means a spell of some kind.
WILLOW
I've tried, but nothing works. I
think this storm's just too big.
Shelly walks into the auditorium, out of costume by now. She
walks to Dawn and sits next to her.
SHELLY
Still no phones. They have a radio
in the office, but they can't get
anyone on it.
CORDELIA
No phones. No radios. No cell phones.
It's like you guys moved to Gilligan's
Island.
Nobody responds. Cordelia goes back to being silent.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
It's darker now, since night has fallen. The snow looks blue.
Buffy stumbles through the storm, still unable to make
anything out. She is worn, and her face has more cuts on it
by now.
48.
Her legs are beginning to weaken. Finally, she can't go on
any longer. Her legs give out and she drops to her knees.
She drops her head to her chest, and then looks straight up
with pain on her face.
BUFFY
Where are you?!
Obviously, there is no response. Still weak, she decides to
force herself to go on.
She struggles to her feet, and starts to walk again. Suddenly,
her foot hits something hard. She bends down and feels through
the snow. She feels something else, slightly higher than the
last thing. She steps onto it, realizing that they're stairs.
As she begins to feel her way around, she finds a banister.
She grabs onto it, and continues to move forward until she
finds herself up against a door. She feels for the knob, and
turns it. The door opens, and Buffy falls through it.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT
Buffy falls to the floor of her house. The snow pours in
behind her, until she manages to get it shut from where she
rests.
She looks around the dark room, realizing where she is. She
struggles to get to her feet again, and tries a light switch,
but it doesn't work. The power is out.
Buffy can't take any more of this. She has been beaten and
bloodied by the storm, she has been drained by the
conversation she had with the First, and she feels the guilt
of the Dawn situation on top of that. She has reached her
breaking point.
BUFFY
(weakly)
Where are you?
There's no response. Finally, she screams it.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Where are you?!
Still no response.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
I work. I fight. I try. It's never
enough. I can't do it anymore.
(beat)
I've come face to face with evil.
The First evil. I've spoken with it.
I've battled it. It's been there.
(MORE)
49.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
(beat)
Where are you?
Again, silence.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Where's my boss? Where's the first
good? Where's the guy that's supposed
to lead me down the path to
righteousness? Every evil in the
world has someone right there to
help them along, and what do I get?
Where's my help? Where's the one
who's supposed to tell me what to do
next? Everywhere I turn, it's one
mistake after another, one battle
after another, one pain after another.
After all I've done for you- for
this world- why am I always in this
alone? Where's my help?
(beat)
Where are you?
She waits for answer, but there is none. Only silence.
Buffy goes to a chair and sits.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
I thought so.
She remains in this silence, sitting, feeling the cuts on
her face. Here she sits for an extended amount of time.
Suddenly, there's a noise. A RINGING.
Buffy looks up. She sees the phone on the table next to her,
and picks it up. The RINGING happens again. It's not the
phone she's holding.
She looks around the room. She stands up, and begins to walks
around, listening for the ringing, and following it's sound.
As she gets closer, she realizes what the sound it, and goes
to the bookcase. Utterly confused, she picks up her cell
phone and looks at it. It's the only light in the room at
this point.
Buffy flips open the phone, and looks at the caller ID. It
reads : "GOODE - 000-000-0001"
She puts the phone to her ear and listens.
VOICE (V.O.)
(in a whisper)
You were never alone.
Okay, here's the thing with the First Good. This episode was as close as I was coming to a Christmas episode. Buffy, like so many characters in Christmas movies, was about as low as she could get. She was at the breaking point and makes her appeal to the First Good.
When the First Good does answer, it's in a whisper. A very quiet, simple, uncomplicated way to respond. And it's message "you were never alone" rounds out the theme here. The First Evil is the one who makes grand statements and gets the attention. It's the pain and suffering. It likes to make itself known. The First good isn't like that. Buffy has fought the evil of the world, and has seen so much ugliness and thought she was alone in this battle, but the truth is, she was never alone. The First Good was always there. The truth is that the world may be ugly, but Buffy's not in it alone.
I wasn't going for a big religious statement here. Just the balance. If there is a First Evil, there must be a First Good. It's what made the snow in "Amends".
|
50.
After the voice says that, Buffy hears the PHONE DIAL, and
RING on the other side. It's picked up.
BUFFY
Hello?
We don't hear who is on the other side.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Wesley?
EXT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The snow begins to die down.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - AUDITORIUM - NIGHT
Cordelia and Ryan have fallen asleep. Dawn, Willow and Xander
are still awake, though silent.
The auditorium doors open. Buffy walks in.
When they see her, the three awake people stand up. Cordelia
wakes up and sees her.
DAWN
Buffy. You're okay.
BUFFY
Yeah.
WILLOW
The snow...?
BUFFY
It's over.
(to Cordelia)
Can I talk to you. In the hall?
CORDELIA
(clueless)
Okay.
Cordy starts to walk out. Buffy looks to Dawn and the others.
BUFFY
We'll talk in a few minutes.
The others are confused, but they let her go.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - NIGHT
Buffy walks into the hallway, where Cordelia is waiting.
CORDELIA
What's up?
51.
BUFFY
I managed to talk with someone in
LA, on the phone.
CORDELIA
The phone? I thought they were dead.
BUFFY
They are. It's a long story.
Buffy sees a bench along the wall.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Maybe we should sit.
They go to the bench and sit.
CORDELIA
You're starting to freak me out a
little.
Buffy's not sure how to say what she has to say.
BUFFY
Cordy, a few months ago, there was...
an accident.
CORDELIA
Okay.
BUFFY
You were involved.
CORDELIA
I don't think so.
BUFFY
Things didn't go well, and... You
kinda wound up in a coma.
Cordelia is thrown.
CORDELIA
That never happened. I think I'd
know if I were in a coma. For
starters, I probably wouldn't be
talking with you.
BUFFY
It's happened before. There's
something inside of you that needs
saying, so you end up like this.
CORDELIA
Buffy, enough. Stop it. I'm not in a
coma.
52.
BUFFY
(beat)
Yes, you are. You're in LA right
now, in a bed.
Cordelia stops and thinks. Memories flood back.
CORDELIA
Oh, God.
(then)
No, it can't be true.
BUFFY
It is. You know it is.
Cordelia processes all of what's happening.
CORDELIA
I don't want it to be true. You don't
understand.
She starts to tear up.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
I don't have anything, Buffy. I've
lost everything. I'm not an actress.
I'm not anyone. I don't even have
friends. There are people that I
work with, but... I don't want to go
back there. I can't.
|
I got some comments about Cordelia's claim to not have any friends. The truth, as I see it anyway, is that she doesn't. Not in the way she did before. She and the rest of the Angel Investigations people weren't the types to hang out together very often. They didn't goof around. They didn't have the same connection that she had with her high school friends. They were co-workers. You know them. You like them. You sometimes hang out. But it's not the same. The feelings involved are different. Not to mention, the person who is supposed to be her best friend on Angel has turned on her several times during the show's run. It's not the same comfort level working there.
|
BUFFY
You don't always have a choice.
CORDELIA
I just wanted what I had. I wanted
to be me again. I wanted things to
be the way they were.
BUFFY
Things can't be the way they were.
Sometimes, you have to move on.
(beat)
That doesn't mean that things have
to stay the same for you. You can
change your life.
(beat)
Y'know... Once you get out of the
coma.
CORDELIA
You don't know what it's like. How
hard it is. Every day.
BUFFY
I think I know more than you'd
imagine.
53.
There's a long silence. Cordelia thinks this all through.
She knows what has to happen, even if she doesn't like it.
CORDELIA
Will you tell them that I miss them?
(beat)
Tell Xander that I said goodbye.
BUFFY
Yeah.
Cordelia nods, accepting her fate. She starts to cry. Buffy
tears up too.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Hey, if you ever get out of the coma,
look us up.
CORDELIA
Yeah.
Cordy stands up.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
I guess this is goodbye then.
Buffy stands up and hugs Cordy.
CORDELIA (CONT'D)
Checking to see if I'm the first
evil ever?
BUFFY
Just hugging.
Cordy smiles, and then starts to walk down the hallway, toward
the exit. Before she gets far, she turns back to Buffy.
CORDELIA
Hey.
(then)
I don't care what anyone says. You
do not look like a porn star with
those bangs.
Buffy puts a hand on her head.
BUFFY
Who said...?
CORDELIA
You mean, they didn't? I just kinda
assumed they would.
Cordy shoots Buffy one last smile, and continues to walk out
of the school.
54.
Once she's gone, Buffy takes a deep breath, and then goes
back into the auditorium.
|
This is how Buffy and Cordy end. They had their rivalry, and their semi-friendship before. There was always a little tension. In the end, they say their goodbye with a hug and tears in their eyes. They part as true friends.
This is kinda what I always wanted to see. Cordelia never got a goodbye episode on the real series. She was just gone. We never got to see how she left things with everyone.
|
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Buffy is sitting on the couch, with a blanket wrapped around
her. She coughs and rubs her nose. When she speaks, she's
very nasally. Willow is sitting next to her, and both are
watching Xander and Dawn as they decorate a Christmas tree.
WILLOW
I can't believe Cordy's in a coma.
It's sad.
XANDER
She deserves better.
DAWN
I don't get how she was here if she
was in a coma.
BUFFY
You remember Billy Palmer?
DAWN
No.
BUFFY
Well, it's kinda like that.
|
I didn't mean for it to sound like this was exactly like the Billy Palmer case. Just similar. I could have made that clearer.
|
WILLOW
Which means that even if she does
wake up, she probably won't remember
any of what happened here.
XANDER
All she wanted was to get back what
she lost.
BUFFY
I guess we all feel like that
sometimes.
Dawn looks over at Buffy, getting what Buffy is talking about.
Willow smiles.
WILLOW
You remember the time she wished us
all into that hell dimension where
me and Xander were vampires, and
Dawn was a...
She notices that the others are looking at her funny.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Right.
(MORE)
55.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
I guess you guys never got to see
that. Interesting place... If you
like hell dimensions, created by
vengeance demons.
|
Willow did see Anya's alternate reality from "The Wish", when she and Anya brought vampire Willow back in "Doppelgangland". Right before she makes the comment about looking for Anya's necklace in the sofa, in hell.
|
Buffy stands up.
BUFFY
I think I'm gonna hit the sack. It's
been a long day.
WILLOW
G'night.
Buffy heads up the stairs. Dawn hangs one last ornament, and
then follows her.
Once they're gone, Xander sits next to Willow.
XANDER
Y'know, in all of our awkwardness
last week, we kinda missed out on
one of our traditions.
WILLOW
We did?
XANDER
Yeah.
Xander reaches under the couch cushion and pulls out a DVD.
He hands it to Willow. She looks at it, and a smile forms on
her face.
WILLOW
A Charlie Brown Christmas!
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BUFFY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Buffy walks into her room and plops onto her bed.
Dawn soon enters the room behind her. When Buffy sees her,
she sits up.
BUFFY
Hey.
DAWN
Hey.
(beat)
I thought we should talk.
BUFFY
Yeah. Look, I--
56.
DAWN
I get it. I get the why. I can't say
that I'm totally over it. I mean,
there's kinda this big looming
question of what the hell I am.
BUFFY
I had no right to take that away
from you.
DAWN
True.
(beat)
But it's over. It's in the past.
It's not like I can really stay mad
at you forever, so we might as well
skip over the drama, right?
BUFFY
Dawn--
DAWN
We're good.
Dawn sits on the bed, next to Buffy. They continue to talk
as MUSIC BEGINS.
Over the music, we see:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Willow is smiling big as A Charlie Brown Christmas plays on
the TV, and Xander does the Snoopy dance in front of her.
He finishes the dance and takes a bow. She hands him a cookie.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BUFFY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Buffy and Dawn are still talking. Dawn tells a joke, which
causes Buffy to smile, even though she's trying her best to
feel bad.
Dawn hugs her.
The MUSIC STOPS.
EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT
We see the shadowy figure of Cordelia as she walks down the
otherwise empty, freshly plowed street.
CORDELIA
So, when do I fade out, or whatever?
|
Cordelia doesn't fade out. I meant this to be left as a kinda hanging ending, never to be resolved. I didn't know that it would later be resolved on Angel.
|
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF SHOW
|