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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The title of the episode comes from a line that Giles spoke to Willow in season 2. When she suggested performing the spell to restore Angel's soul, Giles warned her that such a spell could open doors that she'd be unable to close. As the series went on, I saw it building to this point, so I took it there.
The episode itself is a semi-sequel to "Me Time", from earlier in the season. In that episode, we saw Willow come to terms with who she used to be. This is her coming to terms with who she really is right now, and who she isn't. It's about dropping the act.
Ever since "Me Time", Willow has been using more and more of her old geeky skills. Especially with her new job at town hall. With the old Willow asserting herself, her power has been fading, causing her to lose her magic. Since it was bottled up, it's been building inside of her and this is the result of that.
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TEASER
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - BUFFY'S ROOM - DAY
BUFFY is sitting on her bed, putting on a shoe. DAWN walks
into the room, already dressed.
BUFFY
Hey.
DAWN
You got in pretty late last night.
BUFFY
Yeah. I'd have been home way sooner,
but the drive from Seattle to here
is pretty long. It's like Dad's
allergic to being remotely nearby.
DAWN
Did you guys do anything fun?
BUFFY
We went to lunch, and dinner, and he
finally got tickets to an actual ice
show. It was good to finally get a
chance to just talk.
(proudly)
And with only a few awkward moments,
might I add.
When Buffy finishes putting on her shoes, she remains on the
bed, in order to talk to Dawn.
DAWN
I'm glad you guys are working things
out.
BUFFY
Actually, so am I.
(beat)
So, anything happen here last night?
Dawn sits on her own bed, facing Buffy.
DAWN
I didn't talk to Willow or Xander
about their night yet, but I did
kinda have a close encounter of the
snake-like demon kind.
BUFFY
You weren't hurt, were you?
2.
DAWN
No. Nothing like that, but it was...
weird.
BUFFY
What kind of weird.?
DAWN
The demons were all over town. I saw
them in the school, and on Main
Street... I can't even tell how many
there might have been. Anyway, I got
all set up to actually fight them,
and when I went back out, they were
gone.
BUFFY
You were gonna fight that many demons
by yourself?
Dawn hesitates.
DAWN
Yup. Just me.
BUFFY
That's stupid.
DAWN
Can we focus on the point here? They
just went away. Isn't that weird?
BUFFY
I guess. Do you know what they were?
DAWN
Yeah, I looked them up. They're seeker
demons. Summoned by pretty much anyone
who wants to, and sent to find pretty
much whatever anyone wants to find.
(beat)
Kinda like that big snake thing that
Glory sent after me, but with legs
and clothes.
BUFFY
So, we should figure out what they
want, and if they got it.
DAWN
Probably.
BUFFY
Then let's.
Buffy stands up and walks out of the room. Dawn follows.
3.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Buffy and Dawn walk down the stairs. As they get to the
bottom, Buffy sees WILLOW sitting on the couch, with her
legs pulled close to her chest, and wrapped in a blanket.
She is holding her necklace tight in her hand as she sits
like this.
Buffy turns to Dawn.
BUFFY
Hey, why don't you go get some
breakfast before we get to work.
I'll be right in.
Dawn is about to say no, but sees Willow. She just nods and
walks off.
Buffy walks to the couch and sits next to Willow. Willow is
deep in thought, and looks like she hasn't slept at all.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Hey, Will. You okay?
Willow looks at Buffy and forces a weak smile.
WILLOW
Fine. You?
BUFFY
Also fine. But my fine doesn't have
me staring off into space. Did you
sleep last night?
WILLOW
A little. I just have a lot on my
mind.
BUFFY
Anything I can help with?
Willow thinks about it.
WILLOW
I don't think so.
BUFFY
Just tell me, and I can be there for
you. I need to know if this is a big
waffle breakfast kind of upset, or
if I should pull out the big guns
and get the super chocolate chunk
ice cream.
WILLOW
I'm not hungry.
4.
BUFFY
Okay, now I know it's bad.
Willow looks at Buffy, and decides to fill her in. She motions
toward a pencil on the coffee table.
WILLOW
See the pencil?
Buffy looks.
BUFFY
This is about a pencil?
WILLOW
It's not about the pencil.
(beat)
It's about me trying to float the
pencil since four o'clock, and not
being able to.
Buffy's confused.
BUFFY
What? You could float that pencil in
your sleep. You've done it before.
Remember last year, with the rose
that almost went through your bedroom
wall?
|
In season 4, Willow and Tara tried to float a rose and remove it's petals. At some point, something went wrong and the rose went crazy, and flew all over the room. Buffy now mentions a similar event happening while Willow was asleep, hinting at the fact that Willow was dreaming about Tara.
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WILLOW
That was then.
(beat)
I've lost it, Buffy. I can't even
float a pencil anymore. It's just
gone.
Buffy thinks for a second.
BUFFY
Okay, so we'll figure this out. We'll
make you better.
Willow's eyes slowly drift to meet Buffy's. Buffy can tell
that this isn't all about Willow's magic.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
There's something else.
Willow nods.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
What?
WILLOW
I kinda slept with Xander.
5.
Buffy's eyes widen.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF TEASER
6.
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Where we left off. Willow is reacting to Buffy's look by
wincing as though very guilty of something.
BUFFY
You what?
(beat)
I mean, I know what you what. You...
how?
Her eyes widen and she quickly holds up a hand.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Wait. Don't answer that one either.
(beat)
You're gay.
WILLOW
I know.
BUFFY
I don't mean to tell you how to do
your own job here, but gay people
don't sleep with Xander. Well, I
mean a gay guy might, but... Why
does my mind keep going to very bad
places?
WILLOW
Are you freaked out?
BUFFY
No, Will. I'm not freaked out, Will.
WILLOW
You're freaked out.
BUFFY
Will, I told you, I'm not freaked
out.
WILLOW
Then why do you keep saying my name
like that?
BUFFY
Like what, Wi--
Buffy catches herself this time. She calms herself down.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
I'm confused.
7.
WILLOW
Yeah.
Buffy gets under the cover with Willow and brings her legs
up close to her chest. Both of them stare into space, trying
to process this.
Dawn walks back into the room, smiling.
DAWN
Hey, I'm making French toast. Anybody
want some?
Buffy and Willow don't even hear her.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Ooookay.
Confused, she heads upstairs.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - DAY
Dawn gets to the top of the stairs, just as XANDER is coming
out of the bathroom. He doesn't seem that weirded out.
DAWN
Mornin'.
XANDER
Hey.
DAWN
So, I'm making French toast. You
want?
XANDER
Normal, or with weird stuff inside?
DAWN
All out of weird stuff, so just
normal.
XANDER
Cool. Count me in.
(then)
Hey, have you seen Willow?
DAWN
She's downstairs with Buffy.
XANDER
Ah.
They start to walk back down the stairs.
8.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Dawn gets to the bottom of the stairs and keeps walking toward
the kitchen. Xander is behind her.
Dawn doesn't look over at Buffy and Willow, who are in the
same spot as before. Xander pauses, looking at Willow.
DAWN
Just ignore them. They're being really
weird today.
Dawn walks out of the room. Xander hesitates, wondering if
he should talk to Willow, but decides to follow Dawn. He
leaves the room too.
BUFFY
(still staring into
space)
Did you hear something?
WILLOW
Hmm?
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Dawn is getting to work, making French toast. Xander comes
into the kitchen, a little distracted.
XANDER
Need help?
DAWN
I got it. Breakfast is my treat today.
XANDER
Thanks. I'll do dinner.
DAWN
And by "do dinner", you mean...?
XANDER
I'll order pizza.
Dawn smiles.
DAWN
I thought so. Y'know, dinner isn't
actually that hard to cook. Maybe
someday, we'll have the will to try
it.
XANDER
Will?
(then)
Oh. Right. I'll be over here.
9.
Xander goes and sits at the table. Dawn continues to work on
breakfast for a few seconds, and then looks over at Xander.
She sees that his mind is somewhere else.
DAWN
Xander, are you okay?
XANDER
Fine.
DAWN
You don't seem fine.
(beat)
You can tell me if something's wrong,
y'know.
Xander is silent for a moment, and then he looks at her.
XANDER
Okay.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Buffy and Willow are still on the couch. Willow's still
clutching her necklace. They sit in silence for a few seconds.
The SOUND OF GLASS BREAKING is heard, from the kitchen.
BUFFY
Dawn knows.
Willow winces a little more.
Buffy looks at Willow.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
So, how did it happen?
(beat)
And I mean that in the least porny
way possible.
WILLOW
We had a pretty strange night. With
Kennedy holding us hostage, and then
my magic went ploohie. It just kinda
happened.
BUFFY
Wait. Kennedy held you hostage?
WILLOW
Only for a little while. It's not an
issue anymore... Except for the amulet
of Morel Divineh thing. She wants
it.
10.
BUFFY
So, Kennedy held you hostage, looking
for the amulet that I dreamed about,
Dawn ran into a swarm of seeker
demons, your magic went wonky, and
you slept with Xander? All in one
night?
WILLOW
I mentioned that it was pretty
strange, right?
BUFFY
I should never leave any of you guys
alone ever again.
Willow sighs.
WILLOW
My head feels all throbby.
BUFFY
I can see why.
(beat)
What do you plan to do?
WILLOW
(beat)
I don't know. Everything's all weird
now. I mean, Xander's neat and
everything, but there is that whole
gay thing that I don't think I should
ignore either. It's like I'm suddenly
torn between two different lives and
neither one of them is making much
sense.
BUFFY
You know that whatever you decide,
I'm here for you, right?
WILLOW
Thanks.
Willow stands up.
BUFFY
Where you going?
WILLOW
Brush teeth and shower. I feel bad
mentally, so I figure that I should
at least try to smell better
physically.
BUFFY
Good plan.
11.
Willow goes upstairs.
Buffy sits by herself, pondering.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
So, do I take care of Dawn's demons,
Willow's magic, or Kennedy's amulet
first?
She thinks for a moment, and then reaches under the couch.
She pulls out the Scythe and looks it over.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
First things first. Get this thing
someplace a whole lot safer.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
On the stove, the French toast is burning and smoking. Dawn
is paying it no attention, as she is busy standing over
Xander.
DAWN
How?
(beat)
Why?
XANDER
It just happened. I mean, for a while,
things have been kinda different
with us, I guess.
DAWN
Since when have things been different?
I haven't noticed anything, and I
usually notice these things.
XANDER
There was a... We kinda had a moment,
back when Buffy was in Vegas. It led
to an awkward period that now looks
like happy bonding time compared to
how this feels.
Dawn's still confused by all of this, but she tries to be
comforting. It's obvious that she has no idea what to say.
DAWN
I think it's just weird right now
because of... Well, she's gay.
(beat)
It'll calm down. It has to, right?
XANDER
Here's hoping.
Dawn goes to Xander and sits next to him.
12.
DAWN
So, what's the situation from your
side?
XANDER
What do you mean?
DAWN
I mean, you slept with Willow, and
it wasn't just something that happened
suddenly.
(beat)
Do you love her?
XANDER
Well, yeah. I mean, we all love
Willow. Who wouldn't? Sure, she kinda
pushed it when she did the whole
evil thing, but I think we're moving
past that now, and--
DAWN
Xander.
XANDER
Hmm?
DAWN
Do you love her?
He pauses, and thinks about the question.
XANDER
When we were kids, she'd always want
to play house. You know, she'd be
the mom and I'd be the dad that had
to be bribed with a Chocolate
Hurricane bar in order to be the
dad. She'd be at the plastic stove,
pretending to make plastic pancakes,
and when we sat down to pretend we
were eating, we'd make grownup small
talk about our imaginary lives with
our important jobs.
DAWN
She still makes plastic pancakes,
y'know?
XANDER
Only now, I don't want to pretend.
Dawn smiles. Behind her, the French toast bursts into flames.
Smelling something, she looks back and sees them.
DAWN
Oh!
13.
She rushes to put out the fire. Xander rests his head on the
table.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - WEAPON ROOM - DAY
Buffy opens the doorway to the room, and steps into it,
holding onto the Scythe. She stands for a moment, just looking
at the room, and at the Scythe in her hands.
The room is a lot cleaner than before. The dust has been
taken care of, and the weapons have been polished.
Xander walks up behind her. He looks at the room.
XANDER
You did a pretty good job cleaning
this place up.
(beat)
It's kinda like you were meant to
find this house.
She looks at him, and then back to the room. She wants to
mention his situation, but senses that he's looking to get
his mind off of it.
BUFFY
It was built for a Slayer.
XANDER
So, you're planning to keep the Scythe
in here?
BUFFY
Seems fitting, don't you think?
XANDER
Yeah. 'Sides, keeping it under the
couch was starting to scratch the
floor.
Buffy holds the Scythe up, to better look at it.
BUFFY
I still can't get over how beautiful
it is. The work that went into making
it. The energy that I can feel coming
off of it. But there's one thing
that I still can't make sense of.
XANDER
What's that?
BUFFY
This is a Slayer's weapon. Holding
it unlocks something inside, and
makes us both more powerful.
14.
She turns to Xander.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
So, what the hell was Caleb gonna do
with it? To him, it's pretty much an
ax with a pointy stick at the end.
XANDER
I find that it's a lot easier not to
dwell on some of the things that
went down last year. They can tend
to lead to headaches.
Buffy steps forward, to the empty sword stand in the middle
of the room.
BUFFY
Whatever his deal was, it doesn't
matter. The Scythe is where it belongs
now. It's like this place was made
to hold it.
She gently places the Scythe on the sword stand, and stands
back to admire it.
Suddenly, the sword stand tips over under the weight of the
Scythe. It falls to the floor.
Buffy and Xander look down at the broken stand and the Scythe.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Or not.
XANDER
I can fix that for you.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS BATHROOM - DAY
Willow is in the shower, just standing under the water,
letting it wash over her. Her mind is once again somewhere
else.
Finally, she pulls herself back to reality, and turns off
the shower. She grabs her towel and begins to dry off as she
steps out of the shower.
As she dries off, she looks up at the mirror and gasps.
REVEAL THE MIRROR. It has the words "YOU NEED ME" written on
it, in blood.
Willow goes to the mirror and examines it. As she raises a
hand to touch the writing, she notices something.
Her finger is bleeding.
FADE TO BLACK:
15.
END OF ACT ONE
16.
ACT TWO
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS BATHROOM - DAY
Buffy, Willow and Xander are standing in front of the mirror.
Buffy and Xander are just looking at it for the first time.
Willow (in her robe) is really uncomfortable with the
situation.
BUFFY
How did this happen?
WILLOW
I'm not sure. I just got out of the
shower and it was there.
As Willow says that, she gestures with her hand. Xander sees
the blood on it.
XANDER
Oh, God. You're bleeding.
He grabs a towel and wraps it around her hand.
WILLOW
I'm fine. It's not bleeding anymore.
BUFFY
You did this?
WILLOW
No.
(then)
I don't know. I don't remember doing
it.
BUFFY
Wait, I don't get this. The writing-
WILLOW
Which isn't in my handwriting.
BUFFY
-Which isn't in your handwriting,
says "You need me". What is that
supposed to mean? You need you for
what?
(beat)
I mean, besides the usual things
that people need themselves for.
Willow can't answer the question. She's on the verge of
breaking down. Xander sees this, and puts an arm around her.
17.
XANDER
We'll figure this out.
For a moment, Willow is comforted by Xander, but then she
gets a guilty look on her face and pulls away. Xander can't
help but feel a little hurt by this.
WILLOW
Figure what out? My lack of magic?
The writing on the wall? How 'bout
the fact that my whole entire life
is a big pile of mess, and every
time I think I can't handle anything
else, it just gets more and more
messed up?
BUFFY
Will...
WILLOW
I can't take anymore.
Willow looks at the ground, trying not to break into tears.
Xander puts a hand on her shoulder.
XANDER
We'll get through this.
WILLOW
We?
Willow looks back up at Xander, with an angry look on her
face.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
How do you think you're gonna help
me? What can you do?
XANDER
I don't know.
WILLOW
Wow. That's a lot. So glad you're on
my team here, Xand.
BUFFY
Willow, stop it.
WILLOW
Everyone keeps telling me that they'll
help me through this, but you're all
worthless to me right now. You can't
do a damn thing to help me.
Willow walks out of the bathroom. Buffy looks at Xander.
18.
BUFFY
What was that?
Xander doesn't know what's happening, but he feels the need
to make excuses for her.
XANDER
She's just upset.
BUFFY
No. Something isn't right.
Buffy walks out of the bathroom, going after Willow. Xander
follows.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Willow comes down the stairs, still angry. Buffy and Xander
soon follow.
BUFFY
Willow, stop.
Willow goes to the bookcase, and starts looking at the few
mystical reference books that they have.
WILLOW
This is crap. This is all crap.
Willow grabs the books and throws them across the room.
BUFFY
Calm down.
Buffy tries to grab Willow, but Willow looks at her with her
angry face.
WILLOW
Get. Your hands. Off of me.
BUFFY
What's happening to you?
WILLOW
Now!
As Willow says that, BLACKNESS FILLS HER EYES like clouds
gathering before a storm. Buffy's eyes widen.
Suddenly, BUFFY IS THROWN across the room, almost hitting
Xander as she crashes into the wall and hits the floor.
Xander bends down to see if Buffy's okay.
Willow looks at herself, feeling power. She smiles.
19.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Looks like the ol' spark ain't so
gone after all.
After checking Buffy, Xander looks back up to Willow.
XANDER
Will, look at yourself. Look at what
you're doing.
WILLOW
(smiles)
Neat, isn't it?
Xander helps Buffy to her feet. Both of them are a little
freaked.
XANDER
It's happening again.
BUFFY
The magick is getting to her.
WILLOW
It's like I can... finally... breath
again.
As she says that, Willow starts to struggle with her words.
She suddenly drops to her knees. HER EYES RETURN TO NORMAL.
Now freaked out by herself, Willow looks up at Buffy and
Xander.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Oh, God.
BUFFY
Willow?
WILLOW
Buffy, I didn't mean it. I didn't
mean... I don't know what's happening
to me. I can't control it.
Still a little wary, Buffy walks to Willow. She gets on the
floor with her, and holds her as Willow starts to cry.
Buffy looks up at Xander, concerned.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - CAFETERIA - DAY
Dawn is sitting at the lunch table with SHELLY, as she did
in the last episode. This time, Shelly is actually eating
instead of reading.
SHELLY
So, we're cool then?
20.
DAWN
Yeah. I overreacted.
SHELLY
Good. 'Cause it kinda sucks to be
fighting.
DAWN
Agreed. Let's try not to do that
anymore.
Shelly smiles.
SHELLY
So, I tried calling last night. Nobody
answered.
DAWN
Yeah. We were out. Busy people, we
are.
SHELLY
Ah. Do anything exciting?
DAWN
Not really. Just the usual stuff.
Dawn checks her watch.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Didn't Ryan say he'd be here by now?
SHELLY
He's always late for lunch.
Dawn nods in agreement. After thinking for a second, she
leans a little closer to Shelly and speaks in a low voice.
DAWN
Can I ask you something?
SHELLY
Sure.
DAWN
I kinda get the feeling that Ryan's
not telling me something.
Shelly looks down at her drink.
SHELLY
Like what?
DAWN
I don't know. I was hoping you could
tell me.
21.
Shelly hesitates.
SHELLY
I don't think I sh-- Ryan!
Dawn turns and sees RYAN on the other side of the cafeteria.
He's walking their way.
DAWN
(to Shelly)
We'll talk later.
ANGLE ON: RYAN
As Ryan gets closer to the table, he smiles at Dawn. He
doesn't notice JENNA walking toward him, and the two narrowly
avoid bumping into each other.
JENNA
Watch it.
RYAN
Sorry.
(then)
Hey. Jenna.
Jenna stops and looks back at Ryan, a little thrown.
JENNA
Huh?
RYAN
You wanna sit with us?
Jenna isn't sure how to react. She looks at the table, and
Dawn. Dawn smiles and nods her head. Shelly just looks
confused.
Jenna hesitates.
JENNA
I don't think so.
RYAN
C'mon. You can't sit alone forever.
JENNA
Actually, I was kinda hoping I could.
RYAN
Seriously. One day won't kill you.
If you don't like it, you never have
to speak to us again.
Jenna thinks about it. Finally, she gives in.
22.
JENNA
Fine. I'll get my lunch.
RYAN
Cool. I'll meet you over there.
Ryan continues on to the table, as Jenna goes to get her
lunch.
When Ryan sits next to Dawn, she smiles at him.
DAWN
That was nice.
RYAN
I was just thinking about it, and
you were right. We really never did
give her a chance.
SHELLY
And the fact that you're trying to
run the bases with Jenna's sympathizer
has nothing to do with this turn of
events?
RYAN
No.
(then)
Well, maybe a little. But that doesn't
mean it's still not true. She does
deserve a chance.
SHELLY
Fine, but if the girl starts breaking
our bones, don't say I didn't warn
you.
Jenna arrives at the table and sits down. There's an awkward
pause. Nobody has anything to say in this unusual situation.
Finally, Dawn speaks up.
DAWN
So... Jenna. What's up?
JENNA
(beat)
Not much.
There's more silence. Ryan thinks hard for something to say.
RYAN
So, did you guys hear about all the
break-ins last night?
Dawn and Jenna share a look.
23.
DAWN
Break-ins?
RYAN
Yeah. A bunch of them, all over town.
Nothing was taken though, which is
weird.
DAWN
Do they know who did it?
RYAN
Nope. Security cameras didn't pick
anything up.
SHELLY
Weird.
RYAN
They got into the video store. I
just can't believe they didn't take
anything from there. I even counted
the candy bars on the snack rack.
The only thing missing is Grace
Harton, and she skips town every few
weeks anyway.
DAWN
Grace Harton?
SHELLY
We have biology with her.
DAWN
Oh.
Dawn looks at Jenna, who is keeping quiet. Jenna looks down
at her food.
INT. ALFRED P. VANCE HIGH SCHOOL - HALLWAY - DAY
Dawn walks out of the cafeteria and starts to walk down the
hall. Jenna rushes after her, catching up.
JENNA
How can you do that?
DAWN
I know. Kissing in public is gross
to other people. We're trying to cut
back on it.
JENNA
Not that.
DAWN
Then what?
24.
JENNA
Stay so cool about the fact that the
girl is dead. How can you live in
this entirely different world?
DAWN
Oh. I guess you just get used to it.
JENNA
So, you stop caring?
DAWN
Not stop. It's more like learning to
handle it.
(beat)
And we don't know for sure that she's
dead.
JENNA
We heard a scream.
DAWN
That doesn't mean anything. She could
have run.
JENNA
Whatever. I just don't know if I'm
cut out for this life.
DAWN
You are. It's exactly what you were
cut out for, or else you wouldn't be
what you are.
JENNA
A freak?
DAWN
A Slayer.
JENNA
What's the difference?
DAWN
Maybe you'll see it more once you
understand it more.
(beat)
We still on for tonight?
JENNA
Yeah.
DAWN
Good. It's time to see what you're
capable of.
25.
JENNA
If you say so. Just don't expect me
next week. My brother has to go to
the hospital in Seattle, and my
parents always make me go even though
I don't do anything.
They get to Dawn's locker and she starts to open it.
DAWN
If you don't wanna go, why not get
out of it?
JENNA
Easier said than done. I think my
parents expect me to off myself or
something, so they don't want me
being alone too much.
DAWN
That sucks.
JENNA
I guess. It's not really their fault
though.
Dawn doesn't know how to react to that.
JENNA (CONT'D)
I guess I'll see ya later.
DAWN
See ya.
Jenna starts to walk away. Dawn thinks about the situation,
feeling bad for Jenna.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Willow is still in her robe, sitting in one of the chairs.
Xander walks into the room, with a steaming mug. He puts it
down next to her.
XANDER
I thought you might need this.
Willow looks over.
WILLOW
Tea?
XANDER
Only if you like your tea hot
chocolaty. I could get tea though.
WILLOW
No. This is better. More comforting.
26.
XANDER
I wasn't sure if you wanted
marshmallows, so...
Xander pulls a napkin out of his shirt pocket and unfolds
it. There's a handful of tiny marshmallows in there. Willow
smiles.
WILLOW
Pile 'em on.
Xander puts them into the drink for her, and then sits back.
There's an awkward silence that seems to carry on forever.
Finally, Xander speaks.
XANDER
Buffy's still on the phone. I think
Giles is having another fight with
the new head Council guy.
Willow just nods. She has no response to that.
More awkward silence falls upon them. Willow eventually takes
a sip of her hot chocolate.
WILLOW
(re: the hot chocolate)
Good.
Xander smiles, but it soon fades. Back to weirdness.
Willow gets a guilty look on her face.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
I didn't mean it, y'know?
XANDER
Mean what?
WILLOW
What I said. About you being worthless
to me.
XANDER
That? Already forgotten.
Willow accepts the reply with a nod. She tries to put the
topic behind them, but she can't.
WILLOW
'Cause I really don't know what I'd
do without you.
(awkward beat)
And Buffy and Dawn.
27.
XANDER
Right. All of us. Equally.
WILLOW
(beat)
Yeah.
More silence. Even more awkward.
Willow begins to fiddle with her necklace, nervously.
Finally, Xander can't take any more of this.
XANDER
Y'know what? I'm sorry. This is really
not the time to be talking about
this issue, seeing as how you might
flay me or something, but I can't
ignore it anymore.
(beat)
We slept together. There, I said it.
He waits for a response. She doesn't respond.
XANDER (CONT'D)
You're free to respond to that
whenever you want.
WILLOW
I don't know how.
XANDER
Talk to me, Will. Tell me what you're
thinking. Was it a mistake? If it
was a mistake, we'll deal with that,
but don't just ignore the fact that
it happened.
(beat)
Was it a mistake?
WILLOW
No.
(then)
I don't know. I can't even process
all of the information right now.
Incase you haven't noticed, you're
not exactly my type these days.
XANDER
So, what do we do?
WILLOW
I don't know. It's like everything
in my head is telling me to run and
hide, or try to escape this, but
then I can't.
(MORE)
28.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
I try to tell myself that it was a
mistake, but then it doesn't feel
like a mistake.
(beat)
You're Xander. You're the guy that
I've always wanted.
XANDER
So, what's the problem? The way I
see it, we're both free at the moment.
We're not cheating on anyone this
time.
Willow looks down.
WILLOW
It's more complicated than that.
XANDER
Why does it have to be?
WILLOW
It just is.
Xander can't think of a response to that.
They once again fall into awkward silence.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY
Buffy is sitting on the table, waiting to be taken off of
hold.
BUFFY
(chanting to herself)
Don't play that song again. Don't
play that song again.
(beat)
I swear, if the next song is that
same stupid song, I'll-- Son of a
bitch.
She takes the phone away from her ear, tempted to hang up.
Finally, she accepts her grim fate and puts the phone to her
ear again.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Stupid Spice Girls.
Suddenly, she perks up.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Giles?
(beat)
Did you find anything out?
(MORE)
29.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
(beat)
Well, what did they say?
(beat)
How long?
(beat)
That's too long, Giles. Willow's in
pain here. How am I supposed to-- I
know.
(beat)
I know.
(beat)
Just let me know when they get back
to you.
(beat)
Bye.
She hangs up the phone, closes her eyes and takes a deep,
calming breath.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
(under her breath)
Great.
She puts the phone down, and walks out of the dining room.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Buffy walks into the still-silent living room. Xander looks
up at her from his seat.
XANDER
Anything?
BUFFY
Not yet. Giles put in a call to the
coven, but it'll take a while before
they get back to him.
XANDER
So, what do we do until then?
BUFFY
I guess we don't have a choice. All
we can do is wait.
XANDER
That's the worst plan ever.
BUFFY
Tell it to the witches.
Buffy looks to Willow, who is looking at the floor in front
of her.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
I'm sorry.
30.
Willow smiles.
WILLOW
They won't be able to help her.
BUFFY
Don't talk like that. They'll find
an answer to all of th-- Did you
just say "her"?
Willow looks up at Buffy, still smiling. Buffy's eyes widen.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Willow, fight this.
WILLOW
Willow's not much of a fighter. She
tends to excel in the geek areas.
|
It's never a good thing when Willow talks in the third person. She's done this before (mostly in season 6) when comparing her current self with her past self. The line about her being the magic is taken from one of those past episodes.
|
Willow gets to her feet. When she does, it's not quite
natural. It seems almost as though she floats out of the
chair.
Xander stands up. Willow looks at him.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Sit, boy.
She waves a hand at him. He drops back to his chair.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
That a boy. Remind me to give you a
snack later.
BUFFY
What are you?
Willow looks at Buffy.
WILLOW
How many times do I have to tell you
people this?
WILLOW'S ROBE MORPHS INTO NORMAL CLOTHES (far more stylish
and sexy than the clothes she's been wearing).
WILLOW (CONT'D)
I'm the magick.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT TWO
31.
ACT THREE
FADE IN:
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Buffy flies through the air, crashing into the bookcase. As
she tries to pull herself back up, she looks at Willow.
BUFFY
I really wish you'd stop doing that.
WILLOW
Oh, but it's so much fun.
(smiles)
Can I do it again?
XANDER
Willow, fight this.
WILLOW
(mockingly)
"Willow, fight this". Yeah, 'cause
this is a Star Trek episode. Any
minute now, Willow's sure to use her
super strong will power to gain
control of her body.
XANDER
She's stronger than you.
WILLOW
I am her, remember?
BUFFY
No, you're not. I don't know what
you are, but you're not Willow.
WILLOW
You're right. I'm better than Willow.
Until I came along, Willow was a
pathetic little bookworm that got
pushed around by everyone. I made
her strong. I made her powerful.
XANDER
Also, just a smidge on the psycho
side.
Willow waves a hand at Xander.
WILLOW
(in Rumanian)
înceta!
(translation)
Stop!
32.
A BALL OF LIGHT shoots from her hand, hitting Xander in the
chest. He's knocked to the ground, shaking uncontrollably.
BUFFY
What did you do?
Willow turns back to Buffy. For a moment, Willow's face
softens.
WILLOW
(in Rumanian)
Ajuta.
(translation)
Help.
Willow closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, as though
gathering her strength. Finally, she opens them again.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Wow, that's annoying.
(beat)
Musta been something I ate.
BUFFY
Why are you doing this?
WILLOW
Mostly, because I can. Sometimes
though...
Willow SHOOTS A LIGHTNING BOLT FROM HER HAND, hitting Buffy.
Buffy hits the wall and drops to the ground, unconscious.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
I just do it 'cause it's fun.
Once Buffy's out, Willow turns to Xander. He's still on the
ground, shaking. She walk to him, and looks down at him.
He's very nervous about this situation.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Look at the big man.
She bends down and pokes at him. He can't defend himself at
all.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
You're all shaky.
XANDER
W--Will... S--Stop this.
WILLOW
S-sure thing. A-Any minute now.
She smiles at him and stands back up.
33.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
I just can't believe she slept with
you. I mean...
She looks at him and winces.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
You? You're not even worth beating
to a bloody pulp.
She turns and starts to walk away.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Gone now.
The front door opens for her. She walks out. Once she's gone,
it closes again.
Xander is left on the floor, still unable to stop shaking.
EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY
Willow walks down the street, looking around for something
to do. She's bored out of her mind.
As she passes a newspaper machine, she taps it lightly and
continues walking. Moments later, it BURSTS INTO FLAMES. She
doesn't even turn to admire her work.
Just when she thinks this day couldn't get more boring, she
spots something.
WILLOW'S POV
KENNEDY walks out of the hardware store with a bag in hand,
and starts walking in the opposite direction.
Willow smiles and starts to follow her.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Dawn walks into the house and drops her backpack next to the
door.
DAWN
Hello? Anyone...
She spots the mess in the living room, noting that the
bookcase is once again torn up.
DAWN (CONT'D)
(re: the bookcase)
Again?
She walks into the room, and finally sees Xander on the floor.
He's shaking less, but still out of it.
34.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Xander!
She starts to go to him, but he puts up a hand.
XANDER
H--Help Buffy.
Dawn didn't see Buffy. Xander nods in Buffy's direction,
causing Dawn to turn. She finally sees Buffy (still
unconscious) and rushes to her.
DAWN
Oh, my God.
She feels Buffy's neck for a pulse. She quickly finds one,
and then turns back to Xander.
DAWN (CONT'D)
What happened?
XANDER
Willow.
DAWN
(confused)
Where is she? Is she okay?
XANDER
She did this.
Dawn's even more confused now.
DAWN
Willow did this to you guys?
XANDER
Something's wrong with her. There's
something inside her.
Dawn tries to figure this all out. Finally, she turns back
to Buffy.
DAWN
We'll deal with Willow later. Right
now, we need to wake Buffy up.
She slaps Buffy lightly on the cheek.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Buffy? Buffy, c'mon. Wake up.
Buffy doesn't respond.
XANDER
Smelling salt. It's in the first aid
kit.
35.
DAWN
Right.
Dawn rushes into the kitchen.
EXT. WOODED ROAD - DAY
Nobody else is around. Kennedy walks down the road by herself,
dangling the bag by her side.
WILLOW (O.S.)
(whispered)
Kennedy.
Kennedy stops and turns. She doesn't see anyone, so she shrugs
off the whisper and continues walking.
WILLOW (O.S.) (CONT'D)
(whispered again)
Kennedy.
This time, she's sure she heard it. Kennedy stops walking
again.
KENNEDY
What are you, and what do you want?
REVEAL Willow, standing behind her.
WILLOW
And here I thought you'd be happy to
see me.
Kennedy turns and is a little surprised to see Willow standing
face to face with her.
KENNEDY
Willow? What are you doing here?
WILLOW
Can't a girl look up an old friend?
KENNEDY
I didn't think we were on such good
terms after last night.
WILLOW
I'm sure we all wish we could just
forget that last night ever happened.
Kennedy senses something different in Willow's voice.
KENNEDY
Are you okay?
WILLOW
Peachy. Little bored though.
36.
Kennedy doesn't respond.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
What's in the bag?
KENNEDY
Couple of good knives. Got word of a
few demons that could use some
killing.
WILLOW
Didn't think you'd be much for the
slaying these days.
KENNEDY
Someone's gotta fight the baddies,
right?
WILLOW
Well, yeah. It's just not usually
the other baddies. We're supposed to
be all cool and not caring about
those petty little things.
There's not one part of that comment that Kennedy doesn't
feel the need to respond to, but she's too thrown at the
moment.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
I was kinda hoping we could have
some fun.
KENNEDY
Fun?
WILLOW
Y'know... I'm sure there's something
we could do.
(smiles)
Wanna blow stuff up?
KENNEDY
Okay, now I know something's wrong.
Maybe we should call someone.
WILLOW
Like who? Buffy? I'm sure she'd be
thrilled to see you.
(beat)
C'mon. I'm just tired of being so
stuffy all the time. I wanna have
fun.
Kennedy's a little wary of this, but she finally gives in.
KENNEDY
Sure. What'd you have in mind?
37.
Willow smiles.
WILLOW
Know anything that needs flaying?
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Buffy's on the couch by now. Dawn is standing over her. Xander
is sitting in a chair, with an ice pack to his head. He's
doing much better.
Buffy finally starts to wake up. Dawn smiles.
DAWN
Buffy?
BUFFY
(groggy)
Dawn?
Buffy suddenly jumps up.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Willow!
DAWN
Calm down. She's not here.
BUFFY
Where'd she go? We have to help her.
DAWN
We will, but we have to figure this
out first.
(beat)
Now, let's just start at the
beginning, and figure this out. Tell
me exactly what happened.
Buffy calms herself and sits back down, trying to think about
this.
BUFFY
The first time she freaked out, we
were in the bathroom.
DAWN
Looking at the bloody message?
BUFFY
Yeah. Then she freaked out and came
down here. Then she was normal. Then
she freaked out. Then she... Wait.
Buffy tries to remember something.
38.
DAWN
What?
BUFFY
She said something to me. It was in
another language, but it looked like
it was the real Willow talking to
me.
DAWN
What did she say?
BUFFY
I can't remember.
Buffy gets annoyed with herself.
DAWN
Think. What did it sound like?
BUFFY
Judo? But it wasn't "judo". It was
something else.
Buffy thinks harder for a second, and then finally gets it.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Ajuto.
DAWN
Y'mean, "ajuta"?
BUFFY
Yeah, that's it.
(beat)
I think.
XANDER
What does it mean?
DAWN
It's Rumanian. I'm not sure on the
exact translation, but I think it's
something like "help".
BUFFY
Help?
(beat)
She was asking for help.
XANDER
Why would Willow be talking in
Rumanian?
DAWN
I guess that's the question.
39.
EXT. WOODS - DAY
Willow and Kennedy make their way through the woods. Kennedy
is holding onto a knife. Her guard is up.
Willow is walking calmly, enjoying the view.
WILLOW
Why are we out here again?
KENNEDY
I hear there's a nest of demons not
far from here. I thought we might
kill them.
WILLOW
Sounds fun.
KENNEDY
If we could find them, maybe.
WILLOW
Not a problem.
Willow holds a hand up. A BALL OF LIGHT forms just above her
hand. She smiles.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Take us to the demon nest.
The ball takes off, leading the way through the woods.
Kennedy smiles.
KENNEDY
Remind me to talk to you about that
spell later.
EXT. OUTSIDE OF CAVE - DAY
Willow's ball-o-light leads them here, and VANISHES.
Willow and Kennedy stop behind a grouping of trees and watch
the mouth of the cave.
ANGLE ON: THE CAVE
A DEMON (same breed as the snake demons from "Hostage") is
guarding the cave.
WILLOW
Snake demon.
KENNEDY
You have a problem with snakes?
40.
WILLOW
Aside from the taste?
(beat)
Just glad it's not a frog demon.
|
Willow's glad that they're not frog demons. This is because Willow has frog fear. A fact established early in the series, but not mentioned in the later seasons.
|
KENNEDY
The place is probably full of them.
We should be careful.
Willow smiles and walks away from Kennedy, toward the cave.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
Or not.
Kennedy follows Willow.
As they near the cave, the demon goes into attack mode. It
starts to walk toward Willow, fangs showing. Willow doesn't
flinch at all.
HER EYES TURN BLACK.
WILLOW
Burn.
With that word alone, the DEMON BURSTS INTO FLAMES, and drops,
dead.
Willow turns to Kennedy, smiling.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
Fun.
KENNEDY
Glad you liked it, 'cause there's a
whole lot more where he came from.
Kennedy nods toward the cave opening. TWENTY MORE DEMONS
exit the cave, swarming around the two women.
Willow grins.
WILLOW
Now that's a lot of demons.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF ACT THREE
41.
ACT FOUR
FADE IN:
EXT. OUTSIDE OF CAVE - DAY
The demons are still circling around Willow and Kennedy.
Kennedy is a little uncomfortable with the situation. Willow's
cool as a cucumber.
KENNEDY
Told you we should have been more
careful.
WILLOW
Relax. It's only a few demons. I can
make them bubble and pop in a few
seconds.
KENNEDY
And yet we're still talking about
it.
One of the demons stops and looks Willow up and down. Willow
does the same to him.
Finally, he opens his mouth, and reveals his fangs. Willow
smiles at him.
He quickly snaps at her, as though to bite her, but she holds
up a hand, stopping him mid-snap. He's frozen there.
Willow leans in close to his ear (or where his ear would be,
if he had one) and whispers into it.
WILLOW
(in Latin)
Putesco.
(translation)
Rot.
Suddenly, the demon begins to shake. Blood drips from it's
eyes. BOILS FORM on it's face. It drops to the ground, and
DECAYS INTO A PILE OF DIRT.
KENNEDY
That was kinda cool.
WILLOW
I try.
KENNEDY
Still have the rest to deal with
though.
WILLOW
Oh yeah.
42.
Around them, the rest of the demons are getting angry. They
could all attack at any moment.
KENNEDY
Got a plan for this.
WILLOW
Gimme a sec.
KENNEDY
That's about all we have.
Willow looks straight up into the air, with her solid black
eyes.
Around her, a FORCEFIELD FORMS, and begins to expand. As it
touches the demons, THEY DISINTEGRATE.
Willow's nose begins to bleed.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
Are you okay?
Willow doesn't answer her. Sweat is starting to form on her
face, and her expression shows that she's struggling for
this power.
Eight or so of the demons are caught by the forcefield and
die easily before Willow drops to her knees, out of breath.
HER EYES RETURN TO NORMAL. She hunches over, in pain. THE
FORCEFIELD IS GONE.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
Willow?
Kennedy would help her, but there's a bigger problem. The
rest of the demons are very angry.
All at once, they attack.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY
Buffy is pacing back and forth as Dawn sits at the computer,
studying the screen. Xander is in a nearby chair, still a
little weak.
BUFFY
Explain this to me.
DAWN
I told you, I think it goes back to
the spell that restored Angel's soul.
BUFFY
That was, like... a lot of years
ago.
43.
DAWN
Which explains a lot, when you think
about it.
(beat)
Willow used herself as a vessel. She
must have opened some kind of gateway
inside of herself, and a piece of
something got stuck there. Think
about it. Willow's not a natural
witch, but she still has all of that
power.
(beat)
And a habit of referring to herself
in the third person when she's using
it.
XANDER
A piece of what kind of something?
DAWN
I'm not sure. A spirit maybe. Whatever
it is, it's powerful.
|
In "Becoming", we saw Willow taken over by this other spirit when performing the restoration spell. The idea here is that some part of that spirit remained behind.
|
BUFFY
So, this... Everything that's happened
to Willow has been because of a
mystical hitchhiker?
DAWN
Something like that. I guess Willow's
been repressing it for a while, which
explains why she's been off her magick
game.
There's a pause as Buffy takes in this information.
XANDER
How do we get rid of it?
DAWN
I'm still looking into that. This
isn't your run of the mill exorcism
here. Willow opened the door and let
this thing in. It might be hard to
get rid of.
BUFFY
Keep on it. We have to figure this
out fast.
XANDER
And then we have to find her. She
who can literally be anywhere she
wants to be.
44.
EXT. OUTSIDE OF CAVE - DAY
The demons are attacking. Willow is still on the ground,
crying. Kennedy is doing her best to keep the demons back,
but she's having a hard time of doing it.
She kicks one of them in the face, and grabs another, throwing
it into yet another. Even with all of this fighting, she's
making little progress.
She pulls her knife and manages to stab one of the demons
through the heart, killing it. As she pulls the knife back
out, she's grabbed from behind and thrown into a tree.
Once she's out of the way, three demons jump onto Willow.
KENNEDY
Willow!
Kennedy fights to get back to Willow, but there are too many
demons. She struggles as hard as she can, but she's not
getting there fast enough.
Willow can be heard crying and screaming, but we can't see
her with the demons on top of her.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
No!
The demons on top of Willow are hitting her. Suddenly, there
is a HISSING sound. One of the demons snaps toward Willow,
biting her.
The demons on top of her calm down. They take steps back,
revealing a bloody Willow, still on her knees, with a bite
on her shoulder. She's getting groggy, and finally drops to
the ground, unable to move.
The demons move closer to Willow.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
Willow!
Though there are demons attacking Kennedy, she finally manages
to get them off of her. She kicks one of the demons away
from Willow, grabs another one, and throws that demon into
the last demon that is attacking Willow.
As she does this, the rest of the demons are getting closer
to her. She looks back at them.
KENNEDY (CONT'D)
We have to get out of here.
She grabs Willow's arm and pulls Willow up just as a demon
gets close to her.
45.
She picks that demon up by the neck with her free hand, and
tosses him back at the rest of the demons, causing enough of
a pause in their attack for her to take off with Willow.
About five of the demons follow her in their usual, slow,
slick way. The rest of the demons head back into the cave.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Buffy is standing at the stove, stirring a boiling pot.
Dawn walks into the kitchen from the backyard, holding a big
handful of herbs. She goes to the stove, and tosses them
into the pot.
DAWN
I think that's all of the herbs we
need.
BUFFY
I think that's all the herbs we have.
Are we sure this'll work?
DAWN
No. This is some powerful stuff we're
mixing up here, but Willow's powerful
too. We can only hope that this'll
work.
BUFFY
And if it doesn't?
Dawn gives Buffy a troubled look.
DAWN
These herbs don't exist anywhere
else.
BUFFY
Then I guess this better work.
Dawn takes a nervous breath, and stirs the mixture.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY
Xander is sitting in the dining room, alone. His mind is a
million miles away, wondering where Willow is and worrying
about her.
He sits like this for a while, in silence, helpless.
Suddenly, the front door bursts open and Kennedy rushes into
the room, still holding Willow up.
Xander jumps out of his seat and looks at them, both bloody
and beaten.
46.
XANDER
What did you do to her?
Buffy and Dawn rush in from the kitchen. Without a pause,
Buffy gets into fight mode, and starts to rush Kennedy.
KENNEDY
Wait.
With Buffy's fist inches from Kennedy's face, she stops.
BUFFY
Give me one reason why I shouldn't
make your nose shatter into a hundred
little pieces.
KENNEDY
I didn't do this to her. She came to
me.
XANDER
And why would we believe that?
KENNEDY
Because I'm assuming you've seen her
acting strange all day.
BUFFY
If you didn't do this, what did?
KENNEDY
Demons. Snake-ish demons that like
to travel in large groups. I know
this because they're following us.
DAWN
The seeker demons I saw last night.
KENNEDY
We found their nest. There were too
many of them.
Buffy grabs Willow away from Kennedy.
BUFFY
We have her now. Get out.
Buffy brings Willow into the living room. The others follow.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Buffy puts Willow on the couch. Xander goes to her, grabbing
a blanket off of the chair and covering her.
Buffy turns back to Kennedy, who is still standing in the
entrance to the room.
47.
BUFFY
What part of "get out" don't you
understand?
KENNEDY
Just tell me what's wrong with her.
BUFFY
What do you care? You left, remember?
And the holding her hostage wasn't
winning you points either.
KENNEDY
I just want--
BUFFY
Get. Out. Or I'll get you out, and I
promise there'll be all kinds of fun
sound effects to go along with that
beating.
Kennedy hesitates, but finally starts to back down. She knows
this isn't the time for fighting.
Buffy and Dawn turn their attention to Willow.
KENNEDY
Fine.
Kennedy turns and is about to walk out the front door when
she comes face to face with one of the demons. Four more of
them stand behind him.
Her eyes widen as the demon snaps at her, trying to bite
her. She narrowly avoids his bite, and knees him in the gut.
Buffy looks up and sees the demons.
BUFFY
Son of a bitch.
She rushes toward the door, just as the rest of the demons
are pushing their way in.
BUFFY (CONT'D)
Dawn, weapons. Now!
As Buffy starts fighting the demons, along side Kennedy,
Dawn rushes up the stairs.
Buffy grabs on of the demon arms, and snaps it. Without even
looking away from the first demon, she kicks a second one,
sending it into the wall before it can get into the house.
48.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - WEAPON ROOM - DAY
Dawn rushes into the room and looks around, trying to decide
what to grab.
DAWN
Weapons. Weapons.
Finally, she grabs the Scythe off of the table, and a crossbow
from the wall. She rushes back out of the room.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
Dawn rushes back down the stairs, and finds Buffy and Kennedy
still fighting with four demons. One of the demons has broken
away from them and is moving toward Willow and Xander.
DAWN
Xander!
Dawn quickly aims and shoots the crossbow, hitting the demon
in the back. It falls over, just shy of the couch.
BUFFY
Dawn, I could really use the weapon
now.
Dawn gets to the bottom of the stairs and hands the Scythe
off to Buffy.
Kennedy looks at Dawn as she struggles to fight her own
demons.
KENNEDY
Crossbow would be good.
DAWN
Only got one.
Dawn uses the crossbow to push one of the demons away from
Buffy, giving Buffy enough time to take a swing with the
Scythe, killing another demon.
The demon that Dawn hit quickly recovers and comes after
her, knocking her to the ground.
Buffy stakes this demon with the end of the Scythe, then
swings around and decapitates one of the demons that Kennedy
is fighting.
Finally able to focus on one demon, Kennedy manages to grab
it's head and twist it, snapping it's neck. The demon drops,
dead.
All of them catch their breaths. Buffy helps Dawn up.
49.
BUFFY
Nice shot with the crossbow.
DAWN
Thanks.
KENNEDY
(to Dawn)
You could have gotten me killed back
there.
DAWN
Yeah, I guess that's true.
Dawn turns back to Willow and Xander and heads over to them.
DAWN (CONT'D)
How's she doing?
XANDER
Still not moving.
DAWN
The poison should wear off in a while.
Buffy is staring at Kennedy, who is listening to the status
report on Willow. After she hears it, Kennedy turns back to
Buffy, but can't help but stare at the Scythe.
BUFFY
Everything that's happened, and you
still can't take your eyes off of
it.
KENNEDY
Do you really want to get into this
now?
BUFFY
No, I don't. Which is why you're
leaving.
Buffy turns away from Kennedy and walks toward Willow.
Kennedy pauses for a moment, and then walks out the front
door.
ANGLE ON : WILLOW
Still unable to move. Her eyes go from panic mode to very
angry mode. THEY TURN BLACK.
XANDER
Dawn?
DAWN
Yeah.
50.
Dawn runs into the kitchen.
BUFFY
At least this'll all be over soon.
XANDER
Yeah.
(beat)
I'm a confused person though. On
the one hand, I hate seeing her like
this. Y'know, all paralyzed and stuff.
On the other hand, I don't think my
bumps could handle any more bruises.
BUFFY
Let's try not to over think this
one.
Dawn comes back into the room with a mug full of steaming
liquid.
DAWN
Hold her up.
Xander picks up Willow's head so that Dawn can have her drink
from the cup.
Dawn sits on the table near Willow. She dips her finger into
the liquid, and pulls it back out. We can see from this that
the liquid is thick and dark. She can't help but make an
"eew" face.
BUFFY
You sure you know what you're doing?
DAWN
I think so. I just hope it works.
Dawn makes two marks with the liquid, under Willow's eyes.
She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, focusing hard.
DAWN (CONT'D)
With my breath, I cast you from this
vessel. With my word, I command you
to depart.
Willow starts to breath heavily. Her nose, and eyes begin to
bleed.
DAWN (CONT'D)
Not dead, nor of the living, I invoke
you, spirit, to return to the
interregnum. Leave this place.
|
The spell that Dawn performs here has elements of the restoration spell from "Becoming"
|
Dawn opens her eyes, and pours the contents of the cup into
Willow's mouth. Willow drinks deeply, as though she were
dying of thirst and this were the only water on the planet.
51.
As the liquid drips down her chin, Willow begins to shake.
Not in the same way that Xander shook. More like a cold
person, less like a shocked person.
THERE'S MOVEMENT UNDER HER SKIN, as though there were worms
inside of her.
Her EYES SWIRL WITH ENERGY.
Xander and Buffy share a look of concern.
BUFFY
Is it working?
DAWN
It's up to Willow now.
Around the room, every lightbulb POPS. Buffy, Xander and
Dawn jump at the sudden loud noises.
The front door slams shut. The lamp on the table next to the
couch BEGINS TO FLOAT. Buffy's eyes widen as she realizes
that it's an antique. She quickly grabs it and puts it on
the floor.
The marks under Willow's eyes begin to SIZZLE and SMOKE. By
this point, the girl just looks like hell.
XANDER
It's hurting her. We have to stop
this.
BUFFY
We can't.
XANDER
We can't just sit here.
DAWN
This is a lot of power we're dealing
with. We just have to wait.
XANDER
It's killing her.
DAWN
So is whatever's inside her.
Xander hates this, but he knows Dawn's right. He looks away,
unable to watch anymore.
Willow begins to cry, and rolls onto her side, still shaking.
She lets out a pain filled moan.
Xander can't take it anymore. He stands up and walks away
from the couch.
52.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
A lot of time has passed. Candles are lighting the room now,
as all of the bulbs have been popped.
Xander is sitting near Willow, holding her hand. Willow is
on her back, still with black eyes. The blood from her nose
and eyes has dried. The marks under her eyes are red. Her
lips are dry and cracking. Each breath is a painful struggle.
Buffy and Dawn come into the room, from the kitchen. Dawn is
carrying mugs of coffee. Buffy has a bag of cookies. They
set them on the table. Buffy puts a hand on Xander's shoulder,
knowing that this is hard for him. She sits on the floor
next to Willow, and brushes her hair out of her face.
Dawn picks up a mug of coffee, and just stares at it. She
finds that she's not very thirsty, so she just sets it back
down.
DAWN
Maybe I did something wrong.
BUFFY
No. This had to be done. It should
have been done a long time ago.
Suddenly, Willow starts to shake violently.
XANDER
What's happening.
Buffy and Dawn back away a little. Xander keeps hold of
Willow's hand and stays next to her. Her EYES RETURN TO
NORMAL, but soon begin to GLOW WITH A YELLOW LIGHT.
A jolt of YELLOW ENERGY bursts from Willow's entire body,
pulling her from, and dropping her back onto the couch
harshly.
The ENERGY DISSIPATES, leaving Willow on the couch, asleep.
For the first time in hours, she looks peaceful.
Buffy, Xander and Dawn can't take their eyes off of her.
Finally, Dawn breathes a sigh of relief.
DAWN
It's over.
She looks to Buffy, who looks back with a proud look in her
eyes. Dawn pulled it off. Buffy looks up and takes a deep,
relieved breath.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - WILLOW'S ROOM - DAY
Willow is sitting on her bed. She's cleaned herself up, but
still doesn't look great.
53.
In her hands, she's holding her necklace, which she's taken
off and is staring at.
Xander walks into her doorway. Willow doesn't look away from
her necklace. After a long beat, she speaks softly. Her
voice tells us that she's been crying.
WILLOW
After Kennedy took off, I was so
angry. I couldn't even stand the
thought of her.
(beat)
But I think that part of it was me
hating what I did, not what she did.
I wasn't hurt that she was gone, I
was disgusted by what I did to avoid
everything else in my life.
She grips her necklace harder.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
It's confusing. I can't tell what's
real about my life anymore and what's
not. Like the curtain's gone and I'm
just an old man with a giant
holographic head.
Xander steps into the room, and sits next to her.
XANDER
The things you did... It wasn't you.
WILLOW
I think it kinda was. I mean, it's
what I wanted. The power. The
attitude. I was somebody.
XANDER
And now you're suddenly an empty
void in space?
WILLOW
That thing- whatever was inside of
me- it was how I got the power, but
I was still pushing for it. I did
things that I can't believe I did. I
used people... But it was still me.
A part of me.
|
Just wanted to make the point as clearly as possible here that this was Willow. She wasn't being controlled by the thing inside of her in the same way as people usually think of these things. What Willow did was Willow. It was just a different side of Willow, being powered by a little mystical (and supercharged) voice in her head.
|
Willow holds up the necklace.
ANGLE ON : THE NECKLACE
The necklace that she's been holding onto is made of two
golden hearts, intertwining, and a small, shiny crystal
dangling in the center.
54.
XANDER
What is that?
WILLOW
It's all I have left of Tara.
Something she gave me.
(beat)
I used her too. From the day I met
her, I could feel her power. And the
way I treated her... I'm not sure
what was real and what was just my
need to get as much as I could from
her.
Willow starts to tear up.
WILLOW (CONT'D)
But it feels real. And I keep thinking
that was... What we did. I keep
thinking that if I feel that way
about you, then maybe I couldn't
have felt that way about her, and I
don't want that.
(beat)
But then I can't help feeling like
you and me finally have something
that I always wanted, and that feels
real too. I mean, with Kennedy I was
safe. I didn't feel this way. But
with you, it's like I'm gonna hurt
Tara because this thing I'm feeling
is supposed to be hers.
XANDER
Nobody's making you choose.
(beat)
Do you think that Tara would want
you to feel like this? Like you had
to stay alone forever?
Willow doesn't answer.
XANDER (CONT'D)
I might be saying this for my own
selfish reasons, I'm not really sure,
but it seems to me that Tara would
want you to be happy. She wouldn't
want you to feel guilty about moving
on.
(beat)
I love you, Willow. It took me a
long time to realize it, but I do.
And, I'm not gonna rush you, or make
you do something you don't want to
do, but I'm not gonna let you feel
bad about not feeling bad enough.
(MORE)
55.
XANDER (CONT'D)
It's not fair to you. The only
question you need to ask yourself
is, what do you feel right now?
What's real right now? Because this
is you. There's no mystical weirdness
in you anymore. No more excuses.
What you feel and think is all you
have to go by now.
Willow thinks about it for a long beat. Finally she looks at
him. There's a lot she wants to say to him, but the words
aren't coming.
She hesitates, and finally lets go of her necklace with one
hand. She moves the hand over, and takes Xander's.
She smiles, weakly. He smiles back, at her lame attempt at a
smile.
And there they sit.
FADE TO BLACK:
END OF SHOW
|