Episode 12 - Remedial Measures
ACT FOUR
INT. CHRISTOPHER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Buffy standing in the middle of the room, idly looking
around. Chris is at a side cabinet near Buffy, getting
himself a glass of Scotch. Buffy starts to take out
the tape in her bag, takes a look at it, then at
Christopher and wisely decides to place the tape back
in the bag. Never gonna fly.
BUFFY
(re the scotch)
You gonna offer me one?
CHRISTOPHER
(turning to look at Buffy)
You drink?
BUFFY
(putting her bag down)
Try me.
Christopher hands over the glass of Scotch he just
filled to Buffy.
BUFFY
(takes a look at the
glass, then up to
Christopher)
Here's to numbing the senses.
Buffy drinks up in one big gulp.
BUFFY
Just not the same without the thrill
of knowing you're breaking the law.
(to Christopher, holding
out her glass)
Hit me again.
Christopher looks at Buffy for a beat, then takes her
glass. He returns to the side cabinet but notices the
bottle of Scotch is empty. He then heads towards his
desk.
He notices the open black case on top of the desk. He
takes a look at Buffy who is busy inspecting books on
a shelf. He calmly closes it and turns behind him
where we see a collection of bottles on a tray placed
on an end table in the corner. He places the glass
down and begins to fill it from a bottle. With the
other hand, he reaches into his pocket.
CHRISTOPHER
(without looking back)
I'm surprised you're here. I didn't
think you'd want to set foot back in
this apartment ever again.
BUFFY
Don't flatter yourself. This is my
last refuge of choice.
ANGLE : CHRISTOPHER
a calm, composed look on his face.
CHRISTOPHER
Yes.. refuge.
We TILT down to his hands to see him opening a small
bottle of clear liquid.
CHRISTOPHER
Why aren't you with your sister?
Your friends?
BUFFY
Long story.
CHRISTOPHER
(looking down at his
hands)
I'm not going anywhere.
CLOSE ON : THE SMALL BOTTLE OF POISON
as Christopher carefully tilts it and lets a drop fall
into the glass of scotch.
BUFFY
(leaning against a couch)
They're just busy.. involved with
their own lives. It's no big really.
Christopher turns around and places the glass of
scotch on the table. He stands listening to Buffy.
BUFFY
I mean, Dawn's just getting to that
stage where she wants to be her own
person. Finding her own friends, her
own life away from big sister
slayer.. which is good, right? That
she's got something apart from what
I can give her?
Christopher stands silently.
BUFFY
And with everyone else, I don't
know. It's like, I'm starting to
drift away from them. It used to be
just me, Will and Xander. But now,
they're involved in these really
deep relationships and I just..
A silent beat.
CHRISTOPHER
You miss being their centre.
BUFFY
It's selfish, I know.
(considering for a beat)
But it's more than that. This whole
slayer deal? It's changing me. It's
pulling me away from them. With all
the things I've seen and done? I
just feel like killing's becoming a
little too easy. Sure, they're like
big, horny demons and soulless
vampires but I'm still ending life..
of sorts.
(almost to herself)
I should feel more.. shouldn't I?
Christopher takes a second look at the glass on the
table.
BUFFY
It's such an empty, ugly life.. and
it's poisoning everyone around me.
Dawn's always in danger and gets to
grow up without a family when all
she should be worried about at this
age is boys.. and maybe trig. Will
and Tara are going through this
weird funk because they're both
trying to protect each other from
this world I've dragged them into.
Xander and Anya are humping like
rabbits.
(a beat)
Okay, that last one didn't make any
sense. But you catch my drift.
Membership to the Friends of Buffy
Club is open to all willing to risk
their lives and/or have it
completely screwed up.
(a beat, then earnestly to
Christopher)
How does it work?
Christopher steps around the table, coming towards
Buffy.
CHRISTOPHER
Accept your destiny. Cut your ties
with your family and friends.
They'll be okay. Join us in the
Council and let us take care of you.
BUFFY
(disbelieving)
That's your answer?
CHRISTOPHER
Your problem is a simple one. This
life you want, that you're trying to
hold on to? It's not a slayer's
life. The prophecy states that she
alone will face the vampires..
BUFFY
(rolling her eyes)
Aah. Number one on the hit parade at
the Watcher's Council. It's got a
catchy tune but I just can't dance
to it.
CHRISTOPHER
(ploughing on)
The prophecy protects the slayer,
and her loved ones. It's a rough
deal Buffy. Don't think I don't know
that. But, this world needs a
slayer. The only bad thing about all
this is that you were never given a
choice. As the chosen one, you have
to change and adapt.
(earnestly)
Let me help you. All this pain and
worrying can dissapear.
BUFFY
How?
CHRISTOPHER
Become the slayer.. and all that
that entails.
A beat as the two stare each other down.
BUFFY
It's something that I can never
become.
CHRISTOPHER
What?
BUFFY
You.
Christopher seems a little stunned at first, a little
hurt.. then allows himself a small, quick laugh. His
body language changes as he heads back to the table
and picks up the glass of scotch.
CHRISTOPHER
(looking down solemnly at
the glass in his hand)
So be it.
A beat as he considers. He then turns around, walks to
Buffy and hands her the glass.
CHRISTOPHER
Here. It'll make all your troubles
go away.
Buffy takes the glass. Christopher turns his back on
Buffy and walks back towards a window, opening it to
look out.
BUFFY
(looking down at the glass
in her hand)
You understand don't you? This
slayer deal, it's just something I
do. I can't let it become my life. I
have to keep a little part of myself
for me, to keep me sane, to keep me
human.. Even if it's just a tiny
window in a dark, empty room.
Buffy looks up at Christopher.. waiting for a
response. Nothing.
BUFFY
What. All of a sudden, you've got
nothing to say.
ANGLE : CHRISTOPHER
looking out the window with Buffy in the background.
His eyes closed, dreading what may soon happen.
Buffy takes a look at the glass of scotch and starts
to raise it to her lips. She changes her mind. She
walks to the table and puts the glass down on it.
BUFFY
I shouldn't be here. I gotta get
back to Dawn.
Buffy leaves. Christopher slowly turns around and
looks at the full glass at the table. He considers for
a beat, then walks over to a small bureau by the bed.
He opens a drawer and takes out a knife. He exits.
EXT. SUNNYDALE STREETS - NIGHT
Buffy walking alone in a dark, lonely street (as per
usual). She hears a clinking sound, something metallic
striking the ground.
She follows the sound into..
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
A dead-end alley. Trash cans, a large dumpster and
overhanging fire escapes. Buffy steps in, following
the sound. She sees a crumpled figure ahead of her,
tugging vainly at a metal chain attached to it. Buffy
taps the shoulder of the figure.
The slave girl turns around to face Buffy, her eyes
filled with terror. Her mouth gagged. Buffy pulls out
the gag.
SLAVE GIRL
Please.. don't..
BUFFY
It's okay. I'm not going to hurt
you. What's going on here?
SLAVE GIRL
You don't understand.
The slave girl casts her eyes at the metal chain
that's attached to one of her feet. Buffy casts her
eyes downwards and looks at the chain.
ANGLE ON : THE CHAIN
from Buffy's POV. We PAN the length of the chain,
leading behind the two into a dark opening in the side
of the alley. From the darkness, Hathos steps out
carrying his scythe.
HATHOS
Remember me?
Hathos tugs at the chain with his scythe, tripping
Buffy over as the chain wraps around her feet. Buffy
flips back up.
BUFFY
God, doesn't anybody stay dead in
this town?
Buffy runs forward to attack Hathos. The slave girl
watches the fight in front of her as she continues to
tug at the chain.
Hathos swings wildly with his scythe, missing Buffy
and striking the walls, causing sparks to fly. Buffy
leaps into Hathos, kicking him in the chest and
knocking him back. Hathos backpedals but remains on
his feet.
Buffy is about to charge Hathos again when a torrent
of water splashes down in between the two combatants.
Buffy looks up.
REVERSE ANGLE:
A man with a bucket from a window above the alley.
BUCKET MAN
Damned cats.
He then squints, trying to get a better look in the
dark.
ANGLE : BUFFY
looking down on Buffy from Bucket Man's POV.
BUFFY
(to bucket man)
Do you mind? Kinda in the middle of
something here.
We PAN over from Buffy to Hathos, looking up angrily
at Bucket Man.
BUCKET MAN
(nervously)
Nice kitty.
Hathos emits a deafening roar. Bucket man withdraws
into the safety of his room as his window and the
windows in the alleyway shatter, streaming glass down
onto the alleyway.
Buffy, covering her ears, shields herself from the
glass by ducking down. Hathos stops his first bellow.
Hathos looks back down at Buffy. He takes another deep
breath in, readying himself for another roar.
Buffy acts quickly. She grabs the lid from a trash can
and flings it like a frisbee. It slams into Hathos'
open mouth, stopping him mid-roar.
BUFFY
Can it Pavarotti.
As Hathos struggles to remove the lid from his mouth,
Buffy rushes over to the large dumpster and flings it
at Hathos at great pace. The dumpster slams into
Hathos, knocking him to the ground and causing him to
drop his scythe.
Buffy rushes over, picks up the scythe and slams it
down on the chain, freeing the slave girl.
BUFFY
(to slave girl)
Quick! Get out of here!
The slave girl hesitates for a second, then runs away
towards the exit, staying well clear of Hathos who is
still on the ground. Before she can get clear,
however, Hathos' tail whips around her legs and brings
her to the ground. Hathos drags the girl towards her
as he rises to face Buffy. He holds the girl in front
of him, hands placed threateningly around her as if
ready to crush her.
HATHOS
(to Buffy)
Drop the scythe.
BUFFY
She's not part of our fight.
HATHOS
She is now.
BUFFY
Is this really how you want to do
this? Hiding behind a girl?
HATHOS
The result is all that matters. So
long as you're dead and I'm paid in
full.
(tightens his grip around
the wincing girl)
Now tell me slayer, are you willing
to sacrifice an innocent life to
save your own?
Buffy takes a look at Hathos, then to the girl.
HATHOS
Decide slayer! She's starting to
look a little pale.
Buffy lowers the weapon, then flings it up in the air.
The scythe sticks to the bottom of an overhanging fire
escape above the two combatants. Hathos snarls.
BUFFY
I'm sorry. Did you want it?
HATHOS
Don't need it.
Hathos flings the girl away, throwing her past Buffy
and into a pile of rubbish bags in the corner. The
girl stays down.
HATHOS
(to slave girl)
You.. stay!
(to Buffy)
You.. die!
Hathos starts to stride menacingly towards Buffy, step
by step. Buffy pulls out her stake from behind her
back. She takes a quick look up. Hathos laughs
contemptuously.
HATHOS
What exactly do you plan to do with
that puny weapon?
BUFFY
Why don't you come closer and find
out?
Hathos approaches. Buffy flings the stake, well over
Hathos' head.
HATHOS
Ha! You missed.
We see the stake strike the scythe, knocking it free
from the fire escape. It falls.
HATHOS
(oblivious)
I told you that you can't..
The scythe strikes the top of Hathos' head, burying
itself deeply into his cranium. Hathos just stands
there for a second, then like a great tree, falls to
the ground face-up, the scythe sticking up in the air.
BUFFY
Told ya. Try getting up from that.
Buffy turns and walks to the slave girl. She helps the
girl up from the bags. The girl still looks terrified
and a little disorientated.
BUFFY
It's okay. He's dead, see? C'mon.
Let's get out of here.
Buffy takes the still shaking girl by the arm and
starts to lead her away. They walk gingerly past the
lifeless body of Hathos. They get near the exit when
the girl suddenly turns around to look behind her.
ANGLE : BUFFY
shot from over the shoulder of the slave girl, with
Buffy in the foreground and the alley in the
background. We also see the handle of the scythe
sticking up in the air. We see the handle beginning to
move.
ANGLE : SLAVE GIRL
looking terrified.. trying to point something out to
Buffy. The girl backs away into a dark corner of the
alley, trying to hide in the shadows.
BUFFY
What is it?
Buffy turns around to see Hathos, slowly starting to
rise up again, the scythe still stuck in his head.
BUFFY
You have got to be kidding me.
ANGLE : CHRISTOPHER
at the entrance to the alleyway, watching Buffy's back
as she approaches Hathos.
Buffy walks up to Hathos, whose back is to Buffy, and
casually pulls out the scythe. She then swings the
scythe at Hathos' head, beheading him. His head falls
at her feet and the body collapses to the ground once
more.
Buffy drops the scythe and bends down to pick up the
head.
ANGLE : CHRISTOPHER
at the entrance to the alleyway as he exits off-
screen, moving towards Buffy.
CLOSE ON : A HAND CARRYING A KNIFE
shot from just behind the hand as it approaches
Buffy's back.
ANGLE : BUFFY
as she looks at the head in her hands. She turns it
around and notices something.
BUFFY
Hey! It's hollow!
CLOSE ON : A HAND CARRYING A KNIFE
as it gets very close to Buffy. The hand tightens
around the handle.. inches away now.
ANGLE : BUFFY
as she turns to see.. the slave girl crying out in
pain. Buffy stumbles backwards.
The girl drops to the ground to reveal Christopher
with a knife.
BUFFY
Chris! What are you doing?
Christopher bends down to the body and flicks a knife
away from the girl's hand.
BUFFY
What.. What's going on?
Christopher moves the girl's hair out of the way to
reveal a strange symbol on the girl's neck, like a
black rose.
CHRISTOPHER
The mark of the Guild of Assassins.
Buffy looks a little stunned.
CHRISTOPHER
(standing back up and
facing Buffy)
You never even saw her coming did
you?
Thw two stare at each other for a beat. Christopher
begins to walk away. He stops, addressing Buffy with
his back to her.
CHRISTOPHER
Watch your back Buffy. You can never
tell who your enemy is.
Christopher leaves, exiting the alley. Buffy stands
over the dead body of the girl and Hathos, looking on
at Christopher.
EXT. THE MAGIC BOX - DAY (DAY FOUR)
to establish.
INT. THE MAGIC BOX/TRAINING ROOM - DAY
All the Scoobs (sans Giles) are gathered in the
training room looking at a headless Hathos, sitting in
a corner of the training room, legs splayed and
lifeless. Buffy sits casually on top of a desk. Willow
gets up onto a chair next to Hathos and replaces the
head back onto the body. She steps back.
ANYA
It's so cute. Like one of those
stuffed giant bears Xander never
wins at carnivals.
WILLOW
(re the scythe next to
Hathos)
And hey plus, it comes with its own
accesories.
BUFFY
So this thing's like a robot? God, I
feel like such a Glory.
XANDER
Another robot? Okay, with all this
techy know-how, why haven't we
colonised Mars yet?
ANYA
I'm partial to Neptune myself, you
know, with all that water and those
singing underwater creatures.
Smily look between Dawn and Tara.
WILLOW
Actually, it's not a robot. More
like a giant mannequin. See, they're
like these magical crystals located
inside it that allow anyone with a
little magical ability to control
it. You just have to tune in to the
right frequency.
DAWN
That's so cool.
TARA
It's like the magical equivalent of
throwing your voice? Umm.. that
sounded right in my head.
WILLOW
Ooh, speaking of throwing your
voice, it even has its own voice box
so you can speak through it using
magic. Here, I'll show you.
Willow closes her eyes. Hathos' head turns towards
Xander.
HATHOS
(loud booming voice, to
Xander)
I shall rip off your arms and use
them to pick my teeth.
Xander freaks.
XANDER
Stop it!
HATHOS
(still in loud booming
voice)
Ease up Xander. It's just me. I'm
just gettin in the spirit of things,
me being an evil assassin boy-toy
and all.
XANDER
Buffy, make it stop!
Willow opens her eyes, smiling. Hathos' head slouches
down once more.
BUFFY
Okay, I geddit. The assassin was
controlling Mr Muscle here, using
him as a decoy? But why bother? Why
go to all that trouble?
XANDER
Well, think about it. What better
way to hide than in the shadows of
something so loud and hard to miss.
DAWN
(quietly to herself)
Know that feeling.
Buffy takes another look at Hathos. Willow nudges
Xander.
XANDER
So, Buff. A bunch of us were
thinkin' that maybe we should have a
party, you know, now that it looks
like you've got more time on your
hands.
BUFFY
Party?
XANDER
Yeah, you were Jonesing for some
quality Scooby time?
WILLOW
Yeah, we could have like a.. I'm
glad Buffy slayed her assassin
party.
DAWN
Or just.. I'm glad we're having a
party party.
TARA
(struggling for a theme)
Or I'm glad you're glad.. we're glad
that you're.. umm.. glad.. why don't
I just stop before that word loses
its meaning.
XANDER
So Buff, what d'ya say? You in for
it?
BUFFY
You know what guys? I actually have
things to do, people to see, demons
to slay.. you know the drill. I was
just feeling a little oogie
yesterday. No big.
DAWN
You sure?
BUFFY
Yeah, but you guys can totally go on
without me. Have a blast.
Buffy hops off the table and begins to head out of the
room.
DAWN
You're leaving?
BUFFY
(nods)
My keen slayer sense is telling me
that Giles needs me for something
slayery. Either that or I have to go
pee. Either way, it's gonna get
messy if I don't leave now.
A few concerned looks between the Scoobs. Not really
buying it.
ANYA
Are you sure you don't want us to
come with you? I mean, not to go see
you pee.. because if you actually
meant that, that would just be
uncomfortable.. you know, all of us
just standing around, waiting for
you to finish.
BUFFY
(smiling)
I'm fine you guys. I'll admit I had
some issues with the whole slayer
thing, but.. things have become
clearer since. I know how to deal..
what to do?
DAWN
(smiling)
We're glad.
Buffy exits. We see the Scoobs eventually work
themselves back into a more jovial mood.. talking,
laughing.
ANGLE : BUFFY
at the doorway, secretly watching everyone in the
training room. She watches them for a long beat..
happy to see them happy but also a tinge of sadness on
her face. She stares, as if trying to burn this image
into her memory.
BUFFY
(quietly to herself)
I know what I have to do.
She exits off-screen.
BLACKOUT
END OF SHOW
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