Episode 1 - Ripples
ACT TWO
INT. XANDER'S APARTMENT/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
The whole gang, sans Buffy and Giles, are here. They
are gathered around the television. Willow and Tara
are sitting on the couch. Anya and Dawn are sitting on
the floor. Xander is in the kitchen. He comes to the
couch bringing refreshments for all. He hands out the
drinks and then joins Willow and Tara on the couch.
XANDER
Aah, another fun Friday night with
my four favourite girls. Not for me,
the manly consumption of beer and
sports or other similar testorone-
raising activities. No, tonight I'm
happy just to sit back on my love-
seat, sip my sweet, yet refreshing
lemonade and watch..
Xander strains to see what's on TV. It's a nature
documentary.
WILLOW
Cute fluffy penguins
TARA
Cute fluffy penguins
ANYA
What they said.
XANDER
What? Will, I thought we agreed we
were watching that movie. You know,
the one where we agreed that Anya
could check out Antonio Banderas
while me and Tara get to scope out
Salma Hayek.
Willow gives Xander a look.
DAWN
I don't wanna watch that.
WILLOW
Besides, this was on, and I'm in the
mood for some waddly goodness.
ANYA
They are cute. Maybe I should get
one, you know, to go with my
antelope?
XANDER
OK. You do realise you guys are
turning me into a girl. It's bad
enough that I have to turn up to
work on Monday pretending to talk
about the game with the guys, but I
draw the line at..
(sees something on the TV)
Hey look! It fell over.
(snorted laugh)
Funny.
TARA
(to Xander)
Well, maybe we could call Mr Giles
and invite him over, I mean, if he's
not too busy.
XANDER
Giles? Please. Can you picture me
and Giles bonding over a cold
Brewski? Besides, he's busy at the
Magic Shop tonight, training with
Buffy.
DAWN
Like what's new.
TARA
(to Dawn)
Oh, Dawnie. I'm sure..
DAWN
All she cares about is slaying and
patrolling. Like, she even forgot
about tonight.
XANDER
(to Dawn)
You two have gone through a lot in
the last year. I know it has been
tough on you, but it has been tough
on Buffy too. She's got a lot to
deal with and she's kinda dealing
with it in her own way.
TARA
Yeah. I think she just needs to feel
in control again, to be able to
fight back.
Willow is starting to look a little uncomfortable with
the conversation.
WILLOW
(a little abruptly)
Oh look! That penguin's so cute.
There with the waddling and all.
All eyes turn back to the television.
TARA
Oh. And there's a sea lion, and
its.. um.. heading for the penguin.
The group stare at the television for a beat, watching
the events unfold. As the sea lion attacks the
penguin, Willow, Tara and Dawn let out a cry.
WILLOW
Quick, change the channel, change
the channel!
Xander fumbles with the remote and eventually manages
to change the channel.
ANYA
(annoyed)
Hey.
WILLOW
Well, that was upsetting.
XANDER
I don't know. It can be kinda
exciting, you know, like when they
show a whole bunch of gazelles and
there's a cheetah chasing them, and
you pick a gazelle and imagine it's
you and you see if you get caught
and eaten.
(off their looks)
Okay, just me then.
WILLOW
Sometimes, when I switch on the TV,
I just wanna be, you know,
entertained. I wanna see pink fluffy
rabbits bouncing across the screen.
ANYA
Hey!...again.
WILLOW
(to Anya)
Sorry.
(then)
It's just that, the world is an
upsetting enough place as it is. I
need a break from it once in a
while.
Tara looks at Willow, concerned, takes her hand,
showing that she understands.
XANDER
I hear ya.
ANYA
If we're not watching the penguins
anymore, can we please switch over
to the 'Sopranos'. I hear Tony is
going to take someone out with a
sledgehammer.
(off their looks)
What? I said please.
Willow makes a face, takes her and Tara's cup and
heads over to the fridge for a refill. She thinks she
sees someone outside the window. She walks up to the
window.
WILLOW
Hey.
XANDER
What?
WILLOW
I thought I saw somebody..
(looks again, sees
nothing)
Nothing. I guess I'm seeing things.
EXT. SUNNYDALE STREET/OUTSIDE XANDER'S APARTMENT -
NIGHT
From the street, we see the familiar glowing ring on
the hand of the mysterious stranger, looking up at
Willow in the lighted window. Panning to the right, we
see a giant, white, dog-like creature, standing next
to the figure. The creature is distracted by some
voices, of people walking nearby. It growls
menacingly, and in a flash, it has run off screen,
towards the voices.
INT. THE MAGIC BOX - DAY (DAY 2)
The Scooby Gang (minus Dawn and Anya) are here. They
are all seated around the table except for Giles, who,
as usual, is pacing around them.
BUFFY
There was another attack?
WILLOW
Yeah. Last night. It was on the
news.
BUFFY
Was anybody killed?
WILLOW
They're not sure. A bunch of people
were returning from a party when
some kind of dog attacked and
grabbed one of them. They're still
out looking for him.
GILES
Some kind of dog?
WILLOW
Well, they didn't get a good look.
All they saw was something big,
white and um.. growly.
TARA
Everyone in town's pretty freaked.
XANDER
Yeah. There was like nobody on the
streets when we drove over today.
BUFFY
Giles, What are we dealing with?
GILES
Well, I suppose it is possible that
it could simply be some kind of wild
animal which has wandered down from
the woods, looking for a fresh
supply of food.
XANDER
But then again, this is Sunnydale.
The proud home of the Hellmouth,
vacation town for demons.
BUFFY
Xander's right. All this just
feels,.. evil.
WILLOW
(a little troubled)
Could it have been a werewolf?
Tara gives Willow a nervous look. A beat.
GILES
I doubt it. The description doesn't
match what we know werewolves to be
like.
TARA
And last night wasn't a Wolf Moon.
(to Buffy)
Right?
Buffy nods. Willow looks a little more relieved.
GILES
I'm not exactly sure what it could
be. There are certainly any number
of possibilities. It could also be
something we've never encountered
before. I suppose we'll have to look
it up in the books.
Giles wanders off to the stacks to begin collecting
some research material.
BUFFY
Fine. You guys go into research mode
and I'll go out there and kill it.
WILLOW
Doesn't that kinda defeat the whole
purpose of, you know, research?
BUFFY
Will, I can't just sit back and do
nothing. People are getting killed
out there. This is my job. It's what
I have to do.
XANDER
I don't think you should go out
patrolling on your own. We don't
have a clue what we're dealing with
here but from what we've heard, it
sounds like you need some Scooby
backup.
BUFFY
I really don't think..
GILES
I agree with Xander. Until we know
more about what we are facing, it
would be best if you didn't patrol
alone.
WILLOW
Yeah, Xander and I will go with you
and Tara, Giles and Anya can handle
the research.
A little look from Tara.
BUFFY
Oh, Dawn. I don't want to leave her
all alone in the house with what's
roaming around in the streets.
TARA
Don't worry Buffy. Mr. Giles and I
will pick Dawn up and bring her
here. I think she'd like helping
with the research.
ANGLE : BUFFY
as Buffy looks unconvinced about this last statement.
Her face is blocked out when Giles places a whole
stack of books on the table, in front of the frame,
blocking out Buffy.
INT. THE MAGIC BOX - NIGHT
CLOSE ON SAME PILE OF BOOKS
As Anya picks them up to reveal a sullen Dawn, sitting
at the table.
DAWN
I can't believe she forced you guys
to look after me.
WIDEN
to reveal the same table at the Magic Shop at night,
now illuminated by the Magic Shop lights. Anya and
Tara are sitting on either side of Dawn. There are a
stack of books roughly strewn in front of them at the
centre of the table. They are slowly going through
them all.
DAWN
I'm not a kid anymore. I can look
after myself.
ANYA
In some cultures, girls your age are
expected to marry and bear children.
Giles walks into frame behind the girls, dropping off
some more books.
DAWN
See. And all I'm asking is for her
to trust me enough to let me..
(the rest of Anya's
sentence registering)
bear children?
Anya nods earnestly. Giles pauses for a beat, catching
the conversation late. A strange look upon his face.
GILES
Sometimes I have absolutely no idea
what you people are talking about.
Giles walks off to scour for more books.
TARA
(to Dawn)
Buffy's just looking out for you. I
think, with what's gone on recently,
she needs to know that you're safe.
DAWN
I don't need to be protected twenty-
four-seven.
TARA
I'm sure she knows that, but right
now, she needs to do this for you..
and for herself. Dawnie, you're her
little sister. She can't help it.
She loves you too much to risk
letting anything happen to you.
DAWN
(quietly)
Maybe.
TARA
Definitely. Trust me, I know.
DAWN
(more animatedly)
But she still shouldn't have made
you babysit, especially since you
guys are so busy with the busy.
TARA
Oh, but we're not babysitting. We
just thought that, with this new
evil, we needed all the help we
could get with the Scooby stuff.
(to Anya)
Right?
ANYA
Right.
TARA
And who's the super-smartest fifteen
year-old in Sunnydale? Dawn Summers.
Demons don't stand a chance.
Dawn is aglow with all the praise and attention. She
sits there beaming at Tara.
ANYA
(puts a large book in
front of Dawn)
Here, why don't you start with this.
I'll tell Giles to save you all the
big heavy books.
Dawn looks a little less happy.
EXT. SUNNYDALE STREET - NIGHT
It is a dark, quiet night in the streets of Sunnydale.
The streets are deserted and lighted only by street
lights. Willow, Xander and Buffy are out patrolling.
BUFFY
Wow. The town of the living dead is,
well, kinda dead with the living.
WILLOW
Even more than usual. I mean, the
whole summer's been a non-event,
slaying wise. Exactly when was
Sunnydale declared a vamp-free zone?
XANDER
Yeah. What's with that? I'm even
starting to miss Spike.
BUFFY
I don't know. But 'Slayless in
Sunnydale' here is starting to get a
little rusty. I mean, what good's a
slayer without her vampires?
XANDER
You know, if you think about it, we
haven't had a real big vamp nasty
for a while now. Let's see, in the
last three years, we've had to fight
a Municipal Official, Mary Shelley
and, oh yes, a God with a serious
God complex.
BUFFY
We've certainly been sampling the
variety pack recently. It's all been
new and exciting.
Buffy's demeanour changes as she senses something is
following behind them. She becomes quiet and tense.
WILLOW
(oblivious)
Say, have you guys ever noticed that
our immortal enemies always seem to
turn up at the same time each year,
and.. and there's always this big
fight at the end where we..
BUFFY
(cool and quiet)
We're being followed.
WILLOW
(startled)
What?
(then nervously)
Hungry doggy?
BUFFY
I'm not sure. I don't think so.
XANDER
Buffy, What's the plan?
CUT TO
A tall mysterious figure in a coat hugging the
shadows. It is obvious that he is following somebody.
We see his POV as he spies on the gang ahead. The gang
turns round a corner into an alley. He follows but
when he enters the alley, he sees Willow and Xander
but not Buffy. He looks around, puzzled, looking for
Buffy.
Suddenly, Buffy swings down from the fire escape above
him and knocks him to the ground.
BUFFY
Looking for me?
The stranger gets up and looks at Buffy. We get our
first good look at him. He is tall, thin, almost
skeletal and very pale. He is bald except for a ridge
of small horns along the centre of his skull. He
doesn't look like he has the strength to take Buffy
on.
BUFFY
(appraising the stranger)
Okay, the supermodel look, not
really working for you.
His black eyes begin to glow green, pulsing on and
off, as does his ring. He smiles, revealing jagged,
crooked teeth.
Buffy is a little unnerved and takes out her crossbow.
The stranger removes his coat, nothing but skin and
bones. He then camouflages himself by turning his
skin, chameleon-like, into the colours and patterns of
the wall behind him.
Buffy is startled and cannot see him. The stranger
rushes away from Buffy. He is surprisingly fast. We
can hear him running, see objects being knocked out of
the way and just make out his figure as his skin
constantly changes colors to accomodate for the
varying backgrounds.
Buffy takes a shot with the crossbow but misses. She
chases after him into another alleyway.
EXT. SUNNYDALE TOWN/ALLEYWAY - NIGHT
Buffy enters the alleyway but can't see the stranger.
Suddenly, a giant white dog-like creature leaps from
the shadows in front of Buffy. It snarls, distorting
its human-like face, revealing its fangs. Buffy
freezes.
BLACK OUT
END OF ACT TWO