Episode 19 - Take Two
ACT FOUR
INT. GILES' APARTMENT/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
..from where we left off. Natasha stands with the
knife held over the sleeping Giles on the couch. We
see the knife slowly lowering, getting closer and
closer to Giles. The knife lingers close to Giles'
neck.
ANGLE : NATASHA
her eyes still wild and menacing. She stares at Giles
for a long beat.
ANGLE : GILES
still with the knife held close to his neck as he
sleeps. Slowly, we see the knife lifted up and away
off-screen. We hold on the sleeping Giles for a beat
as we hear footsteps walking away.
INT. GILES' APARTMENT/BATHROOM - NIGHT
ANGLE ON : AN OPEN MEDICINE CABINET
which we spot very briefly before someone closes the
cabinet door to reveal..
ANGLE : NATASHA
in the reflection of the cabinet mirror door. Her face
is a wreck. Her eyes are red and sweat is starting to
form on her brow.
She stares hard at her reflection as we hear the
shrieking sounds of the violins build in intensity
again. She runs the tap and drenches her face in
water.. trying to shake the thoughts away.
She looks up again at her reflection. The violins
continue to shriek.. building up in intensity. She
breathes hard. Her eyes look downwards.
REVERSE ANGLE : THE KNIFE
placed on the side of the hand-basin. Her hand slowly
reaches for the knife.
ANGLE : NATASHA
off the reflection in the mirror. Her eyes look back
up towards her image in the mirror. We see the knife
slowly enter into frame as she holds it to her neck.
Her breathing becomes rapid and her eyes focus
intensely on her reflection. The violins shriek to a
crescendo. She closes her eyes and just as she starts
to slide the blade across her neck (from left to
right), we WHIP PAN in the same direction.. away from
the mirror to..
INT. GILES' APARTMENT - DAY (DAY FOUR)
ANGLE : GILES
sleeping on the couch. The sun is up and all is quiet
and calm. Birds chirp away in the background.
Giles awakens and slowly gets up from the couch,
looking a little bleary-eyed. He puts on his glasses
and looks around the room.
GILES
Natasha?
No answer. Giles walks off in search of Natasha. He
wanders over to the guestroom door and knocks on it.
GILES
Natasha?
Again, no answer. He opens the door and looks in. The
room is empty.
CLOSE ON : GILES
from the front, looking a little concerned. He walks
off-screen revealing the closed bathroom door at the
other end of the room. We slowly DOLLY in towards the
bathroom door as we hear Giles walking to and fro off-
screen, looking for Natasha.
We continue to DOLLY in towards the bathroom door. We
slowly get closer and closer to it.. beckoning us to
open it. Giles walks briefly past the camera, heading
for the front door. We hear him open the door off-
screen and then close it a beat later.
The bathroom door is very close now as we continue to
DOLLY in. Once we are about half a metre away from it,
Giles' hand comes into view and opens the door for us.
We continue to DOLLY in, through the open door and
into..
INT. GILES' APARTMENT/BATHROOM - DAY
where we see the bathroom is also empty. We stop the
DOLLY when we are in the middle of the bathroom. We
then PAN around to the right to see a note stuck to
the medicine cabinet mirror. We see a hand reach out
and grab the note as we continue to PAN around until
we settle on Giles who now opens up the note and reads
it. After a reading the note for a beat, he looks up..
concerned.
We prelap:
ANYA (V.O.)
She's skipping town?
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / LIVING ROOM - DAY
where we see the gang congregated. Buffy is busy
gathering weapons while Giles consults a map.
ANYA
After all that we did for her?
(arms crossed; snitty)
Imagine.. leaving without so much as
a 'speciba'.
DAWN
(defensive)
She's just scared.. you know..
because of what's happening to her?
TARA
And you know, we shouldn't forget
Sasha. I mean, I'm sure she just
wants to get away from her.. umm..
self?
WILLOW
(becoming reflective)
How exactly do you run away from
your shadow?
GILES
Well, let's just concentrate on
finding her for now shall we? We'll
split up and check the usual places.
The airport, the bus terminal, the
train station.
XANDER
Oh! We could take a pass by the
roads out of town.. you know, in
case she's ditching and hitching.
GILES
Failing that, we should look at
places where she could be hiding.
Somewhere she might feel safe.
WILLOW
In Sunnydale? Heck, if I was her,
I'd express post myself outta here
the first chance I get and mail
myself to the East Coast within two
working days.
ANYA
Considering they charge by weight, I
don't think we would have enough
funds in the store to cover it.
Willow shoots a glare at Anya. Tara notices.
TARA
(to Willow)
She's teasing.
ANYA
Yes.. teasing.
Willow turns away.
ANYA
(softly to herself)
..but factually correct.
BUFFY
(to Giles)
Maybe we're looking at this all
wrong. Maybe she doesn't want to be
found. I mean, we laid it all out
for her.. her options, what we were
willing to do? If she still chooses
to get gone, maybe we should just
let her go.
GILES
I doubt if she's in any condition to
make that decision for herself.
DAWN
(to Buffy)
And, you know.. she could totally
help us defeat the General. I mean,
isn't that what we all want?
Buffy seems to be placated for now.
BUFFY
Well, I'm still not loving the idea
of us splitting up.
Giles hands out various weapons to the Scoobs..
getting ready to head out.
GILES
We'll stop searching before
nightfall. We'll keep in small,
tight groups. If anyone comes across
the General or any of his men, get
back into your cars and regroup with
the rest of us. Do not engage.
ANYA
Really? Because I was planning to
invite them over for a midnight
luau.
GILES
(giving Anya a stern look)
Anya, your sarcasm isn't really
appreciated at this point in time.
Giles heads off and out the door. The rest of the
Scoobs follow behind.. Anya lagging behind the rest of
them.
ANYA
(a little chagrined; to
herself and a little
petulantly)
Judging by you people, I had the
impression it was what kept the
world spinning around.
Anya follows everyone else out the front door.
EXT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DAY
as the Scoobs approach Giles' car and Xander's (new)
car which are parked outside.
BUFFY
(to everyone)
Remember, we have to find her before
nightfall. I have a feeling Sasha
will be looking for her too.
The Scoobs separate and pile into the two cars.
ANGLE ON : THE TWO CARS
from the POV of a camera placed in the middle of the
road as the two cars drive off away from us and
dissapear into the distance. A beat later, we see a
blue van drive past us and follow the two cars. It too
dissapears off-screen. We hold on the shot of the
empty road for a beat.
Natasha enters into shot, walking to the middle of the
road. Cue urgent music.
Natasha looks down the road to make sure the cars have
gone. She looks back up to the house for a beat, then
walks off-screen.. heading towards it.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/KITCHEN - DAY
ANGLE ON : BACK KITCHEN DOOR
which we see is open, its glass window broken. We can
hear a commotion coming from somewhere in the house as
we slowly DOLLY out from the kitchen door and move
backwards through the kitchen and into..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / LIVING ROOM - DAY
where the noise is louder. As we continue to DOLLY
backwards.. moving further into the living room, we
see strewn pieces of paper and random objects on the
floor. The place is a mess, looking like a hurricane
has been through it. We PAN right to see cupboards
open, desk drawers lying on the floor and eventually
Natasha.. kneeling on the floor and furiously sifting
through the contents of another desk drawer in her
hands.
ANGLE ON : NATASHA'S FACE
filled with terror and desperation. Looking like a
junkie in a need of a fix.. searching for relief. As
she searches, voices play out in her head.. slightly
overlapping each other.
SASHA (V.O.)
You have to find the amulet.
GILES (V.O.)
You are human Natasha.
SASHA (V.O.)
You and I are one.
GILES (V.O.)
Take that first step with me.
SASHA (V.O.)
We will be a family once more. But
you have to find the amulet first.
Natasha finds nothing in the drawer. She flings the
drawer away in frustration and sits back on her heels
for a beat. She looks up at the roof above her.
A montage follows.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/BUFFY'S BEDROOM - DAY
as we slowly DOLLY from left to right, from one end of
the room to the other. We slowly reveal Natasha
tearing the room apart, desperately searching for the
amulet. We DOLLY past Natasha and leave her behind as
we reach the end of the room. We go to black as we
cross the imaginary wall and into..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/JOYCE'S BEDROOM - DAY
as we continue to slowly DOLLY from left to right. We
slowly reveal Natasha thrashing this room as well,
pulling clothes out of drawers. We DOLLY past Natasha
and through the next wall and into..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/DAWN'S BEDROOM - DAY
as we continue to DOLLY from left to right. We now
notice that a considerable time has passed as it is
starting to get dark outside the window. We stop the
DOLLY when we see Natasha. She is standing over an
open drawer of a credenza, frantically searching.
CLOSE ON : NATASHA'S FACE
sweating.. her eyes wild and desperate.
She pulls the last remaining item out of the drawer,
then pulls out the drawer itself and throws it on the
bed behind her. She reaches into the open cavity of
the credenza with her hand, trying to feel for some
hidden compartment. She gives up after a beat, and
slumps against the credenza.. looking defeated. She
breathes hard. Her eyes look up to see something.
REVERSE ANGLE : A FRAMED PICTURE OF DAWN AND BUFFY
standing on top of the credenza, inches from her face.
Natasha stares long and hard at the smiling faces
staring back at her. Her face curious and thoughtful
at first, then angry. Suddenly, with a quick movement,
she reaches up and slams the picture frame face down..
Bang!..
EXT. SUNNYDALE BUS TERMINAL - DAY (ALMOST NIGHT)
..as we see and hear someone slam the car door shut.
We TILT up to see Buffy and Giles just out of Giles'
car and outside the well-lighted and busy bus
terminal.
Buffy is talking on the mobile phone as Giles stares
at the windowed front entrance of the bus terminal as
he waits.
BUFFY
(into phone)
Are you sure?
INT. SUNNYDALE AIRPORT / MAIN TERMINAL - DAY (ALMOST
NIGHT)
where we see Xander talking on the mobile phone to
Buffy. We see Anya and Dawn standing close to him,
looking around at the faces passing by them.
XANDER
(into phone)
We looked all around. We don't see
her anywhere.
BUFFY (V.O.)
(voice on phone)
I guess the airport was always gonna
be a long shot.
XANDER
Yeah, and Will and Tara just called.
They haven't found her either.
EXT. SUNNYDALE BUS TERMINAL - DAY (ALMOST NIGHT)
BUFFY
Great. Just terrific.
Buffy pinches the bridge of her nose, looking tired
and out of ideas.
BUFFY
Look, me and Giles are back at the
bus terminal, just in case we missed
her the first time round. If she's
not here.. well, I don't know.
(takes a deep breath)
We've been looking all day. Maybe we
should start winding things down.
INT. SUNNYDALE AIRPORT / MAIN TERMINAL - DAY (ALMOST
NIGHT)
XANDER
We could circle around for a couple
of hours. Who knows? We might get
lucky.
EXT. SUNNYDALE BUS TERMINAL - DAY (ALMOST NIGHT)
BUFFY
Okay.. fine.
(then noticing the dark
sky above her)
No, wait. It's getting dark. You
guys better drop Dawn off home
first.
INT. SUNNYDALE AIRPORT / MAIN TERMINAL - DAY (ALMOST
NIGHT)
XANDER
Drop Dawn home. Got it.
Dawn overhears and stomps defiantly towards Xander and
the phone.
DAWN
(petulantly)
I don't wanna be dropped home!
EXT. SUNNYDALE BUS TERMINAL - DAY (ALMOST NIGHT)
Buffy hears Dawn on the phone and rolls her eyes. She
looks peeved and impatient.
BUFFY
(sternly)
Put her own.
INT. SUNNYDALE AIRPORT / MAIN TERMINAL - DAY (ALMOST
NIGHT)
as Xander turns around slowly and holds out the phone
to Dawn.. almost wincing as he anticipates the
fireworks to come. Dawn grudgingly takes the phone
from Xander and slowly puts it to her ear.
DAWN
(into phone)
Hello?
We see Dawn's blank expression as she listens calmly.
She nods here and there as the one-way conversation
carries on. Eventually, Dawn takes the phone from her
ear, switches it off, then hands it back to Xander.
DAWN
(calmly to Xander)
Drop me home.
EXT. SUNNYDALE BUS TERMINAL - DAY (ALMOST NIGHT)
where we see Buffy putting her mobile phone away in
her coat pocket. She turns to look at Giles who is
still scanning the faces inside the bus terminal.
Buffy walks up beside him.
BUFFY
Giles?
GILES
(without turning away)
She's out there.
Giles walks off off-screen and towards the bus
terminal. After a beat, Buffy follows.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/DAWN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
in a dark room, where we see Natasha sitting on the
floor against the wall, her head in her scraped and
bloody hands.. silently sobbing. We WIDEN to reveal
the complete mess she has made of the room. Pretty
much everything has been torn apart, and the floor and
bed is filled with random items.. clothes, paper,
books, etc..
Suddenly, her head bolts upright and her hands reach
over her ears, as if trying to block some phantom
sound. Her face distorts in pain. She begins to hit
the sides of her head with her hands.
NATASHA
Stop it! Stop it!
We then suddenly hear a car door slamming off-screen.
Natasha hears it too as she is jolted out of her pain.
She crawls quickly towards the window.. keeps low for
a beat as if hiding from the sound, then slowly rises
to peek through the curtains of the window.
REVERSE ANGLE : DAWN
looking down on Dawn from Natasha's POV. Dawn is
saying a few silent goodbyes to Xander and Anya in the
car, then she turns and runs over to towards the front
door of the house.
Natasha slides back down from the window, her back
against the wall. Her cold eyes stare off into the
distance for a beat. She then rises so that the top of
her body dissapears from our sight and the knife she
is holding in her hand appears in full sight. She
walks slowly and deliberately towards the camera.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / FOYER - NIGHT
as the front door opens and Dawn enters. She flicks
the lights on via the light switch by the door, then
turns back towards Xander and Anya outside.
DAWN
(yelling)
I'm good!
She waves as we hear Xander's car take off and
dissapear. Dawn closes the door and turns around,
taking off her coat and shoes.
She stomps off into..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
where she stops short as she sees the scene before
her. Her eyes widen in shock. The living room has been
torn apart and everything has been moved. The floor is
littered with objects. There is some broken glass here
and there.
After a silent beat of shock, Dawn runs into the
kitchen.
ANGLE ON : EMPTY LIVING ROOM
from someone's POV as we silently and slowly walk
towards the kitchen ourselves. We peek around the
corner to see Dawn on the phone in the kitchen with
her back to us.
DAWN
Come on. Come on.
As Dawn suddenly spins around to look towards us (the
POV), we quickly duck back out of sight and turn back
to face the living room.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/KITCHEN - NIGHT
ANGLE : DAWN
looking out towards the living room with the cordless
phone pressed against her ear. Her face filled with
concern but obviously not having seen whoever has been
watching her. We hear a dial tone emanate from the
phone, then a click and..
BUFFY (V.O.)
Hello?
DAWN
(urgently and talking very
quickly)
Buffy! Something's happened! I just
got back and there's stuff
everywhere! Like all over the place.
INT. SUNNYDALE BUS TERMINAL - NIGHT
where we see Buffy talking in the phone. Giles watches
Buffy with concern. We see some people walking around
them and others sitting in chairs behind them, waiting
for the next bus.
BUFFY
Calm down. Just tell me what's going
on.. slowly.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
as Dawn returns back into the living room with the
phone by her ear, taking a second look at the mess
around her.
DAWN
Someone's been here.. been through
our stuff! The place is thrashed.
INT. SUNNYDALE BUS TERMINAL - NIGHT
BUFFY
Our place? You're there now?
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
DAWN
I'm in the living room.
We hear a loud bump off-screen.. in the general
direction of the foyer. Dawn's eyes widen and dart
towards the sound. She looks scared and stops
breathing for a beat.
BUFFY (V.O.)
(from the phone)
Dawn? Dawn?
Dawn stares at the foyer for a beat, hardly daring to
move.
DAWN
(quietly; her eyes fixed
at the foyer)
Buffy.. there's a noise.
INT. SUNNYDALE BUS TERMINAL - NIGHT
where we see Buffy and Giles already starting to run
towards the exit of the terminal.
BUFFY
(into phone)
Dawn, get out of the house now!
Dawn! Can you hear me? Run away from
the noise!
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
where we see Dawn beginning to take a few tentative
steps towards the foyer. She lowers the phone as she
walks.
DAWN
Natasha?
No response. Dawn walks over to the other end of the
room so she can get a clear view of the staircase. She
looks up near the top of the empty and dark staircase.
No movement. No sound.
ANGLE : DAWN
from someone's POV as we approach Dawn from behind..
from the kitchen. Dawn is still staring up the stairs
with the phone lowered in one hand.
BUFFY (V.O.)
(urgently)
Dawn! Answer the phone!
We are very close to Dawn now, almost right behind
her. A hand reaches out and gently touches strands of
Dawn's hair.. lovingly caressing it. Dawn is oblivious
to the threat behind her. The hand drops out of view.
Dawn, as if sensing something, slowly turns her head
around to face us. Her eyes widen in shock as she sees
us.
A fist comes flying into view and knocks Dawn down and
off-screen.
ANGLE ON : LIVING ROOM
POV from the floor level as Dawn lands hard on the
floor in centre frame in front of us. Her eyes are
closed. The phone drops to the floor in the foreground
very soon after and blocks our view of Dawn.
BUFFY (V.O.)
Dawn! Dawn!
A hand reaches slowly down from the top of frame and
disconnects the call with an extended finger. Click.
As the hand withdraws and dissapears out of view, we
TILT up past the phone and Dawn's unconscious body
to.. a shocked Natasha standing at the doorway to the
kitchen.. metres away from Dawn.. too far away to have
hit Dawn.
Natasha stares at Dawn for a beat, then looks up and
to the left of screen at someone. We PAN left to
follow to reveal.. a vamped Sasha, standing over Dawn
and looking down at her. She slowly turns to Natasha
and smiles.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
as we see a car travelling at great speed; its
headlights on.
INT. GILES' CAR - NIGHT
where we see Giles concentrating at the wheel and
Buffy with the mobile phone at her ear. Buffy listens
to the phone for a beat, then drops the phone down in
frustration.
BUFFY
(to Giles)
I can't get a hold of Xander!
GILES
(eyes on the road; calmly)
We'll soon be there.
Buffy turns her eyes back to the road, her face
displaying her concern.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Natasha looking shocked at Sasha who stands over the
unconscious body of Dawn.
NATASHA
How did you get in?
SASHA
(in her menacing, raspy
voice)
You were invited. I was invited.
Sasha takes a lazy look at the walls of the living
room.
SASHA
So, this is how the mighty slayer
lives. I must say, I imagined more
pastels.
Sasha then looks at the mess Natasha has made of the
room.. books, broken debris lay on the floor.
SASHA
..but I like your recent
renovations. Clutter is 'in' this
season, isn't it?
Natasha looks frail, weak and desperate.. again, like
a junkie in need of a fix.
NATASHA
I can't find it anywhere. I've
looked and looked.
SASHA
(condescendingly)
You've looked and looked?
Sasha shakes her head.. as if dissapointed in Natasha.
SASHA
Silly girl. This isn't the way. They
wouldn't just leave it out in the
open. It may not even be in here.
No, no.. that's a different game.
The one we're playing has to do with
trust.. remember? They'll tell you
where it is soon enough.
NATASHA
No. It's over! They won't trust me.
SASHA
Of course they will.
Sasha picks up a garish porcelain pony figurine, one
of the few things still intact, from the table next to
her and curiously looks at it.
SASHA
This, you didn't break?
NATASHA
(ignoring Sasha's comment)
They won't trust me. Not if I tell
them about our plan.. about
everything we've discussed.
Sasha laughs.
SASHA
Do you honestly think that's going
to make a difference?
Natasha looks at Sasha quizzically.
SASHA
They are human.. as you are.
Eventually.. invariably, they will
always see the good in people.. even
in one quite as worthless as you. It
is their nature.. their weakness. It
is their failure as a species and it
is why we have already won.
NATASHA
(desperation in her eyes
and voice)
No. You have to take me back now!
Can't you see what this is doing to
me? To us?
SASHA
Us? Why, I feel fine in the world.
In fact, I feel stronger without you
inside me.
Natasha lunges at Sasha, grabbing her shoulders.
NATASHA
(almost in tears)
Please!
Sasha slaps Natasha hard across the face; sending her
sprawling backwards and onto the floor. Sasha looks at
her hand and smiles to herself.. looking as if she
enjoyed the experience.
SASHA
(to herself)
Never knew I was a masochist.
Natasha, on the floor, holds one hand to her face,
then looks up towards Sasha. We can see a change has
occured. She looks less afraid and desperate.. angrier
but also calmer. She looks down from Sasha at
something.
REVERSE ANGLE : DAWN
from Natasha's POV at ground level. We see Dawn lying
unconscious, her eyes closed and facing us. We see
blood trickling slowly down from a cut on her head.
SASHA
(looking at Natasha;
angrily)
I've had about enough of your
whimperings. Now this is what you're
going to do. Since saving the
slayer's sister worked so well the
first time, we may as well make it a
double. Tell them I broke in and did
all this looking for the amulet.
(nodding to Dawn)
Our little lamb here caught me in
the act and I hit her. This, she
will attest to herself.
Natasha, concentrating more on Dawn than on Sasha,
begins to crawl forward towards Dawn.. a look of
concern on her face.
SASHA
Then you came in and saved the day
by chasing me away. See? You get to
play the hero for once in your life.
Remember, the sooner you get them to
tell you where the amulet is, the
sooner you can return to me and we
can be rejoined. But, if you fail
me.. if you betray me once more, I
will make sure you spend the rest of
your days as a human, chained up in
the General's dungeons where you
will have plenty of time to dream
those sweet dreams of yours.
Natasha is barely listening to Sasha now as she has
now crawled over to Dawn. She places a hand on Dawn's
neck, feeling for a pulse. Sasha looks down at the two
of them at her feet.
Natasha tears off a piece of cloth from her top and
begins to use it to dab away at the blood running down
Dawn's head. Sasha looks at the crimson red blood with
interest.
Just as Natasha reaches for Dawn's forehead again,
Sasha casually places a foot in between Natasha and
Dawn, blocking her from helping Dawn.
SASHA
(eyes on Dawn)
Leave it.
Natasha looks up at Sasha. She sees the building
hunger in Sasha's eyes.. recognising it immediately.
NATASHA
No! You can't! You said it youself.
The plan is for me to save her.
SASHA
(eyes still on Dawn)
There's no harm in sampling. I can
do it without killing her.
Sasha reaches down and grabs a corner of Dawn's jacket
and begins to tug her up towards her. Natasha grabs
Sasha's arm.
NATASHA
(firm and decisive)
No.
Sasha and Natasha have a stare-off. Natasha doesn't
flinch. Meanwhile, Dawn begins to come to.. making
murmuring noises.
We hear a screeching of a car outside. Sasha turns to
the window and sees lights outside. Natasha continues
to have a firm hold of Sasha's arm.. eyes never
wavering off Sasha.
Sasha turns back to Natasha and smiles. She releases
Dawn who tumbles back down into Natasha's arms.
SASHA
Remember. I'll be watching.
With that, Sasha speeds off away from the living room,
through and out the kitchen back door. She hides in
the dark just outside, watching.
Natasha bows her head and silently watches Dawn
cradled in her arms. Time seems to slow down as
Natasha gently brushes some hair off Dawn's face. She
turns her hand towards herself and sees some of Dawn's
blood smeared across her fingers. She stares intently
at the blood, then brings her hand to her mouth..
tasting the blood with her tongue. She closes her
eyes.
We hear the sounds of car doors slamming outside. Dawn
finally opens her eyes and looks up at Natasha above
her.. looking confused.
DAWN
Natasha?
Natasha opens her eyes and looks down at Dawn, puts a
hand on her head and smiles.
NATASHA
(softly)
Shh.. It'll soon be over.
Buffy and Giles burst through the front door. Buffy
sees Natasha cradling Dawn in the living room.
BUFFY
Dawn!
Buffy and Giles rushes into the living room as Natasha
stands and begins to back away.
BUFFY
(threateningly to Natasha)
Get away from her!
DAWN
Buffy, it's okay. It wasn't her.
Buffy rushes over to Dawn and helps her onto the
couch. She places the crossbow she is carrying onto
the couch next to her. Natasha eyes it.
BUFFY
Dawn. Are you okay? Oh my God,
you're bleeding.
DAWN
(glancing periodically at
Natasha; still confused)
I'm fine. It's just a cut.
Giles hands Buffy a piece of cloth which Buffy uses to
dab away at Dawn's wound. Natasha, meanwhile, backs
further away from the scene.. as if wanting to
dissapear.
BUFFY
(to Dawn)
What happened?
DAWN
I'm not sure.
(searching her memory)
I came home.. and then I called
you.. and I turned around.. Sasha.
GILES
(turning to Natasha)
Sasha?
BUFFY
Wait, she was in the house?
GILES
She must have been looking for the
amulet.
Buffy stands up and looks urgently around.
DAWN
Yeah.. and the next thing I remember
was..
(turns to Natasha)
You.
GILES
Natasha?
All eyes turn to Natasha. Natasha looks at the faces
staring at her, then past them towards the kitchen.
REVERSE ANGLE : SASHA
staring with a grin through the kitchen window..
staring back at Natasha.
Natasha stands rooted at the spot, unable to speak..
thoughts racing through her mind.
Giles begins to step towards her.
GILES
(gently)
Natasha. I think..
NATASHA
(cutting him off)
It's a trap.
ANGLE : SASHA
Her smile dissapearing fast as she stares angrily
through the kitchen window.
A beat of silence in the confused living room.
BUFFY
What's a trap?
NATASHA
I was the one who did all this. I
was the one looking for the amulet.
Giles seems taken slightly aback.. absorbing it all
in.
NATASHA
Everything that has happened ever
since that night has been a show..
to get you to trust me.. to get you
to reveal the location of the amulet
to me.
GILES
(staring hard at Natasha;
figuring it out)
You've been working for Sasha.. all
this time.
ANGLE : DAWN
in shock.. not believing her ears.
NATASHA
It's a lie Rupert.
(laughs ruefully to
herself)
It's always been a lie.
A beat as the room takes this all in. Dawn gets up
from the couch and takes a step towards Natasha.
DAWN
That night.. when you saved me. Was
that part of the plan?
(disgusted)
Part of the show?
Natasha looks at Dawn, hesitating before answering.
NATASHA
I'm sorry.
Dawn, looking hurt, casts her eyes downwards.. as if
coming to a realisation. She sits back down onto the
couch, her head down.. completely deflated.
Natasha turns from her to look at Giles who just
stares at her for a beat. Natasha waits expectantly
for a reaction.
GILES
(calmly)
Buffy. I think we better call Willow
and Tara and get them over here to
disinvite Sasha.
Buffy looks at Giles, then to Natasha, and back to
Giles before slowly getting off the couch.
BUFFY
Check.
Buffy wanders off and picks up the phone from the
ground and begins to dial.. heading off towards the
foyer as she does so.
GILES
Once that is done, I think it
perhaps best if we all stay here
tonight. Keep together.
Giles turns away from Natasha and begins to walk
towards Buffy.
NATASHA
Wait! What about me? Aren't you
going to do anything about me?
GILES
(turning to Natasha)
And what would you like us to do
with you?
NATASHA
Throw me out! Do something! For
God's sake Rupert, give up on me!
GILES
(again.. calmly)
You made a mistake Natasha.. but you
are not the enemy.
NATASHA
Dammit Rupert! Listen to me! You
have to stop trusting me. Don't you
see? That's what she wants. In the
end, I will betray you and take the
amulet. I will harm you.
GILES
No.. you won't. You're not capable
of it. And I'm not going to give up
on you that easily.. not when
there's something worth fighting
for.
Natasha stares disbelievingly at Giles.. at a loss for
words. Seeing that Giles is not going to be swayed,
she slumps backwards against the wall.. all the wind
taken out of her.
NATASHA
(weakly; sadly.. her eyes
dropping to the floor)
You have to stop seeing something in
me that isn't there.
Giles, seeing the obvious pain Natasha is in, softens
in his demeanour and takes a couple of steps towards
Natasha. Dawn, also having listened in on the
conversation, stands and takes a few tentative steps..
standing behind Giles.
GILES
Things will become clearer once
we've separated you from Sasha.
With the mention of Sasha's name, Natasha looks up to
Giles.. suddenly alert again.
GILES
You'll see.
Natasha now looks past Giles to the kitchen, then down
to something else.
REVERSE ANGLE : A CROSSBOW
left on the couch by Buffy. We hear thunder outside
and the sound of rain as it begins to pelt down.
GILES
I know you're scared but you have to
know that you are a stronger person
than you think you are. You have to
know that you're going to get
through this.
Natasha looks back at Giles.
GILES
We will help you. I promise, I'll be
there every step of the way. Believe
me Natasha, I will find a way to
separate you from Sasha.
Natasha stares intently at Giles for a beat.
NATASHA
I believe you.
Natasha slowly steps towards Giles.. looking defeated
and accepting of Giles' words. She comes in close to
Giles. She turns her head and slowly leans in towards
Giles' chest.
Suddenly, she pushes her hands hard against Giles'
chest. Giles, caught by surprise, stumbles backwards.
Before anyone can do anything, Natasha grabs Dawn and
pulls out the knife from behind her back. She holds
Dawn, who is facing away from her, close to her with
an arm across Dawn's chest. She holds the knife up
against the side of Dawn's neck.
GILES
No!
Buffy, in mid-phone conversation, turns towards the
living room.
BUFFY
Dawn!
ANGLE : SASHA
staring in from outside the kitchen window. Her face
becomes furious as she presses her face close to the
window.. her hand pressing against it.
Buffy drops the phone and rushes in from the foyer and
instinctively grabs the crossbow from the couch and
aims it at Natasha. Natasha turns to face Buffy..
turning Dawn with her. Most of her body is hidden
behind Dawn's.
NATASHA
Stay back.
BUFFY
(calm but threatening)
Let her go.
Natasha stares down the end of the crossbow.. thrown
for a second by the reality of the situation. We see a
brief glimpse of fear wash across her face before her
game face returns.
GILES
(to Natasha)
Think about what you're doing.
Natasha turns slightly to face Giles.
NATASHA
Do you still trust me?
Natasha presses the knife harder against Dawn's neck.
Dawn lets out a quiet whimper.
NATASHA
How much trust do you have in me
now? This is what I can do Rupert.
This is what I am capable of. Is
this what you truly want?
ANGLE : DAWN
looking scared with the knife pressing against the
side of her neck. She looks at Buffy.
DAWN
(quiet and desperate)
Buffy.
ANGLE : BUFFY
with the crossbow aimed at Natasha. She looks composed
but with a look of fierce concentration on her face.
BUFFY
(eyes firmly focused on
Natasha)
Don't worry Dawn. I'm not going to
let anything happen to you.
Natasha stares at Buffy and notes the look of
certainty in her eyes.
GILES
(gently pleading to
Natasha)
Let her go.
NATASHA
(turning to Giles)
There's nothing in me that is good..
that is honourable. You should know
that by now.
Giles takes a good look at Natasha.. assessing things.
REVERSE ANGLE : NATASHA'S HAND HOLDING THE KNIFE
AGAINST DAWN'S NECK
as it begins to twitch. The knife making a gentle
hollow in Dawn's neck.
ANGLE : GILES
turning to look at Buffy.
REVERSE ANGLE : BUFFY
still aiming the crossbow at Natasha.. her eyes zoning
in on the target.. her finger over the trigger.
Something has to give soon.
GILES
(to Natasha)
Please. It doesn't have to come to
this.
Natasha takes another look at Buffy and the crossbow
aimed at her. She looks back at Giles.. looking
calmer.
NATASHA
Believe me. It's for the best.
Music builds. Natasha stares knowingly at Giles. Giles
stares back.. unable to do anything.
SLO-MO. Natasha takes the knife away from Dawn's neck
and raises it above her head. She begins to bring the
knife down in a stabbing motion.. aiming at Dawn's chest.
ANGLE : BUFFY
SLO-MO - Buffy blinks once, then prepares to fire.
ANGLE : GILES
SLO-MO. Giles starting to rush towards Natasha and
Dawn. His hand outstretched reaching out for them and
a silent yell silenced by the music.
ANGLE : NATASHA
SLO-MO. Staring at Buffy and the crossbow.
ANGLE : NATASHA'S HAND HOLDING ON TO DAWN
SLO-MO. As we see her hand relax.. letting go
of Dawn.
ANGLE : NATASHA AND DAWN
SLO-MO. As Dawn breaks free from Natasha's grasp and
dives out of the way, leaving Natasha wide open.
ANGLE : BUFFY
SLO-MO. As she presses the trigger on the crossbow.
Still in SLO-MO, we PAN to TRACK the bolt for a beat
as it leaves the crossbow and flies slowly through the
air. Time then returns to normal speed as we suddenly
WHIP PAN.. tracking the bolt as it flies quickly
across the room and slams into Natasha.
Natasha cries out in pain and falls backwards to the
ground, dropping the knife in the process.
Dawn takes a quick look at Natasha writhing in pain on
the ground, then rushes over to Buffy. The two sisters
hug. Giles comes over to check to see if Dawn's
alright. Dawn hugs him as well. Giles turns over his
shoulder to look at Natasha.
Natasha slowly pulls herself into a sitting position
against the wall.. in obvious pain. We see the wound
at her upper chest, near her right shoulder. She
bleeds profusely from the wound as she places a hand
over it.
Giles, looking concerned, begins to walk over to
Natasha. Natasha, looking up and seeing him coming,
springs to her feet and runs away from him. She leaps
through the living room window.. crashing through the
glass and is consumed by the night.
Giles looks at the broken window for a beat, then to
Buffy, who is still hugging Dawn.
The two share a knowing look before Giles grabs the
crossbow from Buffy and sprints out the front door,
chasing Natasha. Buffy holds on tightly to Dawn in the
living room.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
It is pouring down with rain. We TRACK Natasha as she
runs down a main street, clutching at her wound. She
pushes aside startled bystanders carrying umbrellas..
running desperately into the driving rain.
She runs away from the crowds and turns into a
deserted, dank alleyway between two buildings. She
slips on the wet ground and stumbles to the ground,
falling on her hands and knees. She takes a beat to
regather herself. A pair of feet step into frame,
standing right in front of Natasha. Natasha looks at
the feet, then slowly looks up.
ANGLE : NATASHA
from behind. As she looks up, we PULL BACK to reveal
Sasha standing in front of her. On either side of
Sasha, standing slightly behind her, stands Flix and
Trix and behind them stands philosopher surfer vamp
along with two other vamps. Natasha takes a look at
the vamps before her, looking a little intimidated.
Rain continues to pour down, creating tiny rivers
rushing down the gutters alongside each building.
SASHA
(regarding Natasha
contemptuously)
Look at you. What use are you to me
now?
Natasha simply looks at Sasha while she clutches at
her wound.
SASHA
You must think yourself very
clever.. with that little
performance back there.
NATASHA
(with a tiny smirk)
Who will trust me now?
Sasha grows angry. She slaps Natasha hard.
SASHA
You fool. You weak, simpering fool.
Sasha swings her arm again, coming in for another
slap. Natasha grabs Sasha's incoming arm, stopping it
in place. Natasha looks back up at Sasha defiantly for
a beat. Sasha looks a little surprised.
NATASHA
(with a groggy smile)
We could talk all night.. but..
Sasha looks from Natasha's face down to where Natasha
is holding on to her injury high up on her chest near
her right shoulder. We can see blood running freely
from the wound.. being washed down by the rain. Sasha
looks back up at Natasha's face. Natasha looks pale
and weak. She blinks slowly, looking like she's close
to losing consciousness.
Sasha, still looking at Natasha beneath her,nods and
then raises one hand up in the air and casually
beckons for someone to come.
ANGLE : PHILOSOPHER SURFER VAMP
as he frantically turns his head around, looking for
what Sasha might be beckoning. He looks nervous and on
edge, the events of recent days obviously having taken
a toll. He finally spots all the other vamps looking
down the alley behind him. He turns to see..
REVERSE ANGLE : EVIL SHAMAN
emerging from the shadows. A tall figure hidden in
long, dirty, flowing rags. We can't see his face which
is hidden in the darkness inside a hood, nor his hands
or feet. He slowly glides towards the vampires,
floating in the air a foot off the ground. He begins
to drift slowly by some of the vamps.
ANGLE : PHILOSOPHER SURFER VAMP
as he stares wide-eyed at the shaman as he drifts
closer. The shaman reaches philosopher surfer vamp,
then stops.. as if sensing he is being watched.
ANGLE : PHILOSOPHER SURFER VAMP AND SHAMAN.
Side on to the shaman in the foreground and front-on
to philosopher surfer vamp (facing us) in the
background. We see the shaman slowly turn his hooded
head towards the surfer vamp so that he may see his
face (note: we never see his face). We suddenly hear
an unsettling sound come from the shaman, as if
hundreds of crawling insects suddenly decided to crawl
over each other. Philosopher surfer vamp freaks a
little at the sight and sound of all this and takes a
clumsy step backwards. The sound stops, the shaman
slowly turns his head back down the alley and drifts
away from a petrified surfer vamp.
The shaman drifts to a spot a few metres from Sasha
and Natasha and stops. Sasha walks forward and stands
next to the shaman. She turns back to Natasha, and
with a flourish of her arm, gestures for Natasha to
come forward and stand next to the shaman. Natasha
stands and slowly starts making her way towards the
shaman.
PHILOSOPHER SURFER VAMP
(in the shadows, quietly
to himself)
Too weird. Too freakin' weird.
So, as Natasha makes her way towards the shaman, we
see the surfer vamp back up quietly away from the
other vamps then start to slowly head in the opposite
direction, making his way down the alley and heading
to the street.. his eyes watching the other vamps all
the while.
When finally he feels he is far enough away,
philosopher surfer vamp turns his head towards the
street and smiles.. looking immensely relieved.
Finally free from this nightmare. We hear a whistling
sound through the air. A crossbow bolt strikes
philosopher surfer vamp in the chest. Philosopher
surfer vamp looks up.
PHILOSOPHER SURFER VAMP
(with a groan)
Dude.
He turns to dust.
All the vamps spin around and look up at the roof of
one of the buildings forming the alleyway.
REVERSE ANGLE : GILES
standing on the roof, crossbow raised and ready to
shoot again. He is drenched as we see water drip off
his glasses, his face and the crossbow.
SASHA
(smiling)
Rupert.
The vamps surround Sasha, Natasha and the Shaman..
denying Giles a clear shot at any of those targets.
GILES
(calling out)
Natasha!
Natasha finally turns slowly around and looks up
towards Giles, her hand still clutching at her chest.
NATASHA
(to Giles; speaking slowly
and calmly)
What are you doing here?
GILES
Come with me.
NATASHA
We each belong in our own worlds
Rupert. Go back to yours.
GILES
It isn't too late.
NATASHA
(looking weaker by the
minute)
This is how things should be. I will
die again as I did once before.
(allowing herself a little
smile)
Who would miss me?
Giles answers with a look. He continues to look at
Natasha unflinchingly, his crossbow still raised. The
two stare at each other for a long beat.
GILES
(defeated; lowering the
crossbow)
We shall never meet again.
Natasha nods.. starting to become emotional and
slightly teary.
NATASHA
Promise me one thing Rupert. Once
this is done.. Once I have
reverted.. don't hesitate to kill me
if you get the chance.
ANGLE : SASHA
a little roll-of-the-eyes and a disdainful smile. Like
that's ever going to happen.
NATASHA
Don't hesitate, because I won't.
Giles looks at Natasha for another beat, taking this
in.
NATASHA
(struggling to maintain
composure; emotional)
Take care Rupert.
Natasha turns around and begins to walk towards Sasha
and the shaman in front of her.
GILES
(one last try)
Natasha!
ANGLE : NATASHA
from the back, her face away from us. Sasha and the
shaman wait in the background. Natasha stops.. silence
for a beat.
NATASHA
(without turning back)
My name is Sasha.
She starts to walk again.
GILES
Did you ever consider that when you
were separated.. that you were the
strong one?
ANGLE : NATASHA
as we see her face.. her back still to Giles. She
closes her eyes for a long beat.. then opens them
again to look at the shaman. She continues to walk
towards Sasha and the shaman.
ANGLE : GILES
watching and waiting.. crossbow lowered. The rain
continues to pour down.
ANGLE : NATASHA
again, from front on.. her back to Giles. She
continues to walk towards Sasha and the shaman, never
turning her head back to look at Giles.
ANGLE : GILES
looking disconsolate. Nothing he can do.
We see Natasha stand next to Sasha, their backs to us
but facing the shaman who towers over the two. The
shaman glides forward and opens his arms wide.. as if
coming in to embrace Natasha and Sasha.
CLOSE ON : NATASHA'S FACE
looking a little scared at first, but then looking
relieved. She closes her eyes.
With a flourish, the shaman envelops the two in his
arms, hiding them under his long, flowing rags. We see
the shaman's robes suddenly collapse.. as if the
shaman has suddenly dissapeared.
ANGLE ON : A PAIR OF FEET
facing away from us. We see the shaman's robe drop to
the ground around the feet. The camera slowly travels
up.. revealing a pair of legs which slowly turn to
face us.. torso.. chest.. revealing Sasha's familiar
body armour.. and finally up to Sasha's smiling, non-
vamped, face.
Sasha looks at herself, feeling the spot where her
wound used to be. She looks well pleased with herself.
We hear a whistling sound as a bolt smashes into
Sasha's chest. The bolt doesn't penetrate the armour
and simply bounces off. A second whistling sound..
This time, Sasha reaches out and expertly grabs the
incoming second bolt with her hand before it strikes
her.
She opens her hand and looks at the bolt in her hand,
then looks up to where it came from.
ANGLE ON : ROOF
Giles is no longer there. Rain continues to pelt down
as we see lightning in the distance.
ANGLE : SASHA'S FACE
staring up as the rain hits her face. Gradually, a
smile creeps across her face as she vamps out.
EXT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DAY (DAY FIVE)
to establish.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / LIVING ROOM - DAY
where we see Buffy and Xander sitting on the couch.
Buffy is busy fashioning stakes from pieces of wood
and a knife, expertly sending flecks of wood neatly
flying onto a neat pile on the coffee table in front
of her. Xander, looking bleary-eyed and not fully
waken, slowly sips some coffee. A small plate of jam
on toast sits nearby on the table. Behind them, Anya
paces to and fro impatiently.
ANYA
What's keeping them?
(yelling upstairs)
Willow! Tara! Get a move on!
Anya turns her attention to Xander.
ANYA
And you.. stop sipping that coffee
like you're rationing it for the
rest of the week!
(peppy)
We got a bright, full, sunny, shiny
day ahead of us so let's all hop
onto our horses and.. and.. ride off
out to that sunset!
Happy with herself, Anya heads off towards the foyer
to check on Willow and Tara. Buffy and Xander share a
look. Buffy allows herself a small smile. The two
return to what they were doing.
Buffy begins shaving the piece of wood with the knife.
A fleck of wood flies off to the side and lands on
Xander's toast. Both Buffy's and Xander's eyes fall
onto the piece of toast for a silent beat.
BUFFY
(with an apologetic face)
Whoops?
Xander carefully picks out the jam-covered piece of
wood from his toast and looks at it.. then back down
to inspect the piece of toast.
XANDER
It's still good.
After eyeing Xander for a beat, she returns to shaving
the piece of wood.. flecks of wood landing onto the
coffee table. Xander, watching Buffy out of the corner
of his eyes, subtly shifts his plate of toast a few
centimetres further away.
Anya stands near the entrance to the living room,
looking up the stairs in the foyer.
ANYA
(yelling)
Willow! Tara! You know, if you two
are making me wait because you guys
are f..
Willow and Tara come down the stairs.
WILLOW
Don't finish that thought.
TARA
What's the rush?
Willow, Tara and Anya enter the living room.
ANYA
We've got to get the store back up
and running.
ANGLE : XANDER
kinda spacing out. He picks up the piece of toast and
looks ready to dig in.
ANYA
Another day closed is another day of
a pointless, mind-numbingly dull
excuse for an existence.
ANGLE : XANDER
mouth wide open, about to bite into the toast but
stopping once he hears that. Huh?
Anya notices Xander's look. She bends down to him and
kisses him on the cheek.
ANYA
Aside from you honey.
The two smile overly-sweetly at each other. Xander
returns his attention to his piece of toast. Anya
grabs it from his hand.
ANYA
No time for that. We have to hurry.
Anya takes the toast with her to the kitchen and dumps
it in the bin. Xander watches in silent shock. Anya
returns to the living room, mission accomplished.
ANYA
(addressing Xander, Willow
and Tara)
Now, we have much to do.. what with
our official "post-vampire attack
clean-up sale".
TARA
(chuckling; playing along)
Yeah, and we can draw these cute
little vampires and stick them on
the store window and..
Tara notices Anya's expression as Anya reaches into a
nearby bag.
TARA
Oh.. you're serious.
Anya pulls out a pile of leaflets and hands them to
Willow and Tara.
TARA
(looking at the leaflets
in her hand)
And you've made flyers.
ANYA
You, Willow and Xander will need to
post these up around town but before
that, you three will have to cleanup
the rest of the store first.
WILLOW
Wait. What about you?
ANYA
Menial doesn't look good on me.
Besides, someone has to order in new
stock. Someone has to beat down our
suppliers until they're whimpering,
pathetic little creatures who would
do anything I ask of them. Do you
want to do that?
WILLOW
Oh no.. I think it's best we leave
those jobs to those most qualified.
Anya heads off off-screen. Tara spots something in the
kitchen and nudges Willow to look.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/KITCHEN - DAY
where we see Xander stooped over the bin, examining
the contents.
XANDER
(quietly to himself)
Missed the ravioli.
He reaches in and pulls out the piece of toast..
giving it the once over.
XANDER
(happily)
Still good.
He is about to bite into it when he sees Willow and
Tara out of the corner of his eyes. He freezes. Willow
and Tara look at him in slight shock.
Xander drops the toast back into the bin and grins
goofily. He straightens up, brushes himself off and
walks confidently past the girls.
XANDER
(suddenly animated)
So.. we're off to the store?
ANYA
(finally, someone who
agrees)
There we go!
Xander and Anya grab some stuff.. and head off out of
the living room. Willow and Tara follow them out to
the..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / FOYER - DAY
where the four prepare to go out.
XANDER
(to Willow and Tara)
You know, it's gonna take the whole
day for us to cleanup that store.
Maybe you guys could, you know,
wiggle your noses and zap it clean?
(off their reactions)
Okay, am I the only one here that's
watched that show?
WILLOW
No, it's not that. It's just..
(turning to Tara)
We don't use magic to take short-
cuts.
The two stare at each other for a beat. Willow, then
follows Anya out the door. Tara smiles brightly to
herself for a beat, then turns to Buffy in the living
room.
TARA
(brightly)
Bye Buffy.
Buffy waves goodbye. Tara exits out the front door.
Xander is left standing by himself in the foyer.
XANDER
(as he leaves; grumbling)
It's not a short-cut. It's an
alternate route.. which happens to
be of a lesser distance.
As Xander exits, we see Giles enter the house.. waving
back to the four recent departees before closing the
door behind him. Giles looks tired and weary. He
slowly makes his way to the entranceway to the living
room. He watches Buffy.. a little sadly.
REVERSE ANGLE : BUFFY
as she silently and rhythmically shaves the piece of
wood in her hand into a stake. We PAN to the left
where we see a whole bunch of newly created stakes all
lined up in a row on the floor.. as if in preparation
for something big.
Buffy notices Giles staring. She turns to him.
BUFFY
Giles?
Giles, who is deep in thought, seems to not hear Buffy
for a beat.. then breaking out of his reverie..
GILES
Buffy.
The two stare silently for a beat.
BUFFY
You look tired. Maybe you should get
some sleep.
GILES
(looking spent)
I might just do that.
Giles lingers at the doorway for a beat. Buffy watches
expectantly but Giles says nothing. He simply smiles,
turns and heads up the stairs.
ANGLE : GILES
as he walks tiredly up the stairs. In the background,
we hear Buffy starting up her task again.. the
rhythmic sound of steel shaving wood.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE / UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - DAY
Giles removes his glasses and rubs his eyes as he
walks down the hallway. He suddenly stops walking
immediately after he passes the open doorway to Dawn's
room. He backs up, puts his glasses back on and looks
into the room.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/DAWN'S BEDROOM - DAY
ANGLE : DAWN
sitting cross-legged on the bed, silently staring
down.. deep in contemplation. We see Giles at the
doorway, hesitating.. unsure of whether to come in.
Eventually, Giles enters the room and sits down on the
bed next to Dawn.. leaving a clear space between the
two. Dawn glances at him out of the corner of her
eyes, then stares back down at the bed.
GILES
(awkwardly)
Are you okay?
Dawn shrugs her shoulders slightly and fidgets with
her hands. A long, silent beat passes. Giles,
beginning to feel uncomfortable and unable to help,
begins to shift.. as if preparing to get up.
DAWN
(turning to Giles)
So.. Is she gone?
Giles settles back down, looks at Dawn and nods his
head sadly. Dawn turns back away, her eyes cast
downwards as she fidgets a little more with her hands.
DAWN
(vulnerable)
I just thought she liked me, you
know? I thought she cared.. when all
the time, she just wanted to get her
hands on the amulet and return back
to Sasha.
Giles considers for a beat.
GILES
I believe she wanted to do the right
thing.. to become the person she
truly wanted to be. But she was
scared. And, in the end, I suppose
fear won out.
Dawn continues to listen silently, her head still
bowed.
GILES
You always want.. hope a person will
act a certain way, but it's
something you can't control. People
are motivated by fear, by hate, by
love. It causes them to do things
they never thought themselves
capable of doing.
Giles grows a little reflective.. staring out into
space.
GILES
If only she had a little belief in
herself. If only she knew the
strength she had in her. I think she
would have made it.
(then turns to Dawn)
And I know she cared.
Giles reaches over and brushes a few strands of hair
from Dawn's face. Dawn softens and looks at Giles.
DAWN
But we'll never see her again.
GILES
No.
Dawn, looking emotional, leans on Giles' shoulder.
After a beat, Giles puts an arm around Dawn's
shoulder. We hold on this for a beat, then PAN LEFT to
the bedroom window.
EXT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - DAY
ANGLE ON : BEDROOM WINDOW
looking up from street level. We PAN LEFT and TILT
DOWN from the window, down to the front yard, across
the road and finally on the back of a blue van parked
by the side of the street.
We see the back of a tall, strong-looking man come
into frame and open the back door of the van. He
enters as we enter with him..
INT. VAN - DAY
The dark interior is illuminated by the sunlight
streaming in from the half-open van door. As we slowly
PAN around the interior of the van, we see a few men,
wearing headphones, monitoring various video monitors.
On one of the video monitors, we see a surveillance
video of Buffy through the living room window.
We end the PAN looking down on a map of Sunnydale
placed on a counter top. Someone suddenly places a gun
on top of the map as the person leans over the map to
study it (We only see parts of his arm and his hand
tracing a route through the map). As he does so, the
cross on a chain around his neck falls out and dangles
over the map.. spinning around gently on its chain.
We PULL FOCUS to the background where, through the
half-open van door, we see a kid wearing a helmet and
on a bike has parked outside the van and is looking in
curiously.
We see the cross in the foreground dissapear off-
screen as the man studying the map straightens up when
he sees the kid (we never see his face). The kid looks
up at the man. A hand comes into view in the foreground
as the man gives the kid a small, playful wave
goodbye. The kid smiles.
We see the back of the man as he leans over and closes
the door on the smiling kid, leaving us in darkness.
INT. THE GENERAL'S MANSION/SASHA'S ROOM - DAY
From darkness, we slowly FADE UP to Sasha's room which
remains still and dark. Sasha sits by herself on a
chair, staring at a wall.. deep in thought (mirroring
the earlier scene). A quiet, eerie silence and
stillness which we hold for a long beat. We slowly
TRACK away from her, making her looks smaller and
smaller in the empty, silent room.. as if dissapearing
into the darkness. But this time, as we do so, we
hear Sasha suddenly begin to hum.. humming a lullaby
to herself (Play midi file). We FADE TO BLACK just as
the lullaby ends.
END OF SHOW
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