Episode 11 - Valentine: Part 2
ACT THREE
INT. GENERAL'S MANSION - NIGHT
We see Sasha walking along a lonely corridor, looking
for someone. She ducks into..
INT. GENERAL'S MANSION/SOLOMON'S ROOM - NIGHT
as she wanders into the dark room.
SASHA
Solomon, sweetie?
From the darkness flies an enraged Solomon. She grabs
Sasha by her neck and violently flings her up against
a wall.
SASHA
(laughing)
Just like old times.
SOLOMON
It was you, wasn't it. You killed
Musfata. You spoiled her.
SASHA
I did it for you.
A beat as Solomon glowers at Sasha, his hand starting
to tighten around Sasha's neck.
SASHA
You want to kill me? Go ahead. Do
it. You gave me life. It's only fair
that you should end it.
Solomon continues to tighten his grip. Sasha continues
to stare at Solomon, starting to feel a little
nervous. Solomon softens and loosens his grip. Sasha
slaps his hand away.
Solomon bows his head, turns around and starts to
smash things in his room. A vampy tantrum. He
collapses onto his bed, sitting with his hands in his
face.
SASHA
(disgusted)
Is this grief? My poor boy, still so
very weak. To think, I was made by
you.
INT. GENERAL'S MANSION/OUTSIDE SOLOMON'S ROOM - NIGHT
where we see Harmony enter into the picture, carrying
some random item in her hands.
SASHA (O.S.)
Straighten up soldier. We've still
much to do here.
Harmony stops outside, listening in.
INT. GENERAL'S MANSION/SOLOMON'S ROOM - NIGHT
SASHA
Once we receive the Amulet of Magas,
the General will complete his ritual
and we will be done here.
Sasha hears a noise outside the room. She calmly walks
towards the doorway as she talks.
SASHA
After that, we can leave this town.
Leave this whole sorry mess behind
us.
Sasha reaches the doorway. She looks outside, down
both corridors to the left and right. Nobody. She
turns and walks back towards Solomon. She kneels down
in front of him and gently lifts his head to face
hers.
SASHA
(gently, comfortingly)
Soon, you'll forget about your
darling valentine. Wouldn't that be
nice?
Sasha stares at Solomon for a beat, her face
softening. She actually looks a little nervous as she
slowly moves in towards Solomon for a kiss. Solomon
turns away. Sasha smiles at her rejection. She gets up
and starts to walk away.
SASHA
Come. We have to prepare. Tonight,
the slayer and her friends will be
no more.
INT. QUENCH'S MAGIC SHOP - NIGHT
We see Tara floating slowly and gracefully around the
shop. Quench 'looks' on from behind the counter.
QUENCH
That's it. Absorb the magic. It
heartens an old man to see such
potential for evil. Your witch won't
know what hit her.
Tara ignores Quench. She continues to browse the magic
books on the shelves, searching for a specific title.
QUENCH
I can guide you. I can nurture your
powers. I'll make sure no harm ever
comes to you.
Tara spots something high up on a shelf. She holds her
hand out. A book comes floating out and hovers in
front of Tara. We see the book open and the pages
start flipping by themselves as Tara reads.
QUENCH
Oh no. That's far too advanced and
powerful. You'd never survive such
spells.
ANGLE : TARA
with Quench in the background. Tara looks up, her face
hardening, as if communicating something to Quench
telepathically.
Quench gets the message. He bows his head down.
QUENCH
So be it. It's simply a shame to see
such potential go to waste.
Tara finishes with the book. The book falls to the
floor. Tara floats towards Quench. She regards him
menacingly. We see Quench almost flinch, sensing
Tara's presence.
Tara sees Quench's dog, lying at his master's feet.
The dog looks up. Tara cocks her head, staring at the
dog with her black eyes.
She lifts one of her palms upwards and we see the dog
float upwards and towards Tara. The dog begins to
whimper.
QUENCH
What are you doing? Where are you
taking my dog?
Tara floats towards the exit with the dog in tow. Tara
exits with the dog. We see Quench move towards a
window. With old hands, he opens the blinds to 'see'
outside.
We take a look out the window with Quench to see Tara
across the street. She is kneeling down next to the
dog.
EXT. OUTSIDE QUENCH'S SHOP - NIGHT
Tara removes the stitching around the dog's eyes. When
she is finished, the dog licks her hand and scampers
away into the darkness. Tara looks at the departing
dog, her face unreadable.
Tara stands up and faces Quench's shop, her arms
straight by her side. We then see her raise her palms,
her hands now sticking out at right angles to the rest
of her body.
INT. QUENCH'S SHOP - NIGHT
ANGLE : QUENCH
still 'peering' outside the window at Tara. He senses
what Tara is doing. He smiles as a bright yellow glow
fills his face.
EXT. OUTSIDE QUENCH'S SHOP - NIGHT
With Tara in the foreground, we see a bright yellow
wall of flame shoot down from the sky and consume
Quench's shop. After a few seconds, the flame
dissapears. Quench's shop is gone. Not a trace of it
is left.
Tara turns around, her face expressionless. She floats
away off-screen.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Where we see Willow, Anya and Dawn sitting on a couch.
On a table in front of them is the receptacle holding
the precious vials. Willow is carefully removing them
one by one from the receptacle and placing it on
pieces of cloth laid out on the table. Anya then wraps
the vials up carefully in the cloth and places them in
a black bag filled with foam and newspaper.
We see Xander emerge from a room behind them, carrying
a crossbow. He places it into a bag. Dawn turns around
and looks at him.
DAWN
So, you guys are meeting Giles and
Buffy at the woods?
XANDER
Yup. They're gonna pick up some
weapons and I think they're gonna
see if Chris wants to join the late-
night picnic.
DAWN
Sure Buffy didn't want me to come,
cause I know I can help.
XANDER
Fairly sure Buffy didn't want the
younger Summers tagging along in a
dark woodsy expedition.
Dawn slouches back in her couch, dissapointed.
XANDER
(looking around)
Where does Buffy keep the stakes?
DAWN
In her room, in the second drawer of
her desk next to her bed. Next to
the holy water and knives.
XANDER
(a little surprised)
Okay. Fairly certain you're not
supposed to know that.
Xander bounds up the stairs to gather the stakes.
Dawn and Anya stare at Willow as she slowly removes
the next vial. Her hand shakes as she lifts the vial.
The vial clatters noisily against the receptacle.
ANYA
Willow, are you okay?
Willow puts the vial back down in the receptacle and
rubs her hands.
WILLOW
Yeah, I'm just a little..
DAWN
Maybe you should let me take over. I
mean, Hey! Small hands!
WILLOW
Okay. Thanks.
Willow leans back wearily on the couch, looking very
tired.
ANYA
(to Willow)
Maybe it isn't such a good idea for
you to come. I mean, you haven't had
any sleep for almost two days.
WILLOW
I'm fine.
ANYA
You say that now, but..
WILLOW
(a little snappy)
I'm fine.
Anya and Dawn both stare at Willow, looking concerned.
WILLOW
(to Anya, softer)
Sorry. I'm fine. I'll just go
freshen up and I'll be ready to go.
Willow gets up and heads upstairs. Dawn and Anya look
at the departing Willow for a beat before continuing
with their tasks.
They finish up with the last vial. Anya places it into
the bag and zips it up.
DAWN
(looking at the bag)
You think it's gonna work?
ANYA
Oh I'm sure it will. I mean, we paid
good money for this. Expensive
things always work.
Dawn looks at the ground, fidgeting nervously.
DAWN
I'm scared.
Anya, sitting rigidly and uncomfortably, turns to look
at Dawn. She looks around the room looking for help
but it's only her and Dawn.
ANYA
Scared?
We see Xander coming down the stairs to the living
room. He stops midway to listen in on Anya and Dawn.
DAWN
I know I'm supposed to be all strong
and supportive, you know, because
I'm like wading in the slayer gene
pool and all but.. I'm scared. I'm
scared of losing Tara, losing Buffy
or any of you guys. I'm scared of
being alone. And there's nothing I
can do but sit here and wait.
An uncomfortable beat. Dawn continues to stare at the
ground. Anya fidgets, trying to think of something to
say. Finally..
ANYA
I'm scared of rabbits.
Dawn looks up and stares at Anya curiously.
ANYA
You know, with their long floppy
ears, bushy tails and.. and the
teeth. Ugh. And they're everywhere.
It's like one horrifying, never-
ending aversion therapy session!
Dawn begins to smile.
ANYA
There are rabbits in pet stores, in
the wild, in people's houses, in
movies, cartoons and books. There's
rabbit fur, rabbit food, rabbit
meat. Rabbit meat! Can you believe
people actually eat them?
Dawn, smiling now, is about to reply but Anya is on a
roll.
ANYA
Unless of course, it's a chocolate
rabbit. Which brings me to Easter. I
mean, whose idea was it to dedicate
an entire holiday to rabbits?
DAWN
Actually, I don't think..
ANYA
The whole day, there're these giant,
pink, fluffy rabbits carrying
baskets of eggs in shopping malls.
(crime of the century)
My shopping malls.
Dawn starting to giggle now.
ANYA
And it's not even just rabbits per
se. It's everything associated with
rabbits. I don't eat carrots. I
don't buy cosmetics that have been
tested on rabbits.
I try not to use words that even
sound like 'rabbit', everything from
'rabbet' to 'rabies'. I can't even
talk to anyone named Warren but yet
I have this strange affinity for
people called Elmer.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/STAIRS - NIGHT
We see Xander starting to smile as he listens to Anya
and sees Dawn brighten up.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
ANYA
I know the word for 'rabbit' in
seventeen languages, just in case
one pops up in one of those strange
foreign menus. French, lapin..
German, kaninchen.. Spanish,
conejo.. Romanian, iepure..
Japanese, usagi and oh, my
favourite.. in Ojibwe, it's called a
waaboz.
(takes a deep breath)
And then there're the hares.
DAWN
(half laughing)
Okay stop. I know what you're doing.
ANYA
Is it working?
Dawn smiles, leans over and gives Anya a peck on her
cheek.
DAWN
Thank you.
Dawn gets up and exits to the stairs, heading
upstairs. Anya glows with happiness. Xander comes down
from the stairs, enters the living room and puts his
hands around Anya from behind, kissing her head.
XANDER
See, sometimes you do know what to
say.
ANYA
I made a smile.
XANDER
Yes you did.
Anya holds Xander's arms and looks up at him.
ANYA
When we become parents, I want
someone just like her.. only without
the part where, you know, she goes
through a phase where she's a key to
a demon dimension.
XANDER
Think of it as a primer for puberty.
The two stare lovingly at each other for a beat.
WILLOW (O.S.)
Ready?
The two turn to see Willow at the doorway, game face
on.
XANDER
We're ready Will.
Willow heads out. Xander and Anya pick up the bags and
follow.
We prelap:
MR SANDRING
It sounds like she'll never be
ready.
INT. CHRISTOPHER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
We see Christopher and Mr Sandring in the room, having
a conversation. Mr Sandring sits casually in
Christopher's chair by the desk. Christopher stands.
Mr Sandring is helping himself to some scotch.
MR SANDRING
This is what you call, handling the
situation? She's even more out of
control than ever. This isn't a
slayer we can control. She's been
working by her own rules for far too
long. She's become wild, reckless,
insolent. It seems quite clear that
her watcher cannot control her, or I
suspect, even wants to. I fear we
may very well have to..
CHRISTOPHER
No, not yet. She's learning. I can
see it. It's just that with one of
her friends in danger, you can't
expect..
MR SANDRING
Friends? A slayer has no friends.
Only the Council. Tell me you
haven't forgotten that.
CHRISTOPHER
No. Of course not.
MR SANDRING
And don't presume to know what I
expect from the slayer.. or from
you.
We hear a knock at the door. Christopher regards Mr
Sandring for a beat, then goes to open the door. We
see Buffy and Giles standing outside.
BUFFY
Hey. We're doing the thing now.
She notices Mr Sandring, a little wary.
BUFFY
(back to Chris)
Just tell me.. In or Out.
Christopher takes a moment, takes a look back at Mr
Sandring, then..
CHRISTOPHER
I'll get my coat.
As Christopher does so, Buffy gives Mr Sandring a
dirty look, then exits from the doorway. Giles looks
at Mr Sandring. Mr Sandring pours another glass of
Scotch from Christopher's table and raises the glass
to Giles in a mock toast. Giles leaves.
Christopher, now with his coat, starts heading out.
MR SANDRING
(genial)
Christopher.
ANGLE : CHRISTOPHER
from in front, with Mr Sandring in the background. He
stops but doesn't turn around.
MR SANDRING
I know you won't let me down.
Christopher pauses for a beat, then continues to walk
out, leaving Mr Sandring by himself, sipping on some
Scotch.
EXT. WOODS - NIGHT
We see Buffy, Willow, Giles, Christopher, Anya and
Xander moving cautiously through the woods. Willow is
at the front of the group, holding on to the bag
containing the vials. The rest follow closely behind.
Xander and Christopher are carrying crossbows and the
rest, stakes.
ANYA
(nervous)
Well, here we are, in the woods
again. I wonder what this place
looks like in daylight.
XANDER
(a little jumpy, looking
around the place)
I know we're being watched.
Suddenly, we hear a hoot, hoot come from an owl in the
trees. Xander, spins around instinctively and releases
a bolt from his crossbow. It swishes through the air
and strikes the tree. A silent beat as the group stops
and looks up. We then hear the owl resume its call,
hoot, hoot.
GILES
Xander, leave the wildlife alone.
ANYA
Yes. I'm sure if you save up your
bolts, some endangered species will
eventually cross your path.
XANDER
Sorry. Jumpy. Sorry.
The group resume their walk.
BUFFY
I want everyone to stay sharp and
keep together.
XANDER
Wasn't really planning to leave the
tour group Buff.
GILES
(to all)
Remember, when you get the chance,
throw the vials at Tara. We musn't
get too close. Who knows what effect
those potions could have on us.
The group walks on for a little longer. Willow
suddenly stops. She closes her eyes, invoking a spell
in her head.
BUFFY
(to Willow)
Anything?
Willow opens her eyes.
WILLOW
She's close..
(then starting to head off
again)
This way.
The group follows.
XANDER
I know we're being watched.
They exit off-screen.
ANGLE : THE GANG
from someone's POV from up high, looking down on them.
We watch as the Scoobs exit from frame.
ANGLE : TRIX
perched on a branch, high up on a tree. She smiles.
She agilely descends the tree and hits the ground. We
TRACK her as she walks past many vamps, standing guard
with weapons in their hands.
Trix eventually reaches the General.
TRIX
They're here.
The General smiles. He looks over at his full
complement of soldiers. Tarwin, Flix, Trix, Sasha and
Solomon.
BLACKOUT
END OF ACT THREE
CONTINUE TO ACT FOUR