Episode 7 - Yes, Virginia..
ACT THREE
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LOUNGE ROOM - NIGHT
We see Dawn looking a little stressed as six young
kids runs around the place, tinsel strewn all over the
room. The lounge looks considerably more festive than
it was earlier in the day. A few kids are putting up
ornaments onto a brand new Christmas tree and others
are helping to hang up decorations and the like.
Dawn is in the centre of the lounge, trying to manage
various pockets of kids around her. Room is abuzz with
activity and playful chatter.
DAWN
(to one group)
Tim, Sarah, Nicholas! Careful with
that.. No, don't put that there!
(to another group)
Jane, take those antlers off Megan
right now.
Dawn sits down wearily onto the lounge chair.
DAWN
(to herself)
This was supposed to be easier.
Dawn looks over to her left to see Amanda, slightly
older than the rest of the kids but still a few years
younger Dawn. Amanda sulks on the other end of the
couch, not joining in.
DAWN
Amanda? Not having fun?
AMANDA
I don't know why I couldn't go to
the party with Mom and Dad. It's not
fair. I mean, my older sister could
go but I'm like stuck here with
these babies.
DAWN
You know that you're not the only
person who's gone through this. I
mean, I had to go through the same
thing with my sister. I know it
seems like they'll always see you as
the baby but, you know, one day
they'll see that you've grown up and
everything will be okay. I'm sure
your sister had to go through the
same thing when she was..
AMANDA
Amelia? She's like six minutes older
than me! We're twins.
DAWN
(flummoxed)
Oh.. Um.. Then why..
AMANDA
We got into this silly fight over
N'Sync. She's like totally so into
Justin, which is so lame because
everyone knows that JC's the hottest
one in the group. So, I drew
something on her poster..
DAWN
and hence the tears and
recriminations.
Amanda nods dolefuly.
DAWN
Well, just because you couldn't go
to some silly party doesn't mean you
can't have any fun here.
AMANDA
What? The Christmas stuff? I'm too
old to believe in all that.
Christmas is just another day.
Everbody's all happy because it's a
holiday, that's all.
DAWN
I used to think that, but, you know,
I'm not sure anymore. I mean, do I
really believe that there's a man in
a red suit who climbs down the
chimneys of the world delivering
presents? Probably not. But I also
think that it doesn't hurt to leave
some room for the possibility that
it could be true, you know, even if
it's just a tiny space.
AMANDA
Really?
DAWN
Yeah. A world without Christmases
and Santas? I really don't think
it'd be a better place. I just think
it'd be really sad to get to a stage
where Christmas meant.. nothing.
INT. CHRISTOPHER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Giles and Christopher sitting across the table from
each other. Laid back and relaxed after a few drinks.
CHRISTOPHER
You and me, we're not so different
you know.
GILES
Oh yes?
CHRISTOPHER
I see the darkness in you mate.
GILES
Really? Why don't you enlighten me?
CHRISTOPHER
Joke all you want, but I can see it.
In your eyes. Somewhere down the
track, you've crossed the line.
GILES
How can you be so sure?
CHRISTOPHER
Because Rupert, you have the look of
a man who knows his unhappy destiny.
We're a couple of lost souls mate.
We don't deserve happiness.
GILES
But she does. If you or the Council
try to take that away from her,
you'll get to see just how dark I
can be. I won't let you turn her
into what we've become.
Christopher regards Giles for a beat.
CHRISTOPHER
Don't worry Rupert. In the end, it
doesn't make a nought of difference
what you do in this world. It's the
great equaliser you see, death. In
the end, no matter what kind of life
you lead, we'll all end up in the
same place. In the end, everything
dear to you that you desperately
cling on to in this world will be
taken away from you.
Christopher pours himself another glass. He offers
Giles but he declines.
CHRISTOPHER
Death is nothing. Everyone dies. You
serve your purpose and then you move
on and make room for some other poor
sod to come into this sorry world.
(looking at his glass)
I really don't know why people
grieve at funerals. They're just
feeling sorry for themselves because
they're going to miss the person.
It's weak and pitiful. They should
simply raise a glass and toast the
person's life.
(drinks the Scotch)
Aah. That's the secret right there.
However bad or painful it all
becomes, you can always wash it away
with this.
GILES
And if it comes back?
CHRISTOPHER
(filling his empty glass)
There's always another glass.
CUT TO:
A wide shot, showing Giles and Christopher sitting
quietly across each other in a very lonely room.
INT. THE BRONZE - NIGHT
Christmas Eve party at the bronze, dancing revellers
on the floor, strobing lights.
Cue : one long, continuous (ie pretentious) Steadicam
Tracking shot. We start from the entrance to the
Bronze. We TRACK into the middle of the dance floor
where we see Willow and Tara dancing, then to Anya and
Xander dancing.
We continue to TRACK just off the dance floor to see
Buffy standing by herself, leaning against a pillar,
looking on at the two couples on the dance floor with
a sad sort of smile. We hold on Buffy for a beat
before we TRACK behind her where we see Flix (party
girl; glittery and wearing a wire halo on her head)
looking at Buffy and smiling.
We TRACK Flix as she walks up the stairs to the second
level of the Bronze. We continue to TRACK Flix as she
casually picks up a guy and leads him by the hand with
her, hardly breaking her stride. We TRACK her as she
walks from right to left. In the foreground, we see
coming into view from the left side of the screen, the
broad chest and shoulders of someone leaning against
the railing. Flix, from behind, playfully brushes her
hand across the person's shoulder as she passes him.
We stop TRACKING as Flix exits off-screen to the left
with her guy in tow and we are left with a shot of
someone's chest and shoulders in the centre of the
screen. We PAN UP to reveal the face of Solomon,
staring down intently at the dance floor beneath him.
We then PULL BACK and PAN DOWN to see what he is
looking at, Willow and Tara dancing on the floor.
ANGLE : SOLOMON
still looking down onto the dance floor. From behind
him, we see Sasha come up to him and stand next to him
against the railing. She takes a look at what Solomon
is looking at.
SASHA
Naughty boy. It's rude to stare.
Another one of your projects?
SOLOMON
She's the one.
Sasha raises an eyebrow and looks down again.
ANGLE : TARA
from Sasha's POV from above, happily dancing with
Willow, oblivious to the action above her.
ANGLE : SOLOMON AND SASHA
SASHA
(teasing, looking at
Solomon)
What about me? I seem to recall I
was the one, not so very long ago.
SOLOMON
That was a mistake.
Sasha seems momentarily hurt by this but recovers
quickly. She looks back down onto the dance floor.
SASHA
She's a witch, she's powerful.. and
she's protected. Leave her be. This
will not end well.
SOLOMON
(turning to Sasha)
Protected? By whom? The slayer? She
cannot harm me.
SASHA
(nodding to someone)
What about her?
Solomon looks down.
ANGLE : WILLOW
from Solomon's POV from above, dancing with Tara.
SASHA (O.S.)
You seem to forget that your girl
already has a mate.
ANGLE : SOLOMON AND SASHA
SOLOMON
She's a mere human, a child. She
cannot protect her.
SASHA
Never underestimate the power of
love. She'll die before she'll give
her up to you.
SOLOMON
Then she'll die.
A beat as Sasha looks at Solomon's intense face.
SASHA
Do you think she's the one that will
save you?
Solomon does not answer. Sasha looks back down at the
dance floor.
ANGLE : WILLOW, TARA, ANYA AND XANDER
from Sasha's POV from above, leaving the dance floor
as the song ends. We PAN OVER to the entrance as we
see Giles and Christopher enter.
ANGLE : SASHA
Sasha smiles.
SASHA
Why don't you go down there and
introduce yourself.
Sasha begins to walk away.
SOLOMON
Where are you going?
SASHA
It's a party. I'm going to go have
some fun.
ANGLE : BUFFY
as Willow and Tara come up to join her, a little out
of breath.
WILLOW
(to Buffy)
C'mon Buffy. Go ask someone to
dance. You can't just be load-
bearing pillar girl all night.
TARA
We saw a group of guys back there
who were totally checking you out.
WILLOW
Yeah, they's be like putty in your
hands but you know, the really nice
kind which isn't all sticky.
BUFFY
I think I'll pass.
Xander and Anya arrive in mid-conversation.
XANDER
I'm telling you I know them.
BUFFY
What's up?
ANYA
I bet him he couldn't name at least
six of Santa's reindeers.
TARA
What's the bet?
ANYA
Oh, if he fails, he has to put on
the Santa suit now and share a dance
with me as St. Nick.
BUFFY
(to Xander)
You have a Santa suit?
XANDER
It's a rental. An thought it'd be a
good idea for later tonight, you
know, for me to dress up.
(off Buffy's shocked look)
For Dawn and the kids. It'd be like
a surprise.
BUFFY
(relieved)
Oh thank God. Bad, bad visual place
there for a second.
ANYA
(to Xander)
Well, Come on. Name them!
XANDER
Okay, there's Rudolph..
Xander is stuck. Collective roll of the eyes.
XANDER
Wait, wait.. um.. Snowball..
Squealer, Boxer, Clover.. um.. Old
Benjamin? Is that six? That's right
isn't it?
WILLOW
Yeah, and after the reindeers
overthrow Santa, they'll form a
harmonious society founded on
socialism and equality until Rudolph
gets up and declares that some
reindeers are more equal than
others.
ANYA
(dragging Xander by his
arm)
Come on.
Xander and Anya exit. The dance floor is hopping with
dancers, dancing to a lively tune.
WILLOW
(to Buffy)
Come on. Just one dance. You can
dance with me and Tara.
TARA
It'll be fun.
BUFFY
(smiling)
Okay, maybe just one.
The three start heading to the dance floor when the
song ends and a slow, romantic song comes on. The
three halt in their tracks and look at each other.
TARA
Um.. maybe we should wait for the
next one.
Buffy looks at the slow-dancing couples in front of
her for a beat.
BUFFY
I think I'll head outside for a sec.
Catch some air.
Buffy exits, not seeing Christopher who is hanging
around near the entrance. Christopher notices.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE BRONZE - NIGHT
We see Buffy standing outside by herself just outside
the club. No one else is around. We hear the muffled
music of the club inside. Christopher exits the club
and joins Buffy. Buffy looks up and simply accepts
Christopher's presence. She looks back down at her
feet.
BUFFY
I don't belong in there.
CHRISTOPHER
Neither of us do.
Christopher looks at Buffy, face softening a little..
is about to say something but then turns to walk away.
ANGLE : BUFFY
as she continues to look down at her feet, arms
crossed. We then see an open hand placed out in front
of her. Buffy looks up to see Christopher.
Buffy is unsure of what to do for a moment. She takes
Christopher's hand and he leads her into a slow dance,
dancing to the music inside the club.
They dance awkwardly and uncomfortably at first. But
Buffy soon loses herself in the moment, closing her
eyes, holding on to Christopher tighter.
The two dance for a while, dancing with other people
in mind. Christopher, suddenly feeling uncomfortable,
abruptly pulls away mid-dance and walks back into the
club, leaving a confused Buffy looking on.
INT. THE BRONZE - NIGHT
ANGLE : GILES
standing in a corner by a table laid out with some
food and drinks. Giles tries a piece of something,
makes a face and puts it back.
CLOSE ON : GILES' HAND
as he reaches for something else when suddenly, a hand
grabs his wrist and pulls it behind his back.
ANGLE : GILES AND SASHA
Sasha standing behind Giles, twisting his arm behind
his back.
SASHA
Hello Rupert.
Giles struggles to get free but Sasha has him under
control. Giles looks around the room at all the
people, a little worried. Sasha, still behind him,
notices.
SASHA
Don't worry Rupert. I'm not here for
the food.
GILES
Leave here now.
SASHA
Oh I will. We all will, when the
time comes.
GILES
Time? What exactly do you plan..
Sasha twists one of Giles' fingers and we hear a
crack. Giles grimaces.
SASHA
Shh. I talk. You listen.
(noticing Giles holding
the pain in)
Oh, don't keep it in. There's no
shame in displaying pain, remember?
Sasha looks over at the dance floor.
SASHA
Look at them.
Giles looks over at the dance floor.
REVERSE ANGLE :
to show Willow dancing with Tara and Xander (now in a
Santa suit) dancing with Anya.
SASHA
They're so young, but they've seen
so much, haven't they Rupert? This
isn't their fight. Why don't you
take them away from all this and let
them have the life they deserve?
GILES
We'll never leave.. so long as true
evil exists here in Sunnydale.. so
long as creatures like yourself
continue to infect the mortal realm.
SASHA
Nice speech.. Have you ever stopped
to ask yourself why you're doing
all this? Who exactly are you
protecting? Everyone that you care
for is right here in Sunnydale,
right here in this room. Are you
willing to sacrifice their lives for
the great unwashed masses out there?
Giles refuses to answer.
SASHA
Let me tell you something about true
evil. We vampires? We don't have a
soul. It's in our nature to be
evil. But humans.. they have a
choice, and oh such evil that comes
out of the hearts of men. It is..
inspiring.
(a beat as Sasha lets the
words sink in into Giles)
Oh Rupert, Dear Rupert. Is it all
too much? You're so busy saving
others.. but who's saving you?
Sasha looks back towards the dance floor.
REVERSE ANGLE :
back on Willow, Tara, Xander and Anya
SASHA (O.S.)
Look me in the eye and tell me that
losing just one of them won't end
your life.
ANGLE : GILES AND SASHA
SASHA
Then look me in the eye and tell me
that you can protect any of them
from us.
Sasha looks up and notices something.
REVERSE ANGLE :
to reveal Christopher on the second level, noticing
Sasha. He begins to hurry down, but is obstructed by
people.
SASHA
(smiles)
Time to go.
We see Sasha slip something into Giles' hand.
SASHA
Tell your slayer we can get to any
of them.. at any time.
Sasha releases Giles. Giles turns around but Sasha has
dissapeared. Giles looks down at the item in his hand.
ANGLE ON : GILES' HAND
as he uncrumples a piece of paper. It is a flyer for
Dawn's babysitting service.
ANGLE : WILLOW AND TARA; XANDER AND ANYA
dancing on the dance floor (up-tempo). Suddenly, in
the background, we see Solomon on the dance floor
amongst the revellers, just slowly circling the group,
but eyes focused on Tara.
ANGLE : WILLOW
dancing happily for a little while before she suddenly
notices something.
REVERSE ANGLE : FLIX
from Willow's POV, dancing wildly on the dance floor.
She is a little distance away, occasionally being
obscured by other dancers coming in and out of the
frame in the foreground.
ANGLE : WILLOW
straining to see.
REVERSE ANGLE : FLIX
from Willow's POV, still dancing. We CUT to closer and
closer shots of Flix following each time dancers
obscure our view of her in the foreground. We end up
with a close-up view on Flix's face as she finally
turns to look at Willow and smiles.
ANGLE : WILLOW
as she stops dancing and starts to pull Tara off the
dance floor. Tara looks at what Willow is looking at.
REVERSE ANGLE : FLIX
as she stops dancing and starts walking towards the
camera as people dance around her. She stalks her prey
like a cat.
Willow and Tara begin to back away from Flix. They run
into Xander and Anya.
XANDER
(to Willow)
Hey, watch where..
WILLOW
Flix.
ANYA
(nervous)
Flix? She's here?
They all turn to look behind them but Flix has
dissapeared. They turn back to head the other way only
to see Flix now right in front of them.
WILLOW
Hey, how did you get in front..
SOLOMON (O.S.)
You can never outrun us.
The group now turn to see Solomon behind them. Solomon
looks over to his left to see Giles and Christopher
rushing over.
SOLOMON
(to the group)
We shall meet again..
(to Tara)
soon.
ANGLE : TARA
reacting to this, a sudden realisation.
Solomon and a smiling Flix swiftly dissapear into the
crowd.
We see Giles and Christopher join the group.
GILES
(to the group)
Is everyone alright?
XANDER
Yeah, just a vamp courtesy call I
guess.
GILES
Where's Buffy?
Just at that moment, we see Buffy enter the Bronze and
join the group.
BUFFY
Someone called?
GILES
(to Buffy, urgently)
It's Dawn.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LOUNGE ROOM - NIGHT
We see Dawn with the kids in a corner, all helping
with decorating the tree.
SARAH
Dawn, Nicholas took my angel!
NICHOLAS
Did not!
SARAH
Did too! It's right there in his
hand!
DAWN
(to Sarah)
It's okay Sarah. Why don't you go
get another angel from the box.
There's plenty more.
Sarah sulks and walks over to the opposite end of the
room where there is a box filled with Christmas
ornaments. She begins to sort through the ornaments
when she hears a rapping on the window off-screen.
Sarah gets up from the floor and heads over to the
window. She smiles.
SARAH
(quietly)
Santa!
ANGLE ON : WINDOW
as Sarah unlocks it and lifts it up to slowly reveal
something furry and red. It lifts its head slowly to
look at Sarah. It smiles at Sarah as we see its cat-
like eyes.
BLACKOUT
END OF ACT THREE
CONTINUE TO ACT FOUR