Part 3
Scene 4
Cave/abandoned building/usual ‘bad guy’ set.
We see Miranda chained (horizontally) to a stone slab of some kind. Her eyes are closed. She is unbelievably pale and covered with bite marks on her arms and neck. We see small holes in her pants along her thigh—these are the points of entry for the marrow demon’s marrow sucking fingernails that are able to pierce the bone to get to the marrow inside. Her left arm is hanging off the edge of the slab—you can see that her wrist is slit and there is a bowl underneath to catch any blood that drains from the wound. It’s not bleeding now. Drusilla, her boyfriend and another vampire come into the room. The vamp kneels down and checks the bowl.
Vampire: [whiney] “There’s hardly anything in here and I’m hungry. Can’t I just go out for a snack until there’s more?”
Drusilla: “The piglet must be pure [turning to her boyfriend] I think it might be time for supper.”
MarrowDemon: “It is time, my pretty. Let’s see if this is even worth our trouble now that the beast is drying up.”
Drusilla: “Goody goody. Can I try? [nod from MD]
Vampire: [in response to D’s moving towards him] “Not another dousing with the holy water—I told you before, it still stings a bit...in certain places.”
Drusilla: “No water. Just wood.” [she suddenly pulls a stake out from her dress and jabs it into the chest of the vamp. He’s shocked, but doesn’t turn to dust. She turns to MD and smiles.]
Vampire: [Suddenly relieved] It worked. I’m still here. I am SO going to the beach tomorrow...”
He goes on and on about planning his day while D & MD exchange triumphant looks. Then, after about a minute, the vamp turns to dust.
Drusilla: [pouty] “That’s not fair. They closed the park early. And I didn’t have time to ride the big wheel.”
MD: “It’s only been a few days. It’s obviously working. We just need more. She can’t be the only one. I’ll leave it to you to find out where the rest of her kind hide.” [he leaves]
Drusilla: [she walks over to Miranda and pokes her on the cheek] “Time to wake up little cow. All the others have already gone to the market.”
M doesn’t stir; D finds a pitcher of water, brings it over and starts to pour it on M’s face. M slowly opens her eyes and tries to catch some of the water, but then D takes it away.
Miranda: [weakly/slightly delirious] “Sorry, fresh out. I told you—takes more than water to make blood. I don’t know when you last took a biology class, you crazy bitch, but you can’t take the marrow AND the blood. So you’d better work something out with ‘Captain Fingernail’.”
Drusilla: “We just need more cows for the barn. Where do you keep your little friends? Big friends are better.” [Miranda doesn’t say anything.] How should I make you talk? There are so many ways. It’ll be fun. [Miranda closes her eyes] Hm what is the cow afraid of? What does she want?”
Miranda: “Again, I'll have to go with ‘sod off, you crazy bitch’.”
Drusilla: “All I see is your head—your head in my head—or is it your face? Is it vanity? Or is it death? Let’s start with vanity [she finds a knife and moves it slowly across M’s face, scanning her eyes as she does so. Suddenly, she cuts into M’s cheek with the knife—M winces] That mark won’t go away like the others, will it? But that’s not what you fear...must be death then [she continues to move the knife around and then as she moves it downward towards her neck, Dru’s eyes light up] That’s it, that’s it. I win the prize.”
Just then there is a commotion outside and one of the minions comes to bring Dru to the front room. She puts down the knife and then runs her finger across the wound that she made, picking up the few drops of blood and then licking her finger.
Drusilla: “Yummie candy. If you’re a good girl, you can have some more”.
Before she leaves, she re-opens the wound on Miranda’s wrist with the knife and carefully places the bowl under it as it starts to bleed again. Miranda’s eyelids start to flutter and she’s out. A few minutes go by—we can hear angry voices from the next room, but nothing clear enough to understand. From another entrance into the room, we see Angel back in quietly. He turns and sees Miranda—the site of her stops him briefly—a fleeting look of pity crosses his face. In a moment he is next to her, assessing how to get her out of the chains. As he is prying open the chain on her right arm, she stirs.
Miranda: [barely audible] “none left. all gone.”
Angel: [whisper] “I’m going to get you out of here—it’s Ok.”
Miranda: [after a moment] “Spike? I knew you’d come...”
Angel: “Miranda, it’s Angel. I’m going to have to use a sword to break through the chain. Don’t move.”
Miranda: [trying to open her eyes] “oh.”
[Angel successfully breaks the chains—he lifts her up and carries her limp body out of the room]
**
Next we see Angel carrying Miranda into the hotel where everyone is waiting. He immediately starts taking her upstairs to one of the rooms.
Angel: “Get some bandages and anti-septic—she’s covered in holes. And extra blankets.” [He continues to walk toward the room.]
Cordelia: “She’s bleeding from somewhere.”
After Angel sets her down on the bed, they find the slit wrist and wrap it up. Gun comes back with supplies.
Gunn: “She’s still alive, right? I mean, she looks...”
Angel: “Like death, I know. She was conscious a few minutes ago. Let’s try to clean her up a bit.”
When they put the anti-septic on her wrist, she stirs, writhing in pain.
Wesley: “It’s Ok. It’s Ok. We need to clean out your wounds.”
Miranda: [delirious] “Spike?”
Angel: “He’s not here. He’s with Dru. You need to rest now.”
Miranda: [She tries to open her eyes. And after a moment] “Pain—something for the pain.”
She grabs hold of Gunn’s arm and looks at him hard.
Gunn: “I know what she needs. I’ll need to make a couple of calls.” [he leaves]
Angel pulls back the blanket he carried her in and Cordy gasps at the sight of her.
Cordelia: “She looks like a pin cushion.”
Wesley: “Lets just try to keep her warm until Gunn gets back—once she’s sedated, we can take a closer look at her wounds.”
Just then Spike comes running up the stairs and is stopped briefly by Angel.
Spike: “You got her out, then? I wanted to give you as much time as possible, so I had to put on quite a show. [trying to peek past Angel] Is she alright?”
Angel: “It’s pretty bad, Spike.”
Spike brushes past him into the room. Cordy and Wes step back and move to the door to talk to Angel, giving Spike & Miranda some privacy. Before he came in, they pulled the blanket back over her. Spike kneels by the bed and a very pained look crosses his face as he looks at her—he wets his thumb and tries to wash the dried blood off her cheek. When he touches her, he’s surprised and leans in closer to her face. He then tilts his head and lays it on her chest. After a moment, he sits back, dumbstruck. He pulls out her cross necklace from his pocket and puts it carefully on the bedside table. He slowly stands up and walks with a sort of shell-shocked look to where the others are standing.
Spike: [calmly & quietly to Angel] “When you found her—her heart was beating, yeah?”
Angel: [nodding] “She’s been in and out of consciousness. Why?”
Spike: “It’s not now.”
They all look at her and Wes goes over to check—he confirms.
Cordelia: “I don’t understand—I thought she was immortal.”
Spike: [actually more to himself than in answer to the question] It’ll start again—that’s what happens with them. It’ll start again—maybe in a few hours. I think that’s what she told me once—sometimes longer, sometimes less. Was like that when I met her. [beat] Now it seems so wrong for her to be like that—like us [pause. Fighting back tears, he suddenly switches to anger] I think I need to pay Dru another visit." [He turns to leave]
Cordelia: [to Angel] “Should we really let him go? Didn’t you say there were like 30 of them?”
Angel: [shrugs] “At least he’ll distract them for a bit—I don’t think they’re the type to just let it go—they’ll come looking for her and this may buy us some time. And who knows, maybe he’ll actually kill her.”
Cordelia: “Yeah, because you guys have been so successful in the past when it comes to dusting ex-girlfriends.”
Spike: [after a couple of steps, he stops himself and walks back to the room; he didn’t pay any attention to their conversation, but came back because he remembered something] “You can’t leave her alone. Promise you won’t leave her alone—and keep a light on. She’s afraid of waking up alone and in the dark after...Says she sometimes comes back confused, and if I’m not back... Promise.”
Angel: “Ok.”
Spike: “And, uh. There are some things you should get for when she wakes up. [voice cracking] She’s immortal, but she feels pain—[to Angel] more than us. She’ll need something for that—something strong.”
Wesley: “Gunn’s gone to get something.”
Spike: [nodding] And lots of Gatorade and spinach—are you writing this down? Because it’s important that you get it right in case I’m not back—and meat, like steak or burgers and uh...ice cream.”
Cordelia: “Ice cream?”
Spike: “She likes the kind with the chocolate bits and the cherries.”
Cordelia: “Got it.”
After a moment, he leaves.
Cordelia: “He wasn’t actually cr...I mean, it looked kind of like he...[shaking her head] Nevermind. I’ll hit the all-night supermarket. [to Wes] You want the first shift?”
Angel: “Someone should be downstairs in case Dru and her cronies show up. I’ll be in the lobby.”
End Scene
Scene 5
Five or 6 hours later—middle of the night. It’s Angel’s ‘shift’—he is in the room with Miranda, sitting in a chair toward the base of the bed reading a book. Periodically, he glances over to her to see if she’s woken up. He tries to stay awake, but eventually succumbs and nods off. He wakes with a start—he was dreaming about her—about the time when she kissed him. He knows she did it out of spite, so why can’t he stop thinking about it?? Within an instant of his waking up, Miranda takes a loud breath. After a minute or two of regular breathing, she begins to stir. He crouches down near the bed as she tries to open her eyes—the minute her eyelids open, she bolts up in bed and looks around frantically, wide eyed—this sudden movement makes her dizzy and she quickly falls back. She’s blinking hard.
Angel: “Miranda—it’s Ok. You’re in the hotel, remember. I brought you here—away from Drusilla. You’re Ok.”
She looks at him, confused. After a moment she nods to indicate that she understands.
Miranda: “Angel”
Angel: “Right. I’m here. God, you’re heart is beating so fast.”
Miranda: [after a moment, weakly] “Water”
Angel: “Here” [he pours water from a pitcher by the bed] “And there’s Gatorade in the fridge downstairs if you want it”
Miranda: “Don’t go. Yet.”
Angel: [He brings the glass to her lips—first she takes some small swallows, and then quickly finishes the glass. He pours her another.] “Do you want something for the pain? [indicating some pills on the bedside table] Gunn say’s they’re likely to knock you out for a while.”
Miranda: [She nods, indicating that she wants them. Then her eyes see her cross pendent lying next to the pitcher on the bedside table] “Spike? Is he here?”
Angel: [He thinks about it for just a moment] “He’s with Dru. Don’t worry—just rest now.” [He knows how this might sound, but he decides not to explain.]
You can tell by her eyes that she’s disappointed, but she simply doesn’t have the strength to ask any more questions. Angel gives her the pills and she takes them. She is soon off to sleep. He brushes the hair back from her face, enthralled by the sudden return of color to her cheeks.
**
It’s almost morning when she wakes again. Angel is sleeping on the chair. She looks around, sleepily and tries to sit up—she winces in pain and then stays down.
Miranda: “Angel. Are you awake? [no response; a bit louder] Angel.”
Angel: [waking up with a start] “Yeah, awake. Now. Are you OK?”
Miranda: “I suppose that’s rather relative. I’d like that Gatorade now—and could you prop me up a bit with some pillows?”
Angel: “Sure”
[He does this first and then leaves the room. He’s back in a few minutes with the Gatorade.]
Miranda: [she drinks a bit] “Thank you. [pause] Were you here—the whole time?”
Angel: “We actually took it in shifts; First Wes and then Cordy. I was here most of the night.”
Miranda: “Did anything happen?—before I woke up?”
Angel: “What do you mean?”
Miranda: “No one’s actually been there when I’ve come back before—I’ve always wondered...”
Angel: “I was asleep—I’m sorry.”
Miranda: “hm. Probably nothing, then.”
Angel: “What’s it like for you? Where do you...go?
Miranda: “I never remember anything. There is a sense of lost time, but nothing concrete.”
Cordy knocks on the door and comes in.
Cordelia: “Good morning. How’s—oh, she’s awake. You’re awake! That is SO WEIRD.”
Miranda just smiles slightly in greeting.
Cordelia: “I brought donuts.”
Miranda: “I don’t think I’m quite ready for solid food just yet, but I appreciate the thought.”
Cordelia: [to Angel] “Donut?”
He just gives her a blank look.
Miranda: “I’d quite like to take a bath—along with the beating heart comes more bleeding. Cordelia, do you think you could help me?”
Cordelia: “Sure. There’s a bath in this room. I’ll just start it going and when you’re ready...”
Angel: “I need to go downstairs for a minute—you two okay up here alone?”
Cordelia: “I think we can handle it. We’ll try not to drown.”
Cordelia helps Miranda get undressed and into the bath—she can’t even stand up by herself. Cordy tries and fails to hide her reaction to M’s copious wounds, but stays to help her clean them and wash her hair.
Miranda: “I’d like to just sit a while, if that’s alright.”
Cordelia: “Ok. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.”
She leaves. After a while, Angel pops his head into the room, careful not to look into the bathroom.
Angel: “Everything OK? Cordy went out for coffee—she’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Miranda: “Would you mind helping me out of the bath? I’m starting to prune.”
Angel: “Cordy will be back soon—I’ll send her up.”
Miranda: “For goodness sakes, Angel. You’re hundreds of years old—surely you’ve seen a naked woman before. Come help me out.”
He reluctantly helps Miranda out of the bath and wraps her in a towel, being careful to avert his eyes. He then helps her to the bed and she gets back under the covers, naked.
Miranda: “Do you have a shirt or something I can wear?”
He goes into another room and gets something for her. She slips it on under the covers. She is a bit more animated, but still very weak.
Angel: “It’s likely they’ll look for you. You’re welcome to stay here until you’re feeling better—you’ll be safe.”
Miranda: “From the antiques event—do you have any records on other Immortals—others like me?”
Angel: “Yeah. We managed to track down Joseph and Samuel when you disappeared—Spike thought they might know something.”
Miranda: “The last thing I remember before you showed up—when was that? Yesterday?—was Drusilla and her lovely beau talking about finding others like me. I can’t let that happen. This—this is my doing. Can I ask that you destroy any record you have of how to find them?”
Angel: “No problem. Except...”
Miranda: “What?”
Angel: “Spike was with us when we talked to them—he’s got their addresses on him.”
Miranda: “And now he’s with Drusilla.”
Angel: [pondering this for a moment] “I wonder if it was all a ruse—the talk of getting their help to find you—maybe he was in on it all along and this was the only way he could think of to find them. [He’s just about convinced himself of this] I can’t believe I fell for it.”
Miranda: [venomous] “Bite your tongue. He would never...”
Her voice gets weak as she starts to tear up slightly—not quite in a stable frame of mind after the blood loss and pain killers—could he be right? No, surely not. Still, she’s too emotional to think clearly about anything.
Angel: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you—you should rest—try to sleep. [He decides to add because he thinks it might make her feel better:] You shouldn't feel too bad about it—he was with Dru for more than a century. What they had was intense. She definitely had a power over him, so...”
Miranda: [interrupting; very serious] “Stop talking, Angel.”
Angel: “Right. I’ll make sure Cordy deletes the files.”
She nods, but her eyes are still wet and she looks confused. The day passes—Miranda sleeps through most of it. Angel and Wesley go out to conduct some business. Cordy and Gunn are in the hotel with Miranda. At one point, Miranda asks to use a phone privately. She talks for a while. About an hour later, Joseph shows up in the lobby to pay her a visit. They speak privately behind closed doors. Gunn and Cordy hear/see something upstairs (flash of light) and a few minutes later, see Joseph walk slowly down the stairs and leave. Cordy and Gunn go upstairs to check on M—when they get to the room, they don’t see her right away. Suddenly, in a whirl, Miranda overpowers them and before they knew what hit them, she has handcuffed them both to something unmovable.]
Miranda: “Sorry about that, but I can’t let you interfere—no one gets hurt that way. Tell Angel this has been my doing and I’ll take care of it.”
After she’s finished securing them, she stands up, appearing to be in full strength. They’re both utterly flabbergasted.
Gunn: “What? How? Just a few hours ago, you couldn’t stand up and now you’re pulling this?”
Miranda is rummaging around for more clothes, ignoring them. She leaves and then comes back into the room for a moment to pick up her necklace. She then walks boldly out of the room.
Cordelia: “So you’re just going to leave us here? Angel might not be back for hours and I’ve got to pee.”
Gunn: “Oh, this isn’t going to be fun, is it?”
She’s just about gone, when something catches her eye and she peeks back into the room.
Miranda: “What size shoe do you wear?”
Gunn: “About a nine wide.”
Miranda: “Not you.”
Cordelia: “Oh no. Not the boots. These are $500 designer cowboy boots. They are practically the only part of my pre-poverty wardrobe that I have left. [whiney] Not the boots!”
Ignoring her, Miranda puts her foot next to Cordy’s and smiling, she pulls off Cordy’s boots as she says:
Miranda: “Sorry—I’ll replace them. You may have just given me a theme for tonight’s party. It’s going to be bloody brilliant.” [She puts them on her feet and leaves.]
We see her enter a shop—antiques, of course. She gets a nod from a man behind the counter—he’s dark and handsome in a rugged kind of way. She leaves sometime later with a cloth bag, stuffed full. Next we see her in a room somewhere—not clear where. She’s sitting on the floor—meditating? Around her, we see an assortment of weapons, most of which have been modified, i.e., regular daggers with wooden covers. Now, flash to Angel Investigations where Angel and Wesley are just returning.
Angel: “Hello? Guys? Where is everyone?”
He and Wes look at each other and then run up the stairs. They find C&G tied up in the bedroom. Angel glances at the empty bed
Angel: “Dammit, they found her. [angry] Spike.”
Gunn: “Uh, didn’t exactly go down like that.”
Cordelia: “Yeah, somehow little helpless Miranda was able to kick our asses and run off with my boots.”
Gunn: [defensive] “She surprised me—I wasn’t ready—how many times do we have to go through this?”
Angel: “Miranda? As in the woman who just a few hours ago I had to help out of the bath did this?”
Gunn: “You helped her out of the bath? How come I never get those kind of jobs?”
Cordelia: [eye roll] “That guy Joseph came by and a few minutes later, she turned into Xena, warrior princess. Can you please unlock these things? I really have to pee.”
They find the key after searching the room and unlock the cuffs.
Gunn: “She said to tell you that ‘she’ll take care of it’”
Angel: “She’s going back to the caves—what is she crazy?”
Wesley: “It’s suicide.”
Cordelia: “She’s going to RUIN those boots! [glares from everyone.] And get herself killed.”
Angel: “How long ago did she leave?”
Gunn: “About 4 hours.”
Angel: “Let’s hope we’re not too late.”