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Date Posted: 19:54:24 07/05/03 Sat
Author: Linda_Delurked
Subject: Episode 21 - Clarity - Part I
Clarity
Scene: Bluff. Dark
Proserpexa lowers her arms.
Proserpexa: It’s time to end this. You have fought valiantly. But it’s time to end this now. (shudders and throws back her head, eyes closed) It’s over. Finally, it’s over!”
Buffy: (yells) “Now!”
Dawn closes her eyes and chants. Willow raises her arms, a mirror of Proserpexa’s previous gesture. Her eyes begin to glow black. A circle of flames surround Buffy, Willow and Dawn. Proserpexa laughs.
Proserpexa: “You think that will stop me?”
Buffy: “Nope, just your followers. We think leaving you one mirror short will stop you.”
Proserpexa looks suddenly worried. She glances at the mirror. It has begun to glow with a soft green light. Quickly, she faces Dawn, who reaches out both her hands, eyes still closed. The mirror suddenly appears at her side. Dawn opens her eyes. They glow green for a second, then the glow fades. Willow is now glowing with power. Proserpexa’s followers disappear. Willow sags, and Buffy quickly catches her before she falls.
Proserpexa takes a step toward them. Willow, still in Buffy’s arms, jerks her head up.
Willow: (firmly) “No!”
Proserpexa hits a barrier. She can come no closer. She casts a disdainful glance at Willow.
Proserpexa: “I could summon them back at a moments notice.”
Dawn: “Which is why we kept the mirror. (can’t stop herself adding) Duh!”
Proserpexa: “And what good has it done you? You think this (runs her hand over the barrier, which glows softly under her touch) will keep me at bay for long?”
Willow: (breathless) “Long…enough.”
Buffy: “Can you teleport her away from here?”
Willow: “No, it’s taking all I have just to hold her back.”
Buffy: “Dawn?”
Dawn: “I…I think so. But Buffy, she’ll find a way back.”
Buffy: “It’s okay, just do the best you can.”
Proserpexa laughs. Dawn closes her eyes and chants again. Buffy helps Willow to stand. Proserpexa folds her arms and smiles at them.
Proserpexa: (amused) “Still fighting. Still resisting. All three of you. (shakes her head and laughs) Unbelievable!”
Buffy: (mock apologetic) “I’m sorry! Was I meant to roll over and die? I guess you must have confused the term ‘Slayer’ with something else.”
Proserpexa: "Don’t apologize! This is …(sighs happily) wonderful! I can’t remember the last time someone amused me this much! (sighs again, more sadly this time) I wish that it could continue, but…you will not prevail against me. It will be over soon.”
Buffy: (cheerfully) "Oh, I don't know about that. We seem to be prevailing pretty good so far."
Proserpexa: "(smiles sympathetically) You never give up, do you? I’ve made a point of never giving up either. (Proserpexa moves closer to the barrier) I won’t insult you by asking you to join me. I know what your answer would be. But I do wish we could have had more time together. I wish we could have known each other. You have all shown such courage in the face of the inevitable. Such determination to do what is right. I am so glad to have met you. I will remember you long after this victory.”
Buffy: “Uh…hello? (raises her hand) Not defeated yet!”
Proserpexa: “Quite right. First, I need your power.”
Willow stiffens and gasps, as though she’s just realized something. Buffy glances at her quickly and her, before turning to face Proserpexa’s power.”
Buffy: “My power?”
Proserpexa: (sighing) “English is such a silly language! So lacking in subtleties! I meant your power. Plural. The power that is in all three of you.”
Buffy looks surprised, then deeply worried as Willow steps in front of her.
Willow: “Stay behind me, Buffy! Keep Dawn back!”
Buffy: “What? Will?”
Willow: (not taking her eyes off Proserpexa) “She planned this. She wanted the three of us alone up here. Alone with her mirror.”
Proserpexa: “And my followers. I wanted them to witness my victory. But now they shall have to stay where they are. It will take all my strength to finish this. (tilts her head to one side) Tell me. Why did you send them to a dimension completely lacking in shrimp?”
Willow: “You’re not getting anything from us!”
Proserpexa: “Not willingly. I understand that. Even now, I feel how you’re protecting them, surrounding them with your shields. (Buffy stares at Willow, then glances back at Dawn, who is ignoring everything around her and chanting) It would take me hours to wear those shields down and take what I need. But I am impatient for this to end. I will not wait.”
Proserpexa raises her arms. The ground starts to shake. Buffy frowns. Willow looks horrified.
Proserpexa: “I will simply have to break you and get what I want.”
Willow: (frantic) “No! No!”
Buffy: “Willow?”
The ground suddenly shakes violently. Buffy and Dawn are thrown to the ground. Dawn screams. Buffy crawls over to her and holds her.
Dawn: (screaming above the immense noise) “What’s happening!”
Buffy looks back at Willow. Both Willow and Proserpexa are floating above the ground. Both are surrounded by a glow of power. The light glows brighter and they’re lost from view.
Buffy: “I don’t know!”
Magic Shop
Xander: (calls) “Anya! Got those books yet?”
Anya: (offscreen) “I’m coming! (walks into the room) Don’t rush me! I want to be protected when I get home. Lots of spells to surround my apartment.”
Xander: “Just as long as they don’t misfire and turn me into a…what’s that noise?”
Xander and Anya look worried. The ground has started to quake.
Xander: “Doorway! Now!
They rush for the door. Before they can make it the ground gives a sudden, violent lurch. The Magic Box begins to collapse. Xander is lost to sight under the rubble.
Anya: “Xander!”
Anya is quickly buried.
Amy’s House
Kennedy and Faith are huddled in the doorway
Kennedy: “It’s not stopping!”
Faith: “I don’t think it’s a normal quake.”
The shaking becomes even more violent. The house starts to fall apart. Faith tries to cover Kennedy. Kennedy stares at Amy’s body, which is still lying on the bed. She’s soon buried as the house collapses on the three of them.
Abandoned Shop
Andrew and Giles are huddled in one doorway. Spike is in another. The ground is shaking so violently they have to wedge themselves in the doorframe to stand.
Spike: “This isn’t normal Giles! It would have stopped by now!”
Giles: “We’ll have to get outside! Can you make it?”
Spike nods. He takes a step but is immediately thrown to the ground. Giles motions Andrew to lie on the ground. The two of them crawl slowly towards the door.
Spike: “Giles!”
Startled, Giles looks up. His eyes widen as he sees a large chunk of ceiling falling directly over him.
Giles: (softly) “Oh dear…”
The ceiling falls. Picture fades to black.
The Bluff
The shaking lessens, then finally stops.
Buffy and Dawn are crying, staring at the view of Sunnydale. As far as the eye can see, there is nothing but rubble. Small fires have broken out in different places. Everything has been wiped out. Buffy and Dawn stare at the destruction. The scene cuts to Willow, who is still concentrating on holding Proserpexa back. Her eyes are closed, but a single tear slides down her cheek.
Dawn: (softly) "They're all down there…Giles…Xander…"
Buffy: (Voice hard) "Finish the spell."
Buffy grabs her axe from the ground. She marches over to the mirror and attacks it.
Proserpexa: "You are only delaying your fate "
Buffy: "Trust me. I am through with delays!" (keeps attacking the mirror)
Proserpexa: "The mirror cannot be destroyed by human means, and if you send it away I will find it. All you have done is win yourselves a little time"
Buffy: "That's all I need. (yells) Dawn! Finish the spell!"
Buffy swings at the mirror again, attacking it with all her might.
[credits]
Scene: Pitch dark.
There's a shuffling sound, and the sound of someone coughing. Pause. Silence.
Xander: "Okay, the sky fell. Now what?"
Anya moans.
Xander: "Anya? Anya!"
Anya: "…Xander…"
Xander: "Where are you?"
Anya: "I thought…I thought we…."
Shuffling sounds. Xander is searching for Anya.
Xander: "Are you okay? Can you move?"
Anya: "I can’t…I’m stuck…"
Xander: "Where are you ?"
Anya: "It’s dark. (suddenly sounds scared) Xander, it’s so dark! I can’t see!"
Xander: "Hold on. I'm gonna try and get some light in here."
Shuffling sounds. Then a small crash. Rubble falls and light streams in from outside. Dust falls in a cloud. Xander coughs.
Xander: (looks around) "Anya?"
Anya: (crying) "Xander!”
Xander and Anya are trapped in a tiny space. Both of them are covered in dust. Anya is almost completely buried.
Xander: "Anya! Oh God! (reaches over to her) Hold on, honey. I'm gonna dig you out."
Anya: (crying) "I thought you were dead! I thought we both were!"
Xander hugs her as best he can.
Xander: "We're not dead. We’re not dead, honey. It's okay."
Xander pulls back and starts to free Anya.
Scene: Another wrecked room.
Close up of Spike in full vamp face, pushing hard against something. Camera moves back. Spike is trapped under a large concrete slab, and is trying to push it off. He falls back, exhausted, face returning to human.
Spike: (yelling) "Giles! Andrew!"
Pause. No answer. Spike closes his eyes for a second, then vamps out and pushes against the slab again.
Scene: Outdoors.
There’s a close up of a ruined house. Some of the rubble falls to one side. Faith pokes her head out. She looks around for a second, then climbs out and looks around
Faith: (to herself) “No forever midnight, no rain of fire…”
As Faith looks around something catches her eye. She smiles, then yells down into the building.
Faith: “I don’t think the apocalypse happened yet!”
Kennedy struggles out of the building. Faith gives her a hand. Kennedy stands for a second, catching her breath. Then she looks around.
There’s a shot of the devastation in Sunnydale, rubble as far as the eye can see. Switch back to Kennedy. She looks shocked.
Kennedy: “This isn’t the apocalypse?”
Faith: “Nope.”
Kennedy: “I don’t know, Faith. Looks like the end of the world to me!”
Faith: “Look over there.” (nods in direction)
Kennedy looks. There’s a shot of the bluff, seen from a distance. There’s a faint glow where the battle is being fought. Switch to Faith and Kennedy.
Faith: “Looks like the good guys aren’t done yet.”
Faith goes back into the ruined house, slipping down the hole she crawled out of earlier.
Faith: (offscreen) “Where are those damn weapons! I know I brought backup!”
Kennedy stays where she is, staring at the battle. Kennedy: “Doesn’t look like there’s a lot going on. Some kind of standoff maybe?”
There’s a thud behind Kennedy. Faith has thrown a bag of weapons out. She starts to climb out of the building again.
Faith: “Maybe. So what say we go change the odds in favor of the good guys…. Better make that the good girls”
Kennedy looks at Faith. Faith looks at Kennedy.
Faith: “Okay, relatively good girls.
Faith unzips the bag, takes out a crossbow and throws it to Kennedy, who catches it.
Faith: (grinning) “Saddle up, partner. (stands) We just became the cavalry!”
Scene: Bluff.
Buffy is still attacking the mirror with her axe. Willow is still holding Proserpexa back. Proserpexa doesn’t attack the barrier. She’s standing back patiently, waiting for Willow’s strength to fail. She doesn’t seem concerned by Buffy’s attack on her temple, though she occasionally casts a wary glance at Dawn. Dawn is chanting in earnest and is surrounded by a swirl of green energy.
Proserpexa: "You're wasting your time."
Buffy: "Doesn't hurt to try." *swings*
Proserpexa: (sweetly) "Of course not. I understand. You need to do something. Anything to take your mind off the suffering of your loved ones."
Buffy: (still hacking at the mirror) "Shut up!"
Proserpexa: "Do you think they died fast? Or was it slow for them? Are they still alive? Still suffering under the twisted wreckage of their town?"
Buffy: (louder) "Shut up!"
Proserpexa: "How many others are suffering down there? How many are dying? Shouldn't you be rescuing them? It is your fault they are there, after all…"
Buffy: (interrupts) “Why did you do it?”
Proserpexa looks taken aback.
Buffy: “I’m no expert on magic. I leave that to these two (indicates Dawn and Willow), but I know that casting a powerful spell like that saps your strength, leaves you drained. You must be running on close to empty right now. It’s probably the only reason we’ve been able to hold you back this long. (Dawn stops chanting, she looks at Buffy, who is getting more and more worked up) Why did you do it? Was it to keep our friends from helping us? To punish us for fighting you?”
Dawn moves closer to Buffy. Buffy ignores her.
Buffy: (yelling) “It wasn’t part of your plan! It hasn’t gained you anything! It’s really got me mad at you! Why did you do it?”
Proserpexa: “For the witch.”
Buffy: (looks puzzled and angry) “For Amy? This is your way of punishing her?”
Proserpexa: “No. (turns to Willow) the other witch.”
Dawn and Buffy look shocked. They stare at Willow, whose eyes are still shut tight. She is entirely focused on holding the barrier.
Proserpexa: “She’s far more strong willed than I had given her credit for. I knew that she was connected to everything here. She feels the ground, the roots, the town, the people…she’s part of it all. I thought destroying the town would destroy her. I thought the collective cries of the people of Sunnydale would shatter her mind. Then her power would be mine for the taking. I was wrong.”
Buffy: “Oh God! Willow! You can feel...?”
Proserpexa: “Everything. The wounded earth, the dead, the dying, the injured… (Proserpexa walks along the barrier, moving closer to Willow.) She feels it all. She must feel it to connect with her power and hold me back. (Stops walking. Faces Willow.) Despite the great inconvenience it presents me, I am impressed. But it doesn’t matter. Her power will fade, eventually. And while I don’t have the power myself to do what I want, I do have enough to do what I need. This is only a delay.”
Buffy moves toward Proserpexa, axe in hand. She looks ready to kill her where she stands. Proserpexa laughs.
Proserpexa: “Feel free to take down the barrier and fight me. I would like that.”
Buffy: (voice filled with rage) "I'm going to enjoy killing you so much!"
Scene: Outdoors.
Xander crawls out of the rubble, and then helps Anya to crawl out. They both sit for a moment, panting. Anya looks around.
Anya: "Where are we?"
Xander: (bent almost double, panting) "Outside. Good enough for me right now."
Anya: "Where is this place?"
Xander: (looks at Anya, he's worried) "We're the same place we were before the quake hit, Ahn. Do you remember?"
Anya: (looks at Xander) "But look! Look at this place! I don't recognize anything!"
Xander looks around for the first time. Anya is right. The area is unrecognisable. Everything has been reduced to rubble.
Anya: "Oh God! (stands up and looks around) Oh God! Oh God Oh God Oh God!”
Xander: (gently, reaching over to hug her) "It's okay…"
Anya: (slaps him away, yells) "It's not okay!!! Does this look okay to you??? In what bizarre alternative reality could this possibly be okay???"
Xander: (taken aback) "Okay! Okay!"
Anya: (screaming) "No! Not okay! Not! Okay! Don't you get it! This-is-not-okay! This is…this is…this is it. It's over. (looks stunned) Oh my God! It's all over!
Anya drops to her knees. Xander kneels beside her.
Xander: (quietly) “It’s not over, Anya. I promise."
Anya: (angry again) "Look around Harris! The world ended! How can you say that it's not over?"
Xander: "Because you're here." (takes her hand) "And I'm here. And if we're okay then the others will be okay. And as long as the others are okay then it's not over."
Anya shakes her head but doesn’t say anything. She looks stunned. Xander puts his arm around Anya and hugs her. She leans her head on his shoulder.
Scene: Inside.
Spike, roaring, pushes the slab off him. He struggles to his feet. He can just about stand in the wreckage. Tired, he leans against a wall, then jumps back with a "Bloody Hell!" when it groans and starts to shift. Dust falls from the ceiling. Spike looks up, worried. It stops. He lets out a sigh.
Spike: (calls) "Giles! Andrew!"
No answer. Spike looks around, and sniffs the air. He catches the scent of something and goes over to a corner. He starts to dig.
Spike: "Giles? You in there?"
Andrew's voice: (muffled) "Spike?"
Spike: "You alright? Can you move?"
Andrew: (voice panicky) "Help me Spike!"
Spike: "Hold on. I'm gonna get you out of there."
Andrew: "Please hurry!"
Spike pulls the some of the rubble away. Suddenly the ceiling above starts to groan and threatens to fall. Spike stays very still.
Spike: "Andrew? You with me?"
Andrew: "Yes!"
Spike: "Listen mate, this place is unstable. I'm going to get you out of there, but I need you to stay very still. Do you understand?"
Andrew: "Please hurry Spike!"
Spike: "Look, I get that you're scared, but I need you to..." (Spike sniffs the air) "...are you bleeding?"
Andrew: (makes a sound like he's crying) "It's Giles."
Spike: (puzzled) "Giles? (calls) Giles? Can you here me?"
Andrew: "He's bleeding everywhere Spike! Please hurry, I can't wake him up!"
A look of horror comes over Spikes face and he starts digging as fast as he can, keeping one eye on the creaking ceiling.
The scene cuts to Andrew, who is trapped face down, half buried. He's leaning over towards Giles, who is buried face up as far as his chest. He's unconscious and bleeding badly from the left side of his head, his left shoulder and left arm. His glasses are broken and lying on his forehead. Andrew is pressing his jacket onto Giles' arm, which is the only part of him that he can reach. He's crying.
Andrew: "Wake up Mr. Giles! Please wake up!"
Giles doesn't move. Andrew looks up at the ceiling, sobbing.
Scene: Outdoors.
Xander and Anya are wandering the streets of Sunnydale, along with a crowd of survivors who are milling around aimlessly.
Faith’s voice: "Xander! Anya!"
Xander looks startled. Anya doesn't seem to notice. Faith and Kennedy are running over to them. Faith looks delighted to see them.
Note: Faith is wearing a spine sheath, which holds a sword. She also has a dagger in a sheath on her waist, with a small axe tucked in the other side. She has the bag of weapons slung over her shoulder. Overall, she looks ready for business.
Kennedy is similarly armed, except that she doesn’t have a spine sheath.
Faith: (teasingly) "Wrong way, guys! You goin’ chicken on me? The battle’s thataway you know! "
Xander: (very serious) “I know. I just wanted to get Anya some water.”
Faith suddenly looks serious, catching the worry in Xander’s voice. Anya stares at Faith and Kennedy for a second, then suddenly hugs them, throwing her arms around both of them. They look at each other.
Faith: "Uh…yeah, I’m glad to see you too.” (pulls Anya off her)
Kennedy: "Sorry we took so long. We couldn't figure out which way to go for ages! What happened to you two?"
Anya: (voice distant) "We got buried alive."
Faith: "What?"
Anya: (tearfully)"We were trapped in the Magic Box. Xander had to dig us out."
Faith: "Oh my God! That's…"
Kennedy: "Xander, you're hands are bleeding!"
Everyone looks at Xander's hands. Faith holds them. She looks concerned.
Anya: "You’re hurt? Oh Xander! I'm so sorry! I didn't even notice!"
Xander: "It's O- (stops himself) uh - it's fine. Really. (takes his hands from Faith's) I'll be fine. I'll patch them up later. (turns to Anya) Look, I think you're in shock. We should find somewhere for you to sit down."
Faith smoothes back Anya's hair. She has a large cut on her forehead.
Faith: "Looks like you didn't come out easy either."
Anya: "It was horrible. I thought we'd died."
Xander: “What happened to your hands?”
Xander is looking at Faith’s burnt hands. Kennedy looks guilty.
Faith: “Proserpexa. She fried Amy. She’s dead.”
Kennedy: (softly) “Faith tried to save her.”
Xander: “Amy’s dead? For real dead?”
Faith: “Trust me Harris. It was real this time.”
As Xander tries to take in the news, he’s distracted by a sudden burst of light on the bluff.
Scene: The Bluff.
Dawn is surrounded by glowing green energy. She reaches both hands up to the sky. Proserpexa morphs into her demon self and snarls at them as she disappears.
Scene: Sunnydale street.
The crowd of people in the streets are staring at the lights on the bluff. They panic and begin to run away. Xander, Anya, Faith and Kennedy stay unmoved.
Faith: "Guess that's my cue to hustle."
Xander: "My car's at the construction yard. I can drive you to the base of the bluff. (look passes over his face) as soon as I figure out where we are…"
Faith: "Don't sweat it stud. (handing the bag of weapons to Kennedy) You guys take the car. I'm gonna run."
She starts to run away from them, in the opposite direction of the fleeing crowd.
Note: The first eight bars of "Clocks" plays softly over the next two lines.
Xander: (calling after her) "Be careful up there!"
Anya: "Give her a kick in the shins from me!"
Kennedy: "We'll get there Faith. We'll get to you as soon as we can."
Faith, still running, looks back and flashes them a quick grin.
Kennedy: "You think she'll make it in time?"
Xander: "I think if anybody can, it's her."
Second eight bars of "Clocks" are played more loudly now.
Faith races through the ruined streets of Sunnydale, heading straight for the Bluff. People stare at her in amazement as she runs past them, vaulting over the debris. Some are running in the opposite direction and have to jump out of her way. Faith ignores everyone around her, focusing on the road ahead.
(music fades into background)
Scene: The Bluff.
(‘Clocks’ still plays softly over this scene)
Dawn brings her hands down, and sighs, eyes closed for a moment, glow fading. Buffy touches her shoulder.
Dawn: (opens her eyes) "I'm okay.” (Sees Proserpexa has gone. She can’t help smiling, whispers quietly to herself and nods) “Cool!”
Willow falls to the ground. Buffy and Dawn go to her. Willow is almost unconscious.
Buffy: "Will?"
Willow: "Just…tired…"
Buffy: (to Dawn) "How much time do we have?"
Dawn: "Not much”.(looks apologetic) I can't be sure. Maybe half an hour."
Buffy: (exasperated) "That's not enough! I've been hacking at that mirror and it's not even dented. When they said couldn’t be destroyed by human means they weren’t kidding."
Dawn: "It’s okay. We can cast a spell and-"
Willow: "…no…we can't…"
Buffy: "Can't what Will?"
Willow: "The mirror…it can't be destroyed…magic won’t work. (sits up, wincing) The only way to destroy it is to kill Proserpexa."
Dawn: "But we've tried. She's too strong. All we can do is hold her back and we can't keep that up forever."
Buffy: "No, we can't. We have to figure out a way to kill her."
Dawn: "Giles said that he…(face falls)"
Buffy: "I'm sure he's okay Dawnie. But no one's coming to help us any time soon. It's up to us. There has to be something the three of us can do!"
Willow: (hesitates) "I have an idea. It’s risky but it could work. It’s a way to combine our powers and make them stronger."
Buffy: "Sounds like just what we need. What did you have in mind?"
Willow: (watching Buffy’s face carefully) "The enjoining spell."
Pause. Willow and Buffy stare at each other. Dawn looks from one to the other.
Dawn: "That spell you cast to stop Adam?"
Willow nods. “A variation of it, yes” She's still looking at Buffy. Buffy looks worried.
Dawn: "But Giles and Xander aren't here. How will you…?"
Buffy: "She means us Dawnie. (turns to face her) The three of us."
Dawn: "Oh!"
Buffy: "We don't have anything to…"
Willow: "That doesn't matter. I don't need it now. But you both have to understand, this spell is dangerous, really dangerous.”
Buffy: "I do remember our visit from Miss World 9000BC. (frowns) And that guy with the cheese slices."
Willow: "It's not just that. I didn't have nearly the power back then that I do now, and part of that power is connected to Proserpexa."
Dawn: "But that's a good thing! We might be able to use her power against her somehow, right?"
Buffy: "It's worth the risk, Willow."
Willow: "I know, and I think so too. Believe me, I wouldn't have mentioned it if I didn't think it was our only chance. But this spell...this spell binds the three of us together. Not just our powers, but all of us. Our bodies, our minds, our spirits… (hesitates) If I cast this and one of us dies, the three of us will die."
Buffy: (grimly) "I think that pretty much sums up our current situation."
Dawn: "Buffy's right. We don't have a choice.”
Willow: “Yeah, that’s kinda what I thought too. I just…I needed you to know.”
Buffy: (sighs) "Okay. Let's do this.""
(‘Clocks’ fadeout)
Willow nods tries to stand. Dawn and Buffy help her to her feet. The three of them are holding hands.
Dawn: "Just for the record, we are going to try to avoid this dying thing as much as possible, right?"
Buffy: (smiling) "Don't we always?"
Dawn: (smiling back) "Well you've gotta admit, you don't have the greatest track record when it comes to..."
Buffy: “I don’t die every time Dawnie. Plus, you never know, we may change the universe and I end up with yet another sister.”
Dawn: “Well if we do she’s sharing your room, not mine!”
Dawn notices that Willow's eyes have closed. Dawn closes her eyes and concentrates. Buffy looks at both of them, concerned. After a moment, Willow starts to chant.
Willow:
Maiden, Mother, Crone are we
Children of sea and moon and earth
Waters of tide and rain and tempest
Daughters of death and life and birth
Dawn begins to chant in unison with Willow.
We wax and wane with the moon above us
Young, then grown, then old, then young
Bound in the cycle, ever turning
Within the circle, all are one
Buffy looks puzzled and worried, but closes her eyes and does her best to concentrate with the other two.
Scene: Outdoors.
Xander, Anya and Kennedy have reached Xander's car. Or what's left of it. The wreck is upside down and half buried under a fallen building.
Kennedy: "Well, that's a bust!"
Anya: "This is terrible!"
Xander: "It's no big deal Ahn. The streets are a mess anyway. We probably wouldn't have been able to drive through them."
Anya: "But acts of God aren't covered on your insurance! How will you repair it?"
Kennedy: (incredulous) "Repair it? Anya, it's scrap!"
Anya: (brightening) "Of course! (to Xander) You can sell it for scrap and buy a new car!"
Xander: (starting to walk away, the others begin to follow) "Nah, I never liked that car much anyway. I mean who drives great big cool cars these days?"
Kennedy: “You know if you prove the earthquake was caused by this demon they wouldn’t be able to call the quake and act of God.”
Xander: “That’s a valid point! You think maybe I could-”
There's a sound of someone coughing. The three stop and look at each other, puzzled.
Another cough. Then a moan. A young woman's voice is heard.
Voice: "Help! Help me!"
Xander: "Sweet divine! She's under the car!"
The gang fall to their knees and start digging through the rubble that surrounds Xander's car.
Scene: The Bluff.
Willow, Dawn and Buffy are holding hands. All three have their eyes closed. Willow and Dawn are chanting, more loudly than before. Buffy is silent.
Willow and Dawn:
Hear our plea, O wise Hecate
Fair Diana, grant our prayer
Bind us now, Mother Demeter
Spirits, minds and hearts we share
Bind our strength, we fight together
Bind our will, one goal we see
Bind our hearts, we are as one now
By the power of three times three
As Willow and Dawn chant, a crackle of red power runs along Willow's left arm. It reaches Buffy's arm, where it turns blue. The power crackles along Buffy's arm and chest, then her left arm, where it reaches Dawn. The energy changes to green, then crackles along Dawn until it finally meets up with Willow's right arm, turning red again. All three are glowing faintly.
Scene: Indoors.
Spike helps Andrew out of the narrow hole he's trapped in and leans in to look at Giles. When he pulls himself back out it's obvious that he's very worried.
Spike: "Get digging. I'm going to free Giles and pull him out of there."
Spike peers into the hole for a few seconds wondering where to start. He sighs and turns around. Andrew is sitting crouched on the floor, not moving.
Spike: "Didn't you hear me? Get digging! We need to get out of here, in case you didn't notice."
Andrew shakes his head.
Spike: "Are you mad? I didn't spend the last bleeding half hour digging you out of this rubble so you could sit on your arse! Get helping!"
Andrew: (softly) "Doesn't matter."
Spike: "What doesn't matter?"
Andrew: "This. Everything. Doesn't matter any more. We're dead."
Spike: (puzzled and annoyed) "What?"
Andrew: "We're dead!(laughs) Look! We've even been buried! I'm dead! You're dead!"
Spike: (sarcastically) "Well yes. Vampires have a tendency to be as it happens!"
Andrew: "I'm dead Spike! (leans his head down into his lap and mumbles) I'm dead."
Spike: (sighs) "Andrew, you're not dead. Not even close. But Giles will be if we don't..."
Andrew: (looks up) "She didn't rescue us."
Spike: "What are you on about?"
Andrew: "Buffy. She didn't come for us."
Spike: "Busy saving the world I expect. It's what them hero types do."
Andrew: "And Faith? And Kennedy? They haven't come for us either? Not even Anya or Xander? Do you know why?"
Spike: (sarcastic again) "Well I should think they might be a tad busy with the earthquake and all..."
Andrew: (yells) "It's because they're dead! It's because everyone's dead! There's no point in digging ourselves out! There's nothing out there!"
Spike: "There's no way for us to know-"
Andrew: (hysterical) "We're dead! Giles is dead! I'm dead! You're even deader than dead!"
Spike: "Andrew listen to me!"
Andrew: "Dawn's dead! Kennedy's dead! Faith's dead! Buffy's dead!"
Spike: "NO SHE BLOODY WELL ISN'T!"
silence
Spike: (calming himself) "Nobody's dead, Andrew. I'm the only dead man here. Now go and dig us out."
Andrew: (still panicked) "I'm not digging. I don't want to know what's out there."
Spike: (losing patience) "Fine! Sit there! Just sit there like the useless sodding wanker you are!”
Spike leans in and checks on Giles again. We hear the sound of Spike digging. Spike's voice calls out to Andrew.
Spike: (brightly) " 'course you know sooner or later I'm gonna get hungry."
A look of fear crosses Andrew's face.
Spike: "And Giles here's only going to keep me going so long. I mean, look at him! Bloke's half drained as it is. Not much more than a snack there."
Andrew looks more worried.
Spike: "Nope, won't keep me going for more than five minutes. And hunger does strange things to a man. Makes him see food everywhere. (pause) Wouldn't want to go all crazy on you."
Andrew gets up and starts digging.
Spike pulls back out, and looks at him. Sighs, goes over and gives Andrew a friendly pat on the back, which makes Andrew jump and gives a little “Eeek!”
Spike: "Good man."
There's a pause while Spike tries to think of something comforting to say. He finally settles for…
Spike: “Obi Wan would be proud of you."
Andrew: (smiles weakly) "Really? Which one?"
Spike: “Does it matter?”
Andrew: “Well, A New Hope Obi Wan had this venerable dignity thing going for him, as well as lots of wisdom, while Eughan McGregor has this younger, rebellious streak, plus he’s pretty hot which makes…”
Spike: "'Fine! Fine! Yoda would be proud of you. And before you ask, I mean the bloody puppet!"
Andrew: (tearfully grateful) "Thanks."
Spike smiles at him and stays with him for a second.
Spike: "Gonna go back to Giles."
Andrew: (softly) "Okay."
Spike crawls back over to Giles. Andrew pauses for a second, and takes a deep breath.
Andrew: (quietly to himself) "I am a Jedi Master! I know no fear!"
Andrew keeps digging.
Scene: Outdoors.
Kennedy, Anya and Xander are still pulling at the pile of rubble.
Anya: (whispers to Xander) "She's not calling out any more."
Xander: (calls) "Hey? Can you hear me?"
Kennedy: (softly) "Are we too late?"
Xander: "Hello?"
Young woman's Voice: "I'm here! Please help me!"
Xander: "It's okay! (Anya glares at him) We're gonna help you. (Xander motions the others to keep digging) What's your name?"
Voice: "Not telling."
Anya: "That's certainly a very unusual name. Is it Dutch?"
Kennedy: (gives Anya a look) "Why won't you tell us your name?"
Voice: "Sorry. I hate my name. I try not to tell anyone if I can."
Kennedy: "This is Southern California. Loads of people have strange names. It can't be that bad."
Voice: "It's worse."
Kennedy: (laughs) "If you say so."
Xander: "Would it make you feel any better if I told you that I'm here with my two friends Anya and Kennedy?"
Kennedy: "Are you making fun of my name? Don't you dare make fun of my name - Xander!"
Voice: (laughing softly) "Trust me, my name is far weirder than any of those. (pause) Except maybe that Anya one ."
Anya: (offended) "Oh yeah? Well - his best friends are Buffy and Willow!"
Pause
Voice: "Wow. That is weird!"
Anya: (softly to Xander) "Ha!"
Xander: "Then of course there's Anya's ex - Olaf!"
Voice: (laughing harder) " Now you're making that up!"
Xander: "Nope! She even had a fling with a guy called Spike!"
Anya: "That was just that one time!"
Voice: "Oh my god! Spike? You had a fling with a dog?"
Anya: (shocked) Certainly not! I may have engaged in several rather unusual sexual practices in my time, especially light bondage and gentle S and M..."
Kennedy: "Anya..."
Anya: "And of course there was that one time Xander wore a pair of tights and a little red thong and we took photos but I never..."
Xander: "Anya!"
Anya: "What? ...oh...right....(to the voice)...Please ignore everything I just said."
Voice: (laughing) "My God! I'm being rescued by crazy people! (suddenly gasps in pain) “Owww! Don't make me laugh!"
The gang realise they've stopped digging. They resume.
Scene: The Bluff.
The light around Willow, Buffy and Dawn gets brighter. Where it mingles it becomes pure white.
Willow and Dawn:
Maiden, Mother, Crone are we
Times three our power is multiplied
Birth and life and death together
Three as one now, unified
Suddenly, a burst of power engulfs the bluff. Buffy, Willow and Dawn throw their heads back, staring at the sky. Willow's eyes are glowing black. Buffy's are glowing blue. Dawn's are glowing green. The three of them are still holding hands and chanting.
Pugnamus! Apprehendimus! Vincimus!
Nunc et Semper!
Scene: Outdoors. Dusk.
The crowd screams as they see the lights on the bluff, and start to run again. Faith looks up for a second as she runs, then bows her head, running harder.
Scene: The car
Note: ‘Protection’ by Massive Attack is playing in the background
Kennedy and Anya look at Xander.
Xander: "Go. (They hesitate) Go! Help Buffy! I'll stay here."
Anya looks stricken.
Xander: "You know more about this demon than anyone. She needs you, Anya."
Kennedy pulls at her arm.
Kennedy: "C'mon. We're needed."
They move off, starting to run to the bluff.
Voice: "What's happening? What's going on?"
Xander: "Nothing. It's okay. The others have gone to get help."
Voice: "Please don't leave me!"
Xander: "I'm not going anywhere. It's okay."
Xander pulls the rubble aside and uncovers the young woman's face. She looks slightly younger than Dawn. She's bleeding, and the left side of her face is swollen.
Xander: (cheerfully) "Hey! There you are!"
Xander starts gently brushing the dust from the girl's face. She smiles at him.
(music fadeout)
Scene: Indoors.
Spike pulls Giles out from the hole where he had been trapped. Andrew stops digging and comes over to help him. Giles is still unconscious. There's a small trail of blood left where Spike drags him.
Spike: (checks Giles' pulse) "He's lost so much blood he's cold! (looks about) There's got to be something we can use to cover his wounds."
Andrew: (fishes around the rubble) "My jacket's in there somewhere. (pulls it out) It's kinda dusty..."
Spike cleans the jacket off as best he can, then wraps it around Giles' arm. He takes off his tee shirt and presses that against Giles' shoulder and face.
Spike: "I think moving him got him bleeding again. I'm going to keep this here for a minute. Keep digging."
Slight pause. Spike looks up at Andrew. He's been distracted by the shirtless Spike.
Spike: "Didn't you hear me?"
Andrew: "Huh? Oh yes! Digging!"
Andrew turns and starts digging again. Spike looks at Giles.
Spike: (in a loud cheerful voice) "Come on mate! Wakey Wakey! We could use a hand getting out of here you know."
Giles doesn't move. Spike looks around, worried, then looks down at Giles again.
Scene: Outdoors.
Kennedy and Anya are walking quickly through the ruined streets.
Anya: (panting) "Maybe we should head to the demon bar."
Kennedy: "I know you’re thirsty Anya but we’ve got to-"
Anya: "No it's just...someone there may be able to teleport us to the bluff?"
Kennedy: "You think?"
Anya: "It's possible. (pause) Although we'd have to figure out where it is."
Kennedy: "There's no time. Let's just keep moving."
Anya: "I wonder if the bar survived. Do you think Clem is okay?"
Kennedy: (irritated) "I don't know!"
Anya: (muttering under her breath)"Someone sure had her bitch flakes this morning!"
Kennedy stops and faces Anya.
Kennedy: "We don't have time for this! We don't have time for any of this! Don't you get it? I need to get to that temple and you're slowing me down!"
Anya: "You think I don't know that? It's not like I want to be there! If Buffy hadn't said I was needed I'd be back with Xander right-"
Man's voice: (offscreen)"Help! Someone help me please! My daughter!"
Pause. Kennedy and Anya are still facing each other.
Anya: (hesitating) "Shouldn't we go help?"
Kennedy looks at the bluff.
Man's voice: "Oh God! Please, someone help me!"
Kennedy swears under her breath and runs to the voice. Anya follows.
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Episode 21 - Clarity - Part II -- Linda_Delurked, 19:58:52 07/05/03 Sat
Scene: Outdoors.
Note: ‘Interlude’ by Siouxie Sioux is playing in the background
Xander is still trying to free the trapped girl. She's free down to her waist.
Girl: "Why haven't they come back yet?"
Xander: "Huh?"
Girl: "Your friends. They're not back yet."
Xander: "The town's one big mess. They're probably delayed. (smiles at her) Don't worry, they always come back to rescue me."
Girl: "You get rescued a lot?"
Xander: "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
The girl gasps and shifts a little. Xander stops digging.
Xander: "You okay?"
Girl: (voice breathy) "Yeah. It just hurts sometimes."
Pause. Xander looks worried. He starts digging again. The girl leans back and closes her eyes. She sighs.
Girl: "Why do you need rescuing so much?"
Xander: (cheerfully) "Well, my friends are kinda special. They're superheroes!"
Girl: (smiles) "Superheroes?"
Xander: "Yep!"
Girl: "Then why didn't they fly away to get help?"
Xander: "How do you know they didn't?"
The girl laughs.
Girl: "Didn't they have super strength? Couldn't they get me free?"
Xander: "Not Anya and Kennedy. Buffy does though!"
Girl: "Did they go to get her?"
Xander: "Well they kinda went to help her stop the end of the world, but as soon as they're done I'm sure we're top of their list"
The girl assumes Xander is kidding. She smiles at him.
Slight pause.
Girl: "It felt like that you know."
Xander: (grunting as he moves a large piece of concrete) "What did?"
Girl: "The quake. It felt like the end of the world."
Xander hauls the concrete to one side. He looks at the girl and squeezes her hand. She smiles at him. The camera pans down slightly and we see what the girl can’t see, that Xander’s hands are bleeding badly.
Scene: Outdoors. Night.
Faith is running through the ruined streets of Sunnydale, still going in the opposite direction to everyone else. Someone yells something at her, a shouted warning. She ignores him and keeps running. There’s a sound of a woman screaming. Faith looks upset, but doesn’t stop. Something growls and Faith stops running. She looks at the sky and notices the stars and moon for the first time.
Faith: (softly, to herself) “Vampire!”
Faith reaches a hand behind her shoulder and pulls her sword loose.
Scene: Outdoors. Night.
A large demon is growling and moving for a woman, who is slowly backing away. The demon looks quite like a Fyaarl demon, except that instead of horns he has a row of Spines on his head.
Kennedy’s voice: (yelling) “Get away from her!”
The demon and the woman turn to Kennedy, who has her axe in her hand and is running towards the demon. Anya is behind her.
Anya: “Kennedy!”
Kennedy swings the axe but the demon dodges the blow. Kennedy uses the momentum of her swing to aim a kick, which hits the demon square in the chest, hard enough to knock him down. She slams one foot on to his chest and gets ready to swing the axe again.
Demon: (outraged) “What are you rescuing her for? She’s about to eat your friend for pity’s sake!”
Shocked, Kennedy turns to look at the woman. She’s a vampire, and she has Anya. One hand is clamped over Anya’s mouth, while the other is pulling her hair, exposing her neck. The vampire is clearly about to bite, but looks up when she hears the demon.
Vampire: (pouts at the demon) “Tattletale!”
The vampire throws Anya to one side and rushes Kennedy. Kennedy doesn’t have enough time to prepare for the assault and is knocked to the ground. The vampire lands on top of her, grinning, and reaches for Kennedy’s neck. She’s suddenly torn from Kennedy by the demon, who rips her head off with a growl. The dust falls on Kennedy, who coughs. She flinches involuntarily as the demon leans down toward her, but he holds out his hand and helps her to stand.
Demon: “She was eating the survivors! Can you believe that? There’s hundreds of them out here sucking away on people trapped in the rubble or wandering around the streets! (shakes his head) Vampires! Just when you think they’ve reached rock bottom, they start to dig! (turns to Anya) Anyanka! Come to join the rescue party!”
Anya: “We can’t. I mean, we’re helping people as much as we can, but we’re supposed to get to Kingman’s Bluff and help Buffy.”
Demon: “Ah! So that’s what the lights show is all about! (looks up at the bluff and shudders) I’ve gotta tell ya, I’d prefer to be dusting vamps down here. That new demon, she’s trouble!”
Anya: “Tell me about it! You wouldn’t believe what she did to me only last…”
Kennedy: (interrupting) “You know this guy?”
Anya: “Of course! Eddie’s a regular at Willie’s. We hang…occasionally…”
Eddie: “Don’t let her fool you, Anyanka is a riot at parties! She has the funniest stories from her vengeance days. (to Anya) Oh! Tell her about the one with the guy with the exploding head!”
Anya: (rolling her eyes) “She’s heard it. Never see the funny side of that one.”
Kennedy: (looking suspiciously at Eddie) “You mentioned a rescue?”
Eddie: (nods) “The bar was trashed, but we all got out okay. (turns to Anya) Clem heard about the vamps and got a few of us to round up whatever survivors we found and get them over to his place. It’s still standing, so we figured we could hold the vamps off ‘till dawn. I wanted to stay with him and help him out with the injured, but he figured I’d be more help out here.”
Kennedy: (still suspicious) “Why?”
Eddie: (looks at Kennedy, spreads his arms) “Do I look like a people person to you?”
Kennedy: “So you’re rescuing people instead.”
Eddie: (caustically) “No need to thank me. The bruises on my ribs are reward enough! I’m sure Clem won’t mind another injury to go with the collection at his place.”
Kennedy: “Anya, is this guy telling the truth or is he going to start feeding on people once we go?”
Eddie: (glares at Kennedy, eyes narrowed) “I violently dislike you!”
Anya: (makes an exasperated sound) “Don’t worry about it Eddie, she’s like this with everyone. (To Kennedy, who looks outraged at Anya’s comment) Eddie is fine. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Well, except for the fact that flies are what he eats.”
Eddie smiles smugly and gives Kennedy a “So there!” look. Kennedy rolls her eyes.
Kennedy: “Alright! Okay! Let’s just get going again!”
Anya: (as she starts to follow Kennedy) “Tell Clem we haven’t head from Giles, Spike or Andrew yet but that everyone else is okay.”
Eddie: “Will do. Take care up there, okay?”
Anya: (smiles) “We will.”
Kennedy: (calling from offscreen) “Anya!”
Anya: “I’m coming!”
Eddie: (quietly) “…and if you ever need anybody to kill someone and make it look like an accident…”
Scene: Indoors.
Spike and Andrew are digging their way out of the rubble. Spike suddenly loses his temper. He lets out a roar, vamps out and hits the ground. He stays there panting for a second. Andrew, terrified, stands with his back against the rubble.
Andrew: (worriedly) "Are you hungry?"
Spike: "No. (shudders) I need to get out of here."
Andrew: "Oh. (pause) Are you getting that thing where the walls seem to be closing in and you can't breathe and your chest gets tighter and tighter and all you want to do is...(of Spike's look) ...not helping. I get it."
Spike stands up. He walks over to the wall of rubble and puts both his hands on it.
Spike: (almost tearful) "She needs me. She's out there facing that bitch right now and I'm stuck in here!"
Spike slams his fists against the wall of rubble. The ceiling shakes again. Spike doesn't seem to notice. Andrew looks up fearfully.
Spike: (softly) "I need to get to her."
Andrew hesitates for a second, then puts his hand on Spike's shoulder. Spike sighs and bows his head, braced against the wall of rubble. They both stay that way for a moment, then Spike takes a breath and starts to dig through the rubble again. Andrew starts to dig too. His watch beeps. He goes to the unconscious Giles and checks his pulse, and listens to his breathing. Spike doesn't look back.
Scene: Outdoors.
Kennedy and Anya are walking through the streets.
Anya: "Do you think we should have stayed with them for a bit longer?"
Kennedy: "We got her free. We don't have time for anything else."
Anya: "I know, it's just...(glances back) the girl did looked pretty beat up."
Kennedy: "It doesn't matter. If we don't get to Buffy soon they're all dead."
Woman's voice: (off screen) "Help! Help me!"
Anya and Kennedy stop walking. Anya looks at Kennedy. Kennedy looks frustrated.
Scene: The Bluff.
Proserpexa returns to the Bluff in a burst of flames.
Proserpexa: "Did you think you could keep me away forever? Time is meaningless to me now! And you're time is over!"
Proserpexa tries to walk up to the gang, but is held back by a barrier. She looks at Buffy, Willow and Dawn. They are holding hands, standing in a circle, surrounded by a glow of power. For the first time, Proserpexa looks worried. She closes her eyes, concentrates, and starts to glow.
Note: "Play Dead" by Bjork is playing over the following scenes.
Intro to "Play Dead" plays.
Proserpexa is thrown backwards by a burst of power.
Proserpexa lies on the ground. The camera shows her back. Then it pans upwards to reveal Buffy, Willow and Dawn standing in front of her. The three of them are glowing with power. Willow's eyes are glowing black, Dawn's green and Buffy's blue. They are all wearing exactly the same expression on their faces. They look angry. And very sure of themselves.
Proserpexa scowls back at them. She stands up and summons her power. A large snake appears in the air in front of her. Buffy, Willow and Dawn raise their right hands and exactly the same moment. A stream of light comes from the three of them. It combines into one bright, white stream. Proserpexa hisses at them and jerks her arm forward in a stabbing moment. At the same time, the snake hisses and lashes out, in the same motion as Proserpexa's arm. The power from Buffy, Willow and Dawn connects with the snake. There is an explosion of light.
The light fades. We see Kennedy face, with the moon shining behind her. She is peering into a dark opening. Something worries her. She reaches forward and pulls out a little boy. Anya is standing besides the boy's frantic mother, trying to comfort her. Kennedy places the boy on the ground and listens to his chest.
Darling
stop confusing me
With your wishful thinking
Hopeful embraces
Don't you understand
The scene cuts to a distant figure who is running across Sunnydale. There's a closer shot and we see that it's Faith. There's a shot of the lights from the battle on the bluff, then another of Faith, pushing herself even harder, running faster.
I have to go through this
I belong here
where no one cares
and no one loves
No light no air to live in
The scene cuts to a close up of Proserpexa's face. She looks extremely angry.
A place called hate
The city of death
(music)
Different camera angle. The snake falls to the ground and fades away. Proserpexa raises her hands, and fire springs up from the ground. Buffy, Willow, and Dawn make the same gesture in perfect unison. A cloud appears above them, sending rain. It falls on the flames, putting them out. Willow, Buffy and Dawn remain completely dry. Their eyes start to glow white. A large vine seeps out of the ground and wraps itself around Proserpexa. She struggles to get free.
Cut to Giles, still unconscious on the floor. Spike is checking his pulse this time. He looks up at Andrew, who is pulling frantically at the rubble.
I play dead.
It stops the hurting
Cut to the mother cradling the body of her dead son in her arms. She is sobbing. Anya has her arm around her and is crying too. The camera moves to the right to reveal Kennedy sitting near them. She looks upset.
I play dead
and the hurting stops
It's sometimes just like sleeping
Cut to Xander, still trying to free the girl. He looks tired.
Curling up inside my private tortures
The girl winces and moves slightly.
I nestle into pain
Xander looks concerned. He takes off his jacket and wipes her face. She smiles weakly.
Hurt, suffering, caress every ache
(music)
Cut to Proserpexa. She frees herself from the vines. She slams her fists down on the ground, which begins to quake.
Willow, Buffy and Dawn hover above the ground.
The girl screams in pain. Xander grabs her arms, trying to hold her still.
Anya and Kennedy are still beside the grieving woman. They look on in horror as the ground quakes again.
The ceiling above Spike and Andrew begins to cave. Andrew runs over to Giles, covering him as best he can. Spike braces himself against the ceiling, holding it up. The camera pans upwards, and we see that they are buried under a massive amount of rubble. Not just the shop, but rubble from several other adjacent buildings have fallen on top of them, more than they could possibly dig through in time.
I play dead
It stops the hurting
I play dead
It stops the hurting
I play dead
It stops the hurting
(fadeout)
Scene: Outdoors.
Xander pulls a large slab off the girl. He looks down and is obviously shaken by what he sees. He turns to look at the girl. She's lying very still, eyes closed.
Xander: (gently) "Hey! (takes her hand) "You still with me?"
Girl: (opens her eyes and smiles weakly) "Still here."
Xander: (glancing back at her legs) "Look, uh, I don't think I should pull anything else off you. We'd better wait here 'till help comes."
Girl: "I know. (slight pause) My legs are crushed aren't they?"
Xander: "Yeah, I think they are."
Xander moves up closer to the girl. He smoothes her hair away from her face. Again, the girl doesn't notice that he's bleeding, as she can't see his hand.
Xander: "Look. If I move anything else, you could bleed to death. As long as we stay here you'll be fine. We'll just wait for the experts, okay?"
Girl: "Okay."
Pause. Xander looks around for a second, then back at the girl.
Xander: "You need anything? Some water maybe?"
Girl: "I'm fine. (sighs and closes her eyes) It doesn't even hurt any more."
Xander looks deeply worried.
Scene: Outdoors.
Note: ‘Precious Things’ by Tori Amos is playing in the background
Cut to Faith, fighting three vampires at once. As she decapitates one we see that she’s standing in front of a cowering family (Father, mother and little girl).
Faith dusts the other two and turns to the family. They look up at her with a mixture of horror and wonder.
Faith: “You guys okay?”
They all keep staring. The father finally manages to nod.
Faith: “There’s a building over there that looks pretty sound. Barricade yourselves inside. Don’t let anyone in until daylight. Do you understand me?”
The Father nods. The mother looks upset.
Mother: “Please don’t leave us!”
Faith: (replacing her sword in its spine sheath) “I’m sorry. I can’t stay.”
Faith turns away and begins to run.
Mother: “No! Please! Don’t leave us alone like this!”
The Father holds the mother, who is almost frantic. The little girl starts to cry. Faith keeps running. She doesn’t look back.
‘Precious Things’ plays more loudly as the scene ends
Scene: Bluff. Night.
Proserpexa is wounded but still fighting. She lashes out again. Willow, Dawn and Buffy's skin starts to change colour. Bruises appear on their arms and faces. Their skin is discoloured, as though poison is seeping underneath it.
Willow, Buffy and Dawn raise their arms in perfect unison.
Willow, Buffy and Dawn: "Expellente Mallem!"
Their skin clears. A dark liquid seeps out of their fingers and hovers above them. Willow, Buffy and Dawn lower their hands and point at Proserpexa.
Willow, Buffy and Dawn: "Returned Threefold!"
The liquid starts to fly to Proserpexa. It becomes a raven, which slashes her left cheek with it's beak. She angrily tries to swat it away. It circles and slashes her other cheek. The wounds become discoloured. Proserpexa snarls.
‘Precious Things’ fades out
Scene: Sunnydale Street. Night.
Kennedy and Anya are moving again. They both look visibly upset.
Female Voice: “Help! Someone help us! Please!”
Kennedy rushes off in the direction of the voice. Anya follows.
Scene: Sunnydale Street. Night.
Faith is fighting two vampires, one male and one female. There’s a dead woman lying on the ground near her. She decapitates the male and then shoves the female against the ground.
Faith: “Tell the others to stop feeding.”
Vampire: (laughs) “You’re insane! You think I could tell them to starve in the middle of an all you can eat buffet?”
Faith grabs the vampire roughly by the hair and turns her to face the bluff. The lights are still flaring.
Faith: “You see that?”
Vampire: (angrily) “I see it! So what?”
Faith: “That is the end of the world. Unless I get there, that is going to destroy everything. Including you and all your vamp buddies!”
Vampire: (eyes widening) “You’re lying.”
Faith: (yelling) “Look at it! Look at what they’re fighting! Hell, you can feel the power from here! And that power is gonna wipe out this whole town and everything else unless you back the hell off and let me do my job!”
The vampire stares at the scene on the bluff. It’s clear she believes her. Faith lets go of her. They both stand, the vampire backing away.
Faith: “Tell your friends.”
The vampire runs off. Faith sheaths her sword again and runs towards the bluff.
Scene: Indoors.
Spike and Andrew are still digging. Andrew is chatting away fairly cheerfully.
Andrew: "So Geordi LaForge ends up totally blind, since his visor isn't working any more, and he and the Romulan end up working together so they can survive. So they end up using his visor as a communication device, a beacon that can let the Enterprise know where they are. It's all very symbolic. That was the best one I think. Of course there were a lot of similar episodes in the original series, but they were all pretty boring.”
Spike can’t help smiling at the irony of that last statement. Andrew doesn’t notice.
Andrew: “There was that one where Picard and Wesley were stuck on this desert planet. That was Wesley’s final mission. Very emotional! Oh, and then there was this other one in 'Enterprise' where Trip was stuck on this really hot planet which would kill him when the sun rose, and there was this alien with him, who was..."
Spike: (interrupting) "Stop!"
Andrew Stops. Spike frowns, listening to something.
Andrew: "Can you hear somebody?"
Spike: (looks worried)"When did you last check on Giles?"
Andrew: (checks his watch) "Four minutes ago. Why?"
Spike: (eyes widening) "I can't hear his pulse."
They rush over to Giles. Andrew leans his head on his chest. Spike checks the pulse in his neck.
Andrew: (lifts his head) "He's stopped breathing!"
Spike moves aside slightly and places both hands on Giles' chest
Spike: "Do you know CPR?"
Andrew nods and gives Giles mouth to mouth. Spike starts pumping his chest.
Scene: The Bluff.
Snarling, Proserpexa smashes her way through the barrier that's been keeping her back. Dawn reaches out a hand and Tara’s Book of Shadows suddenly appears, suspended in the air.
Dawn: Creo!
The words fly from the pages, swirl around for a second, and then form a spear, which flies to Willow. Willow points at Proserpexa.
Willow: Pugno!
The spear flies towards her. She tries to bat it away, but eventually it pierces her shoulder. Screaming in rage, she pulls it loose and throws it aside. It immediately flies to Buffy, who holds it and stands firm, ready to fight Proserpexa one on one.
Buffy: (smiles) Vinco!
Proserpexa: “Not yet you don’t!”
Dawn and Willow stand just behind her, both surrounded by flaring energy. They stretch out their hands and the energy surrounds Buffy.
Proserpexa attacks Buffy, trying to reach the mirror. Willow and Dawn stand behind them, their energy flowing to Buffy, making her stronger.
Scene: The Bluff.
Faith reaches the top of the bluff. She starts to run to Proserpexa's temple.
Scene: Indoors.
Andrew and Spike are giving Giles CPR.
Spike: "Stop!"
Spike listens to Giles' chest.
Andrew: "Anything?"
Spike shakes his head. " Keep going."
Scene: Sunnydale Street.
Anya helps an exhausted Kennedy to sit down on a pile of rubble. She goes away for a second and then comes back with a bottle of water.
Anya: "The firemen had some. I'm glad they're here at last. I sent someone to help Xander and that girl who was trapped. You need to rest. You're exhausted!"
Kennedy: (shakes her head, whispers) "I'm fine."
Anya: (crossly, as she helps Kennedy drink the water) "No you're not! You'd better not die on me! Not after all that effort Buffy put into saving your ass last year. She'd kill me!"
Kennedy smiles weakly at this.
Anya: (more gently) "Just rest now. You've already helped so many people."
Kennedy: (whispers) "Wasn't enough."
Anya sits beside her and pats her arm.
Anya: "It was sad about that little boy. And that couple. But the emergency services are here now. You won't have to do it by yourself any more. Plus the vampires seem to have backed off. I guess they finally figured out that this wasn’t the place to be.”
Kennedy doesn't look at Anya, instead she stares at the ground, panting. There's a sudden sound and they look up to see that the lights on the bluff are getting brighter.
Anya: "Should we go help the good guys now?"
Kennedy: (smiles weakly) "I thought we already were."
Male Voice: (offscreen) "Help! Somebody help us!"
Kennedy gets up without a word and walks to the voice, away from the bluff. Anya hesitates for a second, then follows her.
Scene: The Bluff.
Buffy and Proserpexa are fighting one on one. Buffy still has the spear. Proserpexa keeps trying to get past her to the mirror. She has gained some ground since the last scene. Willow and Dawn are back against the mirror, using all their power to keep Proserpexa at bay.
Faith is running across the Bluff. She sees the lights in the distance and runs harder.
Scene: Indoors.
Andrew and Spike are still giving Giles mouth to mouth.
Andrew: "I don't think it's working."
Spike: "Keep going!"
Andrew nods and keeps giving Giles mouth to mouth. Spike keeps pumping his chest.
Spike: (under his breath) "Come on Giles! Not here. Not like this. Come on!"
Scene: Outdoors.
Xander and the girl are still beside Xander's ruined car. Xander is lying beside her and holding her hand. He's stroking her hair.
Girl: "All your girlfriends turned out to be demons?"
Xander: "Well, there was Rachel. Not that she was my girlfriend. She kissed me back when I was in second grade. Though looking back at it now, I have my suspicions. What kind of a normal human likes cabbage?"
Girl: (laughs) "Sounds like you have one crazy life."
Xander: (smiles) "Yeah. It really is."
Girl: "Don't you get scared?"
Xander: "Sometimes, but not so much any more, not like I used to. There was a time when every little bump in the road would have had me running to panicsville with a quick stopover at cape mortal terror, but it's not like that now. It's not that I'm safer or anything. I've seen some awful things, worse than I could ever have imagined. But no matter how bad things got, no matter how hopeless it seemed, Buffy would always save the day. That's what she does."
Girl: "But what happens if she dies? Then we don't have any hero to save us."
Xander: "Actually, that's the amazing part. When one slayer dies, another one is called to take her place. And when she dies, someone else is called. And then another and another and another...”
Note: Intro to "The Scientist" by Coldplay starts to play
Xander : “…so no matter what happens, no matter how awful things are, there's always someone fighting for us. There'll always be a slayer to protect us. (smiles) Maybe even you. You could be mysterious wreckage girl the vampire slayer."
Girl: (smiling) "Clarity."
Xander: "What?"
Girl: "That's my name. Clarity."
Xander: (smiles back)"It's pretty."
Girl: (whispers) "Thank you."
There's a slight pause. Clarity sighs, and then lies very still. Xander's face falls.
Xander: "Clarity?"
He reaches out and touches her face.
Xander: (more loudly) "Clarity!"
Clarity is motionless, her eyes wide and unblinking. Xander strokes her face with his still bloodied hand, then breaks down and cries.
Come up to meet ya, tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
Buffy fighting Proserpexa on the bluff. Proserpexa is pushing Buffy further and further back, towards the mirror.
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Kennedy and Anya struggle to lift a heavy slab. Kennedy steps back for a second, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her arm. She looks exhausted.
Tell me your secrets, and nurse me your questions
Oh lets go back to the start
Slow motion shot of Faith running
Running in circles, coming in tails
Heads on a science apart
Xander closes Clarity's eyes and kisses her forehead.
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Giles’ body lies motionless on the ground. Spike puts his tee shirt over Giles' face. Andrew is sitting a short distance away, sobbing. Spike sits beside Andrew and puts his arm around him, trying to comfort him. He looks close to tears.
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
Buffy battles Proserpexa. She manages to knock the spear from Buffy's grasp. Willow and Dawn lash out with their magic. The spear rises from the ground. Proserpexa snatches it and plunges it into Buffy's heart.
Willow and Dawn throw back their heads and scream. The scream is echoed by Faith, who finally reaches Buffy, just as she falls backwards into Faith’s arms. Faith catches her and lowers her gently to the ground.
Faith: (frantic) “Buffy! Buffy!”
Buffy doesn’t answer, She stares straight up at the sky. Blood pours from her wound, staining Faith’s hands.
(instrumental)
Proserpexa reaches the mirror, which sparks and crackles with energy. A column of energy shoots out from it, into the sky.
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
In the sky above the mirror, an image of a giant snake appears, woven into a complicated knot and biting it's own tail. The column of energy from the mirror hits the snake image. It lets go of it's tail, arches back and makes a sound, half hissing, half shriek.
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
The moon seems to vibrate for a second, and then starts to move backwards in the sky. The sun appears, also moving backwards, flying faster and faster across the sky.
And tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Cut to a street in Sunnydale town. It's chaos. The town has fractured into different time zones. In some places it's day and in others it's night. Terrified people are running, crying, asking each other what's happening.
Running in circles, chasing tails
Coming back as we are
Shot changes to slow motion. In the middle of the throng we see Xander. He is the only calm person to be seen. The camera moves closer and closer to him as he ignores everyone around him and stands peacefully looking up at the sky.
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Faith swings her sword at Proserpexa. It hits off a barrier. Proserpexa turns to Faith and smiles at her, face human again and full of triumph. Faith looks over at Willow and Dawn. Willow is laying motionless, eyes wide. Dawn is lying beside her, but manages to turn her head to look at Faith. Blood is seeping from her mouth. She's dying. Faith rushes to her side.
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start
Faith kneels beside Dawn, trying to figure out how to help her. Dawn tries to speak. Faith lifts her up as gently as she can and leans in to listen. Dawn whispers something to Faith. Faith nods, and lowers Dawn to the ground, then goes to Buffy and kneels beside her. She sees that the watch around her neck is glowing with a soft green light. She glances at Dawn, who nods, then takes the watch from Buffy's neck and places it around her own. Dawn smiles, sighs and closes her eyes. Faith looks stricken.
(instrumental)
Proserpexa is staring at the sky. The snake has unwound completely and is writhing in the stream of energy coming from the mirror, twisting and convulsing into different shapes. Faith takes Buffy into her lap and cradles her. She looks around desperately, at Dawn, at Willow, at Proserpexa, at the writhing snake, then down at Buffy again.
Faith: “Don’t you die on me, B!”
Buffy doesn’t reply. She lies motionless in Faith’s arms, barely breathing.
Faith: “You’ve gotta hold on!”
Buffy shudders and gasps, eyes widening. Faith is crying now.
Faith: “Come on B! Stay with me! I don’t know what to do!”
Ooooohhhhhhh [x3]
There is a close up shot of Buffy's face. Her eyes slowly close. The picture fades into black.
Ooooohhhhhhh
[End]
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Yep, that looks about right! -- Linda_Delurked,
20:01:08 07/05/03 Sat
That's what I get for being all showoffy and HTMLish when I had no way to test it for errors. There's a slight mistake at the end, but I can fix that.
Okay, that's the episode! What do you think?
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I just finished part one and so far I love it! -- Mark, 20:05:26 07/05/03 Sat
The earthquake wasn't too abrupt at all. The tension is just wonderful and the whole episode is really fast paced. So far, I'm really enjoying it a lot. I think my favorite has got to be the Spike/Andrew interaction and the way Spike got Andrew to start digging. Okay, on to Part 2!
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Finished part 2! -- Mark, 20:24:21 07/05/03 Sat
Wonderful!! I loved the reveal of the girl's name...Clarity. It was fast paced, with great action and emotion. This episode took me the least amount of time to read just because it all went so easy and flowed well, from scene to scene to scene. I think we also got some wonderful development from Kennedy as well. Overall, such a great second to last! I want to see this so bad on the screen!!
My favorite line has got to be:
"Trust me. I am through with delays!"
haha! I don't know if you meant this with the double meaning of all the long delays recent eps have had, but that's what I took it as and I laughed out loud. Great work!
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D'oh! Gotta close the tag! -- Linda_Delurked,
20:07:20 07/05/03 Sat
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Kash, I've sent you and ABM an unerrored version by mail -- Linda_Delurked,
20:22:38 07/05/03 Sat
All done and ready to post. Let me know if it's all okay. You can delete the others down here - they're making a real mess of your board!
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Linda I loved this!! -- imisstara,
20:31:59 07/05/03 Sat
I think this is such a wonderful episode!! I liked the scope of the episode, how it focused a lot on the town as a whole, and the victims, rather than just a few of the Scoobies. I liked the characters you created just for this ep - Clarity and Eddie, they were both written very well. Just such a wonderful action-filled episode. Much ass was kicked!!
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Thanks guys! -- Linda_Delurked,
21:10:25 07/05/03 Sat
Mark, I know you won't believe this, but I totally didn't get the double meaning of that line! It's cool that way though - ha!
Thanks to both of you for the comments, I'm glad you liked the episode. Start thinking of what to do for the finale!
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The final version is much easier to read -- Linda_Delurked, 21:31:10 07/05/03 Sat
It's more spaced out, and a bit easier to read.
Thanks for liking the revelation of Clarity's name. I was worried that people would guess it from the name of the episode. Some might still do.
I know commenting on people's names is probably a bit silly in somewhere like California where people are called Star Moon Child and Fifi and all kinds of stuff, but I did need a reason why Clarity's name wouldn't be mentioned until the end, so that was my excuse.
I'm actually delighted with the Kennedy story. I know it's not important in terms of the whole episode, but I just really liked the way her story went. I'm especially pleased because I used to think that the only good character development I could write for her was a swift decapitation!
It's sad that I couldn't give Giles more to do, but I did want at least one character killed by the quake. I guess all those years of being knocked out finally caught up with our favourite watcher.
The Spike/Andrew interaction was something I had in mind from the start. It was also (not so) cleverly foreshadowed in episode 11. All those star wars scenes were clues too - Han incased in rock etc. It's a pretty clumsy version of foreshadowing but heck, it's the best I could do!
I had worried that Spike's freakout was a bit too close to his scene with Andrew in 'Touched' - where he frets over Buffy facing her enemies alone. The thing is, I wrote it before I'd seen touched and I was really amazed that my scene was so close to something the writers actually used, so I kept it in so I could show off and tell people ;)
Well, that's it. Now all I have to do is cope with the savage review from MTsFan when he realises I've killed off Dawn...*cringe*
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well haha it all worked for me! The only suggestion I can think of... -- imisstara, 21:37:40 07/05/03 Sat
And this is really small, but maybe if you could add a few lines describing more of the actual buildings falling to show more how devastating this is. I think describing a shot of Buffy's house would be really striking, maybe Faith or someone could run by the street. Or maybe like a street that has been cracked in half or something. I thought you did a wonderful job with everything else, though. haha i'm really just trying to think of some kind of suggestion and that's all I could think of!
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Hmm...that's a good idea! -- Linda_Delurked, 21:44:52 07/05/03 Sat
I'm at a net cafe right now and heading home, but I'll try to amend that before the episode goes out tomorrow. Thanks!
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Linda - SUPERB! Absolutely amazing... -- BunnyPhobia, 22:39:11 07/06/03 Sun
I actually got teary when Clarity cried (and even with my cynicism, I didn't spot her name) and I put 'the scientist' on for that last scene, and got all teary then too...
WOW.
Just wow. Immense episode. Absolutely immense. Nothing was wrong with it, I'm just blown away.
~BP
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Yeah, the ending makes me teary too -- Linda_Delurked, 11:16:26 07/07/03 Mon
And I wrote the silly thing! Clarity's death and the final scenes do make me emotional. My friend Ian (Under Amber's Spell) thought that The Scientist was a bit too upbeat to use, but I inisted on using that song. I just couldn't imagine the finale without it.
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Ian's still around? Wow! How's he doing? -- BunnyPhobia, 14:08:04 07/07/03 Mon
And I often think that if you get truly emotional about what your characters are going through, and not because it logically should be sad, then you've hit the nail on the head, and have a true piece of honest writing.
I felt you got that anyway...
"No body said it was easy.." - Ian thinks that song's upbeat??? It's beautiful, but it sure ain't cheery *veg*
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He's working full time in an office now -- Linda_Dekurked, 17:04:51 07/07/03 Mon
Not just from home any more, but he's great. I'll tell him you were asking for him!
He's also massively jealous as he wants to write a whole bunch of fic and doesn't have the time - poor thing!
I think he meant the tempo more than the actual song itself. He said that lyrically it was spot on. It's just that the song actually inspired the ending for me, so I couldn't let it go. I wanted that to be the closing song. Initially I had Faith doing a voiceover, talking about moments of clarity in a person's life, but I'm glad I went for the song now.
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