| ACT FOUR FADE IN EXT. SUNLIGHT HOTEL - CONTINUOUS Faith stands astonished at the sight of the Mayor circling a jailed Dark Man. MAYOR A wonderful thing, isn't it? Like magic. Of course, it is magic so that explains that. DARK MAN (to Faith) Who the hell is this annoying jackass? FAITH Shut up. MAYOR (to Dark Man) Talk like that isn't encouraged while you're imprisoned. (to Faith) Oh, my apologies. A tasteless joke on my part seeing as you were in prison. And that boggles my consciousness to no end my dear girl...why prison? You did nothing wrong. FAITH I killed human beings. MAYOR Murder is subjective. What one person calls "murder" another calls "necessary house-cleaning". DARK MAN Oh wow, my sister was right...shoulda moved to Texas. FAITH (to Mayor) You're dead. Splattered snake meat. Evil snake meat. MAYOR Spirituality. And "evil"? I don't recall you ever using that word in reference to me. I certainly never used such a word to describe you. In fact, I had nary but praise and love for my favorite girl. FAITH What about that video? MAYOR Motivation. It worked, didn't it? Faith silently regards him. MAYOR You were the apple of my eye for a time and it was a fabulous time. I'm not saying you should bring armageddon...but eliminating those who seek to destroy you is a must. FAITH This is messed up. The world is gettin' tossed on it's ass. I'm seein' dead people--either REALLY dead or just undead--and I'm actually listenin' to 'em. Buffy-- MAYOR --Does not even have the decency to face you as you die. There's a moment of silence. Faith's conflicted. MAYOR Slayer powers are a marvelous gift. Such a shame to leave them wasted on petty vampires. Buffy is waiting in the shadows. Her greatest prayer is to be Faithless. DARK MAN Drowning in an ocean of bullshit! All it is is underworld propaganda. You don't buy any of this...right? Faith doesn't say anything. The Mayor walks over to Faith and leans in close to whisper: MAYOR Buffy is scowering the town for you. That's a fact--and I can bring her to you. Faith peers at the Mayor, then at a hopeful Dark Man. FAITH (to Mayor) Where we headed? MAYOR You won't regret that decision precious. Follow me. FAITH What about him? MAYOR Can't leave if you can't move. Plus, loyal associates will stand guard. Three SUITS appear out of the darker parts of the area. Faith meets up with the Mayor, exchanging a glance with the Dark Man as she passes by. CUT TO: INT. SUMMERS HOUSE - NIGHT Xander and Giles ARGUE. Anya's spacey on the couch. Willow gets off the phone. WILLOW No answer. Buffy's cell, Faith's hotel... XANDER Buffy should've been back by now. ANYA (haughtily) I bet she and Faith met up, talked, decided to go dancing and then ended up in bed in a pile of lustful passion. It's always about Buffy isn't it? Buffy Buffy Buffy. Everyone stares at Anya like she's out of her mind. GILES That's a possibility--in an alternate universe far far away from this one. WILLOW Should we go out and look for them? XANDER We could be overreacting. It's possible Buffy could show up any second. Everyone points their attention at the door. Moments pass. Finally: XANDER Okay! Do we split into pairs or go as a group? Spike rushes down the stairs. SPIKE That group'll be minus one. The little bit is gone. Window's open and all. XANDER That SO doesn't help. WILLOW What could she be thinking? CUT TO: EXT. HILLSIDE ROAD - NIGHT Elle walks and uses her cell phone but shuts it off in frustration. ELLE God Chris, where are you? Leaping into the screen is a TALL VAMP. He frightens Elle who backpedals. TALL VAMP I found myself a piece of candy. ELLE I've been known to sour. TALL VAMP Doesn't bother me. ELLE Well then, allow me to reveal objects that will. Elle pulls out a stake from her purse and grasps her cross. TALL VAMP That's it? ELLE This is an arsenal of goodness that only contributes to my animal-like fury. You look at me and think fresh meat, but I'm a puma prepared to pounce. So if I were you, I'd hightail out of here. Way WAY out. TALL VAMP You're not me, so... Tall Vamp moves like lightning and captures Elle. Tall vamp applies a choke hold. Tall Vamp rips the chain around Elle's neck, the cross falling away. Tall Vamp pushes Elle's head to the side exposing her neck. TALL VAMP Mmm...puma. Tall Vamp descends but disappears in an explosion of dust. Elle collapses to the concrete. She struggles to breathe for awhile, massaging her neck. Behind her, an icy Dawn approaches. Elle hears her, whirls around and looks relieved. ELLE Dawn, thank God. How-- Dawn clasps Elle's shirt and hoists her off the ground and up against a car. DAWN Who are you? ELLE (fearfully) What? Dawn pulls back slightly then pushes Elle against the car again causing Elle to bang he head. DAWN You can do better than that! Denial won't fly with me. Who are you? WHAT are you? ELLE I don't know what you want me to say. DAWN Tell me about your brother, probably the reason why you'd be stupid enough to go out at night alone. No coincidence that a famous killer from New York with a sister is here and a whole bunch of people die and my sister could be next if things go wrong and God knows what else could happen. And if your brother's a demon then you probably are too. Say a few words on THAT. Elle's eyes water. DAWN At the espresso pump, I felt like dirt hurting you by not opening up. Talking about my life is impossible--people can't understand! And for the first time, I felt horrible for someone NOT ME--for YOU! ELLE Please...we don't want to hurt anyone. Chris is a great guy and only wants to help. He wanted to come to Sunnydale 'cause New York's demon population keeps decreasing. He's a fighter--a killer--for good. He's good...we're good. Please believe me. Dawn gazes deeply at Elle. Fire versus fear. CUT TO: INT. CRYPT - NIGHT Dim, spacious, creepy, and cryptic. Faith follows the Mayor inside the open doorway. On the walls: blood stains; pictures of death, destruction, and torture; holding chains. MAYOR Death is not a bad thing. Actually, it's a talent for some. A slayer for one--or TWO in this case. You are a hunter--and when you become the huntED, it doesn't mean you're prey. It just means you've done something right. Making enemies is a sign of success because there's a loser in every game. This is a dangerous game we play Faith--and you play it so well. Faith's virtually in a trance. Making a loud entrance is Punk Vamp and a HENCH VAMP with a woozy Buffy in their possession. FAITH What's this? MAYOR Let's call it a belated birthday present. (to vamps) Chain her up--tight. The vamps do as told. They chain her to the wall. Buffy's head lulls. FAITH She looks awful. MAYOR I've got a few things up my sleeve. She's not much of a factor...easy pickings. FAITH I have to kill her. The Mayor smirks. CUT TO: EXT. SUNLIGHT HOTEL - NIGHT The Suits stand guard around Dark Man who's getting antsy. DARK MAN Do you like baseball? SUIT 1 We may be dead, but we're still Americans. DARK MAN Living, dead, and undead united under the same flag, the same ideals. Sure, if I wasn't boxed up, I'd annihilate ya all...but that's just what I do. SUIT 2 We can respect that. DARK MAN Something's been on my mind for a while now, almost to the point of becoming unsettling. I'm Catholic... SUIT 1 There's nothing wrong with that. DARK MAN Of course not. Overpopulation. I see the approach people and institutions take as bordering on incompetent. The idea is humans are going out and having sex and women get pregnant at inhuman rates and that's that...sex is the problem and the Pope, for one, says marriage is the answer and condoms aren't and it's the other way around for the non-religious folk and I think they're seeing it all wrong. Fact is, they don't appreciate the affect the dead and undead have on the census. If a guy dies on a Tuesday in 1997, yet keeps walking around as if it's Tuesday in 1994, that's a serious problem. Not to mention the rest of the demon world. Essentially, you're the equivalent of illegal aliens that were most likely born here which brings a complicated irony to the whole thing. SUIT 3 A point well taken. But an argument can be made that demons are responsible for many premature deaths to humans and thus it balances out. DARK MAN Floating in a paradox--that's us. This is nice...how 'bout freeing me and headin' to a bar? On me! SUIT 2 The brain is one of the last organs to decompose. DARK MAN You can't tell right now, but I'm sending 'kill vibes' at you. The Suits chuckle. Suit 3 suddenly stops and goes exceptionally pale before turning to dust. DARK MAN Damn I'm good! ELLE (OS) Think again dork. Dark Man and the remaining Suits turn to find Elle and Dawn heading their way. The Suits move to meet them half way. Elle stops dead in her tracks. ELLE (to Dawn) I'll back you up...from back here. Dawn jump-kicks Suit 1 and spin-kicks Suit 2. She takes both on at the same time and dominates the fight. Dark Man's impressed. Elle's mesmerized. Dawn uppercuts Suit 2, elbows Suit 1, and kicks both. Both Suits take a swing at Dawn, but ducks and rolls between them, pulling out 2 stakes at the same time. She pops to her feet slightly behind the Suits, and without even looking, drives the stakes over her shoulders into the backs of the Suits. They fall in piles of dust. DARK MAN I, for one, am NEVER screwing you over. ELLE Chris... Elle runs towards Dark Man. He signals for her to stop but instead she hits the forcefield and plops to the ground. She's fed up. ELLE I wanna move. DARK MAN So do I! Dark Man punches the forcefield. Dawn helps Elle up. DAWN (to Dark Man) Magic? DARK MAN Yep. Dawn pulls out a phone and dials. DAWN Willow, it's Dawn. You know I snuck out, right? (pause) Good. I'm at the Sunlight--there's a mime spell you have to undo. DARK MAN (adamantly) Whoa whoa whoa...I ain't no mime! This town sucks. DAWN (to Elle and Dark Man) You definitely belong here. CUT TO: EXT. GRAVEYARD - NIGHT Xander and Spike walk while keeping on alert. SPIKE That girl of yours is a spitfire. XANDER That's no joke. She used to spit fire. SPIKE Got a problem with her jonesing for the raven? XANDER My girlfriend's got a sexual crush on another woman...my wildest dream has become my worst nightmare. SPIKE Explain that to me. XANDER Let me put it in perspective--if you were still with Drusilla, and she had it for Buffy--knowing how good Buffy is in bed, how secure would that make you? Spike considers it. SPIKE Accept my sympathies. XANDER Gladly. SPIKE Could still get a hot three-way out of it. XANDER The fact that helps me sleep at night. There's a RING. Xander pulls out his cell and answers it. XANDER Yeah? (pause) At the hotel? But, if he's legit, then... Xander turns to Spike. XANDER Didn't you say there were TWO problems? CUT TO: INT. CRYPT - NIGHT Buffy's head moves and faces up. BUFFY'S POV Black. Eyes open to a faint light and a distorted image. Once focused, the image is an unhappy Faith. RETURN TO SCENE Buffy groggily comes to attention. BUFFY Faith? My head hurts again. FAITH There's a drug store not too far away...aspirin sound good? BUFFY Wouldn't hurt. Faith punches Buffy straight in the face. Buffy's head collides with the wall. FAITH Did that hurt? Please say yes--it was supposed to. BUFFY Faith... FAITH Why do you want me dead? BUFFY Huh? FAITH Such a bitch. Admit it to my face! You ain't gettin' outta here alive, so just SAY it! BUFFY I don't want to kill you. I can't. MAYOR The word "confabulation" comes to mind for some reason. Oh wait, I know... The Mayor walks up directly behind Faith. MAYOR ...And you do too. FAITH My eyes are tellin' me lies. Is that it B? I SAW you with that pro...but never happened. Just a fuckin' illusion, part of me gettin' played. MAYOR Death is the only suitable form of retribution here. This is the time and place. This is where you belong, what you should be doing. Falls in line with the slayer's gift...isn't that correct Miss Summers? Faith stares at Buffy. Buffy desperately gazes back. MAYOR (to Faith) That carnage at the Quincy was meant for you. You felt the thrill standing in that room...simply electric. FAITH (to Mayor) Give us a little space. The Mayor steps back a few paces. Faith slides right up against Buffy. Buffy's rattled. They whisper: BUFFY Don't believe it. That's what he does--gets into your head. He doesn't even qualify as a spirit...the First Evil...and he wants to open the hellmouth with as little resistance as possible. Don't do this. FAITH There's so much to think about. I think about YOU and US and what we could be. You got no idea...that knife in my gut at least brought me some peace, but seein' you say you want me whacked, showin' how much you HATE me--that went square into my heart and lookin' at you right now makes it worse. I gotta make it go away B. BUFFY I've NEVER wanted to kill you...not even when I tried. (pause) I need you. That really hits Faith. A long moment passes. BUFFY Can you feel it? FAITH Yeah. I know when you're near and it's like waves of energy flowin' into me. BUFFY (apologetically) I meant the creature in the corner. Faith flashes disappointment. Her eyes glaze over though and she turns around to the still-smiling Mayor. She smiles and approaches the Hench Vamp. She grabs him by the lapels of his jacket and hurls him into a corner. He slams into the wall causing a rippling effect and a painful SQUEAL. The Creature materializes from the wall and comes into view as a pasty, muscled thing. Faith turns back to the Mayor and finds an empty space where he stood. She gets majorly pissed and returns her attention to the Creature. She belts out a primal YELL and attacks the Creature with everything she's got. She pounds the thing in all places. The Punk Vamp grabs Faith from behind, locking her arms. The Creature makes his move but Faith lifts her legs into the air and kicks him, then slings her head backwards, headbutting the Punk Vamp. PUNK VAMP Not again. Punk Vamp can't help but let go of Faith and she begins wailing on him and the Creature. Buffy watches and looks as if a surge of power runs through her. She pulls and breaks one chain and then grabs the other and breaks it. She jumps into the fray, taking on the Punk Vamp, then goes to work on the Hench Vamp. Faith pummels the Creature until it's motionless. She rams her hand into the Creature's chest and rips out some kind of goo-covered organ. She then rips out some more gooey organs. Buffy launches the Hench Vamp almost through the wall near the door. She strides over and grabs him by the hair. She opens the door and sticks Hench Vamp's head in the opening. She abruptly shuts the door chopping off Hench Vamp's head and dissolving him to dust. Punk Vamp shuffles around nervously. Buffy and Faith sandwich him, but keep their distance. Punk Vamp tries to smile at Faith. PUNK VAMP Think you could do a favor for an old friend? FAITH I'm guessin' you want it to be painless. PUNK VAMP I'd prefer an exit plan. My unlife is valuable--to me. Faith's glare is killer. Punk Vamp lets out a jittery giggle and makes a superfast move to the door but Buffy whacks him with a high-kick. Faith nails him with a right cross. Buffy gets in a left uppercut. Faith blasts a boot into the midsection. Punk Vamp falls to his knees. Faith places a foot on Punk Vamp's shoulder and firmly grasps his head. FAITH Didn't ya listen to the man--death is my gift. With one easy pull, Faith beheads Punk Vamp. She tosses the head aside before it all turns to dust. Faith and Buffy gaze at each other. BUFFY You okay? FAITH Yeah. You? BUFFY I've been better. I've also been worse, so this is more of a mid- level discomfort. Faith nods and manages a grin. The door bursts open and like an avalanche Xander, Dawn, Giles, Willow, Spike, Elle, and Dark Man enter ready for a fight. They all look around confused. Buffy and Faith are amused. Elle discovers the Creature and points at it. ELLE Ew! Ew times 25. GILES I wouldn't put it that way, but I agree. XANDER I agree and I WOULD put it that way. BUFFY Sorry guys...two vamps, whatever that is, and the First. On the bright side, I didn't break a nail. Just saying... Glances are exchanged. DARK MAN Anyone up for a drink? On me. Everyone's agreeable. Spike checks his watch. SPIKE It's four AM. Everyone's disappointed. WILLOW Espresso Pump's open. DARK MAN Anyone up for coffee? On me. Everyone's happy again and they file out. XANDER Gotta call Anya--if she's still awake. Buffy follows but looks back to Faith who hasn't moved. BUFFY Coming? FAITH Next time. I'll check ya later...really. Buffy nods and waits a moment before leaving. The Mayor strolls into the frame next to Faith. She barely acknowledges his presence. MAYOR I'm disappointed...again. FAITH That means I'm doin' somethin' right. Off Faith's brilliant smile: CUT TO: INT. FAITH'S OLD APARTMENT - THE NEXT EVENING The door flies open. Faith somberly enters. The place is a mess. Faith moves deeper into the apartment. She examines whatever she can see. The window to the balcony is still broken. Pain engulfs Faith. Buffy appears in the doorway. Faith doesn't notice with her back turned. BUFFY Drapes might help spruce this place up. Faith jumps a little, but doesn't turn around. BUFFY Drapes have the power. FAITH This place should never be lived in again. How did you know I was here? Stalkin' me now? BUFFY Supernatural stalkers...that sounds familiar. Actually, I was passing by and I got this warm buzz throughout my entire body... Faith seems to brighten up at that, but she keeps her face out of sight. BUFFY You didn't feel it? FAITH Kinda had other things on my mind. (beat) You come here any time since the last-- BUFFY --No. I'm surprised it's still empty. For all the bad memories, it was a gorgeous pad. They're OUR memories. FAITH (softly) It's all my fault. We shouldn't have to remember any of that crap-- at least YOU shouldn't. I thought comin' here would make me feel better. It ain't workin'. BUFFY Go ahead and blame yourself for all the bad stuff. You can be a stubborn know-it-all and break this up into good and bad and which one of us is which one of those...when in reality you screwed up by going bad and I screwed up by not trying or caring hard enough to stop you. We screwed each other--and not in that pleasurable way we both enjoy. Buffy smirks but Faith begins to sob, tears flowing. FAITH Man, that is loaded with bull. I appreciate it, but don't kid yourself. I TRIED TO KILL YOU. You and your friends and your mother...and all because I'm an idiot, fallin' for a monster's humanity. (pause) Buffy, I'm sorry. Buffy sidles up to Faith, concern and compassion etched on her face. Buffy places a hand on Faith's shoulder. BUFFY I forgive you. And you'll forgive me. And we'll slay together again the way it's supposed to be. That sets Faith off even more. Faith jerks her head a couple of times until she finally turns enough for Buffy to look at her. FAITH All right...but no stuffy watchers. Faith delivers a small smile. Buffy can't help but do the same. On Buffy and Faith's moment: FADE OUT |
Copyright © 2004,
All Rights Reserved. | Contact Owner Contact Webmaster
