| Subject: Episode 2.13: The Musical Box |
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Date Posted: 00:56:38 06/11/03 Wed
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Episode 2.13: The Musical Box
Previously…
Dawn meets Casey at the fayre – Paper Dolls
Casey is taken into the musical world – Fairytales
Dawn becomes a Guardian – Too Long
Maria helps a spell at the fayre – Paper Dolls
Maria returns – Too Long
NOTE: This episode does not feature Tom Lenk or Ryder Strong.
Tara stands peacefully staring at the sun from the bay window of her new apartment, she’s drifting in and out of reality as she smiles at the world outside.
This of course has to be interrupted by the piercing screaming of a young woman.
“Dawnie what’s wrong?” Tara says as she rushes into the next room in a panic.
“You think it would be too tough for you to help me? You’ve been dead for three years, how have you gathered so many possessions already?”
Dawn complains as she sits rubbing her injured toe
“How did you pay for all this Tara?” asks Thalia as she picks gum from around her fingers.
“A certain vengeance demon friend of ours…she called it a happy rebirthday present” Tara smiles
“She’s charging for vengeance?” asks Dawn
“Don’t ask” Tara smiles as she carries a box to the other room.
Thalia and Dawn both collapse on the stylish new cream leather sofa, exhausted. Tara walks in nervously brushing her skirt down. She grabs a single candle in order to look as though she’s busy.
“So, um…did…did Maria say what time she’d be over?” Tara slips in quietly as she shifts the candle from place to place above the fire.
The two girls grin at eachother mischievously as the leap to Tara’s side
“Why?” grins Dawn
“Do you need her for something?” Thalia follows off of Dawns actions whilst chomping on gum.
“wh…no…she’s just a friend is all”
“a friend?” asks Thalia
“a friend who want to cast ‘spells’ with? Like when I was thirteen and Willow used to go cast spells with you”
“Dawn, we were casting spells” she says shocked
“Right…well, we’ve helped you enough today” Dawn giggles as she grabs Thalia by the hand running out of the door.
Tara grabs the phone and dials Maria’s number “get ready for an intervention”
Elsewhere, Faith is taking a long needed rest – she’s spent the last few months constantly in the company of other people, whereas she’s used to being alone.
“Faith?” comes a small voice “Faith…I know you’re listening”
She stirs in her sleep, as she opens her eyes her vision is almost entirely full by the image of Casey laughing, her face covered in blood.
The image is gone within a second as Faith wakes in a cold sweat, panting, afraid.
Starring:
Eliza Dushku and Michelle Trachtenberg
also starring
Tom Lenk
Lisa Roxanne
Ryder Strong
Amber Benson
and Vincent Karthieser
Guest Starring:
Megan Corletto, Lindsey Sloane
“Hello?” Tara calls nervously as she creeps through her less than well-lit apartment
“Is anyone there?” she’s just gotten herself up from not being asleep. First night alone in her new house, only six weeks old – not the best of situations.
Instead she’s been sitting up watching ‘Super Model’ on UPN. Something she classes as mind-numbing time waste only good for background noise
“Revealé” she waves her hand through the air sending a small pink light dashing, searching around the house for any, uninvited beings that may be there. But to avail, the light dims.
“Come on Tara, get a grip” she sighs to herself “just the floor settling”
She turns back to walk to the kitchen as she stops in her tracks, the window is wide open.
Shaking herself off as if she’s gone insane she closes it, grabs a drink from the refrigerator and heads to the ‘TV Chair’
“I wasn’t watching this” she says to herself confused by the fact that ‘Charmed’ was on “amateurs” she grabs the TV guide to see what else was on, when she notices that ‘Super Model’ isn’t finished and isn’t on the same network as ‘Charmed’
Before she has time to reach for the phone to call for Faith or any of the others she stops as a flash of lightning reveals an image of Casey, face covered in blood. Within a split second the girl is gone, the lights are on and ‘Super Model’ is back on.
The following morning is a strange one.
It’s early, so early in fact, that it’s still dark. Connor is sat up in the lounge area as Thalia walks out of her room, crashing into a table, barely awake.
“Early?” says Connor questioning why she’s up.
“Same to you” she yawns “reason?”
“I’m usually up early. Like to go sit on the roof watch the sunrise” he smiles quietly
“Cute. Want me to make it come up now?”
“You can do that?”
“well, actually, no…but wouldn’t it be cool if I could?”
“Hey” calls Faith as she walks through the door covered in mud
Both of them simply stare at her waiting for an explanation
“Vampires. Lots. Faith fight alone” she says very unenthusiastic as she peels her clothes across the floor whilst walking to her room. By the time she reaches the door she’s in a pair of hotpants and nothing more
“Good night kids – don’t stay up too late” both are still staring at the her as she closes the door.
“Special” say Thalia getting back into motion
“Very. So, you’re up early…why?”
“Sunbathing” naturally she gets a less then normal look “I can make like, a small patch of sun, nothing major”
“Right…cool”
“Wanna come?”
And within five minutes, the two of them are laying on the roof, Connor in his underwear, Thalia in her bikini
“How cool is this? I can sunbathe at like five in the morning” she laughs
“It’s not a bad thing”
She notices the complete numbness in his voice and turns to talk to him, leaning on his hands.
“Who is she? Is she drug girl?”
“Who’s who? And No”
“The girl that’s making you, Mr. what does ‘A.M.’ mean, lose sleep”
“Ahh, that girl” he laughs
“Is this a Dawn shaped girl?”
“You practice this?” he asks hard
“Not always, you’re just blatant with discretion” she grins, pushing her sunglasses back up and lying on her back.
“It’s just” now Connor is on his side talking to Thalia “I don’t get her and Ryan…they’re all ‘we’re in love’ but they don’t show it”
“I think they like to show it, just to eachother”
“No, but I mean…he doesn’t do stuff for her. Fight. Kill, nothing”
“Is that what you think love is? Killing? To die for?”
“It’s the only love I’ve ever seen”
“Really?” she’s shocked as she turns to face him
“Is it wrong? Doing the ultimate to give the most”
“It’s not…it’s…Connor will you promise me something”
“What?”
“Let me show you how we live”
“We? You mean normal people?”
“Normal…Connor…we’re sunbathing in the dark…I mean like simple people. Just love and stuff, without all the octopus legs”
“Octopus legs?”
“Weird and pointless attachments…just the real thing”
“You mean date you?” he says rather put off
“Hell no! You’re like my gay best friend, only less gay and more friend”
“Cool. I think?”
“So you’re gonna get me with Dawn?”
“No. I’m not getting involved in that ship, it would not be of the well – and going down”
“Is that Tara?” asks Connor as he looks over the edge of the roof
“Secret late night rendez vous” she winks at Connor as Tara runs over to Maria’s grasping spare clothing.
Tara is stood at the door practically crying as Maria answers
“Tara? What…come in…what’s wrong?” she follows behind as Tara walks through
“Okay new house – it’s n-not good”
“What kind?”
“Bloody faced other dimensional children”
“Well…that’s, um, new”
“It was Casey”
“Casey…Dawn’s Casey?”
“In the flesh, o-or- maybe not in the flesh but very scary”
“Have you told Dawn or…anyone? Have you told Faith?”
“No…just, I just thought – never mind I-I should go”
“No, Tara wait! Stay – you can stay here…it’s just…they’re your friends, I figured you’d go their first”
“Well, you’re…” she debates whether to continue “I feel safe here” Maria smiles at this comment
“You should get changed you’re soaking”
“Bought clothes” Tara smiles nervously “Optimistic”
as the sun rises, Maria leaves her room to grab a glass of water, she notices that Tara is gone. There’s a note on top of a small box.
“The musical box?” she asks herself completely drawn to it. As she touches it to lift the lid in a near hypnotic state, it burns her hand harshly before every electrical item in the room starts going completely insane.
In the window, in place of her reflection, a blood faces Casey stares back at her in fear.
END OF ACT ONE
“I don’t understand how it got there” Tara says with deep concern as she aids to a burnt Maria.
“You didn’t put it there?”
“No, I-no”
“I think it’s time” says Dawn who has since joined Tara
“Time?” asks Maria “for what?”
“Destroy it…”
“but Dawn. Casey”
“I know but isn’t it clear Tara, she’s not just an innocent girl”
“How can you say that? Don’t you remember when you a child…you’re not the only child ever to be innocently caught up in the war of worlds Dawnie”
“She’s not innocent, why would she appear to you, to Maria…to Faith?”
“She came to Faith?”
“Last night”
“Maybe she needs help”
“Help?”
“Think about it” starts Maria “Faith saved her in the mall, I was there when the demons attacked her and killed her aunt, Tara and her swapped locations”
“That’s the thing though…they didn’t Tara said she didn’t know this girl”
“But that doesn’t make her evil” says Maria getting right up in Dawns face
“Casey…” Tara says quietly
“What?” Both Dawn & Maria turn to her in question
“Casey” Tara nods towards the door where Casey, covered in blood is standing.
“Four little girls not as they should, One of them was bad, three of them were good” she grins before disappearing.
“Did she say four little girls?” asks Tara
“One of them was bad…” Dawn finishes in complete shock as both her and Maria automatically whip their heads to eachother.
Faith is still in bed after last nights exhaustive hunt. Blinking, she finds herself in a completely dark room, can’t even see her own hand infront of her.
“What the f-“
“Children” comes a voice “mustn’t swear before the children” the voice echoes around her
“What children? Where the hell am I?”
“Such a carefully worded question” a light flashes as tonnes upon tonnes of dead children reveal and vanish within the flash.
“I’m asleep” she admits to herself “is this one of those crappy slayer previews of the bad, cause I don’t got no popcorn”
“Silence – do not talk to the beat of the silent drum”
“Man, the cryptic is Buffy’s gig – I just kick ass and look hot”
Following onto her comment a large ball of fire flashes over the top of her head
“Not literally” she yells “Why am I –“ Faith is cut off as Casey, no more blood, appearing exactly as she was last seen, walks towards Faith from the darkness.
“Casey?”
“One of them was bad, three of them were good – the bad girl, bad girl”
Faith automatically knows Casey is referring to her and backs away slowly only to fall into blackness, landing with a thud.
“Ow”
“Bad girls, bad, bad girl – the bad girl will hurt me, the bad girl must die” Casey duplicates.
“Innocent little Casey dead because of you – the bad girl will kill me, the bad girl must die”
Later in the day, after returning to the apartment to find Faith sleeping and calling Dawn who is ‘busy’ Connor and Thalia decide to take a tour of Boston so that she can talk him to death.
“Okay, so he’s…”
“You think he’s cute?” asks Connor
“Ryan? In a non-conventional TV extra kinda way – “
“A what?”
“Say he was famous…he’d not be classed as hot compared to some of the gods of the silver screen, but he could pass as cute and look twice if you passed him in the street”
“Oh”
“You want me to review you?”
“No, just…”
“Okay, well, one thing I can say, lose the hair – the hair is bad. But the ice blue eyes and good teeth always a plus – also for someone who’s really not been round the block, you can really touch the spot” she grins before grabbing his hand “come on I want the swings”
Arriving at the swings Thalia practically sprints towards them in a race with two children.
“Nah ah short stack she pokes her tongue out before leaping on and kicking back and forth.
“One for the kids?” Connor laughs
“They’re short – it’s their own fault” she laughs before slipping a lolly into her mouth “hmm, so…how long have you been crushing Miss. Summers?”
“Completely…since I was nineteen”
“How old are you now?”
“Twenty one almost”
“Long time to not push it further”
“It was kinda gross with my Father dating her sister then not, then are – is. Was?”
“Connor”
“I know…”
“Over there…big ol’ fight”
The two rush over as around a dozen children and several parents try to break up a very large fight. Thalia blows a wind moving her with ease through the crowd as Connor lifts one of the two up…the boy is around eleven years old and holding a large, bloodied knife.
The other on the floor has the tip of the child’s ear in his teeth, mouth and arms covered in blood. Both struggle to move back into the fight as Thalia and Connor look at eachother in shock.
Following a moment’s silence the children calm down from their rage and begin screaming in pain at their injuries.
Over at Maria’s trailer, the three girls are stood around the magic box as Dawn takes a large axe to it, crashing it down with all her strength. The axe – dents.
“Okay what the crap is this thing made of?”
“I think it’s mystical – like some sort of spell or something to make it strong”
“Can you fix it?” she Dawn asks Tara
“Maybe, I-don’t…” before she can finish her sentence flames surround the box, almost as if it was listening and ready to put up a guard.
“Departé” yells Tara as she waves her hands around the trailer removing Maria’s belongings.
“What did you do?”
“This place is about to go down – we’ve got to get out of here”
The three of them head for the door, which is immediately engulfed with fire. Maria holds both their hands as if channelling their magic she closes her eyes and the flames part in a gateway as they leap from the trailer to the ground.
“Are you okay… Tara…Dawn?”
“I’m okay” says Dawn coughing, Tara nods as the three girls group together watching the trailer burn to the ground.
Within a matter of minutes there is ashes, in that pile of ashes there stands the magic box unharmed.
“Okay that does it – the piece of junk wont break, I’ll fix this manually”
“How do you mean?”
“Tara, Maria we’re going to get Faith – I’m going in and I’m getting Casey back – good or evil I want answers”
END OF PART TWO
“This is insane” asks Connor “I thought L.A was mad”
“I know, must be something in the air”
The two of them are slowly pacing around the park, nobody is allowed to leave until a statement is taken from all involved.
“I gotta pee”
“Feminine”
“Just cause I don’t got a penis doesn’t mean I gotta be all pink” She walks off to the public toilets leaving Connor standing alone, hands in pockets.
“Public toilets – gross” she snarls before stopping at the mirror noticing the bloody red hand print behind her.
She shakes the door, but it’s locked so, being the girl she is, she kicks it open and then…
“Connor!” she calls as she comes running out “Go guard the bathroom – dead lady – stab wound”
“What?”
“No chatting – Officer!” she calls him over.
After the toilets have been sealed off and several hours of standing around the officer finally gets round to them
“…and you say she was laying their?”
“very dead” Thalia nods “not pretty”
“You know anything about this?” he asks holding up a picture of a symbol that was scratched into her
“eww…” she turns her head away
“Hey wait” Connor starts “That – it’s the – oh no it isn’t, sorry we haven’t seen it” as the officer walks away Connor pulls Thalia along
“Magic box, um, musical box it’s the symbol on the seal of it”
“You’re sure”
“Yes”
“Hometime”
Faith is still locked in her dreams, Casey is still with her.
“You’re a killer Faith so kill her”
“Kill who?”
“Oh, the voice, voices, this and that and voices and noise”
“Y’know for a kid you really reach on the scales of nasty”
“Evil Faith – you’ve gotta be careful. She’s dangerous and she’ll try and kill me unless you kill her”
“Who?”
“Who? What? Riddle, Riddle, bits of fiddle this talk these words it’s dirty”
Casey steps up to Faith, who can not move, she takes a small section of her hair and begins to braid it “You’re so pretty Faith”
“Don’t let her kill me, it’ll make it all bad – you’re bad for eachother. She’ll kill me and you’ll kill her. It’s not nice to play rough”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Bloodkin, kin, kinder garten, small, innocent, cherub”
“Blo…Dawn?”
“Dawn, dawn, dawn, dawn, dawn, dawn – she’s got no Faith, she doesn’t understand that’s why you’ll kill her and she’ll kill me”
“No…”
“Yes, why do you think I was sent to you hmm? You think I was the big bad nasty boogie man from beneath you it devours? Right under your bed?” Casey giggles “I’m not – I’m warning you”
“…about Dawn?”
“About everything – Four little girls – one of them bad…”
“Who, which four?”
“Witches so clean, so pure, pure like the sunshine – she can control the sunshine”
“Thalia…”
“And the witches…never forget the witches”
“…And I’m the fourth? The bad girl?”
“You’re not in the running silly…why would you be…you have no true power…you’re power is second hand”
“Hey…okay granted though a lot more than second”
“Don’t let the sunrise Faith. If she kills me it’s over. If she kills me she’ll taste it, she’ll sit under the rotting Willow trees as the wind blows through her ears and she’ll snap like tiny little twigs then…”
Casey giggles and places her mouth ride beside Faiths ear “BOOM! You’re dead”
Casey runs off laughing
From outside Faith’s apartment, Dawn is unable to enter, no spells, no weapons – it’s complete darkness – nothing.
“What’s going on?” asks Dawn kicking at the window “it’s Casey she’s in there I – I know it”
“Dawn – what’s going on?” asks Connor as he and Thalia run up the path
“Faith – she’s inside we can’t get in”
Thalia asks them to stand back before rolling up such a storm that it de-roots surrounding trees and shrubbery. But they still can’t get in.
Suddenly Dawn finds herself alone, though everyone is still surrounding her, she’s alone. No sound, no movement – darkness.
“Dawn” Casey arrives “Someone wants to see you”
“Things are coming Dawn” says the familiar voice
Joyce steps from the shadows holding Casey’s hand.
“…bad things”
“You’re not…you’re…stay away from my Mother” she says through her teeth
“when things get bad she won’t choose you Dawn, she’ll be against you”
Dawn stands waiting for Joyce to leave “You can’t do this Dawn, it’s bad for you –“
“What is?”
“This – all of it, Faith makes you dark, Ryan has turned you dirty and –“
“Mom…Dirty…you’re not her, show yourself you’re not her”
“It’s me Dawn. I love you but I can’t let it happen” Joyce turns and kneels beside Casey “I can’t let her loose faith” she smiles before disappearing
“Save me Dawn…don’t be evil…”
“Evil? I-I’m not evil… I…”
“You’re going to be a killer Dawn, just like her”
Casey looks at her sadly before waving goodbye. Dawn comes back to reality
“Dawn…” calls Tara “Dawnie what is it?”
“It’s nothing, it’s…nothing” she looks to the ground and approaches the door, twisting the handle with ease
“I’m gonna…I’m gonna head home…”
“You’re okay?” asks Thalia
“Yeah, may as well make the most of a double bed whilst Ryan’s got Garrison on the ‘get over it’ fishing weekend” she smiles empty as she walks off.
“As everyone walks away, Faith steps outside stretching…man, what time is it? Sleep in or what?”
“I’d say so…it’s almost seven”
“Seven…like evening?”
“Like very” adds Thalia “You missed a colourful day”
“I missed colourful…try living in my head for a day”
As the clock strikes twelve Tara and Maria are still at Faiths apartment looking up anything they can on the box.
“Hey…I’ve got something” Maria runs over to the box without consulting anything. She cuts her hand with a letter opener and drips it on the seal.
“To the music I silence in the darkness I blind. I bind you dark kingdom from taking more lives. I break you to pieces, I turn down your tune, I weaken your defences, I shadow your moons” the box begins to glow a pale pink as Faith walks over and slams her fist on it.
It shatters to pieces.
END OF PART THREE
The following morning, Faith arrives at Dawns dorm and tells her all about the dream and how real it felt
“What is she?” asks Dawn
“She didn’t seem all that evil”
“They never do”
“She…she gave me advice”
“Advice?” asks Dawn “like what to wear?”
“No, more like a warning – like worse things were coming – something big, something bad”
“The Big Bad?”
“Sounds like”
“Got the same speech, special guest stars and all”
“Tense – maybe we share dreams”
“Very conscious daytime dreams with everyone we know”
“hmm…”
“Faith, there’s something I don’t like about this – it all seems so pre-empted and…not good – don’t take anything she said to seriously – I’m not”
Faith looks at Dawn cautiously before standing
“Anyways, I gotta be going – Thalia and Connor are making some big windy sacrificial funeral goodbye for the pieces of the box”
“Oh, err…okay. I’ll talk to you later?”
“Probably. Bye” Faiths out of the door before Dawn can reply.
Tara walks upto her kitchen table and places down two plates, both with the same food on them.
“ahh, post-traumatic food – always nice” yawns Maria
“well – it’s only fair, you did let me stay with you for weeks and you’re house or …home did burn to the ground”
“But all my stuff was safe – that’s a plus” she smiles
Tara looks around
“How did you fit so much into that thing?”
“Yeah, sorry, I won’t – I won’t be here for long, I can find somewhere within the week”
“What? No – I-I didn’t …I mean…”
“what?”
“Here, I figured it made sense with me being scared of the place and you being all without a place to live and it’s so big”
“Live here?”
“Yeah” Tara looks down shyly “I mean I-if you want to”
Maria smiles and throws her arms around Tara, as she sits back she bites into a slice of toast
“Maybe it’s fate” she shrugs.
On the rooftop, the three flatmates are stood in a very strong wind, barely able to stand.
“Ready?” asks Connor
“Ready” Faith says as she hurls the pieces into the wind, Thalia blows them towards the bay.
As the wind calms the three of them look into the distance before walking in together, no words exchanged.
Over at the bay, the pieces of the box, no longer supported by the wind, land close together, close enough in fact, that they rebuild instantly.
A large pair of dark shoes steps up to them as a hand in dark leather glove lifts it from the ground, the man, who’s face is completely covered, opens the box and hums along to the melody as he laughs.
END.
co-starring
Kristine Sutherland as Joyce Summers.
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