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Date Posted: 13:52:56 07/31/02 Wed
Author: Jeanny & Dawneen
Subject: Act IV
In reply to: Jeanny & Dawneen 's message, "Act III" on 13:51:50 07/31/02 Wed

ACT FOUR
Scene XIX: Int. Xander‘s Apartment, Night.

BUFFY has searched the place, no sign of XANDER. She’s ready to leave when her cell rings, and she stops to answer it, but only gets a dial tone.

CLOSEUP of the display shows it was WILLOW’s phone calling. BUFFY hits the redial.

BUFFY
(muttering)
Redial...okay Will, what’s up?

BUFFY’S frown deepens when she gets no answer. She hits another few buttons and holds the phone to her ear, tapping her foot impatiently.

BUFFY
(to the answering machine)
Dawn it’s me, pick up.
(a beat)
Come on, Dawn, pick up.
(a beat)
Where are you? Call me as soon as you hear this.
Like now.

She puts the phone away, then gets a pained look.

BUFFY
Hang on, Will. I’m coming, I’ve just gotta track down Dawn first.
(she sighs)
Which means I gotta go find Spike.

BUFFY rushes out as we CUT TO:

Scene XX: Int. Magic Box, Night.

WILLOW, hands tied over her head, is off to one side of the main store area - where the ladder use to be. It seems she has been knocked out, since she is just coming to as we begin the scene. She is groggy and trying to make sense of her current predicament.

From WILLOW’S POV: we observe a pacing XANDER and a calm ANYA (sitting on the slightly burnt research table). XANDER is playing with the amulet as he paces.

XANDER
What the hell am I - we - doing? This is crazy.

WILLOW
It’s good that you realize that...and anytime you want to
untie me so we can fight the evil that’s making you nuts -
no offense, Anya.

ANYA
(to WILLOW)
Don’t sweat it.
(to XANDER)
Now, hon, we’ve been over this. You’re doing this for
us, for our love. So you can release me from this place
and we can be free from this wasted existence and
move into our own happier world. Just us - no more
Giles, no more Dawn, no more Willow and definitely
no more Buffy.

On ‘Buffy’, XANDER stops pacing.

FLASHBACK: XANDER and Buffy share a kiss.

Come back to present, XANDER shakes off the memory. WILLOW sees this and takes advantage of XANDER’s momentary lapse.

WILLOW
Xander, you can’t do this. You were right before - there
is something in this shop, something wicked evil and
it’s trying to manipulate you into doing something you‘ll
never forgive yourself for if you go through with it. I
know you know I‘m right. You have to stand up to it,
Xander - fight it.

XANDER shakes his head slowly, uncertain, then

FLASHBACK: last scene of ‘Grave’ where Xander is holding a sobbing WILLOW in his arms, saying ‘I love you.’

Comes back to the present again, XANDER’s eyes no longer are blank and cold.

XANDER
(remorsefully)
Will…Oh, Will, I’m…sorry.

ANYA comes and wraps her arms around his waist, his eyes grow cold again. WILLOW sobs.

WILLOW
Xander, please...

XANDER
I have to do this, Will. I can’t let her go, not again.
She’s - we’re - so close now.

WILLOW
No. No, you’re not. I’ve been there, remember? When
Tara...when she died and I went into the whacked-out,
end-of-the-world Wicca mode. You saved me. You...
you stood up to me - you pulled me back to myself. It’s
rough, I know, God I know, but this isn’t really Anya. It
can’t be. Anya wouldn’t do this...she’s never want you
to hurt us.

ANYA
(mock regret)
She’s right, I don’t want to hurt anyone. But it’s
the only way...

XANDER
It’s the only way. I’m sorry Will.

ANYA releases her hold on XANDER triumphantly, he smiles down at her devotedly.

WILLOW
(desperately)
Xander, don’t. You belong here with us. We love you.
Buffy, Dawn, me, all of us. You make us whole; you’re
our heart. And where would us Scoobies be without
that, huh?

Scene XXI: Ext. Cemetery. Night.

DAWN is in a fighting stance, guard up. Her arms tremble a bit, but she’s maintaining her glare at SARIA. SARIA stands several feet away from DAWN, with her arms folded across her chest. SARIA is calm, making no move against DAWN at the moment.

SARIA
So, you are the little one - Dawn, is it? You’re the
Slayer’s little sister.

DAWN
(steadily)
I’m not afraid of you.

SARIA
(smiles wickedly)
Is that a fact? I would be, if I were you.
(pauses)
So, tell me - what’s it like to be helpless? To habitually
be on the sidelines of every fight, to continually play the
victim, relying time and time again on your stronger -
more agile - sister to save your hide from the demons
that roam this dimension?

DAWN
(teeth clenched)
I am not helpless.

SARIA
(tosses back her head and laughs)
Nonsense. You’re beyond helpless; you’re marked.

DAWN
(false bravado)
You think killing me would be so easy? Then come on.
Let’s rumble.
(a beat, then)
That sounded way tougher and less dorky in my head.
But I still think I can make you hurt, lady.

SARIA
Oh please, my dear little girl, we both know you
cannot. You and your sister may share the same blood,
but it is not that blood that brings her power. The blood
that runs through her veins, the blood of the Chosen
One, it transcends your concepts of heredity, of biology
in a way you are incapable of understanding. You are
not the Chosen One. Your bravado is sweet, but we
both know you are merely hoping to buy enough time
for the Slayer to come running to your rescue. Well,
guess again, she’s not coming. You see, sooner or
later, any human family a slayer may try to cling to will
ultimately pay for her devotion with their own blood. It’s
the reason why slayers were meant to fight alone.

Off DAWN’S determined expression, we CUT TO:.


Scene XXII: Int. Magic Box, Night.
All is much as it was. XANDER is preparing for the sacrifice, under ANYA‘s smug supervision. WILLOW is working on her ropes, but they‘re too well tied.

WILLOW
(muttering to herself)
Stupid Boy Scouts. Couldn’t be more laissez-faire
about the merits in the knot tying...
(louder, to XANDER)
Xander, don’t you think you should at least talk to Buffy
first? We can look up stuff. Find another way.

ANYA
(coldly)
There is no other way.

WILLOW
And...and...wait! If you kill me, and then leave, who will
help the Slayer?

XANDER
Ahn, Will’s got a point. What happens to Buffy?
She needs us, especially with Giles gone. If none of us
were around, how long do you think she’d survive?

ANYA
(losing patience)
Oh, who cares? Once Willow’s dead and you’re with
me, it won’t matter. We’ll be happy. Isn’t that what
we’ve waited so long for? Buffy is the Slayer. She
will never really find happiness, but you can. Come
on, let’s just get with the bloody death already. After
that you‘ll be mine, completely, as it should be.

CLOSEUP: XANDER’S eyes, then a rapid-fire montage of scenes of him and Buffy: their collision meeting in WttH; saving her life in PG; dancing with her in WSWB; saving her from Theresa in Phases; her attempted seduction of him in BB&B; hugging her at the hospital in Becoming Pt 2; confronting her in Revelations; comforting her in The Freshman; the hug with her and Willow in the elevator shaft in Primeval; helping her while in thrall in BvD; her hug of Puffy Xander in IWMTLY; at the hospital in The Body; talking outside in ATW; their reconciliation scene in SR; their near kiss in Stone Cold and a moment from the teaser.

RETURN to CLOSEUP of XANDER’s face, still pained and confused.

FOCUS in on: XANDER’S hand, we see it open and the amulet drops to the floor.

Pan up to: XANDER’S face as the dazed look clears to understanding and he shakes his head sadly. ANYA’S eyes focus on the dropped amulet.

XANDER
I wish this could end on a happy, but it won’t - it can’t.
I could never be at peace knowing I killed my best
friend and left Buffy alone like that. I loved you - truly I
did - but it wasn’t enough and I knew that. I made
mistakes and hurt you when I never meant to. I was
just trying to...to set things right, but this won’t make it
right, only horribly, horribly wrong...I mean, God, I loved
you, Anya, so much, but I love Will and I love Buffy...but
that’s the problem here. This isn’t about love anymore.
Love didn’t bring me to this - guilt did. And I’m not gonna
let it win.

ANYA grabs XANDER and tries to kiss him, to charm him back into her control. XANDER grabs a long double-edged sword from a nearby shelf. ANYA rapidly backs away and bumps into Willow. XANDER raises the sword.

ANYA
It’s not too late, Xander. Just kill her quickly and we’ll
forget this ever happened.

WILLOW
Ummm...how about you kill her instead.

ANYA
(in a deeper then ANYA voice)
You shut up!
(she smiles at XANDER)
It’s okay, my love. I know you can’t kill me...

XANDER swings the sword towards ANYA, who ducks. CLOSE UP: blade cuts throw rope that binds WILLOW’S hands.

Scene XXIII: Ext. Cemetery. Night.

DAWN
You’re wrong about Buffy, and about me. I’m not her
weakness or any type of bait in a trap you think you’re
gonna set for her.

We see SARIA takes a step closer to her. CLOSE UP on DAWN moving into a fighting stance - right foot back, arms raised, fists balled.

DAWN
(con’t)
Also not waiting for Buffy to bail me out.

CUT to SARIA, smiling broadly. Suddenly her head flicks to the side as a dark figure flies into frame and tackles SARIA to the ground. She snarls, game face on.

FLASH to DAWN as her mouth drops. We see the dark figure is SPIKE.

SPIKE
(growls)
Go, Dawn, go!

SWITCH to DAWN, who shakes her head. Camera pans out as SARIA tosses SPIKE off her and leaps to effortlessly to her feet. We see SARIA is no longer smiling instead she has a strange sad look on her face.
As SPIKE gets to his feet, we see SARIA back into the shadows and disappear. In SARIA’S wake, a figure is running towards SPIKE and DAWN. As it nears, we see it’s BUFFY. Camera focuses on BUFFY and DAWN.

DAWN
Where is she?

SPIKE
(o.s.)
Don’t know. She ran off.

BUFFY
Ohmigod, Dawn, are you okay?

DAWN nods as BUFFY gives her quick hug.

BUFFY
(con’t)
Good. Good. I’ve been looking for you - Willow called,
but the line went dead before she could say anything.
I’ve tried calling her back but there’s no answer.
Something’s definitely up - we need to hurry before
it’s too late.

Camera pulls back as we see SPIKE standing next to tombstone. BUFFY turns to SPIKE.

BUFFY
(con’t, hesitantly)
Spike, thank -

SPIKE
(snarls)
Stuff the pleasantries, Slayer. Stay away from me and
take the Nibblet with you. Make sure she stays away
this time. Goes for the rest of you as well.

CUT to DAWN’S face - hurt and confused by SPIKE’S words. BUFFY puts a comforting arm under DAWN and leads her away. As they go, we see BUFFY toss a hurtful glare back at SPIKE.

Camera swings over to the far right by a large overgrowth of trees and shrubs. In the shadows, SARIA watches - tears streaming down her face.

SWITCH to: SPIKE as he stares after BUFFY and DAWN. SPIKE also has a lost, almost sad expression on his face.

Scene XXIV: Int. Magic Box, Night.

WILLOW rubs her wrists as she undoes the ropes. XANDER puts down the sword.

ANYA
You think you’ve won, haven’t you? Just because you
won’t love me enough to help me doesn’t mean that -

ANYA morphs into TARA and walks over to a stunned WILLOW, wrapping her arms around her.

TARA
I can’t have you, Willow. You, you love me - right? I
know you do,. You’re my Willow, my Willow, you’d
never forget me, never leave me trapped here. Love me
please, baby. Let us be happy for a change.
We can make all our dreams come true. Forever. Come
on, baby, you can do it - we all know what you’re
capable of. The d-darkness. Evil. I know I didn’t support
you before but I’ve learned so much. You were right
about the power - I didn’t have it and I wound up here.
But you can save me. It’s still waiting there for you to
grasp - this time no one will come between us. Just kill
him and we can be together always, like it’s supposed
to be. It’s so easy.

WILLOW stares in complete horror at the apparition in front of her. WILLOW eyes XANDER, who is beside himself as well. WILLOW shakes her head as the realization sinks in.

WILLOW
You’re not Tara. Or Anya. You’re something else,
something horrible...but you need us. You need one of
us dead, but you can’t do it. You can’t kill us. You have
to turn one of us against the other. Well, hate to break
it to ya but it ain’t gonna work. We got your number
now.
(looks to Xander triumphantly)
Don’t you see? It can’t harm us!

WILLOW disentangles herself from the embrace and struts over to XANDER. TARA shifts back into a very pissed off ANYA. However, now she is more shimmering and ghost-like. With a piercing screech, the monster rushes forward and forcibly knocks XANDER and WILLOW back into the debris that had once been bookshelves. It is a crushing blow. XANDER and WILLOW both grimace as they try to sit up and regroup.

WILLOW
Okay, my bad. That was very...harmful.

XANDER
You’re hurt?

WILLOW
Only my pride…and a few other parts. I’m okay.

XANDER
What now?

The monster eyes them pensively from the other side.

CLOSE UP: The red half of the talisman that XANDER dropped, close to ANYA’S feet, then pan across the room to the white half of the talisman, half hidden.

XANDER
She did not want me putting those to things together
before.

WILLOW
You think...?

XANDER
I think.

WILLOW and XANDER look at each other. WILLOW darts her eyes to the across the floor, than throws XANDER a smile.

WILLOW
(quickly whispers)
Okay. I distract, you grab.

XANDER
Gotcha.

WILLOW
(jumps up and shouts)
Hey, no need to get rough - geesh. So…all I gotta do
is kill the lousy mortal...guy...and we’re home free,
right? Cause I do like the killin’, you were one hundred
percent right about me, that way, with the lust for...for
blood and ook.

The monster morphs into its earlier status - ANYA, with a more human like form. It approaches WILLOW, moving away from he red half as XANDER slides across the floor to where the white half of the talisman is. He grabs it and crawls behind ANYA,.

ANYA
Now this is more like it.
(coldly)
Do it, and whatever your heart desire’s is yours.
(suddenly realizing)
Where is he?

CUT TO: XANDER picking up the red half. SWITCH BACK: ANYA senses his intentions and turns around.

ANYA
(in her deep not ANYA voice)
No! stupid mortal, what are you doing?
(in her ANYA voice, frantic)
No! Don’t do that, please. It will kill me. You can’t kill
me. You don’t wanna kill me.

XANDER stands to face ANYA, holds up both halves of the talisman.

XANDER
It’s been real. But I think, it’s time to move on.

CLOSE-UP: XANDER’S hands. In slow motion, we see him bring the second half of the talisman towards the first.

A quick cut to an stunned ANYA as we see her mouth silently say ‘no!’.

Return to CLOSE-UP: the second talisman crashes into the first, and energy begins to crackle.

Quick to ANYA: rapidly dissolves into a mystical green glowing glob of energy we saw initially as the vapors dissipate - an unearthly high-pitched scream roars. Quick cut: WILLOW covers her ears.

SWITCH to: XANDER grimaces as the talisman, now whole again, shakes violently and floats out of his hands.

CLOSE-UP: flashes of red and white lights shoot out of the talisman. It flashes and winks out of existence, as we:

Pan down: XANDER falls to his knees, closing his eyes and gasping for breath.

Quick cut: BUFFY and DAWN bursting into the Magic Box and running towards the center.

Flash to: WILLOW going towards XANDER as well.

Last shot: From above, XANDER is frozen, tears on his face, as WILLOW, BUFFY and DAWN encircle him - wrapping their arms around him in a big Scooby hug.

DISSOLVE TO:

Scene XXV: Ext. Magic Box, Day.
FOCUS in on: XANDER and BUFFY sitting side by side on the step in the front of the store. Each has a large brown styrofoam cup of coffee in their hands. Both are watching the people pass by as they reflect on the latest events.

BUFFY
So, you called Giles?

XANDER
(nodding)
Yeah, finally got a hold of him last night.

BUFFY
Came through with the knowledge, I take it.

XANDER
With flying Watchery colors, yes. Get this, that
talisman? Well, it’s a vessel for some type of demonic
genie things - real sadistic ones - unfortunately the
name escapes me at the moment. Breaking it
in half being the equivalent of rubbing the lamp.

BUFFY
But rather than wearing the skimpy harem outfit and
peeling many grapes...

XANDER
You get the granting the person who splits the thing
his heart’s desire...in exchange for committing acts
of death and destruction. Giles swears it was an error in shipping. He said Anya planned to send the damn thing back but, to quote Mister Obvious, er, um, apparently she hadn’t gotten around to it.

BUFFY
Mmmm-hmmm. But it’s for sure gone. Right?

XANDER
So says the man who should know.

BUFFY
And you...how are you doing?

XANDER
Better. In an odd way...this whole thing helped give me
some closure about what happened with Anya. While
at the same time being of course utterly traumatizing.

He sips his coffee as BUFFY nods sagely.

BUFFY
The Hellmouth special.

XANDER
(turns serious)
But the worst thing is…I can’t believe I almost - I
almost killed Will. I mean she’s been great about it,
because she said after you tried to kill us all when you
were out of it and she tried to destroy the world last
year, I was due. But that really doesn’t make it okay. I
let the guilt get the best of me. I refused to let myself
believe I could live without Anya.

BUFFY
(nods in agreement)
It’s not so hard really - shunning the truth, embracing
the pain. Wishing only to turn back the clock and maybe
finding a way to undo the event, no matter what the cost
might be. I remember when Angel left - I saw my whole
existence crumble. I never thought I would love any one
ever again. But I did. When mom died, I felt for sure the
world would end. It didn’t. None of us thought we’d be
able to stand on our own without Giles. But we did.
Through all the darkest times the Hellmouth has thrown
at us, we’ve survived - thanks in large part to all of us
pulling together.

XANDER
You are truly a wise woman.

BUFFY
Hey, trying to inject a little seriousness here.
Something’s coming - something major. I think...this is
gonna be something hard. It’s gonna try and tear us
apart. I need everyone on board...
(she touches his cheek tenderly)
Especially you. I can’t get through this without you.

XANDER
Okay, okay, I promise - no more ditching of the
research parties. I got it. Don’t worry, Buff, we will get
through this.

BUFFY
Together.

XANDER
There’s another way?

Each share a brief smile and nod. XANDER shakes his head, sighs, and stands up. Tossing the empty coffee cup into the nearest trash can and than turns to face the store. BUFFY stands up as well.

BUFFY
So, you really think you’re ready for this? I know it’s a big step.

XANDER
Yeah

BUFFY
No rule it has to be today.

XANDER
(thoughtfully)
I know.

XANDER and BUFFY both stare at the shop for a long moment. A wind kicks up, and we can very faintly hear ANYA laughing. XANDER nods to himself.

XANDER
(con’t)
I‘d like it to be today.

BUFFY
(gently)
Are you sure?

XANDER
(nods)
More than anything else in my life.

BUFFY smiles, than leans over to XANDER and kisses him. XANDER blushes a bit. BUFFY exits to the left, walking down Main Street. Camera pans out:: we see XANDER climb a step ladder and begin to unscrew the ‘MAGIC BOX’ sign.

FADE OUT.

END CREDITS.

GRR. ARRGH.

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