[7]

(Fair grounds. Tara sits on a bench alone, sad. Meanwhile, Willow mopes in a corner at the Magic Box. Tara feels someone takes her hand, and smiles, thinking Willow must have come to make up with her, but when she turns her head, she sees:)

GLORY: Is this seat taken?

(Tara gasps in fear.)

(...)

[8]

GLORY: This is nice! Just hang out, just us girls. You like this sort of thing don't you? (squeezes Tara's hand till the bones snap) Don't make a sound. There, they won't help you, I'd kill them. You know that! There's no one here that can stop me. I'll kill her... and.. and them. I'll kill him and her and her, and it'll all be your fault! (blood drips) It's kinda funny isn't it? All these people here and no one who can do a thing. Not a person who can help you. But that's people for you. They're pretty worthless. But Keys on the other hand... Keys are worth a very lot.

(licks some of Tara's blood, then spits it out)

GLORY: You lying little tramp, you're not the Key, you're nothing! Just another worthless human being! I *hate* being lied to! It makes me feel so betrayed! Hey, wanna make it all better? If you tell me who the Key *really* is, I'll let you go (more bones snap) Think about it. You think your hand hurts? Imagine what you'd feel with my fingers wiggling in your brain. It doesn't kill you. What it does is make you feel like you're in a noisy little dark room. Naked and ashamed. And there are things in the dark that need to hurt you because you're bad. Little pinching things that go in your ears and crawl on the inside of your skull, and you know if the noise and the crawling would stop, that you could remember how to get out. But you never, ever will. Who. Is. The Key? (no answer) Fine. Let's get crazy.

(Glory caresses the side of Tara's face with her other hand. Tara whimpers and tries to pull her face away. Blackout.)

[9]

(Resume on Willow, running through the fair, looking for Tara)

WILLOW: Tara! Tara!

(Shot of Tara and Glory on the bench. Willow runs toward them.)

WILLOW: By force of heart and mindful power, by waning time and waxing hour ... I echo Diana, um, when I decree ... uh, what is it, what is it?

(Shot of Glory with both her hands on Tara's temples.)

WILLOW: No! No!

(The light begins to stream out as Glory's fingers enter Tara's head. Both Tara and Glory cry out. Willow reaches the edge of the path but is blocked by the Chinese dragon people and has to stop.)

WILLOW: That she I love must now be free! Tara!

(The crowd clears momentarily and we see Tara sitting alone on the bench with her head lolling to one side. )

WILLOW: No!!

(Willow runs over and sits on the bench, grabs Tara by the shoulders. Tara doesn't react or look at her. )

WILLOW: Tara, Tara, are you okay?

TARA: It's dirty. It's all dirty. And all over me! Dirty. Dirty. I'm bad. Bad.(whimpering)

WILLOW: (crying) Tara. Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.

(Willow pulls Tara's head down onto her shoulder and rocks her gently. Overhead shot of them on the bench. People continue to walk by all around them.)

• Buffy vs Glory
• Willow & Tara

written by: Rebecca Kirshner; Once again, I'm typing these up myself as transcripts are scarce.... Full transcript at:
http://www.studiesinwords.de/97toughlove.html