8x19: "Aid & Abet"
(commentary by Jet Wolf and Ultrace)
[ Download All Clips :: 33MB ]

[ Download Clip #1 ]

Jet Wolf: I think we should start this out by saying this is like the sixth or seventh time we've tried to do this commentary. And I've been bubbly all evening, I've been perfectly witty and charming, and yet here I am sitting in front of the computer now and I find I'm suddenly devoid of speech.
Ultrace: I'm doing pretty good, but I'm usually not that talkative anyway.
JW: It's usually ME who never shuts up. Anyway. Well, we shall give it a try. I am Jet Wolf.
U: And I am Ultrace.
JW: And this is the "Aid & Abet" commentary – the commentary YOU selected.
U: Cuz YOU demanded it.
JW: Uh, and by the way, that was funnier actually the first six or seven times also.
U: Fine! I'll not do it next time we attempt this!
JW: <laughing> No, no, me, me!
U: Oh.
JW: Me. I was funny. I'm not funny now. No funny.
U: Oh, you're perfectly funny.
JW: There is no teh funny.

Teaser

Hazel made her way through the halls of Slayer Central, cheerfully exchanging greetings with the assortment of Slayers and Watchers she met along the way. But once out of their line of vision, her bright smile quickly faded into a small frown. Upon reaching her destination, she paused for a moment outside one of the dormitory doors before knocking.

[ Download Clip #2 ]

Ultrace: I miss Hazel.
Jet Wolf: Do you?
U: Yeah.
JW: Yeah. Hazel was a good girl.
U: Maybe we can bring her back.
JW: Hmm, you know? I'll think on— No. No, sorry.
U: Fair enough then. This is actually— Here, you take the mic.
<laughter>
JW: "Don't want equipment! Get away!"
U: This is actually one of my favourite uh, Fazel— Hazel and—
JW: "Fazel". We've created, oh no! We've created our own 'ship!
U: Hee hee.
JW: The Fazels.
U: Ahem. This is one of my favourite Hazel and Faith scenes.
JW: Mm-hm.
U: Actually.
JW: This int— This first one? Or the one later that's longer?
U: Uh, probably the one later that's longer. <JW laughs> Maybe I'm mistaking this for that scene itself. I just generally like Faith in this episode really. The whole ... Especially her interaction with Willow later on. When we get to that.
JW: Yeah, yeah, you- you mentioned that was a good one. Obviously with this episode we knew Hazel was going to die in the next one, so it was very important to get some ...
U: Noooo!
JW: Yeah, poor Haze. Uh, to try and- and ... reestablish, make certain of their relationship. And one of the reasons I wanted to make sure to do that in THIS episode is because uhm, I didn't it to be too painfully obvious in the NEXT episode <Ultrace laughs> if I started doing a bunch of like, "Oh, look how much Faith and Hazel like each other!" And then, you know ... I was actually about to do a gunshot, but <chuckling> then I figured that was in poor taste. Uhm, you know, suddenly being "Oh gosh! There's Judith! This can't end well!" Uhm, so I thought I'd kind of get that out of the way ahead of time i-in the episode beforehand. Uh, just so I could set things up of course for Hazel to die horribly in the next episode.
U: We're nice that way.
JW: Yes. Extremely. This actual scene, I ... wanted to do something that was outside of the norm with the two of them. Because ... It's a problem sometimes when you write these characters, because you get used to them being in certain settings. And you want to break way from that. Like it's very easy when you think, "Okay, I have a Giles scene, so I'll put him in his office." Or, you know, uhm ...
U: "I have a Willow and Kennedy scene, I'll have them making out."
JW: Yeah, well, th-that didn't happen too much. But yeah. In theory. In theory. Uhm, you- you know, you get characters and they have their particular usual settings. So, with Faith it tends to be a lot of times when you see her, she's doing something very physical. She's uhm, you know ... lifting weights, or rowing machine, or uhm punching a bag, or- or something like that. Kennedy, of course, the same thing. With the two main Slayers, it's very easy – almost too easy – to put them in situations where they're doing their whole Slayer thing. Uhm, didn't want that. Again, I get bored with that. There's only so many ways you can write, you know, "Faith lifted weights while someone spoke to her." <Ultrace chuckles> And if I'M bored with it, then god knows you guys have gotta be bored with it. So uh, I needed Faith to be doing something else, and the problem ... I HAD was "Okay, well what else can she do?" So uh, Faith has a variety of different interests, but we don't see them a whole heck of a lot, and you've gotta try and get a situation where she's able to- to converse openly with Hazel. So then I got the idea for her looking for parts for her bike and doing it on a computer, which is not something— I can't see Faith being ... Not that she's necessarily, you know, computerphobic like Giles is, not to the point where it's actually a ... you know ... an innate fear, like a paranoia— Not paranoia. That's not the right word. Phobia. Uh, phobia with her. She's just, I don't see her relating too terribly well to computers. And uhm, once I got that idea, it kinda all fell together nicely from that one.
U: Yeah.
JW: Uhm, and actually was – and we'll discuss this more when we get to that scene – but actually was the springboard for that Faith and Willow scene. I-I don't know what they would've talked about or how I would've led into it if I hadn't had earlier the idea of Faith having stolen her laptop.
U: It's kind of funny actually. Her being, you know, not too sharp with computers – she picks one of the most advanced computers that there must be around. I mean, you know Willow's laptop has gotta be all suped up and have some like special mods and stuff like that.
JW: But when you get right down to it, you know, they all browse the same.
U: That's true
JW: Uhm ...
U: But wait! Willow's laptop is a Mac! Faith's probably a PC person!
JW: But Willow would've set up all the uh computers. So they're probably all Macs.
U: Gotcha.
JW: I-I'd be- I'd be useless. I have no idea.

"S'open," called the room's inhabitant.

Turning the handle, Hazel saw Faith hunched over a laptop that had been placed on the small desk. Faith appeared to be far from happy. She was scowling at the screen as though nothing would have delighted her more at that moment than to have popped the machine across the jaw – assuming it could have manifested a jaw which would have been within easy popping distance. Hazel smirked with amusement at the sight.

"Bill Gates-ing it, huh?"

"Gettin' ready to Mike Tyson it, this thing don't stop givin' me crap," growled Faith. In obvious frustration, she shoved away from the desk and threw her hands into the air. "It's out to get me, I know it. Stupid sonuva—"

"Computers don't know how to be spiteful," chuckled Hazel.

"Well this one's super smart," griped Faith. "Look for it to start launchin' nukes in a second."

Hazel nodded wisely. "Right, and then we can all look forward to an army of Ahnolds coming to kill us." She moved closer to the computer. "What are you trying to do?"

"I wanted to find some parts for my bike, really sup it up, y'know?" She turned and grinned at the younger girl. "I went to Will, but she just sorta got this glassy stare when I started talkin' specs, so she told me t' get a computer and check online." The grin turned into a sneer.

Hazel blinked. "So you went out and bought a computer?"

Faith waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, I just took hers."

The Junior Slayer stared wide-eyed.

"What?" asked Faith indignantly. "I'll give it back." She returned her attention to the laptop as a scornful smile crossed her lips. "With a few minor adjustments."

"No, okay, you can't kill Willow's computer," came Hazel's recommendation.

Faith was not so easily swayed. "Actually, I'm pretty good at killin' stuff, I'm pretty sure I can."

[ Download Clip #3 ]

Ultrace: "I'm pretty good at killin' stuff." Ahh yes.
Jet Wolf: Hee hee.
U: Not intended as foreshadowing I don't think.
JW: No, that line wasn't. There are lines in here that ARE intended as foreshadowing, but that wasn't one of them.
U: "I love you, Faith! We'll always be together as friends!"
<JW makes dying noises>

Hazel leaned over Faith's shoulder and peered at the screen. "Why don't you show me what you're trying to do and—"

"I think I've had about enough'a these things for today," Faith interrupted, firmly closing the lid with a sharp snap. "I'll just harass Red until she looks for me. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you're irritating enough."

Hazel straightened. "Nice motto," she stated wryly.

Faith shrugged. "It's one'a several." Spinning in her chair, she turned to face the Junior. "So, what's up with you? Why the house call?"

Apparently uncertain where to begin, Hazel wandered around the room, inspecting its contents though there truly wasn't much to see – a few well-worn dog-eared paperbacks, clothes strewn in random fashion on the floor and a couple of posters decorating the walls. There was very little in the way of personal effects.

Hazel frowned. "It's almost like it could be anyone's."

[ Download Clip #4 ]

Ultrace: It's funny. Hazel talks about how the room is like, you know, "It's almost like anyone's." But I remember very early on we established that she had a picture of like a mountain or something in her room.
Jet Wolf: Right, but we also made it clear early on that her room, apart from those very few adornments—
U: Yeah, no no. I'm not saying we're contradicting ourselves—
JW: Oh, oh.
U: —I'm just remarking about, I'm remembering now that we had that picture in her room. And it like said something about Faith, she respected the strength of the mountain or some stuff like that.
JW: Yeah, whatever we came up with for that one, I don't remember. But uh, yeah. And the idea here— Actually, the state of ... I go to a lot of trouble in this episode to sort of describe the- the state of being of Hazel and Faith's rooms. And Faith, the state of Faith's room is actually quite important. I'm inten— I'm attempting to show at this point how, as Hazel herself says, she's been here for months and months and yet she still hasn't settled in. Faith hasn't allowed herself—
U: Yeah.
JW: —to short of accept that this is home now. That uhm ... That- That this is where she's going to be for- for you know, the foreseeable future. Which makes sense for Faith, you know. She's ... hasn't had a home for, god, how long now? You know. I mean, she went from whatever home she might've had before her Watcher found her, to the brief period of time she was with her Watcher, to being on the run, to being in Sunnydale, to being in a coma, to being in prison. You know, and then so on and so forth. I mean prison was probably the longest home she had for a while.
U: And heck, she comes out of prison and goes to Sunnydale, Sunnydale collapses ...
JW: Right, you know. So she's come here. So she's not- not really a settle down kind of person. I think— Not that I think it was a conscious choice on her part, just that ... you know, getting ready ... You get used to having to- to not getting used to a particular place. I mean, I— we moved around a lot in the military. I know you did too. Uhm, and you just get to the point where, you know, it doesn't matter what age you are, it doesn't matter how long you're there, it takes a long time for you to- to allow yourself to get used to a particular place because you expect, "Okay, within you know, six months, eighteen months, I'm gonna be gone again."
U: Yeah.
JW: Uhm, and I sort of see Faith as being that same sort of way. So the fact that uhm, Faith's room is very- very sparse and very unpersonalized is a- is an important ... is an important part. Because later on in the episode, we see her actually taking steps to personalize it. Where she actually asks Xander, "Hey, can you make me something for my room."
U: Yeah.
JW: And that's- that's an important moment, because it's at that point where Faith's like, "Okay, this is home now. This is home." And then of course we kill Hazel. And that was the important point of that, just to be evil.

"Huh?" queried a puzzled Faith.

Hazel indicated Faith's habitat. "You've been here for months and months now, but you still look like you're ready to move out in a second. Most of the girls ... within about five minutes, they've personalized their room. But not you. Why not?"

The reply was rather terse. "So you came here to, what? Review my room for 'Better Homes an' Gardens'?" Hazel didn't flinch away however, and Faith sighed. "I dunno," she admitted. "Before this, closest thing I had to a home was a 4x5 cell. Before that it was a hospital bed. Comparatively speaking, this place is a freakin' Martha Stewart wet dream."

"I suppose," agreed the younger girl, her tone somewhat despondent.

Eyes narrowing, Faith examined Hazel from head to toe. "Okay, what's up? You obviously didn't come here for decorating tips."

"No. Actually ..." Hazel bit her bottom lip. "I need your help."

Faith nodded and leaned back in her chair. "Shoot."

Perching on the edge of the bed, Hazel took a deep breath and began. "It's my parents. They—"

But she didn't get the chance to continue as an abrupt rap upon the door was swiftly followed by the poking-in of Buffy's head. She smiled quickly at Hazel and then crooked a finger at Faith. "Meeting time."

"What?" asked Faith.

"Big meeting?" Buffy prompted with a roll of her eyes. "Big bad? Big sharing of information?"

"Oh, yeah," sniffed Faith, "the Giles thing."

"Yeah," confirmed the blonde with a sunny smile. "The Giles thing that he swears is more substantial than 'We have no idea'. You know me, Substance Girl – so let's get a move on before Xander snags all the good chairs."

[ Download Clip #5 ]

Ultrace: Heh. "Big meeting? Big Bad? Big sharing of information?"
Jet Wolf: Buffy's fun to write sometimes. She has a very interesting way of putting things. It's ... Buffy doesn't actually have the same sort of speech mannerisms that the others do? But uhm ... She has very- very distinctive ways of how she puts things sometimes.
U: Yeah. "That he swears is more substantial than 'We have no idea'."
JW: It's tough to make Giles ignorant sometimes. It really is. To have— To create a scenario where he doesn't instantly know everything that's going on.
U: "It's definitely more substantial. We REALLY have no idea."
JW: <chuckles> No, now we have ... A PHONE CALL.
U: And a WOMAN. I think her name is RUTH.
JW: No they don't even know her name yet.
U: That's right.
JW: <laughing> They don't know anything. "We don't know who you are, but we're gonna send to go find you."
U: Yeah, "Keeper of the Wing".
JW: Yeah, the— God, that name.
U: Hee hee. Cuz we just didn't have enough names and—
JW: Oh, no kidding man.
U: —pseudo-titles in this.
JW: I actually realized that after the fact, but there was nothing I could at that point. It was- It was all- It was a big thing.
U: But funnily enough, at least we had the good sense to poke fun at ourselves apparently, <chuckles> through Quinn.
JW: Yeah, Quinn was great for that. Quinn was like, "I'm not takin' shit seriously."

An expression of apology crossed Faith's face as she turned to Hazel, but the young girl instantly dismissed the idea. "This'll keep," she assured.

"You sure?" asked Faith with a tiny frown of concern.

Hazel smiled cheerfully. "Yup. Find me when you're free?"

"Will do," promised Faith as she followed Buffy from the room.

Buffy glanced at the dark-haired Slayer as the door closed behind them. "She okay?"

"Think so," replied Faith dubiously. "She wasn't cryin' or nothin'."

"Ahh, with your sensitive side, it's no wonder she came to you," remarked the blonde with a hint of sarcasm.

"Bite me," retorted Faith.

Buffy nodded in her wisdom. "See? Sensitive."

[ Download Clip #6 ]

Jet Wolf: Uhm let's see, so this second- this second scene in the teaser is our ... the first half of our big exposition scene. This is where Giles finally knows who they're up against. And uh ...... I'm putting my socks on, excuse me. My feet are cold. It's information they were DYING to know. Uh yeah, so uhm ... Giles finally knows who we're up against a-and what little information he has here. And this is the first episode where our, uhm ... where we kind of get an idea of- of who the Big Bads actually ARE, what they're DOING, what their ultimate goal is. Because we haven't really said a whole up to this point. We waited until 19 episodes into the damn thing to actually clarify any of that.
Ultrace: SUSPENSE!
JW: So I ... We knew all of this of course uhm ... <takes microphone back> Thank you. We knew all of this of course ahead of time. Uhm, you know, what- what they were up against, what they going to do. The— We had some trouble trying to figure out, if I remember correctly, uhm how much and what kind of information Giles should be able to- to ascertain.
U: Yes.
JW: It's tricky because, you know, this Robespierre and what he's doing, he's not someone you can just look up in a book and you know, read, "Okay, it's such-and-such a demon and this is what he does." Uhm, so a lot of what Giles supposes, what he guesses, is RIGHT of course, because we're telling him what the thing is, but uh- uh a lot of it is just guesswork on his part. But we tried to make it believable guesswork. You know, based upon what Robespierre wanted before and the things that we have observed happening so far, this is what we logically suppose is going on. I- I think we pulled that off okay. I don't think anyone complained, so hopefully.
U: Considering how many things got changed along the way ... I mean, not like MAJOR changes, but a lot— how many ideas we threw out there and what got accepted and not accepted, I thought we got a pretty good fusion in the end. Of- Of plans and ideas. You know, it was so funny how they found out about Robespierre and we- we had this grand backstory for Robespierre that we just never got into. It never came about.
JW: I think we talk about this in the "Fringes" commentary, didn't we?
U: Did we? I don't know. Okay, maybe not.
JW: We've recorded this "Aid & Abet" commentary like five times, so if we repeat ourselves, we're trying to be interesting not being repetitive.
U: Any minute now I expect myself to walk into the room and say, "What, you're still here? It's my turn to give a shot at this."
JW: <laughs> Uh, but yes. In case I'm high and can't remember and- and I've lost it somewhere, yeah. We did have a whole big backstory for Robespierre. Uhm, where he got his scar and all that good stuff. I'm pretty sure we talked about that in "Fringes" though.
U: Yeah. Well never mind then.
JW: But- But it was good of you to bring that up! Because it would've been very interesting, had we not covered it already.
U: Go me! It's not my birthday!

"His name is Robespierre," stated Giles with authority. "He is the leader and founder of a group known as 'The Assemblage of Merodach'."

Pacing back and forth across the floor of the library, Giles took stock of the gathering – Buffy, Willow, Xander, Tara, Dawn, Faith, Kennedy, and Hannah, all listening intently.

"These evil groups, always with the big names," commented Xander dryly. "Just once I'd like to meet a group called 'The Evil-Os' or something. Three syllables, four max."

Willow grinned. "Maybe they're overcompensating."

Giles frowned at the banter and Willow threw Xander a grimace before blinking innocently at the Watcher and waiting for him to resume his briefing.

"Ever since Tara gave us his name, I've been trying to remember where I heard it before. A few days ago, I finally remembered: Robespierre was once a member of the Council of Watchers."

"Used to be?" queried Kennedy.

Giles nodded. "He was dismissed for his rather ... overbearing attitudes."

A frown of disbelief crossed Buffy's face. "Wait, the guys who wrote the book on how to be a control freak thought this guy was too much?"

"Yes," the Watcher confirmed. "Rather puts things in perspective, doesn't it? You see, Robespierre believes very strongly in one thing and one thing only, and that is order. The Council has, for centuries, devoted itself to combating evil and protecting the world. However to Robespierre, this is short sighted. He believes that the world needs protecting from itself as much as from outside sources."

[ Download Clip #7 ]

Jet Wolf: You know I-I've heard before on commentary for the actual program, I've heard the writers complain about exposition scenes? And I so understand them now. I so know exactly where they're coming from.
Ultrace: Yeah.
JW: Because they are not easy to write. Cuz you don't wanna ... You don't wanna flood the reader with so much information and have it coming from like ONE person. So it's tough when you have ... Particularly a scenario like this where you have Giles, who really ultimately is the one that has the information, uh to have anybody else contribute. Because Giles is the one that- that is guessing. So you have to have him present enough information to where the others can contribute something based upon what he's already said.
U: And you wanna try and balance out everybody saying stuff, but not make it too obvious, you know. "Oh, well Buffy has to have a line in- in two paragraphs, we gotta give HER a shot now ..." You know, it's ... it's terribly difficult to balance, actually.
JW: It really is. It's not an easy thing to do, and- and just the biggest trick of all is to make it interesting.
U: Yeah.
JW: Because exposition can be so boring. And if you don't make it interesting, then people will skip it. And if they skip it, they don't get what's going on. So you really have to try and- and make it as engaging as you can, which mean that you have— Some of your more, like, tongue-in-cheek characters can be really good for that, because they- they like poke fun at what's going on. But—
U: Xander, Faith, you know.
JW: Yeah. No one who takes it particularly seriously. They all- They all have that ability actually. There's no character in there that doesn't have the ability to be funny.
U: True.
JW: Uhm, but ah, it- it can be really, really tough to do that. I ... I'm moderately pleased with how we do that. I think we get along with the huge exposition fairly well. But it is not easy.

"I can kinda see his point," murmured Dawn, noting with some surprise that everyone had turned to look at her. "Flip on the news sometime," she urged. "We don't need help from demons and stuff, people are pretty close to their very own homemade apocalypse."

Giles gave this some thought and inclined his head in agreement before continuing. "Be that as it may, Robespierre's vision is nothing less than a totalitarian society of- of Orwellian proportions. Every aspect of life would be precisely controlled, from what you hear and what you see to where you live, what job you hold, who you marry ... Free action, free thought – these things destroy order and cannot be permitted."

[ Download Clip #8 ]

Jet Wolf: It's actually quite funny, because it turns out when- when he— when Giles is describing like Robespierre's thing here about, you know, the "Orwellian proportions", "totalitarian society", "everything you do and see would be monitored" and all that? I didn't actually mean it to be a sort of <laughs> commentary on today and like the Bush administration, but it totally turned into one.
Ultrace: Gee, I didn't even realize that until you just mentioned it. <JW laughs> Wow.
JW: I was- I was writing it out at the time, I was typing it up, and ... This was shortly after the election. I think. Oh yeah, the election results had just come in not long after I was writing this. And so I wasn't in a very good mood.
U: Actually, as a matter of fact, I do recall ... I do recall the election results came in and you actually didn't write for like three days.
JW: Yeah, I was ... Oh.
U: You were like plunged into this depression and this- this hatred for the world ...
JW: <laughs> I was in such a bad mood.
U: I think you were like practically to be like, "Screw this, you're never getting an episode again! I hate the world! Die die die!"
JW: That was just in my head, though.
U: Cuz statistically speaking, at least half of you voted for Bush.
JW: <chuckles> AND I HATE YOU ALL. Uhm ... Yeah so, I-I uh ... I think a lot of- lot of my like, you know ... I-I go on these little tangents. I won't go into it here. <Ultrace laughs> My brain goes to weird places sometimes and I have these like ... thoughts. And anyway. Anyway. So some of my thoughts came out into this, and just the idea of like, you know, if the government had its druthers, this is what would happen.

"Sounds like a real charmer," remarked Faith caustically. "Anyone actually listen to this nutjob?"

Giles turned to the dark-haired Slayer. "Yes, actually," he told her. "His family had been part of the Council ... well, almost since its inception. His name carried with it considerable clout and power. For years, he pressed the Council toward what he called, 'realizing and channeling the full power of the Slayer.' He believed that the Slayer should not simply be a tool for combating evil, but the chief instrument through which the Council wrested control over ... well, the world."

"Could they even do that?" asked Tara. She glanced around the room. "I-I mean, I know Buffy's real strong and everything, but ... she's just Buffy." She treated the blonde to a small smile and Buffy smirked her amused acknowledgment.

[ Download Clip #9 ]

Ultrace: It's kind of funny. I guess— oh. I guess it's obvious. Tara wasn't around during the first Super Slayer attack. Cuz she says here, "Could they even do that? I mean, Buffy's strong and everything, but she's just Buffy." She didn't see the Super Slayer—
Jet Wolf: Well to be fair, the only ones in the room who DID see the Super Slayer would be Giles ... Hannah, I think Hannah's— Yeah, Hannah's in the room. ...and uh...
U: Faith and Kennedy.
JW: Faith and Kennedy, yeah.
U: You know. So I guess—
JW: But I just— I did want to point out by the way, before I forget – cuz I always forget to mention this – the uhm, the first Super Slayer fight in "Loves, Labor, Lost"? I just wanted to say, I still think it was so cool how, like, Faith like ... popped the cue ball on the Super Slayer's head. That was a great- that was a great image. I just wanted to point that out while I was here.
U: Go me! Yay!
JW: It's like— It's like I could just hear this like "PAF!" and just, you know.
U: And you know, that almost didn't happen?
JW: Oh, really?
U: The only reason it happened is because I was originally going to have them beat as Super Slayer with a pool cue? And I'm like, "Forget it. This won't do anything. It'd be like- It'd be like attacking somebody with a straw." <JW laughs> You know, that's not gonna do anything. Now you think of something, what else is in the room? Well she could hurl an arcade game, but even cooler— Ooo, yeah! Have you ever picked up a cue ball and felt it in your hand? I swear they have like a lead core.
JW: Those are some dense fuckers.
U: I'm like, you take that thing and you smash it as hard as she can throw it up against somebody? Now we're talkin' some damage.
JW: It was really cool though.
U: And the funny thing was, I-I did that and I— I thought that came out really well, actually. And afterwards? I guess about ... couple months after it was doing, we started doing the uh ... Not the episode commentaries, but we were watching Buffy episodes. We started watching Buffy again.
JW: Yeah.
U: And we- I think we started on season three.
JW: Yeah, you were— You went on a season three kick.
U: Cuz for one thing, we were doing the episode commentaries and we didn't want to rewatch it, then rewatch it AGAIN for a commentary. But we were watching, I think it was, uhm ...
JW: "Doppelgangland".
U: "Doppelgangland". It was "Doppelgangland". And there's this cool bit that I'd never noticed before, where they're fighting inside The Bronze and Angel picks up a pool cue and—
JW: It's a pool— It's just a ball.
U: I'm sorry, a ball. I'm thinking cue ball.
JW: Mm. No, it was actually red, I think.
U: Red? Okay.
JW: Actually I'm really disturbed that I can remember that.
U: Okay, well, red then. <JW chuckles> And he takes it, and he bounces off of a vampire's face. It doesn't shatter, but it's so cool, and if you blink you'll miss it. But all I can think is: a) how cool is that? And b) Holy shit, that HURT. <JW laughs> That— What kind of stunt man can take a pool ball to the face? And still keep on going. But if it was a FAKE ball, it bounced realistically well. Cuz it hit and it almost immediately dropped from the weight. Anyway, I just wanted to point that out.
JW: Yeah, I just, I thought I would compliment you. I don't know why suddenly— Where'd we get on this tangent? Where'd this tangent come from?
U: We were talking about the Super Slayer.
JW: Oh, and Tara not being there, that's right. Were we going anywhere else with that?
U: I would think that somebody else would have clued her in about how the Super Slayers could like snap somebody in half. But you know.
JW: Yeah but, you know, I guess seeing is believing. I dunno.
U: Yeah.
JW: I-It's again, it's all part of just the dialogue, to try and keep things moving. I suppose that line really had no bearing, but you wanna make sure everyone contributes.
U: Exactly.
JW: So uhm, and I could just kinda see Tara sitting there – again, because she wasn't around at the time – and just being like, "Uhm, you're strong, but ..." A-And also, a big thing that— A lot of times what you try and do in these expositions scenes, is you try to ask ... <Ultrace chuckles> You try to have any qu— any character ask any possible question the reader is asking.
U: Without asking the question.
JW: Or like in this case, like Tara did. Like I could see possibly someone out there going like, you know, "They're just Slayers, come on." And that's why I had Tara voice that particular concern. Uhm, you try and second guess. Which is actually what I used to do a lot in customer service, just to point that out. <Ultrace chuckles> Try to pre-answer the question so you don't ask me. Just- Just to bring things up, try and think ahead of time. Someone's watching— "Watching this." Ha ha, I wish. Someone's READING this, uhm, what possible questions could they have? And just to make a character ask that question so you've already covered all your bases. So to speak. And I think that's what I was doing with that particular question.

Giles thrust his hands into his pockets as he paced. "Given the deep bureaucratic ties already at the Council's disposal and adding a little strong-arming ... Well, it wouldn't necessarily be a guaranteed victory for either side. But Robespierre was convinced that they could do it. However no matter how much pressure he applied, the Council's top members refused to even entertain the idea."

"Well yay for the old Council!" declared Willow emphatically. She paused. "That'll probably be the only time I ever get to say that."

The Watcher leaned against a wall and crossed his arms, eyes sweeping the gathering. "Feeling he had little other choice, Robespierre staged a coup. It failed, of course, and he and his primary followers were expelled from the Council."

"When office politics go horribly wrong," Xander remarked.

"Robespierre quickly formed The Assemblage of Merodach," continued Giles. "The Council kept a close eye on them for a time, but the group seemed unable to amass sufficient power to be a true threat, and eventually Robespierre simply disappeared, and the group with him. With other, more pressing matters at hand, the Council were happy to let the rather embarrassing matter die."

Kennedy scoffed openly. "You'd figure the Council'd know better than anyone that dead things don't stay dead."

"Indeed," affirmed Giles, "which is what brings us to now."

"And a situation considerably more dangerous," added Hannah, speaking for the first time.

Buffy treated her to a flat look. "Way to kill the mood, Hannah."

"Sorry," she replied in a tone that indicated she was actually far from sorry. "But it's important that you all realize what it is we're likely facing."

"Guessin' it's not a bunch'a geriatrics bitchin' about the price of Depends," noted Faith.

[ Download Clip #10 ]

Ultrace: "Way to kill the mood, Hannah." Mrs. Buzzkill Giles.
Jet Wolf: I think originally in this scene there were originally going to be some other Watchers. And I think Wood was in this scene originally too. <laughing> And then I think I wrote the whole thing and realized I forgot to give him a line. So I was like, "Oh well!" I think I took him out of the description and I'm like, "Never mind."
U: Honestly, I don't think anybody would've noticed.
JW: I doubt they would. No one seems to care.
U: You know, now in rereading it? I don't see Faith using the word "geriatrics". I would see her using "old people".
JW: Yeah, you know ... You'd think that, but every now and again— I have trouble with that too sometimes. But the thing is, Faith does actually occasionally pop out with a big word.
U: Yeah.
JW: She's not- She's not dumb, she's ignorant. And I don't mean that in a negative sense, just she's unschooled. But you know, I think- I think she does have something of a vocabulary. There's some words she doesn't know, of course. "He does a heel thing too?" But uhm, every now and again she does- she does pop in with a big word, so.
U: Unfortunately I can never look at the word "geriatrics" again in the Buffyverse without thinking of, "Not in a scary, geriatric kind of way."
JW: "In a Penthouse ..."
U: "In a sexy, Penthousy kind of way, not a strange, geriatric way." "She BATHES you?"
<laughter>
U: That was one of those things that— You could write it, but it just wouldn't work. The delivery is all where it was at. You could put like "she", and then an ellipse and then "bathes you", but it just— Without Alyson Hannigan's delivery ...
JW: Well it's just that disgusted, "Oh my god, I have a mental image I never wanted. I hope you burn in hell for this."

Now, it was Hannah's turn to pace. "As Rupert suggested, it's not inconceivable that the Council could have, at any point, wrested control of the world's governments. And that was with one Slayer."

An oppressive silence enveloped the room as cold realization began to sink in.

"The missing Slayers," said Buffy.

[ Download Clip #11 ]

Ultrace: Dun-dun-dun! The missing Slayers!
Jet Wolf: Y'know, I have no idea where you are on the screen. I keep staring at it, and I'm just like, I'm just looking and I'm like, "Pretty colors."
U: I'm at the very bottom.
JW: Are you? Okay.
U: Where Buffy comes to the realization that that's where all the Slayers went to.
JW: Yes, yes. <laughing> Finally tying in the plot line that's been going on since episode three!
U: Holy crap.
JW: Sixteen episodes later, someone realizes.
U: And, although I don't think we clarified in any of our other commentaries, and we didn't do a commentary on episode three ... The Mogari demon was meant to like capture the essence of the Slayer. It was meant to like kill them but somehow bring them back where they could still be fused.
JW: No, we did. We did mention this in a commentary.
U: Did we?
JW: Yeah, we did.
U: I suck.
JW: Uhm, I don't remember which one though. Or, it's on the boards ... I'm getting so confused, guys. You have no clue. I talk about ... I mean, I answer questions on the TagBoard, e-mail, in the forums, on the commentaries, interviews ... I'm getting confused as to where I've said stuff. So if I repeat myself, I don't have Alzheimer's, I promise. I'm ... just kinda ... stupid.

Giles took up the gauntlet once more. "Precisely. I believe that Robespierre has been anything but lax during his years of silence. I believe the Assemblage is still very much alive, and what's more, have now become a seriously grave threat. When we awakened the potential Slayers, we provided Robespierre with his foot soldiers."

"But there's more," Hannah appended.

Xander arched an eyebrow. "Now how much would you pay?"

Hannah glanced at Giles, who gave a sharp nod. She took a deep breath. "We don't believe he's working alone."

Tara noted the exchange. "The girl, right? The one who attacked? You think she was a Slayer."

"Yes," agreed the Watcher. "But she was ..." His voice trailed away as he searched for the correct terminology, "...enhanced, somehow. She was more than simply a Slayer, she was ..."

"A Super Slayer," volunteered Xander. At the numerous eyes that turned toward him, he admitted, "Yeah, it sounds comic booky, but if the clichéd shoe fits ..." He finished the statement with a shrug.

[ Download Clip #12 ]

Ultrace: And I think that's the first usage of the words "Super Slayer". Would be Xander saying so right there.
Jet Wolf: Uhm ... yes, I think so. That was actually very tricky, it's good you pointed that out. It was so hard to write uhm ... Like those early scenes?
U: Yes.
JW: Because we've been calling them "Super Slayers" since before I wrote anything on episode one. We've been calling them "Super Slayers". And that was meant to be a placeholder. I mean I figure we probably thought we'd come up with some cool name and it's just like, "No."
U: Like "Sangerand" or "Curat". <laughing>
JW: Oh yeah, god. Good point.
U: Like we needed any more of THOSE.
JW: That's a very good point. But anyway, you know, it's sort of like the ubervamp. The Turok-han, but everyone called 'em "ubervamps", and you just know that's the name that came out in the writing process. The writers started calling them "ubervamps", so that was their name. Well same for us with "Super Slayers". Mike and I were calling them "Super Slayers" and that's what stuck. But the problem would be – when we would write them, you know back in episode 11, 12, whatever time they would show up – we would call them "Super Slayers", and if we didn't watch ourselves, we actually would call them that within in the context of the story.
U: So instead it had to be like, "the attacker", "the invader"—
JW: "Their opponent".
U: —"the opponent".
JW: Yeah. Oh god. Such pain. Uhm, but we had to be really, really careful. And we actually had ... I think I had an instance of that almost slip through once.
U: Yeah.
JW: And I caught it like right at the last minute, and I was like, "Oh, holy shit. Delete, delete." You know. Because of course that sort of spoils what they are!
U: Some people kind of guessed it anyway ...
JW: Yeah, I think they figured out that they were Slayers. And that's fine, I-I-I'm happy when people can GUESS things. But guessing it from the clues presented in the episode and guessing it because I am a dumb ass and put "Super Slayer" in the description? Completely different things.
U: By the way, *I* would be the dumbass in question. She would just be, I guess, the lesser dumb ass for not catching it.
JW: Well no, we had Super Slaye— We had them mentioned and appear a couple times.
U: Yeah, but I'm talking about in the initial fight scene.
JW: Oh. I don't remember. I don't remember who did it.
U: Anyway.
JW: Well whatever.
U: It's not important. It didn't happen, so ha.

Giles stared at Xander for a moment before picking up the thread. "I can only think that there are magicks at work here. Over the past few days, I've been in almost constant contact with the Covens—"

"Hey!" objected an offended Willow. "You're outsourcing! Witches sitting right here!" She jabbed a finger toward Tara and then directed it at herself.

The Watcher allowed himself a tiny smile at the spirited outburst and hastened to clarify. "Absolutely, but as they were already assisting me with research on our mystery symbol, I thought the coordinated efforts would be best. I promise, I have every intention of thoroughly using you both later."

"Good!" Willow told him with a firm nod. "See that you do, mister!" As her indignation died away, she frowned at what she had just readily agreed to, but Giles had already moved on.

"At any rate, the Covens have been unable to locate Robespierre or the Assemblage at all," he sighed. "According to their findings, in fact, he simply doesn't exist. This, coupled with the obvious enhancement to our attacker, keeps suggesting powerful magicks. Before we could pursue the matter much further, however, someone contacted me."

"Someone actually got your phone number?" asked an astounded Xander. He leaned over and nudged Dawn in the ribs. "See? I told you that 'unlisted number' stuff was all a scam."

"Magickally, actually," mused the Watcher. "She joined a mental link Miss Harkness and I had established for private conversations."

[ Download Clip #13 ]

Ultrace: By the way, can I say, every time I read it it looks weird, when I see "magickally" spelled with a "k" like that?
Jet Wolf: Yeah. Uhm ...
U: for some reason, the world "magick" itself with a "k" is fine, but whenever it's used as an adjective or anything like that, it looks weird when I see it with a "k".
JW: I actually had a lot of trouble trying to figure out whether to do it with the "c" or the "k". Cuz I've looked in some of the shooting scripts and they te- they tend to spell it both ways. Uhm, and so actually, you'll see it used in different ways or spelled differently within The Chosen itself. Sometimes it's with a "c"— with a "k" and sometimes it's not. And actually the determination in my mind – and this is purely me – is, when it's someone who is in the know? About it? It's with a "k". When it's someone who ISN'T in the know, it's with a "c". And I don't know why I did it that way, but I do. But like you'll see, if you go back to "Inside Out", for example. And when Giles and Kennedy are talking about magic, whenever Giles mentions the word it's with a "k", whenever Kennedy mentions it, it's with a "c". I don't know ... I-It's a thing. But yes, it does look kind of funny.

Impressed, Willow let out a low whistle. "Wow. That takes some juice."

"Some knowledge, too," added an equally appreciative Tara. "Pre-forged psychic links? They're really tricky. Just busting through one is hard enough, but to actually synch up to everyone involved ... Wow. And she was a stranger?"

"Completely," Giles confirmed. "To us, at any rate." He chuckled, but the sound reflected no true merriment. "She seems to know more than enough about us, however."

He regarded the questioning faces. "She's offered her assistance, and frankly, she does seem at the moment to be our strongest lead to getting information. But there's something of a snag."

Faith leaned back in her chair. "I knew it. Here it comes ..."

"She's quite old," the Watcher told them, "and insists that we arrange for her transportation."

Buffy shrugged offhandedly. "Okay, so we send her Greyhound ticket, what's the big?"

Giles shook his head. "She wants us to come and get her. Or, well, actually, just one of us. Requested by name, no less. And she was quite insistent."

His gaze traveled the room and came to rest on Tara. The blonde smiled briefly and glanced over her shoulder, seeking out the object of the Watcher's attention, but there was nobody behind her. She turned back to find she had now become the main focus of the entire room. Slowly, her eyes widened in surprise.

"... me?"

"Aid & Abet"

Story by: Jet Wolf and Ultrace
Scripted by: Jet Wolf
Prosed by: Novareinna & Jet Wolf
Original Airdate: Tuesday, 9 November 2004, 8pm EST

[ Download Clip #14 ]

Ultrace: Poster!
Jet Wolf: Our poster. I actually don't know if I have a whole lot to say about this one, except for uh, you really liked it a lot. If I remember correctly.
U: I like the poster a lot. Tara looks very ... refined and sexy there. Kennedy on the other hand. I dunno. Looks kinda weird.
JW: I don't remember where that Kennedy picture came from. You'd think I would, there's like, what? Thirteen episodes to get Kennedy stuff from? And can I say by the way what a bitch that is? She wears all of five outfits, it's really hard to try and pick something different all the time.
U: Hee hee. I think part of my issue with the picture of Kennedy in this poster is that Tara covers up much of Kennedy, so you can't actually see that Kennedy has anything longer than almost a buzzcut on her hair.
JW: Oh, yeah. Guess that is true.
U: Makes her look extra manly.
JW: <laughs> Yeah. Possibly. I dunno, I-I thought they worked okay.
U: No no, they- they work just fine. But like I said. It's a good picture of Tara there. Does that come from uh, "Family"?
JW: No, that's from uh, a season five episode. I always forget the name of it. It's the one— It's the episode where she and Willow are on the roof stargazing? With the meteor and the Quellers and stuff?
U: Ahh, okay.
JW: Uhm ... but uh, that's actually from the library. They were doing research on the meteor thing. But I cheated. I cheated on that one, I went back to season five. Which I think I mentioned before, I-I do sometimes with uh, with Tara. It's tough to do it with some of the others. Buffy in particular is really hard because her- her hair changes so dramatically from season to season.
U: Yeah.
JW: And, but at the same time it gets tough because I think, in my personal opinion, Sarah Michelle Gellar looked so terrible in later shots from season seven of Buffy that I really hate to use them.
U: On the other hand, Sarah Michelle Gellar is probably the member of the cast who looks the most like Buffy when she's out of character.
JW: Yeah. Well no. Sometimes. Sometimes she doesn't.
U: I'm just saying, consistently, she is more than the others.
JW: I mean, picking like the glamour shots and stuff and candids?
U: Any- Any short of shots. She's never— You know, you look at Tara in any shot outside of Buffy and she never looks like Tara.
JW: You mean Amber?
U: Amber. You look at Amber outside of Buffy, she never looks like Tara. You know, I look at pictures of uh, Iyari Limon outside of Buffy, she never looks like Kennedy.
JW: Yeah.
U: But Sarah Michelle Gellar, she always looks like Buffy. She may look a little bit different, maybe a little dolled up, but she always looks like Buffy. They just didn't— I don't think they did a whole lot of makeup and hair work on her to make her look like Buffy.
JW: I-I don't think it's makeup and hair work honestly, I think it's uhm, the actors themselves. I-I think it's just they way they act, when they're outside of their role, is very different from the role. Which you know, is uhm ... is cool, you know, that's- that's really cool. But like uh, like half the time it's really hard to use any picture of Alyson Hannigan.
U: Yeah.
JW: Because she just ... you know ...
U: She's all ...
JW: Yeah. She's just, she's like nuts. Half the time you can't use the pictures that she- that she uses cuz she's just, there's no way. Every now and again you'll get lucky and find one. But I try to stick to the, for the posters? Try and stick to episode shots, if I can. So yeah, the- the picture of— I think the picture of Kennedy's okay. But I can see what you're saying. Her hair certainly does look shorter than normal. But she wore it back half the time, so it's kinda hard.
U: That's true.
JW: You know. The- The ... I remember you got on this trip where you were saying that like the- the pictures around the faces meant something. Like the way it was done, the geometric designs. I think my answer to that was basically like, <laughing> "No, I was just lookin' for somethin' to make it a little bit different." They don't mean anything. I was just- I was doodling with a tool and I'm like, "Oh, I did this! It's kinda cool!"
U: It's like they're hiding in there together, looking outside of a window at the inside world, whee!
JW: Yeah, this whole thing where this is a window and the window is ... And I'm like, "No, I was just playing." I-I-I'm not a graphic designer at all. <laughing> I hardly know what I'm doing. I'm getting better with my like erasing backgrounds though at this point.
U: You did quite a good job.
JW: Well thank you.

Act One

The library was a cacophony of protestations. Almost everyone was expressing their personal objection to the proposition, but Willow was undoubtedly the most vocal.

"Tara?" protested the redhead. "Going off, alone, to who knows where to face who knows what and get who knows who? There are too many 'who's' in that sentence! I demand full disclosure!"

Tara attempted to restore calm. "Willow, I'm perfectly capable of—"

Buffy scowled. "Bad idea. Bad, bad idea."

"Oh yeah," nodded an emphatic Xander, wagging a foreboding finger at nobody in particular. "On the top ten list of bad ideas, I'd say this is at least a seven or eight. Right up there with New Coke."

[ Download Clip #15 ]

Jet Wolf: Oh, this was my uh, my joke about ... Remember I mentioned how I had the Crystal Pepsi joke twice?
Ultrace: Yeah.
JW: This was actually the episode where it was. With Xander. Right here, where he says, "Top ten list of bad ideas."
U: So you had to change it.
JW: Yeah. I had Crystal Pepsi there at first, and then I realized, or remembered, or I saw, I forget. How I actually had Crystal Pepsi in like the first episode I think it was, so I'm like, "Oh, crap, need something else." <laughing> But I was stuck on drinks at this time, so it became Coke again.
U: Well you know, there's enough hate for Crystal Pepsi, you probably could've used it twice.
JW: Yeah, yeah. I don't like to reuse jokes though. I try not to.

"But I think that—" began Tara. Her opinion was apparently of no consequence.

"Kinda gotta agree," interrupted Faith. "Seems pretty convenient, this chick popping up just when we need her, an' then wantin' us to split up?"

"No splitting!" warned Willow. "I'm putting my foot down on the split issue! We need to—"

Tara frowned. "Hey!" Her tone was forceful and the clamor hushed immediately, every eye turning to look.

[ Download Clip #16 ]

Jet Wolf: We're getting our signs of More Demonstrative Tara herself at this point. To use your earlier word. She's ... She's not quite the same little girl she was before she died. She's been through a lot.
Ultrace: I mean it's like, she's already died once, what's she got to lose by being more forceful? What're they gonna do, kill her?
JW: Yeah, Tara- Tara's not quite the same. It's uhm ... I-It's kinda hard sometimes to strike that balance, though. Between a Tara that, you know, we knew and loved, and a Tara who's been through an awful lot since that point. Though I like to think this is, you know death aside, sort of a natural progression of her character. She gained an awful lot and the end of season six, right before they killed her. And I like to think this is sort of where she would've gone. She's- She's not a pushover anymore, but this— Ho-Hopefully, at least at this point, this is sort of helping to remind people who perhaps didn't see anything more in Tara than her being just a little meek thing, you know, who looked pretty on Willow uh, hopefully- hopefully reminding them a little bit, there's more here than meets the eye. Tara may not necessarily ... you know, be as forceful and aggressive as some of the other characters, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have that ability in her.
U: Agreed. It's gonna blow their mind in season 9 when we reveal that this is actually an alien entity and the real Tara is at the bottom of Hudson Bay.
JW: Oh, good lord.
U: RAWR!
JW: I think we already did uh, the Buffyverse and Dark Phoenix already, didn't we?

The blonde flushed a little at her sudden outburst, but soon regained composure. "I appreciate everyone's concern, but ..." She paused and then turned to Giles. "Who is she?"

"Well ... I'm not altogether certain," Giles was forced to admit.

Instantly, Willow sucked in a lungful of air, undoubtedly in preparation to unleash a new barrage of objections. She got no further than her mouth opening, however, before she caught Tara's warning glance. Willow scowled her reluctance but nonetheless, held her tongue.

Tara's attention returned to Giles and he continued. "She didn't give us a name, per se. She simply insisted that we needed her help, then gave me her conditions. However Miss Harkness recognized her energy signature almost immediately. She called her 'Keeper of the Wing'."

The blonde frowned and pondered the information, before quietly echoing the name.

"Does that mean anything to you?" the Watcher asked hopefully.

"No ...?" admitted Tara slowly. Then, more definitely, "No. But it sounds ... impressive?"

"Or really pompous," huffed Buffy.

[ Download Clip #17 ]

Ultrace: <laughing> "They called her 'Keeper of the Wing', does that mean anything to you?" "No, but it sounds ... impressive?" "'Or really pompous,' huffed Buffy." And you know when BUFFY says you're pompous...?
Jet Wolf: You're pretty freaking pompous. Obviously the details of Ruth are unrevealed, and I'm not going to tell you what they are now either. Uhm, but stuff will become clear.
U: Totally.
JW: Patience, as always, is a virtue. And stuff- stuff about Ruth ... I'd venture to say that before we're completely done, all the questions you have about Ruth will be answered.
U: Exactly. I think at this point we can actually safely admit that uhm, that's she's old. So.
JW: Yes, we can admit that she is old. She is- she is advanced in age. Uh, she ... has a fondness for game shows. And uhm ... can cast spells.
U: New insight! You heard it here first!

Willow regarded Giles seriously. "Giles, you can't—" Her eyes wandered to Tara. "I-I know you can handle yourself and everything, but ... some woman just saying, 'Come find me, I know stuff'? Are we really that desperate?"

The Watcher was at a loss for words. With a heavy sigh, he lowered himself into a chair. Stepping forward, Hannah took it upon herself to answer.

"Yes and no," she told the gathering. "We're sure that, eventually, we'll be able to find Robespierre. But can we do that before his Slayers become more powerful, or before he begins his insurgency, or attacks us again?" She puffed out her cheeks and shrugged. "The bottom line is, the sooner we find him, the sooner we stop him."

Xander for one was not convinced. "But there's gotta be some other way, right? Some way where we don't have to play chauffer to freaky old ladies?"

Hannah moved aside as Giles reclaimed the lead. "We can, and will, continue our research of course," he stated with certainty. "Now that we suspect we know what's happened to the missing Slayers, perhaps Willow can draw some correlation between that data which will give us a clue as to their whereabouts."

"Say we find him, then what?" asked Faith. "Just one'a them girls nearly ripped us a new one, an' I'm guessin' there's more where she came from."

Unfortunately, nobody could provide an answer.

"What did she say?" queried Tara. "This Keeper woman?"

"She said she had information," replied Giles adjusting his glasses. "Vital information that would help us in our upcoming battles. She offered it, willingly, with no strings. Her only requirements were that we would have to provide her transportation. I offered to have one of our jets sent and arrange for a car to bring her to the airport, but she was most insistent." He was obliged to chuckle in remembrance of the conversation. "She said she'd lived far too many years on the ground to start leaving it now, and that she wanted someone sent to bring her to Trillium – Tara Maclay."

[ Download Clip #18 ]

Ultrace: <laughing> "She said she had information. Vital information that would help us. She offered it willingly with no strings. We only have to go and get her." That's called a 'string', Giles.
<laughter>
Jet Wolf: Well I guess that is true, really.
U: I didn't actually realize that.
JW: Yeah. Oops. Oh well. It feels like a real Buffy episode when you can do that. When you can be like, "Hm, here's a hole. Lemme POKE IT."

"That's just so freaky," commented Dawn as she turned to Tara. "I mean, how does she even know you're here?"

The blonde shook her head as a tiny frown creased her forehead. It was obvious that she was unable to provide any type of explanation.

"So that's it, we just ... we're taking her word for it?" asked Willow in total disbelief, looking from one person to the next. "'La la la, I know something you don't know, now come find me'? I can't believe we're trusting this demented unknown lady! She- She's demanding, a-a-and aviophobic ... and she butts into private conversations, which is just rude!"

"She's not entirely unknown," the Watcher replied. "According to Miss Harkness, the Keeper of the Wing was once a-a very powerful and respected witch. One of the most powerful in the Americas, in fact. But one day, many years ago, she completely severed all ties with the Covens and refused to have any further contact with them. She's remained in self-imposed isolation ever since. Also," he added, "I doubt very much that she's demented."

"Ah-ha! That's just what she wants you to think!" came the triumphant retort.

[ Download Clip #19 ]

Jet Wolf: I love Willow when she gets all indignant. When she gets like huffy and yet- yet the ability to actually punch holes in things – I'm stuck on punching holes in things today – uh, the ability to do that isn't always something she possesses when she's a little bit frazzled.
Ultrace: Hee hee. "That's just what she WANTS you to think!"
JW: She's just so cute! That- That would be Willow not ...
U: Yeah.
JW: ...Ruth.
U: Gotcha.

Giles was befuddled. "What?"

"C'mon Giles, you gotta admit it sounds super suspicious," insisted Buffy. "This powerful witch suddenly deciding to pull out of her Greta Garbo just when we need her?"

[ Download Clip #20 ]

Ultrace: Gee. Can I say, Buffy using the, uh, classic references like Greta Garbo. Wow. Honestly? I don't even know who Greta Garbo is. Buffy's like out-cultured me.
Jet Wolf: You don't know who Greta Garbo is?
U: She's an old actress, I assume.
JW: Uh-huh.
U: Did she play witches, or what?
JW: No, the reference there ... Greta Garbo got uh, very ... very freaky, and very isolationist and ... "I vant to be alone."
U: Gotcha.
JW: She got like, "Don't come near me, everybody go away."
U: Oh, "pull OUT of her Greta Garbo".
JW: Yeees.
U: Sorry, I thought you said "pull OUT her Greta Garbo." Like, you know, like she was a witch or something.
JW: Nononono. Just the reference to her being— becoming a hermit, basically. Greta Garbo like locked herself in her house and that was it.

Giles dug in his pocket for a handkerchief. "I admit the timing is convenient, but I've Miss Harkness' complete faith that this woman is indeed who she claims to be, and that she has never been a champion of dark forces." He removed his glasses and began to polish vigorously.

[ Download Clip #21 ]

Ultrace: Champion, ding ding ding.
Jet Wolf: Oh, did I use "champion"? Oh my god.
U: "She's never been a champion of dark forces."
JW: Ah! Ah! No! No! Forbidden word! <Ultrace laughs> To my defense, I hadn't realized the uh, the ... the OBSESSION that Angel had ...
U: The propensity for "Champion".
JW: ...for the word "Champion".
U: A-And at least we're not saying that any of OUR guys are champions.
JW: That's true. We're actually implying the champion – which someone is NOT a champion.
U: Exactly.
JW: So we're saying, "You are NOT."
U: And that she has never been a champion of dark forces, OR a major player in the apocalypse.
JW: Ugh! Ugh! Scratch my ears! It hurts!

"Let her go get the woman, then!" recommended a petulant Dawn. "Why does it have to be Tara?"

Giles sighed with exasperation. "I'm not sure, but we can—"

"I'll go," Tara interrupted. The room immediately fell quiet. She looked to Giles. "It'll help, right? I mean, we need to learn everything we can, and if she says she knows something ..."

Giles nodded. "I believe that she does. And yes, this will help. But Tara, this is your decision." He regarded her gravely. "I'm sorry if I've put any undue pressure on you, but please know you don't have to do this. We'll find out what we need to, with or without this woman. Your safety is much more important than anything she could possibly tell us."

The blonde acknowledged her understanding with a bright smile. "Good, then since it's all my decision, I'll go and you won't feel guilty about it." Giles inclined his head gratefully. "Besides, I've never been to the east coast." She frowned at the statement, correcting, "Well, I mean, I'm here now, obviously, but I was sort of ... you know, teleported, so I missed the whole sight seeing migration thing."

[ Download Clip #22 ]

Jet Wolf: This is actually the first time we make mention of the fact of how Tara got from wherever she was to outside of that coffee shop. In "Loves, Labor, Lost". We have her saying here that, you know, she's never been to the east coast. She's like, "Well I'm here NOW, but I got teleported, so."
Ultrace: Yeah.
JW: We never actually said how Tara got from Point A to Point B. I think it was probably could be inferred, you know, that she didn't catch a plane and get flown here, you know. But uh, we actually had to have Tela— Tela. Tela? Tela? Who's Tela? That's a name that rings a bell.
U: Tela is a character from Final Fantasy Tactics? Tela's also from the Emerald Knights.
JW: Ah. Okay, the MUD, yeah. TARA uh ... We- We had to make sure that Tara had no idea where Madrigan was. <chuckles> Very important. Couldn't have her be like, "Oh yeah, I was resurrected by those guys over there at 1623 Baker Street."
U: <laughs> "1623 Baker Street"?
JW: I dunno. I think the Prime Minister lives around there somewhere, I don't know.
U: Actually, 223B Baker Street is Sherlock Holmes.
JW: There we go. That must be it.
U: I don't know Greta Garbo—
JW: Well at least I knew Greta Garbo, alright?? <laughing>
U: Okay, fine! Fine! Jesus! At least I had SOME stuff!
JW: Uhm, anyway yeah, so we didn't wanna have Tara— <Ultrace laughs> Shut up. Shut up. You just ... just shut up, alright? I'm not talking to you any more, you're mean!
U: But you knew this WHEN we got married.
JW: I'm just stupid.
U: Well you didn't know that part.
JW: No, I mean, you're mean and I'm stupid.
U: Oh.
JW: Not you're mean and stupid.
U: Oh, okay.
JW: You ARE, but ...
U: It would've had more punch if you'd've said I was mean and stupid.
JW: You're mean and stupid!
U: I'm sorry!

"You don't even know where you're going yet," Willow told her with something of a pout.

Tara retained her sunny smile. "Wherever it is, I've probably never been there before."

Leaning forward, Xander rested his elbows on his knees. "Great then. But Greta wants to see Tara, she gets the package deal and we all come with," he insisted, circling his fingers in the air to encompass the entire group. "We load up the cars, we caravan to wherever she is, and if she's not legit, we kick her wrinkly butt and stop off for cheeseburgers on the way home."

"Yes, well, that's part of the problem, you see," returned Giles with no little reluctance. "She insisted Tara come alone."

In a heartbeat, the ruckus of dissent erupted anew. This time, it was Buffy who dominated the voice of resistance. "No. A thousand points of no. Giles, I won't let—"

Raising his hand, Giles spoke loudly so he could be heard over the disapproving din. "And I was equally insistent that this was not going to happen. So she has agreed that one other person may come with Tara. I assume—"

"Me," announced Kennedy firmly.

The room fell into a hush as every surprised eye turned toward the brunette. It was the first time she had uttered so much as a word since Giles had delivered the Keeper's ultimatum and it seemed that the majority had even forgotten she was in attendance.

The Slayer arched an eyebrow at the others. "I'll go with her."

"Kennedy, what ...?" stammered a bewildered Willow.

"It should be me," insisted Buffy. "I can keep Tara safe."

Kennedy shot the blonde a penetrating glance. "You saying I can't?"

"What?" queried Buffy with a shake of her head. "No. I just—"

"Good," replied Kennedy, her tone seeming to indicate that the discussion was at an end. "Then I'll go."

Confused, Tara frowned in Kennedy's direction, and the brunette steadily met her gaze. "Should be fun," she added.

"But you ..." Willow's eyes reflected anxiety. "I can ..."

Kennedy huffed and looked heavenward. "Please, you two can hardly be part of a crowd of people without one of you almost imploding, you think you can stand being alone in a car together for however long?"

[ Download Clip #23 ]

Ultrace: Heh heh. "You two can hardly be a part of a crowd without one of you imploding."
Jet Wolf: This, uh ... Obviously by this point Kennedy was coming very well.
U: Yeah.
JW: Her dialogue, I think, VASTLY improved from the early episodes. She- She sounds like her own individual at this point. Just with those little things that you just quoted there. Which I'm very happy about. This episode would've been very dreary had Kennedy not actually been her own person by now.
U: I don't think I actually quoted any of this stuff that Kennedy said, I was quoting other people.
JW: No, you did. Her imploding?
U: Oh yeah, that's right, she did say that. Never mind.
JW: And I happened to read – not ALOUD, but you know – "Any other objections I can shoot holes in?" But yeah. Kennedy's doing well. At this point. Had her down quite well.

Willow was unable to disguise her opposition, but she also seemed to realize the truth in Kennedy's statement. Her mouth became tight and she said nothing, but appeared far from happy with the enforced silence.

With a challenging look, Kennedy surveyed the room. "Any other objections I can shoot holes in?"

"What if I don't want you to come with me?" asked Tara.

There was a long pause as Kennedy carefully considered both the proposer and the proposition. She shrugged. "Then I guess you can tell me not to come."

Yet another long pause ensued as Tara studied the expectantly waiting Slayer. The blonde's gaze was piercing and intense, broken only by Giles speaking her name.

"Tara?"

She glanced quickly at Giles and then returned to her scrutiny of Kennedy. Another moment or two passed before Tara looked back to Giles. She nodded briefly.

"When do we leave?"

As Faith approached Hazel's room, she saw that the door stood open. Nevertheless, she drummed a 'rat-a-tat-tat' before entering. The area that had formerly belonged to Judith remained empty and devoid of any adornment, but Hazel's half had undergone some recent redecoration. The poster of Russell Crowe had been replaced with one of Colin Farrell and she had added a cork board, littered with photographs of Pennsylvania's sights, Trillium souvenirs, and snapshots of girls more or less her own age. Some of the pictures had been taken in Slayer Central, but still others had been taken at night, several in cemeteries where groups of Juniors, brandishing wooden stakes and other assorted weapons of destruction in a menacing fashion, had mugged for the camera. One photo depicted Faith and Hazel together in one of the training rooms – a flushed Hazel grinning broadly and flashing a huge thumbs up as Faith gave her a dubious but amused look.

Also on display were pictures of Hazel's family and friends from home, the older photographs blending seamlessly with the newer ones. It was one of these older photographs that currently captured Hazel's attention. The girl was lying on her bed, Willow's open laptop ignored for the moment. In her hand was a silver-framed photograph, showing a much younger Hazel alongside an even smaller girl, each seated in the laps of a smiling couple who could only be their parents.

At Faith's entrance, Hazel glanced up and smiled. "Found some parts for you," she informed, setting the frame to one side.

Faith blinked a little in surprise. "Hey, thanks."

"No big," shrugged the younger girl. "I have some time to kill before classes start. So, you're all done?"

Faith threw herself onto Judith's old bed with a bounce. "Yup," she replied, surveying the bare half of the room curiously.

"How'd it go?" asked Hazel with interest. "Everyone gearing up to beat the bad guys and save the world?"

[ Download Clip #24 ]

Ultrace: Ahh, things are so simple in Hazel's world. "Everyone gearing up to beat the bad guys and save the world?" Remember when Buffy and crew thought of it that way? <JW laughs> Gee, she's like ... a season two character.
Jet Wolf: Aww. So naive.
U: Yeah.
JW: I do remember ... Nova— I don't remember if Nova has sole prosing credit on this one or she and I shared it – I can't remember what she did and what I did – but uhm, I do know that she did- she did do up Hazel's room. Uh, I remember in particular that ... I don't think it was mentioned when we first did up Hazel's room in whatever episode that was, probably "Inside Out", uhm but in- in my mind, she did have that picture of Russell Crowe from Gladiator up on her wall. I don't think we mentioned it, it was just something that was just there. For me. And I remember that uhm, I think in the script I just have something like, you know, "the Russell Crow picture— poster has been replaced with something else." And I remember that— I had an idea in my head for what it should BE, but wasn't gonna force any kind of point. I was gonna let it go where it went. And I remember that Nova prosed it up and she sent it to me and she's like, "Well I changed it to something, but I don't think you're gonna like what I changed it to." And I'm like, "Oh, well, all right." Went and read it, and funnily enough, I-I actually had thought of changing it to Colin Farrell. An-And that's what she did too. So it was a nice rare moment of synchronicity between us. And so it was Colin Farrell now.
U: It's hard for me to place Colin Farrell. I only know him as Bullseye. If I try and dig any deeper than that I start thinking of pictures of WILL Farrell. <chuckling> So it kinda—
JW: Oooo, yeah. NOT the same person.
U: Yeah, not at all.
JW: He was uh ... I don't remember the name of the movie ...
U: Phone Booth.
JW: Yeah, that was—
U: He was the guy in Phone Booth.
JW: Yeah, the one who was talking to Keifer Sutherland for two and a half hours.
U: Great. Just go ahead and totally ruin it for the people.
JW: The second you hear who he's talking to, you know it's Keifer Sutherland. Come on. You don't mistake that voice.
U: But they didn't know he'd talk for two and a half hours.
JW: Well then they didn't watch a trailer for the movie. Uhm, and he was more recently in Alexander? He was Alexander.
U: Oh, was he?
JW: Yeah.
U: He didn't look that good there, no.
<pause>
U: He was good as Bullseye.
JW: Yeah, he was good as Bullseye. That was about the only part of the movie that was decent.
U: He was a much better Bullseye than whatever who was—
JW: AFFLECK was Daredevil ... Blech. Distaste. Ugh. Drain mouth.

"You think the world needs saving?" asked Faith with a slight chuckle.

"I've heard the stories," confided Hazel. "It seems like it's pretty much always needing a save or two."

"True that. Went okay. Glinda and the Brat get to go road trippin'."

"'Glinda and the Brat'," giggled Hazel. "Sounds like a bad cartoon show."

[ Download Clip #25 ]

Ultrace: "I've heard the stories. Seems like it's pretty much always needing a save or two." Whenever I see the word "save" used like that, I always think of Dungeons & Dragons. You know?
Jet Wolf: Yeah, the world rolls a 16 ...
U: The world passed its save versus death and petrification, it can go on another day.
JW: By the way, I do think that "Glinda and the Brat" sounds like a very ah, very bad cartoon.
U: Well it has that same like uhm ...
JW: Pinky and the Brain.
U: Yeah.
JW: That's what it's meant to sound like, yeah. "The same thing we do EVERY night, Glinda ..."
U: "...try to save the world."
JW: Neither one of us are gonna sing the song.
U: No.
JW: You're welcome.
U: Probably because the ... only part of it I know is "They're Pinky and the Brain."
JW: I know ALL the Animaniacs songs.
U: ANYway. You're not gonna prove that to us.
JW: I am certainly not.

Faith grinned wryly. "Might turn into one," she admitted. "Not sure I'd wanna be in the car for all that."

Hazel nodded confidently. "I'm sure it'll be okay. You guys'll find out what you need and save the day." She smiled brightly.

"Just gotta have faith?"

With an eye roll at the terrible pun, Hazel replied, "You just need to know the score. You guys are heroes. Heroes always win."

"I'll remember that next time I blow off training with Oxford," remarked the older Slayer as she leaned back on one elbow. "Sure he won't mind, seein' as how us winnin' in the end is a given an' all."

"You know what I mean," insisted Hazel, screwing up her nose in an expression of mild irritation.

"Yeah." Casting her gaze at the bare walls surrounding her, Faith gestured toward the empty area of the room. "So what's up with this?"

Pushing herself upward, Hazel sat Indian-style. "What's up with what?" she replied, clearly not understanding.

A lazy circle of Faith's hand indicated her half.

"Oh!" Hazel stared, almost as though she were only just truly seeing it as it was. "I dunno, actually. Just never seemed right to put anything there, I guess. Like it's not really mine, you know?" A disdainful snort escaped and she added, "Not that I miss Judith or anything. Definitely not with the hero vibe." She shook her head vehemently. "Anyway, I didn't really wanna talk about her."

Faith shrugged. "'Kay then." She focused on Hazel and waited.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but then appeared to change her mind. Her eyes drifted to the discarded picture frame, but still she remained silent. Faith frowned and an expression of concern crossed her face as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Patience had never been Faith's forte, but she fought to maintain an unhurried air. She succeeded admirably for several seconds, but each tick saw Hazel clearly feeling worse, and the condition directly impacted Faith's ability to remain silent.

When it seemed the Junior was on the verge of real tears, Faith nearly panicked. "Whoa, hey, what is it?" she demanded. "What's wrong?"

[ Download Clip #26 ]

Jet Wolf: Uhm, the primary purpose of this scene of course is to show how badly Faith can't handle the touchy feely emotional side of things. Despite however hard she tries – and she tries really hard – it's not her- it's not her forté.
Ultrace: Faith's a hard person with poor soft people skills— soft skills.
JW: Yeah, uhm, but she tries. She tries really, really hard and that, in this scene, is the important part. Uhm, h-how hard it is that she's trying to make it all work. That and the fact that uhm, how easily Hazel's able to turn it around. That, although Faith can't do shit to help Hazel, Hazel's taking care of Faith. It's like, "Okay, I've already sorted this out for you, here's your thing, take this back." "Thanks, Mom." <Ultrace chuckles> You know, uhm ... very, very ... sort of showing that- that's the sort of the relationship that they really have kind of. It's the ... Hazel helps Faith in many ways more than Faith helps Hazel.
U: Yeah, totally. Faith ... Faith is good for Hazel because she gave her a good role model of what to do with her new powers, but Hazel is so much better because, you know ...
JW: Faith needed someone like Hazel.
U: Yeah. Hazel gave Faith hope.
JW: Yeah.
U: You know. That the whole world wasn't just about people, you know, out to get each other, you could actually trust people and stuff like that. You know. And then of course, what does Hazel have to do? Oh yeah, she betrays her by going off and getting killed. You really can't trust anybody.

Hazel sniffed and swiped a fist across her eyes. "It's my parents."

"Something happen to 'em?" asked Faith gently. She reached out an unsure hand that then faltered and returned home, the Slayer plainly having no idea what she was supposed to do with it. Eyes glued to the photograph at her side, Hazel failed to notice but she nodded miserably.

Clearing her throat uneasily, Faith cautiously prompted, "Are they ...?"

Hazel looked up quickly. "No, no, they're okay." She shrugged despondently. "I mean, kinda okay, I guess. They're—" Her gaze drifted back to the smiling couple, a moment captured in happier times. "They're getting divorced," she confessed in a small voice.

The announcement was met with a relieved puff of air. "That all?" asked Faith, all of her tension pouring away. "Christ, I figured it was somethin' really bad."

[ Download Clip #27 ]

Ultrace: I always liked that. "Christ, I figured it was somethin' REALLY bad." "Wha, huh?"
Jet Wolf: Yeah she, like I said, it's the sort of things that Faith's saying. Because she can't relate. She had the kind of ... home environment that Hazel had to where this would be an issue.
U: Yeah.
JW: You know with her, as we have her say later, you know ... "My old man just left, there wasn't no such thing as divorce, and if he had, I wouldn't have cared anyway." You know, whereas Hazel's got her perfect little, you know ... Her mommy and her daddy and her little sister ... Who, I would really love to meet Hazel's little sister, because we painted her as such a brat.
U: Hee hee. Let's hope she doesn't inherit the Slayer power, you know?
JW: Oh, yeah. But ah ... So Faith just as just no grounds to come from. Uhm, and this is actually the— The title of the episode being "Aid & Abet", uhm ... this is- this is the second part of the aid part. That's a really badly constructed sentence, but I'm saying that the- the ... the "Aid" section of the title comes from the aid given from Tara to Kennedy, Kennedy to Tara, and the aid that Faith tries to get for Hazel.
U: And that Ruth is gonna give to the group.
JW: And that Ruth is gonna give to the group. That's more of a plot thing so I wasn't ... thematically speaking for those two. So- So Faith's quest and the different ways in which we help each other. Different things that we can do to help each other.

At the easy dismissal, Hazel shot the older woman a wounded look. Faith immediately grimaced and shook her head as she hastened to correct, "No, I ... I mean, that's ..." She paused, searching for the best way to explain herself. "That sucks, sure, but on the grand scale of things that coulda been bad, you gotta admit, this is pretty low."

The clarification did little to improve the girl's pained expression.

"Or not," the dark-haired Slayer floundered. "I just ..." She sighed heavily and ran a hand through her hair before trying again. "Look, you obviously think this is a big thing, an' that's all that matters, right? So, okay, let's start there. Why's that upset you so much?"

There was a long and uncomfortable pause. "I think it's my fault," Hazel finally replied.

"How can it be your fault, you haven't been there in over six months," Faith pointed out.

"Exactly!" Hazel's tone made it clear she felt Faith had cemented her argument. "It's just been my parents and my little sister, and believe me, she's irritating enough to make saints start hating each other. But seriously, I just keep thinking that if I'd been there, I could've ... I dunno, maybe seen what was happening? Tried to fix it?"

Faith scratched the back of her head in a helpless gesture. She seemed to be valiantly racking her brains for the right words. Apparently, she could come up with nothing.

"You think this is stupid," muttered Hazel in a self-recriminating tone.

"No, I don't," Faith replied in all seriousness. She threw her arms to the side and sat back, a frown firmly in place. "Just ... I got no clue what to say. It's new ground for me, y'know? Wasn't no 'divorce' in my place. My old man just up and left one day. An' frankly, if they had gotten a divorce first, can't say I woulda cared much."

Hazel's face fell even further into the depths of dejection, causing Faith to lean forward again, anxious to say something right. "But you do care, an' that's great," she insisted. "You should. I'm not the standard here on what's normal feelin', trust me."

It had little effect. Completely out of ideas, Faith sought out and found the other girl's eyes, locking them with her own. "What can I do?"

Hazel smiled at the sincerity of the offer, but shook her head. "Nothing, I guess." She made a visible effort to brighten. "That's okay, though."

[ Download Clip #28 ]

Jet Wolf: You know, and right here, just the transition directly from Hazel kind of freeing Faith from the obligation of having to make it better and turning right around and being like, "You can't help me, but here's what I'm doing for you, without you asking me to."
Ultrace: Yeah. It's kind of funny, I never really realized you know ... Hazel calls Faith "Fiver". It's a nickname. Faith calls everybody by nicknames. I wonder if that's why Hazel calls Faith by nickname. Because, you know, the way Faith likes to interact with people is by nickname, so maybe Hazel's like, "Okay, I'll give you a nickname." Maybe subconsciously.
JW: Quite possibly. I-I honestly never took it to that point. It would be reasonable.
U: She doesn't seem to call anybody else by nickname. It's just Willow, Buffy, you know. That sort of stuff. But when she's talking to Faith, she uses a nickname.
JW: Well I-I mean, I wanted her – besides the story reasons why her to have the nickname – but I-I wanted her to have the nickname because it indicates a level of familiarity. That she- That Hazel doesn't have with any other members of the cast.
U: True.
JW: What's interesting though on your nickname point is to note that Hazel never has a nickname. Faith never gives her one.
U: Just "Haze".
JW: Just "Haze". She never gives her a nickname. Uhm, and I thought for a while whether she should or she shouldn't? But ... in a reverse scenario, I thought Faith's LACK of a nickname for Hazel indicated a greater familiarity. Which uhm, you'll notice that when we first start the season, almost exclusively Faith uses nicknames for people. As we've progressed through the season, if you look, Faith slowly begins to drop them. She doesn't use them quite so often.
U: Really?
JW: There are some characters she constantly uses them for. Buffy will always be "B". For the most part.
U: Yeah, except in times of great crisis.
JW: Yeah, but for the most part, Buffy's always "B" because that's sort of the way that that goes. But if you look, she starts off calling people by nicknames. As it goes on, like you know ... Willow's no longer ALWAYS "Red", she's sometimes "Will". You know uhm, it's just for me, it's a little thing that I consciously tried to do to show a greater connection and a greater integration into the group.
U: So instead of like distancing herself by giving them nicknames and not calling them by name, she's actually associating with the real person or something.
JW: Yes.
U: Interesting.

Glowering, Faith looked away first, seeming angry at her inadequacy.

"Fiver, for real – it's okay," assured Hazel. "This is really my thing." She reached out and moved the picture frame from the top of the notepad sitting near the laptop. With a clean jerk, she ripped the top sheet of paper free and extended it toward the Senior Slayer.

"I wrote down the names and phone numbers of some places you can get cool parts." She shrugged and smirked then, confessing, "At least I think they're cool parts. They said they were on the web site."

Getting to her feet, Faith accepted the piece of paper, regarding it ruefully.

Hazel next closed the laptop with a snap, offering the machine as well. "And make sure you put this back, or Willow'll ... I dunno, turn you into a newt or something."

Faith was obviously plagued with other thoughts. "A newt?" she asked, vaguely perplexed.

"You'll get better," grinned Hazel.

In total confusion, Faith looked from the laptop to Hazel's face, which was now plastered with a happy if somewhat forced smile.

"I'm okay," the young girl told her without the hint of a grudge. "Really. Now go on – don't you have a world to save?"

Absently-mindedly, Faith nodded and took the computer, tucking it under her arm. She headed for the door, but paused at the entranceway and glanced back. It looked as though she was going to say something, but Hazel – all smiles – shooed her off with a brisk wave. Faith glanced at the paper in her hand and frowned. Then, with a deep sigh, she exited the room, her face a curious mixture of regret and anger.

Xander peered cautiously both left and right as his fingers drummed on the steering wheel of the family car. He repeated the action two more times before easing into traffic, his caution enough to make any driving instructor proud. The car was full packed, every available seat occupied.

Seated quite happily in the front passenger seat, Dawn's long legs were slightly bent as she had scooted the seat forward to avoid completely squashing Tara behind her. Willow had considerably less legroom, sitting behind Xander, but she was at least better off than Buffy, who was crammed into the center hump of the backseat that clearly was designed to function in a seating capacity only as a last resort. Thankfully, Buffy's attentions were focused on matters other than a steadily numbing and uncomfortable behind.

"You have everything?" she asked Dawn, leaning forward and peering intently at the teenager.

"Ye-es," her sister replied, the eye roll audible, if not visible.

"Toothbrush? Socks?"

This time Dawn turned in her seat, making an effort to ensure that Buffy could see as well as hear the irritation. "I swear, if you ask about my underwear?" she warned. "I'm getting emancipated."

"Pretty exciting trip, Dawnie," enthused Willow, caring little about the indignant 'humph' from her best friend. "Philadelphia for the night? Birthplace of liberty, home of large Benjamin Franklin statues ..."

"Hear they got a bell too," added Xander. "Kinda cracked. They should get that fixed. Get some caulk, a little bronzer ..."

Dawn laughed. "Dork," she proclaimed. "Anyway, it's for school, so fun will be limited. But it's still way cooler than being in class." She twisted her neck in the hopes of seeing Tara over the headrest. "Will you be back before me?"

"It'd probably help me answer that if I knew where I was going," Tara told her dryly. "Mr. Giles said that the Keeper would contact him with the directions and stuff once she was sure I'd agreed to come."

An rather uncomfortable hush reigned for a moment.

"And she'd know this how?" inquired Buffy curtly.

Tara chuckled just once and smirked at the Slayer. "That's a good question, isn't it?"

"I don't like this," huffed Willow, crossing her arms and slinking back into the seat.

"For real, Will?" Xander's look of amazement fooled no one. "An' here I figured all that complaining was just a token protest."

He winced as the redhead poked the back of his head. "There will be silence from you, Mr. Harris," she commanded.

Tara craned her head around Buffy to look at Willow. "I'll be fine. And this'll be good. Good for me. To get away." She gave the redhead a quick smile before settling back into her seat, consequently missing the flash of pain that crossed Willow's features at the words.

"I hear you," agreed Dawn wholeheartedly. "'Getting away' was one of the biggest selling points for this trip! That, and then we come back to the whole 'no school' thing."

Buffy frowned. "I'm still not sure. There's your headaches, and—"

"My headaches, which have pulled a complete no-show for, like, a month," Dawn hastily pointed out.

Buffy remained unconvinced. "Still," she muttered darkly.

"And you've already talked to each of the chaperones," added Dawn.

"I know," admitted a reluctant Buffy.

"And I'm rooming with Brenda, who has sworn that if I so much as look like I'm getting a headache, she's calling 911," Dawn threw in for good measure.

Buffy nodded her head approvingly. "Good. Smart girl, Brenda. Always liked her."

"So stop worrying," instructed Dawn firmly. "I'll only be gone one night, and look – school's just up the street so it's too late to back out now."

Xander glided the vehicle to a smooth halt at the cusp of the 'U'-shaped driveway in front of the school. "Service and a smile," he announced, flashing a toothy grin. "See, if it weren't for this complete lack of depth perception, I could totally be a chauffer."

"But since you're not," Dawn reminded him, "I don't have to tip you!" At his exaggerated glower, she rolled her eyes yet again and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

The carpenter beamed. "I'm easily placated."

Dawn grabbed her overnight bag from the floor of the car and hopped out, toting both bag and backpack.

"Have a nice time, Dawnie," called Tara with a smile and a wave.

"Take lots of pictures!" ordered Willow, using Xander's seat to pull herself up. "And don't break my digital camera, or I'll be forced to sabotage all your future college essays!"

With an "eep" of alarm, Dawn nodded in quick agreement.

As her sister closed the door, Buffy clambered into the front seat. Willow frowned as her lap was used for leverage by two floundering feet and Xander grimaced with pain as an elbow found its way into his ear while fingernails dug sharply into his shoulder.

Quickly getting situated, Buffy rolled down the window. "Have fun," she called out. "If you start to feel—"

"—feel light-headed or any pain of any kind whatsoever, tell someone," finished Dawn. "I got it the first fifty thousand times. Wanna write it on a note and pin it to my shirt?"

Buffy's eyes widened at the proposal, as though it were a fabulous idea. "Anyone got a pen?" she queried.

"Okay, I'm leaving now." Dawn swiftly replied, but she could get no more than half a step before Buffy was leaning out of the window, cheek first. She watched the teenager expectantly from the corners of her eye. When it was clear that Buffy had no intention of letting her go before the unspeakable could occur, Dawn gave her sister a lightning fast peck on the cheek and then dashed away with a hasty "Bye!"

The Slayer watched as the crowds swallowed up Dawn and Xander urged the car into motion once more. "Do you think we embarrassed her enough?" she wondered aloud.

"I think we could've done better," appraised Willow with a shake of her head. "I rate us a 6.5, tops."

"I thought you should've gotten out of the car and made her hug you," Tara supplied.

"I can always drive back, an' you can yell out the window about her having clean underwear," offered Xander. "I'm sure she was kidding about the thing from before." He considered for a moment then shrugged. "Pretty sure."

He glanced at Buffy, the grin on his face swiftly fading as he noted her apparent sober contemplation of his suggestion.

"Nah," she finally decided, much to his relief. "I'll just save it all up and chaperone her prom. That should complete the requisite emotional scarring." She glanced over her shoulder at the witch sitting behind her. "Besides, we need to be getting back. Tara still has to pack and stuff."

"Yup," agreed the carpenter, also regarding Tara, though via his rearview mirror instead. "Better get used to the car environment – it's gonna be your close personal friend real soon."

[ Download Clip #29 ]

Jet Wolf: There's not a whole lot to this scene. The main purpose of this scene is to send Dawn away. Dawn is not in this episode apart from this scene. The reason for that: very specific, because I wanted— I knew that episodes 20, 21 and 22 were gonna be packed. And packed with, you know, the- the closing stuff, wrapping everything up for the season, the big climax. And there was gonna be very little time for- for good, long character interaction.
Ultrace: Yeah.
JW: And I wanted very much to have a scene with just Buffy, Willow and Xander. And ... as a result I wanted Dawn OUT. I wanted it to be a case of where we just had the three Scoobies and no one else around. Cuz Tara was gone, that was convenient, you know. So I had to have somewhere to send Dawn. And it seemed— It just seemed, "Okay, she's going on an overnight trip. That way I could bring her back again in time for episode 20, but get rid of her for episode 19.
U: I was just laughing, you know, at the thought of Dawn looking at someone and saying, "Will you be back before me?" <laughs>
<long pause>
U: "Be back before dawn"?
JW: That's really funny! And she says that to Tara. That's REALLY funny. I didn't notice that. I mean, I noticed that completely! I intended that! Good on you for picking it up.
U: Uhhh-huh.

The car keys in Giles' pocket jingled merrily as he walked into his office. He was mumbling to himself as he sorted through the maps and other assorted documentation in his hands, seeming to be running down a mental checklist.

Seated behind the desk, Hannah was terminating her telephone conversation. "Excellent, thanks very much," she concluded. Replacing the receiver, she turned to Giles.

"That was Lamarque, with Canadian immigration," she told him. "He's going to make a few phone calls, so the girls shouldn't have any trouble at the border."

[ Download Clip #30 ]

Ultrace: You gotta love that. "With Canadian immigration." <laughs> Your original plan was to not have that there. It was just gonna be, "That was Lamarque."
Jet Wolf: Yeah, "That was Lamarque." I-I ... And I remember both- both ... uhm, both you and ...
U: I'm like, "Who's Lamarque?"
JW: Yeah.
U: "Did I know Lamarque? Wait a minute, what am I missing?"
JW: Yeah, both of them were like, "Are we supposed to know who Lamarque is?" And I'm like, "No, no, I thought it would just be inferred." And I figured, "Well, if they're both asking 'Should I know who Lamarque is?', I better add that 'with Canadian immigration' thing." I mean- I mean, to me, sometimes the things that seem quite logical to me just ... <laughing> don't make sense to anybody else.
U: Yeah.

The Watcher held aloft a small book. "I got Tara a passport, just in case."

Hannah nodded. "Wise move."

Moving to the front of his desk, Giles deposited the stack of items he was carrying and then, digging into his pocket, placed the car keys on top. That done, he sighed heavily and slumped into one of the leather chairs.

"Rough day at the office?" smirked Hannah.

Giles pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't be cute."

"It's inherent, I can't help it."

The Watcher simply sighed in response.

Hannah rose from her seat and moved from behind the desk. As she walked past, she gave Giles' hair an affectionate tousle, entirely ignoring the glare of annoyance she earned for her trouble. She claimed the seat next to him and smiled encouragingly.

"This is a good thing," she reminded him. "You said it yourself, the information in the old Watcher's Council diaries about Robespierre's movements is minimal at best."

"No, I know," Giles admitted grudgingly.

"But you're still worried," concluded Hannah. When he didn't refute the statement, she shook her head. "Tara seems to be a remarkably levelheaded girl, and you know how impressed you've been with Kennedy's capabilities."

Giles sighed heavily. "I just wish we didn't have to keep sending children to fight our battles."

The blonde gave a throaty chuckle. "I think they stopped being children some time ago, Rupert." Glancing in his direction, it was clear that Giles was locked in a dark mood and not particularly inclined to be budged. "Do you really think they'll be in danger?" she asked with the faintest note of concern.

"Kennedy and Tara?" replied Giles, rubbing the nape of his neck and wincing at the stiffness. "Only slightly more than usual. I have confidence in the Covens that this is indeed the woman they claim, but ... why her? Why now? It only raises more questions."

Getting to her feet, Hannah brushed away his hand and began her own relaxing massage of the tight muscles. Giles closed his eyes with satisfaction. "And you're grouchy because she just blasted into your head," she told him with a mischievous dig of her fingers.

"Well it's very intrusive!" he exclaimed in a huff. "She might learn to use the bloody phone." His tone assumed a more somber note and he pulled away from Hannah to regard her directly. "This could be crucial. Honestly, I don't know how much more luck we're going to have in finding them at this point. And we must find them. With an army of enhanced Slayers behind him, I'm afraid that nothing short of nuclear weaponry will be able to stop them. That's a theory I'm not particularly eager to test."

[ Download Clip #31 ]

Jet Wolf: This scene wasn't actually intended to- to be as rife with good Giles and Hannah chemistry as it was, as I think that it turned out. But the- the two of them, just when they have scenes together, it just happens. I really enjoy the ... the relationship between Giles and Hannah a lot.
Ultrace: I think it was kind of funny actually: "You said it yourself, the information in the old Watcher's Council diaries was minimal at best." When you think about it, Watchers should have infinite information on everything. They were Watchers with just one Slayer to watch. You know? They had, like, dozens of people all over the place. And I'm sure some of them were training Slayers to be, but you'd think with a group like Robespierre's they could keep the occasional eye on him.
JW: Yeah. Well my thought on that was mostly that they watched him for a while, and when he didn't seem to be doing anything, why waste the resources? The Watcher's Council likes to at least pretend it's efficient. So you know, if you've got demons popping up all over the place and apocalypses to worry about, are you gonna keep an eye on one guy had had delusions of grandeur who appears to just be sitting on his thumbs now?
U: So true.

The Tara Room was, slowly but surely, transforming into a more lived-in space that reflected its namesake. Although still sparse, particularly as compared to the other bedrooms in the house, it now looked like a room in transition from one state of being to another. Though Tara clearly wasn't there for decorating purposes at the moment, intent as she was on packing an overnight bag.

[ Download Clip #32 ]

Jet Wolf: It's sort of funny to me how Tara's room actually became known and described as "The Tara Room". I actually put that as a little throwaway thing, and I don't know if it was you and Nova but I know it was at least Nova, who kept actually saying and calling it "The Tara Room".
Ultrace: I think it was your mother.
JW: And uh, it just- it just completely stuck. And I think it was kind of cute, so. It's just "The Tara Room".
U: At one point you actually wanted me to do a "Tara Room" card, but you know, we could have—
JW: Did I? I don't think I did.
U: I think you mentioned something like that. But never mind.
JW: I can't imagine what you'd do with it.
U: I don't know. I mean ... Whoo hoo! Tara goes here, she gets ... something.
JW: Tara goes here. She's got a spot.
U: If Tara and Willow are at this location ...
JW: Whoa.
<laughter>
JW: Game over, man.
U: Fatigue them both and gain lots of destiny points.
<JW laughs>

With her back to the door, she failed to notice as Willow hovered in the doorway. The redhead said nothing for a long moment, simply watching Tara's every move without comment, until she finally inquired, "Got'cher toothbrush?"

Tara turned at the sound of the redhead's voice then, with a smirk, held up the referenced item. "Check," she said confidently.

"Socks?"

Tara chuckled. "Okay, Buffy."

Willow grinned as Tara went back to her packing.

"So ..." she mused. "Canada, huh?"

Tara nodded. "Mm-hm. Very cool. I've never been out of the country before."

"Me neither," Willow informed the blonde and then frowned. "Well that's a lie. I mean, I went to England, but most of that was, you know ... big blur. Big, gray, rainy blur. With horses."

"I'm expecting this to mostly be a big, cold, snowy blur," Tara replied. "Less horses. Which is a shame, because I wouldn't mind a horse or two."

Willow smirked. "Never did understand that."

"Maybe you would have if you'd ever let me teach you." She turned to Willow and wagged an admonishing finger. "You know you still owe me that ..." Her voice trailed away, lost somewhere in a mixture of embarrassment and sadness. " ...riding date," she finished very quietly.

Turning her back on the redhead, Tara continued packing.

"Tara?" queried Willow, her tone reflecting her unhappiness.

"Huh-huh?" replied the blonde, focus remaining fixed upon the task at hand.

Willow ventured further into the room, a look of determination invading her face. "Why don't you ..." She paused and shook her head. "What's wrong with us?"

Tara refused to turn around. "I don't know what you mean."

"Yeah, you do," challenged the redhead softly but firmly. Moving to the edge of the bed, she took the heavy sweater that Tara had already unfolded and folded half a dozen times and tucked it neatly into the bag.

"At the club, you said we were gonna talk," Willow informed her gently. "But here we are, and I've been waiting for the talk, but we're all talk-free a-and now you're running away to Canada, and—"

"I'm not 'running away' to Canada, Will," protested Tara. "I'm on a ... a mission. I'm Mission Girl."

"You are," the redhead agreed, "but if you weren't, you'd still be here not-talking. I'm getting tired of—" With a deep sigh, she tried again. " I know there's stuff. Lots of stuff, and it's important, and I want us to deal with it."

"I am dealing with it," came the response.

Willow adamantly refuted the statement. "No! No, you're not! You keep ... acting like everything's okay, but Tara—"

Tara averted her eyes. "I know."

"Tara, you were dead."

"I know that!" snapped the blonde, immediately looking regretful for her outburst.

Willow, however, was unfazed. "Well then let us help you!" she insisted. "Let me help you!" Tara promptly diverted her gaze in another direction and the furrow of Willow's forehead became deeper still. "That's all I want," she implored in a thick voice. "I just ... I don't know how."

The silence seemed to endure for an eternity as neither woman said anything.

"You can let me go," murmured Tara.

"Go?" Willow repeated, the word ending on a high, fearful note.

"Just let me do this," Tara pleaded. "Let me ... I need to think. To be away for a while."

Eyes glistening, the redhead blinked rapidly and pursed her lips together. "You mean away from me," she translated, her voice level.

Tara offered no reply, she simply resumed packing. Taking the silence as confirmation, Willow swallowed hard, tears brimming in her eyes but not falling. "You're not gonna come back, are you?" she asked.

"'Course I'm gonna come back," Tara replied, her tone light in an attempt to alleviate the heavy mood. "I've got a witch to deliver. If I don't get her here within two days, then she's free."

That brought a tiny smile to Willow's lips, and smoothly broke the rapidly escalating moment. "Okay, so you'll come back, but then after. You're thinking about ... about leaving. Not like, 'new apartment' leaving, but 'new zip code' leaving. 'New country' leaving."

"I don't know," the blonde admitted in all honesty. "Maybe. This isn't ..." She turned to Willow with a sigh. "I've been here for a month now and I'm not ... It's getting worse. And seeing you every day is—"

Tara clamped down on her words and, almost as quickly, broke away from Willow's gaze to continue packing.

Instinctively, Willow's arms wrapped around herself as she watched item after item disappear into the depths of the overnight bag. Her expression remained fixed, but her jaw continued to work constantly, almost as if it had a mind of its own. Still though, the tears that threatened to spill remained in check. Barely.

The disconsolate hush that fell over the room was broken by the faint honk of a horn, quickly followed by a summons from below.

"Tara!" called Buffy. "Kennedy's here!"

Both women glanced toward the open doorway and then at each other. Tugging on the zipper, Tara closed the bag and threw it over her shoulder, looking to Willow once more but saying nothing. She gave the room a cursory sweep with her eyes and then headed out.

"I don't want you to go," whispered Willow.

Tara stopped and turned back.

"I don't mean now," clarified the redhead. "I mean after. But if you ... If going away will help you ... then you should go. I'll understand." She nodded with a shaky smile, which faded fast despite her best efforts to keep it plastered in place.

They simply stared at each other for a long moment. Then Tara turned toward the door and walked away.

[ Download Clip #33 ]

Jet Wolf: Uhm, this scene was .......
Ultrace: Go ahead, please.
JW: ...was- was kinda tricky to write. Because ... I'm really probably almost hypersensitive about, at this point, the way I want both Willow and Tara to be presented. Because I wanted to make sure that we got a sense of the tension – which I think I did fine at – and uhm, sort of the- the desire that they both have, coupled with the reluctance that they both have, to get back to where they were. And uhm, I'm very anti-melodrama. I- I think it has its place, but I think I've just been burned on so many fanfics that you can read sometimes that are just like, you know ... one of them leaves the room and suddenly it's like the end of the world. It's ... I-It's <laughs> bad. It's not a pleasant reading experience for me. So, a-as a result, I tend to sometimes make, I think, make them a little too stoic and a little bit uhm ... feels a little bit unnatural as a result. So I have to sort of consciously try to inject a little more emotion into- into these scenes. But it makes me super paranoid as a result. So with this, I wanted it clear that— And I think this is an important scene for Willow anyway because she makes a big jump at this point. Because Willow, by her nature, tends to be very selfish and very sort of, you know, "This is what I want, this is what I need." And with this, with the end of this scene, we see that where the last thing that she wants is for Tara to go away. But she- she actually makes the point of saying, "If it's going to help you, that's what I want." And, you know, "I'm not gonna be happy about it, but if you can't be around, then you should go." And she means it. A-And I think that's an important step and an important development with their relationship and something I definitely wanted to establish the ground rules on for the two of them, because I ... You know – as cute and charming as they could be back, you know, season four, season five – they aren't that way any more.
U: No.
JW: They're two different people. Too much has gone on. They're two different people and any possible relationship between them as to be established with these new rules. And Willow can't be ... I mean, we're not gonna go through another instance of, you know, memory wiping and all that joy. So her actually being able to come out and say, "What you need is what I want". And- and mean it. If that means that you know, she herself will just be completely miserable, that's okay. I think that's a big step for Willow.
U: I agree.

Act Two

[ Download Clip #34 ]

Jet Wolf: Here we reach the meat of the episode, the Kennedy and Tara road trip. Let me think ... Uhm, this ... the way this going to come about was very different than the original conception, because way back when, by this point in the season – in the original outlines – Kenn— Excuse me, Tara and Willow were already together. They were already back together. And so when the- the road trip finally came about, it was- it was much ... it was in a much different situation. Uhm, it was mostly actually about sort of the animosity between Kennedy and Tara. And I'm unspeakably glad that that was not the way it turned out by the time we got here. I think it's a much better episode because it's not all about Tara helping Kennedy, you know, with whatever the hell she was gonna help her with. It- It's about how they can help each other. That Kennedy has her issues which actually have nothing to do with Willow, and Tara has HER issues which actually have nothing to do with Willow. And that was really important because I didn't want this episode to fall into the trap of being all about Willow. I didn't want it to be about this sort of, you know, partly-existing triangle that doesn't actually really exist. You know, that kind of wants to keep getting started but never gets that far. Because this ISN'T about Willow, it's about the two of them. It's about Kennedy and it's about Tara and how they can relate to each other, but at the same time, you can't ignore the Willowness of it all. Willow IS an issue between the two of them and it's a fine- it's a fine line to walk to make it not be about uhm, about Willow in its entirety. I was pleased with how it came out, because I think it served that purpose. But this episode really has nothing to – in the grand scheme – about the two of them. About Willow coming between the two of them. But it's an underlying constant that- that you can't get away from.
Ultrace: Yeah, I agree. That's my whole commentary after that: "I agree."

Kennedy was clearly very comfortable driving the SUV. She leaned back in her seat as her fingers drummed rhythmically against the steering wheel. She was sporting an expensive pair of oval wrap Ray-Bans. Next to her, Tara poured over a map. Her less fashionable and much cheaper sunglasses had been pushed up into her hair.

[ Download Clip #35 ]

Ultrace: I don't think we ever saw Tara wear sunglasses during the course of the series.
Jet Wolf: Uhhh ... no. I don't think we did, I don't think we did. But the actual inclusion of the sunglasses and who had what was a Nova contribution. And I was really quite taken with it. I thought- I thought it was a perfect little character nugget for both of them. How, know, Kennedy's got these super-expensive $125 brand name sunglasses, whereas Tara's got something that probably cost her five bucks off the rack at Rite-Aid or something.

"We'll stay on I-86 north for about 25 miles ..." the blonde told her.

"Uh-huh," replied Kennedy, not bothering to disguise the boredom.

"... then I-390 north for about 60 ..." the instructions continued.

"Uh-huh," sighed Kennedy.

"... then I-90 west for—"

"At what point do you stop that?" Kennedy interrupted abruptly.

Tara glanced in her direction. "What?"

Leaning over, Kennedy ripped the map from Tara's hands and tossed it into the back seat. Then, as an afterthought, she grabbed the rest of the maps out of Tara's lap and sent them all sailing after their companion.

The blonde frowned. "You could've just asked me to stop."

"Less satisfying."

Tara arched an elegant eyebrow. "That's a matter of opinion."

"Look," replied the Slayer with as much patience as she could muster, "as you so generously pointed out, we're driving this way—" She made a cutting motion toward the road in front of her, "—for at least an hour. So right now, I'm just gonna worry about this way. We'll worry about that way when it's that way's turn."

Tara stared at Kennedy's profile for a moment. "Fine."

"Fine," came the terse confirmation.

[ Download Clip #36 ]

Jet Wolf: These scenes are actually longer than I had intended because they wouldn't shut up. Once I got going with Kennedy and Tara, it was just a constant barrage of back and forth dialogue between them and uhm, I think it's really ... really cool, honestly. The two of them have a very interesting kind of chemistry which I hadn't anticipated going into this. That I uh ... I think it probably comes partly from the fact that they ARE such extreme opposites? And partly from the fact that there's just something I find fascinating about having a Kennedy and Tara scene when, by rights, those two should never, ever have existed in the same space. Uh, you know, if you go strictly by the canon of the series. So it's one of those sort of cool things where I can say to myself, "This is mine now. This is something that I have done", because the series never went this far. You know, if you don't have Kennedy in the picture, you can kind of be, "Oh, well, it's sort of like season five, season six." You know, sort of situation. But with Kennedy around, it throws the whole dynamic just completely out of whack. But they wouldn't shut up. They wouldn't shut up at all. And this episode was ... to date of the episode, and actually through season 8 entirely, it was the longest episode I'd written. It's since been surpassed by the first episode of season 9 – which you guys haven't seen yet—
Ultrace: Ha-ha-ha.
JW: So THAT one is now the longest episode I've ever written. But this one held out. This one's not that much shorter than- than 9x01.

Slipping the sunglasses over her eyes, Tara began to stare out of the window as a tense silence invaded the vehicle. At regular intervals, Kennedy threw her a glance, intent on studying the blonde.

"Now who's being irritating?" asked Tara.

"I'm just trying to figure out your deal," replied Kennedy.

"My ... 'deal'?"

"Yeah," the brunette nodded emphatically. "We haven't really made the time to hang out."

"Imagine that," Tara muttered.

Kennedy ignored the sarcastic jab. "So now we're both here and I've got nothing better to do for the next 16 hours ..."

"You can not stare at me for the next 16 hours," Tara informed her.

"Oh I so could," the Slayer replied in a meaningful tone, followed by a grin that was only slightly teasing.

Arching an eyebrow, Tara turned and regarded Kennedy severely from over the top of her sunglasses.

Kennedy shrugged, sounding extremely amused. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for a pretty face."

[ Download Clip #37 ]

Jet Wolf: In some of the original drafts there was a lot more flirting between Kennedy and Tara. Kennedy TO Tara, pretty much consistently. I wound up cutting it down, because it was starting to kind of be weird to me. You know. I'm just like this is ... this is going in directions I didn't necessarily intend for the characters to go. So I pulled them back on that one.
Ultrace: I thought it was funny that ... I remember glancing over one of the original drafts, and there was a lot of flirting here. And I knew that they were eventually going to end up in bed? <JW laughs> And I'm like, "Daaaaaaamn, girl! If that's what they're doing in the car NOW, just wait until they get into that bed together!"
JW: Yeah, i-it's ... A lot of these scenes ... I think if I actually looked at my original outlines, if I'm not mistaken, I didn't even set up what they were talking about. I think I really wrote in the outline—
U: Yeah, it's like—
JW: —"Tara/Kennedy scene".
U: Yes.
JW: And then I just left it alone. And when I sat down to write it, I-I just ... I'm like, "Okay, you guys are in a car. Go." And I just wrote down whatever they did. And—
U: I hate you.
JW: I'm sorry.
U: That's okay.
JW: Uhm ... An-And Kennedy was really in the mood to flirt, so. I took a lot of the stuff out. I left some of it in because it's Kennedy's nature. I don't necessarily think she was intentionally coming on to Tara, and it was never creepy or anything like that.
U: <chuckling> She hasn't had some in a while, you know.
JW: I don't know, she was getting it on pretty well with some girls at the Bronze. She did say she wouldn't live like a nun.
U: That is true, there is that. The untold tales of Kennedy.
JW: I'm fairly certain that Kennedy never goes longer than Kennedy is prepared to go.
U: That's true.
JW: It was just one of those things. I mean, Tara's an attractive person and, you know, Kennedy I think would just be— If nothing else, I think it would be sort of a challenging thing. Like you know, "Can I get to her? How far can I push this?" I don't think she would even go to the point of doing anything, but the- the ... the chemistry between the two characters was just getting a little bit out of control. And I'm like, "All right! Pull back on the brake on that one guys, delete delete delete, now go."

Tara was obliged to smirk in return, both at that remark and at Kennedy's brazenness for giving it voice. Her posture relaxed then – not much, but enough to make things blissfully less tense.

"So yeah," pressed the brunette. "Your deal. What's with it?"

With a tiny frown, Tara asked, "How do you even answer a question like that?"

"Damned if I know," admitted Kennedy blithely. "Seriously, though. I heard a lot about you when you were dead and stuff."

That gave Tara pause and she seemed surprised. "You ... You heard about me? What about me?"

Kennedy rolled her eyes, the gesture obvious even behind the dark glasses. "Oh, you know ... 'Tara's was just the kindest, sweetest, bestest, generousested—'"

"I'm pretty sure those last two aren't words," Tara corrected with a chuckle.

Kennedy appeared well aware of that fact. "Yeah, well, I paraphrase."

Taking a moment to absorb this new information, the blonde ventured her next question self-consciously. "Willow talked about me?"

"Oh, no, not Will," the brunette quickly dismissed. A momentary pang of rejection flashed in Tara's face, but Kennedy caught it and frowned at how her statement must have sounded. "I didn't mean it like that," she promptly clarified. "She just ... Whenever your name came up, she'd change the subject. I guess it hurt too much."

Tara nodded in acknowledgment but her face plainly indicated that the observation still carried something of a sting.

"But Dawn, Buffy, Dawn, Xander, Dawn ..." continued Kennedy with a heavy sigh.

[ Download Clip #38 ]

Jet Wolf: All this here is sort of a kind of "getting to know you" between Kennedy and Tara, because they haven't had a lot to say to one another up to this point. Uhm, and you're stuck in a car for sixteen hours with someone, you're gonna have to kinda get to know them a little bit. When it's just the two of you in particular. A lot of this here— And I can just imagine must ... I mean, if it were me? I would DESPERATELY want to know what people said about me when I was dead. You know? That's just one of those things. Sort of like, one of the coolest things in the entire world, I think, would be to go to your own funeral. You know, and not be in the casket, to be actually conscious for it. <Ultrace laughs> Just to see. Who- Who's there? Who's saying what? Who's upset, who's crying? I-I mean we all have that streak in us. We're all egotists to that point. And that certainly includes Tara. So there's a little part of her where she's like, "Oo, they were talking about me? Yay! They love me after all, I feel fuzzy now." And—
Ultrace: Actually, they were saying things like, "Good!" <JW laughs> "Whew! Glad THAT'S over with!" and "Wow, let's do that again so Willow REALLY destroys the world!"
JW: So a lot of that initial stuff there was just ... Tara- Tara's like, she's never ask. She'd never ever ask. But you know, when it comes up, it's kinda like, "Ooo, they were talking about me?" A-And of course, I can imagine— Of course, Kennedy's gotta be fascinated by Tara too. You know, the two of them, I must think, would be fascinated with each other. You know? Kennedy— Tara looking at Kennedy: "So you were my replacement."
U: "And you were what I was trying to replace?"
JW: Right, exactly. "So you're the thing that she couldn't get over? So what's up with that?" And Tara being like, "And you came in and you took my place HOW now?" So uh that's really, this opening scene is just sort of a feeling out for the two of them. Because I can't imagine they sat down and chatted a whole lot.

The Slayer smirked at Tara's chuckle. "I'm not that great," the blonde assured. "I guess it's just easier to only remember the good stuff when someone ... leaves. The bad stuff suddenly seems less important, you know?"

"I guess that makes sense," Kennedy conceded after some thought.

"So," the witch ventured, clearly looking for a topic change, "what's your 'deal'?" She turned to Kennedy and waited expectantly.

All she received was a shrug, however. "I'm pretty deal-less."

Tara shook her head, negating the response. "I find that hard to believe. You were with ... with Willow for almost a year, right? So there's gotta be a deal."

"If there was, it obviously wasn't enough, was it?" rejoined Kennedy sharply. She paused. "Okay, that came out more bitter than I meant." She glanced over at the frowning Tara and attempted to explain. "You won. So obviously whatever there might've been about me, it wasn't enough. I still lost."

Tara seemed confused. "This hasn't been about winning and losing."

"That's easy to say when you're sleeping with the prize every night," scoffed Kennedy with some resentment.

The furrows on Tara's brow grew more intense. "We're not—" She brought herself up short, continuing with, "And anyway, Willow's not just some- some kewpie doll you win at a carnival."

Kennedy was in total agreement. "You're right, she's the big-ass stuffed animal that costs three bucks to produce and you spend forty to win."

There was a hushed silence.

"That sounds ... really insulting," observed Tara.

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" remarked the Slayer with an expression of disapproval at her parallel.

Shaking her head, Tara pressed onward. "Anyway, I didn't 'beat' you, Kennedy. It wasn't a contest."

Kennedy's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "No, see, it was," she stated, allowing a touch of her anger to slip back into her voice. "And that's what gets me, because you won and you didn't even want to play."

Easily meeting the Slayer's challenging look, Tara wore a dark frown of her own. "You have no idea what I want," she told Kennedy. The witch then swiveled in her seat and crossed her arms, concentrated solely on the scenery outside. The gesture spoke volumes - including 'end of conversation'.

Kennedy audibly puffed. "Oh yeah," she muttered under her breath. "This is gonna be real fun. Good job, Kenn."

[ Download Clip #39 ]

Jet Wolf: We also of course tried to get a lot of the Willow stuff out of the way ahead of time. You know, just ... You can't hide from it, as I said before. It's got to be there, but you know, you don't want it to be prevalent throughout everything. So okay, "Here's the Willow thing, you won, and I'm bitter about it. So now we can move on."
Ultrace: Yeah.

[ Download Clip #40 ]

Jet Wolf: This scene with Buffy and Faith, the first of Faith's attempts to get some information about how she can help Hazel of course, and uhm ... I must confess that upon reading it, I think that I sort of- I sort of made Buffy a little more braindead and ditzy than I'm overly happy about. She comes across really sort of just out there. I don't know what the hell she was on in the beginning of this episode.
Ultrace: She's high on life!
JW: She comes across sort of- sort of frivolous, just not intuitive at all.
U: Somewhere out there a twisted 'shipper is saying, "It's because Tara and Kennedy are finally out of the picture now!"
JW: And of course one of- one of the reasons I had to do that, to make Buffy a little- a little ... "dismissive" is really the wrong word. I don't wanna— I'm not happy with that word, because it makes it sound like Buffy isn't caring, and she is. Uhm, but one of the reasons why I had to make her sort of, you know ... not focusing on it for too terribly long and sort of flighty was because I needed Faith to move on. I needed Faith to touch base with as many people as she could. And, you know, if Buffy got too into it then Faith would never leave, and it would sort of be, "Okay, well let's sit here and figure this out until we figure this out."
U: Yeah.
JW: Or until Faith gets pissed and leaves, and I didn't want Faith to get huffy about it because it's not— that's not where I want their conversation to go between the two of them. It's supposed to be a good, nice, "Hey, I have a problem and I can come to you for help with it" scene between them. But at the same time, "I'm not getting what I need here, so I'm going." A-And I turned it- I turned it much more comical. And I'm hoping Buffy's character didn't suffer too much because of this. She CAN be a little flighty sometimes, so I think I'm okay.

"B! Hey, B!" called Faith as she jogged across the street to catch up with the blonde.

Buffy turned at the sound of her name and nodded in greeting.

Fortunately, they were in a suburban neighborhood with relatively sparse traffic, so Faith's reckless sprint from one side of the road to the other held no threat to either pedestrian or prospective driver.

Buffy watched her approach. "Hey Faith. What's up?"

"Just on my way over to see you," Faith replied.

"Oh, cool. Well ... here I am!" grinned Buffy. "Heading to Slayer Central, actually. I've got a class in ..." she checked her wristwatch, "... about twenty minutes. Walk with me?"

The dark-haired Slayer fell into step.

"So, why the sudden urge to see lil' ol' me?" queried the blonde curiously. "Besides the mere presence of lil' ol' me, that is." She threw Faith a sideways glance.

"I wanted to ask you something," Faith confided. "I got this little problem."

"Buffy Summers, Problem Solver, reporting for duty," was the prompt response.

Faith lit a cigarette and blew a thoughtful smoke ring. "Well, it's not me so much. It's Haze."

"That's okay, I freelance," Buffy reassured. "This about the thing from earlier?"

"Yeah. She just found out her parents are gettin' divorced," Faith informed without preamble.

Buffy winced. "Oh, wow. Ouch."

"Yeah, apparently so," agreed Faith. "She's really bummed about it."

The blonde's expression revealed her understanding. "It's not easy. She's ... sixteen?" Faith delivered a curt nod. "Déjà vu," she mused.

Relieved, Faith turned to her walking companion. "See, that's why I figured you could help. She's thinking it's her fault."

Rolling her eyes, Buffy clearly commiserated. "Very much not the surprise."

"But that's crap, right?" insisted Faith.

"Pretty much," replied Buffy. "It's never just one thing. To get to that point, it's a lot of stuff over time."

Pleased that she'd gotten this much confirmation, Faith asked expectantly, "Okay, so how do I get her to figure that out too?"

"Feel free to quote me," offered the blonde Slayer. "Plagiarize away."

This clearly wasn't the answer Faith was looking for. "Not like that," she dismissed with a shake of her head. "They're just words, they don't mean crap."

"Thanks so much," stated Buffy sardonically.

"No, I mean ... I'm not so good with words, y'know?"

"You're talking to me okay," pointed out Buffy. "Sorta," she added, after replaying their last few exchanges in her head.

Flicking the ashes off the end of her cigarette, Faith frowned. "Haze is different. She's just a kid. I can be straight with you."

"You can't be straight with Hazel?"

Somewhat angrily, Faith shook her head. "Tried that, ended up with my foot in my mouth."

"Huh." Buffy looked pensive. "I wonder where they came up with that. Putting your foot in your mouth. Besides the incredible flexibility necessary, I can't imagine it'd taste very good." She glanced toward Faith to seek her opinion, and was met with an expression that very clearly said 'what the hell are you talking about?' The Slayer cleared her throat. "Sorry. Mind. Wonder. Wander. Anyway, yes?"

[ Download Clip #41 ]

Ultrace: Buffy's always been one for wondering about phrases.
Jet Wolf: Yeah, she is. She- She does that a lot. A lot of them do actually, but Buffy in particular seems to get fixated on that. You have "the whole nine yards", "making money hand over fist", you know. Wondering where does this stuff come from? So it's a little trait you pick up on. Uhm, I-I'm a big fan of ... taking the spirit behind things that the character say on the show? Without actually repeating what the characters say on the show.
U: Yeah.
JW: Some things you just can't get- get, you know ... avoid entirely. Because some things, you just can't replicate in a similar way. But again, it's a trait that I notice a lot of times in 'fics, where people seem to feel as though if they quote what a character has said before, suddenly the char— they're- they're doing the character's voice. Because they're repeating what the writers have had the character say before in the past. And I disagree with that. Just because Buffy has said something at some point doesn't mean she says it every time she opens her mouth.
U: Yeah.
JW: But the way she speaks, the- the thought process behind WHY she says what she says, that's part of what I feel is the character's voice and that's what I try to harness instead. You know, which I swear to god, sometimes you just wanna smack people for the catch phrases they latch onto. You know, I mean ... Xander calling Giles "G-Man". Some people have him do it like ...
U: Continuously.
JW: I can see it once or twice? Cuz I mean, the fact that Giles, in reply, says "Don't call me that" or "Stop calling me that" or whatever it is he says, I forget the- the— The phraseology he uses indicates that Xander HAS used it before. But that was one time, you know, in season 2 or 3 or whatever it was, and people have him do it like every single time he talks to or refers to Giles. And they feel that that's, "Oh, I'm talking like the character." No you're not. You're latching. It bothers me. That was my little rant, I'm done now.

Faith pressed on. "So what can I do? What did you do?"

Giving the question due consideration, Buffy pondered deeply before replying. "Mostly cried a lot. Killed a few things. On reflection, neither was very satisfying."

Not yet willing to give up, Faith tried a different line of thought. "Okay, so what'd you do for Kid Sis?"

"Told her to stay the hell out of my room," the blonde replied automatically. "But that was pretty much normal. Uhm ..." Her face lit up in a flash of inspiration. "Oh! One night we had a 'Friends' marathon."

"I hate 'Friends'," grumbled Faith.

"You probably shouldn't do that, then," Buffy advised.

They came to a halt at the front steps of Slayer Central. Checking her watch, Buffy turned to Faith with an apologetic look. "I gotta run. I wish there was some sort of magic phrase I could tell you that makes everything better, but the truth is, there isn't anything."

"Feelin' much better now," Faith told her flatly. "Thanks, B."

Buffy paused before entering the building. "The only thing that helped me was time. That, and an increasing feeling of abandonment by and resentment for my father." Her mood appeared to grow more contemplative. "I think hatred and anger is the best medicine for being sad."

"Nice," remarked Faith with a touch of sarcasm as she flicked her cigarette into the nearby bushes. "An' what's your lesson about today?" she inquired, seeming to already know the answer.

The blonde puffed out her chest a little. "Emotional clarity in the face of hardship. Which I must now get to. I'll catch you later!"

[ Download Clip #42 ]

Ultrace: "Emotional clarity in the face of hardship". One of like the three- the three lessons that we had. Each of the Slayers had like one lesson that we actually revealed that they were doing.
Jet Wolf: Did we?
U: Yeah. "Emotional clarity in the face of hardship". Faith's was "Using whatever's handy as a weapon." And uh, Kennedy's was something else. I can't remember what it was. But she had one we revealed she was doing too.
JW: Did we? I don't recall that.
U: A specific name of a class, as opposed to Buffy's "Zen of the Slayer" thing that she usually does.
JW: I don't recall that. If we did, that was pretty cool. Yay us. But ah, I don't remember that. Whenever I have them mention a class? It's- It's for a very specific purpose. In this case, I was setting up for this joke.

Faith watched Buffy take the steps two at a time and disappear into the building. "I don't even really know what irony is," she muttered to herself, "but I'm pretty sure that was it."

Jamming her hands into her pockets, she shook her head with frustration and then continued on her way.

Xander and Willow weaved through the heavy pedestrian traffic of downtown Trillium, the redhead listening intently to Xander as he ranted quite vehemently.

"Underbid." He paused and then reiterated, "Underbid. I think that's my new least favourite word in the entire English language. And possibly some foreign languages too. You know 'eunoia' and 'farfignugen'? 'Underbid' sucks more'n both of those. Stupid companies."

[ Download Clip #43 ]

Ultrace: I don't even know what "eunoia" means.
Jet Wolf: Eunoia is uhm ... Ohhh, now I've forgotten. <pause> Crap. It's like a state of ... normalcy? Shit. It's gonna bother me. Hold this.
U: Would you like me to pause?
JW: No, it's all right. This'll only take a second.
U: *deet* *deet* *deet*
JW: Okay, SEVERAL seconds.
U: As we imagine the 24 little timer going off.
JW: Shut up, shut up. Here we go. Yeah. "Term denoting a normal mental state."
U: Gotcha.
JW: I don't remember where I got that word from. Obviously I don't know what it means. I probably just looked up funny words or something.
U: Apparently Xander's got a hate-on for normal mental state.
JW: Oh, and I totally closed the episode.
U: Nooooo!
JW: Where were we?
U: We were on act two. Keep going down ... Beginning of next scene.
JW: There it is.
U: There we go. Alright.
JW: Was it worth it all to find out? Did you really need to know?
U: Ha ha.
JW: I tell you what, though. Horrible, trying thing to find? Was how to spell "farfignugen". You'd think that would just be on the Volkswagon website. Oh, but no. No, because that was like an old catchphrase. So they don't have it there anymore. So I-I— And of course, I have no clue how to spell it. So I mean, you should see how I originally spelled it. It was atrocious. So I have to like look for that, and then I had to go to like— And I don't know what it means, either. So I had to go from like Google search to Google search, trying to find different ways it was spelled until I finally found one that like correlated to something that was German, and I'm like, "It must be that!"
U: I'm surprised you didn't dig out the old Olympic tapes to look for a Volkswagon commercial or something.
JW: You know, I might've done that, but then god knows how long I would've been stuck watching, you know, Greg Louganis get his head cracked open on the diving board. <Ultrace laughs>

"Yeah," agreed Willow with as much sympathetic indignity as she could reasonably pretend to possess. "How dare they go with someone who was gonna charge 'em less?"

"What do they think this is, a capitalist society?" Xander continued without missing a beat.

"What were you gonna build for 'em, anyway?" asked Willow.

The carpenter shrugged. "Oh, it was some basic renovations. Any monkey can do it, really," he admitted.

"And apparently cheaper," Willow added cheerfully.

His anger spent, Xander sighed and got to work replacing it with bitterness. "It wasn't even so much that I wanted the job," he complained, "as I wanted the money that came with the job."

[ Download Clip #44 ]

Jet Wolf: Xander's quoting my philosophy there. "It wasn't so much that I wanted the job as I wanted the money that came WITH the job."
Ultrace: It's actually kind of funny. I'm surprised you didn't put the – and apparently cheaper – I'm surprised you didn't make a reference to them paying it with bananas or something like that.
JW: Uhm ...
U: Or maybe that would've been too crass a joke.
<long pause>
JW: Yeah, no.
U: Wouldn't have worked, huh?
JW: I don't see the funny there.
U: Okay, well. <JW laughs> This is why Nikki writes 18 episodes to my one or something.
JW: No, I'm sure your money joke would be VERY funny.
U: Monkey equals funny.
JW: Monkey equals HYSTERICAL. Monkey equals just ... just fucking funny, dude.
U: Yeah.
<pause>
JW: "Monkeys are all irrational? We HAVE to see this."
U: <laughs> "Go monkey! Go monkey!"
JW: "Choose monkey!" <laughing> I'm such a geek, oh my god.
U: It's all right, dear. There there.

"How much more do you have to save?" queried the redhead.

"A bit," Xander told her. "Not a big bit, but a bit." He shrugged. "There's only so much going on in Trillium though, you know? My wells are dryin' up."

"The Internet's the way to go," Willow informed him firmly. "I've been tellin' you that for months."

"I know, I know," he acknowledged. "But then there's all the scariness of legal documents and tax laws and my god, I still collect comic books. I'm not ready to be an adult, let alone a business owner."

Shaking her head, Willow empathically denied his statement. "Pshaw! Phooey!" she spat.

"And my arguments completely crumble under the weight of your decisive retorts."

The redhead prodded his arm. "It's your fear talking."

"It's not talking so much as yelling," Xander corrected. "Screaming aloud. Hollering, if you will."

Disapproval poured from the redhead in waves. "You're just a ... a big 'fraidy cat!"

"Oh, and you're one to talk," accused Xander.

Willow let out an indignant sniff. "We're not talking about me."

"Wouldja like to?" queried Xander, treating the redhead to a penetrating sideways glance.

"No, not especially," she faltered.

"Okay then." Xander's tone was definite. "Ix-nay on the aidycat-fray."

"What if she never comes back?" Willow suddenly blurted out.

Xander blinked in surprise at this abrupt change of topic. "I thought you didn't wanna talk about it?"

"I don't," the redhead informed him firmly.

"Okay."

"But what if she doesn't?" repeated Willow, wringing her hands together as she shot Xander a worried glance.

Smiling, Xander threw an arm around the witch's shoulders and gave them a comforting shake. "Will, Tara's gonna come back. She has to. All her stuff's here," he grinned down at her.

Weakly, Willow returned the grin before nodding affirmatively. "A-And besides," she stated with the tiniest amount of conviction, "she'll come back because..." She wracked her brain for some justification and, in a stronger voice, continued, "Because yeah, okay, things are kinda hard right now, but there's her, and there's me, and there's her and me, and if you put her and me together, you get an 'us', and there's the goodness of us. Which, yes, was interrupted there, briefly, by some badness of us, but ... uhm ..." Her voice trailed away as her mind stopped supplying adequate ammunition.

Luckily, Xander was there to pick up the slack. "You're a very attractive woman," he prompted.

"I'm a very attractive woman!" confirmed the redhead, puffing herself up.

"With oodles of love in her heart," Xander reminded her.

"Overflowing with love!" she readily agreed.

"And anyone would be lucky to have you," added Xander crisply.

"So lucky to have me!" Willow quickly concurred. "Super lucky! Powerball lucky!"

Xander was in total accord. "Well there you go, see?"

The witch's posture deflated and her face fell. "But what if she doesn't come back?"

With a huge sigh, Xander hugged Willow tightly as they walked along. "How could she resist this craziness?" he wondered aloud.

[ Download Clip #45 ]

Jet Wolf: It probably goes without saying, but I just adore Xander and Willow scenes.
Ultrace: I think that pretty much shows, yup.
JW: They just, they bounce so well off of each other. These little one-liners, just ...
U: "Don't especially want to talk about ... but what if she never comes back?" Suddenly- Suddenly you've started it Xander, uh oh. You better run while you can. Too late. She latched onto you like one of those little fish that latches onto a shark.
JW: You have a bizarre fascination for those fish.
U: Well they're so ... interesting. Latch on. Like a leech, except you're not inside, you're like on the outside.
JW: They don't actually latch on, they just swim alongside, if I remember correctly.
U: No they're- they are actual fish that— Well maybe those swim alongside—
JW: And they pick things OFF the shark, but I think they just swim alongside, I don't think they're actually ...
U: There are actual—
JW: Suckerfish.
U: Suckerfish. Who actually stick onto something. You know. Like a shark or something like that.
JW: I'm pretty sure we're thinking of the same fish, and I'm pretty sure they swim alongside.
U: I distinctly remember seeing pictures of fishies that were all stuck to something with their mouths all ...
JW: Well perhaps when they're feeding, but I don't think they travel that way.
U: Well why WOULDN'T they travel that way? They have to actually get off and swim themselves? When you could just hang on and eat food all day?
JW: You know, all right, who took the college zoology classes, okay? That's all I'm sayin'.
U: I watched ... a show. Once. It was like, "Most Extreme Lazy Animals" or something, I dunno.
JW: You could be right, I don't remember. But, but I think they swim. And how little does that have to do with this?
U: "Overflowing with love! So lucky to have me! Super lucky! POWERBALL lucky!"
JW: I just, that- that ... I love that conversation. That's one of my favourites.
U: It was a little over the top, but in a good way.
JW: It's so cute. And then at the end of it all, "But what if she doesn't come back?"
U: It would be even funnier if Xander'd be like, "What if she doesn't come back??" and then Willow— Anyway. That was not funny. <JW cracks up> We should edit that out.
JW: <laughing> If you want.
U: Yeah, we probably should. It sounded really stupid.
JW: <laughing> I'm just so amused how you can go— how you can so quickly go from like, "It'd be really funny— It's not so funny."
U: Well it's kinda like, I dunno. See, how can I paraphrase that. It's like my mind has filters?
JW: <laughing> And they're off?
U: The first filter, not very good. But the second filter is after it actually leaves my mouth.
JW: <laughing> That's really not a filter then, is it?
U: Well no, it's like a- it's like an afterthought filter. And it's like, it leaves an aftertaste of common sense in my mouth. You know, it's like the drink is Common Sense Free, but it tastes like it after you've already drunk it.
<pause>
JW: <laughing> Did the second filter catch that yet?
U: That's how I mean that to come out. That's a perfectly valid statement. Considering the kind of supernatural phenomena we must be discussing here, I think it's a valid way to express that.
JW: My face hurts.
U: You know what? If your second filter had stopped you from laughing so much, then maybe your face wouldn't hurt so much.
JW: Ow. Still hurts.
U: HA. That's what you get for making fun of me. That's- That's karma—
JW: Karma!
U: That's karma kicking you—
JW: Karma's kicking my ass today, oh my god.
U: Karma's kicking you in the cheek with its crusty boot. <laughing> And then, when your mouth hurts, it'll tickle your feet and make you smile even more.
JW: Fuck you, karma.

With a small chuckle, the redhead curled an arm around Xander's waist and squeezed tight.

"You know what you need?" asked Xander, not bothering to wait for a response. "Some feeling better."

Slowly, Willow shook her head. "Not really likely," she pouted.

The two continued down the street, neither paying much attention to anything besides their conversation, which was carried back on the cool breeze.

"I bet I can do it," challenged Xander.

[ Download Clip #46 ]

Ultrace: And there of course you have the "bet" in the "Aid & Abet".
Jet Wolf: Right. I uh- uh, the title of this episode gave me a lot of trouble. I really wanted something fairly innocuous was my first choice which was- which was just "Help". Which of course was taken. So uh ... <Ultrace laughs, but says nothing> Was that first filter kicking in?
U: No, I was just laughing at the "Help". I can see how it kinda works in that Buffy episode, but really it's ... it's a pitifully tiny episode title. It almost feels insignificant.
JW: Well that's- that's part of the poignancy of it. You know, it's not— You have this huge, elaborate episode titles, and then you just have, like, "Here it is."
U: Yeah.
JW: Uhm, so I must've- must've wracked my brain for like a week on and off while I was writing this episode, because I knew I wanted it to be something to do with uhm, with- with help. With assistance. And I got on this huge thing— I must've had The Beatles "Help!" running through my head for- for the bulk of that week, because I was thinking, "Maybe I can pick a line out of the song that would work as an alternative", and nothing was coming to me. And then I got "aid and abet" came to me in a flash. And I was like, "<gasp> Oh my gosh! That almost works but doesn't quite!" And then I realized that was I needed was abet. What can I think of to help with the "aid and abet" part here? And then it occurred to me, a ... bet. Ha-ha! I was so pleased with myself, you have no idea.
U: Hee hee.
JW: I was so tickled when I came up with this idea. NO ONE was as happy as I was, no one thought it was as funny. But *I* was delighted, I was charmed. So, the necessity for the bet at this point. And that's what Xander's doing here. Not very well articulated within the episode. Very, very weakly articulated in the episode.
U: That's okay.
JW: But that's okay, because i-it wasn't meant to be ... it wasn't meant to be anything more than a way for me personally to justify the title. That was really the only reason it was there. Because the important part of Xander and Buffy and Willow scenes were to have Xander, Willow and Buffy. And doing their whole ... XanderWillowBuffy thing. Not- Not really important. But yeah, pretty- pretty weak. But I was happy! I was so happy with my pun.

Willow arched an eyebrow. "Yeah? How?"

The strains of dialogue were easily audible, even from as far away as the rooftop across the street from where the pair walked. A figure stood watching their every move, but making no attempts to interact with them directly. Content for the moment to simply watch and listen.

"It'll be a surprise," the carpenter declared.

As she crept toward the edge of the roof, Judith's eyes continued to focus upon the pair below.

"Ooo, I like surprises," enthused Willow.

Judith grinned.

[ Download Clip #47 ]

Ultrace: Gasp! It's Judith! ...and she watches and doesn't do anything. If you're playing the Season 8 drinking game, that's another shot, <JW laughs> where Judith appears, looks menacing, and yet doesn't do anything.
JW: Ass.
U: What? If we can't make fun of ourselves. "Ha ha! I'm evil and menacing! Catch you later, bye."
JW: It was hard! It was really hard! Cuz I couldn't have her attack until the next episode!
U: "Ha ha, I kill you later, kthxbye."
<laughter>
JW: "I like you, Tommy. I kill you last." <Ultrace laughs>

[ Download Clip #48 ]

Jet Wolf: So here's your scene ...
Ultrace: Here- Here's ... MY scene?
JW: Mm-hm.
U: Oh yes! ...is it?
JW: Yeah.
U: Did I write this? No. Oh, okay, gotcha. My bad. I thought ... I misread it. I'm was sitting here reading it, oh she— "Faith said 'Xander', this is not a Faith and Willow scene." Gotcha. Yes.
JW: So why do you like this scene so much?
U: It's funny. It's uhm, I could see— Very much see Faith acting this out. I could see Eliza Dushku acting this out. Particularly the line, "Dawn? I totally bet it was her. She has that whole klepto thing going on, right? I'm sure it was someone like that. Probably turn up tomorrow or something, right where you left it." I can— When that rolls out, I can totally, you know ... totally see that happening. You know? A-And it's pretty much those two lines.
JW: So those two lines are the only reason you like the scene so much?
U: Nooo, that's ... the reason why I REALLY like the scene. It's a good scene, but they push the scene above and beyond. They're exemplary lines. It's kind of like, they bring the average of all the other lines up a few notches by their greatness.
<pause>
JW: *I* like this scene because it's the very first time – in fact, the ONLY time – we have a solo Faith and Willow scene. We've not had one yet, and we didn't have one again. And uh- uh—
U: Last time we had that was ... well I guess in season 7 they had that sort of thing. When they were driving back in the car, but ...
JW: Yeah, well season 7. I meant season 8. If I ... Did I say season 8?
U: You said "we". So by "we" you could mean the readers, the ...
JW: Oh, I see. No, meant "we" as in us.
U: Okay.
JW: And I— Very first time, only time we had a Faith and Willow scene and it uhm ... it really came out much easier than I thought that it would. It told me really that I probably should have more Faith and Willow scenes, if nothing else. The- The two of them also have a very interesting— Because there's so much ... gosh, how to put it how I want to put it. There's so much, like, lingering ... anger that Willow would have toward Faith, but time has tempered it. But Willow isn't really the kind of girl that lets stuff go sometimes. Uhm, you know, after all the stuff that Faith has done ...
U: They drove back from Los Angeles in a car, I mean. They had to have had something out there ...
JW: That's a 'fic I intend to write at one time. One day. That's on my o' 'fics to do, is the- the "what the hell they talked about in the car". So yeah, I'm not saying that they can't, they don't have that. But still there's that ... We never saw the bridge being built between those two. You know, the way Faith and Willow acted with each other, you know. From "I bet I know what Faith would say about that, stab stab stab", <Ultrace laughs> we never saw Faith go from that point to, "Hey Will, happy to see you", and we never saw Willow go from, you know, "Cleavagy slutbomb, I hate her and all that she did, I want a few minutes with her and grenades" to "Hey Faith, come back with me." We never got anything in that transition that ... there was no explanation for it. We probably can assume that Willow didn't bother to visit Faith in prison. Uhm, and why would really any of that have lessened? Even if you say that Faith is taking the high road in this, which she quite possibly could be ... why would Willow? Really? Because she needed her, I think is why. You know, there are greater things to worry about than just the two of them But it was something that, for me, when we got to season 7 I was disappointed – with many things, but this is just one more thing. A lesser thing – that there was never any ... that- that whole animosity seemed to just evaporate between them. So, in my world, I just chalk it up to stress, there were more important things to worry about, and now we come back to here. And I can't have that animosity return and I don't think that it should, but there's sort of that underlying ... oddness between the two of them. Which ... Which, you know affects how they interact with each other.
U: I agree with that. Yes. And it's a cool scene. <JW chuckles>

At the Scoobies' house, a somewhat tentative Faith stuck her head around the front door.

"Xander?" came Willow's query from the living room.

Closing the door behind her, Faith made her way toward the owner of the voice. "S'me," she announced unceremoniously.

Willow looked up expectantly from her position on the floor where she had been peering beneath the couch. "Oh. Hey. This is a surprise."

The dark-haired Slayer gestured toward the redhead, who was on her hands and knees. "I interrupting somethin'?" she inquired curiously.

"What?" asked Willow with a frown and then appeared to suddenly realized the picture she was presenting. "Oh! No. I was just looking for my laptop."

Faith's eyebrows twitched slightly but her response was smooth. "Gone missing?"

Sitting back on her ankles, a perplexed crease invaded Willow's forehead. "Yeah. It's weird," she admitted slowly. "I know I had it last night. Remember?"

"Ahh, yeah," agreed Faith with a vague nod.

"But now I can't find it," continued the witch. "I've looked everywhere ..." Her eyes widened. "I bet someone took it!"

She seriously pondered the possibility. Shuffling, Faith seemed about to say something but the instant she opened her mouth, Willow thrust an accusing finger in her direction.

"I bet it was Dawn! Oo, she just can't keep her hands off my precious."

"Dawn?" questioned Faith dubiously, before latching onto the suggestion. "Oh, yeah, I totally bet it was her. She has that whole klepto thing goin', right?"

Willow wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. "Though I guess Tara might've taken it."

"I'm sure it was someone like that," Faith was quick to assure. "Probably turn up tomorrow or somethin', right where you left it."

The redhead's expression became grouchy. "It better, or someone's gonna find themselves with a nasty curse. I'll give them a ... a big blemish that's really hard to cover up." She frowned for a moment and then shook her head as though dispelling her foul temper. "Anyway, what's up?" she asked, rising to her feet.

"I can't just come visit?" countered Faith with a charming smile.

"Well, I suppose you can," a smirking Willow conceded, "but why start now?"

Faith shrugged, grudgingly nodding as if to say 'okay, point'.

Gesturing for Faith to follow, the witch made her way into the kitchen and went directly to the fridge, taking out two Cokes.

"I wanted to ask you something," began the dark-haired Slayer, accepting the can Willow offered and pulling out a pack of Marlboros. At the redhead's disapproving purse of the lips, Faith rolled her eyes and returned the pack to her pocket.

"No, I won't shop for your motorcycle parts," Willow grinned.

"Nothin' like that," dismissed Faith as she hopped up on the kitchen's island counter. "Hazel's really bummed out about some family stuff, an' I don't know how to make her feel better."

[ Download Clip #49 ]

Ultrace: "Hazel's really bummed about some family stuff. Since your family life is so stable and normal, you could help me out."
Jet Wolf: But compared to Faith, the Scoobies are ... That's actually an important indication of how Faith views them. That maybe Willow and her- her mother and her father aren't IT, but she has a – with her, and Buffy, and Xander – the situation they have is a family as far as Faith is concerned.
U: I admit, I don't recall Faith's mother tying her up and trying to burn her at the stake ...
JW: Well no, no. That probably didn't happen.
U: In many respects though ... Willow's family is probably a little better than Faith, but in many respects, Willow suffers from many of the same problems that Faith does. Particularly lack of attention from her mother and parents.
JW: I-I agree with that. Willow and Faith, I think, in very ... Not in a detailed kind of way, but on a very basic level, have a lot in common. But ah, yeah, Willow and her parents, certainly not ... I-I'm ... Eh. May or may not be a spoiler here, but I-I-I've debated actually us go at some point and return somehow to these other parents. I'm not quite sure how we would do that, but it's something that's been on— that's been on my mind. You know. What happened. to the Rosenbergs, what happened to the Harrises. You know. Something that we might want to touch base on at some point. So, just ... I have nothing concrete as of now for that, but something that I think we would not be remiss in visiting at some point.
U: I was actually just sitting here thinking about, uhm ... We pretty much never saw Buffy's dad again after he ran off to Spain with that woman. He didn't even show up at the funeral, he didn't show up for Buffy's funeral ...
JW: Well no one showed up for Buffy's funeral, they didn't really have one.
U: That's true.
JW: I think we would have to assume that he was in some contact with them, because – if you remember in season 6, they don't want the Buffybot to answer the phone because it could be Hank. Which means, I gotta think, he did call at some point. For that to be a concern, that Hank was going to call. But no, we never saw him in a real sense ... he appeared in fla— you know, in the "Normal Again"—
U: That's true.
JW: But that doesn't really count. No, Hank ... You're right though. I mentioned the Rosenbergs, I mentioned the Harrises, and Hank Summers. I think it would be interesting to ... Where the hell did he go? You know.
U: Spain, apparently.
JW: Well yeah, you know, Spain with his secretary but then it's like, you know ... "So, okay, Joyce died, you left your kids all alone, can you answer for that, perhaps?" For leaving Buffy at 21 to raise her sixteen-year old dau— Uh, sister. Yeah, that was freaky.
U: That WAS freaky.
JW: THAT was a slip.
U: But you know, in many ways, Dawn was born of Buffy.
JW: <shudders> Or, to quote Anya, "Yeah, I never got that."

"Is everything okay?"

"Sorta. She's upset an' all, though, an' I'm comin' up empty for what I can do. I figure, most of the crap I went through ain't too typical, so none'a my ideas are gonna count for much. But you ..." She waved a hand vaguely in Willow's direction. "You were like Pollyanna at her age, so you've gotta have some ideas that're better adjusted than mine."

Willow arched an eyebrow. "I can't tell if you meant to slip that insult in there or not."

"One'a life's great mysteries," replied the dark-haired Slayer. "C'mon Red, spill. Sixteen – what'd you to do stop feelin' less crappy?"

"Whew, okay. Let's see ..." Willow lapsed into a thoughtful silence. "Hm. I didn't much— Oh! O-Okay. So when I was back in high school and in a blechy mood ... Xander ignoring me again, Cordelia picking on me, Xander not noticing I was alive, Harmony picking on me, Xander only calling me for help on homew—"

Very pointedly, Faith cleared her throat.

"Right, anyway." Willow promptly moved along. "I guess I had more of my fair share of less-than sunny moods in the privacy of my own room. So what I used to do, when I was really upset?"

Inching her way to Faith, she leaned forward as though she were about to reveal a deeply personal secret. Eagerly, Faith bent down to catch the confidence.

"I used to see how far I could calculate pi," the redhead announced with a wise nod. She straightened up and sipped at her Coke, leaving an extremely befuddled Faith in her wake.

The dark-haired Slayer blinked in confusion. "Pie. Like ...?" she ventured, obviously reluctant to complete the question and apparently sensing she was on shaky ground. Fortunately for Faith's ego, Willow was more than happy to step in.

"Not like coconut cream," smiled the witch. "This is the pi you use to figure stuff with circles. You know: circumference, diameter, radius ... In math?"

"Oh," replied Faith with a frown.

Willow beamed, ostensibly delighted to be sharing the information. "I'd keep a mental note of how far I'd gotten, and whenever I got upset and just didn't want to deal with whatever, I'd start all over again and see if I could get any higher."

"An' that helped?" queried a doubtful Faith.

"Oh, yeah!" enthused the redhead. "That's the great thing about numbers. When you're dealing with people, you never know what you'll get – it could change from second to second. But a number, that's something you can count on." She paused for a moment to chuckle at her own bad joke and then continued. "Three is always three, it's not sometimes a- a seven or a fifty-one, and it doesn't make you pass notes to Susie Glasmeyer in English Lit."

[ Download Clip #50 ]

Jet Wolf: And I can just so see Willow at, you know, fourteen or fifteen, sitting in her room and just calculating pi.
Ultrace: Getting lost in the numbers.
JW: Yup. And that's- that's ... that was one of my favourite little lines there, just personally. A little conceited pat on my own back there. When she says, "A number is something you can count on. Three is always three, it's not sometimes a seven or a fifty-one and it doesn't make you pass notes to Susie Glasmeyer in English Lit."
U: Hee hee.
JW: I-I just ... so amused by the fact that Willow, you know ... god, second grade, how many years ago was that? You know, is still ... Or English Lit rather, however long ago that was, just ... still bitter!
U: Still bitter. About what, passing notes?
JW: Yeah.
U: Why, because she got caught?
JW: No, the reason ... I had this whole big thing in my mind that I won't bore everybody with, but, she's passing it— Xander asked— It was a girl Xander that had a crush on, and he was asking Willow to pass notes for her.
U: Ahh, gotcha.
JW: You know, in between.
U: So it's something you made up.
JW: Yeah, I completely made it up.
U: Gotcha, okay.
JW: But I made it up WITH a story.
U: That is true, and it's very good.
JW: Yeah.

"Uh-huh," agreed Faith, now more flummoxed than before.

Willow shrugged. "Well it's what I used to do."

"Yeah. Thanks," sighed the dark-haired Slayer. "I don't think that'll really work for Haze, though." She hopped off the counter and swiftly downed the remains of her Coke.

"No, probably not," conceded Willow with a hint of regret. "Sorry."

"Not your fault," Faith told her with forced cheerfulness. "I'll just have to keep lookin'." She turned toward the front door. "Thanks for the drink," she threw over her shoulder as she left.

"No problem," called Willow. "Good luck!"

Left alone in the kitchen, the redhead pondered deeply for a moment and then her bottom lip formed itself into a pout.

"Damn," she muttered. "Now I really want a coconut cream pie."

[ Download Clip #51 ]

Jet Wolf: You know, and we were mentioning earlier about how Faith and Willow, on a basic level had some things in common. <laughs> But we see that on the surface, they really don't.
Ultrace: No.
JW: You know. Faith can't follow along, she's like, "What?"
U: "Now I really want a coconut cream pie." And I think after you wrote that, YOU wanted a coconut cream pie.
JW: I STILL want a coconut cream pie. I haven't had one! Dude, you have no clue.
U: Next time we go by Marie Calendar's, we'll check and see—
JW: Yay!
U: —if they have some coconut cream pie.
JW: Yay! Ah, go me. No it happens sometimes, weirdly. I get fixated on things when I have the characters talk about ... certain kinds of foods. Sometimes I just get fixated and I'm like, "I want that." Which is where Willow's line came from, because suddenly *I* wanted it.
U: Well a good writer puts a bit of herself in the characters, and you just happened to put your appetite into the characters.
JW: You remember, uh, remember the huge, like ... total like craving I had for mozzarella cheese sticks after writing the scene with Willow and Kennedy in "The Name of the Game"?
U: Yup.
JW: I mean, that was like a week-long obsession. I'm like, "I have to have cheese sticks!"
U: I think at some point I was just like, "Okay, I better give her cheese sticks before they start appearing in every damn scene. Until her subconscious is sated."

[ Download Clip #52 ]

Jet Wolf: This scene of course is very important because we get our first real tangible indication, so far this episode, of how Kennedy has a burning need to do it all herself. Kennedy doesn't need help from anybody, she's the one who is the provider, she's the one who can take care of things. I-I relate to that, that's a trait actually that I irritating happen to possess on occasion. These character traits that Kennedy has exhibited on and off throughout the course of the season, but of course because by the time we get to the end of the episode, we're resolving it. So it's important to make it clear, before we get to the resolution, remind everybody, "Hey, these are the things that Kennedy has issues with." And that's mostly what's going on in this scene. Here where Tara can do things and you know ... Kennedy just needs to be able to say, "Okay, I don't have to be perfect all the time, I don't have to do everything myself."

Tara stood by the side of the road, rubbing her arms with her gloved hands. "You know if you'd let me—"

The response was curt, tense and decidedly snippy. "No."

Stamping her feet to keep warm, Tara stared up at the sky – gray, overcast and threatening to snow. The banks on either side of the deserted highway were already thickly coated with freshly fallen white powder and the boughs of the trees were straining beneath the weight. Tara listened for the welcome noise of an approaching vehicle, but there was no traffic in either direction.

Kennedy knelt by the right rear tire of the jacked-up SUV, an assortment of tools littering the area around her. Frowning, the brunette was attempting to loosen one of the lug nuts.

"I just think that—" suggested Tara, watching Kennedy struggle.

The reply was no less brusque this time. "No."

An aggravated Tara sighed audibly, but Kennedy didn't seem to care about the blonde's display of annoyance. Although applying pressure to the stubborn nut, it was clear that the brunette wasn't throwing all her strength into the effort. After another moment of controlled force, she cursed loudly and the hurled the lug wrench to the ground in a fit of pique. Getting to her feet, she delivered a savage kick to the flat tire.

"That should help," remarked Tara wryly.

"Makes me feel better, okay?" snapped Kennedy. "Instead of color commentary, why don't you fix the damned thing?"

Tara's eyes widened in disbelief. "I've been trying to help, you keep saying—"

"No!" Kennedy's tone was almost a growl.

The witch crossed her arms. "Yes, exactly."

"No, I mean ..." Kennedy stumbled over the words. "No! It's ... I can do it myself!"

She glowered at Tara and then knelt down again, snatching up the lug wrench. Hunching over with a look of fierce determination, she prepared for another try.

"Kennedy, wait," urged Tara, ignoring the other woman's quick glare in her direction. "Just ... calm down first, okay? In this cold, if you use all your Slayer strength, you'll—"

"Strip the nut or break it off. Yeah, I know," Kennedy muttered darkly, raising her voice just loud enough for Tara to hear. "'Course I know that. I'm the one that said it."

A small frown creased Tara's forehead. "You know if you'd just let me—"

Kennedy's face was like thunder as she turned to scowl at the blonde.

"Fine," replied Tara, throwing her hands into the air. "You just go right ahead and do it your way."

With a sharp nod, Kennedy returned to the job at hand. Shaking her head, Tara watched for a moment. "God help us if we have to actually ask for directions," she whispered to herself.

"I heard that," accused the brunette.

Unrepentant, Tara wandered away, leaving Kennedy to continue her battle to find just the right amount of necessary pressure. Snow crunching beneath her boots, she drifted along the side of the highway when something caught her eye in the middle of the road. She squinted, but it was a good ways off and difficult to distinguish.

"What is that?" she murmured curiously.

Behind her, Kennedy was now trying small bursts of power to nudge the nut loose, but the strain of limiting her strength in such a fashion was beginning to take its toll and she was quickly losing her temper.

"Dammit!" she swore, throwing the lug wrench to the ground once more. The clatter of metal on asphalt attracted Tara's attention and she turned back.

"Hey, can you tell what happened to the tire?" she shouted.

"Yeah. It lost all its air," responded a sarcastic Kennedy. "Turned into a big rubber pancake."

Rolling her eyes, Tara walked back toward the SUV. "I mean, can you tell why it's flat?"

Kennedy got to her feet slowly and placed her hands on her hips. "Because it doesn't have any air," she spelled out in exacting tones.

Tara's mouth grew tight, but she held her tongue and squatted down to inspect the tire. Intent on her examination, the blonde failed to see Kennedy's posture suddenly stiffen. The brunette's demeanor changed in an instant – she almost appeared to be another person entirely, somehow foggy and detached. Unseen by Tara, she reached down and retrieved the discarded lug wrench.

"Look at these punctures in the tire," Tara observed quietly. "They way they're so evenly spaced apart?"

Standing up, she took a step backward, still concentrating on the flat tire. Next to her, Kennedy straightened as well, very slowly and deliberately.

"I-I don't think this is natural," added Tara, her tone somewhat puzzled. "I think someone meant for us to pull over here."

She continued to study the tire, head tilting from one side to the other as considered the evidence and its implications. When no answer was readily available, she turned to Kennedy. "What do you—?" she began and then stopped short.

Taken totally off-guard, the blonde's eyes grew wide with alarm to see Kennedy looming over her, lug wrench held aloft and threatening to strike.

[ Download Clip #53 ]

Jet Wolf: Also an enjoyable scene, because we see here, Tara's patience is wearing very thin.
Ultrace: Yes. This is not the old Tara who was, "Ah! I am beatific and infinitely patient with you."
JW: No. Now it's like, "I'm really trying, I'm trying, you're pissing me off ..."
U: "Oops. A rock appears to have just fallen on your head out of nowhere, knocking you out, and while you were unconscious, the tire reinflated itself! It's a miracle!"
JW: The end part of this scene, I have to laugh at. <laughing> Because Kennedy's just so bitchy. "Can you tell what happened to the tire?" "Yeah, it lost all its air." "Why is it flat?" "Because it doesn't have any AIR."
<laughter>
JW: She's just so like, "I hate the world."
U: I can just see: "Can you tell why it's flat?" "Because it doesn't have any AIR, Tara honey." <JW laughs> "See, when a tire is HEALTHY, it has AIR. This is a SICK tire. We need to take it to the tire doctor."
JW: And at this point, Tara bitchslaps Kennedy! Royal rumble!
U: "Look at these punctures in the tire. The way they're evenly spaced apart?" "Yeah, that's how why it lost all its AIR."
JW: <laughing> "You're not very bright, are you?" <Ultrace laughs> "They didn't resurrect your brain, did they?"
U: I could keep on going, but it would degenerate. I would make jokes about air being in her head. Actually, that could've been kind of funny, but it would've been extra more insulting if Kennedy had been like, "Because it doesn't have any air. Unlike your head."
JW: <laughing> That would've been more insulting.
U: "I don't think this is natural." "You're right, naturally tires do have air in them."
JW: It never ends! And of course, this was our cheap act break, I admit. The, "Oh, I'm really going to hurt you" - "No I'm not!" <cracks up> And apparently they're going to sound like ... The fuck was that? <Ultrace laughs> High pitched shit, what was that? That came from me.
U: Wow.
JW: The hell was that? Sounds like a cartoon character. Shit.
U: I don't know. I didn't even actually hear. Although if you want—
JW: Mickey Mouse?
U: It wasn't even long enough. But I can pause and play it if you want.
JW: Oh that's quite all right. No no.

Act Three

Careful to make no sudden movements, Tara delicately stepped backward and away from Kennedy. Though momentarily stunned by the unexpected threat, she quickly regained composure and raised her hand as if to ward off the impending blow.

"Proté—" she began to murmur.

But before Tara could complete the incantation, Kennedy's arm snapped forward and she hurled the wrench with a powerful show of force. It whizzed past Tara's head, missing by mere inches and making her hair whip in the backdraft. Spinning end-over-end, it imbedded itself into the chest of a squat, long-armed creature. Taken by surprise, the gray-furred demon uttered a single grunt as the projectile made impact. It seemed to hover for a moment, caught in the mid-leap of an attack on the blonde directly within its path. The vicious claws scrabbled at the air as it fell heavily to the ground and landed with a soft thud into the snow bank. The body twitched only once and then lay still.

Whirling, Tara took note of the motionless demon and blinked with shock. Then, she wrinkled her nose. "I-I don't think we're gonna want to use that again. Ever," she remarked with open disgust.

Kennedy approached the fallen creature and prodded it in the ribs with the toe of her boot. "Dammit," she muttered darkly "That was my only one of those. Stupid demon."

"Huh. That was pretty clever," pondered Tara. "I'm guessing it set out the tire trap, kinda ... catching prey."

"Canada's certainly got some new breeds of nasty," Kennedy admitted grudgingly, poking it once more for good measure.

Tara surveyed the desolate stretch of highway. "I wonder how many people it's killed out here."

"Well it won't be killing any more," the Slayer replied matter-of-factly, "so score one for the good guys – defender of traveling families and innocent tires everywhere. Unfortunately ..." Her gaze returned to the flat and she stared at it balefully.

Following the brunette's eyes, Tara smirked. "Curatio ventulus," she chanted.

Instantly, a light breeze blew across the area. Kennedy regarded Tara with some astonishment, but Tara failed to notice, her focus intent upon the tire. The Slayer's attention also returned to the flat tire, which was no longer quite as flat. It continued inflated itself until it became normal-sized.

"Clausus," murmured Tara.

The punctured areas glowed brightly for several seconds before gradually fading to reveal a tire that was whole and undamaged once more. Slowly, the summoned breeze began to dissipate. With a small frown, Kennedy bent down to check, running her hand across the now-sealed rubber. "Handy," she appraised.

Tara shrugged good-naturedly. "I've got a hundred and one uses."

Looking up, Kennedy arched an amused eyebrow, but Tara had gone back to inspecting the fast-freezing demon.

"I think we should probably move him," she told Kennedy. "Back into the woods? So he's not just lying here on the side of the road and everything."

"Don't suppose you have a spell for that too, huh?" chuckled the brunette.

Tara studied the creature with a critical eye, ostensibly trying to find the most suitable angle. "Why use magick when you can do something yourself?" she asked, finally settling on simply grabbing one of its too-long arms. Her expression clearly indicated she was far from thrilled at the prospect, but had determined such had to be done.

With a grin, the Slayer joined her. "So you don't have to actually touch stuff like this?" she suggested, grabbing the other arm and helping Tara to drag the monster toward the trees.

"I'm really not in an objective frame of mind at the moment," Tara grimaced. "Ask me again in about ten minutes."

Kennedy snickered as the two women deposited the body beneath a thick fir tree, well out of sight from the highway. Together, they walked back to the SUV.

"So the tire mojo," the Slayer began. "You couldn't have done that half an hour ago?"

"Maybe next time I say I can help, you'll actually listen to me," smirked Tara.

A moment of silence followed which was broken Kennedy.

"Nahh."

[ Download Clip #54 ]

Jet Wolf: Main point of this scene was just, of course, resolution from our cheap act break from previous scene and uhm ... showing that, you know, hey, if you let Tara help, she can have a hundred and one uses, basically.
Ultrace: Exactly.
JW: And a way just to make it, later when Kennedy starts getting all uppity because she doesn't feel she's doing a particularly good job...
U: And can I say, the mental image of her whipping that lugwrench across and it spinning like a gigantic ninja star or something like that? Very cool. Much better than like throwing a stake at something. Stakes just fly, they don't spin and twirl as they embed themselves in a chest.
JW: Sort of like the thing Buffy throws? The thing that like really wants to be a sickle but isn't quite? In "Anne" I think it is?
U: Now that you've said the word "sickle" I can't focus on what you're talking about. I can only think of when Angel lops off somebody's arm.
JW: No ... I'd have to show it to you. But I think it's in "Anne", where she's in a hell dimension and she's got like the hammer and the sickle, which I'm sure is very metaphorical. But it's not a sickle, it's a sickle apart from this one little bit, so.

[ Download Clip #55 ]

Jet Wolf: This ah, this scene leads us into Scooby Pig Out Night and the thing that I remember the most in terms of interesting trivia about Scooby Pig Out Night was that it originally was going to be Scooby Drunk Night. <Ultrace laughs> I was going to have uh, Buffy, Willow— I hadn't decided whether or not Xander would partake, given his predilection towards alcohol, but uhm, at the very least it would be Buffy and Willow. And just druuuunk off their butts. Uhm, planned to have a great deal of fun with that, but then I realized in the previous episode, "Separate Tables", I'd had like, you know, alcohol flowing and people going to bars and I'm like, "This is ... it's a bit too much, one on top of the other." And I was kinda disappointed when I realized that, because I was really looking forward to writing the gang just being drunk. That amuses me.
Ultrace: You could've gone back and rewritten "Separate Tables" so it was like a dessert bar instead of a bar bar. You could've had them like—
JW: Yeeeah, I guess I could've done that ...
U: —pigging out.
JW: ...but it seemed easier simply to change that which had not yet been written and was not ... kind of interwoven with the bar setting.
U: Cop out.
JW: What can I say, I'm a hack. So uhm ... instead it became Pig Out Night. I-I'm still harbouring the idea of drunk Scoobies in my head. So before I'm done, expect that to show up at some point, just because I was amusing myself terribly. And I was- I was at least able to kind of get the ending well enough. Cuz I-I managed to get Willow to be <laughs> passed out regardless.
U: Yup.
JW: So i-it worked out all right. It was just sugar overload as opposed to alcohol.
U: Admit it, it's all about a drunken Willow confessing to Xander her past love, isn't it?
JW: <laughing> I don't know what it's about. I really have no idea. But ...
U: <attempted drunk voice> "And I wrote POEMS and ..." Actually, she sounds like an old man.
JW: I was thinking that, yeah.

In the living room, Buffy and Willow were sharing the couch, lying on opposite ends with Buffy closest to the entrance. They had each claimed an armrest and were using it to support the upper back while torsos and legs took up most of the remaining cushion surface area.

"It's so quiet," noted Buffy.

"Which is good," Willow stated.

The blonde was in complete agreement. "Absolutely. Quality Scooby time." She frowned. "As soon as Xander gets here. Where was he going?"

"He wouldn't say," replied Willow with a tiny pout. "He just told me knew how to make the night a good one. He seems to be under the impression that we are in need of cheering."

"Silly Xander," huffed Buffy.

"Totally," came the confirmation. "I mean, me? Full of cheer."

"Mirth, even," added the blonde.

Willow nodded emphatically. "And why shouldn't I be? Tara and Kennedy going off alone into the wilderness because they received some psychic summons from a person we've never heard of before who has an unexplained need to see Tara? That would have no impact on my mood whatsoever."

"None at all," affirmed Buffy forcefully. "And as for myself, I'm not even remotely overprotective to the point of scary about my little sister, recently plagued by a series of disturbingly Mom-like headaches which have now disappeared as suddenly as they arrived. Why would that bother me?"

"It wouldn't."

"Not at all."

"Silly Xander."

"Silly Xander," echoed Buffy, "who is, himself, devoid of mope."

"He and mope aren't even on speaking terms," agreed the witch.

"Despite not getting as much work as he wants ..."

"... and being lonely ..."

"... and having to deal with us," the blonde finished before quickly clarifying. "Not that we have anything in need of dealing."

"Because we don't." Willow's nod was firm. "And neither does he."

Buffy shook her head at the absent carpenter. "He's very silly."

As if on cue, the front door opened. Leaning her head all the way back over the armrest, Buffy regarded the entrance to the living room from an upside down perspective.

"I have returned," Xander announced grandly, sight unseen.

"Cool," replied Buffy. "We were just talking about how we're all doing so well."

From the foyer came the sounds of a coat being removed and shoes being discarded. "You two sure about that?" called Xander.

"Absolutely," assured Willow. "My good friend Buffy and I have thoroughly analyzed the situation and determined that we are both in excellent spirits." She frowned at the noises emanating from the direction of the foyer, indicating the moving around of things that appeared to be fairly bulky.

"Sure you're sure?" was Xander's amused query.

Both Willow and Buffy shared a look before sighing heavily in unison. "No," came the stereophonic response.

"Good," commented the still unseen Xander.

A frown creased Buffy's forehead. "Good?" She looked to Willow. "Did he just say 'good'?"

"I think he did," conceded the redhead. "We can punish him for that, right?"

"Yeah," affirmed the blonde, screwing up her nose. "But he may like it."

Willow also adopted a distasteful expression. "Oh, yeah."

[ Download Clip #56 ]

Ultrace: <laughing> "We can punish him for that." "Yeah, but he may like it." Ohhh yeeeahh.
Jet Wolf: That's actually uhm—
U: Oh, wait a minute, hang on. "Oh. Yeah."
JW: That's actually kind of like that Xena episode. <Ultrace laughs> Remember that?
U: Is that like the, uhm, episode with the guy?
JW: "A Day in the Life" I think it's—
U: Yeah.
JW: —the name of that one.
U: I can't remember the guy's name. Marl? Merl?
JW: Merl, Marl, yeah, something. I don't know. No, that's that irritating green thing from Angel.
U: Maybe he's called Marv or Mart or, you know Melvin or—
JW: <laughing> Yeah, the ancient Greek "Melvin".
U: Look, I don't know the origin of the name "Melvin".
JW: Well I'm pretty sure it wasn't ancient Greece.
U: Maybe he was Melvinus. Melvinius.
JW: Anyway. It's very much like that line. I didn't write it with that intent, but as soon as I wrote it realized and I'm like, "Ah, what the hell."
U: Hee-hee.
JW: It was a good episode of Xena, so it may stay.

Her gaze moved to the living room entrance where Xander had suddenly appeared. Bearing a big box in both arms and sporting a huge grin, he strolled casually to the coffee table and deposited his burden. He stood back and waited expectantly. Willow and Buffy looked at each other, then turned their attentions to the box before finally treating Xander to a dubious narrowing of the eyes.

"A box?" queried the redhead doubtfully.

Xander gave her an emphatic nod. "Box make better."

"What's in it?" asked a suspicious Buffy.

"Well that's the better part," replied the carpenter with a broad grin.

Both women still appeared leery, but Xander simply waited, looking very proud of himself. He nodded encouragingly as they uncurled themselves from the couch and warily broached the vicinity of the box. Willow and Buffy gasped in unison at the contents.

"Xander!" proclaimed a delighted Willow.

"I do feel better!" declared Buffy, hastening to add, "Not that I was bad."

Xander crossed his arms and beamed with satisfaction. "Do I know my girls or do I know my girls?"

Exchanging a glance of glee, both women reached into the box. Buffy's hands emerged holding two tubs of ice cream: one Half Baked and the other Karamel Sutra. With a tiny shriek of happiness, Willow hugged a super-sized bag of Doritos to her chest while Xander pulled out a box of Twinkies so large that it could only have been bought at one of those warehouse food places. He waved the carton aloft.

[ Download Clip #57 ]

Ultrace: I admit, had he'd come in and said "Box make better" and he started pulling out bottle of alcohol ... <laughs>
Jet Wolf: The presentation would've likely would've been a little bit different. I realized before I started to write that I wasn't gonna have them be drunk. Or I realized right when I was getting ready to start that there wasn't gonna be Scooby Drunk Night and was gonna be Scooby Pig Out Night instead. So yeah, him walking in with a bottle full of, you know, alcohol— Not a bottle, a box full of bottles of alcohol, probably wouldn't've happened.
U: <chuckles> That's funny. Karamel Sutra. I actually read it and thought I was actually misreading something. You know, I'm like, "Oh, I can't believe she wrote Kama Sutra in there." Turns out that I actually did misread, but there IS a "Sutra" in there.
JW: Yes. Yeah. That too would've been a much different episode. <Ultrace laughs> Xander walked in: "Box make better! Here's the Kama Sutra, girls!" <laughs>
U: "I believe if you check chapter 27—" <JW laughs> "—it has that 'Wicca on Slayer' action."

"I hereby declare this Scooby Pig Out Night. We will feast like the Romans, only less with the vomiting. I have pizza on the way, and two 24-packs of soda in the car." He pointed to the box. "DVDs are inside."

Willow peered hopefully. "Did you get a pie?"

Xander smiled good-naturedly as he fished in his pocket for the car keys. "I'll be right back."

Willow's grin was immense as Xander jogged out of the front door. She turned to Buffy, whose head was buried in the box, inspecting the multitude of assorted goodies.

"Think this'll help?" The blonde's voice was muffled.

Willow ripped open the bag of Doritos and snagged herself a large chip, eying it with relish.

"No," she replied matter-of-factly. "But at least we won't be miserable and hungry."

[ Download Clip #58 ]

Jet Wolf: Uhm, I was just going to say that ah, this scene just more showing Faith of course running around, and now it's sort of nighttime so she's been doing this all day long. Trying to get someone somewhere to tell her some way she can make Hazel feel better. You'll note that Giles is actually the last person Faith speaks to, and you'll note that we don't ever actually have her talking to Xander, although she does allude to talking to Xander in the next scene she has with Hazel. And I was originally going to write a Xander and Faith scene and then I realized that ... there really wasn't— there- there was no need to write Xander and Faith. Because throughout the course of the season they had had so many scenes together. This scene was kind of— or, this plot line for Faith was really of course about her trying to help Hazel, but was also showing again the way she has connected with the other, the Core Four, and uhm ... as a result, it really wasn't necessary to show Xander. The episode, as we already noted, was coming in quite long at this point so, you know, any unnecessary scenes weren't gonna go there. But Giles and Willow and Buffy – Willow in particular because we hadn't had one yet – those were all the ones that Faith needs contact with, so.
Ultrace: I think at the time you wrote this you were also anticipating having an upcoming Faith and Xander scene during "Exchanges" or right after "Exchanges". Which later got changed into the Buffy and Faith scene.
JW: No, Xander and Faith got scenes in "Exchanges" anyway.
U: What about the one after Hazel gets killed?
JW: Well they don't get THAT one, but they have ...
U: But I think you were planning on having that scene as well coming up, so that would be another reason why not to have one here. Or am I just completely wrong?
JW: I mean, that reasoning is sound. But that wasn't the motivation.
U: Okay.
JW: My motivation was what I had just said. That, you know, she didn't need to have a scene with Xander because it's already a given at this point in The Chosen that Faith and Xander have a bond. We don't need to show it being strengthened or it being evidenced, and the episode was running long, so.

In one of the larger dormitory rooms, Giles was stuffing a pillow into a crisply clean case of white cotton. The area had obviously been vacant for some time, being totally devoid of any decoration save for the bed and a small three-drawer dresser. Faith paused in the doorway and watched Giles struggle as he shook the case violently in his attempt to distribute the pillow as uniformly as possible. It wasn't long before he noticed her, and smiled in greeting. "Oh, Faith, good evening."

"Hey," she replied, indicating the linen laid on the bare mattress with her chin. "What's all this?"

The Watcher frowned and gave the pillow another fierce shake. "Oh, I'm making up a room for our guest."

"Figured she'd make like Samantha an' just do it up herself," commented Faith.

"Samantha?" queried a confused Giles.

Faith cocked her head. "You know ... Samantha, Darrin, Tabitha ... 'Bewitched'. Had the whole nose wiggle thing goin'."

"Yes? How charming," came the perplexed response.

"Come in at 3, 4 in the mornin' from patrol, you take what the TV gives you," she shrugged.

Presumably now satisfied with the pillow, Giles held up a sheet. "Would you mind...?"

"Yeah, sure," Faith readily agreed. She moved to one side of the bed and grabbed the half of the sheet the Watcher tossed to her.

"Hospital corners now," he instructed.

Faith rolled her eyes, but didn't argue, choosing instead to focus on other matters. "Hey Oxford, can I ask you something?"

"I'm fairly certain you just did," Giles told her with a small grin of amusement.

Faith smirked. "Man, I hate that crap."

"I do too, actually," admitted the Watcher. "It's just such a rare occasion I get to use it on someone else." He leaned across the bed to check her handiwork, then straightened again and regarded the Slayer. "Yes, Faith, you may ask me whatever you like. Answering is, of course, another matter entirely."

"It's nothin' bad," the dark-haired Slayer assured. "I'm just tryin' to help someone, an' I'm not sure how to do it."

He shot her a quick glance. "Oh? Help them how?"

[ Download Clip #59 ]

Ultrace: "Shot her a quick glance. 'Oh? Help them how?'" As if he's so surprised that she's trying to help somebody. Although I guess maybe he ... maybe he is?
Jet Wolf: No, I don't think he's necessarily surprised. Just, you know ... I-I don't think that was necessarily what he was looking for. You know, she's saying, she wants some help with something that isn't particularly important so that means that, by default, what she's coming to him about is NOT anything of great importance. And that may be a little bit surprising. You know which, as evidenced by what he says here in a minute, where he's saying, "That's marvelous, very selfless of you". So he's not ... He-He's seeing there— And through Giles, again, this is another way that we're showing to the reader how different and how into all of this now Faith is. By Giles' surprise, therefore we can- the reader can experience that as well. All, of course, just things to set up to show where Faith's at so that when we rip it all away in the next episode, it makes more sense. And is more poignant. And, evil.

"One'a my girls," Faith explained. "She's kinda bummed about family stuff back home. I wanna make her feel better, but nothin' I can think of is really gonna do the trick."

Giles smoothed the sheet and treated the Slayer to a genuine smile of commendation. "Faith, I think that's marvelous. You wanting to help out one of your charges." He picked up a blanket and shook it out. Faith nabbed the edge that sailed toward her. "That's very selfless of you."

Looking somewhat embarrassed, Faith tried to blow it off. "Not really. If she walks around like someone killed her puppy then it's just gonna rub off on all the other troops. Bad for morale." Her tone became defensive. "I ain't soft or nothin'."

Giles shook his head vehemently. "No, of course not. Heaven forbid."

"... okay," stated Faith with conviction. "Long as that's clear."

"Quite," agreed the Watcher seriously.

"So ... what should I do?"

Giles settled his glasses more firmly upon the bridge of his nose. "Unfortunately, despite all appearances, I'm actually NOT the leading authority on young teenage girls." He admitted wryly.

"You're kiddin' me." Faith's tone was incredulous. "You're like ... the Big Daddy. B, an' Red ... Xan ..."

"I am the ..." Giles frowned at word choice, but pushed on valiantly. ".... 'big daddy' mostly by virtue of the fact that I have been the only consistent older male presence in their lives for some time. This comes with no sudden bursts of insight or knowledge, however."

The Slayer's face registered open disappointment. "Oh."

Immediately, Giles was anxious to make amends. "But- But I have made several observations over the years, and I may have one suggestion."

Her expression brightened considerably. "I'm all ears."

"I believe that ingesting copious amounts of confection has some sort of recuperative powers. I find that something frozen, containing several thoroughly unappetizing dollops of raw dough is a popular selection."

Her brow deeply furrowed, Faith shook her head in confusion. "What?"

"Try chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream," he restated.

The mood of hopeful anticipation deflated like a pinpricked balloon. "That's your big advice?" questioned Faith dubiously. "Ice cream?"

"I've heard it's quite tasty," the Watcher told her with an encouraging nod.

[ Download Clip #60 ]

Ultrace: <chuckles> "Ice cream?" "I've heard it's quite tasty." "Although I've never tried it in my long life." I fail to believe that he and Dawn never tried some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.
Jet Wolf: Or Buffy.
U: Or Buffy.
JW: I-I'm not saying that Giles has never had ice cream there. I think that's ... pretty much a given that you would have to. But I could just see him, like, wrinkling his nose at the idea of eating raw cookie dough? I mean, you do it, and you're not Giles.
U: Yeah, I know. Well ... I admit, it tastes nice, but the thought of it Ugggh. Sometimes.
JW: Crazy.
U: It's raw! I mean, it's got like raw eggs and stuff in it!
JW: Whatever! Yummy! So, that was really more my point. That Giles would, you know ... That's probably Buffy's favourite form of ice cream, especially given how <laughs> happy she is with it in the next scene. But ah, you know, just the concept of raw cookie dough— dollops of raw dough in the ...
U: Tee-hee.
JW: ...ice cream. Not appealing to him at all.

Lounging on the couch, legs stretched out in front of her, Buffy delved into the pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with a large serving spoon. "So good," she murmured contentedly.

The formerly neat living room was now well on its way to becoming a disaster area. A mostly-empty pizza box had been tossed carelessly into the middle of the coffee table, surrounded by balled-up taco wrappers, several open bags of assorted chips, shredded cellophane, and bowls of a variety of different candies. Nonetheless, the three indulgees showed little sign of slowing down their rate of consumption. Indeed, their expressions indicated that they might just now actually be getting started.

Willow was perched cross-legged upon one of the couch's cushions. She glanced at Xander sitting on the floor to the side of her. "Okay, I bet you ..." She cast searching eyes upon the piles of food until she spied something. "I bet you can't drink a whole can of Coke in five seconds."

Xander pooh-poohed the very idea. "Oh please. Think of something challenging. That's beneath me."

Willow's tone was triumph-laden. "So you refuse then?"

"And give you the satisfaction of putting an incriminating red tick mark by my name?" came the accusation. "You wish." He wiggled his fingers and was promptly rewarded by a smug Willow thrusting a Coke into his hand.

"Come on then, tough guy," she challenged.

Pointing the pull tag toward her, Xander popped open the can. He shot her a fierce and competitive look, but the gleeful grin betrayed the underlying essence of fun. He then turned to Buffy.

"Ready, O Mistress of the Time?"

Buffy waved her wrist in the air, displaying the watch she was wearing. "Okay, ready and ..." She glanced at Xander who had the can poised at his mouth, ready and waiting. "Go!"

Swallowing noisily, Xander began to guzzle as Buffy counted the seconds. "One ... Two ... Three ... Four ... Fi—"

But before she could complete the countdown, Xander announced that he was done – to the accompaniment of a very loud, very demonstrative, and intrinsically manly belch. Both women began to laugh, their faces contorted with entertained disgust. With pride, the carpenter forcefully slammed the empty can down on the coffee table.

Buffy shuddered through her giggling. "God, don't ever ask him to do that again."

"Ew, I promise," returned Willow, wrinkling her nose and grinning broadly.

[ Download Clip #61 ]

Jet Wolf: And again, as I mentioned before, this scene is really mostly just me having fun with the three main characters before all the badness comes down next episode.
Ultrace: It's ... it's amusing. I do like this scene.
JW: It's just cute. It's another ... another way I'm sort of establishing – in a less demonstrative manner than I do in the final episode – me sort of again reaffirming, "Hey, I've done what I set out to do." Reminding everybody, and myself, and sort of luxuriating as well, sort of enjoying the benefits of my own work, that all the gang are together again.
U: Yeah.
JW: And as a result, this is the sort of thing we can have. But I mean, you wouldn't see a scene like this, you know, the previous year, year before that.
U: No.
JW: It wasn't going to happen. So I-I'm just sort of wallowing in my Scoobiness.
U: I love Scooby downtime.
JW: Scooby downtime's cool.
U: And you don't get much more downtime than willingly stuffing yourself so full of food that you couldn't even jog without puking.
JW: I think someone actually, uhm, questioned the idea of Xander being able to drink a whole can of Coke in five seconds? But when you have that one episode where he said that he drank like a gallon of Gatorade in 30, I figure one can of Coke won't be that hard.
U: Actually, as a matter of fact, I think it might be an issue of getting the Coke to come out of the can fast enough to drink it. Uhm, as a matter of fact, one of the things I did at camp when I was kid was we had a contest where you had to drink a six-pack. Not a given person, but as a team, you'd have to drink a six-pack of warm Mountain Dew. Or rather, Mello Yellow at the time. Uhm, and I do recall that it can be pretty tricky to get the stuff to come out fast enough. Now maybe he squeezed the can. If he squeezed the can he could force it out perhaps.
JW: But they have that whole wide-mouth thing going.
U: That is true. It could have— It could be able to come out in time. But I-I don't think there's any problem with him physically drinking that much in that amount of time. Just a matter of like throwing your throat back, get a thing, and just pour it on down without even tasting it.

"C'mon now, I met my challenge, so let's make with the black ticky," insisted Xander.

From the closest end table, Willow grabbed the small whiteboard that usually hung on the refrigerator door. It had been divided into three rows, one for each of them. There were several black check marks under each person's name, as well as quite a few red ones. Pulling the top from a felt-tip pen, the redhead placed a black tick in Xander's section. He peered at it curiously, trying to see the scores.

Clearing her throat in an official manner, Willow summarized the results thus far. "Ms. Summers has five completions, four pass/fail ..." Buffy nodded and appeared to be moderately pleased as she shoveled another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. "Mr. Harris, you have seven completions and only two pass/fail ..."

Xander made a fist and held it high over his head. "Victory!"

"... aaaaand I've got one to eight," the redhead hurriedly finished. Her expression grew cranky as both Buffy and Xander started to boo and hiss.

"Well sorry, some of us just aren't so ... piggy," she admonished with an air of superiority.

Xander frowned at Buffy. "Did she just insult us?"

"I know my ego is all bruised," came the confirmation.

The carpenter rubbed his hands together evilly. "You know what this calls for."

On edge, Willow shrank into the back of the couch, inching away from Buffy who was sliding across the cushions, and cowering beneath the upright Xander, now looming above her.

"It's harsh and brutal, but she's left us no other choice," Buffy murmured regretfully.

Willow's eyes opened wide as the enemy closed in. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare!"

But her protest went unheeded. With a unanimous whoop of "Willow-pile!!," Xander and Buffy attacked, launching themselves at the groveling Willow, in order to bestow merciless tickling and a shower of unrestrained noogies.

"Ahh! Stop it!" squealed Willow. "I know spells! Lots of spells! I'll get Hecate down and you'll both be so whammied!"

[ Download Clip #62 ]

Ultrace: <chuckles> "Willow-pile". Definitely not a good time for bodies to be crammed up against each other.
Jet Wolf: Good point, good point. Loaded up on Ding Dongs, pizza, tacos ...
U: Oh yes, and tickling? Oh no.
JW: <chuckling> Well she only did one challenge, though. We don't know how much she ate otherwise.
U: That's true. <laughs> "I'll get Hecate down and you'll both be so whammied!"
JW: This scene is just ... me having fun. That's all there is to this, there's nothing— Actually, I say that, and then I come along with Xander being, "Stop doing this!" and "Stop doing that! Now eat your Ding Dongs!" <Ultrace laughs> I inject a brief moment of non-levity. But for the most part, it's just all about— And I find it amusing too. I like pulling things and putting things into dialogue where it looks as though these things you're seeing for the first time are regular things that we haven't been privileged to note before. So like the idea of them, Willow and— Willow. Xander and Buffy simultaneously declaring "Willow-pile" – both having a word for it, both knowing what that means and Willow herself knowing what that means – indicates this is not the first time this has happened.
U: Oh yeah. You know what the good thing is? When I see a scene like this and I realize that they've stuffed themselves so full of food, but I realize that Sarah Michelle— Well, Buffy is not so rail-thin as she was in Season 7. She's healthy again!
JW: Yes, her body is no longer screaming for a sandwich.
U: You know, a-and Willow might actually weigh more than 98-pounds now.
JW: But you know t-to Alyson Hannigan's credit, she never LOOKED like she was starving.
U: That is true.
JW: She just ... looks like she's tiny. Sarah, on the other hand ... "Skeletal", I think was the appropriate adjective.
U: Yeah, we expect to see signs where she looks towards Willow and Willow's arm turns into a turkey leg or ... <JW chuckles> "Must feeeed."
JW: On the plus side, I'm also— In my Chosenverse, Xander's no longer quite so pudgy either.
U: That is true.
JW: Xander went through rehab, so he looks much better now.
U: Hee-hee. "Eat a Ding Dong." <laughs>

The aggressors paused, but lurked in readiness to resume their assault at a moment's notice as Willow panted and tried to catch her breath.

"Promise to stop being so pouty?" demanded Xander, fingers twitching.

"I'm not pouty," objected the witch. "I just didn't want to eat fifteen Twinkies without stopping. I like my stomach contents ... you know, in my stomach."

"Cuz if I can let all my worries go ..." cautioned Buffy.

"Let them go?" scoffed Willow. "You've been checking your cell phone for missed calls every five minutes. I've clocked you."

The blonde's eyes narrowed but Willow raised her hands in defense. "I'm just saying!" she urged. "It's not only me."

"Bleah," came the reply as Buffy threw herself back onto the couch with a blatant pout.

An expression of alarm invaded Xander's face as he sensed he was losing them. "Ohhh no you don't. You—" He jabbed a finger in Buffy's direction, "—are going to let your little sister grow up and stop freaking whenever she gets a canker sore."

Buffy blinked in amazement at the accusation. "I'm not—"

There was no time for further denial. "And you—" He turned to Willow, "—will stop letting your love life, or lack thereof, turn you into a gloomy guts."

"But I—" began the redhead.

Xander gave a dismissive wave, effectively cutting her off. "So I have said, so it shall be. Now." He thrust a package at each woman. "Eat a Ding Dong."

"You're very bossy," Willow commented peevishly.

"It's all the sugar," he mused. "I think it's rotting my brain from the inside."

With the critical eye of a school marm, he watched until both girls started to unwrap their snack cakes. Then, smiling with vast satisfaction, he grabbed one for himself, tearing it open and stuffing the whole thing into his mouth before either of the other two had taken more than one bite.

"I wonder if they're there yet," pondered Willow, mostly to herself. She flinched as pair of Ding Dong wrappers were thrown at her.

"Okay! Geez," she griped, sinking her teeth savagely into the icing. "Any Funyuns left?" she asked through a mouthful of chocolate crumbs.

[ Download Clip #63 ]

Ultrace: Ahh yes, and Funyuns.
Jet Wolf: I actually had to go on a huge quest to find out how to spell those.
U: Really? I could've told you.
JW: Well you weren't here, or ... I don't know. I didn't think about it.
U: I'm surprised you don't have any pork rinds lying around. <laughs>
JW: Because I have like a personal bias against pork rinds. Disgusting. Whereas fake onions rings <Ultrace laughs> are NOT disgusting somehow. But you know, they aren't PORK Funyuns, so maybe that helps.
U: How do you know that? They're fake onion rings. You don't know WHAT they're made of!
JW: Well let's assume. <laughing> Cuz if they are, then I'm thinking Willow's probably gonna later feel really bad for eating them.
U: It could be that ... could be that candy bars are made of pork and ...
JW: ....a pork candy bar?
U: So is Willow like a really practicing Jewish?
JW: Uhm ... I don't know. They never— She never seems to be particularly practicing Jewish, but it's been my experience that, uhm ... When it's something like .......
U: I'm sorry. Please do continue.
JW: No, you're laughing at me.
U: No, I was laughing at something you said earlier in the season. Where you were gonna have her make— Tara was gonna make her like a pork sandwich. <JW laughs> A ham sandwich. <laughs>
JW: Yeah. I uh, no, it ... I think it was "Fulcrum" where I had Tara making them sandwiches or something <laughs>, and I was gonna have her be like pulling out ham. You know, and I'm like, "Tara probably should know better." Uhm, but no, it's been my experience with uhm ... I've had some friends in the past who aren't practicing Jews, but still they- they have a thing against eating pork. I think it's just one of those things where, if you learn from that young of an age that like it's a disgusting thing you don't eat, you can't ever really ... You have to like forcibly make yourself kinda overcome that. So I'm working on the same principle. That, you know ... And we know that Willow's father was very devote about it. So, I would just imagine that the idea of eating pork— It's the same, I have some Hindi friends who can't handle eating cow. Just, you know, it's not against their religion – not as far as they're concerned – just that it's something you just don't do.
U: That would suck.
JW: What, not eating cow?
U: Not eating cow. Or pork. But cow mostly. Cuz they don't make pork steak. Or maybe they do make pork steak, but you know. They're just not as good as cow steaks. I think they're calling it "beef" these days, aren't they?
JW: They might actually be. I think it's a new funky word. That and the new math.
U: I'm down with the lingo, I'm hip to the beef.
JW: Hip ... to the beef.
U: And you know what? Give it a few months, and maybe that'll catch on. That phrase'll be sweeping the nation. "Yo homey, you hip to the beef?"
JW: And they're calling themselves "Mad Cowz" ...... I just made Mike spit up his water. Thank you, and goodnight.
U: Bleah. My nose is all runny.
JW: That was "Cowz" with a "z" of course.
U: <laughs> And of course that was "hyp" with a "y".

"Take a right," instructed Kennedy, glancing at Tara who was behind the wheel.

The snow was falling now, and the road they traveled as no longer a highway but some type of wide trail. Darkness was beginning to fall and visibility was not at its best.

Tara leaned forward in an attempt to see more clearly. "Where? I don't see any roads. Just trees. Lots of trees. And some snow. Which would be pretty if we weren't, you know ... lost."

"We're not lost," snapped Kennedy.

"So we know where to go, then," responded Tara with a hint of sarcasm.

The brunette's eyes narrowed. "We'd be going right, if you'd listen to me."

A flush of anger crept into Tara's cheeks, but she forced herself to take a deep and calming breath. "I'll take the first right that won't require us to cut down the forest first, okay?"

The other woman puffed impatiently. "Can't you just ..." She wiggled her fingers in mock enchantment. "... and find the way there?"

"I could maybe help us find the way out if we get too turned around," the blonde replied thoughtfully. "But without knowing exactly where we're going or who we're looking for, I-I won't be able to find the Keeper of the Wing." Her forehead creased in a tiny frown. "She's here somewhere, though. There's ... Magick is everywhere in here. I-It's a little overwhelming."

Huffing, Kennedy sank down into her seat and glared at the hand-written directions lying in her lap.

Tara glanced quickly at the Slayer. "I'm sure we'll find it soon," she commiserated kindly. "You're just tired."

"You think?" retorted the brunette. "I knew there was a reason I hated taking family trips," she muttered darkly.

Rubbing at her eyes, Tara was obviously equally as fatigued. "Well why did you come then?"

"Someone had to," shrugged Kennedy off-handedly.

"Buffy would have," the blonde told her with conviction.

"Oh yeah, Buffy the perfect," Kennedy sneered. "I just wanted to, okay? I thought maybe it'd help me ... I dunno. Learn something."

"And did you?"

"Mostly that you're more repressed than then entire British royal family," was the curt reply.

"What?"

Kennedy arched an eyebrow. "I mean look at you." Blinking with confusion, Tara took stock of herself and frowned. "You're so damned busy not dealing with stuff that you're stuck," continued the brunette. "You can't handle the back, so you can't move forward."

"I'm not—" Tara began to protest.

Swift to interrupt, Kennedy effectively cut short the blonde's objection. "You know what pisses me off?"

"I'm guessing you'll tell me," grumbled Tara.

"You could have it all, and it's like you don't even want it," snorted Kennedy disdainfully. "I mean, you got a second chance at life! You got a do-over, but with all the good stuff still in place! The friends, the respect ..."

Tara seemed to withdraw into herself. "It's not just good stuff," she stated softly.

Kennedy waved a hand in the witch's direction, and the gesture screamed of frustration. "But instead you do that! You just fold up and push it away and don't deal with crap. What the hell?"

"It's not that simple," the blonde offered in quiet defense.

"Yeah, you know what?" Kennedy challenged. "It is. You went through some bad stuff, and that sucks, but it's life. If you're not gonna face that and deal with it, you might as well be back in the ground. You've got people around you who'd drop everything to help you. They want to help you so much they can taste it."

[ Download Clip #64 ]

Jet Wolf: And this would be Kennedy laying down the smack upon Tara.
Ultrace: Oh yeah.
JW: Sorta what I think many of the readers have been wanting to do for the past five episodes. Like, "Get out of it!"
U: "Just get over it! Kiss her! Make out! Go for it! Just skip it!"
<laughter>
U: "But instead you do that. You just fold up and push it away and don't deal with crap. You just origami it!"
JW: Right, so this scene was about uhm, just Kennedy finally saying to Tara, "I've had enough, stop it." Which, as Kennedy makes the point of herself, someone has to do it because, "If you two are left to your own devices, then you're just gonna keep on not dealing with anything."
U: Yup.
JW: And I— This was- This was good for Tara because ... she sort of has that sort of personality, where she just keeps punishing herself again and again and again and she wouldn't deal with it. But Kennedy, on the other hand, doesn't have that kind of patience. <chuckles> For her it's like, "You're being dumb, stop it." And she has a sort of directness— No one else could really help Tara like Kennedy does in this episode. You know, the— Willow certainly couldn't. There's no way that would happen. She's a little too frazzled. A-And none of the other Scoobies have that sort of uhm ... they have to dance around things. They can't come right out and say stuff. Even after all this time, none of them quite possess the directness necessary for this kind of- this kind of a confrontation. So we had someone dealing with Tara with, you know, kid gloves back in "Jigsaw". So three episodes previous where Xander's all like, "You wanna move, it's bad for you, you need to stay." You know, that was a very Xander way of dealing with things. And at the time, it was just what she needed. She needed to feel, "Okay, I'm loved, I'm accepted, they want me around, it's okay, I can stay." But we've gone beyond that point now and she doesn't need to be coddled any more, she needs to be kicked.
U: Meanwhile Kennedy's the one of the group who can say, "Listen up, bitch, this is how it is."
JW: Exactly. Exactly. And she— Tha-That's an edge that uh ... Faith doesn't really have that. She uhm, she kind of calls things as she sees them, but it's a much different way— Faith has a desire on some level, in many respects, to belong. Faith wants to be accepted. And Kennedy doesn't have that. Kennedy doesn't CARE. You know, "If you don't like me, that's your problem, that's not mine."
U: Yeah.
JW: And as a result, she doesn't have any qualms about, as you said, "You're being stupid, stop." And that's what was necessary.

Tara shook her head. "This is ... These are my problems. They shouldn't have to—"

The Slayer swiveled in her seat. "I knew it!" she announced triumphantly.

The tone of victory had apparently truly grated on Tara last nerve and she shot Kennedy a withering look before turning her attention back to the road ahead.

Entirely unfazed, she repeated, "I knew it! You're doing this whole suffer-in-silence martyr thing! You think it, what? Makes you more noble? Keeps everybody good and sympathetic?" Her voice took on a patronizing note. "Oh, poor Tara, always so giving, can't burden everyone else with her pain." Her voice returned to normal, but her scorn didn't lessen. "God, do you always have to be so perfect?"

Tara's mouth had tightened into a thin line. "Do you always have to be such a bitch?"

As soon as the words were spoken, an expression of mortification crossed Tara's face. For a second, Kennedy blinked in amazement and then broke into a huge grin.

"You've been wanting to say that for hours, haven't you?" she questioned cheerily.

"Oh my god, I'm ..." Tara stammered an apology. "I- I didn't mean ..."

Kennedy's attitude was almost smug. "Oh no, you meant it," she nodded confidently.

[ Download Clip #65 ]

Jet Wolf: And that was a line that was just dying to happen.
Ultrace: "Do you always have to be such a bitch"?
JW: That exchanges. Just those two lines. "Do you always have to be so perfect?" "Do you always have to be such a bitch?" That was ... That was the foundation for this episode. When I first got the idea to write a Tara and Kennedy episode, that was the first exchange that popped into my head. I just love it. It just sums them both up so much. That, you know, Tara always looking – NOT, but just this sort of impression that she gives up, particularly as she's been semi-martyred by now by the Scoobies for being dead and all – just this sort of perfect creation. And Kennedy just so ... bitchy.
U: Well the funny thing is, you were talking about how Kennedy's the only one really who can say that to Tara at this point, and Tara's the last person you'd expect to, you know, be going after Kennedy for being such a bitch either, you know.
JW: Mm-hm. <laughing> Well she just can't take it any more.
U: Yeah.
JW: Again, this being New Tara! New and improved, now with extra bitch.
U: Hee-hee.
JW: But uhm, she- she doesn't have that sort of patience any more. It's like, "You've worked my last nerve." And Kennedy calling her on it too. Tara's like, "I didn't mean it!" and Kennedy's like, "Oh no, you meant it."
U: <chuckling> Oh yeah.
JW: "You COMPLETELY meant it." A-An-And HAPPY too. She's- She's loving that she was able to get to her like that.
U: Oh yeah. I'm sure being called a bitch is the least of the things that's been done to Kennedy.
JW: Oh, I don't doubt. Again, doesn't really matter to her – "Don't like me, that's fine, that's your problem." But ... just to- to realize, "Okay, that was proof positive that I was gettin' somewhere."
U: Yeah.
JW: And it's a good thing. I mean, Kennedy being supportive of that. "You SHOULD say what you feel."
U: Yeah.
JW: And then we have them making a swing back around to Willow again. Uhm, as I mentioned with the previous- one of the previous scenes, it's ... it isn't the focus of everything that's going on, but you can't escape it. It comes up, and they haven't, between the two of them, haven't resolved you know. The- The sort of lingering feelings about that. The fact that, I mean ... Kennedy just going nuts. Like, "You have this. You have something that I want, and you don't seem to want it. The hell is your problem?" A-And I think that her ... directness and what she's saying here is very true. "If you don't want it, then tell her. Tell her you don't want her so she'll let you go. I'm over here waiting, and I can't do anything because, you know ... You won't stop. You won't let it. You won't let it lie." So a lot of- a lot of movement happens in this episode because a lot of things uhm, at least on the Willow/Tara emotional storyline, a lot of things have been helped up purely because of Tara. Because Willow doesn't wanna push, Willow's afraid to. She doesn't really have the right that, you know, this is really all Tara's call. So Tara's the one that has to instigate things. Which uhm, you know, is kind of a reverse of sorts to how they very first started. Because Tara was far too reticent to be able to initiate any – you know, back in Season 4 – to initiate any kind of relationship with Willow at all. So you know that Willow had to be the more aggressive – as far as either one of them were aggressive, which wasn't much, but you know ... the-the more allowing, "This is okay, this is something I want." Now they sort of switched roles, switched positions. At this, with this new foundation.
U: Yeah.

Tara battled her rising irritation. "Why do you do that?" she asked in a clipped tone. "That stubborn, superior thing. I-It's like the tire, you just had to do it all yourself. I mean it's obviously defensive, but—"

"Sorry Mrs. Freud," replied Kennedy, her voice far from apologetic. "But there's room for only one psychoanalysis in this vehicle, and trust me on this – you are by far the more screwed up of us."

Tara's eyes blazed. "See, you did it again."

"Do you even want her?" challenged Kennedy.

The abrupt nonsequitur took Tara off-guard and she blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Willow," stated the brunette firmly. "Do you even want her? Because you've got to know that she wants you."

Tara appeared befuddled. "What ... What does that have to do with anything?"

"Please. It has everything to do with everything." Kennedy rolled her eyes condescendingly but Tara still appeared to be in the dark. The brunette leaned forward. "Look, I'll make it real simple: If you don't want her, then have the decency to let her go."

"I'm not holding her," Tara insisted.

Kennedy let out a sardonic chuckle. "Which, incidentally, isn't doing much to prove to me that you're not an idiot." She ignored the witch's frown and continued with her tirade. "And by the way? Yeah, you are."

"I thought you were going to make this simple," snipped Tara.

Kennedy leaned back against the headrest with a heavy sigh. "She's been waiting for you since the second she saw you across the street. Probably longer, if I wanna sacrifice my ego. I think fifty years from now, some part of her will still be waiting. The bottom line is: that's not right. Not if you don't want her. Not when there are people out there who do." Slowly, she turned to stare at the blonde's profile. The gaze was intense in its scrutiny. "So. Tell me right now that you don't still love Willow and want to be with her."

Tara dragged her attention from the road to meet Kennedy's penetrating eyes. Kennedy held the stare and it was the blonde who looked away first. The Slayer waited for a moment but ostensibly, Tara had nothing to offer by way of words.

"And there we go," Kennedy concluded. "Which brings us to the next point: What the hell are you waiting for?"

"Why are you ..." Tara began and then smirked with apparent realization. "You're trying to get us back together."

Kennedy's response was virtually automatic. "No way."

"You are!" insisted Tara with a smile which quickly became a puzzled frown. "Why are you?"

Kennedy slumped down further into her seat and propped her feet on the dashboard. "I love Willow. That's not news. But I'm realistic. While she's yours, she can never be mine. If she thinks there's the slightest chance, I don't even have a shot. Hence the questions. I knew what she wanted but I wasn't sure about you." She shrugged. "Now I'm sure."

"Sooo you're playing matchmaker because...?" prompted Tara.

"Because," Kennedy told her, "I want Willow to be happy."

[ Download Clip #66 ]

Jet Wolf: This episode went a long way, I think, for convincing people who didn't like Kennedy that she was a good character and she was someone you could like. I would really be interesting in knowing, for them, at what point they came around to the character. Because it's- it's one of the things that I'm most proud of, on a detail kind of level with Chosen, was being able to convince a lot of people that the character was worthwhile and that you could like her and that was okay. I'd be very interested to know if, you know ... was it something specific? Did she say something in this episode, in a previous episode ... what convinced you? So I mean, I guess if you're listening to this and you fit into that category, please feel free to tell me. Uhm, just what- what might've turned it all around. For you.
Ultrace: If I had to guess, I'd probably think that most of them would probably be based on an overall progression of the character. You know. She started out not being all that sympathetic. Very much what we saw. And then we kinda like gradually turned her to where she is now. You know. And obviously there was stuff like early on where she's all, "Your magic is crap, blah blah blah" that, you know, probably irritated people. And then there's the breakup which cast her in a sympathetic light. And then she's still hanging around, trying to make things good for people, which kinda casts her a little bit more ... I think it's a- it's an edging thing, I would have to guess.
JW: I think overall you're correct. But I still think that there's probably that moment where someone would realize. Suddenly it's like, "Hey, you know? I'm kinda enjoying seeing Kennedy here." And if you think about it, you might realize the point— Or, well, if you're me anyway. You would know this. Maybe everybody's not quite so reflective as I am. But just, a point at which you're like, "Oh, this is how I feel. This is a defining point." So.
U: If I had to pick one defining point, it'd probably be <laughs> when Willow broke up with her. "Wow, she's no longer with Willow! I suddenly see her in a completely new light! She's ... She's not attached to Willow, I can look at her on her own merits and she's not bad now she's not corrupting my favourite wiccan."
JW: <laughs> Uhm, but if that was the case then – and obviously you're being very tongue-in-cheek when you say that – but if that was the case then, would it be just the simple fact that she was no longer with Willow that suddenly made her okay and suddenly you could take ... You know, was her relationship with Willow making everything negative, and as soon as you remove the negativity you could see all these positive things. You know, was it case of that? Or was it her reaction? Maybe her reaction made someone finally be sympathetic to her.
U: Yeah.
JW: You know, there's- there's something somewhere that ... I've gotten far too much feedback from ... I mean, it's one of, I would say, in the top five comments that I've heard repeatedly was, "You took Kennedy, who was a character I did not like, and you have made me like her." There's gotta be something in there somewhere where that happened. And, like I said, I would be very curious to know what that something was.

Tara pondered for a moment and then nodded, seeming to recognize the sense and sincerity behind the statement.

"And," the Slayer added sharply, "because it's pretty damned clear that if someone doesn't step in and kick you in the ass, you'll both keep circling around each other until one of you crashes and burns." She tutted in frustration and rolled her eyes. "This is so not hard. Why the hell you have to make it into this big drama is beyond me. It's freaking irritating."

"See, you were sounding nice up until that point." Tara allowed herself a tiny smile.

Kennedy glanced sideways at the blonde from beneath lowered lids. "Well, can't go giving you false impressions, can I?"

Only the purring engine and the occasional 'swish' of the windshield wipers broke the hush that followed.

"You're so different," Tara suddenly announced. Kennedy quirked an eyebrow and waited for clarification. "From how I thought you'd be," the witch added. "When Willow first mentioned she'd ... she'd found someone, I thought ... I dunno. I thought you'd be kinda like ... me."

Kennedy snorted a laugh at that and Tara was obliged to grin.

"I-I guess that's kinda self-centered," she admitted.

"Maybe a little," conceded the Slayer. "But no. I think the last thing Will needed was someone to remind her of you every second of every day. So she traded up." She shot Tara a mischievous grin and the blonde chuckled.

"I'm the anti-Tara," Kennedy declared, puffing out her chest with mock pride.

Agreement was quick and quite certain. "I'm surprised we can exist in the same space without canceling each other out. Do we even have anything in common? At all?"

"Willow," Kennedy replied with a tinge of regret.

There was a pause.

"Well there's that," admitted Tara.

Kennedy returned her feet to the floorboard of the car. She leaned forward and, with a knowing look, treated Tara to a leering grin.

The witch blushed. "A-And that too."

Both women relaxed a little as the tension between them seemed to ease.

Tara peered out through the windshield. "Hey, look – a right," she pointed out with a smile.

"About time," puffed the brunette. "Take that bad boy."

As Tara turned the wheel, Kennedy referred to her handwritten directions. "It says we keep straight for a couple miles."

"Boy, when Mr. Giles said she was living somewhere remote, he wasn't kidding," Tara remarked as she observed that the new trail looked unmistakably similar to the old trail.

"Chapleau so far – not that impressive," commented Kennedy with something of a sneer. She dug around under the seat, unearthing an unlabeled CD that she waved at Tara. "Feel like some tunes? The radio hasn't picked up anything for hours." She turned the disk back and forth and frowned. "Though I have no idea what's on this."

"Oh, that's one of mine," the blonde responded.

Kennedy held it at arms length and regarded it with contempt. "It's not easy listening crap, is it?" she asked warily.

Smirking, Tara took the CD and popped it into the player. Within seconds, a strong beat filled the interior of the SUV. Then, a woman could be heard singing in the background, followed by a male voice:

Unconditional love, talking about the stuff that don't wear off. It don't fade, it'll last for all these crazy days ...

An expression of unadulterated shock invaded Kennedy's features. She blinked at Tara in total astonishment, mouth gaping. Now, it was Tara's turn to act smug and she grinned into Kennedy's disbelieving face.

"Tupac Shakur?" gaped the brunette.

"He was a great poet," Tara offered by way of explanation.

"Yeah, but ..." Kennedy seemed at a loss for words. "But what the hell do you have in common with a black male rapper who grew up on the streets of New York?"

"Nothing." Eyes wide in feigned surprise, Tara regarded Kennedy innocently. "Amazing, isn't it?"

[ Download Clip #67 ]

Jet Wolf: This is actually the scene where I think we get our first real indication that Kennedy and Tara can be friends. I think. Not those kind of friends.
Ultrace: Friends and more.
JW: You know they- they can ... they're revelling in their differences at this point. It's like, "We don't have anything in common, but you're a good person and I can see that." And that's either one of them saying that to the other.
U: Yeah.
JW: And it's a- it's a good relationship. It's a good friendship. It's different, it's very different from what Willow and Kennedy have – you know, the whole sex thing aside anyway. But ah, just how they can't relate to one another. Cuz I think Tara brings kind of a ... a comfort, you know. A sense of security, of not being judged, that Kennedy appreciates. And Tara, she can say all these things and she can be honest, but she has a caring about her that Kennedy I think would find some sort of a sense of ... what's the word I'm looking for? Shelter, almost. You know, something comforting that she could- she could kind of cling to. And for Tara, Kennedy just being, you know, the opposite really. Maybe cuz they ARE opposites, I guess is why it works so well. That Kennedy just being the hard ass, the one who's just like, you know, "Stop this patient crap that you have going on. This is how things really are."
U: Yeah. It's kind of funny, can I say ... there must be some kind of magical interference with the radio waves, because you can usually get radio anywhere from 60 to 100 miles away if you're lucky. For it to have not picked up anything in the last couple hours, they've have to be like, at least 100 miles away from the outside edge of a radio transmission. You know, and they're in Canada, not upper Mongolia.
JW: Well it's also been snowing.
U: That is true, there is that. That's gonna cut down their- their reach.
JW: And when they're saying that the radio hasn't picked up anything for hours, you know, they may be speaking literally, but they may also be speaking in a, "Nothing that's worth listening to."
U: I got you.
JW: Perhaps.
U: Good point.
JW: But of course it was just an excuse to have the CD, and the CD just being an excuse to have, <laughing> "Hey, Tara listens to gangsta rap!"
U: I was gonna say, you could've gone the Tori Amos route. It's not—
JW: No, no.
U: It's not "easy listening crap" is it? "Ohhh these little earthquakes—" "Noooo!!"
JW: No no no, Tori Amos was just like, that's just way too ... That'd be like, you know, "I listen to Indigo Girls!" You know? <Ultrace laughs> None of that crap. That was way too much of a gimme. Now, Tara— I spent an awful lot of time to figure out what Tara could listen to. And I knew I wanted it to be something that would be a surprise. Something that Kennedy and the reader would both be like, "Huuuhh?" Kinda doing a doubletake. But uhm, the idea of Tara listening to rap— And I don't think she'd listen to just anything. I mean I think that she would need ... something you know, that actually seemed to have some sort of a meaning to it, and uhm ... Just, you know, it fits her so well somehow. And she has no relationship – which Kennedy mentions, you know. No particular, "Oh, it makes perfect sense that this middle class white girl is listening to gangsta rap", you know.
U: "What do you have in common with a black male rapper who grew up on the streets of New York?" "Uhm, Willow?"
<laughter>
JW: But just the idea that Tara doesn't judge things. She- She doesn't take that book by its cover. She'll always look at what's underneath. So the thought that she, you know, the stereotype of, "I can't listen to this because I don't fit the mould", that wouldn't suit for Tara.
U: Yeah.
JW: Tara's gonna see beyond it and what she sees is a poet. You know, the soul of a poet coming through and the things that he has to say. And that's what's going to interest her. And it just seems— Once I thought that, it just seems so perfect. Now having gone through all of that, I don't listen to rap. <laughs> So then became the quest, when I realized that's what it should be, the quest then became to find what song. And I don't honestly know what song this is now. I-I found it at the time but then I went through this whole thing where I had to go to lyric sites and look for the right things, you know, because poet or no I think he wrote some stuff that was pretty much just like ... uh ...
U: Hard core profanity?
JW: Yeah. Let's say. I was actually gonna go a lot more crude. But certainly songs that were mostly about sex, so. <Ultrace laughs> As lyrical as that may be, that wasn't really the point I was trying to get across.
U: Songs about his bitches.
JW: Yeah. So uh, having Tara listen to a song about her bitches didn't quite work out for what I was trying to do. So trying to find something that fit instead. And just that one line that, which is the first line of the song. When I read it then downloaded the song to hear what it sounded like, just seemed so perfect really. It sort of sums up where, you know, her primary emotional arc happens to be for the season. It seemed to suit it perfectly. But yeah, like I said. Once I realized it I- it seemed to perfect. Just a thing of beauty.
U: Yeah.
JW: Now I can't- I can't imagine that being anything else. So yeah, the idea of it actually being Tori Amos or something just a little too stereotypically lesbian just didn't work at all. And especially not for what I was trying to say here, which was, you know ... The idea that Tara can and does like things that, if you look at her, you wouldn't think that she should. And of course that being analogous to her liking Kennedy as a friend. Like you know, "We have nothing in common, but hey, guess what? That doesn't matter."
U: Gotcha.

Shaking her head, Kennedy seemed to be trying to absorb this turn of events. Tara grinned broadly, obviously delighted that she had been able to take Kennedy so unawares. She turned her attention back to the road, just in time to see something huge leap in front of the SUV.

Instinctively, Kennedy threw an arm across Tara's chest. "Look out!"

Wrestling with the steering wheel, Tara managed to make a sharp swerve off to the side of the wide trail. She struggled in vain to maintain command of the vehicle as it careened out of control, directly toward a row of large trees.

Applying the brakes with delicacy and no little skill, Tara brought the fishtailing vehicle back under control. It screeched to a halt no more than a foot before careening into the trees. Though visibly shaken, neither woman had suffered any fatal injuries and they let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Nice moves," remarked Kennedy, rubbing a bruised kneecap.

"Thanks," Tara replied, shaking out hands that had been clamped rigid upon the steering wheel. "I always knew driving my father's truck in the middle of winter would come in handy one day." She paused. "Actually, I didn't, but anyway." She glanced into her rear view mirror but could see nothing untoward. "What was that?"

[ Download Clip #68 ]

Jet Wolf: Here with Tara and saying how she ah, drove her father's truck in the middle of winter and all that, it's actually at that moment when I suddenly decided what my Tara backstory location was. I figured out where Tara came from. I don't have a town name, but whereabouts in the region Tara came from and stuff like that. And it was all for just that one line. <Ultrace chuckles> But it seemed to work quite well. Obviously I won't say anything about that, but gee, I suspect maybe we'll find out at some later point.

Rolling down her window, Kennedy peered at the road behind them. "I don't know."

The pair started as a sudden booming roar echoed through the area. They looked around wildly, but failed to locate the source.

"... but if we find that? I'm guessing we'll have our answer," assured Kennedy.

Tara laughed nervously. "Ignorance is bliss?"

"So's kicking ass." Turning, the Slayer pulled a crossbow from the backseat and quickly readied the weapon. "Wait here," she commanded.

Tara protested. "But I—"

Kennedy affixed the witch with an uncompromising stare. "Wait. Here."

Seizing a quiver of arrows and throwing it over her shoulder, Kennedy opened the door cautiously. She exited the car, eyes searching in every direction but all was tranquil and eerily silent. There was a light fall of snow swirling all around her and an icy layer crunched beneath Kennedy's boots as she moved away from the SUV. She paid the noise no attention, her every sense tuned to the environment surrounding her. The Slayer's gaze narrowed as she constantly scanned for any sign of movement. She slowed to a halt and tilted her head, ears straining for the slightest sound of danger. She could see nothing and hear nothing until Tara's voice rang out.

"Behind you!"

Whirling, Kennedy was only barely able to avoid the aimed blow from an immense fist that whistled past her right ear. Recovering with incredible speed, she counter-attacked with a vicious kick to the creature's midsection, but made contact with nothing but thin air; there was no sign of her opponent. The Slayer blinked and straightened, head snapping from side-to-side.

"What the—" she muttered and then turned to Tara who was now standing outside the SUV. "Where did it go?"

Tara extended her arms and shrugged. "I don't ..." She shook her head in bewilderment. "It's like it just vanished."

"Something that big?" rejoined Kennedy. "Doubtful. It's probably just—"

Dropping to one knee, she spun quickly and fired a bolt from her crossbow toward a thicket of trees. However, the arrow obviously missed its intended target, given the fact that the monster – disappointingly whole and unscathed – came lumbering toward her. It was an enormous beast, perhaps as tall as twelve feet, very muscular and covered with silvery-yellow shaggy hair. With remarkable presence of mind, Kennedy began to calmly reload her weapon. Apparently, however, the speed with which she was doing so didn't sit very well with Tara, who promptly took off at a run.

"Kennedy!" she called, instantly attracting the creature's attention. It tilted its head to one side and abruptly changed direction. Kennedy's eyes narrowed as the monster shuffled toward the blonde.

"Dammit," she cursed. "I said stay in the car!"

Pulling herself up short, Tara blinked at the monster, which continued its ambling gait toward her. It grunted loudly and made peculiar guttural noises as it approached. A puzzled frown crept into Tara's features and she moved forward, as though to take a closer look. Scrambling to her feet, a worried Kennedy sprinted across the snow until she stood between prey and predator, now no more than an arms length away. The brunette threw a powerful roundhouse punch but the creature, despite its massive bulk, easily evaded the tightly clenched fist. She followed swiftly with a well-aimed jab, which also missed unfortunately, but at least served to send the beast momentarily off-balance.

Kennedy spared a quick glance to Tara, who appeared to be frozen in place. "What part of 'stay in the car' is confusing?" she all but shouted. "I can't fight this thing if I gotta worry about you too!"

Wonderingly, Tara shook her head. "There's something weird about—"

Another wide swing kept the beast at bay. "We can do the National Geographic bit later!" she told Tara sharply.

However, the monster had apparently grown tired of the confrontation and, with a mighty roar, rambled back into the woods from which it had emerged. In a heartbeat, all sight and sound of the creature had vanished.

Tara carefully scrutinized the area of disappearance as she moved to stand next to Kennedy. "It's got this sort of ... weird emptiness around it, like—"

"Down!" came Kennedy's abrupt warning as a smallish tree, roots still dangling, came hurtling toward them from a densely forested location to the far left of where the monster had evaporated into the gloom. The missile traveled with startling speed and unbelievable accuracy. Acting on instinct, Kennedy seized Tara about the waist and hurled herself to the ground. Almost immediately, the tree sailed above their heads, missing them by mere inches. The pair landed in a jumbled heap, just as the trunk made impact with a row of slender firs on the opposite side of the trail. The saplings snapped easily beneath the force.

[ Download Clip #69 ]

Jet Wolf: With this scene here we really see Kennedy coming into her own. This is- This is what she's much better at. You know. Changing tires, things of that nature, not so much what Kennedy's born and bred for. But this sort of situation, she completely takes over. It's not even a question at this point, you know. "Tara, you stay the hell back. I'm the Slayer, I'll handle this." And ah, with this scene we wanted a sort of continuation of the idea that Kennedy can't do everything herself, but at the same time definitely not wanting to undercut Kennedy's importance and how well she herself can sort of handle these situations and doing the things that she needs to. But wanting— needing to be able to drive further home the idea that her- her own feeling of, "I'm not being very effective in what I'm doing." Which brings us to her epiphany later on in the episode. But you can see Kennedy very- very much in command, very much in control in this episode. Er, in this episode. In this SCENE. You know, Tara not entirely listening all the time, but you know, for at least a brief moment in time, Kennedy has control of the situation.
Ultrace: Very spiffy fight scenes. Skillfully wasted on the illusionary monster.
JW: <chuckles> It's well- It's well written, I thought. I was pleased with— I don't remember—
U: I didn't do it.
JW: Okay then I must've scripted it and Nova must've prosed it. But I was- I was— I thought it was very visually- done very well visually. If you're reading the descriptions, you really can picture it in your head, unfolding the way that it comes about. And I have to admit, this part here where we have the tree getting thrown at Kennedy and Tara and the way that they like, Kennedy pulls Tara down to the ground? In my head, that came about and continues to- to be the scene from Spider-Man 2, where Doc Ock throws the car through the coffee shop window and Peter grabs Mary Jane and they- they like barely – you know, in all slow motion – barely get on the ground. That's totally how that scene looks for me.
U: Was this written before we saw Spider-Man 2?
JW: I am pretty sure we at least saw trailers. I don't remember the dates and times. But I'm pretty sure I at least saw a movie trailer for it, so. And- And that was completely— From the moment I thought of that scene, that was how it unfolded.

Neither moved for several seconds. Kennedy's posture was rigid like a stone statue, head cocked and ears pricked, her eyes narrowed with concentration. Tara, however, being pinned by the other woman's weight and apparently not entirely at ease with the proximity, had more pressing matters at hand. She shifted uncomfortably. "Uhm ..."

Without looking down, Kennedy jammed her forefinger against Tara's mouth. "Shh," she commanded.

Tara blinked but ceased to fidget – even her chest barely moved as she breathed as quietly as possible. Kennedy continued to listen intently to her surroundings. Then, in a blur of motion, the brunette brought around the crossbow still gripped in her hand and fired. The bolt's flight was straight and true, hitting the monster squarely between the eyes. But Kennedy's self-satisfied smile faded fast into one of bafflement as the projectile simply sailed gaily on its way, leaving behind no sign of injury. Nonetheless, the monster waved its arms in a threatening gesture and bellowed loudly before quickly scampering back into the safety of the trees.

"Did you see that?" whispered a dumbfounded Kennedy, even though Tara, still firmly immobilized, couldn't see very much of anything.

This was a condition that Tara obviously was keen to rectify. "Uhm ..." she murmured a little more forcibly.

[ Download Clip #70 ]

Ultrace: And the closest to Kennedy-on-Tara action <JW laughs> you'll get in this episode.
Jet Wolf: That always amused me though. You see Tara just kind of lying there like, "Uhm. I'd like to get up now please."
U: It's kind of funny, actually. We had a similar thing to this in episode three, where Kennedy saves uh—
JW: Oh, Hazel, yeah.
U: —Hazel from the Mogari.
JW: Hmmmm. I think maybe this was a subconscious trait on Kennedy's part.
U: "Land on a woman, see if you get lucky."
JW: But no, very much that scene is good, I think, because it's showing that however much of a, you know ... Uhm ... What's the politest way to put that? ... Energetic pursuer and enjoyer of the finer pleasures that Kennedy is, when it's business time, it's business time. And- And it's, you know. She's not even interested in bantering at this point. It's like, "Shut up, I'm listening."
U: Your description sounds almost like hedonism.
<laughter>

Kennedy glanced down and for the first time, appeared to realize Tara's predicament. "Oh! Oh. Sorry." Rolling smoothly to her feet, the Slayer extended a hand. Tara accepted gratefully and began to brush melting snowflakes from her shoulders.

"I hit it," Kennedy insisted, still somewhat mystified. "Or, well, I should've hit it, but nothing."

Tara shook out her soaked gloves. "Do you maybe get the feeling we're being kinda ... tested?"

"Starting to," the Slayer scowled. "I'm not much appreciating it either."

"I didn't think so." The blonde regarded Kennedy with a small smirk. "You know, I have actually been doing the monster fighting thing for a little while, you don't have to protect me."

[ Download Clip #71 ]

Ultrace: "I HAVE actually been doing the monster fighting thing for a little while." Yeah, you drove the axe into a monster one time before you got your heart blown out.
JW: That wasn't very nice.
U: <laughing> I'm just saying, you know. Tara makes it sounds like, "Oh, I'm monster slayer!"
JW: Well, but she was a Scooby for a while, I mean ...
U: That is true. And she's about as monster hunter as Wesley when he goes over to Angel.
JW: She's not that bad.
U: She's not. But anyway.
JW: She's just not good with the violence. Or the swimming.
U: Did you say, "Or the swimming"?
JW: "The swimming", yeah.
U: She can't swim?
JW: No, it's- it's ... a scene.
U: Oh, okay.
JW: It's from "This Year's Girl". She's saying Willow's all "cool monster fighter", then she's like, "I'm not so good with the—" and then she starts like doing this sort of thing? And Willow's like, "Swimming?"
U: <laughs> Gotcha.
JW: It's just me being a nerd again.

Kennedy went back to scanning the immediate vicinity. "You're the important one here. I'm the security." She shrugged. "Besides, this is my first big solo mission. How's it gonna look if I get you all killed?"

"That works then, I'm not much in the mood to die. Again," Tara frowned for a moment, but quickly shook it off for more pressing matters. "I've got a plan. Can you keep it busy?"

As if on cue, an ear-splitting yowl echoed from behind.

"Shouldn't be a problem," assured the brunette as she whirled to face the monster.

Without further hesitation, Tara raced to the SUV, threw open the door, and began to rummage through the untidy pile of bags that had been thrown into the back seat. She glanced back briefly toward Kennedy, who was apparently working methodically through her extensive repertoire of attacks, but meeting with little if any success.

"C'mon, lemme land at least one," coaxed the Slayer. "It'll help my fragile ego."

The monster's response was a hefty punch, which Kennedy avoided with relative ease.

"By the way," she continued smoothly, "the Hair Club for Men called – they'd like you to be their poster child success story."

This barb was met with minimal reaction, save the mutual swing-and-miss exchange that seemed to have become the temporary norm. Kennedy audibly 'tskd' with disappointment. "Oh come on," she urged. "I was a good two minutes thinking that one up, you could at least pretend to be a little pissed."

A high-pitched whistle effectively put a halt to the skirmish and both combatants turned to see Tara standing nearby, a powdered concoction of unknown origin nestled within her outstretched palm.

She smiled sweetly at the creature. "I think maybe you have reality issues," she said with mock concern. "We can help."

Puffing out her cheeks, she blew the loose mixture into the beast's face as Kennedy took an involuntary step backward. The powder swirled about the monster, and it shook its shaggy head in confusion.

Taking full advantage, Tara began her incantation:

"Mother of dreams,
From the depths of night,
Remove the veil,
Bring truth to my sight."

[ Download Clip #72 ]

Jet Wolf: Another of my lame little incantations. I always put, you know ... I always put them in there for place holders. Trying to tell somebody, ANYbody, to write them <Ultrace laughs> and no one ever does. So it always comes down to whatever I come up with, and I am not a poet. These things don't, ah, don't work too terribly well.
Ultrace: May I say that yours is better than my mayonnaise jar incantation in "Hard Day's Night"?
JW: Well it was intentional. It was intentionally supposed to be something like, absurdly ...
U: Long.
JW: Long and ...
U: Complicated.
JW: Yeah, exactly. For, you know, *tink, tink*, it doesn't move. But yeah, I've written like three or four of these incantations throughout the course of The Chosen, and I'm never really happy with any of them.
U: Hee-hee.
JW: But no one else ever writes them! What's the point of having a team if you can't make them do the things you don't want to!
U: Maybe I'll help out more this season. I did write one in "Hide & Seek" as well.
JW: Did you write that one, or did I? I can't remember. I-I thought I did it. But ...
U: Maybe I just described the effects ...
JW: I think you described the effect of it, but I thought I wrote the incantation. But I may not have. I really don't ...
U: Anyway, let's move on.
JW: Well, if I wrote it, it sucked, and if YOU wrote it, it was WONDERFUL.
U: Awwww. You're so sweet.

The concoction began to twirl more rapidly. The creature watched the spiral guardedly, batting at the close-knit particles as though trying to swat away a swarm of pesky mosquitoes, but the effort brought no satisfaction. Without warning, the powder exploded, effectively blasting the beast like a sandstorm. The eruption swiftly eroded the illusion of a yeti-like monster, leaving in its wake an extremely svelte and slender being, perhaps two feet tall. Dressed in a thigh-length tunic of emerald, it fluttered a pair of vaporous wings as it hovered in front of Kennedy's face. A cap of the same color, which had obviously been placed with utmost precision between two pointed ears, rested upon its long platinum hair.

The bright blue eyes, narrowed with vexation, became saucer-like with apprehension. "Crap," came the nettled utterance. Quickly altering its flight path, the being attempted to flee and its trajectory was indeed speedy, but Kennedy was ready. Reaching out, she snagged it by one wing.

[ Download Clip #73 ]

Jet Wolf: Here we have our first appearance of Quinn. Quinn is an interesting little character. I figured when we created him he was going to be the sort of character that was either going to be really liked or really NOT liked. That's just the kind of personality he has. But he's good- he's good for comic relief, particularly with Ruth. <Ultrace chuckles> Because not that Ruth herself is overly serious a character, but Quinn sort of makes it to where we can't ever really take Ruth too terribly seriously. Even- Even if we perhaps should, Quinn adds an element of uhm, just you know, humour to the entire proceedings. He doesn't take anything too terribly seriously, and it helps us as well to not make things quite so grave. And he's handy for that, he's very good. Ruth I think would be a too serious a kind of a character without Quinn around to- to help to cushion that out.
Ultrace: Realistically speaking, the Scoobies also shouldn't be making fun of Ruth, and we need somebody to be able to do that.
JW: Right, exactly. You know, which like I say, he's the perfect vehicle for that. And I really do actually like the uhm, the relationship that we built between Ruth and Quinn. That has a whole ... thing. Whether we'll ever get to it, I have no idea, but. Quinn is very much a kind of character who likes who he likes and he likes them. But everyone else can kinda go to hell.
U: Yeah.
JW: And he forms like those sort of instant, you know, "Oh, I like you. Oh, I don't like you." kind of situations. Which is why we kind of see him later in, I think it's "Exchanges", where you know, he's totally ragging on Buffy. He's just, for whatever reason, he's just decided, "I don't care for you." But Dawn on the other hand, "Oh, I like you, you're pretty cool." Which Dawn, of course, just finds fascinating. So yeah, Quinn ... Didn't go over with some people, as was expected. He's just a little bit too abrasive for a new character. Some people get very, you know, "You're making fun of Buffy! DIE!" So I can kind of see where that came from.
U: Hee-hee.
JW: But that- that was the intention, so it's all good.

"Ow!" The being glared at Kennedy over its shoulder. "Do you mind?"

The Slayer shrugged and pinched a little harder. "Not so much."

Staring intently, Tara joined Kennedy and examined the small struggling creature with much fascination. He treated her to a scowl and then returned to the business of freedom. With noisy protestations, he tried unsuccessfully to liberate the entrapped wing.

"Who are you?" asked Tara curiously.

The being huffed and puffed as he ineffectually jerked within Kennedy's grasp. "I am ..." He waved his hands desperately as he tugged. "Quinstharyn ..." The feet were also pedaling violently in mid-air now. "... of the—"

With one final yank, he gave up the ghost and, sighing in defeat, leaned on Kennedy's outstretched arm.

"Besides being tremendously undignified," he stated with a frown, "this is, in fact, rather painful. Please let go. I promise not to run."

Kennedy's response was a scornful chuckle. "Right, and you've obviously proven yourself to be so trustworthy so far."

The being turned its pleading eyes toward Tara, almost as though appealing to her better nature for support on his behalf.

Tara thoughtfully considered the unspoken request for clemency. "I-I think you can let him go."

"Sure, so he can play dress-up some more," scoffed the unrelenting Slayer. She peered at the little individual loafing on her forearm. "What's next on the creature feature, going to turn into Mothra or something?"

The attractive but somewhat epicene features contorted into a lascivious leer. "Only if you two lovelies will be my Cosmos twins."

Kennedy rolled her eyes. "Oh, so no."

"Really, you can let him go," coaxed Tara. "I can cast a spell on him if I need to." Meaningfully eyeing the creature, she assured, "He won't be going anywhere."

Rather reluctantly, and standing ready to enforce another snaffle if need be, Kennedy released the small being. Her arm dropped immediately, and as his support disappeared, gravity kicked in. He let out a yelp of surprise, but his recovery was swift. As he floated back to eye level, he exuded an aura that screamed 'I meant to do that'.

With as much nonchalance as he could muster, the creature flexed his emancipated wing and massaged it gingerly. He glowered at the kink and palpitated both wings until the crimp had all but straightened itself out. That task accomplished, he removed his cap with a flourish and hung it on nothing at all. It remained stationary on its invisible hook while he pulled a small mirror from the pocket of his tunic and began to alternately fluff and smooth his silvery tresses with the utmost care.

Tara was unable to entirely stifle a chuckle at his vanity, but she appeared to be the only one amused by the show. Kennedy favored the blonde with a dubious look, prompting Tara to clear throat and interrupt the grooming session. "Mr. Quinstharyn—"

"Just 'Quinn', sweetie," interrupted the creature with a beaming smile as the mirror vanished and he set about replacing the cap upon his head just so. "Since we're all such good friends now."

The witch's eyes betrayed mild amusement. "...Quinn," she corrected. "What are you ... I mean, what was with all the ..." She waved her hand abstractly around his figure.

"Oh, that?" replied Quinn dismissively. "Just a little diversionary protection. Got to keep the nasties away, don't we?" He crossed his legs as though seated upon an invisible chair and traced the line of his chin with a delicate finger. He considered first Tara and then Kennedy with open approval. "Mm, but no nasties here."

The attempted charm had no effect on Kennedy – save perhaps to make her further aggravated. "So it was all illusions?" she asked, sounding thoroughly annoyed.

"Every bit," Quinn admitted with extreme pride. "Sight, sound ..." He polished his fingernails on his tunic. "I've been working on them for years. They're some of my best."

Tara nodded appreciatively. "It was very impressive."

Quinn glowed at the compliment and his wings quivered with delight. "Thank you, love! Aren't you just the sweetest thing? You should see my one-man presentation of Rent, it's to die for."

Kennedy puffed with exasperation. "God, I hate magic," she muttered darkly.

Quinn appeared not to have heard the observation as he happily continued. "Better to be safe than sorry, especially these days. But congratulations to you two!" He bounced in place and clapped his hands with unbridled pleasure. "We can go as soon as you're ready."

Kennedy and Tara exchanged a look of confusion.

"Go?" queried Tara.

"To see the lady of the house, of course," Quinn tutted at their apparent slow-wittedness. "Didn't come all this way just for the scenery, did you?

[ Download Clip #74 ]

Jet Wolf: In many respects, this was our final Faith and Hazel scene. It wasn't really, we had another one in "Exchanges", but for my purposes, this was our final Faith and Hazel scene.
Ultrace: The one in "Exchanges" wasn't exactly much of a scene as it was tragedy.
JW: No, no, where they had the one where they were talking about, like, Hazel taking over Faith's class—
U: Oh, okay, gotcha. <laughs>
JW: And that was actually the last Faith and Hazel scene, but emotionally, this was the very last Faith and Hazel scene.
U: Yeah.
JW: That was the way it was written. And uhm, I don't know that anyone actually picked up on it, but when I wrote this scene, it was meant as an intentionally parallel between the first graveyard Faith and Hazel scene. Where they're walking along and the vampire comes out and surprises Hazel. Uhm, the- the setup for the scene is intentionally the same. We have Faith tossing Hazel the stake, and she catches it as she does in the first one. But this time it's just a smooth thing. You know, she's immediately up on her feet, she's dusted the vampire, tossed the stake back, and she's good to go. Whereas in the very first episode, Faith acts the exact same way – throws her the stake, Hazel freaks out, doesn't know what to do with it, you know. Jabbing at the air randomly and stuff like that, until Faith has to pull him off. Uhm, and it was meant to sort of show how far Hazel's development has come. Just within these relatively brief few months, she's become a completely capable Slayer. Of course, you know, that just making it all the more ...
U: Yeah. Painful.
JW: Painful. When she dies.
U: My favourite Faith and Hazel scene remains the one with the bean bags.
JW: Oh, where she's throwing the bean bags at her?
U: Yes.
JW: That was an afterthought. I don't even remember what episode that was in now.
U: It was relatively early on.
JW: I think it was in "Where the Heart is" maybe?
U: Yeah. Something like that.
JW: I actually had written down that one, "I need a Faith and Hazel scene here". And I realized I needed a Faith and Hazel scene almost as an afterthought, at the last second. Oh, I think it was supposed to be Faith and Kennedy. At first. I think it was supposed to be just Faith and Kennedy. And Kennedy comes in at the end.
U: Kennedy's all pissed, she's going of to drink or something.
JW: Yeah she's like stomping into Slayer Central and Faith's like, "We're gonna go drinkin' instead." Uhm, but yeah, the ah ... That scene came out as a last minute thing and I don't know where I got the idea for the bean bags from or not.
U: But it was great.
JW: Yeah. That actually— That scene itself, if you go back and you read it – knowing that Hazel's going to die, if you go back and read it, it's actually got one or two lines in there as well that are very ...
U: Yeah, they're very ... "How about we take care of each other" ...
JW: Yeah, something like that. It's- It's got a couple of things. I was doing that throughout the whole season.
U: Exactly. But just the imagery of you know, Faith like throwing the bean bags and Hazel trying to dodge and Faith being like, "This is for your own good, hee-hee."
<laughter>
U: Kinda makes me think actually, although we- we saw the movie much later, of the movie Dodgeball, where it's like—
JW: Oh, yeah.
U: —"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball." CLANG.
JW: <laughs> Yeah, that is funny. Ah, yeah, so that was the parallel with this scene. And this is where we see Hazel learning that Faith has spent the entirety of today trying to find out ways to make her feel better. And we get here where Faith ... I don't if Faith necessarily consciously realizes it, but the idea that Faith cared so much to do all that is what makes Hazel feel better. It's not the ice cream, it's not the Friends marathon, it's not calculating pi, it's you know, that "You cared enough to make me feel better, that you spent your whole day trying to make me feel better."
U: It's the thought that counts.
JW: Exactly. It really is the thought that counts.

Night was beginning to fall, enshrouding the cemetery in a patchwork of darkness. Both Faith and Hazel were clearly on the hunt, their eyes alert and constantly seeking out threats lurking in every shadow.

"How you doing?" Faith eventually broached, her attention not wavering from her surroundings.

"Little chilly," Hazel told her. "I should've worn a thicker jacket."

"No," the older Slayer replied. "I meant about the, y'know. Parents."

"Oh." Hazel turned to Faith and shrugged. "Okay, I guess." The bulk of her focus returned to the patrol, but she easily continued as they prowled. "I talked to my dad this afternoon. I got the after school special speech, about how this is about them and not me. I actually sort of was thinking it would help, since it always seems to make the kids on TV feel better." She chuckled at her naivety. "No go, though. It was all sort of anticlimactic. Just as well I've never used drugs, cuz I don't see their generic intervention stuff doing much better."

Her confession complete, the duo lapsed into silence once more until Faith suddenly broke it to ask, "You like ice cream?"

"Isn't it physically impossible to not like ice cream?" returned Hazel. She thought for a moment and then added, "Though I guess if you're lactose intolerant ..."

"Yeah, then?" queried Faith with mild irritation.

The Junior grinned at the display of low-grade impatience. "Yes, Fiver, I like ice cream. Why?"

"Cuz I bought some for you," she answered. "It's back at the base."

Coming to an abrupt halt, Hazel turned to look at her companion with astonishment. "You bought me ice cream?"

Before Faith could supply an answer, a vampire leapt from the shadows, flying at Hazel in a tackle that sent the girl rolling to the ground. Standing back, Faith crossed her arms and watched carefully while making no move to intercede. The scuffle proved to be amazingly short-lived. With relative ease, Hazel thrust her legs upward, throwing the vampire to one side. She then rolled back onto her shoulders and flipped nimbly to her feet, just as the vampire was about to launch a second attack. Glancing expectantly toward Faith, she extended her arm and deftly caught the stake that the Senior Slayer tossed toward her. With a smooth motion, she drove it into the vampire who promptly disintegrated into dust. Hazel looked down at the pile of ashes and shrugged before casually flipping the stake back into Faith's outstretched hand.

"Nice," Faith told her approvingly.

Hazel smiled proudly. "Thanks. It's amazing how much better fighting evil can make you feel. Sort of puts everything else in perspective you know?"

"I'll take your word for it," smirked Faith.

Rubbing her hands together, Hazel's tongue poked out from between her lips. "That ice cream is sounding really good now, though. What kind did you get?"

There was the slightest hesitation before responding. "Chocolate chip cookie dough. I thought maybe it'd ... I dunno, make you feel better."

A tiny frown crossed the younger girl's face and almost immediately, Faith initiated a severe assault on her idea. "I know, dumb," she snapped, sounding intensely irritated at herself. "I knew I shouldn't'a listened to Oxford. It's just that ... See, I really wanted to try and make you feel better, right? But I ain't built for that sorta thing, so I scoped out B an' her little gang. Figured they're pretty much the group that invented the warm fuzzy."

Pausing to take a breath, she rolled her eyes. "Hangin' around 'em can make ya a little sick sometimes, but they're all big on the group hugs an' gold stars, so seemed easy money. But all I basically got was 'Friends', some number thing, an' food."

She glanced toward Hazel – whose mouth was now agape at the lengthy explanation – before continuing. "Food came up twice, but wasn't no way I was gonna bring you a week's worth'a Ho Hos." She noted the younger girl's raised eyebrow and hastened to clarify. "X-Man. He was on some Hostess kick, I didn't stick around to figure it out. Ice cream seemed okay though, so ..."

[ Download Clip #75 ]

Jet Wolf: And her we show where Faith says that she went to talk to Xander and he recommended like a week's worth of Ho-Hos. And the idea for that being to show that Faith DID find Xander and she did talk to him, we just didn't happen to see that scene. And that she probably caught him when he was in the middle of his food buying spree for Scooby Pig Out Night.
Ultrace: That makes more sense, yeah.
JW: I love that- that image there, though. Where Faith's trying to smoke— Or, getting ready to light up her cigarette and Hazel just comes over and is like CRUNCH. This big ol' bear hug.
U: Hee-hee.
JW: You know, a-and—
U: Oh yeah.
JW: And Faith's just like, "It's just ice cream, yo." That was really cute. That was- That was my sort of ... That was my image.
U: Goodbye to Hazel.
JW: That was my image that I wanted to have in my head as their final ...
U: Yeah.
JW: Their final exchange.
U: It'd be nice if we could get a picture. Let's go track down our little—
JW: Yeah.
U: —Hazel girl, get her and Eliza Dushku together ...
JW: Sure! We'll just do that! I'll just call Eliza on my cell phone.
U: Well I've got her number!
JW: Did you get it from Paris Hilton?
<Ultrace laughs>

Faith shrugged, her expression a strange mixture of anger and embarrassment. "But yeah, stupid idea. Sorry."

Hazel waved her hand, as though trying to back up the conversation. "Wait, so you spent all day, running around town, tracking people down, asking them for ideas on how to make me feel better?"

Faith frowned and inspected an offending clump of dirt clinging to her heel. "Uh-huh."

"And you got me ice cream?"

Shaking out a cigarette, Faith dragged a match along the top of a nearby headstone. "It was the best I could come up with," she admitted grudgingly. "I know it's lame, but—"

She dropped the blazing match as Hazel enveloped her in a huge bear hug. Her eyes widened in shock and the unlit cigarette tumbled from her lips to the ground. On automatic pilot, Faith tried to step backward and away from the embrace, but Hazel held her fast.

"Oh my god, that's probably the sweetest thing anyone's done for me. Ever!"

Gingerly, awkwardly, Faith patted the other girl's shoulder. "It's just ice cream, yo."

"No! It's ..." breaking the hug, Hazel stared into Faith's dazed face. "You spent the entire day trying to come up with some way to cheer me up. It doesn't matter that you 'only' got ice cream – which I happen to love, by the way. But you cared that much."

Tilting her head, Faith considered the statement. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," confirmed Hazel.

With a tiny smile, Faith gave a satisfied nod. Then, she resumed her search through the graveyard, Hazel following happily in her wake.

"You tell anyone about this an' I kick your ass," Faith warned.

Hazel placed a hand over her heart. "Your secret dies with me."

The Senior Slayer shot her a quick look and then elbowed her playfully in the ribs. Hazel let out a mock groan and staggered before grinning broadly. Faith rolled her eyes at the younger girl's antics as they continued on their patrol.

[ Download Clip #76 ]

Jet Wolf: And then of course, you know, our big ... twisting of the knife here at the end—
Ultrace: Yeah.
JW: Where Hazel says, "Your secret dies with me."
U: Exactly.
JW: A-And the secret being that Faith could really care about somebody.
U: I know that for a short while you agonized over that line, thinking it might be too much.
JW: I really did. I was afraid that it would be like alarm bells. "Ding ding ding! Oh my god, warning! Warning!"
U: Well really, there should've been alarm bells all throughout because, like, <JW laughs> Faith and Hazel are HAPPY at the moment.
JW: Hee-hee, that's true.
U: And we all know that once you achieve the happiness, you either: Lose your soul, or you die, or your friends die, or both.
JW: So yeah, I wasn't- I wasn't sure about that. But it just worked. I decided to take a chance and to suck it up. I figured that if push came to shove, that people would be on edge for this episode? And be like, "Oo, something's gonna happen to Hazel." And when it didn't, they'd let it go.
U: Yeah.
JW: And by the time we got to the next episode, you probably would've forgotten that she said that at all.
U: Yup.
JW: So it would be the sort of thing that would be very poignant in hindsight, but probably wouldn't stick out enough in your head to- to sort of ruin what was gonna happen with the next episode.
U: I thought we did a great job in "Exchanges" of making Hazel's thing come out of nowhere too. I mean, she came in to help Faith? But the actual bit where she sacrifices herself was like completely, you know ...
JW: Mm-hm. I was pleased with most— with pretty much everything with that fight scene. I know some people did peg that Hazel was probably gonna bite it in that episode, and I can only assume it was because they were looking and saying, "Okay, someone's gonna die here, who's it gonna be?"
U: Yeah.
JW: And they picked that. I like to—
U: Hannah, or Hazel ...
JW: Right.
U: "They're not gonna kill of any of the main cast, because they're not gonna do thaaaat."
JW: Yeah. So I'm- I'm hoping that— Although we MIGHT.
U: We MIGHT.
JW: Uhm, I'm hoping it wasn't due to anything that was poorly placed or phrased on my part, just so much that they were looking for someone and they pegged that. You know, it could've been a case where like, "Here's my list of people who are probably going to die", and when it happened, they weren't necessarily surprised. That's my hope, anyway. But I'm really glad I decided to leave that in there. It just works perfectly.
U: Yeah.
JW: Just the ... Like I said, the idea that the secret of Faith being someone who can care about and love somebody else will die with Hazel.
U: Yeah.
JW: Whether it will or not, we'll have to wait and see, but ...
U: Well the truth of the matter is, can Faith actually care about other people now?
JW: Mm-hm.
U: The actual ability may have died with Hazel.

The SUV pulled to a smooth stop outside a quaint but rather nice little cabin. The light of the sun was on its last legs for the day and the retiring rays painted the darkening sky in delicate shades of pale pink and muted orange. The snow had stopped falling and the entire area was quite beautiful in its peace and tranquility. Despite the cold, an old woman wrapped in blankets and, to all intents and purposes, fast asleep, sat in a rocking chair on the front porch.

The passenger door opened and Quinn immediately flew out, wings fluttering. He carelessly zipped past Kennedy's ear on the course of his journey and although she appeared to be far from pleased at the affront, she said nothing. Tara exited from the driver's side as Quinn approached the cabin and called out in a singsong voice, "Here they are!"

He hovered in front of the old woman's nose, but her eyes continued to be tightly closed and she was ostensibly ignoring his announcement. He glowered at the bundled figure. "I know you felt them coming," he accused. "Time to get up now and play hostess."

The crone grumbled under her breath but otherwise made no movement. Rolling his eyes in disgust, Quinn looked over his shoulder at the two younger women. "Up this way, loves. You'll probably find it all very anti-climactic." He refocused on the old woman. "You couldn't at least make a showing? Honestly, after all my hard work on the yeti ..." He tossed his head, apparently working himself into something of a snit.

Curiously, Tara and Kennedy approached the cabin, but Kennedy's attention was primarily diverted in examining the immediate area, getting a feel for the lay of the land.

Tara took the wooden steps of the porch slowly and then looked down at the figure. "Ma'am ...?" she murmured softly.

The old woman cautiously cracked open one eye and blinked. Tara's face was shrouded in shadow cast by the fast-disappearing sun behind her. Indeed, she appeared almost entirely in silhouette form, save for the bright nimbus of brilliant gold and shimmering amber that circled her blonde head.

"The Curat ..." whispered the old woman.

[ Download Clip #77 ]

Jet Wolf: And here we get our first encounter with Ruth, and she spits out another word at us.
Ultrace: Dun-dun-DUN!
JW: Which sends the board into a typing flurry to figure out what the heck "The Curat" means.
U: The Sangerand! The Curat!
JW: The Baani! Not that that's in this yet, but.
U: The Antediluvian? Has that been mentioned?
JW: The Antediluvian, yeah. Several times. This is the name season. So yeah, "The Curat" and what does "The Curat" mean. I know ... and you may or may not THINK you know ... <Ultrace laughs> But I'm not going to tell you now.
<Ultrace makes mocking noises>
JW: Oh, what would they pay for my notes, I wonder? For access to my working directory, just for a few moments.
U: If you have offers, send me e-mails. She never has to know.
JW: <laughs> You're an evil man.
U: Yes, well, you're an evil woman too, for keeping it from them.
JW: But I'm not offering to accept monetary bribes.
U: So. I was just opportunistic. Anya would approve.
JW: Well ...... if you get money, you better buy me something.
U: Fair enough.

Tara frowned. "I'm sorry?" She moved closer, her features now becoming visible, and the crone blinked once more before fully opening both eyes.

"Oh, nothing dear," she smiled.

"You'll have to excuse her," Quinn stated firmly, reclining in his invisible chair and manicuring his nails with a Quinn-sized emery board. "She's senile," he added cheerfully.

The woman treated the faerie to a dark glare, but Quinn seemed thoroughly unimpressed with the fixed gaze and not in the least intimidated by it. "I am not senile, you irritating little gnat," she snapped.

"Please," Quinn snorted. He looked to Tara. "Just wait until you see her housecoats, sweetness. If she's not senile, then she's just given up the most flattering excuse I had."

[ Download Clip #78 ]

Ultrace: <laughing> "If she's not senile, she's just given up the most flattering excuse I had."
Jet Wolf: <laughing> I love their banter.
U: Heck, we ever describe her as "a crone" in the description.
JW: Oh, that was- that was really bad. Novareinna had that like ... every other word was like this- this ...
U: "The crone", "the hag" ...
JW: It's a word that was like— It was like words that were like totally unflattering and just created this horrible withered, wrinkled ... you know. Which she IS, but they were just really unflattering. I'm like, "We can't keep that."
U: There's only so many flattering ways to describe someone who's old and wrinkled.
JW: But she had other traits.
U: "Her wizened visage gave away her ..."
JW: But the thing was, she had other traits. We didn't have to keep describing her via, "I'm old."
<Ultrace laughs>

The crone watched Kennedy step onto the porch and studied her briefly for a moment as well, but there was no flare of recognition.

Neither Tara nor Kennedy noticed the scrutiny. The Slayer in particular was busying herself with appraising the cabin. "Nice place," she admitted. "Looks pretty secure."

The answering chuckle was reminiscent of scratchy sandpaper. "I'd certainly hope so. I haven't spent the last 20 years or so building up the area for nothing."

With narrowed eyes, Kennedy gave the old woman the proverbial once over and looked her up and down several times. The crone seemed rather amused at the prolonged examination and bore it without comment. With a shrug, Kennedy appeared to reach the conclusion that the object of her inspection was nothing special. "So you're the Keeper of the Wing, huh?" she asked, her tone indicating that the title held little weight in Kennedy's world.

An expression of pride crossed the crone's face and she drew herself up straighter in the chair. She opened her mouth as though to provide a response but was cut off by Quinn's derisive chuckle. It earned him another dark look, but he appeared equally as unperturbed as before.

"Ooo, 'Keeper of the Wing,'" he jeered mockingly with a dismissive wave. "Her name's Ruth."

The old woman visibly winced. "Was that really necessary?"

Flitting to his feet, Quinn placed his hands on his hips. "Well if you think I'm going to listen to them fawn all over you with this 'Keeper of the Wing' nonsense for the next few days ..."

Crossly, the crone frowned. "But honestly. 'Ruth'. It ruins all the atmosphere. Where's the mystery in 'Ruth'?"

Quinn sighed. "Oh don't worry, there'll be mystery enough." He turned a cautioning eye toward Tara and Kennedy. "She made meatloaf," he confided in a loud whisper.

[ Download Clip #79 ]

Ultrace: I think that's one of my favourite Quinn lines: "There'll be mystery enough. She made meatloaf." <JW laughs> Which, by the way, I love meatloaf and Nikki's not very fond of it, so I can see why that managed to make it through.
Jet Wolf: It's just, you know. I mean there's something wrong with like a LOAF of MEAT. You know. It's just like, what the hell is in it? NO ONE KNOWS.
U: A loaf of meat is no worse than bread in a can.
JW: You're exactly right! Both are abhorrences. "Loaf". It's just a wrong word.

Both young women seemed at a loss for words, the exchange clearly failing to be what was expected in almost every possible way.

Tara was the first to recover. Shaking her head, she made a supreme effort to get the situation back on track and into some semblance of order. "Mr. Giles said you had information for us?" she queried gently. "That you could help us figure out what's going on."

Ruth regarded the blonde with great seriousness. Her eyes were clear and sharp, the outward indication of a mind far from addled in its thought processes – one as active and intelligent as any other, if not more so.

"Indeed I can, Tara," the crone nodded sagely. "I can help you figure out a great many things."

Blinking at the peculiarly intense reply, Tara was taken somewhat aback. Kennedy, on the other hand, was all business.

"Well great," commented the Slayer. "Let's get you all bundled up in the car and—"

Ruth abruptly shook her head. "My dear, we shall do no such thing." She ignored Kennedy's obvious attempt to go on the offensive and simply continued. "Not tonight, at any rate. What we are going to do—"

Her voice dwindled into a strangled groan as she began to rise from her chair. She moved slowly and it was apparent that the effort brought with it no small amount of pain. Instantly, Quinn dashed behind and began to push upward as both Tara and Kennedy offered a helping hand. Once on her feet, Ruth smiled gratefully at Tara and patted Kennedy's hand before turning toward the cabin. Her hand snuck into the crook of Kennedy's elbow and the Slayer had no choice but to allow her arm to be used as a brace as she walked alongside.

"What we are going to do is have a nice dinner," Ruth informed her visitors in a tone that brooked no debate. "And then you girls are going to get a good night's rest."

Nonetheless, Kennedy obviously felt obliged to voice a protest. "But we—"

"Ah-ah!" The old woman wagged an arthritic finger and Kennedy's mouth immediately snapped shut, obviously conditioned from a very young age to not argue with grandma.

"Dinner," continued a smiling Ruth. "Sleep. Possibly some 'Wheel of Fortune'."

Quinn brought up the rear. "Be still my heart," he muttered.

"Quinn will get your bags, won't you, Quinn." It was an order rather than a question.

Tara objected. "Oh, I can—"

"You can come help me get dinner ready. Thank you, dear," responded Ruth, opening the door. She directed both women into the small cabin, pushing them ahead of her. "Now why don't you two freshen up first. The washroom is right upstairs, second door on your left."

Tara and Kennedy appeared uncertain, but Ruth nodded her encouragement and regarded them expectantly. Sharing a look of resignation, they headed up the stairs. Once gone from sight, the old woman sighed heavily and her face became less animated, visibly showing the signs of her advancing years.

Nearby, Quinn hovered, watching the pair disappear from view. Cross-legged, he floated a millimeter or so above Ruth's shoulder, careful to avoid sitting on the bony projection. "She's young," he observed.

Ruth nodded. "And yet, so old."

He leaned forward and peered into Ruth's eyes. "She's not what you expected, is she?"

The Keeper sighed again. "No, she's exactly what I expected. That's the trouble."

There was a brief and quiet moment of shared thought.

"You're not really going to make them eat that dreadful loaf-thing of yours, are you?" asked Quinn, visibly shuddering.

With a sideways glare, Ruth simply said, "The bags, Quinn?"

With a roll of his eyes, Quinn flew out the door and toward the SUV while Ruth continued to stare sadly in the direction taken by Kennedy and Tara.

[ Download Clip #80 ]

Jet Wolf: And were we get of course further indication that ah, Ruth, as we know, brought Tara here for some sort of purpose, and Ruth KNOWS something. The infamous KNOWING of something.
Ultrace: "No, she's exactly what I expected. That's the trouble." Can you cryptic that up for us some more, please?
JW: <chuckles> I actually had to wind up making fun of Ruth being so cryptic cuz I was getting comments from a lot of people who were like, "She's too cryptic!" So then I had, like, Dawn make fun of it.
U: Hee-hee. And then of course Dawn questions her on it, and Ruth replies cryptically.
JW: Exactly. That was- That was just the funny. And Quinn being all like, "She can't help it, dear, don't feel bad."

At the Scoobies' house, the living room was in even more of a shambles than it had been earlier, although it was apparent that the evening was now winding down to its conclusion. A DVD was playing on the television, but it was largely ignored. Most of the lights had been dimmed and the floor was virtually covered with discarded wrappers and empty boxes. However, perhaps the most prominent picture to be seen was that of Willow, crumpled on the couch like a limp Raggedy Ann – not simply asleep, but totally passed out into oblivion. She looked rather like a puppet whose strings had suddenly been severed. Her arms and legs were all akimbo and both Buffy and Xander stared at her curiously.

"I think it was the Super Fudgey Fudge Chunk Cookies that finally did it," Buffy nodded wisely.

[ Download Clip #81 ]

Jet Wolf: <laughing> Willow and the Super Fudgey Fudge Chunk Cookies. The image of her getting to that point, by the way, is something that- that isn't described here of course, but is amusing in my mind. I can just see Willow getting more and more hyper and just kind of increasing and increasing in this hyperactivity, almost like a hummingbird, just kind of twittering and shaking so badly and then just "PAP!" in her brain and she falls over.
U: If you've ever seen one of those television commercials where they speed somebody up and they're all like spazzing and every direction, that's how I imagine it.
JW: SURGE!
U: Yeah, exactly. So she comes from behind, which means she must've done like eight challenges after her string of failures there.
JW: Mm-hm.
U: Poor girl.
JW: <chuckles> And her stomach's so tiny, I can't imagine where it all went.
U: Magic. She just like opened up a black hole—
JW: That was it.
U: —in her stomach and it fell through.
JW: She harnessed the forces of darkness to be able to eat Twinkies. And then we get the conclusion of the very thin bet plotline—
U: Yeah.
JW: —where Xander had just simply bet Willow that he could make her forget about it. It was weak, I admit that it was weak, but again it was mostly just so I could justify having "Aid & Abet" as the title.

"I gotta say, I'm actually kinda glad it came to this," admitted Xander, gently massaging his stomach.

Buffy tutted disapprovingly. "You had to know this would happen. All that sugar, all that caffeine ..."

"The girl was a walking spaz attack." He glanced toward Buffy. "Did you even get what she was talking about in the end?"

Buffy shook her head. "I caught something about water and potassium, snakes, ladders, and Tara and Kennedy running off together." She paused. "I guess the last one's technically true." She turned to Xander with something of a wicked glint in her eyes. "Still, I guess she showed you in the end, huh?"

She held aloft the little whiteboard, now loaded with hash marks. Xander impassively took in the superior black-to-red ratio on display under Willow's name, but Buffy continued to gloat on behalf of her comatose friend. "Rosenberg comes from behind to scoop out the Xan-Man."

"Nah." Waving his hand, Xander brushed aside his crushing defeat. "This wasn't the real deal." At the Slayer's perplexed expression, he explained. "Earlier today, I bet Will I could make her forget all about the stuff that's gettin' her down." He gestured toward the prone figure. "I'd say for the past couple hours, there wasn't much on her mind but scarfin' back more junk than me. Ergo, she had forgotten about everything else; ergo, mission accomplished." He nodded with utmost satisfaction at a job well done.

Buffy's eyes betrayed approval. "I'm impressed." She blinked and glared miserably at her stomach. "And also very bloated and uncomfortable."

"I echo all of these things, and more," commiserated the carpenter.

"Help me get her to bed?" requested Buffy, getting to her feet.

Xander pushed himself up from his position on the floor and then his complexion suddenly turned ashen as all the color drained from his face. Buffy's eyes widened and she moved toward him, but Xander held up a finger and shook his head.

"Sure ..." he muttered. "Just let me ..." He clutched his midsection. "Oh god."

With one hand clamped tightly across his mouth, Xander pounded up the stairs. With a shake of her head, Buffy watched his desperate departure before turning back to the passed-out Willow.

"At least some of us will have a nice of peaceful rest."

[ Download Clip #82 ]

Jet Wolf: And this is my favourite scene in the entire episode, the ah—
Ultrace: I'm sure it's the favourite scene of several people.
JW: I'm sure it is.
U: For more reasons than one.
JW: I'm sure it is. But this sucker is LONG. I mean, I'm looking at my screen right now, and I'm at what is essentially the second to last scene in the entire episode, and my scrollbar is only just beyond the halfway point.
U: Yeah, we're only about 60% down.
JW: So it just goes to show just how long this scene is. This- This is just ... This is what we've been building up to for the entire episode, and I had the idea of them being in bed when they had this conversation. Not in the sexy way, but there's just something about that kind of an environment that creates intimacy – again, not in a sexy way – that you just can't get anywhere else. And you know – just the quiet, the dark, the isolation. It's a safe place to begin to get past all the stuff that's been bothering them for the past— throughout the entirety of the episode and beyond in many cases. And get to the heart of what's going on here. And I just, I-I ... can so, so easily see this scene unfolding visually.
U: I'm like, "Unfolding visually? Huh, what?"
<JW chuckles>

"Tara?"

"Yeah?"

"You awake?"

"No."

"Me too."

Ensconced in the cabin's comfortable spare room, Tara and Kennedy shared a queen-sized bed. Tara occupied approximately one-quarter of her half, while Kennedy had laid claim to her entire side. However, it was apparent she was well aware of her bedmate and she seemed to be making an obvious effort to stay within the boundaries of her allotted space. There was an almost palpable tension in the room, though both women seemed determined to avoid any reference to their awkward situation and the discomfort that accompanied it.

Kennedy sighed and stared at the ceiling, her arms folded under her head. "I just keep thinking about everything. I can't figure this woman out."

"She's very ... unusual," admitted Tara, inching just the tiniest millimeter over to avoid falling on the floor.

"Unusual?" scoffed the Slayer. "She's freaking weird. And that brownie thing of hers—"

"Faerie," the blonde corrected.

"What?"

"He's a faerie. I think," responded Tara. "Brownies are more sort of ... terrestrial. No wings. And they like housework."

Kennedy rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm just saying, it all seems pretty out there to me."

"Yeah, it is," agreed the witch. "She's powerful, though. Very powerful. I really think she can help us."

"And no negavibes?" asked Kennedy, rising up just enough to flip her pillow around to what would hopefully be a less lumpy side.

"Nope. I'm not sure what it is exactly that I'm getting from her, but it's not bad."

"Hm."

Smirking, Tara turned toward the Slayer. "You sound almost disappointed."

"Maybe a little, on a purely selfish level," conceded Kennedy. "It would've given me a chance to actually do something, you know? I've been pretty useless on this trip so far."

The smirk turned into a frown. "You haven't been useless." Taking note of Kennedy's dismissive shrug, Tara reiterated, "You haven't been."

Kennedy's ceiling inspection seemed suddenly engrossing. "Right. I was a big help against the thing-that-wasn't-really-there," she responded bitterly.

"You saved me from that tire-killing demon," the blonde reminded.

"Sure," Kennedy chuckled sardonically, "but if I'd just let you fix the tire in the first place, we wouldn't have been there long enough for it to even attack." She sighed heavily and waved her hand in the air, allowing it to drop back down where it bounced on the mattress. "It's just like ... I'm a Slayer, right? I'm supposed to be the big defender. Kill the baddies, protect the innocents. But when the innocents stop needing protecting, then what's my point?"

Tara studied Kennedy's profile – the tiny frown of annoyance and the determined set to the jaw line. "You're a good Slayer, Kennedy. I-I mean I know I haven't really known you very long, but ... you're good at what you do."

The brunette snorted a laugh. "Because when you think 'Slayer', the name that leaps immediately to mind is 'Kennedy'."

"Maybe you need better PR," Tara suggested, eliciting a tiny chuckle. She thought for a moment then asked, "So you have to be ... the Slayer?"

"No, of course not," replied Kennedy. "But I'll be honest – it'd be nice. I spent I don't know how many years hearing about Slayers, actually thinking maybe I'd get to be one. It was everything to me. You know, you start buying into the whole mess ... The Chosen One, the lonely life you'll lead. Just you, alone, protecting the world."

Whatever romantic notions the prospect might hold for Kennedy, it was obvious Tara didn't share them. "That sounds horrible. I think I'd be glad I didn't have to be alone."

"Oh, no, totally," the Slayer readily agreed. "It's great to know the girls got your back." Her brow furrowed deeper as she tried to explain. "But at the same time, there's something about it. Knowing that the world gets to keep turning just because of you." She paused and shrugged. "At least it was something in my head."

"But you did save the world," the witch stated.

"No," came the pointed answer. "Buffy saved the world. Willow saved the world. I got to deliver an oversized letter opener."

Tara smiled briefly at the vehement protest. "Well Buffy's had a lot of practice."

"Exactly. Which is why Buffy's The Slayer. Capital 'T'. I'm a Slayer. That'd be a little 'a'."

[ Download Clip #83 ]

Jet Wolf: This is the root of Kennedy's issues. The larger problem. She has several, but this is the biggest one. The fact that Kennedy will never, ever, ever be THE Slayer. It doesn't matter how hard she tries, it doesn't matter what she does, she's never going to be The Slayer. This was a concept I gave some considerable thought to. Trying to figure out where Kennedy was coming from. And when I was able to finally do this, i-it told me that I— that the character had become real for me now, finally. She was not just someone, you know, I was throwing words at who had one or two kind of places in the cast. She was now a fully-fledged character for me. And I was able to crawl inside of her head and ... take a look and try and figure out where she was coming from. A-And just, that Kennedy takes Slaying so seriously, it's such a huge thing to her. Particularly now that she isn't with Willow anymore, it's- it's ... it's THE thing. Uh, not in like an overly obsessive way, but this is what she's been preparing and training for her entire life. And I can just imagine the idea that, going through all of that and being so gung-ho about it and feeling that you could do so well at it, and yet never being able to do it. It's sort of like you never achieve your— you never fulfill potential. To coin a phrase. Uhm, a-and just how ... frustrating and- and how horrible that must be to actually have a destiny and never be able to reach for it. And she IS a Slayer so she kind of has, but Kennedy also has this deep need to be the best. To be number one. And again that's something she can't ever really do, because there's always going to be Buffy and there's always going to be Faith, and then there's going to be everybody else. And no matter what Kennedy does, she will never be able to not be part of "everyone else".
Ultrace: Kill them all, but ... <JW laughs> Oo! I got a great idea for a spin off!
JW: "Kennedy, the Slayer Killer".
U: "Assassin Slayer!"
JW: So yeah, so that- that's really the- the root of what's going on with Kennedy here. There's many other things going around that, and it's hard— this is why she has to be, this is why she's so headstrong, this is why she's like, "I can do everything myself." Because she feels consistently that she has something to prove. That she has to try and be so much more than everybody else, and yet feeling at the same time that's a battle she can't ever win.

"You're your own person, Kennedy." Tara's tried to persuade. "You're not in Buffy's shadow."

This was also met with denial. "No, I am. Faith's too. I mean, they're the real deal. The rest of us ... we're the by-product. I'll always be 'the other one'. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I can never be the Slayer that they are."

Tara considered this for a moment. "Well no, probably not."

Kennedy swallowed hard at the affirmation, clearly indicating that although she had total conviction in her own words, it was nevertheless a bitter pill to take when voiced by another. However, Tara was not yet done.

"Because you're Kennedy the Vampire Slayer," continued the blonde. "You're brave and you're resourceful. You're an incredible fighter and a good teacher. And I'm gonna hazard a guess and say you kick demon butt just as much as the next girl. Probably better. So if you can be all that, why would you want to be them? I dunno, if it were me? I'd probably just worry about being Kennedy the Vampire Slayer." She blinked in the darkness. "O-Or, well, I guess 'Tara the Vampire Slayer'. But that doesn't sound as cool."

Turning her head slowly, Kennedy regarded Tara seriously. Somewhat embarrassed, the witch grinned a little shyly. "If it were me," she repeated with a shrug.

Kennedy's smile was one of gratitude. There was no 'thank you' forthcoming, but the expression said it all. "That was the other thing I wanted to learn," she nodded to herself.

"What's that?" queried Tara.

"Why you," Kennedy told her. "Now I know."

[ Download Clip #84 ]

Jet Wolf: And it comes down to Tara to, in her unassuming way, spell things out and question what becomes Kennedy's sort of core belief and core motivation for things. So where she's saying here, you know, "You have to be THE Slayer?" And essentially, "Well, that's kind of silly. You don't have to be THE Slayer, you're Kennedy the Vampire Slayer, that should be enough. It certainly would be enough for me. All the things that you do, all the good that you do, should that not be what's more important than, you know, having the title of being THE Slayer."
Ultrace: Yeah.
JW: Just Tara being able to put things the way that she does, in a very ... "matter of fact" is not the right way to put it. Uhm ... just very honest. There's a clarity in- in the honesty of what Tara says that, "Well, from my perspective, this is how things look." There's nothing really pretentious about Tara, and so you can accept that.
U: And Tara would know, since Willow's like supermegawitch, and Tara's not that, you know, supermegawitch. She's ... Obviously for different reasons, but she's always, you know, been in Willow's shadow as far as magic's concerned. But unlike say Amy who'd obsess about it ...
JW: Mm-hm.
U: Kennedy obsesses in much the same way about being better than Buffy and Faith. Some people just take it in different ways, and Kennedy's a very Type A personality, I think.
JW: Mm-hm. And it's in that moment where she gets ... when Kennedy gets the ah, sort of calm truth from Tara and Tara's perspective on things, and it's at that moment that she realizes, "This is why Willow loves you so much. I understand that now." And uhm, it's at this moment where you could almost kinda – if we wanted to go that route – I think Kennedy could fall in love with Tara a little bit herself at that point. You know. Just the way she is and they- they form a tighter bond as a result of this, uh, of this conversation that they have. This is really a very strong foundation. This, frankly, is the kind of foundation that Willow and Kennedy needed to have.
U: Yeah.
JW: For their relationship. And they never were- they never were able to achieve it. Instead, you know, we all saw what we got for that. So this is really what Tara— Excuse me, what Willow and Kennedy needed to have.
U: But unfortunately neither one of them really sought out the conversation or the way of delivering it that Tara does.
JW: Mm-hm.
U: That's just not their- their skill.
JW: Well I think they could've had that kind of a conversation, but the conditions and the situations that were around didn't afford it. I mean, here we have Tara and Kennedy in a very sort of secluded, private setting. There was no privacy in- in Buffy's house in Season 7. You know.
U: Yeah.
JW: They never really got the opportunity or the chance to- to ever get to know one another. And you know, the threat of The First every time they turned around. Whether you believe that it was presented in a threatening way, the characters certainly felt it was and you have to go with that. That, you know, they never got a moment to rest, they never got a moment's peace together. It was just ... these- these heady, terror-filled moments one after the other, and that was how they came together and that was the reason why, in my opinion, the primary reason why they could never have worked. Because nobody ever actually DEALT with anything. Willow never dealt with how she felt, Kennedy never dealt with why she was interested in Willow in the first place. They never got to know each other as people at all. You know, Willow herself says it in "The Killer in Me" – "You don't know me."
U: Yeah.
JW: A-And Kennedy's reply: "Have you seen you?" Essentially, "I don't need to know you." And that's why their- their creation as a couple never quite worked. And it's kind of a pity, because if you wanted to make it stronger, all it would've taken was one scene kind of like this, I think.

Totally abashed, Tara rolled over and gazed at her side of the wall. A resolute Kennedy shot her quick glance and then propped her elbow on the pillow. She cupped her cheek in her hand and soberly regarded the back of Tara's head. "So, what's the biggie?"

The blonde frowned in confusion, but didn't turn around. "What's the...?"

"The biggie," persisted the Slayer. "The biggest reason why you're so ... well, pretty much so miserable all the time."

"I really don't think now is the time," Tara bristled.

"No, now's the perfect time," Kennedy countered. "Cuz see, I know I'm tired and I know you're tired, but I'm not letting this drop until I get at least one big thing out in the open. So in the interests of actually getting some sleep tonight, you'll tell me."

Tara appeared to view this as a challenge – and one that she clearly had every intention of meeting head-on. Clamping her mouth in a tight line, she turned and faced the Slayer with an arched eyebrow. The conveyed message was perfectly plain: 'No syllables shall escape these lips', but Kennedy simply grinned in response.

"For real," she insisted. "See, Slayers? We can function on forty-five minutes, an hour of sleep tops. I'm pretty sure witches need more recharge time. I can go all night and still be fine tomorrow."

This seemed to do nothing but strengthen the blonde's resolve to not succumb, resulting in Kennedy's grin adopting a slightly evil curl.

"Though laying here in silence," pondered the Slayer in a tone filled with far too much innocence to be genuine, "I'd probably start getting bored. You never know what I'd have to do keep the monotony at bay. I might even have to sing." Tara quirked both eyebrows at this announcement. "But not just any old song, oh no," Kennedy shook her head. "I'm thinking something really ... catchy. The sort of song that burrows into your brain and nests there for two or three weeks, you know the kind. Something like ... 'Copacabana'."

Tara's eyes widened with abject terror. "You wouldn't."

Now, it was Kennedy's turn to quirk an eyebrow. "So what was that big thing?"

Crossing her arms defiantly, the witch refused to buckle even under threat of torture.

"Her name was Lo-la," Kennedy sang in a soft, teasing voice. "She was a show-girl ..."

With a burst of laughter, Tara threw the bedclothes over her head and disappeared beneath the covers. However, Kennedy was relentless and she leaned over the huddled figure, chanting even louder.

"With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down there, she would mer-en-gue—"

The covers exploded back and Tara reemerged from the not-so-protective cocoon. "Okay, okay!" she relented, pleading mercy.

Blissfully, the Slayer stopped singing. "Oh, good," she declared. "You did not want to let me hit the chorus." Settling back against her pillow, Kennedy watched as Tara rearranged the coverlet, pulling it up to her chin. A few more moments passed as the blonde fussed with the arrangement of the sheets and blankets.

Kennedy shot her a sideways glance. " ...and do the cha-cha..." she resumed with a warning timbre.

[ Download Clip #85 ]

Jet Wolf: This is- This is the way we kind of see the difference too – bringing back to the theme of the title with "Aid & Abet", the theme of the episode – how we've got ... Tara's quite assurances a-and her honesty, completely different way of presenting it than Kennedy does. And you can see very clearly the contrasting styles. You know, a-as we mentioned, Tara very soothing, "Here's how I see things." Kennedy, much more aggressive. Kennedy like a dog with a bone. You know, "I wanna get this out of you. I WILL get this out of you. And you will tell me what it is." And just, you know dig dig dig dig, until Tara's like, "FINE! Here it is! Just leave me alone!" Uh, but it works. It works that way, and that's what Tara needs. She needs somebody aggressive at this point who's going to be like, "You WILL tell me, and I won't leave you alone until you do." And I am just completely in love with the idea of Kennedy singing "Cobacabana" to do it. <laughs> I don't have any particularly— This is Barry Manilow?
Ultrace: This is Barry Manilow.
JW: And that's Angel's obsession, right? Barry Manilow?
U: Yes, but his is—
JW: "Mandy".
U: "Mandy".
JW: I didn't actually know that at the time that I wrote this, because I hadn't seen enough Angel episodes for me to quite cotton on to his freaky Barry Manilow thing.
U: But there's a certain stigma to Manilow that is universal.
JW: Yeah. And that was mostly what I was working on. Was the- Was the stigma of the song, and the kind of thing like that. Cuz I think I've heard "Copacabana" maybe twice in my life? And it gets stuck in MY head. It's just one of kinds of songs.
U: Yeah. I've heard it a few times. I've seen it PERFORMED, actually. My father liked Barry Manilow, so.
JW: It's okay. It's all right.
U: Terrifying images. <JW chuckles> Barry Manilow running down, stripping off like five thousand different costumes that he somehow has put on— Anyway.
JW: It'll be okay. It'll be all right.
U: It'll never be all right. <JW laughs> I love you, Dad!
JW: <laughing> Yeeeah. So yeah, just the mental image of Kennedy resorting to this insidious torture device to get information out of Tara. I don't really have any ... brilliance I can add to how I got that idea for her doing that. I really don't. I-I can't even begin to tell you where it come from. It just seemed so right at the time. That Kennedy would just use this- use this method to try and- and win Tara over, and not just in a threatening way. She turns it into something that's like a little joke. "I'm gonna do this, you can't resist, you can't resist." And it's a way to kind of cut through the tension that's been building by her own previous admission, and now the fact that she knows Tara has something that Tara needs to say as well. And it works. It works wonderfully. And I- I gotta think at this point that if you weren't ... If I hadn't already convinced you to be a fan of Kennedy by this point, and this scene didn't do it? Then it's not going to happen. Cuz, I-I think this is just Kennedy at her most charming and her most, you know, anything you may not like about her is kind of dissolved at this point and you get to see the sort of person she can be underneath all that. So if you didn't like her by now, then I don't think it's gonna happen.

A serious expression crossed Tara's face. "Okay."

Inhaling deeply, the blonde held the breath for a moment before letting it out slowly. Kennedy gave her time, waiting patiently as Tara inhaled for a second time.

"I would have killed her," she announced flatly.

"Willow," confirmed the Slayer.

Tara nodded. "I had the knife in my hand. I could see myself doing it. I was going to do it." She fell into wretched silence.

Kennedy frowned. "Okaaay ... So that's—"

"I was going to kill Willow," the blonde clarified firmly, since it was so patently obvious that brunette hadn't heard properly.

"Yeah, I got that part," verified Kennedy gently.

"Don't you—?" Tara clenched the hem of the sheet tightly in her fists as she attempted to explain once more. "I was taught to respect life. That life is sacred, and precious. And my whole life, growing up? I was terrified that I'd become something horrible. Something evil that would ... would kill without hesitation. Something that would hu-hurt the people I love most. When I found out that was all a lie? It was probably the best day of my life."

She shook her head sharply, fighting against the tears that prickled and then turned toward Kennedy in an almost challenging fashion. However the Slayer was simply regarding her with an expression of empathy.

"But now," continued Tara, staring into Kennedy's eyes and regaining some of her composure. "I'm not so sure it was a lie. I would have killed her. The most incredible person I've ever—" She effectively severed that line of thought and swallowed. In a low, almost detached tone she recited, "I would've taken the knife, and I would've s-stabbed her, and stabbed her, and I wouldn't have stopped until she was dead. And ..."

Tara's voice caught as tears threatened once more. Her eyes traveled to the ceiling, the words resuming only after she was safely free from meeting the Slayer's intense gaze. "And if I hadn't found out she was okay ... I know I'd make the same choice." She lay there in misery, struggling with her emotions and meeting with only marginal success. "God," she whispered, "what kind of person does that make me?"

[ Download Clip #86 ]

Jet Wolf: I was really pleased when I came up with the— or I came to realize that a large part of where Tara's problem is coming from, when she was going to kill Willow, is indeed in the fact that "I was going to kill Willow". But at a much deeper level was the fact that she has to wonder what that says about her. That this was something that she knew she could do and she knew she could do it again— Not that she did it the first time, but you know, if the threat would be the same, she would take the same action. She wouldn't change it. Uhm, I'm really happy I realized that it went so much deeper than just, "Oh no, I was going to kill Willow, woe is me", that it had something so much greater. The moment I made the connection with Tara and the fact that she believed growing up that this was the kind of person she was going to turn into, and she spent all this time thinking it was a lie, and is now suddenly confronted with the idea that, "Hey, maybe they were right. Maybe I'm not a physical demon, but the things the demon was going to do are the same things I discovered in myself that I CAN do." I was so much happier with that because it adds so much depth to what Tara's going through. Beyond just, you know, "Oh no, I was going to kill Willow and that would be bad." Makes the whole thing resonate so much more. And helps to break away from the stigma that Tara has no kind of purpose outside of Willow. Which they began to get away from that in Season 6 and then, as always, she dies. And I don't want that kind of Tara. I'm not interested in that. I may ... The Willow and Tara relationship has resumed now, obviously, come the end of Season 8, but I'm not interested in a Tara who has nothing outside of Willow, and I'm not interested in a Willow who has nothing outside of Tara. They're two independent characters and are so much more interesting as a result of that. Their relationship is the secondary part. It's- It's part of who they are and it's an important part, but both of them can survive without the other. And that- that makes them, as individuals and as a couple, so much stronger.
Ultrace: Yeah.
JW: And following up on that, it was really cool when I realized that Kennedy would understand where Tara was coming from, cuz hey, Kennedy was possibly gonna have to kill Willow too.
U: Yeah.
JW: And that was- that was a cool moment when I realized that they had that extra connection there. And I think that it's a little tiny detail that people probably hadn't focused on or necessarily particularly remembered. But uh, something important. That Kennedy might actually have had to kill Willow herself.

"A damned courageous one," Kennedy stated without question.

Tara blinked in surprise, this clearly not being the reaction she was expecting.

"You would've killed her, yeah, and murder is pretty high up on the 'damning' meter. Things aren't always so black and white, though." Leaning forward, Kennedy did her best to make sure Tara could see her without encroaching. "When you knew you could do it, when you got ready to ... What were you thinking?"

"That ... That I had to stop her," she replied quietly.

"Why? Specifically," the Slayer pressed. "Tooo ... help Buffy? To save the world?" With a failing smile, Tara shook her head. "To save Willow, right?" Kennedy gently asked.

The replying nod was almost imperceptible, but the Slayer caught it easily. "I get that," she told the witch.

Tara gave a hapless chuckle. "No, you don't. I would've—"

"I get that," insisted Kennedy, "because I almost did too."

Stunned, Tara turned to regard Kennedy with pure amazement.

The Slayer threw herself back against the pillow, though still maintaining the newly reforged eye contact. "The night before we went into the Hellmouth, to face off against the First ... Willow was petrified of the spell she'd have to do. The magic stuff had been giving her wiggins pretty much since ..." She gestured in Tara's direction, which earned a nod of understanding, "...and she already knew the First could get to her like that. So she asked me – she begged me that if there was a hint, even the slightest suggestion that she was going evil again, she wanted me to kill her. She gave me a dagger and told me to stab her in the heart."

At the blonde's shocked expression, Kennedy smiled wryly. "And I denied it, and I argued, and I swore a whole lot," she added, "but she made me see that it wasn't all about what I wanted or what I needed. It was about what Willow needed. I loved her enough to give her what she needed, regardless of what it'd do to me. I still would." She shrugged. "So sorry, if you were looking for me to give you more fuel to hate yourself; you've come to the wrong place."

The two women faced each other for a heartbeat longer and then Tara's eyes returned to the ceiling. She said nothing further, locked in her own world.

Kennedy's gaze lingered, then she duplicated Tara's upward concentration. Neither spoke for a while.

"Everything's so screwed up," sighed Tara eventually.

"Pretty much the only guarantee you get with life is that it'll suck," Kennedy agreed.

Silence reigned once more. This time, it lasted for a long while and it might have been safe to assume that both women had fallen asleep until Tara spoke.

"Kennedy?"

"Yeah?" came the wide-awake reply.

"'Copacabana'?"

"My parents are good people, but their music tastes, what's the word ... suck."

Yet another hush descended until Kennedy broke the silence.

"Tara?"

"Yeah?" came the drowsy reply.

"I'm thinking we shouldn't mention this whole single-bed thing to Willow."

[ Download Clip #87 ]

Ultrace: "I'm thinking we shouldn't mention this whole single-bed thing to Willow." Yeah, y'think?
Jet Wolf: Oh, but can you just imagine if they dropped that at some point though?
U: Oh yeah.
JW: It'd be amazing.
U: Hee-hee.
JW: Willow's eyes just explode.
U: "Boy, you never told me how much of the covers that Kennedy hogs."
JW: EXACTLY. Exactly. We'll so have to do that at some point now.

"Uhmmm ... no," responded the blonde stifling a yawn. "That's probably a good idea." She grinned a little wickedly in the darkness. "Though I almost want to, just for the look she'll get on her face."

"Oh my god," chuckled Kennedy sinfully. "Wouldn't that be something? Her face would go all red ..."

"Her eyes would get wide enough to practically engulf her entire head," added a mischievous Tara.

The Slayer laughed and gave her pillow a good thump. "That's our Will. The girl of a million facial expressions, and every one of 'em adorable."

Willow's eyes opened gingerly and she squinted at the weak morning sunlight filtering through the window. Sitting up in bed, she ran slack fingers through her hair and winced at the jumbled mass of tangles. Staring contritely at the bedclothes that had landed in an untidy heap on the floor, she swiped a flaccid hand across her drooling mouth and grimaced. She blinked stupidly for a moment or two and then flopped back onto her pillow with an audible groan.

At the cabin, Kennedy and Tara, looking moderately refreshed, were determined to get an early start. They busied themselves with loading the SUV, carefully moving bags and other items around to ensure that Ruth would have plenty of room for whatever she might chose to bring along with her on the trip. Squinting at the sunlight, the old woman emerged with a large steamer trunk floating behind her. She glanced at the chest and it promptly moved to the side of the porch. Turning, she sharply called out, "Quinn!"

The sudden sound caused both Tara and Kennedy to jump slightly, but they quickly returned to their packing.

Ruth tapped her foot impatiently and peered into the cabin. There was no sign of the faerie. She took a deep breath. "Qui—!"

But suddenly, there he was at her shoulder, tugging on his boots. "I'm right here, no need to shout," he griped. "We're not all as deaf as you."

"Are you ready?" she snapped.

Quinn fussily positioned the bottoms of his jeans over his boots and straightened up to smooth his platinum hair. He checked the baby blue sweatshirt, whose front posed the question 'Fancy A Flutter?', for wrinkles and then smoothed his hair again before brushing non-existent specks of lint from the shoulders of his shirt. His hand was about to return to his hair once more when Ruth gave his wing a vicious flick with her gnarled finger. Quinn yelped indignantly.

"You're ready," she told him firmly.

"Honestly, that's very rude," chastised the faerie. "I suppose you were born before they invented manners, hm?"

Obviously deciding that his jibe warranted no answer, Ruth simply stared at him. A grumpy Quinn, followed by a small trail of luggage, moved toward the car. Pulling the door of the cabin shut, the old woman locked it with an ornate brass key, which she then placed in the pocket of her heavy woolen cloak with extreme care. Taking a rickety step backward, she waved her hand. The cabin shimmered for a moment and then disappeared, leaving behind only the porch. She turned and looked at the trunk that, as if obeying some silent command, slowly began to rise. Before it could go too high, however, Quinn had returned to Ruth's side.

"Let me," he insisted with a long-suffering eye-roll. "If you strain anything, we'll hear nothing but you complaining about it all the way there." With a grand gesture, he assumed control over the chest and pointed imperiously toward the car. In dutiful deference, the trunk floated over to the SUV.

"A chest?" came Kennedy's irritated observance from behind. She proceeded to complain bitterly about limited space issues and old ladies who over pack. With an expression of barely restrained tolerance, Quinn fluttered his wings and went to join her, presumably in an effort to lend assistance.

Ruth didn't appear to care very much one way or the other as she made her way down the porch steps with a stiffened gait. As she cleared the last one, the wooden stairs also faded from existence to be replaced by a thick crop of trees. Their emergence was most effective, completely obscuring even the space occupied by the cabin. Noticing the old woman hobbling toward her, Tara rushed forward and took her by the elbow. This action was rewarded with an endearing smile of gratitude.

"Such a sweet child," Ruth murmured, reaching up to affectionately cup one of Tara's cheeks. The words were spoken with sincerity, but laced with just the faintest hint of sadness. An expression of confusion invaded the blonde's face, but Ruth did not elaborate. Upon reaching the vehicle, Tara handed jurisdiction of the old woman to Kennedy and moved to the driver's side.

"Shotgun!" came Ruth's instant demand.

Kennedy was taken aback. "What?"

"I call shotgun," Ruth repeated stringently.

The Slayer frowned. "What? But ... but I'm sitting in the front."

The old woman smiled reprovingly. "Did you call it, dear?"

"Well no," Kennedy admitted, "but I thought—"

Ruth tutted. "Then it's the back seat for you. You can keep Quinn company."

The Slayer regarded the rear of the vehicle with some alarm. Quinn had already stretched out and commandeered as much of the seat as his two-foot frame would allow. He waggled suggestive eyebrows in Kennedy's direction and patted the cushion invitingly. Kennedy's expression quickly moved from being dumbfounded into a scowl of irritation.

Turning toward Tara accusingly, Kennedy snapped, "Next time you take your own damned road trips."

Grumbling loudly, Kennedy climbed into the back seat as Ruth turned to wink at Tara. The blonde shook her head admonishingly, but couldn't hide the grin as she fished the car keys out of her pocket.

Casting a wary gaze at the sky, the old woman's eyes narrowed and all traces of humour swiftly evaporated. "We must hurry," she urged. "There isn't much time left. Not much time at all."

[ Download Clip #88 ]

Jet Wolf: And this final scene between Kennedy, Tara, Ruth and Quinn, just getting us on the move really. They've come, Kennedy and Tara have learned the things that they need to learn about each other now, and it's time for us to go back and resume our plot. Our main plotline and what Ruth is there for. So yeah, just little things that we throw in here that I-I find very interesting about the Ruth and Quinn relationship, because they're so very obviously antagonistic toward each other, but then in the previous scene with them we see how ah, you know, he's like the first one there to come and help her when she needs a hand up, getting up from the chair, and he won't let her move her own chest because he's afraid she's gonna hurt herself. And he says all these things with, you know, "You'll complain and you'll irritate me", but you know, they have ... I find their relationship interesting.
Ultrace: Yeah.
JW: I love that though. "Shotgun!" "What?" "I call shotgun." ... "But did you call it, dear?" "Well no ..."
<laughter>
JW: "Well then you get to sit in the back." I think that was— Was that your idea? The shotgun thing?
U: No, I don't, but it was funny.
JW: Okay. I get the feeling that was someone else's. Maybe it was Nova who had the idea of Ruth being like, "Shotgun!!" like a little child.
U: Hee-hee. "But I'm sitting in the front." Not any more.
JW: <laughing> I just love that though. "Did you call it, dear?" Kennedy's like, "Well noooo ..."
U: "Do you have a flag?"
JW: Exactly. "Have you got a flag?" And then just another bit of nice ominous stuff here where, you know, with Ruth all like, "You're so sweet," she says, looking at her sadly. And everyone's like, "Oh my god, what's going on?!"
U: Hee-hee.
JW: And then the ominous, "We have to hurry. There isn't much time left. Dun-dun-DUN."
U: "Next time take your own damn road trips." Well Tara didn't invite you, you kind of invited yourself.
JW: And I do think it's kind of funny how she's, you know, "We have to hurry, there's not much time left. But there was time enough for me to like—" <Ultrace laughs> "—make you stay the night and eat my meatloaf."
<laughter>
U: "There's always time for loaf!"
<laughter>
U: They even "loafed" around while they ate it.
JW: Ooooh, nooo. No. That's bad. Why do you hurt me so?
U: Ha-ha-ha.

The main conference room used by the Assemblage was as different from the Circle's as were their respective leaders. Brightly lit but sterile, each piece of paper and every pen had a very exacting and specified place. Madrigan gazed at his surroundings with an expression that betrayed his innermost desire to simply start knocking random things off shelves. Or possibly even to neatly relocate a stack of papers from one end of the table to the other. Both actions would have likely precipitated the same result.

With a longing sigh, Madrigan refrained, instead walking with Robespierre into one of many highly efficient and entirely generic hallways. Silent as always, Seneca followed behind, a small spiral notebook and nicely sharpened pencil floating in front of him. He appeared to be thoroughly absorbed in the conversation taking place between the two men as his writing implement moved rapidly across the paper, seldom remaining still for very long.

"I want no further delays," Robspierre announced with a frown.

"Really?" queried Madrigan. "And here I thought that patience was one of your few remaining virtues."

"There is patience and then there is procrastination," came the sharp reply. "Fortunately, I'm aware of the difference."

"Oo, that was good," Madrigan responded with mocking appreciation. He glanced over his shoulder to Seneca. " Write that one down."

The pencil flew even faster as Seneca nodded sagely, as though he would do no less than note with due diligence every single nugget of wisdom formed by Robespierre's vocal chords.

"The Council was once a proud society," continued a wistful Robspierre. "So noble." He sighed and his tone returned to its normal abrasive timbre. "A little narrow visioned, perhaps, but I truly believed it was the gateway to a better world. A world that brought forth sense from the senseless."

Cocking an eyebrow at the melodrama, Madrigan dropped back to inspect Seneca's writings. He grinned to see the page mostly covered with stick figure drawings. Though very crude and largely unflattering, they were undoubtedly renditions of Robespierre – tiny body, gigantic head, and greatly exaggerated scar. Each little image was engaged in a different activity, such as spouting fire or waving a small circle-fist attached to a skinny stick-arm.

Seneca and Madrigan exchanged a moment of glee before Madrigan moved forward again to join Robspierre. The mage immediately disguised his amusement to adopt a rapt expression of keen interest as he listened to Robespierre's words of wisdom.

For his part, Robespierre was apparently oblivious to everything but the music of his own voice. "But this ... farce that dares call itself the Council of Watchers. They have no focus, no defining purpose besides this impossibly nebulous idea of protection." He snorted with disgust, his voice dripping with loathing. "Slayers giving orders instead of following them. Children commanding the world's greatest forces. That laughable excuse for a Watcher overseeing them all like a benevolent Alexander."

"Plus I hear they get cable," added Madrigan, which earned the mage a look of utter contempt.

Rounding the corner, the three men stopped outside of a huge training facility. Almost every machine was in use, and the open mats teamed with pairs and trios of young girls. They all wore the same generic workout uniform – gray sweatpants with a black tank top. The clothing was, by its nature, only able to cover so much. The marking of an eye atop a key plainly visible on each and every girl.

This marking aside, there would have been nothing to distinguish one girl from most of the others. But some could no longer claim that ability. Their symbols pulsated with a bright blue, visible even through the fabric of their shirts, and their eyes glowed with the power to match. Every girl was training, hard and fast, but there was nothing performed by one that could not be outdone by one infused with the cool blue glow.

Pride openly displayed on his now satisfied countenance, Robespierre stood in the doorway. Instantly noticing his arrival, the Super Slayers, acting as a single unit, ceased their strenuous pursuits and turned to raise their hands in a venerable salute. Eyes shining, Robespierre acknowledged the gesture with a nod and they promptly returned to their workouts.

Madrigan glanced to Seneca, who performed a sloppy, limp-wristed parody of the gesture behind Robespierre's back. The mage grinned in appreciation, but his attention was soon diverted to the huge mirror positioned at one side of the room.

The reflective surface began to shimmer and almost immediately, Judith emerged. Spying Robespierre she grinned and then snapped her heels together, saluting him in the same manner as had the other girls. Robespierre beamed with pleasure. He leaned toward Madrigan, eyes still transfixed on Judith who continued to hold her respectful pose.

"They cannot be allowed to interfere," he muttered through thin lips.

Madrigan regarded Robespierre's grim profile with all due solemnity as he surveyed the busy hive of Super Slayers. He threw a companionable arm around Robespierre's shoulders. "Then stick around," he advised. "You won't wanna miss this."

[ Download Clip #89 ]

Jet Wolf: And then our genuine final scene for the episode. Uhm, with Madrigan and Robespierre. <Ultrace laughs> And Seneca.
Ultrace: I'm sorry. "His innermost desire to simply start knocking random things off of shelves."
JW: <laughs> I love these guys. And Seneca with just his doodles, his sketches. It makes me die. You know, we- we haven't described it here. If you've seen the script you've seen some of them already in there. And then of course we'll actually get to see Seneca's sketches when I post them up in a couple of updates. Little tiny stick arm and ...
U: "There's patience and there's procrastination. Fortunately I'm aware of the difference." "That was good, write that down."
JW: <chuckling> Seneca's like, "Oh, of course. Like I wouldn't write down EVERY word he says." So they're fun. They're fun guys. And Madrigan of course serving as the foil to Robespierre so that we, you know, never get quite so overwhelmed by Robespierre's just, you know ... his comp— I lack the power of vocabulary to articulate.
U: Yeah. It always continually reminds the reader of who's in charge here.
JW: Right, right.
U: Robespierre's a THREAT, Madrigan is SCARED of him.
JW: Then we have Judith coming back to base and being like, "Yeah, we're good to go, I WATCHED some people today!"
<laughter>
U: "I watched the hell out of them! With my Super Slayer eyes!"
JW: Supa Slayah!
U: "Do I get to shoot laser beams tomorrow?"
JW: With your inspiring hero theme! <Ultrace laughs> Uhm, yeah and then just, ending on our ominous note there. Of course Robespierre might as well be talking to YOU, THE READER. "Stick around, you won't want to miss this!" And that's—
U: Which for once is for real, you won't wanna miss the next episode. Judith DOES SOMETHING.
JW: Hee-hee.
U: Other than watching. She postures!
JW: So yes, so that was the end of "Aid & Abet". A good episode, I always felt. One of my personal favourites. Very much fun to write.
U: Next week we have PAIN.

"Exchanges"

Story by: Jet Wolf and Ultrace
Scripted by: Jet Wolf
Prose by: Novareinna and Ultrace
Premiers: Tuesday, 30 November 2004, 8pm EST

On the next all-new episode of The Chosen ...

Exchange (verb): Change over, change around, or switch over.

Fade from black to Giles watching Kennedy march back and forth before a group of Junior Slayers. He smiles with approval.
Giles (V.O.): You're very gifted.
Kennedy (V.O.): That's me, the gift that keeps on giving.
Giles (V.O.): Which is why I wanted to ask you a question ...
Fade to black.

Exchange (noun): A mutual expression of views.

Fade from black to Buffy driving the car, Dawn in the passenger seat.
Dawn: Do you ... ever think about Mom?
Buffy: All the time.
Dawn: Does it still hurt?
Buffy (nodding sadly): All the time.
Fade to black.

Exchange (verb): Give to, and receive from, one another.

Fade from black to a shot of Willow and Tara standing across from each other, smiling and completely ignoring Buffy nearby.
Dissolve to the two of them in Willow's room -- Willow pacing at the foot of the bed, Tara sitting near the head.
Dissolve to Willow on her knees before Tara, gazing up at her as she starts to rise.
Dissolve to Willow and Tara leaning close, barely an inch separating them.
Fade to black.

Exchange (noun): The act of putting one thing or person in the place of another.

Fade from black to see just about everyone in the library. Books are everywhere, there's a whiteboard nearby ... It's planning mode.
Suddenly, everyone turns to regard the second level of the library.
Surprise becomes complete shock and disbelief as they see Judith standing there, smiling down on them.
Fade to black.
Judith (V.O.): It's good to be home.

The Chosen: A Buffy Virtual Season 8. Because the story's not done yet.

[ Download Clip #90 ]

Jet Wolf: And the episode poster for "Exchanges" uhm ... Willow and Tara left off intentionally because: a) they wouldn't fit, and b) I knew that I was going to have "Duality" which was going to be them, so I didn't feel bad about leaving them off of this poster in order to have them on the next one.
Ultrace: Besides, it makes you wonder if they got KILLED or not.
JW: I think people were actually wondering that.
U: I'm sure that they were. I mean, at least Tara. I mean, then they think that Willow went all dark and now they're thinking everybody here has to stop Dark Willow again.
JW: Hee-hee.
U: That'd be kind of interesting, though. Buffy, Faith and Kennedy versus Dark Willow.
JW: That's not interesting. They will all be crushed under the power of Dark Willow!
U: Tee-hee.
JW: Let's see, uhm ... one of my least inspired episode titles, I thought. "Exchanges". It's makes sense, but "Exchanges" was kind of an episode where I was happy with it and yet not happy with it at the same time. It all- It all felt a lot looser, you know? It kind of is what the title indicates it is: it's a series of exchanges and they don't- they don't tie together or come together in quite the- the way I prefer these sort of things to kind of come together and interweave. But it worked really well for the kind of episode it was, which was sort of a- a final ramp-up. Sort of like when you get to the top of the roller coaster and the chain starts to get jerky, but it's important it's got to get you over that last part before the bottom drops out of everything.
U: Yup. "It's good to be home."
JW: So yeah, the- the episode bits that we have here. Just the Giles and Kennedy of course, get ready for the exchange there. The change-over for Kennedy going to the European branch. Uh, the "mutual expression of views" between Dawn and Buffy. This is sort of where they come to an agreement about things and Dawn— Buff finally admitting that, "Hey, Dawn, you are growing up and I don't like that, but there's not much I can do about it."
U: Hee-hee.
JW: The "giving and receiving" for Willow and Tara, meaning of course the power. That – me being very evil and just taunting. I'm like, "They're gonna kiss! They're gonna kiss! Ohh, no they're not!" <Ultrace laughs> And then, "putting one thing or person in place of the other" – of course that's meaning Hazel in place of Faith.
U: Yeah.
JW: But all we show for that one, of course, is Judith. And I think that finally concludes our "Aid & Abet" commentary – the commentary that has stretched out over many, many days. Many weeks, almost.
U: Yup. That's about it, I think.
JW: That's about it, I think.
U: Thank you all for joining us.
JW: Thanks for coming!
U: Next time ...
JW: Either "Inside Out" or "Second Chances". I think probably "Inside Out".
U: Yeah, we should do "Inside Out" because that's—
JW: I think "Second Chances" is the last one we're posting.
U: Yeah. Cuz this is fan requested, the one we requested, then fan requested is how we should do it.
JW: Right, right.
U: That's my logic.
JW: We pretend we have logic. We don't really.
U: Anyway.
JW: And ah, yes, so now we must depart because Mike actually has to run to work now.
U: Whee! Almost literally.
JW: So, thanks for listening!
U: Bye!