Episode 20: "Exchanges"

Teaser

Scoobies' house. It's late afternoon/early evening-ish. The front door opens and Buffy comes in. She's in a tracksuit, obviously has been working out. She half still seems to be, in fact, sort of jogging everywhere. She heads into the kitchen and pulls open the refrigerator, jogging in place the whole time. She pulls out a carton of orange juice, then jogs to the cupboard and gets out a glass. She pours the juice in, jogging all the while, and then starts to try to drink – while jogging. It doesn't really work, so she half stops (not fully stopping, but enough to get more juice in her mouth than ON her mouth). Finishing with a loud satisfied smack, the puts it on the counter, then goes to the fruit bowl on the counter. She pulls out an apple and tosses it into her other hand. She looks at it, then turns to the bowl and pulls out another apple. She eyes a third. She stops jogging now and, instead, snatches that third apple. She then proceeds to begin juggling them. Poorly. But she doesn't drop them, which is something. She manages to keep it going for about thirty seconds, then Willow comes in. She raises an eyebrow at the spectacle.

WILLOW
Should I make a 'playing with your food' joke or an 'apple a day' joke?

Buffy is startled and apples go flying.

BUFFY
(Looking down at the apples on the ground) I wanted to eat those.

WILLOW
Really? Cuz you looked pretty big with the juggling and less with the eating.

BUFFY
I can't do both?

WILLOW
I have no idea. Oh, but you can try, though. Just lemme get the video camera first.

BUFFY
(Pseudo-aggressive) So I'm funny to you? I'm a clown for your amusement?

WILLOW
(Gesturing) You pretty much looked like one dogface boy from a carnival a second ago.

BUFFY
You ever wonder why I can't juggle?

WILLOW
(Like she might say yes, but:) No.

BUFFY
I mean, with Slayer abilities and everything, you'd think I should be able to juggle.

WILLOW
Maybe it's a trade-off. You got, you know ... super-strength, super-speed, and super-metabolism in exchange for ... juggling.

BUFFY
I guess that's fair.

WILLOW
I'd take it. (She looks slightly ill) Especially super-metabolism. Ugh. I can't believe I—

BUFFY
(Brightly) 'Ate the whole thing'? (Willow shoots her a look) I was waiting all night for that set-up.

WILLOW
You're not wrong. I don't think I'll even be able to LOOK a piece of junk food in the eye for a week. Not that junk food typically has eyes. Or any kind of food really. Except a potato, and what's up with that? Why do they call them eyes? It sort of gives you this image of a ... a big brown thing with a couple dozen tiny blinking eyes just staring, right at you.

Buffy considers this. It's clear she never has before. It's also very likely she never will again.

WILLOW
(In a place) I don't think I'll be able to touch another baked potato.

BUFFY
(Keen to move on) Anyway, that's not really important.

WILLOW
Says you! I just gave myself enough nightmare fuel to last a month!

BUFFY
I was talking in more of a 'big picture' sense. You know, taking everything into consideration, I'm just not convinced the spuds issue ranks.

WILLOW
Still worrying about Dawn?

BUFFY
Oh no. Okay, that's a lie. But I've since added to my worry repertoire. I went to see Giles earlier.

WILLOW
(Worried) What did— Is everyone okay?

BUFFY
Oh, oh, yeah. No, it's fine. Kennedy called him when they crossed the border. They've got this Keeper woman and they're on their way. They should be here— (she checks the clock) —any time now, actually. Kennedy was apparently REALLY keen to get home. Said something about getting pixie dust all over her favourite jeans.

Buffy looks to Willow for an explanation, but Will just shrugs, having NO idea. Buffy shrugs too and continues.

BUFFY
But he's pretty wiggy. I think he's starting to get really worried, which is making ME really worried. Which he knows, so he's trying super hard to not SHOW he's worried, which just means he's SERIOUSLY worried, and it's making me even MORE worried.

WILLOW
Wow. You sounded like me just there.

BUFFY
Mom always said you were a bad influence. (They smirk at that, then:) I dunno. I just want some answers, you know?

TARA
Then you're in luck.

Buffy and Willow look up to see Tara in the doorway with her bags. She's obviously just come home.

TARA
I think I have just what you're looking for.

Act One

Few moments after.

WILLOW
Tara!

BUFFY
Hey, you're home.

TARA
Next time I say I want to go somewhere? Anywhere at all? Remind me of this.

She puts her bags to the side. Willow is obviously very happy to see her, looking like she wants to run and hug her, but knows she can't, so she's just sort of a bundle of fidgety nerves.

WILLOW
You wanna sit?

TARA
No, that's okay. I feel like all I've done for two days is sit. My legs are demanding they be used.

WILLOW
Somethin' to drink?

TARA
No, I— (She looks at Willow, sees how badly Will wants to do SOMETHING for her, and she smiles.) Some water?

Willow beams and dashes off.

BUFFY
Everything go okay?

We hear the sound of glasses chinking, being moved around in the background.

TARA
Yeah. Some tire problems, a couple demons. Nothing major.

BUFFY
Cool. I guess Kennedy took good care of you.

TARA
She did. She really did.

Ice is being put into a glass, followed soon by water running.

BUFFY
And what about this wing person?

TARA
The Keeper of the Wing? She's ... interesting.

BUFFY
Which is Scooby Code for either 'crazy' or 'irritating'.

We hear drawers opening and closing.

TARA
(Smiling) I'm gonna stick with 'interesting'. She's really nice, actually. Just a little ... eccentric? Which I guess makes sense since it's just been her and Quinn for a few dozen years.

BUFFY
Her and...?

TARA
Quinn. He's a—

Tara breaks off as a glass is thrust at her. She looks at it – it's a glass of water, all right, but not just ANY glass of water. It's in a Harry Potter glass decorated with the Snitch and has a bendy straw sticking out of it.

WILLOW
Your water.

Tara takes the glass, sort of taken aback by the intricacies in a simple glass of water.

WILLOW
I really wanted to use the Hermione glass, but I can't find it. I think maybe Xander took it. Or maybe he broke it and didn't tell me, which would just be so like him. So we only had the Snitch or Hedwig, and I figured the Snitch worked better because you were just all 'Seeker' with- with the woman and— But the straw! I found the bendy straws!

Willow reaches out and, very deliberately, bends it to the left. She grins at Tara excitedly, then bends it to the right. She gives a 'Huh? Huh? Isn't that the coolest thing ever?' grin. Tara's still a little surprised, but then smiles – she can't help it. Seeing Tara smile sets Willow off all over again, and she's beaming from ear to ear. Tara smirks and, also very deliberately, bends the straw first left and then right (as if to say 'I got it, and yes, it's very cool.')

Buffy looks from one witch to the next. She smiles, but then frowns as she realizes Tara's totally distracted now. Buffy clears her throat meaningfully, causing both women to jump, like they'd forgotten Buffy was there.

TARA
(Flustered) Oh, uhh ... Uh, as I was, uhm ...

She frowns. She doesn't remember what she was saying.

BUFFY
(Prompting) Someone named Quinn...?

TARA
Quinn. Right. He's a faerie. He's here too, he helps Ruth. Sort of. They both came with us.

BUFFY
Great. Can't wait to meet her. She's with Giles?

Tara sips the water. Willow looks delighted.

TARA
She was. She's probably asleep now.

BUFFY
Asleep. We brought her all the way here to NAP?

TARA
Well no, she's just ... she's tired, and it is getting sort of late. She insisted on meeting Mr. Giles first, and then resting. (She glances to Willow, then back to Buffy) He wants us all to meet him tomorrow morning, so we can get on the same page and stuff?

BUFFY
I don't like this. You're sure she's not evil?

TARA
Pretty sure. I think she's just ... old.

WILLOW
Why you? (They turn her) I mean, why did she ask for you? Specifically?

TARA
(Frowning a little) I asked her that too. She said she wanted me to be able to find my way.

BUFFY
Find your ...? What does that mean?

TARA
I don't really know. I tried to ask her about it, but that's all she'd say.

WILLOW
That's really ... And that doesn't bother you?

TARA
A little. But it's not as important as her helping us, right?

WILLOW
(Not sure) I guess ...

BUFFY
Well what else did she say? About these Assembly people?

TARA
Assemblage. Not a whole lot. Some vague stuff, about needing to locate their center and 'destroying the source that keeps them whole'. She really wanted to talk to Giles first, though. (Grins) She said she only had so many breaths left, and she didn't want to waste them on saying the same thing twice.

Willow snickers, earning her a sharp look from Buffy. Will sobers. Buffy is clearly not happy.

BUFFY
I can't believe we have to keep waiting. (Frustrated grunt) Uhn!

WILLOW
Aww. Poor Buffy. (Patting her head. To Tara:) Her brain's all full.

BUFFY
(Deep sigh) At least Dawn'll be back soon. (She checks the clock) I'm gonna grab a shower.

The other two nod and Buffy exits, grumbling about nothing and everything. Willow and Tara are alone, and the tension begins to rise again. After a moment:

TARA
Good water.

WILLOW
Thanks. I got it from the faucet all by myself.v

TARA
Twisted the knob and everything, huh?

WILLOW
Hey, don't knock it. I had a couple choices to make. If I'd picked the wrong one, you might've ended up with a scalding hot icy beverage.

TARA
That would've been less refreshing.

They lapse into a silence again. Neither one is really meeting the other's eyes for more than a few brief nanoseconds. Then, simultaneously:

WILLOW/TARA
We need to talk.

They both chuckle and smile.

The front door to Slayer Central opens and Xander emerges. He has a large box in his arms, and he's peering around it to try and see where he's going. Faith is on the front steps smoking. She looks up at him, watching him try to maneuver.

FAITH
You know you got stairs comin'.

XANDER
Yeeee-up.

Xander continues to go forward, and despite his proclaimed knowledge, stumbles on the first step. Faith's there, though, and she steadies him before he can fall.

XANDER
I meant to do that.

FAITH
Uh-huh. Why, exactly?

Xander thinks for a moment. He's got nothing.

XANDER
Shut up.

FAITH
That's gratitude. Next time you can fall on your ass, how's that sound?

XANDER
(Sighing) Sorry, sorry. It's not you.

FAITH
What is it then?

XANDER
I'm thinkin' the 30 or so pounds of M&Ms I ate last night. (In response to Faith's look:) It was an ill-devised plan to make Will and Buffy better.

FAITH
Better by watchin' you stuff your face with candy?

XANDER
It was an intricate plan. In a hard candy shell.

FAITH
(Shaking her head) Sometimes I’m so glad I don't hang with you.

XANDER
Ahh, you don't mean that. I'm very charming.

Faith scoffs. Xander doesn't let it get him down.

XANDER
Anyway, love to stay and be insulted, (he raises the box) but I gotta make a delivery.

He makes his way down the steps – VERY cautiously this time – and begins to walk away. Faith watches him go for a second, then flicks her butt away and joins him.

FAITH
You gonna walk?

XANDER
No, I thought I'd fly. My wings should sprout any second now. Oh! Here they come! (A beat of mock concentration) No, wait, that was just my spine screaming in agony. False alarm.

FAITH
(Rolling her eyes) You got a car, yeah?

XANDER
It's not too far. I figured I'd walk it. (He shifts the uncomfortable, unwieldy box) I should'a brought the car.

FAITH
Ya think? (She bonks the box. Xander almost drops it, but doesn't.) What's in there, anyway?

XANDER
A job I took a little bit ago. It's a present, for someone's nephew. Some toys and stuff. Just finished it all up this afternoon.

FAITH
Cool. Guess you're pretty handy with the ... the tools you use. I dunno what they are.

XANDER
(Smiling anyway) I'm not too bad, I guess.

FAITH
D'you think— (She stops herself, as though she's changed her mind about asking, but then changes her mind and goes ahead.) D'you think you could make somethin'? For me?

XANDER
Well now, that's really gonna depend on what 'something' translates into.

FAITH
I dunno. Somethin' nice, like for my room.

XANDER
Sure. Like a bookcase or desk or something?

FAITH
I was thinkin' maybe a bit less Penneys an' more ... personal. But I dunno what.

XANDER
I'm sure we'll think of something. Maybe some picture frames or something?

FAITH
Yeah, somethin' like that. Not that I got pictures to put in 'em,

XANDER
Well maybe we can take some. So what brought this on?

FAITH
I dunno. Talkin' to Haze.

XANDER
How's she doing? Feelin' any better?

FAITH
Little bit. We talked a lot last night. Or, she talked. I listened mostly. She went on some long thing about homes an' families an' somehow that tied into my room. I sorta zoned out after a while. Promised I'd add some personal stuff, though, an' she seemed happy, so ... (she shrugs)

XANDER
I think that's cool.

FAITH
(Shrugging again) Suppose.

XANDER
No, seriously. It's good you're here. Fightin' the fight, helpin' the girls ...

Faith looks just the tiniest bit embarrassed.

FAITH
Beats a half-hour of rec time in a concrete yard, right?

XANDER
And there you go: a slogan that speaks to us all.

Slayer Central, the large training room. There are about 20 to 25 Juniors in there, doing various workout stuff (jumping jacks or toe-touches or something. I don't exercise. Whatever it is, they're doing it rapidly). Kennedy paces before them, totally in drill sergeant mode.

KENNEDY
Pick it up, ladies! I was only gone two days, you can't have gone that soft yet!

There's a rumble of groans, but the pace does indeed pick up. Nobody notices Giles come into the room, lounging by the door, watching.

KENNEDY
Melanie! Proper form, none of this half-assed crap. Do it right now or do it right later a hundred more times.

Kennedy completes another back-and-forth circuit and she spies Giles.

KENNEDY
Asura!

One of the girls looks up sharply, still doing her exercises. Kennedy jerks her head, and the girl jogs over.

KENNEDY
You're in charge until I get back.

With that, Kennedy turns around and heads for Giles. We can hear:

ASURA Okay, maggots, keep it going! One-thirty-three, one-thirty four—!

GILES
(Smirking, to Kennedy:) 'Maggots'. I see you've rubbed off on them admirably.

KENNEDY
Little Miss Role Model, that's me. So, what's up?

Giles begins to walk out of the room, and Kennedy follows, waiting expectantly.

GILES
I wasn't actually looking for you, I just happened to pass by and saw your class. I thought you were going to rest and relax?

KENNEDY
I am.

GILES
I meant in a more conventional sense.

KENNEDY
Oh. I thought about it for all of five seconds, but ... Nah. This is good. We've gotta be in top shape for whatever's coming. I want my girls ready.

GILES
Your dedication is admirable.

KENNEDY
It's a living, right?

GILES
I think we both know it's quite a bit more than that.

Kennedy nods, acknowledging, but doesn’t reply. Giles looks at her seriously for a long moment.

GILES
You're very gifted.

KENNEDY
That's me – the gift that keeps on giving.

GILES
Your Watcher would have been very proud of you.

That gets to Kennedy. She looks first surprised to hear that, then her expression softens.

KENNEDY
(Sincerely) Thanks.

GILES
And so am I.

She looks grateful and a little embarrassed now, so before it can get uncomfortable:

KENNEDY
Hey, it's 'Everybody Loves Kennedy' day, huh? (Considers this) I'm okay with that.

GILES
You've shown remarkably presence of mind and leadership. Though you're hard on your charges—

KENNEDY
Hey, it's a tough world out there. The monsters aren't gonna care if little Susie's got a hangnail and wants the night off.

GILES
Perhaps not exactly the words I would have used ... but I share your sentiment. You're hard on them, but fair. They need that if they're to survive.

They come to Giles' office door and he opens it for her.

GILES
Which is why I wanted to ask you a question.

Kennedy steps in and Giles follows her. As he starts to shut the door, we hear:

GILES
How do you feel about Europe?

The family car. Buffy's driving, Dawn's in the passenger seat. The conversation is in-progress.

DAWN
Oh, and that night? Each of the rooms got free HBO, right? So Brenda's surfing, and we find this episode of "Real Sex" and we—

She suddenly remembers who she's talking to and quickly backpedals.

DAWN
—we immediately changed it to ABC Family, where we enjoyed many fine hours of quality programming.

BUFFY
(Clearly not believing) UH-huh.

Dawn maintains her look of innocence, however, and Buffy simply shakes her head in amusement.

BUFFY
You had a good time, though?

DAWN
I totally did. Thanks for letting me go.

BUFFY
Well ... I can't keep freaking out every time you get a canker sore, can I?

DAWN
(Confused) Nooo, I suppose not ...

BUFFY
I just mean ... You'll be 18 next year. My little sister. Old enough to vote.

DAWN
But not drink. Where's the logic?

BUFFY
You're growing up so fast.

DAWN
Okay, you're not gonna get all Hallmark on me, are you? Cuz if you are, then ... then I need warning, And about a zillion miles between us.

BUFFY
No greeting cards. Promise.

DAWN
And none of those phone commercials either. They're depressing. Remember? Mom used to get all weepy.

BUFFY
No cards, no calls.

DAWN
Okay then. (Beat) Do you ever think about her? (At Buffy's look:) Mom.

BUFFY
All the time.

DAWN
Does it still hurt?

BUFFY
...all the time.

DAWN
(Nodding) It doesn't hurt as much as it used to, though. (Beat) You don't think that makes her sad, do you? I mean, do you think she knows we still love her? Just as much?

BUFFY
I know she does. She wouldn't want us to still be crying. You remember how much she used to hate it when you cried.

DAWN
(Chuckling) Yeah, she used to start tickling me, all demanding that 'Mr. Happy Face' come out. God, SO lame.

BUFFY
Worked though, didn't it?

DAWN
Yeah.

BUFFY
Why all this stuff about Mom? Not that you can't think about her or talk about her whenever you want.

DAWN
She's just been on my mind and stuff a lot.

BUFFY
I get that. I wish she was here sometimes. Lots of times. I just can't fill the Mom shoes like her.

DAWN
(A little embarrassed) You do okay.

BUFFY
Yeah?

DAWN
I mean, you can't make brownies to save your life, but ...yeah.

BUFFY
(After a moment) I love you, Dawn, you know that, right?

DAWN
I know.

BUFFY
Even when you don't do your homework, or stay out until twelve-thirty when I SPECIFICALLY said twelve, or (said very pointedly:) steal my nice new leather jacket that I've only worn once.

DAWN
I so didn't steal it! I was ... in a rush and when I grabbed my jacket, I ... missed.

BUFFY
You missed your closet and hit mine, huh?

DAWN
And anyway, I got the stain out.

BUFFY
Stain? You STAINED my nice new leather jacket?

DAWN
(Pseudo-charming smile) Still feelin' that love?

BUFFY
Less and less with each passing second.

DAWN
Hey, look, it's home! Yay for home! I missed it.

BUFFY
You are such a pain in my neck.

DAWN
But a lovable one. Look at these dimples.

Dawn gives a huge toothy smile. The car pulls into the driveway and Buffy gives Dawn a look.

BUFFY
You do not have dimples.

DAWN
Oh. Well, I have nice teeth.

BUFFY
Yes. I'm powerless before the magnetic charisma of good dentistry.

They're getting out of the car now, Dawn complete with her bags.

BUFFY
Make sure you rest up tonight, we've got a Scooby meeting tomorrow.

DAWN
Yeah?

BUFFY
Yup. We'll all be there bright and early. If Faith and Kennedy can make it after patrolling all night long, then you can make it after doing your math homework and getting to bed by ELEVEN.

DAWN
So. Scooby meeting, huh?

BUFFY
Yeeees.

DAWN
To which I get an official invite.

BUFFY
This can very easily be retracted.

DAWN
No no, that's okay. I'm simply basking in the implication.

BUFFY
Well stop it, it's annoying.

DAWN
I love you, too.

BUFFY
Just make sure you're ready on time.

From across the street, we watch as Buffy throws her arm around Dawn, hugging her as they go into the house. Judith is watching the, unseen. She smiles.

JUDITH
We will be.

Act Two

Willow's room. Tara's sitting on the bed, Willow's pacing back and forth. Both don't look too terribly comfortable to be there, but are resolved.

WILLOW
So, any great tales from Canada?

TARA
Make sure you already have a happy predisposition toward snow. And change flat tires really fast.

WILLOW
Ha! Flat tire, that's ... that's funny ...

TARA
There ... really wasn't a joke there.

WILLOW
No, I guess not.

A long silence falls.

TARA
(Smirking) So much for small talk, huh?

WILLOW
We just have too much talk. We need a more appropriate size.

TARA
Big talk?

WILLOW
Super-sized talk.

TARA
Gargantuan talk.

WILLOW
Colossal talk.

TARA
(Thinking) Prodigious talk.

WILLOW
Well if that isn't enough talk, we're gonna have to do some serious editing.

They chuckle, but it dies very quickly. There's simply too much to say to keep avoiding it forever.

WILLOW
I'm scared.

TARA
Of me?

WILLOW
Of me. This ... Whatever's between us, whatever it means ... This power that I have, it's strong. Sometimes I think it's stronger than me. Stronger than any of us.

TARA
I can't believe that.

WILLOW
I HAVE to. It changed me, Tara. I LET it change me. I wanted it to. The temptation to just ... You don't know. I can FEEL it. All the time. You shouldn't have to go through that.

TARA
There's a lot of stuff we 'shouldn't' have to go through. But the bad stuff? It all helps make us who we are.

WILLOW
And if you can't live with that person?

Tara doesn't have an answer.

TARA
I'm scared too. I-I'm ... I'm not who I used to be. (Will looks confused) Things are different. Now. The things I've gone through ...

WILLOW
(Not getting it) What does that...?

TARA
I don't know who you need. (She laughs) I don't know who *I* need.

WILLOW
(Smiling) Well that one's easy for me.

She steps closer to the bed now, bridging the distance between them.

WILLOW
I've always known.

TARA
Willow ...

Will kneels down next to the bed, smiling up at Tara.

WILLOW
Whatever you think is different, what you think is not-Tara? It doesn't change a darned thing. You're the same in all the ways that matter. (She touches her heart) I can feel it.

TARA
You don't know that.

WILLOW
I know that.

TARA
You can't.

WILLOW
I do.

Tara looks at Willow – really looks at her. Willow projects nothing but absolutely confidence in her declaration. It is fact, pure and simple. After several moments of intense scrutiny between them, Willow's starts to rise up and lean forward, slowly coming closer. As they speak here, it's in low, intimate tones.

WILLOW
Whoever this 'New Tara' is? I wanna know her, too.

TARA
Even if she's grouchy sometimes?

WILLOW
Mm, I like grouchy. I bet New Tara gets the most adorable little crease in her forehead when she's grouchy.

TARA
And even if she wakes up in the middle of the night from bad dreams?

WILLOW
Sounds like a good excuse for early morning comfort cuddles.

TARA
(Also leaning forward now. They're close.) How about when—

Suddenly, there's a flash between the two, as an arc of energy leaps from Willow into Tara. They both pull apart, startled and panting somewhat.

WILLOW
Okay, what the frilly heck was—

Wide-eyed, Willow looks at Tara.

WILLOW
(Afraid) Oh god. Oh god.

Tara shakes her head, recovering from the unexpected charge. She looks to Willow

TARA
What is it?

What's wrong is clear to us, if not to her. Tara's eyes are pure jet black.

WILLOW
Oh god.

TARA
Willow? What's wrong?

Tara reaches a hand out to Willow, who is clearly terrified and recoils violently away.

WILLOW
Don't touch me!

Tara's hand snaps back, the outburst obviously having wounded her. Willow immediately looks regretful, but her horror isn't abating.

WILLOW
Oh, baby, I ... (To herself) What have I done?

Willow stumbles to her feet. Tara shoves aside her own feelings and stands as well.

TARA
Will, just calm down. Whatever it is, it'll be okay.

But Willow just shakes her head, unable to tear her eyes away. She begins to back out of the room, then finally manages to snap herself out of it and she turns to run.

TARA
Willow!

She's gone like a shot. We hear the pounding of feet on the stairs and by the time Tara gets near the doorway, the front door slams. Will's gone. Tara looks around confused and upset, but then she spots her reflection in the mirror over the dresser. Tara's still-black eyes widen in complete astonishment and she steps closer, entranced. She first reaches out to the reflection, then instead to her own face. She runs her fingertips along her cheek, underneath the eye, hardly able to believe what she sees.

TARA
Uh-oh.

We're in the big training room. It's mostly vacant, though there's the odd girl or two here and there. We're focused on a particular corner, however. Hazel's working out, sort of shadow boxing with the mirror. Faith has hopped up on a big pile of mats and is lounging on them, watching Hazel and chatting at the same time.

HAZEL This'll be so cool. Me. Large and in charge. (She catches Faith's look) What? I'm taller than you. Just. It's exciting, though. And kinda scary. You think I'll do okay?

FAITH
You'll be fine. Just don't let 'em hit'cha too much. You newbies land a few blows on the teach an' you get all cocky.

HAZEL (Looking a little worried) I'd feel better if you were there.

FAITH
If I was there, I wouldn't need you to take over.

HAZEL Oh, sure, use LOGIC.

FAITH
You'll be great. Just remember: 8AM. How to use whatever's handy as a weapon. Don't get hit a lot.

Hazel nods and returns the bulk of her attentions to her workout. Faith watches for a moment.

FAITH
Y'know, you change your mind, decide you wanna go visit your folks, I can get someone else to take the class.

HAZEL You already offered that once.

FAITH
Well I'm offerin' again.

HAZEL (Smiling) I'm good, Fiver. I mean, it still really sucks, but I did a lot of thinking last night. If I was home, just me and my bratty little sister ... well, this'd pretty much trash my world. My parents were everything.

FAITH
Livin' the suburban dream.

HAZEL I sure thought so. Guess appearances really ARE deceiving. Or I'm blind as a bat.

FAITH
They probably just didn't want you an' your sis all caught up in their personal crap.

HAZEL No, I'm sure it was all very altruistic. Still though, if I was at home right now, I'd probably be crying ... well, all the time. Now I'm here, though.

FAITH
(Thinking she understands) So you don't have to really deal with 'em.

HAZEL It's not that. They're not my world any more. (She gestures around her) This is. Being here, training to be a real true blue superhero, saving people ... this is what I do now. I saw the movies and stuff, right? Watched the TV shows, read the comic books ... That's me now. That's all of us. I can't think of anything better in the whole world.

FAITH
Just wait 'til you hit your first apocalypse. Divorce'll seem like cake.

HAZEL See, there you go – just one more silvery sketch around that cloud of mine. You, me, the Scoobies, all the other girls ... This is our home now.

FAITH
(In a sort of unreadable tone) Be it ever so humble.

We're in the private training room now. Buffy vs. Giles.

BUFFY
I can't believe you didn't make her talk.

GILES
(As though he's already been through this) She was tired. It was difficult to argue with her request to get some sleep. We will tackle this first thing in the morning. Besides, she does have something of a point about going through all the same information twice.

BUFFY
But you know stuff. She told you stuff.

GILES
I know a little bit of ... of 'stuff', yes, but certainly not enough to pop over to Robespierre's for a spot of tea. He- He's hidden himself remarkably well. We're going to need her help, Buffy.

BUFFY
I'm being good. Good, yet cautious. (She smirks a little) Just like my Watcher taught me.

GILES
Ah, remarkable chap. Very astute. You should listen to him more often, I think.

BUFFY
Nah. He talks funny.

They continue trading blows for a moment.

BUFFY
Giles?

GILES
Yes?

BUFFY
When you first met me ... what did you think?

GILES
'That outfit is entirely inappropriate for Slaying.'

Buffy laughs and Giles smiles.

GILES
I also seem to recall thinking, 'Good lord. She's only a child.'

Their exchange of blows slows then stops altogether. Giles goes to get them some water, Buffy sipping hers, Giles drinking his quite thirstily.

BUFFY
It's finny how serious you were back then. You were, like, Watcher concentrate, all tweed and superiority.

GILES
Had to take classes, you know. Coming across that uptight is an art form one must refine.

BUFFY
Would you go back there? If you could?

GILES
Would you?

Buffy considers this seriously for a moment. Then smirks.

BUFFY
I asked you first.

GILES
Well I asked you second.

BUFFY
You are such a child.

GILES
I know you are, my dear Slayer, but what am I?

He says it so prim and proper that Buffy can't help but bust out laughing again.

GILES
Would I return to those days of willingly being under the Council's thumb? Of dealing with endless streams of children with no interest in learning, who viewed the library only as a prime place to make-out? Of having to face Snyder day in and day out? Lying awake at night, worrying that you weren't taking your duties seriously and were, at that moment, getting yourself killed? No, I can't say that I miss those days much at all.

Buffy takes all this in, nods.

GILES
And you?

BUFFY
Sometimes. It all seemed so much simpler then.

GILES
Yes, I expect it did.

BUFFY
But mostly ... No. I don't think I'd go back. I mean, back then? I didn't even HAVE a cell phone.

GILES
Yes, it all balances out now. (Beat) What brought all this on?

BUFFY
(Playing with whatever weapon she's been using or something else in her hands) Dawn was just talking earlier about Mom and stuff. I guess I just got bit by the nostalgia bug.

GILES
I think I have some understanding of that. Still, we can only learn from the past, not dwell in it.

BUFFY
So says the man who still thinks MTV is a tool of dark forces.

GILES
Well honestly, have you ever stopped and really considered Carson Daly? I think I need say no more. (He puts his water down and hefts his weapon.) Now, let's practice your counter attack.

They begin to exchange blows, but don't get too far before Faith enters the room. Both Giles and Buffy stop and look up.

FAITH
Sorry. I'll go to my room.

BUFFY
No, Faith, it's cool.

FAITH
I got a bag in my room, I can pound on that.

GILES
Are you all right?

FAITH
Five by five. Little wired is all.

BUFFY
You can feel it too, huh? All the tension.

FAITH
A bit. Now we got a face to go with the name, I just wanna go smack it around. Waitin's not exactly my strong point.

GILES
Well why don't you join us?

FAITH
Nah, this is a Slayer/Watcher thing.

GILES
Last time I checked I was, technically, your Watcher also.

BUFFY
Just think of all the fun we can have. All the friendly rivalries ... Being the favourite Slayer, picking out the best 'Watcher's Day' present ...

FAITH
Think we got enough rivalries to last us a lifetime, B.

BUFFY
Nah, it's like Jello – there's always room for more.

Faith casts a questioning glance to Giles, who simply smiles and hands her his weapon. She takes it and he stands to the side.

GILES
We're working on taking advantage of any weakness in your opponent.

FAITH
Might know a little somethin' about that.

BUFFY
Well let's see what'cha got.

They begin.

The next day, as evidenced by much sunshine coming in through the windows and skylight. It's not yet meeting time, and Ruth is in the library. She's looking around, seemingly quite interested in what she sees. Willow enters, clearly having been searching for something. When she spies Ruth, it becomes obvious what that something was. Ruth doesn’t turn around.

RUTH
Hello, Willow.

WILLOW
(A little startled) Hi?

Ruth turns around now, and looks surprised herself, just for a moment. Then she smiles.

WILLOW
(Looking down at herself) What?

RUTH
You're not what I expected. (Willow looks even more confused now) How refreshing. Do you have any idea how rare it is for someone my age to actually be surprised?

WILLOW
(Stepping cautiously closer) What did ... You expected something?

RUTH
Don't we all?

WILLOW
But you know me?

RUTH
(Smiling indulgently) My child, every witch, warlock, mage or sorceress worthy of the title knows you. You didn't honestly expect to make the Earth scream and remain anonymous, did you?

Willow flushes a little, but shakes her head, not wanting to be distracted.

WILLOW
I wanted to talk to you.

RUTH
We are talking.

WILLOW
I mean about specific stuff. Giles, Tara ... they think you know things.

RUTH
I do. My oatmeal raisin cookie recipe, for example.

WILLOW
Oh, I-I like oatmeal raisin— (She cuts herself off with a sharp shake of her head) Do you know what's happening?

RUTH
You might want to be a little more specific, dear.

WILLOW
To me. Us. My powers.

RUTH
Ah.

She scrutinizes Willow for a long moment, then shakes her head, looking a little sad.

RUTH
I'm not really sure. There's obviously a connection there, but ... (She frowns, looking a little more intently) You're blocking it.

WILLOW
Darn tootin' I'm blocking it! Do you know what happened yesterday? (Ruth makes as if to answer that she doesn't, but it clearly doesn't matter if she did or didn't know, as Willow is going to tell her anyway.) There we were, things looking ... REALLY good, a-and then BAM! ... Only not so much BAM! as FLASH!, then there's this- this feeling like I'm under attack by a vacuum cleaner from hell and suddenly Tara needs Visine for EVIL and is that what I really look like when I get the black magick eyes, because, wow! Scary!

RUTH
(Frowning) What did she do?

WILLOW
Tried to stop me from freaking out! Yeah, like THAT was possible.

RUTH
Is she okay now?

WILLOW
I haven't seen her this morning, but ... when I finally went home last night, she was fine. Her eyes were nice and normal ... she said it wore off after about ten minutes, but ... (Upset) I don't ever want to see that again. Not ever. I like her eyes the way they should be – blue and perfect. They shouldn't be evil ... like mine.

RUTH
But her personality, her attitude? That didn't shift at all?

WILLOW
Well she was scared, which was so not the surprise, but ... (Willow starts to frown) No. She acted just like Tara. She didn't even seem to notice it.

Ruth is digesting this information. Willow looks at her, concerned.

WILLOW
What does that mean? It means something good, right? No, of course it's not good. But ... But it doesn't necessarily mean bad? But when it was me, I didn't think it was bad at first either. (Almost desperate) How can I stop it?

RUTH
(A little sad) I don't think you can, dear.

WILLOW
But I have to! What's gonna happen if I don't?

RUTH
I don't know. The answer to that is really up to you and Tara.

Willow opens her mouth to protest, but then we hear lots of voices from outside. Giles enters, followed by several of the others. He looks up from his notes to see Ruth and Willow.

GILES
Ahh, good, you're both here. Shall we get started then?

Ruth nods and, with a final parting smile to Willow, goes to Giles. Willow stands back, looking more worried than ever.

Not too terribly long after the above. Everyone is situated around in various tables, either sitting or standing. Ruth is sitting in a chair at the head of one of the nearby tables. She clearly has everyone's attention.

RUTH
For a few decades now, I've made it something of a habit to not concern myself too much with the outside world. I've found it doesn’t quite hold the same interest for me that it once did, and I was tired. So very tired. I was content, not paying things much mind. There were of course moments where I couldn't completely tune everything out (she glances to Willow briefly) – I was detached, not blind. One such event occurred a few months ago.

GILES
I believe the catalyst for Ruth's ... renewed sense of interest was Tara's resurrection.

XANDER
(To Tara) Boy, you just woke up everyone, didn't you, missy? (He wags his finger at her) Keep it down next time you rise from the dead.

TARA
I, uhm ... think I'll skip on the 'next time' part.

RUTH
Once my attention had been distracted, I wasn't particularly in the mood to just let it go. (Grumbling) I'd already missed the end of 'The Price is Right'. (Back to normal voice) So I stretched a few old magick muscles, and went sniffing around.

BUFFY
Sniffing. I'm guessing not for potpourri.

RUTH
Youth today, no appreciation for hyperbole. (At the agitation around her, she rolls her eyes a little and continues.) After some investigation and reflection, I was able to get an impression of the signature.

KENNEDY
Okay, I'm officially confused.

WILLOW
Every spell has a sort of- of fingerprint. An impression left by the caster, or possibly casters. Two witches can cast the exact same spell, but leave behind completely different signatures.

TARA
You have to be pretty sensitive to pick them up though, unless you're already really familiar with the signature.

RUTH
I wasn't able to get an exact match, but I did find something extremely similar ... and very powerful. I spent some time trying to get as much information as I could, but it's impressively shrouded. Slipperier than a pumpkin seed in the rain.

FAITH
What're we talkin'? This that Robespierre guy?

GILES
That's what I suspect. Although Robespierre himself never showed any particular leaning towards mystical powers ... in fact, he more often than not seemed to deem it as unrefined, almost barbaric. Still, given the nature of the attacker and our difficulty in locating him through more conventional means ... Well, he appears to have expanded his resources.

WILLOW
And it makes sense. If he's working the magicks to juice up Slayers an' I couldn't even catch a trace of it, it's pretty hardcore power.

KENNEDY
So we're talking busting in and busting heads, right?

RUTH
It's most likely an item of some sort. The readings I was able to get show a steady stream of power, constantly flowing but constantly regenerating too. The levels don't fluctuate or decrease, they simply raise steadily. Anything living, even something that powerful, would have to slow or stop occasionally.

XANDER
Okay, so summing up: Big Bad, Big Power. Power in doohickey. Doohickey smashy, power go bye-bye.

WOOD
You have such a way with words. (Xander beams.)

GILES
Power will not go 'bye-bye', so much as simply stop feeding into whatever is draining it. If my assumptions are correct, the power already expended will remain in ... whatever was absorbing it.

DAWN
You're thinking the Super Slayers.

Giles nods.

HANNAH
What about the magic users behind this?

GILES
Powerful, no doubt, but not our primary concern. They're under the command of Robespierre. Without him and without their power source, they'll likely scatter. The commander and his army must be our top priorities. Once we've stopped them, we can seek out the spellcasters after.

BUFFY
Okay, so step one: we destroy the battery and somehow get rid of whatever leftovers is turning these other Slayers into T-1000s, right?

GILES
In its most basic form, that would be the plan, yes.

BUFFY
Great. (Turning to Ruth) So where are they?

RUTH
I don't EXACTLY know ...

Buffy looks like she's about to protest up a storm.

RUTH
...but I can help you find them.

Act Three

We're in the hallway outside the library. It almost looks like school, with kids sitting outside a classroom before the bell rings. Tara's sitting against one wall, Buffy and Xander are opposite her. They're looking concerned.

XANDER
You're talkin' full on, eyes of darkness?

Tara nods, looking somewhat concerned.

BUFFY
Whoa. Why didn't you say anything last night?

TARA
The whole thing was sort of draining. I just fell asleep before you guys got home. I-I got to talk to Willow about it, though. Well, we didn't really TALK. More like, I spoke, and she kept panicking. She was really upset.

XANDER
No blame from my end. It's freaky enough when she gets like that, I can only imagine what it'd look like on you.

BUFFY
But you're okay, right? No malevolent side effects?

TARA
(Shaking her head) None. Not even nightmares.

BUFFY
We should tell Giles.

XANDER
G-Man definitely needin' to be in the loop on this one.

TARA
(In agreement) I'll talk to him as soon as we finish up today. (She glances into the library) Whenever that is.

BUFFY
Break time should be over soon. How much tea can one man drink?

XANDER
I've seen him put away a whole box of Celestial Seasonings. He's a tea-drinking machine.

TARA
I think he was getting maps and paper and stuff anyway. For the plan part of our plan.

XANDER
Oh believe me, there's tea involved there somewhere.

From around a corner comes Quinn, looking as prim as always. He's heading toward the library (and the others, as a consequence). Buffy and Xander exchange a look; Tara smiles at him.

TARA
Hey, Quinn.

QUINN
(Very enthused) Good morning, sweetness. And how are you today?

TARA
Fine, thanks. Did you sleep okay?

QUINN
Oh, as well as could be expected. Ruth sounded like a grizzly bear with a sinus condition. Pity the dampening magicks were never my strong suit.

By now, Buffy and Xander are looking at Quinn very strangely indeed. Tara notices their curiosity and makes with the introductions.

TARA
Oh, Quinn ... (She gestures) These are my friends. This is Buffy ... (she indicates Buffy, who, with a dubious expression, raises a very stilted hand in greeting) ... and this is Xander.

She gestures to Xander as well, who seems locked in a place where he's trying to figure Quinn out. Then he realizes Quinn is now giving him just as much attention, and smiles quickly. Quinn isn't impressed.

QUINN
(To Tara) Been battling demons and the like for 8 years, you said? (Tara nods) Huh. (He looks at Buffy and Xander again – VERY not impressed) Amazing.

Xander's smile falters and Buffy flat out frowns.

QUINN
(To Buffy) Slayer, I take it?

BUFFY
That's right. Slayer of things both great AND small.

Quinn gives non-verbal, almost superior utterance to her statement and turns to Tara again.

QUINN
She's practically skin and bone, isn't she? Looks like she could do with an sandwich or five, love. Put some meat on her, maybe she won't look so gaunt and sunken in.

Buffy's eyes shoot up and she looks down at herself instinctively. Her head snaps back up to Quinn (who is still focused on Tara) – Buffy looks utterly beside herself. As for Tara, her eyes are widening in disbelief as well. But Quinn's not done.

QUINN
The other, now he's much more my speed. Pity he's so gormless.

Xander's expression, which was instinctively proud, lasts not even two seconds before falling and looking indignant.

QUINN
Suffered many a blow to the head, I expect. Pity.

TARA
(Finding her voice) Uhm, Quinn, they're actually—

QUINN
Very nice people, I don't doubt.

TARA
Yes, actually.

QUINN
Well there, you see? They have that going for them, at least.

Buffy's starting to look quite angry now, but Quinn is getting ready to move on.

QUINN
Ahh well, delightful as this exchange is, I simply MUST continue my exploration. I've been cooped up with only Ruth for company for so long, it's a welcome change of pace to flex my wings.

He starts to flitter off.

QUINN
Ta. Enjoy the rest of your meeting. I know I'll enjoy not having to be there.

He's quickly out of sight, leaving a fuming Buffy and Xander.

XANDER
I know this is wrong, but I gotta say – I think I now hate all faeries for the rest of my natural life.

BUFFY
Gaunt? Sunken in?!

TARA
You don't look gaunt o-or sunken in, Buffy, I promise. He was exaggerating just a little.

BUFFY
Just a LITTLE?

TARA
I-I meant a lot. Lots of exaggerating. He was ...Hey, maybe 'sunken in' is a- a compliment where he comes from.

She flashes a weak smile, not expecting Buffy to agree. Which is good, because Buffy doesn't.

XANDER
'Gormless'. What does that even MEAN?

TARA
Uhh ...

Dawn comes by at that moment, saving the day. She has a Coke in one hand and looks pretty happy with the world.

DAWN
Oh, you guys'll never believe who I met in the kitchen! The Keeper brought this faerie guy named—

BUFFY/XANDER
Quinn.

DAWN
That's him! He's SO funny! He started talking about how mousse got its name because it used to be made from actual mooses ... moosen? (She shrugs) He started going into this whole skit, like he was a chef making the first mousse, and he had this really outrageous French accent for some reason. Oh, but then—

Giles sticks his head outside the door.

GILES
I think we're ready.

BUFFY
You mean I won't hear more stories? Tragic.

DAWN
(Huffing) He's cute.

XANDER/BUFF
No he's not.

They march into the library, leaving Dawn looking at Tara.

DAWN
What?

Tara just pats Dawn's shoulder and walks into the library.

DAWN
What?

A nondescript room of Slayer Central. Willow and Kennedy are sitting on one of the long tables. Kennedy is cross-legged, Willow is swinging her legs back and forth.

KENNEDY
Thanks for coming to talk to me.

WILLOW
Well how could I resist with you being all mysterious.

KENNEDY
I wasn't mysterious. I was pushy.

WILLOW
(Reflective) Yeah, you're right, you were. Stop being so pushy.

KENNEDY
But it gets results.

WILLOW
That is does. So what's up?

KENNEDY
I had a chat with Giles yesterday.

WILLOW
Pretty talky, isn't he? I swear, he hasn't shut up since he figured out who Robespierre is. (She says it with a smile, though.)

KENNEDY
This was something a little more specific. (Beat.) He asked me to run the new Council branch. The Slayer side, not the paperwork side.

Willow's face lights up in delight for Kennedy, and she throws her arms around the other woman's neck. Kennedy looks surprised for a half-second, but then just enjoys it.

WILLOW
Oh my god, Kenn! That's so great! See, what did I tell you? You're a NATURAL, you just—

All the neurons fire, and the full consequences sink in. Willow pulls away.

WILLOW
The new Council branch. The one in Europe.

KENNEDY
In England, specifically. I think Giles just wanted a good excuse to visit a lot. I would've put it more central, like in Austria or Italy or something, but ...

WILLOW
England. The one in ... Europe.

KENNEDY
(Smiling) No, the England next door.

WILLOW
The Europe that's a different continent. Separated by a rather intimidating patch of ocean.

KENNEDY
Kinda Asia-ish? That Europe.

WILLOW
But ... But if you're in Europe, how can you be here?

KENNEDY
Until they perfect cloning, I sort of won't be. (Thinking) Though multiple me's is sounding really cool right now in ways that should probably be inappropriate ...

WILLOW
But I need you here! (Kennedy quirks an eyebrow) A-And I know that sounds really selfish, but I do!

KENNEDY
No, you don't. (Willow opens her mouth to protest, but Kennedy speaks first.) You've got all you need here already, Will.

WILLOW
Right! With you here too!

KENNEDY
You have your friends, your family, your work, your school ... You haven't needed me for a while now. That's a good thing, by the way. Bugged me for a little bit there, but I like to think I maybe had something to do with it.

WILLOW
You did. I ... I don't know if I could've made it without you. You just ... you never let me give up. Not on anything.

KENNEDY
If there's one thing I've got going for me, it's a dogged stubborn streak that would put the world's most bullheaded donkey to shame.

WILLOW
You've got a whole petting zoo there.

KENNEDY
Probably. But see? I'm so stubborn, I'm not going to go back and change it.

WILLOW
(Getting a little upset) When are you leaving?

KENNEDY
Not for another three weeks, month or so at most.

Willow nods, swallowing hard. Kennedy looks at her and smiles.

KENNEDY
I just thought you should know, this is doing wonders for my ego.

WILLOW
(Watery voice) You have to go?

KENNEDY
Yeah. I need to find my place, you know?

WILLOW
But you HAVE a place.

KENNEDY
No, I have YOUR place.

There's a pause while this sinks in. Willow gets it, but some part of her still doesn't like it.

WILLOW
I'm gonna miss you.

KENNEDY
(Grinning) Damned right you will. (Willow chuckles.) It won't be so different, though. There's e-mail, phone calls on the Council's dime, company jets to abuse for personal reasons ...

WILLOW
Thank you. For believing in me. For loving me when I didn't think anybody ever could again.

KENNEDY
That was all you, Will. I just did what came naturally.

Willow's still crying a little – no sobs, but it's upsetting.

WILLOW
Today's been the worst day.

KENNEDY
Then tomorrow has to be better, right?

WILLOW
You'd better write me! All the time!

KENNEDY
(Vowing) I'll be worse than spam.

WILLOW
And I want phone calls! Constant updates!

KENNEDY
I'll harass you day and night.

WILLOW
Okay.

KENNEDY
If you ever need me, for anything at all, you know I'll be there.

Willow nods, then goes to hug Kennedy again, and the two embrace for a long moment. Then Kennedy pulls back.

KENNEDY
Hey Will, I bet I know what you'll miss most of all.

Willow looks at her curiously, and Kennedy clacks her tongue stud against her teeth a few times. Willow immediately turns a beet red, and Kennedy grins.

KENNEDY
Thought so. Already thinking about hinting to Tara, aren't you?

WILLOW
(Exaggerated indignity) I have no idea what you're talking about.

KENNEDY
(Grinning from ear to ear) And now I'm satisfied that I have, in my own small way, spoiled you forever.

WILLOW
No argument here.

There's a light rap on the door, and Kennedy and Willow look up to see Giles stick his head in.

GILES
Sorry to interrupt, but we're ready to continue.

The girls nod and Giles leaves. They look about ready to go when Willow leans over and kisses Kennedy's cheek. Kennedy smiles.

WILLOW
I've spoiled you, too.

KENNEDY
(Smiling) No argument here.

Back in the library. The group is mostly gathered around one of the three long tables that take up the bulk of the main floor. There is a white board on an easel set up near the group, and Wood is currently taking notes on it.

WOOD
(Pointing to the notes) Okay, so we need to know: how many there are; where is the power source and how to destroy it; the lay of the land; how to get rid of the power they already have.

BUFFY
And what do we do about this Robespierre guy? I mean, he's just a human, right? So I can't just ...

GILES
When we attack and ... capture him. We'll bring him back here. I'll deal with him from there.

Giles exchanges a brief look with Hannah. Both Buffy and Xander catch it and exchange a look of their own, but there's no time to dwell, Giles is moving on already.

GILES
Willow, Tara? How are you coming on the transportation spell?

TARA
Kinda okay? There's a lot of stuff on teleportation, but ... (She looks over her shoulder toward Ruth) Are you sure we'll be able to find them?

RUTH
Absolutely. You two have more than enough power to locate their signature on your own. You simply don't know what you're looking for. I'll be able to guide you. From there, it will just be a case of you both being able to open a portal.

WILLOW
Yeah, but sending, like, all our Slayers through? That's big stuff.

TARA
So we'll just have to find a big spell.

Willow smiles, but her smile quickly turns to fear as Tara reaches out. Willow flinches her hand away, not allowing Tara to touch her. Tara looks hurt again, but continues reaching out ... showing she was simply getting a book that was near Willow. Willow looks ashamed, but takes no steps to put her hand back. This all seems to go unnoticed by the others.

KENNEDY
This is great final assault stuff, but we can't send a whole platoon in without knowing what we're facing.

WOOD
Which brings us back to here. (He points to the whiteboard)

They fall into contemplation.

FAITH
How 'bout the witches? (Everyone looks up, including said witches) Once they find where the bad guys are, maybe they can ... I dunno, take a look around? Get us the info?

WILLOW
(Shaking her head) I don’t— I mean we'll try, yeah, of course. But from what we've already heard, from the Covens and stuff, they'll be pretty well shielded against scrying magicks. I-I could maybe bust through their shields, but then they're definitely gonna know we're onto 'em.

HANNAH
The element of surprise is one of our only advantages. We shouldn't give it up unless we absolutely have to.

Giles seems to have made a decision. He speaks up.

GILES
We'll have to send one person. Someone to scout around and report back on their findings.

WOOD
Reconnaissance. I was thinking that myself.

HANNAH
Dangerous.

GILES
But necessary.

BUFFY
Wait wait wait. One person. One person, alone, into the ... the ... (She's fumbling for words)

DAWN
Lion's den?

XANDER
Hornet's nest?

BUFFY
Place of badness. It's like suicide.

GILES
Not if it's done correctly.

BUFFY
(Repeating) Not if it's...? Giles, just ONE of these girls nearly tore us apart from the inside. You expect a Slayer to go in alone and face off against who knows how many of them?

GILES
No, I expect whomever we send to be alert and observant and to most definitely NOT engage anyone until they can get back here and report their findings.

BUFFY
And what if they get caught?

Giles simply looks at her, his gaze unwavering.

BUFFY
I can't believe you're talking like this!

GILES
Well then what do you propose? If you have any other solution besides sitting here and waiting for THEM to choose the next time and place to attack us, then please feel free to share it.

Buffy falls silent. The tension is thick as everyone looks between Buffy and Giles.

GILES
All right then. (To everyone) We'll need to decide who.

BUFFY
Me.

Giles looks to Buffy. His cold, resolved expression drops just a little bit.

BUFFY
You wanna just send someone in, then it should be me.

DAWN
(Scared) Buffy—

KENNEDY
You? Your idea of stealth is sneaking the last cookie – which never works, by the way, since we all know it's you. (To Giles) You should send me. I've got the skills to back it up.

Buffy opens her mouth to protest, but another voice speaks up first.

FAITH
No, no way. Anyone should go, it's me. (Buffy turns to her) You got a whole lot more goin' for you here than me, B. (She looks to Kenn) You too. This is the sort of thing I was made for.

XANDER
(Looking from one Slayer to the next, then to Giles) Bad choices! Very bad! Think up new ones!

BUFFY
I can't let either of you—

KENNEDY
'Let'? We need your permission now?

FAITH
Trust me, y'learn to sneak around a lot in the joint. This ain't much different.

WILLOW
(Looking very distressed) Guys, we need to—

Willow breaks off and her head swings around to the second story where all the book stacks are located. Almost immediately after, Tara gasps just a tiny bit and her eyes lock onto the same area. Before either can say anything, a glowing portal of bluish energy opens and Judith materializes. The portal fades almost immediately, leaving Judith simply standing there. She's wearing the same outfit the other Super Slayer was wearing when she attacked – the black jeans, black sweater. Her symbol is glowing a bright blue through the material of the shirt, and her eyes match the colour and pulsation.

Everyone in the room is utterly shocked. Xander leaps to his feet and takes an involuntary step backward, accidentally knocking the whiteboard from the easel. Kennedy's expression melts from surprise to her teeth gritting in anger. Buffy immediately puts herself between Dawn and the other Slayer.

BUFFY
(Mostly to herself) Judith.

Judith smiles down at the group. Her voice clearly comes through, but it's got the weird reverb effect going on, like a dozen people are speaking at once.

JUDITH
It's good to be home.

Act Four

The library, just as we left it, with Judith looking down on them all. Everyone is now on their feet.

JUDITH
Did you miss me?

FAITH
Just the part where we all got to take a hunk outta your skanky ass.

Judith gives Faith a mocking "ooo, that hurts" look. Kennedy meanwhile is moving steadily but carefully toward Willow, putting herself between her and Judith. As a result, she's hearing the conversation between Willow and Tara.

TARA
So that's the- the Slayer who—

KENNEDY
Who beat the crap outta Will, that's the one. (Willow shoots her a dark look. Kennedy shrugs) She did.

WILLOW
(Indignant) I was ambushed! Foul play!

Over to Giles, who is whispering to Wood and Hannah, hardly taking his eyes off Judith. Xander is with them, but he moves off to the side, unnoticed by anyone.

GILES
We don't want to make any sudden moves to attract her attention, but at the first possible moment, you two go get weapons and as many Slayers as you can find. Don't forget the tranquilizer gun and those darts.

HANNAH
I don't want to leave—

GILES
Do it.

Hannah bristles just a little, but nods. She and Wood begin to slink their way every so slowly to the door.

Tara meanwhile has moved over to Buffy and, more importantly, Dawn. Buffy catches Tara's eye and nods - she's turning over protection of Dawn to Tara. Buffy moves toward Kennedy, where Faith is already standing. They're clearly setting up a first line of defense between Judith and the rest of the room.

BUFFY
Didn't get enough the first time, I take it?

KENNEDY
Suits me. (To Buffy) You hogged all the fun.

Judith simply smirks.

JUDITH
I think you'll find it a bit harder to beat me this time.

FAITH
Bet it'll be just as much fun, though.

KENNEDY
A serious ass kicking is a lesson I save for all my special students. Lucky you, you're in a class of one.

Kennedy and Faith keep bantering with Judith while Buffy hisses to Willow over her shoulder.

BUFFY
Willow, get back.

WILLOW
But I can help.

BUFFY
She's here to here to kill you. I need you back.

Willow looks like she's about to protest again, but Buffy shoots her a look. Willow grits her teeth, not liking it, but she does indeed begin to fall back.

Over to Ruth, we see Tara has ushered Dawn close to her. Tara speaks in a hushed tone.

TARA
Ruth, can you protect Dawn?

DAWN
I don't need—

TARA
('Don't argue with me' tone) Yes, you do.

She looks over to Ruth expectantly. The old woman nods.

RUTH
She'll be safe as mother's milk.

Tara nods, satisfied with that, and moves slowly back toward the others. Willow is standing near Giles now. Hannah and Wood are creeping ever closer to the door. There's still no sign of Xander.

BUFFY
So you came to, what? Make some idle threats?

FAITH
Not impressive ones, neither.

KENNEDY
The Bringers didn't even talk, and they sounded scarier.

Judith actually looks irritated for a moment.

JUDITH
(Sneering) You three. Always so superior. Thinking you had the answers. Well this time I—

That's as far as she gets, as she's CLOCKED over the head by the easel that was used to hold up the whiteboard. It's wielded by Xander, who snuck out of the stacks behind Judith and laid it on her. Unfortunately, being all super powered and such, she doesn't even flinch. She only barely seems to notice. But notice she does, unfortunately for Xander. In a blur, she's grabbed him by the throat and begins to squeeze.

BUFFY
Xander!

JUDITH
You are entirely not worth my time.

With that, she tosses him away, with a casuality that belies how fast he flies. He sails over the railing, over the Slayers, and is on a nasty collision course for the wall. Willow thrusts her hand out to the wall where he's about to impact.

WILLOW
Pernă!

Xander impacts with not the wall, but an invisible cushion between him and the wall. Unfortunately, he's moving so fast, he still collides with it, but not with the force that would have otherwise been lethal. He groans and falls to the ground, unconscious, but okay. It's the opening volley and the Slayers attack.

**BEGIN FIGHT SEQUENCE**
**This is a long'un and I'd really like to maintain the sense of lots of things happening really quickly. So description is good, but it can be relatively minimal. No three or four sentences to describe just one punch, for example. Enough to tell the story and get the flow, of course, but what's almost as important here is keeping the pace of the action.**

As soon as the Slayers leap into action, Hannah and Wood dash out of the room. Giles similarly runs across the room to the alarm mounted there. He breaks the glass with his elbow and hits the alarm. Red lights begin to strobe in the room, and we hear sirens in the hallways and such outside. Slayers fight. Tara is checking Xander. Willow and Giles are nearby watching, Giles intently, Willow nervously.

WILLOW
Giles, we have to do something! I-I could ... But what if I hit them? Buffy, a-and—

Tara can be seen gently dragging Xander over toward Ruth and Dawn. There's a shimmer around the two of them, and Dawn rushes to Xander's side to help.

GILES
If we must, we'll go that route. But for now, simply be prepared.

WILLOW
(Frustrated) I should be able to do something!

We see the shimmer reform around Ruth, Dawn and Xander too, the protection spell obviously having been expanded to include him.

TARA
(On the other side of Willow now) We will.

Back to the Slayers, more fighting. If we begin to have trickles of Juniors coming in, that wouldn't go amiss, but this should all come to a head quite quickly. Judith is obviously not under any great strain, although she is starting to look bored. She glances over then and spies Willow some distance away.

JUDITH
Do you know one thing that really bugs me?

With a show of strength, she sends everyone flying. Faith should land closest to the others, perhaps on a table. Kennedy and Buffy should get knocked further away, preferably on either side of the second story area. (The Juniors don't matter) According to our diagram, Kennedy is on Judith's right (left-hand side from the door) and Buffy is on Judith's left. Anyway, Judith's eyes land on Willow, and she grins cruelly. She leaps, and then suddenly is RIGHT THERE. Effortlessly, she knocks both Giles and Tara away, leaving Willow alone and exposed.

JUDITH
Leaving jobs unfinished.

Judith lunges, her hand aiming directly for Willow's throat. And indeed, they are knocked back several paces by the force, but somewhat to Judith's surprise, her hand is being blocked. She looks at Willow, who is very obviously the one doing the blocking, magickally. (There should be NO dark magick eyes here, though intense concentration.) But what's also obvious as Judith presses harder and harder is that it's a strain. It looks as though it may be only a matter of time.

Willow's starting to look concerned, but over her shoulder, she sees the Slayers regrouping. Willow looks to Judith again, triumphant.

WILLOW
This time? I have friends.

Without turning around, Judith smirks.

JUDITH
This time? So do I.

As if on cue, two more portals identical to the first open, one on each side of the balcony, near Buffy and Kennedy. They each reveal two more Super Slayers, both with the glowy bits, but neither quite as vibrant as the markings on Judith. Buffy and Kennedy, for just a fraction of a second, look torn – they want to help Willow, but there's these new threats as well.

FAITH
I got Will!

Buffy and Kennedy nod, trusting Faith to do what she says. They each go to meet their separate opponents as Faith runs to Willow and Judith.

FAITH
Don't really think you're Red's type— (She grabs Judith) Trust me, she likes 'em a little less homicidal.

Using all her strength, Faith hurls Judith to the side, as far away from the others as she can. I'm not up on my fight mechanics, but Faith needs to get over there too – whether it's because she runs over, is yanked over, falls over, I don't care, but that's where she is. Willow, safe now, lets her shield drop and pants a little, obviously very exerted. Tara and Giles are rousing as well, and come over to check on Willow.

We should get some descriptions of the other fights here. Nothing much, just so we can get some feel for the other battles going on around us. Buffy and her SS, Kenn and her SS, and Faith with Judith. Juniors should still be coming in. I see Buffy and Kennedy mostly having to fight to not get hit, but trying to strike blows whenever possible. The battle between Faith and Judith, we should definitely get the impression that Judith is NOT exerting her full abilities, she's toying with Faith, enjoying herself.

At some point in there, wherever you think it's appropriate, we should have the following conversation (which will give Will and Tara something to be doing):

GILES
We cannot allow any more of these advanced Slayers to appear. Is there some way you can- can block incoming teleportation?

TARA
I'm sure there's something in the books.

WILLOW
The [BOOK NAME].

Willow darts to the table and snags a couple of books. She makes it back and hands one to Tara. They pour over them. Xander begins to stir.

Hazel comes rushing in along with several more Juniors. Giles dispatches most of them, but Hazel takes in the room and runs to Faith's side – she's carrying a weight bar. She hauls back and NAILS Judith with it. Judith actually staggers – likely just from the force, though, not from injury. Faith raises an eyebrow at the big bar. Hazel grins.

HAZEL I'm using whatever's handy as a weapon.

FAITH
No complaints from me.

JUDITH
Hey roomie.

Hazel turns around and there's Judith, none the worse for wear.

JUDITH
Long time no see.

And then Judith wallops Hazel.

Back to the witches, we see that Willow is still flipping madly through spell books, while Tara is starting to do her best to corral the wounded and get them out of harm's way. Xander meanwhile is fully awake and kicking on the forcefield. Giles is standing there simply staring at him, resolute.

XANDER
Lemme outta here! I can help!

GILES
Xander, it will take more than raw courage – even courage as foolhardy as yours – to stand against one of these girls. (More Slayers run in, and he quickly points to where they're supposed to go.) They are simply too powerful for a human.

XANDER
Look, you stand here and play pointy fingers all you want, but me? I'm gonna help my friends. (He spins to Ruth, glaring.) Now LET ME OUT.

Ruth's gaze flickers to Giles, who sighs and nods his head. There's another shimmer, and the barrier falls. Xander turns back to go, and as a consequence, he's blindsided by Giles. It's a precise blow – Xander spins and falls to the ground.

WILLOW
Xander!

DAWN
(Accusing) Oh my god, Giles!

GILES
(To Ruth) Get that barrier back up. (It goes up. Giles looks fondly at Xander, unconscious. He says with some admiration:) Heart of a lion ... (More pragmatic) Sense of a pigeon.

He shakes his head and returns to surveying the battle. Willow is still gaping, Giles notices.

GILES
He'll be fine. Believe me, I've been knocked out many times in my life.

Willow still looks at Giles with a bit of surprise, but goes back to her book. Her head jerks up again, as does everyone else around her, as we hear:

BUFFY
Kelly, watch—

The Super Slayer that Buffy's fighting looks odd – her fist does, anyway. I see it sort of with the blue power they all seem to possess, and sort of out of phase as well. She's holding Kelly, pinning her, and then punches with all her strength INTO Kelly's chest. Poor Kelly's acting like ... well, like she just got punched through the friggin' chest. Buffy – everyone nearby not actively involved in fighting at the moment, in fact – seems stunned as the glow becomes brighter and brighter, then Kelly begins to dissolve. Not bloody, but transformed into energy and is being absorbed by the SS via her fist. Fast. Buffy snaps out of it, but it's too late. Buffy punches the SS away, and this time she does actual damage. I recommend that she go flying into the stacks, away from the rest, so that we can have a good excuse for Buffy to be out of sight range. Buffy should be pretty darned pissed about what's happened, but not melodramatic about it.

We shoot now over to Faith and Judith (and whatever Juniors are still standing – Hazel should not be seen). Judith sneers.

JUDITH
Idiot. We came here for the three-dish main course, not some appetizers.

She nails Faith, sending her to the ground. Faith should be pretty well incapacitated here – not gravely injured, but groggy and slow to respond. She's not really able to defend herself. Any nearby Junior Slayers should be shoved out of the way, they are not going to be able to interfere. Faith looks up as Judith regards her fist, and it starts to glow. She looks back down to Faith.

JUDITH
And I'm getting hungry.

We go now over to Kennedy's fight, and we see it's a similar situation. The Juniors have been thrown aside, leaving just Kennedy and the SS. Again with the glowy fist, she's getting ready to strike. And the others see it coming.

WILLOW
Kennedy!

Willow moves forward and thrusts her hand out. The Super Slayer's fist is caught mid-swing and will go no further. She pulls back and tries again, but still no luck. Kennedy is protected. The Super Slayer turns and immediately knows who's stopping her – Willow.

Back over to Judith and her glowy fist of doom. She doesn't posture this time, it's business now. She does spare Faith a self-satisfied smirk, however, and pulls her arm back to strike.

HAZEL (O.S.) Faith!

Judith's aim is straight and true – and blocked. Hazel has thrown herself in the way and taken the blow instead. Faith's eyes widen in complete shock as she watches Hazel die and the absorption process begin.

FAITH
No.

But the denial has no bearing on the reality. Judith continues to absorb, her eyes glowing brighter as she does so. She looks almost in a state of ecstasy at the power rush.

FAITH
NO!!

Back to Buffy's side of the fight. The SS comes flying back into view, this time clearly on the receiving end of some whoop ass. Buffy looks quite pleased with herself, in fact.

BUFFY
What's the matter, bite off more than you can chew?

She hits the SS again, sending her skidding to the nearby wall or something. The SS shakes her head, obviously dazed and foggy, but still a Super Slayer. Buffy quickly takes in the rest of the room, and sees that she's pretty much alone in having the upper hand at this point.

Back to Faith/Judith. The last of Hazel dissipates, and Judith staggers back from the power rush. She shakes her head, looking groggy, a little like she's got a slight alcohol-induced buzz. Faith doesn't even speak, there are no words. She simply gives a guttural cry launches herself at Judith. We see that like the other SS, Judith is weaker now too, and Faith is landing some serious blows. Faith's trying her best to kill Judith with her bare hands, however, and Judith is still simply too much, and can't help but continue to taunt. Her voice reverb has kicked up a notch as well.

JUDITH
Come on, Fiver. We thought the world of you. We looked up to you. THIS is how you avenge us?

This does what it was designed to do, it furthers Faith's rage and her attacks step up even more.

Back to Willow now. The SS has moved closer to her, having abandoned Kennedy. She's trying REALLY, REALLY hard to get to Will, her fist still all glowy. She keeps pounding on the barrier that Will's erected with said glowy fist, and it's doing weird stuff to the magicks, sending out visible ripples. What's more, Willow is suffering badly. She's being driven back, driven down, but is still afraid to use any strong magicks with her friends so close by. Another hit, then another, and the barrier breaks apart and Willow stumbles back. The SS gives a predatory grin and looms for the kill.

TARA
Impedio.

Just off to the side, there's Tara. She has her hand extended now as well, and again, the SS can't move. But it's clear Tara's barrier simply lacks the strength of Willow's – and it will fall. The SS strains and so does Tara. The SS is getting closer to Willow, that fist of death just inches away. Willow's still depleted, she can't do anything. The SS pushes again ...

TARA
(Between gritted teeth) I won't ... let you ...

Then something happens. Like a tether snapping, Willow and Tara simultaneously stiffen, then Willow gasps and twitches. Tara doesn't, though. Willow watches as Tara stands taller. Straighter. No sign of strain. The SS is forced back. She struggles, but they become tiny motions, becoming practically nothing at all, infinitesimal movements, like she's becoming solidified in concrete. We see very clearly that Tara does NOT have black magick eyes.

TARA
I won't let you.

Back to Faith now, who is fighting like a machine. She's landing blow after blow, and she's driving Judith back. There's no thought to Faith's actions, nothing rational – its' being fueled by pure, unadulterated rage, clean and simple. For the first time, Judith begins to look concerned.

JUDITH
It's time we depart. But we'll see each other again soon, Fiver. We'll miss you.

With that, a portal opens up in the wall just to the side of Judith. She lands a lucky blow, pushing Faith back and off balance just enough to get through the portal, which opened up in the nearest wall.

As soon as the portal appears, the SS that Buffy and Kennedy are double teaming notices (even if she's not looking at it.) This is obviously her cue as well, and a portal opens up for her too. She doesn't hesitate, she dives for it. It seals up before either Buffy or Kennedy can reach it.

There's only one left, and Tara has her held firmly. It can barely move. Hannah and Wood are back (they came back at some point earlier in the fight – if you want to describe it, feel free, otherwise I think we should just assume they’ve been there for a while and have been helping weapon distribution and coordination) Hannah does have the tranq gun, however, and Giles takes it.

GILES
Is it loaded?

HANNAH
There should be enough in there to take down an elephant. If it were also a Slayer.

Giles nods and raises the gun.

GILES
Tara!

Tara turns and sees what Giles wants to do. She steps aside, giving Giles a clear shot, and temporarily drops her entrapment spell. The Super Slayer looks around her, and clearly decides she's overstayed her welcome also. But by the time she's figured that out, Giles has already shot her with a dart. The SS snarls, and although she's breaking out in a sweat, she almost casually shoves one of the tables out of her way as she heads toward Giles. Tara raises her hand to trap her again, but Giles has brought the gun up once more. He fires again – it hits home. The Super Slayer is shaking her head now, obviously trying to clear it and having trouble. She staggers.

KENNEDY
Hey!

Then Kennedy is there and grabs the SS by the shoulder and spins her around.

KENNEDY
This is for almost killing me.

She cracks a blow, and the SS falls. Kennedy looks down at her with satisfaction.

KENNEDY
I feel better already.

Then they hear the sounds of the wall being POUNDED. They all turn around to look, and see Faith wailing on the wall where Judith disappeared. She's not speaking, not saying anything, simply seeming locked in the idea that if she can get through the wall, there Judith will be. Buffy's there, and she looks at Faith with great sympathy.

BUFFY
Faith, she's gone.

Faith ignores her. She keeps beating on the wall, leaving great dents and cracks in the plaster.

BUFFY
FAITH!

Buffy grabs Faith's shoulder and turns her around. Faith doesn't hesitate, she lashes out and hits Buffy. Buffy rolls with it, though, like she knew it was coming, and she doesn't move. She faces Faith again, her expression firm.

BUFFY
She's gone.

Faith looks like she wants to punch Buffy again, but she doesn't. She simply stands there, looking at Buffy, looking at the wall. She throws Buffy's hand off, and stomps out of the room, saying nothing at all. The others don't move, don't say anything. They simply observe the carnage left in the wake of the attack.

Focus on Xander. He's sporting a nice bruise where Giles cold-cocked him, but doesn't seem worse for wear. He's moving through a wooded area – not quite dense enough to be a forest, but it's thinking about it. He's looking around, obviously searching something. Then there's a sudden outburst, a cry of pain and anger, followed by the sounds of something being hit. Hard. Repeatedly. Xander follows the sound.

We come to a smallish clearing, and there's Faith standing by a nearby tree. A relatively thick thing, something that isn't going to snap under her assault. She's pounding it, again and again, and the bark is starting to flatten where she's hitting it, the sides splintering outward. Her knuckles are raw and bloody, but she doesn't stop.

XANDER
Those dryads ever come back and find out you were beatin' on one of their 'sisters', they're gonna open a huge can of Mother Nature on your ass.

Faith doesn’t respond. She doesn’t even stop. She just keeps landing blow after blow. Xander steps forward.

XANDER
Faith.

She doesn't answer.

XANDER
I know you're hurting.

FAITH
(Spat) You don't know crap.

XANDER
I know more than you think.

FAITH
Go to hell, Harris.

XANDER
You think you're the only person who's ever lost something?

FAITH
Leave me alone.

XANDER
Why, so you can keep chopping down wood the hard way?

Faith whirls on Xander, her knuckles dripping blood heedlessly to the ground. She looks for a second like she wants to punch him too, and his eye does widen just a little bit. But he doesn't flinch, doesn't move away, and Faith doesn't hit him. She sure looks like she wants to be hitting something, though.

FAITH
I said, leave me alone!

XANDER
Yeah, I heard you the first time.

Faith grits her teeth, straining not to punch him.

FAITH
She died! She died saving—! (She doesn't complete the thought. The following is spat between clenched teeth, she's only barely keeping in her desire to beat the shit out of Xander) Don't pretend this goodie-goodie reaching out, soul searching crap is worth a damned thing, cuz you – don't – know.

She turns to the tree instead and attacks it with renewed vigor.

XANDER
Don't know ... what? About that hollow feeling in your chest? The ice in your veins? How you wanna scream at the world, make everything and everyone hurt as much as you? Yeah, I think I might know a little something about that.

Faith seems to be ignoring him again. Xander sighs and steps closer.

XANDER
Fine, let's try it this way: You gonna stand out here playing Paul Bunyan, or do you want some revenge?

That's got Faith's attention and her blows slow then stop. She doesn't turn around, though.

XANDER
We got us our very own Super Slayer. Giles and Buffy and the others are trying to get information out of her now. Soon as we've got the info we need and Will and Tara can get us there, we're going. They brought the fight to us, it's only fair we return the favor. (Meaningful beat) So. You in?

Faith turns and finally faces Xander.

We're in one of the smaller rooms of Slayer Central. The Super Slayer is sitting in the center of the room, tied to the chair. There are shackles around her arms and legs, which are looped through rings that are set into the floor. It should look like a normal room otherwise, if a bit small and windowless. We don't want a dank dungeon or anything.

The SS is conscious, if looking a bit groggy and ill, almost like she has a nasty flu bug. Hannah is here, standing off to the side, listening and watching. Giles is pacing back and forth slowly. Kennedy and Buffy are there as well, and they look pissed.

BUFFY
How many of you are there?

The SS glares up at her, but doesn’t answer.

BUFFY
HOW MANY?

Still no answer. Kennedy steps forward, no compassion in her eyes.

KENNEDY
Stronger than us, faster than us ... Maybe we're lucky and she feels pain more than us too. (She quirks an eyebrow at the SS) Wanna help me find out?

The door opens and Xander walks in. He looks upset, but determined. Giles sees him enter and steps forward toward the Slayers.

GILES
Buffy, Kennedy ... See to Xander, I'll continue working with our ... guest.

The Slayers move off and Giles casts his eye to Hannah, bringing her forward. We don't stay with them, however, we go with Buffy and Kennedy, who are moving into a corner with Xander.

KENNEDY
Did you find her?

XANDER
I found her. I thought maybe she'd be at the Memorial, but I guess she isn't feeling too ... memorialous right now.

BUFFY
How is she?

XANDER
About how you'd expect. But I told her the plan. She's in. (Buffy nods. Xander jerks his chin toward the Super Slayer.) Getting anywhere?

KENNEDY
In the sense that we're standing in exactly the same place.

BUFFY
(Frustrated sigh) She's not talking. I dunno what more we can do. I mean, you can only ask the same question so many times.

KENNEDY
Your inflection IS getting repetitive. I say we try something a bit less open to interpretation. (She flexes her fingers into a fist.)

BUFFY
(Shaking her head) I really don't wanna go there.

KENNEDY
What other choices do we have? We can't go in blind, and we can't keep waiting. You saw them, they were weakened. It may be the chance we were looking for.

XANDER
Yeah, but you guys said they just got woozy after EATING one of you. What're we gonna do, bring along a bunch of the girls and offer 'em as delicious candy?

BUFFY
(A little snippy) Of course not. (Sigh) We're just running out of options, and I don't like the ones we've got left.

XANDER
(Considering the SS) She's still under the influence, huh?

KENNEDY
Yeah, that drug Giles used looks pretty hardcore.

BUFFY
It is. I've been on the receiving end. (Kennedy looks surprised, and Buffy explains.) The old Council used to have this test, they called it the, uhm ... the Crucible.

GILES
Cruciamentum.

The other three turn, surprised to see him there. We see Hannah in the background with the Super Slayer, but can't see what she's doing (not that it looks shady, we just can't see it).

GILES
Tento di Cruciamentum. The Old Council used to give it to each Slayer if she survived to her 18th birthday. This drug, essentially, renders a Slayer powerless, turns her into a normal girl. They would then ... lock her up with a vampire and- and see if she would survive.

Kennedy simply blinks.

KENNEDY
That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

GILES
Believe me, as far as the Council's traditions go, this was nowhere near the stupidest thing. (At Buffy's look) Though it came close, certainly.

KENNEDY
(Looking a little suspicious) So you had this drug, are you planning to maybe...?

GILES
Good lord, no. Barbaric ritual. It was one of the first things we did away with. No, Robin found a small store of the drug while doing inventory on various storage facilities and warehouses that were leased to the Council. He brought it with him, thinking it might become useful at some point. (He glances toward the Super Slayer) I'm sorry to say he might have been correct.

XANDER
But this is good, right? We arm up on dart guns and bust on in. Once you depower them, you don't have an army of Super Slayers, you have a Girl Scout troupe. Without the Samoas, which is just sad.

GILES
There simply isn't enough to go around. There was only a relatively small amount of the drug, and no copies of the exact formula have been found so far. Since I had no plans to reinstitute the test, I didn't see any reason to have it analyzed and then reproduced. (He tugs his glasses off) A bit shortsighted of me, I'm afraid.

BUFFY
If drugging them's out, we need something else. It's all the extra power. If they're just regular Slayers, we stand a shot at beating them.

KENNEDY
Sounds good on paper. Now, how do we do that?

Another small room. Willow and Tara are sitting across from each other, deep in the research. Books are strewn about. Tara marks a place in the book in front of her with her finger, then grabs another book nearby and drags it close. She flips through until she finds the page she wants, then reads it, looks back to verify, then looks to Willow.

TARA
I think I have a teleportation spell.

Willow looks up, then leans forward to see. Tara twists the book to show her.

TARA
If we add peony here and reverse this incantation ...

WILLOW
Yeah. Yeah, that looks like it'll work. (She frowns in concern) It's gonna take a lot of energy, though.

TARA
Well there's a lot of people.

WILLOW
This is true.

TARA
I'll see if I can find a way to make it more efficient. And safe, of course.

WILLOW
Absolutely. Don't need anyone going all Brundlefly.

TARA
How are you doing?

WILLOW
I've got a couple ideas knocking around. The way they ... they killed Hazel and Kelly, and how Giles said Judith started calling Faith 'Fiver' and stuff ... But they're just ideas right now. I’m working on it.

TARA
I mean, how are YOU doing?

WILLOW
Oh! Oh. I'm, you know ...

She trails off and doesn't finish the thought.

TARA
(Smirking a little) I don't really know, that's why I asked.

WILLOW
I'm feeling okay. I thought I'd be all drained and stuff but, no. (Shrugs) You sorta hammerin' through my shields and all aside, it actually felt sort of ...

TARA
Natural?

WILLOW
...yeah.

TARA
And you don't like that.

WILLOW
Tara, yesterday I saw something straight out of my worst nightmares. I'm still a little bit stuck on that right now.

TARA
Me too. I'm sorry for the hammering thing. I just ... I saw her coming and I couldn't stop her on my own. I just couldn't let her hurt you.

WILLOW
Hey, all for the not hurting. What you did, that was a good spell. I've been afraid to try it. Figured I might, you know ... do some weird global stop-time thing or something. Every time I try to psyche myself up to give it a whirl, I have flashbacks to that 'Twilight Zone' episode.

TARA
Oh, the one with the stopwatch?

WILLOW
Yeah, brrr.

She gives an exaggerated shiver, and Tara chuckles. Just for that second, absolutely everything is right in Willow's world, and she smiles. But it's fleeting and with a tiny shake of her head, she refocuses. Tara catches it.

TARA
I-I guess we should really ... (She gestures to the books)

WILLOW
Yeah. Questions aren't gonna answer themselves.

Each hesitates for just a moment, but then both turn back to their respective books.

Back to the interrogation room. The door opens again and Dawn enters, tentatively. She looks kind of shaken. Buffy turns and sees her, going over immediately.

BUFFY
Dawn, you shouldn't be here.

DAWN
Mr. Wood asked me to tell you guys that they've had to take some of the other Slayers to the hospital. They're pretty messed up. They're ... They might not make it.

Buffy takes this in and nods.

BUFFY
Thanks. Hey, you were doing good there, helping out with all the wounded and all. What do you think, maybe Doctor Dawn some day?

DAWN
(Smiling a little) I gotta make it through senior year.

BUFFY
Oh, you'll make it, even if I have to chain you in here myself with only your textbooks for company.

Xander comes over now and she gives him a big hug, which he returns.

XANDER
How you doin', Dawn Corleone?

DAWN
I just keep thinking about Hazel. I liked her. We weren't that close, but ... we could've been.

XANDER
I hear you. I come in here all the time, but I never really got to know any of the girls. We keep talkin' about this Big Bad's army, but then I gotta wonder, is what we've got any better?

Kennedy has also approached.

KENNEDY
We're not trying to take over the world. That's better in my book.

XANDER
Yeah, there's that. I just feel so bad. I should've tried harder to get to know them.

KENNEDY
I knew them. (She looks to Buffy, who has her jaw set in a determined line. Kennedy corrects:) We did. Hazel and Kelly, all of them ... they're good girls. At least they died fighting.

XANDER
Yeah, I'm sure they find that REAL comforting.

KENNEDY
It's what we're born to do. But what we need now? Payback. The only thing standing between us and that is this bitch.

They all turn toward the SS. Giles and Hannah are standing nearby. The SS doesn't look so good, still with the flu-look, but there's strong defiance in her eyes. She's not breaking. Buffy is becoming visibly angrier, and she stomps toward the SS and SLAPS her. The SS's head rocks to the side, but she quickly returns to glare at Buffy.

BUFFY
Talk.

SS
Go to hell.

BUFFY
You first.

She pulls back to smack her again, but Giles is there and he grabs Buffy's wrist.

GILES
(Calming) Buffy. Let's take a break.

BUFFY
We need—

GILES
I know. But we need a break, first.

He ushers Buffy toward the door, spreading his arm out to include Xander, Dawn and Kennedy as well. He opens the door for them and ushers them out. He steps through, and then turns back. His expression is very cold. To Hannah, who is the only one left in the room, he says:

GILES
Get me answers.

Hannah nods, and Giles closes the door behind him.

CUT TO BLACK