Episode 6 - Reunion
REUNION
TEASER
INT. THE MAGIC BOX - DAY (DAY 1)
CLOSE ON : AN INVITATION
WILLOW (O.S.)
Dear Sunnydale Graduate, Class of
99. Can you believe it's been three
years? And our records show that
you're still alive!
WIDEN :
to reveal Willow reading the invitation in her hands.
Anya, Xander and Buffy are sitting around her at the
table.
BUFFY
Cheery and morbid. Quite a feat.
WILLOW
Is this for real? I mean, did you
guys..
Buffy, Xander and Anya all hold up their invitations.
WILLOW
(glum)
Oh.
XANDER
What's with the gloom and doom? I
mean, a class reunion! What a
perfect chance for old friends to
gather together, reminisce and see
just how succesful the Xanman has
become.
WILLOW
Yeah, I forgot we were so popular in
high school.
XANDER
Hey, that was a choice!
BUFFY
It was? When did we vote on that?
ANYA
(to Buffy)
I think it was right after we voted
to be impoverished and
insignificant. You should hang
around. I think we're voting to re-
introduce the bubonic plague after
lunch.
Giles enters from the training room in the background.
WILLOW
Why are we having a reunion so soon
anyway? I mean, aren't they supposed
to be like every ten years or
something. There's hardly been any
time to grow out of high school.
BUFFY
Remember Will, we're talking about
graduates from Hellmouth High here.
XANDER
Yeah, we're working on a different
time frame, you know, kinda like dog
years. I guess they wanted to hold a
reunion while there were enough of
us still walking or before we found
ourselves Harmonising with the
unholy choir.
ANYA
What's the point of these silly
little rituals anyway? It's not like
we ever want to see any of those
people again or reminisce about high
school. It's like revisiting a bad
stomach flu.. with quadratic
equations.
WILLOW
Oh. Maybe we'll be lucky and
there'll be an apocalypse on the
calendar.
(to Giles)
Aren't we kinda due?
GILES
I don't know what you people are
worried about. It's only a reunion.
Honestly, it's a chance to see how
far you've all come since
graduation, to see how much you've
grown.
(takes off glasses,
wistful)
When I look back during those times
and remember you four then..
Anya nonchalantly holds up an envelope to Giles.
ANYA
You're coming too.
GILES
I bloody well am not!
XANDER
Come on Giles, it's a chance to see
how far you've come since
graduation.
(mock wistful)
I mean, when I look back during
those times..
Giles gives Xander a look.
XANDER
(noticing the look)
I'll stop now.
BUFFY
(to Xander)
Bad Xander. Didn't you see the sign?
Don't tease the Watcher.
GILES
(looking at his
invitation)
Surely they don't want me to come. I
was only the librarian.
WILLOW
Don't sell yourself short. I mean,
you were in charge of the largest
occult collection of any high school
library in all of California.
GILES
And yet, strangely, they never
bothered to include it on the
syllabus.
WILLOW
And I still say they're worse off
for it.
BUFFY
I have to say that I don't really
see much to celebrate about. What
with demons running amok, two
principals served up as zoo fodder
and the school doing a passable
impersonation of Dawn's cooking.
WILLOW
Yeah, you have to wonder what kind
of twisted mind would've come up
with such an idea.
INT. GENERAL'S MANSION/THRONE ROOM - DAY
ANGLE : THE GENERAL
as he sits on his throne. Tarwin stands by his side.
THE GENERAL
(to someone off-screen)
The slayer does not concern me. She
is no match for us. We have far more
important things to deal with.
ANGLE : ETHAN RAYNE
as he stands a little nervously addressing the
General. Standing behind and to the left of him is
Flix, curiously inspecting the stranger and
seductively playing with his shirt. There are figures
walking around busily behind him.
ETHAN RAYNE
You shouldn't underestimate the
slayer and her friends. She may be a
tiny little thing but she has bested
others as strong as you..
The General glowers at Ethan. Flix immediately grabs
Ethan by the chin and places her knife at his throat.
FLIX
(whispering in Ethan's
ear)
No one is stronger than the General.
No one is stronger than us.
ETHAN RAYNE
(trying to keep his
composure)
Easy there!. I never meant that she
posed any threat.
(to the General)
Why don't you ask your little friend
to put her toy away and we can
discuss what I can do for you.
Flix presses the knife harder to Ethan's throat.
ETHAN RAYNE
Or this is fine.
THE GENERAL
Speak quickly.. and choose your
words carefully.
ETHAN RAYNE
(looking down at the knife
at his throat)
Yeah, I got that part.
A smile from Flix.
ETHAN RAYNE
Ths slayer may be nothing to you but
she and her watcher have been a
bloody thorn at my side for years. I
have them to thank for my recent
desert vacation and so-called
rehabilitation. Two years of being
prodded and poked by gormless
monkeys in lab coats, asking
questions about my mother. I tell
you, if it wasn't for getting this
nice tan..
An impatient General nods to Flix. Flix pulls Ethan's
head back and starts to dig the knife in.
ETHAN RAYNE
Wait! I'll get to the point.
(Flix stops, Ethan
continues)
Delegation. The time-honored
principle of delegation. Let me take
care of the slayer for you. You
wouldn't need to waste a second of
your precious time.
THE GENERAL
And what makes you think you can
defeat the slayer?
ETHAN RAYNE
I am but an old mystic whose time
has passed. But I have a few tricks
left up my sleeve.
The General appraises Ethan for a moment. He looks at
Flix. Ethan looks very nervous. After a beat, Flix
removes the knife from Ethan's throat and kisses him
on the cheek, smiling.
ETHAN RAYNE
I knew you were a reasonable man.
And all I have are a few reasonable
requests, in compensation.
THE GENERAL
A very few.
ETHAN RAYNE
A very reasonable few, yes. I'll
also need a few of your men.
Ethan gestures to his left.
ANGLE ON : A COUPLE OF VAMPS
standing guard against the wall, to the left of the
General. Unlike, Tarwin and the General, they do not
wear any armour.
THE GENERAL
My men? These are not my men. These
are mere scraps I discovered, hiding
from the light. But they'll have to
do.. for now.
(to the two vamps)
You two!
The two vamps look at each other, then walk over to
the General, standing in front of him and beside
Ethan.
THE GENERAL
(to Ethan)
Look at them. They have no identity,
no names. They will always be
followers. They will always be
defined by someone else. They are
not worthy to be part of my army.
The two vamps look down at the ground, cowering.
THE GENERAL
(to Ethan)
Choose one.
ETHAN RAYNE
Choose?
THE GENERAL
Now.
Ethan is a little unsure, but he walks over in front
of the two nervous vamps and places his hand the
shoulder of one of them.
ETHAN RAYNE
He'll do.
The vamp suddenly turns to dust, having been staked in
the back by Flix. A stunned Ethan quickly pulls his
hand away and brushes off the dust.
THE GENERAL
Did you feel it?
ETHAN RAYNE
What?
THE GENERAL
The power. To be able to decide who
lives and who dies. It took you a
few mere seconds to extinguish an
entire existence, a life ended on a
whim. It is exquisite, is it not?
(a beat, then)
You will do well to remember it,
because that is the power I have
over you.
A beat as Ethan takes this in.
ETHAN RAYNE
Right then, best be on my way. We
can sort out the details at some
later time. I can see you're still
busy moving in.
ANGLE : ETHAN RAYNE
as he turns and begins walking away.
WIDEN :
to reveal an impressively large throne room, doors
leading east and west and a grand staircase leading to
a second level which overlooks the throne room. Just a
really big place okay. The room is brimming with
activity with many vamps busily walking around,
carrying and moving stuff.
BLACKOUT
END OF TEASER
CONTINUE TO ACT ONE