Episode 17 - Timeless
ACT THREE
INT. THE MAGIC BOX - DAY
from where we left off.
ANGLE : TARA
staring at Willow.. a mixture of joy and pain.
WILLOW
Tara.
A wordless beat passes between the two. The tension
thick in the air.
ANGLE : TARA
continuing to stare silently at Willow. A thousand
emotions flickering through her eyes. Then.. as if
snapping herself out of it..
TARA
H-Hi.
WILLOW
(still in shock)
Hey.
Tara casts her eyes towards Buffy.
TARA
(to Buffy)
There's a way.
Tara starts to walk towards the table, reaching into
her bag as she does so. She brushes past Willow, who
continues to face the door.. still recovering.
Buffy takes a second look at Willow before turning
around and walking towards Tara.
BUFFY
A way?
TARA
To break the spell.
We see Tara removing a large book from her bag and
placing it on the table. She starts to flip through
the pages. Buffy, Giles, Xander, Anya and Dawn slowly
gather around her. After a beat, Willow turns around
and slowly joins the group.
TARA
(pointing to something in
the book)
Here. It's an incantation. A charm
specifically designed to counteract
the spells created using the Orb of
Takanis.
XANDER
(surprised)
That's it? Okay, can I have yay! for
simple solutions?
TARA
Well.. no.
XANDER
No?
BUFFY
No yay?
TARA
There's a hitch. Just like the Orb of
Takanis was created to amplify the
powers of a spell, a countering spell
needs a similar magical artefact for
it to be effective against the Orb.
XANDER
Say Tara? You wouldn't happen to have
that in that little bag of yours
would'ya?
TARA
Wish I did. It's called the Crystal
of Kanis. It was forged by a sorcerer
thousands of years ago after a rival
created the Orb of Takanis.
XANDER
Wow. These sorcerers? Big with the
magicks but, you know, not so much
with the whole naming thing.
BUFFY
In any case, we better get our hands
on this crystal.. and fast.
GILES
Well, I suppose the good news is that
if we're to discover anything about
the whereabouts of this object, we're
most likely to find it here in
Sunnydale.
XANDER
(to Buffy)
And you said there was no upside to
living on the Hellmouth.
A phone rings off-screen.
GILES
(beginning to walk away
towards the phone)
We should split up and canvas the
town.. see if anyone has heard of
this crystal.
Giles picks up the phone and has a conversation in the
background. The rest of the Scoobies slowly rise from
their chairs, stirring into action.
XANDER
So, I guess there's no chance this
sorcerer guy's currently living
locally?.. or you know, currently
living?
TARA
Well, if the Orb of Takanis showed up
in Sunnydale recently, maybe the
crystal isn't too far behind?
BUFFY
Wherever this thing is, it ain't
gonna find itself.
(to Xander)
We better get going.
(to Willow, Dawn, Tara and
Anya)
The rest of you. Why don't you see if
you can dig up a little more on this
spell. We wanna make sure we do
everything right.
(thinks for a beat)
On second thoughts, maybe you guys
should grab the books and set up HQ
at our place. I got a feeling this
little scavenger hunt's gonna take
all day and I wanna be sure you guys
are somewhere vamp-proof when it gets
dark. We'll all meet up back there
when we're done.
Silent nods. Anya heads over to the cash register.
Willow and Tara share quick glances at each other.
Willow bows her head and walks away from Tara and over
to a shelf to grab some books. Dawn quietly comes up
to Tara and they share a hug.
ANYA
(looking down at the cash
register)
Oh!
Heads turn towards Anya.
ANYA
We still haven't deposited this
week's takings. I know business has
been slow, but money is still money.
XANDER
Well, maybe we could leave it till..
ANYA
(hurriedly stuffing the
money into a bag)
And let some burglar steal my hard-
earned cash?
XANDER
An, with the amount of money we've
made this week, you'd have to pay a
burglar to come in here to steal it.
Anya ignores Xander and finishes emptying the
register. She hurries out towards the door.
ANYA
I'll meet up with everyone at the
house.
BUFFY
Make sure you get back before..
Anya is out the door. The door-bell tinkling.
BUFFY
(to herself)
Ookay.
Giles returns from his phone call.
GILES
That was Harmony. Apparently, some
vampires are driving in a truckload
of blood into Sunnydale tonight.
There's going to be some kind of
large gathering of vampires to meet
it.
BUFFY
The General's?
GILES
No, but according to Harmony, some of
his associates will be dropping in.
WILLOW
(suddenly interested)
Solomon?
ANGLE : TARA
a worried glance towards Willow.
GILES
(suspiciously)
She didn't say.
XANDER
So, you think the big G's gonna make
a personal appearance.
BUFFY
Doesn't sound like something the
General would bother with. In any
case, we can't deal with that right
now.
WILLOW
But we can't just..
BUFFY
Will, there are more important things
to do than to crash the kegger of the
undead.
(to Giles)
Let them have their little feast.
Giles considers for a beat, then nods. Giles, Buffy
and Xander start to head towards the door. Willow
takes a step forward.
WILLOW
Maybe I should come along and help.
BUFFY
(following Giles and Xander
out the door.)
No. We need you to bone up on this
spell. Stay here with Tara.
Buffy exits. Willow slowly turns around to take a look
at Tara and Dawn. More tension-filled exchange of
looks. Tara ushers Dawn away with her to pick up some
books. Willow looks glum.
INT. SHOP - DAY
As we witness a montage of scenes of Buffy and Xander
(as a pair) and Giles visiting various shops and
talking to various humans and demons.. all of whom
don't seem to know anything. Time passes and we see
all three becoming more and more frustrated.
EXT. SUNNYDALE STREET - DAY
as we see Buffy and Xander walking along a street, on
their way to the next shop.
XANDER
Geez. You'd think it'd be easier to
find a magical thousand year-old
talisman created to neutralize the
powers of an evil, once thought to be
mythical, Orb.
BUFFY
They should really have, like,
catalogs.. with bright pretty
pictures and hidden, subliminal
messages cunningly enticing you to
buy. You know, like with Sears.
XANDER
This is our last stop?
BUFFY
We've pretty much exhausted every
seedy store, dive, sweatshop and
demon java joint in Sunnydale. At
least, all the ones that we know of.
XANDER
Well, it's a good thing Tara found
out about Will or we'd be in an even
bigger hole.. and let me tell you,
this is one darn impressive hole
we're in.
(something occuring to him)
Hey. How did Tara find out about
Willow? Hard to believe a little bird
whispered it into her ear.
BUFFY
Not if the bird's about 5 foot 5,
with a loud, annoying chirp and a
habit of stealing stuff from other
bird's nests to use to decorate her
own.
XANDER
That's one scary bird.
BUFFY
We're thinking of getting her a
smaller cage.
XANDER
I am kinda glad she called Tara.
BUFFY
Yeah.. me too.
They reach their destination and appraise the
storefront.
XANDER
(not hopeful)
Here we go again.
BUFFY
I just hope Giles is having more
luck.
Buffy reaches for the door handle..
INT. A ROOM - DAY
ANGLE ON : A DOOR
as it opens to reveal.. a giant, green demon looking
like an over-sized three-eyed frog. We see that we are
in a clean, sterile room with fake wood-panelled
walls. A piece of sterile elevator music is droning in
the background. A sign reads 'Daegus the Collector:
Magical Artefacts are our specialty'. We TRACK the
demon as it waddles over to a small dispenser set in a
wall and pulls a slip of paper out of it. It then sits
itself down on a chair and waits.
We PAN away from him to see a whole rogue's gallery of
demons sitting and patiently waiting in chairs.. the
bland music seemingly acting as an anaesthetic agent.
We end the PAN on Anya, who sits, silently waiting
like the rest. Her bag is on her lap.
She glances over to her left to see a blue walrus-like
demon with kind, gentle eyes sitting next to her. She
notices the demon carrying something in its hands.. a
picture.
ANYA
Oh! Are those your children?
The walrus demon turns slowly to look at Anya, slowly
down to the picture, then slowly up to Anya again. It
slowly nods.
ANYA
Why, they're just adorable. Look at
them, all blue and.. and.. blue. Is
that the mother?
The walrus demon looks slowly down at the picture,
then looks slowly back up at Anya. It slowly nods.
ANYA
Why, she looks lovely. I'm getting
married too.. sometime soon. Isn't
married life the most fulfilling
thing ever? Two souls connecting as
one.. two hearts beating in unison..
two..
FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
Taranoos?
Anya looks over to see a tall, slender female creature
with pale, white skin. She is bald, and her face is
smooth and almost featureless except a pair of big
black oval eyes. She is dressed in what looks like a
uniform of some sort. She is addressing the walrus
demon. The walrus demon slowly turns towards the pale
demon and nods.. slowly.
PALE CREATURE
(speaking in a soothing,
pleasant voice)
You're the one who wanted to turn
your wife into a spotted toadstool?
The walrus demon slowly nods, its expression never
changing.
PALE CREATURE
Here you are. We appreciate your
business.
She hands him a strange glowing rock which the walrus
demon slowly accepts. Anya looks on bewildered. The
pale creature glides gracefully away as the walrus
demon slowly gets up, turns and nods to Anya and
slowly departs. Anya settles back into her chair.
FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
(over a p.a. system)
Now serving.. Number 32. Number 32.
Anya looks down at her slip of paper, then rises. She
heads over to a large door at the end of the hall. She
opens and enters..
INT. AN OFFICE - DAY
A dark, small room which is entirely empty except for
a large table, a computer, the back of a very large
chair and a sign on the wall which states 'We Collect,
You Pay!'. We hear someone talking from behind the
chair.
MALE VOICE
(in a gruff voice)
Listen you imbecile, you're not gonna
find a better price for this baby
anywhere. It's a one of a kind!
The large, imposing chair spins around and we see.. a
tiny, craggy-looking, wrinkled creature with large
eyes, pointy ears and a headset phone over its
oversized bald head. It chomps away at a cigar like a
hyperactive stockbroker.
DAEGUS
(talking into the headset)
No.. I don't care what it's going for
on E-bay. Don't you know those guys
are just a bunch of crooks? You can't
trust any of them.
(listening for a beat)
Uh huh.. uh huh.. Well, don't come
crying to me when you end up buying a
lemon. If you're stupid enough to
take that risk, you deserve to be
swindled.
(listens for a beat)
Okay.. okay. No, really I'll be back
soon mother. Love to Dad.
The creature hangs up and looks up at Anya.
DAEGUS
What in the hell are you?
He switches on his intercom and speaks into it.
DAEGUS
Suzie? I told you I don't deal with
humans! What are you, blind?
ANYA
Daegus.
DAEGUS
(not listening; to Anya)
Get outta here. Get that filthy human
carcass of yours out of my store!
ANYA
Daegus.. it's me!
Daegus stops yelling and stares at Anya.
DAEGUS
Anyanka?
Anya smiles and nods.
DAEGUS
(confused)
Should I be handing out candy? What's
with the mug?
ANYA
Oh.. I'm human now.. sort of.
DAEGUS
(thinks for a beat, then
softening)
Oh. I'm so sorry. You should have
said.
(looks deeply into Anya's
eyes for a beat)
I understand.
Anya smiles and nods.
DAEGUS
You want me to end your misery.
ANYA
Huh?
DAEGUS
Sshh. No more words. I know you'd do
the same for me.
Daegus reaches into a drawer and pulls out a large
knife.
DAEGUS
Hush now. The pain will soon be over.
ANYA
What? No! I kinda like being human.
Daegus stops, gives Anya a dirty look, then..
DAEGUS
(stands petutantly on his
chair and waves his knife
around)
Get that filthy human carcass of
yours out of my store!
Anya grabs the knife away from Daegus and pushes him
back onto his chair. Daegus falls into his chair in a
heap.
ANYA
Is this how you treat an old friend?
After all we've been through
together?
DAEGUS
Sorry. It's just.. You look terrible.
ANYA
Yeah? Well, you look.. short.
Daegus sits himself back upright, recomposing himself.
ANYA
I need something.
DAEGUS
I don't deal with humans. They are
the scum of all dimensions, the
stupidest, most despicable creatures
I have ever seen. Oh why was I
banished to this dimension to service
the demons on this plane? Oh why was
I..
ANYA
Oh, save it for Geraldo. Are you
going to help me or not?
DAEGUS
Don't belittle my pain Anyanka.. or
my hatred for the humans.. or my
absolute disgust at their mere
existence.. or my God, what the hell
is that?
Anya notices what Daegus is staring at. She raises her
hand proudly to show off her ring.
ANYA
Like it?
DAEGUS
You're getting married? To a human?
Anya nods happily.
DAEGUS
How could you betray your demon past?
You will willingly give yourself to
that filthy creature you will call
your husband? You sicken me. You will
stink of them and you will never,
ever get rid of their putrid smell.
ANYA
You are invited to the wedding.
A beat. Daegus stares hard at Anya, anger etched into
every corner of his face.. then..
DAEGUS
Will there be cake?
ANYA
The Crystal of Kanis. Do you have it?
Daegus thinks for a beat, sizing up Anya. He then taps
something into the computer on the table. He reads the
screen, looks back at Anya, then presses a button
under the table.
Suddenly, a bright white light fills the room as the
wall behind Daegus is seemingly ripped open. A large
white circle forms behind him. Anya peers over to look
into it..
REVERSE ANGLE : THE WHITE CIRCLE
beyond which we see an impossibly large white room and
containing neverending rows of shelves and boxes.
Daegus presses the intercom button.
DAEGUS
Suzie?
Suzie, the tall, pale, skinned creature glides in
gracefully, past Anya and to Daegus. She leans over to
listen.
DAEGUS
Row 403, Shelf 26, Box 32490, Item
553993.
Suzie glides into the portal and dissapears.
DAEGUS
(to Anya; re Suzie)
Great gal.
Anya nods.
ANYA
Oh.
(reaches into her bag and
starts pulling out wads of
cash)
Let me pay for this.
DAEGUS
(demonstratively waving his
tiny hands)
Oh no, no, no, no.
ANYA
(smiling warmly)
Really?
DAEGUS
That's not nearly enough.
ANYA
What?
DAEGUS
Look, if I did a deal for all my
friends.. well, you see where it
would all lead.
ANYA
You don't have any friends.
DAEGUS
(smiling)
Well, so long as I have their money.
Anya stares grimly at Daegus.
EXT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
to establish.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
Where we see Tara and Dawn sitting next to each other
on the couch, books in hand.. quietly researching.
Willow sits across from them on a lounge chair, a book
also in hand.
We see the uncomfortable looks Willow and Tara
occasionally give each other.. peeking up from their
books. Dawn notices.. sensing the tension in the room.
DAWN
(getting up)
There's a thing.. um.. I need to do..
upstairs.. cos, you know, that's
where the thing is.
TARA
What thing Dawnie?
DAWN
Oh, you know.. just a thing. An
upstairs thing.
(looking from Tara to
Willow)
I'll be back.
Dawn scampers off and heads upstairs. Another
uncomfortable beat, as Willow and Tara are left alone
in the room. More nervous glances.
WILLOW
So.. how are you?
Tara looks up, takes a beat to gather herself, then..
TARA
I'm fine.
Willow nods.. then awkwardly fumbles for a next move.
Finding none, she looks back down to her book. Tara
looks down to her book, then back up at Willow.
TARA
And you? I mean, besides..
WILLOW
I'm good. Better, now that you're..
(trailing off)
here.
Tara fidgets nervously, looking down. Supressing her
emotions.
WILLOW
So.. you all settled in at your new
place? Making new friends and all?
Tara doesn't answer.. looking uncomfortable. Willow
takes a beat.. then..
WILLOW
You know, this whole freezy thing?
It's not all bad. Like Anya said, you
have to look at the positives. I
mean, I can clock in more time for
research.. and, and say a vamp
decides to attack, it would be like
easy slayage if I happen to freeze.
TARA
(snapping)
Stop it.
Willow stiffens.. taken aback.
TARA
Don't you know how dangerous this
was? My God.. Will, the Orb of
Takanis? You could have been.. you
could have..
Tara can't continue. She just shakes her head.
WILLOW
(softly)
Tara
TARA
Why did you do it? Why? Because of
the visions?
Willow looks away.. not denying it.
TARA
(calmer)
You have to stop Will. I need you to
just.. stop.
WILLOW
And just let the visions come true?
Why?
TARA
Because..
WILLOW
Because what? Why should I just stand
back and..
TARA
Because I don't want to be the
reason.. I don't want to be the
reason you get hurt. I don't want to
be the reason why one day, you would
decide to perform a spell which you
know is too powerful for you to
control, and too dangerous to even
try. I mean, can't you see that?
Willow doesn't answer.. not knowing what to say.
TARA
(calmer)
Let's not do this now. Right now, the
only thing that matters is getting
you out of this.
A beat as the two share a look.
TARA
I'll just go see what's taking Dawn
so long.
Tara walks upstairs.. leaving Willow sitting silently
by herself. She looks disconsolate and very emotional.
She gets up and heads over to the..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/KITCHEN - NIGHT
where she grabs an empty glass and turns on the faucet
at the sink. She fills the glass with the water and
takes a long drink as the tap continues to run. She
slams the glass down, breathing heavily. She looks up
and takes a look at the reflection in the window in
front of her. She looks unimpressed with her visage.
Suddenly, all sound dissapears from the room. Willow
looks down to see that the water running out from the
tap has frozen. Time has stopped.
WILLOW
Great.
Willow casually runs her hand through the frozen
stream of water.. little droplets of water spilling
here and there as she does so. She picks up her half-
empty glass of water and heads out back to..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
as we see Willow walk slowly into the living room.
Everything is silent. She takes a look out a window.
Everything is still and dark. Willow slumps sadly into
her chair, placing the glass on the table. She picks
up a book and begins to read through it. She takes a
look up at the clock on the wall.
ANGLE ON : THE CLOCK
its hands frozen.. stuck at 6:20pm.
ANGLE : WILLOW
from the side as she sighs and turns her head wearily
back to the book, slouching back into her chair to
make herself more comfortable.
We PAN slowly from Willow to the table where we see a
stack of books and a half-empty glass of water. We
continue to PAN past the table and to the couch
opposite her where sits a teddy bear, staring silently
and unflinchingly at Willow. We hold on this shot for
a beat.
We slowly PAN back from the teddy bear, to the table
where we see the books have now been moved and set
aside and the glass is now empty. We continue to PAN
to Willow who we see has now fallen asleep, an open
book in her hands. A long time has passed.
Willow wakes. She takes a second to reorient herself,
then groggily gets up, putting the book aside and
picking up her cup. She heads towards..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/KITCHEN - NIGHT
where we see Willow head for the sink, reaching out
with her glass. She stops.. staring at something in
slight shock.
REVERSE ANGLE : THE FAUCET
still turned on.. the water stream still frozen.
Willow puts the glass down and heads back into..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
where she looks up at the clock. It is frozen and
still reads 6:20pm. She quickly looks down at her
watch. It reads 11:40pm. Willow looks concerned.
EXT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
where we see everything and everyone outside the house
is frozen. A man out walking his dog, a late-night
jogger and a car driving on the street with its lights
on.
A montage follows.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
A series of shots..over a passage of time. Willow
pacing around. Willow back on the couch, reading.
Willow looking at the clock.
We then see Willow putting on her coat and heading for
the front door. She takes a look up the stairs,
hesitating for a moment, then heads out.
EXT. SUNNYDALE STREET - NIGHT
Willow walks the frozen streets of Sunnydale, looking
at each frozen person she passes.. still amazed at the
spell's effect.
INT. THE MAGIC BOX - NIGHT
where we see a panicy Willow picking out books from a
shelf, then taking them to the table to read. She
settles down into a chair and opens the first one.
Time passes. She looks at her watch, then forlornly at
the books. She closes the last one.
INT. SUNNYDALE MALL - NIGHT
where we see a more subdued Willow wandering a
brightly lit mall. The mall is packed with shoppers
but Willow is the only moving object in this bright,
sterile world.
INT. A RESTAURANT - NIGHT
Willow at a buffet bar, unenthusiastically picking out
food from the various trays and sticking them on her
plate. She goes to scoop some shrimps from its platter
but notices it is almost empty. She spies some shrimps
on the plate of a frozen diner next to her and
casually sweeps them onto her plate. She walks away.
INT. A CINEMA - NIGHT
where we see Willow's face illuminated by the cinema
screen in front of her.
REVERSE ANGLE : CINEMA SCREEN
a frozen still frame.
ANGLE : WILLOW
as she stares at the still image in front of her. She
looks around her. We PULL BACK to reveal the frozen
still image around her.. cinema patrons frozen in
time.
INT. BUS STATION TERMINAL - NIGHT
where we see Willow lying down on a bench, then
closing her eyes to go to sleep. Again, everything
around her is still and silent.
EXT. PARK - NIGHT
where we see Willow on a swing, gently swinging sadly
to and fro, her head down.. a lot on her mind.
EXT. SUNNYDALE STREET - NIGHT
Willow walking through a crowd of frozen people, but
this time, not even throwing a second glance at them.
Just another piece of dead scenery. She looks haggard.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/FOYER - NIGHT
as Willow enters through the front door. She looks
tired and somewhat numb. She takes a look up at
something in the living room, then heads upstairs.
We PAN around to look at what she was looking at.
ANGLE ON : THE CLOCK
its hands frozen, still reading 6:20pm.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT
as we see Willow trudge wearily down it, stopping
outside Dawn's room. She pauses, then enters.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/DAWN'S ROOM - NIGHT
as Willow enters. We see Dawn and Tara frozen in the
room. Dawn is lying belly down on the bed, a book in
front of her. Tara is sitting on the edge of the bed,
talking to Dawn.
Willow comes up to the two of them. She touches Dawn's
hand lightly and smiles. She then comes up to Tara,
standing next to her. She looks down at her, then
slowly runs her finger through her hair. She stares at
her for a beat, then leaves.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/BUFFY'S ROOM - NIGHT
Willow enters. She closes the door behind her, then
turns off the light. In the still and silent darkness,
she grabs a chair and places it in front of a window..
then sits down. She sits staring out the window, as
still and silent as everything around her. We slowly
CLOSE in on her face.. the only moving object in this
frozen world, a tear slowly trickling down her face.
The silence is broken with..
BUFFY (V.O.)
(shouting)
Willow?
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/FOYER - NIGHT
where we see Buffy, Giles and Xander enter the house.
BUFFY
Tara? Dawn?
XANDER
An?
BUFFY
(to Xander)
Where is everybody?
Dawn and Tara come down the stairs.
DAWN
(to Buffy)
You're back! All of you.
TARA
Did you find it?
BUFFY
Sorry. We tried every place we could
think of but we've come up dry.
XANDER
Which is kinda ironic considering the
number of bars we've been today..
(off looks)
or not.
GILES
We'll try again tommorow. I'm sure
we'll find the crystal soon. In the
meantime, we can keep searching the
books.
DAWN
Oh the books.. like they've been a
bunch of help. We've been looking
through those all day but there's
like nothing on the crystal.
Anya enters through the front door, carrying a bag.
She looks up and sees everyone gathered at the bottom
of the stairs.
ANYA
Oh.. We're doing this in the foyer
now?
XANDER
Wait. Did you just come back?
ANYA
Well, things took longer than I
expected.
XANDER
An, there's no bank on this earth
that opens this late. I think it's
like written in their charters.. you
know, the one just before their
eternal pledge to the devil.
ANYA
Well, I also happened to pick up a
little something on the way back.
Anya reaches into her bag and pulls out a shopping
bag. She holds it out to the group and smiles proudly.
It's a Barney's bag. Confused looks from all. Anya
clues in and reaches into the bag and takes out.. the
Crystal of Kanis. Take two.. she holds it out to the
group and smiles proudly. The crystal glows green. The
group stares at the crystal with wonderment.
DAWN
Is that? I mean..
XANDER
Either that or Superman's not far
behind.
Giles takes the crystal from Anya and studies it. Tara
comes over to stand besides Giles to take a closer
look at the crystal herself.
BUFFY
Wait.. they're selling these things
at Barney's now?
ANYA
Well, if Barney's was a high-priced
black-market operation run by demons.
BUFFY
I'm waiting for more conclusive
studies.
GILES
You got this from the black-market?
Why didn't you tell us?
ANYA
Let's just say the guy I got this
from has a little thing about humans.
Besides, I wasn't sure it would even
be there.
XANDER
An. How could you go there by
yourself? It's too dangerous.
ANYA
Oh no.. we're all kin down there. I
mean, sure some of them would like
nothing better than to eviscerate any
human that crosses their path but
everybody has their dark side.
Anyway, you'll be meeting most of
them at our wedding.
BUFFY
Okay, I'm fairly sure there was a
breakdown in logic somewhere back
there.
Tara looks at the crystal, then up to Anya. She smiles
broadly. She comes up to Anya and hugs her gratefully.
TARA
Thank you.
Tara breaks from the hug but continues to smile.
TARA
(earnest)
Thank you.
Anya, moved, beams happily.
TARA
(to the rest of the group)
I'll go get Will.
Anya, with the widest smile ever, watches Tara head
towards the living room, then slowly turns back to the
rest of the group. She fidgets and bounces ever so
slightly, hardly able to contain herself. She looks
like she's waiting for something but no one reacts.
After a beat, she holds her arm aloft.. ready for her
next hug.
Before anyone can do so, Tara returns..
TARA
Dawnie, have you seen Willow?
DAWN
No. I thought she was in the living
room.
TARA
She was. At least, she was when I
left her a minute ago.
XANDER
She's dissapeared?
Buffy and Giles share a concerned look.
BUFFY
I'm sure she's around somewhere.
A beat as the group stare at each other, then en
masse, spread out in all directions to look for
Willow.
EXT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
as we see Giles and Xander head out into the street,
calling her name.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/KITCHEN - NIGHT
where we see Dawn and Anya looking around, then
heading to the dining room.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT
where we see Tara and Buffy, opening the doors..
checking the rooms within. Tara comes to Buffy's room
- the door closed. She opens it.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/BUFFY'S ROOM - NIGHT
as light enters the room from the hallway, we see a
still, silent figure sitting in a chair, looking out
the window.
TARA
Will?
No response. Tara switches on the light.
ANGLE : WILLOW
from the front, Tara, and now Buffy, in the
background. We see Willow's face.. emotionless, her
eyes wide open.. almost as if catatonic.
Tara walks slowly closer. She kneels down next to
Willow, looking up at her.
TARA
(softly)
Willow.
Willow finally hears Tara. She blinks, then slowly
turns to face Tara. She smiles weakly, then slowly
puts her arms around her and hugs her without saying a
word. Tara, confused, hugs her back and gently strokes
Willow's hair. She looks up to Buffy who is now
standing besides her. Buffy looks similarly confused.
Tara looks back down and notices something.
TARA
(to Buffy)
Her watch.
Buffy looks.
REVERSE ANGLE : ON WILLOW'S WATCH.
which reads 10:30 pm.
Buffy quickly looks down at her watch and then back to
Tara.
BUFFY
(concerned)
She was frozen for four hours?
TARA
Buffy.. the date.
Buffy takes a second look at Willow's watch. She looks
horrified.. looks back at Tara.
TARA
Four days.
Tara turns back and continues to comfort Willow.
EXT. WAREHOUSES BY THE DOCKS - NIGHT
as we see two pairs of headlights, one following the
other, approaching one particular warehouse. The lead
truck stops in front of the warehouse. After a beat,
the doors roll open. The trucks drive in.
INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
As we see a large group of scraggy vampires waiting
impatiently as the two trucks enter the building. The
drivers of the first truck dismount. Two big, burly
vamps in black leather. They go round to the back of
the truck. The assembled vamps all gather around
accordingly. The two leather-cladded vamps open the
back doors of the truck.
Inside, we see two further vamps in black guarding a
well-dressed vamp sitting behind a table, a cash-box
by his side and ready to do business. Behind them, we
see hundreds of blood packets in the refrigerated
truck, ready to be distributed. One of the vamp guards
puts a nice, thick winter fur coat on the shoulders of
the vamp at the table. The dealer vamp, with a scar
across his cheek, looks up at the gathered mass of
customers and smiles.
DEALER VAMP
Who's first?
EXT. BUFFY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
to establish.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
where we see Buffy, Xander and Anya sitting down. We
see the crystal on the table in the centre. No one
speaks. Buffy hears someone coming down the stairs.
She turns to see Tara and Giles coming into the living
room. Everyone stands.
BUFFY
Is she okay?
TARA
She's sleeping. Dawn stayed in the
room to keep an eye on her.
BUFFY
So, how do we get her out of this?
XANDER
Cast the spell. I mean, we've got all
the ingredients right? Or are we out
of cilantro again.
ANYA
Just hold on there Iron Chef. Daegus
said the crystal would only be
effective when the spell was in
effect.
BUFFY
What.. you mean, during a freeze? How
is this going to work? That would
mean only Willow could cast the spell
to get herself out of the freeze.
XANDER
And she's practically all tapped out
magic-wise.
TARA
I can help her.
A beat as the thought sinks in to the group, then..
BUFFY
(realising)
Whoa! Back up there.
TARA
No. It's the only way. We can do it
if we cast the spell together.
ANYA
You want to join her in a freeze?
XANDER
Can you even do that? I mean, I may
not be the biggest expert on magic
but.. freezing time? Not something I
caught on 'Magic's Biggest Secrets
Finally Revealed'.
TARA
(animated)
No, see.. all I have to do is to cast
a simple conjoining spell.. joining
me to her. I'll end up wherever she
is. If she happens to be in freeze
time when the spell is in effect,
I'll enter it with her. You see, the
freezing spell Willow cast will be
doing all the work. The conjoning
spell will just be like piggybacking
on top of it.
(not waiting for a response
from the group)
We can do it now.
Tara reaches out and grabs the crystal from the table.
Giles reaches out and grabs hold of Tara's arm before
she can go anywhere.
GILES
Hold on.
TARA
But..
GILES
Now listen. We're not going to rush
into anything. Let's take a little
time to make sure we do everything
right.
TARA
But you saw what happened to her.
Every second that passes here could
mean a lifetime for her. She could go
into another long freeze anytime now,
but this time she won't be able to
come back.
GILES
I don't believe so.
BUFFY
How's that?
GILES
Before she went to sleep, she
mentioned she had experienced several
short time freezes since we found
her. The type of anomalies she was
experiencing before. That leads me to
believe that these things are
happening in cycles. In my
estimation, she won't experience
another extended, dangerous freeze
for a while yet.
TARA
How can you be sure?
GILES
I can't. But I am sure that we're not
going to just jump into this without
ensuring we do everything right. If
you rush into this, we could very
well lose both you and Willow.. and
that is simply unacceptable.
Tara's intensity softens.. Giles starting to make
sense.
GILES
Besides, we need both of you to be
focused and alert when you cast the
spell, something neither of you are
at the moment. I suggest you calm
yourself down and go get some rest
while we get everything ready in
preparation for the spells. We'll get
you both in a few hours.
Tara is reluctant to go. Giles comes up to her and
puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.
GILES
(much gentler tone)
Go on. Everything will be fine.
Tara nods, puts the crystal back on the table, then
heads slowly up the stairs.
Giles, Buffy, Xander and Anya watch silently for a
beat, then..
GILES
We have work to do.
Giles and Buffy head back to the table to prepare for
the spell. Anya grabs some empty cups off the table
and heads to the kitchen. Xander follows.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/KITCHEN - NIGHT
as we see Anya place the cups in the sink. She sees
the tap still running, so she turns it off. Xander
comes up behind her.
XANDER
So.. one thing still kinda confuses
me.. this Daegus guy? He just gave
you the crystal?
ANYA
(thinks for a beat)
Yes.
XANDER
Just like that.
ANYA
Yes.
XANDER
Of course. After all, that's the
whole basis of how the black market
operates.. people giving away rare,
hard-to-find and possibly illegal
items for free.
Anya nervously fidgets.. then puts her hands in her
coat pockets.
XANDER
(noticing)
What? Are you cold?
Anya nervously looks away from Xander. Xander picks up
the strange vibe from Anya and gently grabs hold of
her arms.
XANDER
(quietly)
Hey.
They stare at each other for a beat. Then, Xander
slowly removes Anya's hands from her pockets.. then
looks down at them. He looks back up to Anya,
surprised.. then down again.
REVERSE ANGLE : ANYA'S HAND
as we see Xander remove a ring from her finger.
He holds it up and we see it's a toy ring.. bright
purple in colour. Xander just looks at it. Anya looks
nervously at Xander, at the ring, then back to Xander.
ANYA
(nervous)
She wanted two dollars for it.
Xander looks at Anya, seeking clarification.
ANYA
The kid I bought it from.. she wanted
two dollars.. but I talked her down
to one.
Xander smiles, slowly puts the ring back onto her
finger, then kisses her hand. The two hug.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/BUFFY'S ROOM - NIGHT
where we see Dawn sitting in a chair in a corner,
watching over a sleeping Willow. Tara enters the room,
quietly. She and Dawn exchange a smile. Dawn gets up
and comes up to Tara for a hug. She then leaves.
Tara watches Willow who is sleeping on her side. Tara
walks over to the other side of the bed, then gets in
slowly. She lies down beside her, holding Willow from
behind as she closes her eyes.. never letting go.
EXT. WAREHOUSES BY THE DOCKS - NIGHT
to establish.
INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
where we see a strung-out vamp hand some cash over to
the dealer vamp. The dealer vamp takes the cash and
counts it, then holds up his hand behind him. One of
his guards places a blood packet in it. He hands it
over to the strung-out vamp with a big smile.
DEALER VAMP
Enjoy.
The strung-out vamp grabs the packet and makes his way
through the throng waiting their turn. We TRACK him as
he starts to bite hungrily into his packet.. his eyes
down as he focuses on his meal.
Nearing the exit, he suddenly stops short as he sees
something on the ground.
REVERSE ANGLE: THREE PAIRS OF FEET
from his POV, we slowly TILT UP to reveal Sasha, Trix
and Flix.. all looking at him.
ANGLE : STRUNG-OUT VAMP
his fangs still embedded in his meal.. in shock and
frozen in his spot.
Flix smiles and takes one step towards him. She leans
in closer.
FLIX
(whispering)
Run.
The strung-out vamp does so, as Flix giggles..
enjoying her power. She takes a look up at the throng
of bodies in front of her.
FLIX
Come on girls.
She turns back towards Sasha and Trix.
FLIX
Party time.
Flix heads off merrily towards the crowd. Trix gives
her a dirty look.. jealous of her confidence. Sasha
impassively follows.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/BUFFY'S ROOM - NIGHT
CLOSE ON : WILLOW'S FACE
as her eyes suddenly open.. waking up with a start. We
slowly WIDEN to reveal Willow, still in bed, Tara's
arms loosely around her. Willow notices, and turns
towards Tara.. her face next to hers. She studies
Tara's face.. her eyes closed.
WILLOW
(softly)
Tara?
No response. Willow looks up and around the room.
Completely still and silent. She turns towards the
bedside clock.. time has frozen. She falls back into
bed, looking up at the ceiling. She turns back towards
Tara and just gazes at her.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/STAIRCASE - NIGHT
as we see Willow slowly descend the stairs into the
foyer and then heads into..
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
where she sees Buffy, Xander, Giles, Anya and Dawn..
all gathered around the table.. all going through a
stack of books on the table. Everyone is frozen.
Willow walks around, then spots a pile of books set
aside on the ground in a corner. She wanders over and
takes a closer look. Books on Ascension, Reanimation,
Suspended Animation.. all research material on the
General's ritual to raise his army.. all now set aside
in a corner. Willow looks aghast.
Willow turns slowly back to look at the group, her
face filled with guilt. Her expression then changes..
determined.. resolved.
Music increases in tempo and urgency
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/BUFFY'S ROOM - NIGHT
ANGLE ON : BUFFY'S WEAPON CHEST
as Willow opens it and grabs a stake and a bottle of
holy water.
She then heads over to the chair where her jacket is.
She grabs it and puts it on, then turns and faces
Tara.. frozen in slumber. She walks up to the bed,
gently strokes Tara's face and then kisses her lightly
on the lips. She leaves.
INT. BUFFY'S HOUSE/FOYER - NIGHT
just as Willow comes down the stairs. She places the
stake and bottle of holy water in her jacket.. then
turns to take a last look at the group in the living
room. She turns back towards the door, opens it, and
exits. The door closes.
BLACKOUT
END OF ACT THREE
CONTINUE TO ACT FOUR