Title: Sacrifice
Author: Babywillow
Disclaimer: All the characters in Buffy and Angel belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB.
Summery: The story takes place after part 4 "Eternity."
Rating: PG
Feedback: any time...
E-mail: babywillow@caramail.com
Authors note: I wrote this last part based a lot on the episodes "Primeval" and "Restless." My story is written as a script. Enjoy...
Website URL: http://www.dromadaire.com/babywillow/scoobies
Teaser
Spike's crypt.
Camera pans onto Dawn sleeping on Willow's lap. Tara is sitting next to them. Buffy is running all over the place, nervously. Giles and Xander share a look.
Giles: "Buffy...perhaps you should sit down and get some rest."
Buffy stares at the entrance of the crypt.
Buffy: "No way. They should arrive any minute now."
She puts her hands on her head in pain.
Xander comes to massage her forehead, gently.
Xander: "We have to do something about those headaches, Buff."
Buffy: "I know. I can't even concentrate. And with the whole Faith coming back here thing...I don't know."
Giles: "She's coming to help, Buffy. I'm sure everything is gonna be fine."
Buffy: "Until she snaps and becomes evil Slayer all over again."
Xander: "Angel said he trusts her."
Buffy gives him an angry look.
Xander: "Damn! You're so sexy when you're mad. But still, I beg you not to kill me."
Buffy breathes deeply and calms down. She goes to hug Xander.
Buffy: "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about the fight"
Xander: "Me too. I'm entering headache territory every time I think about it."
Buffy: "I'm way ahead of you, big brother."
She holds her head again.
Xander: "Brother?"
Buffy: "Well yeah, Xand. You're the big bro I'll never have... Unless they decide to send me another key in the near future."
Xander smiles.
Xander: "My heart is all yours, sis."
Dawn gets up slowly, waking Willow in the process. The door opens and Spike enters, followed by Angel, Lindsey and Faith. Buffy and Angel hug. Dawn jumps into Spike's arms. She looks behind him at Lindsey and smiles. Buffy glances at Faith and nods slightly. She suddenly feels dizzy. Angel grabs her and moves her to the couch so she can lie down.
Giles: "Buffy?"
She doesn't respond. Xander and Willow rush to her side. Spike turns to look for Dawn.
He finds her standing away from the others along with Lindsey as they are looking at each other without saying a word.
Spike feels that something weird is going on. He puts his hand on Giles's shoulder to get his attention. Giles, worried, stares aside at Dawn and Lindsey, as it seems that there's a light emerging from their bodies.
Giles looks back at Buffy who's lying down unconscious.
-OPENING CREDITS-
-SCENE 1-
Buffy is lying on a hospital bed. The entire gang is there except for Spike, Faith, Lindsey and Dawn. Giles is outside, talking to a doctor. He comes back to the others and looks at Buffy.
Xander: "It's too dangerous for her to stay here. Glory could come at any time."
Giles: "I know. But with those headaches that we know nothing about, I think she should be taken care of."
Angel: "We're here if something goes wrong."
Giles takes Angel aside.
Giles: "What do you know about the man you brought with you?"
Angel: "Lindsey? Well, the Powers told me to protect him. They mentioned that he had a higher calling or something. We don't know exactly his part in all that, but I know that he's supposed to be here."
Giles considers.
Giles: "I think that he might have a connection with the Key."
Angel: "That's what Wesley thinks, too. He had time to do some research about what the monk told us, and he said that there was more to it. He's on his way over here with Gunn and Cordelia."
Giles: "I think that will be useful."
Angel nods.
Willow is standing next to Buffy. She caresses her head sadly. Camera focuses on Buffy's face.
Fade to Buffy as she opens her eyes. She's in a crypt. It's dark and cold. She hears steps and turns to face the Master.
She looks at him, startled. He's approaching her slowly.
Master: "I'm waiting for you...I want this moment to last."
Buffy turns and see herself from Season One.
Buffy S1: "Well, I don't."
The Master appears behind Buffy S1 and grabs her by the neck.
Buffy looks at the scene in shock.
Buffy: "What the hell is going on here?"
She sees the Master hypnotizing Buffy S1 and bringing her to him. Buffy rushes to stop the Master, but her body's invisible and she passes right through him. She stares at him in horror.
He comes to bite Buffy S1 in the neck, drinks a few sips and lets go of her.
Master: "Oh, God, the power!"
Buffy S1 falls to her knees face down into the pool of water. Buffy looks at her in pain.
The Master leaves his lair. Buffy tries to call Buffy S1, in vain.
After a moment, Xander and Angel enter the crypt and pull her out of the water.
Buffy watches the scene, panting hard with fear.
Buffy: "She's gonna be OK...She's gonna be OK."
Angel looks at Xander: "She's dead."
Xander: "No, she's not dead."
Angel: "She's not breathing."
Xander: "But if she drowned, uh, there's a shot! CPR!"
Angel: "You have to do it. I have no breath."
Xander takes his jacket off and lays it over Buffy S1's body. He comes to put his mouth on hers and blows into her lungs. Buffy stares at him, breathing hard. She looks at both Xander and Angel, then back at Buffy S1.
Xander: "C'mon, c'mon, breathe!"
Angel lowers his head. Xander continues until he becomes teary and looks aside.
Angel caresses Buffy S1's face. Xander is crying now.
Buffy frowns.
Buffy: "This is not how it happened..."
She looks at Buffy S1 motionless body. Buffy turns her head from side to side.
Buffy: "It's not what happened..."
Xander gets up in rage and runs out of the crypt, ready to confront the Master. Angel takes Buffy S1's body in his arms and walks out, following Xander.
Buffy is crying, almost hysterical.
Cut to Buffy's hospital bed. She is hardly breathing. Willow runs to her as she calls out to Giles.
Willow: "Giles! Giles!"
Giles and the others arrive quickly. Tara follows them. She approaches Buffy's bed and slowly comes to sit next to her.
Giles looks sadly at Willow. Tara lies back on the bed, putting her head close to Buffy's, and closes her eyes.
Fade to Buffy looking straight ahead, tears running down her face. The camera pans on to a cemetery where Joyce and all the Scoobies are standing around a grave. A priest is speaking as the people comfort each other. Giles and Joyce are holding hands. Buffy sees that her name is on the headstone. She stares at her mother, crying uncontrollably.
Buffy: "Mom...Mommy."
But no one hears her. She tries to approach her mother, but her hand passes through her.
Buffy (whispering): "I'm not dead."
Voice: "In this dimension you are..."
Buffy turns to find Tara standing behind her.
Buffy: "Tara?"
Tara looks at the people mourning and then back at Buffy.
Buffy: "What's going on?"
Tara: "She wanted you to see."
Buffy: "Who? What?"
Tara takes Buffy's hand in hers.
Tara: "You need to understand in order to fight."
Buffy: "Understand what?"
Tara: "Follow me..."
Tara puts her hand on her forehead as they both disappear from the cemetery.
- SCENE 2-
Angel is sitting in the hallway with Giles and Xander. His cell phone rings, and he answers.
Angel: "Yeah...Wes?"
Cut to Wesley driving. Cordy and Gunn are by his side. We see that they have arrived in Sunnydale.
Wesley: "Angel, we are almost there. Where are you?"
Angel: "We're at the hospital. Something happened to Buffy."
Wesley: "Is she OK?"
Angel: "We don't know yet. She's in some kind of coma."
Wesley looks at the road.
Wesley: "OK, listen to me carefully. There's something about Lindsey. He's not what you think he is."
Angel: "Yeah, some weird stuff is happening here, Wes."
Wesley: "Angel...I believe that Lindsey is the lock."
Angel: "The what?"
Wesley: "Is Giles there?"
Angel: "Yeah. Just a sec."
Angel hands the phone to Giles as he gets up and walks to Buffy's room.
The camera pans onto Buffy and Tara sleeping. Willow is sitting close to them.
Cut to:
Buffy and Tara are walking in a crypt. Buffy opens a door and looks around.
Tara: "After you died, Kendra was summoned to be the next Slayer. But then Spike and Drusilla arrived to Sunnydale. They brought chaos and fear to the town."
Buffy: "But the gang was there to fight them, right?"
Tara: "Kendra always worked alone. She didn't really get to know your friends."
Buffy: "But Angel must've stopped them."
Tara: "Angel changed a lot after you died."
We see Angel sitting on a chair in the crypt. He looks lonely. Buffy stares at him sadly.
Tara: "After the big fight against Spike and Drusilla...lots of people died."
Buffy frowns.
Buffy: "Who died?"
Tara: "Giles's love, Miss Calendar."
Buffy considers.
Buffy: "Poor Giles. I guess she really wasn't supposed to live."
Tara: "Neither was Kendra."
Buffy looks at Tara.
Buffy: "Things are not so different after all."
Tara: "Angel never got bad again. He never got to know true happiness."
Buffy glances at Angel.
Spike and Drusilla enter the crypt dragging three teenagers with them. The kids are terrified. Drusilla feeds off of one of them. Buffy stares at the scene in pain.
Spike: "There you go, mate. We brought you one tasty fellow for supper."
Spike throws a young boy at Angel's feet.
Drusilla: "I chose him myself, my Angel. I heard bells ringing in my head when he begged for his life."
Angel gazes at the boy nervously. Spike grabs the third boy and feeds off of him. He then lets go of the body, blood dripping on his face.
Buffy approaches Spike slowly. She looks into his eyes, petrified, as he is the reflection of pure evil. Spike seems to be looking at her too. After a bit, Buffy tries to touch his face, but her hand goes through him as he turns back and leaves the room with Drusilla. Once alone again, Angel let the boy go as he runs out of the crypt very fast. Angel goes back to sit on his chair. Buffy is numb.
Tara: "Angel sacrificed himself. He convinced Spike and Drusilla that he was ready to stay with them as long as they all left Sunnydale. And so they left."
Angel disappears from the crypt.
Buffy (whisper): "Please, let's get out of here."
As they turn around, they appear outside Sunnydale High School. Buffy looks at the students talking and laughing. She notices Willow and Oz sitting together, having lunch. She smiles slightly, but not for long.
The camera focuses on Faith and Xander coming up to them. They go to join Willow and Oz. The four of them look pretty friendly.
Buffy: "No way!"
Faith and Willow laugh together.
Buffy: "There's no way! Willow hates her guts."
Tara: "Faith became the new Slayer. She got along with all the gang."
Tara indicates Xander.
Tara: "Especially with Xander."
We see Faith and Xander kissing.
Buffy is in total shock.
Buffy: "I think I'm gonna puke!"
Tara: "When she arrived, Giles took care of her, and your friends accepted her as she was...'cause she reminded them of you."
Buffy grins.
Buffy: "Faith and I have nothing in common."
The school fades, and they are now at the Summers house.
Buffy hears voices coming from the kitchen. Joyce is there, making a pie. Buffy looks at her sadly.
Suddenly Giles enters the kitchen, comes to Joyce and kisses her on the lips. Buffy can't help but scream.
Buffy: "Ah! This is a nightmare. Can things get any worse?!"
Giles walks by Buffy and Tara and goes to sit in the living room. The front door opens and Faith enters.
Faith: "I'm home."
Faith enters the living room, passing through Buffy, who's hardly breathing.
Buffy: "OK, now I know I'm in Hell."
Faith sits next to Giles and they start to talk. Joyce comes to join them.
Buffy: "Faith lives here?"
Tara: "Giles is like a father to her."
Buffy: "And my mother?"
Tara: "They've been living together since Faith arrived."
Buffy sulks.
Buffy: "This is depressing. I want to get out of here."
Tara and Buffy disappear from the living room, as we can still hear Faith laughing.
Inside Spike's crypt.
Dawn and Lindsey are sitting on a sofa. They are still looking at each other without talking.
Spike and Faith are staring at them from the side.
Spike: "They are starting to freak me out."
Faith: "Yeah. Do you feel this weird vibe?"
Spike: "Pretty powerful."
Spike looks aside.
Spike: "I wonder how Buffy's doing."
Faith smiles slightly.
Faith: "You really have the hots for the girl. Did something happen that I should know about?"
Spike smirks.
Spike: "Yeah, right. As if Buffy would actually look at me."
Spike storms out to the entrance of the crypt to look outside. Once he's far enough from Faith, he smiles and puts his hand on his lips.
-SCENE 3-
All the Scoobies along with Angel, Gunn, Wes and Cordy are sitting at a table in the hospital cafeteria except for Tara. Giles and Wesley are looking at a book.
Wesley: "It's right here. Energy and light. Glory was banished from her demon dimension, and she arrived here only a year ago. It doesn't mention how. She was supposed to be sent to Hell for betraying her fellow Hellgods. But instead, something happened, and she arrived here. The Book of Tarnis talks about her human shell being vulnerable. We thought maybe if we killed Ben then Glory would die as well."
Giles: "I think it's maybe too late for that. It seems that Glory is getting more and more powerful. She's taking over Ben. It's like he doesn't exist anymore."
Angel: "So how do we beat a Hellgod?"
They all look at each other.
Giles: "First things first. If the book is correct, then Dawn is the key and the man you brought from L.A is supposed to be the link."
Cordy: "The link?"
Giles: "He's the lock. There's no getting in or out of this dimension without both of them."
Wesley: "Where are Lindsey and the girl now?"
Giles and Angel share a look.
Giles: "At the crypt with Spike and Faith. Willow did a protection spell to prevent the entry to Glory."
Wesley gets up.
Wesley: "We can't risk her getting her hands on those two. We'd better split and go see if they're OK."
Giles nods.
Giles: "Take everyone with you. I'll stay here with Willow until Buffy wakes up."
They all get up and walk out of the cafeteria.
Cut to a desert. The camera focuses on Tara's fingers plunged in a bag full of mud. We can see now that Buffy and Tara are sitting one in front of the other. Tara brings her muddy fingers to Buffy and smears her face, drawing a symbol on her forehead.
Buffy: "What about the mayor? Did she get friendly with him?"
Tara: "No. She had to fight him. It was a difficult battle, but with the help of her friends, they managed to kill him."
Buffy: "So she killed the mayor...That's kind of ironic. I've seen them together. I think she loved him."
She grins.
Buffy: "So creepy! What about Angel? Did he go to L.A?"
Tara: "He didn't have to. Didn't have a reason for running away. And the Powers didn't need him at this time."
Buffy: "The Powers?"
Tara: "He didn't have anyone to meet and protect."
Buffy tries to understand but then she turns to look at the desert.
Buffy: "So Faith killed the mayor. Then what?"
Tara: "She went to college after that..."
Buffy frowns.
Buffy: "If you tell me that she went after Riley, I'm gonna be very pissed."
Tara continues to put the mud on Buffy's face.
Tara: "She was too in love with Xander to notice Riley."
Buffy nods.
Tara: "But she understood from the beginning that the Initiative was something that she had to fight."
Buffy: "She fought Riley?" She giggles.
Buffy: "Did he kick her ass?"
Tara: "The other way around. She had to stop Adam."
Camera focuses on the symbol Tara drew on Buffy's forehead. It's an eye.
Buffy: "So she called the First Slayer and bit the crap out of him?"
Tara looks at Buffy. Her voice suddenly changes to that of the First Slayer.
Tara/F Slayer: "She didn't."
Buffy stares at Tara, startled.
The desert disappears and Buffy finds herself at a cemetery.
She's still sitting on the floor.
She gets up slowly and notices a grave right in front of her.
She comes closer and begins to read: "Rupert Giles. Beloved husband. Lived to protect."
Buffy stares at it, in shock. She's trying to catch her breath.
Tara appears behind her.
Tara: "He died for her."
Buffy faces Tara.
Buffy: "What a dumb world!"
She tries to fight back tears.
Buffy: "How could he die? I mean... almost everything happened the same way... except for that. He can't die!"
Tara takes Buffy's hand in hers. Buffy pushes her away.
Buffy: "Why didn't they call the First Slayer? That's what we did. Why didn't they?"
Tara smiles as she puts her finger on Buffy's forehead.
Tara: "Because it would have brought them where it brought you..."
Moment of silence as Buffy looks at her in realization.
Buffy: "Glory?"
Tara nods slightly.
-SCENE 4-
Spike's crypt.
Wesley is sitting next to Angel, Gunn and Cordy.
Wesley: "Maybe if there was a way to open a gate to get rid of Glory."
Gunn: "But you said that it could open the gates altogether."
Wesley: "Exactly. That's the problem. We need to find a way to get her out of here without creating chaos between dimensions."
Angel looks at Lindsey and Dawn sitting across. They are still not talking.
Angel: "Are you sure they're OK?"
They all turn to look at them.
Wesley: "I think so."
Gunn: "It's like they're communicating without saying a word."
They all stare, oddly.
Cordy: "OK, that's disturbing."
She gets up and walks to Lindsey. She kneels next to him. Suddenly she backs away, very fast.
Cordy: "Oh-my-gosh!"
Gunn: "What?"
Cordy gestures them to come closer. Wesley approaches and frowns.
Angel: "What?"
Wesley: "The air around them is warm. It's like they are creating some kind of force."
Cordy: "Like I said...disturbing."
Faith comes to join them.
Faith: "Guys, there's something else even weirder... How come bitchy goddess is not showing herself? Don't tell me that a protection spell is what's stopping her from getting those two."
Angel nods.
Spike looks outside.
Spike: "Maybe we should go find out what she's up to."
Angel: "All right, guys. Spike and I will go see what's going on."
Faith: "I'm with you."
Gunn: "Me too."
Angel agrees, and the four exit the crypt.
Cordy is left alone with Xander and Anya. Awkward silence.
Cordy turns to face them.
Cordy: "So...been together long?"
She smiles widely. Xander looks down.
Cut to Buffy sitting beside a fire next to Tara.
Buffy: "Tara. I need to talk to the First Slayer face to face."
Tara: "You are."
Buffy breathes deeply.
Buffy: "Is it really you?"
Tara's face morphs to the First Slayer then back to Tara a few times. Finally the morphing stops with Tara.
Buffy: "I need to know why you brought me here."
Tara: "To make you see."
Buffy: "See what? That Faith got everything I ever wanted. That Angel was miserable, Spike was the devil himself and that Giles was supposed to die. You told me that death is my gift...This is not a gift!"
Tara: "You needed to see what went wrong."
Buffy: "The spell...I get it, it was wrong. But how did it bring Glory?"
Tara: "You opened a door for her to escape. She was summoned to Hell, but instead you brought her to your dimension."
Buffy: "We didn't know."
Tara: "I tried to warn you. But you didn't listen."
Buffy: "You came in our dreams to kill us!"
Tara: "No. I came to warn you. The beast was released and it was too late."
Buffy lowers her head. She looks at the fire.
Buffy: "What do I have to do to make it right? Please tell me..."
Tara: "You have to send her where she belongs."
Buffy: "To Hell?"
Tara nods.
Buffy: "But how?"
Tara: "The ritual you performed along with the three key elements will open the gate to Hell."
Buffy: "We need to do it all over again?"
Tara nods as she gets up. Buffy follows her.
Buffy: "Wait...before I go back. There's something I need to know..."
Tara looks at her silently, and then puts her hand on her forehead. The symbol disappears from Buffy's forehead.
Tara: "You will see."
There is a bright light, then Buffy finds herself at the Summers house.
She goes upstairs, looking at the pictures on the wall. There's a photo of Giles, Faith and Joyce at the park. They all look happy. Buffy goes to her mother's room. She opens the door but there's no one there. She finds letters on the nightstand and picks one up. She reads it and put it back. She goes to her room, open the door and finds Faith making the bed. Faith looks very sad and lonely. Buffy walks to the other side of the bed to help Faith. It seems that Faith sees her. Buffy cries suddenly, realizing the pain Faith is feeling.
Buffy: "She left you too... "
Faith looks at Buffy.
Buffy: "I had to know that it had nothing to do with Glory."
They continue to make the bed and when they finish, they look at it, pensively.
Buffy: "I wish I could be as brave as you are."
Faith: "I'm not."
Faith turns to face the cheese guy who's entering the room.
Faith: "I'm just like you...I wear it so no one will see how I really feel."
Cheese guy hands cheese slices to Faith.
Cheese guy: "Even I wear one."
He comes to bring some cheese to Buffy, but Faith stops him.
Faith: "You don't need to hide behind it anymore, Buffy."
Faith takes a mask off the cheese guy's face and he suddenly disappears.
Faith: "Just be yourself."
Buffy closes her eyes.
Her eyes pop open suddenly and she finds herself in her hospital bed. She sees Tara lying asleep beside her.
Willow enters the room. She sees that Buffy is awake and smiles. She runs to the hallway to get Giles.
Buffy straightens up slowly, trying not to disturb Tara. She looks at her and comes to kiss her on the forehead.
Buffy (whispers to Tara): "Thank you."
Willow reenters the room with Giles.
Giles: "Buffy, are you feeling all right?"
Buffy: "I'm fine."
Willow: "Do you want me to call a doctor?"
Buffy: "No, there's no time to waste...I know how to stop Glory."
Giles and Willow look at her, surprised.
-SCENE 5-
Sunnydale, night.
Spike, Angel, Gunn and Faith see a mass of people walking in the same direction. They look at them, suspiciously.
Spike: "Night of the leaving dead? Now, why wasn't I invited?"
They follow them. They arrive at an abandoned property near the beach. The people stop and stand there like zombies.
Spike points to the right where Glory's minions are kneeling on the floor.
Spike: "Those are Glory's troops."
Angel approaches and looks at the top of a building in ruin. Glory is standing there. She looks troubled. They all stare in shock as she morphs to Ben and then back to Glory again and again.
Angel: "Looks like she's having trouble deciding if she wants to be a he or a she."
Gunn: "Maybe she's losing strength."
Faith: "Fine by me. So do we get her now, or...?"
All the people around kneel on the ground to salute Glory.
Angel: "OK, I think we should get the others. Now we know where she is, the battle can start."
Gunn watches the people, who are not paying any attention to them.
Gunn: "Yeah, we should get the hell out of here before she turns them against us."
They walk out fast. Ben changes to Glory, and she screams very loud.
Glory: "You have to let it go, Benny boy. I have guests waiting for me."
She looks down at the crowd waving to her, and smiles evilly.
Buffy enters the crypt with Willow, Tara and Giles. Xander runs to hug her. Buffy smiles to everyone and walks to Dawn and Lindsey.
Buffy: "Who's that?"
Giles: "We believe he's the lock."
Buffy: "The lock?"
Buffy remembers her dream when Tara told her: "The ritual you performed along with the three key elements will open the right gate."
Buffy: "He is."
She senses the warmth covering their bodies.
Buffy: "We need them for the ritual."
Xander: "What ritual?"
Giles: "The one we performed last year to summon the First Slayer."
Xander: "Wow! Wait a minute here...the same Slayer who tried to hunt us down?"
Buffy: "It's OK. We have to if we want to get rid of Glory."
Xander nods, not very convinced.
Buffy: "Giles, we have to stop by my place to get supplies and weapons."
Angel arrives with the others. He comes to hug Buffy.
Angel: "You're OK?"
Buffy: "Yeah. We found a way to kill Glory."
Angel looks at Giles and they start to walk out of the crypt. Buffy comes to take Dawn away. Spike goes to help her.
Spike: "Are you feeling all right?"
Buffy looks at him, realizing for the first time how different Spike has become. She grabs his hand and takes him aside.
Buffy: "I need a favor from you, Spike."
Spike listens carefully.
Buffy: "If anything happens to me, I need to know that you are gonna protect Dawn."
Spike: "Buffy?"
Buffy: "If I die..."
Spike: "If you die, I die...I mean we'll all die...obviously."
They share a very intense look as they are standing very close from one another.
Spike (whispers): "If you perform the ritual, don't you think that the bloody goddess will try to stop you?"
Buffy: "Not if she sees me at the fight."
Spike: "And how do you think you can attend to both?"
Spike stares at her in realization.
Spike: "You didn't!"
Buffy grins.
Spike: "Bloody hell."
Buffy: "Giles said she might be useful one day... But it doesn't mean that it wasn't gross, Spike!"
Spike smiles as they walk out of the crypt together.
-SCENE 6-
Summers house. Giles, Wesley, Faith and Angel are sitting in the living room, discussing the battle. Xander, Anya, Gunn and Cordy are packing all the weapons in bags.
Dawn and Lindsey are sitting in the kitchen. It seems like they are back to normal. Dawn is eating cookies and Lindsey is watching Tara who comes to join them. She sits next to them, silently.
Dawn: "Glory sucked her brain out. That's why she's acting so weird."
Lindsey nods. He grabs a cookie and hand it to Tara. He smiles at her sympathetically.
Upstairs, Buffy enters her bedroom with Willow. Buffy looks at her bed thoughtfully.
Buffy: "Faith and I just made that bed."
Willow stares at her.
Willow: "Are you sure you're OK, Buffy?"
Buffy: "Yeah. Don't worry."
Willow sits on the bed, sadly.
Willow: "What if Tara is gonna stay like that forever? I mean, if we don't all die of course. But, you know, I keep thinking that maybe it was something I did...Or is there something I was supposed to do..."
Buffy: "She's gonna be OK, Will. She told me so."
Willow: "When?...Did she say something that...you know, actually made sense?"
Buffy: "I saw her in my dream."
Faith enters the room, interrupting them.
Faith: "Oh, sorry. I was looking for Xander."
Willow: "I think he's downstairs."
Faith nods, ready to leave.
Buffy: "Wait."
Awkward silence.
Willow gets up.
Willow: "I'll go find Xander." She exits the room.
Faith approaches Buffy.
Faith: "*B*...Buffy..."
Buffy: "I'm glad you came to help."
Faith: "Didn't have anything better to do."
Buffy: "I just wanted to say that we're OK."
Faith stares.
Faith: "We are?"
Buffy strokes Faith's hair, gently.
Buffy: "Yeah...we are."
Faith feels uncomfortable. She looks down.
Faith: "Well we'd better move now. The guys are waiting downstairs."
Buffy nods. She looks at her room one last time and closes the door behind her as she exits.
Giles frowns as he stares at a picture in the book he's holding.
Giles: "There might be a problem here."
Wesley and Angel look at the book.
Giles: "There supposed to be a third element. A crucial one."
Angel notices.
Angel (to Wesley): "Isn't it...?"
Wesley: "Yes, it is. The riddle is solved."
Giles: "What do you mean?"
Wesley gets up and walks to the kitchen. Giles follows him. Xander comes out of the basement.
Xander: "What's going on?"
Wesley goes to Lindsey and shows them the Aberjian's talisman that Lindsey's wearing around his neck.
Giles: "How did you find this?"
Wesley: "It sort of came to find us."
Giles examines the talisman.
Buffy is walking down the stairs. She sees Angel standing beside Gunn, Cordy, Wes and Lindsey. The five of them look pretty close. Buffy smiles slightly as Angel turns his head to look at her. He approaches the stairs, taking her aside so they can be alone.
Buffy: "It's quite a team you've got there."
Angel: "Yeah, they're great. We've been through a lot these past two years."
Buffy: "Maybe you can tell me all about that when all this mess is over. I mean...if we're not dead or anything."
Angel: "No one is gonna die, Buffy."
Buffy: "How can you be so sure? I mean for all we know, this could be the last day of our lives."
Buffy sits down on the stairs. Angel takes her hand in his.
Angel: "You know I will move Heaven and Earth for you."
Buffy: "It's not me I'm worried about. It's Dawn. If anything happens..."
Angel: "Nothing will."
Buffy: "She's my sister. She's special. And now, she's all I've got left."
Angel lowers his head.
Buffy: "She's my everything."
Angel takes her in his arms to comfort her. Buffy closes her eyes.
We suddenly hear a scream as Tara is trying to get out of the house but Willow is blocking her way.
Willow: "Guys, help me."
Tara is out of control. She pushes Willow away from her and exits by the front door.
Buffy and Angel come running.
Buffy: "What happened?"
Willow: "I don't know. She started to act weirder than usual and she wanted to get out."
Spike appears behind Willow. He stares silently at Buffy and Angel. He looks a bit sad.
Spike: "We know where she went."
They all gather in the living room.
Wesley: "We have to move now. Is everything ready?"
Giles: "Yes."
Xander enters the room holding Buffybot's hand in his. He's giggling.
Xander: "She's ready."
Angel, Gunn, Cordy, and Wesley stare at the robot, in shock.
Angel: "What the hell is that?"
Giles grabs his book and begins to head outside.
Giles: "Believe me, you don't wanna know."
The front door of the Summers house closes.
-SCENE 7-
Glory is still standing at the top. All the patients from the psychiatric hospital have joined the others. Tara is standing there with them. Everybody looks possessed.
Jinx and Murk approach Glory.
Jinx: "Our guests arrived, you unholiness most beautiful..."
Glory gestures him to shut up. She watches as Darla and Drusilla come to join her.
Glory: "There you are, ladies."
Darla and Dru kneel slightly before her, and look at the people waving at them downstairs.
Darla: "The big day has finally arrived."
Dru claps her hands, excited.
Glory glances at Buffybot, Angel and the gang who arrive.
Glory: "I can feel my key and lock are close. Take a seat, ladies, the show is about to start."
Glory elevates her hands and the people get up and circle Angel and the gang.
Angel and the others look at Glory, Darla and Dru.
Angel: "Are you ready, guys?"
Faith nods.
Wesley: "now!"
They all take weapons in hands and run to fight the crowd.
On the other side of the fight, Giles, Willow, Xander, and Buffy are sitting on the ground, in a circle. There are candles lit all around them. Dawn and Lindsey are in the middle. Buffy concentrates as they all hold hands.
Lindsey takes the talisman off his neck and put it around Dawn's.
Willow: "The power of the Slayer and all who wield it. Last to ancient first, we invoke thee. Grant us thy domain and primal strength."
At the fight, Angel punches a minion who falls down. Cordy and Gunn fire at the minions coming their way.
Glory, Darla and Dru walk down to join the battle.
Faith and Spike try to push away all the mental patients without hurting them. Spike spots Tara. He grabs her by the hand and leads her to the side. Tara tries to resist, in vain.
Spike: "Calm down, girl. You'll thank me later."
Tara jumps on him, trying to hit him. Spike makes her fall down and knocks her unconscious.
Spike: "Or maybe you won't."
He lays her on the ground, makes sure she's safe and goes back to the fight.
Cut back to the ritual:
Willow: "Accept us in the power we possess. Make us mind and heart and spirit join. Let the hand encompass us. Do thy will."
A green light comes out of Dawn's body and a blue one out of Lindsey's.
Giles looks at them, tense.
Willow hands cards to Buffy, Xander and Giles.
Willow: "Spiritus...the spirit."
Xander: "Animus...the heart."
Giles: "Sophus...the mind."
Buffy: "Manus,...the hand."
A huge yellow light envelops all of them as they can hear whispers surrounding them.
Xander and Buffy look at Giles, fearfully.
Willow has her eyes closed.
She starts to speak in Sumerian. The light coming from Lindsey and Dawn mixes and goes up to the sky.
Angel tries to make his way to Darla and Dru, but the crowd stops him.
Darla looks oddly at him.
Darla: "Something's wrong. Where's Lindsey?"
Dru stares around her.
Glory senses something. She runs to Buffy who's in fact Buffybot and attacks her.
Glory: "Stupid Slayer...where did you put them?"
Buffy fights her. Spike rushes to Buffybot.
Spike (whispering): "Sod off, Hellbitch. You're gonna break her."
As they are fighting, Glory grabs a sword and shoves it into Buffybot's guts. Electricity flashes out of its system. Glory steps back, surprised.
Glory: "What the hell is going on here?"
Spike and Angel are now standing beside Darla and Dru.
Darla: "Finally together after all these years." She smiles.
The camera pans onto the four of them, standing next to each other.
-SCENE 8-
Fade to the ritual.
Giles: "Now look into the light."
Willow, Giles, Xander and Buffy get up and look at the light emanating from Dawn and Lindsey.
Willow: "Take thy evil out to Hell. Open the door to break the strength of evil primal, warrior beast. "
Willow's eyes turn black. Her nose bleeds. Buffy wants to go to her but Giles stops her. Willow lifts her hands as the light continues to go up, the whispers are getting louder and louder.
Willow: "Take thy evil out to Hell. Take thy evil out to Hell..."
The light turns black and disappears suddenly. Willow falls down, unconscious. Xander runs to her.
Dawn and Lindsey get up, dazed.
Dawn: "Buffy?"
Lindsey looks around him. The talisman is no longer around Dawn's neck.
Buffy hugs Dawn.
Buffy: "Now what?"
Giles: "The portal should open soon."
Xander: "We'd better go check that it really worked."
They all walk away.
At the fight, Spike is trying to get a hold on Drusilla.
Spike: "Pet, you know you can't fight me."
She hits him across the face.
Spike: "Bloody hell, princess! Is that how you want it?"
She looks viciously at him.
Spike: "All right then."
He jumps on her as they both fall to the ground.
Glory is punching Angel.
Glory: "Who are you anyway?"
Angel: "The name's Angel."
Glory throws him harshly against a wall.
Glory: "What kind of a girly name is that?"
Buffy, Xander and Giles arrive at the scene, an axe in hand.
Buffy: "Let's kick some goddess ass."
They walk into the fight.
Lindsey appears behind Darla who's fighting against Gunn.
Gunn looks to be in trouble. His right arm is bleeding.
Lindsey grabs her by the wrist and takes her aside. Darla smiles widely as she sees him.
Darla: "Here you are, my love. Came to fight me?"
Angel: "Darla, walk away before it's too late."
Darla: "No can do, sweetheart. Look around you...can you feel it? The fear, the anger..."
She comes closer to him.
Darla: "The desire."
Lindsey nods his head from side to side as he pushes her away.
Lindsey: "You don't understand. If you stay here, you're gonna die."
She doesn't understand what he means.
Darla: "What are you talking about?"
Suddenly, they hear voices and whispers coming toward them. Darla frowns.
Willow finds Tara lying on the floor. She takes her in her arms, still holding her bleeding nose.
She helps Tara up and then walks to the fight. She hears the voices too.
She looks around her and sees a black heavy wind coming their way.
Willow: "Giles!"
Giles turns to look at her and he sees the black wind. He adjusts his glasses.
Giles: "It worked."
Buffy looks around her as people are lying hurt on the floor. The minions attacked them. Dru is feeding off a young woman. Buffy rushes to her and pushes her away.
Darla stares at the wind in horror.
Lindsey: "You see...You have to go now."
Darla steps away from him and looks around her, lost. The skies turn black and red. She starts to feel dizzy. She runs toward Drusilla.
Lindsey watches her go.
A gate appears behind Glory as she looks at it, fearfully.
Dru and Darla start to run, trying to escape the wind. Glory watches as it comes closer.
Buffy walks to Giles.
Buffy: "What is this wind doing?"
Giles watches as the wind is coming toward Angel.
Cordy, Wes and Angel are kneeling beside Gunn, who's lying hurt on the ground. Cordy looks at the wind, in fear.
Cordy: "Angel, what's going on?"
Angel: "Don't worry."
He gestures Wes, Gunn and Cordy to close their eyes as he puts himself over them to protect them with his body. We can see that the talisman is around Angel's neck now.
The wind passes strongly through them and continues its course to the portal.
Buffy is still standing next to Giles.
Giles: "It's sucking up all the evil in the area and throwing it back into the gate."
Willow and Tara join hands.
Willow: "The gate of hell."
The wind arrives very rapidly.
Glory watches as Dru and Darla are running away. She feels powerless against the black wind. She lifts her hand and sends a red light flashing into Drusilla's and Darla's bodies. It looks like electricity going out of her hands.
Dru and Darla feel the energy running through them. Glory stops suddenly as she sees that the wind is sucking up her minions.
Darla and Dru fall down, shaking.
Glory: "Damn it."
Darla grabs Dru's wrist, and they run away.
Giles and Buffy look around them, anxiously.
Buffy: "Does it work for vampires?"
Giles: "I suppose so. But it's OK. Angel is protected. He wears the talisman."
Buffy looks at Glory and notices Spike, who's fighting Jinx and Murk.
Buffy: "Oh, my god...Spike!"
She runs to him as fast as she can. The wind is getting closer to her.
Buffy: "Spike!"
He turns to look at her and sees the wind as Buffy jumps on him, and they both fall down. The wind passes through them. They hold each other tightly, trying to resist. After a few seconds, the wind moves along in the direction of the gate.
Buffy and Spike straighten up, looking at one another, breathing heavily.
The wind arrives toward Jinx and Murk, sucking them, and when it comes in contact with Glory, the screams get even louder. The black wind envelops her as she tries to fight it with the little strength she has left.
The entire gang walks to Giles, watching. Tara looks around her, confused.
Tara: "What happened?"
Willow stares at her, in shock.
Willow: "Tara, baby...You're OK?"
Tara: "Willow...What are we doing here?" Tara looks terrified.
Willow: "Don't worry. I'm here with you. Always."
Tara nods as the two girls hug.
Glory is still fighting the wind, trying not to get sucked up. She's standing in front of the gate as it slowly starts to close.
Wesley: "The gate is closing."
Giles looks nervously at it.
Xander: "We have to do something."
Buffy and Spike are watching Glory.
Faith appears next to Glory. She punches her very hard in the face. The wind is blinding her. Faith is standing very close to the gate. Buffy looks at her, fearfully.
Buffy: "Faith, step back!"
Dawn rushes to Buffy, who's still sitting on the floor next to Spike, and hugs her.
Dawn: "Buffy, the gate is closing."
Buffy looks behind her at Giles. She sees Angel, Wesley and Cordy kneeling beside the wounded Gunn.
Slow motion sequence.
All the screams and whispers disappear suddenly as we hear Buffy breathing very fast. She closes her eyes as she kisses Dawn's forehead. She opens them, and feels Spike trying to get up. But she grabs his wrist and pulls him back to the ground. She throws Dawn into his arms and gets up very fast. She starts to run toward Glory. We can hear the screams again. Spike holds Dawn, startled, and looks at Buffy.
Buffy hits Glory and glances at Faith lying on the floor. Faith gets up to help Buffy, but she gestures her to stay away.
Angel runs to them.
Glory feels she can't resist anymore. The gate is about to close as Glory grabs Buffy's arm and falls back into the portal, dragging Buffy along with her. There's a huge scream as the portal disappears into the air.
End of slow motion.
No more screams...No more whispers.
Angel stands there, horrified. Giles, Wes and Xander are looking straight ahead in shock. Faith straightens up, looking dazed. Everybody stares around in disbelief. Willow holds Tara close to her as they walk toward a numbed Anya.
Dawn is sitting next to Spike on the floor. She's looking at all the faces, nodding her head.
Dawn: "No...Buffy?...Buffy!"
Spike is looking down, whispering something that we can't hear.
Dawn turns to face him. She grabs his hand and starts to shake it.
Dawn: "Where is she, Spike...Where did she go?"
The camera pans from all of them to Spike as it focuses on his face and we can now hear him whispering:
Spike: "This is not happening...this is not happening..."
He closes his eyes.
Fade to black.
Author: Babywillow
Disclaimer: All the characters in Buffy and Angel belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and the WB.
Summery: The story takes place after part 4 "Eternity."
Rating: PG
Feedback: any time...
E-mail: babywillow@caramail.com
Authors note: I wrote this last part based a lot on the episodes "Primeval" and "Restless." My story is written as a script. Enjoy...
Website URL: http://www.dromadaire.com/babywillow/scoobies
Teaser
Spike's crypt.
Camera pans onto Dawn sleeping on Willow's lap. Tara is sitting next to them. Buffy is running all over the place, nervously. Giles and Xander share a look.
Giles: "Buffy...perhaps you should sit down and get some rest."
Buffy stares at the entrance of the crypt.
Buffy: "No way. They should arrive any minute now."
She puts her hands on her head in pain.
Xander comes to massage her forehead, gently.
Xander: "We have to do something about those headaches, Buff."
Buffy: "I know. I can't even concentrate. And with the whole Faith coming back here thing...I don't know."
Giles: "She's coming to help, Buffy. I'm sure everything is gonna be fine."
Buffy: "Until she snaps and becomes evil Slayer all over again."
Xander: "Angel said he trusts her."
Buffy gives him an angry look.
Xander: "Damn! You're so sexy when you're mad. But still, I beg you not to kill me."
Buffy breathes deeply and calms down. She goes to hug Xander.
Buffy: "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about the fight"
Xander: "Me too. I'm entering headache territory every time I think about it."
Buffy: "I'm way ahead of you, big brother."
She holds her head again.
Xander: "Brother?"
Buffy: "Well yeah, Xand. You're the big bro I'll never have... Unless they decide to send me another key in the near future."
Xander smiles.
Xander: "My heart is all yours, sis."
Dawn gets up slowly, waking Willow in the process. The door opens and Spike enters, followed by Angel, Lindsey and Faith. Buffy and Angel hug. Dawn jumps into Spike's arms. She looks behind him at Lindsey and smiles. Buffy glances at Faith and nods slightly. She suddenly feels dizzy. Angel grabs her and moves her to the couch so she can lie down.
Giles: "Buffy?"
She doesn't respond. Xander and Willow rush to her side. Spike turns to look for Dawn.
He finds her standing away from the others along with Lindsey as they are looking at each other without saying a word.
Spike feels that something weird is going on. He puts his hand on Giles's shoulder to get his attention. Giles, worried, stares aside at Dawn and Lindsey, as it seems that there's a light emerging from their bodies.
Giles looks back at Buffy who's lying down unconscious.
-OPENING CREDITS-
-SCENE 1-
Buffy is lying on a hospital bed. The entire gang is there except for Spike, Faith, Lindsey and Dawn. Giles is outside, talking to a doctor. He comes back to the others and looks at Buffy.
Xander: "It's too dangerous for her to stay here. Glory could come at any time."
Giles: "I know. But with those headaches that we know nothing about, I think she should be taken care of."
Angel: "We're here if something goes wrong."
Giles takes Angel aside.
Giles: "What do you know about the man you brought with you?"
Angel: "Lindsey? Well, the Powers told me to protect him. They mentioned that he had a higher calling or something. We don't know exactly his part in all that, but I know that he's supposed to be here."
Giles considers.
Giles: "I think that he might have a connection with the Key."
Angel: "That's what Wesley thinks, too. He had time to do some research about what the monk told us, and he said that there was more to it. He's on his way over here with Gunn and Cordelia."
Giles: "I think that will be useful."
Angel nods.
Willow is standing next to Buffy. She caresses her head sadly. Camera focuses on Buffy's face.
Fade to Buffy as she opens her eyes. She's in a crypt. It's dark and cold. She hears steps and turns to face the Master.
She looks at him, startled. He's approaching her slowly.
Master: "I'm waiting for you...I want this moment to last."
Buffy turns and see herself from Season One.
Buffy S1: "Well, I don't."
The Master appears behind Buffy S1 and grabs her by the neck.
Buffy looks at the scene in shock.
Buffy: "What the hell is going on here?"
She sees the Master hypnotizing Buffy S1 and bringing her to him. Buffy rushes to stop the Master, but her body's invisible and she passes right through him. She stares at him in horror.
He comes to bite Buffy S1 in the neck, drinks a few sips and lets go of her.
Master: "Oh, God, the power!"
Buffy S1 falls to her knees face down into the pool of water. Buffy looks at her in pain.
The Master leaves his lair. Buffy tries to call Buffy S1, in vain.
After a moment, Xander and Angel enter the crypt and pull her out of the water.
Buffy watches the scene, panting hard with fear.
Buffy: "She's gonna be OK...She's gonna be OK."
Angel looks at Xander: "She's dead."
Xander: "No, she's not dead."
Angel: "She's not breathing."
Xander: "But if she drowned, uh, there's a shot! CPR!"
Angel: "You have to do it. I have no breath."
Xander takes his jacket off and lays it over Buffy S1's body. He comes to put his mouth on hers and blows into her lungs. Buffy stares at him, breathing hard. She looks at both Xander and Angel, then back at Buffy S1.
Xander: "C'mon, c'mon, breathe!"
Angel lowers his head. Xander continues until he becomes teary and looks aside.
Angel caresses Buffy S1's face. Xander is crying now.
Buffy frowns.
Buffy: "This is not how it happened..."
She looks at Buffy S1 motionless body. Buffy turns her head from side to side.
Buffy: "It's not what happened..."
Xander gets up in rage and runs out of the crypt, ready to confront the Master. Angel takes Buffy S1's body in his arms and walks out, following Xander.
Buffy is crying, almost hysterical.
Cut to Buffy's hospital bed. She is hardly breathing. Willow runs to her as she calls out to Giles.
Willow: "Giles! Giles!"
Giles and the others arrive quickly. Tara follows them. She approaches Buffy's bed and slowly comes to sit next to her.
Giles looks sadly at Willow. Tara lies back on the bed, putting her head close to Buffy's, and closes her eyes.
Fade to Buffy looking straight ahead, tears running down her face. The camera pans on to a cemetery where Joyce and all the Scoobies are standing around a grave. A priest is speaking as the people comfort each other. Giles and Joyce are holding hands. Buffy sees that her name is on the headstone. She stares at her mother, crying uncontrollably.
Buffy: "Mom...Mommy."
But no one hears her. She tries to approach her mother, but her hand passes through her.
Buffy (whispering): "I'm not dead."
Voice: "In this dimension you are..."
Buffy turns to find Tara standing behind her.
Buffy: "Tara?"
Tara looks at the people mourning and then back at Buffy.
Buffy: "What's going on?"
Tara: "She wanted you to see."
Buffy: "Who? What?"
Tara takes Buffy's hand in hers.
Tara: "You need to understand in order to fight."
Buffy: "Understand what?"
Tara: "Follow me..."
Tara puts her hand on her forehead as they both disappear from the cemetery.
- SCENE 2-
Angel is sitting in the hallway with Giles and Xander. His cell phone rings, and he answers.
Angel: "Yeah...Wes?"
Cut to Wesley driving. Cordy and Gunn are by his side. We see that they have arrived in Sunnydale.
Wesley: "Angel, we are almost there. Where are you?"
Angel: "We're at the hospital. Something happened to Buffy."
Wesley: "Is she OK?"
Angel: "We don't know yet. She's in some kind of coma."
Wesley looks at the road.
Wesley: "OK, listen to me carefully. There's something about Lindsey. He's not what you think he is."
Angel: "Yeah, some weird stuff is happening here, Wes."
Wesley: "Angel...I believe that Lindsey is the lock."
Angel: "The what?"
Wesley: "Is Giles there?"
Angel: "Yeah. Just a sec."
Angel hands the phone to Giles as he gets up and walks to Buffy's room.
The camera pans onto Buffy and Tara sleeping. Willow is sitting close to them.
Cut to:
Buffy and Tara are walking in a crypt. Buffy opens a door and looks around.
Tara: "After you died, Kendra was summoned to be the next Slayer. But then Spike and Drusilla arrived to Sunnydale. They brought chaos and fear to the town."
Buffy: "But the gang was there to fight them, right?"
Tara: "Kendra always worked alone. She didn't really get to know your friends."
Buffy: "But Angel must've stopped them."
Tara: "Angel changed a lot after you died."
We see Angel sitting on a chair in the crypt. He looks lonely. Buffy stares at him sadly.
Tara: "After the big fight against Spike and Drusilla...lots of people died."
Buffy frowns.
Buffy: "Who died?"
Tara: "Giles's love, Miss Calendar."
Buffy considers.
Buffy: "Poor Giles. I guess she really wasn't supposed to live."
Tara: "Neither was Kendra."
Buffy looks at Tara.
Buffy: "Things are not so different after all."
Tara: "Angel never got bad again. He never got to know true happiness."
Buffy glances at Angel.
Spike and Drusilla enter the crypt dragging three teenagers with them. The kids are terrified. Drusilla feeds off of one of them. Buffy stares at the scene in pain.
Spike: "There you go, mate. We brought you one tasty fellow for supper."
Spike throws a young boy at Angel's feet.
Drusilla: "I chose him myself, my Angel. I heard bells ringing in my head when he begged for his life."
Angel gazes at the boy nervously. Spike grabs the third boy and feeds off of him. He then lets go of the body, blood dripping on his face.
Buffy approaches Spike slowly. She looks into his eyes, petrified, as he is the reflection of pure evil. Spike seems to be looking at her too. After a bit, Buffy tries to touch his face, but her hand goes through him as he turns back and leaves the room with Drusilla. Once alone again, Angel let the boy go as he runs out of the crypt very fast. Angel goes back to sit on his chair. Buffy is numb.
Tara: "Angel sacrificed himself. He convinced Spike and Drusilla that he was ready to stay with them as long as they all left Sunnydale. And so they left."
Angel disappears from the crypt.
Buffy (whisper): "Please, let's get out of here."
As they turn around, they appear outside Sunnydale High School. Buffy looks at the students talking and laughing. She notices Willow and Oz sitting together, having lunch. She smiles slightly, but not for long.
The camera focuses on Faith and Xander coming up to them. They go to join Willow and Oz. The four of them look pretty friendly.
Buffy: "No way!"
Faith and Willow laugh together.
Buffy: "There's no way! Willow hates her guts."
Tara: "Faith became the new Slayer. She got along with all the gang."
Tara indicates Xander.
Tara: "Especially with Xander."
We see Faith and Xander kissing.
Buffy is in total shock.
Buffy: "I think I'm gonna puke!"
Tara: "When she arrived, Giles took care of her, and your friends accepted her as she was...'cause she reminded them of you."
Buffy grins.
Buffy: "Faith and I have nothing in common."
The school fades, and they are now at the Summers house.
Buffy hears voices coming from the kitchen. Joyce is there, making a pie. Buffy looks at her sadly.
Suddenly Giles enters the kitchen, comes to Joyce and kisses her on the lips. Buffy can't help but scream.
Buffy: "Ah! This is a nightmare. Can things get any worse?!"
Giles walks by Buffy and Tara and goes to sit in the living room. The front door opens and Faith enters.
Faith: "I'm home."
Faith enters the living room, passing through Buffy, who's hardly breathing.
Buffy: "OK, now I know I'm in Hell."
Faith sits next to Giles and they start to talk. Joyce comes to join them.
Buffy: "Faith lives here?"
Tara: "Giles is like a father to her."
Buffy: "And my mother?"
Tara: "They've been living together since Faith arrived."
Buffy sulks.
Buffy: "This is depressing. I want to get out of here."
Tara and Buffy disappear from the living room, as we can still hear Faith laughing.
Inside Spike's crypt.
Dawn and Lindsey are sitting on a sofa. They are still looking at each other without talking.
Spike and Faith are staring at them from the side.
Spike: "They are starting to freak me out."
Faith: "Yeah. Do you feel this weird vibe?"
Spike: "Pretty powerful."
Spike looks aside.
Spike: "I wonder how Buffy's doing."
Faith smiles slightly.
Faith: "You really have the hots for the girl. Did something happen that I should know about?"
Spike smirks.
Spike: "Yeah, right. As if Buffy would actually look at me."
Spike storms out to the entrance of the crypt to look outside. Once he's far enough from Faith, he smiles and puts his hand on his lips.
-SCENE 3-
All the Scoobies along with Angel, Gunn, Wes and Cordy are sitting at a table in the hospital cafeteria except for Tara. Giles and Wesley are looking at a book.
Wesley: "It's right here. Energy and light. Glory was banished from her demon dimension, and she arrived here only a year ago. It doesn't mention how. She was supposed to be sent to Hell for betraying her fellow Hellgods. But instead, something happened, and she arrived here. The Book of Tarnis talks about her human shell being vulnerable. We thought maybe if we killed Ben then Glory would die as well."
Giles: "I think it's maybe too late for that. It seems that Glory is getting more and more powerful. She's taking over Ben. It's like he doesn't exist anymore."
Angel: "So how do we beat a Hellgod?"
They all look at each other.
Giles: "First things first. If the book is correct, then Dawn is the key and the man you brought from L.A is supposed to be the link."
Cordy: "The link?"
Giles: "He's the lock. There's no getting in or out of this dimension without both of them."
Wesley: "Where are Lindsey and the girl now?"
Giles and Angel share a look.
Giles: "At the crypt with Spike and Faith. Willow did a protection spell to prevent the entry to Glory."
Wesley gets up.
Wesley: "We can't risk her getting her hands on those two. We'd better split and go see if they're OK."
Giles nods.
Giles: "Take everyone with you. I'll stay here with Willow until Buffy wakes up."
They all get up and walk out of the cafeteria.
Cut to a desert. The camera focuses on Tara's fingers plunged in a bag full of mud. We can see now that Buffy and Tara are sitting one in front of the other. Tara brings her muddy fingers to Buffy and smears her face, drawing a symbol on her forehead.
Buffy: "What about the mayor? Did she get friendly with him?"
Tara: "No. She had to fight him. It was a difficult battle, but with the help of her friends, they managed to kill him."
Buffy: "So she killed the mayor...That's kind of ironic. I've seen them together. I think she loved him."
She grins.
Buffy: "So creepy! What about Angel? Did he go to L.A?"
Tara: "He didn't have to. Didn't have a reason for running away. And the Powers didn't need him at this time."
Buffy: "The Powers?"
Tara: "He didn't have anyone to meet and protect."
Buffy tries to understand but then she turns to look at the desert.
Buffy: "So Faith killed the mayor. Then what?"
Tara: "She went to college after that..."
Buffy frowns.
Buffy: "If you tell me that she went after Riley, I'm gonna be very pissed."
Tara continues to put the mud on Buffy's face.
Tara: "She was too in love with Xander to notice Riley."
Buffy nods.
Tara: "But she understood from the beginning that the Initiative was something that she had to fight."
Buffy: "She fought Riley?" She giggles.
Buffy: "Did he kick her ass?"
Tara: "The other way around. She had to stop Adam."
Camera focuses on the symbol Tara drew on Buffy's forehead. It's an eye.
Buffy: "So she called the First Slayer and bit the crap out of him?"
Tara looks at Buffy. Her voice suddenly changes to that of the First Slayer.
Tara/F Slayer: "She didn't."
Buffy stares at Tara, startled.
The desert disappears and Buffy finds herself at a cemetery.
She's still sitting on the floor.
She gets up slowly and notices a grave right in front of her.
She comes closer and begins to read: "Rupert Giles. Beloved husband. Lived to protect."
Buffy stares at it, in shock. She's trying to catch her breath.
Tara appears behind her.
Tara: "He died for her."
Buffy faces Tara.
Buffy: "What a dumb world!"
She tries to fight back tears.
Buffy: "How could he die? I mean... almost everything happened the same way... except for that. He can't die!"
Tara takes Buffy's hand in hers. Buffy pushes her away.
Buffy: "Why didn't they call the First Slayer? That's what we did. Why didn't they?"
Tara smiles as she puts her finger on Buffy's forehead.
Tara: "Because it would have brought them where it brought you..."
Moment of silence as Buffy looks at her in realization.
Buffy: "Glory?"
Tara nods slightly.
-SCENE 4-
Spike's crypt.
Wesley is sitting next to Angel, Gunn and Cordy.
Wesley: "Maybe if there was a way to open a gate to get rid of Glory."
Gunn: "But you said that it could open the gates altogether."
Wesley: "Exactly. That's the problem. We need to find a way to get her out of here without creating chaos between dimensions."
Angel looks at Lindsey and Dawn sitting across. They are still not talking.
Angel: "Are you sure they're OK?"
They all turn to look at them.
Wesley: "I think so."
Gunn: "It's like they're communicating without saying a word."
They all stare, oddly.
Cordy: "OK, that's disturbing."
She gets up and walks to Lindsey. She kneels next to him. Suddenly she backs away, very fast.
Cordy: "Oh-my-gosh!"
Gunn: "What?"
Cordy gestures them to come closer. Wesley approaches and frowns.
Angel: "What?"
Wesley: "The air around them is warm. It's like they are creating some kind of force."
Cordy: "Like I said...disturbing."
Faith comes to join them.
Faith: "Guys, there's something else even weirder... How come bitchy goddess is not showing herself? Don't tell me that a protection spell is what's stopping her from getting those two."
Angel nods.
Spike looks outside.
Spike: "Maybe we should go find out what she's up to."
Angel: "All right, guys. Spike and I will go see what's going on."
Faith: "I'm with you."
Gunn: "Me too."
Angel agrees, and the four exit the crypt.
Cordy is left alone with Xander and Anya. Awkward silence.
Cordy turns to face them.
Cordy: "So...been together long?"
She smiles widely. Xander looks down.
Cut to Buffy sitting beside a fire next to Tara.
Buffy: "Tara. I need to talk to the First Slayer face to face."
Tara: "You are."
Buffy breathes deeply.
Buffy: "Is it really you?"
Tara's face morphs to the First Slayer then back to Tara a few times. Finally the morphing stops with Tara.
Buffy: "I need to know why you brought me here."
Tara: "To make you see."
Buffy: "See what? That Faith got everything I ever wanted. That Angel was miserable, Spike was the devil himself and that Giles was supposed to die. You told me that death is my gift...This is not a gift!"
Tara: "You needed to see what went wrong."
Buffy: "The spell...I get it, it was wrong. But how did it bring Glory?"
Tara: "You opened a door for her to escape. She was summoned to Hell, but instead you brought her to your dimension."
Buffy: "We didn't know."
Tara: "I tried to warn you. But you didn't listen."
Buffy: "You came in our dreams to kill us!"
Tara: "No. I came to warn you. The beast was released and it was too late."
Buffy lowers her head. She looks at the fire.
Buffy: "What do I have to do to make it right? Please tell me..."
Tara: "You have to send her where she belongs."
Buffy: "To Hell?"
Tara nods.
Buffy: "But how?"
Tara: "The ritual you performed along with the three key elements will open the gate to Hell."
Buffy: "We need to do it all over again?"
Tara nods as she gets up. Buffy follows her.
Buffy: "Wait...before I go back. There's something I need to know..."
Tara looks at her silently, and then puts her hand on her forehead. The symbol disappears from Buffy's forehead.
Tara: "You will see."
There is a bright light, then Buffy finds herself at the Summers house.
She goes upstairs, looking at the pictures on the wall. There's a photo of Giles, Faith and Joyce at the park. They all look happy. Buffy goes to her mother's room. She opens the door but there's no one there. She finds letters on the nightstand and picks one up. She reads it and put it back. She goes to her room, open the door and finds Faith making the bed. Faith looks very sad and lonely. Buffy walks to the other side of the bed to help Faith. It seems that Faith sees her. Buffy cries suddenly, realizing the pain Faith is feeling.
Buffy: "She left you too... "
Faith looks at Buffy.
Buffy: "I had to know that it had nothing to do with Glory."
They continue to make the bed and when they finish, they look at it, pensively.
Buffy: "I wish I could be as brave as you are."
Faith: "I'm not."
Faith turns to face the cheese guy who's entering the room.
Faith: "I'm just like you...I wear it so no one will see how I really feel."
Cheese guy hands cheese slices to Faith.
Cheese guy: "Even I wear one."
He comes to bring some cheese to Buffy, but Faith stops him.
Faith: "You don't need to hide behind it anymore, Buffy."
Faith takes a mask off the cheese guy's face and he suddenly disappears.
Faith: "Just be yourself."
Buffy closes her eyes.
Her eyes pop open suddenly and she finds herself in her hospital bed. She sees Tara lying asleep beside her.
Willow enters the room. She sees that Buffy is awake and smiles. She runs to the hallway to get Giles.
Buffy straightens up slowly, trying not to disturb Tara. She looks at her and comes to kiss her on the forehead.
Buffy (whispers to Tara): "Thank you."
Willow reenters the room with Giles.
Giles: "Buffy, are you feeling all right?"
Buffy: "I'm fine."
Willow: "Do you want me to call a doctor?"
Buffy: "No, there's no time to waste...I know how to stop Glory."
Giles and Willow look at her, surprised.
-SCENE 5-
Sunnydale, night.
Spike, Angel, Gunn and Faith see a mass of people walking in the same direction. They look at them, suspiciously.
Spike: "Night of the leaving dead? Now, why wasn't I invited?"
They follow them. They arrive at an abandoned property near the beach. The people stop and stand there like zombies.
Spike points to the right where Glory's minions are kneeling on the floor.
Spike: "Those are Glory's troops."
Angel approaches and looks at the top of a building in ruin. Glory is standing there. She looks troubled. They all stare in shock as she morphs to Ben and then back to Glory again and again.
Angel: "Looks like she's having trouble deciding if she wants to be a he or a she."
Gunn: "Maybe she's losing strength."
Faith: "Fine by me. So do we get her now, or...?"
All the people around kneel on the ground to salute Glory.
Angel: "OK, I think we should get the others. Now we know where she is, the battle can start."
Gunn watches the people, who are not paying any attention to them.
Gunn: "Yeah, we should get the hell out of here before she turns them against us."
They walk out fast. Ben changes to Glory, and she screams very loud.
Glory: "You have to let it go, Benny boy. I have guests waiting for me."
She looks down at the crowd waving to her, and smiles evilly.
Buffy enters the crypt with Willow, Tara and Giles. Xander runs to hug her. Buffy smiles to everyone and walks to Dawn and Lindsey.
Buffy: "Who's that?"
Giles: "We believe he's the lock."
Buffy: "The lock?"
Buffy remembers her dream when Tara told her: "The ritual you performed along with the three key elements will open the right gate."
Buffy: "He is."
She senses the warmth covering their bodies.
Buffy: "We need them for the ritual."
Xander: "What ritual?"
Giles: "The one we performed last year to summon the First Slayer."
Xander: "Wow! Wait a minute here...the same Slayer who tried to hunt us down?"
Buffy: "It's OK. We have to if we want to get rid of Glory."
Xander nods, not very convinced.
Buffy: "Giles, we have to stop by my place to get supplies and weapons."
Angel arrives with the others. He comes to hug Buffy.
Angel: "You're OK?"
Buffy: "Yeah. We found a way to kill Glory."
Angel looks at Giles and they start to walk out of the crypt. Buffy comes to take Dawn away. Spike goes to help her.
Spike: "Are you feeling all right?"
Buffy looks at him, realizing for the first time how different Spike has become. She grabs his hand and takes him aside.
Buffy: "I need a favor from you, Spike."
Spike listens carefully.
Buffy: "If anything happens to me, I need to know that you are gonna protect Dawn."
Spike: "Buffy?"
Buffy: "If I die..."
Spike: "If you die, I die...I mean we'll all die...obviously."
They share a very intense look as they are standing very close from one another.
Spike (whispers): "If you perform the ritual, don't you think that the bloody goddess will try to stop you?"
Buffy: "Not if she sees me at the fight."
Spike: "And how do you think you can attend to both?"
Spike stares at her in realization.
Spike: "You didn't!"
Buffy grins.
Spike: "Bloody hell."
Buffy: "Giles said she might be useful one day... But it doesn't mean that it wasn't gross, Spike!"
Spike smiles as they walk out of the crypt together.
-SCENE 6-
Summers house. Giles, Wesley, Faith and Angel are sitting in the living room, discussing the battle. Xander, Anya, Gunn and Cordy are packing all the weapons in bags.
Dawn and Lindsey are sitting in the kitchen. It seems like they are back to normal. Dawn is eating cookies and Lindsey is watching Tara who comes to join them. She sits next to them, silently.
Dawn: "Glory sucked her brain out. That's why she's acting so weird."
Lindsey nods. He grabs a cookie and hand it to Tara. He smiles at her sympathetically.
Upstairs, Buffy enters her bedroom with Willow. Buffy looks at her bed thoughtfully.
Buffy: "Faith and I just made that bed."
Willow stares at her.
Willow: "Are you sure you're OK, Buffy?"
Buffy: "Yeah. Don't worry."
Willow sits on the bed, sadly.
Willow: "What if Tara is gonna stay like that forever? I mean, if we don't all die of course. But, you know, I keep thinking that maybe it was something I did...Or is there something I was supposed to do..."
Buffy: "She's gonna be OK, Will. She told me so."
Willow: "When?...Did she say something that...you know, actually made sense?"
Buffy: "I saw her in my dream."
Faith enters the room, interrupting them.
Faith: "Oh, sorry. I was looking for Xander."
Willow: "I think he's downstairs."
Faith nods, ready to leave.
Buffy: "Wait."
Awkward silence.
Willow gets up.
Willow: "I'll go find Xander." She exits the room.
Faith approaches Buffy.
Faith: "*B*...Buffy..."
Buffy: "I'm glad you came to help."
Faith: "Didn't have anything better to do."
Buffy: "I just wanted to say that we're OK."
Faith stares.
Faith: "We are?"
Buffy strokes Faith's hair, gently.
Buffy: "Yeah...we are."
Faith feels uncomfortable. She looks down.
Faith: "Well we'd better move now. The guys are waiting downstairs."
Buffy nods. She looks at her room one last time and closes the door behind her as she exits.
Giles frowns as he stares at a picture in the book he's holding.
Giles: "There might be a problem here."
Wesley and Angel look at the book.
Giles: "There supposed to be a third element. A crucial one."
Angel notices.
Angel (to Wesley): "Isn't it...?"
Wesley: "Yes, it is. The riddle is solved."
Giles: "What do you mean?"
Wesley gets up and walks to the kitchen. Giles follows him. Xander comes out of the basement.
Xander: "What's going on?"
Wesley goes to Lindsey and shows them the Aberjian's talisman that Lindsey's wearing around his neck.
Giles: "How did you find this?"
Wesley: "It sort of came to find us."
Giles examines the talisman.
Buffy is walking down the stairs. She sees Angel standing beside Gunn, Cordy, Wes and Lindsey. The five of them look pretty close. Buffy smiles slightly as Angel turns his head to look at her. He approaches the stairs, taking her aside so they can be alone.
Buffy: "It's quite a team you've got there."
Angel: "Yeah, they're great. We've been through a lot these past two years."
Buffy: "Maybe you can tell me all about that when all this mess is over. I mean...if we're not dead or anything."
Angel: "No one is gonna die, Buffy."
Buffy: "How can you be so sure? I mean for all we know, this could be the last day of our lives."
Buffy sits down on the stairs. Angel takes her hand in his.
Angel: "You know I will move Heaven and Earth for you."
Buffy: "It's not me I'm worried about. It's Dawn. If anything happens..."
Angel: "Nothing will."
Buffy: "She's my sister. She's special. And now, she's all I've got left."
Angel lowers his head.
Buffy: "She's my everything."
Angel takes her in his arms to comfort her. Buffy closes her eyes.
We suddenly hear a scream as Tara is trying to get out of the house but Willow is blocking her way.
Willow: "Guys, help me."
Tara is out of control. She pushes Willow away from her and exits by the front door.
Buffy and Angel come running.
Buffy: "What happened?"
Willow: "I don't know. She started to act weirder than usual and she wanted to get out."
Spike appears behind Willow. He stares silently at Buffy and Angel. He looks a bit sad.
Spike: "We know where she went."
They all gather in the living room.
Wesley: "We have to move now. Is everything ready?"
Giles: "Yes."
Xander enters the room holding Buffybot's hand in his. He's giggling.
Xander: "She's ready."
Angel, Gunn, Cordy, and Wesley stare at the robot, in shock.
Angel: "What the hell is that?"
Giles grabs his book and begins to head outside.
Giles: "Believe me, you don't wanna know."
The front door of the Summers house closes.
-SCENE 7-
Glory is still standing at the top. All the patients from the psychiatric hospital have joined the others. Tara is standing there with them. Everybody looks possessed.
Jinx and Murk approach Glory.
Jinx: "Our guests arrived, you unholiness most beautiful..."
Glory gestures him to shut up. She watches as Darla and Drusilla come to join her.
Glory: "There you are, ladies."
Darla and Dru kneel slightly before her, and look at the people waving at them downstairs.
Darla: "The big day has finally arrived."
Dru claps her hands, excited.
Glory glances at Buffybot, Angel and the gang who arrive.
Glory: "I can feel my key and lock are close. Take a seat, ladies, the show is about to start."
Glory elevates her hands and the people get up and circle Angel and the gang.
Angel and the others look at Glory, Darla and Dru.
Angel: "Are you ready, guys?"
Faith nods.
Wesley: "now!"
They all take weapons in hands and run to fight the crowd.
On the other side of the fight, Giles, Willow, Xander, and Buffy are sitting on the ground, in a circle. There are candles lit all around them. Dawn and Lindsey are in the middle. Buffy concentrates as they all hold hands.
Lindsey takes the talisman off his neck and put it around Dawn's.
Willow: "The power of the Slayer and all who wield it. Last to ancient first, we invoke thee. Grant us thy domain and primal strength."
At the fight, Angel punches a minion who falls down. Cordy and Gunn fire at the minions coming their way.
Glory, Darla and Dru walk down to join the battle.
Faith and Spike try to push away all the mental patients without hurting them. Spike spots Tara. He grabs her by the hand and leads her to the side. Tara tries to resist, in vain.
Spike: "Calm down, girl. You'll thank me later."
Tara jumps on him, trying to hit him. Spike makes her fall down and knocks her unconscious.
Spike: "Or maybe you won't."
He lays her on the ground, makes sure she's safe and goes back to the fight.
Cut back to the ritual:
Willow: "Accept us in the power we possess. Make us mind and heart and spirit join. Let the hand encompass us. Do thy will."
A green light comes out of Dawn's body and a blue one out of Lindsey's.
Giles looks at them, tense.
Willow hands cards to Buffy, Xander and Giles.
Willow: "Spiritus...the spirit."
Xander: "Animus...the heart."
Giles: "Sophus...the mind."
Buffy: "Manus,...the hand."
A huge yellow light envelops all of them as they can hear whispers surrounding them.
Xander and Buffy look at Giles, fearfully.
Willow has her eyes closed.
She starts to speak in Sumerian. The light coming from Lindsey and Dawn mixes and goes up to the sky.
Angel tries to make his way to Darla and Dru, but the crowd stops him.
Darla looks oddly at him.
Darla: "Something's wrong. Where's Lindsey?"
Dru stares around her.
Glory senses something. She runs to Buffy who's in fact Buffybot and attacks her.
Glory: "Stupid Slayer...where did you put them?"
Buffy fights her. Spike rushes to Buffybot.
Spike (whispering): "Sod off, Hellbitch. You're gonna break her."
As they are fighting, Glory grabs a sword and shoves it into Buffybot's guts. Electricity flashes out of its system. Glory steps back, surprised.
Glory: "What the hell is going on here?"
Spike and Angel are now standing beside Darla and Dru.
Darla: "Finally together after all these years." She smiles.
The camera pans onto the four of them, standing next to each other.
-SCENE 8-
Fade to the ritual.
Giles: "Now look into the light."
Willow, Giles, Xander and Buffy get up and look at the light emanating from Dawn and Lindsey.
Willow: "Take thy evil out to Hell. Open the door to break the strength of evil primal, warrior beast. "
Willow's eyes turn black. Her nose bleeds. Buffy wants to go to her but Giles stops her. Willow lifts her hands as the light continues to go up, the whispers are getting louder and louder.
Willow: "Take thy evil out to Hell. Take thy evil out to Hell..."
The light turns black and disappears suddenly. Willow falls down, unconscious. Xander runs to her.
Dawn and Lindsey get up, dazed.
Dawn: "Buffy?"
Lindsey looks around him. The talisman is no longer around Dawn's neck.
Buffy hugs Dawn.
Buffy: "Now what?"
Giles: "The portal should open soon."
Xander: "We'd better go check that it really worked."
They all walk away.
At the fight, Spike is trying to get a hold on Drusilla.
Spike: "Pet, you know you can't fight me."
She hits him across the face.
Spike: "Bloody hell, princess! Is that how you want it?"
She looks viciously at him.
Spike: "All right then."
He jumps on her as they both fall to the ground.
Glory is punching Angel.
Glory: "Who are you anyway?"
Angel: "The name's Angel."
Glory throws him harshly against a wall.
Glory: "What kind of a girly name is that?"
Buffy, Xander and Giles arrive at the scene, an axe in hand.
Buffy: "Let's kick some goddess ass."
They walk into the fight.
Lindsey appears behind Darla who's fighting against Gunn.
Gunn looks to be in trouble. His right arm is bleeding.
Lindsey grabs her by the wrist and takes her aside. Darla smiles widely as she sees him.
Darla: "Here you are, my love. Came to fight me?"
Angel: "Darla, walk away before it's too late."
Darla: "No can do, sweetheart. Look around you...can you feel it? The fear, the anger..."
She comes closer to him.
Darla: "The desire."
Lindsey nods his head from side to side as he pushes her away.
Lindsey: "You don't understand. If you stay here, you're gonna die."
She doesn't understand what he means.
Darla: "What are you talking about?"
Suddenly, they hear voices and whispers coming toward them. Darla frowns.
Willow finds Tara lying on the floor. She takes her in her arms, still holding her bleeding nose.
She helps Tara up and then walks to the fight. She hears the voices too.
She looks around her and sees a black heavy wind coming their way.
Willow: "Giles!"
Giles turns to look at her and he sees the black wind. He adjusts his glasses.
Giles: "It worked."
Buffy looks around her as people are lying hurt on the floor. The minions attacked them. Dru is feeding off a young woman. Buffy rushes to her and pushes her away.
Darla stares at the wind in horror.
Lindsey: "You see...You have to go now."
Darla steps away from him and looks around her, lost. The skies turn black and red. She starts to feel dizzy. She runs toward Drusilla.
Lindsey watches her go.
A gate appears behind Glory as she looks at it, fearfully.
Dru and Darla start to run, trying to escape the wind. Glory watches as it comes closer.
Buffy walks to Giles.
Buffy: "What is this wind doing?"
Giles watches as the wind is coming toward Angel.
Cordy, Wes and Angel are kneeling beside Gunn, who's lying hurt on the ground. Cordy looks at the wind, in fear.
Cordy: "Angel, what's going on?"
Angel: "Don't worry."
He gestures Wes, Gunn and Cordy to close their eyes as he puts himself over them to protect them with his body. We can see that the talisman is around Angel's neck now.
The wind passes strongly through them and continues its course to the portal.
Buffy is still standing next to Giles.
Giles: "It's sucking up all the evil in the area and throwing it back into the gate."
Willow and Tara join hands.
Willow: "The gate of hell."
The wind arrives very rapidly.
Glory watches as Dru and Darla are running away. She feels powerless against the black wind. She lifts her hand and sends a red light flashing into Drusilla's and Darla's bodies. It looks like electricity going out of her hands.
Dru and Darla feel the energy running through them. Glory stops suddenly as she sees that the wind is sucking up her minions.
Darla and Dru fall down, shaking.
Glory: "Damn it."
Darla grabs Dru's wrist, and they run away.
Giles and Buffy look around them, anxiously.
Buffy: "Does it work for vampires?"
Giles: "I suppose so. But it's OK. Angel is protected. He wears the talisman."
Buffy looks at Glory and notices Spike, who's fighting Jinx and Murk.
Buffy: "Oh, my god...Spike!"
She runs to him as fast as she can. The wind is getting closer to her.
Buffy: "Spike!"
He turns to look at her and sees the wind as Buffy jumps on him, and they both fall down. The wind passes through them. They hold each other tightly, trying to resist. After a few seconds, the wind moves along in the direction of the gate.
Buffy and Spike straighten up, looking at one another, breathing heavily.
The wind arrives toward Jinx and Murk, sucking them, and when it comes in contact with Glory, the screams get even louder. The black wind envelops her as she tries to fight it with the little strength she has left.
The entire gang walks to Giles, watching. Tara looks around her, confused.
Tara: "What happened?"
Willow stares at her, in shock.
Willow: "Tara, baby...You're OK?"
Tara: "Willow...What are we doing here?" Tara looks terrified.
Willow: "Don't worry. I'm here with you. Always."
Tara nods as the two girls hug.
Glory is still fighting the wind, trying not to get sucked up. She's standing in front of the gate as it slowly starts to close.
Wesley: "The gate is closing."
Giles looks nervously at it.
Xander: "We have to do something."
Buffy and Spike are watching Glory.
Faith appears next to Glory. She punches her very hard in the face. The wind is blinding her. Faith is standing very close to the gate. Buffy looks at her, fearfully.
Buffy: "Faith, step back!"
Dawn rushes to Buffy, who's still sitting on the floor next to Spike, and hugs her.
Dawn: "Buffy, the gate is closing."
Buffy looks behind her at Giles. She sees Angel, Wesley and Cordy kneeling beside the wounded Gunn.
Slow motion sequence.
All the screams and whispers disappear suddenly as we hear Buffy breathing very fast. She closes her eyes as she kisses Dawn's forehead. She opens them, and feels Spike trying to get up. But she grabs his wrist and pulls him back to the ground. She throws Dawn into his arms and gets up very fast. She starts to run toward Glory. We can hear the screams again. Spike holds Dawn, startled, and looks at Buffy.
Buffy hits Glory and glances at Faith lying on the floor. Faith gets up to help Buffy, but she gestures her to stay away.
Angel runs to them.
Glory feels she can't resist anymore. The gate is about to close as Glory grabs Buffy's arm and falls back into the portal, dragging Buffy along with her. There's a huge scream as the portal disappears into the air.
End of slow motion.
No more screams...No more whispers.
Angel stands there, horrified. Giles, Wes and Xander are looking straight ahead in shock. Faith straightens up, looking dazed. Everybody stares around in disbelief. Willow holds Tara close to her as they walk toward a numbed Anya.
Dawn is sitting next to Spike on the floor. She's looking at all the faces, nodding her head.
Dawn: "No...Buffy?...Buffy!"
Spike is looking down, whispering something that we can't hear.
Dawn turns to face him. She grabs his hand and starts to shake it.
Dawn: "Where is she, Spike...Where did she go?"
The camera pans from all of them to Spike as it focuses on his face and we can now hear him whispering:
Spike: "This is not happening...this is not happening..."
He closes his eyes.
Fade to black.