The Keeper's Way II: Realization (2/2)

TEASER

VIOLET: Oh my God.
GILES VOICEOVER: Previously, on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer.
VIOLET: The village is on fire!
VIOLET (calling out in Spanish): Who is that?
VIOLET: Lucien.
BUFFY: Why don't you ever write poetry for me?
SPIKE: I'm sensitive about *you*, pet.
BUFFY: Violet!
BUFFY: You didn't mention in your last e-mail that you'd be visiting.
BUFFY: What's the matter?
VIOLET: Everything.
VIOLET: This is the Storm Book of the Arts of Thelias.
GILES: "Lucien".
XANDER: Not that I value Spike's opinion or anything, but it's gotta be bad when the big bad thinks it's bad.
ANYA: By now he'd be one bad-ass magic guy.
VIOLET: Exactly. And since he is a vampire, I'm sure his priority is to eliminate...
BUFFY: The slayer.
VIOLET: The talisman is the activator.
TARA: What does it do?
GILES: Instant astral projection.
VIOLET: I need to get out of Sunnydale, with these things, as quickly as possible.
VIOLET: *Nothing* will happen to you, I'll make sure of that.
SPIKE: Violet, are you awake?
VIOLET: You need to talk.
SPIKE: "Not that I value Spike's opinion" - what's that mean?
VIOLET: Stop trying so hard. Instead, concentrate on showing them that what you feel for their friend is genuine.
SPIKE: What I feel for Buffy...it's a fire.
VIOLET: Show the fire.
BUFFY'S VOICE: Violet, he's got me! Help!
VIOLET: Buffy?
LUCIEN: Surprise.
LUCIEN: It's time to fly. Care to join me?
BUFFY: Hey, Violet.
GILES: Buffy, I don't think that's Violet.
TARA: "How to Call a Vision."
BUFFY (softly): She said she was sure nothing would happen to *me*. She never said anything about herself.
BUFFY: I'm not losing anyone else.
BUFFY: Let's show this guy who he's dealing with.

INT. JOYCE'S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - MORNING

Willow, Tara, and Anya are sitting in a circle made of candles. A ring of white pebbles sits in the middle of the circle. Xander and Giles stand close by. Willow takes a breath.

WILLOW: Ready?
Buffy and Spike come downstairs holding various weapons.
XANDER: Buffy, we're ready.
BUFFY: Do it.
Willow, Tara and Anya join hands. A few seconds pass. A bright light shoots up from the ring of pebbles.
TARA: What have you to tell us?
ANYA: Speak!
An image appears in the light. It is Lucien and Violet.
GILES: She's safe.
VIOLET: You leave the slayer alone!
LUCIEN (sneering): Why should I? I'm a vampire. It's one of our collective ambitions, slaying the slayer.
Spike puts his arm around Buffy's shoulders.
VIOLET: You never wanted to be a vampire.
LUCIEN: That's right, I didn't. But someone thought it'd be funny to make me one.
VIOLET: You don't have to be evil. Vampires don't have to be evil.
LUCIEN: Are you talking about that lover of the slayer? I heard she was having a fling with one of our kind. (Snickers) Course, he's got something shoved up his skull. I assure you (he leans in close) the moment that's over and done with, the slayer's blood is as good as his.
Buffy and Spike exchange glances.
Spike (in a whisper): You know that's not true.
Buffy turns back to the vision.
VIOLET: Spike's not like that.
LUCIEN: William the Bloody? Of course he's like that. You're the keeper, you've read the diaries. If I weren't so impatient to spill the slayer's blood myself, I'd wait it out. Sooner or later, William would've homed in for the kill.
VIOLET: I'm telling you, that's not Spike.
LUCIEN: So it's not just the slayer and her minions you care for. Now with her demon lover, too?
VIOLET: I don't like Spike.
Xander looks smug. Spike looks hurt.
VIOLET: But I don't *dislike* him. He's good to my Buffy.
LUCIEN: Whatever. You're all going to hell, anyhow. It won't matter.
VIOLET: You have a plan.
LUCIEN: Yes. You'll be my little worm on a hook. I'll dangle you in front of the very well-protected house tonight and let's see if anyone cares to come out and rescue you.
VIOLET: Or they could just come here.
LUCIEN: But that would give them an unfair advantage, seeing as I'm unprepared and all. Tonight, when I'm well-rested, I'll give them a spectacular show. Now, though, I'll just rest.
VIOLET: And it's not like they could find you.
LUCIEN: I would think not. After all, I am under that wonderful masoleum.
VIOLET: I was blindfolded, remember? Have no idea what you're talking about.
LUCIEN: Oh, it's really quite pretty. We're lucky the Talbots adored roses. I can smell them all the way down here.
Willow, Tara and Anya break the circle and the vision vanishes.
GILES: Talbot.
XANDER: Masoleum.
BUFFY: I'll need the exact location.
WILLOW: You'll have it.

EXT. IN FRONT OF THE TALBOT MASOLEUM - LATE MORNING

Giles, Buffy and Spike are walking ahead of Tara, Willow and Anya. All are armed.

WILLOW: This is the Talbot masoleum. (Sniffs) He was the right. The roses smell real nice.
BUFFY: All right, Xander, Anya, you get to Violet and get her away from him.
XANDER: Check.
BUFFY: Tara, Willow, some way to get that talisman off him before he goes all Dolly on me...?
WILLOW: Check, kind of.
BUFFY: Any back-ups, just in case?
Giles reaches into his pocket and pulls out the ring.
GILES: Violet mentioned it was rather important to him.
Buffy takes it from him.
BUFFY: So it's been upgraded to a bargaining chip.
SPIKE: Maybe I should keep it.
BUFFY: No, no deflecting of danger. That's what got us into this mess.
Spike starts to say something, stops and nods.
BUFFY: Saddle up.

INT. IN THE TALBOT MASOLEUM - CONTINOUS

SPIKE: I see a trapdoor.
Spike goes over and lifts it gently. A voice is heard.
BUFFY (in a whisper): Me first.
Buffy slowly descends.
She is in an underground room, similar to Spike's crypt, lit with torches. Violet is bound, gagged and blindfolded to a pillar. Lucien is nowhere in sight.
VIOLET: Hello?
BUFFY (running to her): Violet!
VIOLET: Buffy? No! Get out! Leave me!
Violet struggles away from Buffy, who is trying to untie her. Buffy reaches up and pulls off the blindfold.
BUFFY: Violet, where's Lucien?
VIOLET: You have to leave! *Now*!
Lucien appears behind Buffy and pulls her away by her hair. Buffy screams. Spike comes through the trapdoor.
VIOLET: Buffy!
Buffy has her stake out, but Lucien still has her by her hair. Spike charges them and Lucien lets go. Buffy falls forward and drops her stake. Lucien grabs it and lunges towards Spike.
BUFFY/VIOLET (together): Spike!
The stake is inches away from Spike's chest. Suddenly, Lucien is pulled backwards by Xander and Anya, dropping the stake.
XANDER: Don't mess with Spike! He's Buffy's boy toy!
Spike looks shocked, but then runs to help Buffy untie Violet.
GILES (OS): Is everything all right?
Lucien breaks free from Xander and Anya, who tumble backwards.
LUCIEN: Kill the slayer!
Lucien raises his hand and a bolt of blue lightning shoots from it towards Spike and Buffy.
VIOLET: No!
She puts her hand up and deflects the blue lighting to the wall. The wall explodes in chunks of mortar.
Willow, Tara and Giles fall through the trapdoor.
VIOLET: That's not him! He's not wearing the talisman!
More Lucien clones appear.
VIOLET: Find the one with the talisman! That's the real one!
The clones begin attacking. One engages Xander and Anya in combat. Another attacks Giles. Two others fight with Tara and Willow. Suddenly, Buffy sees something. She points behind all the fighting.
BUFFY: The talisman!
Buffy and Spike runs towards the real Lucien, who is hiding behind the clones.
LUCIEN: Stay back!
Lucien begins to back away, but Buffy takes out the ring and shows it to him.
BUFFY: Miss something?
Luciens sees the ring and roars in anger.
LUCIEN: That's mine!
Lucien charges Spike and Buffy, who tosses the ring to Violet. She crushes it underfoot as she attacked from behind by one of the clones. She flips him over and begins to kick him. Lucien executes a roundhouse kick and fells both Spike and Buffy.
WILLOW: Giles!
Giles stakes his clone and helps Tara and Willow with theirs. Spike and Buffy are trying to fight Lucien, but he slams them into a wall telekinetically.
GILES: We're coming!
Giles grabs Lucien while Tara and Willow try to pull the talisman off of him.
LUCIEN: Urgh!
Lucien looks straight at Buffy. He chants in a foreign language that ends with a loud yell as the talisman is ripped off. Buffy falls to the ground, unconscious.
SPIKE: Buffy!
Violet runs forward and grabs the fallen stake. She jabs it through Lucien's chest. He dusts. The clones vanish.
VIOLET: Buffy.
Everyone runs to where Spike is holding Buffy cradled in his arms.
SPIKE: Oh God, oh God.
XANDER: Spike.
SPIKE (not listening): Please, baby, please, baby. You're okay. You're okay. (looks at Violet imploringly) She's okay?
Violet feels for Buffy's pulse.
VIOLET: It's thready.
TARA: What's wrong?
VIOLET: A spell. He cast it before you could get the talisman off.
WILLOW: What kind of spell?
VIOLET: A weakening spell. It's draining her life force. If we don't counter it, she could slip into a coma, and then...worse.
GILES: Worse.
SPIKE (stroking Buffy's hair): I love you, slayer. I love you. I love you so much. Sometimes I don't want to go to sleep. I'm afraid I'll wake up and you'll have realized...the absurdity of it all. You and me. I love you like the flower loves rain, like the sea loves the shore, like the earth loves the sky. Oh, look, I made you a poem. (laughs softly) You said I wasn't sensitive. (suddenly serious) Don't do this to me! Take me instead! Oh, God...the pain. (he clutches at his head with one hand) Oh, God...
ANYA: Spike's lost it.
TARA: He's pretty corny.
VIOLET: He's in shock. We can't worry about him now.
XANDER: Look at him. (Realization) He loves her so much.
GILES: He's taking this quite strongly.
WILLOW: He's deflecting the pain to himself. It's beautiful. If not a little creepy.
VIOLET: We have to get to the Storm Book. The spell he cast was from the Thunder Book. Its reverse will be in the Storm Book. Only... (she looks at Buffy, lying still in Spike's arms)...I don't know if we have enough time.
Violet sees Giles holding the talisman.
VIOLET: The talisman. Giles, give it to me.
Giles gives her talisman and she puts it on. It glows red. A fog appears and enters Violet. Violet gasps.
VIOLET: Got it.
GILES: What happened?
VIOLET: I used my second form to find the counter.
Violet begins chanting in the same foreign language.
SPIKE: Please don't leave me, please don't leave me. (Kisses her cheek) My pretty little star.
Violet stops chanting. Spike is still rocking Buffy back and forth. Suddenly, Buffy coughs and comes to.
BUFFY: W-what happened to me?
Spike looks at her with pure happiness. He hugs her tightly to him. Everyone is relieved.
VIOLET: You're going to be all right.

INT. JOYCE'S HOUSE - DAY

The group is gathered in the living room. Buffy is lying on the couch, her head in Spike's lap. Everyone is watching Violet snap the talisman in half.

GILES: Good riddance.
WILLOW: What happens now?
Violet puts one half of the talisman into each book's cover.
VIOLET: Now, I get these two books to a safe place.
XANDER: So you're just changing their hiding places.
VIOLET: Basically, yes. As you saw, these two books together...
BUFFY: ...are trouble.
SPIKE: But without the one book, you could've...
Spike's voice breaks so he can't continue. He bends down and kisses Buffy on the cheek as Willow, Xander and Giles watch. Buffy reaches up her hand and caresses the side of Spike's face.
VIOLET: My flight leaves in an hour. I'll be meeting the other keepers at the airport, and ominous as this may sound, for security reasons, no one can go with me.
Buffy sits up.
WILLOW: So this is good-bye? A-again?
Violet nods.
VIOLET: Next time around I will try especially hard to make it a *fun* visit.
All laugh.
GILES: Goodness, in the whole debacle, I've completely neglected the magic shop. Best be getting down there.
ANYA: I'll take care of it.
Anya stands and goes over to shake Violet's hand.
ANYA: Nice seeing you. Once again.
VIOLET: Same.
ANYA: Have a...safe flight.
Violet grins.
VIOLET: Thank you, Anya.
Xanders gives Anya a knowing look. Anya turns to Tara.
ANYA: Uh, Tara, we had a shipment of...stuff. I was wondering if you could come down and...you being a witch and all...
Tara gets the same knowing look from Willow.
Tara: Right. Good-bye, Violet.
VIOLET: Good-bye, Tara.
Tara and Anya leave. Violet looks at the group that is left.
VIOLET: I'll just be going then, too. Keepers are notoriously punctual.
Everyone stands.
XANDER: Good having you on the team.
WILLOW: Yeah, really liked your clue, you know, about the vision.
GILES: It was a pleasure having you here.
VIOLET: The pleasure is all mine. Debacle it may have been, but it is far more invigorating than categorizing crystals by their hue!
Silence.
GILES: Do you, uh, need a lift?
VIOLET: That's all right. I'll take a taxi. That way, no one will have to drive me there.
Violet looks pointedly at the three of them. Then, she walks over to Spike and Buffy.
VIOLET: Buffy. Spike.
They hug her.
VIOLET (whispers in Spike's ear): I think this is the moment you've been waiting for. (Whispers in Buffy's ear) Don't be too hard on Spike. He really does love you.
They let go.
VIOLET: Spike, you'll take care of Buffy?
Spike looks over at Buffy.
VIOLET: Good. I'll see you then.
BUFFY: Thanks for everything, Violet.
Violet smiles.
VIOLET: It was nothing.
BUFFY: No, *really*. (Buffy squeezes Violet's hand) Thanks.
SPIKE: Thank you.
VIOLET: Wait a second. Who's the main character here?
She laughs and hugs them again.
VIOLET: I *really* have to get going now. What's the word? The mush factor is even more than *I* can bear.
She laughs one more time and exits.
Awkward silence.
GILES: Buffy, you've been through quite a bit. Why don't you go upstairs and rest?
Buffy looks confused, but shrugs.
BUFFY: If you say so.
She kisses Spike and goes upstairs. Spike moves to follow her.
XANDER: Spike.
WILLOW: We'd like to talk to you.
Spike turns, raises and eyebrown, shrugs and goes to sit on the couch. Giles takes off his glasses.
GILES: Spike...
XANDER: You know we hate you.
Spike frowns.
WILLOW: Before. What Xander meant is, before. We hated you. Prior. Past tense.
GILES: And now...
XANDER: I don't know, there's still some lingering distaste...
Willow jabs him in the ribs.
XANDER: But it's quickly fading.
SPIKE: And your point being?
Silence.
GILES: We'd like to apologize...
XANDER: ...for the way we've been acting...
WILLOW: ...about you and Buffy.
Spike, sits, stunned.
SPIKE: Why the roundabout change?
WILLOW: Well, we saw you, under the masoleum, when Buffy was under that spell.
XANDER: You grieved, man, you really grieved.
SPIKE: You're accepting me now because I showed emotion over Buffy's likely death?
They all nod.
SPIKE: It took you this bloody long to realize that what I feel for her is *real*?!?
Spike jumps up and everyone steps back.
GILES: Spike...
Spike, realizing.
SPIKE (softly): I'm sorry.
GILES: So are we.
SPIKE: Apology accepted.
WILLOW: Good.
SPIKE: I'll see to Buffy now.
GILES: Go ahead.
Spike exits.

INT. JOYCE'S HOUSE, TOP OF THE STAIRS - CONTINOUS

Spike reaches the top of the stairs. Violet is waiting. Spike doesn't see her at first.

VIOLET: Well?
SPIKE (startled): Violet!
VIOLET: Did it work like I told you?
SPIKE: Yes, yes it did.
VIOLET: I'm glad. Although it wouldn't have mattered if it hadn't. The only important person is in there.
Violet points to Buffy's room and disappears in a fog. Spike looks shocked, but smiles and enters Buffy's room. She is lying on the bed, looking up at him.
SPIKE (beat, then with emotion): I love you.
Buffy smiles and he goes to her and hugs her tightly.
SPIKE: Don't ever leave me?
BUFFY: Silly.
SPIKE (looking straight at her, serious): Promise you'll stake me if you ever think about leaving.
BUFFY: You're being ridiculous!
SPIKE (firmly): Promise.
BUFFY (beat, then): I love you, too, so...I promise.
Spike looks relieved.
BUFFY: To never, ever leave you.
They kiss.
SPIKE: Do you realize...?
BUFFY: I realize. Now shut up and kiss me.
They kiss. In the background, Violet's faint laughing is heard.

THE END