Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Summer Script Challenge
The Powers that Be Pro Temporae
Episode 6.22: Today We Stand
By Noggins and Me
Some dialogue by Carl Ellsworth (from Halloween), David Greenwalt (from "Faith, Hope and Trick") and Douglas Petrie ("This Year's Girl")




A brief recap of the season so far.........




GILES (V.O.)
Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

From "On Edge": Close up on Cordelia as she makes her revelation...

CORDELIA
...Buffy's alive.

From "Waiting for the Sun": Willow thrusts her fists into both Angel and Spike's chests and begins to chant. A glow of energy surrounds her and flies from her, and through Dawn towards the flame. The Scoobies turn to see Buffy standing where the flame was. She's naked and looks confused. She's been standing for a while but her legs shake and she collapses into a heap on the floor...

CUT TO: Angel looks over a ring that he just removed from a vampire's severed hand.

ANGEL
The Mark of Lillith.
...
Rumoured to be the oldest
living vampire on the planet.

From "Bloom":

QUENTIN
What is it?

LILLITH
I want to die.

Quentin gestures for Lillith to take a chair.

QUENTIN
Please, sit, we might
be able to help each other.

From "A Place So Far Away": Buffy is on the phone to the Watcher's Council

BUFFY (V.O.)
We're going to England.

CUT TO: Buffy finds Dawn sitting silently on a chair. Buffy hugs her.

NIGEL (V.O.)
I found her wandering around a
private building with another
girl... I brought her here in the
hopes you would be out looking.

CUT TO: From "Lost Along The Way": Buffy fights Lillith and decapitates her.

BUFFY (V.O.)
You said you didn't expect me...

CUT TO: Willow finds Dawn alone in the dark library of the Watcher's University looking suspicious.

NIGEL (V.O.)
Y-yes. Indeed.

CUT TO: Spike fighting Mick and Keith in the prison.
Faith gives Spike a kiss on the cheek.

FAITH
I appreciate it.

SPIKE
(smiles)
So you bloody well should. I
put myself through agony
for you and I've never even
met you.

CUT TO: Powers That Be Throne Room. Cordelia speaking for the PTB.

CORDELIA
Step forward vampire. You
shall have your reward.

Angel looks smug and steps forward. Cordelia indicates Spike.

From: "The Breaking Point":

CORDELLIA:
Spike will have 48 hours to finish
his unlife as a vampire. He will be
human in two days time.

CUT TO: Buffy on the phone. Her face suddenly drops.

BUFFY
It's Faith
...
The guards found her
hanging from her bunk
earlier this afternoon.
They killed her, made it look
like a suicide.

From "The Point Of No Return":
Lydia and Giles talking.

LYDIA
The new Slayer... It's Dawn...

CUT TO: A light envelops Spike in the magic shop. His face drops and his expression turns to that of disgust and confusion. He falls to his knees and begins sobbing and screaming.

LYDIA (V.O.)
He's human - he's got a
got a soul now.

CUT TO: From "Incarceration": Spike talks with Buffy

SPIKE
I'm gonna take my soul
and run with it, Slayer, but
I'm not gonna run away...

CUT TO: Spike and Buffy work together to get Ethan

SPIKE
(V.O.)
I'm gonna make a bleedin
difference in this world... I've
seen the sunlight. I'm going
to be a better man...

CUT TO: From "Liberation": Spike looks Buffy deep in the eyes.

SPIKE
Maybe, you know... you'd like
to come out on... y'know a
date or something?

WILLOW (V.O.)
I hope you let him down
gently. He's kinda fragile
these days.

BUFFY (V.O.)
I, uh...didn't.

CUT TO: From "Fish In The Sea": Dawn rants about Buffy to Lydia.

DAWN
All of these senseless distractions.
I try to pretend to be interested...
but it's all so much crap! It
keeps Buffy from living up to
whatever potential she's got!

CUT TO: Buffy and Spike's disastrous date watching a French movie. She really doesn't live up to his expectations.

BUFFY
Wait... Do you mean to tell
me that you understood the
actual French?

SPIKE
(surprised)
Well, yeah...didn't you? I thought
you studied French at school.

BUFFY
Well, if by studying it, you
mean that I sat in a classroom
next to Xander for two years,
while he threw paper airplanes
at me, well then, yeah, I studied
French.
...
This is so weird. Somehow I
never pictured you as this
big...uh, intellectual.

SPIKE
Intellectual...pu-leese. You
are just lookin' at the product
of a basic Victorian education.

SPIKE (V.O.)
I'm goin' to be sorry for
askin' this...but do you think
Buffy is really all that... intelligent?

CUT TO: From "For All Those Who Would Gather": Buffy and Spike talking on the stairs.

SPIKE
I mean you've been great helpin'
me adjust, and with the guilt and
everything. But my unlife has suddenly
become a...life! And...

BUFFY
And what you really need right
now is a friend?

Spike nods.

CUT TO: From "Rifting": A demon dives at Lydia. Dawn brings a knife up through its chest. It falls to the ground with a thud. Dawn pulls the knife out then rips out its innards with her bare hands.

CUT TO: Buffy and Dawn stake the lead singer of the vampire band at the same time. He turns to dust and Dawn looks at Buffy.

DAWN
Sloppy.

CUT TO: Various shots of Dawn fighting demons and getting into fights with Buffy.

GILES
It is as if she was infused
with the purest Slayer
essence ever. Can't say it's
done much for her personality.

BUFFY
I know. She's become
really difficult to get
along with. It's as if I don't
know who she is anymore.
And I'm scared.

From "From Sunnydale With Love":
The Watchers are all in the Magic Box explaining what's happened to Dawn.

NIGEL
We extracted they part of
her that was the Key, and
substituted the essence of
the first Slayer. It was not
a lengthy procedure, and
Dawn was not aware of what
was happening.

From "My Sister's Keeper":

GILES
Her body and mind is unable
to cope with it. It will slowly
take her over, driving out any
humanity inside her... I'm afraid
she's quite capable of anything.

CUT TO: Dawn stabbing Buffy in the stomach.

CUT TO: From "Something in the Way": Dawn plunges a knife through Lydia's heart. The Watcher falls onto the bed and covers the sheets in blood before she finally dies.

CUT TO: Dawn snapping Spike's arm.

From "Ghost Behind My Eyes": Spike takes Buffy's hand in his. She looks at them.

BUFFY
This didn't work out before.
We've got nothing in common.

SPIKE
I like to think I've grown since
I got this here soul of mine
back.

From "The Closed Door"
Dawn taunts all of the Scoobies and beats up Buffy.

CUT TO: The Scoobies run to Xander's car. Buffy turns around to see Dawn holding Pike. She snaps his neck, killing him.

BUFFY (V.O.)
Pike... She got Pike...

XANDER (V.O.)
Dawn killed him. Right in front
of us.

CUT TO: Every waits around for Buffy's final decision on what to do with the situation.

BUFFY
I have... I have to kill Dawn.

Everyone stares at her in shock.