MERCURY
 (pointedly)
 You had him.

 QUINN
 I had him?! What about you?! You had the 
 girl!

 MERCURY
 You were asked to get Jehonas. Now if you 
 hadn't wasted time playing around --

 QUINN
 Don't put that finger at me! Don't put 
 that shit on me 'cause you were there, 
 too!

Furious, Quinn waves his bloody stump around. To tempting for the 
vampire girl to resist and BITES him! Quinn recoils in pain and 
is even more infuriated.

 QUINN
 Ouch! You fuckin' sleaze!

 MERCURY
 (smirks)
 Maybe the amputee lifestyle suits you.

 QUINN
 I should put this stump in that shitty 
 grin of yours.

 MERCURY
 Face it, Angel. You got sloppy and you got
 what you deserved.

 RIVEN (O.S.)
 Quiet, you two!

Riven glares at the two then moves away as Frost steps down to 
the company. A clear look of disappointment.

 QUINN
 Deke, let me take this guy out. Gimmie a 
 fucking Howitzer and let me take this guy 
 out! Look what he fucking did! He took my 
 fucking hand! Again!

 FROST
 You seem to be in the habit of losing them
 fairly often, Quinn, and our people.
 (pointedly)
 I want him alive.

 QUINN
 Alive?! This motherfucker has been chasing
 us around the block for years! Are you out
 of your fucking mind?!

Frost claps a hand on Quinn's shoulder.

 FROST
 Shh. Big guy, calm down. Be patient. He's 
 not going anywhere. I promise. Quinn, I 
 need you with me. Okay? I need you. Now we
 got a lot to do here.

Quinn finally relaxes, nodding.

 FROST
 Good. Right now, we've more pressing 
 business.
 (off Mercury's look)
 It's time Dragonetti paid the piper.

 CUT TO:

INT. JEHONAS' ROOM - NIGHT

Buffy appears at his doorway. She hesitates, then decides, and 
enters. It's dark, just a trace of moonlight illuminating faintly 
on a lonely figure, sitting.

 BUFFY
 Jehonas?

No answer. Then Buffy SEES him, sitting.

CLOSER ON JEHONAS

He is sitting alone on an old school desk -- the classic kind 
with a desk and chair attached. He is staring endlessly out the 
window at the night. In one hand is his silver locket. In his 
other hand, an open book. On its cover -- 'Macbeth' by William 
Shakespeare.

 BUFFY
 It's dark in here.

 JEHONAS
 You get used to the darkness.

Buffy takes a step towards him, notices his book.

 BUFFY
 Macbeth?

 JEHONAS
 I appreciate drama. We have strings which
 bind us to sanity. I for one prefer to
 keep literature and cut off most of the 
 rest.

Buffy takes another step closer inside and rests against a desk. 
Jehonas turns his head to regard her.

 JEHONAS
 You think men like myself dwell in the 
 twilight wondering what things should have
 been?

 BUFFY
 I'm thinking of men dwelling in the 
 twilight, wondering and reading Macbeth.

Jehonas turns back to the window, watching the night. Not minding 
Buffy staring at him.

 BUFFY
 Whistler told me what you are. He told me 
 about your mother.

Jehonas doesn't answer, closes the book and clutches the silver 
pendant in his hand. It swings back and forth, like a pendulum.

 BUFFY
 I'm sorry.

 JEHONAS
 There are times I can't close my eyes 
 without hearing her scream.

 BUFFY
 That's over two centuries ago --

 JEHONAS
 What's a few years? I remember it all, 
 from day one. People staring at me, 
 sensing I was different. Watching the fear
 grow in their eyes, knowing in their 
 hearts I wasn't human.

 BUFFY
 You look human to me.

 JEHONAS
 I suppose we all do.

They both watch the glowing white moon in silence. It's quiet 
light now bathing the two in its calm glow.

 BUFFY
 What happened at the Archives? The vampire 
 you were fighting with? Did you know him 
 from before?

 JEHONAS
 Riven?
 (off Buffy's nod)
 His name is Wong Fei-Hok. I knew him a 
 long time ago from China. Back then I was 
 hunting around that area. Injured myself 
 somewhere in the mountains, rescued by the
 monks who lived nearby. I decided to train 
 with them after I came to. The masters 
 didn't exactly know what I was, and when 
 they saw my wounds heal overnight thought 
 my abilities were something handed down 
 from a warrior spirit. Riven knew though, 
 and he wanted that power.

 BUFFY
 He wanted you to turn him?
 (off Jehonas' nod)
 What did you do?

 JEHONAS
 Kindly reminded him that humanity is man's
 next best thing to harmony. As you can see
 from our most recent incident, he didn't 
 take it very well.
 (beat)
 He's dangerous. But we have the advantage.
 
Jehonas pauses to rub his temples.

 JEHONAS
 He's still many years younger than me. 

 BUFFY
 I guess everyone wants something in their 
 life.

 JEHONAS
 What do you want?

 BUFFY
 Me? I don't know. Maybe a life outside of 
 this slaying business.

 JEHONAS
 Is that why you're running?

Buffy suddenly looks at him, startled. She sees something new on 
Jehonas. He's still serious but now with a tint of compassion for 
her.

 JEHONAS
 You don't have to answer. We all want to 
 get away from something.

 BUFFY
 What about you? I mean, haven't you ever 
 thought about just running away from this?

Jehonas gets up from his seat and walks up to the window. He 
stares out.

 JEHONAS
 All my life, I've dedicated myself to a
 promise I swore in keeping this world safe
 from vampires like Frost. For decades, 
 I've hunted them, and their kin, and their
 brood. It made me what I am. Deacon Frost 
 and his creator are all that remains of a 
 once powerful clan from my native country. 
 Once I've killed him, I will find his 
 creator and kill him.

 BUFFY
 Then what?

 JEHONAS
 Then I continue --

Jehonas moves away from the window and closer to Buffy.

 JEHONAS
 There are good and evil vampires out 
 there, just like people, I told you. As 
 long as the night keeps falling, they'll 
 awaken. And when they do, I go to make 
 sure I'm there. Our worlds need to be 
 apart. We can not interfere with each 
 other. It's our job to keep it that way.

Buffy looks away. Jehonas takes her arm and holds it.

ANGLE ON JEHONAS AND BUFFY

She looks up into his emerald green eyes. His eyes. So peaceful, 
yet volatile. So calm, yet depressing. She can feel the warmth 
from his skin and the softness of his touch. 

 JEHONAS
 I've made my choice. I could've stopped 
 then when I slew the beast that murdered 
 my parents. But I didn't. 
 (beat)
 It's a responsibility given to me. It's 
 something I've learned to live by.

Buffy can only nod as Jehonas releases her arm and moves back to 
his table.

 BUFFY
 (softly)
 Maybe I should learn to live with it, too.

Jehonas looks back at Buffy. She's depressed, sad, staring at the 
cold floor. It looks as if her eyes are ready to break into tears 
again. Jehonas considers what he's about to do next. In a moment, 
he walks towards the door, checking left and right to make sure 
no one is near.

Quietly, he closes the door and heads back to where BUFFY is 
sitting. She looks back, now curious --

 JEHONAS
 You want to learn to live with it?
 (off Buffy's nod)
 Who taught you how to fight?

Buffy's unsure how to answer,

 BUFFY
 Um, mostly self-taught. It just came out 
 of me, you know. Like -- singing.

 JEHONAS
 And?

 BUFFY
 And the Watcher, of course. But he didn't 
 help much. Not that much anyway --

Jehonas studies her.

 BUFFY
 Why?

 JEHONAS
 Stand up, on your feet. If you want to 
 live with it, you'll have to fight 
 better.

 BUFFY
 Oh, you're gonna teach me or something?

 JEHONAS
 Among other things.

Inside, Buffy's too overjoyed but she tries to keep her best 
expression. She hops to the floor. Jehonas circles her looking 
her up and down, sizing her up. Buffy eyeing him.

 BUFFY
 See something you like?

 JEHONAS
 Not yet.

A small smile.

 JEHONAS
 I was about your age when I started. At
 first, I was a bit apprehensive. Later, I
 thought it was -- cool.

 BUFFY
 Me, too.

Jehonas goes into a wide-legged combat stance and motions her to 
do hers. She lifts up her hands, clenched in fists, ready and 
waiting.

 JEHONAS
 Kick me --

Buffy tries a high kick and Jehonas blocks it aside.

 JEHONAS
 Don't gather momentum. Just kick. And 
 don't lean back. 
 (off Buffy's nod)
 Besides your skill, you also need passion 
 to fight. Their bane is your source of 
 power, the heart. I've watched other 
 Slayers come and go and I've seen their 
 work consume every bit of their lives --

Another spar.

 JEHONAS
 The one terrible price for being a Slayer,
 they forget what keeps them as young 
 girls. They forget what makes them a 
 sister, a daughter. Again --

Buffy tries a series of kicks, each one repeatedly blocked by 
Jehonas.

 JEHONAS
 Remember your roots. Use that as your 
 passion to fight, and you'll survive --
 (beat)
 -- to the end. Now show me what you can 
 do.

Jehonas suddenly attacks with several punches and feints. Buffy 
counters. Slayer and Day-walker match skill and speed for several 
seconds before,

TIGHT ON JEHONAS

as Buffy sends a quick high kick at his face. Jehonas grabs hold 
of her ankle with a surprised look. Buffy WINKS --

 BUFFY
 And when will the end be?

 JEHONAS
 Soon. You don't remain as a Slayer 
 forever. It'll end one day.

Jehonas lets go of her foot and moves back into another fighting 
stance.

 BUFFY
 Oh, really? That's the best news I've 
 heard in a long time.

 JEHONAS
 It's a double-edged sword, Buffy. For 
 every generation, there will be a Slayer. 
 One day, God forbid, you might end up in 
 my position, and teach.

 BUFFY
 Buffy, the vampire watcher? I could see 
 myself doing that.

 JEHONAS
 Not the way you had just fought. 

Buffy frowns. Jehonas chuckles, lifting a soft knuckle to her 
chin. WE PAN BACK away from them. Jehonas moves her arms, adjust 
her waist, showing her another combat stance, as we --

 CUT TO:

INT. KAREN'S ROOM - LATER

It's dark. We can see the soft silhouette of Karen's sleeping 
body in her bed. Her chest rising, and falling. Jehonas enters 
her room, a sweat towel draped across his neck, and makes his way 
over to the side of her bed. She turns and wakes up, a bit 
startled, SEEING Jehonas at her side.

 JEHONAS
 Did I wake you?

Karen reaches over to a nearby desk lamp and turns it on. The 
light illuminates some part of the room. A lot of books, and a 
lot of pictures.

 KAREN
 No, no. I wasn't sleeping yet.

She squints her eyes and scoots to the side as Jehonas sits down 
on her bed.

 KAREN
 What's wrong?

A beat between them. 

 JEHONAS
 Have you ever been to the Tropics? It's 
 beautiful there. Palm trees, the ocean, 
 fruit punch --

 KAREN
 (chuckling)
 Okay, you're scaring me --

 JEHONAS
 I'm good at that.

Karen looks at him in disbelief.

 KAREN
 I didn't mean it like that --

 JEHONAS
 I know. So have you?

 KAREN
 Not yet. I wouldn't put it on my to-do 
 list either.

Karen wraps her arms around him, resting her head against his 
shoulders. He welcomes it, rubbing her arms around his waist. It 
is the hint of romance between the two hunters in the calm of 
war. She looks at her nearby alarm.

 KAREN
 It's pretty late, even for you. What have 
 you been doing?

 JEHONAS
 I was with Buffy, showing her some new 
 techniques. She enjoys doing it with me 
 around looks like.

Karen brings up her head.

 JEHONAS
 I didn't mean it like that.

 KAREN
 I'm glad you're helping her, Jehonas.

 JEHONAS
 (nods)
 She's a good kid. Something tragic 
 happened back home which made her run 
 away. Probably was forced to kill a loved 
 one who turned.

Jehonas looks at Karen and they embrace in a hug.

 KAREN
 She's young, tragedy of Slayers. It's hard
 for them to cope with their responsibility
 when they weren't even given a chance to 
 grow up. 

 JEHONAS
 I was the same way once.

 KAREN
 Which is why there's no one else better to
 help her.

Karen pats the bed on her side.

 KAREN
 Get some rest. Doctor's orders.

Jehonas nods and brings his feet over, resting on the bed. Karen 
lays down her head on his chest, pulling the blanket over them 
both, and sleeps. Jehonas looks up into the darkness as we --

 DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. THE BURNING GROUNDS - JUST BEFORE DAWN

FADE IN on Dragonetti, his face covered with a black condemned 
man's hood --

Frost stands before him, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He's 
dressed from head to toe in a black motorcycle suit -- boots, 
gloves, a visored helmet tucked under one arm. Mercury, Quinn, 
Riven, and some vampire goons are standing nearby, similarly 
attired.

We're on a stretch of rocky coastline, tucked away in a secluded 
cove. Dragonetti is roughly escorted over by some vampire goons.

 DRAGONETTI
 (straining)
 What is this? Where am I?!

Frost steps forward, pulling Dragonetti's hood off. Dragonetti 
stares at his surroundings, horrified.

 FROST
 'Morning, how you feeling?

Frost waves out his arm, showing Dragonetti the rocky shoreline, 
the ocean.

 FROST
 Look at that. Isn't it beautiful?

We see a gorgeous view of the early morning horizon. It's breath-
taking for us but not to Dragonetti as he continues to struggle 
in his bonds. He starts giving off a little SMOKE. Each passing 
second becoming more unbearable.

 FROST
 Whoo, getting a little toasty out here. 
 When was the last time you stopped to 
 appreciate a sunrise, hmm? Oh that's 
 right, you were born hundreds of years ago
 so you've probably forgotten, haven't you?
 That's okay.

Frost checks his watch, then looks to the ocean. On the horizon, 
a sliver of gold appears.

 FROST
 How do you like that? Right on time. You 
 know, I appreciate us spending time 
 together like this. It means a lot to me. 
 Really. 'cause if you get to know me, I'm 
 a very sentimental type of guy. Even 
 innocent, you might say.

 DRAGONETTI
 Do what you want, Frost. You'll never win!

 FROST
 You just don't fucking get it, do you?

Frost rips open Dragonetti's shirt -- revealing skin to the 
morning air.

 DRAGONETTI
 You'll never be one of us! You'll never --

 FROST
 Hold him!

Quinn and Mercury seize Dragonetti by his arms. Frost takes out 
hand pliers and reaches into Dragonetti's mouth -- gripping a 
tooth and yanking it out hard. Dragonetti SCREAMS and struggles 
madly. Frost reaches in and pulls out the other fang. Riven moves 
in and hand chops Dragonetti to the neck, dropping him to his 
knees. Dragonetti's mouth, BLOODIED.

 FROST
 Jesus Christ. Have a nice day.

Quinn ducks down and mocks Dragonetti.

 QUINN
 Sorry, old fang. Guess you just got a 
 little too long in the tooth.

WE PAN AWAY as Frost, Mercury, and Riven head to one side.

 QUINN
 What? That was funny. Get it? Long? Tooth?
 Long tooth. Have I ever told you --

Quinn's blabber gets lost under Dragonetti's screams. CLOSER on 
Dragonetti as the first faint rays of daylight fall upon him, 
channeled inward by the natural formation of the cove --

Dragonetti HOWLS, his skin beginning sizzle and smoke. Then he 
catches fire like paper beneath a magnifying glass. He thrashes 
about as his flesh starts to run from his body.

Frost and company flips down the visors of their helmets even as 
--

THE RED SUN