FROST What? Your serum? Won't help you here, stud. Jehonas spins his sword, faking a stab at Frost, and taking off. Just as Frost follows, Jehonas turns and flings his sword up, past Frost's face by a mere inch. THE SWORD spins end over end, its mirrored surface reflecting coruscating pinwheels of candlelight as the hilt stabs into the crack, widening it a bit. The stakes shudder, but don't fall! FROST Nice shot. Jehonas dashes over, spin kicks Frost in the face, and then another to his chest, forcing him back a few feet. Waiting for, THE SWORD HILT slowly rotating as symbols match up. Then - CHING! - the inner blades pop out, widening the crack even more and dislodging both sword and stakes. The sword falls straight down, stabbing into the ground. The STAKES, land right in Jehonas' waiting hands. Frost nods, impressed, and charges. Jehonas whips out one of the stakes and throws it forward, hitting Frost with its needlepoint. Frost looks down, sees the blue liquid being injected into his body. He snarls, slaps it aside and leaps into the air like some predator from the high treetops to his prey below. Jehonas backs a step and starts to unload all of his stakes at Frost. One after another in blinding speed, each one hits its mark. Frost lands to his feet with shock written all over his face. We can already SEE the affects. His body starts to SWELL IN BLOOD RED. Flesh bubbling into large proportions. Cloth being ripped to shreds as his body expands. ON JEHONAS as he is holding the last of the sodium citrate stakes in his hand. A demonic ROAR too close to home alerts Jehonas. He spins, and sees -- LAMAGRA standing a few feet from Jehonas. Hell in appearance itself. Seven feet in all, naked, covered in blood red skin with veins rippling throughout its body. Six inch claws extending from each of its fingers. Its head, a grotesque parody of a goat with dreadlocks. Horns shaping out from its skull. It notices Jehonas, roars at him. TIGHT ON JEHONAS undaunted. JEHONAS Some motherfuckers always trying to ice skate uphill. He gives his stake one final look, then flips it up. With precise accuracy, Jehonas does a wheeling spin kick at the stake, propelling into LaMagra. ON LAMAGRA The stake impales itself into his forehead. It screams, distracted. ON JEHONAS quickly grabbing Frost. We see Frost is now in an unrecognizable state. His over-bloated body now rippled with bulbous flesh. Frost's SCREAMS rising to an unendurable intensity. Jehonas backhands Frost, and spin kicks him with such a force it propels him into LaMagra and they both fall back down the stairs. The reaction, energetic and violent. The Arena begins to SHAKE. Buffy seemingly stunned after witnessing LaMagra and Frost, notices Jehonas running full sprint towards her. JEHONAS Get down! He grabs her just as Frost and LaMagra go nova, exploding into an expanding ball of light and ATOMIZING BLOOD. Jehonas and Buffy having to shield their eyes from the backlash of occult energy are thrown back off their feet as a near tidal WAVE of blood surges over them -- EXT. BANK OF EREBUS - CITY STREET - NIGHT Every door and window of the bank is BLOWN OUTWARD from the force of the EXPLOSION. While along the street, manhole covers flip from their moorings, spinning up into the air like dimes, being buoyed by geysers of blood. INT. TEMPLE SANCTUARY - NIGHT Silence, just the steady DRIP-DRIP of liquid draining. The underworld temple gleams with a crimson sheen now. ON JEHONAS as he stirs. They've been blown clear across the sanctuary by the force of the blast. He rises to his feet, looking back at the platform. The whirlwind and stairway are gone. Only wisps of smoke mark the remains of the gate. BUFFY (O.S.) Jehonas? Jehonas turns and helps Buffy to her feet. She looks up at him, searching his eyes. Which side of Jehonas' soul has won out? Human or vampire? Then she SEES him smile, a small but convincing smile. A warm human smile. JEHONAS Nice work, Buffy. They embrace, holding each other that way for a long, long time. And we -- DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ROOFTOP - BANK OF EREBUS - DAWN Jehonas and Buffy stand on the rooftop, watching as dawn slowly creeps across the silent city. BUFFY I never imagined I'd be so happy to see the sun rise -- (turning to him) We'd better go back to the lab if we want to cure ourselves. JEHONAS No. You keep the cure to yourself. There's still a war going on, and I have a job to do. Buffy nods and draws up close with Jehonas to admire the rising sun. BUFFY Where do we go from here? JEHONAS We? Buffy looks up at Jehonas. His face is serious. She knows what he's going to say. JEHONAS Where I go is my business. You are going back to your father. BUFFY What? Wait a minute. I'm coming with you! Jehonas removes his sunglasses, and looks at her. She's not backing down on this one. JEHONAS You are not -- BUFFY I can't go back -- JEHONAS (shaking his head) You don't know what you're asking -- BUFFY I do! I've never had anyone in my life who could understand what my life is like. No one! Jehonas sees tears rimming in her eyes and remains silent. She's not wanting to leave. He's pretty moved. BUFFY You want to know why I ran away? I couldn't take it! I hated it. I hated being a Slayer. It kept me away from everyone because of what I do. Even my mom thinks I'm crazy. JEHONAS And because of me, I made you want to slay again? BUFFY No. I - I don't know what's going on with me. I've tried dealing with it before, but no one taught me how. My Watcher, Giles, he wouldn't even begin to understand what I'm going through. (beat) I had to kill someone. Someone I was in love with. They think it's so easy to forget. They couldn't understand. No one does. But you do. JEHONAS Listen to me, Buffy. I like you. I like you a lot but you have a body clock in there and it's ticking -- BUFFY I -- JEHONAS Let me finish. I figured this is what made you come out here. Jehonas grips both her arms, looking down in her eyes. JEHONAS Listen to me close. We're at war, some of us will remain in the fight, some of us won't. When duty calls, we have a responsibility. It's tough to accept it, but it's only as tough as a soldier's duty to defend his country or a father forced to action to defend his home. There are going to be times when you will have to act in conflict with your heart and your mind. My people, vampires, we are at war all the time, with ourselves. It's an eternal struggle, between humanity and the beast. When someone slips towards darkness, it is then they are truly dead, and that is when Slayers like us step in. You won't be doing this forever, remember that, Buffy. That's why I'm here. You have a life ahead of you. Be strong, and patient. Buffy nods and looks away to the sun, letting its warmth wash over her. BUFFY I'm going to miss you. JEHONAS (nodding) I know. If you want to help me, go back home, help your people there, and leave the rest of the world to me. And on that note we leave them -- TWO FIGURES, silhouetted against the new day. INT. HOSPITAL - ROOM 223 - DAY Hank Summers is sitting up on his bed in mid conversation with his wife. He's awake and very much alive. Then, a KNOCK on the door. Mrs. Summers goes up to the door and opens it and sees BUFFY looking very tired and disheveled with her bags. She tries to smile weakly. BUFFY H-hi, Mrs. Summers. Déjà vu over again. MRS. SUMMERS Buffy! Where in the world were you? I was worried sick! BUFFY Sorry. I had to take a little side trip. You know, take in the city. Mrs. Summers leads in Buffy. Hank sees his daughter. His face very surprised. HANK Buffy? BUFFY Hi, daddy. HANK Oh my -- come here quick. She runs over and they hug deeply. Buffy closes her eyes and hugs him tighter, finally realizing how much she's missed her father. BUFFY Thought I came to see how you were doing. Hank nods, then pulls away from their hug. HANK Are you okay? What is this I've been hearing about a kidnapping? BUFFY Um, rumors blown way out of proportion. HANK Oh. I see -- Hank relaxes back onto his bed. HANK So how do you like New York, honey? TIGHT ON BUFFY as she looks down on one of her bags. We SEE Jehonas' heart shaped pendant around one of the straps. Buffy rubs it, in deep thought. BUFFY It's something -- Buffy looks out the window and stares. HANK Something wrong? BUFFY Oh, it's nothing. (pauses) Um, daddy, there's something I should tell you, and I need a favor after that. Buffy makes a small smile. Hank nods as WE PAN BACK to both daughter and father talking as we -- DISSOLVE TO: EXT. KREMLIN SQUARE - NIGHT SUPER: MOSCOW, RUSSIA In the b.g., we see the KREMLIN in its night form. There is snow falling slowly from the sky. EXT. CLUBHOUSE - NIGHT Under the balcony of the clubhouse, only a few lights illuminate this area. We HEAR the crunching of boots against snow from a distance off. Then, TWO FIGURES turn the corner and are making their way down the underside of the balcony. Their voices being carried by the soft howling wind. RUSSIAN WOMAN (subtitled, Russian) It's cold -- WE PAN BACK to reveal the door to the clubhouse. On top, a neon sign very strikingly similar to those of the glyphs in New York City. RUSSIAN WOMAN (subtitled, Russian) Where are we going? RUSSIAN MAN (subtitled, Russian) It's a surprise. RUSSIAN WOMAN (subtitled, Russian) Surprise? I like surprises -- The man chuckles to himself, and stops, looking down at his companion. He reaches up, caresses her face. RUSSIAN MAN (subtitled, Russian) Then you'll like this -- In an instant, he forces his hand around her throat, gripping her tight. The woman, startled, tries beating him off, swearing. The man, snarling, FANGS fully extended now savors her vain attempts to struggle against him when -- MAN (O.S.) Hey! The Russian man releases her and spins and sees, JEHONAS who was waiting in the shadows. Now he is in the open, in his long flowing coat, waiting patiently. JEHONAS (subtitled, Russian) Catch you at a bad time -- (looks up) -- Comrade? The vampire snarls and charges at Jehonas. RUSSIAN VAMPIRE'S POV: He's getting closer. Jehonas steps to him, slowly opening his long coat with one hand, ready, poised and waiting. Then, a sudden twist, a sudden flash of steel, and the sword flies out slicing downwards cutting the world in half. FADE TO BLACK. THE END
