Episode 7.4:  Arrival

Written by:  Finn Mac Cool

            A fish-like demon is flung against the brick wall of an alley.  Buffy stands over it, sneering down.  Suddenly, the demon climbs to its feet and knocks Buffy back.  The fight is joined by Dawn and Xander, who each bash the demon with trashcans.  The aggravated demon knocks Xander aside and is about to attack Dawn when Buffy lands a kick in its stomach.  The Slayer lands a few more blows on the demon until it falls to the ground.  Quickly, Buffy snaps the demon's neck.  The three friends collectively sigh after the demon's death.  They all help lift the demon and toss it into a dumpster.

~

            Xander:  This makes four demons tonight.  Whatever happened to the simpleness of vampires?  Simple stake to the heart, a little holy water, and poof, just a pile of dust.

            Buffy:  Vampires get boring after a while.  I mean, you've seen one turn to ash, you've seen 'em all.

            Dawn:  Yeah, and with demons, we get all kinds of different corpses to bury and do curses on.

~

            As the demon fighters walk out of the alley, a woman watches them from the roof of a building.  Her clothes are just this side of trashy, but her face is totally serious.  Her eyes stay fixed on Buffy and she barely keeps from snarling.

            The Scooby Gang (with the exceptions of Spike and Anya) is gathered in the Xander's living room the next day.  Dawn and Buffy are each packing their suitcases.  The Gang is talking about Dawn and Buffy moving into an apartment now that their house is burned down.  Dawn's saying that they should have gotten a penthouse, but Buffy says, with her down payment on the Bronze with Xander, a small, furnished apartment is the best they can manage.  Xander is being very helpful, helping the Summers girls get together their stuff for moving.

~

            Buffy:  You must be eager for us to leave.

            Xander:  No.  I love you guys staying here.  But it will be a relief to sleep in my own bed and leave the toilet seat up without fear.

~

Talk turns to Willow and Giles, who aren't doing much.  Giles explains that he's got a new place lined up, nearby the museum.  Willow admits that she isn't so sure she's ready to move out.  Everyone tells her that's perfectly fine.  She needs to take her time doing everything.  She can't just leap into life all at once.  Xander confirms that she can stay with him as long as she needs to.

A demon bar is bustling with business.  The place is filthy, unsanitary, and crawling with demons and people who, judging from their red drinks, are probably vampires.  Sitting at the counter is Anya, drinking heavily and venting about being a vengeance demon to the bartender (turns out the only smiting she's granted was for a cheating husband's toe to fall off).  At a table, meanwhile, three vampires are having a slightly drunken conversation.  Each vamp is complaining about how horrible their unlives are.  As they're bitching, the woman who watched Buffy earlier walks into the bar, scanning the customers.  She turns her attention towards the three vampires and listens in on their conversation.  One vamp is saying that he's living in a sewer after his lair, an abandoned house, got bought by some human.  In the midst of his complaining, the woman takes a seat at their table.  The vampires try to get her to leave, but she calmly takes one of their glasses of blood and sips from it.  She says that they are pathetic; she remembers the days when vampires fed on the blood of the innocent and inspired terror wherever they went.  One of the vamps tries to shove the woman off her seat, but she socks him a good one in the gut.  When the vampire falls the ground, clutching his stomach, the other two turn towards the woman.  Every demon, including Anya, turns their attention to the new arrival.  The vampires ask her who she is.  She gives a tiny smile and says to call her Marguerite.

The next night, Buffy and Giles are walking down the Sunnydale sidewalks, eyes out for the usual sort of trouble.  Buffy asks how Giles has been, really.  He tells her that it's been quite stressful dealing with Willow.  Buffy admits that she doesn't think she would have been strong enough to handle Willow after everything that happened.  Giles smiles and tells her that she's strong enough to handle anything.  That's just the way she is.  Still, Buffy thinks it must have been hard.  Giles admits that it truly, truly was.

~

Giles: We both had a lot to go through.  Willow was dealing with so much grief, and I couldn't stop feeling sorry for myself.  I…I abandoned you all when clearly you needed my presence.  And…I must admit, I wasn't quite myself without any of you around.

Buffy: Bet life was a lot better though.  Less demony anyway.

Giles: A life without you in it, Buffy, is not worth living.  You…you're like the daughter I never had.  I'm so proud of you.  As a Watcher, as an adult, and as a friend.

Buffy: C'mon, you're gonna make me cry.

~

            In the midst of this conversation, someone is watching them.  After Buffy and Giles pass a shadowed alley, a figure steps out.  It's Marguerite.  The three vamps from the bar follow her.  One asks what she's gonna do.  Marguerite barely hears him and starts catching up with the Slayer.  When she's only a foot behind Buffy, Marguerite gives her a tap on the shoulder.  Both Giles and Buffy turn around to stare at Marguerite.  Marguerite asks if she's Buffy Summers.  Buffy says yes, but is uncomfortable since Marguerite looks an awful lot like a prostitute.  Marguerite gives a small, strained smile, and then she vamps out.  Before Buffy can react, she is sent sprawling by one of the vampire's punches.  In a flash, Marguerite grabs Giles by the throat, cutting off his oxygen.

~

            Marguerite (almost spitting with rage):  Did they tell you about me, Slayer?  I want to know.  Do Slayers know my name?  Do they tell stories about the big, bad vampire who was just a little too strong?  Do they, bitch!

            Buffy (nervous):  Look.  Why don't you just let him go, and we can handle this in an orderly fashion.  I stake you; you turn to dust; I go home. 

            Marguerite:  Maybe I'll break your Watcher's neck!  Snap his spine in two!  What would you say to that, Slayer, huh?

~

            Marguerite looks about ready to kill the choking Giles, but instead throws him into the street.  An car is coming towards him too fast to stop.  Buffy, ignoring the vampire, dives for Giles, knocking him out of the way.  The car tries to brake, but collides with Buffy.  As Giles and the driver gather around her, she says she's fine, super-strength and all, but is a little woozy getting up.  By the time she's on her feet, Marguerite is gone.

            Back in the alley, Marguerite is walking away from the scene with her vamp followers.  One of them asks why she didn't try to kill the Slayer.  Marguerite says that killing one Slayer may be great, but there are bigger things, greater things.  She intends to show them it.

            At Xander's apartment, Dawn is listening to headphones in one of the bedrooms, while Willow is lying on the couch with her laptop on her lap.  She's clicking aimlessly through a game of solitaire.  Xander walks in and comments that she looks like a barrel of fun.  Willow just grunts.  Xander takes his kidding aside and sits near her.  He asks why she's been out of it since she came back.  Is it the magic draining, or is she still kinda in shock?  Willow turns her gaze to Xander and doesn't seem sure what to say.  Then she just blurts that she's not one of them anymore.  Xander, surprised, says that's ridiculous.  Willow doesn't think so.  After what she did and what she tried to do, it's like there's this bubble between her and her friends, and she doesn't know how to break through it.  Xander gives her small hug and says it's all right.  He doesn't deny that what she did changed things between all of them, but it can be repaired.  Just as Willow's eyes begin to moisten, the phone rings.  It's Giles, he wants them at the museum right away.

            Willow and Xander, followed by Dawn, enter the museum, marked for grand reopening soon.  Hannah Mills, the Chief Watcher, and another Watcher in a suit catch the three as they enter.  The man asks what they are doing here when the museum is closed.  When they say Giles called them, the man splashes Xander with a jar of water.

~

            Watcher:  Holy water.  Standard test for vampirism.

~

            At that moment Giles approaches those two from behind and leads the Scoobies to the back room after Hannah condescendingly explains to the man about the Slayer's "poor choices in comrades".

            As they walk towards the backroom, Giles fills Xander, Willow, and Dawn in on their new vampire friend.  He finishes the description as they enter the storage room/research room where Buffy is sitting.  Buffy adds that she was a real bad ass, too.  Giles mentions that their research isn't hopeful since they don't know the vampire's name or much about her beyond appearance.  As they sit down to the research books, Dawn says maybe they could try Anya for news, see if the demon world's talking about this vamp.

~

            Xander:  Don't talk about her!  Every time we do she teleports right behind me and-

~

            Xander doesn't get a chance to finish as Anya teleports in right behind him.  She makes a point of stepping around Xander and addresses Giles.  The tension in the air is thick.  Giles asks, somewhat awkwardly, what they can do for her.  Anya says she's got information that she might be willing to share.  Xander suggests it's a "Hundred and One Ways to Eviscerate Men".  When no one laughs, he becomes quiet, and Anya ignores him.  She explains that she overheard a certain vampire talking about how she was going to go after Buffy.

~

Buffy: Was she about ye tall, dark hair, slutty clothes?

Anya: You've met her?

            Buffy: Well, officially.  Mostly it was just an introduction of her fist and my face.

~

            Anya says the vampire was called Marguerite and had picked up some minions in the Bronze.  Giles says this should narrow the research down immensely.  He says she can stay, if she wants.  There are a few gapes all around, but Anya says yes and no one has the heart to throw her out.

            A few hours later the Gang is practically falling asleep on the books.  However, Anya, who's found something, wakes them.  It's an old photograph that she founding buried under some books.  It's a picture of Marguerite, wearing the 1800's version of cleavagey clothes.  Then, Giles points to a figure in the background.

~

            Giles:  Isn't that-

            Anya:  Spike.

~

            For a second Buffy looks both scared and worried.  She covers it up, but not before Dawn sees it and gets a puzzled look on her face.  No one has any idea why Spike is in that picture.  Suddenly, Buffy says that she'll be going.  She says she's gonna see if she can beat some info on Marguerite out of some demons.  After Buffy leaves the storage room, Dawn says she just remembered she has some homework she's got to get to and slips out as well.  Under Giles's advice, Willow and Anya follow Dawn to see what's up.

            At Spike's crypt, the vamp is just sitting in a chair, not moving.  His leather coat lies on the floor.  Buffy interrupts him by crashing through the door.  Spike jumps to his feet and asks if she remembers their deal.  Buffy replies that she hasn't told anyone about him, and won't if he doesn't bother her, but she needs information.  Spike, trying to act like the Big Bad, says it will cost her a pretty penny.  Buffy tells him to cram it, and he shuts up and asks what she wants.  Buffy says a new vamp is after her, a powerful one, by the name of Marguerite.  Spike reacts in shock and Buffy, pleased at his response, demands to know everything he does about her.  He gathers his resolve and starts to explain.

~

            Spike:  I knew her, a long time ago.  She was . . . my role model.  My ideal.

~

            Spike tells Buffy that he and Drusilla were in Brazil about 90 years ago.  Rumor had it the Slayer was around, and they were trying to weed her out.  But they weren't alone.  By the time they had tracked the Slayer to a large, Brazilian town, Marguerite had arrived.  Spike and Dru watched as she beat the Slayer to a pulp before draining her blood.  The three vamps had talked afterwards and wreaked some havoc in town before going separate ways.  All through this explanation, Spike's voice and face are filled with both shame and nostalgia.  When Spike finishes his story, Buffy says great and walks out of the crypt, but Spike follows.  In the cemetery, he urges her not to fight Marguerite; she's killed more Slayers than just that one, more than Spike ever thought possible.  However, Spike only gets a hard slap in the nose and Buffy walks off.

            Having followed Buffy to see what she was keeping secret, Dawn overlooks this exchange between Slayer and vampire, wearing a look of shock on her face.  Suddenly, Willow and Anya are behind her!  Dawn proclaims that she was the one following Buffy, not them.  The two older women say that they were just looking out for Dawn.  They then see Buffy stalking away from a confused looking Spike, and the same look of shock overcomes their features.

            The vampire takes a whiff of the air and catches a scent.  Before they can run, Spike catches the girls crouching beside his crypt.  Starting to panic, he asks what they're doing here.  They throw the question back to him.  The girls' attitude is cold, especially Dawn's.  When it looks like they're gonna question him, Spike, changing to vamp face, yells at them to bugger off.  He rushes back into his crypt before anyone can comment.

            Anya, Dawn, and Willow slowly walk away from the crypt, trying to decide what to do.  Anya thinks they should call Giles and catch up with Buffy, but the other two are against it.  They have no idea why Spike's back or how long Buffy's known, or what they've been doing together.  Until they do, it may not be best to bring up such a touchy subject.

            Xander is looking hopelessly bored over some books.  He asks Giles how he stands working with these things from nine to five.  He explains that it beats what appears on most American television.  They're interrupted by Buffy, who asks where Dawn, Willow, and Anya are.  Xander explains their excuse.  Buffy hears this and then says she talked to one of Spike's old friends, and he knew Marguerite in Brazil, near turn of the century.  She mentions the killed a Slayer thing.  Giles and Xander's first reaction is worry and concern, but Buffy assures them she can handle Marguerite, no worries.  Giles does admit this will help with the research, but suggests they call it a night.  If they work too late, they won't be awake enough to do much good.  They agree to meet tomorrow evening to find out about their new Big Bad, and everyone goes their separate ways for the night.

            The next day, Dawn is walking out of school followed by some of her friends.  They're talking, but Dawn notices Buffy waiting in the parking lot, and Dawn breaks off and heads towards her sister.  Dawn asks what's up and Buffy says that the new apartment's ready and she thought they should get the moving in done soon as possible.  The two head off.

            The apartment is definitely nice.  Buffy and Dawn are shown in by a bored looking apartment manager.  It's fully furnished, two bedrooms, and has a spacious living room.  The Summers say they love it.  The super asks if they need any help unpacking, but two small suitcases carrying their possessions that survived the fire are all they have.

            At the museum, several elderly couples are milling around, looking at the exhibits.  Willow is currently managing an information booth.  A man asks her where he can find the South American pottery, and Willow points him in the right direction.  Suddenly, Giles comes up to the booth, carrying a couple old books under his arm.  Willow asks what's up and Giles plops the books down on the counter for the booth.  He explains as he flips through one of them for a picture of Marguerite.

~

            Giles:  Well, the information Buffy gathered from the local demons was accurate.

            Willow (kinda nervous):  Oh, yeah, those bar-crawling demons, always good for a tip.

            Giles (oblivious):  I looked into the Watcher Diary of Anthony Grim.  His Slayer was killed by Marguerite in Brazil, about 85 years ago.  He managed to gather a good profile of her though.

~

            Willow goes a little pale when she sees the profile:  Marguerite has been around for over four hundred years.  During that time she has fought and killed twelve Slayers.  The two ponder what to do with this information.  Giles suggests that they get it to Buffy as soon as possible.  They're interrupted, however, by Hannah Mills.  She asks to see what they're gawking at, but Willow and Giles quickly cover up the books, not trusting her.  Mills does not look offended, but says that both of them are employed at this museum, and she is not going to let them go running off until their shifts are over.  A slight smirk on her face, she leaves a pissed of Willow and Giles behind.

            In her new bedroom, Dawn has what little she owns spread out on the bed.  She's sorting through it when Anya teleports behind her.  After a startled Dawn recovers her composure, she asks Anya what she's doing here.  Anya wants to know if she's told Buffy that they know Spike's back, yet.  Dawn says no and stops Anya from trying to tell Buffy.  Dawn says that maybe they should wait a bit, see if Buffy will come forward on her own accord.  Anya has the attitude of "screw that", but Dawn holds her in check.

            Slowly, the sun sets on Sunnydale, and Marguerite takes to the street with her minions.  Marguerite asks one of the three vampires following her if he's found the Slayer's new address.  He hands her a slip of paper with the address.  Smiling, the vampires head to a brick apartment building.

            Inside, they find the apartment manager sitting behind his desk, flipping through a magazine.  Marguerite introduces herself to the super and shakes his hand – and then starts to break the bones in it.  Marguerite, now vamped out, politely asks where Buffy Summers is.

            In the apartment Buffy is in the living room, and is calling to Dawn, asking her if she wants pizza tonight, when Anya enters the room, followed by Dawn.  Buffy asks what Anya is doing here, but Dawn interrupts Anya, delaying her trying to tell Buffy they know about Spike.  Suddenly, the door goes flying open, and Marguerite stands there backed up by her vamp lackeys.

~

Buffy: How the *hell* did you get in here?  There's no way I'd invite someone dressed like you into my house.

~

            Marguerite smirks and says the manager gave her the invite, once she persuaded him.  She slowly walks towards the three women.  She dares Buffy to hit her.  Buffy smiles as she flings a punch at Marguerite – and the vamp blocks it and sends Buffy flying across the room.  The vamp minions rush in and attack Dawn and Anya.

            Giles and Willow are walking down the Sunnydale streets.  Their talking about how bossy Hannah Mills is and wondering what Buffy is going to do with Marguerite.  They enter Buffy's apartment building.  Giles asks what room number Buffy said she had.  Willow can't remember and say they look for whoever is in charge here.  It's then that she looks behind the apartment manager's desk and finds the apartment manager dead of vampire bites.  A crashing sound comes from upstairs and Giles and Willow hurry up there.

            Apartment tenants gape as Marguerite's minions push Anya and Dawn into the hallway.  While not simply succumbing, the three vamps are proving a bit too much.

            In the apartment Marguerite and Buffy are trading blows.  While they're flung around the room, neither really seems to be hurt by the other.

            Giles and Willow arrive in the hallway.  From his coat, Giles takes out a cross and stake and tosses the cross to Willow.  They join the fray with the vampires.  Giles proceeds to wail on one of them while Willow burns another in the face.

            Buffy knocks Marguerite into a wall, causing it to crack.  Marguerite just snarls and kicks the Slayer in the stomach, hard.  Before Buffy can recover, Marguerite lands a punch that sends her flying across the room.  Marguerite pounces on top of Buffy and starts to strangle her.

            Giles beats his vampire with the stake before plunging it into the heart.  The remaining two vamps rush the girls.  The vamp attacking Anya falls on his face when she teleports a few feet away.  The other one knocks Willow aside and prepares to lunge at Dawn, but she lands a quick in his groin.  Quickly, Dawn grabs Willow's fallen cross and stakes him with it.

            Buffy is helpless, her neck gripped in Marguerite's strong hands.  As she chokes the Slayer's breath she says:

~

            Marguerite:  You think you know what a Slayer really is.  You've got a lot to learn, bitch.

~

Then, with a loud shriek, she flings Buffy against the wall.  She storms into the hallway and pushes the Scoobies aside with ease.  She and the one minion left saunter right out of the building.  Buffy rushes out, slightly bruised but all right, but sees her enemy is gone.  She assures her friends she is fine, but, when they try to explain what happened to the other tenants, they all run back to their apartments mumbling "didn't see nothing."

            Outside the building, the minion asks why Marguerite didn't kill Buffy, Marguerite, slightly bitter, says there are more important things, and they're going to gather quite an army to do them.

            On what appears to be the same night, Buffy, Anya, Willow, and Dawn are tidying up the apartment.  Buffy remarks how it was quite the battle.  They all agree, and Anya asks why she didn't bring Spike along (obviously trying to be subtle).  Buffy looks shocked and the other three grudgingly explain about catching Buffy at Spike's crypt.  In the middle of this revelation the doorbell rings.  They try to ignore it.  Buffy says that she only found out a tiny bit ago, that nothing was going on.  She turns her head from her friends, ashamed, as she turns to answer the door.  Dawn raises her voice and asks why Buffy couldn't tell them that Spike was back.  And, as Buffy opens the door, Xander is there.  From his face it is clear that he heard what Dawn said.

            THE END