School library, the following morning

Larry and Oz are sorting through the weapons, while Giles attempts to repair the lock on the book cage, which he smashed open when trapped inside. The cuts and bruises of recent struggles are clearly visible. Oz still has that long cut along his right cheekbone from the assault on the library in which Nancy and Cordelia were killed, unstitched and heavily scabbed over. Probably gonna scar.

Behind them we see Andrew and Jonathan, in the background. Andrew is messing around with a crossbow, trying to figure out how it works, with Jonathan peering at it with him, but not touching.

Larry keeps glancing over his shoulder to see what they are doing, getting more and more irritated.

LARRY: "Can you say 'scraping the bottom of the barrel'? I mean, what use is Jonathan going to be? He's, like, four feet tall."

OZ (mild, just stating a fact): "I'm not tall."

LARRY (not about to let a good point go to waste): "You're taller than he is. Plus, you've got, you know, coordination. You know how to handle yourself. Put Jonathan in a fight with a vamp, he'll fall over his own feet and land on his own stake."

GILES: "Yes, I must admit I'm forced to agree with Larry here. Jonathan is certainly willing to help, but his ability to do so may be, uh, somewhat limited. And as for Andrew…"

Larry groans.

LARRY: "Andrew's worse. Much, much worse. God, please spare me."

OZ: "Keen, but clueless."

GILES (sighing): "Jonathan at least knows what he's signing up for. I'm far from convinced that Andrew has any real idea what is truly involved in this."

LARRY: "He thinks its cool, dork like him playing with the big boys. Thinks it's a game. It isn't."

OZ: "He'll learn soon enough. Least they're willing."

GILES (sighs again): "Yes. They want to help, and – unfortunately – we're in no position to be choosy."

He glances at his watch, and then across at the clock.

"You'll be late for class if you don't go now. We can finish this later."

LARRY (snorting): "Class? You know how many people weren't in homeroom yesterday?"

GILES: "If you don't go, you could wind up listed as missing, presumed dead. And that would only lead to a scene when you then turned up again. Have you forgotten when Nanc–"

He stops very abruptly, and whatever Nancy-related incident he was about to remind them of remains unvoiced. Her very recent demise is painful to recall. All three avoid one another's eyes.

OZ (very softly): "We'll come back after class."

Giles nods vaguely, eyes fixed on that broken lock, lips tightly pressed together. Larry and Oz look at each other, worried, and then head toward the door. Oz glances across to call Andrew and Jonathan, who are still enthralled by the crossbow. And, just at that moment, Andrew figures out how to work the trigger. Un-aimed and flying wild, the bolt skims past an appalled Jonathan's ear and just barely misses Giles.

Giles doesn't even seem to notice, lost in his thoughts, but Andrew and Jonathan both get serious 'oops' face.

OZ: "Hey."

It is impossible to tell from his tone if that was a reprimand for the careless use of a crossbow, or just trying to get their attention. Either way, they jump like startled fawns. Guilty expressions, like kiddies caught with their hand in the biscuit tin and afraid the privilege will be taken from them.

LARRY (exasperated and patronising): "You two girls might want to leave the weapons testing to the experts and get to class."

They jump to, still uncertain of their position here – could be kicked out of the group almost before they've joined it. They're very much on probation, and, perhaps, aware that they still aren't really wanted.

The four boys head out, and the library doors swing shut behind them.

Focus on the doors for a moment, and then pan back to Giles, hands still clutching the damaged cage door he's meant to be fixing, and staring, unseeing, into the middle distance. Lost in his own private world of grief, pain and desperate, hopeless worry about how long they can continue like this.

Library, late afternoon – school's out for the day

The door to the book cage is now fixed, and Giles and Larry are packing weapons, getting ready to go out on patrol. Oz meanwhile – displaying enormous patience – is showing Andrew and Jonathan the correct way to handle a crossbow. Harmony is also there, mostly just hanging around getting in everyone's way.

GILES (seeing Larry picking up a crossbow): "No, no, not that one. The, uh, trigger mechanism jammed last time. Unreliable."

Larry puts the crossbow aside, and Harmony drifts over to have a look at it. Larry picks up a different crossbow.

LARRY: "This one's fixed, right?"

GILES (noticing Harmony playing with the broken crossbow, frowning): "Uh, yes. Yes, I believe so."

Larry stows the approved crossbow away in a large bag lying open on the table, and turns to collect more weapons together.

GILES: (taking the broken crossbow off Harmony, his patience strained) "Please don't play with that."

Harmony huffs in annoyance as he turns to put it away, and pulls herself up to sit on the table. Larry turns back, arms full of crosses and freshly carved stakes, to find her sitting right in front of the bag. His annoyance at finding her in his way is immense.

LARRY: "Do you mind?"

HARMONY (not a clue): "Do I mind what?"

Larry waves a fistful of crosses and stakes at her.

LARRY: "I'm trying to work here."

Harmony stares at him in total incomprehension for a moment, and then finally gets it, glancing behind her at the bag.

HARMONY: "Oh!"

She slides herself further along the table to allow him access to the bag.

LARRY: "Finally."

HARMONY (petulant): "Well, sor-ry."

LARRY: "What are you hanging around here for anyway?"

HARMONY (defensive, and strangely vulnerable): "This is the only place I feel safe now. All my friends are dead."

Silence, just for a moment. As flaky as Harmony is, and as shallow as all her emotions are, or appear to be, she's touched on a nerve. They've all lost too many friends since the Master rose and brought hell on earth to Sunnydale.

LARRY (changing the subject, looking to Giles): "You know, I'm not even sure this is such a safe place anymore. Public property. It's too easy for the vamps to get in, like the other day when…"

He stops, and Giles straightens, looking pained. Another nerve touched there. Behind them, Oz now glances across from his crossbow 101 session, giving at least part of his attention to the conversation.

GILES: "It's true. School property is highly vulnerable to attack, by night at least, should the vampires choose to do so again. And yet where else would allow us the space and convenience we have here? Besides,"

(Meaningfully now)

"Unless we can find somewhere more suitable, we, ah, we still need the cage for Oz's, uh…special circumstances. The first night of this month's cycle is just a few days away, remember."

Oz flushes, and drops his eyes to his feet, while Andrew's ears prick up instantly.

ANDREW: "What special circumstances?"

Oz gives him a black look. Doesn't like to be reminded of it, doesn't want to talk about it. He shoulders the crossbow, picks up a set of spare bolts for it, and leaves the room without saying a word.

ANDREW (genuinely bewildered): "What?"

HARMONY (picking at her nails looking bored): "It's probably something really embarrassing."

(To Larry, suddenly interested in potential gossip)

"Is it? Is it something really embarrassing?"

Larry looks at Giles, who shrugs to indicate that the new recruits might as well know, since it looks like they're in for the long haul. If they live that long.

LARRY (to Andrew, pointedly ignoring Harmony): "He's a werewolf. Stays in the cage at full moon. It isn't a big deal."

HARMONY (dismissive): "If it isn't a big deal, then why all the fuss?"

Larry ignores her again. Shouldering a bag of weapons, he follows Oz out. Harmony seems disappointed Oz's problem wasn't something more interesting, but Andrew's eyes have gone wide, and he trades an incredulous look with Jonathan.

ANDREW (awe-struck again): "Woah."

On a random street in Sunnydale, sunset

The sun is just about setting as a couple of vampires emerge from the sewer tunnels. One is male, enormous and bulky, the other female, blonde and petite. These are LUKE and DARLA, two of the Master's most trusted followers, who were, however, absent from his grand opening at the factory the previous night.

DARLA: "Ugh. What a complete waste of time that was."

(Fastidiously brushing herself off)

"How I despise travelling by day. So unsanitary."

LUKE (impatient): "The Master will be waiting for us."

He starts to stride down the street, glancing up at the dusky sky. Darla strolls more casually after him.

DARLA: "The Master will regret that the journey which kept us from his gala event was such a complete and utter waste of both time and effort, thanks to –"

LUKE (half-turning, snarls): "You."

He increases his speed. Darla stops, glares at his back for a moment, and then follows again, a defiant swagger to her step.

DARLA (drawls): "That wasn't what I was going to say."

Outside the school, early evening

Team White Hat is loading up the van ready to patrol. Jonathan is trying hard to be useful; Andrew less so, getting in everyone's way. Harmony is just hanging around still, chewing gum and blowing bubbles.

HARMONY: "Is this going to take long?"

GILES (pointedly): "You don't have to come."

HARMONY: "Well, I'm not going to stay here on my own, am I? It's too dark to go home by myself now."

GILES: "You should have gone straight home after class."

HARMONY (again, strangely vulnerable and sincere, for her): "I was scared. My mom is out of town."

JONATHAN: "Does this take long?"

OZ: "Depends."

LARRY: "Why? Afraid you won't have time for your homework?"

JONATHAN (just a tad offended by his attitude and sticking up for himself for once): "I was just wondering. I thought it would be good to know how it plays out."

GILES: "Quite right."

ANDREW (to Jonathan): "We already know everything we need to know. We drive around and around until we either get really dizzy or see people that need saving. And then, if we see people that need saving, we save them, swooping in to the rescue like Superman. Only with a van and not flying."

(Frowns, considering the analogy)

"Or maybe more like Batman, if he needed to use crosses and stakes. Or –"

LARRY (deeply frustrated): "Enough with the geek. Let's go."

In Oz's van, on the streets of Sunnydale, post-curfew

Oz is driving, with Giles in the front with him, while the other four sit in the back. The inside of the van is pretty much kitted out for war, rather than comfort, although a few mementoes of happier days remain.

ANDREW: "So who does the guitar belong to?"

LARRY: "Oz."

ANDREW: "Kinda looks out of place back here, with all the weapons and stuff."

(To Oz, enthusiastic)

"Are you in a band?"

OZ (doesn't take his eyes off the road): "Was."

ANDREW (deflating, getting it): "Oh."

HARMONY (all nostalgic and pleased with herself): "I dated their lead singer for a while, you know."

LARRY (flat): "You went out with him twice."

HARMONY: "Well, it might have lasted longer, if he hadn't gone and got himself killed."

The only outward sign of reaction Oz gives to this tactless reminder of sorrows past is an almost imperceptible tightening of his grip on the wheel. But Larry is annoyed enough for both of them.

LARRY: "He'd already dumped you long before then."

Harmony gets huffy, but Andrew's mind is still on bands, music and happier days.

ANDREW (all dreamy and nostalgic): "We used to get all kinds of really cool bands playing in town. You know, before things got so…you know. It was cool. There was stuff to do in the nights."

JONATHAN: "There's still stuff to do in the nights. Only less fun, and more about staying indoors than going out. Which, okay, isn't such a big shift for some people…"

ANDREW: "All anyone ever does now is go to school, and die."

LARRY (agreeing with him for once): "The dying part does tend to make the going to school part feel a lot more pointless."

GILES (sternly, twisting in his seat to address them): "A solid education is vital for young people today, in Sunnydale as much as anywhere else."

LARRY: "I can't believe you said that with a straight face. You saw the size of the graduating class last year."

GILES: "Well, the numbers would have been swelled by two if you boys had put in a little more effort. I trust you'll be trying harder this year?"

LARRY: "If we live that long."

GILES: "A little less cynicism and a little more focus might help."

LARRY: "I don't think any amount of focus would have got me through finals last year. Way too much crazy, all around."

GILES (sighing): "Last year wasn't easy for any of us."

LARRY: "Oz flunking out was the big shock.

(Teasingly)

"He's meant to be some kind of unflappable genius – so much less excuse for failing than me, brain-wise."

GILES: "Yes, well, Oz's circumstances were…difficult last year."

(Then to Oz – who is still, very deliberately, not reacting to being talked about to his face)

"However, I hope things will be different this time around, now that there's been time to adjust. Quite frankly, it would be ridiculous for a boy of your intelligence to repeat a second time."

OZ (very mild): "Well, I'm hoping not."

(He's still keeping his eyes on the road, the only one actually paying attention to their surroundings, and brakes suddenly)

"We're in business."