On the streets of Sunnydale, evening

Luke and Darla's journey across town has taken a slight detour as the hungry vampires give chase to some random, hapless passer-by who made the mistake of wandering the streets after sunset. Luke takes him down just as the van screeches to a halt alongside.

In an almost identical action replay of Cordelia's rescue in The Wish, Giles springs out of the front passenger side of the van, grasping a large wooden cross, while Oz, remaining at the wheel, trains a loaded crossbow on the vamps. The back door slides open and Larry leaps out, armed with cross and stake…and that's where the 'identical rescue' thing breaks down, because he is followed by the very incompetent Andrew and very nervous Jonathan, also wielding anti-vampire weaponry. Andrew immediately drops his cross and hastily stoops to pick it up again, stumbling against Jonathan's legs and almost tripping him. Larry's expression is black as thunder. But the rescue continues, nonetheless.

GILES (to the vampires): "Back off!"

Luke growls and drops the guy, who is still conscious and tries a couple times to scramble to his feet and run, only to find Darla in his way, forcing him to scrabble backward again, nearer to his rescuers. Darla doesn't make a move for him, rolling her eyes as though bored, while both she and Luke back off, Luke still glowering at the weapons being held against them.

LARRY (hissing to the victim): "This way. That's it."

Andrew, meanwhile, has regained his weapons and feet by now, and tries to imitate Larry's bold stance. He fails miserably – just doesn't have the stature or build to pull it off. He does, however, edge a bit too close to the vampires. Seeing an opening, Luke lunges for him, swiping the cross out of his hand and grabbing him by the throat…

…But before Luke can snap Andrew's neck like a matchstick, a crossbow bolt takes him through the shoulder, just in the nick of time, although Andrew being in the way prevented a straight dusting. Dropping Andrew, Luke snarls with pain and rage.

DARLA (rolling her eyes): "Idiot."

In the van, Oz quickly starts to re-load his crossbow while Andrew, terrified by yet another narrow escape, stumbles backward, tripping into the man they were trying to rescue, so that both of them fall again. Groaning in exasperation, Larry yanks Andrew back to his feet and into the van, while Giles hastily does the same for the rescue-ee, both performing these operations one-handed rather than leave the timid Jonathan as the only person wielding any effective anti-vampire weaponry. Harmony has not emerged from the van.

Everyone piles back into the van, and they take off at speed – not the most efficient rescue ever, but at least they all survived.

Luke and Darla glare disconsolately after them, Luke grunting in pain as he yanks the crossbow bolt out of his shoulder.

DARLA: "Those damned White Hats."

(Pouts)

"I was hungry."

In the van, speeding down a Sunnydale street

In the back…

LARRY (to Harmony, angry): "What the hell happened to you?"

HARMONY: "What? I never said I was joining your posse of wannabe vigilantes. As if! I just came along for the ride: to stay safe. Not to go throwing myself right back into danger. That's what you guys are for."

And then panning to the front…

OZ: "I recognised those vampires."

GILES (thoughtful and worried): "Yes, so did I. Luke and Darla. So the Master hasn't lost quite as many of his more powerful cohorts as we'd hoped."

Oz raises an eyebrow just a tad, acknowledging the badness of this news.

OZ: "I don't remember seeing them at the factory last night."

GILES (grim): "Which means that they missed the battle and are back just in time to help the Master rebuild."

The Bronze, next day

Disconsolate vampires lounge around. There are fewer of them than when the place was last seen in The Wish – the battle at the factory has taken its toll on their numbers. Their human prisoners are having an even worse time than normal, being used by the vampires both as punch bags to vent their ire, and as a source of replenishment after the battle, feeding to aid healing.

THE MASTER slouches in a torn, faded armchair up on what was once the stage, lord of all he surveys, sulking.

Below him, Darla drops a female prisoner she was feeding off, and wipes her mouth, lip curling in disgust. Still alive, and unrestrained, the woman tries to crawl away. Rolling her eyes, Darla finishes her off with one quick snap of the neck and kicks the body aside.

MASTER (reprovingly): "Darla. There was still good eating left in that one."

DARLA: "Growing stale fast. You would not have enjoyed her, Master."

In one light bound she springs up onto the stage to join him.

MASTER (mocking): "So sour. Still not recovered from your disappointment last night?"

DARLA (sucking up): "My disappointment was but a trifle compared to yours, Master."

MASTER: "Come now. You know I remember that you never cared for the concept of my machine."

DARLA (smiling seductively): "Perhaps I do still prefer the thrill of the kill, but I care that you care. Perhaps the machine can be repaired?"

MASTER: "Oh it shall, rest assured of that."

(Glowers now)

"But not quickly."

DARLA: "Those damned White Hats have interfered too often. Would you like me to remove them for you? It would be a pleasure."

MASTER: "What a very tempting idea. And yet, no. We have lost too many of our people just lately."

DARLA (smiling): "I'm sure the humans would say the same. And not all of those we lost are any great loss."

MASTER (amused): "Xander and Willow. You never liked them, did you?"

DARLA (contemptuous): "Young upstarts. But I know that you were fond of them."

MASTER (frowning now): "I was. Such youth and energy. It pleased me."

(Muses)

"Yes, I should very much like to rid this town of all do-gooders. An example should be set. We must make it plain to all that human heroics will not be tolerated any longer. Yes."

DARLA (pleased at the thought): "I could take a team tonight, and –"

MASTER: "No. I have a better idea."

Library, a day or two later, mid-afternoon

Giles wanders out of his office, the arm of his glasses gripped in his teeth as he peers down at one of his ancient texts. He drifts past Larry, who is trying very hard to teach very basic self-defence to the very clueless Andrew and Jonathan, and ambles over to the central table, where Oz is repairing a crossbow and Harmony is painting her toenails.

Giles sits at the table, still engrossed in his reading. The only sounds are the grunts and groans of the boys as they train. Or try to train. Larry is not making it easy.

Harmony finishes painting her toenails and puffs at them for a second, replaces the cap on the bottle, and then starts to gaze around at everyone else. They are all completely absorbed in whatever they are doing. Harmony huffs, bored rigid.

HARMONY: "This is so dull, I might as well be in class."

LARRY (calling across from the background): "Pick up a book. That'd clinch it."

Giles glances up from his book with a puzzled frown, as though he'd only just realised the time.

GILES: "Yes, why aren't you in class? Any of you?"

OZ (not looking up as he carefully tunes the crossbow): "Lack of staff starting to prove a problem."

HARMONY: "Yeah. My chem teacher got eaten last week, and they can't even find a temp to fill in, 'cause – who'd ever come here?"

Larry leaves Andrew and Jonathan to continue scuffling in the background and comes over to join them.

LARRY (leaning against the table): "Free periods are starting to pile up lately. Plus, monthly memorials getting a little less monthly and starting to edge toward weekliness."

GILES (considering): "There were rather more deaths than usual this week, even by recent standards. If things continue like this, the, ah, the authorities might be forced to, to sit up and take notice at last."

The others look deeply sceptical.

LARRY: "If they haven't by now, they're never gonna. Face it – we're on our own."

Silence, as everyone contemplates this depressing statement. Except for Andrew and Jonathan, who are still playing at sparring. Andrew finally manages to toss Jonathan, who crashes into the card file cabinet. Hearing the crash, but not showing any sign of wanting to turn and look, Giles winces.

JONATHAN: "Ow."

The Bronze, night

The Master sits up on his 'throne' drumming his fingers on the arm as he watches a couple of his lesser vampires idly torturing a human prisoner, apparently just for the fun of it. He is smiling to himself, finding both the spectacle and the wails of the victim highly amusing.

Darla stalks into shot, considerably less amused.

DARLA: "Sub-contracting? That was your big idea?"

MASTER (untroubled): "You don't approve?"

DARLA: "Oh please. No hired assassin can ever be trusted to commit to a truly thorough job."

MASTER: "Perhaps as a general rule. However, I believe this one to be efficient enough."

DARLA (sarcastic): "Why? Does he take 'great pride' in his work?"

MASTER (dismissive): "His pride means nothing to me. He is a cold-blooded killer whose greatest pleasure is to wreak death and destruction wherever he goes, and enjoy himself so doing. That should suffice."

He laughs and claps his hands at something out of shot, as an agonised scream is heard from the hapless torture victim.

Darla looks unconvinced, but before she can argue the point any further, Luke arrives, dragging with him a terrified human child.

LUKE: "A gift, my Master."

MASTER (delighted at the offering): "Ah, Luke."

He takes the child from Luke and sets it on his knee. The child sits in his arms, rigid with fear.

DARLA (rolling her eyes): "Toad."

MASTER (stroking the child's hair, to Luke): "And what say you to my latest venture? Darla, here, disapproves."

LUKE (stolid as a block of wood): "I regret only that the pleasure cannot be ours, Master."

MASTER: "The pleasure of knowing that those do-gooders suffered immensely on their way out of this world will more than satisfy me."

The Master smiles, and sinks his fangs into the child's neck.

Library, late the following afternoon – first night of the full moon cycle

Giles and Larry are getting ready to patrol, with Jonathan helping and Harmony getting in the way as usual.

Oz arrives at the library, with Andrew in tow badgering him fiercely.

ANDREW: "But how did it happen? Did you always know you were a werewolf? Or was it, like, a total bolt from the blue?"

Larry shoots a fierce glare at Andrew, who doesn't notice, while Giles looks up from his patrol preparations with some concern. Both are aware that full moon is an uncomfortable time for Oz, and Andrew's intense interest in the background story isn't helpful.

Oz ignores Andrew completely, very quiet but visibly more worked up than usual, not liking all the questions. He goes straight into the cage, pulling his jacket off. Giles quietly closes and locks the door after him, while Andrew, getting perplexed by the wall of silence, continues to chatter.

ANDREW:"I mean, doesn't it cause problems? Having to stay in here days at a time and not go out and help with patrolling, and everything? And what happens if someone comes in?"

Oz stops stripping, since he has such a rapt audience that clearly isn't going to stop staring, but turns his back on Andrew, unable to walk away from the non-stop questioning.

LARRY (fiercely, to Andrew); "Man, don't you ever shut up?"

ANDREW: "What?"

LARRY: "Take a hint."

JONATHAN (aside to Andrew): "I don't think anyone wants to talk about it."

GILES (stern): "Andrew. Perhaps you could come and give me a hand over here?"

ANDREW (forced to give up, regretful at his continuing lack of knowledge): "Sure. Okay."

He goes over to help pack up weapons for patrol, and all becomes quiet, other than the sounds of Harmony's gum popping. But moments later the sounds of pained grunts start to come from the cage, and Harmony lets out a little squeak.

HARMONY (wigged out): "Eew!"

Andrew and Jonathan both turn to stare at the painful wolfing-out process, intrigued. Giles and Larry carry on with what they're doing, knowing that Oz prefers not to be watched. Unhappy about the attention he's getting from the others, but with no real way of preventing it, short of making a bigger deal out of the whole thing than anyone would like. Only time and understanding will bring that.

Andrew drifts back over to stand right in front of the cage, staring in absolute fascination as the transformation becomes complete.

ANDREW: "How do you get to be a werewolf, anyway?"

LARRY (annoyed): "You don't give up, do you?"

ANDREW: "Not usually. How does it work?"

LARRY (curt, trying to discourage discussion of the subject): "Easy. Another werewolf bites you. End of story."

ANDREW: "That's all it takes? Wow."

Jonathan now takes a step closer, and the werewolf promptly throws himself against the cage, snarling with all teeth showing. Jonathan hurriedly backs off again.

JONATHAN: "How do you get bit with teeth like that and not lose, like, an arm, or…or a head, or something?"

LARRY (frustrated that they won't let up): "By getting bit when the werewolf is human."

Both Jonathan and Andrew react to that, recoiling, eyes widening – clearly imagining the kind of circumstances in which a human might bite someone. Harmony ew's, and Larry rolls his eyes.

LARRY: "It was his cousin, all right? A little kid."

ANDREW (awed): "Little kids can be werewolves too? Wow."

(He thinks about the implications for a moment)

"So if Oz gets locked up here, what happens with the kid?"

LARRY (flatly): "Nothing."

JONATHAN (concerned): "It goes around biting people all night?"

LARRY (very grim): "He's dead."

JONATHAN: "Oh."

Death and loss are things they can all understand. He looks back into the cage at the werewolf with pity in his eyes now.

LARRY (eyes on the bag he's packing): "Turns out there's a whole bunch of folks out there who'll pay big bucks for werewolf skins."

(Glares at them)

"Don't go getting any big ideas."

JONATHAN: "Skins?"

HARMONY (even more wigged out): "That skanky fur? Eew."

ANDREW (shocked – and it's kind of endearing that this would shock him, given what Sunnydale has become since the Master rose): "And they kill little kids?"

LARRY: "If the price is right…"

(Remembering)

"Dude was in town for weeks. Almost got Oz, too, more than once. Couldn't shake him."

He shakes his head, and glances worriedly into the cage. And Giles now intervenes.

GILES (firm): "Please don't pester Oz on the subject."

(This is a command, not a request, and he pauses to make sure it has sunk in before pointedly continuing)

"Some boats are best left un-rocked."

Larry nods, and glares at the other three, menacing and protective.

LARRY: "He doesn't like to talk about it. Ever. The werewolf thing is just something we deal with every month, no big deal. Okay?"

The others meekly agree, as Giles glances up at the clock, then at his watch.

GILES: "We should get going. I would suggest that Harmony, perhaps, remain here to watch the cage, but –"

HARMONY (appalled): "I'm not staying on my own with that thing!"

Giles checks the cage door to make sure it is secure, neatly avoiding a swipe by the caged werewolf.

GILES (picking up a bag of weapons, and turning toward the door): "Quite. So perhaps Jonathan, or Andrew –"

He gets no further, stops and stares at the door…

Where a very large demon is standing, all spines, teeth, horns and claws.