Title: Dancing With the Demons,
Episode 3 (Part 1)
Author: redsrule1
Fandoms:
Buffy, Angel, Dancing With the Stars
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I
didn't make up the characters, the music, the shows, or the dances. I
just live them sometimes.
Pairings: Gen
Characters: Just about
everyone
Author's Notes: Thanks to yourlibrarian
for the beta.
Summary: Nine couples, ONE winner, and you choose
who becomes the champion!
Dancing
With The Demons
Episode Three, Part One
(Music strikes a low chord. Clips from the previous episode are shown with the ANNOUNCER's voice over.)
ANNOUNCER
Round
Two brought surprises!
(Split screen with Judges' Table on one half and HARMONY and GILES backstage with ILLYRIA on the other half.)
DRUSILLA
Nine.
WESLEY
Nine.
OZ
Eight.
(HARMONY
squeals and jumps with delight, throwing her arms around GILES, who
manages to cringe and look pleased at the same
time.)
--------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCER
Intrigue!
(Rehearsal
clip.)
(LILAH and ANGEL in dance studio.)
ANGEL
(Grabs
LILAH by the wrist.) We were never friends.
LILAH
(Smiles
mischievously.) No we weren't. But I understand you, and
that's much more
dangerous.
--------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCER
And
elimination by the smallest of margins!
(Split screen shot of SEBASSIS and WILLOW on one side and DARLA and LINDSEY on the other with an edited voice-over by LORNE.)
LORNE
By just
one viewer vote, the couple leaving us tonight is: Darla and
Lindsey.
(DARLA glares at LINDSEY. LINDSEY, shocked, looks at
SEBASSIS and WILLOW and starts to say something before his microphone
is cut
off.)
--------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCER
And
when the dust cleared, Round One's surprise leader came out on top
again!
(CLEM, in a zoot suit, dances the Charleston as BUFFY,
in flapper dress and short brunette wig claps. CLEM kicks her in the
backside.)
--------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCER
Two
couples are gone. Who will be next? find out, on DANCING WITH THE
DEMONS!
(Cue theme song, video introductions of all nine original couples. Then the camera pans live across the remaining seven couples standing on the stage, in costume.)
ANNOUNCER
Live,
from Hollywood! This is DANCING WITH THE DEMONS!
(Music ends, close shot of LORNE and ILLYRIA.)
LORNE
Welcome
to DANCING WITH THE DEMONS! I'm Lorne, you're host.
(ILLYRIA is looking furtively out of the corner of her eye toward the Judges' Table.)
LORNE
Um, Blueberry? …Sweetie? …God-king
of the Primordium?
ILLYRIA
(Distractedly.) You have
introduced me sufficiently.
LORNE
Okay then. I see
that our Illyria has noticed a change at the Judges' Table, so let's
go there right now.
(Camera pulls back to include the Judges' Table in the frame. DROGYN sits on the left, WESLEY sits in his usual place in the center, fiddling with what appears to be a small box. OZ is seated on the right.)
LORNE cont.
We have a new
member of our judging panel starting tonight. Joining us will be
Drogyn The Battlebrand. Welcome, Drogyn. (CROWD applauds.) How ya'
doin'?
DROGYN
My neck remains sore from my death and
I am still somewhat disoriented from my recent resurrection. Ask me
no further questions.
LORNE
Riiight. I'll try to
keep that in mind when we need to find out how the contestants
scored! (Sighs.) Unfortunately, Drusilla was unable to continue
with us for personal reasons. We wish her luck in all of her future
endeavors. --Well, maybe not all, that kinda depends on what
she's up to. But anyway, still on our panel of judges is Daniel
Osbourne, and of course, our head judge, Wesley Wyndam-Price.
--What's that you got there, Wes?
(WESLEY starts as if his first impulse was to hide it, then stops, knowing it is too late.)
WESLEY
It's a box, Lorne.
LORNE
I
see that. Did you have something to share with us?
WESLEY
Um,
not really, no. It --er, it seems to be a laxative of some sort. I am
quite at a loss to explain it, actually. It was here when I sat down.
Is it yours, Drogyn?
DROGYN
It is not.
(WESLEY turns to look at OZ who is shaking his head )
WESLEY
Right,
then. It's a mystery to us all, Lorne.
(LORNE has clasped his palm over his face, and pulls it down and off his chin. He gives the camera a big, toothy smile.)
LORNE
So, tonight our
couples will be dancing either the Tango or the Mambo, and let's get
right to our first couple. They went from a second place tie in Round
One to the bottom of the Leader Board in Round Two. It's Spike and
Faith!
(Cut to
montage.)
--------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCER
Last
time, SPIKE and FAITH's Quickstep pushed the boundaries a little too
far!
(Episode clip.)
(SPIKE and FAITH stand with LORNE at
the Judges' Table.)
WESLEY
That routine had
everything but the kitchen sink, including lifts, which as I've said
before, are
illegal!
--------------------------------------------
(SPIKE and FAITH sit together in front of the interview camera. As this interview took place shortly after their last dance, they are still in costume.)
SPIKE
"Lifts" my
arse.
FAITH
He totally overreacted.
SPIKE
We've
got the strength of a vampire, plus the strength of a Slayer.
Why shouldn't we take advantage of that?
FAITH
(Makes
a fist and curls her arm up to show off her bicep.) Yeah, see that,
Wes? That's Slayer strength!
SPIKE
And she might
just use it on you!
FAITH
(Slapping his chest.) Shut
up! I didn't mean it like
that.
--------------------------------------------
FAITH
(Solo
interview.)
We've got the Tango this week. I think we can pull it
off.
--------------------------------------------
(Rehearsal
clip.)
(SPIKE and FAITH in a dance studio, practicing. FAITH holds
a bouquet of long-stemmed roses.)
SPIKE
Those the
roses for our routine?
FAITH
No, Spike, these are
the roses you sent me to thank me for being such a good teacher.
They're lovely, aren't they?
SPIKE
I din't send you
any roses.
FAITH
No, of course not. That would be
thoughtful. These are from my secret admirer.
SPIKE
So
they are the ones for our routine, then. (Takes one of the
roses out of the bouquet.) 'Cuz I knew you didn't have a secret
admirer.
FAITH
Yes, I got that.
SPIKE
So
you gonna put this in your mouth when we dance? (Puts the stem of the
rose between his teeth.)
FAITH
After the
thorns are removed.
(SPIKE nods coolly. He takes the rose out of his mouth and sets it on a table.)
SPIKE
(Awkwardly.)
Left somethin' in the kitchen. Be right back.
(SPIKE disappears into the kitchenette, closing the door behind him. The camera remains on FAITH.)
SPIKE
cont.
AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGHHHH!
FAITH
Left your
dignity in there, did
you?
--------------------------------------------
SPIKE
(Interview.)
Din't
like bein' in last place on the Leader Board last time. But we
weren't in the Bottom Two, so I guess the fans saved us, so-- (Smiles
at the camera and gives two thumbs up, adding a wink.) Bet Angel
doesn't have enough fans to save him like
that!
--------------------------------------------
(Rehearsal
clip.)
(SPIKE and FAITH sit at a table in the dance studio,
looking at a laptop.)
FAITH
Lilah and Angel got more
votes than we did.
SPIKE
What? That lumbering
hulk?
FAITH
So did Xander and Anya, and Harmony and
Giles. And besides, I thought you didn't care about Angel.
SPIKE
I
don't. That's why I wanna beat 'im.
FAITH
What?
SPIKE
Oh,
look, Buffy tied us. Wait, I thought those results were supposed to
be secret.
FAITH
I know a
guy.
--------------------------------------------
FAITH
(Interview.)
Buffy
and Clem have been in first place. They got this whole "cute"
thing goin'. But that's only gonna get them so far. Me an' Spike, we
got something more goin' for us. (Winks and blows a kiss at
the camera.)
--------------------------------------------
(Montage ends.)
ANNOUNCER
Dancing the Tango: William The
Bloody and Faith Lahane!
(FAITH stands in the middle of the dance floor, wearing a sleek, sparkly red dress with a high slit on the left side. Her hair is pulled back in a bun, but some stray curls hang to the sides, like a Flamenco dancer. She holds a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses and sniffs them as she stands there. SPIKE appears at one side of the stage, wearing a Royal Navy officer's dress uniform from the nineteenth century and strikes a dashing pose, chin held high. The music hits a dramatic chord as a spotlight hits him. FAITH turns sharply to look at him, and her eyes widen and jaw drops with infatuation.)
(Cut to backstage. LILAH and ANGEL sit on the couch.)
ANGEL
Oh, please.
(Cut to ballroom. An instrumental version of the "Habanera" from "Carmen" plays.)
(SPIKE descends the stairs with a haughty air, taking no notice of FAITH, who runs up to meet him at the foot of the stairs. She pulls a rose out of the bouquet and drops it at his feet. He ignores it, stepping over it to continue walking onto the dance floor. He walks toward the audience, flashing his best "GQ" smile toward VI and AMANDA who sit in the front row at the side of the floor. FAITH picks up the rose, rushes up to SPIKE, and drops it at his feet again. This time he picks it up, sniffs it, and looks at FAITH, who is hiding most of her face behind the bouquet, but bats her eyes seductively at him. He takes the bouquet in his hand and slowly pulls it away from her, as if undressing her. He drops the bouquet in front of VI and AMANDA, then grabs FAITH and pulls her forcefully against him. She gasps, then he takes her into dance hold and they begin doing some sharp Tango steps.)
(SPIKE rolls FAITH out away from him and lets go, and she does a series of turns away from him. Meanwhile, SPIKE approaches VI and AMANDA, raising an eyebrow and giving them his best "Hey, baby" smile. VI and AMANDA, who is now holding the bouquet, squee.)
(Cut to backstage.)
ANGEL
Oh, come on, like that
would ever happen. Girls screaming over Spike.
(LILAH raises an eyebrow. Cut to ballroom.)
(FAITH turns to see SPIKE flirting with the women in the audience. She pulls an angry face and runs up to him, spinning him to face her and takes him in dance position as they continue with more Tango moves.)
(SPIKE rolls FAITH out a second time and again approaches VI and AMANDA. FAITH runs up to them before SPIKE gets there, and, with a bit of difficulty, wrests the bouquet from AMANDA. FAITH pulls the remaining roses out of the bouquet and is left with a stake. She runs up and mimes staking him in the chest. SPIKE mimes his death and falls, and FAITH also collapses to the floor as the music ends. The CROWD rises to its feet and roars with applause.)
(Cut to backstage.)
ANGEL
(Disappointed.) I thought she was
gonna do it for real.
(Cut to ballroom. SPIKE stands, then offers a hand and helps FAITH up. He escorts her to LORNE and the Judges' Table.)
LORNE
Hoo-eee! Nice! And great twist
on the "Carmen" story! Wesley, what are we looking for in
the Tango?
WESLEY
Well, Lorne, we're looking for
sharp, staccato movements, cat-like footwork, and lots of
drama.
LORNE
And did we find that here in Spike and
Faith's "Carmen?"
WESLEY
It was a great
routine. (CROWD cheers.)
LORNE
But…?
WESLEY
No
"buts". Just, "it was a great routine." (CROWD
cheers again. WESLEY smiles at them.)
LORNE
Well.
Okay. Um, Oz, how about you?
OZ
Works for
me.
LORNE
(Eye roll) So anything you'd like to add
about the routine, Oz?
OZ
Oh, it was good. I liked
it.
LORNE
I was a fool for asking. Okay, Drogyn..
What's your critique of their routine?
DROGYN
Oh.
Yes. It was enjoyable to watch. (CROWD cheers.)
LORNE
So
it's meddlesome priests all around, is it?
SPIKE
I
know you. What are you doin' 'ere? Where's Dru?
DROGYN
(Eyes
turning angry) Ask me no questions.
SPIKE
Yeah,
yeah, I remember the schtick. I also remember that you never actually
told me who the goalkeeper for Manchester United is. But I'm askin'
anyway. Where's Dru?
DROGYN
I assume you are
referring to my predecessor at this Judges' Table. I do not know
where she is.
SPIKE
So why are you
here?
DROGYN
Both Drusilla the judge and Reg the
sound engineer were let go for fear that between them they might
prematurely reveal the outcome of this competition. I was chosen to
come in and take over.
LORNE
Yeah, okay, thanks,
Drogyn. We were trying to spin that a little differently, but that's
all right.
SPIKE
Hmm. Glad I wasn't the one who had
to tell Reg.
FAITH
Or Dru.
SPIKE
Yeah,
but Reg… I mean, you ever meet that guy?
FAITH
You
got a point.
LORNE
All right, kiddies, enough chit
chat. Drogyn, what did you think of their routine?
DROGYN
(Glares
at LORNE for a moment, then looks at SPIKE and FAITH.) Spike's pose
at the beginning was a bit too theatrical, reminding me more of P.T.
Barnum than a military officer. (CROWD boos, but DROGYN ignores them
and continues speaking without a pause.) The opening verse was danced
with less than the proper staccato movement, and the glissando in the
thirty-fifth measure passed without so much as a notice by the
dancers, a wasted oppportunity. By and large the theme of the dance
was well executed, although Faith's difficulty in re-acquring the
bouquet from the audience member was distracting and pulled me out of
the routine. In the final analysis, considering the amount of time
you've been in training, it was, on the whole, well done. And Tomasz
Kuszcak was goalkeeper in Manchester United's most recent match, a
1-0 win against Middlesbrough.
FAITH
Spike threw the
bouquet too close to the audience. Amanda wasn't supposed to pick it
up.
SPIKE
We won that match? (To FAITH) See what I
miss when you make me practice so much?
LORNE
All
right, you two go on backstage and talk to Illyria. (Motions SPIKE
and FAITH off camera.) In the meantime, we'll get back to running a
TV show here and remind you to vote for your favorites as soon as
this episode is over, once all seven couples have danced.
Illyria?
(Cut to backstage, where ILLYRIA stands with SPIKE and FAITH. LILAH and ANGEL sit on the couch in the background.)
ILLYRIA
The new judge is here to take
over.
FAITH
He's certainly taking over the
criticism.
ILLYRIA
That was Head Judge Wesley's
domain.
SPIKE
Percy seems to be happy letting Drogyn
have it. The audience seems to like Wes better for it.
ILLYRIA
The
audience does not respect strength. Bespectacled One had the courage
to speak his mind even when it was
unpopular.
FAITH
"Bespec--?"
ILLYRIA
They
will pass judgement on you now.
(Cut to Judges' Table.)
ANNOUNCER
Will the judges please reveal
their scores?
Drogyn the
Battlebrand?
DROGYN
Eight.
ANNOUNCER
Wesley
Wyndam-Price?
WESLEY
Eight.
ANNOUNCER
Daniel
Osbourne?
OZ
Nine.
(Cut to backstage.)
ILLYRIA
The judges have given you a
score of twenty-five.
SPIKE
Ha! (To FAITH) Betcha
Angle can't beat that.
ANGEL
I'm sitting right here…
"Willy."
SPIKE
Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't see
you there, mate.
ANGEL
You've never been that
observant, Spike.
ILLYRIA
Quiet, half-breeds. We
must return our attention to the ballroom.
(Cut to LORNE, who is looking down and straightening his jacket.)
LORNE
(Looks
up, surprised.) Oh. (Smiles.) Next up, they've given us two
relatively consistent performances. Can they make it a third? It's
Lilah and Angel!
(Cut to
montage.)
--------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCER
In
Round One, the judges liked their Waltz, but in Round Two, they felt
their Quickstep lacked
something.
--------------------------------------------
(Episode
clip.)
(LILAH and ANGEL stand with LORNE at the Judges'
Table.)
WESLEY
While it was an adequate routine, it
was rather lackluster.
OZ
Last week had an edge that
this week didn't.
DRUSILLA
Daddy didn't sing to me
tonight.
--------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCER
But
at least they didn't upset the
judges.
--------------------------------------------
WESLEY
It
was perfectly
acceptable.
--------------------------------------------
ANNOUNCER
Can
they get their edge back and remain on the judges' good side as they
try their first Latin
dance?
--------------------------------------------
ANGEL
We
did okay last week. We were third, so that's still okay. But I guess
Lilah was right about one thing: We do better if we work together. So
I'm letting her have more input again this
week.
--------------------------------------------
(Rehearsal
clip.)
(LILAH and ANGEL standing in a dance studio.)
LILAH
It's
much better if we do it this way.
ANGEL
It's
not.
LILAH
It is.
ANGEL
It's
not.
LILAH
It is! Spike would do it
this way.
ANGEL
Spike also almost got eliminated
last
time.
--------------------------------------------
ANGEL
(Interview)
Despite
what she said before, she's trying to motivate me by using Spike.
Like I care. But at least if she's concentrating on using that angle,
it's harmless enough. Keep her out of trouble. At least Spike's not
dancing with Buffy. I could have danced with Buffy. As
frustrating as this is, there's no danger of perfect
happiness.
--------------------------------------------
(Rehearsal
clip.)
(LILAH and ANGEL dancing. ANGEL attempts to lead LILAH into
some quick swivels, but he trips himself up and they
stop.)
ANGEL
Damn!
--------------------------------------------
LILAH
(Interview)
Well,
he's less broody this week. I think he enjoyed seeing Spike in the
bottom two. And it's nice to get a chance at one of the Latin
dances.
--------------------------------------------
(Rehearsal
clip.)
(ANGEL attempting to lead LILAH into the swivels. He misses
again, and they stop.)
ANGEL
Heh. I'm supposed to be
the teacher, and I'm the one screwing up that step.
LILAH
I've
got better Latin hips than you, too. (Pats ANGEL's belly.) But you
keep workin' on it. It's slimming you
down.
--------------------------------------------
ANGEL
(Interview)
Or
I could have danced with Cordelia. Oh, I guess not, 'because she's
part demon now. But Cordy wouldn't've made fun of me working out. She
understands the importance of looking your
best.
--------------------------------------------
(Rehearsal
clip.)
(LILAH sits at a table at the end of the dance floor,
reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee. ANGEL emerges from
the restroom, wearing gym clothes, carrying a gym bag, and heading
for the front door.)
LILAH
You're going to the gym
again?
ANGEL
We're done for the day. And it's
dark
out.
--------------------------------------------
LILAH
(Interview.)
He's
a little extra self-conscious after those comments in the Results
Show last time. He looked in the mirror a lot before, but now I'm
wondering if he wouldn't rather just dance with his reflection than
with me.
--------------------------------------------
(Rehearsal
clip.)
(ANGEL leads LILAH into the swivels, staring into the
mirror the whole time. As they turn away from the mirror, he cranes
his neck around to try to see and trips himself.)
ANGEL
Damn
it!
LILAH
It's your own damn fault! Try looking at
you partner once in a while!
ANGEL
I
was!
LILAH
A-ha! I knew it!
ANGEL
No,
I mean-- I was looking at-- do I look pale next to you?
LILAH
Honey,
you're a vampire. You look pale next to
snow.
--------------------------------------------
ANGEL
(Interview.)
I
think Dru kind of freaks Lilah out. Guess that's understandable,
after that whole
locking-her-and-the-other-lawyers-in-the-room-with-Darla-and-Dru-in-a-feeding-frenzy
thing. But at least I was able to cheer her
up.
--------------------------------------------
(Rehearsal
clip.)
(LILAH sits at a table, reading a newspaper and drinking
coffee. ANGEL enters, carrying a gym bag.)
LILAH
(Barely
looking up). 'Mornin', partner. (Does a double-take.) What
the--?
ANGEL
Whaddaya think?
LILAH
(Stands
up and walks over to ANGEL.) You're-- you're--
(laughs.)
ANGEL
Tan?
LILAH
(Still
giggling.) Orange.
ANGEL
No, I can't be. I'm tan.
The bottle said "No pumpkin skin or your money back."
LILAH
You
got a refund coming. If you're gonna use artificial tanning lotion,
Sweetie, you gotta spring for the good stuff.
ANGEL
(Reaches
into his gym bag and pulls out a bottle of tanning lotion.) See, it
says right here: "As good as the expensive stuff."
LILAH
Angel,
who are you gonna trust? A lawyer or an advertising
executive?
(ANGEL pauses, considering.)
LILAH
Okay,
I know that's a poser, but come on.
ANGEL
A lawyer.
But just
barely.
--------------------------------------------
(Montage ends.)
ANNOUNCER
Dancing the Mambo: Lilah Morgan and
Angel!
(LILAH and ANGEL stand facing one another in the middle of the dance floor. She is wearing a knee-length, sleeveless pink dress, and he wears a black Latin shirt and pants. ANGEL points at the floor and steps deliberately through a basic Mambo pattern, as if trying to teach LILAH how to do it. LILAH tries it, and doesn't get it.)
("Johnny's Mambo" from "Dirty Dancing" plays.)
(ANGEL shows LILAH the pattern again, and this time she does better. He takes her into dance hold and they step slowly and carefully through the pattern. Succeeding at this, they repeat the pattern faster and faster until they are dancing at full speed, at which time ANGEL leads LILAH into a series of spins travelling down the floor.)
(Cut to backstage, where GUNN and CORDELIA sit on the couch.)
GUNN
That kinda looked like me
when we first started the Cha Cha.
CORDELIA
It kinda
looks like you now.
(Cut to ballroom. LILAH and ANGEL perform more intricate Mambo moves until ANGEL lands in a crouch, feet wide apart. He has both of LILAH's hands in his and leads her into a series of quick, sharp swivels moving first to the right, then to the left. ANGEL balances her swivels by swaying his hips back and forth.)
(Cut to backstage.)
GUNN
Man, those
swivels are tight! How come we didn't do any moves like that in our
Latin dances?
CORDELIA
Because you don't have hips,
remember?
GUNN
Why you gotta be hatin'? You bring a
brother's confidence right down.
CORDELIA
Got my
game face on. Nobody better get in my way, and that includes
you.
GUNN
Oh yeah, I forgot about that.
(Cut to ballroom. As the music nears its climax, ANGEL throws LILAH into a series of spins down the floor. Without touching her, he does Latin walks alongside her. Without stopping or even looking at him, LILAH suddenly does a full body drop. ANGEL catches her with one hand behind her back and the other stretched up over his head as he leans over her, looking into her eyes. The music ends, and the CROWD cheers.)
(ANGEL pulls LILAH up to her feet and walks her over to LORNE and the Judges' Table.)
LORNE
Hot, hot,
hot! And what an ending! Wes, what are we looking for in a
Mambo?
WESLEY
We're looking for sharp, staccato
movement here as well, Lorne, but with sexy, Latin movements rather
than the cat-like steps of Tango. We're looking for lots of hip
action and we want to see a definite pause before breaking on the
"two" count.
LORNE
And did we see that
here?
WESLEY
We did, actually. (CROWD cheers.) This
routine had no gimmicks, little "theme," just some nice,
clean, crisp Mambo. Well done. (CROWD applauds.)
LORNE
Wow,
I actually get the feeling you would have said that even if you
weren't trying to be Mr. Congeniality tonight. Oz, whaddaya
say?
OZ
Nice job.
LORNE
Okay, and
Drogyn?
OZ
Hey, I wasn't finished!
LORNE
What?
Seriously? Okay, go ahead.
OZ
Nah, I'm just messin'
with ya'.
LORNE
That's funny, 'cause the Host needs
a little more stress in his life. Okay, Drogyn, what did you
think?
DROGYN
(Glares at LORNE again and sighs.) The
opening sequence took a little too long to develop. Your dance didn't
hit its stride until the second verse. The spin series at the end
echoed the series at the beginning well without being repetitive. You
broke precisely on "two" most of the time, except you lost
it for a few measures during the bridge to the final chorus. While
Angel's hip motion was adequate, it was not up to the standard for a
teacher. In the third stanza, you--
LORNE
Okay,
okay. Just sum up.
DROGYN
A well executed
routine.
LORNE
Good enough. (Motions LILAH and ANGEL
off camera.) You two head on backstage. Two couples down, five to go,
and the judges seemed pleased so far tonight. Will Lilah and Angel's
scores reflect that? And will the other couples measure up? Find out
when DANCING WITH THE DEMONS returns!