EXT.  LOWELL HOUSE - NIGHT

There's a loud party happening. Buffy, Xander, Willow and 
Tara are talking on one side of the room. 
Riley and his Initiative buddies are on the other.
Buffy is paying more attention to Riley than the Scoobies.

WILLOW
How many kids?

XANDER
I dunno, a whole herd of them. And some parents to boot. 
It was kind of embarrassing, which, welcome to life with Anya.

TARA
So you don't even know if she's coming tonight.

XANDER
I'm thinking no. She was-- pretty upset. 
Which, makes me wonder, is it me? 
Am I the crazy one? 

BUFFY
Ah-huh. Absolutely.

The gang notices that Buffy's been checking out Riley.

WILLOW
Hey, Buffy, this might be a good time to mention that someone,
so not me, spilled something purple-y on your new peasant top which I
would never borrow without asking. Still love me?

BUFFY
Ah-huh.

Willow and Tara share a look.

BUFFY
Huh? What about my peasant top?

WILLOW
Nothing.

TARA
Xander was just talking about Anya.

INT. LOWELL HOUSE - NIGHT

Willow and Tara are sitting on the stairs.

WILLOW
Horses, like big -- tall -- 
teeth that can take your arm off
horses?

TARA
Well, sure. I learned to ride when I was a kid. 
It's fun. And, by the way, most horses 
don't like arm very much.

WILLOW
(not convinced)
 I had a bad birthday party pony thing when I was four.
 I look at horses and I see really big ponies.

TARA
You should ride with me sometime. 
I guarantee safety and fun.

WILLOW
Well -- if you promise you'll look after me.


 

Willow puts her hand on Tara's knee. 

Tara jumps back, disgusted

TARA
Don't touch me!
 That's --  just disgusting.

Tara gets up to leave.

WILLOW
(confused and upset)
Tara -- what's the matter?

TARA
 I don't -- I don't know.

WILLOW
I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to -- 
are you feeling okay?

TARA
I'm f-fine, I just want to go to the
bathroom.

Tara runs up the stairs.

INT. LOWELL HOUSE - NIGHT

WILLOW
(at an upstairs bathroom door)
Tara? It's me. Tara? 

Willow walks into the bathroom, and seeing Tara's not in there 
goes to the sink for a drink of water.
She hears a noise from the bathtub and goes to investigate. 
There's a young boy drowning and thrashing in the tub. 
When she tries to help him he disappears. 
She turns to leave and the boy is behind her. 
Willow screams.

INT. LOWELL HOUSE - NIGHT

Willow comes down the stairs and runs through the house--

WILLOW
Xander? Tara?

She finds Xander playing twilight-zone spin the bottle.

WILLOW
Xander. Ghost boy. Drowning in a tub. 
I, I tried to save him --
but, being a ghost already --
well, I was way too late.

XANDER
A ghost? What's the deal? Is every frat on this
campus haunted? 
And if so, why do people keep coming to these parties,
cause it's not the snacks.

Tara comes up to Willow and touches her arm.

WILLOW
Tara, how are you?

TARA
I'm okay, but --
 I, I don't like it here. This house -- 
I think we should go.

Things get weirder, the gang decide that they need Buffy. 
Xander and Anya go upstairs to get her. 
They can't get through to Buffy and Riley, making-out in bed.

Meanwhile, Tara looks down to the floor below, 
the building starts to shake and there's panic and everyone falls down. 
The gang run outside.

EXT. LOWELL HOUSE  - NIGHT

WILLOW
We have to go back in there.

ANYA
Why?

XANDER
Because Buffy and Riley are trapped.

Xander, Anya and Spike have a thing about who's 
going in after Buffy & Riley.
Xander goes, comes flying back out.
They decide they need Giles.

WILLOW
We'll go to Giles'.

TARA
(stuttery)
No, wait, he, he isn't there. 
He was going to the Espresso
Pump.

WILLOW
(equally stuttery)
Right, he told us not to come. 
He, he needed some grown-up
time.

They head off in search off Giles.

INT. ESPRESSO PUMP - NIGHT

Giles is playing his guitar, looking very grown-up and totally suave.
He's also got his earring in.

GILES
(singing)
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
No one knows what it's like
To be hated ---


The gang all look on, their world askew.

ANYA
Oh.

WILLOW
Wow.

GILES
(still singing) 
To be fated --

XANDER
Um, could we go back to the haunted house? Cause, this is
creeping me out.

TARA
Does he do this a lot?

XANDER
Sure. 
Every day the earth rotates backward 
and the skies turn orange.

GILES
(singing) 
But my dreams, they are as empty, as my
conscience --

Giles notices that the gang are there and looks 
embarrassed but keeps singing.

WILLOW
Now I remember why I used to have such a crush on him.

TARA
Well, he is pretty good.

ANYA
His voice is pleasant.

The gals are instant fans.

XANDER
What?!

WILLOW
Oh, come on, he is kinda sexy.

XANDER
I'm fighting total mental breakdown here, Will. No more
fuelling the fire please.

INT.  LIBRARY - NIGHT

  GILES
When you called to Buffy and Riley, they didn't cry out or, or
respond in any way?

ANYA
No. They're probably dead.

XANDER
Unless they're too busy doin' it to answer.

GILES
Doing what? 

XANDER
You know, for a god of acoustic rock, you're kinda naive.

GILES
I didn't think you meant --  In the midst of
all that, do you really think they were keeping it up?

Off their looks.

GILES
Oh, for a different phrasing.

WILLOW
Well, see, that's the thing. People all over the party were
starting to act -- weird -- sexually.

GILES
In what way?

WILLOW
You know -- ways.

GILES
Well, it could be some form of succubi, or a satyr's
prank. It could even be energy coming from the, 
the lab underneath the Lowell fraternity.

WILLOW
It wasn't always a fraternity, look!

They all come over to see her book.

WILLOW
"Between 1949 and 1960, the Lowell Home for Children
housed upwards of 40 adolescents -- runaways, juvenile delinquents, and
emotionally disturbed teenagers from the Sunnydale area."

TARA
Children? Did any of them, um, die in there?

GILES
If there were deaths, then perhaps we're dealing with a
fairly --  standard haunting. 

WILLOW
It doesn't say. It's mostly about the old house director,
Genevieve Holt. "Sunnydale Children's Aid. 30 years of community
service. Giving disadvantaged kids the love and care they deserve."

GILES
When did she die?

WILLOW
She didn't.

INT. WILLOW & BUFFY'S DORM ROOM  

Tara and Willow prepare for an incantation, lighting candles etc.

ANYA
What good are weapons against disembodied spirits, Xander? They
have no ass to kick.

GILES
She's right. You should just stay outside.

WILLOW
We'll bind the spirits long enough for you to get Riley and
Buffy out.

XANDER
How much time will you buy us?

TARA
Could be tricky, we're calling upon the communal spirit of a
certain time and place. 

XANDER
(to Anya)
Let's go.

Xander & Anya go outside.

TARA
Give me your hands -- form a circle.

Willow and Giles and Tara hold hands and close their eyes.

TARA
Children of the past, spirits of Lowell, be guided by our
light. Come forth and be known to us.

GILES
How will we know when it works?

They hear a noise and look up to see the ghost-children all around them.

TARA
We'll know.

  TARA
We implore you -- be still. 

GILES
Find it in your hearts to leave our friends passage.

WILLOW
Transform your pain. Release your past. 
And -- uh --  get over it.

Giles looks at her, she shrugs.

A strong wind begins to blow, accompanied by screeching and howling.

TARA
(yells)
 Find here the serenity you seek, the peace you -- 

The table goes flying. The wind suddenly stops.

GILES
What's happened?

TARA
We lost them.