INT. BUFFY AND
WILLOW'S DORM ROOM -- NIGHT (DAY 1)
The lights are off, save Buffy's
bedside that throws a romantic glow over the two on the bed.
Buffy and
Riley are kissing. Like good cocoa, it's both hot and sweet. They pause,
speaking between kisses...
RILEY We're not expecting anyone, are we?
BUFFY Willow
said she was gonna be at the science library all night.
RILEY Is
that right?
They kiss, hard, Riley starting to pull up
Buffy's shirt -- and Willow bursts in.
BUFFY Apparently not.
WILLOW We got trouble.
BUFFY What's up?
WILLOW I was in the rec room... came
in through the window...
RILEY Vampire?
WILLOW
Vampires don't breathe fire.
INT. HALL OUTSIDE REC ROOM
-- MOMENTS LATER -- NIGHT
The three of them move quickly toward the rec
room, Buffy with her weapons bag. She pulls out a crossbow, hands it to Riley as
they talk.
RILEY I should call for back up.
BUFFY No time.
She indicates the far door. Riley heads for it. Buffy comes
to the near door, whispering with Willow as she puts her hand on the knob.
BUFFY (cont'd) I wanna make this fast. I really had better
things to do tonight than kill.
INT. DORM REC ROOM --
CONTINUOUS -- NIGHT
Buffy flings the door open, hand on an axe in her
bag.
Suddenly, the lights come on. Giles, Xander, Anya and approximately
10 N.D. dorm mates jump out from behind couches, pinball machines...
CHORUS OF VOICES SURPRISE!!
Buffy stops in her
tracks, hand coming out of the bag.
ANGLE: RILEY enters from the other
door, equally surprised, and stashing her crossbow behind a chair.
Willow comes up next to the speechless Buffy.
WILLOW Guess you won't be killing anything tonight after all.
BUFFY (smile plastered on her face) Don't be so sure...
BLACK OUT
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
INT. DORM REC ROOM -- NIGHT (DAY
1)
Buffy's birthday party. Music plays. People talk and laugh and eat. A
ping-pong table is loaded with soda and a "Happy Birthday Buffy" cake. Buffy and
Willow are cutting the cake.
Giles, Xander and Anya stand to one side
and watch the party.
GILES This is rather like an activities room we had back at
public school. One time I got up to a bit of a prank with the dart
board--
ANYA (to Xander) I'm bored. Let's eat.
XANDER
Anya! We talked about this.
ANYA (to Giles) I'm sorry. That
was rude. Please continue your story. I hope it involves treacle and a
headmaster.
GILES Go eat.
Xander smiles
apologetically at Giles as Anya drags him away. Giles looks a little lost until
Willow joins him.
WILLOW Hey, Giles. Having a good time?
GILES Yes. There
are a lot of new faces here, aren't there?
WILLOW Uh-huh. Mostly
from the dorm. And a couple of Riley's friends.
Buffy
joins them, Riley in tow.
BUFFY Hey, Giles.
Giles gives Buffy a warm hug.
GILES Happy Birthday. Nineteen. It's Hard to believe, isn't it?
I--
He might be about to say more, but Buffy is impatient.
BUFFY Giles, I want you to meet someone. This is Riley Finn. My
boyfriend.
Buffy sneaks a quick glance back at Riley,
checking how he's reacting. He's beaming. Buffy beams. Willow beams. Giles is
taken aback. This is the first he's hearing of this.
RILEY (shakes his hand) Very nice to meet you, Mr. Giles.
Did you help plan this? It was quite a surprise.
GILES First
of many. You've been... dating long?
Someone taps on
Willow's arm, pulls her into a neighboring conversation. She steps away.
BUFFY (to Riley) Giles used to be the librarian at my high
school.
RILEY I've seen the library. It's gone downhill since
you left.
GILES (laughs) Yes. I'm embarrassed to say I
actually miss it at times.
RILEY So, you're retired?
GILES Sorry?
RILEY (mistake...) Or, you're working
somewhere else now?
GILES Well, not... between projects just
now, personal...
Riley tries to help.
RILEY Oh, I know how that is. My dad was out of work a while
back. He sells farm equipment. It was rough.
GILES I see.
RILEY He was great about it though -- didn't want to, you know,
lie around the house, watching TV--
BUFFY Riley! Look at this.
Giles doesn't have any cake!
RILEY Oh, hey. I'll get you a
piece.
Riley moves away.
EXT. XANDER'S HOUSE -- DAY
(DAY 2)
The next day.
INT. XANDER'S BASEMENT -- DAY (DAY 2)
Xander and Anya look on as SPIKE smokes and packs items into bag: a
carton of cigarettes, containers of blood, a radio.
XANDER You own nothing. This shouldn't take so long.
SPIKE Hang on, let a fellow get organized.
XANDER
That's my radio!
Xander grabs the radio out of Spike's
hands.
SPIKE And you're what? Shocked and disappointed? I'm evil!
ANYA So, what kind of place are you looking for?
SPIKE
Dunno. Maybe a crypt. Someplace, you know, dark and dank. But not as
dark and dank as this.
ANYA It's pretty depressing, isn't it?
SPIKE I've known corpses with a fresher smell. In fact, I've
been one.
Spike flicks his cigarette ash onto the floor.
Xander points to the ashtray sitting right next to him.
XANDER Ashtray. Not getting any... more like an ashtray.
SPIKE Piss off.
Spike flicks his cigarette butt
at Xander.
XANDER That's it. Let's go.
ANYA Wait. I want to give
you something for your new place.
Anya picks up a lamp,
hands it to Spike.
XANDER That's my lamp!
ANYA A gift is traditional. I
read about it.
XANDER That's among . With bitter
enemies, we don't give them my lamp.
SPIKE Not gonna have
electricity anyway. It's a crypt, remember?
Xander
takes the lamp, puts it back where she got it.
ANYA
What about running water? A fridge to keep your blood fresh?
SPIKE No...
ANYA That's gonna just suck. You should get a hotel room or
something.
SPIKE (to Xander) Demon girl's got a point. Need
fresh blood. If I had a few bob for a room with an honor bar...
XANDER Out! Before I get the Slayer over here to kick your ass
out!
SPIKE Don't see why she didn't come... Say goodbye, shed a
few tears...
XANDER Well, she has an appointment with someone
who's actually still scary.
INT. MAGGIE WALSH'S OFFICE --
DAY (DAY 2)
CLOSE ON MAGGIE, seated at her desk.
MAGGIE So... The Slayer.
CUT OUT to Buffy
seated in a chair across from her, shifting nervously. Riley stands over Buffy's
shoulder.
BUFFY Yep. That's me.
MAGGIE We thought you were a myth.
BUFFY (unsure what to say) Well... You were myth-taken.
She laughs weakly at her little attempt to break the ice.
Riley offers a slightly embarrassed smile. Maggie studies her, stonily. Buffy
sobers.
MAGGIE And to think, all that time you were sitting in my class-
well, most of those times. I always thought you could have done
better than a B-minus, but now I understand your energies were
directed elsewhere.
She stands and crosses to a window,
her back to them.
MAGGIE (cont'd) What I don't understand is how Agent
Finn...
Unseen by Maggie, Buffy stifles a giggle and points
at Riley, mouthing "Agent Finn." Riley gestures for her to stop.
MAGGIE (cont'd) ... came to tell you all about and our...
She turns back to face Riley, glaring disapprovingly. Riley
straightens, his turn to be nervous.
MAGGIE (cont'd) ...highly secret organization.
RILEY
Uh, yes, well... like I said, ma'am, we were in a combat situation
with some... Hostiles... and she saw me in my... gear and... well, my
cover was pretty well blown... so--
MAGGIE So you figured why
not tell her everything. (before he can answer) It's all right.
We're all on the same team.
BUFFY We are?
MAGGIE Our
goals are similar. We're each interested in curtailing the Sub-
terrestrial menace. It's only our methods that differ. We use the
latest in scientific technology and state-of-the-art weaponry and
you -- if I understand this correctly -- poke them with a sharp stick.
BUFFY It's more effective than it sounds.
MAGGIE Oh, I'm
quite sure of that. As I'm just as sure we can learn much from each
other. I'm working on getting you clearance to come into the Initiative.
I think you'll find the results of our operation most impressive. Agent
Finn here, alone, has captured or killed... (to Riley) How many is
it?
RILEY Seventeen. Eleven vampires. Six demons.
BUFFY
(trying to be impressed) Huh. Well, that is... I mean... Wow.
Seventeen.
MAGGIE What about you?
BUFFY Me?
MAGGIE How many hostiles would you say you've... slain?
Buffy considers, looking at Riley, then back to Maggie.
Then as she opens her mouth to speak...
INT. GILES' APARTMENT -- DAY (
DAY 2)
Giles dusts his bookshelves. He happens to note a heavy,
old-looking book. He pulls it out, checks something. He checks today's date on
his desk calendar, counts on his fingers...
GILES (working it out) The third new moon after the nine
hundredth Feast of Delthrox. Oh... crap.
TIME CUT
TO:
INT. GILES' APARTMENT -- MINUTES LATER -- DAY
Giles is on
the phone as he stuff things into a bag -- candles, rocks with symbols on them,
exotic-looking knives...
GILES No, we can't for her, Willow. The Demon Prince
Barvain is going to rise tonight... Well, where is she exactly?
EXT. CAMPUS -- DAY
Buffy and Riley walk in the
sunshine. Riley's remarkably calm, working through his awe.
RILEY Wow.
BUFFY But those were my best stories.
Didn't tell you the "Buffy breaks her butt" stories.
RILEY
But you killed the... You did the thing with the... And you drowned,
and then... snake! Not to mention daily slayage of....
Buffy watches Riley as he thinks for a beat.
RILEY (cont'd) Wow.
BUFFY No big. Really. Hey, who wants
ice cream?
RILEY Buffy, when I saw you stop the world
from... you know, ending, I assumed that was a big week for you. Turns
out I suddenly find myself... needing to know the plural of apocalypse.
BUFFY If you'd been fighting evil since you were fifteen, you'd
have a hefty resume, too.
RILEY Fifteen?
Riley takes this in, dealing.
BUFFY I know, 'wow' but, the point is, we have different amounts
of experience Plus, I've got that whole preternatural slayer strength
deal...
RILEY I've seen. Don't get me wrong, girls I grew up
with could hold their own, but... I'm not even sure I could take
you.
BUFFY Well. That kind of depends on your meaning.
They smile -- there's a challenge brewing.
EXT.
HALL OUTSIDE MAGGIE WALSH'S OFFICE -- DAY
Giles knocks at Maggie's
office door. It reads "Dr. M. Walsh. Psychology."
MAGGIE (O.S.) Yes?
Giles opens it, enters.
INT. MAGGIE WALSH'S OFFICE -- DAY
GILES Professor Walsh, I presume. You're hard to find. These
halls are quite the labyrinth. I felt rather like Theseus. With the
Minotaur. In the... labyrinth.
MAGGIE Can I help you with
something, Mr...
GILES Giles. Rupert. I'm looking for Buffy
Summers. I'm... I'm a friend of hers.
Maggie looks at
him incredulously.
GILES (cont'd) And... I was her high school librarian.
MAGGIE I'm sorry. Buffy isn't here. But if I see her...
GILES Buffy has been very influenced by your course. She quotes
you quite often. Sometimes she sounds rather like an introductory
textbook herself.
MAGGIE I don't lecture from the textbook,
but I'm glad she's inspired by the material. She's a bright girl. All
she's really been lacking is encouragement in the academic setting.
GILES Well, well, I think it's best to let a young person find
their own strengths. If, if you lead a child by the hand, they never
find their own footing.
MAGGIE And if it's true about hiking,
ergo it must be true about life?
GILES That's not... I'm simply
saying Buffy isn't the typical student. If you really got to know her,
you'd find out she's a very unique girl. I hope you're not going to
push her too--
MAGGIE I think I do know her. And I have found
her to be a unique woman.
GILES Woman. Of course. How wrong of
me to choose my own word...
MAGGIE She's very self-reliant, very
independent...
GILES That's what I--
MAGGIE Which is
not always a good thing. It can be unhealthy to take on adult roles too
early. I suspect what I'm seeing is a reaction to the absence of a male
role model.
GILES The absence of a--
MAGGIE Buffy
clearly lacks a strong father figure.
GILES I... I... I... I...
MAGGIE I'm sorry. I have things to do now. I'll tell Buffy
her friend was looking for her.
She goes back to her
desk. Giles exits, fuming.
EXT. CEMETERY -- NIGHT (DAY 2)
Giles
leads Willow and Xander through the cemetery...
WILLOW This prince demon guy was supposed to rise at sunset. So
aren't we like... late?
GILES Yes, well, if I hadn't had to
search the globe for our Miss Summers and do battle with that
harridan...
XANDER And if you hadn't gotten lost on campus
afterwards...
GILES Never mind. I'll take care of it myself.
Vanquished a few demons without her in my day. Of course, it shouldn't
surprise me if we entirely too late. Demon on the loose, carnage
everywhere--
They enter:
INT. CRYPT -- CONTINUOUS
-- NIGHT
The place is still and quiet and neat and empty. No carnage.
XANDER Your better demons will clean up after themselves.
GILES I... I don't understand. There should be... ruptured
earth, broken stone...
Giles sets his bag in the
shadows near the door. He speaks as he sets out ritual items: a candle, an
inscribed stone...
GILES (cont'd) Apparently, it hasn't happened yet. A bit of
luck.
WILLOW Or, you know what I bet? I bet the Initiative took
care of it.
GILES Who?
XANDER Riley and his guys.
Probably all over it.
WILLOW It has that "too neat" look. They
must've cleaned up.
GILES What?
WILLOW They read hot
spots. Areas of otherwordly energy. I'm sure they picked up this place
days ago.
GILES Stop. Both of you. What's the Initiative and
what does it have to do with Buffy's new boyfriend?
WILLOW You
know... I'm sure you know... Riley, he's one of the commandos...
GILES What? Oh, that's bloody marvelous! After I've spent weeks
trying to get a single scrap of information on our mysterious
demon-collectors, no one bothered to tell me that Buffy is dating
one! Who else knows this?
XANDER No one! No one else knows this.
(beat) Anya. That's it.
Beat.
WILLOW
And Spike.
GILES Spike?! knew?
XANDER
Only the basic stuff. Riley's a commando. Professor Walsh is in
charge--
GILES Professor Walsh? That... fishwife?
WILLOW She's not so bad once you get to-- (off Giles' glare)
So, the demon's probably a little late. We'll just, you know...
GILES (the energy drained out of him) Forget it. You two can
leave. I'll stay a little longer, just in case.
WILLOW
You're sure? We could stay...
GILES No. Go.
Willow and Xander exit. Left alone, Giles starts gathering
up his ritual items.
GILES (cont'd) Oh, who am I kidding? Nothing's going to happen.
Giles heads toward the door. After he's gone, ETHAN RAYNE
steps out of the shadowy corner of the crypt.
ETHAN (ominous) I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't say that at
all. In fact, Old Ripper, I'd say something rather interesting was about
to--
Giles, having simply retrieved his bag from near the
door, steps back into the light.
GILES What did you s--
Ethan jumps, startled
out of his skin.
ETHAN Oh, bugger! I thought you'd gone!
BLACK
OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
INT. CRYPT -- NIGHT (DAY 2)
Giles and Ethan as we left them, staring at each other across the crypt.
GILES Ethan Rayne. You've no idea how much thrashing you is
going to improve my day.
Ethan makes a move to dart
past Giles, but Giles trips him, send him sprawling. Giles grabs him by the
collar, hauls him to his feet as Ethan says:
ETHAN Watch it! Now hang on. You want to knock the crap out of
me, go ahead. I can't stop you. Or, you could listen to me and find out
what's going on.
Giles hesitates, hand already drawn
back...
GILES What are you on about?
ETHAN Something bad is
happening. Bad for both of us.
GILES Well, bad for you, yeah.
ETHAN No, no. You have to listen. You're going to need time to
Prepare.
INT. BAR -- NIGHT (DAY 2)
Giles and
Ethan, in a booth. A WAITRESS puts pints in front of them and moves off. She's
attractive in a faded-rose kind of way.
ETHAN
Brilliant. Now, isn't this more fun than kicking my arse?
GILES No.
ETHAN Oh. Well it's more fun for me.
GILES Just tell me what you want to tell me.
ETHAN
Tch. So cross. We used to be friends, Ripper. When'd that all fall
apart?
GILES I believe it was right about when you started
worshipping chaos.
ETHAN Ahh. Religious intolerance. Sad, that.
I mean, look at the Irish troubles--
Giles starts to
leave.
GILES Right. That's it.
ETHAN Hold up! I'll tell you.
Reluctantly , Giles sits back down.
ETHAN (cont'd) Something's happening in the dark worlds. It's
all rumors and whispers out there, mate. Only thing coming through clear
is that something is harming demons and it's not the Slayer. You know
anything about it?
Giles ducks the question.
GILES
What are they saying?
ETHAN Oh, you know demons, it's all
exaggeration and blank verse. "Pain as bright as steel," that kind
of thing. They're scared. And there's something called three- fourteen's
got 'em scared most of all. The kind of scared that turns to angry.
GILES Three-fourteen. What's that?
ETHAN No bloody idea.
GILES You're not being very helpful for a man trying not to get
beaten-up.
ETHAN But I am. I'm giving you a valuable warning.
What ever's doing this, it's not respecting the old ways. I don't
pretend to like you, Rupert, but we're a couple of old mystics, we are.
We know what we're dealing with.
GILES Right. That's why we
never get into trouble.
ETHAN This new outfit, it's blundering
into a place it doesn't belong. It's throwing the worlds out of
balance and that's beyond chaos, mate. We're headed, quite literally,
for one hell of a fight.
INT. GYM -- NIGHT (DAY 2)
BAM! Buffy delivers a well-placed fist to Riley's head, but he blocks
it. Responds with a slow-speed punch that Buffy easily ducks. They get more
serious and things move faster. He catches her around the neck with his arm,
tries to pull her into a headlock. She spins out of it, knocking his legs from
under him. He hits the ground rolling, comes up into a wrestler's stance.
RILEY Are you holding back?
BUFFY Are you?
RILEY
Maybe. A little.
BUFFY Maybe me too.
RILEY I'll go
all out if you will.
BUFFY You sure?
RILEY Here we go.
Riley pushes her back, out of his grasp. They go at each
other, it's fast and sexy, but Buffy has mostly been blocking. Now she does one
simple kick. It catches Riley in the chest and BLOWS HIM BACK TEN FEET. He hits
the wall, collapses to the floor.
BUFFY Riley!
She runs to him, helps him up.
BUFFY (cont'd) Are you hurt?
He's checking for
broken ribs.
RILEY I... I'm... I don't think so.
BUFFY I didn't--I'm
so sorry.
RILEY It's fine. I'm good.
He smiles
at her, impressed with her. And Buffy smiles back, wonders; is he gonna be okay
with this?
ITN. BAR -- LATER (NIGHT)
Giles and Ethan are drunk.
GILES You know what gets me? Here's what gets me. I fight demons
for twenty years. Maggie Walsh comes in, six months later -- demons
pissing themselves with fear. They never even noticed me?
ETHAN
They're pretty busy. Who's Maggie Walsh?
GILES Oh, she's
awful. Said I was an absent male role model. Absent, my ass. And I'm
the man she is.
ETHAN I don't doubt it.
The waitress sets down full mugs, collects their empties.
Ethan scribbles something on his napkin, hands it to her.
ETHAN (cont'd) Here, luv. M' name and number. Ring me up. I'll
show you a time.
WAITRESS (off napkin) You're not Roger Moore.
ETHAN God's truth. Tell her, Ripper.
GILES What? Oh.
He's not Roger Moore.
The waitress walks away.
ETHAN Thanks. That was helpful.
GILES We've gotta face
it. We've changed. Well, you're still self-centered and sadistic.
ETHAN (raising mug) Here's to me!
They
clink and drink. Giles continues.
GILES
But the world's passed us both by . someone snuck in and took us
away and left these old men in our place.
ETHAN I tried to get
Head of Slug the other day, for a spell. Know what they told me? They
only had synthetic. Synthetic Slug-Head? What's that?
GILES
We're relics, mate. Dusty scraps of a world that doesn't exist
anymore. I mean, the bleeding "Initiative"--their methods may cause
problems, but they're getting it done. What am I? An unemployed
librarian with a tendency to get knocked on the head and a drawer full
of grotty amulets. 'S pathetic.
Ethan suddenly appears
stone sober. In a clear, dark voice:
ETHAN (ominous) You don't' have to worry about all that
anymore, mate. When you went to the loo I slipped a small pellet of
poison in your drink. You'll be dead in an hour.
Giles
stares at Ethan. A beat.
ETHAN (cont'd) Just kidding.
Ethan laughs.
Giles blinks, then laughs along with Ethan. They drink.
GILES I'm gonna feel like hell in the morning.
ETHAN
(ominous) Yes, you will. (then, drunk again) Kidding. Relax.
Stop thinking so much and enjoy the night. We're sorcerers. The night is
still our time. The time of magic.
GILES To magic!
They drink.
INT. TARA'S ROOM -- NIGHT (DAY 2)
Tara is making a symbol on the floor with salt and black sand. Willow
puts a single rose in the center of the symbol.
WILLOW I'm glad you wanted to get together. I know it's late.
TARA I... Thanks. I was happy you Called.
WILLOW
We'll start out slow.
TARA Okay.
They sit
down facing each other. They join hands over the rose. They close their eyes.
TARA (cont'd) Willow?
WILLOW Yeah?
TARA
Start out slow doing what?
They open their eyes.
WILLOW Oh. We're going to float the rose. Then we're going to
use the majicks to pluck the petals off one at a time. It's a test of
synchronicity. Our minds will have to be perfectly attuned to work as a
single delicate implement.
TARA Cool.
WILLOW And it
should be very pretty.
They close their eyes. They
concentrate. Their hair blows in a swirling breeze. The symbol on the floor
GLOWS, the rose QUIVERS, and then LIFTS. Willow and Tara open their eyes to see
it floating above their heads.
TARA It worked.
WILLOW Now the hard part... the
petals...
Suddenly the rose TAKES OFF... ZINGING around the
room, bouncing off the walls and ceiling, petals flying off. The girls jump to
their feet, and they have to duck it a couple times. Zing, zing... Finally it
lands at Willow's feet. A battered, SMOKING, rose stem. Puzzled, she picks it
up.
WILLOW (cont'd) What the heck was that?
TARA I don't
know. But... (bright side) the petals are off.
INT.
GILES' BEDROOM -- MORNING (DAY 3)
Outside the window, the morning sun
shines bright, and sweet little birdies twitter. Inside, Giles is a miserable
lump under the sheets. He GROANS. He starts to turn under the sheet, throwing it
off him, filling the frame with white.
From WHITE to BLACK
INT.
GILES' LIVING ROOM -- MOMENTS LATER
The black recedes ahead of camera...
it is Giles' pajama bottoms. He trudges down the stairway toward a MIRROR
mounted there. He looks blearily at himself in the mirror. Double take. He's an
almost unrecognizable, horned, tufted eared, spiny-torsoed guy in silk pajama
bottoms. He's a demon. He squints at himself.
GILES No.
He leans in closer, resting a hand
next to the mirror, and accidentally punches a hole into the wall.
GILES (cont'd) Oh.
Giles hurries down the last
few steps into the living room. The last few feet of banister snap off in his
hand.
GILES (cont'd) Damn.
He tosses the wood aside
impatiently -- it knocks over a chair, breaking it.
GILES (cont'd) Ethan. You bloody rotten tosser.
Giles picks up the phone and accidentally crushes the
receiver in his hand. He gives up and heads for the door instead. On the way he
spots last night's shirt on the floor. He picks it up and tries to put it on. It
tears on his spiny ridges.
GILES (cont'd) And I liked that shirt.
He drips
the shirt and grabs the blanket off the back of the sofa and heads out the door.
He slams it behind him. It splinters.
GILES (O.S.) Damn!
INT. ROCKET CAFÉ -- MORNING (DAY 3)
Buffy and Willow talk
over breakfast.
BUFFY I like pancakes. They're stackable. And waffles 'cause you
could put stuff in the little holes if you wanted to.
WILLOW
You should always have a new boyfriend. You're so fun right now.
Buffy smiles, embarrassed.
BUFFY Hey, I didn't even hear you come in last night. Where were
you?
WILLOW Oh, chem lab, by myself. I was trying to do a spell.
Floating a rose, when all of a sudden, (gesturing with fork) Zing!
Zing! All over the room, like a... rose-based missile.
BUFFY
Yikes.
WILLOW I know. I think there's something out there. I
felt like, there was this presence, this dark-majiks energy blocking the
spell. It's new.
BUFFY Someone else doing majiks?
WILLOW
Maybe. If so, it's someone pretty powerful.
BUFFY Huh. I'll
tell Giles about it. Oh, or maybe Maggie, she seems interested in this
kind of stuff, learning the mystical side of the demon-hunting biz.
WILLOW Talk to Giles. He's feeling a little hurt right now. How
come you never told him about Riley being a commando?
BUFFY
I did. I didn't?
WILLOW He says no. He's feeling all
neglected and out of the loopy.
BUFFY Huh. I mean, at first I
didn't tell, 'cause Riley said not to. Then it was -- meow- cat out of
bag, and I forgot he didn't know. I'll make it right next time I see
him. Tomorrow. I'm spending today with Riley.
WILLOW Of
course. I forgot that's what you always do on days when the Earth
rotates.
BUFFY Well, it's just going so great. I think. I hope.
Last night I kicked him across the room.
WILLOW Um... that's not
good.
BUFFY We were sparring. He told me not to hold back. He's
a little dented but I think he's okay with it. He said he was okay with
it. You think he's okay with it?
WILLOW I'm sure he is. And even
if he isn't, you had to do it. I mean, he's right, you can't go around
pretending you're less than you are. It wouldn't be right for you to
hold back.
BUFFY Right...
WILLOW What?
BUFFY
I held back a little.
INT. XANDER'S BASEMENT -- DAY
(DAY 3)
Giles, looking very spiny and horrible, lets himself in through
the outside door. He looks around. Xander is asleep on the sofa bed.
GILES (to himself) Asleep. It's ten-thirty in the morning.
Giles shakes Xander by the shoulder.
GILES (cont'd) Xander? Xander, wake up.
Xander
starts to wake up, rolls to face Giles, eyes closed.
XANDER (asleep) Mom?
GILES No, not Mom. Now you're
going to look at me, and you might be a little... alarmed. But there's
no need. It's me, Giles. Ethan has turned me into a demon and I need
your help.
Xander opens his eyes, looks right at Giles,
freezes.
GILES (cont'd) Hello. Yes, it's me.
XANDER Yaaaa!
Xander scrambles backwards -- up and over the back of the
sofa.
GILES Listen. Can't you understand me?
XANDER'S
POV:
Giles is saying:
GILES Rrr. Grrbch fffahar lagggh!
XANDER Demon! Demon!
Xander looks around wildly for a weapon.
GILES Xander, calm down! You're just--
XANDER'S
POV:
GILES --Grbr aachjk blah!
Xander grabs a
saucepan (from the shelves near the sofa). He HURLS it at Giles, grabs another.
GILES (cont'd) Hey! Ow!
XANDER'S POV:
Giles roars unintelligibly, flails at the pots and pans, knocks them
aside and breaks things. Finally Giles exits in a hurry.
XANDER That's right, run for your life!
EXT.
SUBURBIA -- DAY
Xander's neighborhood. Giles runs through the yards. A
MAN with a leaf blower stops and stares, then backs up in fear. A WOMAN carrying
groceries from her car sees him and drops the groceries. A SMALL CHILD screams
until its MOTHER scoops it up and runs away.
MOTHER Call 9-1-1!
GILES Bloody humans...
Giles runs for his life.
BLACK OUT.
END
OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
EXT. GILES' COURTYARD -- NIGHT (DAY
3)
Buffy, Willow, Xander and Anya walk into the courtyard.
BUFFY It had pointy things? What kind of pointy things?
XANDER The pointy kind. And tufty ears. Oh, and it might have a
sauce-pan- shaped bruise.
WILLOW Giles'll know what it was.
Buffy has spotted Giles' splintered front door. Suddenly
serious, she walks ahead, pushing open the broken door.
INT. GILES'
APARTMENT -- NIGHT
BUFFY (calling) Giles?
Xander runs upstairs
while the girls look downstairs, noting the broken items.
BUFFY (cont'd) Xander isn't the only one who got a visit today.
Xander returns down the stairs.
XANDER He's not upstairs.
WILLOW Oh God, Giles...
BUFFY Okay. There was a demon and Giles is gone. But it doesn't
mean that Giles is hurt. There's no blood. It might've just taken him
somewhere...
Anya picks up Giles' torn shirt. She holds
it up.
ANYA I think it ate him up.
EXT. CEMETERY --
NIGHT (DAY 3)
Giles wanders through the cemetery, rubbing his demony
head and grumbling to himself.
GILES What kind of people let their children throw stones .{
He rounds a corner and finds himself next to Spike. Spike
holds up a measuring tape to the side of a crypt, looking at it appraisingly. He
turns, sees Giles, smiles evilly.
SPIKE Well, what do I spy with my little eye? A demon. That
would be... oh right... the things I can kill.
Spike
saunters over, circles Giles predatorily.
GILES Spike. Wonderful. The perfect end to a perfect day.
SPIKE (incredulous) Giles?
Giles is flexing
his muscle-y, demony arms.
GILES Fine, let's get on with the fighting--You understand me?
SPIKE Of course I understand you.
GILES I'm speaking
English?
SPIKE No. You're speaking Fyarl. I happen to speak
Fyarl. And, by the way, why the hell are you suddenly a Fyarl demon?
'Cause I like to think I'm pretty observant, and I never saw a sign of
it, I swear.
GILES It's a funny story. If funny meant horrific.
SPIKE What, you just come over all demony this morning?
GILES Matter of fact, I did. Thanks to Ethan Rayne. You've got
to help me find him. He has to undo this. Then he needs a good
being-killed.
Spike leans against the mausoleum, lights a
cigarette.
SPIKE And I'm supposed to just help you out of
the evilness of my heart?
GILES You, you help me and I don't,
don't kill you.
SPIKE Oh, tremendously convincing. Try it again without the
stutter.
GILES Money. I can pay you money.
Spike stands up straight, tosses the cigarette aside.
SPIKE
Ooh. I like money. How much?
GILES A hundred dollars.
SPIKE A hundred dollars? You'll have to to a lot better
than that. (then) Two hundred.
GILES Fine.
SPIKE
Right then. What's first? I run tell the Slayer what you've gotten
yourself into?
GILES No! Don't do that.
SPIKE Ah...
embarrassed. One of my favorite human weaknesses, makes the blood go to
the skin. Little Willow does it 'specially well.
GILES I'm not
embarrassed. It's just not... not necessary. When I find Ethan, I can
clear this up without Buffy having to know that anything happened to me
at all.
INT. GILES' APARTMENT -- NIGHT (DAY 3)
Buffy, Willow and Anya are pulling books off Giles' shelf, shoving
pictures of various demons in front of Xander.
XANDER No... no... okay, that's a giant vulture. I'd have
mentioned if it was a giant vulture.
WILLOW Buffy, even if we
figure out what kind of demon got Giles, how are we going to find it?
BUFFY We'll figure it out. (to Xander) This one has tufty
ears.
They all stop when they hear someone RATTLING THE
BROKEN DOOR. Buffy is instantly alert.
WILLOW What was that?
XANDER Someone's coming in.
Buffy pulls a stake, moves to the die of the door. It
opens, and she finds herself about to stake... Riley.
RILEY Buffy?
BUFFY Riley? What are you going here?
She puts away the stake. He looks around curiously.
RILEY There were 9-1-1 calls. From a couple different places.
Including here.
XANDER You get 9-1-1 calls?
RILEY We
have a tap into the system. It flags things with possible non- human
causes. We check 'em out. What are you doing here?
BUFFY This is
Giles' apartment. He's missing. The calls... did anyone see what did it?
RILEY Negativ--no. Neighbors just heard, you know, growling,
things breaking. Sounded like a struggle.
WILLOW Poor Giles.
BUFFY We'll get him back.
RILEY What are you working on?
BUFFY We have... stuff. Pictures...
ANYA We have
nothing.
Buffy looks down, trying to hide her fears. Riley
takes Buffy the shoulders, looks into her eyes. As if he's trying to transfer
his hope to her.
RILEY I'll help. The whole Initiative. We'll do whatever you
need.
Buffy is moved by the offer, the complete trust it
represents.
BUFFY Thanks. I just wish I knew what I needed. I keep thinking,
let's ask Giles, and then I remember.
XANDER He'd be great right
now. He'd find himself in a second. Nobody's cooler in a crisis.
INT./EXT. GILES' CAR ON STREET -- NIGHT (DAY 3)
GILES If you can't third gear, don't for third
gear!
Giles is shouting at Spike, who drives the Citroen.
Giles is bundled under a blanket in the passenger seat.
SPIKE Doing my best. Don't know if I'm driving this thing or
wearing it.
GILES It's perfectly serviceable.
Spike laughs.
SPIKE Funny. Hearing a Fyarl demon say "serviceable." Had a
couple of 'em working for me once. They're more like "Like to crush.
Crush now?" Strong, though. You won't meet a jar you can't open for the
rest of your life.
Giles growls.
SPIKE (cont'd) What was that? Did you growl?
GILES No.
Listen, about Fyarl demons... do I, do I have any special powers?
Setting things on fire with my sizzling eye beams?
SPIKE
Well, you got the mucus thing...
Giles What? Mucus?
SPIKE Paralyzing mucus: shoots out the nose, sets up fast. Hard
as a rock. Pretty good in a fight.
GILES You're making this up.
SPIKE Maybe. But, hey, you feel a sneeze coming on, you warn me.
GILES Turn here.
Spike turns the car.
GILES (cont'd) (alarmed) Downshift! Downshift!
SPIKE
Calm down, will you?
GILES I'm not sure I can. I... I think
I'm changing.
SPIKE Fine with me, long's you still pay me.
GILES I don't like this feeling. It's like a... a mindless need
to destroy things. Anger. Rage.
SPIKE (wistful) Good times.
Go with it.
GILES (calm) No.
SPIKE It's fun! I can't
do it. Do it for me. Let yourself go!
GILES (extremely rational)
I refuse to become a monster, just because I look like one. I have a
soul. I have a conscience. I am a human being. (sees something, very
calm) Ooh. Stop the car.
Spike stops the car. They're
on the street near the Sun Cinema. Maggie walks along the sidewalk. Giles hops
out and runs at Maggie, waving his arms, ROARING like a demon maniac. Maggie
screams and runs away. Giles gets back in the car, pleased with himself.
GILES (cont'd) (calm) Right. Let's go then.
INT. GILES' APARTMENT -- NIGHT (DAY 3)
Xander looks
at an etching of a Fyarl demon.
XANDER That's the thing that attacked me.
The others close in to look at the picture as Willow reads
all about it, paraphrasing.
WILLOW A Fyarl demon. Sort of a foot- soldier type. Works for
other demons lots of the time. Very strong, and... oh, hey: Mucus.
BUFFY Mucus?
Riley's cell phone rings or
squawks or something. He answers it (it's a cell-phone with a walkie-talkie
feature -- we only hear his half of a conversation):
RILEY Agent Finn... go ahead.
As he listens...
BUFFY (to Willow) How do I kill it?
WILLOW Silver. A
weapon made of silver.
XANDER Did you just say "mucus"?
WILLOW You don't want to know.
Riley is still
listening...
RILEY
When...? Yes... (with an uncomfortable look toward Buffy) I
understand.
He terminates the connection.
RILEY (cont'd) The demon attacked Professor Walsh. It got out of
a small gray car. A Citroen.
WILLOW It stole Giles' car!
XANDER Why would a demon steal a car?
ANYA Why would a
demon steal car?
Buffy suddenly becomes General
Buffy.
BUFFY A demon that steals a car has a reason. It has a purpose.
They all look at her... they see the change in her.
BUFFY (cont'd) But it sounds like Fyarl demons aren't really big
independent thinkers. Willow-- the spells that have been going wrong.
Could that be caused by someone using majiks to control a demon? Making
this Fyarl demon attack Giles?
WILLOW Yeah. Yes, that would draw
a lot of dark energy.
BUFFY Willow, Xander, stay here. Whoever's
controlling the demon may call, ask for ransom. Give 'em anything they
want.
XANDER You got it.
BUFFY Riley, come with me
to the majiks shop. Maybe they needed supplies.
Buffy
makes a detour on her way to the door... looks at Giles' desk.
BUFFY (cont'd) Something silver...
She grabs a
silver letter opener from Giles' desk.
RILEY A letter opener? That's not very sharp.
BUFFY
Then I'll have to put some muscle behind it.
She
exits. Riley follows her.
INT. BAR- NIGHT (DAY 3)
Spike tosses
back a shot and chats up the waitress from last night. Giles sits in the shadows
at the end of the bar, hiding under his blanket.
SPIKE
Two of 'em. English like me, but older, less attractive. One of them
gave you his number...
WAITRESS Oh God, Roger Moore.
SPIKE No. Not Roger Moore--
Giles waves to get
Spike's attention, then nods vigorously.
GILES (affirmatively) Ahrooog.
SPIKE (to waitress)
Don't mind my friend. He's... insane. You got Roger's number?
WAITRESS Sorry.
Giles sags in defeat.
WAITRESS (cont'd) I mean, I took one look, saw he was staying at
that rat trap. No thanks.
SPIKE Which rat trap?
WAITRESS
The one by the highway. The Sunnydale Motor Inn.
SPIKE Thank
you. You're a discerning woman. You ever been in a real crypt, darling?
Giles pulls Spike with him as he heads out the door.
SPIKE (cont'd) (called back) I'll be back later. Buy you a
drink. I'll have money!
They're out the door. Giles
slams it. It breaks.
INT. MAJIK SHOP -- NIGHT (DAY 3)
CRASH. The
locked door is kicked in from the outside. Buffy enters, Riley follows. Buffy
goes to the counter, rummages underneath, breaks open a drawer. Pulls out...
BUFFY Credit card slips, copies of receipts. Help me look.
They sit on the floor, sort through them. As they look:
RILEY You shouldn't '{ have done that to the door.
BUFFY Don't have time to play by the rules tonight.
RILEY I have a master key. Opens every shop on main street.
BUFFY Oh. Next time. Absolutely.
RILEY (off receipts)
I don't know what I'm looking for.
Buffy freezes, a
credit card slip in her hand.
BUFFY I do. (holds it up) Ethan Rayne.
RILEY
Who's that.
BUFFY Professional bad guy. He's gotta be the
one who made the demon go after Giles. At least we know who we're
looking for.
RILEY (into cell phone) Come in... Are you there?
BUFFY What are you doing?
RILEY (into phone) This is
Agent Finn. I need a search. Local hotel registrations matching the name
Ethan Rayne. R-A-Y-N-E. I'll wait.
BUFFY You can do that?
RILEY It'll take a couple minutes.
BUFFY Let's get in
your car. Be ready to go.
She starts to get up...
RILEY Buffy... earlier, when I talked to Professor Walsh? She
gave me very specific orders.
BUFFY Yeah?
RILEY She
said, when we located the demon... I... I'm not supposed to bring you
along.
BUFFY Oh.
She starts to head for the
door. He follows.
RILEY What are you doing?
BUFFY I'm going to the car.
And then we're going where the demon is.
RILEY Buffy--
BUFFY You're not taking me along. I'm going and I'm letting you
come with me.
RILEY Buffy, it's not really your call. This
is a military operation now.
BUFFY So get the troops to stop me,
'cause nothing less than that's gonna do it. This demon did something to
Giles. And I'm gonna kill it.
She exits. He follows.
END OF ACT THREE
ACT FOUR
EXT. STREET/INT. GILES' CAR --
NIGHT (DAY 3)
Spike drives again, Giles in the passenger seat (no
blanket). Giles GROWLS low in his throat.
SPIKE
How're you feeling, mate?
GILES Like snapping necks until
everyone's dead.
SPIKE Now sounds like a Fyarl demon.
Good for you.
GILES Spike? If I change all the way, find Ethan
anyway, okay? Make him undo it. Please. Promise me.
SPIKE Yeah,
okay. Oh, wait. I mean no. Doesn't anyone get I'm still evil? (off
rear-view mirror) Hey, picked up a tail.
GILES Just a little
one. Hurts to sit.
SPIKE I mean someone's following us.
Giles twists around, looks behind them.
SPIKE (cont'd) Humvee. Military.
The reflected
light of the Humvee's headlights is in Spike's eyes now.
GILES Lose them. Speed up.
SPIKE I've got it floored.
Why'd you buy this car?
GILES Do something! If they catch us,
we both go into the lab.
THE CAR
As it takes a
turn almost skidding out of control, the Humvee right behind it.
SPIKE It's getting closer...
Another Humvee
cuts in behind them at a side street.
SPIKE (cont'd) And it's got a friend.
GILES Damn!
In frustration, Giles puts his strong demony hand through
the passenger side window -- glass shatters.
SPIKE Sure, dismantle the getaway car. That'll scare 'em.
SPIKE Wait, these Commandos, they're the same guys that're after
me too. Maybe I want you around to split their attention a bit.
GILES I'll give you another hundred dollars.
THE CAR
As it takes a turn, slowing marginally. The
passenger door opens. Impressively macho, Giles jumps from the moving car...
hits the pavement... rolls! The car speeds off, Humvees right behind it.
INT. ETHAN'S MOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT
Cheap motel room. Two double
beds, a dresser, a TV, not much else. Ethan is stuffing clothes into a
hard-sided suitcase on one of those folding suitcase stands when Giles bursts
into the room.
ETHAN Gaaah! Giles?
GILES (cold menace) Found you.
Ethan backs up as if from a wild dog.
ETHAN Calm down. It's okay. Good Giles.
GILES It's okay?
Oh, I'm gonna rip off your arms and stuff 'em right up your--
ETHAN'S POV OF GILES
GILES (cont'd) Vvrrooh, rrrraatha, hrrrrr!
Ethan backs up more, hits the wall, cringes.
ETHAN I don't actually speak Fyarl...
Giles
lunges at Ethan, who responds in typical manly fashion by ducking and running,
zipping around the edge of the room, climbing over the bed, the dresser, the
other bed...
ETHAN Don't kill me! I can't undo you if you kill me!
Giles ROARS, grabs Ethan by the shirtfront, tosses him
across the room. Ethan scrambles to his feet, some distance away from Giles.
Giles raises a hand, pressing one nostril closed threateningly:
GILES I'll use my mucus!
Ethan understands the
gesture. He flinches.
ETHAN No!
That's where they are when BUFFY AND
RILEY BURST IN.
ETHAN (cont'd) Slayer! Kill it! It killed Ripper and now it's
trying to get me!
BUFFY (to Riley, re: Ethan) Don't let him go.
I'll deal with him after I kill his little pet.
Buffy
lunges at Giles, deals him a flying kick that throws him back and makes him
ROAR.
Ethan tries to sneak out. Riley blocks him. Ethan punches, Riley
counters efficiently, keeps him from leaving.
ETHAN She's just gonna make him angry...
Buffy
and Giles fight. Giles SHOUTS in un-translated Fyarl. Buff hits him with a
punch. He deals her one in return that throws her against a wall.
GILES Obsolete, am I? Trying to get rid of me! Good! Try!
Finally, Buffy knocks him down. She looks at him, fire in
her eyes.
BUFFY What did you do to him? What did you do?
A devastating kick punctuates the question.
EXT. STREET -- LOADING DOCK/INT. GILES' CAR -- NIGHT
Spike is
having a great time in the car chase, grinning and taking the corners wildly.
THE CAR
Turns into an alley. We see one of the Humvees miss the
turn.
IN THE CAR
Spike leans out and yells back.
SPIKE You just try and catch me, filthy commando-pigs! You just
try--
He turns to face front again in time to see that the
alley is being blocked by a truck backing away from a loading dock directly into
his path.
SPIKE (cont'd) Oh, blast.
He spins the wheel
wildly, turns, misses the truck by inches!
SPIKE (cont'd) Ha! Knew I could do it. Not gonna stop me--
Then HE CRASHES THE CAR INTO THE LOADING DOCK. Pallets of
produce fly.
After a beat he crawls out of the totaled Citroen, pushing
the wreckage of the pallets away. Spike takes off running. As he goes:
SPIKE (cont'd) I can kill demons! I can crash cars!
He runs off into the night. As he goes:
SPIKE (cont'd) Things are looking up.
INT.
ETHAN'S MOTEL ROOM -- NIGHT
Giles gets off the floor. But Buffy FLIPS
over the folding suitcase stand, picking it up as she goes and CLAMPING it down
on Giles' head. She TWISTS it...
He ROARS and SWATS at her, knocking her
to one side.
RILEY AND ETHAN:
Riley, still blocking Ethan, is
distracted by the Buffy/Giles fight. He glances over, and Ethan LUNGES. Ethan
swings at Riley, who blocks with his forearm and throws a brutal punch at
Ethan...
Giles shouts in Fyarl as he kicks at Buffy's limp body, rolling
her over onto her back. He throws his head back in a ROAR of triumph.
Buffy's eyes snap open. She braces her arms on the floor and KICKS
straight up with both legs... catching GILES in the head and knocking him to the
ground. She FLIPS to her feet and launches herself on him... pummels him with
punches. She kneels on his chest. She pulls her silver letter opener from her
jacket and presses the tip against his throat. She braces both hands on it,
ready to drive it through his neck.
BUFFY This is for Giles.
GILES (confused) For me?
Buffy PLUNGES THE LETTER OPENER INTO GILES' CHEST.
At the same time, now face to face, she sees...
GILES' EYES
wide, frozen (is he dead?) Buffy suddenly recognizes him.
BUFFY Oh my God. Giles.
Giles, still alive,
nods enthusiastically.
GILES Ahrooog! Ahrooog!
BUFFY Oh God!
She pulls the letter opener out.
BUFFY (cont'd) Giles! Giles! I'm sorry! Don't die!
GILES
Actually I feel quite well. Except for the rage.
BUFFY I
think he's okay. (looking at letter opener) Is this real silver?
ETHAN Prob'ly pewter. Sometimes Giles is cheap about that stuff.
Who's for a reversal spell?
INT. ETHAN'S MOTEL ROOM --
LATER (NIGHT)
Riley stands in the open doorway, talking quietly into his
walkie-talkie. Buffy stands over Ethan, her hand wrapped around the back of his
collar. He sits on the floor in front of a symbol and some herbs. Giles is
wearing one of Ethan's shirts, looking at his face in the mirror to make sure
he's all better.
ETHAN I've got to learn to just do the damage and leave town.
It's the stay-'n-gloat gets me very time.
BUFFY (crossing to
Giles) Giles? You okay?
GILES Embarrassed mostly. Buffy, I don't
know what to say. You know I'd never intentionally--
BUFFY I
know. And I'm so sorry about, you know, stabbing you in the heart...
GILES How, how did you know it was me?
BUFFY (quietly)
Your eyes. There's only one person in the world who can look that
annoyed with me.
Giles smiles at her. A moment.
ETHAN (O.S.) Is this going to go on much longer? I'd like to be
going.
Buffy crosses back over to Ethan.
BUFFY Why would I let you go?
ETHAN Well, maybe 'cause
you've got no choice. I'm human, you can't kill me. What's a Slayer
gonna do to me?
Riley ushers in two large, uniformed, US
ARMY MPs. On of the MPs handcuffs Ethan.
RILEY By the authority of the U.S. Military, you are being taken
into custody pending a determination of your status.
The MPs haul Ethan away.
RILEY (cont'd) (to Buffy) They'll take Mr. Rayne to a secret
detention facility in the Nevada desert. I'm sure he'll be rehabilitated
in no time.
GILES I think I'd like to go watch them
manhandle him into a vehicle.
Giles exits. Buffy and
Riley are left alone.
BUFFY Thanks.
RILEY I told you I'd help.
BUFFY
You did. If I got here any later-- If Giles killed Ethan, I'd never
have gotten him back.
RILEY
And... you're in charge. You're, like, make the plan, execute the
plan, no one giving you orders.
BUFFY I'm a Slayer.
She looks at him, asking the question without asking it. He
smile, making a decision.
RILEY I like it.
BUFFY Yeah?
Their
gaze holds a beat. Then Riley nods, yes.
RILEY (play it straight) But give me another oh, week to get
ready and... I'll take you down.
A beat and he breaks a
smile, she smiles. Much mutual liking.
INT. GILES' APARTMENT -- DAY (DAY
4)
Buffy sits on the arm of the sofa and looks on while Giles hooks up a
new phone.
BUFFY Nice phone.
GILES Yes. Fabulous technology. You
see, if anyone has any information I need to know, they can simply
tell me about it through this ingenious speaking tube. I'm very
excited about it.
BUFFY I'm sorry, Giles. I really thought
I'd told you about Riley and the Initiative...
Finished with the phone, Giles moves around to sit in a
chair near Buffy.
BUFFY (cont'd) ... and I know that doesn't really help. It won't
happen again. I'll tell you everything.
GILES Buffy, I don't
want to ask you to betray any confidences, and I certainly don't want to
interfere...
BUFFY Uh-oh. You have but-face. (off his confused
look) You're about to say "but..."
GILES But... this Initiative.
I'm concerned. Ethan's not exactly a reliable source, but I'm not sure
he's wrong about them.
BUFFY I'm not dating the Initiative.
I'm dating Riley. And he's a good guy, Giles.
GILES I
believe that, but... he's part of something we don't really understand.
BUFFY You sure you're not just saying I shouldn't date Riley
because you don't like his boss?
GILES No, that's not what I'm
saying at all... although I do hate her quite a lot. I want you to have
your personal life, just... just keep your eyes open. Make sure you
know what you're getting into.
INT. HALLWAY -- THE
INITIATIVE -- DAY (DAY 4)
Riley and Maggie walk down the h {all
together.
MAGGIE So she walks in and the rules just suddenly... break.
RILEY Um... pretty much.
MAGGIE Be careful with her. She
reacts on instinct. There's no discipline there. Her loyalties are
uncertain.
RILEY You won't be disappointed in her. She's good at
what she does, and she has the... the truest soul I've ever known.
MAGGIE (amused) Oh no. Spontaneous poetic exclamations. Lord
spare me college boys in love.
RILEY I'm just saying she'll work
out. You'll be proud of her.
MAGGIE You want to know what I
think? (beat) I think you're probably right.
Riley
exits down the hallway. Maggie punches in a complex code and enters a room. As
she enters we get a quick glimpse of a large form under a sheet on an examining
table. The door closes, blocking our view.