Dreams

Buffy script references from: http://www.mustreadtv.com/buffyscripts/

Air Date: 28/10/2000

Dreams...

Something merges with your dream. Something larger and moving in many different directions.

CLOSE ON Willow's hand as she turns over a tarot card and lays it down before her. INSERT TAROT CARD: A picture of an ethereally striking woman, flowing hair, billowing robe... floating inches above the ground. Imprinted on the bottom is the word "Spiritus." WILLOW: Spiritus... The Spirit... She turns another card and lays it before Xander. INSERT CARD: The picture is of a valiant knight in bloodied tunic emblazoned with a heart. At the bottom, it reads, "Animus". XANDER: Animus... Heart... Willow turns over another and lays it down before Giles. INSERT CARD: A wizened scholar, surrounded by scrolls, and Old World globe. The word at the bottom: "Sophus." GILES: Sophus... Mind... Willow lays a final card down in the center, at the base of the gourd. INSERT CARD: It's a picture of two hands intersecting each other - one open and outstretched, the other clenched into a tight fist. It reads "Manus." WILLOW: And Manus. The Hand.

Its dark here. Your eyes flutter open. Something is wrong. You try to sit up, but something is stopping you. You are pinned to the bed, unable to move. Your fists clench in frustration and effort as you strain to sit up.

A soft touch brushes your right hand and gently holds your wrist, calming your struggles. It is a comforting touch and it feels so warm, suddenly making you realize just how deathly cold you are here. Turning your head you see your mother sitting at your side. She smiles and just quietly gazes at you for time.

Eventually, your mother starts to speak, but you can't hear the words. You strain to hear her whispered voice but it is drowned out by the grunting sound and the sound of the thing approaching you. It moves toward you, grunting with each breath. Your mothers lips are moving, but the thing is beside you now, crouched down on your other side, beside the IV and other medical equipment.

A ragged arm reaches up and out, grabbing you by the plain white hospital shirt, and pulls you and the hospital bed away from the visitors chair your mother is sitting in, into the darkness. Your mother's hand tightens around yours, holding onto yours, but the creature easily pulls you away. Her hand slips from about your wrist and the darkness starts to flood in.

You want to look at the creature or scream or get up and run, but all you can do is watch your mother disappear as the room darkens and your bed rolls away from her. She watches you go with a sad look on her face. Just before she fades away, she waves and calls out something, but alas, you hear nothing.

It is totally dark now, and the thing is with you. Fumbling round your hands hit something soft almost immediately. Soft like... a pillow? The air is stale here and breathing is becoming harder. Your hands move up and you realize you are inside a box. Your eyes adjust to the darkness and you see its a coffin, padded with silk on the inside.

You feel the creature at the end of the coffin, wriggling its way up with its sharp claws, scratching you through your clothes. It grunts a threatening sound, like it is ready to pounce.

Panic shoots through you and you bring your hands up to push hard against the lid, trying desperately to let some air in, but the lid stays firmly shut. Your breathing becomes harder and harder as you struggle to smash open the lid. Silk tears and there is a splintering sound from the wood. There are deep bloody cuts around your wrists, especially around the handcuff still on your left wrist. As you smash at the lid, the blood sprays and the white silk is splattered with your deep red blood.

Air.. you need air. Your breaths become deeper and more desperate, and your struggles become weaker. As your arms fall to your side, you realize the light is coming from a small view port above your face. Someone is staring down at you, watching emotionlessly as you struggle for life. You try to call out, but the face looks down at her stopwatch, clicking the button and reading off the time as your body finally gives up and your eyes close bringing total darkness once more. "4:22am. Mark it."

The heart monitor goes flat and gives its little shrill alarm, then a distant voice "OK, wait 15 then hit the switch.". By now the creature has clawed its way up to be face to face with you. Your eyes are closed and your limbs are too heavy to move, but the warm breath on your neck is one of the few sensations left that you can feel.

Jayde is stand outside a bedroom she hasn't seen before. Leda is standing just inside the door, dressed in plain white robes. Inside two women are lifting a sheet above the bed.

Leda speaks, but again, no sound is heard. She tries for a little longer and then seems to gives up, turning to look at the scene in the room.

BUFFY'S ROOM - DAY A ripple of WHITE. The ripple flows past us and settles - it's a bed sheet. BUFFY is in her room (her old room, not the dorm) and she's making the bed, along with somebody else. BUFFY: Smell good, don't they? We see holding the other end of the sheet: FAITH. And the two women talk like they're old friends. They make the bed slowly, in sync, like they're performing a ritual. FAITH: What? BUFFY: Clean sheets. Like summer. FAITH: I wouldn't know. Now they ritualistically fold in the corners... BUFFY: Right. I forgot. FAITH: I noticed. Buffy looks at A CLOCK on the wall. Her face falls. BUFFY: I wish I could stay, but- FAITH: You have to go. BUFFY: It's just, with... FAITH: Little sis coming. I know.

Gemma walks out of the cupboard, looking a little confused. She walks over to Leda and Jayde as the other two put the finishing touches on the bed.

The bed is made. Couldn't be neater. The ritual is complete. FAITH: So much to do before she gets here?

"Now, that was, like, so weird. How did I end up in there?"

Leda reaches out and pulls both girls into a hug. "Oh, I missed you both."

BUFFY: (glancing at clock) Now I really have to go.

There is an animalistic growl and Leda pulls away and stares behind both girls. Her eyes widen.

FAITH: So go. Don't let me keep- Faith stops - looks at the bed, disappointed.

Leda pushes past Jayde and Gemma, pleading, "No! She isn't who you said she would be. You lied to me! You tricked me! I didn't mean for this..."

There is a loud growl...

Close-up of the bed sheet. Plop! A single red drop of BLOOD hits the fabric, staining it. FAITH: Damn. Just when we made it so nice.

There is an angry growl. Leda's voice sounds again, clear and firm "I won't, ever!"

Then another drop of blood. Then another, and another. The drops start to flow... ANGLE ON FAITH. Now looking down at herself, maintaining her casual tone. Buffy is holding a KNIFE in Faith's stomach. Faith's bleeding on the sheets. The stain spreads...

There is the sound of fighting. Then suddenly a wet cracking sound, then a silence, broken eventually by a primal grunt.

FAITH: (sighs) Are you ever gonna take this thing out? As if in answer, Buffy's expression goes hard and cold-blooded as she rips the knife up, hard. There is a wet cracking sound. Faith's expression turns to total shock, she opens her mouth to scream.

Turning around, both twins observe the three sitting in a circle around the gourd.

Willow lays a final card down in the center, at the base of the gourd. INSERT CARD: It's a picture of two hands intersecting each other - one clenched in a claw, straining to grasp its attacker and the other pinning the first hand in a strangle hold. It reads "Manus." WILLOW: And Manus. The Hand.

When you turn back to the bedroom, it is now a dark dank jungle. Moving through it and into the bedroom is slow progress. After a few minutes, a soldier appears, hacking a path across the one the twins are traveling.

He shoulders his weapon and turns. "Oooh, twins! I've always wanted to... Err... Um... You didn't happen to see two women come this way did you? Or maybe an older woman in a red night gown?"

"Buffy and Faith you mean? Err, they were just in the bedroom." Jayde offers helpfully.

"Were they... nak.. errr... never mind. Um, I was looking for Willow and Tara."

"Willow is at the circle with you, casting the spell." Jayde informs him.

"We haven't met Tara." Gemma offers.

"Willow and I cast a spell together? Were we... Oh... Oh just a spell spell huh? Drat."

"Err... I guess." Jayde says, backing away a bit. "Um, look we have to keep going."

"Be careful, something is after me."

The jungle starts to clear and open out into a dark cemetery. Faith and Buffy are fighting each other. The anger and violence of the fight is truly disturbing and neither seems to be holding back. They strike vicious blow after blow on each other and neither seems really effected, despite the bruises and cuts on their bodies and the power of their blows.

Watching the fight progress, the key differences become apparent between the two. The blonde's style is more skilled, but the brunette is stronger, they fight differently, but they appear matched, skill verses strength.

Suddenly things burst from the undergrowth. People with horribly distorted faces and big teeth. About 6 charge the two women, who are now grappling each other, trying to choke the life from each other. Some grab the blonde one round the neck and drag her off while others hold the dark haired woman by the arms. One of their number swings a large wooden branch down to the back of her head, with a crack. Faith staggers.

"No! Faith!", Buffy calls out and swings an elbow back into the vamp holding her neck. She turns and delivers a hard kick to the head of another vamp to her left and swings round to stabs one of the vamps holding Faith. The vamp lets go and looks stunned before bursting into dust.

Faith pulls free and turns to engage the vamps who grabbed her, while Buffy turns to face the rest. Back to back the women stand while the vamps circle, waiting.

"Thanks. Got my marker, B. Show time?".

"Looks like." They leap at the vamps and the fight is joined.

A voice sounds behind the twins, "Ladies?". They turn and a man in a suit is holding a blue tray with cheese slices on. "Swiss or Cheddar? You must make a choice."

Gemma and Jayde exchange confused looks.

Another man walks up and smiles sweetly at them. "Lots of calcium you know. Good for growing bones, by gum! Made my Faith the strong little lady she is today."

Shaking their heads, the twins turn back to the fight.

Faith grabs the wrist of the last of her attackers and twists, forcing the vamp back over a gravestone. Buffy turns and kicks one of the vamps behind her and sends him flying through the air and into a wall of a crypt. Faith stabs the stake into the vamp she has tossed over the gravestone and he explodes into dust. Buffy lunges with her stake at her other vamp attacker and he explodes.

"That rocked! Feelin' good, B?"

"It didn't suck!" They high five and turn to face the last vamp who is recovering from his impact with the crypt.

"Mine, B." shouts Faith, leaping over to the vamp and landing a vicious kick to his chest.

Buffy turns, looking away and walks off, "Gotta find my friends. We were going to watch some videos". She wanders between the graves, her sandles flicking up the sand that seems to get heavier and heavier in the direction she is walking.

Faith turns to look after her. "B? Ah, $*#@#!!" She angrily turns to the vamp, drops the stake and starts to punch and kick an endless rain of blows down upon the shaking vampire.

Perched on top of the crypt like a vulture is the rag covered primal. Her face is covered with mud or paint and she grunts angrily as she watches Buffy walk off. Faith takes no notice and grunts the same animal grunt as she kicks the broken body of the vampire at her feet. The primal woman looks down at Faith and smiles.

Faith leans down and picks up the stake. "Say good night, John-boy." The vampire is just a broken pile of bones now, unable to resist at all. She stakes it and it bursts into dust.

Calcium man walks over to Faith.

"Boss! You're OK!" Faith says excitedly, "I thought you were dead!!!"

"I am. I was borrowed. Someone needs to speak for her."

Faith looks startled. "What the...? Huh?"

The primal leaps down from the crypt.

"I have no speech." Calcium man continues, "No name. I live in the action of death. The..."

"5 by 5 with me, fruit cake.", Faith cuts her off, "Whatever gets ya juices goin'." The primal growls and Faith immediately punches her in the face and the fight starts again. After trading blow and circling around each other, the primal leaps and tackles Faith to the ground. She pulls a ragged bone knife and dives for Faith. Faith catches the falling knife blow and rolls to one side, bringing the primal to the ground with her. The two are matched, strength for strength. They roll, fighting for control of the knife until they roll into an open grave and fall into it.

They fall about six feet onto the roof, land amid glass and wood shards. Faith is on her back, groaning in pain. She feels Buffy grab her wrist-- ANGLE: FAITH'S WRIST --and slam a handcuff on it. Faith pulls savagely away but the other cuff is already on Buffy's wrist. BUFFY: Stick around. Faith punches Buffy. EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT A fight in progress. Two girls cuffed together, hampered by the restriction but also using it. Buffy is now getting the upper hand, gets Faith pinned. Faith is starting to get a little raggedy. BUFFY: What's the matter? All that killing and you're afraid to die? The look in Faith's eyes says she is. She strains at the cuff -- and it snaps, the two girls rolling away from each other. Faith grabs a makeshift weapon (a pole of some type), and Buffy draws Faith's knife. FAITH: That's mine. BUFFY: You're about to get it back. Fighting. Some blood. They're tired, moving slow, swinging wide. And they end up by the ledge, Faith's hand on Buffy wrist, holding the knife at bay, Faith's other hand on Buffy's throat. Buffy is perilously close to the edge. She looks down and sees: ANGLE: BUFFY'S POV Alleyway. A three story drop. The two girls are close again, straining. Faith again with the upper hand. She edges Buffy closer to the edge and it is with sincerity that she says: FAITH: Man, I'm gonna miss this... Buffy whips her hand free and buries the knife in Faith's stomach. To the hilt. Faith goes wide-eyed, a tiny stream of blood burbling from her mouth. Buffy wrenches the blade free and Faith clutches her stomach. She sags... And then uppercuts Buffy halfway across the roof. Buffy lands hard on her back. FAITH : You did it... There is both confusion and pride in her voice as she looks at her prone counterpart. FAITH : You killed me.

Jayde and Gemma watch from the far side of the sidewalk as Faith falls from the roof and impacts on the truck with a sickening thud. The truck continues to move down the street and as it clears the building that Faith just fell from, Leda is visible, crossing the road towards them.

"Its not meant to be like this." Leda sobs, crying. "The action of death."

Buffy walks over to the edge of the roof and watches the truck drive off. "No..."

"The blood-cry. What use are these? What do they say to you? Do they call you? What will it cost? If it is true that whatever you send out is returned three fold, then which one was lost that there are now three?"

"How does one fight anger and rage? With the hand, the heart, the spirit or the mind?"

"I was shown the suffering of the world and I gave all I had to stop it. Perhaps it was for nothing, but I have faith and faith brings hope. Hope that things will turn out for the best."

EXT. GRAVEYARD/FAIR - NIGHT BUFFY: Ooh! Here! Can I? Can I? GILES: Yes, go ahead. She lets go of his hand, moves to a stand (of crypt-like stone) that has balls set up, three to a pile, and dummy mock up of a vampire that pops up and moves around at the back. Buffy takes a ball, waits. The dummy pops up and a tinny, recorded voice cries: VOICE:: I am a vampire! Buffy throws a ball, it goes wide. GILES: Buffy, you have a sacred birthright to protect mankind. Don't stick out your elbow. She tries again, nails it. Looks to Giles for approval. He looks peevish. GILES: I haven't got any treats... Buffy turns to the vendor, who hands her a cotton candy. She digs into it. OLIVIA: For God's sake, Rupert, go easy on the girl. GILES: This is my business. Blood of the lamb and all that. (to Buffy) Now, you're gonna get that all over your face.

Giles walks over to the the twins. "What are you doing here, alone? You cant just walk around here without someone to look after you."

A weird partially transparent man walks up and coldly examines the twins and Giles. His flesh bulges slightly as the man inside fights to get out, screaming silently underneath the flesh that imprisons him.

"Ahhh, thats much better." Giles says, moving off.

The man transparent man smiles a cold emotionless smile and removes a scalpel and reaches out for Jayde.

The twins back away and Jayde backs into Dr Gray, the family psychiatrist when they were back in LA. "Hold still, dear. Don't you want to know what's happening? You have to look inside yourself. I'm here to help you look and understand."

The transparent man is moving closer and Jayde slips past Dr Gray and runs. Dr Gray turns and waves to the twins, "Call me. We must do lunch."

The twins walk from the carnival and out back onto the street on the other side of Faith's apartment. Leda is still there standing on the the road, waiting.

The primal leaps down from the apartment roof and runs towards the twins, death in its eyes. Hunter! Predator! The twins run. Turning down and alley, they dodge past the bins and rubbish. Behind them, bins are knocked over as the primal chases its prey.

FAITH'S APARTMENT - DAY BUFFY: Who's gonna look after him? Faith crosses behind Buffy, replies: FAITH: It's a she. And aren't these things supposed to take care of themselves? BUFFY: A higher power, guiding us? FAITH: I'm pretty sure that's not what I meant.

The alley ends, but to the left is an open door. Gemma runs through the door, while Jayde holds it open, then slips through and locks it. Gemma is puffing, her asthma playing up again. Jayde pulls some heavy speaker boxes in front of the door and then the two move off, at a jog.

The passage opens up onto the back stage of a hall or nightclub.

WIDER ANGLE: The Primitive is perched on a speaker right behind him. We see her silhouetted by an indoor LIGHTNING FLASH. Blade in hand. Giles doesn't move as she creeps down behind him. GILES: (quietly terrified) I know who you are. And I can defeat you. With my intellect. Cripple you with my thoughts. ANGLE: THE TOP OF HIS HEAD As she prepares to cut it open. GILES: Of course you underestimate me. You couldn't know... EXTREME CLOSE ON: GILES' FACE as blood begins to wash down it from out of frame. GILES: You never had a Watcher...

The twins turn and run, Jayde pulls the speakers from the exit and covers the door, Gemma runs through and into the living room. The twins are facing each other in the richly appointed room, filled with expensive leather furniture and high tech audio equipment.

The man enters the room, walking quickly past the twins and up behind Gemma. He has well dressed in an expensive looking suit with long blonde hair, tied neatly into plats that run down his back. He places a firm and caring hand on Gemma's shoulder and turns to face Jayde.

He has attractive flawless features, but most noticeably amazingly bright blue eyes. He smiles warmly to Jayde, patting Gemma on the shoulder. "I hope you know what you were both doing coming here. Its dangerous." He looks worried and asks Jayde, "Was this your idea?"

His grip on Gemma's shoulder firms up and Gemma looks startled and pained.

ANGLE: BUFFY AND ANGEL Are framed in front of the growing vortex. ANGEL: What's happening, Buffy? BUFFY: Shhhhh. . . it doesn't matter. She pulls away to look at him. Kisses him passionately. BUFFY: I love you. ANGEL: I love you. . . BUFFY: Close your eyes. Serenely compliant, he closes them. She kisses him softly. She steps back and thrusts the sword through his chest, directly into the chest of the demon. There is an unearthly roar. Angel's eyes open wide -- he looks down at himself impaled, at Buffy uncomprehendingly. Buffy can't speak -- she tries not to cry as she takes another step back. Angel reaches out to her -- and the vortex closes over him, sucks him into Hell. And is gone.

Suddenly Gemma cries out as the blade slides out through her chest and she looks down horrified.

Jayde tenses up, ready to fight, but he looks hurt and pained and simply releases his grip on Gemma's shoulder and she slides down, off the sword and onto the ground in a heap.

He turns and pleads with Jayde, "Please. If you rush, you can get her to hospital before it's too late!!"

Jayde rushes over to Gemma and reaches under the sand to support her sister. "Gem?" Firming her grip, she lifts Gemma up and carries her over to the hospital bed.

Buffy and calcium man walk over. "What seems to be the matter, young lady?" asks calcium man.

"Chest! Stabbed! Help!"

"Oh dear, that just wont do!" He passes Gemma a jar of cookies. "Take two and call me in the morning."

Buffy and calcium man walk over to the other bed where Faith is laying quietly, bruised and battered.

DOCTOR: ....bones reset, and the damage to the kidneys is repairable, Camera turns around and we see the Mayor. DOCTOR: but the head trauma - well, its simply too severe. It's a wonder she's alive at all with the blood loss. Pan around the Mayor and we see Faith in the hospital bed, hooked up to monitors. DOCTOR: I'm sorry sir, there's almost no chance she'll regain consciousness. MAYOR: (turns to Faith and brushes hair off her cheek, cradling her bruised face) It's your day.

Faith, fully healed now, thrashes around on the bed, pulling at the cuffs and straps that hold her to the bed. "No! No! I'm here! Listen to me!!! Take me with you, boss! Boss! Listen to me!!! Its dangerous! Buffy knows!! She knows! She's going to come to me in my dreams. She's going to use me against you!!" She yanks at the cuffs and they bite into her wrist. "No! Listen to me!"

The Mayor turns and leaves.

Buffy walks over and stares down at Faith, motionless and bruised on the hospital bed.

FAITH'S APARTMENT. FAITH : They're never gonna fix this, are they? BUFFY: What about you? Faith turns back, indicates her face. FAITH: Scar tissue. It fades, it all fades. Buffy looks down at her hand. For a moment, Faith's knife is in her palm, then gone. Faith moves toward Buffy. FAITH : You wanna know the deal? Human weakness. It never goes away. Even his. BUFFY: Is this your mind or mine? They both smile at that -- Faith even laughs a little. FAITH: Beats me. (a beat) Gettin' towards that time. Buffy looks around her, at the boxes. BUFFY: How are you gonna fit all this stuff? FAITH: Not gonna. It's yours. BUFFY: I can't use all this. Faith stands before her, looks at her with quiet regard. FAITH: Just take what you need. Buffy nods. FAITH : You ready? She puts her hand to Buffy's cheek.

Faith thrashes around on the bed, fully healed, pulling at the now bloody handcuffs. "Buffy! What the #*$!#@ did you do to me? Stay out of my head."

She looks around her -- she is alone for the moment. Buffy goes over to her bed, looks down at her. Faith is still, battered and bruised. After a moment, she leans down and kisses Faith's forehead lightly.

"Leave him alone! Don't you dare hurt him! I'll gunna kill you if you even touch him, B." She thrashes around yanking at the cuffs. "Buffy, NO!" She pulls with all her might and the cuffs start to strain and suddenly one breaks free.

Buffy and the Mayor walk over and start to lift the sides of the coffin into place around her. Faith is screaming, "I'm going to kill and burn..." but the rest is muffled as they lift the lid into place.

Buffy looks at her watch. "4:22am. Mark it."

Jayde looks back to Gemma who has finished a cookie and is looking better already. Gemma sits up and flicks on the television.

EXT. DESERT - DAY Camera aims up to find that Buffy stands atop a lone, large, sand dune. She looks around, worried. BUFFY: (whispers) I'm never gonna find them here... ANGLE: TARA Appears opposite Buffy on the dune, walking toward her. She is dressed in Indian garb, midriff and skirt. Again, preternaturally calm. TARA: Of course not. That's the reason you came. She stands a ways apart, the two of them regarding each other. BUFFY: You're not in my dream. TARA: (agreeing) I was borrowed. Someone has to speak for her. BUFFY: Let her speak for herself. That's what's done in polite circles. As she says this, the Primitive appears right behind her. Buffy is aware of her, but does nothing. The Primitive circles her, slowly, sniffing her, assessing her. Buffy is rigid, the Primitive all angles and motion, finally ending up in front of Buffy. As this is happening, we cut between the two slayers as though they are conversing, though it is Tara who speaks for the Primitive. BUFFY: (to the Primitive) Why do you follow me? TARA: I don't. BUFFY: Where are my friends? TARA: You're asking the wrong questions. BUFFY: (calm anger) Make her speak. TARA: I have no speech. No name. I live in the action of death. The blood- cry, the penetrating wound. I am destruction. Absolute. Alone. BUFFY: (realizing) The Slayer. TARA: The first. The Primitive stands erect at that, facing Buffy with defiant pride. Buffy looks down, at her hand. Sees: INSERT: The deck of tarot cards that Tara had tried to hand her. The top card is actually a birds eye view of the four friends asleep in Buffy's living room. BUFFY: I'm not alone. The Primitive growls, snaps her teeth at Buffy. TARA: The slayer doesn't walk in the world. BUFFY: I walk. I talk. I shop, I sneeze, I'm gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back. There's trees in the desert since you moved out, and I don't sleep on a bed of bones. Now give me back my friends.

Faith is still and bruised in the hospital bed, the heart monitor is beeping as it flat lines. Being dead, her lips don't move as she speaks. "I'm always running, to catch up or run away. I shout, but no one listens. I take whatever I need. Actually, I never get sick. I'm going to burn so bright I light up the heavens. Trees burn, everything burns, and there are bones under all the Earth, wherever I sleep. I have no friends, no family, only me. Now, its only me."

The Primitive struggles to contain her rage, finally spitting forth: PRIMITIVE: No... friends... just the kill... we are... alone.

"At last a plan that I can relate to!" She twitches and starts to move again.

As she says this last, the Cheese Man leans into frame, dangling a couple of slices invitingly.

Seeing the Cheese Man, Faith starts thrashing round and trying to get free. She is strapped to the bed and walls start to grow around the bed, but she starts to pull free. "You again! Stay out of my dreams, you freaky, cheese carrying #*$&@*$(*#@ bastard! Let me go, I'm going to kill him!"

Faith starts to tear free of the box, smashing her way through it and tearing handcuffs from the bed. "Going to kill you! Tear you apart". With a primal grunt she pulls free and sits up. "Kill!"

BUFFY: That's it. I'm waking up. The Primitive LEAPS into frame, knocking Buffy back out of it. And they fight, briefly, the Primitive strong with primal rage, Buffy more sophisticated, the martial artist. After a quick exchange Buffy comes up at the edge of the dune, saying: BUFFY: It's over.

Buffy in the hospital (not the desert) walks over to Faith's bed. Faith looks surprised and looks from the TV Buffy to the Buffy standing next to her. "Not fair! How can there be two of you?"

Buffy smiles and looks down. "We're Slayers, girlfriend, the Chosen Two." Buffy looks down at her hand. For a moment, Faith's knife is in her palm, then gone. Faith calms down and just stares at the TV Buffy.

The Primitive dives at her, tackling her and they both roll down the dune and we hard cut to: INT. BUFFY'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Buffy wakes up. Everything is the same as it was, except Buffy is lying in the middle of the floor. She raises herself, looks over at the gang -- they are still sleeping. Buffy is about to speak when the Primitive drops into frame right in her face and stabs her, bringing the knife down again and again... She stops. Buffy looks pretty bored. There is no blood on her.

Faith taps the Dr Buffy on the arm and points to the primal on the TV screen. "Are you ever gonna take this thing out?"

As if in answer, Buffy's expression goes hard and cold-blooded as she plunges the knife down, hard. There is a wet cracking sound. Faith's expression turns to total shock, she opens her mouth to scream as she falls down flat on the bed, bruised and silent, hooked up to medical equipment.

BUFFY: Are you quite finished? She gets up, moves back to where she was sleeping. The Primitive stands, bewildered. BUFFY: You just have to get over the whole primal power thing. You're not the source of me. She sits, makes herself comfy. BUFFY: Also, in terms of hair care, you really want to say 'what kind of impression am I making in the workplace?' 'Cause that particular look --

Suddenly everything goes black. Darkness billows around the twins, whispering quietly and it flutters. The curtains pull back and opens on a backstage production.

GILES: All right, everyone, pay attention. In just a few moments that curtain will open on our very first production. Everyone Willow has ever met is in that audience, including all of us. That means we have to be perfect. Stay in character, remember your lines, and energy energy energy. Especially during the musical numbers. As he speaks, and Willow grows more and more unnerved, she notices ANGLE: THE FIGURE FROM THE DESERT Moving silently and quickly beyond the edge of the crowd. We see it only in glimpses, but slightly better than we did before. We won't catch all of this now, but: It's a woman. She appears to be in soiled rags, not unlike a mummy's. Black hair in coarse dreads -- through neglect, not fashion. Face painted in colored clay. Long, almost claw like nails. She carries a long, jagged blade. WILLOW (whispers) Did you guys see -- GILES: Remember, acting isn't about behaving. It's about hiding. The audience wants to find you, they want to strip you naked and eat you alive so HIDE.

Willow walks over to the twins. "I cant believe there is a production! Are you in the play? What parts do you have?"

Giles walks over, "Oh, Jayde, Gemma, here at last. I'm afraid most of the good parts are gone. Your watcher should have told you to come earlier."

Riley walks up and tips his hat to the twins. "I was on time so I got to be cowboy guy."

Giles looks at him for a second and then looks back to the twins. "There is only one part left, I'm afraid." He offers the stack of paper to the twins. Gemma and Jayde exchange confused looks.

Willow looks around nervously and walks off, edging to the curtain and looking out. She steps into the curtains and darkness falls behind the set.

Willow lays a final card down in the center, at the base of the gourd. INSERT CARD: It's a picture of three hands radiating out from the center of the card. One is a fist, held threateningly, one is a hand held up to stop and the other is an open palm, offered in as welcome. It reads "Manus." WILLOW: And Manus. The Hand.

The face above the coffin examines her watch again. "OK. 15. Hit the switch." There is a hissing noise and air whispers past Jayde's neck and her lungs suck in the cool fresh air.

Movement returns to her body and she opens her eyes, looking up at her bedroom ceiling. The fog is lifting from her brain and Jayde's strength quickly returns to her. Her muscles are tingling, seemingly ready to spring to instant action. Her senses feel alive, scanning her surroundings, looking for trouble. She sits up taking in her surroundings and looking for any remaining weirdness.

4:22am. The beside clock clicks over to 4:23am.

She hears the crash of glass from the room next door. Hunching slightly, preparing to strike, she listens. A faint, gasping cry echos at the edge of her hearing. She leaps to her feet and bolts for her sisters room.

"Gemma!!!!!!"

Roll Credits

Lawyers take note: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Angel and all characters related belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and fox.