Written by: Joss Whedon
Directed by: John
Kretchmer
Transcribed by: AleXander
Thompson
Copyright (c) 1997 Alexander Thompson
~~~~~~~~~~ Disclaimer ~~~~~~~~~~
I do not own the characters
in this story, nor do I own any rights to
the television show "Buffy
the Vampire Slayer". They were created by
Joss Whedon and belong to
him, Mutant Enemy, Sandollar Television, Kuzui
Enterprises, 20th Century
Fox Television and the WB Television Network.
This is not a novelization
or a script. It is a straightforward and dry
transcript of the episode
"The Harvest". It also includes descriptions
of the settings, action
scenes and camera movements where I felt they
were needed.
I made every effort to accurately
transcribe the dialogue from this
episode. If you notice anything
that is transcribed incorrectly, please
let me know and I will post
an update.
rev 99.06.23
This episode was originally
broadcast on March 10, 1997.
~~~~~~~~~~ Prologue ~~~~~~~~~~
In every generation there
is a Chosen One. She alone will stand against
the vampires, the demons
and the forces of darkness. She is the Slayer.
Inside the mausoleum. Luke
tries to bite Buffy, but burns himself on the
cross hanging around her
neck and jerks back. Buffy seizes the
opportunity and push kicks
him out of the coffin. She climbs out of it
and races outside. Cut outside.
Buffy runs to catch up with Willow,
Xander and Jesse. She hears
a vampire roar and a girl screaming and runs
toward the sounds. Cut to
Willow on the ground, about to be bitten.
Willow: No! Get off!
Buffy: Hey!
The vampire looks up, and
Buffy snap kicks him off of Willow. He gets up
and runs away. Willow is
shocked by what she sees. Buffy quickly starts
the hunt again. Willow gets
up and runs after her. Cut to Xander being
dragged away by two vampires.
Willow appears between two gravestones.
Willow: Xander!
The vampires are distracted.
Buffy takes advantage of the opening and
jumps in, high punches one
and side kicks the other. She notices a dry
branch on a tree and breaks
it off. As one of the vampires gets up she
plunges the stick into him.
Willow rushes over to Xander who's still on
the ground.
Willow: Xander, are you okay?
Xander: Man, something hit me.
Buffy: Where's Jesse?
Willow: I don't know! They surrounded us.
Xander: That girl grabbed him and took off.
Buffy: Which way?
Xander: I don't know.
She stands up straight and slowly scans the cemetery.
Buffy: (whispers) Jesse!
Opening credits roll. Buffy's theme plays.
~~~~~~~~~~ Part 1 ~~~~~~~~~~
The library. The globe up
on the stack level is spinning. Giles stops it
while he lectures and makes
his way down to where Buffy, Willow and
Xander are at the study
table.
Giles: This world is
older than any of you know. Contrary to popular
mythology, it did not begin
as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked
the Earth. They made it
their home, their... their Hell. But in time
they lost their purchase
on this reality. The way was made for mortal
animals, for, for man. All
that remains of the old ones are vestiges,
certain magicks, certain
creatures...
Buffy: And vampires.
Xander: Okay, this
is where I have a problem. See, because we're
talking about vampires.
We're having a *talk* with vampires in it.
Willow: Isn't that what we saw last night?
Buffy: No. No, th-those
weren't vampires, those were just guys in
thundering need of a facial.
Or maybe they had rabies. It could have
been rabies. A-and that
guy turning to dust? Just a trick of light.
(Xander gives her a look)
That's exactly what I said the first time I
saw a vampire. Well, after
I was done with the screaming part.
Willow: Oh, I, I need to sit down.
Buffy: You are sitting down.
Willow: Oh. Good for me.
Xander: So vampires are demons?
Giles: The books tell
the last demon to leave this reality fed off a
human, mixed their blood.
He was a human form possessed, infected by the
demon's soul. He bit another,
and another, and so they walk the Earth,
feeding... Killing some,
mixing their blood with others to make more of
their kind. Waiting for
the animals to die out, and the old ones to
return.
Cut to the sewers. Darla
and Luke are forcing Jesse into the Master's
lair.
Luke: Move!
They reach the lair, which
is actually what remains of a church, and
Luke forces Jesse down the
slope to the floor below. The Master
approaches.
Master: Is this for me?
Luke: An offering, Master.
Darla: He's a good one! His blood is pure!
Master: (draws the obvious conclusion) You've tasted it.
Darla looks down in shame.
Master: I'm your... faithful dog. You bring me scraps.
Darla: I, I didn't mean it...
Master: I have waited.
For three score years I have waited. While you
come and go I am stuck here,
here in this house of... (with extreme
contempt) worship! My ascension
is almost at hand. Pray that when it
comes... (takes Darla by
the neck) I'm in a better mood.
Darla: Master, forgive
me! We had more offerings, but there was
trouble. A girl!
Luke: And there was
a girl. She fought well and she knew of our breed.
It is possible that she
may be...
Master: ...a Slayer!
Cut to the library.
Xander: And that would be a what?
Giles: For as long
as there have been vampires, there's been the
Slayer. One girl in all
the world, a Chosen One.
Buffy: He loves doing this part.
Giles: Alright. The
Slayer hunts vampires, Buffy is a Slayer, don't
tell anyone. Well, I think
that's all the vampire information you need.
Xander: Except for one thing: how do you kill them?
Buffy: *You* don't, *I* do.
Xander: Well, Jesse's my...
Buffy: (interrupts) Jesse is *my* responsibility. I let him get taken.
Xander: That's not true.
Willow: If you hadn't
shown up they would have taken us, too. Does
anybody mind if I pass out?
Buffy: Breathe.
Willow: Breathe.
Buffy: Breathe. (to
Giles) This big guy, Luke. He talked about an
offering to the Master.
Now, I don't know what or who, but if they
weren't just feeding then
Jesse may still be alive. I'm gonna find him.
Willow: Uh, this may
be the dumb question, but shouldn't we call the
police?
Giles: And they'd believe us, of course.
Willow: Well, we don't
have to say vampires. We, we could just say that
there's a, a bad man.
Buffy: They couldn't
handle it even of they did show up. They'd only
come with guns.
Giles: You have no idea where they took Jesse?
Buffy: I looked around,
but soon's they got clear of the graveyard,
they could have just, voom!
Xander: They can fly?
Buffy: They can drive.
Xander: Oh.
Willow: I don't remember hearing a car.
Giles: Let's take an
enormous intuitive leap, shall we, and say they
went underground.
Buffy: Vampires really
jam on sewer systems. You can get anywhere in
the entire town without
catching any rays. But I didn't see any access
around there.
Xander: Well, there's
an electrical tunnel that runs under the whole
town.
Giles: If we had a
diagnostic of the tunnel system it might indicate a,
a meeting place, it would,
uh... I suppose we could go to the building
commission.
Buffy: We *so* don't have time.
Willow: Uh, guys? There may be another way.
Cut to the Master's lair.
Master: A Slayer! Have you any proof?
Luke: Only that she fought me, and yet lives.
Master: Hmm, very nearly
proof enough. I can't remember the last time
that happened.
Luke: 1843. Madrid. He caught me sleeping.
Master: She mustn't be allowed to interfere with the Harvest!
Luke: I would never let that happen!
Master: Don't worry
about it. I believe she'll come to us. We have
something she wants.
Luke smiles at Jesse.
Master: If she is a Slayer, and this boy lives, she'll try to save him.
Luke: I thought you nothing more than a meal, boy.
He moves behind Jesse and takes his neck.
Luke: Congratulations. You've just been upgraded. To bait.
Cut to the library. Willow has the city plans on the computer monitor.
Buffy: There it is.
Willow: That runs under the graveyard.
Xander: I don't see any access.
Giles: So, all the city plans are just, uh, open to the public?
Willow: Um, well, i-in
a way. I sort of stumbled onto them when I
accidentally decrypted the
city council's security system.
Xander: Someone's been naughty.
Buffy: There's nothing here, this is useless!
Giles: I think you're being a bit hard on yourself.
Buffy: You're the one
that told me that I wasn't prepared enough.
Understatement! (exhales)
I thought I was on top of everything, and then
that monster, Luke, came
out of nowhere...
She flashes back to the fight in the mausoleum.
Xander: What?
Buffy: He didn't come
out of nowhere. He came from behind me. I was
facing the entrance, he
came from behind me, and he didn't follow me
out. The access to the tunnels
is in the mausoleum! The girl must have
doubled back with Jesse
after I got out! God! I am so mentally
challenged!
Xander: So, what's the plan? We saddle up, right?
Buffy: There's no 'we', okay? I'm the Slayer, and you're not.
Xander: I knew you'd throw that back in my face.
Buffy: Xander, this is deeply dangerous.
Xander: I'm inadequate. That's fine. I'm less than a man.
Willow: Buffy, I'm
not anxious to go into a dark place full of
monsters. But I do want
to help. I need to.
Giles: Well, then help
me. I've been researching this Harvest affair.
It seems to be some sort
of preordained massacre. Rivers of blood, Hell
on Earth, quite charmless.
I'm a bit fuzzy, however, on the details. It
may be that you can wrest
some information from that dread machine.
Everyone stares at him. He looks back at them all.
Giles: That was a bit, um, British, wasn't it?
Buffy: (smiles) Welcome to the New World.
Giles: (to Willow) I want you to go on the 'Net.
Willow: Oh, sure, I can do that. (begins to type)
Buffy: Then I'm outta
here. If Jesse's alive, I'll bring him back.
(starts to leave)
Giles: Do I have to tell you to be careful?
Buffy turns back, gives Giles a look and goes.
Cut outside. Buffy is making
strides for a side gate. Mr. Flutie is
there and stops her.
Mr. Flutie: And where do we think we're going?
Buffy: We? (turns to face him) I... Me...
Mr. Flutie: We're not leaving school grounds, are we?
Buffy: No! No, I'm...
just admiring the fence. You know, this is
quality fence work.
Mr. Flutie: Because
if we were leaving schools grounds on our second
day at a new school, after
getting kicked out of our old school for
delinquent behavior... Do
you see where I'm going with this?
Buffy: Mr. Giles...
Mr. Flutie: What?
Buffy: He asked me
to get a book for him. Uh, from the store, 'cause I
have a free period, and
I'm a big reader. Did it mention that in my
transcripts?
Mr. Flutie: Mr. Giles?
Buffy: Ask him.
Mr. Flutie: (swings
the gate closed) Well, maybe that's how they do
things in *Britain*, they've
got that royal family and all kinds of
problems, (locks it) but
here at Sunnydale nobody leaves campus while
school's in session. Are
we clear?
Buffy: We're clear.
Mr. Flutie: That's
the Buffy Summers I want in my school. Sensible girl
with her feet on the ground!
He turns and leaves. Buffy
watches him go. When he's gone a ways she
crouches and leaps the fence.
Cut to Willow and Xander walking down a hall.
Willow: Murder, death, disaster. What else?
Xander: Paranormal, unexplained, did you get natural disasters?
Willow: Earthquake, flood.
Xander: Rain of Toads.
Willow: Right.
Xander: Rain of Toads!
Do you think they'd have anything like that in
the paper?
Willow: I'll put it
on the computer search. If it's in there, it'll
turn up. Anything that'll
lead us to vampires.
Xander: And I, in the
meantime, will help by standing around like an
idiot.
Willow: Not like an
idiot, just... standing. Buffy doesn't want you
getting hurt.
They stop in front of their next class.
Willow: I don't want you getting hurt.
Xander: This is just
too much. I mean, yesterday my life's like, 'Uh-
oh, pop quiz.' Today it's
'Rain of Toads'.
Willow: I know. And everyone else thinks it's just a normal day.
Xander: Nobody knows. It's like we've got this big secret.
Willow: We do. That's
what a secret is, when you know something other
guys don't.
Xander: Right. Look,
maybe you should get to class. (indicates the
door)
Willow: You mean 'we'. We should get to class.
Xander: Yeah.
Willow: Buffy'll be
okay. Whatever's down there, I think she can handle
it.
Xander: Yeah, I do, too.
Willow: So do I!
Cut to inside the mausoleum.
Buffy comes in slowly, looking and
listening. She scans around.
Satisfied that no one's there, she walks
down the steps to the floor.
She hears a rat behind her and twists to
look toward the sound. She
continues and finds the tunnel access. It's
locked with a chain. She
lifts the lock. Angel appears behind her.
Angel: (exhales)
Buffy: I don't suppose you've got a key on you?
Angel: They really don't like me dropping in.
Buffy: (faces him) Why not?
Angel: They really don't like me.
Buffy: How could that possibly be?
Angel: I knew you'd
figure out this entryway sooner or later. Actually,
I thought it was gonna be
a *little* sooner.
Buffy: Sorry you had
to wait. (exhales) Okay. Look, if you're gonna be
popping up with this Cryptic
Wise Man act on a regular basis, can you at
least tell me your name?
Angel: Angel.
Buffy: Angel. It's a pretty name.
She turns to the tunnel entrance.
Angel: Don't... go down there.
Buffy: (turns back) Deal with my going.
Angel: You shouldn't
be putting yourself at risk. Tonight is the
Harvest. Unless you can
prevent it, the Master walks.
Buffy: Well, if this
Harvest thing is such a suckfest, why don't *you*
stop it?
Angel: 'Cause I'm afraid.
She looks at him for a moment
and then spins around quickly, kicking
open the doors to the tunnel.
She turns back to him.
Angel: They'll be expecting you.
Buffy: I've got a friend
down there. Or at least a potential friend. Do
you know what it's like
to have a friend?
He lowers his eyes as a look of sadness fills them.
Buffy: That wasn't supposed to be a stumper.
They look at each other a moment longer.
Angel: When you hit
the tunnels head east towards the school. That's
where you're likely to find
them.
Buffy: You gonna wish me luck?
Angel says nothing. They
look at each other for another moment, then
Buffy turns and heads into
the tunnels. He watches her go.
Angel: (whispers) Good luck!
~~~~~~~~~~ Part 2 ~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the tunnels. Buffy
comes down a flight of stairs. She looks
around. She hears rats.
One crawls across her shoes. She slowly starts
down the tunnels. There
are lights at regular intervals. When she
reaches an intersection,
Xander surprises her from behind.
Xander: Did you see anything?
Buffy: (exhales in fright) Xander, what are you doing here?!
Xander: Something stupid. I followed you.
Buffy: Well, you...
Xander: (interrupts) I couldn't just sit at home and do nothing.
Buffy: I understand. Now, go away!
Xander: No!
Buffy: Xander, you're gonna have to.
Xander: Look, Jesse's
my bud, okay? If I can help him out, that's what
I gotta do.
Buffy considers, then nods
her head for him to follow. She starts down
the tunnel again.
Xander: Besides, it's this or chem class.
Cut to them reaching the top of some stairs.
Xander: Okay, so, crosses, garlic, stake through the heart.
Buffy: That'll get it done.
Xander: Cool! Of course, I don't actually have any of those things.
Buffy: (hands him a cross) Good thinking.
Xander: Well, the part
of my brain that would tell me to bring that
stuff is still busy telling
me not to come down here. I have this,
though. (turns on a flashlight)
Buffy: Turn that off!
Xander: (turns it off) Okay! Okay! So, what else?
Buffy: What else what?
Xander: For vampire slayage.
Buffy: Oh, fire, beheading, sunlight, holy water, the usual.
Xander: You've done some beheading in your time?
Buffy: Oh, yeah. There
was this time I was pinned down by this guy that
played left tackle for varsity...
Well, at least he used to before he
was a vampire... Anyway,
he had this really, really thick neck, and all
I had was a little, little
Exact-O knife...
Xander laughs nervously.
Buffy: You're not loving this story.
Xander: No, actually, I find it oddly comforting.
Cut to the library. Giles is reading from a volume.
Giles: 'For they will
gather and be gathered. From the Vessel pours
life.' P... Pours life...
He turns the page back to the picture of Satan feeding power to a man.
Giles: 'On the night
of the crescent moon, the first past the solstice
it will come...' Of course.
That's tonight!
Cut to the computer lab.
Cordelia is struggling with her computer
programming assignment.
Cordelia: No! It's supposed to find the syntax and match it. Or wait...
Harmony: Are we going to the Bronze tonight?
Cordelia: No, we're going to the other cool place in Sunnydale.
Harmony looks confused.
Cordelia: Of course
we're going to the Bronze. Friday night? No cover?
But you should have been
there last night. 'Cause I ran into Buffy...
Willow overhears the conversation.
Cordelia: ...and can
she be any weirder? She attacked me! Do you
believe it?
Harmony: (exhales) I think we did this part wrong.
Cordelia: Why do we
have to devise these programs, isn't that what
nerds are for? (whispers,
indicating Willow) What'd she do?
Harmony looks at Willow's
screen. She's surfing a newspaper archive
website.
Harmony: (to Cordelia) Uh, she's doing something else.
Cordelia: Okay, and then pattern run, right? Or go to end? That's it!
Harmony: Maybe!
Cordelia: So anyway,
I come outta the bathroom, and she comes running
at me. Screaming! With a
stick! 'I'm gonna kill you! I'm gonna kill
you!' I swear!
Boy: Who?
Cordelia: Buffy!
Harmony: The new girl?
Boy: What's her deal?
Cordelia: Well, she's crazed.
Harmony: Did you hear about her old school?
Cordelia and the boy both shake their heads.
Harmony: Booted.
Cordelia: Well, I exhibit no surprise.
Boy: Why was she kicked out?
Cordelia: Uh, because she's a psycho loony!
Willow: (interjects) No, she's not.
Cordelia: What?
Willow: (turns to them) She's not a psycho. You don't even know her.
Cordelia: Excuse me? Who gave you permission to exist?
Willow turns away, eyes down.
Cordelia: Do I horn
in on your private discussions? No. Why? Because
you're boring.
Willow gets up and goes to get her printouts.
Harmony: Okay, I think the program's done.
Cordelia: Finally the nightmare ends! Okay, so how do we save it?
Willow: Deliver.
Cordelia: Deliver? Where's that? (searches the keyboard) Oh!
She hits the "Del" key, and
her program disappears. She stares at the
screen in wide-eyed, open-mouthed
horror.
Cut to the tunnels.
Buffy: They're close.
Xander: How can you tell?
Buffy: No more rats.
Xander turns on his flashlight and spots Jesse on the ground.
Xander: Jesse!
Buffy: Oh, no!
Jesse reacts and jumps up.
Xander: J-J-Jesse!
Jesse: Xander!
The two boys embrace.
Xander: Jesse, man, are you okay?
Jesse: I am not okay, on an *epic* scale.
Buffy shines the light on the shackles around Jesse's ankle.
Jesse: We gotta get outta here!
Xander: It's cool, Buffy's a superhero.
Buffy: Hold on... (breaks the shackles)
Xander: Do you think anyone heard that?
They see shadows moving on
the walls and start to run down the tunnel.
Vampires come around the
corner. Cut to Xander, Buffy and Jesse in
another part of the tunnel.
Jesse: They knew you
were gonna come. They said that I... I was the
bait.
Xander: Oh, great, now you tell us.
They round a corner and are met by vampires.
Buffy: Oops!
Jesse: Oh, no, no, no, no!
Buffy: Do you know another way out?
Jesse: I dunno. Maybe. C'mon!
They run. At another intersection they see glowing eyes to their right.
Jesse: Wait, wait.
They brought me through here, there, there should be
a way up. I hope!
Jesse leads them into a chamber.
Buffy: I don't think this is the way out!
Xander: We can't fight
our way back through those things. What do we
do?
Jesse: I got an idea. (vamps out) You can die!
~~~~~~~~~~ Part 3 ~~~~~~~~~~
In the chamber.
Xander: Jesse, man. I'm sorry.
Jesse: Sorry? I feel
good, Xander! I feel strong! I'm connected, man,
to everything!
Buffy begins struggling with the door, trying to close it.
Jesse: I, I can hear the worms in the earth!
Xander: That's a plus.
Jesse: I know what
the Master wants. I'll serve his purpose. That means
you die. And I feed.
Buffy: (looks back at them) Xander, the cross!
He holds the cross up to Jesse's face. Jesse steps back and growls.
Xander: Jesse, man. We're buds, don't you remember?
Jesse: You're like a shadow to me now.
Xander: Then get outta my face.
Jesse knocks Xander's arm
to the side, making him hit the wall. He jumps
to the other side of the
room, facing Xander. Buffy grabs him from
behind and throws him out
of the chamber into the advancing vampires,
knocking them all down,
and goes back to trying to close the door.
Buffy: (to Xander) Help me!
Xander jumps up to help,
and together they get it to move. They close it
on a vampire's arm. The
vampire pulls its arm back out of the door, and
Buffy slams it shut and
closes the latch. The vampires begin pounding on
the door.
Buffy: We need to get out of here!
Xander: There is no out of here!
He uses his flashlight to
look around and spots a grate in the
ceiling.
Xander: Up there!
Buffy leaps on top of a barrel
and begins to pry the grate open. The
vampires have started to
bend in a corner of the door. They twist it and
push it in further. Buffy
gets the grate open.
Buffy: Go!
She helps Xander crawl up
into a ventilation duct. A vampire starts to
struggle through the bent
corner of the door. He reaches in and pulls
the latch open as Xander
gets through the grate. Buffy follows him
quickly as the first vampire
enters the chamber. He follows them through
the grate into the duct.
Xander and Buffy crawl like mad. He finds a
ladder up to a manhole and
starts climbing the rungs. Buffy follows. The
vampire is right behind
them. Xander pushes open the manhole cover and
climbs out into daylight.
He turns to help Buffy out. The vampire grabs
her ankle and tries to pull
her back down.
Buffy: Xander, pull!
He pulls on her, and the
vampire's hand is exposed to the sunlight and
burns. The vampire lets
go, and they tumble backward to the ground.
Cut to the Master's lair.
Master: She escaped?
She walks free when I should be drinking her
heart's blood right now?
Careless...
Colin: Master, we had her trapped!
Master: Oh, are you going to make excuses?
Colin remains silent.
Master: You are all
weak. It has been too long since you have faced the
Slayer. Huh. It is no matter
to me. She will not stop the Harvest. Just
means there'll be someone
worth killing... when I reach the surface. Is
Luke ready?
Colin: He waits.
Master: It's time. Bring him to me.
Colin turns to go get Luke.
Master: Ah, Colin...
(Colin turns back) You failed me. Tell me you're
sorry.
Colin: I'm sorry!
Master: There. That wasn't so bad, was it? Hold on...
He stabs his finger into Colin's face.
Master: You've got something in your eye.
Cut to the library where
Giles is still doing his research. He hears
someone come in.
Giles: Buffy?
Willow: It's just me. So there's no word?
Giles: Ah, not as yet, no.
Willow: Well, I-I'm sure they're... great.
Giles: Did you find anything of interest?
Willow: I think, maybe...
I surfed through the old newspapers around
the time of that big earthquake
back in '37? And for several months
before there were a rash
of murders. (hands him her printouts)
Giles: Great! I-I mean,
well, not, not 'great' in a good way, uh, um,
uh, go on?
Willow: Well, they
sound like the kind you were looking for. (flips
through the pages) Throats,
blood... (looks squeamish)
Giles: It's all coming together. I rather wish it weren't.
Cut to the Master's lair.
Luke approaches the Master and kneels before
him. The Master offers his
hand. Luke takes it and kisses it. He
releases it and the Master
turns it over to offer the underside of his
wrist. Darla is watching
and smiles. Luke opens the cuff of the Master's
sleeve and pulls it back.
He takes his hand again, sinks his fangs into
the wrist above it and drinks
of the blood. He releases the hand, and
the Master takes it back.
Master: My blood is your blood. My soul is your soul.
Luke: My body is your instrument.
The Master steps down to
Luke and begins to draw a three-pointed star on
Luke's forehead with the
blood still flowing from his wrist.
Master: On this...
most hallowed night... we are as one. Luke is the
Vessel!
Darla's smile widens.
Master: Every soul
he takes will feed me. And their souls will grant me
the strength to free myself.
Tonight I shall walk the Earth, and the
stars themselves will hide!
Cut to the library. Willow
is looking at one of Giles' volumes. She
hears the door open and
looks up to see Xander and Buffy come in.
Willow: Did you find Jesse?
Xander: Yeah.
Willow: Was he dead?
Buffy: Worse. (sits
at the end of the table) I'm sorry, Willow. We were
too late. And they were
waiting for us.
Willow: At least you two are okay.
Xander violently kicks a waste basket. Buffy is startled.
Xander: I don't like
vampires. I'm gonna take a stand and say they're
not good.
Buffy: (turns to Giles)
So, Giles! Got anything that can make this day
any worse?
He goes over to the whiteboard and puts down his pen.
Giles: How about the end of the world?
Buffy: Knew I could count on you.
Giles: This is what
we know. Some sixty years ago, a very old, very
powerful vampire came to
this shore, not just to feed.
Buffy: He came 'cause this town's a mystical who's it.
Giles: Yes. The Spanish
who first settled here called it 'Boca del
Infierno'. Roughly translated,
'Hellmouth'. It's a sort of, um, portal
between this reality and
the next. This vampire hopes to open it.
Buffy: Bring the demons back.
Xander: End of the world.
Willow: But he blew
it! Or, I mean, there was an earthquake that
swallowed half the town,
and him, too.
Giles: You see, opening
dimensional portals is a tricky business. Odds
are he got himself stuck,
rather like a, uh, cork in a bottle.
Xander: And this Harvest thing is to get him out.
Giles: It comes once
in a century, on this night. The Master can draw
power from one of his minions
while it feeds. Enough power to break free
and open the portal. The
minion is called the Vessel, and he bears this
symbol.
He draws a three-pointed star on the whiteboard.
Buffy: So, I dust anyone sporting that symbol, and no Harvest.
Giles: Simply put, yes.
Buffy: Any idea where this little get-together is being held?
Giles: There, there are a number of possibilities.
Xander: They're goin' to the Bronze.
Willow: Are you sure?
Xander: Come on. All
those tasty young morsels all over the place?
Anyway, that's where Jesse's
gonna be, trust me.
Giles grabs his coat and
starts out of the library. The others begin to
follow.
Giles: Then we should get there. The sun will be down before long.
Buffy: I gotta make a stop. Won't take long.
Giles: What for?
Buffy: Supplies.
Cut to a view of the sun
setting above a ridge. Cut to Buffy in her
room. She goes to her closet
and pulls out a heavy, black jacket. Her
mother walks into the room.
Joyce: Buffy?
Buffy: Mom!
Joyce: You're going out?
Buffy: I have to. (puts on her jacket)
Joyce: I didn't hear you come in last night.
Buffy: I was really quiet.
Joyce: It's happening
again, isn't it? I got a call from your new
principal. Says you missed
some classes today?
Buffy: I was running an errand.
Joyce: We haven't finished
unpacking, and I'm getting calls from the
principal.
Buffy: Mom, I promise,
it is *not* gonna be like before. But I *have*
to go.
Joyce: No.
Buffy: Mom?!
Joyce: The tapes all say I should get used to saying it. No.
Buffy: This is really, really important.
Joyce: I know. If you
don't go out it'll be the end of the world.
Everything is life or death
when you're a sixteen-year-old girl.
Buffy: Look, I don't have time to talk about this...
Joyce: Buffy, you've
got all the time in the world, you're not going
anywhere. Now, if you wanna
stay up here and sulk, I won't hold it
against you. But if you
wanna come down, I'll make us some dinner.
She leaves the room, pulling
the door closed behind her. Buffy can't
believe what just happened.
She leans against the closet door, takes a
deep breath and exhales.
Then she turns and opens the closet again and
pulls out a large chest.
It has a flat box in it full of her stuff. She
lifts out the box to reveal
what's underneath. Stakes, crosses, garlic,
bottles of holy water. She
pulls a bunch out and puts it in her sports
bag. She takes a particularly
sharp stake and conceals it in her jacket
sleeve. She closes the chest,
zips the bag closed and goes over to her
door to make sure her mother
isn't nearby. Then she grabs the bag,
slides it out of the window
onto the roof and climbs out after it.
Cut to the sun going down
over a hill. Cut to the Bronze. The doorman is
checking ID's. Cut inside
to the upper level. Cordelia and her friends
find a table.
Cordelia: Senior boys
are the only way to go. Guys from our grade,
forget about it, they're
children. Y'know? (they sit) Like Jesse. Did
you see him last night,
following me around like a little puppy dog.
(they all giggle) You just
wanna put him to sleep. But senior boys, hmm,
they have mystery. They
have... What's the word I'm searching for? Cars!
I just am not the type to
settle. Y'know? It's like when I go shopping.
I have to have the most
expensive thing. Not because it's expensive, but
because it costs more.
Girl: You know, I...
Cordelia: Hello, Miss
Motormouth, can I get a sentence finished? Oh, I
love this song! Come on!
Cordelia and her gang make
their way to the dance floor and start to
move to the sound of "Wearing
Me Down" by the Dashboard Prophets.
Lyrics: You fight the
good fight / You fight the good war / You fight
to be right / You fight
to restore / Why should I believe a word that
you say / It was just a
game that you don't wanna play / And I say /
It's wearing me down, I
realize / It's all in my head now, now, and I
realize / It's not what
you've done / As much as what you've said / As
what you've said / As what
you've said / As what you've said
Jesse watches Cordelia from
the side. He walks onto the dance floor. The
song is over, and Cordelia
stops dancing. She starts to leave, but Jesse
is standing in front of
her, fingers on his lips.
Cordelia: Uh, what do you want?
Another song, "Ballad For
Dead Friends", starts. Jesse lowers his hand,
takes hers and leads her
back onto the dance floor.
Cordelia: Hey! Hello! Caveman brain! What are you doing?
Jesse: Shut up!
He begins to dance with her.
Cordelia: Well, just one dance.
They dance close. Cut to
outside where the doorman is counting money.
Darla comes out of the shadows
in a bouncy walk. She turns around and
walks backward while other
vampires come into the light behind her. She
turns back again and approaches
the doorman. They're all sporting their
game faces.
Lyrics: How are you feelin'? / Do you feel okay? / 'Cause I don't!
~~~~~~~~~~ Part 4 ~~~~~~~~~~
Outside the Bronze. The vampires head in.
Doorman: Need ID. (looks
up) Hey! Nobody gets inside until I get some
sorta...
Luke: (growls in the doorman's face) Get inside.
Cut inside. The vampires
come in, pushing the doorman in with them. The
last one shuts the door
and stands guard.
Lyrics: How are you feelin'? / Do you feel okay? / 'Cause I don't!
One of the vampires makes
his way to the upper level. Another one finds
the main power switch and
shuts it off. The people start complaining and
wondering what happened.
Luke gets up on the stage.
Luke: Ladies and Gentlemen!
There is no cause for alarm. Actually,
there is cause for alarm.
It just won't do any good.
There are screams from the crowd as they see Luke's face. He laughs.
Cordelia: I thought there wasn't any band tonight.
She looks at Jesse next to
her. He's got his game face on, and she
inhales in fright.
Luke: This is a glorious
night! It is also the last one any of you
shall ever see. Bring me
the first.
A vampire brings the doorman to Luke.
Doorman: What do you
guys want, man, huh? You want money? Man, what's
wrong with your faces?
Luke grabs him by the throat.
He wraps his other arm around the
doorman's head.
Luke: Watch me, people. Fear is like an elixir. It's almost like blood.
He bites the doorman and
feeds on him. The doorman screams. Cut to the
Master in his lair. He raises
his head as he feels the first of the
souls that will be taken
for him. Cut to Luke. He drops the doorman's
body.
Luke: Next!
Cut outside. The team arrives running. Buffy tries the door.
Buffy: It's locked!
Giles: We're too late!
Buffy: I didn't know I was gonna get grounded!
Xander: Can you break it down?
Buffy: No, not that
thing. Um... You guys try the back entrance, and
I'll find my own way.
Giles: Right. Come on.
Buffy: Uh, wait! Guys!
Here! (hands Willow her bag) You get the exit
cleared and the people out.
That's all! Don't go Wild Bunch on me.
Giles: Uh, see you inside, then.
Giles, Xander and Willow
run around to the back. Cut to the back. Willow
tries the door. It's locked,
too.
Willow: No joy!
Xander: We've gotta
get in there before Jesse does something stupider
that usual.
Giles: You listen to
me! Jesse is dead! You have to remember that when
you see him, you're not
looking at your friend. You're looking at the
thing that killed him.
Cut to the Master, testing
his confines. Cut to Luke, feeding on a girl.
Cut to the Master.
Master: Almost free!
Cut to Luke, still feeding on the girl. Cut to the Master.
Master: Give me moooooore!
Cut to Luke. He's finished
with the girl and drops her body. Cut to
Darla and Jesse. She wants
to take Cordelia to Luke.
Jesse: This one's mine!
Darla: They're all for the Master.
She pulls on Cordelia. Jesse lets go of her.
Jesse: I don't get one?
Cut to Buffy breaking an upper window and crawling in.
Luke: I feel the Master's strength growing!
Buffy sees Luke on the stage.
Luke: I feel him rising. Every soul brings him closer! I need another!
Buffy: (to herself) The Vessel.
The vampire on the upper
level sees Buffy and growls. She looks over at
him.
Luke: Tonight is his
ascension. Tonight will be history at its end!
Yours is a glorious sacrifice!
Degradation most holy. (no one in the
crowd stirs) What? No volunteers?!
Darla: (brings him Cordelia) Here's a pretty one.
Cordelia screams when she
sees Luke up close. He caresses her face. He's
about to bite her when Buffy
kicks the vampire down from above them.
Luke watches him land with
a thud. Buffy approaches the railing.
Buffy: Oh, I'm sorry, were you in the middle of something?
Luke: You!
Buffy: You didn't think I'd miss this. Did you?
Luke: I hoped you'd come.
Buffy: Be right down!
She steps away from the railing
and executes a roundoff to get down. She
lands on a pool table. A
vampire attacks from her right. Buffy does a
front walkover off of the
table, grabbing a pool cue on the way. When
she lands she thrusts it
into her attacker and lets go. He begins to
fall and burst into ashes.
Buffy: Okay, Vessel boy. (removes her jacket) You want blood?
Luke: I want yours! (releases Cordelia) Only yours!
Buffy: (shrugs) Works for me.
She runs and cartwheels up
onto the stage, and immediately launches into
a full spinning hook kick.
Luke staggers into a pile of chairs. Buffy
assumes a fighting position.
Luke gets up and growls. He comes at her
and swings, but she ducks
the punch and comes up behind him. He tries a
backhand punch, but she
blocks him, holds onto his arm and gives him
three roundhouse kicks to
his stomach before he shakes loose. She takes
her stake and lunges at
him. He blocks the lunge, knocking the stake
from her grip. He lifts
her up and throws her into a pile of boxes.
Cut to the back of the Bronze. Giles, Willow and Xander break in.
Giles: Hurry!
Xander runs in to see what's
going on. He sees Buffy is down. She gets
up, so Xander turns his
attention to the crowd.
Xander: (in a low voice) C'mon! Let's go! C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!
Cut to the back. Giles guides the people to the back door.
Giles: (whispers) Hurry
up! Come on! Through this door! Come on! This
way!
Cut to the main room. Buffy
spins around and lands a backhand punch on
Luke's face, knocking him
into another pile of stuff. He's dazed. Buffy
turns to see a vampire grab
Xander. She grabs a cymbal from a drum set
and throws it at the vampire
like a Frisbee. Xander sees it coming and
ducks. The cymbal decapitates
the vampire.
Xander: Head's up!
Buffy can't resist a chuckle.
Luke grabs her from behind. Cut to
Cordelia on the floor with
Jesse above her. She struggles and he grabs
her arms.
Jesse: Hold still! You're not making this easy!
Xander comes up behind him, stake in hand.
Xander: Jesse, man! Don't make me do it.
Jesse turns to look up at Xander.
Jesse: Buddy!
Cut to Buffy being held tightly from behind by Luke.
Luke: I always wanted to kill a Slayer!
Cut to the back where Giles and Willow are still guiding people out.
Giles: One at a time! Quickly! Quickly!
He crosses to the other side
of the room in front of some stairs. Darla
is standing on the steps
above him.
Giles: We're going to have to open the front as well!
Darla leaps onto him from
behind, knocking him to the floor. Cut to
Xander and Jesse.
Xander: Jesse! I know there's still a part of you in there.
Jesse: (jumps up) Okay...
Let's deal with this. Jesse was an
excruciating loser who couldn't
get a date with anyone in the sighted
community! Look at me. I'm
a new man!
Cut to Buffy and Luke.
Luke: Master! Taste of this... and be free!
He roars and moves in to
bite Buffy. She senses his proximity and snaps
her head back to land a
headbutt on his face, knocking him off of her
and back to the wall. She
turns to him, winded.
Buffy: How'd it taste?
Cut to Giles and Darla struggling
on the floor. Willow approaches them
while taking out a jar of
holy water.
Willow: Get off of him!
Darla is distracted and looks
up. Willow throws the holy water at her.
It burns her face and steams.
She gets up and runs from the club,
screaming. Cut to Jesse
and Xander. Jesse grabs Xander by the jacket and
lifts him around against
a wall. Xander has the stake pointed at Jesse's
chest.
Jesse: Ooo! Alright.
Put me out of my misery. You don't have the
guts.
A fleeing patron bumps into
Jesse, impaling him on the stake. Xander
lets go of the stake, and
Jesse begins to fall. He turns to ashes before
he even hits the floor.
Two vampires grab Xander. Cut to Buffy. She
grabs a microphone stand
and holds it like a javelin.
Luke: You forget, metal can't hurt me.
Buffy: There's something you forgot about, too. Sunrise!
She throws the stand at the
window behind Luke. He ducks, and it breaks
the window behind him. A
bright light pours in through it. Buffy spies
the stake she dropped on
the stage and picks it up. Luke gets up and
shields his face with his
hands, expecting to be burned. He stops when
he realizes it's only a
bright lamp. Buffy lunges at him from behind and
jams the stake home.
Buffy: It's in about nine hours, moron!
Luke begins to stagger off
of the stage. Cut to the Master. He's testing
the strength of his confines.
Cut to Luke. He continues to stagger. Cut
to the Master. Still testing.
Cut to Luke. He falls from the stage and
explodes into ash. Cut to
the Master. He feels Luke's death and falls to
his knees.
Master: Noooooooo! Noooooooo!
Cut to Buffy. She stares
at Luke's ashes. The two vampires still have
Xander. She lifts her gaze
to meet theirs. The vampires panic and run.
Cut outside. The vampires
run past Angel standing behind some crates
stacked against a wall.
He watches them run, then looks back the other
way.
Angel: She did it! I'll be damned!
He walks away. Cut inside
to the stage. Buffy hops down to the floor.
Giles and Willow meet her.
Giles: I take it it's over.
Willow: Did we win?
Buffy: Well, we averted the Apocalypse. I give us points for that.
Xander: One thing's for sure: nothing's ever gonna be the same.
Cut to Sunnydale High the
next Monday. Everything appears normal. Buffy
walks along and overhears
Cordelia talking to a friend.
Cordelia: Well, I heard
it was rival gangs. You know, fighting for
turf? But all I can tell
you is they were an ugly way of looking. And
Buffy, like, knew them!
Which is just too weird. I mean, I don't even
remember that much, but
I'm telling you, it was a freak show!
Girl: Oh, I wish I'd been there!
Cordelia: You should have been there. It was so creepy...
She and her friend walk off. Buffy meets Xander.
Buffy: What exactly were you expecting?
Xander: I don't know,
something. I mean, the dead rose. We should at
least have an assembly.
They run into Giles and Willow, and the four of them continue to walk.
Giles: People have
a tendency to rationalize what they can and forget
what they can't.
Buffy: Believe me, I've seen it happen.
Willow: Well, I'll never forget it, none of it.
Giles: Good! Next time you'll be prepared.
Xander: Next time?
Willow: Next time is why?
Giles: We've prevented
the Master from freeing himself and opening the
Mouth of Hell. That's not
to say he's going to stop trying. I'd say the
fun is just beginning.
Willow: More vampires?
They stop walking.
Giles: Not just vampires.
The next threat we face may be something
quite different.
Buffy: I can hardly wait!
Giles: We're at the
center of a mystical convergence here. We may, in
fact, stand between the
Earth and its total destruction.
Buffy: Well, I gotta
look on the bright side. Maybe I can still get
kicked out of school!
The three students continue
to class. Giles stays behind and watches
them go.
Xander: Oh, yeah, that's
a plan. 'Cause lots of schools aren't on
Hellmouths.
Willow: Maybe you could
blow something up. They're really strict about
that.
Buffy: I was thinking
of a more subtle approach, y'know, like excessive
not studying.
Giles turns to go back to his library.
Giles: The Earth is
doomed!