End of Days
(Sewer Tunnel)
(The girls follow Faith down a long, dark hallway. Faith walks over a plank laid across a small waterway and sees a box that's padlocked shut. Faith kicks at the padlock, busting it. She bends down to open the box and finds a timer/detonator reading "00.04" that is wired to a box full of bricks labeled "C4 High Explosive." Her eyes widen as it counts down in seconds, beeping as the numbers count down.)
Faith: (yelling to the others, and ducking away) Get down!
(The box explodes in a massive fireball sending girls flying through the air.)
(Shadow Valley Vineyards – Wine Cellar)
(Buffy stares at the shiny weapon stuck in the rock and walks up to it slowly. Caleb opens the hatch and walks down the stairs into the room. Buffy turns to look at him.)
Caleb: So...you found it. Not impressed. 'Cause the question now, girly girl, is can you pry it from solid rock before I come over there… (Buffy grabs the handle and pulls the weapon out of the stone one-handed with ease. She looks it over. Caleb is shocked.) Hmm. Darn. (exhales worriedly) Now, before you go hurting yourself with that thing, why don't you do yourself a courtesy and hand it over now?
Buffy: (cocks her head to the side) Yeah? You want it? (hoists the weapon up casually)
Caleb: (smiles nervously) You don't even know what you got there. (steps back)
Buffy: I know you're backing away.
Caleb: You think wielding some 2-sided doo-dad's gonna make a difference?
(Buffy/First shows up behind Caleb frowning with her arms crossed.)
Buffy/First: Let her go, Caleb. (he hesitates) I said let her go.
Caleb: If I let her go, she slices me open with that thing.
Buffy/First: No, she doesn't. She hasn't got time. She has friends. (Buffy looks at her worriedly) And her friends are in trouble. Faith go boom.
Caleb: I'm not letting her out of here with that thing.
Buffy/First: Sure you are. Then you'll come back for it later...when she's got her back turned.
(Buffy runs out of the cellar carrying the weapon. Caleb and the First watch her go.)
(Sewer Tunnel)
(The air is hazy with dust and debris from the explosion. Girls start moving amid the rubble, crawling around. Amanda grabs a flashlight as she gets to her feet.)
Amanda: (calling around) Hey! Hey, Faith! Anybody! Is anybody here?!
Caridad: (coughs) Me! (stands)
Amanda: (calling out) Is anybody else alive?
Caridad: Hello? Anyone?
Vi: I'm—(coughs, then weakly) I'm here!
(Amanda and Caridad go to Vi, who's crouched in a corner. They help her to her feet.)
Caridad: Who else we got?
Vi: Don't know.
Amanda: You ok? (they help Vi walk)
Vi: I think my arm is broken. (sees girls lying under rubble, not moving; Vi stares, shocked) I guess I'm lucky.
Kennedy: (stands) Where's Faith?
Vi: I don't know.
Kennedy: Find her.
Caridad: Maybe we should get the hell out of this place. They could—
Kennedy: (emphatically) Find her!
(Amanda and a couple other girls pull Faith's unconscious body out of the water.)
Vi: (turning away at the sight) Oh, God!
Kennedy: Is she alive?
Amanda: Breathing. Pulse.
Kennedy: We gotta get her out of here.
Vi: Which way is out?
Amanda: There's other girls. There's more than Faith. We don't even know how many of us are still— (the girls hear a distant growl; everyone stops to look) alive.
Caridad: What was that?
Vi: It could've been grinding metal. It could've been—
Kennedy: No, it was one of them.
Caridad: That's not possible.
Amanda: How'd it get in here?
Vi: Plans?
Kennedy: Run.
(The girls run out of the room where the explosion happened and try to escape down the tunnels they came in.)
Caridad: Oh, no! It's blocked!
Vi: (crying) Oh, my God!
Amanda: I told you this wasn't the way!
Kennedy: Cut the chatter! Up and over! Wounded first! Let's go! (The girls climb over the debris blocking the tunnel. With all the wounded girls, it's taking too long. Finally, when the last girl, Vi, comes over the pile, a Turok-Han reaches for her. The girls scream and instinctively back away as they watch it climb over the pile and move toward them.) Group together. Form a circle. Nobody panic. It's all of us, one of him. We can take one of these things.
(As the girls stare at the Turok-Han coming over the pile of debris, another Turok-Han jumps down the steps beside them.)
(Summers Residence)
(There's piles and piles of food on the dining room table. Girls reach for the food as Andrew empties it from a duffle bag.)
Andrew: It was pretty amazing. A whole grocery store just abandoned. Food lying around everywhere. Uh, the produce was on its way to funky town, but—
Giles: Ooh. (grabs desperately for a package) Jaffa cakes. (starts eating the cakes)
Andrew: Uh, the apples still look pretty good, so everyone should, uh, check those out.
(The front door opens and Willow, Dawn, Anya, and Xander walk into the house.)
Giles: (walks toward the others) Did you find Buffy?
Xander: No.
(Living Room)
(Xander, Anya, Willow, Dawn, Giles and Andrew walk into the living room.)
Andrew: But you did that spell with the little lights. The locator.
Anya: It crapped out on us though.
Dawn: No, it didn't...exactly.
Willow: It just took us to an empty house. She must have moved on already.
Giles: I'm afraid we have slightly worse news here. Faith hasn't returned with the other girls. Something's gone wrong.
Andrew: I've been here, keeping morale up. Because that's important.
Willow: (worried) We have to go to her.
Xander: (nods) Guess so.
Andrew: Yes. I'll stay here, keep working on that morale thing. (sips a Capri-Sun drink)
(Sewer Tunnel)
(The girls stare down the Turok-Han in front of them.)
Kennedy: (holding her fists up in front of her) Remember the training. Everybody, get ready! (a Turok-Han sneaks up behind her and grabs her, knocking her down; she screams) Aah!
Amanda: There's another one.
Kennedy: (frees herself from the Turok-Han that attacked her and backs away from it) Move! Move! Move! Up and over!
Amanda: (to Kennedy) Not that one! (points her toward yet another Turok-Han) That one!
(The girls all scream as the three Turok-Hans advance toward them. They grab one of the girls.)
Caridad: Weapons! (points) Over there!
(Kennedy runs to the weapons, but the Turok-Han have already begun ripping apart the girl they grabbed. One looks at Kennedy, snarling, his face covered in the girl's blood. It charges toward Kennedy who swings the weapon at the monster, but to no avail. The Turok-Han easily disarms her, grabs her by the neck, and lifts her off the ground choking her. A loud crash echoes through the room as something falls from the ceiling, allowing light to enter the room from above. Buffy jumps down through the hole into the room carrying the weapon she got from the vineyard earlier. The Turok-Han drops Kennedy and stalks toward Buffy. Buffy swings the weapon at the Turok-Han as it approaches her, and she uses the pointy end to stake first one Turok-Han, then the other. The third Turok-Han approaches her and knocks her down, but Buffy tumbles forward, grabs her weapon, leaps to her feet, and beheads the last Turok-Han, turning it to dust before everyone's eyes. The girls who have been watching her stare incredulously at the sight of Buffy in action. Kennedy is panting, holding her neck.)
Buffy: (looks at the girls) Get the wounded. We're leaving.
Kennedy: Are there more?
Buffy: There's always more. Let's move. (walks out)
(Summers Residence – Living Room)
(Buffy's living room has been turned into an impromptu triage unit as the healthy ones treat the wounds of the girls hurt in the explosion.)
Buffy: (sitting next to a wounded girl) Will, come here. She's losing a lot of blood.
Willow: Got it. (goes to the side of the girl Buffy was attending)
(Giles and Xander carry an unconscious Faith through the front door and up the stairs. Kennedy and Amanda stand in the doorway, concerned, as Buffy goes to supervise.)
Buffy: (to Giles and Xander) The room upstairs is ready for her.
Giles: Good.
Xander: I hope we're in time.
Amanda: Is she OK? Is she gonna be OK?
Kennedy: (to Amanda) I'm sure she'll be fine, (to Buffy) right?
Xander: Careful!
Giles: Just mind her head.
Buffy: I'll be up in a second.
Kennedy: You guys heal fast, right? You slayers?
Buffy: (goes back to the living room) Yeah.
Kennedy: So...she'll be ok?
Buffy: I don't know.
Caridad: What's with the axe thing?
Buffy: I took it from Caleb. It might be important.
Vi: Let's hope.
Amanda: I think we got punished.
Buffy: What?
Kennedy: (nervously) We, uh...we followed her. And it was—
Vi: It didn't work out.
Buffy: You guys, it was a trap. It's not her fault. That could've just as easily happened to me. (Vi shakes her head)
Caridad: So are you... are you, like, back?
Buffy: I don't know. I guess I'm not leaving. (carries a first-aid kit and her new weapon to the stairs)
Kennedy: So, we got a plan now, or anything?
Buffy: Yeah, there's a plan. Get ready. Time's up.
Amanda: (to herself) I still think we got punished.
(Buffy’s Room)
(A couple of the potentials are standing around the edge of the room staring at Faith as Giles and Xander place her on the bed. Giles is taking her pulse. Buffy walks into the room and seems shocked at the sight.)
Xander: Is she breathing ok?
Giles: Still unconscious, though.
Buffy: We've still got work to do.
(Willow’s Room)
(Buffy addresses Willow and Giles.)
Buffy: I think it's maybe some kind of scythe. The only thing I know for sure is it made Caleb back off in a hurry.
Willow: (giggles) So it's true. Scythe matters. (pushes Giles playfully)
Giles: And, ignoring that, I'd just like to point out this is really quite ingenious. (plays with the weapon)
Buffy: Kills strong bodies 3 ways.
Willow: And you say you sense something when you hold it?
Buffy: Not much, but it's strong. And I knew it belonged to me. I just knew it.
Giles: (inspecting the weapon) In addition to being ancient, it's clearly mystical.
Buffy: Yeah, I figured that one out when I King Arthured it out of the stone.
Willow: So maybe it's like some kind of traditional slayer weapon.
Giles: I can't imagine how something like this could exist without my having heard of it.
Buffy: Well, the good guys are not traditionally known for their communication skills.
Giles: Right. Um... (sits on the bed) any chance that it might be something other than a tool for killing things?
Buffy: The First's guys clearly wanted it out of that stone. It's not just a tool. It's important. We need to find out whatever we can. Who made it, when, why? Does it have a name? (shrugs) I don't know, a credit report? Just find out fast.
Giles: We'll start work immediately.
Willow: Yeah, don't worry, Buff. We'll find out everything there is to know. (opens her laptop)
Buffy: Good, because right now, that thing's all we've got going for us.
(Living Room)
(Andrew rips apart a bed sheet as he and Anya attend to the wounded.)
Andrew: I liked the real bandages better. These bed sheets are awfully festive. Ecch!
Anya: (bandaging a potential's shoulder) Yeah. They're gonna look like mortally wounded Easter baskets.
Potential: (groggily, alarmed at Anya's words) What?
Anya: Aw. (shrugs, swigs from a bottle)
Andrew: H-hey! We're supposed to use that to sterilize wounds. Mr. Giles said.
Anya: Come on, what does it really matter? (hands bottle to Andrew)
Andrew: Hmm. Good point. (takes a swig from the bottle)
Anya: Giles knows his single malt antiseptics.
Andrew: Blech. (shakes his head) Everything's horrible.
Anya: Yup. Many of these girls will die. Slaughterhouse is what it is.
Potential: (alarmed at what she hears) What?
Anya: (tenderly) Oh...trying to talk will just kill you sooner.
Andrew: We need supplies, and not just bandages and junk. These—these girls need stitches and painkillers.
Anya: Yeah, well, I could use a cookie, but I'm not making reckless wishes.
Andrew: No, no. We can do it. The hospital. It's gotta be all abandoned like the grocery store. Supplies just lying around for the taking. (Anya shrugs, Andrew stands) I'm going in. (takes a swig)
Anya: (stands) You are?
Andrew: And you're coming with me.
Anya: I am?
Andrew: Well, I think you should drive 'cause that scotch made me a little dizzy.
Anya: (smiles) OK. I'll get Kennedy to watch the girls. She's tough. Imminent death won't bother her.
Potential: (sits up, alarmed) What?
(Kitchen)
(Buffy and Xander are having a private chat in the kitchen.)
Buffy: You got it?
Xander: Wait. I'm not to the "got it" place yet. I'm still in the neighborhood of "you've gotta be kidding".
Buffy: (sighs) You know it's for the good.
Xander: I don't. Buffy, do you get that? If I do this, that's it for me for this fight. I feel like you're putting me out to pasture.
Buffy: Of course I'm not putting you out to pasture. (shakes her head) What does that even mean?
Xander: Well, you know, it's like, uh... when a cow gets old and loses an eye, or its ability to be milked, the farmer takes it and puts it in a different pasture so it won't have to... fight...with the priests. (chuckles) Look, I don't need you to protect me.
Buffy: I'm not.
Xander: I got hurt, but I'm not done. I can still fight.
Buffy: I know. That's why I need you to do this. Xander, I need someone that I can count on no matter what happens.
Xander: (shakes his head) I just always thought that I would... I would be there with you... you know, for the end.
Buffy: (indignant) Hey.
Xander: (quickly) Well, not that this is the end.
Buffy: Thanks a lot.
Xander: No, no, no. By the end, I meant, uh... a heroic, uplifting way. See, I'm still optimistic. You're just thrown off a little by this gritty-looking eye patch.
Buffy: (smiles) I know what you meant.
Xander: I should be at your side. That's all I'm saying.
Buffy: You will be. You're my strength, Xander. You're the reason I made it this far. I trust you with my life. That's why I need you to do this for me.
Xander: (getting a little misty, sentimental) OK.
Buffy: (breaks the mood jokingly) Also, you can't shoot a bow and arrow anymore, and every time you pick up a sword, I worry that you're gonna break one of our good lamps.
Xander: Hey—
Buffy: Don't look at me. You're the one who said I'm gonna die. (walks toward the door)
Xander: (follows) I never said you were gonna die. I—I implied that you were gonna die. It's totally different.
Buffy: Yeah, OK. Sure.
Xander: Besides, if you die, I'll just bring you back to life. (shrugs) That's what I do.
(Willow’s Room)
(The scythe is leaning against the bed. Willow and Giles are talking in Willow's room as Willow researches on her laptop and Giles flips through books.)
Willow: OK, before the vineyard was just, you know, a vineyard, it was a monastery. Could've been put there then. Some creepy monks messing with powers they don't understand.
Giles: No, it's older than that. It's pre-Christian. (scratches his head)
Willow: OK. Well, I found reference to stories the monks used to tell about something older. Uh, like, some kind of pagan temple.
Giles: Native American?
Willow: No. I don't know. Ugh. OK, maybe we're just going about this the wrong way. (her laptop screen shows a site entitled "History of the Axe") Maybe we should research the weapon itself. Like...look. Maybe it's the Axe of Dekeron, said to have been forged in hell itself. Lost since the Children's Crusade, where it was said to have killed— (sits back, makes a face) Oh. Children. I hope that's not it.
Giles: Well, I have reference to the Sword of Moskva, the, uh...Reaper of the Tigris—how are we supposed to narrow this down? The illustrations are never clear enough. (stands, leans on the window) Oh, damn. We're running out of time. We really haven't got anything useful. (Willow walks to the weapon and picks it up) Do you sense any of the power that Buffy spoke about?
Willow: Gotta say no. Must be a slayer thing.
Giles: (walks over to Willow and sits on the edge of the bed) Tapping into magicks might help with that.
Willow: Maybe. But, I mean, if Caleb is scared of this thing, it must be pretty dangerous. And tapping into that... (puts the weapon down carefully)
Giles: Willow, you could do it without endangering yourself.
Willow: (apprehensive) If I tried something big, I'd change. And then it's all black hair and veins and lightning bolts. I can hardly do a locator spell without getting dark roots.
Giles: (softly) And if it was necessary?
Willow: Honestly? I don't know. (goes back to her computer)
Giles: (sighs) All right. Do what you can. That's all any of us can do.
Willow: I guess so. Ugh. Man, none of these sound right. (scrolls down) I mean, look. Here's one that's just "m" question mark. What the heck is that?
Giles: (stands) Let me see. (walks to look at the screen) It's not a question mark. It's the international phonetics alphabet symbol for glottal stop.
Willow: A whoey?
Giles: It's sort of a gulping noise. I'm...remembering something here. Um... Ah. Hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs stand for sets of consonants, as you know.
Willow: (acting like she knows) Yes, absolutely.
Giles: (paces) "M" plus glottal stop is represented by a picture that's commonly thought to symbolize a sickle or a scythe. It's in thousands of carvings. In Egypt, throughout the ancient world.
Willow: Carvings like you'd have on a pagan temple?
Giles: Go back. See what else we can find out about this temple. (picks up the weapon) The scythe is a symbol of death. Let's see where these pagans buried their dead.
(Out Front – Night)
(Xander and Dawn are rifling through Xander's car.)
Dawn: Xander, my crossbow is not out here. I told you, I don't leave crossbows around all willy-nilly. (pauses guiltily) Not since that time with Miss Kitty Fantastico.
Xander: Hey, did you know I have to take a driving test every year now?
Dawn: Because you're old?
Xander: No, because of my eye. It's a whole state law. They don't trust my depth perception anymore.
Dawn: That sucks.
Xander: (stands) And you know what's even worse? All the stupid "it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" jokes. "Hey, Xander, so no more fun and games, huh?"
Dawn: (rolls her eyes, sighs) Giles was just having fun with you.
Xander: That's not the point. It's an obvious joke. It'd be like someone calling me a cyclops.
Dawn: Oh. (giggles, then stops, clears throat) OK, so not that funny.
Xander: I mean, uh... give me some "eye of the beholder" jokes. You know? Or, uh... some "eye for an eye" jokes. Or maybe even a post-modern "I, Claudius" joke, you know? It's about standards, Dawnie.
Dawn: I know. (stands)
Xander: (sighs) Just, uh, be creative.
Dawn: Look, everyone's still kind of on guard around you. But before you know it— (Xander puts a cloth over her face, Dawn screams) Aah! Aah!
(Xander pushes Dawn into the car and gets into the driver's seat before driving away.)
(Shadow Valley Vineyards – Wine Cellar)
(Enraged, Caleb throws a barrel across the room. It splits open and gushes red wine out onto the floor.)
Buffy/First: Not that I care personally, but you are wasting a lot of robust, full-bodied merlot.
Caleb: Why did you let her go? You know I can take her in a fight.
Buffy/First: We'll get her. Calm down.
Caleb: I'm calm. You should see me when I get angry.
Buffy/First: She's powerful right now. And you're weak.
Caleb: You know, all of a sudden, I'm getting less calm.
Buffy/First: Face it. Your strength is waning. It has been quite some time since we've... (looks at him seductively) merged.
Caleb: Maybe you're right. OK, let's do it. (sniffs)
Buffy/First: Boy, you sure know how to romance a girl. No flowers, no dinner, no tour of the rectory. Just, "OK, I'm ready. Let's do it." Help me. My knees are weak. (rolls her eyes)
Caleb: Watch what you say now. You're starting to sound like her. This is a sacred experience for me.
Buffy/First: And for me as well. Look, when this is all over, and our armies spring forth, and our will sweeps the world, I will be able to enter every man, woman, and child on this Earth, just as I enter you.
Caleb: Are you trying to make me jealous?
Buffy/First: I'm trying to make you a God.
(Buffy/First and Caleb are standing across from each other, facing each other, each holding out his hands and leaning his head back. The First changes form into the demonic apparition—huge, with two horns on its head and glowy red eyes (seen before when it entered Willow in Episode 7x10 "Bring On The Night"). The First lunges toward Caleb, glowing and growling.)
Caleb: I am thy humble servant. (The First's energy contracts into a beach-ball sized glowing light and enters Caleb, causing him to wobble a little. He rolls back his head and falls to the ground; when he sits up again, his eyes are black and his voice is creepy and deeper.) And I am ready to serve thee.
(Summers Residence – Buffy’s Room)
(Faith is lying in bed holding the scythe in front of her. Buffy's standing beside the bed.)
Buffy: You feel it too, don't you?
Faith: Damn. And damn, that's something.
Buffy: I know.
Faith: It's old. It's strong, and it feels like... like it's mine. (places it on the bed beside her) I guess that means it's yours.
Buffy: It belongs to the slayer. (picks up the scythe)
Faith: Slayer in charge, which, I'm guessing, is you.
Buffy: (sits on the edge of the bed) I honestly don't know. Does it matter?
Faith: It never mattered to me. Somebody has to lead. Let's vote for Chao-Ahn. It's harder to lead people into a deathtrap if you don't speak English.
Buffy: It wasn't your fault.
Faith: (looks away) I'm really not looking for forgiveness.
Buffy: You're not?
Faith: What do you want me to say? I blew it.
Buffy: You didn't blow it.
Faith: Tell that to—
Buffy: People die. You lead them into battle, they're gonna die. It doesn't matter how ready you are or how smart you are. War is about death. Needless, stupid death.
Faith: So, here's the laugh riot. My whole life I've been a loner.
Buffy: That's the funny part? Did I miss something?
Faith: I'm trying to—
Buffy: Sorry. Sorry. Go.
Faith: No ties, no buddies, no relationships that lasted longer than... well, Robin lasted pretty long. (grins) Boy's got stamina.
Buffy: Principal Wood? And you? And in my— (stands, paces)
Faith: Don't tell me you two got wriggly.
Buffy: No. No. No, no. We're just good friends. Or mortal enemies, depending on which day of the—
was that the funny part?
Faith: OK. The point. Me, by myself all the time. I'm looking at you, everything you have, and, I don't know, jealous. Then there I am. Everybody's looking to me, trusting me to lead them, and I've never felt so alone in my entire life.
Buffy: Yeah. (swallows, looks down)
Faith: And that's you every day, isn't it?
Buffy: I love my friends. I'm very grateful for them. But that's the price. Being a slayer.
Faith: There's only supposed to be one. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. We're not supposed to exist together.
Buffy: Also, you went evil and were killing people.
Faith: Good point. Also a factor. (nods)
Buffy: But you're right. I mean, I... I guess everyone's alone. But being a slayer? There's a burden we can't share.
Faith: And no one else can feel it. (beat) Thank God we're hot chicks with superpowers.
Buffy: Takes the edge off.
Faith: Comforting.
Buffy: Mm-hmm.
(Foyer)
(Buffy walks down the stairs carrying the scythe when Spike walks in the front door.)
Spike: Honey, you're home.
Buffy: Yeah.
Spike: (sighs) And you did it. Fulfilled your mission. Found the Holy Grail. Or the Holy Hand Grenade, or whatever the hell that is.
Buffy: Right now we're going with scythe. You like?
Spike: Well, pointy and wooden is not exactly the look I wanna know better, but it does have flair. Can see why a girl would ditch a fella for one of these.
Buffy: I'm sorry about that. (walks away)
(Kitchen)
(As Buffy walks toward the kitchen, Spike follows her.)
Spike: It doesn't matter. You're back in the bosom. All's forgiven. And, uh, (stands in front of Buffy, looking at her) last night...was just a glitch. A bit of cold comfort from the cellar dweller. Let's don't make a thing out of it. (breathes nervously)
Buffy: Great. I have work to do.
Spike: Oh, yeah. Another solo mission, of course.
Buffy: Yeah, it is.
Spike: That's fine. You don't have to get shirty about it.
Buffy: I'm not shirty. And what is shirty? That's not even a word.
Spike: All right. All right. Big secret mission. It's fine.
Buffy: It's not a secret. Well, I mean, it is, but that's the point of the mission. Find out the secret. This thing was forged by— I don't even know. I mean, something about... a tomb on unconsecrated ground. That's what I have to do. I need to find out what this is and why I have it.
Spike: And that's the thing the preacher man was so anxious to keep out of your mitts?
Buffy: That it is.
Spike: Well, maybe I'll swing by the vineyard when you go, make sure he's sitting tight.
Buffy: Great.
Spike: OK. (turns to leave)
Buffy: (walks after him) You're a dope.
Spike: I'm a what?
Buffy: You're a dope. And a bonehead. And you're shirty.
Spike: Have you gone completely carrot-top?
Buffy: Do you see this? (holds up the scythe) This may actually help me fight my war. This might be the key to everything. And the reason I'm holding it is because of you. Because of the strength that you gave me last night. Look, I am tired of defensiveness and weird, mixed signals. You know, I have Faith for that. Let's just get to the truth here, OK? I don't know how you felt about last night, but I will not—
Spike: (breathes in, looks away) Terrified.
Buffy: Of what?
Spike: (lets out a slow sigh) Last night was... (looks up) God, I'm such a jerk. I can't do this.
Buffy: Spike...
Spike: It was the best night of my life. If you poke fun at me, you bloody well better use that, 'cause I couldn't bear it. It may not mean that much to you, but—
Buffy: I just told you it did.
Spike: (sighs) Yeah...I hear you say it, but... I've lived for soddin' ever, Buffy. I've done everything. Done things with you I can't spell, but... I've never... been close... to anyone. Least of all, you. 'Til last night. All I did was... (smiles) hold you, watch you sleep. And it was the best night of my life. So, yeah... I'm... terrified.
Buffy: You don't have to be.
Spike: (looks at her) Were you there with me?
Buffy: (looks straight at him) I was.
Spike: What does that mean?
Buffy: I don't know. Does it have to mean something?
Spike: No. (looks away) Not right now.
Buffy: Maybe when...
Spike: No. (throws up his hand) Let's just leave it.
Buffy: OK.
Spike: (sighs) We'll go be heroes. (walks out the door)
(Hospital)
(Andrew and Anya walk into the supply room carrying bags over their shoulders.)
Andrew: Ooh. This one has oxygen tanks.
Anya: They'd only be useful if something big was attacking, and then we could shove one down their throat and blow 'em up like Roy Scheider did with that shark in Jaws. (Andrew stares at her) What?
Andrew: You are the perfect woman.
Anya: I've often thought so. Wanna rob?
Andrew: Let's rob. (they walks to the shelves and rifle through things) Oh, cool. Gauze and alcohol... tape and, oh, sutures, if we want to get stitchy with it. Oh, and there's a... box of ointment here. I used one of these on a rash once.
Anya: Oh. Show me.
Andrew: Well, it—it's healed up, but it was red and crusty with these little itchy places.
Anya: Show me the box full of ointments, you little freak. And get cotton packing for the big wounds.
Andrew: It's gonna be bad, isn't it?
Anya: Yeah.
Andrew: (sighs) So how come you're here? I mean, you could just go. Right?
Anya: Yeah. I did once before.
Andrew: Before what?
Anya: Well...there was this other apocalypse... this one time, and... well, I took off. But this time, I don't...I don't know.
Andrew: (sighs) Well...what's different?
Anya: Well...I guess I was...kinda new to bein' around humans before. But now I've... seen a lot more, gotten to know people... seen what they're capable of, and... (shrugs) I guess I just realized...how amazingly screwed-up they all are. I mean really, really screwed-up in a monumental fashion.
Andrew: Oh. (nods)
Anya: And they have no purpose that unites them, so they just drift around, blundering through life until they die...which they...they know is coming, yet every single one of them is surprised when it happens to them. They're incapable of thinking about what they want beyond the moment. They kill each other, which is clearly insane. And yet, here's the thing. When it's something that really matters, they fight. I mean, they're lame morons for fighting, but they do. They never... never quit. So I guess I will keep fighting, too.
Andrew: (sighs) That was kind of beautiful. (Anya nods) You...you love humans.
Anya: (indignant) I do not.
Andrew: Yes, you do. You loooove them
Anya: Stop it! I don't love them! And I'll kill you if you tell anybody.
Andrew: I won't tell anybody. Won't get a chance to, anyway.
Anya: I don't know. You might survive.
Andrew: No, you might survive. You know how to handle a weapon, and you've been in this world for, like, a thousand years. I'm not so... (sighs) I don't think I'll be OK. I'm cool with it. I think I'd like to...finish out as one of those... lame humans tryin' to do what's right. (smiles)
Anya: Yeah. (nods)
Andrew: So...wheelchair fight?
(Flash forward to Andrew and Anya sitting in wheelchairs wheeling toward each other making Indian calls and being silly.)
(Cemetery)
(Buffy walks through a cemetery carrying the scythe. She opens a gate and walks up to a pyramid shaped tomb and kicks down the door.)
(Tomb)
(Buffy walks down into the tomb. It's lit inside, although dimly, by torches, giving it an orange hue. Buffy looks around cautiously. A woman's voice comes from behind a drape.)
Woman: (os) I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten how young you would be. (The woman opens the drape, and Buffy sees a very old woman with long white hair standing before her.) Comes from the waiting. Mind plays tricks. I see you've found our weapon.
Buffy: Who are you?
Woman: One of many. Well...time was. Now I'm alone in the world.
Buffy: So what are you? Some kind of ghost?
Woman: (chuckles softly, shakes her head) Nope. I'm as real as you are. Just...well... let me put it this way— I look good for my age. I've been waiting. (holds out her hands; Buffy hands over the scythe) You pulled it out of the rock. I was one of those who put it in there.
Buffy: What is it?
Woman: (admires the scythe) A weapon. A scythe. Forged in secrecy for one like you who— I'm sorry. What's your name?
Buffy: Buffy.
Woman: No, really. (Buffy shrugs) We forged it in secrecy and kept it hidden from the Shadow Men, who—
Buffy: Yeah. Met those guys. Didn't really care too much for 'em.
Woman: Ahh, yes. Then you know. And they became the watchers. And the watchers watched the slayers. But we were watching them.
Buffy: Oh! So you're like... what are you?
Woman: Guardians. Women who want to help and protect you. We forged this centuries ago, halfway around the world.
Buffy: Hence, the Luxor Casino theme.
Woman: Forged there, it was put to use right here...to kill the last pure demon that walked upon the Earth. The rest were already driven under. And then there were men here, and then there were monks. And then there was a town, and now there was you. And the scythe remained hidden.
Buffy: I don't understand. How is it possible that we didn't know any of this?
Woman: We hid, too. We had to until now. We're the last surprise.
Buffy: Does this mean I can win?
Woman: That is really up to you. This is a powerful weapon. (hands the scythe back to Buffy)
Buffy: Yeah.
Woman: But you already have weapons.
Buffy: Oh.
Woman: Use it wisely and perhaps you can beat back the rising dark. One way or another, it can only mean an end is truly near.
(The woman's head cocks slightly to the side, and a cracking noise can be heard. The woman falls to the ground. Buffy looks up and sees Caleb standing there.)
Caleb: I'm sorry. I didn't catch that last part on account of her neck snapping and all. Did she say the end is near... or here?
(Xander’s Car)
(Xander is driving, and Dawn is unconscious in the seat beside him. She breathes and moves a little.)
Xander: Hey, Dawn. Dawn, you awake?
Dawn: What happened?
Xander: Um, I thought you might say that.
Dawn: (sluggish) Actually I meant to say what the hell happened?
Xander: It was chloroform.
Dawn: (groggily) Color forms...what?
Xander: Chloroform. Are you still loopy?
Dawn: Sorry about that. Someone knocked me out with chloroform. (looks around) Xander, where are we going? What's going on? Talk to me.
Xander: Away. (hands Dawn a letter)
Dawn: What's this?
Xander: Just open it.
(Dawn opens the letter and starts reading.)
Buffy: (vo) Dearest Dawn, don't be angry with Xander. He only did what I told him to do. This isn't the place for either of you. Please know that I love you and that everything I do is for you. I promised once to show you this beautiful world, and I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen—
(Without letting Xander see it, Dawn puts a stun gun up to Xander's neck and presses the button, zapping Xander and knocking him out. The car swerves and Dawn takes the wheel, guiding the car to a stop. She takes over the wheel and turns the car around.)
(Cemetery – Tomb)
(Buffy swings the scythe at Caleb, but he grabs it with ease, pushing her away. They fight, exchanging punches and kicks. Caleb is much stronger than before, as shown when he tries to punch Buffy, but she ducks and he instead punches through a stone pillar.)
Caleb: (laughs) You're not slipping out of this fight, girl. Can't you see? You can't stop me. I can just keep going back for more. It's like being reborn.
(Buffy swings the scythe at Caleb's head, but he ducks and throws her against the wall. He kicks her into the air and punches her in the stomach before she falls to the ground again. He kicks her in the head and grabs the scythe, but Buffy kicks it out of his hands and into the air. Buffy grabs the scythe and kicks Caleb to the floor. She goes to stab him with the stake-end of the scythe, but he stops her from plunging it into his chest. Caleb laughs and pushes Buffy away, taking the scythe away from her and throwing it to the ground as he walks toward her. He punches her repeatedly until she falls to the floor.)
Caleb: You know, I gave you ample warning. Told you not to interfere, but you chose not to heed. (Buffy charges toward Caleb, but he deflects her and throws her onto a sarcophagus. She kicks him. He picks her up by the lapels and swings her body into a stone pillar so hard that it moves one of the stones out of place. Buffy falls to the ground, and Caleb picks up the scythe.) I was kind of hoping it'd go this way. (rears back with the scythe as he stares at Buffy)
Angel: (os) Hey! (He punches Caleb, knocking him down. Buffy looks up and sees him. He helps her to her feet.) I was never much for preachers.
Buffy: Angel.
Angel: You look good.
Buffy: You look timely. And also good. (smiles)
Angel: Heard maybe you needed a hand. (Caleb gets to his feet. Angel starts to go help finish him off, but Buffy stops him.) Ah, one of those things you have to finish yourself?
Buffy: Really kinda is.
(Angel backs toward a pillar so he can be out of the way but still see the show. Caleb walks toward Buffy.)
Angel: (crosses his arms, licks his lips) You are so gonna lose.
(Buffy and Caleb fight. Caleb takes the scythe away from Buffy and punches her, sending her stumbling across the room. Caleb points the stake-end of the scythe at Buffy and charges toward her, with her back against the wall, but he misses, lodging the scythe in the stone wall. Buffy pulls the scythe out of the wall and kicks Caleb away from her.)
Angel: God, I missed watching this.
(Buffy swings the scythe at Caleb, slicing his stomach. He stumbles back, laughs heartily, wags his finger at her, and falls to the floor.)
Buffy: See? Under control.
Angel: Well...at least you could tell me you're glad to see me. (walks toward Buffy)
(Buffy drops the scythe to the floor and walks up to Angel, pressing herself against his body and kisses him deeply on the lips. Pan over to show Spike is in the tomb as well, hiding behind the pillar, watching them. Buffy/First is beside him, whispering in his ear.)
Buffy/First: That bitch.
Season Seven Guide
