BrokenHallelujah3

Disclaimer: All characters, except for Johnny York, are property of BTVS. Johnny York is my own creation. I have fictionalized much of the worship of Cybele and Attis; no offense is meant to those who actually profess that religion.

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[Cut to Sunnydale general. Riley enters a waiting area, which is already occupied by Graham and Forrest.]

Riley: Fill me in.

Forrest: He�ll live. Not that he�d want to.

Riley: Have his parents been notified?

Forrest: The hospital took care of it.

Graham: Do we know what did it?

Riley: No.

Forrest: Any news on Rayne?

Riley: No. What about the quake?

Graham: It seems to be a part of a recent seismic pattern that began in Turkey. Earthquakes have been occurring in increasingly smaller concentric circles.

Riley: Do I need to ask what the center is?

Graham: Sunnydale. We need to prepare for something big.

Riley: When?

Graham: Soon.

Riley: Define soon.

Graham: The next day or so.

Riley: That�s soon.

PART FOUR
[Fade in Giles� house. It�s day time. The gang is still in the living room doing research. Even Anya and Spike are reading. Ethan remains tied to his chair. Giles emerges from the hallway.]

Giles: Johnny�s still passed out.

Willow: I think I found something on the net.

[Giles goes over to Willow, who has remained in the same position on the sofa.]

Giles: What is it?

Willow: It�s something about Cybele, but it�s not in English.

Giles: Let me see.

[He looks at the screen of Willow�s laptop.]

Giles: I can�t read it; it�s in Phrygian.

Willow: You were able to read the text I found on the net last year.

Giles: That was in a Phrygian dialect of Greek. Actual Phrygian isn�t even in the Hellenic family.

Willow: And you can�t read it?

Giles: No one reads Phrygian.

Buffy (pointing to Ethan): What about him?

Ethan: Sorry.

[Willow looks strangely at Giles.]

Giles: What?

Willow: It�s just I thought you knew everything. This is very disconcerting.

Giles: I�m telling you no one in this day and age reads Phrygian.

Spike: Fascinating though this is, and you know how much I love to spend time with you folks, I�m leaving. I need to find someplace else to live.

Xander: I hate to break it to you, but it�s day.

Spike: Frankly, after twenty-four hours of you, turning into a pile of dust would be a welcome change of pace.

Giles: Before you go, did you find anything?

Spike: There was a big earthquake in Turkey.

Buffy: Thanks for the newsflash.

Willow: That�s all you found in the last day?

Spike: Lots of people died. Okay? Can I go now?

Giles (weary): At least Johnny isn�t responsible for that.

Ethan: Yeah, he wasn�t in Turkey.

Giles (looking up): What do you mean?

Ethan: If you take me to loo, I�ll tell you.

Xander: You tell us, then we�ll consider it.

Ethan: It�s nothing. Johnny just said wherever he went there was an earthquake.

Giles: Oh my god. It all makes sense now.

Willow: What?

Giles: I�m afraid it�s more serious than we thought.

Buffy: More serious?

Ethan: Excuse me?

Giles: Buffy, take him to the W.C.

Buffy: Why do I have to?

Giles: You can stop him if he tries to escape.

[Buffy starts to untie Ethan.]

Willow: What do you mean �more serious�?

Giles: Cybele is coming after Johnny.

Anya: We figured that out last night.

Giles: Yes, but we thought she was dormant, just driving him insane. Whatever he did, though, caused her to wake. She�s coming after Johnny and taking everyone with him. Um, how do I explain? Cybele is a Phrygian Earth goddess, the Great Mother. Phrygia is in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey. The earthquakes correspond to a disruption in the forces of the earth. Cybele�s no longer sedentary. That�s why the quakes have been getting more frequent and closer to Sunnydale. She�s tracking Johnny.

[Buffy stops untying Ethan.]

Buffy: What does that mean?

Giles: Probably that before sundown today we can expect an earthquake of tremendous magnitude to destroy the entirety of southern California.

Willow: Why before sundown?

Giles: Sunset on the day of blood is when the goddess is at her most powerful.

Buffy: And how do we stop it?

Giles: I don�t know. Ethan?

Ethan: Why ask me?

Giles: You�ll die too.

Ethan: Good point. You have to kill Johnny. If there is no one for the goddess to punish, she�ll return to dormancy.

[Johnny enters from the hall.]

Johnny (bitter): And if I don�t want to die?

Ethan: Then you have to kill the person you love. Now, please can someone take me to the loo.

Buffy: C�mon.

[She takes Ethan out through the hall.]

Xander: So let me get this straight. Johnny falls in love, and because of that, some pagan god who�s been dormant for thousands of years awakens to wreak havoc on the Earth and bring death to millions of innocent people.

Willow: Kind of puts that whole Angel/Angelus thing in perspective, huh?

Giles: Let�s not hyperbolize, Xander. So far only tens of thousands have actually died.

Willow: So what happens now?

Giles: This isn�t an unprecedented occurrence. After all, Attis did fall in love with another woman.

Anya: What happened?

Giles: Well, hmm, Cybele, in a jealous rage, drove Attis insane. Then, he castrated himself and died from the injuries.

Xander (nonchalant): That�s how it goes�eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Can�t say Johnny didn�t have it coming.

Willow (chiding): Xander! Ix-nay on the appy-hay.

Xander (innocent): What?

Willow: Giles may want grandchildren someday.

Spike: More importantly, Xander my boy, before you go all Old Testament on us in a pathetic attempt to impress your vengeance demon lover receptacle, I suggest you think long and hard about whither you want to start a trend of gelding the stallions. You may give some of us ideas.

Willow (giggling): Love receptacle?

Spike: Not my finest moment, I admit, but I�m out of form.

Giles (to Johnny): Who is she?

[But Johnny is no longer standing in the doorway.]

Willow: �She� who?

Giles (distracted): Whom he fell in love with.

Xander: How do we know it�s a she? Maybe he likes�gladiator movies.

[Giles leaves through the hall, looking for Johnny.]

Giles (off): He�s gone. Buffy and Ethan are gone too.

[Giles runs back in to the front room.]

Willow: What do we do now?

Spike: Simple, you find Johnny and kill him.

Giles: Spike�s right. It�s the only way.

Willow: Do you think Buffy�s following them?

Giles: I hope so. I hope she�s able to kill him. We better start looking. Anya, call Riley and tell him what needs to happen.   He can have the Initiative spread out and look.

[The rest, except for Spike, begin to leave.]

Anya: Aren�t you going?

Spike: It�s day. It�s just you and me cookie.

[Cut to Johnny�s Suburban. Ethan drives. Johnny and Buffy are in the back. Buffy is tied up in ropes.]

Buffy: What do you want?

Johnny: To live.

Buffy: Where are we going?

Ethan: Not very far.

[Cut to Angel�s mansion. The gang runs into the front room. Giles stares at the tree while the others swarm out to search the house.]

[Cut to Johnny�s room. Willow enters and turns on the light. She stares flabbergasted at the numerous pictures of Buffy laying on the bureau.]

Willow: Hey, guys, I think I figured out who �she� is.

[She leaves the room.]

[Cut to the front room. Willow enters. Xander follows.]

Giles: What is it?

Willow: There�s a veritable shrine to Buffy in the other room.

Xander: No one�s upstairs.

Giles: Buffy did not follow Johnny and Ethan; they took her.

Willow: But she�ll get out okay, right?

Xander: Where do you think they went?

Giles: The park.

Willow: The park?

Giles: Pine trees are symbols of Attis. They�ll look for a copse.

Willow: Then, he�ll kill her?

Giles: If he does love her, then it�s her or him.

Xander: Johnny�s too selfish to kill himself.

Willow: What kind of god would make you kill someone you loved?

[Cut to the park. Buffy�s hands are still tied. Johnny holds a knife to her throat as he leads her to a grove of pine trees. Ethan walks behind in case Buffy makes a break for it. They stop next to a large tree.]

Buffy: It�s me?

Johnny: What can I say?

Buffy: You don�t know me.

Johnny: I�ve been here the whole time. Since the summer.

Buffy: Watching me?

[Cut to the street next to the park. Dressed in their commando gear, Riley, Graham, and Forrest, who is driving, ride by in a jeep.]

Riley: Wait. Stop.

Graham: What is it?

Riley: The Suburban. They�re here.

[Cut to the grove.]

Buffy: How can you kill something you love? Being in love means you care for that person more than yourself. Whatever this is, it�s not love.

[The ground starts to rumble.]

Johnny: Obviously, someone thinks differently.

[Riley, Graham, and Forrest run up to the group. Riley pulls out his sidearm and aims it at Johnny.]

Riley: Freeze.

Ethan: You idiot, he has to or we�re all dead.

Buffy: You can kill him. That�ll stop it.

[Riley readjusts his aim.]

Riley (frustrated): I can�t be sure I won�t hit you too.

[Cut to Giles� house. Anya and Spike stand in the doorway as the quake increases in intensity. Spike starts to laugh.]

Anya: What�s so funny?

Spike: I�ve been waiting for years for Buffy to fail at something. I never thought I�d have to die to see it.

Anya: I wish Xander were here.

[Cut back to the grove. Willow, Xander, and Giles join the group. Giles pants trying to catch his breath.]

Willow (to Johnny): How could you?

Johnny: I don�t want to die. Do you?

Willow: Then, why don�t you kill yourself?

Johnny: You have no right to judge me. You have no faith.

Willow: Yes, I do.

Johnny: How can you say you�re Wicca and Jewish at the same time? It�s not like dual citizenship, you know.

[He starts to pull the knife across Buffy�s neck. Giles grabs Riley�s gun and aims it at Johnny. Johnny looks at him. Giles aims at Johnny�s head.]

Giles: Let her go. I�ll do it anyway.

[Johnny releases Buffy, who runs out of the way.]

Johnny: Do it.

[Giles shoots Johnny in the head. Johnny falls to the ground. The ground stops rumbling, but the sky goes black. The wind picks up and rain pours down.]

Willow (screaming over the din): What�s happening?

[Ethan begins to laugh. A bolt of lightening strikes down and hits Johnny.]

Ethan: The goddess takes care of her own.

[The rain washes over Johnny. All his scars and wounds are washed away. He starts to glow.]

Giles (realizing): When Attis died, Cybele had the sky god raise her lover from the dead.

Ethan: Johnny will be more powerful than ever.

Giles (to Ethan): You knew this would happen. You tricked us.

Ethan: Of course.

[Just as quickly as it came, the storm disappears. Johnny gets up. He looks perfect, but his clothes are a little worse for the wear. He stands up. Forrest and Graham grab Ethan.]

Johnny: Let him go.

[Forrest points his gun at Johnny. Johnny reaches out, and the gun goes flying into his hand. He aims it at Forrest.]

Johnny: And I say again, let him go.

[They comply. Ethan straightens his clothing and brushes himself clean.]

Ethan: Let us go.

[He starts to walk away. Johnny makes a move to follow. He turns to Buffy.]

Johnny: Do you want to come with?

Buffy: Are you kidding?

Johnny: Hey, I can satisfy five women at once. Can Riley here do that?

Buffy: So not interested.

Johnny: No big whoop.

Giles: Do you plan to leave?

Johnny: I don�t know. Maybe I�ll start a cult. Give something back to the goddess who has given me so much. Also, I�ve never been to Disneyworld.

[Cut to Parker�s room in the hospital. He lay in bed staring forlornly out the window. Johnny enters, looking angelic again and wearing Armani slacks and a gold lame shirt.]

Johnny: You always could be a priest.

Parker: I�m Jewish.

Johnny: It could be worse.

Parker (depressed): Who are you?

[Johnny makes scissor motions with his fingers.]

Parker (afraid): What do you want?

Johnny: Don�t worry. I�m not going to hurt you�again. I just came to make you a proposition.

Parker: Not interested.

Johnny: Hear me out. It seems to me that you and I have a lot in common. We share the same sort of desires and, uh, belief system. Unfortunately�for you�I didn�t appreciate this until yesterday. It�s complicated, but there was this girl, made me jealous and a little insane, but I�m past that now.   I�m back to good old sex, drugs, and rock �n� roll. I feel a little guilty about what I did to you, so I thought I would offer you the opportunity to serve me.

Parker: Un-hunh.

Johnny: I don�t like to brag, but I�m a god you see.

Parker: Go away.

Johnny: Wait. Watch this.

[Johnny goes over to the sink, takes a paper cup, and fills it with water. He walks up to Parker and gives it to him.]

Johnny: Here drink a little of this.

Parker: Water? How do I know you didn�t put something in it?

Johnny: You saw me. Besides, considering how you feel now, would it really matter if I poisoned it?

Parker: Fair enough.

[He drinks.]

Johnny: That�s enough.

Parker (putting the cup down): It�s water.

[Johnny runs his hand over the cup.]

Johnny: Now try it.

Parker: Is it supposed to be wine or something?

Johnny: Just drink it.

[Parker drinks.]

Parker (amazed): It�s beer. [He drinks a little more.] Imported beer.

Johnny: Have you ever been to Orlando?

Parker: No.

Johnny: I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

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