| INT SUMMERS HOME: NIGHT Dawn is working, her face concentrated as her fingers click on a mouse, a dozen web pages flashing before her eyes. She is almost bored to tears, unable to find what she needs. One more click and her eyes light up as if she�s finally struck gold. Suddenly she hears a loud crash outside the house. She jumps up in shock, grabs the stun gun and walks softly and carefully to the back door. She peers out the window, yet sees nothing. She turns around, momentarily letting her guard down, when she hears another loud sound. In a sudden and brash move, stun gun at the ready, she throws open the door to face the threat. On the other side is a small group of robed men. The first one (Jake) grabs the gun right out of her hands, and the second one grabs her from behind as they move in. She shrieks through a clamped mouth and bites down on the finger of her captor who impulsively moves it away. She shrieks again as the beam from the stun gun hits her body, leaving her incapacitated. Her scream wakes Spike who is up in an instant and running into the kitchen. He sees Dawn�s body on the ground and immediately attacks the nearest robed figure, but he is grabbed from behind and overpowered by two more figures. The robed figure (Jake) who holds the gun looks at him directly. JAKE Our goddess Clantus craves a word with you. As if a curtain were parting, the small group of robed men step aside and then bow their head in reverence. In comes Anya, dressed in all her goddess glory, a shiny ax firmly in hand. ANYA/CLANTUS Well, well William�we meet again. EXT SUNNYDALE STREETS: NIGHT Through the fire, we see Buffy. The burned vampire has long turned to ash, but Willow still stares down at the flames she is fueling through her own sheer will. This is Willow�s P.O.V. and Buffy is soundless, yet pleading. She�s trying to reach Willow, but can�t break through the veil of flames and self-imposed blockade. Cut to Buffy�s P.O.V. Willow�s eyes are glassy and unblinking. BUFFY Willow, snap out of it! I need you. Come back Willow! Please! Zoom in on Willow�s eyes. Dissolve to a montage of what Willow is seeing. Flashback--a quick montage of images that dissolve into one another: Tara collapses to the ground; Warren runs in the forest; Dawn, visibly upset, back against the wall at Rack�s place; Buffy and Xander look upon Willow with disgust. Buffy speaks to Willow. BUFFY�S VOICE OVER: �What did you do?� The question echoes in Willow�s mind. Flashback�a quick montage of more images from the current night: Xander runs in the alley; Xander is trapped between the men; The men and Xander are enveloped in light and suddenly gone. Buffy�s voice repeats �What did you do?� WILLOW (mumbles) I�m sorry Xander. I didn�t mean to� She is barely audible. But Buffy hears her voice, and with renewed purpose tries to reach her (not physically �cause then �ow� she would get burned, but I don�t know if she would feel the fire at this point anyway). BUFFY Willow! Please. It�s me, Buffy. I�m here! What�s happened? WILLOW (mumbles) It�s all my fault. Xander�it�s because of me. Willow chokes up and the fire dims, flames growing increasingly smaller. Now Buffy is able to get to her. Willow mumbles and falls down on her knees beside the vampire victim. Buffy moves to her, and grabs her by the shoulders in an attempt to steady her and lift her to standing position BUFFY Willow? What happened to Xander? What did you do? Willow hears Buffy�s voice echoing, the phrase �What did you do?� repeating in her mind like some kind of accusation. She breaks from her trance and locks eyes with Buffy, anger growing within. But then, the body of the vampire victim arises, and faces them with a scowl. INT SUMMERS HOUSE: NIGHT SPIKE Anya? ANYA/CLANTUS Clantus. You think that I would allow that mortal to remain in control? Of course she was fine�very strong of will and mind or else I could not come to be. I even let her get in one request before I seized control of her body. I�m sure she will pleased with the results (laughs), that is if she ever comes back to see them. SPIKE I know you. ANYA/CLANTUS Of course you do William. That�s why I�m here. We have unfinished business. SPIKE (angrily) No! I�ve nothing to do with you. ANYA/CLANTUS (seductively) Come on. We�ve had so much fun together. Don�t you remember? ANYA/CLANTUS voice over flashback images: ANYA/CLANTUS V.O. That bastard of a father, you had. You know you wished for it. You wanted me to help you, didn�t you? IMAGES: William�s father, slovenly drunk has arrived home. William outside, looking heavenward, begging for aid. Cut to present day Spike. His mother�s voice echoes in his head. SPIKE�S MOTHER�S V.O. He�s come home, William! He�s coming�! SPIKE Mother? ANYA/CLANTUS V.O.: Your poor dear, sweet mother. How she loved you so. Her love so strong, it imbued her with power strong enough to contain me. IMAGES: William�s mother inside her home. She is in the sitting room, panicking at the unfolding events when a burst of green light occurs. Robed figures approach her, and she lets out a scream. SPIKE: No! It didn�t happen. I wasn�t there. ANYA/CLANTUS But it did, and you do remember--your father�s blood flying from my axe onto your clothes. Anya/Clantus wields the axe proudly ANYA/CLANTUS I remember; I was there. But you didn�t help your mother. You ran away. She wasn�t happy about that. SPIKE (struggling in the firm grasp of the grotesque, robed men.) No. It wasn�t her. ANYA/CLANTUS (sighs) Well, technically, you are right about that. It wasn�t her; it was me controlling her. But I could feel her desires under my skin. She wanted you to be a man, to stand up to him. You drove her to murder him. And that makes you a very bad boy. Anya/Clantus moves closely to Spike, her face so near he could feel her breath on his cheek. ANYA/CLANTUS You see William. You may have wished for your father to disappear--wished it so hard, it drove your mother to murder him. But her will was stronger. She demanded justice for your inadequacies. And now she wants you destroyed. EXT SUNNYDALE ALLEYWAY: NIGHT Buffy rolls away from Willow and into a standing position to face her foe. The arisen vampire scowls at her and they begin to fight. Kicks, punches, the whole she-bang wonderfully choreographed by the stunt-coordinator in classic Buffy style. The fire has completely dissipated. Willow begins to rise. The vampire is in between the two women. Buffy is winning this fight. Simultaneously she and Willow strike at the vamp, Buffy with traditional stake, Willow with random magic power. The vampire turns to ash, leaving the two friends staring at each other in its haze. Willow�s trance seems broken and her eyes are brimming with tears. WILLOW Buffy? BUFFY Will! Buffy embraces her friend What happened? WILLOW Oh Buffy. It�s my fault. I was with Xander and now� BUFFY Xander? Where he is. WILLOW We were together and he ran off after a vampire. Only, it wasn�t a vampire. It was worse than a vampire�these men in robes. BUFFY (realizing) The legion of Clantus. WILLOW The what of what? BUFFY I�ll explain. Just tell me what happened. WILLOW I tried to save him. Really I did, but I made it worse, and now they�re gone. I don�t know where. I don�t even know if he�s� (Willow breaks down) Oh Buffy! It�s all my fault. I can�t control anything. Buffy comforts her friend for a moment. BUFFY No, Willow. Don�t do this to yourself. Listen, it�s not you. It�s Clantus. Come on. We have to go now. I think I know where we can find Xander. WILLOW But where? BUFFY We�re going to Anya�s INT: ANYA�S APARTMENT: NIGHT The half naked bodies of Xander and Spike lie next to one another, chained to the headboard and footboard of Anya�s bed. They are surrounded by the legion of Clantus with Anya/Clantus at the foot of the bed staring down upon them. Anya/Clantus paces the floor, taking in the view of her surroundings more closely. On a nearby dresser she spots an object. She moves to it and picks it up, then comes around to the bed. She is holding a Polaroid camera in her hand and snaps a picture of the two groggy fellows who lie before her. ANYA/CLANTUS I love preserving memories. The flash of the camera has stirred Xander who now comes to, slowly getting his bearings. The first thing he sees is Spike next to him. XANDER Yikes! Spike looks at him. I�m not exactly sure how he looks �cause I�m not James Marsters and I feel that James would know how Spike might be in this moment better than I can convey here with words. I imagine he�s not thrilled. Xander turns and then see Anya before him. XANDER Anya. ANYA/CLANTUS Clantus. XANDER What-us? ANYA/CLANTUS The woman you called Anya has great anger against you. I can feel it surging within me. You must have wronged her terribly. She seeks retribution, and I am its hand. XANDER And her retribution is to have me tied up half nekkid with Spike? That�s twisted. ANYA/CLANTUS The man you call Spike has wronged his mother. He will pay dearly for his error, and he will bring forth my new chalice--the strongest woman in the world. You can touch her, but she�ll break your heart. SPIKE The Slayer At that moment, Buffy and Willow burst through the door. BUFFY You rang? |
| RETRIBUTION |
| PART V |
| Before After Feedback? |
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