7.20

Episode 7.20

"Reunification"

co-authored by: silver and Doyle

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We open at the Summers house. Angel opens the door to admit Cordelia and Wesley. Angel asks what they�re doing there, and Cordelia says she had a vision about some bad stuff about to go down in Sunnydale. When she is unable to clarify �bad stuff�, she finally admits that there has been a disturbing lack of visions recently. Coupled with the eerie shortage of demons and evil in general in L.A. over the past few weeks, Cordelia was getting a real bad feeling. Like they were all being drawn somewhere. And where else would all the bad things be drawn to, if not their own little Hellmouth? So she�d left Gunn and Fred in charge and dragged Wesley down so they could help out with, whatever it is. She finally pauses for a breath, noticing how quiet the house is. When she asks where everyone is, Angel says Buffy is at the hospital with Dawn.

Cut to the hospital where Dawn is separated from the other people in the room by a curtain that goes around her bed. She�s hooked up to an IV, and is obviously in some kind of coma. Buffy sits by her bed holding her hand, talking to her. She says that even though Dawn missed the official graduation, her teachers have told her all she has to do is take a couple tests and then she�s home free�she�ll graduate a year early when she wakes up. She very noticeably doesn�t say �if� Dawn wakes up.

As she keeps talking to her, the camera closes in on Dawn�s face, closer and closer into her forehead until the screen goes dark. It lightens again a moment later as it draws back from Dawn we see her standing in a forest, clad in a green tunic and tights. She looks around for a moment, completely baffled. Finally she looks down at herself, her hands lifting to her feathered green cap. �Um�when did I join the school play?� she asks herself.

Opening Credits.

Dawn hears rustling in the woods and is a little frightened because she's all alone. She turns to run the other way but runs right into Xander, who is also in tights, a short sleeved brown tunic over a white shirt, and knee-high boots. He's got a wide grin on his face, which startles Dawn momentarily and she falls back. He greets her jovially and as she takes in his bizarre outfit, his fists on his hips, she can't help but laugh incredulously. "Xander?" Striding forward to clap her soundly on the back, he draws her with him toward a trail in the woods. He tells her that everyone is waiting. Dawn stumbles a bit under the well-intended blow, but recovers quickly and looks at him. She asks what they're doing there? How did they get there? Why are they dressed like rejects from Peter Pan? And...does this mean he doesn't hate them anymore?

This last is said in a pitiful voice, and genuinely confused, Xander stops tugging on her and asks how she could think he'd hate her. "I'm your bud! Your first officer! Your skin tights pal!" There's a beat, and then he quickly says "forget about that last one." He wonders if she has fallen and hit her head on a rock or something, and that's why she can't remember. OR, did Sheriff Buffy and her minions catch her and perpetuate some vile scheme to rob her of her memory?

"Sheriff Buffy?" Dawn stutters, laughing again. Convinced that she truly doesn't remember, her companion introduces himself as Little Xander. As Dawn snorts, he tells her not to let the name fool her. "You," he says, gesturing to encompass her entire green-clad form theatrically, "are Dawn of Summers, known far and wide for your acts of bravery and rebellion against the evil Prince Giles and Sheriff Buffy. Dawn laughs harder and Little Xander hopes that her sister can refresh her memory. Dawn sobers. "Buffy's here?" Little Xander says he hopes not, not after all the care they've taken to keep her minions out of Sunnydale Forest. "Xander," she finally asks him as he leads her toward the trail, "who's my sister?"

Cut to a clearing within a little camp. "Willow Scarlet," Little Xander introduces, "your half sister." The redhead steps forward, her hat at a jaunty angle atop her head. She looks confused. "The Dawnster has lost her memory," Little Xander confirms in a stage whisper. "I thought you might jog it."

Dawn reaches out to touch one of the two very efficient, very lethal-looking blades at Willow's waist and we can see that she's finally worried. "What's going on?" Willow Scarlet frowns, concerned, and looks to Little Xander. "What are we going to do? If the others find out she's lost her memory they'll never agree to her idea of banding together to overthrow Sheriff Buffy."

Then they can't let the others find out, Little Xander answers. Dawn simply looks dazed as they discuss how to hide her amnesia from the rest of the Merry Men. She turns in a circle, observing the little huts and air bridges from tree to tree. Little kids run by her, laughing as they chase the leader, and Dawn is shaken by the realism. "I've got to get to Buffy," she mutters, and Willow and Little Xander appear excited, surmising that perhaps her memory is returning.

They quickly shuffle her off to the meeting of Merry Men, and shove her onto a little stage before retreating into the crowd. Dawn gulps and stares at Willow Scarlet for help, but she only smiles encouragingly back and Dawn woefully accepts her fate of public speaking. Slowly, tremulously, she says that they've...uh...stolen from the rich. A small cheer goes up. "And then we, uh...gave it to the poor." A bigger cheer goes up from her listeners, and Dawn starts to lose her fear and get into it. She says that while this has all been well and good, the taxes and the tolls and the corruption are only symptoms of a greater evil. Getting caught up in her own spontaneous propaganda, she goes on to say that to be rid of it all, they must strike at the heart of evil. They must stand united, all together, or they stand no chance at all. The loudest cheer yet goes up, and Dawn is dizzy from the adulation.

After the meeting, as the others are preparing, Little Xander comes up to congratulate her on the moving speech. Dawn is still riding the high from the wave of approval and support, and only half-wonders aloud where Little Xander is taking her now? Little Xander says the men want the good Friar to bless their mission. As he says this, they duck into a small hut that is littered with empty steins and kegs. Dawn stumbles into some and they roll across the floor in a clatter. Across the room, amid the gloom, a figure stirs and mumbles something incomprehensible. Little Xander looks a little exasperated, and kicks the door open, letting some light in as he calls "Friar Spike! We have need of you!"

Friar Spike recoils from the sunlight. "Bloody hell!� he shouts in bleary annoyance. Dawn is elated at having found Spike, and asks Little Xander to leave them alone. Little Xander shakes his head at the Friar's state, but does as she asks. Dawn advances, spilling out in a rush that she's so glad he's there, these people are all crazy, they think she's Robin Hood or something, there must have been some spell cast to make them all behave as they were, but it's okay now because he's there and they can go find Buffy and fix this.

Friar Spike merely grunts in reply, and his response - coupled with all of the empty ale kegs littering the floor - bring her to the correct conclusion. "You're drunk," she accuses. "Of course I'm drunk," he replies, "why else would I be so sodding jolly all the time?"

Dawn's shoulders slump in defeat as she realizes that Spike believes in this whole weird illusion, too, and mumbles that they need him to bless their mission to go topple the evil, corrupted lord of Sunnydale. Friar Spike waves his hand in a half-hearted cross sign and then shoos her out, seeking a full keg of ale. Just as she walks outside, someone shouts her name in warning as an arrow thuds into the door, dangerously close to her head.

Commercials.

Dawn yelps belatedly, and ducks down back against the door to Friar Spike's hut. Out in the clearing, Little Xander has grabbed his quarterstaff and is searching for the origin of the arrow. Friar Spike opens the door, curious about the thud he heard just as another arrow slams into the doorjamb. His eyes widen. "Oh! Son of a..." He quickly goes back inside and bangs the door shut.

At Little Xander's side, Willow Scarlet has zeroed in on the hidden archer. In a fluid move, she cross draws the daggers at her waist and throws them at the man who tried to kill Dawn. Both knives find their mark and bury themselves in the man's chest. He falls with a cry, dropping his bow. Everyone runs to his body, including Dawn, who looks numb. As two merry men (one of which is a merry woman) go through the dead man's pockets, Little Xander's eyes search the trees. "We should move," he says. "If one can find us, others may not be far behind."

"No," one of the Merry Men says, handing Willow Scarlet a parchment they found in the man's satchel, "he was a courier. Behold, he carries a message from the sheriff. He must have become lost among the trees and found our camp by accident."

Little Xander asks what the message says, and Willow Scarlet reads that it's from Sheriff Buffy herself! It's addressed to a neighboring noble who has been robbed by their band before. Sheriff Buffy invites the lord to an archery contest held in honor of Prince Giles. The prize will be the hand of Sir Josh, of whom a secret relationship with Dawn of Summers had long been suspected. Sheriff Buffy writes that the aforementioned thief will surely be unable to keep from attending, and there she will finally be ensnared and caught.

There is a beat of silence as everyone absorbs the information. "Josh?" Dawn asks. "Josh is here too?" Little Xander doesn't hear her, however, because he has a plan. He says this is the opportunity they have been waiting for...a way into the castle's courtyard. They're expecting Dawn, but not a planned assault. And Dawn can wear a disguise, Willow Scarlet says excitedly. She can keep them busy at the contest, giving the rest of them a chance to find a way to breach the castle. "Uh, guys?" Dawn tries to interrupt, but everyone is caught up in the new scheme and moves off to plan, leaving her alone by the body. "Great," she mutters, "it's just like at home."

Commercials.

Back from the break, Dawn is still trying to dissuade her merry men, but they are enthusiastically applying a disguise to her. Little Xander warns her not to be *too* good in the contest...Sheriff Buffy will expect Dawn to win because she's the best; surely this is the ensnarement the message alluded to. Dawn doesn't think that will be a problem. She's reached the point where she's just letting them do whatever they want, thinking finally that it must just be a really detailed dream and she'll wake up eventually. Willow Scarlet tucks all of Dawn's hair up under her new, wide-brimmed hat while another of the Merry Men affixes a long gray beard to Dawn's chin. They step away and Little Xander hands her a bow and a quiver of arrows. Dawn looks utterly bemused.

Cut to the village road. Dawn and her band of merry men, all in disguise, travel with the flow of peasants toward the outer gate of the castle. Dawn notices several signs with her face on them declaring her WANTED. She pulls her hat down lower over her eyes and adjusts her beard nervously. Following the villagers through the outer gates, Dawn and the Merry Men successfully enter the castle courtyard. Everyone looks around apprehensively, worrying about ambush, but no one suspicious approaches them. Little Xander leads the group toward the section of the courtyard devoted to the archery contest and goes to sign Dawn in. Willow Scarlet tries to give her a prep talk, but Dawn is watching an archer take practice shots at a target across the field. As he gets three rapid bulls eyes in a row she gulps.

Suddenly there�s a fanfare of trumpets, and the merry men look as one to the castle entrance. Prince Giles and Sheriff Buffy are preceded into the courtyard by castle guards and jesters and advisors. Sheriff Buffy � clad in silver studded black leather � walks beside Prince Giles who is wearing his royal robes and crown, and being borne on a litter by four servants. The music keeps time with their procession and ends as they arrive at the dais. Prince Giles regally steps from the litter onto the stage and takes his seat on the raised throne. Sheriff Buffy saunters over to stand beside him, one hand on the hilt of her sword as she coolly appraises the crowd.

Before Dawn can even think of going to Buffy, Little Xander reappears, surprising her with another hearty clap to the back and saying everything�s ready. Willow Scarlet helps her remain upright and propels her forward into the contest area. Little Xander reminds her not to do too well.

As Dawn takes her place behind the line with the other archers, Prince Giles rises and is regally led by Sheriff Buffy to the edge of the dais. He announces the commencement of the ceremonies, and reminds the crowd that the prize is the hand of Sir Josh. At his words, two more guards lead Sir Josh to the dais. His hands are bound behind his back, and he�s obviously held there against his will. He�s plopped down into a seat on the opposite side of the throne from Sheriff Buffy, with his guards at a discreet distance.

Dawn instinctively starts toward him, but the contest is beginning and she is forced back into place. Each archer down the line fires off three arrows, and each hits with varying degrees of proximity to the bull�s eye. Soon it�s Dawn�s turn, and she toes the line. She pulls an arrow from her quiver and fits the notch to the string, drawing back and taking a deep breath. �If Kevin Costner can do it, I can do it,� she says under her breath, and lets go the arrow. She�s unprepared for the power coiled in the bow and stumbles as the arrow flies off wildly into the onlookers. There�s a cry as one of them is hit in the thigh by the errant arrow, and Dawn cringes. �Sorry!� she shouts. �Sorry! My bad!� Utterly self conscious, she takes a firmer hand with the next two shots, but still completely misses the target each time. She�s absolutely the worst archer on the field.

Up on the dais, Sheriff Buffy�s eyes narrow in contemplation. She nods to the guards waiting for her signal and they rush the contest area, surrounding and grabbing Dawn. She struggles, but to no avail. Cut to Little Xander and the Merry Men. They begin to surge forward to rescue Dawn, but Willow Scarlet can see that they are outnumbered and tries to urge them to hold. From the dais, Buffy levels a stare at the redhead and tells her she's wise to stay her band. Swiftly, decisively, Sheriff Buffy tells the Merry Men that if they advance further she will have Dawn of Summers killed now, here, in the courtyard. If they back off, Dawn will not be harmed.

Reluctantly Little Xander orders the band to disperse, ordering under his breath for everyone to meet back at the camp so they can come up with a plan to get Dawn back. Dawn is dragged forward, her disguise ripped off. She shares a desperate glance with Josh, who looks terribly distressed. Prince Giles studies her for a moment before ordering that she be taken to the dungeon.

Commercials.

In Sunnydale Forest the Merry Men reconvene and try to figure out a way to rescue Dawn. Little Xander says at least the Sheriff promised not to kill her, but Willow Scarlet points out instead that she only promised to kill her if they attacked. She never said she wouldn�t be killed if they didn�t attack. She says they�ve got to get Dawn out of there as quickly as possible, as the Sheriff will no doubt aim for a speedy public execution to send a message.

Cut to the castle, interior. Sheriff Buffy mounts a spiral staircase, winding up into the stone of a high tower. At the top she is confronted by a strong wooden door, which she bangs on. Seemingly on its own, the door opens inward and the sheriff steps in, looking around. The cold room is dim and murky despite a flickering flame in the fireplace.

A cold draft blows through the room, extinguishing the fire, and the sheriff looks around craftily, noticing the lack of windows. �Witch!� she calls out, �show yourself!� She turns around and nearly runs into the young woman who is suddenly standing behind her. �Tara,� the sheriff addresses her. �Prince Giles wishes for you to perform a spell, the likes of which will allow him to see how fares his brother, the King, in the Crusades.� Her gaze narrows as she adds that she has a personal spell she�d also like the witch to cast. One that would let her know where the band of Merry Men are hiding. She knows they are in the Sunnydale Forest somewhere, but her men are superstitious and won�t go far into it. If she had their exact location, she could finally capture them all. Now that she has their leader, the band would be ridiculously easy to outwit. Tara starts at this news, and promises that she will do as she has been bidden, though she is vague about when the spells will be ready. She says she will need time to gather the proper ingredients, and Buffy leaves after giving her a suspicious look.

In the dungeon, Dawn pulls futilely at the bars on her door; it�s no good, she�s trapped. In frustration she flings herself away from the door. �Okay dream,� she exclaims, �this would be a good place to end! Time to wake up, now. Wakey wakey!� She waits for a second as if this really would have worked, and then sighs dejectedly. There�s a faint sound from the corridor and she rushes back to look through the bars in the door, but only catches a glimpse of blond hair and a snatch of gown. She calls out but no one answers. Sighing again, she heads toward a corner of the cell and sits down on the floor, leaning against a large block of stone in the wall. It moves a bit from the pressure, and there�s a startled cry from the other side of the wall. Excited, Dawn realizes it�s Josh.

Working together, they manage to push the block entirely into Josh�s cell and Dawn crawls through the hole. Reunited, they kiss, but Dawn is soon disappointed to learn that Josh � like everyone else � doesn�t know who she really is. He thinks only that she�s Dawn of Summers, rebel. Not having the heart to disillusion him, she doesn�t try to explain who she really is, but says only that she has to find Buffy. Josh is horrified; he says the sheriff has vowed to kill Dawn. He wants her to try and escape before that can happen, he�ll stay and lead them on the wrong track. Moved, Dawn says she�s not going anywhere without him.

Out in the corridor they can hear guards approaching, and Dawn quickly shimmies back through the hole between their cells. Josh pushes the block back into its space as Dawn faces the door courageously, determined to try and fight her way out to find Buffy.

To her surprise, however, when the door is unlocked and opened�it�s Buffy that enters.

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Dawn�s eyes widen at Buffy�s appearance: the sheriff is decked out in the leather outfit she wore earlier to the contest, but now she boasts a whip and a wicked-looking dagger. �Oh my God, Buffy? You look like Catwoman,� Dawn nervously comments. Naturally, the comment is lost on the sheriff and she advances. She wants to know where the camp is. Dawn is at first confused, but then takes in two guards standing inside the door and nods. �Oooooh�right. You want to know where the camp is�because, you�re working with the bad guys, and that�s what the bad guys want to know. Where the camp is. I getcha.� Under her breath she whispers, �Look, everyone else is under some kind of weird spell or something. We�ve got to find a way out of here and��

Sheriff Buffy backhands Dawn and the younger girl stares at her in shock, one hand pressed to the side of her face as if to hold the sting there; to verify that what she thought just happened had indeed just happened. Sheriff Buffy orders her to stop babbling and tell her the location of the camp. Still stunned, Dawn angrily says she doesn�t know where the camp is. And even if she knew, she wouldn�t tell Buffy. The sheriff raises her hand to strike again, but Dawn throws up her arms in a defensive gesture and the blond laughs. �Do you really think you can stop me from doing whatever I want to you?� she asks tauntingly. Dawn�s hands lower in seeming surrender, but there�s a sudden gleam in her eye. �You know,� she says, �nobody here seems to be who they are in my world. Little Xander doesn�t know anything about construction. Willow Scarlet probably doesn�t know anything about computers. And I�m thinking that you don�t know anything about slaying, either. Which makes you just an ordinary person, like me. And the real Buffy and Spike trained me to hold my own against people like you.�

With that she delivers a devastating uppercut to the sheriff, sending Buffy back into one of the guards. Before Dawn can even think about heading for the open door the other guard has rushed forward to restrain her, and the first guard takes her other side. They hold her captive between them as the sheriff stalks back, touching the blood on her lip and her bruised jaw. �I hope it was worth your life,� she hisses. In the moment, in the role, Dawn says it was worth it just to see her bleed. Buffy�s face set in hate, she pronounces that in the morning Dawn will be hanged. That said, she turns on her heel and exits with the guards. As soon as their clamor fades away Dawn rushes back to the stone block and pushes it into Josh�s cell. She follows it and ends up in his arms on the other side of the wall. He adoringly tells her she was brave, but foolish. Now the date of her death is set.

Elsewhere in the castle, later, the sheriff enters a large room with opulent rugs on the stone floor, and tapestries on the walls. The candlelight glows invitingly as she approaches and kneels before Prince Giles. She reports that the prisoners are safely in the dungeon, and the witch has been informed of her task. Prince Giles approves, but Buffy informs him that she is suspicious of the witch; she doesn�t trust her. Prince Giles tells her to stop worrying�Tara has never given him ill council, and her spells are always correct. Besides�the sheriff has more important things to worry about. �Such as?� she asks. Prince Giles offers a tantalizing smile and beckons her closer. As she returns the seductive gaze and approaches him, the single guard in the room recognizes his dismissal and exits, shutting the door on the point of view.

Back down in the dungeon, Dawn and Josh are sitting together on the floor opposite the door, spending what little time they have together. Suddenly there�s a small scraping noise at the door, and they watch the handle warily. Instead of the door opening, however, a fine mist seeps in through the lock from the corridor. As it begins to congeal and take form, Josh and Dawn rise, keeping the wall at their backs, apprehensive of this new, unknown danger. The form solidifies, however, into the form of Tara, the witch. Dawn rushes forward, overjoyed. She hangs back only at the last second, remembering that in this reality, Tara could be evil. Tara quickly vanquishes all worries, however, when she proclaims that she doesn�t really do the bidding of the Prince�she is loyal to his brother, the King. But with him away, the Prince moved in and took over the castle, and all the people in it. Including Tara and her magicks. Until now she has done what she was ordered out of fear of death. But now she must do what is right and rescue Dawn. She easily opens the door and bids them come.

Cut to the exterior of the castle�the Merry Men have assembled in the woods across the field from the castle. They carry miscellaneous supplies including rope and grappling hooks and torches. Under cover of the new moon, they sneak toward the castle. Inside, Dawn and Josh are following Tara through the winding maze of corridors. Dawn is ranting to herself about how to get out of here. She wonders if maybe this is some test she�s supposed to pass, and then she�ll be allowed to go. Josh has no idea what she�s talking about, but puts it down to the stressful day she�s had and just keeps walking, holding her hand. Tara creeps from one junction to the next, beckoning them when she ascertains that it�s clear. Quick cut to the castle wall. A guard jumps in surprise when a grappling hook is hurled over the top of the wall right next to him and catches on the lip of the stone. The guard aims his crossbow and waits eagerly for the climber to reach the top, but he is suddenly hit from behind by Little Xander, who climbed up on the other side. He helps Willow Scarlet to the top.

Back inside, Josh and Tara are dismayed with Dawn insists on stopping because she heard Buffy�s voice. She follows the sound to a large wooden door. She nudges it to see if she can peak in and see what�s going on, but the door swings open under the small pressure, surprising her, and she falls inside onto the floor. Tara and Josh are clearly revealed in the doorway to the room�s occupants: Sheriff Buffy and Prince Giles, in a compromising position. Dawn regains her feet, dusting herself off, and then looks up. �Oh!� she exclaims, covering her eyes with one hand suddenly, �No! I did not just see that!� She literally shudders, and turns away. Behind her, Sheriff Buffy and the Prince hastily clothe themselves. The sheriff opens her mouth to hail the guards, but nothing comes out when she tries. The Prince also seems to have suddenly gone mute. From the doorway, Tara concentrates on keeping the quiet spell working. Lacking other options, Sheriff Buffy charges Dawn. They fight a little bit, and actually appear to be pretty evenly matched. Sheriff Buffy is not the slayer in this reality, but she still knows how to fight. Dawn holds her own, though, and grabs a sword off the wall when Buffy seizes a mace. They square off again.

Cut to the front hall, where Little Xander and the Merry Men storm in and start fighting. Willow Scarlet dispatches guards easily with her killer knives, and Little Xander lands staggering blows with his quarterstaff. Back in the Prince�s room, Giles tries to use the fighting as a cover to flee, but Josh catches him before he is able to make good his escape. Buffy and Dawn are still fighting. Dawn�s training has come to good use, and she finally bests the sheriff by striking the mace from her hands. Buffy is forced to her knees in surrender, Dawn standing victorious, just as Little Xander and the Merry Men run in, intent upon rescuing her. They see that she has the matter well in hand, however, and a cheer goes up for their band and their leader. �So long as we don�t start doing the Can-Can,� Dawn says, �I�m cool.�

Commercials.

Buffy, Tara, Willow, Angel and Cordelia surround the bed in the hospital; Dawn is now awake and chatting about her dream. In a Wizard of Oz moment, she points to Buffy and Tara and Willow in succession. �And you were there, and you, and you�� Cordelia is disappointed to learn that she wasn�t there. Buffy looks horrified at the story she�s just heard, and can�t believe Dawn imagined her and Giles together. Dawn protests that she didn�t *imagine * it. �It was in your subconscious!� Buffy shrieks, apparently thinking that�s bad enough. �Speaking of Giles,� Angel says, coming through the doorway. He�s followed by the Watcher and Buffy jumps up to hug him. Willow and Tara also take a turn. Buffy thanks him for coming, and he waves her off, saying of course he�d come when she needs him. He glances at Angel who looks at him knowingly, and continues, �And if what I�ve found is correct, we�re going to need all the help we can get.�

End Credits.

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