Explanation, Summary:
This takes place after “Bring on the Night” and then goes back to
“Passion”. It gives “Passion” a happy ending, and then shows how the
Scoobie’s group dynamic might have changed, particularly Buffy and
Giles’ relationship, if Jenny had survived. There’s not much action, it
focuses more on dialogue and
character relationships, mostly cuz it’s boring to write fight scenes.
There is some fighting, but not much.The story is written as a
combination of a tele-play script and a traditional narrative, basically
because I’m lazy and don’t want to go into the “he said, she said”
stuff. So at some parts, I don’t go into what the characters are
thinking, and you have to figure out the subtext for yourself, and there
is definitely subtext to be figured out. And other parts are just
totally what the character is thinking.Oh, and for those of you who
might not know, “OS” stands for “off-screen” and “VO” stands for
“voice-over”. A “beat” is when the direction of a character’s train of
thought changes. Usually, it is only indicated in the script when there
is a pause and there is no dialogue to indicate that the beat has
changed, or if the dialogue wouldn’t make sense if the beat wasn’t
pointed out.
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MORE THAN ANYTHING
By Dollsome
dollsomefiction@yahoo.ca
PART ONE:
Summers House. Living room.
MOLLY, KENNEDY, DAWN, WILLOW,
and XANDER are sitting around the coffee table, playing “truth or dare”.
BUFFY and GILES are at the other side of the room, talking in hushed
tones.
BUFFY
(re: MOLLY and KENNEDY)
They’re really just children, aren’t they? I hope
they’re ready for this.
GILES
I don’t see how they can be.
cut to COFFEE TABLE GROUP
KENNEDY
(flirtatious)
Willow- truth… or dare?
WILLOW
(nervous)
Truth. I think. Yeah, this is more of a truth night.
KENNEDY
(disappointed)
Oh.
Cut to BUFFY and GILES
GILES
I don’t think any of us are ready, really.
BUFFY
They just seem so much more… inexperienced.
GILES
Well, they are.
Cut to COFFEE TABLE GROUP
KENNEDY
Okay, I have a question: What is the longest time you
ever spent in bed- with someone else?
MOLLY starts giggling
WILLOW
(taken aback, casts her eyes down)
um…….
DAWN is shocked by KENEDY’S
question. She looks towards WILLOW, upset for her. She is, of course,
thinking of when she unexpectedly found out that Willow and Tara had
made up, during “Seeing Red”.
XANDER
(seeing how uncomfortable his friends are and himself
upset by KENNEDY’S shameless flirting)
You know, maybe a different question is in order
KENNEDY
But that defeats the purpose of the game!
XANDER
There’re some things that you don’t understand about…
the game.
MOLLY
Kennedy, maybe Xander’s right. We’re only trying to
get to know each other better. No one should have to do something if it
makes them that uncomfortable.
KENNEDY
(glaring at MOLLY)
Fine.
The game continues, at a low
volume
Cut to BUFFY and GILES
BUFFY
It’s just that we’ve been through so much together.
Even if we aren’t exactly ready for what’s coming, at least we’re
somewhat prepared. I mean, I doubt those two have faced anything tougher
than the odd vampire, if that.
GILES
Except for the Bringers of course.
There is a brief silence, broken
by NERVOUSE LAUGHTER from the group.
GILES
Buffy, however ready they are, they’re going to have
to face the First sooner or later- and, as you said, preferably sooner.
They’re simply going to have to do the best they can. We all are.
BUFFY
I know
(beat)
Have you seen it?
GILES
The First? No. Not as yet.
BUFFY
But you’re expecting it to- to try you.
GILES
I suspect it will try to get to all of us before-
BUFFY
-the showdown? (beat) It’s trying to break us apart.
More than that. It… the first time it almost got Angel to kill himself.
And it tried to get Willow to do the same. It’s so real, so convincing…
only evil. Even though we know what game it’s playing…(thinking of her
mother) it’s hard not to trust… when it looks like someone you- you
love…and…
GILES
Someone you wish was there?
BUFFY nods.
GILES
I know.
(Of course he does, via Drusilla in “Becoming II”)
BUFFY
And what with everything that’s happened (Buffy’s
being torn out of heaven, lack of income, and twisted relationship with
Spike; Xander and Anya breaking up; Anya going back to being a demon and
then quitting again; Tara’s death; Willow’s bout with the magicrack and
the evilness; Dawn’s various constant and ongoing issues) none of us are
exactly huge with the loving of life. Not that I think any of us would
willingly… I’m just afraid that we might make things easy for the First.
GILES
(reassuring)
Don’t underestimate them (nod to the group). Or
yourself. You’re stronger than that.
BUFFY
What about you?
Silence. Giles looks away, Buffy
looks at him insistently.
BUFFY
I’ve known you long enough to know when something’s
wrong. And I know something’s been bothering you. (silence) I don’t mind
you telling me, whatever it is.
GILES
(he considers telling her, takes a breath, and
starts)
Buffy, b-before all this started… (this is not easy
for him to talk about). I- I w-was thinking a-a-about… (sighs) oh God…
I… I had almost forgotten her. Jenny. Then… don’t ask why- th-the last
few weeks, after Willow left, I… I k-kept w-wondering what she would
have said and-and-and done, if-if she…a-a-and-and I th-thought a-a-about
when she w-was a-alive, and… it-it-it w-wasn’t enough… I n-never
t-t-told h-her I-I…
BUFFY looks away, very, very
uncomfortable. However, she lets him continue.
GILES (CONT.)
S-some days, when I wake up, I think… I’ll go to
school, and see her, and-and-and… it would always take a-awhile for me
to-to-to-to r-realize… (swallows) I just w-wanted… I just want to be
with her, almost more than-than anything else. I j-just… I would ha-have
given… (more to himself) oh, God, just to see her…
At this point BUFFY is blinking
back tears. She knows there’s only one way for them to be together. (in
death, in case you aren’t getting it).
BUFFY
(softly)
Giles-
GILES
I love you, Buffy. More than anything.
BUFFY realizes what he’s saying.
(in case you aren’t getting it: Buffy means more to him than any remote
chance of ever being happy, of being released from the daily pain and
misery of life, more than the only woman he’s ever been in love with).
She starts to cry, and turns away from the group to wipe her eyes.
GILES
I’ll never leave you. Not really.
If they could hug without making
the group think there’s something wrong, they would. But they can’t, so
they don’t. At any rate, they share a moment.
Cut to the GROUP
KENNEDY is smirking.
MOLLY is giggling
uncontrollably.
WILLOW is trying to suppress a
smile.
XANDER is sitting nervously in
his chair.
XANDER
C’mon guys… this isn’t fair…
DAWN is summoning a steely
determination.
DAWN
No. I accepted the dare.
MOLLY breaks into a new fit of
giggles
XANDER leans forward with his
head in his hands.
XANDER
Oh, dear God.
DAWN gets up, crosses over to
where XANDER is sitting, and crouches in front of him. XANDER does not
seem to notice her close proximity to him. DAWN lifts XANDER’S head and
kisses him, on the mouth, with tongue. XANDER’S eyes widen and he moves
his arms like he wants to push DAWN away, but he can’t.
KENNEDY
Five… four… three… two… (drawing it out)… one. Okay!
DAWN releases XANDER, and, very
cool, gets up, sits in her original seat, tosses her hair, and crosses
her arms.
XANDER leans back in his chair,
a look of fear etched upon his face.
MOLLY is laughing out loud.
WILLOW is grinning.
KENNEDY looks very smug and
satisfied.
Naturally, the scene has caught
the attention of BUFFY and GILES.
BUFFY
What is going on?
KENNEDY
Truth or dare. Dawn chose dare.
XANDER
Just an innocent game. Really. With no subtext or
repercussions.
BUFFY just looks at him. The
other girls are staring at hum too.
XANDER
(protesteth too much)
I did NOT enjoy that!
DAWN raises an eyebrow at him.
XANDER cowers as BUFFY walks
towards him. He jumps up and points at KENNEDY.
XANDER
It was her idea! Kill her, not me!
With that he runs out of the
room.
KENNEDY looks offended.
(OS) ANDREW
What’s going on? What am I missing?
(OS) XANDER
Shut up.
DAWN
Should I be flattered or offended?
BUFFY
Be nothing. It’s late. Go to bed.
DAWN
That’s not fair! How come Molly gets to stay up?
She’s the same age as me, plus she has all that training to do, which
needs sleep for energy and stuff…
BUFFY
(gives her a look)
Fine. But no more truth or dare.
The kids grumble
BUFFY
We have work to do. We have to find some kind of
weakness or flaw or something we can use to defeat the first.
WILLOW
If it has a weakness.
BUFFY
Wil, I need you on board here. If you’re gonna take
that attitude then you can just leave right now.
WILLOW
(a bit surprised, but not offended)
Yes ma’am.
BUFFY
We can at least make sure of what we know about it.
DAWN
Well, what Giles said. Looks like dead people, can’t
touch stuff, uses the Bringers.
BUFFY
There’s gotta be more to it than that. It has to have
other powers, other ways of working.
WILLOW
Well, it knows stuff.
Everyone turns to face WILLOW
BUFFY
Oka-y. Expand?
WILLOW
Like when I saw it. It knew my past, stuff that only
Tara and I would knew. It knew what I’m most afraid of.
DAWN
So it knows everything that happens? Like an evil
Santa Clause?
WILLOW
The real Santa Clause is evil, remember?
MOLLY
What? You’re lying!
WILLOW
No, it’s true. Anya said it was around in the 16th
century, sliding down chimneys, disembowelling children, and I’m getting
off on a tangent here, so I’ll get back on topic. I don’t think the
first knows everything that happens. I think it just knows your mind.
GILES
That’s quite a big “just”.
WILLOW
Yeah.
BUFFY
Okay, mind reading. What else do we know about it?
WILLOW
When I did that locating spell, it… you know.
BUFFY
Do you think the spell opened you up to it?
WILLOW
In a word, yes.
BUFFY
So, don’t mix with magic. Anything else we know from
experience?
A slight pause.
DAWN
It brought Angel back. From hell. I guess that’s a
pretty powerful… power.
KENNEDY
So, why doesn’t it set a whole army of demons from
hell on us?
BUFFY
I don’t know.
GILES
Perhaps its powers in that respect are-are limited
to, um, drawing out creatures that, uh, originated in this dimension. Or
maybe it can only set loose beings that would, um, influence events,
rather than wreak, uh, general havoc.
BUFFY
It wanted Angel to kill me. That’s kind of going
beyond “influence”.
GILES nods
BUFFY
Okay, so its working some cross-dimensional mojo at
any rate. Is that it? Is that all we know?
General consensus
KENNEDY
So can we get back to the game? (looks at Willow)
BUFFY
No! We’re not finished. We still have to-
MOLLY
Oh, come on! You two weren’t even playing before!
You’re the Slayer and the Watcher and we don’t know anything about
either of you.
BUFFY
Sure you do. I’m the Slayer. He’s my Watcher. ‘Nuff
said.
MOLLY
Please? Kennedy won’t ask any embarrassing sex
questions.
KENNEDY glares at her
BUFFY
I should say not.
MOLLY
Come on! Just serious, get-to-know-you stuff. Okay,
I’ve got one: If you had the chance to relive just one time in your life
differently, knowing what you know now, what would it be?
MOLLY looks at them expectantly.
DAWN rolls her eyes and flops
back in her chair, WILLOW looks away uncomfortably.
BUFFY and GILES just stare at
MOLLY. Of course, they each know what the other would answer. (see if
you can guess!)
BUFFY
So, back to the cross-dimensional thing.
MOLLY is miffed, KENNEDY doesn’t
look surprised.
BUFFY (cont.)
If the first is trying to mess with us, do you think
it could, say, order the vamp editions of Xander and Willow?
GILES
It’s hard to say. They’re from an alter-
KENNEDY
Hold on, Willow was a vampire?
WILLOW
And Xander. In an alternate reality.
MOLLY
I don’t get it.
BUFFY
Cordelia wished that I never came to Sunnydale, so
Willow and Xander got vamped when the Master rose.
KENNEDY
What?
DAWN
Cordelia made the wish to Anya, and since she was a
vengeance demon, she granted it.
KENNEDY
Anya’s a demon?
DAWN
Was.
KENNEDY
So, how do you know about this? I mean, you’re here,
right?
WILLOW
Because Anya tried to get her necklace back.
KENNEDY
What?
MOLLY
Hold on a sec. Who’s Cordelia? And why did she want
vengeance on Buffy?
WILLOW
(annoyed)
She didn’t
BUFFY
See, this is why we don’t answer your
questions. Giles, you were saying something?
GILES
Yes, uh, well, that was not another dimension, but a
parallel reality. They’re not the same thing. All dimensions exist in
the same reality, but different realities exist separate from each
other.
BUFFY
So there’s not going to be any cross-over plotting
going on?
GILES
We can’t rule it out.
WILLOW
But demons from hell is a definite possibility?
GILES
It’s a possibility, yes.
BUFFY
(dryly)
Alrighty then.
CUT TO: Later that night,
Summers’ living room.
The teenagers have all gone to
bed. WILLOW is asleep in her chair. BUFFY and GILES are sitting on the
couch, talking (once again) in hushed tones.
BUFFY
(tired)
This is tough.
GILES
I’m not inclined to disagree with you on that point.
BUFFY
Willow’s right. I don’t think it has a weakness. I
can’t even guess what it’s going to do next. I mean, it uses all this
subtle, mind-control stuff, then it attacks us with its army of eyeless,
knife-wielding, monk-guys. And now the Ubervamp. I just don’t know which
way to turn.
GILES
That’s what it wants. It’s attacking you on all
fronts so that you won’t have anywhere left to turn.
(beat)
BUFFY
I know I’m supposed to be the strong one here, and I
will be. There’s no way I’m gonna let the potentials see me down. But…
She clearly does not want to act
strong anymore. She looks scared. Giles puts his arm around her and
draws her close to him. She rests her head on his shoulder.
GILES
I’ll always be here for you Buffy.
BUFFY
(These words should convey a lot: “I’m scared, what
if you die, don’t leave me, I wish this never happened, why can’t we be
like a normal family? I’m scared)
(whispers)
I love you.
CUT TO:
The Bringers, sitting in a
circle, underground, a la “Amends”. They’re working some mojo. (as it
turns out, the first does have some more powers, which can be worked
through the Bringers. In this case: time-travel mojo).
Chapter
2
