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Episode Summary
It’s Oz’s time of the month, which means he has to spend three consecutive nights locked in the book cage of the library while someone watches over him.
After Xander comes in to relieve Willow of her post, he lies down on the table and falls asleep. At the cemetery, Buffy patrols for vampires with Faith.
Neither of them are close enough to the woods to detect a chase, which ends brutally for a boy named Jeff Orkin.
The next morning, Buffy, Willow, and Oz meet up with Scott and two of his friends: Pete and Debbie. Oz offers his old biology notes to Debbie, so they plan to meet up later.
Buffy then heads off for her required therapy appointment with the counselor while Willow and Oz go to the library.
To both Oz and Willow’s dismay, Giles and Xander inform them of the murder that occurred the previous night. The fact that Xander slept through most of the night and the window inside the caged area is open does not bode well for Oz.
Meanwhile, Buffy meets her counselor, Mr. Platt. While she’s hesitant to discuss the full details of her reasons for running away, Buffy does come to respect Mr. Platt’s helpful manner.
After school, Buffy meets the others in the library and learns that Oz may have killed someone while he was a werewolf.
Giles tells Willow, Xander, and Cordelia to go to the morgue and inspect Jeff’s corpse, while Buffy must be on the look-out for the killer if it isn’t Oz.
He’ll have Faith watch over Oz that night. At the morgue, Willow collects evidence which clearly indicates that Jeff was mauled by a savage animal. She then passes out due to the realization that Oz is the most likely suspect.
Outside, Buffy encounters someone running wild through the woods. To her surprise, that someone is Angel. However, he’s not exactly in his right mind, and he immediately attacks Buffy.
They fight for a while before Buffy finally knocks him out. She then takes him to Spike and Dru’s mansion, where she uses some of Dru’s old chains to lock Angel up and keep him from escaping out into the woods.
Unable to communicate with Angel, Buffy notices the burnt pattern on the floor that indicates the spot where Angel landed at the end of his return trip from Hell.
Unable to spend the rest of the night at home, Buffy goes to the library and takes over for Faith. Giles finds Buffy asleep in one of the library chairs the next morning.
He notices the books she’s been reading, which deal with demon dimensions and Acathla. After Buffy wakes up, she asks Giles if Angel could ever return from Hell, and if so, what would he be like. Buffy would rather not tell Giles right away that she found Angel.
While Giles doubts the possibilty of Angel’s return, he goes on to say that because time moves much faster in the other dimension, Angel would have been trapped there for an incredibly long time.
After so many years of torture, he couldn’t possibly be the same person mentally that he once was. Later, at lunchtime, Buffy joins Scott, Pete, and Debbie at their table.
Unable to straighten out her feelings, Buffy leaves shortly and goes to the mansion. As soon as she rests a hand on Angel’s shoulder, he goes berserk.
Shaken by how much he’s changed, Buffy heads back to Sunnydale High. Inside, Buffy goes to Mr. Platt’s office and confesses that she truly needs help with all that’s going on in her life.
Unfortunately, she won’t get any help from Mr. Platt, whom she soon discovers has been murdered, most likely by the same attacker that killed Jeff Orkin.
After school, Pete pulls Debbie into the maintenance room to make out for a while. Inside, he notices that a jar once containing a glowing green formula is now virtually empty.
Debbie tries to deny doing anything with it, but she soon admits that she got rid of it in order to help Pete get better.
However, Pete convulses and transforms into a hideous, monstrous form of himself, proving to Debbie that he doesn’t need the formula anymore. During this phase, Pete strikes Debbie in the face, knocking her to the ground.
Pete then regains control of himself and changes back to his normal self before joining Debbie on the floor.
Despite being struck by her boyfriend turned monster, Debbie has no problem excusing Pete’s actions. Afterwards, Debbie meets Oz by the fountain to get his biology notes.
Noticing the bruise on her eye, Oz stops Debbie from leaving right away by lightly grabbing her shoulder and asking if she’s okay. From a distance, Pete watches this whole conversation.
With evidence indicating that Mr. Platt was killed during the day, Oz is off the hook. In the library, the group draws a connection between the two victims and Debbie.
Oz tells the others about Debbie’s bruised eye, which doesn’t quite follow with the suddenness of Mr. Platt’s death. This leads them to suspect Pete, both for the two murders and for striking Debbie.
While Oz locks himself in the cage for the third and final night of the month, Buffy and Willow confront Debbie. Unfortunately, Debbie refuses to help them stop Pete.
During the conversation, Angel breaks his chains free of the mansion wall and escapes. Buffy and Willow have no idea that Pete is in the library at that very moment, ready to kill Oz for touching Debbie. Pete changes into his monster form and rips the door off the cage.
After throwing Oz around the library for a little while, the sun finally sets and the moon shines, allowing Oz to turn the tables on Pete. In his werewolf form, Oz is an even match for Pete’s ferocity.
The sounds of their battle alerts the others to the library. Buffy tries to knock them out with the dart gun, but shoots Giles instead when Debbie pushes the gun off to the side just as Buffy pulls the trigger.
While the tranquilizer dart takes Giles out of the action, Oz and Pete break apart and escape into the school hallways. Willow and Faith take down Oz with the dart gun.
Buffy chases Pete to the maintenance room, where she finds Debbie dead on the floor, murdered by Pete. Another fight ensues. Just as it appears that Buffy’s about to lose the fight, Angel arrives and kills Pete.
To Buffy’s suprise, Angel manages to say her name before falling to his knees and embracing her. 0 The next day, Buffy can’t find the words to console Scott, who lost two of his best friends without ever knowing the truth about what really happened.
Later that night, Buffy watches Angel as he sleeps on the floor of the mansion. He constantly flinches and trembles, apparently suffering from nightmares of his time in Hell.
Shooting Scripts
Teaser
EXT. WOODS – NIGHT
Shadowy and overgrown. Dream-like. Thorough the tangle of bushes and trees – something runs
through the night woods. A snarling creature, obscured by darkness. Over this we hear –
BUFFY (V.O.)
One night, after supper, the lead
dog turned up a snowshoe rabbit. The dog
lay down low to the race, his body
flashing forward, leap by leap… he was
sounding the deeps of his nature, and the parts of his
nature that were deeper than he –
going back into the wombs of time….
Now Buffy’s voice MELDS into WILLOW’S as we –
FADE TO:
INT. LIBRARY – NIGHT
And find Willow, trying to stay awake, as she walks in front of the book cage, reading aloud from
Jack London’s “Call of the Wild.” A CLOCK ON THE WALL nearby reads 3:17AM.
WILLOW
(reading)
…going back into the wombs of time.
The rabbit could not turn-…
Now she is STARTLED by OZ, in full wolf mode, as HE LEAPS into frame behind her – slamming into
the cage. If Oz understands her, he gives no indication – just starts pacing the cage, restless.
WILLOW
Maybe we should pick a less –
stimulating passage….
She starts to leaf through he book when XANDER enters, looking less than fully awake. He carries a
thermos and some magazines.
XANDER
Private Harris reporting for Oz watch.
WILLOW
Xander – oh good….
She moves to him – hands him the book.
XANDER
Call of the Wild. Aren’t we reading the
Cliff Notes to this for English?
WILLOW
(gives him a look)
Some of us are. Anyway, it’ll help you stay awake.
It’s good and very wolfy. And it seems to sooth the
savage beast. Except the stuff about….
(glances at Oz / low whisper)
Rabbits.
Xander looks through the book – confused.
XANDER
Rabbits?
WILLOW
He gets sort of…over excited.
(baby sitter talk)
Now. He’s already had his two o’clock feeding.
After sunrise, if he forgets where his clothes are –
They’re on top of the file cabinet in his cage. And
I put that towel up for privacy.
We see that, indeed, there is a towel pinned up in the cage.
XANDER
No worries. I can handle the Oz full monty.
(quickly)
I mean – not handle, handle –
like “hands to flesh” handle.
WILLOW
It’s not you I’m worried about. It’s me.
I’m still getting used to half a monty.
XANDER
Oh, good-
(alarmed)
Half? You and Oz? Which half?
WILLOW
(enjoying his wiggins)
Wouldn’t you like to know.
(moving on)
Okay – he’s more manageable tonight and on
night three. Tomorrow – the total full moon?
That’s the real howler. Still, if there’s trouble
- there won’t be – but, you know, if…
Willow hands Xander a BIG ASS TRANQUILIZER GUN.
XANDER
Sleepy time. Gotchya.
Now she grabs her stuff. Heads for the door.
WILLOW
Thanks again for doing this.
I wouldn’t ask, but I have this test-
XANDER
No big. You can count on me. I got my coffee,
magazines…Figured I’d read, run the stairs here…. I’m good.
Willow waves and is off. Xander moves to the cage – checks the door. It’s secure. Then he sits at the
table, contemplates reading to Oz – but instead tosses the book aside and lays his head down….
EXT. CEMETERY – NIGHT
Buffy and Faith patrol together. The park is quiet, and they enjoy a rare moment of girl bonding.
FAITH
You ever catch kids doing the
horizontal two-step out here?
BUFFY
Naw. There’s a smooch spot near the
woods. That’s where folks go.
FAITH
Yeah? Bet you and Scott been out there
Kicking the old gearshift.
BUFFY
Hardly. We’ve only been out a few times.
FAITH
But you like him, right? When you think about
Him you get that good, down low tickle?
BUFFY
Well, yeah. I –
(then)
How low?
FAITH (grins)
You tell me.
BUFFY
How ’bout – not?
(then)
But he is funny and nice and –
FAITH
-quite a muffin.
BUFFY
Blueberry. With that munchable, crumbly top.
But my most favorite thing? So far, he doesn’t
seem to be some sort of hell beast.
FAITH
All men are beasts, Buffy.
BUFFY
Geez. I was sort of hoping not to sound that
cynical until at least forty.
FAITH
Not cynical. Realistic. Every guy – from
“Manimal” right on down to “Mr. I Loved the
English Patient” – has beast in him. And I don’t
care how sensitive they act – they’re still just in
it for the chase…..
EXT WOODS – NIGHT
Speaking of… We hear the RASPY, GUTTURAL BREATHING of something INHUMAN as it pursues a
TERRIFIED YOUNG MAN through the woods.
The kid’s clothes are torn and bloodied, his face and body horribly scratched. He stumbles, hits the
ground hard and scrambles to regain his footing. But the creature pursuing him, still UNSEEN,
(except, perhaps, in quick flashes of and UNCLEAR BEAST/MAN SILHOUETTE) GRABS HIM BY HIS
LEGS – yanking him out of frame and to a hideous (off camera) bone-crushing, flesh-tearing fate.
BLACK OUT
END OF TEASER
Act One
EXT FOUNTAIN COURTYARD – DAY
Buffy, Willow and Oz walk toward school, in mid talk.
WILLOW (worried)
I don’t think that’s true.
That every guy is in it for the chase.
BUFFY
I know, it’s awfully-
SCOTT (O.C.)
Buffy! Wait up!
Now we see SCOTT – who runs to catch up with her, leaving his buddy, PETE, and Pete’s girlfriend,
DEBBIE, behind.
SCOTT
Hey.
(off her questioning look)
That’s what I stopped you for, basically. Hey.
BUFFY
(pleased)
Okay. Hey.
Pete and Debbie also come over – but at a less infatuated pace. Pete’s an attractive, friendly guy.
Debbie is cute but also a little withdrawn.
Oz nods to Debbie – he knows her.
OZ
Howdy Debbie.
DEBBIE
Hi, Oz. Hey, you’re not doing Jazz band this year?
OZ
Can’t take the pressure. It’s not the music
that’s hard, it’s the marching.
BUFFY
We have a marching Jazz band?
OZ
Yeah. But – you know – good jazz is
improvisational. So we’d be marching
off in all directions. Running into floats
and stuff. Scary.
WILLOW
He’s just being Oz.
OZ
Pretty much full time.
Buffy notices that Debbie is holding a small bouquet of wild flowers.
BUFFY
Those are pretty.
Debbie beams happily.
DEBBIE
Thanks. Pete brought them for me.
PETE (embarrassed)
It’s… well, you know. I’m sure Scott
does that kind of stuff for you too, Buffy.
SCOTT
Oh. We’re not up to flowers.
(suddenly anxious)
Are we? Up to flowers? Did I miss flowers?
BUFFY
No. We’re pre-posie. Definitely.
(checks her watch; to Scott)
I’d better go. Lucky me, I get to see
Mr. Platt today.
Debbie makes a face. Yuck.
DEBBIE
Platt? The school counselor?
BUFFY
Yeah – I need to convince him I’m “Little
Miss Stable” so I can stay in school.
SCOTT
Stable. Okay. Topics to avoid. The little men
that live in your teeth…. Your compulsion to
paint circus clowns….
BUFFY
(sincerely)
But if God keeps telling me to kill – it
just seems snotty not to, you know?
SCOTT
You’ll do great.
DEBBIE
Platt creeps me out. I would totally quit
going, but I’m flunking senior bio and my
teacher says I have “success issues.”
OZ
Senior bio? I sort of aced that final.
WILLOW (teasing)
And how did you do that? Oh, right –
you showed up.
OZ (to Debbie)
You want my notes – they’re yours.
DEBBIE
Thanks. That’d be great.
BUFFY
See you.
They start to go off in separate directions. Buffy gives Scott a quick kiss on the lips before parting.
SCOTT
Yeah. Good.
INT. SCHOOL – HALLWAY – DAY
Buffy talks to Oz and Willow as they move down the hall.
WILLOW
Okay. You. Scott. School kiss.
BUFFY
Not a deal. We’ve kissed before.
WILLOW
But in the dark. Alone. A school
kiss is a whole ‘nother deal. It’s
statement-y. it says – hey, peers –
we’re smooching!
BUFFY (anxious now)
Do you think it was too much?
OZ
I thought it was right. It said “nice
seeing you” – not – “take me now.”
Not that I have anything against a
“take me now” kiss, mind you.
But it’s not very school.
WILLOW
Totally. That kind of kiss in school is all
about showing off. The “haves” rubbing
it in the faces of the “have-nots.”
Now Willow stops at her locker. Oz lingers with her as Buffy, preoccupied, moves on down the hall.
BUFFY
So I’m good. Yeah. I think…..
And she’s gone. Willow turns to Oz.
WILLOW
I’m not sure I completely understand.
What was the first kind of kiss?
OZ
Oh. That would be the “nice seeing you kiss.”
WILLOW
And – how does that go?
Oz smiles – getting it. He leans in, kisses her sweetly but quickly.
OZ
Nice seeing you.
(then)
Of course – it can be a fine line.
The “nice to see you” kiss can easily
morph into….
Now he gives her a slightly longer, more intense kiss.
OZ
Really nice seeing you. And if you aren’t
careful, that becomes….
A pretty intense smooch which shows no signs of stopping. So intense, in fact, that they don’t notice
TWO FRESHMAN BOYS who pass them and roll their eyes. Show offs.
INT. LIBRARY – DAY
An agitated Giles stands with Xander, both examining the BOOK CAGE.
GILES
We’ll have to re-check every possible exit avenue.
XANDER
I’m telling you, it’s a waste of time.
I was here all night –
Now a post smooch Willow and Oz enter, looking mussed and happy. Giles stiffens a little when he
sees them.
GILES
Right then. Good to see you.
No need to panic.
Oz and Willow look at each other. Uh oh.
OZ
(to Giles)
Just a thought? Poker. Not your game.
WILLOW
What’s the deal, Giles?
GILES
Now. Keep in mind – most likely –
there is no deal. But, if there was a
deal it would concern a murder last night.
A male student was found in the woods-
WILLOW
Which student?
GILES
Jeff Walken.
OZ
Jeff? He was – I know him.
GILES
I’m afraid… He was terribly mauled.
And while I hate to think of it, it could
be the handiwork of-
OZ (darkly)
Me.
Willow takes his hand, anxious.
WILLOW
Wolf you. Not you, you.
Now Xander, examining the cage, puts in his two cents.
XANDER
But it’s not. Not wolf you – or you you.
Okay? The room was secure. The cage
was locked. The window’s unbreakable and-
As he speaks he taps a HIGH WINDOW which is laced with security wire. It SWINGS OPEN.
XANDER
-open.
WILLOW
Oh, God.
XANDER
Hey. Not to freak. I rested my eyes now
and then. That’s all.
Giles speaks carefully – trying to contain his rising anger.
GILES
And how long – exactly – did you
“rest your eyes” for?
XANDER
A little now. A little then. But I never heard
Oz leave and he was here in the morning when
I… when I –
GILES
Woke up?
XANDER
If you want to put it that way, Mr. Technical.
Willow holds Oz’ hand even harder.
WILLOW
Oh, God.
OFF OZ AND WILLOW
Their faces etched with worry.
INT. COUNSELOR’S OFFICE – DAY
Buffy arrives for her counseling session. The office sports standard school shrink décor – “Your Brain
on Drugs” posters, etc. But there are also a few surprising touches of whimsy.
The shrink, MR. PLATT, faces away from Buffy in a high back chair. All we see of him is one hand,
which holds a smoking cigarette.
MR. PLATT
The two o’clock. Buffy Summers.
BUFFY
Buffy Summers, reporting for sanity…look,
I know I have to do this and I’ll cooperate,
look at ink blots, but I don’t want to talk about
my childhood or my life or…anything, actually,
and I don’t want to be friends –
MR. PLATT
We’re not going to be friends.
This stops her. The chair turns slowly around to reveal a surprisingly warm and okay guy. As he talks,
he takes a last drag, stubs out the cig, hides the ashtray in a drawer from which he pulls a can of air
freshener and sprays, puts it back and shuts the drawer.
MR. PLATT
You already have friends – I hope.
A friend is a good thing. Likes you, agrees
with you, tells you what you want to hear.
What you do need is a trained, not-too-crazy
professional who will always give you his
honest opinion. Which I offer you.
(then)
Have a seat.
Buffy does.
BUFFY
Not too crazy. Those are your credentials?
MR. PLATT
(points to certificates on the wall)
Those are my credentials. Look, Buffy.
Any person – grown up, shrink, pope, any
person who claims to be totally sane is either
lying or not very bright. Everybody has problems.
Everyone has demons. Right?
Buffy can’t help herself. She’s starting to like this guy.
BUFFY
Gotta say I’m with you on that one.
MR. PLATT
Excellent. So, the hope I bring you is that
demons can be fought. People can change.
You can change. It’s all about finding your
strength. Believing in yourself
(then)
Now. Your turn. Let’s start with why you ran away.
BUFFY
It’s a long story.
MR. PLATT
Bore me.
BUFFY
I’m telling you – I’m so over it. I feel good.
I’m moving on. I’m even dating someone new.
MR. PLATT
All nice things. But still – you’re bringing me
in at the end of the movie.
Buffy sighs. She’s not getting out of this.
BUFFY
I was seeing this guy. It ended badly.
And my mom and I were fighting….
I kind of flipped.
MR. PLATT
Tell me more about this guy. The bad-ending guy.
BUFFY
He was the first person- I loved him. But then…
MR. PLATT
He changed.
BUFFY
Yes.
MR. PLATT
He got mean.
BUFFY
Yes.
MR. PLATT
But you didn’t stop loving him.
(off her silence)
You know – lots of people lose themselves
in love. It’s no shame. They write songs about it.
(then)
The hitch is – you can’t stay lost. Sooner or
later, you have to get back to yourself.
BUFFY
And if you can’t?
MR. PLATT
If you can’t – love becomes your master.
And you’re just it’s dog.
INT. LIBRARY – DAY
Buffy enters – thoughtful after seeing Plat. She stops when she sees the grave expressions of Giles,
Xander, Cordy, Willow and Oz.
BUFFY
I’m afraid to ask.
CORDELIA
Oz ate someone last night.
WILLOW
He did not!
XANDER
(to Cordy/stern)
Oz does not eat people. It’s more, werewolf
play. You know – I bat you around a little bit.
Like a cat toy. I have harmless wolf fun. Is it
Oz’ fault that, you know, side effect, people get
cut to ribbons and maybe then he takes a little
nibble and I’m not helping am I?
GILES
(to Buffy)
Oz may have gotten out of his cage last night –
Oz cuts him off – his tone grim.
OZ
Or there just happened to be another werewolf
roaming the woods.
GILES
Perhaps. Or perhaps it was something else
entirely. Let’s not overreact –
OZ
(frustrated)
Good in theory. Not very helpful for the
potential nibbler.
GILES
That’s why we all have to work to find out
what happened.
BUFFY
I’ll patrol the woods.
(to Willow and the others)
You guys try to get into the morgue.
WILLOW
Right, we can see if it’s a werewolf kill or
not. But what about Oz?
GILES
Why don’t we have Faith come watch over him?
OZ
You’re having a slayer watch me?
Good thing we’re not over-reacting
Freaking – Oz heads for the library doors. But he stops. A beat. He turns back.
OZ
Okay. You know that thing where you bail
in the middle of an upsetting conversation?
I need to do that. Kind of dramatic. But
sometimes it’s a necessary guy thing.
He starts out again – but Willow moves to stop him.
WILLOW
And I want you to. Do the guy thing – but…
She looks at the clock. It’s half past five. Oz follows her gaze – gets it. Has to fight all his instincts to
bolt. Supremely frustrated – he walks to the cage, closes the door.
ON WILLOW, OZ AND THE CAGE
Willow moves to him – feeling for him.
WILLOW
Oz….
He can’t even look at her.
OZ
Get away from the cage.
WILLOW
What?
OZ
It’s going to happen soon. Get away from me.
Willow, devastated, backs off.
FADE TO:
EXT. WOODS – NIGHT
The night time woods are extra spooky. Buffy walks alone, a little wigged.
CRACK!
Buffy jumps at the sound of a twig breaking. She peers into the tangled vines and tree branches
surrounding her. Nothing.
She takes a deep breath – pushes on.
SOMETHING CRASHES THROUGH THE BUSHES NEAR HER
This time it’s not a question – Buffy SPRINTS in the direction of the noise. Stops, trying to get her
bearings.
Again, she’s greeted by silence. The creature is lying low.
WHOOSH! Silhouetted against the FULL MOON, the MAN/BEAST CREATURE races by Buffy and
KNOCKS her to the ground. She leaps back up – stake raised – ready for battle.
And she stops – frozen – at what she sees.
ANGEL
Feral. Mouth stained with dried blood. Eyes full of animal rage.
BLACK OUT
END OF ACT ONE
Act Two
EXT. WOODS – NIGHT
Back to Angel and Buffy. She’s so taken aback at seeing him – so completely stunned – that she
barely reacts as HE BARRELS INTO HER AGAIN, knocking her down. Hard.
ON BUFFY
Fighting to get back on her feet. The sound of ANGEL’S SNARLING APPROACH through the bushes
seems to surround her. He comes at her again. But this time she’s ready – meets his oncoming
velocity with a HEAD BUTT.
Now they TANGLE on the ground. Buffy gets in a few good licks but ANGEL is still BRUTALLY strong –
she’s having trouble making any real gains.
Finally, Buffy manages to get to her feet. She races ahead – disappearing into the dark shadows of
the forest.
ON ANGEL
Who stops dead. His instincts working overtime. It’s clear to us that this is not the Angel we knew.
He’s more beast than man.
WHOOSH!
Buffy SWINGS FROM A TREE BRANCH AND DRIVES RIGHT INTO HIM – knocking the WIND OUT OF
HIM as he SLAMS TO THE GROUND. Now she straddles him and CLOCKS him with a BRUTAL
UPPERCUT. He’s out.
Buffy looks around. Sees a number of small eviscerated ANIMAL CARCASSES littering the ground
near by.
CLOSE ON BUFFY
Breathing hard. On total overload.
INT. MORGUE – NIGHT
Willow makes her way with a flashlight through the dark morgue. Checks the names on a few body
drawers until she finds what she was looking for.
She open the drawer – silently reacts to the horribly thrashed body we can (thankfully) barely see.
Swallows hard. Then she opens a plastic LUNCH BOX (Scooby Doo?) which contains her “autopsy”
tools; a scalpel, a pair of tweezers, some cotton swabs, a couple of plastic baggies, etc… She’s so
preoccupied that she doesn’t notice the SHADOWY FIGURE MOVE behind her.
XANDER (O.C.)
(aghast)
God……
IT’S JUST XANDER – who looks quickly away from the body. To gaze on this dude is clearly more than
a mere mortal can handle. But Willow keeps her cool.
WILLOW
(hands him a baggie)
Here. Hold this open.
He takes it – still looking away. Willow scrapes some stuff from under the corpse’s fingernails with a
swab and deposits the swab into the bag.
Now, unnoticed, CORDELIA steps from the darkness. Touches Xander’s arm. Xander startled, freaks.
XANDER
We’re doing crime, Cordy.
You don’t sneak up during crime!
CORDELIA
God. Have a –
But she stops when she sees the body – she TRIPS. Covers her eyes.
CORDELIA
Okay. Scarred for life.
XANDER
I think both “scarred” and “life”
are moot for this fella, Cordy.
CORDELIA
Not him – me. Willow, how can you stand it?
XANDER
Yeah, Will. This guy is barf-worthy.
Can’t we be elsewhere? Is Oz cleared or what?
WILLOW
I’m not sure. I mean, there are a lot of
incised wounds – but they could be from anything.
CORDELIA
Anything with really big, sharp teeth and –
Xander turns his flashlight on her, cutting her off.
XANDER
Do you want to go back to the car and wait?
CORDELIA
What? I’m just saying-
WILLOW
Almost done. Let me just get a few stray
hairs off the body. They may be from the attacker….
Willow uses her tweezers and carefully removes some hairs.
XANDER
Great. So we got everything we need?
WILLOW
(to Xander)
Yeah. That’s it.
And WILLOW FAINTS, falling right out of frame. Xander and Cordelia react, moving to help her.
XANDER
(worried)
Okay – little too much excitement for the Willster…
(to Cordy)
It doesn’t look good for Oz, does it?
CORDELIA
(no duh)
It really doesn’t. This guy was ripped apart
by a wild animal.
INT. MANSION – NIGHT
CLOSE ON
AN OLD TRUNK
Which BUFFY, working in a panicked rush, dumps over. We see a bunch of DRUSILLA’S DOLLS and
other personal items spill onto the floor. At the bottom of the trunk are some long lengths of CHAIN
and some WRIST SHACKLES.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Breathing hard – both from effort and fear – BUFFY threads a length of CHAIN through one of the
ORNAMENTAL WALL MOUNTS bolted to the wall in the main room of the mansion.
ANOTHER ANGLE
Buffy SLAPS a SHACKLE closed around a wrist….
AND NOW WE SEE ANGEL
Who struggles against Buffy as she binds his other wrist. We see now that the chains are long
enough that Angel can sit and move – a little.
Finished, Buffy sits back heavily – exhausted.
She stares at Angel – in a state of shock. Angel, tugging at his restraints, gives no sign that he’s still
aware of her in the room. Much less aware of who she is to him.
Buffy starts to get up – notices the BLACK SCORCH MARKS on the floor where Angel returned. She
moves to them – runs a finger through the dark soot, puzzled….
INT. LIBRARY – NIGHT
FAITH, listening to music on a walkman, DANCES in front of Oz’ cage. She’s really jamming and
doesn’t see BUFFY ENTER.
Buffy glances at OZ, who is locked up – in wolf mode. Post Angel, Buffy finds the sight of him heavily
unsettling.
Now Buffy moves to Faith – who is bopping away from her. Buffy gently taps her shoulder. Faith spins
and SMASHES BUFFY in the face. Hard. Buffy stumbles back.
BUFFY
Oww – !
Faith sees what she’s done. Rips the headphones off. We can HEAR strains of SCREAMING HEAVY
METAL through them.
FAITH
Buffy! Are you okay!?
What are you doing here?
BUFFY
Bleeding internally. But I’ll live.
FAITH
God, I’m sorry… I didn’t hear you.
BUFFY
I figured. Ow – again.
(then)
I came to give you the rest of the night off.
FAITH
Get out of jail free, huh? How come?
BUFFY
Can’t sleep. Figured I’d cram for my French test.
Faith grabs her stuff. Tosses Buffy the key to Oz’ cage.
FAITH
Cool. I was going nuts in here. I bet I
can still get in a few good stakings before sunrise.
BUFFY
Knock yourself out. But not literally.
FAITH
Later.
And she’s gone. Buffy watches after her for a beat – then turns and goes to the library card file. She
pulls a file drawer out and carries it back to the table….
FADE TO:
INT. LIBRARY – DAY
Early the next morning. Giles enters the library and moves to the cage – sees Oz, back to his human
self, safe and sound and curled in a little nekkid ball. Giles unlocks the cage.
Now he turns and is surprised to find BUFFY asleep at the table. She’s surrounded by books on stuff
like REINCARNATION and ALTERNATE DIMENSIONS. Giles picks up one of the books – examines it
more closely. Sensing him, Buffy wakes.
BUFFY
Hey….
Now she realizes that it’s GILES. She stands abruptly – starts to close the books.
BUFFY
Hey! Can you believe Faith and
these nutty books?
He’s not buying it. Reads a few book titles aloud.
GILES
“Exploring Demon Dimensions.”
“The Mystery of Acathala…”
BUFFY
I know! And she still listens to
heavy metal. Freaky deaky.
GILES
Buffy.
Buffy drops the act. Sits. She knows she’s busted.
BUFFY
What if I told you…. I had a dream
about Angel. And it brought up some questions.
GILES
I’d say it was to be expected.
(re: card file)
But it must have been quite a dream.
I didn’t think you knew what these cards were for.
BUFFY
Yeah. I dreamt that he came back.
Now Giles sits.
GILES
Of course. After Jenny was killed –
I had dreams that she was still alive.
That I saved her.
BUFFY
But this dream was vivid. Really vivid.
I mean, three-dimensional, sensurround,
the hills are alive-
Giles’ face registers concern.
BUFFY
You get my point.
GILES
Do you believe it was a prophecy?
BUFFY
(carefully)
No. I don’t know. It just made me wonder.
I mean – is there a chance, even? Could it happen?
Giles considers. Just the prospect makes him uncomfortable.
GILES
There’s no record of someone returning
from a demon dimension once the “gate”
has closed. I can’t imagine how it would
happen or why.
BUFFY
Okay. But let’s pretend – wacky world –
he somehow ended up here in Sunnydale
again. I mean, what would he be like?
GILES
I can’t really say. What little is known
about the dimension accessed via Acathala
suggest a world of brutal torment. And
time in demon worlds moves quite different that here –
BUFFY
Yeah. I remember… So, – Angel would have
been there for, like, close to a hundred years?
GILES
Yes.
BUFFY
Of torture.
GILES
(nods)
Only a person with tremendous will and character
could survive that and retain any semblance of self.
Buffy reels from this news.
BUFFY
He’d be a monster. A lost cause.
GILES
Maybe… Maybe not. In my experience,
there are two kinds of monsters. The first
type can be redeemed. And, more importantly,
they want to be redeemed…
BUFFY
And the second type?
GILES
The second – is void of humanity.
It can not respond to reason. Or love.
Buffy takes this in, freaked, when-
WILLOW
Enters with a bakery bag in hand. Sees Buffy, who is still tripping from the conversation with Giles.
WILLOW
I thought Faith was on duty.
BUFFY
Change of plans.
Willow opens the bag – holds it out. It’s full of donuts.
WILLOW
Glazed or cake? It’s fun to watch them
make them, you know. They have this
spritzy thing that plops the batter right-
BUFFY
(interrupting)
You couldn’t sleep either?
WILLOW
I’ve been sitting in Mr. Donut since the
TV did that snowy thing.
(then)
But, how come you’re wakey-girl? I mean,
this time it’s not your boyfriend who may
be a cold-blooded-
Willow’s startled by OZ, WHO STEPS FROM THE CAGE, buttoning his shirt.
WILLOW
-jelly donut.
She holds the bag out to Oz. Smiles too big.
OZ
Everything okay?
BUFFY
Yeah – what happened with the inspection
of the body?
WILLOW
(re: donuts)
Anybody? They’re yummy delicious.
BUFFY
(anxious)
Come on, Will. Was it a werewolf…..
(quietly)
Was it a vampire?
They just look at her. She bites the bullet.
WILLOW
It wasn’t conclusive. I-
Buffy interrupts, intense.
BUFFY
How could you not conclude? I mean,
what did it look like? Was he bit?
GILES
(cutting her off)
Let her finish, Buffy.
BUFFY
It’s just…. Sorry.
Willow glances at Oz – worried.
WILLOW
I should know more after tonight.
I’m doing hair and fiber tests.
OZ
You know how to do those?
WILLOW
(caught)
Not – I…like to sound technical when I’m scared.
But I figure – wolf hair, hair found on the body.
See if they match. It’s a test.
OZ
So we’re scared now. It’s official.
WILLOW
What? Oh – no – I didn’t mean it that way-
OZ
No. I’d say scared is pretty much called for. It’s cool.
ON BUFFY
Thinking about Angel. Knowing as well as the others that it’s not cool. Not at all.
INT. CAFETERIA – DAY
Buffy moves through the crowded room with her lunch tray, trying to find a table. Sees SCOTT sitting
with Debbie and Pete. He waves her over. A beat – then Buffy pastes on a smile and joins them.
SCOTT
Can’t back you on this lunch.
Nutritional demerits.
Buffy glances at her tray. She has three different kinds of Jello – and nothing else.
BUFFY
My stomach doesn’t want hard food.
There’s fruit stuff in there.
SCOTT
Those are marshmallows.
BUFFY
Oh…..
(then)
I’m kinda out of it today. Didn’t sleep well.
DEBBIE
Just don’t tell Mr. Platt you’ve got insomnia.
He’ll make you start a “dream journal.”
PETE
What’s that – like a Barbie thing? “Dear
Dream Journal, why hasn’t Ken come around
since he got that earring…?”
DEBBIE
I never did it. He’s a quack.
BUFFY
I sort of thought he was cool.
DEBBIE
Really?
(trying)
I guess he can be funny and stuff.
It’s just – I don’t like the things he
says sometimes.
BUFFY
Yeah. He definitely marches to the beat
of his own drummer. In fact – I think
he makes his own drums.
SCOTT
My mom say therapy can be completely helpful-
PETE
Your Mom has the wattage of a Zippo lighter, Scott.
Debbie tries to stifle a laugh. Scott takes Pete’s barbs in stride. He puts a protective hand on Buffy’s
leg.
SCOTT
I hope you realize I don’t actually know these
people. I just thought you’d like me better if
I had friends – so I hired them.
Now he moves closer – shutting out Pete and Debbie and getting kind of boyfriend-y. Buffy smiles –
but it’s clear she’s uncomfortable.
SCOTT
(then/quietly)
So – I wanted to tell you that you look great
today. But now I want to raise that to amazing
because you didn’t sleep well.
He’s making smitten eyes at her. Buffy knows she should be making them back – but she’s too spun.
BUFFY
God. That’s incredibly –
She pulls away from him. Starts to get up from the table.
BUFFY
-sweet…. And I wish I didn’t have to…
But I just remembered… that I do…
I’ll see you.
She smiles sort of wanly at the table and takes off – leaving them all at a loss.
PETE
Check out Scott. Liking the manic-depressive chick.
Scott shoots Pete a seriously warning look. Pete backs off.
PETE
Kidding, my friend. She’s special.
Like two very hot girlfriends in one.
ON BUFFY
Rushing out of the cafeteria. Losing it.
INT. MANSION – DAY
Buffy enters. Finds Angel shaking as if he is freezing and huddled in a corner – his restraints still
firmly in place. He turns his gaze on her, watches her intently, silently… She moves a little closer –
instinctively, he moves back.
BUFFY
Angel? Can you – ?
He just looks at her. She tries again – reaches tentatively out and TOUCHES HIM.
And Angel SNARLS like a wounded dog – as if he’s been touched by acid. Shackled hands fly out to
defend himself. And his eyes burn into Buffy. Angry – unrecognizing.
BUFFY
Falls away from him. Startled, mortified, she takes off.
CLOSE ON ORNAMENTAL WALL MOUNT
As it LOOSENS a bit from the pressure on Angel’s restraints.
EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS – DAY
The fall light melts into late afternoon amber as we see PETE, coaxing a nervous, giggling Debbie
toward the GARDEN SHED that sits back on the school property.
PETE
Come on – just for a minute…
DEBBIE
I can’t. I have to meet a friend-
INT. SCHOOL – GARDEN SHED – DAY
Now Pete pulls her inside the shed. The place is obviously frequented by lusty teenagers. The walls
are COVERED WITH HEARTS AND INITIALS. Pete pulls Debbie into his arms. She submits in short
order and they kiss hungrily. He tries to move her into a darker part of the shed, but Debbie pulls
away – nervous.
DEBBIE
No. Let – Let’s stay here.
PETE
What’s with you today? Relax…
Pete grabs her. They start to go at it again. Then Pete opens his eyes in the midst of a smooch –
notices a BOTTLE on one of the SHELVES BEHIND DEBBIE. It’s EMPTY – but the remnants of a
GLOWING, EERIE GREEN liquid cling to the inside of the bottle. He pulls back from her.
PETE
What is that?
DEBBIE
Nothing. Kiss me.
Debbie tries to pull him back into an embrace – clearly not wanting him to see the bottle. But it’s too
late. He looks at Debbie, shocked.
PETE
You didn’t drink that, did you?
DEBBIE
Drink it? You – you know I didn’t.
But Pete doesn’t buy it. He’s freaking.
PETE
Debbie… What’s going on?
INT. SCHOOL – HALLWAY – DAY
Buffy moves purposefully down the hallway
INT. COUNSELOR’S OFFICE – DAY
The door is open a crack. Buffy looks in. Sees that Mr. Platt is there. He’s smoking, turned away from
her in his chair – the way he was the first time she came to see him. Buffy starts to pace – anxious.
BUFFY
Two o’clock, Buffy right. Don’t turn
around and don’t say anything. Just
listen. That’s your thing, right?
(with difficulty)
Something’s going on… I mean, the
whole entire story will probably convince
you I’m like, loony bin material. But I
can’t tell anybody – not Willow, not Giles,
nobody… They’d just freak out on me or
maybe do something… And I’m… I need help.
(near tears)
I need to talk to someone. I’m so
scared. I – this guy, he…
Buffy stops her confession when she sees that the CIGARETTE in Platt’s hand is ALL ASH – burned
down to his fingers.
BUFFY
… he’s come back…
Now we come around the chair to see that Platt has been HORRIBLY MURDERED. Ripped to shreds.
The work of a terrible beast.
BLACK OUT
END OF ACT TWO
Act Three
INT. SCHOOL – GARDEN SHED – DAY
Back to Debbie, Pete and that GLOWING BOTTLE OF LIQUID. Debbie is clearly terrified as Pete, bottle
in hand, continues his interrogation of her. His tone is different now – both menacing and
condescending.
PETE
So – the bottle jumped out of the
cabinet and spilled on its own?
DEBBIE
Of course not –
He advances on her. Debbie meekly retreats.
DEBBIE
I – I was just trying to get rid of it.
Pete’s anger shifts to icy rage at this confession.
PETE
You were trying to get rid of it.
DEBBIE
To help you. You know how you get-
Pete grabs Debbie – holds the bottle close to her face. Debbie flinches, her terror growing.
ANGLE: PETE’S HAND
Clenched into a fist – the veins in the back of it throbbing menacingly.
PETE
You think this has anything to
do with “how I get?”
DEBBIE
Well, when you drink it-
PETE
When I drink it – nothing! I don’t
need it anymore, Debbie. I’m past that now-
He yanks Debbie ROUGHLY over to a line of shelves. Amid the PESTICIDES and GARDEN
FERTILIZERS, we see more ODD LIQUIDS AND CHEMISTRY SET TYPE STUFF.
He grabs the bottles and beakers and starts to SMASH THEM on the ground – steadily losing control.
PETE
See? No more! You can pour out
everything I made and it won’t help –
and you want to know why?
Debbie just shakes her head. Pete grips her harder-
PETE
You know why?! Because all it takes
is you now, Debbie. You and your
stupid, grating voice-
Suddenly – Pete’s HEAD STARTS TO THRASH WILDLY and he SCREAMS WITH RAGE.
Just as abruptly, his head STOPS – and we see that a chilling transformation has taken place. Pete
has turned into a RAGE MONSTER. An ADRENALINE PUMPED, VEINY creature with razor sharp teeth
and claws.
Debbie watches – frozen, petrified. She knows what’s coming. Now Pete BELLOWS at her – his voice a
garbled bark.
PETE
You’re the reason I started with the
formulas in the first place – to be the
man you wanted. And you pay me
back, how? You whore around with
other guys and taunt-
DEBBIE
No! I don’t! I don’t even look-
WHAM! Pete brutally SMACKS Debbie – sending her reeling.
PETE
I was talking! Is that something your
shrink taught you, Debbie – to “share?”
To “communicate?” To piss me off!?
He advances on her again. Picks her up from the floor. She’s crying now.
PETE
Well, guess what? Even he’s not going
to listen to your pathetic ramblings anymore-
BAM! Another hit and Debbie collapses. Pete stands over her – shaking with rage.
PETE
I’m all you’ve got, Debbie.
You hear me!? I’m all you’ve got!
Debbie nods through her tears, wipes a trickle of blood from her mouth. It seems her sobs have an
effect on him. As it dawns on him what he’s done – his expression softens. The adrenaline seems to
DRAIN from his body.
PETE
Ah, hell. God…
And just as suddenly as he changed – PETE DEFLATES, changing back to his normal self. Non-
monster Pete is instantly repentant. He moves to Debbie, gathers her in his arms.
PETE
Baby, you okay?
Debbie, in shock, nods “yes”. He kisses her forehead.
PETE
You know you shouldn’t make
me mad. You know what happens.
(off her silence)
Please, Debbie. You alright?
A beat. Finally, Debbie wraps her arms around him and they rock together. When she speaks – her
tone is soothing.
DEBBIE
It’s okay… It’s okay…
INT. LIBRARY – DAY
Willow and Faith sit with a shaken Buffy. Giles paces.
GILES
This creature is especially brutal. I
think the charming phrase the coroner
used when describing Mr. Platt was
“pureed.” But he did confirm that Platt
had been dead just a few hours when
Buffy found him.
FAITH
Which means the guy was killed during the day.
Buffy’s reaction to this is tempered. She’s seen Platt. But Willow can’t hide her joy. She punches a
fist in the air.
WILLOW
Yes!
Everybody looks at her. She slowly lowers her hand.
WILLOW
Sorry. I got a little… I mean,
it’s horrible. Horrible.
BUFFY
It’s okay, Will. We’re all glad
Oz is off the hook.
GILES
(concerned)
Indeed. But shouldn’t he be here
by now? The sun sets at half past five.
EXT. FOUNTAIN COURT – DAY
Speaking of… OZ waits by the fountain, checks his watch. He starts to bail – when he’s stopped by a
breathless DEBBIE.
DEBBIE
Sorry I’m late. Did you bring the notes?
She’s all smiles – trying to finish their business and move on before he picks up on her black eye and
streaked make-up. But Oz, handing her the notes, catches on to the weirdness.
OZ
You okay?
DEBBIE
What? Oh, yeah. I’m such a klutz. I, uh…
Oz nods knowingly.
OZ
Fell down and hit your… eye.
DEBBIE
Door knob.
(re: notes)
Thanks.
She starts to take off – Oz puts a hand on her arm.
OZ
Hey. If you want to talk-
Debbie sighs. She’s heard this before.
OTHER END OF FOUNTAIN COURT
As PETE arrives, unnoticed by them. He sees Oz and Debbie talking closely. It doesn’t sit well with
him.
ON DEBBIE AND OZ
Still unaware that Pete is watching. Debbie is momentarily swayed Oz’ concern – puts her own hand
on his for a moment.
DEBBIE
I –
(thinks better of it)
Thanks again for the notes.
She pulls away – takes off. Oz debates going after her. But it’s too close to sunset. He moves toward
the school.
INT. LIBRARY – DAY
Buffy, Giles, Faith and Willow continue the discussion of Mr. Platt’s killer.
GILES
Our task now is to determine what
sort of killer we’re dealing with-
Now Oz enters. Unnoticed by the others, he overhears Giles next comment.
GILES
Clearly we’re looking for a depraved,
sadistic animal.
Oz steps forward. Grim.
OZ
Present.
(glances at Willow)
Hey. I may be a cold blooded jelly
donut – but my timing’s impeccable.
Willow can’t contain herself. Runs to him, excited.
WILLOW
But you’re not! It’s a “kill in the day”
monster! One-hundred percent for sure.
A beat as Oz takes this in. Nodding.
OZ
Okay.
Filled with relief – they hug. Giles gives them a moment before getting back on task.
GILES
I wish we had time to celebrate properly.
Unfortunately, it’s imperative that we
find out who or what is doing this.
(then)
Now. We have two victims. Jeff Walken,
and now Platt. Perhaps they have
something in common-
FAITH
Missing internal organs?
GILES
Besides that.
Oz’ wheels are turning.
OZ
Debbie.
All eyes turn to him.
OZ
Victim #1. Jeff? He was in Jazz
band with us. They used to horse around.
FAITH
They were screwing?
OZ
I don’t think so. But he hid her music
comp book once.
BUFFY
Good enough. And we know Debbie knew
Mr. Platt. She was seeing him and way vocal
about not having the love for the guy.
OZ
Add this and stir. I ran into her just
now – sporting a nasty black eye.
WILLOW
Okay. Pretend Debbie wanted Platt
dead. Maybe he fought back.
BUFFY
No, he was dead in an instant.
Didn’t even lose his cigarette.
That’s it. Buffy stands.
BUFFY
Could be – boyfriend Pete’s the
one doling out the punishment.
Now everybody mobilizes.
GILES
We have to find them both immediately.
OZ
Deb was in the hall a minute ago.
GILES
We should split up. Faith – you and I
will team. Willow – you stick with Buffy.
Oz, stands – chimes in with the same urgency as the others.
OZ
I’ll – lock myself in the cage.
INT. GIRL’S LOCKER ROOM – DAY
We find Debbie at the mirror with her make-up bag. She’s trying to mask the bright purple bruises
around her eye.
Now we see Buffy and Willow, who have just entered. They observe Debbie for a moment. Then-
BUFFY
It’s tricky covering a fresh shiner like
that. You know what works?
Debbie, startled, looks up from the mirror. Answers warily.
DEBBIE
What?
BUFFY
Don’t get hit.
Debbie’s heard enough. Starts to gather her things. But Buffy moves closer – her tone kind but
determined.
BUFFY
What’s going on, Debbie?
I’d bet the farm you know.
DEBBIE
You’re wrong. I don’t know anything.
BUFFY
Now – normally? I’d say – you want to
play “I have a secret” – fine. But people are dying.
A long beat. Debbie, trapped, stammers –
DEBBIE
It’s – it’s not his fault. I mean, he’s not
himself when he gets like this…
Buffy and Willow exchange looks.
BUFFY
You mean Pete.
DEBBIE
(nods)
It’s me. I make him crazy. He just
does what he does because he loves
me too much –
WILLOW
So it is him? But weren’t Mr. Platt
and Jeff murdered by an animal?
Buffy gets it – fixes Debbie with a hard look.
BUFFY
Pete’s… not like other guys, is he Debbie?
It dawns on Debbie what she just did – that she gave Pete up. She panics, starts for the door.
DEBBIE
I – I’ve got to go.
Buffy blocks her.
BUFFY
You have to talk to us. We can’t
help you until you do.
DEBBIE
I didn’t ask for your help.
WILLOW
Well, when are you going to? I
mean – if Pete kills you – it’ll be
pretty much too late.
BUFFY
Debbie. We’re running out of time.
OFF DEBBIE
Frightened despite herself.
INT. MANSION – DAY
We move across the cavernous room until we find Angel – who pulls with all his might at his
restraints. That wall mount that was loosening? It finally gives and falls from the wall. Although still
in chains and shackles, he’s not secured to anything. He’s free.
A moment, then he bolts out of frame.
INT. GIRLS LOCKER ROOM – DAY
Back to Debbie, Buffy and Willow.
BUFFY
Where can we find him, Debbie?
DEBBIE
(freaking)
I – I don’t know.
BUFFY
You’re lying.
Now Debbie tries to mask her fear with bravado.
DEBBIE
What if I am. What are you going
to do about it?
WILLOW
(wincing)
Wrong question.
Frustrated now, Buffy takes Debbie and turns her toward the mirror. Makes Debbie look at her
bruised and swollen face.
BUFFY
Look at yourself. Why are you
protecting him?
Debbie looks away. Doesn’t answer.
BUFFY
Anybody who really loved you
couldn’t do this to you.
DEBBIE
He’s going to change. He promised –
BUFFY
Maybe. At best 50/50. Lame odds
when you’re betting your life.
Debbie looks at them – confused, wavering.
DEBBIE
(meekly)
Would they take him someplace?
BUFFY
Probably.
DEBBIE
(rising panic)
Be away from Pete? I can’t –
WILLOW
Of course you can. And we’ll both
help you. Believe me – we understand.
(then)
But you have to choose. It’s got to be
you over him.
That part where Debbie was wavering? It’s over. Her eyes go cold. She’s shutting down.
DEBBIE
I could never do that to him.
I’m his everything.
BUFFY
(losing patience)
Great. While you guys enjoy your
grim fairy-tale, two people are dead.
Who’s gonna be next?
INT. LIBRARY – DAY
Oz hangs out in the book cage – waiting for night to fall. He looks up when the doors to the library
swing open.
PETE
Still in human-mode, enters. Glowers at Oz.
PETE
Since when do you touch my girl?
Oz takes a beat. Assessing the situation. Then –
OZ
This is a really bad time, Pete.
PETE
Guess you weren’t thinking about that
when you put the moves on Debbie…
OZ
I talked to her, yeah. But it was move-free.
Pete advances, seething. Oz, a tad nervous now, glances at the clock – tries to focus.
OZ
About this cage? When the sun sets –
PETE
You won’t be alive to see it.
PETE starts to YANK ON THE CAGE DOOR, his face going red with the effort.
OZ
I’m serious. Something happens, which
you probably won’t believe –
And with a mighty YELL Pete’s DEAD STARTS TO THRASH AGAIN. He CHANGES INTO RAGE MONSTER
PETE before Oz’ eyes.
OZ
-or you might.
Now – after another RAGE FILLED BELLOW, PETE finally RIPS THE DOOR FROM THE CAGE. Oz backs
up, very calm with terror.
BLACK OUT
END OF ACT THREE
Act Four
INT. GIRL’S LOCKER ROOM – DAY
Buffy and Willow try to deal with Debbie – who has gone into her own freaky world. She looks at
herself in the mirror, hugging herself and rocking, talking to no one in particular.
DEBBIE
He does love me. He does love me…
BUFFY
We’d better go – we have to find Pete.
Buffy takes Debbie gently by the arm – starts to lead her to the door. Debbie continues to mutter –
DEBBIE
He does love me. He does love me…
WILLOW
(to Buffy/worried)
I think we broke her.
BUFFY
(sadly)
I think she was broken before this.
INT. LIBRARY – CONT. – NIGHT
WHAMP! Oz hits the floor hard in the wake of a terrible blow from monster Pete. Oz tries to stand but
monster Pete KICKS HIM, sending him sprawling once again…
Oz, crawling and wincing with pain, glances out the window, sees the (STOCK SHOT) SUN SLIP FROM
VIEW. We register just a hint of relief cross his features.
PETE
Did you kiss that whore? Did she like it?
Now Pete LIFTS Oz back to his feet and is about to administer another nasty thrashing – but Oz
shoves him back with a firm hand. Pete stumbles and hits the floor.
CLOSE ON CLOCK
Which reads just after 5:30.
RESUME
OZ
Time’s up. Rules change.
CLOSE ON OZ’ EYE
As it goes WOLFY.
RESUME
Baffled, monster Pete looks up in time to see OZ THE WEREWOLF LUNGE for him – teeth bared.
Now the TWO MONSTERS go at it. It’s a full-on, “When Animals Attack” extravaganza.
Oz pounces Pete, and they roll on the floor in a growling, snarling tangle.
Pete SLASHES OZ with a knife-like claw. Oz retaliates as he LOCKS HIS POWERFUL JAW around
Pete’s forearm. Pete SCREAMS in agony…
INT. SCHOOL – HALLWAY – CONT. – NIGHT
Buffy, Willow and Debbie move down the hall when they hear PETE’S UNEARTHLY CRY coming from
the library. FAITH and GILES run in from outside – alarmed at the sound.
FAITH
What the hell – ?
INT. LIBRARY – CONT. – NIGHT
Buffy, Willow, Faith, Giles and Debbie enter to see werewolf OZ and monster Pete engaged in serious
battle.
OZ still has a HOWLING Pete by the arm, but now Pete uses the position to FLIP OZ over on his back.
For a brief moment everyone stands and take the spectacle in, agape. Then Buffy spies the
TRANQUILIZER GUN on the table. Grabs it. She aims at PETE… Her finger goes to the trigger… She
finds her shot…
DEBBIE
Pete! Watch out!
As Buffy shoots DEBBIE GRABS THE GUN, yanking IT TO ONE SIDE. The shot goes wild AND HITS
GILES.
CLOSE ON GILES
GILES
Right. Bloody priceless.
And he’s OUT.
RESUME
Buffy shoves Debbie away – and she slips out of sight, forgotten by all. Giles falls INTO a book stand,
which TOPPLES right near OZ. Startled, OZ blows past them and OUT THE LIBRARY DOORS.
Now Buffy slams an off-guard Pete with a couple of serious blows. Pete backs her off by TOPPLING A
BOOKCASE in her path – then disappears into the stacks.
Forgotten in all the confusion – Debbie also bails.
BUFFY
I’ll take Pete.
Buffy tosses Faith the tranquilizer gun as she leaves. Faith snatches it – heads for the hall with Willow
on her heels.
FAITH
I got the wolf.
INT. SCHOOL – GARDEN SHED – NIGHT
Debbie enters the shed, calls uncertainly –
DEBBIE
Pete?
Nothing. Debbie moves into a dark corner – prepared to wait for her man.
INT. SCHOOL – HALLWAY – NIGHT
MONSTER PETE runs through a hall with Buffy not far behind. With a burst of determination, he
sprints a good distance ahead of her – rounds a corner and loses her for a moment –
INT. ANOTHER PART OF THE HALLWAY – NIGHT
Pete sees a HIGH OPEN WINDOW and LEAPS for it, barely holding onto the sill with his bloodied,
injured arm. He pulls himself through just as BUFFY enters the hall. She stops – surprised. He’s
nowhere to be seen.
INT. SCHOOL – HALLWAY – NIGHT
Yet ANOTHER HALL – where Faith races after Oz, who is loping along at an amazing pace.
Willow lags behind her, trying desperately to keep up.
INT. GARDEN SHED – NIGHT
Debbie JUMPS as the door to the shed slams. There, silhouetted against the night is PETE, looming in
all his rage monster glory. Debbie rushes to him – throws herself into his arms.
DEBBIE
Pete – you’re alright. God, you’re alright…
She holds on tight – tries not to notice that he’s not returning her embrace.
DEBBIE
She almost shot you – did you see?
I stopped her.
Nothing. Debbie pulls back – babbles on.
DEBBIE
You have to leave. Get out of
Sunnydale. She knows –
Pete finally speaks – his voice eerily cool.
PETE
How does she know, Debbie.
Did you run your big mouth?
DEBBIE
No! she just knew. I mean,
it seemed like she knew –
He THROWS her out of his arms – she falls to the ground.
PETE
So you filled in the blanks.
DEBBIE
No –
He ADVANCES ON HER – his anger simmering and lethal.
PETE
But what did I expect from a
screw up like you?
DEBBIE
I – I didn’t. Pete –
PETE
Fact is, Debbie? You’re nothing
but a waste of space.
CLOSE ON DEBBIE
As a horrible certainty washes over her.
DEBBIE
No…
Now PETE’S BLACK SHADOW engulfs her.
INT. SCHOOL – ANOTHER PART OF THE HALLWAY – NIGHT
Buffy’s back in the hall where she lost Pete. She stops – notices his BLOOD HIGH on the wall by the
window.
INT. SCHOOL – HALLWAY – NIGHT
Faith is gaining on Oz when he suddenly turns tail and RACES TOWARD HER. Before she has time to
react – HE PLOWS into her and they both go tumbling to the ground. Faith drops the tranquilizer gun
and it goes skittering across the floor.
Willow, observing this form a distance, SCREAMS.
WILLOW
No! Down!! Bad Oz!
EXT. SCHOOL – NIGHT
Buffy jumps out of the window Pete escaped through. Sees that she’s standing right in front of the
garden shed. And, behind a grimy window, something seems to be moving inside.
INT. SCHOOL – GARDEN SHED – NIGHT
Buffy enters cautiously. DEBBIE’S body lies lifeless in the corner.
BUFFY
Oh my God.
Buffy rushes to her – takes her pulse. Nothing.
Distracted by Debbie, Buffy doesn’t see PETE move behind her. He grabs her with vicious force –
HURLS her into a wall.
INT. SCHOOL – HALLWAY – NIGHT
Where Faith and Oz battle on the floor. Faith, pinned beneath him, manages to hold him off – but she
won’t be able to for much longer. She yells to Willow –
FAITH
The gun! Where’s the gun!?
Willow searches the floor. Sees it under Oz’ hind leg. There’s no way Faith can get to it. Willow makes
a snap decision. RUNS UP and PULLS OZ’ TAIL. HARD.
WILLOW
Get off her!
OZ SNARLS in protest – turns his steely EYES ON HER. Willow starts to RUN.
WILLOW
Get the gun, get the gun,
get the gun!!
A beat – then a properly distracted OZ goes after Willow, gaining on her easily. Faith scrambles for
the gun.
WILLOW
HURRY!
BOOM! Faith shoots OZ dead on. Willow hits the ground as Oz TUMBLES PAST HER. Lands in a
panting heap.
INT. SCHOOL – GARDEN SHED – NIGHT
This time Buffy’s the victim of surprise. She falls HARD on the ground. Doesn’t have time to recover
before Pete is on her again, SLAMMING HER WITH BRUTAL PUNCH AFTER BRUTAL PUNCH. She tries
to fight, but Pete seems to GROW STRONGER AND STRONGER WITH his growing FURY.
PETE
All the same! You’re all the same!
INT. SCHOOL – HALLWAY – NIGHT
Faith and Willow cautiously approach Oz – who is unable to fend off the powerful drugs in his system.
He lifts his head – looks at Willow – and with a grunt, passes out. Willow reaches down and strokes
his fur tenderly.
WILLOW
We have to get you a better cage.
INT. SCHOOL – GARDEN SHED – NIGHT
Buffy, reeling from another hit, tries to get to her feet – sees a shadow rise against the wall of the
shed. She turns – fists up, ready again to fight.
But IT’S ANGEL in the doorway – in VAMPFACE. He still has the LONG LENGTH OF CHAIN strung from
one shackled wrist to the other. He powers toward her, yielding the chain like a weapon. Buffy
flinches – confused – is he coming for her? But he flashes PAST HER AND LASHES PETE WITH THE
CHAIN, sending him reeling.
Recovering from the beating she took, Buffy watches, stunned, as Pete slashes viciously at Angel
with his claws. In response, Angel wails on Pete with the chain – one mighty blow after another –
trying to knock the fight out of him.
Finally – Pete manages to get a hand on Angel’s face – cutting him and jabbing for his EYES. Angel
falls back.
Now Pete LUNGES, razor claws bared, for an unprepared Buffy.
Angel sees this. With no time to think, he THROWS THE CHAIN AROUND PETE’S NECK and YANKS IT
TIGHT – snapping Pete’s neck.
Angel extracts the chains and retreats. Pete falls, limp, to the ground. A beat and his labored
breathing stops. Then we make along his lifeless body, revealing that he has CHANGED INTO HIS
NON-MONSTER SELF. Angel returns to Buffy.
CLOSE ON BUFFY AND ANGEL
As Angel approaches her. Buffy isn’t sure what to do – whether she should be on the defensive or not.
But before she can make up her mind, he MORPHS back to human face and speaks his first human
word – desperate and hopeful…
ANGEL
Buffy?
They lock eyes. It’s him. She sees the kindness returned there. The familiarity.
She nods.
And with her affirmation – Angel falls to his knees at her feet. Despite the chains and shackles, he
wraps his arms around her waist. Begins to cry as he feels the first comfort he’s know in a hundred
years.
ANGEL
Buffy…
ON BUFFY
Overwhelmed. Fighting her own tears. This can’t be happening.
FADE TO:
EXT. FOUNTAIN COURTYARD – DAY
Xander, Cordy and Buffy are walking toward class. Oz and Willow also walk with the group but are
“paired,” holding hands and obviously recovering nicely from their wolfy trauma.
WILLOW
It’s all over school. What happened
with Debbie and Pete… Except for
the “Pete was a monster” part.
OZ
Yeah. A freshman told me that Pete
had eight iced café mochas and lost it.
BUFFY
It’s better than the estrogen theory.
I heard he took all his mother’s
birth control pills.
CORDELIA
He didn’t? Pete was a monster?
Where have I been?
XANDER
In your special place, Cor.
And that’s why I adore you.
CORDELIA
So what’s the true story?
What happened?
WILLOW
Well, we found Pete’s lab diaries and
stuff. Mr. Science was pulling a
Jeckel/Hyde deal. He was afraid Debbie
would leave him – so he mixed this
potion to get super mas macho.
BUFFY
Thing was, after a while, he didn’t need
a potion to turn into the bad guy. He
got there on the natch.
CORDELIA
So it was like a real killing? He wasn’t
under the influence of anything?
BUFFY
Just himself.
Everyone takes this in. Then Buffy spies Scott across the way.
BUFFY
I’d better…
She moves off toward him.
CORDELIA
Great. Now I’m going to be stuck
with serious thoughts all day.
Exasperated, she moves off. Xander gives Willow and Oz a look – then follows her.
ON BUFFY AND SCOTT
Sitting by the fountain together. Scott’s in a shocky place.
BUFFY
I don’t even know what to say
that won’t sound stupid or obvious.
SCOTT
I’ve been friends with both of them
since before we started school…
BUFFY
If there’s anything I can do –
SCOTT
Thanks. I’ll be fine – or…
(then)
It’s just… You never really know what’s
going on inside somebody – do you? You
think if you care about them – you know.
But you never really do.
Off Buffy – his words hitting home.
FADE TO:
INT. MANSION – NIGHT
CLOSE ON ANGEL
Sleeping fitfully on the ground. Haunted by animal dreams. A century of suffering.
WIDEN TO INCLUDE
BUFFY
Huddled in the opposite corner, just watching him…
BUFFY (V.O.)
“Night came on, and a full moon rose
high over the trees, lighting the land
till it lay bathed in ghostly day… and
the strain of the primitive remained alive
and active. Faithfulness and devotion,
things born of fire and roof, were his;
yet he retained his wildness and wiliness.
And from the depths of the forest – the
call still sounded.”
BLACK OUT
THE END
Transcripts
Prologue
Night in a wood near Sunnydale. The full moon rises slowly above the
trees. Cut into the wood. The camera moves among the trees and bushes
low to the ground in slow motion. Buffy reads from ‘Call of the Wild’ in
a voiceover.
Buffy: ‘One night after supper, the lead dog turned up a snowshoe
rabbit. The dog lay down low to the race, his body flashing forward,
leap by leap.’
Cut to the library. Buffy’s voice dissolves into that of Willow, who is
walking around the area by the cage while reading from the book.
Willow: ‘He was sounding the deeps of his nature and the parts of his
nature that were deeper than he, going back into the wombs of time. The
rabbit could not…’
Suddenly werewolf Oz leaps up against the cage door and rattles it at
her. She startles and steps back.
Willow: Okay. Uh, maybe we should try a less stimulating passage.
She flips through the pages of the book while Oz growls at her and
settles back down in the cage. Xander walks into the library, carrying a
thermos and a couple of magazines, looking very tired.
Xander: Private Harris reporting for Oz watch.
Willow: (looks up from the book) Xander! Oh, good.
Xander yawns as he walks up to her and takes the book out of her hands.
Xander: Oh! ‘Call of the Wild.’ Aren’t we reading the Cliff Notes to
this for English?
Willow: Some of us are. (takes back the book) Anyway, it’ll help you
stay awake. It’s good and, and very wolfy. (looks at Oz) Seems to soothe
the savage beast.
She takes Xander’s arm and leads him away from the cage toward the
table. As the camera pulls back with them the towels draped across most
of the cage come into view.
Willow: (quietly) Except for the parts about… (whispers) rabbits.
Oz hears that, and he jumps against the cage, banging it loudly. Xander
and Willow both jump and look back at him.
Xander: (snags the book) Rabbis? (looks it over)
Willow: (takes the book back again) It… seems to make him a little
overexcited. (puts it on the table) Okay. Now, he’s had his 2:00
feeding, and, uh, after sunrise, if he forgets where his clothes are,
they’re on top of the file cabinet in his cage. (indicates the cage) I
put those towels up for privacy.
Xander: Uh, no worries. I can handle the Oz Full Monty. (smirks) I
mean, not ‘handle’ handle, like ‘hands to flesh’ handle.
Willow: (nods) Mm, okay. (with lots of nervous gesturing) Well, it’s
not for you. It’s for me, ’cause I’m still getting used to half a Monty.
Xander: Oh. Good. (realizes) Half? You and Oz? Which half?
Willow: (with a big smile) Wouldn’t you like to know? Anyway, he’s
more manageable tonight and on the third night. Tomorrow night, the
total full moon, that’s when he’s a real wolfer. (reaches across the
table) But in case there’s trouble… there won’t be, but if…
She holds up the dart rifle. Xander takes it from her with his right
hand while still holding his things with his left, and slips his index
finger into the trigger guard.
Xander: Sleepy time. Gotcha.
He holds the stock of the weapon against his shoulder.
Willow: Thanks again for doing this. I wouldn’t have asked, but I have
this test.
Xander: No big. You can count on me. (looks at his things) I got my
coffee, magazines. Figured I’d read, maybe (points with the gun) run the
stairs over there a little bit. (chuckles) I’m good.
Willow isn’t thrilled with the way he’s handling the rifle, and so takes
it out of his hand, giving him a nervous smile. She sets it down on the
table, gives him a little wave goodbye and starts out. On the way past
the cage she gives werewolf Oz a little wave, too.
Willow: Bye.
Oz raises his head and growls as he watches her go. Xander picks the
book up from the table, inspects the cover and looks up at Oz. He
decides to make things easy on himself. He climbs onto the table, sets
the book down at one end and lies on his stomach, using the book as a
pillow. He smiles as he settles himself for a relaxing nap. In the cage
Oz lets out a loud growl.
Cut to the cemetery. Faith and Buffy are strolling through on patrol.
Faith: Nice place. Do you ever catch kids doing the diddy out here?
Buffy: No. There’s a smooch spot up by the woods. That’s usually where
kids go.
Faith: Yeah? Bet you and Scott have been up there kicking the
gearshift. (grins)
Buffy: (gives her a look) Hardly. Only been on a few dates.
Faith: But you like him. And when you think about him, you get that
(inhales) good, down-low tickle, right?
Buffy: (smiles) Yeah, I guess, but… (realizes what she may have
meant, and gives her the eye) How low?
Faith: (grins broadly) You tell me.
Buffy: How about not? (looks around dreamily) But he is… (sighs)
nice, and he’s funny.
Faith: And quite a muffin.
She gives Buffy a smile. Buffy smiles back.
Buffy: Blueberry. That crunchy, munchy stuff on top. But my most
favorite thing so far (sighs) is that he doesn’t seem to be any kind of
Hell Beast.
Faith: All men are beasts, Buffy.
Buffy: Okay, I was hoping to not get that cynical till I was at least
forty.
Faith: It’s not cynical. I mean, it’s realistic. Every guy from…
Manimal down to Mr. I-Love-The-English-Patient has beast in him. And I
don’t care how sensitive they act. They’re all still just in it for the
chase.
Buffy has to tacitly admit that Faith may have a point.
Cut to the woods. A boy runs through the bushes in a panic. The camera
chases him, and a creature’s growling and heavy breath can be heard. The
boy looks back to check on his pursuer, and trips over a low branch. He
rolls onto his back and tries to push himself away with his feet, but
whatever is chasing him is quickly on top of him and drags him away. The
boy screams loudly as he disappears from the camera’s view.
Opening credits roll. Buffy’s theme plays.~~ Part 1 ~~
Sunnydale High School. Willow, Oz and Buffy climb the outside stairs
from the quad up to the balcony.
Willow: I don’t think that’s true, that every guy is in it only for the
chase.
Buffy: I know. It is an awful generalization.
Scott: Hey Buffy!
She looks along the balcony to see him approaching at a quick pace.
Willow gives Oz a smile.
Scott: That’s what I stopped you for, basically. Hey.
Buffy: Okay. (smiles) Hey.
Scott’s friends Debbie and Pete approach the group. Oz notices them and
holds up his hand in greeting. Debbie is holding a bouquet of flowers.
Oz: How do, Debbie?
Debbie: Hi, Oz. Hey, you’re not doing jazz band this year?
Oz: Oh, can’t take the pressure. It’s not the music that’s hard, it’s
the marching.
Buffy: We have a marching jazz band? (looks at Scott inquisitively)
Oz: Yeah, but, you know, since the best jazz is improvisational, we’d
be going off in all directions, banging into floats… Scary.
Willow: (smiles at everyone) He’s just being Oz.
Oz: Pretty much full-time. (smiles at Willow)
Buffy: (sees Debbie’s bouquet) Those are pretty flowers.
Debbie: Thanks. Pete brought them for me. (smiles at him)
Pete: (smiles) Yeah. Well, I-I’m sure Scott does that kind of stuff for
you, too, Buffy.
Scott: Oh, well, we’re not up to flowers. (to Buffy) Are we? Up to
flowers? Did I miss flowers?
Buffy: (reassuringly) No. We’re pre-posy. Definitely.
Scott nods, relieved.
Buffy: What time is it? (grabs Scott’s watch) Oh, I have to go see Mr.
Platt today.
Debbie: Platt? The school counselor?
Buffy: I get to convince him that I’m Little Miss Stable so I can stay
in school.
Debbie: Platt creeps me out. I would totally quit going, but I’m
flunking senior bio, and my teacher says I have success issues.
(giggles)
Oz: Senior bio? I kinda aced that final.
Willow: (needles Oz) And how did you do that? Oh, right. You showed up.
He takes Willow’s jibes good-naturedly.
Oz: (to Debbie) If you want my notes, they’re yours.
Debbie: Thanks! That’d be great!
The bell rings.
Buffy: We’d better go. (to Scott) I’ll see you.
Scott: Yep.
They kiss lightly on the lips. Buffy turns and heads into the building.
Oz gives them a wave, and he and Willow follow her. Scott gives his
friends a contented look.
Cut to Giles’ office. He and Xander look up from reading an article in
the paper and head out into the main area.
Giles: We need to recheck every possible exit avenue.
Xander: I’m telling you, it’s a waste of time. I was here all night.
They notice Willow and Oz coming into the library.
Giles: Right. (smiles stiffly) It’s good to see you. Um, no need to
panic.
Oz: Just a thought: poker: not your game.
Willow: (worried) What’s the deal, Giles?
Giles: (starts to pace) Now, uh, bear in mind, uh, most likely, there,
there, there is no deal, (stops and looks at Xander) but um, if, if, if
there was a deal, then it, um, would concern murder… last night. A
male student was, was found i-i-in the woods.
Willow: Which student?
Giles: Jeff Orkin.
Oz: Jeff? He was…
He looks over at Xander. Xander looks down at the floor.
Oz: I knew him.
Giles: I’m afraid he was, he was, um, terribly mauled. Now, uh, much as
I hate to think it, i-i-it could be the handiwork of, of…
Oz: Me.
Willow: (very concerned) Wolf you, not you you.
Xander: But it’s not. Not wolf you, not you you. The room was secured,
the gate was locked, (heads into the cage) and the window unbreakable,
and… (looks up at the window) open!
He points up at it as he comes back out of the cage.
Willow: (upset) Oh, God.
Giles and Oz both go over to check the window, too.
Xander: Not to freak. I rested my eyes now and then. That’s all.
Willow gives him a betrayed look.
Giles: (looks down from the window) How long… exactly did you…
rest your eyes for? (glares at him)
Oz just stares into space, turning the implications over in his mind.
Xander: A little now, uh, a little then. But I never heard Oz leave,
and he was here in the morning when I, um… (searches for words) when
I…
Giles: (angrily) WOKE UP!
Xander: You could put it that way if you want to, Mr. Technical.
Oz walks over to Willow, looking at her sadly.
Willow: Oh, God.
She takes his hand to comfort him. He looks at Giles imploringly.
Cut to the school psychologist’s office. The door opens, and Buffy
enters. She closes it behind herself and steps up to the desk. Mr. Platt
is sitting in his chair facing away, looking out the window while his
ever-present cigarette smolders in his fingers.
Mr. Platt: Two o’clock. Miss Summers.
He makes no move to turn around to face her.
Buffy: (smiles) Buffy Summers, reporting for sanity.
Her smiles fades when she realizes he still isn’t going to turn around.
Instead he just blows out a huge cloud of cigarette smoke.
Buffy: Look… I know that I have to do this, and I-I’ll cooperate, and
I’ll look at your ink blots and everything, but… I don’t wanna talk
about my life or my childhood or… anything, for that matter, actually.
And, uh… I don’t wanna be friends here.
Mr. Platt: (finally turns) We’re not gonna be friends. (smiles at her)
You have friends already, I hope. (waves his hand at her) Friends are a
good thing. (takes another drag from his cigarette) Mm-hm. (crushes it
out) They like you, agree with you, tell you what you wanna hear.
(reaches into his desk drawer) That’s not what you need right now.
(pulls out a can of deodorizer) What you need is a trained, not… too
crazy professional who will always give you his honest opinion.
He pops the top off of the aerosol can and gives a couple of sprays
around himself. Buffy just gives him an odd look and says nothing.
Mr. Platt: Which I offer.
He looks back at her for a moment before gesturing to a chair.
Mr. Platt: Have a seat.
He caps the can and puts it away as she sits in the chair.
Buffy: Not too crazy? Those are your credentials?
He stands up and starts to walk around his desk.
Mr. Platt: Look, Buffy, any person — grownup, shrink, (sits on his
desk) pope — any person who claims to be totally sane is either lying
or not very bright. I mean, everyone has problems. Everybody has demons,
right?
Buffy: (averts her eyes) Gotta say I’m with you on that. (looks down at
her hands)
Mr. Platt: Excellent. So, the hope I bring you is: demons can be
fought. (Buffy looks up at him in surprise) People can change. You can
change. Now. Your turn. (crosses his arms) Let’s start with why you ran
away.
She looks up for a moment, then begins to fidget and lean back in her
seat.
Buffy: (smiles weakly) That’s a long story.
Mr. Platt: Mm. (shrugs) Bore me.
Buffy: You know, I’m, I’m really over it. I-I’m moving on, I feel good,
I’m, I’m even dating someone new.
Mr. Platt: All good things. (gestures widely with his arms) But still,
you’re (inhales and leans back) you’re bringing me in at the end of the
movie.
Buffy: (awkwardly) I was dating someone. Uh, it-it ended badly. My mom
and I were fighting, and I… kinda freaked.
Mr. Platt: Well, tell me more about this guy. The Bad Ending Guy.
She looks up at him for a long moment before letting out a breath and
looking down at her hands again.
Buffy: He was my first… I loved him, and then he…
Mr. Platt: …changed.
She looks up at him, surprised again.
Buffy: Yeah.
Mr. Platt: He got mean.
Buffy: Yes.
Mr. Platt: And you didn’t stop loving him.
Buffy doesn’t know what to add or how to respond.
Mr. Platt: Look, lots of people lose themselves in love. It’s, it’s no
shame. They write songs about it. The hitch is, you can’t stay lost.
Sooner or later, you… you have to get back to yourself.
Buffy: (considers) And if you can’t?
Mr. Platt: If you can’t… (inhales) Well, love becomes your master,
and you’re just its dog.
She didn’t expect to hear it put quite that way.
Cut to the library. Buffy comes in and finds Giles pacing and everyone
else sitting on the steps and looking gloomy. She sets her bag on the
table.
Buffy: I’m afraid to ask. (crosses her arms)
Cordelia: Oz ate someone last night.
Willow: (glares) He did not!
Xander: (annoyed) Oz does not eat people. (Cordelia rolls her eyes)
It’s more werewolf play. (Buffy looks at Giles inquiringly) You know, I
bat you around a little bit, like a cat toy. I have harmless, wolf fun.
Is it Oz’s fault that, (Oz lowers his head) you know, side effect,
people get cut to ribbons, and maybe then he’ll take a little nibble
and… (Willow gives him a hurt look) I’m not helping, am I?
Giles: No. Oz may have got out of his cage last night.
Oz: Or maybe there’s a, another werewolf roaming the woods.
Giles: Perhaps. Perhaps it’s something else entirely.
Buffy: It’s okay. We’ll work together, and we’ll figure this out.
Giles: Yes. Um… (thinks) Buffy. Uh, you, uh, you patrol the woods.
Uh, the others, um, check out the morgue.
Willow: (hopeful) Right! We can see if it’s a werewolf kill or not.
(glances at Oz next to her) But what about Oz?
Giles: Um… Well, I have some research materials at home I need to
look up. Uh… W-w-we could ask Faith to watch over him.
Buffy nods and looks at Oz. Oz looks up at Giles.
Oz: What, you’re having a Slayer watch me? Oh, good, we’re not
overreacting.
He gets up to leave, not willing to listen to any more of this. Willow
gives Buffy a concerned look and gets up to go after him. She reaches
out and touches him on the shoulder. He stops and turns to face her. She
tries to give him a reassuring smile.
Oz: Okay. Uh, you know that thing where you bail in the middle of an
upsetting conversation? (inhales) I have to do that. (exhales) It’s
kinda dramatic, I know, but… sometimes, it’s a necessary guy thing.
Willow: And I want you to… do the guy thing, but…
She glances and gestures at the clock on the wall and sighs. Oz looks
over at it, too. 5:34pm. Almost sunset. He looks back at her and the
others, realizing this isn’t the time to do the guy thing, and lets out
a heavy sigh. He looks over at the cage, and reluctantly goes to lock
himself up. Willow follows him. The door squeaks when he pulls it open
and again as he pulls it closed. It locks shut with a clang.
Willow: Oz?
Oz: (unwilling to look at her) Get away from the cage.
Willow: (confused by his tone of voice) What?
Oz: (still not looking at her) It’s gonna happen soon.
Willow still won’t go.
Oz: Get away from me.
He turns his back to her. Willow is hurt and confused by his behavior.
Cut to the woods later that night. Buffy patrols through them by
herself, looking around and listening carefully. The camera watches her
from behind some branches. A figure quickly and silently slips in front
of the camera. Buffy thinks she heard something and raises her stake.
Again a figure dashes by, and this time Buffy sees it. She runs after it
through the bushes. Suddenly she stops in her tracks when she sees it
come straight for her. She stares in disbelief as the man rushes her and
knocks her down as he runs by. Buffy steadies herself on the ground and
looks up as he goes. He stops and looks back at her. It’s Angel, and he
growls and snarls at her. There is blood around his mouth, but he has on
his human face, not his vampire’s. She can only stare at him in complete
surprise.~~ Part 2 ~~
In the woods. Angel continues to growl at Buffy. He charges her as she
gets up. She grabs him and throws him to the ground, but also falls
under his weight. Angel rolls to a stop and crawls quickly back to her
before she can get back up. He lunges at her, and she uses his momentum
to flip him over herself and onto his back. She rises to one knee and
punches him as he tries to regain his footing. He takes the blow in the
head, but just spins around and delivers a solid backhand punch to her
face, making her fall onto her back. Angel jumps on her again, but she
uses her leverage to send him onto his back once again. He twists his
body, reaches over and punches her in the gut. She quickly rolls away
and gets to a standing position. She does a full spinning low hook kick,
hitting him in the head as he tries to stand. He slumps down on all
fours, and as he looks up at her she punches him solidly in the face,
making him slump to the ground, badly beaten. After a few breaths he
loses consciousness, and his body relaxes. Buffy breathes hard as she
looks down at him, still not believing what she sees.
Cut to the morgue. A flashlight shines into a room where several bodies
are lying on gurneys. Cut to an adjacent room. Willow comes in and
shines her flashlight on the closed body drawers along a wall. She finds
the one she wants and opens it. She pulls out the drawer and lifts the
plastic sheet away from Jeff Orkin’s face. She sets her metal Scooby-Doo
lunch box on his chest and opens it. Behind her Xander approaches. She
pulls out a plastic bag and a pair of tweezers. When Xander reaches her
he takes one look at the body and nearly vomits.
Xander: Oh, God.
He bends over, holding his mouth, trying to hold it back. Willow just
hands him the flashlight.
Willow: Here. Hold this.
He doesn’t hold it very steadily, and Willow tries to adjust his arm as
she would an unruly desk lamp. She takes Jeff’s hand and tries to get a
look at his fingers. Suddenly Xander spins around and shines the
flashlight into Cordelia’s face.
Xander: Aah!
Cordelia: God!
Willow just reaches for Xander’s hand again and pulls it around to shine
the light where she needs it. It’s not working out very well.
Xander: (to Cordelia) We’re doing crime here. You don’t sneak up during
crime.
He finally gives Willow his attention again and holds the light steady.
Cordelia: God, have a… (gets a look at Jeff’s mauled body) Okay!
(covers her face) Scarred for life! Oh, God!
Willow just calmly goes about getting some samples from under Jeff’s
fingernails.
Cordelia: Willow, how can you stand it?
Xander: Yeah, Will. I mean, this guy is pretty barf-worthy. Can’t we
be elsewhere? Like, you know, is Oz cleared or what, huh?
She’s finished with Jeff’s hand and puts it back under the plastic. She
moves the flashlight in Xander’s hand around and inspects the rest of
the body.
Willow: I’m not sure. I mean, there are a lot of incised wounds, but
they could be from anything.
Cordelia: Anything with big, sharp teeth and vicious…
Xander: (interrupts) Do you wanna go back to the car and wait?
Willow starts to pick at Jeff’s chest with the tweezers.
Cordelia: (stares, taken aback) No. God. I’m just saying…
Willow: Almost done. Lemme just get a few stray hairs from the body.
They could be from the attacker.
Cordelia holds her nose against the stench.
Xander: Great. So we got everything we need?
Willow: Yep. That’s it.
She drops the tweezers and faints dead away, falling back into Xander.
He quickly gets an arm under her as she goes down, and they all sink to
the floor.
Cordelia: Oh!
Xander: Okay. Uh… little too much excitement for the Wilster here.
He steadies Willow’s head against his chest so it doesn’t flop around.
Xander: Doesn’t look good for Oz, does it?
Cordelia: It really doesn’t. (they look up at Jeff) This guy was ripped
apart by a big wild animal.
Cut to the mansion. Buffy finds Drusilla’s trunk and knocks Miss Edith
and the other dolls from it. She throws open the lid and dumps the
contents out onto the floor. There she finds a heavy chain and shackles.
Back in the main room she throws one end over an iron bracket holding up
the high marble fireplace mantel and locks the shackles on Angel’s
wrists. She steps back as he lies unconscious on the floor, with one arm
held high by the chain. He wakes up and gets to his knees. Suddenly he
lashes out at her, but she jumps back in time and he misses. He leans
against his bonds and growls at Buffy, then crouches down and cowers
like a trapped animal. She walks around him in a wide arc and stops when
she notices the place where he fell from the dimensional portal. There
is a silhouette of him on the floor surrounded by scorch marks from the
intense light. Angel continues to growl and struggle with the chain.
Buffy cringes to see him like this. She kneels down by the silhouette
for a closer look. Angel makes another attempt to grab her, and she
jerks back, but he’s too far away to do any harm. She looks back down at
the scorch marks and winces at the sound of Angel struggling behind her.
He soon stops and slumps to the floor with one arm raised high by the
chain.
Cut to the library. Werewolf Oz growls in his cage. Faith is oblivious
as she moves around to the sounds of Mark Ferrari on her portable CD
player. Buffy comes in behind her and taps her on the shoulder.
Instinctively Faith spins around and lands a swinging backhand punch to
Buffy’s face.
Buffy: Oh!
She stumbles backward and steadies herself against the portable card
catalog.
Faith: Oh! Uh, Buffy! Are you okay? What are you doing here?
Buffy: (holds her jaw) Uh, bleeding internally, but I’ll live.
Faith: God, I’m sorry. (shrugs with the CD player) I guess I didn’t
hear you.
Buffy: Figured as much. Ow. Again. (takes a breath and arches her back)
Uh… Actually, I-I-I came to give you the rest of the night off.
Faith: Get out of jail free, huh? How come?
Buffy: (shrugs) Couldn’t sleep. (takes off her jacket) Figured I’d, uh,
cram for my French test.
Faith: That’s cool. I was going kinda crazy in here, but I can get in a
few stakings before sunrise.
She heads for the door, handing Buffy the keys to the cage on the way.
Buffy follows her with her gaze.
Buffy: Knock yourself out. Not literally, though.
Faith: Yeah. Later.
The door can be heard closing behind her. Buffy looks at Oz for a
moment, then turns her attention to the card catalog. She sets the keys
on it, pulls out the first drawer and begins to search through them.
Cut to morning. Sunlight pours in through the cage window and down on Oz
lying there naked. The camera pans up to Giles arriving with a cup of
coffee in his hand. He looks down at Oz to make sure he’s not a wolf,
unlocks the door and pulls it slightly open. He takes a sip from his cup
and heads over to where he sees Buffy in the stacks curled up and asleep
in a chair with a book on her lap and a drawer from the card catalog
next to her on a stepstool. Other books are lying on the floor around
her. He quietly takes the steps to the upper level and reaches down for
one of the books. As he does so Buffy stirs from her slumber and looks
up at him.
Buffy: Hey.
Giles: Hmm. Hello. (sips his coffee)
Buffy quickly realizes what it must look like, her surrounded by all
these books, and tries to play it off.
Buffy: Oh. Boy. (stands up) Faith and her nutty books.
Giles: (reads some book titles) ‘Exploring Demon Dimensions’ and
‘Mystery of Acathla’.
Buffy: Yeah! And she still listens to heavy metal. (walks toward the
stairs) Freaky deaky.
Giles: Buffy…
She realizes that he hasn’t bought it and leans against the railing. He
gives her his attention and slowly comes over to her as she speaks.
Buffy: What if… I told you that… I had a dream about Angel… and,
um… it brought up some questions?
Giles: I’d say it was to be expected. Must have been some dream. I
didn’t think you knew what a card index was for. (sips his coffee)
Buffy: I dreamt that he came back.
She sits down on the steps. Giles comes down to sit with her.
Giles: Of course. After Jenny was killed, (sets the cup aside) I had
dreams that she was s-still alive, that I saved her.
Buffy: This was vivid. Really vivid. Three-dimensional, sensurround,
the hills are alive…
She stops when she realizes her use of Jenny’s metaphor. Giles takes off
his glasses and considers for a moment.
Giles: Do you believe it was a prophecy?
Buffy: No. I-I don’t know. I… (inhales deeply) I guess it just… it
made me wonder.
Giles looks away in thought.
Buffy: Is there a chance even? Could it happen?
Giles: Well, there’s no record of anyone returning from a demon
dimension once the… gate was closed. I-I-I can’t imagine how it could
happen or-or why.
Buffy: Let’s just pretend for a second that… Angel somehow found his
way back to Sunnydale. What would he be like?
Giles: I really can’t say. From what is known about that dimension, i-
it would suggest a world of… brutal torment. And time moves quite
differently there, so…
Buffy: I remember. So he would’ve been down there for hundreds of
years.
Giles: Yes. (looks up at her)
Buffy: Of torture.
Giles: It would take someone of extraordinary… will and character to
survive that and, uh, retain any semblance of self. (swallows hard) Most
likely, he’d be, be a monster.
Buffy: (hopelessly) A lost cause.
Giles: Maybe. Maybe not. In my experience, there are… two types of
monster. The first, uh, can be redeemed, or more importantly, wants to
be redeemed.
Buffy: And the second type?
Giles: The second is void of humanity, cannot respond to reason… or
love.
Willow shows up unexpectedly, bringing a box of donuts with her.
Willow: I thought Faith was on duty.
Buffy: Oh, hey. Change of plans. (comes down to her)
Willow: Glazed or cake? (smiles) It’s fun to watch them make them.
(gestures) They use this spritzy thing, and they drop the batter into
this…
Buffy: Couldn’t sleep, huh?
Willow: (sighs) I’ve been at Mister Donut since the TV did that snowy
thing.
Behind her Oz has dressed and comes out of the cage.
Willow: How come you’re the Wakey Girl? I mean, this time, it’s not
your boyfriend who’s the cold-blooded…
She notices Buffy look behind her with wide eyes. Oz slips on his outer
shirt and comes up next to her.
Willow: Jelly doughnut? (offers the box)
Oz: (ignores the donuts) Everything all right?
Buffy: Yeah. Uh, what happened with the inspection of the body?
Willow: (smiles, avoiding the issue) Anyone? They’re yummy delicious!
Buffy: Willow, come on. Was it werewolf?
Willow sets the box down on the table. Her expression shows that she’s
not overly anxious to say.
Buffy: Was it a vampire?
Willow: I-it wasn’t conclusive.
Buffy: How could it not be conclusive? What did it look like? Was he
bit?
Giles: Let her finish, Buffy.
Buffy: (looks back at him) No, it’s just…
She realizes the sensitivity of the issue with Oz standing right there.
Buffy: I’m sorry.
She sits down. Giles just calmly waits for Willow to finish her report.
Cut to the cafeteria. Buffy has a plate of various flavors of Jell-O,
and looks for a place to sit. Scott waves to her.
Scott: Buffy. Over here.
She comes over to him sitting with Debbie and Pete, and sets down her
plate.
Buffy: Hey.
Scott sees what’s on her plate.
Scott: Hey. Uh… I can’t, I can’t back you on that lunch. Nutritional
demerits.
Buffy: Oh. My stomach doesn’t want hard food today. (points at the
green Jell-O) But there’s fruit in it.
Scott: (whispers) Those are marshmallows.
Buffy: (looks at it) Oh.
Debbie and Pete give her curious looks. Buffy sighs.
Buffy: I’m… I’m really out of it today. I didn’t sleep well last
night.
Debbie: Just don’t tell Mr. Platt you have insomnia. He’ll make you
start a dream journal.
Pete: Oh, what’s that, like, a Barbie thing? Dear Dream Journal, how
come Ken hasn’t come around since he got that earring?
Debbie: (giggles) I never did it. He’s a quack.
Buffy: I kinda liked him.
Debbie: Really? I guess, I guess he’s kinda funny and stuff. It’s
just… sometimes I just don’t like the things he says.
Buffy: Oh, he definitely… marches to the beat of his own drummer. A-
actually, I think he makes his own drums.
Scott: Well, my mom says that therapy can be completely helpful.
Pete: Yeah, but your mom has the wattage of a Zippo lighter, Scott.
Debbie can’t resist a giggle.
Scott: (to Buffy) I hope you realize I don’t actually know these
people. I just… I thought you would like me better if I had friends,
so I hired them.
Buffy gives him a weak smile. He turns to face her completely.
Scott: So… I, uh, I wanted to tell you that you look great today. But
now I wanna raise that to amazing because you didn’t sleep well.
Buffy: Uh… (smiles) That’s really sweet. Um… And I-I wish I didn’t
have to, (stands up) but I just remembered that I do, so, uh, I’ll see
you later.
She pats him on the shoulder as she walks around him on the way out,
leaving her Jell-O behind.
Scott: Uh, yeah.
Debbie and Pete follow her briefly with their gazes.
Pete: Check out Scotty liking the manic-depressive chick.
Scott isn’t too pleased with that comment.
Cut to the hall. Buffy comes out of the cafeteria and pauses for a
moment to reflect on Pete’s comment before continuing down the hall.
Cut to the mansion. Buffy comes in through the heavy drapes hanging
across the side entrance. Angel crouches against the wall, whimpering.
Buffy stops at the wall opposite him and looks at him suffering. Slowly
she comes toward him. Angel just remains hunched over in his crouch, not
looking up or giving any indication that he knows she’s there.
Buffy: Angel?
He doesn’t seem to hear her.
Buffy: Do you understand me?
Still nothing from him. She comes even closer. The tattoo on his back
beckons to her. Slowly she reaches out and touches him lightly on the
shoulder. He suddenly and very violently lashes out at her and roars.
She instantly takes several steps backward away from him. He goes back
to his pathetic whimpering. Buffy looks at him, terribly hurt, and
rushes from the mansion. Angel growls deeply at her. Above him the
mantel bracket begins to loosen. Dust falls from the stone as he pulls
against the chain.
Cut to the school. Cut to Pete and Debbie walking along a back hall.
Pete: Debbie, come on. Just for a minute.
He takes both of her hands and tries to nudge her against the wall, but
she evades him and pulls away.
Debbie: No, I can’t. I have to meet a friend.
He pulls her back to him by both wrists.
Pete: So you’ll be late but happy.
He kisses her and reaches behind him with one hand to open a door. He
backs into the dark supply room pulling her in with him. Debbie giggles,
and once inside he pulls her close and they embrace and kiss
passionately. Pete breaks off the kiss and backs away toward a shelf.
Debbie: No, no. Let’s stay here.
Pete: Relax, Debbie. What’s wrong with you today?
He takes her in his arms again and kisses her some more. After a moment
he notices an empty jar on the shelf. All that’s left in it is the last
few drops of a green fluorescent fluid.
Pete: What is that?
She turns his face to hers and tries to kiss him again.
Debbie: (giggles) Nothing. Kiss me. (kisses him)
Pete: No. Debbie, you did not drink that, did you?
Debbie: (looks at the jar) Drink it? (giggles) You know I didn’t.
Pete: (looks intensely at her) Debbie, what’s going on?
Her giddiness fades, and she looks back nervously.
Cut to Mr. Platt’s office. Buffy opens the door, comes in and closes it
behind her. She finds him turned away again, looking out of the window,
his signature cigarette smoldering between his fingers.
Buffy: Two o’clock. Buffy Summers, right?
She fears he’ll turn around again and, although he can’t see her, she
extends her arm in a gesture to stop him.
Buffy: Wait. Don’t turn around. (realizes her useless gesture) Okay?
And don’t say anything. (clutches her jacket) Just listen. (begins to
pace and breathe nervously) I mean, that’s, that’s your thing, right?
She stops pacing and stands behind a chair, shifting her weight from leg
to leg and fidgeting with her jacket against the chair’s backrest.
Buffy: There’s something going on. (her voice shakes) I mean, th-this
whole entire story is probably gonna convince you that I’m loony-bin
material, but… (shrugs) there’s nobody else that I can talk to.
(inhales nervously) Not Willow and… not Giles. Nobody. (starts to pace
again) If they, if they found out, they’d freak on me or they’d do
something, and… (stops and faces him) I need help. I just, I need to
talk to someone. (takes a few breaths) I’m so scared. (sheds a tear)
It’s this guy. (steps up to the desk) H-h-he…
She notices his cigarette now. It’s burned completely down to the
filter, not once having had the ashes tapped off. She realizes that
something is very wrong.
Buffy: He’s come back.
The camera pans over from her to Mr. Platt, sitting dead in his chair.
His face and chest have been severely mauled.~~ Part 3 ~~
The supply room. Pete is seething with anger. He goes over to the empty
bottle and picks it up.
Pete: So the bottle just (faces Debbie) jumped out of the cabinet and
spilled on its own.
Debbie: (shakes her head) Of course not. I-I was trying to get rid of
it.
Pete: You were trying to get rid of it?
Debbie: To help you. You know how you get.
Pete: (exhales) You think this has (clenches his fist) anything to do
with how I get?
Debbie: Well, when you drink it…
Pete: When I drink it, nothing, Debbie. Nothing! (Debbie flinches) I
don’t need this anymore, okay? I am way, way past that now.
He slams the bottle back onto the shelf.
Pete: You see?
He takes another bottle down and throws it to the floor, breaking it.
Pete: You see?! (breaks another) No more. (breaks a third) You could
pour out everything I made, and it wouldn’t help. And you wanna know
why?
He grabs her by the arms. She whimpers in fright.
Pete: You wanna know why?! Because all it takes now is you, Debbie.
(grits his teeth) You and your STUPID, GRATING VOICE!
His neck muscles suddenly become tense, and he yells out in pain. He
grunts as his head jerks back and forth, and the skin on his face and
neck begins to thicken, and the veins bulge out. He screams as his head
whips around violently. Debbie watches in terror. With a final scream
his transformation to his alter ego is complete. His face is mottled and
grotesquely misshapen. Debbie is too frightened to even breathe. Pete
shakes her by the arms.
Pete: (angrily) You’re the reason I started the formulas in the first
place: to be the man you wanted! And you pay me back how? (Debbie sobs
in fear) By whoring around with other guys and taunting me!
Debbie: No! I don’t! I don’t even look!
Pete backhand punches her in the face and shoves her to the floor. She
gets to her hands and knees and crawls around to face him. Slowly she
stands back up.
Pete: Is that something your shrink taught you, Debbie? Huh? Huh? To
share? (approaches her) To communicate? To piss me off?!
He swings another backhand punch at her, and she falls to the floor
again. This time she stays down and cowers.
Pete: Well, guess what? Even he’s not going to listen to your
pathetic ramblings anymore. (she looks up at him frightened) I’m all
you’ve got now, Debbie! Do you hear me? (points at her) I AM ALL YOU’VE
GOT!
She looks up at him, very afraid, and pushes herself up against a crate.
Pete suddenly realizes what he’s doing, and calms down a bit. He looks
down at his gnarled hands, then back at Debbie.
Pete: Oh, my God.
He has calmed enough now that he changes back to his regular self. He
sees her sobbing, and looks at her remorsefully. He quickly gets down
and kneels by her.
Pete: (whispering) Hey, Debbie. (she turns away) Hey, listen. (quietly)
You know you shouldn’t make me mad. Huh? You know what happens.
He takes her head in his hands and turns her to face him.
Pete: Debbie, please. Are you all right?
He kisses her forehead. She responds and puts her arms around his head.
She strokes his hair as they hold each other tightly.
Debbie: It’s okay.
She keeps petting him gently, her own breathing becoming calmer.
Debbie: It’s okay.
Cut to the library. Giles paces and talks while Buffy, Faith and Willow
listen.
Giles: This creature is especially brutal. I believe the phrase coined
by the coroner when describing Mr. Platt was ‘pureed’. But he did
confirm that Platt was killed shortly before Buffy found him.
Faith: Which means that he was killed during the day.
Willow: (elated) Yes! (raises her fist)
They all give her looks.
Willow: Sorry. I got… (lowers her hand) I’ve just been… it’s
horrible, horrible. (swallows)
Buffy: It’s okay, Will. We’re all glad Oz is off the hook.
Giles: Indeed. (checks his watch) Shouldn’t he be here by now? The sun
sets at 5:30.
Cut to the quad. Oz looks around one last time and starts to head for
the library. Just then Debbie comes running.
Debbie: Sorry I’m late. (smiles) Did you bring the notes?
Oz: (notices her black eye) Yeah. Um… You okay? (hands her the notes)
Debbie: What? Oh, yeah! (laughs) I’m such a klutz! I, um, oh…
Oz: Fell down? Hit your… eye?
Pete watches them from around a corner.
Debbie: Doorknob. (laughs) Um… Thanks. (starts to go)
Oz: (stops her with his hand) Hey, um… (concerned) If you wanna
talk…
Debbie: (shakes her head and smiles) Thanks again for the notes.
(leaves)
Oz: Yeah…
He looks up at the sky again and quickly heads for the library. Pete
turns around and stalks off.
Cut to the library.
Giles: Our task now is to determine what sort of killer we are
dealing with. Clearly, we’re looking for a depraved, sadistic animal.
Oz: (comes in) Present.
Willow smiles, jumps up and goes over to him, pushing Giles aside in her
eagerness to reach him.
Oz: Hey, I may be a cold-blooded jelly doughnut, but my timing is
impeccable.
Willow: (touches him with both hands, smiling) But you aren’t! I-i-
it’s-it’s a kill-in-the-day monster! A hundred percent for sure.
Oz: (very relieved) Okay. (smiles)
Willow puts her arm around him and faces the group along with him,
smiling.
Giles: Uh, I wish we had time to celebrate properly. However, we have
two victims: Jeff Orkin and, uh, now Platt. Uh, maybe there’s something
they had in common.
Faith: Missing internal organs.
Giles: Besides that.
Oz: Debbie. (Giles looks at him) Well, victim number one, Jeff. He was
in jazz band with us. They used to horse around.
Faith: They were screwing?
They all give her a look.
Oz: I don’t think so, but he hid her music comp book once.
Buffy: And we know that Debbie knew Platt. I mean, she was seeing him
and way vocal about not having love for the guy.
Oz: Add this and stir. I just saw Debbie a minute ago sporting a nasty
black eye.
Willow: Okay, so pretend Debbie wanted Platt dead. Maybe he fought
back.
Buffy: (shakes her head) No. Platt was dead in an instant. (exhales) He
didn’t even drop his cigarette. (has a thought) Now, what if boyfriend
Pete’s the one doling out the punishment?
Giles: We should find them both immediately.
He and Buffy grab their coats.
Oz: Well, Debbie was in the quad a minute ago.
Giles: All right. We’ll split up. Um, Faith, you and I team. Willow,
stick with Buffy.
Willow gives Oz a saddened look and follows the others out.
Oz: And I’ll… go lock myself in the cage.
Cut to the girls’ locker room. Debbie is trying to hide her black eye
with makeup. The door opens behind her, and Buffy and Willow enter.
Debbie just keeps on applying makeup.
Buffy: It’s tricky, covering a fresh shiner like that. You know what
works?
Debbie: What? (puts away her makeup)
Buffy: Don’t get hit.
She walks up to Debbie at the mirror.
Buffy: What’s going on, Debbie? I’ll bet the farm you know.
Debbie: (shakes her head) You’re wrong. I don’t know anything.
Buffy: Normally, I’d say, you wanna play ‘I have a secret’? Fine. But
people are dying here.
Debbie looks at her and Willow.
Debbie: It… it’s not his fault. I mean, he’s not himself when he gets
like this.
Buffy: You mean Pete.
Debbie: (upset) It’s me. I make him crazy. He-he just does what he does
because he loves me too much.
Willow: But weren’t Mr. Platt and Jeff murdered by an animal?
Buffy: Pete’s not like other guys, is he, Debbie?
Debbie realizes they know more than they are letting on.
Debbie: I-I’ve gotta go.
She grabs her purse and starts to leave. Buffy takes her by the arm and
stops her.
Buffy: You have to talk to us. (Debbie shakes her head) We can’t help
you until you do.
Debbie: I didn’t ask for your help!
Willow: Well, when are you going to? I mean, if Pete kills you, it’ll
pretty much be too late.
Buffy: Debbie, we’re running out of time.
Cut to the mansion. Angel struggles with the chain. He yanks at it with
all of his weight. The bracket pulls free of the wall and crashes to the
floor. Angel falls roughly onto his hands and knees. He quickly gets up,
pulls the chain free of the bracket and runs out of the mansion.
Cut to the locker room.
Buffy: Where can we find him?
Debbie: I-I don’t know.
Buffy: You’re lying.
Debbie: What if I am? What are you gonna do about it?
Willow: Wrong question.
Buffy takes her by the arm again and pushes her up against the sink in
front of the mirror.
Buffy: Look at yourself. Why are you protecting him? Anybody who really
loved you couldn’t do this to you.
She takes a few steps away. Debbie turns around to face them.
Debbie: Would they take him someplace?
Buffy: Probably.
Debbie: (shakes her head, sobbing) I could never do that to him.
(Willow sighs) I’m his everything.
Buffy: (disgusted) Great. So what, you two live out your Grimm fairy
tale? Two people are dead.
Debbie just shakes her head and says nothing.
Buffy: Who’s gonna be next?
Cut to the library. Oz is alone in the cage, pacing, waiting to change.
The door opens, and Pete comes in and goes right up to the cage.
Pete: (angry) Since when do you touch my girl? (grabs the cage)
Oz: Hey, Pete. This is kind of a bad time.
Pete: Well, I guess you didn’t think about that when you put the moves
on Debbie! (rattles the door)
Oz glances up at the window to see if the sun has set yet.
Oz: We talked, yeah, but it was move-free.
Pete rattles the cage hard.
Oz: About this cage? When that sun sets…
Pete: (whispers threateningly) You won’t be alive to see it!
He rattles the cage again and steps back from it, seething with anger.
Oz: I’m serious. Something’s gonna happen that you… probably won’t
believe.
Pete screams as his head whips around and he transforms into his alter
ego again. He looks at Oz with murder in his eyes when the change is
complete. Oz is amazed, and takes a step backward.
Oz: Or you might.~~ Part 4 ~~
The library. Pete lunges at the cage and grabs the door. He yanks at it
a few times, and it suddenly breaks free. He throws it aside and roars
at Oz. He runs into the cage, grabs Oz and throws him out the door and
to the floor.
Cut to the girls’ locker room. Debbie is sitting on a changing bench,
hugging herself and looking off into space, chanting repeatedly.
Debbie: He does love me. He does love me.
Buffy: This is useless. (exhales) We have to go. I have to find Pete.
Debbie: He does love me.
Willow tries to get Debbie to stand up and go with her.
Willow: Come on.
Debbie: (resists) He does love me.
Willow: I think we broke her.
Debbie: He does love me. He does love me.
Buffy: (stops at the door) I think she was broken before this. (leaves)
Cut to the library. Pete heaves Oz up over his head and down onto the
table. It smashes under the strain of the impact, and Pete falls on top
of Oz because he didn’t think to let go of him. He scrambles to his
feet, pulls Oz up and punches him hard in the face. He grabs Oz by the
shoulders and shakes him hard.
Pete: (very angrily) Did you kiss that whore? Huh? Did she like it?
He heaves Oz overhead again and onto the stairs. Oz slides down them and
turns around at the base. Pete attacks him, but Oz gets his leg up in
time to stop him, and push kicks him off. Pete goes sliding across the
floor. Oz looks through one of the arched windows at the sky as he gets
up and sees that the sun has set. He looks over at Pete, who is just now
recovering from his fall.
Oz: Time’s up. Rules change.
Oz morphs into a werewolf and growls, baring his teeth at Pete. He leaps
onto Pete, and they start to wrestle on the floor. Oz tries to bite
Pete, but can’t, so he kicks him away. Pete scrambles to his feet and
backhand punches Oz as he attacks again. Oz isn’t fazed, and he leaps
onto Pete again, and they crash into the stairs. This time Oz has Pete’s
arm, and he bites hard, making Pete scream out in agony.
Cut to the halls, Buffy, Debbie and Willow hear the scream and begin
running to the library. Giles and Faith come running also from another
hall.
Giles: What was that?
Cut to the library. They all come barging in. Giles looks at the cage
and sees it open. Then he sees the two of them fighting on the stairs.
Oz has his jaw clamped hard on Pete’s arm, and Pete repeatedly punches
him in the gut.
Giles: Get the dart gun!
Buffy reaches behind the counter and grabs the dart rifle.
Buffy: Got it!
She cocks it and takes aim past Giles. Debbie shoves Buffy aside to
protect her boyfriend.
Debbie: Pete, watch out!
The gun goes off, and the dart hits Giles in the hip.
Giles: Ow!
Pete finally manages to flip Oz over onto the floor and get free of his
jaws. Buffy can’t believe she shot Giles.
Buffy: Oh! Sorry!
Giles: Oh, right. Bloody priceless.
The drug takes effect quickly, and Giles staggers and falls to the
floor, pushing a table into Oz as he tries to get away. Oz runs through
the door to behind the counter, leaps over it and runs out of the
library. Buffy tries to take aim but can’t get a clear shot. Buffy
tosses the rifle to Faith.
Buffy: You get the wolf!
Faith: Got it!
She runs out of the library with Willow close behind. Debbie turns and
runs up the left-hand set of stairs to escape out through the stacks.
Buffy runs toward Pete on the right-hand set of stairs. She stops
halfway up to deliver a roundhouse kick to his head. He stumbles up the
stairs and onto the upper lever floor. Buffy pursues him as he gets to
his feet. She punches him with a right followed by a left. He staggers
over to the side of a bookcase, grabs it and shoves it over onto her. It
lands on top of her with a loud thud, dumping its contents all around
her. Pete roars and runs from the library.
Cut to the halls. Pete comes running through a set of doors and clutches
at his wounded arm. He looks back, expecting pursuers, then looks around
frantically for an escape route. He runs around a corner just as Buffy
comes running through the doors also. Cut to another part of the halls.
Pete comes running around another corner and stops, again looking for a
way out. He spots a high window above a bank of lockers down an adjacent
hall, leaps on top of them, pushes the window open and crawls through,
leaving streaks of blood from his wound on the wall. Buffy reaches the
hall intersection and doesn’t see him in any direction.
Cut to elsewhere in the halls. Werewolf Oz comes bounding around a
corner and runs down the hall past the camera. Faith and Willow are
right behind him in hot pursuit.
Cut to the supply room. Debbie is sitting on the floor leaning against a
crate, waiting for Pete to show up. He comes in the door, and she jumps
up and runs over to him.
Debbie: Pete! You’re all right! God, you’re all right.
She throws her arms around him and hugs him close, but he doesn’t hug
her back.
Debbie: She almost shot you. Did you see? I stopped her.
She lets go of her hug and looks at him.
Debbie: You have to leave, get out of Sunnydale. She knows.
Pete: How did she know, Debbie? Did you run your big mouth?
Debbie: (frightened) No! She just knew. It seemed like she just knew.
Pete: So you filled in the blanks!
He shoves her to the floor.
Debbie: (screams) NO! (looks up at him) No!
Pete: But what did I expect from a screw-up like you?
Debbie: (Shakes her head) I-I didn’t… Pete…
Pete: You’re nothing but a waste of space.
He moves to grab her.
Debbie: No!
Cut to the halls. Buffy looks up and sees the blood streaks around the
high window.
Cut to the stairs by the lounge. Oz comes leaping down and stops by the
vending machine. Faith rushes down after him. He jumps on her, and she
drops the gun as she’s pulled down to the floor. Behind her Willow
screams.
Cut outside. Buffy crawls out through the window onto a roof. She steps
to the edge, looks down and jumps. She looks around, and behind her
through another window notices a lamp swinging from the ceiling. She
rushes over to the door and forces it open. Inside it seems quiet. She
looks around and soon finds Debbie lying dead on the floor behind a
rack.
Buffy: Oh, God.
She bends down to check her pulse. Pete grunts and grabs her from
behind. He throws her against some crates, and she hits the floor,
dazed. Pete smiles as he comes for her.
Cut to the lounge. Faith struggles to keep Oz at bay and not get bitten.
The rifle is under her legs, and she can’t see it.
Faith: Where’s the gun? (screams) WHERE’S THE GUN?!
Willow gets behind Oz and yanks his tail.
Willow: Get off her!
She starts to run down the hall. Oz releases Faith and starts to run
after her.
Willow: Get the gun! Get the gun!
Faith scrambles to her feet with the rifle.
Willow: Hurry!
Faith takes aim and shoots, hitting Oz in the butt. He yelps and
whimpers for a moment, then falls unconscious.
Cut to the supply room. Pete grabs Buffy by the arm and backhand punches
her.
Pete: All the same! (punches again) You’re all the same!
He backhand punches a third time, and she falls from his grip. As he
advances on her, she push kicks him off and away from her into a stack
of crates. Behind her the door opens, and she looks back to see Angel
standing there in his game face. He roars deeply and attacks Pete. Pete
comes to meet him. Angel swings his chains at him and gets him in the
face. He swings the chains the other way and gets Pete in the face
again. Pete lunges at Angel and bends him backward over a crate with his
hands around Angel’s throat. Buffy stands up and steps back, watching
them fight. Pete pulls Angel up from the crate and throws him to the
floor. Then he turns his attention back on Buffy and starts to advance
on her. Behind him Angel gets up and comes at him, wrapping the chains
around his neck. He lifts Pete over his back and slams him down on the
floor. Angel pulls at the chain, choking Pete. Buffy winces when she
sees. Angel gives Pete’s neck a twist and breaks it. He lets go, and
Pete falls dead to the floor. Angel looks down at his kill, and begins
to calm down. Pete has changed back to his normal state. Angel breathes
heavily as he looks up and over at Buffy. They just stare at each other
for a moment while Angel catches his breath. He slowly starts to go to
her, and changes to his human face. He stops in front of her. She looks
up at him, not knowing what to expect. After a long and intense look he
finally speaks.
Angel: Buffy?
He falls to his knees and holds her tightly. Buffy is surprised by this
turn of events and isn’t sure what to do. Angel just keeps holding her
even tighter and starts to sob into her jacket.
Angel: Buffy…
She finally seems to accept that he’s back and sheds a few tears. Her
head and heart are too heavy with thoughts and emotions for her to
speak. The camera cuts to a shot of them from a distance, with Pete
lying to one side and Debbie in the foreground.
Cut to the quad the next day. The group comes walking along the
colonnade. Willow and Oz hold hands as do Xander and Cordelia.
Willow: It’s all over school, what happened with Debbie and Pete.
Except for the Pete-was-a-monster part.
Oz: Yeah. A freshman told me that Pete had eight iced cafe’ mochas and
just lost it.
Buffy: That’s better than the estrogen theory. I heard he took all of
his mother’s birth control pills.
Cordelia: He didn’t? (to Xander) Pete was a monster? (Xander nods)
Where have I been?
Xander: In your special place, Cor, which is why I adore you.
Cordelia: So, what’s the true story? What happened?
Willow: Well, we got ahold of, uh, Pete’s lab books and stuff, and Mr.
Science was doing a Jekyll/Hyde deal. He was afraid Debbie was gonna
leave him, so he mixed this potion to become super mas macho.
Buffy: The only thing was, after a while, he didn’t need the potion to
turn into a bad guy. He did it just fine on his own.
Cordelia: So it was like a real killing. He wasn’t under the influence
of anything?
Buffy: Just himself.
She sees Scott sitting by himself.
Buffy: Uh… (to the group) I’ll see you guys later. (walks off)
Cordelia: Great. Now I’m gonna be stuck with serious thoughts all day.
Xander raises his eyebrows at Willow, and follows Cordelia. Willow and
Oz stay to see how it goes between Buffy and Scott. Cut to Scott. Buffy
walks up and sits down next to him.
Buffy: I don’t know what to say that’s (inhales) not gonna sound stupid
or obvious.
Scott: I’ve been friends with them both since before we started school.
Buffy: Is there anything I can do?
He looks at her for a long moment.
Scott: Thanks. I’m gonna be okay. It’s just that you never really know
what’s going on inside somebody. Do you? I mean, you think… if you
care about them… But you never really do.
Cut to the woods at night. The camera moves among the trees and bushes,
low to the ground in slow motion. Buffy narrates again from ‘Call of the
Wild’.
Buffy: ‘Night came on, and a full moon rose high over the trees…’
Cut to the mansion. Buffy watches as Angel lies asleep on the floor.
Buffy: ‘…lighting the land till it lay bathed in ghostly day. And the
strain of the primitive remained alive and active.’
Cut to her. The camera closes in on her.
Buffy: ‘Faithfulness and devotion, things born of fire and roof were
his…’
Cut to Angel. He moves slightly, and his face contorts in anguish and
pain as he dreams.
Buffy: ‘…yet he retained his wildness and wiliness.’
Cut to Buffy. She is sitting on the floor leaning against the wall,
watching him sleep and contemplating her life.
Buffy: ‘And from the depths of the forest, a call still sounded.’
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