Act 1
Starring:
Thora Birch as Tracey Hausser, Elijah Wood as Jeff Lindquist, Lacey Chabert as Skye Talisker, Asia Argento as Marie, Robert Picardo as Dr. Miller and Alicia Silverstone as Heli
Guest Starring:
Michelle Rodriguez as Kadin Van Helsing and Hector Elizondo as Gregor Kalderash
Fade In:
Int.
Watchers Council – Dawn’s Room – Morning
Smiling in her sleep, Dawn rolled over lazily in bed, snuggling deeper into her pillow. She instinctively reached an arm out to embrace her bedmate…but the other half of the bed was unoccupied. Dawn opened her eyes to see the sheets rolled back from Skye’s side of the bed, a small white piece of paper neatly folded and laid on the pillow.
Her smile gone, Dawn unfolded the note.
“Gone to the University,” Dawn read blearily, “didn’t want to wake you. Adler vs. Freud study group. Sorry, see you later…crap.” Frustrated, Dawn rolled over again and felt around on top of the shelves next to her side of the bed. Finding her cell phone, she pressed one button and put it to her ear.
“Hey Dawn,” Skye answered on the other end of the phone.
“Hey baby,” Dawn said. “Where are you?”
Cut To:
Int.
John Carroll University Library – Morning
“I’m at the Library,” Skye said. She sat at one of the numerous study tables in a long room, windows letting in a cold, gray light far in the distance. “Class just ended. What’s up?”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Dawn’s Room – Same Time
“I’ve missed you lately,” Dawn said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and putting on a yellow bathrobe. “Do you really have to leave before the crack of dawn…and me, every morning? You’ve been like the phantom girlfriend lately. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
Cut To:
Int.
John Carroll University Library – Same Time
Skye rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “I’m fine, Dawn.” Her words were warmer than the expression on her face.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Dawn’s Room – Same Time
“That’s exactly what people say when they’re not fine,” Dawn insisted, now standing by her bed. “Now, I know you’re being all stoic-gal or whatever, but I bet you’d feel a lot better if you would just tell somebody what happened.”
Cut To:
Int.
John Carroll University Library – Same Time
Skye’s annoyance began to show in her voice. “Look, I can’t tell you what happened because I don’t know what happened. One moment I was getting jumped, and the next thing I remember is waking up in the infirmary. There’s nothing to tell, so I really wish you would drop it.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Dawn’s Room – Same Time
“Well, maybe you repressed the memories,” Dawn reasoned. “I know this doctor who does this hypnosis thing…you know, like they do when people get abducted by aliens…”
Cut To:
Int.
John Carroll University Library – Same Time
“I was not abducted by aliens!” Skye fumed. She bit her lip for a moment, attempting to focus. “I do have good news, Dawn. Looks like I’ll be able to make it back early today, so maybe we can spend some time together this afternoon.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Dawn’s Room – Same Time
Dawn smiled a little. “That sounds great.” She poked her fingers through the window blinds, peeking out at Lake Erie. “Too bad it’s such a cloudy day. No sun for us today.”
Cut To:
Int.
John Carroll University Library – Same Time
Skye smirked, though her voice betrayed no amusement. “Yeah, too bad. See you later, baby. Love you.”
As she closed her cell phone, a woman walked out of the stacks behind Skye.
“So, who was that?” Dr. Wagner asked, a little too chipper. Skye’s small smile faded.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Dining Hall – Morning
“Your breakfast, milady,” Andrew pronounced grandly, placing a butter-topped stack of waffles in front of Rowena. Several members of the Council leadership sat around a large table near the kitchen end of the dining hall, huddled against the morning din of chattering young slayers.
“Hey, what did Blondie do to merit special treatment?” Faith asked incredulously. Everyone else at the table had generic, smaller breakfasts of bacon and eggs.
“I developed a bad allergy to eggs,” Rowena deadpanned.
“Is that all I have to do to get waffles?” Xander wondered. “Get allergies?”
Andrew ignored him. “Anybody need anything else?” he asked. Getting no response, he headed back to the kitchen at top-speed.
“He’s sure in a hurry this morning,” Vi observed.
“He just wants to get back to the kitchen,” Willow explained. “Well…the kitchen and Tracey.”
“Ah, yes, young, horny love,” Faith commented.
“They’re probably just exchanging tips for the Xbox360,” Robin said. “This is Andrew we’re talking about here.”
“I’m serious,” Faith insisted. “I know how these things work. In my dark past, I wasn’t that different. Well, except my costumes were chosen more for sex appeal than nerd cred. All I’m sayin’ is, I hope they learn from my example and use protection.”
“How are you different from that now?” Vi wondered, as she was seemingly distracted by a piece of bacon Xander was dangling in front of her mouth with his fork. The red-haired slayer opened her mouth wide and grabbed the morsel, chewing contentedly.
“Well, she’s not quite so dark anymore,” Robin told her.
“I’m as dark as you want me to be, baby,” Faith said, smiling. The pair kissed loudly.
Willow hurriedly changed the subject. “Say, has anybody seen Kennedy this morning?”
“I think she was taking that uncle of hers in for a check-up with the doctor,” Xander said, this time biting into his own bacon rather than enticing his girlfriend. “He’s a nice guy, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Willow agreed. “Nice.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Later that Morning
Gregor Kalderash sat on the edge of a hospital bed, his Old World dress anachronistic amidst the antiseptic whites of the Council infirmary. From her chair across from the bed, Kennedy watched her dragon intently investigate Gregor’s jacket sleeves. The door to the infirmary opened, and Kennedy stood as Dr. Miller entered.
“So, did you find anything?” she asked, worry prevalent in her voice.
“All the tests came back normal,” Dr. Miller told her. “You told me you’ve been experiencing feelings of weakness, Mr. Kalderash, but I can’t find any reason for that.”
The dragon looked up, seemingly concerned, but was immediately distracted by the smell of Gregor’s earlobe. Mr. Kalderash tried to remain serious with the dragon poking at the side of his head.
“Perhaps I am finally beginning to feel my age,” he said.
“That was one other thing that I was unable to explain,” Dr. Miller continued, taking off his glasses and rubbing his forehead. “On your chart here, you wrote that you’re…ninety years old.”
“What?” Kennedy whipped her head around and looked appraisingly at her great uncle. “Ninety? You don’t look ninety.”
“Not all of the consequences of magic are negatives, my dear,” Gregor explained. “But unfortunately, it does not seem that these things last forever.” The dragon rubbed its body along Gregor’s side.
“I think he likes you…a lot,” Kennedy observed. “Do you have any dragon treats in your pocket?”
“Dragon treats?” Gregor wondered.
“Well, that’s what I call steaks these days,” Kennedy admitted. “You want to know what I call ‘dragon surprises’?”
“I think I can live without knowing, thank you,” Gregor said with a smile. “However, your pet does seem to have an unusual response to me.”
“If what he says about magic is true,” Dr. Miller speculated, “the dragon could be responding to the alchemical changes taking place within Mr. Kalderash’s body. In literature, dragons are often associated with magic and alchemy.”
Kennedy and Gregor both raised an eyebrow at the doctor.
“I thought you were, like, a normal doctor,” Kennedy said.
“I was,” Dr. Miller explained, “until I started working here.”
“True,” Kennedy agreed. She watched as her great uncle rubbed the underside of her dragon’s neck. The creature purred contentedly. Kennedy smiled.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Library – Later that Morning
Dawn turned an old, yellowed page in the huge book on the table in front of her.
“Some light reading?”
Dawn looked up to see Faith sitting across from her. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“What, no hello?” Faith said, a hand to her chest in mock affront. Dawn raised an eyebrow. “I can’t just be here for some…research?” she continued. Dawn did not seem convinced.
“All right,” Faith admitted, a little embarrassed, “I wanted to ask you about your dinner with Gregor last night.”
Dawn still didn’t seem sure how to deal with Faith’s sudden interest. “Um, well…no one was killed, if that’s what you mean.”
“What was it like?” Faith asked, leaning forward.
“It was okay,” Dawn said, looking uncomfortable. “Why are we talking about this again?”
“I just wondered, is all,” Faith said sheepishly. “I’m not real spectacular with new people, if you know what I mean.”
“You’ll be fine, Faith, I’m sure…is he taking you out tonight?”
“Yeah, me and Willow,” Faith said. “How’d ya know?”
“Well, there was Skye and I last night, Andrew and Tracey the night before, Xander and Vi before…but you and Willow, huh? You think maybe he’s hinting that…” Dawn giggled as she let the sentence hang.
“In Red’s dreams maybe,” Faith said flatly before giving her a slight grin. “Speaking of girl-on-girl lovin’, where’s your hot little chick?”
“Skye?” Dawn asked, her eyes turning back to the text in front of her. “She’s still at John Carroll.”
“She’s sure been spendin’ a lot of time away from home for somebody just off gettin’ almost killed,” Faith pushed. “You asked her ’bout what happened?”
“Well, so far we’ve ruled out alien abduction,” Dawn told her. “She says she doesn’t remember.”
“You think she’s tellin’ the truth?”
Dawn looked up at the slayer across the table, her eyes sizing Faith up. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
Faith leaned forward. “Dawn, I don’t wanna piss you off. but there’s something up with her. I know it – I feel it in my gut. I just can’t tell you what, exactly. That’s why I need your help.”
“I am not spying on my girlfriend for you, Faith,” Dawn said coldly. “All Skye wants is to put all this behind her, and I’m helping her do that. She doesn’t need you projecting your problems with Robin on her right now.”
Faith’s expression was a mix of anger and confusion. “My…what?” She stood up, a finger pointing at the younger girl across from her. “Me and Robin are cool. This isn’t about…this is about keeping people safe.”
Dawn stood up, equally angry. “From Skye?”
“Maybe, but also protection for Skye,” Faith insisted. “Doesn’t it make you a little suspicious, her spendin’ so much time across town and not sayin’ where the hell she was for nearly two days? You don’t think maybe she’s…”
“Faith, drop it.” Jeff stood in the doorway, his face stern.
Faith looked from one young Coven member to the other. “Yeah, sure, whatever,” she drawled skeptically, and then strode out of the library.
“Thanks,” Dawn sighed.
“No problem,” Jeff told her.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Computer Room – Afternoon
Robin typed something into a computer, then waited for a response.
“There is no information on the subject you requested,” a small red-headed avatar on the screen said pleasantly. “Would you like to make another query?”
“Takes some getting used to,” Rowena commented from the doorway. “You know, there were times at the Academy that I thought the only meaningful relationship I could have was with the Council Archives. Thanks to Andrew, it turns out I wasn’t that far off.”
Robin grinned. “I like the new system,” he told her, “it adds a…positive attitude to the research.”
“Maybe, now that Andrew fixed the glitches,” Rowena agreed, walking into the room and leaning over Robin’s computer monitor. “Research on what, if I may ask?”
“On our new Romany friend, to be honest,” he replied. “I’d like to learn a little bit more about him.”
“I think he’s earned our trust, Robin,” Rowena said. “If it wasn’t for Gregor Kalderash, Fenris the wolf god would have returned to this plane and we’d be in serious trouble right now…and I think Kennedy’s become attached to him. Besides, Giles himself said he believes he is kin to Janna and Ken.”
“He’s certainly been an asset,” Robin admitted, “but this isn’t a matter of distrust. It’s simply a matter of caution. If we’re going to allow someone who is, for all intents and purposes, a stranger to stay here and be on the inside, I want to know about them. You know…where they come from, if they have any enemies we should know about…”
Rowena held up a hand and Robin stopped talking. “All right,” she said, nodding in assent. “You’ve got a valid point.”
“He does?” Kennedy asked, suddenly appearing in the computer room’s doorway. “So just because he’s my relative, that means he’s untrustworthy?”
Rowena sighed and momentarily looked up at the ceiling, as if asking the Powers That Be for patience, before turning to her former slayer. “Kennedy…”
“You know, Faith’s family tried to kill her,” Kennedy continued, undeterred. “And I hear Andrew’s brother’s in prison and knows how to summon demons. And…have you met Willow’s parents? I think my family is probably the least of your…”
“Kennedy, enough please,” Rowena interrupted, quietly but firmly. She walked to the doorway, bringing herself up face-to-face with the brunette. “Yes, we’ve had problems in the past. That’s why we have to do things like this now. I assure you, it’s not personal, and I would suggest that neither you nor your great uncle take it that way. Heck, if someone showed up saying they happened to be my long lost relative, it wouldn’t be any different. I’m going to give Robin the go-ahead to proceed.”
“But…” the slayer began.
“That’s our decision, Kennedy. And with Robin working here as Security Chief, it’s his call in the end,” Rowena affirmed. The watcher gave Kennedy a withering look, making the slayer think better of interrupting again. Then Rowena’s expression softened. “I’d also like to add that, assuming everything checks out, I’ve been thinking…do you feel Gregor would accept a seat on the Council if we asked?”
Kennedy mulled this over. “I don’t know,” she said. Then she smiled a little. “I’d hope so.”
“Good,” Rowena said, with a small grin of her own.
“Just let me know what you find out…See ya around,” Kennedy told her, waving at Robin as she left. The man at the computer just shook his head.
“What?” Rowena asked, seeing his reaction.
“You must be getting good at this,” Robin told her. “Not even Giles could rein her in that quickly.”
Rowena blushed a little. “You think so?”
“Yeah,” Robin said confidently. “But what’s this Chief of Security title I have now? When did that happen?” he asked, a bit bewildered.
Rowena looked at her watch. “About thirty seconds ago,” she told him with a smile. “I need someone who knows how to keep tabs on people and who I trust. Who better than a former principal?”
“Okay,” Robin said reluctantly. “But what about my teaching? I’m not sure I can juggle both,” he added.
“Robson in England and Wong in China have some new recruits to throw our way soon. And to be honest, Robin, I’d rather see you more in the mix of things than just sitting behind a desk lecturing. You’re too bright for that. After all, those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach.”
“I’m not sure I’m that much of a doer anymore,” Robin reluctantly admitted in a soft voice.
“Hey,” Rowena said, making him look up at her, “You are a doer. It’s just…now you’re doing it a different way…I lack the time to do this myself and besides, looking at the Willow-gram here,” she said, pointing at the computer, “it’s a little unnerving. I’m afraid I’ll start searching for the control, alt, delete option on the real version soon.”
Robin smiled and snorted. “That bad, huh?”
“Nah,” Rowena said with a grin. “But sometimes she gets so engrossed in reading something that I think I need to reboot her to get her attention. Like I said, that computer is scary…So, what do you say?”
“Count me in,” Robin said, with a grin and firm nod.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Slayer Rec Room – Afternoon
Faith held a pool cue in one hand and stood by the edge of the pool table, but made no move to use the cue on any of the various balls scattered across it. She was looking off in another direction entirely.
“I’ve been looking all over for you,” said Kennedy, walking up to the other slayer. “I wanted to go over tonight’s rotation with you, since you’ll be out, but I didn’t think to look here, since that would mean you’re…playing pool? Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“Shh!” Faith admonished, keeping her voice low. “I’m watching her.” Kennedy followed Faith’s unmoving gaze. Dawn and Skye were sitting on a couch across the room, watching a sitcom on TV. The pair were laughing and talking, but were too far away for the slayers to hear what they were saying.
“Faith…” Kennedy began, but was shushed again by her superior. Kennedy dropped her voice to a loud whisper in an attempt to satisfy Faith. “Do you want to tell me why you’re standing here doing surveillance on Dawn and Skye?”
“Not Dawn. Just Skye,” Faith stated.
“Again, I ask the question…”
Faith finally moved her eyes from the pair of girls in front of the television. “Slick, have you been…sensing anything about Skye? I mean, since she got back from…wherever it was she went.”
“Why? Have you?” Kennedy asked. Faith just nodded. The younger slayer sighed. “I dunno,” she said. “I mean, she hasn’t exactly been in high spirits since it happened and she seems a little ‘off.’ I figured that was all it was. You think there’s more to the story?”
“That’s just it,” Faith said furtively. “We don’t even know the story. Skye sure as hell ain’t talkin’! Something happened to that girl, and ever since she’s come back, she’s been…different.”
“Faith, this is crazy,” Kennedy shot back in a whisper. “We should be thrilled Skye came back safe, not suspecting her of…what exactly are you suspecting her of?”
“I don’t know,” Faith admitted after a moment.
“That’s nice. Paranoid much?”
“It’s not paranoia,” the older slayer answered.
“Faith, the Council can’t go around being suspicious of everyone,” Kennedy said. “Not everybody has ulterior motives. We’ve got enough problems without creating new ones out of thin air.”
Faith examined the floor. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I am right,” Kennedy said, her voice returning to normal. “You look tired. Get some rest before tonight. I can take care of the rotation.” Faith nodded. “Now, about tonight,” the younger slayer continued. “I have to ask…what are your intentions with my ex-girlfriend?” Faith growled in response, but Kennedy just laughed.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Lobby – Evening
An awkward silence had descended on the main lobby of the Watchers Council. Willow and Faith both leaned on the desk in different positions. Willow had dressed casually for the occasion, wearing dark jeans and a blouse. Faith instead wore a simple t-shirt and jeans.
“So…” Faith began, “what do you think’s keeping our humble host?”
“Beats me,” the redhead replied. “He probably just got held up.”
After another moment, Faith said, “Dunno why he asked us out on the same night. Not that I don’t like you, Red, but I thought he was gonna ask me and Ace.”
“I thought he was going to ask me and Ro,” Willow said. “You don’t think maybe he’s assuming…”
“Nah,” Faith said quickly, cutting the witch off.
“Not a chance,” Willow agreed. The two women looked at each other for a second, and then self-consciously jerked their gazes into opposite directions.
Aided by his staff, Gregor walked quickly into the lobby. “I’m sorry for the delay,” he told them, “but there’s a problem in the storage area where the Idol’s being kept.”
“I didn’t hear the alarm,” Willow said, a little confused.
“You need to come,” Gregor insisted, “I think something’s happened.” He walked off in the direction from which he had come. Willow looked at Faith, who shrugged, then followed the Romany man. The redhead followed suit.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Storage Area – Evening
Willow and Faith followed Gregor into the cluttered storage room. Boxes piled on top of each other next to the walls, leaving a more open inner space. On a table in the center of the room stood the distorted, wolf-like features of the Idol of Fenris.
“The Idol’s still here,” Willow pointed out. “What did you say was the problem, Gregor?”
Gregor didn’t seem to be listening. Rather, he stood by the central table and reached one hand out towards the idol, almost touching it with his fingers before drawing back.
“Mr. Kalderash?” Willow prompted.
The older man made no move to reply. Rather, he quietly but firmly began an incantation. “Kar. Set. Tar. Mek. Vik.”
A sudden breeze blew through the Council basement. Willow and Faith locked eyes for a moment.
“Gregor?” Willow tried again, louder this time. There was no response.
“Kel. Bek. Lal. Var. Ret,” finished Gregor.
“What the f–” Faith yelled, before being cut off by a blinding flash of red light.
After a moment, the light subsided. Faith, Willow, Gregor Kalderash and the Idol of Fenris were nowhere to be seen. The room was silent.
Black Out
End of Act One