Act 1
Starring:
Lacey Chabert as Skye Talisker, Michelle Rodriguez as Kadin Van Helsing, Gale Harold as Jim Pollan, Caroline Dhavernas as Grace Hatherley and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers
Guest Starring:
Tyne Daly as Adrienne Winchester, Jack Davenport as Chris Michaels and Edward Woodward as James Tyrell
Fade In:
Int.
Watchers Council – Dining Hall – Later That Afternoon
“Hey ladies,” Kennedy said. She walked over and took a seat next to Kadin, who was seated across from Adrienne.
“So how did the meeting go after I left?” Adrienne asked. “Things seemed to get pretty heated.”
“I think heated is an understatement,” Kennedy remarked.
“I think she’s nuts,” Kadin said. “If Ro plans on going there alone…”
“She’s not,” Kennedy said simply.
Kadin just looked at Kennedy for a moment. “Meaning?”
“You guys missed the rest of the discussion,” Kennedy replied.
Kadin studied Kennedy for a moment. “So you’re going?” she asked. “Have you suddenly gone crazy too? Who the hell nominated you for this suicide mission?”
“I did,” Kennedy said. “I volunteered.”
“Well, I guess I’m crazy too, then. Looks like I’ll be traveling again,” Kadin sighed to Adrienne.
“No, you won’t,” Kennedy told her.
“What?” Kadin exclaimed. “I heard what Adrienne said in that meeting and –”
“I want you to stay here.”
“Why?”
“Because, like you, I heard what she said.” Kennedy nodded toward Adrienne. “I’ve got to get back,” she said, starting to rise.
“You can’t do this, Ken,” Kadin pleaded.
“I can and I have to,” the slayer said softly, before turning her back and walking away.
“I can’t believe she’s doing this. If she thinks she can just –”
“Kadin,” Adrienne interrupted her rant, “make your peace with her. Even if you’re still mad by the time she goes, let her know you love her and support her.”
“Why should I start putting on false airs for her now? I’ve always been –”
“You might regret it later if you don’t,” Adrienne said in a gentle voice.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Willow and Rowena’s Apartment – Later
Rowena pulled out a heavy coat from her closet as Willow stood in the bedroom doorway.
“You’re not doing this,” Willow said, her resolve face firmly in place.
“Yes, I am,” Rowena answered. She tossed the coat on the bed and returned to the closet again.
Willow’s expression softened as she entered the room. “Please listen to me, okay?” Rowena stopped what she was doing and turned to face Willow. “I heard what Adrienne said. I saw the prosthetic hand she has thanks to a vacation at this place. So if you won’t go with a group, then…go with me. I can help you.”
Rowena said nothing at first. “Finished?”
“For now.”
“No,” Rowena answered flatly, before heading back to the closet.
Willow sighed. “Why are you being so pig headed about this?”
“Easy. I love you, and I’m not putting you in that kind of danger, period.”
“But you’ll put yourself there? How do you think I’m gonna handle you being gone for weeks or months…maybe forever?”
“I don’t expect you to wait for me,” Rowena answered. “If all goes well, it won’t take me long but…”
“But what?”
“If I’m not back in three months, realize I won’t be back at all and move on.”
Willow harrumphed. “Oh, it’s that simple, is it?”
“Nothing about this is simple,” Rowena said with a slight whimper. She looked away for a moment, as if deep in thought.
Fade To:
Int.
Old Watchers Council – Library – Morning
London
November 2002
“We have a job for you. Something is coming. Our Coven has felt it,” Quentin Travers told Rowena. He took her by the arm and they walked side by side through the library of the Watchers Council in London.
“I know,” Rowena replied. Quentin looked at Rowena with a hint of surprise. “Althenea and I talk frequently,” she explained. “She’s told me the Coven’s felt something growing, something from below.”
“Yes,” he remarked. “But what exactly, we’re not sure…There’s a book we need you to retrieve.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Rowena remarked.
“Nothing about this is simple,” he warned her. “We have an idea of where to start our search, but aside from that…”
“If you give me what information you have, I’ll do my best,” Rowena replied.
Quentin smiled. “I know, dear. That’s why I hand picked you for this task.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Willow and Rowena’s Apartment – Resume
“Nothing about this is simple,” Rowena repeated, her voice more steady as she locked eyes with Willow again. “If anything, this trip is going to be a lot harder than last time.”
“And why’s that? Older? Not as quick as you used to be?” Willow asked with a hint of anger in her voice.
“No!” Rowena answered. “This time it’s not just about getting the book! It’s about getting back home to you! So I’m sorry, Will, but…no. I’m not putting you, or anyone else from this Council, at risk.” Rowena looked over her shoulder, and Willow turned around to see Buffy enter, followed by Faith and Kennedy.
“Sorry to interrupt, but we heard the loud voices,” Buffy replied.
“And the door was open,” Kennedy added.
“So…to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?” Rowena asked.
“We took a vote,” Faith began.
“About?” Rowena asked.
“About you going alone, Blondie. And for the record, you lost,” Faith replied. “Majority rules, and we’ve nominated Slick here to go with you. She agreed, so it’s a done deal.”
“No,” Rowena said quickly. “Absolutely not.”
“Too bad,” Buffy replied. “One of the downfalls of democracy, you might say. We voted – you lost.”
Rowena paused for a moment. “No, Kennedy is-is too impetuous, too short-tempered and-and too inexperienced to handle this,” she said, looking straight at the slayer.
Kennedy’s mouth opened. “The hell I am,” she retorted. Then she stopped for a moment. “Wait a second. You’re baiting me, trying to get me pissed so that I won’t go. Well sorry, it’s not going to work.”
“Son of a bitch,” Rowena swore under her breath. “I need a cigarette,” she griped. “Faith?”
“Sorry, I quit again.”
“Son of a bitch,” Rowena swore again.
“Look,” Buffy began. “There’s a reason we picked Ken.”
“To drive me insane?”
“Among other things,” Buffy answered with a slight grin. “No, the reason is Ken’s good, damn good.”
“Thank you,” Kennedy replied proudly.
“And we can’t have both you and Faith out there if this mission is as dangerous as everyone is saying,” Buffy went on. “And we don’t want to send Willow, for obvious reasons.”
“Being?” Willow asked.
“There isn’t enough emotional distance there,” Buffy replied. “If one of you…gets killed…the other might not have the sense to save themselves.”
“Which is why I also told Kadin to stay home,” Kennedy interjected.
“Oh, so since I don’t give a damn about you, that’s the logical choice then?” Rowena asked Kennedy sardonically.
“And thank you,” Kennedy said again, but indignantly this time.
“I was being sarcastic,” Rowena told Kennedy, before turning to Buffy again. “No matter who you send, I’m going to worry about them, but yes, for the record, at least we agree that Willow shouldn’t be there.”
“So do we have a deal? You go, but only if Ken goes?” Buffy asked.
Rowena sighed. “Do I have a choice?” she asked.
“Technically, no,” Faith answered. “We decided if you don’t go along with it, we’ll relieve you of your watcher position. In other words, we’ll axe you and forbid you from setting foot on Council property, which might be inconvenient since, you know, you and your girlfriend live here.”
“You can’t do that,” Willow said.
“Actually, we can,” Buffy told her. “It was Faith’s idea, and we looked it up. It’s in the big blue binder from hell, which I finally had a chance to read over the summer.”
“Yeah, thanks to the charter that you, Giles and Rowena wrote,” Faith said, speaking to Willow, “it’s a dismissible violation of her Council Oath. You guys are the ones that put it in there.” She grinned.
“You’re loving the irony of this, aren’t you?” Rowena asked.
Faith just grinned wider and nodded quickly, making Rowena sigh. “So that means, if you don’t want Jim Pollan to take over your job, then you better welcome Kennedy on the trip with open arms,” she said as a final dig.
“For a woman who claims she’s not too bright…” Rowena began.
“I have my moments,” Faith replied, smiling even wider. “I can’t tell you most of the state capitals, but I do know what motivates people. So really, do you want to see Jim in charge around here?”
Rowena finally cracked the tiniest of grins and turned to Kennedy. “Go pack your bags – cold weather clothes are a must.”
“Where are we going, exactly?”
“Siberia,” Rowena told her.
“Oh lovely,” Kennedy sighed.
Cut To:
Int.
Istanbul – Rowena’s Flat – Night
Istanbul 2002
“Oh lovely,” Ipek sighed.
“Yeah, not much of a dream vacation, huh?” Rowena answered as she packed her suitcase.
“I still don’t get why I can’t go with you,” Ipek told her. “Yeah, Siberia, not the most appealing of places to be on Earth, but still…I’m your potential.”
“Because I have my orders – I have to do this alone. It’s very dangerous.”
“How dangerous?” Ipek asked.
“Very,” Rowena answered.
“Like deadly dangerous?” Ipek asked.
Rowena didn’t answer at first, but then said, “Maybe. Which is why I want you to stay in Istanbul where it’s safe. That means if I haven’t come back by your birthday, you have to get to London and speak to Quentin Travers.”
“What is he going to do? Send out the search and rescue?”
“He’ll assign you a new watcher,” she answered.
“Wait. You mean the Council is just going to toss you in the middle of a snow field, and if you don’t come back, they’ll push me off onto someone else?”
“Siberia is actually a desert, not a snow field,” Rowena corrected.
“Don’t start pulling out the academics on me. You’re gonna come back. You have to come back.”
“One way or another, you’ll be okay,” Rowena assured her.
“Look, I’m not going to try to teach another watcher with no musical rhythm how to belly dance. You were hard enough,” she replied.
Rowena began to grin, and so did Ipek for a moment. But a look of sadness and worry crossed Ipek’s face, growing more concerned the longer they looked at each other.
“Hey,” Rowena told her, pushing the girl’s hair behind her ear. “Stay out of trouble, and I’ll be back before you know it. Okay?”
Ipek swallowed hard. “Okay.”
“Trust me?”
“Yes,” Ipek said firmly.
“That’s my girl,” Rowena said proudly.
Flash To:
Int.
London – Althenea’s Flat – Entryway – Late At Night
Althenea opened her door to her flat to see Rowena and Kennedy standing there.
“We need your help,” Rowena announced.
“Willow called, and I must confess I think you’re absolutely bonkers about going back,” Althenea replied.
“Right,” Rowena answered shortly and began to move around Althenea, going inside. “Now, about your help.”
Cut To:
Int.
Althenea’s Flat – Moments Later
“I don’t get it,” Kennedy said as she sat next to Rowena on Althenea’s sofa. “It’s just a book.”
“I concur,” Althenea said under her breath from the chair across from them.
Kennedy turned to Rowena. “What’s so important about it?”
“It contains information on the first vampires of the world, what happens as the demon enters, if different ‘bloodlines’ exist, so on and so forth.”
“That’s all?” Kennedy asked. “We’re doing all of this so you can get some CliffsNotes for your research?”
“I’m thinking that book holds more than just vampire lore,” Rowena continued. “If Tyrell is after it, then it has to hold more than what I’m expecting.”
“And you’re willing to bet your life on that?” Althenea asked. “And hers?” she added, pointing to Kennedy.
“I didn’t ask her to come, but yes…I’m willing to stake my life on it,” Rowena answered.
Althenea sighed, “Rowena, dear…”
“Al, you know what would have happened if I hadn’t gotten the Opus, right? If I had just given up? Ubervamps would be ruling the world now.”
“I’m confused,” Kennedy piped into the conversation. “Can someone hit rewind, because I think I missed something here?”
Althenea and Rowena both ignored the question as Rowena continued, “There has to be something in this manuscript, something that Tyrell knows that we don’t. The Council, hell, the world can’t afford it being in his hands, or those that he’s with right now. You know that’s true. And the longer we sit and debate this, the closer Tyrell’s goons will get to it…So, are you going to help me again or not?”
Althenea closed her eyes.
Flash To:
Int.
Devon, England – Coven Room – Day
Devon, England 2002
Rowena’s body convulsed as a pink-colored smoke eclipsed her body. Spread out around her was the Devon Coven, all linked together and holding hands. As the smoke dissipated, Rowena’s body swayed, and the coven released one another. Just seconds before Rowena began to tumble face first, Althenea rushed forward to catch her fall. The Priestess turned the watcher over in her lap and stroked her hair gently.
“I’ll see to her,” Althenea told the gathering. “Go on,” she said, nodding to them.
As the group began to leave, Rowena slowly opened her eyes to see Althenea smiling over her, stroking her damp blonde hair. Despite her weakness, Rowena began to grin too.
“Do you think it took?” Rowena asked.
“I can’t say for sure,” Althenea replied. “You’re not officially trained in the Wiccan arts so…try not to test it, if possible, all right?”
“All right,” Rowena muttered and closed her eyes again.
Althenea continued to hold Rowena close to her as small tears formed at the corners of the witch’s eyes. She leaned over and kissed Rowena gently on the top of her forehead.
“May the God and Goddess watch over you,” she said softly.
Flash To:
Int.
Althenea’s Flat – Resume
“So what do you say?” Rowena asked again. “We’ve got a flight to Moscow that leaves in four hours.”
Althenea opened her eyes. “If you don’t make it back, it’ll kill her. You know that, don’t you? She’ll spend the rest of her life lonely. She’s lost one lover to an early death…she can’t lose another.”
“We don’t know that will happen…but I do know that you can increase our chances of making it back, just like last time.”
Althenea teared up. “She’s not the only one who loves you, you know.”
Rowena reached over and took Althenea’s hands in hers. “I know…that’s why I’m asking for your help, so I can get back to everyone – you especially.”
Althenea let out a long breath. “Bugger, girl. You’re going to go regardless of whether I help or not, aren’t you?” Rowena simply nodded. “Fine,” Althenea said, rising from her chair. “The two of you, come with me.”
“Thank you, Al,” Rowena said with a smile.
“Don’t thank me, just promise me you’ll both come home.”
“I can’t pr –”
“Just promise,” Althenea said, near tears again.
Rowena seemed to swallow the unspoken words. “Okay, I promise,” she said softly.
“All right then,” Althenea said, straightening her shoulders. “Let’s see what we can do, but give me a day.”
Rowena looked concerned. “Al, we don’t have a day,” she argued.
“I need to assemble everyone,” Althenea replied. “I’ll do it, but we do it on my terms.” Rowena opened her mouth to argue again, but Althenea held up her finger, placing it over Rowena’s lips. “And if you say no, so help me, I’ll put you in a binding spell until I have everyone assembled. We both know that, without these magics, you wouldn’t have succeeded last time. That means you’re not leaving without them. So again, my terms. Understood?”
Althenea removed her finger from Rowena’s lips and Kennedy grinned. “Wow…she certainly put the smackdown on you, didn’t she?”
Rowena began to grin. “She’s one of the few people in this world who can,” she replied to Kennedy, before turning back to Althenea. “All right, Al, one day.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Buffy’s Office – Afternoon
Buffy heard a knock at her door, followed by Giles’s voice.
“May we come in?”
Buffy automatically smiled from behind her desk. “Yeah, it’s open.”
As Buffy rose, Giles entered holding a baby carrier in one hand, inside which Martin snoozed. He stood in the doorway for a moment, motioning Elizabeth to follow him inside. She wore a white sundress with a sunflower in the middle of it as she toddled along.
“Look at you,” Buffy said proudly. “All family man with the brood.”
He smiled as he put the baby down on the floor by a chair while Elizabeth walked inside, taking in all the sights of her new surroundings. Buffy approached the young girl slowly and stooped down to her height, outstretching her arms.
“Hey, Liz,” she said in a friendly tone. “Let me see that pretty dress.”
With a big smile, Elizabeth took uneven steps toward Buffy, but once she was in motion, she moved swiftly into Buffy’s arms. The slayer then picked her up, coming face to face with Giles.
Elizabeth pointed to the desk and said, “Books.”
Buffy snorted and smiled before looking at Giles.
“Yep,” Buffy answered, “Books. Lots and lots of books and all of them boring as hell – I mean, heck,” she corrected herself quickly. “Sorry, I usually don’t have to watch the words I choose,” she apologized to Giles. “Well, there is nooo denying this is your child, Giles. She already knows what books are,” she teased him, making his smile even broader.
Elizabeth reached for Giles, and Buffy handed her over to him before she started to fuss.
“Looks like you’ve been reintroduced to books, as well,” he replied as he adjusted Elizabeth on his hip.
Buffy rolled her eyes and motioned to the chair for Giles to sit down, then walked back around the desk.
“You know all those classes I missed in high school while off killing things or doing recon during the day? I’m making up for lost time, it seems. Karma can be a real bi…bitca.”
Giles grinned. “All in all, I’d say you’re adapting quite well. In fact, I think Rowena made an excellent call.”
“Tell that to my index fingers, which are turning into nubs because of all the page turning,” she remarked.
“Honestly, Buffy, I never thought I’d see the day.”
“What day? The one where I’m buried alive under mounds upon mounds of recycled copy paper?”
“No, the day when you seemed content, settled. It looks good on you, my dear.”
Buffy blushed. “Well, it’s taken me a while, but I think I’m getting settled. Plus, we’ve got a new guy here who I must confess is sex on a stick. My god, Giles, this man is so handsome it hurts and –”
Giles held up his hand. “I get the point. He’s attractive. He’s not…?”
“No, he’s not undead. He’s a watcher, actually, so no branch conflict garbage. But, he’s older. Not two hundred years older, but still…”
“Has he asked you out?”
“No, but knowing my luck, it’s probably moot.”
“What makes you say that? You’re a beautiful young woman, Buffy.”
“Thanks for the compliment, but I’m thinking it’s more him than me. He’s probably gay, or evil. Well, Rowena already thinks he’s evil.” Giles’s eyebrows rose. “Not like evil evil. She knew him years ago, and they have sort of a history.”
“Really?”
“Not like a romantic type of history. They’re both very driven watcher types and seem to try to out-watcher each other. Now that I think about it, he’s probably too tweedy for my taste. Well that, and if anything did happen, I don’t see any double dates with Will in the future. Like Faith says, when he and Ro are in a room, you need a machete to cut the tension…Anyway, enough about me. What’s up with you? I see Martin’s out and about. He’s doing good?”
“Excellent,” Giles answered. “This is the first trip out with him since he’s come home, actually.”
“And you brought him all the way here to see me?”
“Yes, and Willow too, I must confess.”
“Oh fine, I’m just a pit stop on the way to see the big gun.”
Giles looked over his shoulder and leaned forward. “You’ll always be my favorite one girl in all the world. Right along with this one,” he said, resting his head on Elizabeth’s head.
“Nice recovery,” Buffy complimented.
“Thought so too,” Giles replied.
Buffy smiled and began to stand up. “Come on. Let’s go see what Will’s up to.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Hallway – Moments Later
Giles carried Martin’s carrier while Buffy walked alongside him with Elizabeth in her arms.
“So, how goes the task of informing the world about demons and such?” Giles asked.
“Oh, where to start?” Buffy sighed. “Let’s see, we’ve got teenage girls all over who are so desperate for attention, they’re posing as slayers. We’ve got the parents of real slayers holding out on us unless we offer free education for their kids at an Ivy League school. We get calls from people saying they’ve seen everything from UFO’s to Big Foot, and we’re supposed to handle it. Some days, it’s just one headache after another.” She ended in another sigh.
Giles grinned again. “But you’re handling it all very well.”
“Yeah, Ro was helping me quite a bit while doing her vamp research, but now she’s off to Russia with Kennedy to get some book about vamps.”
“You put Rowena and Kennedy together? On a mission?”
“Yep, it was Ken’s idea. Oh, and James Tyrell is still on the loose, looking for the same book Ro’s after.”
Giles stopped walking, making Buffy stop. “James Tyrell hasn’t been found yet?”
“Nope, and he got to Ro’s contact. He asked about the book, saying he was working for the Watchers Council. You really need to stop by more often, Giles.”
“Obviously,” he said, as they continued on again.
Cut To:
Ext.
Train Station – Same Time – Night
Moscow
“You know,” Kennedy began as she tightened her jacket around her on the train station platform, “Latina women are not meant to be subjected to these types of temperatures.”
Rowena grinned. “I can send you home, if you like.”
“Don’t count on it,” Kennedy replied. “I’ll adapt.”
“It was worth a shot,” Rowena muttered.
“Okay, that’s it,” Kennedy said, tossing her hands in the air, before quickly stuffing them in her back pockets. “I’m getting real tired of you trying to get rid of me.”
“It’s no secret that I don’t want you here, so why should I pretend?” Rowena asked.
“Look, I know you think I can’t cut it but –”
“That’s not it.”
“Then enlighten me here.”
Rowena bit her lip.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Coven Room – Moments Later
“I’ll see to these after I’ve finished training with Lorinda,” Jeff said to Willow, as he began to make his way from the coven room. He stopped and turned around. “If you need me, or if you hear anything from Ro, call me, okay? Doesn’t matter what time,” he added.
Willow gave him an appreciative smile. “Thanks, Jeff.”
He nodded and began to move toward the door as Giles and Buffy came inside. “Oh hi,” he said. “How are you doing, Mr. Giles?”
“I can’t complain,” he answered.
“Good. I’d stay and chat, but I’m late for Lorinda’s training. Are you going to be around?”
“For a while,” Giles answered.
“Great. I’ll send a page later to see if you’re still here when I’m finished.”
“Lovely,” Giles answered.
“Buffy,” Jeff said, giving her a respectful nod. She gave him a small wave in return.
They both watched him walk away. “He looks so…mature,” Giles replied.
“Yeah, grownups everywhere around here lately,” she teased.
“Hey guys,” Willow said as she walked over.
“Hey Will,” Buffy began. “Giles here needs a favor.”
“Nothing like cutting to the chase,” he remarked. “How are you, Willow? Buffy told me about the mission?”
“Worried, nervous, scared for Ro’s life. Other than that…good, I suppose. What’s up?”
“I realize I should have called, and we can do this some other time if you’re not up to it.”
“No, it’s okay,” Willow insisted. “What did you need?”
Giles paused for a moment. “I need you to do a spell,” he said.
Willow looked down at Martin. “If it’s a healing spell, Giles, really, I can’t –”
“Not a healing spell,” he replied. Willow looked confused. “The Watcher Spell. I think one of these children might be Chosen.”
Buffy and Willow looked at each other in surprise, then at the kids, and then back at each other again.
Cut To:
Ext.
Moscow – Train Station – Night
“Out with it,” Kennedy prompted. “Why are you in such a sure-fire hurry to send me home?”
Rowena still didn’t answer immediately. “It’d kill Will if she lost either of us, and there’s a good chance that one of us, or both of us, won’t make it home, okay?”
“You dying, yeah, that would get her. Me, not so much,” Kennedy replied.
“She loves you, Ken. She always will. You…Damn, I’m going to regret saying this because I’ll never live it down, but…there’s no way I’d be with her today if it weren’t for you. I never would have approached Willow at all, had she not come to me first, and that never would have happened if you hadn’t convinced her that her life was still worth living. You’ve helped her more than you realize.”
Kennedy was quiet for a moment. “I never thought of it that way.”
“Which means if I fail, she might need you again for strength. And if you haven’t thought of that, I have. Lots of times. I owe you a debt of gratitude, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. So I’m worried about you being here, hell, I’m worried about me, but if you went home, that’s one less thing I’d have to worry about.”
“Well, I’m not going home without you, so what do I have to do to make it easier?”
Rowena looked at Kennedy for a moment. “Nothing,” she replied.
“No, you just thought of something,” Kennedy retorted.
“I did, but it would be fruitless,” Rowena said, starting to walk.
“Try me.”
“Okay.” Rowena turned to face her. “I need you to do what I say, when I say, at all times. And I don’t need any questions or debates when I do it.”
“Fine,” Kennedy replied.
Rowena snorted. “You say that now, but I know what’s going to happen. The first moment I order you to do something, it’s going to end up becoming a committee meeting.”
“You’re not giving me enough credit here.”
“I’m not?”
Kennedy shook her head. “Nope, you’re not. I’m not going to argue, because A, you’ve done this before. Something that, from all I’ve heard so far, no one’s been able to do once, much less twice. B, you speak the language here. I can’t tell Russian from German, so I can’t communicate with anyone anyway. And C, we both have people waiting for us in Cleveland, so if taking a few orders from you gets me home to Kadin, I’m there a hundred and ten percent.” Rowena looked surprised. “Again, you don’t give me enough credit. Yeah, I’ve got a chip on my shoulder, but I’m also smarter than you think.”
“I don’t think you’re stupid, Ken,” Rowena replied. “I think you’re headstrong, and we need to be a team if we’re gonna make it back.”
“Like I said, Ro,” she said, stressing her nickname with a grin. “I’m there. Just tell me what to do first.”
Rowena gave her a slight grin. “First, we board the train.”
“After you,” Kennedy said, with a similar grin and a wave of her hand.
Fade To:
Ext.
Train Station – Early Evening
Moscow 2002
Rowena stood on the train platform. Near the train stood a young man, waving her over.
“After you,” he said with a grin, his hand on the handrail.
“No offense,” she began, “but I’d like to keep you in front of me, rather than behind me, if you don’t mind.”
With a sigh, he boarded ahead of her.
Cut To:
Int.
Train Compartment – Moments Later
They took seats across from each other, and Rowena reached into her pocket.
“Good, call Tyrell and ask him –”
Instead of producing a cell phone, Rowena held a small gun in her hand. She reached into her pocket again, this time pulling out her cell phone and hitting a few numbers before putting it to her ear.
“Mr. Travers,” she began. “It’s Rowena. I’ve got a man here by the name of Chris Michaels. He says James Tyrell sent him on this mission to assist me. Is that correct?” Rowena paused and listened. The young man lost his grin and held his breath as Rowena suddenly cocked the gun. “Don’t bother. I’ll try to reach him. Thanks.” Rowena hung up.
“Trouble?”
“Travers didn’t send you,” Rowena told him. “And he’s the one who sent me.”
“No, I told you. Tyrell sent me,” he said. “Now can we un-cock the gun? Those little firearms aren’t the most reliable.”
Rowena ignored him as she dialed again.
“James?” she asked after listening for a moment. “Rowena. Do you know a guy named Chris Michaels?…Description please…Okay, he’s here now. Thanks…You too.” Rowena un-cocked the gun, and Michaels seemed to release the breath he was holding as she hung up. “You’re clean, I guess.”
“Told you,” he pouted. “Now can we not kill each other on this mission? We are working toward the same goal, after all.”
“Just don’t get in my way,” Rowena told him.
“Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today. Sheesh,” he muttered.
Rowena looked at him sternly. “I don’t know you. I don’t trust you. And I’m not out here to make new friends. Get it?”
“Yeah, I get it. Bitch,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” Rowena said, giving him a sarcastic grin. “I am. So deal with it.”
Cut To:
Int.
Moscow – Train Aisle – Moments Later – Night
“You okay?” Kennedy asked.
“Huh?” Rowena asked.
“I said, what side do you want to sit on?” Kennedy repeated as she walked behind Rowena down the narrow aisle.
“Oh, anywhere is fine.”
Kennedy peeked behind one of the curtains. “Let’s set up here,” she said. “It’s empty, and it’s close to the exit if we need it.”
Rowena gave her a smile.
“What?” Kennedy asked.
“Just thinking,” Rowena replied with a grin. “You’re on the stick, so maybe we’ll make it out of here after all.”
“That’s why the Council pays me the big bucks,” Kennedy teased. “Come on,” she said, motioning Rowena to follow her.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Coven Room – Resume
“Giles, I’m not sure I understand,” Willow told him.
“You can do it at any age, can’t you?” he asked.
“Well, yeah but…” She let the sentence hang in her confusion.
“During the Crisis, demons were attacking watchers,” he told her.
“And? Oh,” she said, realizing.
“Oh, what?” Buffy asked.
“They followed Becca,” Giles explained. “She had Elizabeth with her, and she was carrying Martin at the time.”
“How do we know that Becca’s not a chosen watcher?” Buffy asked.
“We don’t,” Giles answered Buffy. “But if the children test positive, I’ll bring Becca by so that Willow can do the spell again, just to be sure. She’s…she’s not what you might call ‘gung ho’ about the idea of our children following in my footsteps, for obvious reasons.” He then turned to Willow. “So will you do it, please?”
“Are you sure you want to know, Giles?” Willow asked. “It might change the way you treat these kids, the way Becca treats them.”
“I can handle it. As for Becca, I-I-I’ll deal with that when I must…but for myself, for their future safety, I need to know.”
“All right, Giles,” Willow replied firmly. “I’ll start the spell, and once I point to you, step away from them as quickly as you can without alarming them.”
“It won’t hurt, will it?” he asked.
Willow grinned at the concern he had for them. “No, it’s a little scary when the big ball of light grabs ya, but no, no pain. So just be ready to wipe a few scared tears away, ‘kay?”
Giles nodded.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Coven Room – Moments Later
Willow sat in a circle surrounded by candles, muttering her incantation with her eyes closed. She opened them slowly and pointed to Giles, who walked away swiftly from Elizabeth, who he was trying to keep occupied and away from the flames of the candles.
As he took a spot next to Buffy, a burst of light shot forth from Willow’s fingers, flying across the room to the other side.
“Oh wow,” Buffy said as she looked on with Giles. He looked concerned for a brief moment, then grinned and nodded his approval.
“Looks like you got your answer, Giles,” Willow remarked with a grin.
Fade To Black
End of Act One