Act 6

Fade In:
Int.
Bureau Nine – Clinic – MRI Room – Same Time

Together, Xander and Felix helped Ethan up and back into his chair.

“It’s too late, isn’t it?” asked Ethan.

“Perhaps not,” said Felix. “Not too late to save yourself, at any rate. Far too late to outrun the effects of what is happening.” Felix motioned them over to a table in the corner. “The Codex seems fail-safe on the surface, but there’s a passage here…”

He held the book out to Rowena and pointed. She began to read it as Giles read over her shoulder.

“It mentions ‘the Power of Three’,” Felix pointed out, but quieted until they finished reading.

Once she was done, Rowena looked over her shoulder at Giles. “Any ideas?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not,” he replied in frustration, but still looked at the book. “My Russian isn’t very good, but it appears it mentions…” He paused as he looked at it again, “…three in the embodiment of one.”

Giles and Rowena both shrugged at each other and closed the book. Rowena sighed and shook her head, but she opened the book again, walking away slowly as she read.

Felix looked across the room at the technician. “Any change?”

He shook his head. “I can’t quite get a fix, sir. The field is too unsteady now.”

“I think I see what you’re getting at, Mr. Felix,” said Giles. “Disrupt the flow, you said.”

Felix nodded.

Xander raised his hand. “I don’t get this.”

“The problem,” said Rowena, looking up from her reading, “is trying to understand the flow of mystic energy, am I right? If we could get a handle on that, we’d have a chance of turning everything around.”

“I realized it when I saw Ethan here, alive and walking, when not fifteen minutes before, our sorcerer of much less ability died in this building.”

Ethan considered this. “I’d rather not join him, thank you very much.”

“That’s the idea, Mr. Rayne,” said Felix. “To keep you from joining him.” He turned to Giles and Rowena. “And those whom you love, as well as millions of others. But that may not be possible. People with the least amount of ability are getting sick after those more powerful. Transversely, however, our reports indicate the weaker magic users are dying quicker once they do become ill. Now, Mr. Rayne may not be practicing, his skills, not as sharp…but that magic is still within him, for the time being. But it is being drained as we speak.”

“Call Dr. Miller now!” Giles told Xander. “Tell him to keep an extra eye on Andrew and Kennedy.”

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Same Time

“Clear!” Dr. Miller yelled, as he put the resuscitation paddles on Andrew’s chest. He gave the young man a jolt that lifted Andrew slightly off of the bed. He took a moment to look at the heart monitor, but got no response.

Mia, Kadin and Robin kept looking over at Dr. Miller trying valiantly to revive Andrew, but the loud crashes and bursts of gunfire outside made them keep looking back at the door.

“Clear!” Dr. Miller shouted again, once more placing the paddles on Andrew’s chest.

The noise outside was too great to hear the heart monitor, but Dr. Miller gave a short sigh when he saw the screen begin to blip again.

Cut To:
Int.
Bureau Nine – Clinic – MRI Room – Same Time

“I’m not getting an answer over there,” Xander told him. Giles motioned him to close the phone, and he did.

“This close to Isabel, Ethan has become noticeably weaker,” Felix told them. “Yet he is demonstrably not close enough. Dare he go any closer?”

“I vote…no,” said Ethan.

Rowena still sat, looking at the book as her fingers moved over three words in Russian – ведьма, хранитель, воин.

“You could go closer,” said Giles to Ethan, “if you were stronger.”

“Which I’m not…”

“But you could be.” Giles fixed his gaze on Ethan. “Think about it.”

“You think about it, Ripper. I’m too bloody knackered.”

“If he connects his life force to others, you mean?” asked Rowena.

“Precisely,” Giles said.

“Me!” said Xander instantly. “Look at me. I’m young. I’m strong. Well, enough. Right?”

“So am I,” said Hope. She stepped forward and looked at them all. “Can he somehow use us as…well…”

“Batteries,” suggested Xander. “I mean, that’s what we’re talking about right? Basically?”

“Yes, but with this difference,” said Felix. “A battery is not alive. It cannot truly die.”

“I’ll do it,” said Hope. She looked at Felix without blinking. “I will!”

“Yeah,” said Xander. “Me, too. We gotta do what we’ve gotta do, right? No matter what? And you said three right? Me, Hope and Ethan?”

Giles knelt next to Ethan. “Can you do it? Can you draw upon their life forces?”

Bleary-eyed, Ethan met Giles’s look. “How in bloody hell do I know? But there’s not a lot of choice but to try, is there?”

“To put it brutally,” said Felix, “your choice is between dead and maybe alive. I don’t see any other options. For what it is worth, I’m sorry.”

With a long exhalation, Ethan nodded. “Let’s get to it, then.” He held out both hands. “Take my hands, children. Don’t worry, this’ll probably hurt like hell.” He even smiled.

Xander took one hand. Hope stepped around and took the other. Ethan began to concentrate, muttering a few words. “Eleka nahmen nahmen, ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen.” He shook his head. Then he repeated the same words again, with a quavering but stronger voice. “Eleka nahmen nahmen, ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen.” And again. “Eleka nahmen nahmen, ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen.”

“Oh,” breathed Hope. She looked ill.

“That’s,” said Xander, “not a good feeling.” He looked like he wanted to vomit.

Rowena still sat looking at the book. “Think, Rowena, you know this. Just concentrate.”

“Sir!” The technician called out. “The readings!”

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Hallway Outside Infirmary – Same Time

The fray had moved to the hallway outside of the infirmary. Former slayers, both from the Council and Bureau Nine, fired into a cadre of huge demons as they ran up the hall. Mia, Kadin and Robin were there no, too, all looking like they could handle a gun.

“Can I ask where all these girls with big guns came from?” Mia shouted over the gunfire.

“Not the time,” Kennedy yelled back.

One of the girls from Bureau Nine grabbed Faith by the shoulder as they both reloaded. “Where’s Lori Carew?” she asked.

“She didn’t make it,” Faith replied, drawing a shocked expression from the other girl. “That’s what happens when you pick the wrong side. You do something stupid trying to redeem yourself.”

Several of the demons began to break through, and the defenders did their best at hand-to-hand. Snarls, screams and bellows, both demon and human, filled the air.

One of the Bureau Nine girls screamed as Jurgen latched onto her neck. Hadley clawed at the eyes of the demon who had lifted her, causing him to drop her. Tracey stabbed a demon through the underside of its chin with what appeared to be a steak knife. She had an insane, berserker look in her eyes.

Kadin took on Cretarus herself. He was now wielding a massive, rough-hewn metal blade. She tried to trip him and use his momentum to execute a judo throw. This completely didn’t work.

Cretarus grinned and brought his blade down at Kadin. She yelled in pain and grabbed her stomach, doubling over briefly before she could no longer stand up. As she crumpled to the floor, Kadin brought one hand up from her stomach. She looked vaguely surprised that it was completely covered in blood.

“Kadin!” Kennedy screamed. She tried to run over to help, but there was a large chunk of the battle in-between. She yelled in frustration, turned, shot a demon several times in the chest, and then tried to push towards Kadin again.

Cretarus laughed horribly and raised his weapon to cleave the helpless Kadin in half. Then several bullets struck him in the back, and he turned, surprised, to see Lori standing behind him, bruises and blood all over her face, her machine gun raised.

Cut To:
Int.
Bureau Nine – Clinic – MRI Room – Same Time

Felix reached the monitors first, with Rowena and Giles directly behind him. “Tell me,” said Felix.

“The readings are stronger,” said the technician.

“Are they strong enough?” said Rowena.

“I’ll know soon.”

“Actually using magic,” said Giles, “even that tiny amount, must have caused a reaction.”

“What he’s doing isn’t quite magic, though. More like a psychic ability magic users tap into,” said Felix. “Otherwise, I don’t think he’d be able to do it all.”

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Hallway Outside Infirmary – Same Time

As Kadin writhed on the floor, Cretarus turned, and Lori emptied her clip into his chest. He staggered, but remained upright. Lori’s eyes widened, and she hesitated for a brief moment before turning to run towards the defensive line.

She didn’t make it a full step before a slash to the back from Cretarus sent her flopping awkwardly to the ground, striking her face hard on the floor.

“Faith,” Buffy called desperately. “We need to fall back.”

“Fall back where?” Faith asked her.

The two women exchanged a look of genuine fear.

Cut To:
Int.
Bureau Nine – Clinic – MRI Room – Same Time

Now, the technician shook his head. “Not enough. Besides, look…the readings are stabilizing.”

Giles looked at Ethan, seated and chalk white, his eyes rolling in his head. Sweat was beading on his forehead, and the chords of his neck stood out. On either side of him, Hope and Xander looked sick. Hope even slumped to the floor, barely able to keep her head up.

“He needs more,” said Felix. With three steps, he strode over to Hope, prying her hand away from Ethan’s, replacing it with his own. “Eleka nahmen nahmen, ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen,” said Felix as he did so.

“No!” Hope whispered, as she looked and saw what he was doing.

“Yes,” said Felix, in a voice used to being obeyed. Then he shuddered. “I know what I’m doing,” he said to Hope. “Trust me.” The last two words were slightly slurred.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Same Time

The defense force clustered around the door of the infirmary, desperately trying to hold off the attackers long enough for the wounded to be dragged inside.

Faith grimaced as she pulled the rag-doll-like Lori inside the infirmary. She laid her on the floor between two of the beds.

“I was wrong about you,” Faith said. “I’m sorry.”

Lori looked up at her, tears in her eyes.

“Don’t get mushy on me,” Faith joshed, forcing a smile.

“I can’t move my legs,” Lori said.

Kadin leaned on the foot of Willow’s bed, clutching Kennedy’s hand.

Skye was in the doorway, trying to fight off a large demon wielding a sharpened wooden axe-handle.

“I know you,” the demon growled. “You’re the traitor.” Skye put both hands on the stake, trying to fight it off, but found, to her surprise, that she totally lacked the strength.

“Skye!” Dawn shouted. Dawn grabbed the stake, too, but the demon was still winning. The stake pierced Skye’s skin, and she grit her teeth.

Then the demon flew backwards, shocked by a blue streak of lightning. Gwen stood in the doorway of the infirmary, wielding some sort of metal pole like a staff. She shot two separate demons with blasts from each end, then spun the pole around and unleashed another flash that sent a demon into the far wall.

She turned to Dawn. “Get everyone inside. Barricade the door.”

“What about you?” Dawn asked.

“I’ll do my thing,” Gwen replied, quirking a smile.

As the last slayer made their way inside the infirmary, Gwen turned and sent an electric blast. With a blaze of sparks, she essentially sealed the door, locking the battered group inside the infirmary.

She then turned her full attention to the horde of demons that began to surround her.

“Let’s play, boys,” she told them, before starting to grin.

Cut To:
Int.
Bureau Nine – Clinic – MRI Room – Same Time

“Is it working now?” asked Rowena of the technician.

He gazed at the monitors. “We need more time, but…yes. In fact, the difference has grown more acute. Measurably.”

Rowena and Giles looked at each other, and then at Ethan. His breath was coming in gasps. Felix had begun to visibly tremble. Xander, while looking sick, looked better than either of them.

“He’s a watcher,” said Rowena, eyes suddenly huge.

“What?” asked Giles.

“Felix! He’s a watcher. Хранитель! A Chosen watcher! Like us!”

Giles took a moment to realize what she was saying. “There are three of us here,” he said.

He did not hesitate. He reached over and grabbed Xander’s hand, forcing it out of Ethan’s clutch. Xander collapsed on the floor.

“Giles, no,” Rowena told him as she tried to help Xander to his feet.

But it was too late. Giles slumped down on the ground, his hand in Ethan’s.

“Oh dear,” he said. “I truly hope this works, and quickly.”

Felix began retching.

“ведьма and воин,” Rowena said, rubbing her temple, as if trying to physically make her mind work quicker. “It’s not going to work! We need one from the slayer line!” she yelled.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Same Time

Everyone now stood in the infirmary. Those still with guns were getting them ready, checking their rounds, reloading their weapons. They had moved a cabinet in front of the glass, but they still could hear the demons battling Gwen outside.

They all watched the door heave and go back into place with each slam. In between the pounding, they heard the unmistakable sound of electric static.

“The next time I say, ‘Let’s go some place like Bolivia,’ let’s go some place like Bolivia,” Buffy quipped to Faith.

Faith gave a nervous chuckle as Lorinda looked on, confused.

“What does that mean?” the younger slayer asked.

“A movie,” Faith told her.

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” Buffy added.

Faith paused. “Right before they got blown away by the Bolivian army.”

“Charming,” Lorinda replied. “I’m going to go stand by the less depressing people, if you don’t mind.”

She walked away, and Buffy turned to Faith.

“You know, I never really thought it would end this way.”

“You mean beaten to a nice, pulpy consistency and hiding in a hospital room?”

“Yeah…that.”

“It ain’t over yet, B.”

“Okay Butch,” Buffy replied.

“Hey, I’m Sundance if I’m anybody,” she said, indignant. “Besides, I’m sure I look waaay better in a cowboy hat than you.”

For a brief moment, Buffy grinned. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said sincerely.

“I’m glad you’re glad. As for me, I’d much rather be on a beach somewhere, gettin’ tan.” Faith gave her a teasing smile. “You gotta admit, this really blows.”

Buffy laughed out loud, at which several heads turned in her direction. “If you’re right, and we do make it out of this, I’m so gonna kick your ass.”

It was Faith’s turn to laugh. But soon she stopped, and a serious expression took hold on her face.

“If I don’t make it,” she began. “Tell Norman. Tell him I always loved him, and I gave him to his folks because they’d give him everything I couldn’t.”

“Okay,” Buffy replied. “But only if you tell Giles I really did want him to be the one to give me away at my wedding someday. Deal?”

Faith nodded, and she looked over to see Kennedy on the floor next to Kadin, who now had a bandage on her stomach and blood on her neck.

“How you holdin’ up, Quick?” Faith asked.

“I feel a little…woozy, to be honest,” Kadin replied.

“You guys sit this next round out,” Faith told them.

“Faith –” Kennedy started to say.

“That’s an order. You guard Willow – be no more than two feet away from her at any time,” she told Kennedy, pointing her finger. “And you…” she said, addressing Kadin, but then trailing off. She started to grin. “Just try not to bleed on anyone, okay?”

Kadin snorted. “No promises,” she told her.

“Really, you just be the eyes in the back of Slick’s head from that chair over there.” Faith motioned toward the chair with her chin.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Hallway Outside Infirmary – Same Time

Gwen was still on her feet, but she was slumped over slightly, her breath coming in heaves. As the demons approached again, she raised her arms. Before she could engage them, she was blindsided by something wooden and rather large.

She fell to the floor, unconscious and trapped under a heavy wooden desk.

The remaining demons, still plentiful, began to pound against the infirmary door. Cretarus moved through the crowd and motioned them away. Six demons, holding one of the lobby support beams, charged forward, using it as a battering ram.

After the third hit, the doors sprang free. As the demons tried to enter, they were met with automatic weapons fire. Although slowed down a bit, they still pressed forward into the room.

Cut To:
Int.
Bureau Nine – Clinic – MRI Room – Same Time

“I’m in the slayer line,” Hope told Rowena. “My sister is a slayer. Let me try again with all of them,” she said, as she reached over and took Felix’s hand.

“I don’t think that’s what they mean!” Rowena shouted.

After a few moments, Hope looked ill again, and the technician shouted.

“No change.”

“Oh, hell,” Rowena said. “Maybe it is three watchers.”

Rowena quickly took Giles’s and Hope’s hands, forming a complete circle. She moaned and whimpered, then began to shudder.

“Ro!” shouted Xander. He looked at her in a panic. “Let go,” he told her. “We’ll try something else.”

Ethan’s eyes managed to focus a little bit. He looked at Rowena. Then he took a slightly deeper breath. “I don’t…feel…quite so…very…dead…” he said with effort.

“I think…” began the technician, with the start of a grin.

But he never finished the sentence. Within the MRI machine, Isabel suddenly gasped aloud and cried out. Her eyes flew open, and from them, as well as from her mouth, a blinding light of many colors poured out. The shockwave cracked the protective glass and dented the walls. Several pieces of furniture were knocked over.

Ethan, Rowena, Giles and Felix collapsed into a pile, pushed suddenly toward the door. Hope and Xander followed suit amid a chorus of grunts and yelps.

The technician was knocked over and yelled.

The fire alarm went off. All parts of the MRI machine began to emit sparks, while every single light bulb in the room spontaneously shattered. A whining pitch filled the room, nearly loud enough to make ears bleed.

And then as quickly as it came, it all faded – sound, light, tumult.

Isabel blinked.

“Where am I?” she said.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Same Time

Buffy punched a vampire with a series of right hooks that barely turned his head. He laughed at her effort.

Dawn and Skye shot their weapons repeatedly at the demons approaching them, led by Sung.

From the bed, Willow’s eyes shot open, and she gagged slightly. She reached up and felt the ventilator covering her mouth. She rose up to see Kennedy struggling at the foot of her bed with a demon.

Raising her hands, Willow shot a magical jolt at the demon that sent him clear through the door. Kennedy’s head shot around to see Willow sitting up.

“Willow!” Kennedy said excitedly. The slayer then paused and took a hard breath out, as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She began to smile as she took a deep breath back in.

Willow was unable to talk, and she closed her eyes before falling back on the bed again.

“Dr. Miller!” Kennedy yelled.

The doctor held a 9-millimeter pistol and made his way over through the slayers and Bureau Nine troops.

“She moved,” Kennedy told him in a rush. “She was awake and she –”

Althenea’s groan caught their attention, and Miller worked his way around to see her reaching for the ventilator. She motioned for him to take it out.

“I don’t think…” he said, shaking his head.

“Take it out!” Kennedy ordered him.

He looked at the monitors and then leaned over Althenea. “Do you want this out?” She nodded her head, and he went to work.

Sung pushed his way around Skye and grabbed Dawn by the head, snapping her neck. Her body fell lifelessly to the ground.

“Noo!” Skye cried out, and jumped on the demon’s back. Not prepared for the sudden weight, Sung toppled over backwards. Skye grabbed a stray piece of wood from the floor and thrust it into his heart.

Buffy continued to square off against her vampire. He continued to laugh, then held his hands up.

“Hold on, Sweetie,” he told her condescendingly. “You want to try this side?” He tapped his other cheek.

Buffy shrugged and reared back with her left fist. When she connected, she sent him flying across the room and into another group of demons. She looked at her left hand and then at Lorinda, who stared at her in shock.

The young slayer then decided to jump the demon she was fighting. She grabbed him by the head and easily snapped his neck. As he fell to the ground, Lorinda smiled.

Robin continued to fire at the demons, protecting Jeff’s and Jocelyn’s beds, as Shannon wrestled with a vampire next to him. Robin tried looking around the demons to see what was happening, but he was surrounded.

He was unable to see that Cretarus had Faith by the throat. The demon looked around the room to see younger demons around Lorinda trying to flee the room rapidly. But the rush of all of them trying to leave at once did nothing but jam the door, so only a few could exit at a time. Distracted, he didn’t notice that Faith had pulled a wooden stake out of her boot. It wasn’t until he looked down and saw the wood protruding from his heart that he realized he’d been staked.

“You bitch,” was all he got out before he burst into flames.

Faith fell to the ground and began to pat out the fire that started on her shirt. Once she extinguished the flames, she croaked out, “You dead.”

At the same time, Skye was hunched over Dawn, tears in her eyes.

“Come on Dawnie, you’ve got to get up,” Skye told her. “Everybody’s okay, so you be okay too, all right? Come on and get up now,” she repeated.

Dawn didn’t move, and Skye began to cradle her body.

Most of the demons were still trying to battle slayers and Bureau Nine troops, but a few continued to try to slip out the door.

Jeff motioned Jocelyn toward him and the pair worked their way out of the infirmary door to see the retreating demons. Each witch seemed to be trying to hold the other up. They joined hands and magically sent three fireballs in the fleeing demons’ direction, taking out three of them as they ran away. They turned to each other and tried to do a high five, but missed.

“Oh, we’ll do it later when I feel better,” Jeff teased.

Jurgen loomed over Mia and Kadin, who tried to hold him off with automatic gunfire. The vampire reached out and bent the tips of the rifles with a laugh. Suddenly he began to shake and body was surrounded by blue sparks, as if he was being electrocuted. Within moments, he turned to dust. Behind him stood Althenea, swaying but still upright.

“I think I’m getting too old for this,” Kadin said with a relieved sigh.

Althenea grinned, but then stumbled and looked like she might fall over, so Mia rushed to steady her.

“You okay?” Mia asked.

“Maybe I should sit down, yes?” Althenea suggested.

“Not a bad idea,” Mia agreed.

They looked around the room. Only a handful of demons and vampires remained.

“Where’s Rowena?” Althenea asked.

Kennedy came up to them with a grin. “I think it’s safe to say she went out and got her answers.”

Buffy came over to see Skye still cradling her sister.

“Dawn?” Buffy said as she walked, some trepidation in her voice.

Skye looked up at Buffy. Her face had genuine tears running down it.

“I tried to protect her. I tried to save her, but he snapped her neck before I could reach him.”

“But she’s immortal,” Buffy said, as she knelt down next to them.

“No,” Skye said, shaking her head. “She got a cut, it didn’t heal. When magic left…”

“…so did the curse,” Buffy finished. “Oh, God, no,” she sobbed loudly, putting a hand to her mouth.

The noise made everyone turn, and Faith and Robin made their way over.

Althenea watched Faith walk toward Buffy and turned back to Willow, who still lay in the bed, her eyes closed.

“Will she be okay?” Althenea asked Dr. Miller as she stood over Willow’s bed, using the bed and Mia for support.

 He was now holding the ventilator in his hand.

“Her vitals are fine,” he told them. “I think she just passed out.” He pulled something from his pocket and put it under Willow’s nose. The witch twitched and opened her eyes before pushing his hand away.

“What is that?” Willow asked, as she began to open her eyes.

“Smelling salts,” Dr. Miller told her.

“It smells like rotting mummy,” she told him.

He smiled over at the group. “I think she’ll be fine.”

Willow’s eyes looked around her, but they settled on Kennedy.

“Thank you,” she told her. “Rowena did make the right choice.”

Kennedy looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“I saw you down there. Battling a pretty big demon…and losing…I’d have probably been toast if it wasn’t for you, huh?”

Kennedy just shrugged.

“You’re much better than any book,” Willow told her with a smile.

Kennedy gave her a bashful grin. “All in a day’s work,” she said.

“Thank you,” Willow said sincerely.

Kennedy just smiled. “The pleasure’s mine, Will. Besides,” she added, motioning to Mia, “without you we wouldn’t be slayers.”

“Dr. Miller!” Buffy shouted desperately from the other side of the room.

Suddenly, Dawn’s head turned, and she opened her eyes.

“What happened?” Dawn asked. Skye pulled Dawn closer to her and kissed her forehead.

“You died,” Robin told her.

“Again,” Faith pointed out.

Dawn looked confused for a second.

“Snapped neck,” Skye supplied. “I tried to block him. I did. But it doesn’t matter now, I guess. Everything is –”

Without warning, Skye began to shake violently. She pulled away from Dawn and slid on her backside away from the group. They all watched as her face morphed from vampire form into human form continuously, seemingly beyond her control.

Finally, her face was human again, and she closed her eyes before collapsing on her back.

“Skye!” Dawn called out, scrambling to make her way over. “Skye!”

This time, it was Skye’s turn not to answer.

Cut To:
Int.
Council Van – Later that Night

Giles and Rowena sat in the van as they drove back to the Council.

“I just don’t get it,” Rowena told him. “I read the parts in Russian, and I could have sworn we needed a slayer to change the flow. We had you as the watcher, and Ethan qualified as the witch…but obviously I read it wrong.”

“Well, we weren’t at the top of our game, as some might say.”

“Yeah…I guess it was three watchers we needed to create one – a circle that made the embodiment of a single entity.”

Giles chuckled, and Rowena looked at him curiously.

“What’s so funny?”

“Well, it was either that or Hope’s pregnant with triplets – a future witch, watcher and a slayer – one embodiment.” Giles chuckled again. “Won’t Faith be pleased to hear that? Especially if Jeff’s the father.”

Rowena said nothing at first, but she mustered a half-hearted chuckle.

Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Infirmary – Later that Day

Willow’s eyes were closed when Rowena arrived in the room. The watcher smiled for a moment and then tightened the fist that was balled up at her side. She walked up to the bed and slowly leaned over, giving Willow a gentle kiss.

The witch’s eyes opened, and she smiled upon seeing Rowena standing there. The watcher smiled back. Without saying a word, Rowena opened Willow’s hand and placed something delicately inside of it.

“What’s this?” Willow asked. “My ring finally?”

“A clam shell,” Rowena told her. “Liz’s wedding gift to us. I promised her you’d get it when you woke up.”

The pair smiled at each other, and Willow tightened her hold on the seashell.

“We’ll get to the ring part when you feel a little better,” Rowena told her.

Willow smiled again.

Fade to Black

Fade In:
Int.
Watchers Council – Press Room – Days Later

Waiting, several dozen reporters and cameramen milled about. Lights had already gone into place, aimed at the podium. Microphones bearing logos from multiple news organizations had been fastened to the podium bearing the proud arms of the Watchers Council – a bell and a sleeping lion, watched over by three alert ravens.

Several reporters were making tiny introductory announcements into their respective cameras.

“…rumors are multiplying like the proverbial bunnies here in Cleveland…”

“…a few days ago, when emergency rooms and, sad to say, morgues were doing an all-too-thriving business…”

“…witnesses confirm that combat teams from Bureau Nine also responded…”

“…as we all know, the slayers worldwide have again taken up their roles as guardians of the human race…”

“…and again, one year later, the attention of the world turns to this city on the edge of a Great Lake…”

“…not forget the fighting here was but part of a much larger story – a story of literally thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children all over the globe suddenly freed from curses; rescued from menaces that are the stuff out of nightmares; countless unseen dangers suddenly either visible or erased. What some commentators are even calling a change of epoch…”

Everyone reacted to a change of atmosphere almost as one. The door stage left of the podium opened, grabbing the attention of every single person present. Cameras realigned. Lights switched on.

Jim Pollan, walking slower than usual and almost limping, made his way through that door and into the room. He didn’t inch along. But he wasn’t much faster. In one hand was a single sheet of folded paper.

Upon reaching the podium, he looked out and smiled. Under the lights, his pallor could hardly be missed.

“Good afternoon,” he said. “For those of you wondering…yes, I am fine. A little worse for wear, but very much on the mend. For those of you who weren’t wondering…same message.”

A chuckle rippled through the room.

“I know you all have a great many questions you’d like answered. The good news is that I’ll be answering most, if not all, of them. The bad news is…not right at this moment. Sorry.” He unfolded the sheet of paper and made ready to read it. “There will be full explanations later. There will be lists of heroes, and lists of deeds that earned men and women that title. There is, to be honest, enough blame to go around. But there is, in truth, far more glory. Still, that is for another time. Today is about two announcements, announcements I feel sure will be of great interest to everyone here. Probably many others, as well.”

He cleared his throat and focused on the sheet of paper in his hand. “As of today,” he read aloud, “the Watchers Council is pleased and proud to announce it has accepted the application for employment of virtually the entire staff of the prestigious security firm known as Bureau Nine. This includes scientific, security and senior management personnel, each to be accorded the equivalent in rank and seniority with their former positions. Given the size of Bureau Nine, this effectively doubles the size of the Watchers Council worldwide. We believe we are all much the better as a result of this merger.”

Jim paused, savoring the moment of shock as the import of his words sank in. Some people even gasped. Hands began to raise, to ask or even demand answers. He cut them off.

“Secondly,” he said, louder than before, and with a bigger smile, “we are also pleased to announce that Willow Rosenberg and Rowena Allister were married just over twelve hours ago. And no, we’re not telling you the location of the honeymoon. Again, we’ll issue a more detailed statement at a later date.”

Jim turned as the reporters shouted questions in his direction, with no particular question standing out in a sea of words. He simply grinned as he made his way back inside the building.

Fade to Black

 

End of The Dark Tower

End of Season Four

 

Check out the season four finale video below…