Act 4
Fade In:
Int.
Liz’s House – Living Room – Later that Night
Nathan was fast asleep in his sleeping bag next to Trish, who was asleep in hers. Seated on a nearby loveseat Liz and Alex sat side by side, each holding a glass of wine.
“Thank you again,” she told him softly, trying not to wake the kids. “You didn’t have to stay.”
“But I wanted to,” he told her. “With Jen at your folks’ and Joyce at hers, you needed someone here for a little extra support.” He clicked his fingers, making a tiny electrical spark.
Liz smiled. “Show off.” Alex just chuckled softly. “Really, I mean it,” she told him. “I didn’t want you to get you into trouble with Maddie.”
He looked at his near-empty glass and motioned for Liz to follow him to the kitchen.
When the pair arrived, Alex opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine. Still keeping his voice low, he said, “It doesn’t really matter what I do. I’m always in trouble.” He sighed.
“Then why stay?” Liz asked as she took a seat at the table. She looked over to see the kids, still visible through the doorway in the next room.
“My sister asks me this question all the time,” he said, taking a seat next to her. He filled his glass and then proceeded to fill Liz’s.
“The answer?” she prompted.
“Well…I look at my folks, yours too, and I think, when you marry someone, you stick it out.”
“But those people respect each other,” Liz replied. She quickly waved her hands. “I’m sorry. Brian broke up with me this week, so I’m the last person to offer advice on relationships.”
“He did?” Alex asked. Liz just nodded. “His loss.”
“Not really,” Liz replied. “He said I was never there, so really, there wasn’t much to lose. And he wasn’t lying…But he just doesn’t understand what I do, what we do,” she added, motioning between them.
“Let me guess?” Alex began. “He thinks you’re a real stand-up gal for saving the world, but he wants something more.”
Liz snorted into her glass. “Sounds familiar.”
“Sounds like my wife.”
“See? That’s what I don’t get,” Liz said. “Maddie complains that you’re not around, right?” Alex just nodded. “But when you offered to bring her here tonight, she refused and went to her mom’s house with a slayer guard. Is it me she hates?”
“Oh, hell no,” Alex chuckled and quickly lowered his voice. “She won’t hang out with my folks, or even Jen, for that matter.” Alex sighed again, making sure his voice was even lower. “Trish is the only wonderful thing Maddie ever did for me.”
Liz looked over to the kids still sleeping on the floor for a moment. “Life’s short, Alex – too short not to be happy. Trish would adjust, I’m sure.”
Alex looked over at the children, too, and began to grin. “Sometimes it doesn’t seem that long since we were like that on your folks’ living room floor. Other times…it seems like an eternity ago.”
Still watching the kids, Liz said, “I know what you mean.”
Alex began to grin. “Jen joked the other night about how everyone at the Council is related.”
Liz chuckled softly. “So did Nikki,” she replied, turning back to him.
“I think I see why,” he said. Liz arched an eyebrow quizzically and he continued. “Outsiders don’t get it. Not really. I mean, with the exception of your folks, name a couple who aren’t both a part of the Council in some way.”
“Well…”
“And who’ve been together over ten years, too,” he added.
“Okay, nobody,” she replied.
“Exactly,” he said. “I see our parents and I think…why can’t I have that? Is it too much to ask?”
“Again, you’re asking the wrong girl,” Liz told him. She raised her glass and Alex clinked his against hers, smiling. They both then took a drink. “Come on,” she said, motioning toward the living room with her head. “Let’s question the universe tomorrow after we’ve had some sleep.”
Cut To:
Int.
Liz’s House – Living Room – Moments Later
Liz climbed into the bed of the sleeper sofa as Alex took a spot on the loveseat.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I should stay up,” he told her.
“The house has the shield, right?” Alex nodded. “And you’ll either hear or feel it if something tries to break it, right?”
“Definitely. In fact, your neighbors down the block might feel it,” he replied.
“Then get some sleep,” she told him as she scooted over. “I need that brain of yours working on how to solve this problem and sleep will help.”
With a grin, he climbed into the makeshift bed. After a few moments of lying there, he said, “We’re missing something.”
“What?” Liz asked as she yawned.
“S’mores,” he replied seriously, before he started to grin. “Next time I stay over, promise me we’ll make S’mores.”
“You got a deal,” Liz said, smiling at him.
Fade To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Coven Room – Next Morning
Liz and Rowena walked inside to see Alex and Willow examining a map.
“Good news, I hope?” Rowena asked.
“Very good,” Alex told her. “We might have a hit. Get this – two blocks away.”
“Are you serious?” Liz asked. “They’re holed up that close to us?”
“Why would they worry?” Willow replied. “They can hide in plain sight, after all.”
“But why haven’t they left?” Liz asked. “I mean why stay here in Cleveland?”
“They need a Hellmouth,” a voice said from behind them. They all turned to see Grace and Nikki enter, as Grace continued, “Their powers are greatest next to the Hellmouth they spawned from.”
“Right,” Nikki agreed. “While it’s true they could change into a bird and try to fly to California, they’d never make it, because their powers would be too weak by then. And it’s not like they could hitchhike there in demon form.”
“How far is the radius? A few miles? An entire state?” Alex asked.
“Jackson uncovered the Hellmouth connection,” Grace explained, “So right now, he’s trying to pinpoint a range. But since you found them, that’s not an issue, right?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Alex replied. “We’ve found a large gathering of magical energy in a warehouse near here that matches the samples of the dead demons. But even if it is them, they might not all be there.”
The comlink in the room went off and Shannon’s voice asked, “You found something, Willow?”
“Yeah,” Willow replied, facing the panel. “A warehouse, about two blocks away. How many slayers can you have ready?”
“As many as you need,” she replied. “I can have two squads assembled in five minutes. Four, if you give me fifteen. If it’s that hairy, I can send the entire Cleveland Battalion.”
“Shan?” Grace said. “Please get with Jen and have four squads ready and four on standby. Then meet us in the Coven Room”
“You got it,” she replied, before disconnecting.
“So we move out then?” Liz asked the room.
“No,” Alex said. Liz looked annoyed. “I know you want this over with – we all do – but if these things are as nasty as we think…a little magical muscle won’t hurt.”
“What are you suggesting?” Willow asked.
“Jake and Sophie,” he told her. “They’re each only an hour away, tops.”
“I don’t like having everyone in this fight,” Rowena said. “Not all of us. Pick one or the other – but not both,” she said.
“You know, the Coven isn’t your department,” Willow said with a grin.
Rowena remained stone-faced. “I don’t care, Will. We’re not having all of our kids in the same fight at the same time.”
“Sophie, then,” Alex said. “Jake’s got the new baby and she’s closer anyway. I can call her in Columbus and have an express air shuttle pick her up. A half-hour or so and she’ll be here. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Rowena answered, and then looked to Willow for her answer.
“I was kidding, you know?” she told Rowena. “I don’t want them all here either, a-and I would have suggested that if you hadn’t.”
Finally, Rowena gave her a grin. “That’s not an official agreement,” she pointed out.
“Agreed,” Willow replied. “But I’m still calling Jake to be on standby.”
Cut To:
Ext.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Later that Day
Liz was looking up at a dilapidated and faded sign that read “Roker’s Manufacturing” as Joyce walked up to her.
“I’m not sure if you should be here,” Liz told her. “You’ve only been on a few patrols, and even then, you’ve never seen any action.”
“Look,” Joyce told her. “I can keep studying books until the next apocalypse, but that’ll never be enough. At some point, I’m going to have to fight. So why not have today be the day?”
“Just be careful,” Liz stressed.
“I will,” she replied quickly.
“I mean it,” Liz said more forcefully. “No hot-dogging in there.”
“We’re gonna eat?”
“I meant showing off, acting like Queen Slayer,” Liz sighed.
Joyce gave her a playful grin. “I know what you meant. I was just yankin’ ya,” she replied. “Don’t spaz, okay?”
“I can’t help it,” Liz remarked, and let out a heavy sigh. “I just…I’ve got a bad feeling I can’t shake. So just be –”
“Careful,” Joyce said, putting a hand on Liz’s arm. “I’m logged in, so don’t worry.”
Jen walked over and nodded toward the weapons vehicle. “Go choose your weapon, Harris,” she told her.
As Joyce walked away, Jen asked Liz, “How you holding up? You’re grinding your teeth so much. it looks like you could gnaw the handles off those factory doors.” She pointed across the street.
“It shows, huh?” Liz asked.
“Hey, you’ve already killed two of them,” Jen told her, handing her the anti-magic gun. “Only ten more to go…and this time you’ve got back up.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Liz said as she took the weapon.
“She’s right,” Alex said from behind them, making both women turn. “Of course, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be on guard.” He said. He raised one of the anti-magic guns and walked away.
Liz looked back at the building warily.
Sophie stood, not far away, with Dawn and her mothers. She pointed to the building in front of them. “There’s a lot of energy coming out of there,” she said.
“Magically, they’re extremely powerful,” Willow said. “Physically, conventional weapons can kill them.”
“So what’s the plan?” Sophie asked.
“Do that voodoo that you do so well,” Rowena told her.
Sophie smiled. “A little more specific?”
“The Covens goes in first,” Willow answered her. “The slayers will be behind us. We coat the entire room with reveal spells, so the slayers know what to eliminate.”
“Okay,” Sophie said, but then paused. “And should that go wrong, what’s the contingency plan?”
“Run like hell,” Dawn offered.
“Great plan,” Sophie replied dryly.
Alex walked up and put a hand on Sophie’s shoulder as he handed Rowena the anti-magic gun.
“Careful. It’s kinda heavy,” he told her.
“Sheesh,” Rowena said as she took it, feeling the weight.
“Uncle Xan hasn’t worked out a handheld version yet, so you’ll have to make due,” he teased. “But keep that with you at all times. Anything you see that looks odd…heck, anything that looks normal, blast it. Just try not to hit any of us. Not only will we lose our magic ability but, y’know, the whole death by fire thing too. That would be bad.”
Rowena nodded and then called over her shoulder, “Shannon? You set?”
Shannon nodded, an anti-magic gun in her hand as well. “Okay, ladies,” she told the troops. “On the coven’s order.” She then turned to Jen. “Remember, hold your squads here as back up.”
Jen nodded.
“You’re up,” Rowena told the Coven as she powered up the gun.
“Let’s move out,” Willow shouted.
Willow led the way as a mass of thirty-plus people followed behind her, crossing the street.
Cut To:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Moments Later
Daylight shone through the sliding bay doors as Willow opened them. She stepped in first, moving just inside. She paused before going any further and looked around.
The large, open room was littered with old wooden pallets and boxes of various sizes. Above them was a catwalk that had several types of manufacturing machinery hanging down. There was also a rusty conveyor belt along the far wall directly in front of them. To the left and right were two large bay doors. By outward appearances no one, or rather no creature, was in the room. Willow turned back to her children and Dawn.
“Ready? On three – one, two, three.” On the last number, all four of them said, “Reveal,” and waved their hands.
Although a fine mist filled the room, it was still and absolutely nothing happened. The witches looked at each other and Willow walked deeper inside, with everyone following behind her as the mist dissipated.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Command Center – Same Time
Jackson came to the doorframe of the Command Center, sounding winded and clutching it for support.
“What’s wrong?” Nikki asked.
“We might have a problem,” he told her.
“How big of a problem?” she asked.
“I did some math. One demon is added for each cycle.”
Nikki seemed to compute that in her head and then swore, “Son of a bitch.”
Cut To:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Same Time
From the side doors, unseen by the gathering, streams of liquid slid under the doors, going in different directions into the main room.
From the center of the room, Sophie said, “They’re not here.”
“I don’t like this,” Liz said to Joyce. “Keep your eyes open.” Her eyes continued to scan the room. She looked at the catwalk above them and sighed. “I really hate heights. They better not be up there, because I’m not going.”
By now, all of the Council forces and the various department heads were inside the structure.
“What do you think?” Liz asked Shannon.
Shannon thought for a moment. “Let’s close this down, ladies. I smell a trap.”
Joyce looked down at the ground to see several individual puddles of liquid approaching. She pulled on Liz’s sleeve and pointed.
“Look,” she told her.
Shannon looked over too, and quickly yelled, “Retreat! Everyone out! Now!”
A squad of slayers at the back managed to make their way out, but the heavy doors quickly slid shut, crushing one slayer between them. The doors opened slightly and the girl fell to the sidewalk outside before they re-shut again, sealing the others inside.
Cut To:
Ext.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Seconds later
Jen and her teams were running toward the nine slayers who escaped.
“What’s going on?” Jen asked, as two people from her squad checked the fallen slayer on the sidewalk.
One girl shook her head. “Don’t know. Matthewson called a retreat.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Command Center – Same Time
“Liz, can you hear me?” Nikki asked.
“Kinda busy now,” Liz replied in a worried tone. “Hit it again, guys.”
“We got the totals wrong. Pull back,” she said.
“Too late,” Liz replied. “Willow’s team’s trying, but we’re magically sealed here.”
Grace turned to Jackson. “I want every slayer we have over at that warehouse, now! Go!”
Jackson nodded and took off.
Cut To:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Moments Later
“Is there anything else we can do?” Rowena asked her wife.
Willow shook her head. “We can keep trying with magic, but it might drain us too much.”
At the doors, six girls tried to pull them apart, but they wouldn’t budge.
More and more puddles began to form a circle around the remaining members.
“This is not good,” Shannon said, tightening her hold on her magical gun. “Willow, try the reveal spell again.” To her troops, she shouted. “Ladies, be ready! We stand and fight.”
Willow looked to her Coven members again. “Take two. One, two, three – reveal!”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Command Center – Same Time
“It’s not ten demons!” Nikki shouted.
Cut To:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Same Time
The forty puddles that surrounded the teams sprang to life to reveal themselves as forty demons surrounding the twenty Council members. The ensuing roar was so loud it shattered the few unbroken windows in the factory.
“It’s sixty-six, if Jackson did his math right,” Nikki’s voice could be heard over everyone’s comlink.
The demons charged.
“You don’t say,” Liz replied, before she opened fire with her anti-magic gun. Back to back, Rowena did the same to a demon approaching her.
Cut To:
Ext.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Same Time
“Get that door open now!” Jen shouted to her slayers.
“It’s not moving,” Calendar said through gritted teeth as she pulled.
Jen looked toward the top of the structure.
“Grappling hooks and zip lines, now!” she said, pointing to the broken windows.
Cut To:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Same Time
The slayers began to engage the demons, Joyce included. She swung her axe but instead of connecting she hit nothing but thin air. The momentum of her swing spun her around in a circle. The demon seemed to disappear, as well as the other demons in the room, but the sound of bouncing metal balls filled the room. The group looked around to see the balls rolling away.
“Damn it,” Alex swore. “They keep reforming, regrouping.”
“Jared?” Willow said into her comlink. “We need back up now. Send everyone.”
“On our way,” a voice replied.
“Slayers! Line formation,” Shannon yelled.
As the slayers lined up, so did the demons, forming three waves opposite to the slayers’ one line. Each metal marble seemed to almost bounce in anticipation as Willow and the Coven stepped in front of the slayer line.
“On my command,” Willow told her group.
They all watched as the first line of balls began to roll toward them, gaining speed, getting bigger as they approached. When they were at half the distance, Willow yelled, “Now!” and all four witches immediately said, “Reveal!”
Once more, the balls became demons as the slayers advanced, battling the first wave that came toward them. Some slayers managed to get in some good strikes, while others were tossed aside like rag-dolls.
“The other lines aren’t moving,” Liz told Rowena. She pointed to the second and third demon lines, which remained standing and watching.
“They’re trying to cut our numbers first,” Rowena replied. “Come on. Time to force their hand.”
While the slayers took on the transformed demons hand-to-hand, Rowena and Liz moved in front of the waiting demons and began to open fire across the line. The third line scattered and tried to work behind Liz and Rowena.
Seeing what was about to happen, Willow grabbed Alex and Sophie. “Left,” she told Alex as she pointed. “Right,” she told Sophie. Both witches took off.
Joyce felled one demon with great delight.
“I got one!” she shouted, as she pulled her axe from the demon’s chest. Her glee was short-lived, as another demon grabbed her by the neck, raising her in the air. She dropped the axe, making a choking noise.
Suddenly, the demon was on fire and released Joyce. Grabbing her throat, she looked up to see Dawn off to the side, hitting the demon with fireball after fireball. It stumbled to the ground, burning.
“Thanks, Aunt Dawn,” Joyce croaked.
Dawn handed her the axe.
“Don’t get cocky,” she warned. “At least not until they’re all dead,” she added with a grin. She motioned with her head. “Your watcher could use some help.”
Joyce nodded and took off toward the demon circle that was trying to form around Rowena and Liz. The two women stood back to back again, guns at the ready.
“Okay, it seemed like a good idea at the time,” Liz remarked as they watched the demons starting to circle them. “But…what now?”
Lightning bolts began to strike the demons around them in a domino effect and the pair looked over to see Alex and Sophie providing space for them to work free. Backing up from the open circle, Rowena and Liz continued to fire their guns until they were standing between Alex and Sophie.
“I’m starting to feel the heat through the gloves,” Rowena told her. “We gotta shut these things down for a while.”
“We don’t have a while,” Liz told her.
As the battle ensued the reveal spell seemed to vanish again. As soon as it did, the demons all transformed into crows and flew up to the catwalk.
“Okay,” Alex said as he raised his hand. “Who here is officially annoyed by these guys? Show of hands.” Liz grinned and raised her hand, making Alex smile.
The floor of the warehouse was a mess of dead demons, some on fire and some just bleeding. Among the mix were also injured slayers, who were slowly getting to their feet.
“Casualties?” Rowena asked Shannon.
Shannon checked the datapad wrapped around her wrist. “All vitals are good. None, so far.”
“Well, then it’s been a good day, so far,” she quipped.
“Why are they just sitting up there?” Joyce asked her watcher.
“Good question,” Liz replied, “but I don’t have an answer.”
With everyone sweating and breathing hard, the Council began to regroup by the doors. A couple of slayers tried again to open them, without success.
“I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up,” Sophie told her mother. “I’m starting to feel drained.”
“That’s their plan,” Willow said. “Wear us down magically.”
“Then rip us to shreds,” Alex said. He waited for a beat. “Or, in the case of their present form, poke all our eyes out ala Alfred Hitchcock.”
The birds began to flutter and Rowena sighed. “You just had to jinx us, didn’t you?” she asked Alex.
Nineteen ropes fell from above them, and attached to each line was a slayer, who made a quick descent to the floor below.
“Cavalry’s here,” Jen said as she unhooked. “What did we miss?”
“That,” Alex said, pointing to the birds above them.
“And that,” Liz said motioning to the floor as around twenty liquid puddles began to move around.
“Great, now they’ve got ground and aerial assault? This is really messed up,” Joyce said.
“Did you hear that, Nikki?” Liz asked. “My slayer says this is messed up.”
“Really messed up,” Joyce corrected her.
“Really messed up. So congratulations are in order. You managed to get us to agree on something for once.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Command Center – Same Time
“We’ve got slayers on their way now,” Nikki told her.
Cut To:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Same Time
“We’re two friggin’ blocks away!” Liz replied. “How long is this going to take? And where the hell is Grace?” she added, annoyed.
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Command Center – Same Time
“Please calm down,” Nikki told her. “I know how you feel –”
Cut To:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Same Time
“You know nothing, okay? We’re losing an uphill battle here.”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Command Center – Same Time
“They’re suiting up and four squads have just left,” Nikki replied, biting her lip to try and control her temper.
Cut To:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Same Time
“I don’t care if they’re naked. Get them all here now!” Liz ordered. “We need slayer-power. Not gadgets! Do you copy that?”
Cut To:
Int.
Watchers Council – Command Center – Same Time
“Yes, I copy,” Nikki responded angrily.
Cut To:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Same Time
Willow’s communicator went off. “High priestess, it’s Jared,” a voice said.
“Magical backup’s here, guys,” she told the group. “Go ahead, Jared.”
“Have your people move away from the door. We’re going to try to unseal it.”
“Everybody take cover!” Willow told them as they began to move swiftly from the door. “When you’re ready Jared, go for it.”
A moment later, the door burst free from its hinges and landed with a loud thud. As the teams raced toward the door, the demons on the ground materialized in front of them, blocking their path, while the demons above them began to fly through the air. Several transformed in mid-air, kicking Council members to the ground as they landed.
Alex turned to try to get off a shot, but got kicked in the chest by a demon, which sent him flying through the air. He crashed against a group of pallets and landed on the ground, unconscious.
“Alex!” Liz called out as she tried to reach him, but a demon landed in her path, batting her gun away. The weapon smashed against the far wall, breaking into a hundred pieces.
It took a swing at her, but she ducked, running under its legs. Picking up a fallen sword, she sliced the back of the demon’s legs, bringing it to its knees. She didn’t stick around, though. She continued to run. Joyce however, sliced the demon’s neckline and it fell, face first.
“Liz!” Joyce called out, before running after her.
The demon that had struck Alex was now standing over the unconscious witch, with its foot in the air about to stomp on his head. Liz was already in an all out run and delivered a flying kick that made the demon lose its balance and tumble to the ground. Unfortunately, Liz also fell in the attack. Before she could get back up to her feet, Joyce dived over her head and landed square on top of the demon, driving her axe into its forehead.
“Tag team take down,” Joyce said, looking over her shoulder at Liz.
Liz grinned for a brief moment, then turned to Alex. “Alex, can you hear me?” she asked.
She didn’t get a response and turned around to see his other family members engaged in their own battles, unaware of what had happened. She pulled a small round pad from the datapad on her wrist and laid it on his neck. Information began to feed into the lighted unit on Liz’s arm. She let out a sigh of relief. She then turned to Joyce.
“Go join the battle,” she told her. “I’ll guard him.”
“Fine, but I’m not going far,” Joyce replied.
Liz watched, and true to her word, Joyce rejoined the battle but continued to offer them protection, not wandering too far into the fight. She turned her attention back to Alex and stroked his hair softly.
“No time for taking a nap, Alex. We need you out there, so come on and wake up.”
Jared and his Coven members held a group of demons in one place with a magical force field as Jen and Calendar fired crossbow bolt after crossbow bolt into their foreheads.
One demon tried to turn into a bird again, but Rowena’s gun followed it as it flew and blasted it out of the air. It crashed back down to the ground in a burning mess.
For their part, Willow and Sophie were also holding demons in place, so that the reinforcement slayers who raced through the door could take them out.
Liz turned to see what looked like a snake start to work its way behind Joyce. She picked up her sword again.
“I’ll be back,” she told Alex.
Joyce had just skewered the demon she’d been fighting when the snake transformed behind her. The demon reached out a claw, but before it could touch her, a sword tip poked through its chest. Joyce turned at the noise behind her and had to jump to avoid the dead demon crashing down into her.
Liz pulled the blade from the creature and yelled, “Duck!”
Joyce dropped to the ground immediately as Liz jumped on the back of the fallen demon. She sliced left and then right, hitting the necks of two demons that were approaching.
“Damn!” Joyce said, impressed as the demons fell to the ground, motionless.
“Watchers – all brain, no brawn – is that it?” she teased, as she hopped down and offered her hand to Joyce.
“Remind me not to piss you off,” Joyce retorted as Liz pulled her up.
“Ohhhh, I’ll remember to remind you,” Liz joked as she started walking backward toward Alex. “You’re doing great,” she told her. “Positively…fuchsia.”
Joyce beamed in response and rejoined the battle. As Liz arrived next to Alex again, she saw two large spiders, their bodies about three inches wide, making their way toward him.
“You dirty sons of bitches,” she said as she stepped on both of them, crunching them under the tip of her shoe. The noise they emitted sounded almost like a muffled scream.
The main floor was filled with an array of creatures in various sizes – from insects to a lion, which Calendar rode as she tried to kill it. The slayers, however, were now finally getting the upper hand in the battle, thanks to the reinforcements.
“Liz?” she heard her name called. She looked down to see that Alex had opened his eyes.
“Hey, sleepy head,” Liz told him. “The battle got to be too much, so you decided to take a nap.”
He groaned. “I think I broke…something.”
“Stay still. Now it’s my turn to stand guard,” she told him.
In spite of his pain, Alex mustered a grin for her as the battle raged around them.
Fade to Black
Fade In:
Int.
Roker’s Manufacturing – Later that Day
“Sixty-three, sixty-four,” Shannon said, putting a marked flag on the last demon. “With the two Liz took out, that makes sixty-six.”
“Great work,” Rowena told her. “No casualties, minimal injuries.”
“How’s Alex?” she asked.
“Broken rib,” Rowena told her. “But he’ll be okay. Thanks for asking.”
“Hey, we need our Coven,” she replied. She then gripped Rowena’s arm gently. “Experienced watchers, too,” she added with a wink before walking away.
Rowena smiled, then looked outside and saw Liz smiling as she talked with Joyce and Calendar. She began to make her way over.
“Did you see me?” Calendar asked them. “I was riding a lion! A frickin’ lion! How cool is that? Of course, I had to kill it, but…woo…I mean, really, how cool is that?”
“Not as cool as her,” Joyce said, motioning to Liz. “You should have seen her. Zip Zip.” She made a sword motion. “Slice and dice and goodnight.”
“So I guess things are working out then?” Calendar said, motioning between Liz and Joyce.
Joyce cocked her head and then looked Liz up and down. “Yeahhh, I think I’ll keep her.”
“You’re such a snot,” Liz chuckled as Rowena came over.
“Thank you,” Rowena told Liz. “You looked after my baby. Both of you,” she added with a nod to Joyce, who blushed.
“It was our pleasure,” Joyce told her. Rowena affectionately rubbed the back of her head and ended with a pat on the back.
Liz smiled and motioned for Rowena to follow her, the two of them beginning to make their way down the sidewalk. Joyce and Calendar picked up on their animated conversation, not following them.
“Someone had to take care of him,” Liz told Rowena. “The guy is totally useless after all,” she teased, bumping shoulders with Rowena. They walked along in silence for a few steps. “On your way to the hospital?”
“Yeah, Will and Jen are with him. They said he’s gonna be fine, but…”
“You’re his mom,” Liz said.
“Yeah,” she said. “And like I said, he’s still my baby.”
Liz just nodded in understanding. “But all in all, it was a good day, wouldn’t you say?” she asked.
Rowena smiled and then looked up at the sunny sky around them. “It is a beautiful day…and you did an exceptional job. I’m proud of the watcher you’ve become.”
Liz smiled. “I’ve got the best teacher, it helps.”
Rowena took Liz’s hand and gave it a squeeze as they walked on.
Fade to Black
End of Contingency
Next on Watchers…
When a highly contagious virus infects nearly the entire Watchers Council, it’s up to some of its least likely members to figure out exactly what’s going on and save the day.
