Originally broadcasted 9/20/05

Fade In:

Int.

Watchers Council – Giles’s Apartment – Evening

June 3rd, 2005

Becca walked through the doorway of the living room to see Giles sitting on their sofa with a bundled blanket in his arms. She smiled gently and, with soft footsteps, made her way over.

“If you keep holding her all the time, you’re going to spoil her,” she warned playfully.

“I intend to,” he said softly, before looking back down at his daughter snuggled up in his arms. “It’s amazing,” he said.

“What’s amazing?” Becca asked as she took a seat next to him.

“Her, you…us,” Giles said, as he turned to Becca with a warm smile. “If someone had told me two years ago that I’d be sitting here with Elizabeth in my arms, I would have said they were crazy. Now look at me,” he said with a grin.

“Yeah, you’re quite the mushball,” Becca teased. “But you’re my mushball.” She gave him a light kiss on the cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

“I’ve been thinking…”

“About?” Becca prodded, when he didn’t add more.

Giles hesitated at first. “I’d like to move somewhere else. Get a larger place, perhaps. Maybe even…maybe leave the Council.”

Becca’s head shot up to look him in the eyes. “Are you serious?”

“Quite,” he answered, and then looked down at his sleeping daughter again. “This job is dangerous, and I’m not getting any younger.”

“True,” Becca agreed.

“I already missed her birth,” Giles continued, “and I want to enjoy as many years and as many things as I can with the two of you…I’m not sure I can do both.”

“Rupert, I-I don’t know what to say,” Becca answered. “I’d be lying if I said I was disappointed with your decision, but…this is a bit sudden, isn’t it?”

“Well, it’s not as if I’ll pack our bags and be gone next week. Preparations would need to be made, of course, another person put in charge of the Council and so on. But…I think it’s time. What do you think?”

Becca seemed to consider her response. “I’d love to get you out of harm’s way, you know that. But I also want you to be happy. I know being a watcher is what you are, not just what you do.”

“I’m a husband and father now, too,” he countered. “That makes a difference.”

Becca paused. “Do you think you can handle retirement?”

Giles shrugged. “I won’t know until I try,” he answered.

“Well,” Becca began, “you have my full support, whatever you decide. I just don’t want everyone here thinking I’m Yoko.”

Giles smiled. “I’ll be sure to tell them it was my idea and mine alone.”

Becca nodded, and they both went back to watching their daughter quietly.

Fade to Black

Fade In:

Ext.

Iraq – US Army Barracks – Early Morning

It was dark outside as two men in desert camouflage stood outside of the makeshift barracks. One man, with the name Long on his breast pocket, was showing another man, whose badge identified him as Davis, photos from his wallet.

“That’s Nora, and that’s Robert Junior,” Long said, pointing as he smiled at the photo.

“You said he was three?” Davis asked. “He’s a big boy.”

“Yeah, he’s gonna be a linebacker for the Jets someday,” Long said proudly.

Suddenly a ground-shaking rumbling brought their conversation to a halt.

“What the hell was that?” Long asked. “Insurgent fire?”

“No type of fire I ever heard,” Davis said, checking his M-16. “Let’s go see.”

They both ran to the corner of the tent and peered around carefully, only to find the area vacant.

“Where’s Hutch and Darby?” Long asked.

Another rumbling shook the ground, and the sound of a man’s screams filled the air. The two soldiers quickly raced to the next corner to see one soldier being dragged under the sand while the other one tried to hold onto him.

“Don’t let me go!” the man slipping under the surface yelled as the other hung on desperately. The free man lost his grasp, however, and his friend slipped below the surface.

Long and Davis rushed forward to help.

“What happened?” Davis asked, as they made their way over

The third soldier had turned to reply when an enormous, serpent-like creature rose out of the sand and swallowed him whole. Then it disappeared back under the sand, as quickly as it had appeared.

Long and Davis froze and looked at each other in disbelief.

“Did you see that? What was it?” Long asked quickly.

“I’m not sticking around to find out,” Davis answered as he nodded behind him.

The two men broke into a run as the rumbling started again, only this time it was louder. Long ran for all he was worth and jumped up onto a Hummer, hanging onto it for dear life. Sweating and shaking, he looked behind him, but Davis was nowhere to be found.

“Davis?” he yelled out. Not getting a response, he yelled again, this time more urgently. “Davis!”

The only sound was the whistle of the wind whipping through the darkness.

Black Out

 

 

End of Teaser