PART THREE:
CUT TO:
The next day.
Cut to the lounge. Giles is talking with a couple of students while
searching through his briefcase for some flyers.
Giles:
I put it here somewhere.
(finds the flyers)
Oh, yes, yes.That's it.
(hands the flyers to the students)
Could you, um, hang those up?
(the students nod)
Thank you.
(sees Buffy arrive)
Buffy. So, uh, so how was your night?
Buffy:
Sleepless, but no human fatalities.
Cordelia comes up to them.
Giles:
I-I found a ritual to revoke the invitation to vampires.
Cordelia:
Oh, thank goodness. I actually had to talk my grandmother into switching cars with me last night.
Giles:
Um, the-the-the, uh, the ritual's fairly basic, actually. It's just the recitation of a few rhyming couplets, burning of, uh, moss herbs, sprinkling of holy water...
(turns down the hall)
Buffy:
(starts to follow)
All stuff I have in my house.
Giles:
Hanging of crosses...
The kids go off to class, and Giles goes to his library. He begins pulling books off the shelves, and taking them to his office. The camera shows some of the titles. They all have to do with time-travel, alternate realities, and the like.
FADE TO:
Same day, at night.
GILES is still in his office, reading. He checks the clock, closes his book, and gets up. He puts a cross in his inside jacket pocket, and puts the mace-on-a-chain (Willow’s “why do they call it a mace?” as seen in “School Hard”) in his briefcase. He leaves.
Cut to Jenny's classroom. She's at her desk working on the translation
program. She takes a sip of coffee from her mug and sets it back down.
She types a few keystrokes, then stares at the screen. Behind her Giles
appears and stands in the doorway.
Giles:
Hello.
She startles and looks at him. Quickly she types a few keystrokes, and
the screen changes. She turns back to him.
Jenny:
Oh! Hi.
Giles:
(steps into the room)
You're working late.
Jenny:
Special project.
Giles:
Oh. (knowing what it is, he looks kind of worried at this point)
Jenny:
I spoke to Buffy today.
Giles:
Oh! Yes?
(distracted from his worries)
(sits on her desk)
Jenny:
Mm.
(looks away)
She said you missed me.
(plays with a pencil)
GILES
(a bit of a laugh, he looks down then back at Jenny, with an intense look)
She has no idea
JENNY is a bit surprised at this reply. She gazes back at him. They stay like that for a bit. It starts looking like they’re going to kiss again, but Jenny starts talking quickly.
Jenny:
(breaking eye contact)
Rupert... Okay, I don't wanna say anything if I'm
wrong, but I may have some news. Now, I need to finish up here.
(looks at him)
Could I see you later?
GILES
Oh, uh…
(suddenly very nervous, but trying to hide it.)
(he gets up and sits at the other side of the desk, so that he can’t see the screen)
I-I don’t mind waiting, if-if you want. Then w-we could, uh, go s-someplace.
T-to-together.
JENNY takes a moment to consider. GILES holds his breath. JENNY smiles.
JENNY
Sure. Sounds good.
(she gets back to work)
Hopefully this won’t take too long.
There is a silence, broken only by JENNY tapping on her keyboard. GILES looks around, nervously.
GILES
(wanting t break the silence)
This-this special project isn’t for school, I gather?
JENNY
(not looking away from the screen)
No… its for a friend.
(she smiles a bit)
By the way, where were you planning on taking me after this? Your place?
GILES
(smiling nervously)
Actually…(beat)
(gets a worried expression)
No, no. I, uh, I invited Angel in once. I still have to do the spell.
JENNY
(teasingly)
Good. That’s the perfect excuse for you to stay at my place tonight.
GILES looks at her, eyes shining, anxiety over Angel’s imminent arrival forgotten.
JENNY’S concentration remains fixed on her computer screen.
JENNY
(to herself)
Okay, lets try this…
She taps a few keys, then looks up at the screen. A percent complete
window appears over the Rumanian text, and the bar zips across it.
Jenny:
Come on, come on...
GILES blinks, suddenly very anxious again. He knows what’s coming
The bar disappears, and a translation scrolls up next to the original
text.
Jenny:
That's it!
(exhales and smiles)
It's gonna work!
(saves the result)
This... will work.
GILES looks at her expectantly
She pops out an unlabeled yellow floppy disk and sets it aside by some
books near the edge of her desk. In the mean time a hardcopy has started
to print out. She wheels her chair over to the printer and looks it
over. She proudly hands the printout to Giles, grinning. Giles quickly scans over it,
already knowing what it is. He looks very serious.
GILES
You’re in danger.
JENNY
(not the reaction she was expecting)
What?
GILES
When Angel finds out about this, he’ll kill you.
JENNY
I don’t intend for him to find out about it until after I’ve performed the ritual.
GILES
(starting to pace)
He already knows. (off Jenny’s look) probably.
JENNY
How? You’re the first person I’ve told.
GILES
(getting desperate)
Well, uh… Dru-Drusilla. She-she’s pre-cognizant.
JENNY
I hadn’t thought of that.
GILES
You-you-you need to get s-s-somewhere safe.
JENNY
(annoyed, but a bit scared at the same time)
Oh, you’re over-reacting!
GILES
(vehemently)
No, I am not!
ANGELUS
(from the shadows)
Ah, Jenny, I’m afraid Watcher-boy’s got you on that one.
JENNY’S eyes widen with fear. GILES steels himself.
(NOTE: In this scene, I am assuming that there are two exits to the classroom- one to the hallway and one to the outside. I assume that the outside exit is the one that Jenny tried to get past Angel to when the door to the hallway was stuck in “Passion”).
Angelus is sitting in a desk at the back of the class. He gets up and walks towards them.
ANGELUS
Of course, I was hoping to catch you alone, but I think this will work out well. You know, like killing two birds with one stone. (evil grin) And Buffy will be in for an extra-special treat tomorrow.
JENNY
Angel-
GILES
(to Jenny, but not taking his eyes off Angelus)
Don’t. It won’t do any good
Behind the desk, GILES pulls the mace out of his briefcase, holding it by the chain so it won’t clank, and lets the handle slip into his hand. He takes the cross out of his pocket and hands it to JENNY. GILES steps forward, holding the mace close to himself so that Angelus can’t see it.
ANGELUS
Aw, you think you’re going to protect your girlfriend, don’t you? That’s kinda sweet.
GILES
(to Jenny, keeping his eyes on Angelus)
Go, get your car. Bring it round to this exit.
JENNY tries the door to the hallway, but can’t get it open. ANGELUS snickers.
ANGELUS
Gee, too bad. The door’s locked from the outside. (he puts on his game face) Looks like your gonna have to go past me.
ANGELUS has his attention focused on Jenny. GILES swings at ANGELUS with the mace, catching him off guard and hitting him on the shoulder. JENNY runs past him to the outside door. ANGELUS starts after her, but GILES hits him in the head with the mace and gets between him and the door. He swings the mace again, but ANGELUS puts his arm up to block it. He grabs hold of it and yanks it out of Giles’ grasp.
ANGELUS
(looking at the mace)
Nice toy, old man.
(He throws it out the window, breaking the glass)
Let’s see how much of nuisance you can make of yourself without it.
ANGELUS grabs GILES by the collar and throws him against the blackboard. GILES gets up fairly quickly, but looks like he may fall over. ANGELUS rounds in on him.
ANGELUS
You know, I was gonna let you off easy, leave some way for Buffy to recognize your corpse. But then you have to try to be the hero, don’t you?
GILES manages to get in a fair punch to Angel’s head, and it might have done some damage if Angel was just a person. ANGELUS hits him back, hard, sending him backwards into the wall again.
ANGELUS (cont.)
Which, you have to admit, is kind of pathetic.
GILES regains his balance with some difficulty, his head bleeding, but he is determined to not give up. ANGELUS hits him again, breaking his glasses. GILES is leaning against the wall, trying to stay upright. ANGELUS hits him again, in the stomach, and GILES cringes and doubles up. ANGELUS grabs him by the throat.
ANGELUS
Come on, old man. Don’t you want to go down fighting?
When suddenly, from behind Angel:
JENNY
Hey!
ANGELUS turns his head on impulse. JENNY gets him square in the jaw with the mace, sending him stumbling. In the time it takes ANGELUS to recover, she manages to get GILES on his feet and they start heading towards the outside door. ANGELUS starts at them again, but JENNY (gesturing towards Angel as if she was saying “stop”) shouts a few words in Romanian, and with a flash of red, sends ANGELUS flying backwards. When he tries to get up again, red energy crackles around him and he is held down. GILES and JENNY get in her car and drive away. ANGELUS roars in frustration.
CUT TO:
Interior of Jenny’s car.
Jenny is driving, keeping a nervous eye on Giles, who is collapsed in the passenger seat, his hand to his bleeding head, his eyes closed. His glasses are missing.
JENNY
Don’t touch your head. Just relax, I’ll get you to the hospital.
GILES
(not taking his hand away)
(in a low voice)
What was that?
JENNY
What was what?
GILES
That… that thing you did.
JENNY
Oh, yeah. My-my grandmother taught me that protection charm when I was seven or something. It only lasts about a minute. I had forgotten all about it.
GILES
And you just remembered it now?
JENNY
Yeah, I was starting my car and it just came back to me.
GILES
(dryly)
Great.
GILES leans forward, with his head between his knees.
JENNY
Are you going to pass out?
GILES
No, I’ll be fine.
(but not sounding like it at all).
JENNY
We’ll be at the hospital soon.
GILES sits up again, a bit too quickly, and gets a head rush. He leans back in his seat, with his eyes closed.
GILES
We’ll be at the where?
JENNY
The hospital. Don’t worry, just-
GILES
No. You have to get somewhere safe. Go to your apartment.
JENNY
(upset with him)
Rupert, you need a doctor.
GILES
(insistently)
You need to be where Angel can’t get to you. You never invited him to your place, have you?
JENNY
No, but-
GILES
Good. Then go there.
JENNY
At least let me drop you off at emergency.
GILES
(angrily)
No! I’m not leaving you alone. I said I’ll be fine.
JENNY
You won’t be fine! My God, Rupert, you look like you were pulled out of a plane crash.
GILES
(frustrated)
(slowly)
You don’t understand. If you make yourself vulnerable, for one minute, Angel will kill you.
JENNY
What about you? If you aren’t treated soon-
GILES
I don’t care! (beat)
(very sad, frustrated, passionate, scared)
(quietly)
My God, Jenny, do you want to die?
There is silence. Jenny is shocked, not really understanding. She does, however make a wide turn.
JENNY
There’s… I have some healing spells at home. I’ve never tried the more serious ones, and I don’t know if I have all the ingredients, but…
GILES
Good.
CUT TO
Jenny Calendar’s kitchen.
Jenny is at the stove, mixing potions and saying incantations. She has taken off the flowy top she was wearing before, which was impractical for potion-mixing, and is wearing the camisole or whatever she had on underneath. Giles is sitting at the kitchen table, eyes closed, resting his head on his hands, trying very hard not to pass out. He’s in his shirtsleeves.
JENNY sets a glass of what looks like tomato juice in front of Giles.
JENNY
There. That should heal any internal bleeding, restore lost blood.
GILES looks at the glass detachedly. JENNY watches him, worried.
JENNY
Do you… do you need some help?
GILES
Hm? Oh…no…
He takes the glass and drinks the potion slowly. JENNY goes back to her mixing. She is visibly on edge. GILES finishes the potion and starts coughing. JENNY drops what she’s doing.
JENNY
Are you alright?
GILES
(catches his breath)
I’m fine…fine…
JENNY goes back to what she was doing.
JENNY
(to herself)
Oh Goddess, please let me be doing this right.
She finishes another one, this one kind of bluish.
JENNY
That’s for healing broken or-or fractured bones. I also put in something that should, uh, speed your recovery in-in general.
GILES drinks this one more quickly than the last, and makes a face. JENNY leaves and comes back with some cotton and disinfectant. She put them on the table and takes a bowl of red clay-looking stuff from the counter.
JENNY
I’ve never done any of these spells before. I-I don’t know how soon they’ll take effect.
She sits on the table in front of Giles, and puts some disinfectant on the cotton.
GILES
(smiling a bit)
I feel better already.
JENNY cannot look him in the eye. He does not look better at all. (although, he actually is, as he will prove later… J)He has a black eye, with little cuts around it from where his glasses broke. He is badly bruised, and there’s a deep cut on his forehead, and dried blood down the side of his face and on his shirt.
JENNY
This is gonna sting.
She starts cleaning his wound. GILES grimaces a bit. He looks at Jenny. She’s concentrating. Her eyes are teary. Giles looks at her with concern. He realizes that they made it out of the experience alive, that Jenny made it out alive, that he got another chance and he did it right this time, he saved Jenny and now he’s with her, actually with her, and his look of concern changes to one of awe. His eyes travel up and down her body, not necessarily in a sexual way, but just because he is amazed that she is actually there. He looks back at her face, still set with concentration, but definitely blinking back tears. He looks at her intently, with both sympathy and fascination. JENNY finishes cleaning his wound and dips her fingers in the clay-like stuff. She touches his cuts and says a few words, “be healed” in Latin. Where she touches him, the clay-type stuff glows a little and disappears. The small glass cuts heal right away, and the bruising goes down some. The deep cut on Giles’ forehead closes up a little bit.
JENNY
There.
Their eyes finally meet. Giles has a funny half-smile. Jenny’s tears finally overflow. She gets up, gathers her things together, and goes quickly to put them back in the washroom. Giles looks after her, puzzled, and gets up to follow her. She comes back anyways. She looks like she’s about to say something, but instead walks away again, into the living room. Giles follows her. Jenny stops with her back to him. He approaches her.
GILES
Jenny… what’s wrong?
JENNY turns sharply to face him, staring at him in disbelief. He is taken aback.
JENNY
I almost watched you die tonight!
GILES is stunned. He obviously hasn’t thought about how Jenny reacted to the events of that night. JENNY closes her eyes and sighs.
JENNY
It was like you didn’t care whether you lived or died… that’s scary. I was so afraid (beat)
I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I should have known that Angel would find out about the curse. I- I shouldn’t have worked in secret… (more to herself than to Giles) Goddess, I just make a mess out of everything.
GILES
(surprised and worried)
Don’t say that. You… (smiles softly) you did the impossible.
JENNY looks uncomfortable, but she smiles a bit.
GILES
(walking closer to Jenny)
You had to work on your own, it wouldn’t have been right any other way. This isn’t your fault. None of this is.
JENNY looks up at him, never expecting to hear that “none of this” is her fault. They are quite close now. Jenny smiles, genuinely happy. She is speechless. Giles is looking at her with complete adoration. She puts her arms around his neck and kisses him, a bit suddenly. It’s intense, but short.
JENNY
(breaking off the kiss)
I love you. I’ll never take that back.
They kiss, deeply and passionately. Giles, not holding back, at last allowing himself to really feel how much he’s wanted her; thinking how good it felt to be with her, how soft and warm she was, how sweet she tasted. Jenny, happier than she’s been in years, possibly in her whole life. Despite everything that’s happened, she feels safer with him than with anyone else. She gives herself to him eagerly, but not in a passive way, more in an “I’m gonna make you squirm like you never thought possible” way. They really get into it, and after awhile, Giles’ hands move across her body, under her camisole and Jenny makes little sighing noises. She starts undoing his shirt. She breaks off the kiss
JENNY
(breathlessly, eyes shining)
My bedroom?
Giles can only smile and nod. She smiles back and leads him by the hand to her bedroom.
Chapter
4