Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Virtual Season 7 - Episode 1 (Premiere)

Alive Again

by The Devious One (letsrocket_1998@yahoo.com)
Follow the Virtual Season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer by The Devious One Productions at https://deviousone2002.tripod.com/vir7season.htm

Buffy and all characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, together with the names, titles, and backstory are the sole copyright property of Mutant Enemy, the WB, UPN, and of course, Joss Whedon himself.  No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction.  All other characters, the story ideas and VR season itself are the sole property of the author.  This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way.  Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.

NOTE:  All works remain the © copyright of the original author.  These may not be republished in any way, shape, or form without the written expressed consent or acceptance of the author of the story.

EXT. Empty Alley in Sunnydale - Night

Moonlight glistens off the blacktop of the streets in Sunnydale, California.  Very few people are outside.  The streets in this town are mostly empty, except for the few homeless persons who lay there drinking their booze or what's left of it.  Trash cans lay either empty or full along the sides of the alleys and the stench of the unkept streets pollutes the air of the alley.

Down along one alley, a black garbage dumpster is set against the left side of the alley, filled over the top with garbage and trash.  Along the ground of the left side are assorted items of trash, broken wooden crates, old cardboard boxes used by the homeless, and broken bottles and glasses.

As there are not many clouds covering the darkened night sky, the light illuminates from the moon and shines onto the alley's blackened ground, giving little, but enough, light to see what moves through the alley.

The only sounds that are heard are the rodents skittering across the asphalt, moving through the garbage and trash and the unsteady breathing of some of the homeless that live there on the street, in the alley.  Suddenly, a new sound is added to the rest.  An unknown sound.  One that isn't supposed to be there.

It is the sound of footsteps hurrying.  At the head of the alley, from a great distance away, two figures can be seen moving down the alley, moving through steam that has risen off the ground.  One of the two figures is a male, his features hardly noticeable by the cloak he has wrapped around himself and the woman he hurries down the street with.  Their footsteps speed up in urgency as a new sound is now heard just behind them.

This new sound is an extra set of footsteps.  Footsteps not moving very fast, but moving towards them at a calm, but deadly rate.  As the couple moves closer and closer to the end of the alley, they suddenly stop.

Man
No! No!!

Woman
What....what are going to do Henry?!

Man
I...I....I don't know.

Both, the man and the woman turn as they hear the one set of footsteps behind them close to a stop.  They turn around, fear in their eyes and on their faces as they see the figure that was chasing them.  The figure is wearing a black pair of jeans and a blue button up shirt tucked into the paints.  He has long, dirty, red hair with a scar running down the lower part of his face on the right side.  He has brown eyes as he smiles at them.

The man, Henry, tries one last time to reason with their attacker.

Henry
Please....we have done nothing to you.  Let us live.  We'll give you whatever you want.  Just leave us alone.

The attacker puts his hands on his hips as he lets a thoughtful look cross his face.  The look gives Henry and the woman a little shred of hope that they may survive this ordeal.  Then, the attacker, without speaking, reaches out with his right hand with blinding speed and grabs the woman, roughly pulling her to him.  The attacker turns her around so that she's facing Henry and he then looks at Henry.  His face morphs to show that he's a VAMPIRE.

Vampire
You see....what I want is blood.  Blood is food.  That makes you....my dinner.

The vampire opens his mouth and keeps his eyes on Henry.  Slowly, he begins descending his mouth towards the woman's throat.  Just centimeters before his teeth touch the woman's throat, a new figure joins the situation.  A new figure drops from the ceiling of one of the buildings that this is taking place near and touches the ground behind the vampire.  The new figure grabs the vampire by his shirt and throws him into the wall to the left.

Because of the darkness of the alley, it is unknown who this new figure is.  The figure turns to the vampire, who is now getting back to his feet, angry at the interruption of his dinner.  He glares at the intruder.

Vampire
Who do you think you are?!

The intruder reaches into the black leather jacket the figure's wearing and produces a neatly carved stake.  Stepping out of the shadows, the moonlight shines over the intruder's face to reveal BUFFY in all her glory, looking back at the vampire.

Buffy
Hmm...I think I'm the one who's going to shove this nice piece of wood through your heart.

Vampire
Slayer!!

Buffy
Boy...you're smooth.

No more words are spoken as Buffy moves forward and whips her leg out across the vampire's face, knocking it against the wall again.  As the now furious vampire gets to his feet to attack her, Buffy surprises him by taking three quick steps forward and shoving the stake in it's heart.  She watched with remorseless eyes as it's body turned to dust in front of her.

Buffy shakes her head and one corner of her lips lifts upwards.  Holding the left side of her jacket open, she quietly places her stake inside it and then turns to Henry, who is now making sure the woman is okay.  Buffy walks over.

Buffy
Sir, Ma'am?

They both raise their heads to look at her.

Buffy
Are you two alright?

Henry, shakily, moves to his feet, alongside the woman, and he extends his hand.  Gingerly, she shakes it.

Henry
My god.....thank you.  Thank you so much.

Buffy gives them a small smile as she releases his hand.  She moves back.

Buffy
I'm just.....

She hesitates as she says that.

Buffy (continued)
.....doing my job.

With that, Buffy turns and begins heading back out of the alley.  Henry and the woman watch her slowly walking away.  Before she's out of earshot, Henry speaks again.

Henry
(Yelling)
What kind of a job is it that you do?

Buffy stops at hearing the question.  She ponders how to answer for a moment before turning and looking at them again.  Just watching the man and the woman, she ponders the answer.  The man has his left arm around her shoulder and the woman is holding her up.  She looks sad for a moment.

Buffy
(Quietly, so they can't hear)
The kind that never ends.
(Then, to them)
You two better get to a hotel or something.  There's a lot of bad things out here.  Like the one that chased you.

She then turns and exits.

Cut to:

INT. Above empty alley in Sunnydale - Night.

A lone figure stands on the rooftop of one of the buildings where Buffy just saved the couple.  The figure is covered, every inch of it's body, by a thick robe like cloak.  He watches the couple that survived the attack for a moment, before his gaze traveled back to a retreating Buffy as she exits the alley and turns left.  He raises his right gloved hand, and brings the object in the palm towards the figure's face.  The object is a picture.  In the picture, recognizable faces are there.  It is revealed, in the picture, that BUFFY, WILLOW, XANDER, AND TARA are in the picture.  The figure's right index finger slowly traces over Buffy's face for a moment.

The Figure (VO)
I have finally found her.

Opening Credits:

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Nicholas Brendan

Allyson Hannigan

Emma Caulfield

Michelle Trachtenberg

James Marsters

&
Anthony Steward Head as Giles

Gratuitous Group Shots

Special Guest Appearance
Amber Benson

Cut to:

EXT. Summer's House, Dawn's Room - Morning.

Dawn Summers room is silent, safe for the ever present ticking of the clock on her wall.  Dawn herself is just returning to her room after showering and changing into the set of clothes she picked out.  She is wearing a yellow t-shirt tucked into a pair of faded blue jeans.  She has her hair combed back, not in a ponytail, just combed back, hanging free should there be a breeze.  She goes over and sits down on the edge of her bed.

Reaching down, Dawn grabs her white tennis shoes and slips them on, bending down to tie the laces after she slips them over her feet.  She takes her time, tying each lace carefully and with infinite patience.  Sitting back up a few moments later, she lets her eyes drift around her room.  From the pictures that hang along the walls, to the many decorations she's put up over the past few months, the room has taken a very familiar notion to her and Dawn once again is forced to remember the horrific tragedy that took place in this house just before the summer began.

Dawn shakes her head to clear the dark thoughts.  Things are starting to look better for Dawn and the others.  They are dealing with the tragedy in different ways.  As Dawn reflects, her sister is patrolling more, her friend Xander is burying himself in work, their demon friend Anya hardly leaves her shop, and Dawn herself has kept herself quiet as she deals with it in her own way.

Standing, Dawn checks the time and notes that it's just now past ten am.  Turning, she exits her room and heads downstairs.  As she descends the stairs, she hears her sister's voice and another's voice.  As she steps off the stairs, she turns right and sees BUFFY and XANDER.  She enters the living room.

Dawn
Hey, what's up?

Buffy and Xander turn as Dawn approaches.  Xander is wearing a burgundy colored button up shirt over his upper body and a pair of black pants over his legs.  The shirt is untucked and set over the waistline.  He has the long sleeves of the shirt rolled up to just above his elbows.  Beside him, Buffy stands to greet her sister.  The Slayer is wearing a short sleeved white t-shirt over a pair of navy blue jeans.  Her hair is rolled up into a single bun.

Buffy
Hey Dawn....how long have you been up?

Dawn
(suspicious)
About an hour.  What's the deal?  You're acting all....weird.

Xander rises from the chair he was sitting at.

Xander
We're not acting weird.  Why do you think we're acting weird?!

Dawn puts her hands on her hips and glares at the both of them.  Buffy raises her hands, recognizing her sister's short tempor.

Buffy
Alright, alright....I just got a call a few minutes ago.  Um...it was Giles.

A relieved look crosses over Dawn's face at hearing the name.  Then a concerned one as she remembered why Giles left Sunnydale and who he took with him.

Dawn
So um...how is she?

Buffy crosses her arms over her chest as she answers the question put forth by her sister.  Her expression is as equally concerned.  It was three days after bringing Willow off her vengeance quest when Giles took her from Sunnydale.  While they all knew the reason for the action, all three of them were concerned for their long time friend.

Buffy
Giles didn't go into much detail.  He just said that they're coming back either tomorrow or in a couple days.  He did say that she's handling things a lot better.  Things with her magic....and Tara.

A pained look crosses Dawn's face at hearing the name.  Although it had been almost four months since the event that took Tara's life happened, they were all still hurt by the events.

Xander
So uh...what do you have planned today Dawn?

Dawn
(looks down)
I was going to hang out with Janice today.  With school starting Wednesday, we just wanted to hang out and relax today and tomorrow.

Buffy nods and sits back down over on the couch.  Xander sits back on the chair.  A moment of silence ensues.

Dawn
Do you guys......do you guys think she's gonna be alright?

They both look at her.  Already knowing what she was asking about, Buffy leans forward.

Buffy
I wanna say yes.  But, to be honest, I don't know.  I mean, I still remember her face after....the funeral.

Xander
Yeah, she was in so much anguish then.  I really hope Giles was able to get through to her.

Buffy and Dawn nods as they let the silence reign onward.

Cut to:

INT.  A Forest Clearing, Outside Sunnydale - Day

A series of flat hills is stretching to the horizon, covered with high grass and occasional tree groups. Dark clouds travel along the sky, their shadows wandering over the hillsides.  A strong wind is blowing, bending the grass and moving the trees. Apart from that, the hills lay empty, silent.

There are absolutely no sounds at this forest clearing.  Then, we see from a distance, two people.  One a man and the other, a woman.  The woman is kneeling, on two knees with her hands resting on her thighs.  The man is slowly walking in circles around her.  The man is GILES and the woman he circles is WILLOW.  Willow has her eyes closed and is concentrating on breathing deeply, taking deep and steady breaths.  Willow is dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a sleeveless pink tank top over her upper body.  Beads of sweat glisten her skin as the sun shines over them.

Giles is dressed in a regular white short sleeved shirt and a pair of dark green sweatpants.  The shirt is not tucked in.  He has his glasses on his nose as he moves in circles around Willow.  While he is moving, he is also speaking in a soft voice to her.

Giles (VO)
Now...concentrate on nothing more than my voice Willow.  Continue to take deep and steady breaths.  That's it.  Concentrate all of your available energy on your one goal.

While he keeps speaking those words and more similar words to her, her fingers and arms begin emanating multicolored tendrils of energy.  She continues taking deep and steady breaths as he continues his calming technique with her.

Giles (VO)
Now, use all of your concentrated energy to project that energy into a single object.  Concentrate and project your energy.  Willow, your soul is like a river of water.  While still, it can be as free and gentle as a baby, but forced, it can act like a destructive force capable of anything.  Harness your powers and project them toward a positive goal, not a negative one.

As he finishes speaking the last of the words, Willow's neck moves her head back, as if she was suddenly looking at the sky and reveals her eyelids are silently moving as she receives a vision of images underneath her eyelids.  The images that begin flashing under her eyelids are now known to us as we begin to see what she sees.

What she is receiving is a mixture of memories of herself with TARA and flashes of images that she does not understand.  The memories she receives are various times she and Tara were alone in their room together and others that include the dinner or lunch dates they have had and including the final moments she shared with Tara before the shot rang through their window.  Then, the memories turned to the flashes of images.  These images are various ones of herself and Buffy fighting off men wearing business suits with gold crosses hanging from their necks.  The images turn to a new image of herself being held captive by two of the same men she saw herself fighting with Buffy before.  And herself in the image looks up to see a man in a black pair of dress pants with a black blazer and a black turtleneck sweater walking up.  A gold cross hangs off his neck as well.  Only, his is different.  His cross has a red heart where the center of the cross should be and it projects the cross going through the center of the heart.

There are small letters carved into the red heart, but they are too small to make out.  And as herself in the image looks up at his face, the Willow having the vision tries to make his face out, but is unable to do so.  As she gets closer to a face, the image fades away and one final one comes to her attention.  It is at a graveyard and it is night time.  The only thing Willow can make out in the vision is a single ball of pure white energy descending from the sky and going into the ground.  Just a few feet from the point of entry where the light entered the ground is a tombstone.  And Willow is not able to make out the words on the tombstone.

Giles stops moving in circles and stands still in front of her.  He has noticed that the technique has put her under quiet thoroughly, but he can't remember when it worked this well before.  He lowers himself into a kneel before her.

Giles
Willow?  When I count to three and snap my fingers, you will awaken from the trance.  One...two...three.
(he snaps his fingers)
Willow?

Willow's eyes snap open as the images of her vision quickly fade away and she returns to where Giles is.  She looks at him, his face of concern as he gazes at her.  Looking around, she remembers where she is and why she's here.

Willow
I'm okay.

Giles
Are you sure?  You look pretty dazed.

She nods her head a couple times.

Willow
Yeah, I'm alright.  I just....need a few minutes.

Giles gives her a small smile and rises to move towards their gear.  The small cabin they are using for Willow's magical training is only about a half mile uphill from where they are.  It takes less than an hour to reach it.

The Watcher lowers himself to one knee and opens the black bag that houses his gear.  He takes the bottle of water out and takes a few sips as he lets Willow gather her bearings.  Then, after a few minutes silence, he turns to see her approaching him.

Giles
How are you feeling, Willow?

She grabs a wet wash rag and wipes her sweaty forehead with it.  She sits on the ground with her legs crossed Indian style.

Willow
I'm okay I guess.  I'm as good as I can be.

Giles rests a hand on her shoulder in silent support.  They've been up on this mountain for almost three and a half months.  They came up here just after Tara's funeral and the goal Giles had for this trip was to help Willow control her magical powers.  The Watcher now knew that it was never the addiction to magic that became the problem.  It was Willow's lack of control that created the problem.  She became so dependant on magic that she didn't know what to do when it began to control her.

Giles
Well, you have come as far and past what I ever expected of you.  I'm very proud of the progress you've made Willow.  I know leaving....when we did was very tough on you.

Willow looks away, unable to say anything for a few moments.  Every time she thinks about what happened before coming here, but Tara's shooting and the events afterward, she finds herself getting emotional and knowing why.

Willow
I'm dealing Giles.  It's going to be hard for a long time.  But, like the saying goes, in time, the pain will lessen.  I'll never forget what we had, but I won't....give up on living my life either.

Giles stares at her for a moment, trying to guess if she means the words this time.  She'd said words similar to that other times before and not really meant them.  And Giles sensed that she meant them this time.  He put his bottle of water back into his bag.

Giles
Come on, let's head back to the cabin.

Together, Giles and Willow rise and begin to gather their gear together for the walk back to the cabin.

Cut to:

INT.  Abandoned Warehouse, Sunnydale - Day.

The interior of the warehouse was very stuffy.  Assorted boxes lay along the sides of the interior.  Dust covers much of the place.  There are only a few sounds being heard along the inside of the warehouse.  That being two birds that live near the ceiling of the warehouse chirping.  The hidden door that leads to the tunnels under Sunnydale opens and two VAMPIRES enter the warehouse.  These vampires are the obvious only inhabitants of the warehouse as they move with ease through it and know where everything is.

The vampires are carrying paper bags.  They move over to a dust covered table, which lay near the back wall.  They place their bags on the table and remove what is inside them.  Inside the bags are twin steel boxes that they open to reveal rings, necklaces, bracelets, and diamonds.  Riches that would normally be found in a jewelry store.  Just as the vampires were about to close the steel boxes, the door to the entire warehouse bursts open to reveal a figure.  More of an outline from the sun shining in.  The figure has his right hand on the sliding door.

The vampires sneer at the intrusion and at the sunlight that suddenly shines inward and almost touching them.  They move back as the figure, which is now revealed to be the same figure watching BUFFY earlier enters.  The HOODED FIGURE leaves the door open as he moves forward.

Hooded Figure
You know, I don't believe I have met vampires who rob jewelry stores before.

Hearing the familiar voice, the vampires relax their stance as the Hooded Figure moves to them, lifting both tops to both cases open and viewing the jewelry inside.  The first vampire, a dark headed vampire that looked like he had been around thirty five when he was turned, looked at him.  The second vampire, a blonde haired vampire who had to be no more than twenty when he was turned, snapped shut one of the cases.

Second Vampire
Well, what do you know!  Huh, you wouldn't even be part of the robberies.

First Vamprire
Yeah, what's with that, huh?  I thought you wanted in on the action!

The Hooded Figure remained in his cloak, not removing it as he turned to the vampires.

Hooded Figure
First of all, jewelry stores are for beginners, amateurs.  The real money and the real action is in the banks or the high glamour restaruants.  And second, I never wanted a part of your robberies because I wanted to know if you were good enough to get away with them without getting yourselves caught.

Second Vampire
Well, we obviously didn't get caught.

First Vampire
We're here, aren't we?!

The Hooded Figure turns and walks around the warehouse, noticing with distaste the place they've chosen as their hideout.  He shakes his head as he turns back to them.

Hooded Figure
So this....this is your hideout?

The second vampire smiles, his fangs showing.

Second Vampire
Yep.

First Vampire
Pretty cool, huh!

Hooded Figure
Hm...you act as if it's a good thing.  Listen, if I had no trouble finding this place, the Police certainly won't.  And then there's always the Slayer.

Two looks of uncertainty and fear cross over their faces.

First Vampire
The...the Slayer??

Second Vampire
Why would she be trying to find us?

Under the hood, the Hooded Figure raises his eyes in disbelief.

Hooded Figure
You two cannot be that stupid!  She's the Slayer.  You are vampires.  Figure it out.  That...and you killed the customers and the employees at the jewelry stores.  The news is already covering the way they were killed.  She's probably already snooping around.  I'd imagine you have probably...a day, two at the most before she finds this place.

Both vampires are silent for a few moments.

Second Vampire
Okay, what do we do?

First Vampire
Yeah, do we like leave town or something?

The Hooded Figure smiled beneath his hood.  He had them now.

Hooded Figure
Well, running you could do.  Or.......you could go after the Slayer before she finds you.

First & Second Vampires
What!?

Hooded Figure
(sighing)
Look, you two got into the jewelry store robbing because you wanted to leave a lasting impression in Sunnydale before your time is over, right?

They both nod yes to him.

Hooded Figure
Well, think about it.  What better way to leave an impression in this town by taking out the Slayer.

They look thoughtful.

First Vampire
(a little suspicious)
How are we going to take out the Slayer when vamps like Angelus and Spike couldn't even do it?

Beneath his hood, the Hooded Figure smiles an evil smile.  He had them both in his pocket now.

Hooded Figure
All you have to do now is lay a trap for her and it'll be as easy as pie.  Don't worry.  Just follow my instructions and you'll be the talk of this town for years to come.

The Hooded Figure put his arms around them as he began speaking to them about what he wanted them to do.

Cut to:

Commercial Break

Cut to:

EXT.  Jewelry Store in Sunnydale, Time Lapse - Day.

There is yellow Police tape all over the interior of the Jewelry store.  There are tape outlines of where the bodies of both the customers and the employees that were inside the store when the two vampires robbed it.  The front door to the store is carefully opened and enters BUFFY and XANDER.  Both are wearing pairs of gloves as to not leave any fingerprints behind at the crime scene.  They are wearing the same clothes as before.

Xander
(indignantly)
What kind of vampires rob a jewelry store?

Buffy
(looking back at him)
I don't know....maybe the kind that are like....Harmony.

The two share a look at the name.  Neither had seen Harmony in quiet a while, though neither would really like to either.

They both carefully begin looking at the crime scene.  Buffy walks over towards the counter, where there are blood stains etched into the glass of the counter and the wall behind the counter.  Xander looks at where the bodies were and notices the blood scattered along the floor.

Xander
Well, whoever was behind the robbery sure didn't care to take their time.

Buffy
I'm guessing they probably haven't been vamps that long.  That's the only explanation for the way this place looks.  I mean, it looks as if they just came in, started killing people and then grabbed the jewelry.

Xander
(shaking his head)
Any ideas on how to find these guys?

Buffy is now on the other side of the counter and investigating over there.  She looks over at Xander, hearing his question.

Buffy
(putting her hands on her hips)
Ideas....no.  This could have been by any vampire or vampires.  And the cops have already done a thorough job here.  There's hardly any evidence left.

Both Xander and Buffy look up and over towards the front door as it slowly opens.  The sound of it opening first started as Buffy was saying the word 'evidence'.  The door opened the rest of the way and enters someone they hadn't seen in a few months.  GILES enters slowly.  Both Xander and Buffy look surprised and happy to see him.

Giles
(relieved)
Dawn told me you'd either be here or at the other store.

Buffy moves from around the counter and would have hugged him, had it not been that they were inside a murder scene.

Buffy
I'd hug you....but look where we are.

Giles smiles and nods.

Giles
Yes, Dawn told me you think these jewelry store robberies might be vampire related?

Buffy nodded as she motions towards the floor.

Buffy
Yeah, I mean....look at the way the blood was spilled.  I already went to the Morgue and every body I looked at showed biting marks on their necks.  It's definitely vampires.  And I'm pretty sure just two of them.  We were just discussing how to find out who's behind this.

Giles takes a quick look around before looking at the move away door where the employees easily move behind the counter and back to the front.  He leaned over and looked the floor behind the counter before going back there and taking a look at the floor.  Xander and Buffy neared him, wondering what he was looking at or looking for.  Giles then kneeled down and picked something off the floor.  He turned around and showed them.

In his hand was a torn off piece of cloth.

Xander
What is that?

Giles
Probably a piece of cloth of one of the vampires.  One of victims probably tore it off during the struggle.  We can have it analyzed for fingerprints.  Once we get a match, we can go from there.

Buffy
Analyzed?  Who's going to...
(the answer comes to her)
....oh.

Giles stares at her.

Giles
She's still hurting, but right now the only thing she needs from us is to let her keep her mind off of it.  And the best way to do that is for her to have something to do.  We should go before anyone sees us.

Buffy
Right.

The three of them head out of the store and back into the daylight.  From across the street, in the shadows between two buildings, the HOODED FIGURE watches them depart the jewelry store.

Cut to:

INT.  Summers House, Time Lapse - Day.

Inside the dining room, where the dining table is set, BUFFY, GILES, XANDER, and DAWN all sit and watch as WILLOW types on her computer.  Giles is the only one among them who is watching her with calmness in his features.  The others look anxiously at her.  It's as if they expect her to break down at any moment.  But she doesn't.  She types on her white laptop computer as she runs the analysis of the piece of cloth through her computer program.

After a few moments, she notices their looks and looks back at them.

Willow
What?

Buffy
I'm....sorry.  Will, it's just.....we're just worried about you, that's all.

Xander
Yeah, it's just...you're acting like nothing's changed around here.

Willow glares at them for a moment.

Willow
Look, I know things are different.  I...took a human being's life and that's.....a big change.  And I lost Tara.  I'm dealing with it, okay?  Can you guys just drop the act!  I'm better now.  I'm still going to be depressed sometimes, but I won't go all insaney again.

They look away at hearing her words.  Returning her eyes to the screen, she typed in a few more command keys and received the results of the analysis.

Willow
Alright, I have the results.
(they gather around her)
Okay, there are three prints identified on here.  One of them is a Margaret Thatcher.  She was one of the employees at the jewelry store.  The other two belong to a Michael McDaniels and a Jeffrey Colson.  Okay, I'm now bringing up the files on the two prints.  Michael McDaniels was a......investment banker at Sunnydale National and a pretty good one too.  It says here that one of his last investments was in a failed warehouse project that a business was investing in.  Anyway, the other guy, Jeff Colson, was a college student at UC Sunnydale.  He was a Sophomore when he disappeared.  Actually, both disappeared earlier this year.

Xander
So they both were turned this year.

Willow
Looks like it.  And I'm willing to bet that their hideout is probably one of the warehouses that this McDaniels guy invested in.

Buffy crossed her arms.

Buffy
Alright, Will can you get me a copy of the addresses of these warehouses.  Xander, Giles, and me will get some weapons and head over there.

Dawn
What about me?  I wanna go.

Buffy
Dawn, I know I said I'd start training you soon, but just let me handle this one.  I swear to you.....you'll be going on these trips soon enough.

Dawn
Alright, fine.

Buffy, Giles, and Xander moved over to the chest and opened it up to gather weapons.  Dawn walked over and sat down next to Willow.  Willow looked at her after issuing the command key to print the addresses.

Willow
How are you doing, Dawnie?

Dawn
(shaking her head)
I'm okay.  I still.....have nightmares about it.

Willow
(looking away)
I know.  So do I.

Buffy returned with Giles and Xander with their hands on the weapons.  They had three bags with the weapons inside them.  Buffy walked over and Willow handed her the addresses.  Buffy folded the piece of paper up and put it in her pants pocket as she hoisted the bag over her shoulder.

Buffy
Are you going to be alright, by yourself Will?

Willow
I'll be fine, Buffy.  Go get those vamps.

Buffy smiled at her before the three of them, Buffy, Giles, and Xander, left the dining room.  Willow and Dawn were left alone in the house.

Cut to:

INT.  The Warehouse in Sunnydale, Time Lapse - Late Afternoon.

The two vampires, now known as Michael McDaniels, the first vampire, and Jeff Colson, the second vampire are sitting on the table in the warehouse as the HOODED FIGURE stands in front of them.  He has his hands on his hips as he finishes his words to them.

Hooded Figure
Well, do you two understand what's going to happen when she and her pals get here?

Jeff
Sure, we wait in our hiding spots until she and her friends arrive, then we attack her.

Michael
Yeah, we kill her and have her buddies for food.  It'll be fun.

The Hooded Figure stares at them.  For a few moments, before chuckling a little himself.

Hooded Figure
You boys are right.  This is going to be fun.  Go get into your hiding spots.  I can feel her presence.  She and her pals are on the way here now.

Michael
What?!  Already!

Jeff
Yeah, that was awfully fast!

Hooded Figure
(a little impatient)
What the hell have I been telling you boys for the past few hours!  The Slayer is not someone to underestimate or overlook.  When you deal with her, be ready for the consequences.  Now, this plan will work, but both of you have to follow it to the letter.  Now, get to your positions.  When you hear the doors open, wait about three minutes, and attack!

Jeff
Alright, don't be so mean about it!

Michael
Yeah, we're going.

The Hooded Figure watched as they slowly disappeared.  They both walked up different stairs as they began going to their hiding positions.  The Hooded Figure waits until they are out of earshot before he kneels down and moves the sliding door on the ground that leads to the tunnels open.

A group of more vampires are there, the yellow of their eyes evident.  The Hooded Figure looks at them each for a moment before he speaks to them.  He knows they'll follow his orders because of who he is.

Hooded Figure
Alright, here's the plan fellas.  The Slayer and her friends are on the way as I speak.  I have a camera installed above this part of the warehouse.  When she kills those two idiots, pull the chains down there and then just pick up the pieces.  Don't let her walk out of this one boys, cause if you do, I can't guarantee how the boss is going to react.  He doesn't want to have to deal with the Slayer when he arrives.

One of the vampires who is below speaks up.

Vampire
Don't worry sir.  The Slayer and her pals won't walk out of this one.

Hooded Figure
Good.  See that they don't.

Without saying anything else, the Hooded Figure shut the sliding door to the tunnels and slowly stood.  He looked upward to where Michael and Jeff are now seated.  Neither vampire could hear or see what the Hooded Figure had just done, and that was just the way he wanted it.  Smirking at his plan, the Hooded Figure slowly departed out the back door of the warehouse, where his vehicle was parked.  He had a small monitor inside it that would show him everything that happened inside.

Cut to:

INT.  Outside the Warehouse, Time Lapse - Late Afternoon.

BUFFY, XANDER, and GILES walked along the warehouses in the warehouse district.  In Buffy's hand is the piece of paper with the addresses on it.  Slowly, she comes to a stop, as do the others in front of a single warehouse.  She turns to the others.

Buffy
I guess...this is the place.

Giles
Let's just go in, find out if they're there.  If they are, we'll take 'em out and get the jewelry.  If not, we're back to square one.

Buffy turns back around and grabs the sliding warehouse doors and pulls it open.  After opening the door, they all slowly enter the warehouse.  They notice the dusty interior and the fact that it appears as if there weren't any visitors to this place in many months.  They were about to turn and leave when Buffy notices something.  She walks over to it.

Buffy
Okay, this looks like a freshly made foot print, Giles.

Giles comes over to investigate.

Giles
Hmm, yes it does.

Before either of them could say anything else, they hear a roaring sound from above them and Giles and Buffy look up to see two vampires diving off the third level of the warehouse.  They step out of the way as the two land, on their feet, in front of them.

Xander
I'm guessing these are the vamps we're looking for.

Buffy
Yep, looks like.

Buffy pulls out her stake as the two bare their fangs.

Buffy
(continued)
Let me guess, you're Michael McDaniels and you're Jeff Colson.

Michael and Jeff looked surprised that she knew them.

Michael
That's right.  And now, we're going to take you out!

Jeff
So get ready to die, Slayer!

Buffy looks at Giles, shrugs her shoulders and advances towards the vampires.  She back kicks Jeff across the face while grabbing Michael and shoving him against the wall.  As Jeff tries to recover from the kick, Buffy takes her stake and slays Michael with it.  Just as he's turning to dust, she turns and throws the stake into the air.  It expertly lodges itself into Jeff's chest.  He's turned to dust before he even begins to fall.  Shaking her head, Buffy walks over and picks up her stake.

Buffy
Wow, I've never fought two vampires using so little effort before.  Now, let's find the jewelry and get out of here.

As Buffy, Xander, and Giles begin to move apart to search for the jewelry, they all stop when a new sound invades the warehouse's quietness.  Identical feelings of earthquakes start going through them as they look at the ground.

Xander
Does it feel like the ground's shaking to you guys?

Buffy
Actually, it does.  Giles, any explanations?

Giles
I have no clue, Buffy.

Suddenly, the ground stops it's movement for a split second before something else entirely happens.  Buffy, Xander, and Giles all let out either screams or yelps as the ground cumbles underneath them.  The ground falls apart into pieces of rubble as Buffy, Xander, and Giles hit the ground about fifteen feet under where the warehouse floor used to be.  Coughing, Buffy sits up and looks around.  They are in a large spacey room used for storage with exits to the tunnels nearby.  But that's not what grabs Buffy's attention.

Buffy
(slightly concerned)
Giles?  Xander?

Giles
I see them.

Xander
Yeah, so do I.

As the three slowly start to rise from the floor, we see what it is they are looking at.  A group of at least twenty vampires are slowly walking towards them.  There are vampires in front of every exit to the tunnels and there is no way out that either of the three of them could detect.

Buffy (VO)
We're trapped.

Cut to:

Commercial Break

Cut to:

EXT.  Cemetery in Sunnydale, Time Lapse - Night.

This cemetery in Sunnydale is silent mostly.  The only sounds that can be heard through the cemetery is the birds that live in the trees or the bugs and other insects that move through the grass in the cemetery.  A new sound is added to the other sounds as footsteps move at a calm pace, onward toward a certain goal.  We pan around to see that it is a figure in a black leather jacket slowly walking through the cemetery.  We now pan up to reveal a familiar face to the cemetery as SPIKE walks towards his deserted Crypt.

A few minutes later, he walks into his Crypt, which is mostly dark except for a small torch that is lit.  He enters and sees CLEM sitting on one a chair that is facing the door.  Spike stops to stare at the demon for a moment, slightly confused.  Demon's eyes are open and he's staring at Spike and his mouth is slightly open, but it's the eyes that has Spike's attention.  He moves forward and walks to his friend.  That's when he notices the substance on the floor around the chair that Clem sits on.

Looking down, he sees the green liquid that demons of Clem's breed bleed.  Spike shakes his head, taking a guess that Clem either killed himself for some reason or was killed by something or someone recently.  Looking closer at Clem, Spike sees a note on Clem's lap.  He reaches down and picks the letter up.  Written on it is one word.

We pan around to see that the word is written in Clem's blood.  The word is Soon.

Spike suddenly turns around as he senses something.  In the doorway, he sees a figure quickly running away.  Spike runs to the doorway to see nothing there.  Looking both directions, he sees nothing.  As he turns to re-enter the Crypt, his foot presses down on something at his doorway.  It is another note.  He picks the note up and looks at it.

Pans down to see the letter.  Very Soon is written on the piece of paper.  Spike looks slightly concerned.

Cut to:

INT.  Warehouse in Sunnydale - Night.

Buffy struggled to her feet as she joins Xander and Giles, who are already on their feet and pulling their weapons out.  Giles is holding a good sized axe.  Xander, meanwhile, is holding two wooden stakes in his hands.  Buffy reaches down and pulls a long broadsword out of her bag.  The three of them stood there with their weapons at the ready as the vampires prepared for their attack.

Buffy
Any of you boys wanna tell us why set this trap up?  It's obvious those two up there were behind the robberies.

A vampire speaks up.

Vampire
We have our orders.

Buffy, Giles, and Xander look at each other.

Giles
Alright, who sent you then?

Vampire
Enough talk, attack!!

The twenty or so vampires launched their attack against Buffy, Giles, and Xander.  The three stuck near each other as they launched their counter attack.  The vampires split into three groups, each group moving towards a human.  Ten of the vamps go after Buffy, while five go after Giles and the remaining five go after Xander.

Xander, with his stakes in hand, moves expertly and efficiently.  He moves forward and thrusts his arms out, shoving his two stakes through the chests of two different vampires.  They turn to dust as Xander is kicked backward by a vamp.  As he hits the floor, one of his stakes falls loose from his left hand.  He takes the other stake and throws it with force at the vamp that kicked him.  The vamp is staked and turns to dust.  The two remaining vamps that were fighting him dive after him, but Xander runs to his stake.  He grabs it and tosses it at one of the vamps, dusting it.  He quickly returns to his feet as he meets the final vamp.  Ducking under a right hand fist attempt, Xander punches the vamp in the gut and dives to the ground, after one of the stakes.  His fingers wrap around it as the vamp tackles him from behind him.  Twisting his body around, Xander shoves the stake into the vamp's chest, letting it turn to dust on top of him.

Xander
God....that was....something.

A few feet from him, Giles is battling the other five vamps.  He has his axe in both hands and is expertly moving it to and fro as he battles the vamps.  Noticing five of their friends have been dusted, these five are more cautious with Giles.  Giles, however, moves forward to end this conflict as quickly as he can.  He whips the axe with expert ease and neatly takes the head of one of the vampires.  The vamp is dusted as another vampire makes a grab for Giles's axe.  The vamp has his hands wrapped around the axe and yanks hard, taking it from the Watcher.  Giles reaches behind him and produces a small crossbow.  He looks at the vampire with his axe.

Giles
Always be prepared vampire.

He pulls the trigger and the small stake goes through the vampire, turning it to dust.  Giles tosses the crossbow aside as he grabs his axe and twists his body, and swinging for another vampire.  He takes the vamp's head as the other two vampires slowly circle him, trying to find a way past the axe.  Giles surprises them by moving forward.  He swings his axe again, this time towards embedding the axe into one of the vamp's midsection's.  The vamp screamed in pain as the axe entered his skin.  Giles grabbed a stake from his pocket and quickly threw it at the other vamp, quickly dusting it.  He then pulled the axe out of the vamp's body before thrusting it out again, this time taking the vampire's head off and dusting the final vamp.

Giles
Nothing like an axing to get the blood flowing.

Over where Buffy was fighting, the ten vampires were reduced to now four.  When the battle first began, she moved swiftly and with purpose, staking them one after another before they wised up and used caution with her.  They knew she was the Slayer, only now they were forced to see just how good a Slayer she was.  The four remaining vamps moved carefully.

Buffy
Come on, you boys wanted me....so come and get me.

One of the vampires snarled and charged at her.  She met his charge head on, sidestepping him and tripping him.  She quickly staked the vamp as he was falling to the ground.  As she turned her body back around to face the remaining three, she produced two stakes and threw them with tremendous force at two of the vampires.  The two vampires were dusted, which left the one remaining vampire, suddenly outnumbered.

Giles walked over and picked up the discarded broadsword that had been knocked out of Buffy's hands and quietly walked behind the vampire.  The vamp was under the impression that there were still some vamps behind him.  He placed the tip of the blade at the vampire's neck.

Giles
Now, we were talking I believe.  You were going to tell us who sent you and your friends.

As he was speaking, he walked back around to where Buffy was standing in front of the vamp.  Xander walked over to join them as well, dusting the dust of the vampires off his shirt as he did so.  The vampire opened his mouth to speak.

Vampire
I can't tell you.  I'll die if I talk.

Buffy grabbed one of the discarded stakes and pressed the tip of it against the vampire's chest.  She noticed how scared he was at being outnumbered.

Buffy
Well, tell you what.  You don't tell us, I'm going to stake you.  Tell us, we might let you go.  Make the decision.

The vampire hesitated, then opened his mouth to answer.

Vampire
Alright....we, along with other vampires throughout this city have gathered together to serve...
(the vampire suddenly turns to dust)

Buffy
(knowing she didn't press on her stake)
What the....

The three of them looked around towards the exits and saw a retreating figure.  It was the HOODED FIGURE standing there with a small crossbow in his hand.  He lowered it and put somewhere inside his cloak as he turned and ran off.

Giles
Buffy!

Buffy wasted no more time.  She turned and ran off towards the exit that the Hooded Figure just exited.  She heard his footsteps ahead of her and she sped up her pace to try to reach him.  Ahead of both of them, in the distance, was the dead end of the tunnel.  There was no ladder to a manhole, just a wall that led nowhere.  The Hooded Figure stopped and pressed his hands against the wall.  Buffy slowed to a stop just a few feet from him.  She stood still, her stake in her hand as he slowly turned around.  The hood still covered his face, so she couldn't get a good look at him.

Buffy
Alright, who are you?

Hooded Figure
I am just the Messenger.

A silent beat.

Buffy
The Messenger.

Hooded Figure
Yes, I am the Messenger.  Those idiots back there were supposed to kill you.  They failed, but I couldn't let you know who sent them.  The same person who sent me.

Buffy breathes hard as she stares at the Hooded Figure.  She squints her eyes as she sees something on the Hooded Figure.  During all the movement of his running, a necklace he wears came out from within his cloak and it now hangs freely.  She squints harder and we pan around to see that it is a gold crucifix with a red heart.  It has the crucifix acting like a knife going through the center of it.  And there are words written along the heart.  Suddenly, the Hooded Figure's left leg thrusts out and strikes Buffy across the face, sending her into the air and landed on the ground, hard on her back, several feet from him.

The Hooded Figure walks towards Buffy's fallen body and he kneels down next to her.  She is gasping in pain at the kick and is trying to recover.

Hooded Figure
The boss will be in Sunnydale soon, Buffy.  If you value your own pathetic existence, or that of your friends, leave Sunnydale.  Because this town will be his.

With that said, the Hooded Figure walks back to where the dead end was and pulls out a small remote device.  He presses a button on it and the wall of the dead end opens up to reveal a hidden section leading to somewhere else.  The Hooded Figure walks into the secret section and the wall recloses.  After it closes, Xander and Giles come running up through the tunnel and find Buffy laying there.

Xander
Buffy!!

They kneel down next to her.  Giles gently raises her up and rests her head against his knee.

Giles
Buffy, are you alright?

Pan around to see Buffy's face.  A serious look is in her eyes as she stares at the wall.

Buffy
(whispering)
That guy....that guy said someone's coming.  He called him the boss.

Identical looks of surprise cross their faces as they help Buffy up.  And together, the three of them turn and head back towards one of the other exits that lead out of the tunnels.

Cut to:

INT.  Summers House, Time Lapse - Night.

The front door to the Summers House opens and Dawn and Willow enter from the kitchen to see Buffy walking in with Giles and Xander.  Buffy has dried blood on the corner of her lips and they all looked ragged and beat up.  They stop for a moment with the redhead and younger Summers sibling enter.

Willow
Oh my god....what happened?

Buffy
Well, which part do you want first?  The part where we find the warehouse and stake the two idiots that robbed those jewelry stores or the part where there was some hooded guy that set a trap for us afterward?

Dawn
Oh my god....you're kidding right.

Xander
'Fraid not Dawnster.  We had to fight an army of about twenty vamps before we got out of there and then, we finally had one to talk and he gets staked by this mysterious dude in a cloak.  Buffy chased him and we found her on the ground and he was gone!

Buffy
Yeah, but on the upside, I did get to see something that's distinguishable on him.

The group moved towards the kitchen, where Willow grabbed a plastic bag and filled it with ice.  She walked over and handed the bag to Buffy.  The Slayer put the bag of ice to her cheek as she closed her eyes.  Xander cupped his hands after turning on the water and splashed a few handfuls of water over his face.  The sensation of cool water on his overheated skin was nice, so he did it again.

Dawn
What'd you see?

Buffy looked down at the ground as she tried to remember what it was that she saw.  Remembering, she tried to phrase it out to them.

Buffy
It was this necklace....
(she pauses)
....but the thing is, it had a cross on it.  But, it was different though.  It wasn't like a normal crucifix.  Because I have a bunch of those.

Willow's head snapped up at hearing what Buffy said.  She'd spent the entire time since returning to Sunnydale thinking about the visions she'd had that day while under that trance.  Her heart began hammering in her chest as she remembered seeing a very peculiar crucifix.  She looked at Buffy.

Willow
What did it look like, Buffy?

Buffy
Let's see....it was a regular crucifix, but where two sides meet in the middle, there was this red heart there and it looked like the cross was like a knife, going through the center of the heart.  And there were some words etched on the heart, but I couldn't make them out.

Willow's mouth opened and she tried to make sense of what she'd just heard, but she couldn't.  What Buffy just described was the same as what she'd seen in her vision of the man with the crucifix.  Right down to the words being on the heart.  Willow began thinking about what else she saw in her vision.  Her mind automatically, for some reason, flashed to the image of seeing the bright white speckle of pure energy enter the ground that had a stone tombstone by it.  And Willow suddenly had a sudden thought.  It was something she tried not to think about or even consider, but she couldn't help it.  A sudden since of hope filled her and she didn't hesitate.

She suddenly turned and dashed away from them.  She reached the door and yanked it open and ran out into the night, heading for a certain cemetery she'd visited often before leaving with Giles.  Back inside the house, her friends watched her departure with shocked eyes.

Dawn
Willow!!

Buffy headed out the door, followed by Xander and Giles as they chased after Willow.

Cut to:

INT.  Cemetery in Sunnydale, Time Lapse - Night.

WILLOW moved through the cemetery, running as fast as her legs would carry her.  There were tears stinging her eyes as she ran by the different graves that were situated through the cemetery.  She jumped over one tombstone in her impatience to get to where she was going.  She moved through a few trees that separated different burial plots and as she broke through the trees to the next section, her eyes widened as she saw it.

A shining ball of pure white energy was moving through the night sky and she followed it's movements, hoping with everything that she was that the ball of energy was going somewhere.  Going where she prayed it would.  Behind her, several feet away, GILES, XANDER, and BUFFY follow behind her, the Slayer ahead of them as they all tried to catch up with the redhead and find out why she ran out.

We pan back around to see the ball of energy continue to trek through the cemetery, Willow following it's movements as she ran and the others behind her several feet.  Then, suddenly, the ball of energy changes directions and goes to the right.  Pan around to see Willow stop and then begin running towards the ball as it continued to move through the cemetery.  Moments later, the ball of energy stops above a grave.  Willow stops her movements a few feet from the ball of energy.  We track Willow's face as she looks from the ball of energy to the tombstone.

Pan around to see the words on the tombstone of the grave that the ball of energy is silently hovering over.  Two words are etched into the cemetery tombstone.

Pan around to show the words TARA MACLAY etched into the tombstone.  Tears are in Willow's eyes as she looks at the ball of energy.  Suddenly, from behind Willow, Buffy, Giles, and Xander break through the threes and suddenly stop just behind Willow and see the floating ball of white energy.

Buffy
Wha...what's going on?

Willow
I..I..I don't know.

They remain silent as they watch the hovering ball of energy.  Suddenly, the ball of energy moves.  The ball of energy begins to descend from it's position and heads to the ground.  Within moments, the ball of energy enters the ground and then is suddenly beneath the ground, no longer visible to them.  There is silence for several moments before Willow moves again, this time, getting down on the ground and dropping to her knees.  With her hands, she begins clawing at the grave, tearing the dirt up as fast as she could.

Without speaking, the sense of hope that Willow had spread to Buffy and the Slayer walks over and drops to her knees.  She begins helping Willow by clawing at the ground, throwing dirt out of her way.  Giles and Xander, likewise, hope for the best and claw at the dirt, using their hands as they pull at the dirt and begin digging deeper and deeper towards where the casket lay beneath the earth.

For the next twenty minutes, nothing but silence reigned as they dug deeper and deeper into the ground and got closer and closer to the casket.  Then, they heard a sound, followed by more sounds of the same similarity.  Willow moved faster and faster into the dirt, as did they all.  Soon after, they finally reached the casket and Willow fumbled through her tears, finally grabbing onto the side and pulling the casket lid open.

Pan around to see the interior of the casket.  Inside the casket is TARA, breathing deeply and gasping for air as she sits up slightly.  She sees Willow and cries as Willow cries.  Shakily, the two women grab onto each other and hug and embrace as tightly as they can.  No words are spoken, just tears and sniffles as they rock each other back and forth.

Pan back to see Buffy, Xander, and Giles.  Their expressions are those of disbelief and pure shock.  As they see Tara, alive and well and hugging Willow for all she's worth.  Then, the sit back and smile at each other.

Buffy
(whispering)
Oh my god!  Giles, how can this be!!

Giles
(equally as shocked and whispering)
I don't know Buffy.  I really don't know.  Perhaps supernatural forces are at work.

Willow
(strained, her voice choked up)
I...I don't care how this can be.  All that matters is that she's back.

Giles and Buffy share a look that showed that they didn't share Willow's outlook.  There was definitely something behind Tara's sudden return to life.  Also considering that her body had been decayed and rotted in the three months time and it now looked the same as it did before the shooting.  Something was definitely at work.

Xander moved over towards the witches and assisted in helping Willow pull Tara out of the casket.

Xander
(trying to lighten the situation by joking)
Fancy meeting you here, huh.

Tara
(strained)
Yeah.

Willow
Come on baby, let's get you out of here.

Tara nods as Xander hops out of the grave and reaches down to help Willow get Tara out of the grave.  Willow soon gets out of it, as does Giles and Buffy.  Willow moves over and supports Tara's weight as gently as she can while they others watch in concern.

Buffy
(moving to help Willow with Tara)
Come on, let's get you home.

Giles
Buffy?

Buffy
(turning to look at him)
Yeah?

Giles
You go ahead and help Willow with Tara.
(motions to the grave)
Xander and I will fix this.
(points)

Buffy and Willow turn to look at the now dug up grave in silence.  Without saying anything, Buffy nods to Giles and then helps Willow slowly walk Tara back towards the house.  Giles and Xander don't speak either, they just turn around and begin pushing all the dirt back into the grave after closing the casket shut.  The moon shines down over the entire scene, the only observer of the event that just took place.  A soul returned, and a human being given a second chance at life.

Blackout.

End of Episode 1 - Alive Again
End Credits.