Buffy the Vampire Slayer pilot/Script

TEASER EXT. BERRYMAN HIGH SCHOOL - NIGHT Establishing shot panning along the school's exterior. Note that in the pilot it's called 'Berryman' not 'Sunnydale' High School. INT. SCIENCE CLASSROOM - NIGHT A dark, empty classroom. Rows of desks, a human skeleton hanging from a stand, a side table with scientific equipment. We PAN slowly towards the window when: CRASH! The window shatters. A hand comes in and fumbles for the latch, opens the window. We see a teenage BOY and his girlfriend, who isn't actually named in the pilot; but she's played by Julie Benz and so we'll call her DARLA. DARLA Are you sure this is a good idea? BOY It's a great idea. He climbs through the window, helps Darla to get through. DARLA So, you go to school here? BOY I used to. DARLA Nice. BOY Gets better. You alright? He takes her hand and leads her out of the classroom. INT - SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT The school auditorium has a stage which is being dressed for a play: odd doors and staircases leading nowhere. Darla wanders in, fascinated. DARLA Wow. The boy walks over to a CONSOLE and hits a button. A TRAPDOOR opens in the stage floor just next to Darla's feet. She jumps back with a gasp. BOY Pretty cool, huh? DARLA I could have fallen. BOY I would have caught you. He kisses her. But she suddenly breaks the kiss, looks around in alarm. DARLA Oh, what was that? BOY (no clue) What was what? DARLA (worried) I heard a noise. BOY It's nothing. DARLA Maybe it's something. BOY Maybe it's someTHING! DARLA That's not funny. BOY (shouts) Hello? (to Darla) There's nobody here. DARLA Are you sure? BOY I'm sure. DARLA Okay. And with that she MORPHS INTO VAMPFACE and BITES down on his neck with a hungry growl. END OF TEASER OPENING CREDITS EXT. BERRYMAN HIGH SCHOOL - DAY The start of a new school day. A huge crowd of students make their way to the entrance. We focus on a pair of FEET walking up the steps from the street. Clad in a short red skirt and sneakers. REVERSE AND PAN UP to reveal BUFFY. She's currently blowing bubblegum. She seems a little lost; then pulls out a PIECE OF PAPER from her purse and consults it, then walks forward into the school more confidently. INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR - DAY Busy and bustling, just like the outside. Buffy walks down the corridor with PRINCIPAL FLUTIE. FLUTIE I don't think you'll have any problem adjusting, Bunny. BUFFY 'Buffy'. FLUTIE Just remember our personal rules. No gang colors, no fur. No hanging from the rafters in the cafeteria screaming "Meat is murder!" on Sloppy Joe day. That became very popular last month, had to put my foot down. BUFFY (trying to interrupt) Principal Flutie… FLUTIE Betty? BUFFY I just want you to… 'Buffy'. …to know that I'm not going to cause trouble. There's not going to be any incidents like at my old school. FLUTIE Well, I certainly hope not. BUFFY No. I'm here to have fun. (beat) But, I mean… learning. Fun with learning. FLUTIE Don't worry. I think you'll fit in just fine. EXT. SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY Kids hang out and wander up and down. WILLOW is sitting on a stone bench, by herself, reading a book. She turns round as XANDER calls her name, running over towards her. He's carrying a skateboard. XANDER Willow! You're so very much the person I wanted to see. WILLOW (pleased) Oh, really? XANDER Yeah. You know, I kinda have a problem with the math. WILLOW (not so pleased) Which part? XANDER The math. (He sits) Can you help me out third period? Please be my study buddy? She finds it hard to resist his charm. WILLOW (flirty) What's in it for me? XANDER A shiny nickel… WILLOW Okay. But you shouldn't be having a problem with it, Xander. Mr Worth says you never pay attention. She gets up to go. XANDER I pay attention! Just not to him. Willow walks off across the courtyard, where her path crosses that of CORDELIA, HARMONY and another CORDETTE. CORDELIA Willow! Nice dress. (Willow walks away quickly) Good to know you've seen the softer side of Sears. The girls laugh at Willow's humiliation. As they do, a handsome GUY walks up to them. GUY Hey, Cordelia! Are you going to the Bronze tonight? CORDELIA Not with you. She walks off, leaving him cold. Harmony follows her, confused. HARMONY But we're going, right? CORDETTE Who's playing? HARMONY Dingoes Ate My Baby. They rock. A badly dressed student walks past them. CORDELIA Grunge, wow! What a new look! (To the other two) I know flannel's so over but I can never tell what's coming next! Xander rushes over, trying to join in their conversation. XANDER I don't know about you but I'm scared. CORDELIA Excuse me, was I talking to you? Has any girl ever spoken to you of her own free will? I don't think so. XANDER You know, I've often wondered why that is. CORDELIA Got a mirror? They walk off. Xander grins ruefully and gives them a mock salute. XANDER Check back tomorrow, I'll have that devastating comeback ready. As he watches them leave, BUFFY runs up. She's looking in her PURSE and doesn't see him; she bumps straight into him, spilling the contents everywhere. BUFFY Ooh! XANDER Whoa! sorry about that. He helps her pick her things up BUFFY Oh, that's okay, I was totally phasing. (They smile at each other) I'm trying to find the library? XANDER (points) It's over there. BUFFY Thanks. XANDER I don't know you, do I? BUFFY I'm Buffy. I'm new. She leaves. Xander watches her go, smitten. XANDER You're new and improved. He notices she's missed something, picks it up and calls after her. XANDER Oh, hey, you forgot your… (looks at it) …stake? INT. LIBRARY - DAY Buffy pushes open the door and walks in, looking around. BUFFY Hello? Hi? Is anybody here? She looks over the counter… nothing… and turns around. And bumps into GILES, who's silently appeared just behind her. BUFFY Oh! Anybody's here. GILES Can I help you? BUFFY Textbooks. I - I'm looking for textbooks. GILES Ms Summers? BUFFY Good call. Guess I'm the only new kid, huh? Giles rushes behind the counter. BUFFY (cont'd) So. I'm taking Eurocentric history, and I'm gonna need… GILES I think I know what you're after. He smiles, reaches down and places a huge, heavy, old and very dusty TOME on the counter. Its title reads 'Vampyr'. He and Buffy stare at each other for a long moment. He's eager to please. She's shocked and horrified. BUFFY That's not what I'm looking for. She backs away. GILES Are you sure? BUFFY I'm way sure. GILES My mistake. Oh. What is it you said… But Buffy's out the door. GILES (cont'd) …you wanted? INT. CLASSROOM - DAY Class is in session. Buffy sits at a desk, looking worried and annoyed. The BELL sounds and people get up to leave. WILLOW notices Buffy, goes up to her. WILLOW Hi? BUFFY Hi! WILLOW Mr Barnes said I should help you get caught up, if you're having trouble… (awkward) Or I could… not… Buffy smiles reassuringly. BUFFY No! That'd be great. History isn't my best subject. I sort of lack a best subject. I'm Buffy. WILLOW I know. I'm Willow. Buffy shakes her hand. BUFFY Good to meet you. EXT. SCHOOL COLONNADE - DAY Buffy and Willow walk along, chatting. WILLOW That's a great outfit. BUFFY Thanks! I'm totally jamming on your dress. WILLOW Oh, no. It's dorky. I'm aware that it's dorky. BUFFY Not a jot. It's lush. Laura Ashley's definitely back. WILLOW You think? BUFFY She's back, and this time it's personal. You see, they mated her with the Home Depot guy, and that's how we got Martha Stewart. WILLOW Wow. BUFFY Can I ask you - what's up with the school librarian? WILLOW You met Mr Giles. BUFFY Yeah. Is he new? WILLOW He started a few weeks ago. He used to be the curator of some British museum. I don't know why he'd work here, except that we do have some… pretty important… collections. She tails off as CORDELIA and HARMONY approach them. CORDELIA Hi, I'm Cordelia. I just thought we'd be a little welcoming committee, help you get adjusted. (pointedly) Explain who to hang with, and why. BUFFY Thanks. CORDELIA Quite frankly, when I saw those shoes I knew there was a beautiful bond of sisterhood between us. She and Harmony put their arms around Buffy, lead her away. Abandoned, Willow slinks off. CORDELIA (cont'd) Really! I was very, very moved. INT. WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM - DAY Two GIRLS walk in, discussing the new girl. FIRST GIRL The new kid? She seems kind of weird to me. What kind of name is 'Buffy'? Another GIRL walks past. OTHER GIRL Hey, Aphrodesia. APHRODESIA Hey. FIRST GIRL Well, the chatter in the caf is that she got kicked out and that's why she's starting in the middle of the semester. They sit down next to their lockers. APHRODESIA Neg! FIRST GIRL Pos. She was starting fights! APHRODESIA Negly. They're opening their lockers. FIRST GIRL Well, I heard from Blue, she said that she saw the transcript… And she SCREAMS as a BODY falls out of her locker onto her. It's the boy from the teaser. Stone dead. EXT. COURTYARD - DAY As Buffy walks along, Xander runs up behind her. He's still waving her STAKE. XANDER I've been trying to work this out. And all I can figure is that you're building a really little fence. Buffy takes the stake and pops it back in her bag. BUFFY Oh, this… er… no! Actually it was for self-defense. My last school was kind of interesting. (During the next scene Xander will be pointing out various YOUTH SUBCULTURES in the form of Berryman High School students hanging out with their friends.) XANDER Well, it's pretty mellow here. You'll be playing once you know your way around. Ah, those guys? The Housers. They'd be genuine hard-core gangstas except for the upper-class white guy stigma. Buffy chuckles. XANDER (cont'd) Total wannabes, but they're okay. Ah! The Panga Inbreeds. Dudes! They look up at him. XANDER (cont'd) Surf's always up somewhere in the world. BUFFY Guess it's not that different on my side of the hill. XANDER Well, try your hand at it. BUFFY Okay, let's see. Um…mmm. (she points) That would have to be theatre club. XANDER Oh, well spotted. What gave it away? BUFFY They're always way gesture-y. (exaggerated gestures) What is the homework? XANDER (playing along) I didn't GET the homework! And them? BUFFY Ah… film club. XANDER They spend their time deciding that every movie is an Existential meditation on Freudian sexuality. BUFFY Even 'The Muppets Take Manhattan'? XANDER Especially 'The Muppets Take Manhattan'. Ah... the Dirty Girls. BUFFY Why do you call them… (sniffs) Oh, wow. XANDER They have 'views' on hygiene. It's... pretty intense. BUFFY So which group are you affiliated with? XANDER Well, I've applied to a few, but doesn't look good. I haven't heard back from the Dirty Girls. Xander sees WILLOW walking towards them. XANDER (cont'd) Willow! You've met Buffy, right? She might be going to the Bronze tonight. BUFFY Willow, what's wrong? WILLOW You didn't hear? BUFFY Hear what? WILLOW In the women's locker room. They found someone. XANDER And? WILLOW I mean… someone… CORDELIA and her CORDETTES have arrived on the scene, and Cordy barges straight into the conversation.. CORDELIA Dead. BUFFY Dead? CORDELIA Way dead. XANDER So not just a little dead then? CORDELIA Don't you have an elsewhere to be? BUFFY Are you guys sure? WILLOW I heard it from Ms Ramsey. He was in a locker. HARMONY I heard he used to go here. And that it was a gang thing. WILLOW You think he was killed by someone? CORDELIA No, I'm sure it was natural causes. He crawled up in the locker and died of old age. BUFFY Um, I gotta bug. See you guys later, okay? She runs off. CORDELIA Okay… INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR - DAY Principal FLUTIE is just coming out of the women's locker room when Buffy approaches him. He's pretty shaken. BUFFY Principal Flutie? FLUTIE Er, Bambi? (Buffy shakes her head) Barbie? er, Betty? Wilma? BUFFY 'Buffy'. FLUTIE I am SO sorry about this. I know it's your first day. I just want to say, we very seldom… We almost never have dead kids stuffed in a locker. I've a very strict policy about that. BUFFY So it's true? FLUTIE I know it's hard. Certainly not the welcome I would have planned for you. I know you're upset, confused… You've probably go that thing like when you burp and you've got that vomity taste in your mouth. Buffy looks at him dubiously. FLUTIE (cont'd) I just want you to know that we're all here for you. If there's anything that you need… BUFFY (perky) Can I look at the body? INT. WOMEN'S LOCKER ROOM - DAY Buffy walks in, kneels down by the BODY and pulls off the SHEET covering his face. There are two small PUNCTURE MARKS on his neck. Buffy looks less than impressed at this revelation. BUFFY Oh, great. INT. LIBRARY - DAY Buffy walks in purposefully, sees GILES up on the balcony, and calls up to him. BUFFY Okay, what's the sitch? GILES I'm sorry? She's impatient and angry. BUFFY What's the sitch here? You heard about the dead guy, right? The dead guy in the locker? GILES Yes. BUFFY 'Cause it's the weirdest thing. He's got two little, little holes in his neck and all his blood's been drained. Isn't that bizarre? Aren't you just going 'oooh'? As she speaks she's walking up the stairs to the balcony. GILES I see. Is he… will he rise again? BUFFY No. He wasn't changed. Just dead. GILES Oh dear. I was afraid of this. BUFFY Well, I wasn't. It's my first day. I was afraid that I was to be behind on my classes, that I wouldn't make any friends, that I would have last month's hair. I didn't think there'd be vampires on campus — and I don't care. GILES Then why are you here? That takes her aback. BUFFY To… tell you that I don't care. Which I don't. And have now told you. So... bye! GILES You cannot escape your destiny. BUFFY Wanna bet? And with that she SOMERSAULTS over the rail of the balcony and DROPS twenty feet to a perfect landing on the ground. GILES Do you think it's coincidence, your being here? It was fated. BUFFY Why can't you people just leave me alone? GILES Because you are the Slayer. He WALKS down the stairs from the balcony. GILES (cont'd) Into every generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world. A Chosen One. BUFFY Wow, you're gonna do the speech and everything. GILES One born with the strength and skills… Buffy starts speaking over him. BUFFY / GILES …To hunt the vampires… Giles falls silent. BUFFY …to stop the spread of their evil, blah blah blah. I've heard it, okay? GILES I don't understand this attitude. You've accepted your duty, you've slain vampires before. BUFFY Well, I've both been there and done that. And I'm moving on. Growing as a person. Watch it happen. GILES You have no idea what's going on, do you? BUFFY (sigh) There's vampires? Big deal. You kill them. GILES You think vampires are the only threat we face here? BUFFY What do you mean? GILES There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. He picks up BOOKS one by one, piles them in Buffy's arms. She grimaces. GILES (cont'd) Werewolves. Zombies. Ghouls. Incubi. Succubi. Everything you've ever dreaded under your bed but told yourself couldn't be by the light of day. They're all real. BUFFY What, you, like, sent away for the Time-Life series? GILES Yes. BUFFY D'you get the free phone? GILES The calendar. BUFFY Cool. Zombies, huh? She struggles with the pile of books, then gives them back to Giles. BUFFY (cont'd) Okay, first of all I'm a VAMPIRE Slayer. And secondly, I'm retired. As they speak we PAN over to find XANDER standing behind the stacks, where he was in search of books. He can't quite believe what he's hearing. GILES (O.C.) But your work is not finished. BUFFY (O.C.) My work? I'm sixteen! I don't have work. I have homework. BACK ON Buffy and Giles. GILES And you haven't been properly trained. BUFFY Which is why you're here. GILES Yes. I - I'm a Watcher. A Watcher serves by finding the Slayer, leading her on her path. It is my destiny to guide you. BUFFY Yeah, well, the last guy they sent to 'guide' me… you see what happened to him. GILES Yes, I know all about it. BUFFY You don't know anything about it. You don't know what it's like. I was happy. I was Cindy Lou Who just coasting through my life when vampires — which are only supposed to be in cheesy movies — start killing people. People I know. And I find out I'm the Slayer, the only one in the world, and I gotta stop them. And I DO. I train. I hunt. It becomes my whole life. Giles sits down and starts cleaning his glasses as he listens to Buffy's rant. BUFFY (cont'd) I can do things no other kid can do, and actually that's fairly lush, I'm kinda into that. So I kill the vampires. Yay me. And when it's all over, what's left? My grades are the suck. My social life has achieved leper stage. And I get thrown out of school for causing trouble. Not exactly a medal and a book deal, if you know what I mean. GILES Yes, I do. BUFFY I just wanna be like everyone else. Like anybody else. GILES But you're not, are you? BUFFY Well, I mean to be. She stomps out of the library. ON XANDER, still freaked. XANDER Oh-kay… EXT. THE BRONZE - NIGHT A crowd of young people make their way towards Sunnydale's premier teen hangout. We hear rock music from inside, and posters advertise a gig by Dingoes Ate My Baby. BUFFY, in a fancy jacket, approaches the entrance and joins the queue for admission. A short, dorky guy in front of her in the line turns to talk to her. This is JONATHAN. JONATHAN Are you the new girl? BUFFY Yeah. And that's all they can think of to say to each other; they fall into an awkward silence. Fortunately, at that point XANDER rushes over and pushes into the line next to Buffy. XANDER Hey! I'm in line with you here, right? BUFFY Sure. XANDER I'm psyched you came. BUFFY Is the band good? XANDER Well, they don't know any actual chords yet but they have really big amps. But it's always a good time, you know. BUFFY Yeah. It seems normal. A normal thing to do. XANDER Er... yeah. BUFFY Well, I mean everyone comes here, right? XANDER (tentative) So, you didn't do normal things at your old school? BUFFY Oh, sure. Only. Exclusively. You know, everyday stuff. Homework, student council, football team… XANDER You were on the football team? BUFFY No! I ch— (stops herself) So, is Willow coming tonight? XANDER Oh, I saw her sneaking on campus with some guy. BUFFY Willow has a boyfriend? XANDER She does tonight. I didn't know the guy. Something about this scenario just doesn't seem right to Buffy. XANDER (cont'd) So, you didn't have any extra-curricular choices… BUFFY (interrupting) What was he like? XANDER Who? BUFFY Willow's friend. XANDER Oh, erm, kind of… BUFFY Pale? XANDER Yeah. BUFFY What was he wearing? XANDER (shrugs) Erm… er… a jacket. BUFFY No. What was it like? I mean, was it outdated at all, some old style? XANDER You're really caring about this outfit! Um… yeah. But it was pretty striking. You know, sleeves rolled up, collar, very Lionel Ritchie. I mean, who's still sporting that look? And without another word Buffy RUNS OFF AT FULL SPEED. INT. HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - NIGHT CLICK! The STAGE LIGHTS come on, to reveal WILLOW. She's grinning, enjoying herself. WILLOW This is nice. I - I don't usually do this sort of thing. Her companion is the guy in the jacket that Xander just described. He's blond, so we'll call him BLOND GUY. He smiles, walks towards her. WILLOW (cont'd) (to herself) I don't usually get asked. (to him) But I'm having a good time, though. Where did you say you went to school? Blond guy sits down next to her. BLOND GUY Crossroads. He puts his arm round her. WILLOW So. Time for some kissing, huh? BLOND GUY Relax. Instead she gets up. WILLOW Oh, we probably shouldn't even be here. Especially after what happened with that poor boy. BLOND GUY He had it coming. WILLOW (huh?) What do you mean? BLOND GUY Coming up here alone, at night. With a complete stranger. What kind of an idiot would do a thing like that? Willow looks kind of taken aback at that. Well, wouldn't you be? BLOND GUY (cont'd) What's the matter? REVEAL that he's now in VAMPFACE. Uh-oh. BLOND VAMPIRE(cont'd) Don't you wanna snuggle? INT. HIGH SCHOOL CORRIDOR - SIMULTANEOUS - NIGHT Buffy comes running around the corner. Xander, out of breath, is right behind her. XANDER Hey! Wait up! BUFFY Where would they be? XANDER Buffy, uh, what's the sitch? She passes him her PURSE. BUFFY You might need this. XANDER This wouldn't by any chance be a vampire issue, would it? Just at that moment WILLOW SCREAMS (O.C.) XANDER (cont'd) The auditorium! I'll try round back. Buffy's already gone. Xander heads off in the other direction. INT. HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM - NIGHT The BLOND VAMPIRE is BITING at Willow's neck and making hungry growls. They're stood in the middle of the stage. Buffy throws open the auditorium doors and strides in. BUFFY All right. Get your hands off of her. BLOND VAMPIRE Ooh. Seconds. Buffy walks forward through the audience seating towards the stage. BUFFY So what is it with vampires and clothes? You always think the march of fashion stopped dead the day you did. It really is such a giveaway. The vampire tries to bite Willow again, but Buffy SPRINTS towards him, and he throws her to one side. Buffy DROP-KICKS him, knocking him down. She stands over him. BUFFY You know, you really shouldn't be here. A vampire, all alone at night. It just isn't safe. BLOND VAMPIRE You've got me wrong. BUFFY Oh, my bad. You're not a vampire? BLOND VAMPIRE I'm not alone. Buffy looks around apprehensively as several more VAMPIRES emerge from the shadows. BUFFY Oops. I don't suppose you'd be sweeties and attack me one at a time? BLOND VAMPIRE You watch too many movies. BUFFY You can NEVER watch too many movies. And the FIGHT is on. Buffy gets in some good kicks, and WILLOW creeps out of the way while the vamps are distracted. But then one of them picks Buffy up and THROWS her across the room. She hits a table, which collapses under her. BUFFY Oh. Ow. That was my favorite spine. And Xander comes running in, looking around for Buffy. XANDER Buffy? BUFFY Get Willow out of here. She's hardly bit, she'll be all right. Xander sees a BROOM in a rack on the wall. He grabs it and throws it to Buffy. XANDER Heads up! Buffy puts the improvised weapon to good use, knocking down one of the vamps that's running at her. Xander rushes over to Willow and helps her up. XANDER Can you walk? WILLOW Oh. Mom was right about boys. Ow. They stumble out of the room. INT. BACKSTAGE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT XANDER I'll go get help. WILLOW Xander, do you usually carry a purse? Before she can work it out, though, she's GRABBED by another vampire: it's DARLA. But Darla looks at Willow's already bitten neck and tosses her aside contemptuously. DARLA God, I hate leftovers. INT. AUDITORIUM - SIMULTANEOUS - NIGHT Buffy knocks one vampire down with her broom, but another runs up behind her. But he gasps in pain as he connects with the other end of the broom, collapses to the ground and TURNS TO DUST. BUFFY See what happens when you roughhouse? INT. BACKSTAGE - SIMULTANEOUS - NIGHT Darla turns and growls as she notices Xander. He backs away through the backstage PROPS and SCENERY FLATS. XANDER I don't like to hit girls… that I'm afraid of. She lunges for him; he dodges, but she grabs him again and GOES FOR HIS THROAT. ON WILLOW Lying on the floor where Darla threw her. She notices Buffy's purse next to her; it's come open and there is a CROSS there. She picks it up and goes over to where Darla and Xander are struggling. WILLOW Excuse me? She thrusts the cross in Darla's face. The vampire SCREAMS and a huge cloud of SMOKE rises up from her face. ON WILLOW as she grimly holds the cross in place. Xander stands up and watches over her shoulder. INT. AUDITORIUM - SIMULTANEOUS - NIGHT Buffy is in a running fight with the two remaining vampires. She dashes up the stairs built on the stage, throws one vampire back down them, and kicks the other over the edge of the balcony into a pile of boxes. She takes a moment to recover her breath as the vampire she's just knocked down stares up at her. (He's the original one, the blond guy). BLOND VAMPIRE Who are you? She stands up, defiant and cocky. BUFFY I'm the Slayer. The other vampire reacts to that. VAMPIRE TWO A Slayer? And he makes a run for it. BLOND VAMPIRE Wait! VAMPIRE TWO (out the door) I'll call you! BUFFY Better face facts. You've run out of time. You've run out of friends. And nobody likes your outfit. He's not intimidated, but starts looking for a way up to the balcony. But then Xander and Willow rush in. Willow is holding the CROSS in front of her; Xander is hiding behind Willow. WILLOW Freeze! I know how to use this! I think… They look around… there's no sign of the vampire anymore. But they do spot Buffy up on the balcony. XANDER Buffy? BUFFY Be careful, you guys. There's— But with a CRASH the vampire bursts through the SCENERY and grapples her. They go over the edge of the balcony together, and then through the open stage trapdoor. BUFFY No!! Xander cautiously approaches the edge of the trapdoor - but suddenly the VAMPIRE bursts up through it and GRABS HIS WRIST. BLOND VAMPIRE Your friend can't help you now! But he loses his grip as something from below starts PULLING HIM back down into the trapdoor. BLOND VAMPIRE (cont'd) Hold that thought. SFX: sounds of fighting from below: things being knocked over, a drum kit being hit, growls. Willow and Xander look at each other. BUFFY climbs up from the trapdoor back onto the stage. Xander gives her a hand. They go and sit down next to Willow, who's nursing her injured neck. WILLOW I'm really sorry about all this. BUFFY That's okay. It's kind of a destiny thing. XANDER So. What does a Vampire Slayer do, exactly? Buffy just smiles and shakes her head. EXT. HIGH SCHOOL COURTYARD - DAY It's the next day; bright and sunny as always. A student from the Film Club is putting up a POSTER for their next showing: NOSFERATU. CORDELIA, HARMONY and another CORDETTE walk through the courtyard, and notice BUFFY, WILLOW and XANDER hanging out and talking to GILES. Who, incidentally, is smartly dressed in a heavy jacket and tie despite the hot California sunshine. Buffy is playing absently with a STAKE. CORDETTE Hey, look at them. CORDELIA Well, it seems Buffy's found her own level. HARMONY I can't believe we were almost nice to her. CORDETTE I know! They walk off. GILES I, I'm not saying you didn't do well. Wait - now I am. You didn't do well. You, you stunk up the place. XANDER What, are you kidding? She was huge, she had the moves, the Crane Technique… He strikes a martial arts pose, which Buffy finds highly amusing. WILLOW And she saved my life. Which I'm for. GILES If she'd been a minute later you'd be dead. Or worse. (to Buffy) And you revealed yourself. And you, you, you let one of them get away... BUFFY You know, are you sure you're wearing enough? 'Cause we might get a cloud today. Giles takes off his glasses. GILES I cannot believe that the fate of the world may well be in the hands of this... teen thing. BUFFY Relax. The world's in beauty hands. (she grins at him) Trust me! And she takes aim with her STAKE,  THROWS it – and hits right in the heart of the picture of NOSFERATU on the film poster. FADE TO BLACK END OF SHOW