Act Three

Buffy's room at night. She puts her phone and its cradle back on her nightstand behind her clock. It's 2:45am. Suddenly she hears her door open and her mother coming in.

Joyce: What's going on in here?

Thinking quickly Buffy grabs the cloth from her former egg's basket and lays it over the dead creature.

Joyce: Buffy, who are you talking to at this ho...?

Buffy scrambles to her feet and faces her mother, eyes wide with surprise.

Joyce: Why are you dressed? Where exactly do you think you're going at this hour of the night?

Buffy: Nowhere.

Joyce: Who was that on the phone? (comes in further)

Buffy: Um, uh, Willow. (exhales) She wasn't feeling well today, so I was just calling to make sure she was feeling better.

Joyce: (crosses her arms) You're gonna have to do much better than that, young lady.

Buffy: I had a bad dream?

Joyce: Oh, no, you're about to have a bad dream! (comes to stand next to her) A dream that you are grounded for the rest of your natural life.

Cut to the next morning in their Jeep pulling to a stop in front of the school.

Joyce: Which means: no after school socializing, no Bronze, no nothing. Not until I say so. Do you understand?

Buffy: Yeah, but I think you're...

Joyce: (interrupts) Now, school ends at 2:30. I want you to go to the library at 2:33 and study until I pick you up there at 5:30. Understood?

Buffy: Yeah.

Joyce: Good. Have a nice day.

Buffy undoes her seatbelt, grabs her backpack and gets out of the car. She closes the door behind her and pulls on the backpack while she watches her mother drive off. She climbs the stairs up from the street and goes over to Cordelia who just finished talking with a friend. She has a teddy bear backpack.

Buffy: Nice bear. Listen is your...

Cordelia: (interrupts) Hey, I'll have you know that my father brought this bear back from Gstaad years ago. Then all of a sudden these trendoids everywhere started sporting them. So I'm totally not wearing it. Then I thought, hey, I'm the one who started this nationwide craze! What am I ashamed of?

Buffy: Okay, Soliloquy Girl, I just wanted to ask about your egg.

Cordelia: My egg?

Buffy: Yeah. Your egg. The one Mr. Whitmore gave you.

Cordelia: It's in my bear.

Buffy: So, your egg isn't acting odd or anything?

Cordelia: It isn't acting anything. It's an egg, Buffy, it doesn't emote. (sees another friend) Shanisse! (goes away) Is that your real hair?

Buffy watches her go. Willow puts her hand on Buffy's shoulder, and she turns to face her.

Willow: Hey!

Buffy: Hi!

Cut to Xander munching on a candy bar. He looks down at it as he chews hard.

Xander: Mm. Cardboardy!

He sits on a wall and discards the rest of the candy bar. He opens his satchel and digs through it for his egg. He pulls it out, looks at it and lets out a breath.

Xander: Sorry, Junior, but a man's gotta eat.

He taps the egg a few times on the wall next to him and then rolls it back and forth under his hand. Cut to Buffy and Willow walking across the grass toward Xander. Behind them Cordelia catches up as she looks through a book.

Willow: So, was there any more hatchling activity last night?

Buffy: No. Uh, you were probably right. It was just a trap from them set for me. And, (sees Cordelia) mm, (indicates her) everyone else's egg seemed perfectly normal.

Xander: Did you bring the thing that attacked you.

Buffy: Yeah. Giles wants to see it. He's in full research mode.

Willow: Okay. Well, bring it to the science lab, and I'll get Giles, and we'll analyze it.

The camera pans around them and focuses on Willow's lower back.

Buffy: Great. You know, I always say that a day without an autopsy...is like a day without sunshine.

The camera shows a hatchling attached to Willow's back under her shirt. Cut to Xander. He smiles and nods at the girls when he sees them coming.

Xander: Hey.

He holds up the egg, ready to take a bite. There's a purplish-gray creature still inside, dead from being boiled. Xander looks at it just as he's about to bite into it and freaks out. He screams as he tosses the egg away from him. Cut to the science lab. The hatchling is laid out in a dissection tray. Xander taps his fingers on the table as he and Buffy look at it.

Xander: Can I just say Gyughhh!

Buffy: I see your 'Gyughhh!' and raise you a Nyaghhh!

Cordelia: What is it?

Xander: We don't know what it is, Cordelia, that's why we're here. Capeesh?

Cordelia: 'Capeesh'? What are you, world traveler now?

Willow comes into the lab.

Buffy: Hey, where's Giles? I know he won't wanna miss this.

Willow: He said to get started. He'll be by as soon as possible.

Xander: So, okay! Get started, Buffy! Dissect it or something. (hands her a scalpel)

Buffy: (takes the blade) Me? Why do *I* have to dissect it?

Xander: Uh, because you're the Slayer?

Buffy: And I slayed! My work here is done. (puts the scalpel on the table in front of Xander)

Xander: Oh, no, I almost *ate* one of those things. I think I've fulfilled my gross-out quota for the decade.

Willow: Guys...

She takes the scalpel and starts the dissection. The camera pans around Cordelia to her bear.

Xander: Do we even know what to look for? I mean, how are we supposed to figure out what this thing is?

The bear's right eye pops out and a tentacle emerges.

Buffy: Turn it over. Maybe we missed its ID bracelet.

The bear's left eye pops out and another tentacle emerges.

Xander: So, now I guess, uh, we know what happened to Mr. Whitmore.

Cut to them talking.

Cordelia: He saw this and ran away?

Buffy: Try best case scenario.

Willow: It's possible that Mr. Whitmore wasn't harmed. Maybe the offspring simply used him to return to the mother bezoar.

Cordelia leans over to pick something up.

Xander: Yeah. Maybe he... (turns to Willow) What?

Cordelia straightens back up holding a metal bar, which she wields like a baseball bat.

Buffy: What's a bez...

Cordelia hits Buffy in the face with the bar, knocking her down and out.

Xander: Cordy! What...

Willow picks up a microscope and hits Xander over the head with it just as he looks back at her again. The screen goes black. Cut to the utility closet. It's pitch dark inside. Willow opens the door, and she and Cordelia drag Xander in. They heave him in, and he falls to the floor. They step out to let two boys drag Buffy in as well, and they let her drop unceremoniously. They leave the closet, and Willow closes and locks the door. Cut to the groundkeeper's shed. Willow opens the double doors and walks in. Cordelia follows her, and a line of students is right behind. Willow walks up to a post where a couple of dozen picks, axes, hoes and shovels are kept. She grabs a pickaxe and heads back out of the door. Cordelia grabs a hoe and follows. Student after student, and even an occasional teacher, grabs a digging tool and follows Willow. Cut to the hall outside the basement door. Willow walks up to the open door and heads right in. The line of students is right behind her. Cut inside the basement. They come down the stairs and head into the boiler room. One by one they step though the hole in the wall and follow the tunnel down. Mr. Whitmore is standing by the hole keeping guard. Cut outside the school. It's gotten dark. Cut to the library. Joyce walks in and looks around.

Joyce: Buffy?

She continues in and keeps looking.

Joyce: Hello?

Giles: (pokes his head out of the cage) Hello?

Joyce: (faces him) Oh! Mr. Giles, hi. Uh, I-I was looking for Buffy. She, she was supposed to wait for me here.

Giles: Well, sh-she hasn't been in. I-I've been waiting to talk to her myself about, uh, uh... h-history texts.

Joyce: (leans on the card catalog) That is just the last straw!

Giles: I-I'm sure she didn't mean to, uh...

Joyce: She never means to, but somehow she always manages to anyway. Do you have children, Mr. Giles?

Giles: Um...

Joyce: (whispers) Sh-should I be whispering?

Giles: (whispers) No. (speaks) A-a-and, uh, no, I, I haven't any children. A-although, uh, sometimes I feel as though I do, uh, working here...

Joyce: They can be such a... (considers her words) Oh, uh, I-I-I don't want to say 'burden', but, uh... Uh, actually I kind of *do* want to say 'burden'! (smiles)

Giles: (smiles) Feel free!

Joyce: Oh, they're just so irresponsible.

Giles: Sometimes.

Joyce: (notices the books lying on the catalog) 'Bristow's Demon Index', 'Hell's Offspring'?

Giles: (takes the books) A hobby of mine, uh, but, uh, having nothing to do with Buffy in any way.

He takes the books into the cage, stows them on a shelf and then comes back out.

Giles: Um, you say Buffy told you that she'd be here all afternoon?

Joyce: Well, yes. I-i-is something wrong?

Giles: Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. (pulls open a drawer) (hears a noise in the hall) What was that?

Joyce: Mm, probably the janitor.

She faces the door to look. Giles takes a hatchling out of the card catalog drawer and sets it on Joyce's back. She screams as she tries to reach around her back and falls to the floor. Giles stares blankly off into space.

Act Four

The hall outside the library. Giles and Joyce come walking out into the hall staring blankly ahead and join the line of students and teachers heading for the basement. Cut to the utility closet. Buffy has regained consciousness and reaches up for the light string and gives it a yank. She takes a quick look around and then looks down at Xander, still out cold on the floor.

Buffy: Hey! Xander! (slaps his cheek) Hey! You alright?

Xander: (wakes, moans and blinks his eyes) Last time Cordy dragged me in here it was a lot nicer.

Buffy: What?

Xander: Uh... (fully awake now) Huh? Nothing. Uh, crazy talk. Head trauma.

Buffy: (helps him sit up) Tell me about it. I'm gonna have a (feels her head) big bump.

Xander: Uh, I'm gonna have a peninsula! (points at his head) Here, (she helps him up) what, what the hell's goin' on? Cordy and Willow?

They look around the room.

Buffy: Something to do with the hatchlings, I'm sure of it.

She tries the door but finds it locked.

Xander: What, are they possessed?

Buffy: I don't know. But they sure wanted us out of the way.

Xander: (holding his head) Well, why not kill us? (lets go of his head) Why, uh, why drag us in here?

Buffy spots two eggs on the floor. Xander follows her gaze. One of them is rocking.

Xander: Oh. (steps back) Bad now.

Buffy looks around for something heavy and sees a toolbox. She picks it up from the shelf, raises it and smashes it onto the two eggs. A dark blue slime squirts out around the toolbox. Then she kicks open the door.

Xander: (holds his head again) Thank you. (moans and follows her out)

Cut to the library. Buffy and Xander come rushing in.

Buffy: Giles!

Xander: Giles!

They look around, but find the place deserted.

Xander: He must be out somewhere.

Buffy: Well, he picked a helluva time to get a life.

Xander: What are we gonna do?

Buffy: We can't fight these things until we know something about 'em.

Xander: (thinks) Alright, Willow said something. Uh, a name. What was it?

Buffy: A bozo! Not a bozo.

Xander: A bezoar.

Buffy: That's it! Okay, so now... we look it up?

Xander: In what?

Buffy: A book?

They look over at the counter where there are several books lying open and go over to them.

Buffy: Giles said he was gonna try to find something...

She takes the book on top that's open to a picture and turns it around to look at it. The sketch is of a disk-shaped, tentacled monster.

Buffy: And I'd say he found something.

Xander moves around her to have a look himself, steps on half an eggshell and looks down at it.

Xander: I'd say something found him.

Cut to the basement. Giles and Joyce lead a line of students to the hole and step through. They head down the tunnel and come out into another room deeper underground. Giles heads to the side ramp that leads to a slightly lower level and takes a crowbar handed to him by Mr. Whitmore, who has a box of new bezoar eggs in his other arm. The camera pans across the room, past Cordelia wiping off eggs being handed to her from below by another student, to Willow pounding on the concrete floor with a sledgehammer. Joyce goes down the other side and takes a hoe held out to her by the watchman. She starts banging it on the floor as the watchman goes back to his post. Cut to a close-up of the floor. A large chunk has broken off and appears to be floating on something. Willow and Joyce keep pounding on it to break it up into smaller pieces. Cut to a student pulling an egg out from between some larger gaps in the floor. He hands it up to Cordelia, who wipes it off in a towel and hands it to Mr. Whitmore, who places it in a wooden box filled with wood shavings and more eggs. Cut to the floor again. The camera pans over to a large hole in the floor where the concrete has already been removed and shows the pink-fleshed mother bezoar's body as it moves and throbs. Cut to the library. Buffy reads from the book out loud.

Buffy: 'Pre-pre-historic parasite. The mother hibernates underground, laying eggs. The offspring then attach themselves to a host, taking control of their motor functions through neural clamping.'

Xander: 'Neural clamping.' That sounds skippable.

Buffy: So, our people are taking orders from the mama bezoar. Which begs the question...

Xander: What does mama want?

They hear a student screaming out in the hall.

Jonathan: Somebody help me!

They run out to investigate. Cut to the hall. Jonathan is struggling with a hatchling on his back and falls to the floor, screaming.

Jonathan: Get this thing off me! Get this... Somebody help me! Help!

Buffy and Xander come running out the door and see Jonathan get back up.

Buffy: Are you okay?

Jonathan: (deadpan) I'm fine. I slipped.

He turns and heads down the hall. Buffy and Xander exchange a look.

Buffy: I think I hear mommy calling.

Xander: Uh-huh.

They follow Jonathan down the hall. Cut to the boiler room. Jonathan comes walking in and heads straight for the hole. Buffy and Xander peek in, and seeing no one else is there follow him in. Around the corner from the boilers they see Jonathan climb through the hole and head down the tunnel.

Xander: Do we really wanna go in there?

Buffy: We really don't.

They exchange another look and make for the hole. Buffy climbs in and looks back at Xander before continuing down the tunnel.

Xander: Careful.

He starts through as well, but doesn't lift his foot high enough and trips through the hole and falls into the tunnel. Cut to the room below. The digging and egg gathering activity continues. Jonathan comes walking in. Behind him Buffy and Xander peek into the room.

Xander: What are they diggin' up?

The camera pans over to a student and shows the pink mother bezoar in the pit.

Buffy: Oh, boy.

She sees Cordelia handing Mr. Whitmore an egg.

Buffy: We can't let them spread those eggs.

Xander: I'll handle it. Um, can you, uh, hold down the fort?

Buffy: I'm gonna need a weapon. I'm gonna need a *big* weapon.

Xander: Yeah.

Buffy heads back up the tunnel to see what she can find in the way of a weapon. Xander starts walking into the room staring blankly ahead. Giles hands him a chunk of concrete to carry away. He takes it and drops it to the side. Cordelia and another student start into a utility tunnel with a box of eggs. Xander follows them. Cut to the boiler room. Buffy steps through the hole back into the room and looks around for anything that might be of use. She spots a barrel with several scrap pieces of pipe and grabs the largest one. The Gorch brothers come over and stand behind her. She turns to face them.

Lyle: I told you this weren't over.

Tector: She's so cute. And little. Think we can keep her?

Buffy: Guys, this really isn't a great time.

Lyle: Oh, it's gonna be. (smiles)

Buffy jams the pipe into both their faces and again into Lyle's gut. Tector punches her, and she stumbles toward the hole a bit, but turns around and kicks him in the chest, sending him back into some metal shelves.

Lyle: ALRIGHT! THAT'S MY BROTHER!

He charges Buffy and grabs her. They go flying through the hole and into the tunnel. Cut to the room below. They come tumbling out of the tunnel and onto the floor. They both quickly get up and face off, but Lyle is distracted by all the activity.

Lyle: What the hell is this?

Buffy sees her mother with a pick going back to continue digging next to Willow.

Buffy: Mom?

Joyce and Willow look up at her.

Willow: (deadpan) Kill them.

Several students start to advance on Buffy and Lyle. She does a roundhouse kick and gets two of them. Lyle ducks a swing with a shovel from another and hits him in the back, knocking him to the floor. Buffy follows up her kick with two more, and then sidesteps Giles as he swings his crowbar at her. He stumbles past her and into the wall behind her. Lyle backhand punches another one and picks the one up from the floor and throws him back. Buffy pushes a boy with a pick away from her and follows up with a kick to his head, making him flip over backward. Giles comes at her again from behind, and she grabs him and shoves him into the next attacker. Lyle punches a girl, and she spins away. Buffy kicks another one in the gut. Lyle picks another one up off of the floor and tosses him aside.

Lyle: What the hell is goin' on?!

He punches another student and Buffy kicks still another.

Buffy: Long story.

Lyle hits a boy over the head with a chunk of concrete. The students have all been knocked back, so Lyle turns his attention back to Buffy. He smiles at her and takes a swing. She ducks it and punches him in the gut and face. He swings again and she ducks again. His momentum turns him around, and she kicks him in the back. The students start coming again, and Buffy and Lyle each punch one. Cut to the utility tunnel. Cordelia and the other student turn a corner and walk down a side tunnel. Xander follows them at a short distance behind. The far end of the tunnel appears to exit onto a body of water. Xander comes up behind the student and shoves him into the wall, knocking him out. Cordelia turns and sees, sets the box down and takes a swing at Xander. He ducks away and gets around her, blocking her way to the water and holding his hands out in front of him.

Xander: Cordelia! I don't wanna hurt ya. Some of the time.

When she doesn't make another move against him he bends down to pick up the box. Cordelia punches down at his head. Xander stands back up and yells out in pain and frustration, trying to restrain himself.

Xander: That's my BUMP!

He can't hold back any longer and punches her. She spins around and falls unconscious to the floor. He raises his hands in disbelief and regret. Cut to the underground room. Buffy and Lyle continue to fight the students coming at them. Lyle gets hit and staggers into the wall. Buffy kicks one. Tector finally shows up at the tunnel mouth and rubs his hands together.

Tector: Well, alright!

He spits into both hands to get ready to fight, but notices the mother bezoar and lets it distract him. He walks over to the edge of the pit and looks in.

Tector: Well, looky there!

He bends over the pit for a better look. The mother bezoar opens its eye and looks up at him.

Tector: (smiles) Well, hello!

Mama sends up a tentacle and wraps it around his neck. He begins to choke as he struggles not to get pulled in. He loses out and falls into the pit. Buffy and Lyle watch it happen.

Lyle: TECTOR!

Tector's boots disappear into the pit.

Lyle: Tector?

The bezoar lets out a deep, loud belch. Lyle looks over at Buffy.

Lyle: This is all *your* fault!

Buffy: How?

Lyle takes her by the shoulder and flips her over onto her back. Joyce comes up to her and swings her pick down at her. Buffy rolls out of the way, but her feet end up over the bezoar's pit. Mama wraps a tentacle around her ankles and pulls her in. Buffy grabs Joyce's pick and drags it in with her. Lyle watches in amazement. Buffy and the mother bezoar begin to fight, and the digging activity in the room comes to a stop. The students and teachers gather around the pit and watch. Slashing sounds and bezoar screams emanate from the pit. Lyle steps closer for a better look. The bezoar lets out a dying scream and its eye closes. The hatchlings all fall from their hosts, and the students and adults all collapse to the floor unconscious. Lyle is suddenly the only person awake in the room. He slowly gets closer to the pit, looking around at all the prone bodies. He guardedly steps to the edge and looks in. A pick comes flying out and lands on the floor next to him. He quickly takes several steps back. A hand covered with slime comes out of the pit. Another hand follows, and Buffy pulls herself up and out. She is streaked with slime. She stands up and faces Lyle. He can't believe his eyes.

Lyle: (nods) Alright. (tips his hat) It's over.

He turns and hightails it out of there. Buffy just watches him go. Cut outside the school building. Several students come walking out, dirty and dazed. Giles tries to calm several others with an explanation, but is himself confused as he makes his way over to Xander, Willow and Cordelia. Fire trucks and police can be heard arriving.

Giles: Yes, yes, uh, i-i-it was a-a, a gas leak, everyone. Uh, well, just, uh, get some air, and a... good night's rest, you know, uh, you'll be fine. These gas things... will happen. (to Xander) W-w-what was it really?

Xander: Stick with the gas thing. I'll fill you in tomorrow.

Giles: Right. (walks off)

Xander: (faces Willow and Cordelia) How you guys doin'?

Willow: Did I really hit you?

Xander: (nods) You knocked me out.

Cordelia: Did *I* hit you?

Xander: (nods hard) Yes, everyone hit me.

Cordelia: Good. Well, I don't mean 'good' because I hit you, but I didn't wanna be left out.

Xander sees Buffy approaching and goes over to her. She's washed up and changed.

Buffy: How is she?

Xander: She's a bit confused, but it's goin' around.

He nods in the direction of her mother, and she starts toward her. Joyce comes walking the other way looking around for Buffy. They meet halfway and clasp hands.

Buffy: Are you okay?

Joyce: Buffy, I was worried you'd gotten caught in the building. There, there was a gas leak. (they walk)

Buffy: Uh, yeah, I-I just heard. I was in the gym.

Joyce: I went looking for you in the library.

Buffy: Oh, well, I was on my way there, when I...

Joyce: (interrupts) I thought I made it pretty clear that you weren't to leave the library till I came.

Buffy: The other side of that is there was a gas leak, and...

Joyce: (interrupts) Well, I'm not really interested in the other side right now. Young lady, you have to learn some responsibility, okay? Once and for all.

Buffy: I'm grounded?

Joyce: You're already grounded.

Buffy: Oh, yeah.

Joyce: (stops walking) Until further notice you are confined to your room. You will not leave your room at any time except to go to school or the bathroom. Am I making myself clear?

Buffy: You're clear. I won't leave my room.

Joyce: You're damn right, you won't.

She stalks off angrily. Buffy follows her a moment later. Cut to Buffy and Angel kissing. Angel breaks off.

Angel: Are you sure you're not gonna get in trouble?

Buffy: Hey, I earned this. (kiss) Besides, I'm not breaking any rules.

The camera pulls back slowly and shows Buffy is inside her room at her window with Angel standing outside on the roof.

Joyce: (from the hall) Buffy? Are you going to bed?

Buffy: In a minute!

She turns back to Angel and smiles at him. They start kissing again as the camera continues to pull back.

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