Act Three

The library. The cat meows acridly in its cage. Giles is looking through his books yet again. This time he finds what he needs and quickly reads.

Giles: Oh, Lord!

He goes into his office and sets the book down on his desk. He turns the page and this time sees the picture of the mask that he'd missed before. He grabs the phone and quickly dials Buffy's number. He impatiently listens to it ringing. Cut to Buffy's house. The Dingoes are into their next song, "Pain". The camera pans across the party guests. The phone can barely be heard ringing above the noise. The camera focuses on it. No one thinks to pick up. Cut to the library. Giles waits anxiously for an answer. Cut to the party. The weed smoker picks up the phone and holds it tightly to his ear, plugging his free ear with a finger.

Stoner: Party Villa, can I rock you?

Giles: (cut to him) I-I-I need to speak with Buffy. Um, immediately! I have some information that is extremely important.

Lyrics: Feeling I've been lost for years

Cut to the party. Someone breaks a glass, and the Stoner looks across the room.

Lyrics: You can never understand me

Stoner: Yeah! Fiesta foul! You gotta do a shot!

Lyrics: Unless you've seen those tears

Giles: (cut to him) I need to speak to Buffy! Now!

Stoner: (cut to him) Bunny?

Lyrics: But you never get to sleep

Stoner: (to his friend, pointing) See? That guy's gotta do a shot.

Lyrics: When I'm away

Giles: Buffy!

Stoner: (holds the phone out to the crowd) Hey! I need to talk to a Buddy!

Lyrics: I don't mind

Stoner: (to the room) Is there a Buddy here?

Lyrics: The deeper that you lay

Stoner: (into the phone) Sorry. He's not here. You got the wrong casa, Mr. Belvedere. (hangs up)

Lyrics: Out of time / Pain, I can't sleep

Giles: (cut to him) H-hello? Hello?!

He slams the phone down and quickly gathers up his things. The cat snarls and hisses. Cut to Buffy's room. She's at her closet getting more things. She goes back to her bed. While she stuffs her things into her bag, Willow shows up at her door and sees her packing.

Willow: You're leaving again?

Buffy gives her a quick glance and goes back to packing.

Willow: (upset) What, you just stopped by for your lint brush and now you're ready to go?

Buffy: It's not like anyone will mind.

Willow: (heavy with sarcasm) Oh, no. Have a good time. Oh, oh, and don't forget to *not* write.

Buffy: (faces Willow, sobbing) Why are you attacking me? I'm trying.

Willow: Wow, and it looks so much like giving up!

Buffy: I'm just trying to make things easier.

Willow: For who?

Buffy: You guys were doing just fine without me.

Willow: We were doing the best we could! It's not like we had a lot of choice in the matter.

Buffy: Sorry that I had to leave, but you don't know what I was going through.

Willow: Well, I'd like to.

Buffy: You wouldn't understand.

Willow: (considers) Well, maybe I don't need to understand. Maybe I...I just need you to talk to me.

Buffy: How could I talk to you when you were avoiding me?

Willow: This isn't easy, Buffy! I know you're going through stuff, but...so am I.

Buffy: I know that you were worried about me, but...

Willow: No! I don't just mean that. I mean, my life! You know? I, um...I'm having all sorts of...I'm dating, I'm having serious dating with a *werewolf*, a-and I'm studying witchcraft and killing vampires, and I didn't have anyone (starts sobbing) to talk to about all this scary life stuff. And you were my best friend.

Cut to Giles speeding along to Buffy's house as best he can in his decrepit car. He looks left and right in anger and fear.

Giles: Unbelievable. (mocks Joyce) 'Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty? It raises the *dead*!' Americans.

He looks ahead in time to see that he's about to hit someone.

Giles: Jesus!

He slams on the brakes and begins to skid. He hits the man, who falls onto the hood of the car, bounces off of the windshield and slides off as the car comes to a stop. The man rolls a few times on the pavement before coming to rest. Giles stares in shock at the man lying in the road.

Giles: My God!

He quickly gets out of his car.

Giles: Are you alright?

He rushes over to the man and feels for a pulse on his neck.

Giles: Are you hurt?

The man rolls over, and Giles sees that he's in an advanced state of decay.

Giles: Good God!

The zombie grabs Giles by the coat and lifts him up as it gets to its feet. Other zombies start approaching from an alley. Cut to Buffy's room.

Buffy: You have no idea how much I missed you. Everyone. I wanted to call every day.

Willow: That doesn't matter, Buffy. It doesn't make it okay that you didn't.

Joyce walks by the room and sees the bag on Buffy's bed.

Joyce: What is this? Is this some sort of a joke?

Buffy: Mom, please, could you, could you just...

Joyce: (interrupts) No, I can't just! Buffy, what is this?

Willow: She was running away again.

Buffy: No, I wasn't. (pauses, very confused) I'm not sure.

Joyce: Well, you better *get* sure and explain yourself right away! If you think you can just take off any time you feel like...

Buffy: Stop it! Please! I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing.

She rushes from her room and heads downstairs. Joyce and Willow follow right on her heels. Cut to below. Buffy comes rushing down the stairs with her mother and best friend right behind. She stops at the front door, and turns into the living room when she finds Xander and Cordelia locked in a passionate embrace, blocking her way out.

Joyce: Don't you leave this house, young lady!

Buffy doesn't stop her determined walk.

Joyce: You know what? That's it.

She runs up behind Buffy, grabs her arm and turns her around to face her.

Joyce: You and I are going to have a talk.

The band stops playing and most of the people stop talking. Suddenly the level of noise in the room is reduced to just a few voices. Buffy looks around at everyone staring at them.

Buffy: (implores) Mom, please...

Xander and Cordelia come into the living room.

Joyce: (interrupts, mad) You know what? I don't care. I don't care what your friends think of me, or you for that matter, because you put me through the wringer, Buffy. (inhales) I mean it. (exhales and inhales) And I've had schnapps. (exhales) Do you have *any* idea what it's been like?

Buffy: Mom, this isn't the time...

Willow looks around, worried. Oz comes up next to her.

Joyce: (interrupts again) You can't imagine *months* of not knowing. Not knowing whether you're lying dead in a ditch somewhere or, I don't know, living it up...

Buffy: (interrupts in turn) But you told me! You're the one who said I should go. You said if I leave this house, don't come back. You found out who I really was, and you couldn't deal. Don't you remember?

People are beginning to think this is a drag and leave.

Joyce: Buffy, you didn't give me time. You just dumped this thing on me and you expected me to get it. Well, guess what? Mom's not perfect, okay? I handled it badly. But that doesn't give you the right to punish me by running away.

Buffy: Punish you? I didn't do this to punish you!

Xander: Well, you did. You should've seen what you put her through.

Buffy: Great. Thanks. Anybody else want to weigh in here? (sees Jonathan) How about you by the dip?

Jonathan freezes in the middle of bringing a chip laden with dip to his mouth and looks around nervously at everyone suddenly staring at him.

Jonathan: No, thanks. I'm good.

Xander: You know, maybe you don't want to hear it, Buffy, but taking off like you did was incredibly selfish and stupid.

Buffy: Okay! Okay. I screwed up. I know this. But you have no idea! You have, you have no idea what happened to me or what I was feeling!

Xander: Did you even try talking to anybody?

Buffy: There was nothing that anybody could do. Okay? I just had to deal with this on my own.

Xander: Yeah, and you see how well *that* one worked out. You can't just bury stuff, Buffy. It'll come right back up to get you.

Cut to the street. The zombie has Giles bent back on the hood of his car. Giles gets his foot underneath him and push kicks him off. He rolls off of the hood and scrambles back into the car, locking the door. The zombies start pounding on the car. Giles reaches for the ignition and discovers the keys missing. He searches his pockets. Nothing. He looks out onto the street, and there they are.

Giles: Oh, good show, Giles.

He thinks for a moment what to do, then reaches underneath the dash and pulls out some wires. Quickly he unravels and strips the appropriate ones. A zombie punches through the window and reaches in for him. Giles touches the wires together. They spark, and the engine starts up.

Giles: Like riding a bloody bicycle!

He puts the car in gear and drives off, leaving the zombies behind. Cut to Buffy's living room.

Buffy: As if I even could've gone to you, Xander. You made your feelings about Angel and I perfectly clear.

Xander: Look. I'm sorry that your honey was a demon, but most girls don't hop a Greyhound over boy troubles.

Cordelia doesn't think this is fair, and intercedes.

Cordelia: Time out, Xander. Put yourself in Buffy's shoes for just a minute. Okay? I'm Buffy, freak of nature, right? Naturally I pick a freak for a boyfriend, and then he turns into Mr. Killing Spree, which is pretty much my fault...

Buffy: (interrupts) Cordy! Get outta my shoes!

Cordelia: I'm just trying to help, Buffy.

Willow: Buffy, you never...

Buffy: (nears the breaking point) Willow, please. I can't take this from you, too.

Xander: Let her finish! You at least owe her that.

Buffy: God, Xander! Do you think you could at least stick to annoying me on your own behalf?

Xander: Fine! You stop acting like an idiot, I'll stop annoying you!

Buffy: (steps up to Xander) Oh, you wanna talk acting like an idiot? Nighthawk?

Oz: Okay. I'm gonna step in now, (gets between them) being Referee Guy.

Willow: No, let them go, Oz. (gets a look from him) Talking about it isn't helping. We might as well try some violence.

A zombie suddenly smashes though the living room window and comes in. Others follow right behind.

Willow: I was being sarcastic!

A zombie grabs Xander, and they start to wrestle. Another one grabs the Stoner's head and twists it violently, breaking his neck. Xander gets the upper hand on the slow-moving zombie and throws him back out of the window. Willow and Oz scramble to help out. A zombie dives through the kitchen door window. The remaining party guests all try to drive the zombies out, but aren't very organized about it. Xander breaks away from the crowd.

Buffy: Xander, kitchen!

Xander: I got your back!

She tosses him an andiron from the fireplace, and he runs into the kitchen with Cordelia close behind. A zombie attacks Buffy, and she launches herself into a hopping side kick to his gut. She sidesteps a punch and swings under his arm with an uppercut to his jaw, but he isn't fazed. He swings at her with both arms, knocking her aside. Joyce watches Buffy fight, cringing at every blow. Buffy punches the zombie twice in the face and then ducks past him as he lunges at her with his arm trying to grab her. He turns around and tries to make a grab for her, but Joyce comes up behind him with a vase and smashes it over his head. The party guests are having limited success keeping the zombies out of the house. Buffy leg sweeps the zombie and knocks him down.

Joyce: Are these vampires?

Buffy: Uh, I don't think so.

Willow: Buffy, heads up!

She tosses Buffy a piece of the broken window frame. Buffy catches it out of the air and tries staking the zombie. He just looks up at her as though she pinched him.

Buffy: No, not vampires.

The zombie starts to get back to his feet. Cut to the kitchen. Xander swings the andiron at one of them, making him stagger a bit. Cordelia looks around and finds a stake on the counter. She jams it into the zombie's gut. He staggers back again. Pat looks into the kitchen from the hall, not paying attention to her back. A zombie comes up behind her and grabs her by the jaw and the back of her head. She screams as she's dragged off. The zombie in the kitchen comes at Xander again. Another one is trying to crawl in through the window over the sink.

Xander: Man, this sucker wobbles, but he won't fall down!

He swings the andiron at the zombie's legs and knocks him to he floor. Cut to the living room. Joyce hits the zombie repeatedly over the head with a broken piece of wood. Jonathan is holding a guitar, ready to smash it over the zombie.

Buffy: We got to get 'em back outside!

Joyce: On three!

Devon grabs the zombie by the back. Oz and Joyce each grab an arm.

Joyce: One... Two... Three!

Together they drag him to the front door, where Buffy is waiting to slam it shut. The three of them throw the ghoul out and barricade themselves against the door. The zombie slams himself against it, trying to get back in.

Buffy: Okay! We're gonna have to barricade this door!

Cut to the kitchen. Xander and Cordelia have their zombie pinned face down to the floor with his arms behind him.

Buffy: We need some help out here!

Xander: I got him. Go help Buffy.

Cordelia rushes into the living room to help while Xander ties up the zombie. Cut to the front door. Some of them scramble to get something to barricade the door while others lean against it to keep it closed.

Oz: Grab that table!

He goes to grab the small table. Devon takes his place at the door. Oz drags the table back and positions it against the door. He leans into it while Devon goes off to get another one. Xander shows up to help, too. Suddenly the zombie punches through the door and makes a grab for Oz's shoulder.

Buffy: Upstairs!

She runs up the stairs and into her mother's room. Willow, Xander and Joyce follow her. At the top of the stairs Joyce sees Pat lying unconscious on the floor further down the hall.

Joyce: Oh, Pat!

She rushes over to Pat. Willow and Buffy run over to help also.

Joyce: Oh, God...

Pat wakes, and Willow and Joyce help her up, each getting under one arm.

Buffy: Careful!

Pat: Oh...

Xander: (watches the stairs) Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry.

Joyce: (to Pat) I got you. Okay.

They drag her toward the bedroom. Xander ushers them in and follows. Cut below. The stand at the door has to be abandoned. Devon runs out the back. Cordelia helps Oz get away from the zombie outside the door, and they try to run up the stairs, but another zombie grabs Oz from behind and pulls him down to the floor.

Cordelia: Oz!

She reacts quickly and comes back down holding her hand out to Oz, but he waves her off.

Oz: GO! GO!

She starts to run toward the back, and Oz scrambles out of the zombie's reach, running right behind her. Cut to Joyce's bedroom. She and Willow have to drag Pat the rest of the way in and lie her down on a large padded wicker chair and footrest while Buffy and Xander try to get the door closed to keep a zombie out. Willow feels for a pulse on Pat's neck.

Willow: She's...

Joyce: Oh, God! Pat! She's dead!

The zombie gives the door a good bump, knocking Xander back and into the far wall. The impact vibration knocks the mask from its hook. Buffy manages to shove the zombie back a bit. Willow and Joyce run to help. The eyes of the mask begin to glow red again. Xander gets back up, and now all four of them are pushing against the door to get it closed.

Joyce: What do we do if they get in?

Xander: I kind of think we die.

The mask's eyes keep glowing. Cut to Pat. Her eyes open wide.

Act Four

Inside a downstairs closet. It's absolutely dark.

Cordelia: I don't hear anything. Should we check?

Oz: (exhales) Let's go for it.

He opens the door and looks out. No zombies. He looks the other way. The coast appears to be clear. They can, however, hear noises coming from upstairs. Oz gives Cordelia a glance and looks around again to be absolutely sure that at least there isn't anything going on downstairs. Cordelia sees a pair of ski poles in the closet and hands one of them to Oz.

Cordelia: Here.

Oz: Thanks.

Together they start down the hall toward the stairs. They reach the kitchen door. Cordelia looks in and startles when suddenly Giles appears there, having come in through the back door. She holds her ski pole up to his neck. Oz holds his ski pole pointed at Giles' gut.

Giles: Cordelia, it's me! It's me!

Cordelia: How do we know it's really you and not zombie Giles?

Giles: Cordelia, do stop being tiresome.

Cordelia: It's him.

She and Oz both draw back their weapons. The noises upstairs seem to get louder. They start moving toward the stairs again.

Oz: I think the Dead Man's Party's moved upstairs.

Giles: That makes sense. It's the mask in Joyce's bedroom they're after.

Cordelia: Mask?

Giles: The mask holds the power of a... zombie demon, called Ovu Mobani--Evil Eye. I don't think we can get past them.

They crouch by the stairs and try to look upstairs.

Oz: Well, what happens if they get the mask?

Giles: If one of them puts it on, they become the demon incarnate.

Cordelia: Worse than a zombie.

Giles: Yes, worse.

Cut to Joyce's bedroom. Pat sits up on the footrest. The zombie at the door overpowers Buffy and the others, pushing the door in violently. Joyce and Xander fall to the floor. The zombie comes in and backhand punches Buffy, sending her into the wall. Pat sees the fighting, but her attention is drawn to the mask lying on the floor. Its eyes glow a bright red now. Xander tries to grab the zombie from behind, but it throws a backhand punch and hits Xander in the jaw. Xander goes flying in a high arc onto the bed and rolls off of the far side onto the floor. Pat stands up, her gaze fixed on the mask, and steps over to it. Joyce sees her stand up, and looks at her amazed. She gets up from the floor and goes over to Pat.

Joyce: Oh, God! We thought you were...

She tries to hug Pat, but Pat grabs her outstretched arms and pushes her hard onto the bed. Joyce rolls off next to Xander. Pat bends down to pick up the mask and holds it to her face as she stands back up. The eyes suddenly glow a very bright red, and the mask integrates itself into Pat's face. The zombie immediately stops fighting Willow and falls to his knees, screaming and cowering before Ovu Mobani incarnate.

Xander: (to Joyce) Generally speaking, when scary things get scared: not good.

Willow looks at Mobani, transfixed by its stare.

Mobani: I live, you die.

Buffy tries to get between them. Ovu Mobani turns to her, and its eyes flash, mesmerizing Buffy. It backhand punches her, and sends her flying in a high arc against the closet door. Buffy is only slightly dazed, and quickly raises herself up on her hands. She sees Willow back away from Mobani fearfully.

Buffy: Willow, don't look!

Mobani's eyes flash again at Willow, and she freezes. The demon strides over to her and grabs her by the jaw and the back of her head. Buffy lunges at Mobani, grabs it and dives out of the bedroom window. Cut outside. The two of them fall onto the roof and roll down and off. They hit the railing of the back porch and break it, fall over some bushes and roll into the backyard. Cut to Giles, Oz and Cordelia on the stairs. They hear the crash through the window.

Giles: Out back!

They rush back down the stairs, but a zombie appears from the dining room and takes Giles by the neck. Cut outside. Buffy and Ovu Mobani get to their feet. Buffy looks away and quickly puts some distance between herself and the demon, shading her eyes as she goes.

Buffy: Not looking.

Mobani makes tracks after her.

Buffy: Not looking!

Cut to Joyce's bedroom. With Ovu Mobani no longer there, the zombie has quit its cowering and begun attacking the mortals. Xander and Willow each have the zombie by an arm, and Joyce swings a baseball bat hard into his back. The zombie screams and flails its arms, shaking Xander and Willow loose. He turns to face Joyce, who keeps swinging the bat. The zombie blocks the blows with its arm, but Joyce doesn't stop. Cut outside. Mobani tackles Buffy to the ground and turns her over. Buffy immediately covers her eyes with her arm, and the demon's eye flashes have no effect on her. Buffy snap kicks Mobani off of her, and the demon flies across the yard and lands hard on its back. Cut to the stairs. Oz and Giles try to use a ski pole to hold the zombie at bay, but it's not working very well.

Giles: Tell Buffy Mobani's power lies in his eyes!

Oz kicks the zombie twice in the shoulder, trying to force him back so he can get down the stairs. The zombie isn't fazed, so Oz just hops over the stair railing instead.

Giles: She has to go for the eyes to defeat him!

Cut outside. Buffy gets to her hands and knees and scrambles over to the shovel. Behind her Mobani is coming for her again. Buffy turns around with the shovel raised, but the demon flashes its eyes at her again, this time making her freeze. Behind them Oz comes running out of the kitchen door.

Oz: Buffy!

This distracts Ovu Mobani and brings Buffy out of her trance. Mobani flashes its eyes at Oz, making him freeze on the porch. Buffy stands back up and raises the shovel.

Buffy: Hey, Pat!

Ovu Mobani snaps its head around to look at Buffy again, who jams the shovel into the demon's eyes, embedding it in its head. Mobani grabs the shovel handle and tries to pull it out, but can't.

Buffy: Made you look.

In a flash of brilliant white light Ovu Mobani disappears. Cut to Joyce's bedroom. She is still beating on the zombie. In a flash of light he disappears. Joyce's next swing goes wild, and she stops. Cut to the stairs. Cordelia is helping Giles hold the zombie at bay with the ski poles, when he disappears in a flash of light, making her fall forward. She reacts quickly and steadies herself against the wall. Cut outside. Buffy just stares where Mobani was. On the porch Oz shrugs.

Oz: Never mind.

Cut inside. Giles and Cordelia come down the stairs. Behind them Joyce runs down and into the living room, looking for Buffy. She sees her and Oz come in through the kitchen.

Joyce: Honey!

She embraces her daughter tightly. Buffy hugs her mom back.

Joyce: Oh!

They release their embrace. Oz sees Willow come into the living room and goes to her.

Joyce: Are you all right?

Buffy: Yeah.

Joyce: (panting) So, is this a typical day at the office?

Buffy: No. This was nothing.

Willow and Oz hold hands, and then turn to face Buffy. Xander comes into the living room through the kitchen. Cordelia joins them. Joyce looks around at the mess in the house.

Xander: (to Buffy) Nice moves.

Buffy: You, too.

Willow smiles, and goes to hug her best friend. They hold each other close for a long time. Giles looks on from the other side of the room and breathes deeply. Cut to Principal Snyder's office the next day. He's getting some files from his cabinet. There is a knock on his door. It opens and Giles comes in. Snyder glances over to see who it is, and goes to his desk.

Snyder: Do we have an appointment?

Giles: I'd like to have a word with you.

Snyder drops the files on his desk and turns to face Giles.

Snyder: If that word is Buffy, then I have two words for you: 'good' and 'riddance'. Now, if you don't mind, I have an appointment with the Mayor.

Giles: You can't keep her out of this school.

Snyder: (pulls on his jacket) I think you'll find I can.

Giles: You had no grounds for expelling her.

Snyder: I have grounds, I have precedent, and a tingly kind of feeling.

Giles: Buffy Summers is a minor, and is entitled to a public education. Your personal dislike of the girl does not legally entitle you to...

Snyder: (interrupts) Why don't you take it up with the city council?

He grabs the files and his briefcase and heads for the door.

Giles: I thought I'd start with the State Supreme Court.

Snyder stops and faces him.

Giles: You're powerful in local circles, but I believe I can make life very difficult for you, professionally speaking. (confidently) And Buffy will be allowed back in.

Snyder: Sorry. I'm not convinced.

He tries to go again. Giles grabs him by the lapel and shoves him back into his filing cabinet.

Giles: (grining) Would you like me to convince you?

Snyder shakes his head ever so slightly and looks back nervously. Cut to the Espresso Pump. Cut inside. The camera pans across the interior and stops on Buffy and Willow sitting on stools at a table with a couple of drinks.

Willow: I mean, I'm not a full-fledged witch. That takes years. I just did a couple pagan blessings and... a teeny glamour to hide a zit.

Buffy: Does it scare you?

Willow: It has. I tried to communicate with the spirit world, and I *so* wasn't ready for that. It's like being pulled apart inside. Plus I blew the power for our whole block. Big scare.

Buffy: I wish I could've been there with you.

Willow: Me, too. I really freaked out.

Buffy: I am sorry.

Willow: It's okay. I understand you having to bail. I can forgive that. Mm, I have to make allowances for what you're going through a-and be a grownup about it. (gives Buffy a slightly smug look)

Buffy: (smiles) You're really enjoying this whole moral superiority thing, aren't you?

Willow: (smiles) It's like a drug!

Buffy: Fine! Okay. I'm the bad. I can take my lumps... for a while.

Willow: All right. I'll stop giving you a hard time. (pauses) Runaway.

Buffy: (gives her a surprised look) Will!

Willow: (smiles and giggles) I'm sorry! Quitter.

Buffy: (widens her eyes at her) Whiner.

Willow: Bailer.

Buffy: Harpy.

Willow: Delinquent.

Buffy: Tramp.

Willow: (takes mock offense) Bad seed.

Buffy: Witch.

Willow: Freak.

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