The Guardian of the Gates of Dawn: Part 4
by Gaius Petronius
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all the characters that appear on the show are the exclusive property of Joss Whedon, the WB and Mutant Enemy, Inc. The Ancient Ones, in particular the entity YogSothoth, as well as the character of Robert Blake first appeared in the Cthulhu mythos stories of the early twentieth century horror writer, H. P. Lovecraft.



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Part Four

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ACT 3, Scene 1, INT. Sunnydale High Classroom. Day

The last few students are leaving the classroom. Cordelia stays behind, seated at a desk in the middle of the room. Finally alone, she stares sadly at the blackboard. Uncharacteristically, she is slouching in her chair. Xander pokes his head in the door.

XANDER
Cordie? You coming?

Cordelia doesn't respond. Xander walks over to her, pulls up a chair and sits down close to her.

XANDER (cont'd)
Cordie, come on. It's almost second period.

CORDELIA
You don't need me for this. You go ahead.

XANDER
No, we do need you. Buffy said we gotta check out Giles' replacement. There's some big stuff coming down.

CORDELIA
Whatever your precious Buffy says, goes, right?

Xander hangs his head. There's an awkward silence.

XANDER
Come on, everyone's gonna be at the library. Buffy, Willow, even Oz.

CORDELIA
Now we have to go 'cause of Willow. Well, if Willow wasn't gonna be there, would you still go!

XANDER
Cordie, that's not fair.

CORDELIA
Yes it is! Everytime some demon jumps out of the locker room, or something blows up or Giles does his crazy thing, who the hell do you always end up with?

Xander tries to avert his eyes from Cordelia's piercing glare, but can't.

CORDELIA (cont'd)
Willow! That's who! When things get scary, you're always comforting her. When one of these creatures comes crawling out of the Hellmouth, you're always there defending her first....What about me? I get scared a lot more than Willow.

XANDER
But Cordie, Willow and I have been buds since we were kids. I used to bring her salamanders just to make her scream.

CORDELIA
Xander, you don't know how to let go! You two could never get it together. All these years you guys hung out and never dated. Then when you finally get the guts to ask her out, she turned you down.

Xander looks at the floor again and scuffs his shoes.

CORDELIA (cont'd)
And this thing you have for Buffy, she's refused you more times than Giles "consults his books!" And you've gotten ten times worse since Giles got sick... (quietly) Does it have anything to do with...

Cordelia hangs her head as she asks the big question that's on her mind.

CORDELIA (cont'd)
... with what I said the other day?

XANDER
No!... well maybe sort of... (sheepishly) yeah, I guess.

Cordelia talks quietly, dreading what she thinks she is about to hear.

CORDELIA
I always heard that telling a guy you loved him was like the kiss of death for a relationship... So is this it? You want to dump me?

Xander looks up at Cordelia. In a low voice, he tries to explain what he is feeling but has a hard time finding the right words.

XANDER
No Cordie, you got it all backwards. I just don't know what to think now. Listen, here I am this colossal jerk, the Great Nerdini and school laughing stock and, all of a sudden, I'm dating the hottest chick at Sunnydale High.

The sadness leaves Cordelia's face. She starts to smile as Xander continues to flounder in his explanation.

XANDER (cont'd)
We fight like crazy, but I know she likes me, and against that last little shred of normalness inside my head, I like her, too. I mean, it's a hormonal teenage dream,...and then this... this thing with Giles happens... and I'm looking at that girl differently.

Cordelia gazes intently at Xander

XANDER (cont'd)
I mean, Willow and I go way back and we're comfortable together, but you're right. Willow's something out of the past that never happened. And Buffy, she's just Buffy, totally off the wall. But after the other day... here I am with the most beautiful girl in school and all of a sudden,... we're thinking the same things and not having to tell each other.

Xander looks deep into Cordelia's soft brown eyes.

XANDER (cont'd)
We just think 'em... together... at the same time. And then she says she loves me.... it's so wild... somebody says they love me!... and it's not my Mother!

Cordelia reaches out her hand and strokes Xander's face.

XANDER (cont'd)
And then I realize I love this girl so much, I'd beat the crap out of anybody that'd hurt her or made her cry... demons, vampires, Snyder, anything... and then she's mad at me 'cause I'm hurting her. So what the hell do I do? I feel like telling Buffy, "Just punch me out for the practice." I can't beat myself up.

CORDELIA
You're doing a pretty good job of it.

A tear wells up in Cordelia's eye.

XANDER
Oh crap! There you go again, stop it!

As he did once before months ago, Xander reaches out to Cordelia, wipes the tear off her face with his fingertips and spreads it gently on his own cheek.

XANDER (cont'd)
(with quiet uncertainty in his voice)
Cordie? You do love me, don't you?

CORDELIA
(nodding, almost whispering)
Yeah, I do, Xander.

XANDER
I love you, too... And I don't even know what it means...

Cordelia and Xander hug each other.

XANDER (cont'd)
This is like, so completely new. It feels great... but why does it hurt like hell, too?... I have no idea what I'm doing or where the hell we're going.

CORDELIA
(running her finger gently over Xander's cheek)
Dummy! That's the part about being in love. You create the future as you go along, and it's all new.

Cordelia leans forward and kisses Xander tenderly. It is not a wild teenage passionate kiss but gentle, her lips barely touching his. She softly strokes his hair with her long delicate fingers. As she does, Xander closes his eyes for a moment, then opens them and gazes again into Cordelia's brown eyes.

CORDELIA (cont'd)
See,... all new... and it's all ours.

CUT TO INT., the hallway of Sunnydale High. The same time.

Willow, OZ and Buffy are walking quickly down the hallway towards the Library.

WILLOW
You sure this guy's really the Guardian Giles was talking about?

BUFFY
He said he was. How the hell would he know all this stuff, anyway? And he's not a vampire.

OZ
Step one, I guess we're safe there. You gotta admit, though, it's a little weird, bringing in some old dude you ran into in the cemetery in the middle of the night.

WILLOW
(to Oz, mildly sarcastic)
And the rest of our lives are, like, normal?

OZ
(smiling at Willow)
I like to play "let's pretend."

They pass the classroom where Xander and Cordelia are in each other's arms. Willow stops and looks in the window of the closed door.

WILLOW
Oh, there's Xander and Cordelia. Do you think they're coming? Should I remind them?

Buffy grabs Willow's arm, pulling her away from the door.

BUFFY
Willow, a little life lesson, here. When two people are in the middle of making up, don't tell them they have to stop and take out the garbage.

Willow, Buffy and Oz walk down the hallway away from the classroom.

WILLOW
I just didn't want them to miss out on anything.

Oz wraps his arm around Willow. He snuggles his face close to her and rubs the tip of his nose playfully against hers.

OZ
Will, they're not missing out on anything.

Willow smiles, embarrassed.

WILLOW
Geez, I guess not.

Suddenly the classroom door flies open behind them. Cordelia and Xander run out into the hallway.

CORDELIA
Hey guys! Wait up!

Buffy and Willow look at each other with eyebrows raised. Cordelia and Xander catch up with the other three.

CORDELIA
So what's going on? Who's this new librarian?

BUFFY
(a little put off by Cordelia's forward behavior)
His name is Howard Phillips. I guess he's from Providence, Rhode Island. He came looking for me in the cemetery last night.

Cordelia stops and glares hard at Buffy.

CORDELIA
Okay... and this is normal because... ?

OZ
(to Willow)
See what I mean?

WILLOW
(to Oz)
Maybe she likes to play pretend, too.

BUFFY
(to Cordelia)
You know how Giles said to look for the" Guardian of the Watchers?" I'm pretty sure this new guy, Howard, is it.

XANDER
But how the hell do you know if he's the real thing?

WILLOW
(quietly)
I'll know...

Willow resumes walking toward the Library. There's a determination in her step. The others follow her, puzzled by her response. Buffy catches up to Willow.

BUFFY
You don't mean the dream, do ya?

WILLOW
Buffy, I'll know.

BUFFY
But, Willow, what if he doesn't. I mean look like the guy helping Giles? That's putting a lot of weight on a dream.

WILLOW
Like what you said, "Sometimes that's all we have left."

All five march through the library doors.

WILLOW (cont'd)
Buffy, if it's him, I'll know him...

Willow looks up at the check out desk. Everyone follows Willow's gaze. Behind it, Howard is standing with a book open in his hand. He wears a pair of small glasses pushed down his nose for reading. Although a shade taller than Giles, he positively looms over the desk. The effect of someone of roughly the same stature as Giles in his old spot is positively spooky.

WILLOW (cont'd)
(faintly)
... when I see him...

HOWARD
Ah, good morning.

WILLOW
... ooohhhh...

Willow faints. Howard drops the book and runs out from behind the desk over to Willow. He quickly pulls out of his vest pocket an old fashioned glass bottle of smelling salts.

XANDER
What the hell did you do to her?

HOWARD
She's going to be all right.

He makes a few quick passes under Willow's nose with the open bottle. Her eye lids start to flutter, and she comes to.

WILLOW
Oh, wow... I haven't done that since the pep rally last month.

XANDER
(to Howard)
What is that stuff?

Howard passes the bottle of smelling salts to Xander.

HOWARD
Smelling salts. Hold it while I help her sit up.

Puzzled, Xander takes the bottle and looks at it. Howard props Willow up against a chair.

XANDER
What do ya use it for?

BUFFY
Take a whiff and find out!

Xander does just that, sticking the bottle up under his nose and taking a big sniff. The ammonia vapors nearly knock him off his feet.

XANDER
Aaaargh! Wow! Oh my God!

Xander staggers and wipes the tears now running out of his eyes. Cordelia passes him a tissue out of her shoulder bag.

CORDELIA
Here, don't drool on me.

Xander turns away from the group and blows his nose with a loud honk. When he turns back around, the others are all staring at him.

BUFFY
(shaking her head)
You can dress 'em up...

CORDELIA
(to Buffy)
If that ain't the truth!

HOWARD
(to Willow)
Feel better? Would you like to go to the nurse's office?

WILLOW
No, I'm fine.

She looks up at Howard's kindly face. There is a pause. Finally she speaks, shaking her head.

WILLOW (cont'd)
I've never met someone... from my dreams before.

HOWARD
Well, I'll share something with you. People say I am overbearing and a little impossible, but... I've never had *that* effect... on such a beautiful young lady before.

Willow smiles, eating up the flattery. Unsteadily she gets up off the floor and sits in the seat she was leaning against.

HOWARD
You must be Willow.

Xander snorts, still trying to clear his head.

HOWARD
And I presume that's Xander.

XANDER
Yup, here I am.

HOWARD
(going around the group pointing at each one)
And Oz, and Cordelia. (to Buffy) They are all just as you described. I am Howard... Phillips. But people who know me call me HP.

OZ
Cool.

HOWARD
I'll be serving as Mr. Giles' substitute until he's back up on his feet.

WILLOW
(quietly, hopefully)
You are going to help Giles, aren't you?

Howard nods.

WILLOW
(very quietly)
What were you fighting... in my dream?

Howard doesn't respond. He looks down briefly at the floor.

XANDER
Whatever it was, just tell us what to do. We're ready. We'll take on anything.

Howard looks at the group around him. He smiles and sighs.

BUFFY
(to Howard)
See, didn't I tell you!

HOWARD
So you did. Then we had better start. We have to know what we're dealing with. You mentioned an odd book that Mr. Giles was working on when he was stricken.

WILLOW
Oh yeah. The one in all the weird languages.

HOWARD
Is it here?

WILLOW
Sure, I'll go get it.

Willow hops up from the chair and runs into Giles' office. There is some shuffling noises and a small bang or two as she drops unwanted volumes on the floor. She then emerges bringing the large black unmarked book to a central table in the library. She gently sets it down. Howard and the other four gather around. Howard doesn't touch it at first, only stares at the black cover for several moments. He then slowly reaches down and strokes the leather carefully. All the while he is frowning and his face is deeply furrowed.

BUFFY
Do you know what it is?

Howard doesn't answer. Instead he bows his head and, trying to hide it from the others watching him, wipes his eyes with one hand.

HOWARD
(quietly, his eyes now closed)
Oh... Robert... my poor Master Robert.

Buffy, Xander, Willow, Oz and Cordelia, all stare at Howard with their mouths open.

HOWARD
You did faithfully complete your errand. Please forgive me... I wasn't able to get back... in time... I'm so sorry.

Howard buries his face in his hand. Willow comes up and stands close next to Howard.

WILLOW
(delicately)
HP,... what's wrong. What happened?

HOWARD
(composing himself)
A dear friend of mine, a fellow researcher... many years ago he made sure this... damned thing... did not fall into the hands of evil. And paid for it with his life.

WILLOW
You couldn't do anything?

HOWARD
(quietly)
No. I never really even understood what fate befell him...

Howard reaches down and strokes the leather cover again.

HOWARD
... until today.

Buffy looks fearfully at the black volume on the table.

BUFFY
What is it, HP?

Howard glares at the leather cover. He begins pacing slowly back and forth beside the table. He glances absent mindedly up as he speaks. Buffy follows his gaze, half expecting an invisible being only Howard can see to descend suddenly from the upper windows

HOWARD
It has no name... and yet has been called many things. In Dresden, it was known as "Das Buk Unsaglich" - The Unspeakable Book. At the Vatican they whispered about the "Scriptura Sine Nomine," the Unnamed Writings. Others called it, "Die Quelle des Dunkelheit," The Source of Darkness.

Howard suddenly turns to face the group. Buffy can sense a faint touch of madness in the glint in his eyes.

HOWARD (cont'd)
I prefer that used by Pliny the Elder, "Res Profana,"... "the damned thing."

Suddenly Howard realizes how much he has frightened everyone. Xander is standing protectively beside Cordelia and Willow's eyes are as big as saucers.

HOWARD (cont'd)
Please forgive me.

Howard hangs his head, then looks up at Buffy and the others. There is pain etched deep in his face.

HOWARD (cont'd)
I have fought this thing and what it can do for more years than I wish to remember. I have lost many friends in that struggle...
(looking at each one in the group standing around him)
You are all young, wonderful people. This is wrong. I will not risk you. Go back to class. This fight should be mine, alone.

BUFFY
You're forgetting something, here. When this,... whatever it is, took out Giles, it just crossed the line... and became our fight, too!

WILLOW
(joining Buffy)
Yeah! Nobody messes with Giles or they gotta mess with us! (turning to look at Buffy, a little uncertain) Right?

BUFFY
Right!

XANDER
Listen, HP. We've handled some pretty heavy stuff here. Going to school on the Hellmouth is no picnic. So, we're with ya. Right guys?

Oz and Cordelia look questioningly at each other and shrug their shoulders.

BUFFY
Okay, lay it out straight. What are we dealing with?

HOWARD
... YogSothoth...

XANDER
Yug what?

HOWARD
YogSothoth... the most malevolent of the Ancient Ones. And the Res Profana is the key to bringing it in... and casting it out. The book is like a beacon. When any of the spells are read aloud, they are like a call to the Ancient One that a portal into this world is opening. And it rushes to that point in space and time. That's why it's always seaching and listening.

Buffy's mouth drops open at the mention of an Ancient One. Cordelia suddenly wraps her arms protectively around Xander. Xander looks back to reassure her.

WILLOW
... oh no...

HOWARD
YogSothoth is an entity that can exist in many different places in space and many different instants in time all at the same moment. It was cast into the void millenia ago along with the other Ancient Ones. And has been struggling to break free ever since.

Buffy moves away from the group around the table and sits down in a chair. Willow comes over to join her.

WILLOW
(quietly)
Buffy...

BUFFY
... no, not that thing again... it'll be like watching Jonathan die all over... again... and again! Willow, it's never going to end!

WILLOW
(bluntly)
Buffy, stop it!

Buffy looks directly at Willow.

WILLOW (cont'd)
Jonathan wouldn't want it like this. He's watching right now... I know. It's like my dream.

BUFFY
(to Willow)
Yeah. (now with building strength and resolve)
You're right. This is our chance, isn't it! To even the score! I can finally make that bastard thing pay for... (she suddenly can't finish the sentence. Buffy bites her lip)

XANDER
(quietly to Howard)
An Ancient One killed her boyfriend... and almost got me, too.

Cordelia hugs Xander tighter

HOWARD
(sadly, as if he himself had been there)
I know.

BUFFY
(turning to look back at Howard)
You know a lot more than you let on.

HOWARD
Buffy, what is the purpose of constantly reliving the pain?

BUFFY
(firmly)
It's so you'll always remember! You'll never forget!

HOWARD
(nodding and lowering his head)
Well spoken, Slayer. Very true.

BUFFY
I promised someone I'd always remember. I'll never break that promise.

Buffy gets up from her chair and walks back over to Howard. She glares at him with an almost "in your face" attitude.

BUFFY (cont'd)
I'm ready!

Cordelia and Xander look into each other's eyes. They then look back at Howard and step forward.

CORDELIA
We are, too.

Oz steps up and holds out his arm to Willow. Willow joins him.

OZ
We're all in!

BUFFY
Okay, you're not alone anymore! What's the drill?


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