Face to Face: Part 2
by Dena Karson
Part Two
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BUFFY (mocking him, angry)
'Is that all?' Giles, this is serious!
GILES (exasperated)
Buffy, we have more important things to worry about than your boy troubles.
BUFFY
That's what I'm thinking about. I kinda got angry and told him we didn't need or want his or Delilah's help with anything anymore.
GILES ( in amazement)
You what?!
BUFFY
I know, I know. It was a stupid thing for me to do.
GILES
Stupid is not the word.
BUFFY
And that's the least of our problems. When I told him how Delilah's eyes changed color, he went all buck and acted like it was a really bad thing.
GILES
Well, from the look on her face, I didn't think it was a good thing. Did he say what it meant?
BUFFY (shaking her head)
No, I didn't let him.
GILES (sighing)
I know it is difficult for you, but could you please try to control your temper a little more? There's more than just your personal relationships at stake here.
BUFFY (looking down sadly)
I know. It's late; I have to get home. I just thought I'd inform you of this, in case anything else happened. I don't think we'll be able to count on either of them anymore. (Exit.)
GILES (watching her leave, waits until she is gone to speak)
She's gone.
(Angel emerges from the stacks, a sad look on his face.)
ANGEL (hurt)
She honestly thinks I'd abandon her.
GILES (trying to keep the conversation light)
She's upset now. Teenage girls, you know. (Gets serious.) I know you are still going to be here, but what about Delilah?
ANGEL
I'll talk to her. She'll stay, don't worry.
GILES
I am curious as to what the changing eye color means.
ANGEL
It happens when she gets angry. When she gets a little upset, they turn pale blue, and everything around her turns cold. When she becomes enraged, her eyes turn red like fire. Usually she can get it under control by then, so it hardly ever goes to the next step.
GILES
Which is?
ANGEL
She can control the fire in her eyes. Create it, throw it, whatever she chooses. I've only ever seen it happen once, just after I killed Ethan and she came after me.
GILES
So this eye color change doesn't occur often?
ANGEL (shaking his head)
Rarely. Delilah can control her emotions like no one I've ever seen.
GILES
But Buffy got to her; she mentioned Ethan. (He pauses.) Delilah still loves him after all these years.
ANGEL
Time is relative when you're immortal.
GILES (after a pause, shifting uncomfortably)
So what now?
ANGEL
I'll talk to Delilah; I'll get her back with us.
GILES (moving on)
And all we have to do is get Buffy and her to call a truce.
ANGEL (smiling)
Easier said than done.
(Scene ends. The next scene begins at school the next day. Giles, Xander, and Willow are walking through the courtyard of the school.)
XANDER
Question: so far, Buffy's the only one who has seen this vampire. Why is that?
GILES
It is probably looking for a challenge. With Buffy's strength and skill, she's a good target.
WILLOW
Well then, why wouldn't it pretend to be one of us so it can get close to her?
(Suddenly Delilah appears behind them.)
DELILAH
Because it knows she would know the difference.
GILES
God! Must you sneak around like that?
DELILAH (denying)
I wasn't sneaking. I came here to help you.
XANDER
Glad you're back on the team.
WILLOW
Yeah, we thought you wouldn't come back.
DELILAH (shooting a meaningful look at Giles)
Someone convinced me to.
XANDER (confused)
Who?
GILES (quickly)
Never mind. Thank you, Delilah.
DELILAH
My pleasure.
GILES
If you'll excuse me, I've got to get back to researching metamorphosis. Willow, do you have time?
WILLOW
Yeah, I've got a free period. (To Delilah and Xander.) See you guys later. (They exit.)
XANDER (to Delilah)
Uh, can I ask you a question?
DELILAH
Is this the same one you were going to ask the last time we were walking down this hall?
XANDER
Yeah. So can I ask?
DELILAH
Sure.
XANDER (clearing his throat)
Why is it that you always wear black? I mean, it's slimming and everything, but I (At this point he is looking her over, then when she notices how he is staring at her he coughs nervously.) really don't think you need it. So are you just trying to exercise a stereotype or what?
DELILAH (laughing)
Well, a stereotype has to start somewhere. Actually, a lot of mortal witches wear black too, and, contrary to popular belief, it's not because they worship Satan.
XANDER
Then why?
DELILAH
Black is the presence of all colors, so it is also the presence of all energies. It helps witches to hone their powers, to make them more receptive to forces.
XANDER
I thought you were pretty strong in your own right.
DELILAH
Oh, I am. But it gives me a little kick, you know? Besides, when your wardrobe consists entirely of one color, it's hard to clash. (She looks at him and raises her eyebrows.) Maybe you should try it.
XANDER (smiling nervously, knowing what she is implying)
I'll consider it, thanks.
(Cordelia is walking down the hall towards them when she sees Delilah. Cordelia looks at her apprehensively and moves to the other side of the hall. Delilah smiles satisfactorily.)
DELILAH (waving)
Hiya, Cordelia!
CORDELIA (keeping her distance)
I thought you were gone.
(Cordelia looks from Xander to Delilah, jealously clouding her face. Xander grins happily.)
DELILAH (still smiling)
I'm back for a visit.
(One of the guys with Cordelia eyes Delilah and decides to talk to her.)
GUY #1 (to Delilah)
So, are you new here?
DELILAH
Oh, no. I've been around for awhile.
GUY #2 (joining his friend)
Really? (Gesturing to Xander.) Why hang with this loser when you could join us?
CORDELIA (insulted that they are not paying attention to her)
Excuse me!
DELILAH (ignoring Cordelia and throwing her arm around Xander's shoulders)
For your information, Xander and I are like this. (She crosses her fingers and holds them up.) Aren't we Xander?
XANDER (surprised, but plays along)
Yeah, sure. Like this. (Crossing his fingers as she has.)
(Cordelia narrows her eyes at Delilah. Xander knows that she is jealous.)
GUY #1 (to Delilah)
Maybe once you come to your senses and ditch this guy, I'll give you a call.
DELILAH (smiling sweetly)
You do that.
(The two guys and Cordelia walk down the hall.)
CORDELIA (as they are walking away)
Are you guys crazy?! Goth Girl is a total freak! She tried to kill me the last time I saw her! Probably friends with Buffy...
DELILAH (looking as they walk away, her smile fades)
Someone really needs to teach that girl a lesson.
XANDER (an idea springing to him)
Actually, I think this can work to both of our advantages.
(Xander throws his arms around her shoulders and they walk down the hallway, talking. Scene switches to Buffy is walking down the hall. Delilah rounds a corner and stops her.)
BUFFY
Well, look who it is.
DELILAH (sarcastic)
Nice to see you too, Buffy.
BUFFY
Why are you here? I thought you didn't have any powers during the day.
DELILAH
Just when the sun shines on me. In case you didn't notice, there's no sun indoors.
(Buffy smirks at her and then goes to walk past Delilah.)
DELILAH (stopping Buffy)
Tell me something.
BUFFY (turning around to face Delilah, tersely)
What?
DELILAH
Why is it that you hate me so much?
BUFFY (chuckling in amazement)
For someone who held a grudge for two hundred years, you sure have a bad memory. You tried to kill me, remember?
DELILAH
That wasn't about you; it was about Angel.
BUFFY (aghast)
But it was my life you took!
DELILAH
And I could have kept it, but I didn't. (She sighs, wanting to end this.) Look, Buffy, when you've lived as long as I have, you learn how to chose your enemies, and you're not one of mine.
BUFFY (dryly)
The feeling is so not mutual.
DELILAH (smiling at her response)
You know, you're a lot more mature than most people your age; I guess that comes with being a Slayer. But when it comes to social interaction, you're still a little girl.
(Delilah walks away, leaving Buffy standing huffily in her wake. The next scene begins that night with Buffy sitting in the library with Giles.)
BUFFY
She's evil, Giles. Oh, sure; she acts all Glinda the Good Witch, but I'm not buying it.
GILES
Angel trusts her, and that's enough for me.
BUFFY
Well, color me skeptical, but it's not enough for me.
DELILAH (appearing in the background)
It should be.
(Buffy and Giles turn around to find Delilah and Angel standing by the door.)
BUFFY (coldly, more to Angel than to Delilah)
What are you doing here?
ANGEL (hurt)
We came to help.
(Buffy is silent, and Giles coughs nervously.)
GILES
We appreciate that, thank you.
DELILAH
What do you need us to do?
BUFFY (mumbling to herself)
Impaling yourself on a sharp object would be nice...
DELILAH (amused)
That would almost be funny if it wasn't so asinine.
BUFFY (confused)
Asi-what?
DELILAH (exasperated)
Foolish. You know, that blonde hair dye really did a number on your brain.
ANGEL (warning)
Delilah...
GILES
Look, can we please get to the matter at hand? (They all shut up.) Thank you. Now Delilah, in order to fully utilize your powers, we have to know your weaknesses.
DELILAH
I've told you all of them. Oh, except the color thing; I explained that to Xander this afternoon.
BUFFY (caustically)
What color thing?
DELILAH (ignoring her tone)
Just that black helps channel my energy, making me as strong as possible. Wearing color disrupts the flow of power.
GILES
Anything else?
DELILAH
Nope, you know all of my weaknesses: hallowed ground, daylight, water, and any color but black. That's all. I don't have any other weaknesses. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see what else I can find on this metamorphosis stuff. (Exit.)
ANGEL
She's lying.
GILES
What?
ANGEL
She's lying; she has another weakness.
BUFFY (bitterly)
What?
ANGEL
Ethan.
(Scene ends. The next scene begins with Buffy sitting at the Bronze, looking bored. Xander and Willow rush up to her.)
XANDER
Giles said we could find you here.
WILLOW
Are you meeting Angel here tonight?
BUFFY
Nope. Tonight is strictly business.
XANDER (grinning)
Then shouldn't you be out staking your territory?
(The girls aren't amused.)
XANDER (hurt)
One day you'll all be sorry you didn't appreciate my witty banter.
BUFFY
One day in the far, far future.
WILLOW
So what is the business?
BUFFY
Well, it was a Giles-Angel consensus that believed that this look-like-thee critter's going to show up at the Bronze, so guess where they sent Buffy?
WILLOW (struggling over what to say)
Oh. So have you seen him-her-it, yet?
BUFFY
If I have, I'd never know it. God, I feel so useless all of a sudden.
XANDER
Now you know what it's like in my world.
WILLOW
I thought Delilah was going to help.
BUFFY
Nope. She threw a hissyfit and stormed out of the library for the...what? Billionth time.
DELILAH (coming up behind them)
Actually, it's been less than ten times.
(They all turn to look at her, Buffy glaring.)
DELILAH (to Buffy)
Angel asked me to come; something about him being worried about you. He should be along soon.
BUFFY (snidely)
I'm glad you're keeping tabs on him for me.
DELILAH (looking up)
And here he is.
ANGEL
Buffy. Have you seen it yet?
BUFFY
Why do you all keep asking me that? I don't know! It could be anyone here, you know. Hell, it could be you!
(Angel smiles, leans down, and kisses her. After a moment, he pulls away. She tries to catch her breath.)
BUFFY
Okay, it's not Angel.
(Delilah is looking across the room when her face goes completely white. She has a shocked look on her face. Willow notices her look first.)
WILLOW (concerned)
Delilah?
(Delilah is silent. The others look to where she is looking in confusion. The only one who has any reaction is Angel, and his face is a mixture of shock and horror.)
ANGEL (shocked)
My God.
BUFFY (to Angel)
What is it?
(A young man emerges from the crowd, walking towards Delilah. She hasn't moved since she first saw him.)
ANGEL
Ethan.
BUFFY
What about him?
(Delilah has taken several steps away from the rest of them, and the young man has finally reached her.)
ANGEL
That's him.
WILLOW
That's Ethan?
BUFFY (amazed)
Wow. He was a hottie.
(Both Angel and Xander give Buffy a look of jealousy. She doesn't notice. Focus on Delilah and Ethan.)
ETHAN
Can we go somewhere to talk?
(Delilah nods, still recovering. She follows him outside.)
ANGEL
We should watch them.
XANDER
Oooh, voyeurism. Kinky.
ANGEL (throwing him a look)
To find out why he's here and what he wants from her.
BUFFY
Uh, I don't know why anyone hasn't noticed this yet, but isn't he supposed to be dead?
ANGEL
I noticed, and yes, he should be.
WILLOW
So why is he here?
(They all look back and forth at each other. Scene switches to outside, where Ethan and Delilah are standing face to face, but not touching.)
ETHAN
You're just as beautiful as the last day I saw you.
(Delilah's voice is even, showing nothing of her emotions.)
DELILAH
I don't age. You know that.
ETHAN (laughing)
You right, I know. I'm just so happy to see you again.
DELILAH
Why? You were dead...
ETHAN (shaking his head)
I was, but then Darla came. She saved my life, or so she said. She turned me into one of them, into a vampire.
DELILAH
Why didn't you come to me and tell me? How could you let me go on believing you were gone?
ETHAN
You despise vampires. I couldn't bear having you look at me with the same abhorrence.
DELILAH
I could never hate you.
ETHAN (smiling)
I know. You are what healed me. I was one of them, a murdering demon, killing and feeding with the worst of them. But then I remembered you, and how much I love you. I couldn't kill after that; I knew you wouldn't want me to.
DELILAH
Why did you wait this long to find me?
ETHAN
I wanted to make sure I was ready, that all the evil was gone. I couldn't have approached you any other way.
(Suddenly Buffy, Angel, Willow, and Xander appear outside with them. Angel looks at Delilah, and Ethan notices it immediately.)
ETHAN (angrily, to Angel)
Don't you dare look at her. Stay away.
(Delilah looks at Ethan in surprise; she never saw him look so angry before. Then her eyes fall to the ground.)
ANGEL (backing off)
I'm on your side.
ETHAN
Really? Is that why you killed me?
BUFFY
Hold the hostility, would you? (Sighs. Then she looks between Delilah and Ethan.) You two are perfect for each other.
(Delilah looks up at Buffy numbly. Angel notices Delilah's eyes and knows something is wrong.)
ETHAN (looking at Buffy with interest)
A Slayer.
BUFFY
Perception and hostility. You know how to pick them, Delilah.
ANGEL (to Delilah)
Are you all right?
ETHAN (shouting)
Back off! I'll kill you by the end of the night.
(There is silence. Delilah steps away from him, towards Angel and the others. Ethan looks at her sharply.)
ETHAN
Sweetheart-
DELILAH (a new strength in her voice)
Don't. Stay away.
ETHAN
But it's me. Ethan.
DELILAH (shaking her head)
You're not Ethan. He would never threaten to kill anyone.
ETHAN
But he killed me. He kept us apart all these years. Shouldn't he be punished for that?
DELILAH
My Ethan would never want revenge, not even for that. Who are you?
(Ethan is silent, smirking. Buffy realizes what is going on.)
BUFFY
Not who. What. He's our little metamorphic vampire.
ETHAN (to Buffy)
And your worst enemy.
(Ethan looks at her a moment, then runs away. Buffy and the others follow her. Ethan is always in Buffy's sight until he turns down an alley and disappears. She walks through the alley, passing by a dumpster, boxes, a mirror, and more boxes.)
ANGEL (catching up to her)
Where is he?
BUFFY
Gone. He just disappeared. Damn! I thought we had this guy.
WILLOW (looking around)
Maybe he didn't disappear.
BUFFY
What?
WILLOW
Giles said he could be anything.
XANDER (picking up on her suggestion)
Meaning he could be anything in this alley.
(Willow nods and looks at Buffy.)
BUFFY (pacing around, looking at the garbage)
So which piece of garbage is he?
(She steps in front of the mirror, seeing her reflection. She remembers what the vampire told her before he ran.)
BUFFY (mumbling)
My worst enemy.
(She flashes back to her English class, when she first saw the vampire outside when he was posing as her. She hears the student's and teacher's words in her head. "That we are our own worst enemy?" "Exactly." Suddenly it all makes sense.)
BUFFY (cocking her head)
Angel, how many years bad luck is it to break a mirror?
ANGEL (confused)
What?
BUFFY (to the mirror)
I learned in English class that we are our own worst enemy, and right now, I'm looking at myself. I'm thinking if I break this mirror, my worst enemy is dust. (She smiles.) So to speak.
XANDER (confused)
I think the pressure has finally got to her.
BUFFY (to her friends)
This guy said he's my worst enemy, right? Well, right now I'm looking at my two worst enemies.
(The mirror morphs into the vampire, not as Ethan, but as himself.)
VAMPIRE
Clever Slayer. It's a pity I have to kill you.
BUFFY
It's a pity I have to disagree.
(They fight as the others watch. Buffy finally stakes him, and she jumps up.)
BUFFY
Well, one good thing came out of this.
WILLOW
You got the bad guy.
BUFFY (considering)
Yeah, that. And English class finally proved useful in the real world.
(Fade out. The next scene begins that night in Buffy's room. She is getting ready for bed, when she feels Angel in the room. Without even looking, she knows he is sitting by her window.)
BUFFY
Glad you stopped by.
ANGEL
I wanted to see you.
BUFFY (turning to face him)
How's Delilah?
ANGEL
I don't know. She disappeared.
BUFFY (empathetically)
Tonight was really hard on her.
(Angel smiles, glad that Buffy is finally starting to understand Delilah and her situation.)
BUFFY (smiling, knowing what Angel is thinking)
She seemed almost human.
ANGEL (smilling)
Almost.
(Buffy approaches Angel and puts her arms around him.)
BUFFY
Well, she's still a bit on the rough side, but I guess I'll warm up to her in time. You didn't make the best first impression, but I think we've come pretty far, don't you?
ANGEL (almost laughing)
Yeah, I'd say we've done fairly well.
(They kiss, and the camera pulls back through her window. Fade out. Show ends.)
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