The Watcher: 1.3 Ties that Bind: Act IV
by gumboy
INT. XANDER'S FIREHOUSE - BEDROOM
Liv and Lucy are climbing up the stairs into Xander's
bedroom. Xander is sitting on a chair with his leg propped
up reading. Construction noises are coming from below.

LIV
Hey Mr. Harris!

XANDER
Hey kiddo!

LUCY
When those guys are done, can they
come to my house?

XANDER
Didn't they fix everything?

LUCY
(sly grin)
Yeah, I just want them to come to
my house.

LIV
(sotto)
Mom...

XANDER
Hey Liv, I need to talk your mother.
Brad's already here, why don't you
get started on your training.

LIV
(excited)
Okay!

Liv bolts for the steps to the training room.

LUCY
So you want to talk to me, eh?

XANDER
Yeah.

LUCY
Take off your shirt.

XANDER
Wha...?

Lucy pulls a sterile gauze patch and some medical adhesive tape from her purse.

LUCY
I want to change your bandage and
check your stitches to make sure
they haven't gotten infected.

XANDER
Oh. Okay.

Xander takes off his shirt and holds his left arm over his
head so Lucy can have easier access. Throughout the scene
Lucy changes the bandage on Xander's chest.

LUCY
So, what did you want to talk to me
about?

XANDER
It's about Liv.

LUCY
Uh-huh.

XANDER
I... I think you need to know what
happened to me before I came to
Cape Kenneth.

LUCY
Okay.

XANDER
The last slayer I trained was
Lateesha. She was the little sister
of a slayer I knew from... well...
way back when. Her parents didn't
want her to go to the training
academies in England or America, so
I went to her.

LUCY
Is that her picture on your dresser?

XANDER
Yes.

LUCY
What happened to her?

XANDER
She died. I sent her out on patrol
and asked her to take out a nest of
vampires. The nest of what I
thought were 3 or 4 vampires
actually turned out to be a dozen.
I failed her and she died as a result.

LUCY
I see.

XANDER
I'm sorry I should have told you this.

LUCY finishes taping up the gauze on Xander's wound.

LUCY
I understand why you didn't.

XANDER
If you want, I can have another
Watcher assigned to her and...

LUCY
(interrupting)
Did Liv ever tell you what happened
to her father?

Xander gives her a puzzled look.

XANDER
She mentioned that he died in a car
crash.

LUCY
I'm going to tell you something
that I've never told Olivia... or
anyone else for that matter. But
you have to promise that you'll
never tell her what I'm about to
tell you.

XANDER
Okay.

Lucy takes a deep breath.

LUCY
You remember when you said that
Livia lived in her head? Well she
gets that from me.

XANDER
Really?

LUCY
Yeah, back in high school I was the
exact same way. Then I fell in love
with Barry. Great guy. Showed me
that there was more to life than a
big book on a Friday night. I was
seventeen, I was in love, we got
careless and I got pregnant. I was
so angry at Barry that on the day
she was born I told him that I
wasn't ever going to let him in my
life or my daughter's ever again.
Two days later he got drunk and
drove into a telephone pole.

XANDER
I don't think that...

LUCY
That I can blame myself for his
death? Oh I doubt that. Can I finish?

XANDER
Sorry.

LUCY
My daughter never got to know her
father. As a result, she was
exactly like me. If it wasn't for
Maya, I swear she wouldn't come out
of her room sometimes. When her
powers kicked in seven years ago,
she started to push everyone away.
At one point, I almost turned her
in as the unibomber. That all
changed when you came into her life.

XANDER
Oh, I don't think I've...

LUCY
I've known my daughter all her life.
Trust me, if she was told five
weeks ago that the most popular boy
in school was upstairs waiting for
her, I'd be trying to get her out
from under the bed, not watching
her run like Flo-Jo up the steps.

Xander laughs, so does Lucy.

LUCY
I know this is dangerous. I should
probably have my head examined for
letting her do this, but all I know
is that my daughter is finally
living her life in the real world
now. And I'm grateful for it. I'm
all for second chances Xander. This
is yours and mine.
(Lucy kisses him on the cheek)
Don't blow it.

Lucy walks up to the training studio.

CORDELIA(OS)
Nice lady there Xander. Think
you're up to the challenge?

Xander looks over at Cordelia and Doyle.

XANDER
Not sure. The jury is still out on that one.
(sighs)
So are you guys my guardian angels now?

CORDELIA
No, that would make this my
personal hell. Someone else has
that thankless job. We just wanted
to say goodbye.

DOYLE
(shaking Xander's hand)
You did good Harris. You'll do well.

XANDER
Thanks. I appreciate your help.

Cordelia hugs Xander and kisses him on the cheek.

CORDELIA
I never did apologize for the hell
I put you through in high school
did I?

XANDER
You're going to apologize now?

CORDELIA
Hell no! I take personal pride in
the hell I put you through. I just
wanted to make sure you remembered.

XANDER
Will I ever see you guys again?

DOYLE
Depends on how much you screw up.

XANDER
Then I should be seeing you tomorrow.
(hesitates)
Can... Can I ask you a question?

DOYLE
There's only so much we're allowed
to tell you, bud.

XANDER
I just need to know if... Did she
make it...?

CORDELIA
She's fine.

Xander sighs in relief.

XANDER
Good. Will you tell her I...

DOYLE
She knows.

CORDELIA
Take care dork.

In a blink, they're gone.

Xander walks over to the dresser and picks up the picture of
him and Anya. He traces her face with his finger for a
moment, places the picture back on the dresser and heads
upstairs.
FADE OUT.



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