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 Eight
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ACT 4, Scene 3. INT The storage room at the Sunnydale Library as in Act 4, Scene 1. Night. The past.
Willow and Xander are cowering in the corner of the room as the whirlpool of air in front of them becomes cloudy and spirals to the ceiling. The body parts inside begin coalescing into YogSothoth, with multiple tentacles and what appears to be dozens of eyes. A bizarre star shaped head forms in the center of the creature. The maelstrom moves towards the small desk with the black book.
XANDER
(yelling over the din from the Ancient One)
Okay, who's gonna be brave first?
WILLOW
Xander! It's going for the book!
XANDER
Aw Man, Why ME?
Xander leaps forward and drives his sword at the entity in the whirlwind. The sword merely bounces off with a shower of sparks. The Ancient One pays no attention.
XANDER
(yelling over his shoulder)
Willow! Start reading the spell!
Xander keeps swinging at the Ancient One to no avail. Willow fumbles with the paper for a moment and begins reading.
WILLOW
(reading)
Uh... "Ad Infernos Nunc Descende Damnatus!"
As Willow completes the first sentence, the creature spins suddenly towards her. Waving tentacles reach out of the spinning cloud of gathering body parts.
XANDER
That got it's attention! Keep reading!
WILLOW
"Ad Infernos Nunc Descende Damnatus, YogSothoth!"
Tentacles reach out to seize Willow. Leaping from foot to foot, Xander strikes each one off, screaming a word as he does.
XANDER
GET... AWAY... FROM HER YOU... BIG... HUNK ... OF...
As each tentacle is struck off, it falls to the floor writhing, spewing green slime and dissolving into dust.
WILLOW
"Ad Infernos Nunc Descende Damnatus Per Omnis Aeternitatis! Descende YogSothoth!"
A ROAR comes from the whirling cloud. The coalescing form begins to destabilize and disintegrate. In a last burst of fury, the star shaped head lurches out of the whirlwind and swings directly towards Willow. She screams. Xander, stepping between her and the entity, is struck to the floor and his sword tossed among the boxes of books.
As the head is about to seize Willow a sudden explosion rocks the storage room and a bright flash of light blinds Willow and Xander. Willow falls backwards. Xander is knocked down just as he has managed to regain his footing.
The book shelves all collapse, the neatly stacked boxes topple, and the Underwood is hurled off the desk onto the floor. At the same time, the star shaped head, as if severed by an invisible sword, dismembers from the collapsing whirlwind and drops harmless to the floor. It explodes into a cloud of dust and vanishes.
The spinning winds in the center of the room lose all cohesion and fly apart. In a moment, the storage room is silent again. As the whirlwind vanishes away, Willow and Xander, sitting in the piles of tumbled books, stare unspeaking at each other for a few moments.
WILLOW
(excited)
We did it!
Xander gets up and picks his way through the wreckage over to Willow. He offers her his hand and pulls her to her feet.
XANDER
I don't know, Will. That thing at the end there, the big boom and it's head falling off. That wasn't us.
WILLOW
Well, if it wasn't, who was it?
XANDER
Maybe Cordie and Oz back at the Library? I've got a bad feeling about all this. We better get outta here.
WILLOW
Take it easy. HP said the gate will reopen.
XANDER
(looking around)
Yeah, but how soon? I mean, I don't want to be stuck here.
WILLOW
Me neither.
Willow stares at the books scattered in the storage room. She gaze falls on the Underwood typewriter, now upside down on the floor. She bends down, picks it up and places it carefully on a desk.
WILLOW
(musing to herself as she returns the typewriter to the desk)
Xander, you know... we just re-wrote history.
XANDER
(still shaking, not understanding what she is talking about)
Yeah... whatever...
WILLOW
(looking at Xander)
I wonder what it would be like to re-write a little more.
XANDER
History? You don't want me to write it. I flunked it!
WILLOW
No, not that kind of history.
(quietly, almost to herself)
I mean our history.
XANDER
Huh?
WILLOW
Xander, you know,... nothing's been right between us for the last year.
Xander looks at Willow, puzzled.
WILLOW (cont'd)
You ever wonder... what might have happened... if we both weren't so stupid... had done things a little differently?
XANDER
I don't know, Will.
WILLOW
(looking up at Xander, quietly)
Maybe this is our chance. Maybe HP gave us this time to make things right between us.
Xander is embarrassed and doesn't know what to say.
WILLOW (cont'd)
No big changes, just put some things the way they should have been. I mean, we do go way back. You did bring me salamanders when we were kids.
XANDER
(smiling)
You sure could scream.
WILLOW
But you know why I liked you? You always put the salamanders back. You never hurt them.
Xander stares self consciously at the floor and scrapes his shoe on the tile. Willow takes his hands in hers and they sit down in the piles of books.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Then, when I got older and started reading, I really loved all the fantasy stories. You know, Kings and Wizards, and their magic swords. I've got Oz reading them now. And I used to pretend before I went to sleep at night, that you were my knight in shining armor. You'd come riding in on your gallant white horse and rescue me from the clutches of a fire breathing dragon.
XANDER
(mildly protesting)
Willow, that's real nice and all but...
WILLOW
No, Xander, listen. I know you didn't end up thinking of me the same way. But there was something there once. And I don't want these messed up feelings between us. You and me. And I know it's hurting Cordelia. So let's change the history just a bit. Who knows, maybe that's really why HP sent us here together, instead of you and Cordelia or me and Oz.
XANDER
(worried)
What do you want to do?
WILLOW
Let's just pretend. It's before the dance and you're desperate, so you ask me to go with you.
XANDER
(not quite following what Willow is thinking)
Okay?
WILLOW
"Why of course, Xander Harris, I would be happy to go with you to the dance," I say. Now you kiss me on the cheek.
Xander gives Willow a little peck on the cheek. Willow lightly returns the kiss on Xander's cheek.
WILLOW (cont'd)
There! Now we're going steady!
Xander smiles and starts to understand.
XANDER
And what did we do then?
WILLOW
Well, we went to the Bronze together all the time. And you always danced with me... (bashfully smiling) especially the slow dances. And we fought vampires with Buffy, although I was jealous as heck that you had given her mouth to mouth when the Master killed her.
XANDER
But I explained to you that it was absolutely necessary and couldn't be helped. And she was all dirty and scummy from falling in the mud puddle anyway so it wasn't a turn on.
WILLOW
And we made out some... well, just a little bit. And we were so happy... for a while. But then... one day... I started feeling sad. I didn't know why, but I thought seeing you in school would make me feel better... but it didn't.
Xander hangs his head as if he remembers the day.
WILLOW (cont'd)
And I knew something was changing between us. I guess it was partly me, and I didn't realize it. I knew you were different, too. So I asked you if we could talk.
XANDER
God, talking, how I hated talking!
WILLOW
We got together in the Library after lunch and skipped fifth and sixth period. Giles politely hid in his office.
XANDER
(quietly, as if actually reliving the pain of the moment)
Please, Willow, we don't have to do this.
WILLOW
Yes we do, Xander.
Willow leans forward and kisses Xander on the lips. There is a gentle passion in the kiss.
WILLOW (cont'd)
(starting to cry)
And now ... we're breaking up...
XANDER
Please, Will.
WILLOW
(trying hard not to cry)
And I went home... and didn't eat or sleep and I cried for two nights. And I think I threw up. I stayed home for a couple of days. I told my Mom I had "my friend."
XANDER
I wandered out of the Library and walked down to the docks. For the next two nights I went to the Bronze, and hung out till closing, hoping you'd show up... but you never did.
WILLOW
And I sat at home playing all my break up CD's. When I came back to school, I wanted so much to talk to you, cause you were still special for me, but you wouldn't look at me.
XANDER
I really wanted to talk to you,... but I was so angry. And I couldn't look at you without getting this awful feeling in my stomach... I think I threw up, too.
WILLOW
So we ignored each other for a couple of weeks. You flunked history and tried to go out with Buffy cause she was flunking history, too.
XANDER
Man, she shot me down good!... Then one day I was coming to school on my skateboard, and I saw you walking down the sidewalk. I couldn't take my eyes off you,... until I crashed head on into a parked car.
WILLOW
And they took you to the hospital, but I wouldn't go right away, 'cause I didn't want you to think I still cared that much... but I was so scared.
XANDER
But when you did show up, I felt much better, and it wasn't just the pain pills.
WILLOW
And I felt better, too. And I sat in the hospital room with you, and we laughed about all the fun times we had when we were still going out. And after a couple of hours, we were best buds again.
XANDER
(nodding)
Best buds.
WILLOW
(smiling)
And then you and Cordelia started lurking around in the closets.
XANDER
And you turned into an Oz groupie.
WILLOW
But we really had those good times.
XANDER
Yeah, we did, didn't we... Thanks, Will.
Willow smiles at Xander
WILLOW
Yeah, me too.
Willow stares straight ahead and speaks as if to someone who is not there.
WILLOW (cont'd)
Thanks, HP.
XANDER
I still don't get what he's got to do with this?
WILLOW
Maybe nothing. But, he was another white knight... from my dreams. And I'm pretty sure he sent us here, to be together.
XANDER
(suddenly frightened)
Willow!
WILLOW
What is it?
XANDER
We gotta get back! We gotta get back right now!
Xander jumps up.
WILLOW
Xander?
XANDER
It's Cordie! She's in trouble, Will! You gotta help me figure out how to get back to the Library!
WILLOW
I don't know how, Xander! It was HP...
XANDER
She's dying, Will! Cordie's dying!
Willow's mouth drops open.
XANDER (cont'd)
(spying the black book)
It's in that thing! It's in that damned book!
Xander grabs the book off the table and begins screaming at it.
XANDER
You get us out of here, now! You hear me!
WILLOW
Xander!
Xander furiously throws the book back down on the table.
XANDER
Damn it! I said now!
Xander grabs the small sword from out of the fallen books and raises it above his head like an axe. He is about to bring it down on the black book with all his strength when Willow jumps up and catches his arms in her hands.
WILLOW
NO, Xander!
Xander spins around to face Willow.
WILLOW (cont'd)
If you destroy it, we might not ever get back.
XANDER
And if Cordie dies, why would I want to go back!
There is a moment of silence as the two friends look at each other.
WILLOW
You don't know that for sure.
XANDER
Willow, you believe your dreams, right? Well I can hear Cordie right now!.... it's awful... it's like she's drifting away. She's calling out for me. And I'm not there!
Suddenly, a shimmering wave of light materializes in the corner of the storage room. The time pathway reappears. Willow and Xander watch as the distortion around the pathway stabilizes. They then look at each other.
WILLOW
Let's go, NOW!
They run, stumbling over some of the piles of books, reach the pathway and leap in. Both vanish into the twisted beams of light.
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