Earshot

 Buffy running thru park in red jacket with two "Go Fish" looking creatures (except tan in color) chasing her. 
She trips and falls, gets up, and engages in hand-to-hand.

Buffy: "You demons can't resist a run & stumble can you?" 

Buffy catches a knife thrown by one of the creatures, turns, and stabs the other, who she had just thrown on top 
of the picnic table. It's dead, wtih a gooey, white liquid seeping from the wound. She turns in time to see the 
creature who threw the knife running away. 

Buffy: "One down, one gone." 

Pan down to buffy's hand. A strange tattoo-like image appears on the back of her hand and slowly fades away. 
She doesn't notice it.

Fade to opening credit

Outside of school cuts to Buffy and Willow entering library

Willow: "So scabby demon got away?"

Buffy: "Scabby demon number two got away. Scabby demon number one, big check in the slay column."

Willow: "I don't like this no mouth thing, its disquieting."

Buffy: "Well, no mouth means no teeth...unless they have them somewhere else."

Xander, Oz are sitting at the library table, with Giles standing near them.

Giles: "Here we go, we've been researching the mayor's forthcoming ascension."

Oz: "It's pretty rivetting stuff."

Buffy: "what do we know?"

Xander: What don't we know! tell her Giles."

Giles: "Based upon the supposed date, graduation day, and the mayor being impervious to harm, I've 
cross-referenced..."

Xander (interrupting): "He's a cross referencing fool."

Giles (giving Xander his disapproving look): "...and I've eliminated several possibilities. It's not the ritual 
slaying of the demon Azareth or the....(pauses).......I don't know what's going happen."

Oz: "That was sort of an anticlimax."

Buffy: "We don't know anything? The whole fake Angel thing was for nothing?

Giles: "No...no..no, umm, if nothing else, Angel's charade has brought Faith's treachery into the open and this 
information on the ascension will prove useful eventually, I just need to put it together."

Pan down to Buffy scratching at her hand.

Wesley enters looking dapper as ever.

Wesley: "Terribly sorry, I was detained. Official counsel business. Mr. Giles, you were speaking?"

Giles: "I was just filling Buffy in on my progress regarding the research of the asencion."

Wesley (snidely): "What took up the rest of the minute?"

Giles (after brief pause): "Touche. Of course, my work is unofficial. I'm sure, however, with the resources of 
the counsel at your disposal, you will have something to add."

Wesley: "Well, I'm please to state, with certainty, the demon Azareth, will not only be involved..."

The whole gang, minus Giles, simultaneously gets up and heads out of the library, leaving Wesley standing 
at the head of the table.

Wesley (to noone in particular) "...I'm sure well find out more soon."

Giles (sarcastically): "The demon Azareth??"

Cut to Buffy and Willow in the school hallway at Willow's locker.

Willow: "So, have you talked to Angel lately?"

Buffy: "Not really. Seeing him bad, even pretend bad, and Faith..."

Willow: "He only kissed her for the greater good."

Buffy: "I don't know. To the naked eye it looked like fun. Or maybe it wasn't. Maybe he wasn't even tempted.
 I just wish I could be sure."

Willow: "As always, I advise you to ask."

Buffy: "Think he'd tell me?"

Voice in the hall: "Hogan!!"

Cut to Percy walking towards Willow and Buffy with Hogan, who, like Percy, is wearing a letterman's 
jacket.

Passerby: "Great game man."

Xander joins Willow and Buffy.

Xander (with disdain): "Hogan Martin thinks he's soooo hot. Like we should all be awed by him just cause 
he can put a ball in the net." 

Hogan: "Hey Xander."

Xander (to Buffy and Willow, genuinely excitedly): "He said my name! He knows my name!"

Percy: "Hey Willow. Hey."

Willow: "Hi."

Percy: "Ummm, look, I can't make the study session after school. Ummm, can we do it 5th period?"

Willow: "OK. Did you finish the reading?"

Percy: "Most of it."

Willow (in school-teacher, unapproving-type voice): "Percy."

Percy (sheepishly): "I'll finish it at lunch."

Willow: "That's my little trooper."

Hogan (to Willow): "I don't know what you're doing to him. I actually heard him complete a sentence. 
It had a clause and everything."

Percy: "You're watching the game, right?"

Willow: "Wouldn't miss it!"

Xander (as Hogan and Percy turn to leave): "See ya Hogan." 

Buffy and Willow are alone again. 

Buffy: "You're going to the game? I didn't know you liked basketball."

Willow: "I didn't either. But, I really started getting into it. Especially now that we're in the championship. 
It's so exciting. Too bad you're patrolling...we're all going. Oz, Xander, everybody."

Willow turns off to head to class.

Buffy (outloud, to herself): "Right, everyone who isn't currently Buffy." 

Buffy scratches her hand again.

Cut to Buffy in the library with Giles.

Giles: "You touched one of the demons?"

Buffy: "A good touch, not a bad touch. Anyway it's been itching like crazy. No big, just another problem for 
the good people at Lubriderm, right?"

Giles, who has been flipping through a book, finds a picture of the demon,

Giles: "This the demon in question?"

Buffy: "In the disgusting flesh."

Giles: "hmmn"

Buffy: "What?"

Giles: "It says it can infect the host."

Buffy: "Infect? Infect?.....(getting no response from Giles, who still has his head in the book) GILES!"

Giles(off in bookland): "hmmm."

Buffy: "...INFECT!?!"

Giles: "Oh. Umm, 'infects the host with an aspect of the demon.' That's all it says."

Buffy: "An aspect of the demon?"

Giles: "It's rather terse isn't it?"

Buffy: "You mean like a part of it?"

Giles: "There could be any number of explanations for your hand. uhh, uhh, a new fabric softner can cause 
irritation. In any case, I would advise not to attempt to track the one that got away. Let's minimize your 
exposure."

Buffy: "Part of the Demon? Hope its not the outside part."

Cut to the school quad. Cordy and the other cheerleaders are leading a rally for the Basketball team.

Cheerleaders: "H-O-G-A-N is Hogan! Go Hogan!!! (cheers from the crowd)

Pan to the gang sitting on a bench nearby.

Buffy: "Is it just me or is this really lame?"

Oz: "I don't know. I usually enjoy lameness, but this is leaving me kinda cold."

Willow (reading the school newspaper): "Well, according to Freddy's latest editorial, 'the pep rally is a place 
for psuedo-prostitutes to provoke men into a sexual frenzy, which, when thwarted, results in pointless 
athletic competition.'"

Xander: "And the downside being?"

Willow: "The school paper is edging on depressing lately, you guys notice that?"

Oz: "I don't know. I always go straight to the obits."

Willow (seeing buffy feeling the back of her head): "What are you doing, Buffy?"

Buffy (worriedly): "Nothing. Checking for horns!"

Buffy and Willow stand up and stroll a short distance away, leaving Oz and Xander on the bench.

Willow(trying to cheer Buffy up): "Ahh, you know Buffy, I don't think Giles is right about you becoming
 like a demon....he's totally burnt. You know, dealing with Faith, and this ascension thing. Between you and 
me, he's not doing his best work." 

Buffy: "What if he is right. I'm suddenly gonna grow this demon part. We don't even know what it is. It 
could be claws....or scales (notices willow eyes go wide) What???

Willow (worriedly): "Was it a boy demon???"

Cut to Oz and Xander watching Cordy and the cheerleaders.

Xander (approvingly): "They really are very good."

Oz: "Their spelling has improved."

Xander: "You know Oz, I look at all this beauty, and these health young women and I wonder why I ever
 wasted my time on Cordelia. I mean, look at her....she's no better looking than the rest of them."

Oz: "None of them are really my..."

Xander (interrupting when he sees Wesley walking by and looking at Cordelia): "Oh my god!! He's looking 
at her! He's got his filthy, adult, pierce-brosny eyes all over my Cordy!"

Oz: "You're a very complex man, aren't you?"

Cut back to Willow and Buffy

Buffy: "It's just, I'm scared Will. There's this thing in me and I can't find it. I can't stop it. What if it changes 
me. Not just the way I look. All of a sudden I could be something that's not me anymore."

Willow (initially looking to her right, away from Buffy): "Woo Hoo!!! .....Sorry they spelled Percy, and, and, 
and, I have to show support - he's needy. But, but I heard what you were saying, really. And, and I would 
be frightened too, but I'm sure you're gonna be ok."

Cut to buffy walking on sidewalk at that night. She stops and looks in her compact mirror 

Buffy (woefully, to herself): "Still got a mouth."

Angel appears behind her and startles her. 

Angel: "Sorry."

Buffy (somewhat sarcastically): "Oh, its OK. I didn't see you, so I should have known you were there. 
What are you doing here."

Angel: "It's a dangerous time. You know, with Faith."

Buffy: "Yeah...Faith. She...well, what can you say about her."

Angel: "I just want to make sure you're OK, safe?"

Buffy: "And the fact you're right here...does that mean Faith's around? Are you keeping me safe by 
tracking me, or are you tracking her?"

Angel: "I'm tracking you. Somethings bothering you."

Buffy (softening from her somewhat sarcastic tone): "A lot of things. The most recent being this demon.
 Actually two. I touched one of them and now I'm gonna get a case of the bumpies, or a tail, or something."

Angel: "An aspect of the demon."

Buffy: "You know the drill."

Angel: "By rumor. That doesn't mean anything. I mean, sometimes demons exaggerate
their power."

Buffy: "Demon hype. Maybe not. I spend all my time in the dark here anyway. It's not like I would be at 
a game with all my friends where anyone could see and my new monster part."

Angel (confortingly): "Hey, I won't let anything happen to you if I can help it. No matter what, I'll always 
be with you. Hey I'll love you even if you're covered in slime."

Buffy: "I liked everything till that part."

Cut to the next morning at school. Willow, Oz and Xander are excitedly entering the lounge area of school 
(ok, Oz is not excited).

Willow: "Could you believe it? Right at the buzzer, three points for the win!"

Oz: "It was intense."

Xander: "Yeah for a minute I thought you were gonna make an expression."

Oz: "I felt one coming on, I won't lie."

Willow: "I've never see anyone jump like Hogan Martin. They should call him 'The Jumper.'"

Xander: "Or a name that isn't an article of woman's clothing. Hey, remember when...

Willow: "shhhsh"

Buffy approaches the gang.

Buffy: "Hmmm quietness. We either lost or we won and you don't want me to feel bad."

Willow: "Um, yeah...it, it wasn't really a good game."

Xander: "Yeah, tall hoops, with thin, tall guys. What's the point?"

Oz: "Pretty dull."

Cordelia (who just happens to be passing by): "Are you guys crazy. It was an incredible game. 
I've never cheered so hard in my life. I still have knee marks on my back. 

The gang gives Cordy a collective "huh" look.

Cordelia (rolling her eyes): "From the pyramid."

Willow: "Yeah, well, I still bet patroling is way better because, wow, important."

Buffy: "Well, I thought I saw a four-legged demon, but it was just a dog."

Oz: "A weredog?"

Buffy: "Regular."

Xander: "Tough luck."

{{For thoughts that Buffy is hearing, I will offset with \\. Remember, only Buffy can hear
them.}}

Xander: \\I wonder if she and wesley have kissed.\\

Buffy: "It really bugs you huh?"

Xander: "What?"

Buffy: "Cordelia and Wesley, smooching."

Xander: "Man, you read my mind."

Cut to Buffy walking down the school hallway, in her own world. She bumps into a
teacher.

Mr. Beech: "Whoa there. You watch where you're going now."

Buffy: "I'm sorry Mr. Beech."

Mr. Beech: \\Students! If we could just get rid of all the students.\\

As Buffy walks down the hall, she hears numerous thoughts...

Geeky Male student: \\Wait til I'm a sophmore jillionaire and you're all flipping burgers. 
Whose the loser then...\\

Female student: \\'Maybe I'll take french, I said. How hard can it be, french babies learn it.' IDIOT!'\\

Male student with baggy pants hanging off him: \\I swear someday my pants are gonna fall right off...\\

Another male student: \\Buffy is so beautiful. I mean, look at that body. (Buffy smirks, and pauses in 
front of him) God, I would love to shove her against that locker right now, and oooh.....\\ (Buffy 
quickly scampers away.

Cut to Buffy talking to Giles in the library

Buffy: "Is this the thing? The aspect thing? Because I have to say if it is, it is way better than a tail. 
I mean, I have a hard enough time finding jeans that fit right."

Giles: "Buffy, slow down. I'm not even convinced that this is genuine mind reading. Your, your most 
likely projecting your..."

Buffy (interrupting): "When I walked in a few minutes ago, you thought 'Look at her shoes. If a 
fashion magazine told her to, she'd wear cats strapped to her feet."

Giles: "I, umm.." \\The demons are telepathetic. I should have known that's why they didn't need mouths. 
Of course, the demons are telepathic!\\

Buffy: "I know you just told me. That's why they don't need mouths. And you should've known."

Giles: "This is astounding."

Buffy: "It was happening out in the hallway. Principal Snyder has Walk Like an Egyptian stuck in his 
head. And the boys of this school are seriously disturbed. It's weird, but Giles, think about, think 
what I could do."

Giles: "It could be very useful. You could anticipate your opponents every move. You could turn its 
plans against him."

Buffy: "Oh, way better than!"

Cut to Buffy in a Literature class. Willow is seated to her right, with Xander behind her. Nancy, an 
annoying know-it-all, is to Buffy's left.

Buffy: "Jealousy!"

Ms Murray (the teacher): "Buffy. Right, Very good."

Nancy (condascendingly): \\I knew that.\\

Ms. Murray: "Jealousy's merely the tool that yago uses to undo Othello. But what is his motivation? 
What reason does Iago give for destroying his superior officer?"

Nancy: \\Cassio has my place. Twix my sheets, he's done my office.\\

Buffy (reading Nancy's thoughts): "Well, he was passed over for promotion. Cassio was picked instead, 
and people were saying that Othello slept with his wife."

Willow: \\Buffy did the reading? Buffy understood the reading?\\ (getting glance from Buffy)

Xander: \\When did she study? Was I supposed to study? Ms. Murray's kinda hot!\\

Nancy: \\I was gonna say Cassio. I hate her.\\

Ms. Murray: "Any other reason?"

Nancy (quickly, to beat Buffy): "Race!"

Ms. Murray: "Umm, good Nancy. Can't overlook that."

Boy sitting to Willow's right, Freddy Iverson: \\Look at them, scrambling for the teacher's praise like 
pigeons thrown bread crusts.\\

Buffy: "Will, whose that guy?"

Willow: "That's Freddy Iverson. He writes those editorials for the school newspaper. He's ???????"

Freddy: \\Bread crusts. That's deep. I should write that down.\\

Ms. Murray: "Is there something else at work here?"

Buffy: "Well, he, umm, he sorta admits himself that his motives are.....spurious? He, umm, he, uh, 
does things because he, uh, enjoys them. It's like he's not a person. He's like, he's the dark half of 
Othello himself."

At which the entire class simultaneously gives a blank stare to Buffy.

Ms. Murray: "Buffy! Really very astute. I said something quite like that in my dissertation."

Buffy: "I know. I mean, I agree, with that."

Ms. Murray: "Yes, and doesn't that also explain Othello's readiness to believe Iago. Within seconds, 
he turns on Desdemona. He believes she's been unfaithful. Were all like that. We all have our little 
internal Iago's that tell us our husbands, or girlfriends, or whatever, don't really love us. But you 
never really see what's in someone's heart..." 

Fade to Buffy entering Angel's mansion. As she enters, a ray of sunlight almost hits Angel. 

Buffy: "Oooh, sorry. Sorry for the day-time. I just ducked out of school and that's when they have it. 
Umm ....you look good. I mean, I, I know I saw you last night, but sometimes things can change really 
quick, I mean really quick. Listen to me. I'm talking like Faith....not that she was bad to have around....
you know, before the evil. You know I think she was hurting alot. And some people, protective type 
people, might be drawn to that, I guess. Well, the thing about Faith..."

Angel (interrupting): "You can't get into my mind."

Buffy: "How did you....Why not?"

Angel: "It's like the mirror. The thoughts are there, but they cast no reflection in you. You got your 
aspect of the demon."

Buffy: "Yeah, Giles doesn't know how long it's gonna last. Its OK, a little headachy, but.."

Angel (interrupting): "You don't have to play games with me Buffy, ever."

Buffy: "Well, you're not exactly "Joe-Here's-What-I'm-Thinking.'"

Angel: "So, ask me."

Buffy: "Oh, but that would'a made sense."

Angel: "What do you want to know about? Faith? How I felt kissing her, pretending to have no soul? 
Watching you suffer?"

Buffy: "Well, since you bring it up..."

Angel: "I hated hurting you, more than I could stand."

Buffy: "Look the thing about Faith, I'd understand. She has, you know, that whole bad girl thing 
working for her."

Angel: "Kissing her meant nothing. I don't want a bad girl I've done that before. I've lived a long time 
Buffy, and I'm past that. I've been with dozens of girls like her. More."

Buffy: "Ohh, this honesty stuff is funnn."

Angel: "I mean, there's no comparison. In 243 years, I've loved exactly one person."

Buffy: "Ohhh....it is me right?

Angel: "Next time, just ask."

Buffy: "OK"

Angle: "And Buffy, be careful with this gift. A lot of things that seem strong and good and powerful
they can be painful."

Buffy: "Like, say, immortality?"

Angel: "Yeah, I'm dying to get rid of that."

Buffy: "Funny"

Angel: "I'm a funny guy."

Cut to liabary where Willow, Oz, Xander, Giles, Cordelia, Buffy and Wesley are gathered around the table.

Xander: "She can read our minds? Our every impulse and fantasy?"

Buffy: "Every one."

Xander: \\Oh god\\

Cordelia: \\I don't see what this has to do with me.\\ "I don't see what this has to do with me."

Willow: "Well, I think its great. Right? I mean you enjoy your other slayer powers."

Buffy: "Yeah, it will be fun, and did you see Nancy Doyle's face in english class today?!"

Willow: "Yeah.." \\She's hardly even human anymore. How can I be her friend now? She doesn't need me...\\

Buffy: "No, I do need you!"

Cordelia: "OK. What are you talking about? Because you are soooo creepy right now."

Giles: "Ummm, I think there must be some precedent for occurrences such as this. Wesley, can you 
give me a hand?"

Wesley: "Of course. Where do you think we should start?"

Oz: \\I am my thoughts. If they exist in her, Buffy contains everything that is me and she becomes me 
and I cease to exist.\\ "Hmm."

Xander: \\What am I gonna do? I think about sex all the time. Sex! Help! 4 times 5 is 30. 5 times 6 is 32.
 Naked girls! Naked woman! Naked Buffy! Oh, stop me!\\

Buffy: "God Xander! Is that all you think about?!"

Xander: "Actually.....bye!"

Xander runs from the library.

Wesley: "Xander has just illustrated something. Chances are you will all be thinking what you least 
want Buffy to hear. It's a question, of course, of mental discipline."

Giles: "He's right."

Wesley: \\Look at Cordelia. No don't look at Cordelia! She's a student. Oh, I'm a bad man. I'm a bad,
 bad man!\\ "Excuse me."

Wesley exits into Giles' office.

Willow: "What's it like Buffy?"

Buffy: "I don't know. Its' a little weird. But, look, please don't for a second think that I don't need you, 
because I do. I want to share this with you. It's like all these doors are opening to all these little worlds, 
and I can just walk right inside..."

Oz: \\No one else exists either. Buffy is all of us. We think therefore she exists.\\

Willow: \\She knows so much. She knows what Oz is thinking! I never know that! Before long, 
she'll know him better than I do!\\

Buffy: "No, don't think that."

Willow: "I can't help it Buffy. I'm sorry I just can't."

Willow exits library.

Oz: "If you don't need me, I'm gonna follow the red-head."

Oz exits the library.

Buffy (to Giles and Cordelia): "Guess I won't be writing that book, 'Gaining Friends Through 
Telethapy'."

Cordelia: \\Whatever. I wonder when I can go.\\

Cordelia: "Whatever. Can I go ?"

Wesley (who is sticking his head around the corner): "Excuse me. Can you hear me thinking in here?
 I can go out into the hall..."

Buffy: "You know what, you stay. I'm getting a headache."

Buffy exits. Fade to Buffy walking down the crowded hallway. She hears numerous thoughts that 
start to all run together:

\\She is soo hot!

I hate my body.

No one is ever gonna love me.

I can't believe the test is today!

He has the cutest butt.

I hate her.\\

Cut to Giles and Wesley in Giles' office.

Giles: "Here. It's happened before, a man in Ecudaor. Quite recently."

Wesley: "Can we contact him?"

Giles: "I'd say not. He can't communicate with anyone."

Wesley: "Dead?" 

Giles: "No. He's incomplete isolation. the power, you can't shut it off."

Cut to Buffy standing in the cafetria line. Jonathon is standing in front of here. The cacophony 
of thoughts is building.

\\It has to get better, please tell me it gets better.

I hate school.

Am I normal?\\

Jonathon: "Are you through with the mashed potatoes?" 

Buffy is too distracted to hear him.

Jonathon: \\She doesn't even know I'm here.\\

\\Look at that.

Cmon, Cmon!

She's a loser.

She has the sweetest face I ever saw!

If I stand in just the right spot I can kinda see in the arm hole...\\

All the voices blend into an incomprehensable din as Buffy walks through the center of the 
cafeteria with her tray. Suddenly, one voice stands out...

\\This time tommorrow, I'll kill you all!\\

Buffy, now almost in a daze by the overwhelming thoughts, drops her tray. Everyone claps. 
She starts stumbling around, looking in students faces, trying to figure out who had the murderous thought. 
The deafening thoughts of all the students becomes too much and she faints.

Cut to Buffy's eyes opening with Willow, Xander, Cordy, Giles and Oz looking down at her. 
They have moved her outside onto the grass.

Willow: \\I think she's waking up\\

Oz: \\She's OK.\\

Giles: \\Oh thank god!\\

Xander: \\Her eyes are opening.\\

Cordelia: \\I'm cold.\\

Giles: "You alright?"

Cordelia: "I told them not to move you. They probably severed your spinal cord."

Buffy: "I'm OK.

Giles: "Buffy..."

Buffy: "No, Really. I'm OK. Listen, there's a killer in the cafeteria.

Giles helps Buffy to her feet.

Xander: "See, I've been saying for years that the lunch lady was going to do us in with that 
Mulligan Stew."

Cordelia (scoldingly): "Xander!"

Xander: "I mean, what the hell's a Mulligan?"

Buffy: "Someone was thinking it. They thought 'this time tomorrow, I'll kill you all.' I have to find them."

Giles: "Well, did you recognize a, a, a voice?"

Buffy: "No."

Willow: "Boy or girl?"

Buffy: "I don't know. It was hardly human. It was full of so much anger and pain."

Buffy stumbles as tries to take a step and is steadied by Giles.

Giles: "You can't." 

Buffy (defiantly): "No! I have to find them."

Oz: "Are you sure they meant it?"

Xander: "Yeah, I mean who hasn't just idlely thought about taking out the whole place with a 
semi-automatic?...(everyone stares at Xander).... I said idlely."

Buffy: "I know the difference. He...she...whoever, they meant it. They're going to do it."

Giles: \\She looks so tired.\\

Willow: \\How horrible.\\

Cordelia: \\I'm not getting any warmer...\\

Xander: \\I bet it was...\\

Oz: \\Who could it be?\\

Buffy (grabbing her head): "Shut Up!!......I'm sorry. I, its just, can you guys not think so loud, or 
so much?"

Giles: "Buffy you should go home. I'll take you home."

Buffy (fighting to stay coherent): "Yeah, OK......No. Look, I need you guys to go back to the cafeteria. 
Make a list of everyone who is there. We have to find the killer before lunch tommorrow."

Willow: "We'll do it buffy, a list of all the students."

Buffy: "Yeah. Nancy was there. She's scary. And, oh uh, teachers too. Mr Beech, he thought something 
about getting rid of all the students." 

Buffy is definitely starting to crack up as Giles leads her away from the rest of the gang to take her home.

Buffy: "I cant shut it out Giles. It, it's an invasion of my head. Its like there's these strangers walking 
around in there. I can't even be around people anymore.....not that they're really clamoring to be near
 me anyway. Even you."

Giles: "I, I'm sorry Buffy. Its, its hard for all of us. Wesley and I are, are, are looking for a way to help."

Buffy: "I'll be OK, right? Uhum, I mean, even if you can't get rid of it?"

Giles: "You'll be fine. I promise." \\If it doesn't go away, she'll go insane!\\

Buffy stops in her tracks, shocked by Giles thoughts. She is clearly scared. Cut to Oz, Willow 
Cordelia and Xander in the library.

Willow: "I think we have everyone that was in the cafeteria. I'll do some computer work, match it 
against the FBI mass murdered profiles and see if we can maybe rule some people out."

Xander: "I'm still having problems with the fact that one of us is just gonna gun everyone down 
for no reason."

Cordelia (sarcastically): "Yeah, because that never happens at american high schools."

Oz (seriously): "It's bordering on trendy at this point."

Willow: "Besides which, Sunnydale High. Center of evil and all that. Let's get to work. We have 
until lunch time tomorrow, we hope."

Cut to Buffy in bed at home. It's sunny out. Joyce is tending to her, bringing her an extra blanket,
 an extra pillow. 

Joyce: "There. You look better already."

Buffy: "Thanks mom."

Joyce (clearly distracted): "I, uh, I'm just gonna get you another pillow."

Buffy: "I don't really need one."

Joyce: "But you, uh, need another blanket."

Buffy: "Mommm, I'm fine."

Joyce (while trying to leave Buffy's room): "How about some soup.....chicken and
stars?"

Buffy: "Come sit with me. Why are you....."

Buffy bolts upright in bed.

Buffy: "You had sex with Giles!?!?! YOU HAD SEX WITH GILES?!?!?

Joyce: "It was the candy! We were teenagers!"

Buffy: "On the hood of a police car?!?!?!"

Joyce (exiting the room): "I'll be downstairs, you feel better."

Buffy: "TWICE!!!"

Cut to Willow, Oz, Xander and Cordelia at the counter in the library.

Willow: "OK. I've taken our list and narrowed it down to a dozen strong suspects. Here are 
your personalized assignments."

Willow hands out the assignments

Xander: "Oooh, I was hoping there would be an assignments."

Cordelia: "I think I should work with Wesley."

Xander (judgingly): "You have no shame."

Cordelia: "Oh, please. Like shame is something to be proud of."

Willow (Like a strict parent): "Be quiet! Sorry, but, but this is important. Talk to everyone 
on your list. And use the sample questions....... Today people!....Oh, write neatly. And label 
your worksheet." (she's soo cute!)

Oz, Cordelia and Xander exit the library. Cut to Willow in the library with Jonathan, interrogating 
him much like she did in Go Fish.

Willow (slowly and deliberately): "Fantasies are fun, aren't they, Jonathan?"

Jonathan: "I, uh...guess."

Willow: "We all have fantasies where we're powerful, or respected. Where people pay attention 
to us."

Jonathan (unsure of what this is all about): "Maybe."

Willow: "But sometimes the fantasy isn't enough, is it Jonathan? Sometimes we have to make it 
so people don't ignore us. Make them pay attention. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"

Jonathan: "Uh...you, you....want me to pay attention??"

Cut to Oz talking to Hogan at the outside basketball hoop.

Hogan: "This is for the yearbook?"

Oz: "Yeah, personality profile."

Hogan: "Can you ask it again?"

Oz: "Sure, do you ever feel like you've created a false personae for yourself, the guy that does 
every thing right. And how much of a strain does it put on you to maintain it."

Hogan: "Uh, wow,....I guess, moderate strain? Is that a good answer? I want to get this right."

Oz: "Yeah, that's good."

Cut to Cordy walking into Mr. Beech's classroom, with her charm turned up. Mr. Beech is erasing
 the blackboard with his back to Cordelia.

Cordelia: "Hi Mr. Beech. I was just wondering, were you planning on killing a bunch of people
 tomorrow? Oh, its for the yearbook!" 

Cut to Xander talking to three cute girls sitting on the stairway to the second floor of the school.

Xander (with clip board in hand): "So, turn-offs include smoking, insensitive men and 
birkenstocks(????). Now, your idea of the perfect romantic evening? Katie, let's start with you..."

Cut to Oz entering the school yearbook/school paper office. It looks like the guidance counselor's
 office from All Men Are Beasts.

Oz: "Freddy?" 

No answer. Oz notices three framed cover pages of the Sunnydale High Sentinel on the wall. The
 headlines read: "Teachers Fail Competency Exam", "Drop-Outs Find Happiness", and "Apathy 
on the Rise, No One Cares." As Oz leaves the room, the camera pans down to Freddy, who is 
hiding under the desk, out of the sight of Oz.

Cut to Buffy standing at her bedroom window. It's dark outside and she has the window open. 
She continues to hear many continous and random thoughts. (She appears to have great range
 with her new-found ability). Among the thoughts she hears:

\\I shoulda just quit, no job is worth...

Look at him smiling, like he thinks I don't know about her.

A baby! I'm so happy!

I can't believe were getting away with this.

just one more drink and...\\

Buffy closes the window, depressed, and climbs into bed. The thoughts blend into one long 
rambling, incoherent stream. Our heroine curls up under the covers and pulls the pillow over 
her head.

Cut to Giles and Wesley putting in a late night of research at the library. Wesley is mixing some 
ingredients.

Wesley: "Well, it seems to be coming along alright."

Giles (sarcastically): "Yes, Buffy is being driven mad, we have no proof that this is going to work, 
and it still requires the heart of the second demon which we have no idea how to get without the slayer."

Wesley: "Negative thinking doesn't solve problems. Whose going to get the demon heart?"

Cut to a vamped Angel in a fight with the second demon at the small park with the swing set and 
the go-round (Where Hans and Gretel were found in Gingerbread). It's a good fight, but Angel 
takes a wallop from the demon and is knocked down. He looks up in time to see the demon take 
off running. Angel follows.

Cut to Buffy in bed the next morning. Joyce is sitting curled up with a blanket on a chair in Buffy's
 room. Buffy is asleep, but is tossing and turning.

Cut to the School. Willow is talking to Nancy in an empty classroom.

Nancy: "Do I often imagine classmates are spying on me, or otherwise acting suspiciously?" 

Willow: "Right."

Nancy (spoken like a true smart-ass): "Not until just now."

Cut to Xander sitting at a table by the Soda machine with Larry. Larry is eating lunch.

Larry: "What? Talk louder dude."

Xander (at reduced volume): "I'm just saying, its gotta be frustrating having the secret. You 
gotta be kinda filling up with resentment....unexpressed rage, just waiting to burst out. Today 
at lunch..."

Larry (much to loud for Xander's liking): "What secret? Being gay? Man, I'm out. I'm so out I 
got my gramma fixing me up with guys!"

Xander: "That's um...nice."

Larry: "But it sounds like you're having a rough time with it. Look, just do it. You know that weird
 Freddy Iverson guy that does the school paper?"

Xander: "He's gay?"

Larry: "No dude. But I bet he'd put in like a 'coming-out' announcement for you. Something tasteful." 

Xander has the same expression, total uncomfortness, on his face as he had in Phases when he
 first talked with Larry about 'coming-out.'

Cut to Oz looking for Freddy again.

Oz: "Freddy??"

Cut to Cordelia, Oz, Willow (with her Gilligan hat) and Xander in the library.

Willow: "He's the only one we couldn't find?"

Oz: "Yeah, Freddy Iverson."

Cordelia: "The newspaper guy? But we can't figure out if its him without the worksheet, right?"

Xander (holding the school newspaper): "We do have this, people. Today's editorial titled 'Big
 Game Draws Mindless Brain Dead Mob."

Cordelia: "Does he mention the cheerleaders? Because we were on." 

Cut to Giles and Joyce standing in the doorway to Buffy's room, looking at Buffy moaning and 
stirring in bed. It's sunny outside.

Joyce: "I can't stand this. I keep wondering if I'm hurting her with my thoughts."

Giles: "You're not. Not anymore. She can't pick one thought out of, out of the din."

Someone is pounding at the front door. Giles turns to head downstairs. Cut to Wesley opening 
the front door. Angel enters with a blanket covering his head, holding a large beaker filled about
 25% with a blue liquid.

Angel: "I got it."

Cut to Buffy's bedroom. Angel is sitting on the side of the bed. He lifts Buffy into a sitting position. 
She is out of it. Angel forces Buffy to take a drink of the liquid and lays her back down. He kisses 
her on the forehead. A second latter, Buffy starts thrashing around (exactly like she did in Killed 
By Death when being wheeled to her room of the gurnee)

Angel: "GILES!!"

Cut to the School courtyard. With the "something's up" background music (BUM bum, BUM bum, 
BUM bum, mmmmmmm Bump bump) playing, the camera pans around until we are looking out of the
 clock tower. The camera pulls back and we see Jonathan opening a case with a disassembled scope
 rifle inside.

Cut to Buffy's bedroom. Angel is sitting by her side with Joyce and Giles standing nearby. 
Buffy wakes up slowly and seems to have regain her senses

Buffy: "Angel?"

Joyce: "Thank God. Are you Alright? Do you hear thoughts?"

Buffy (with a small smile) "No. Did you find the killer?"

Cut to Oz, Willow, Xander and Cordelia entering Freddy's "office." Freddy is sitting at his desk 
and rises from his chair when they enter.

Freddy: "OK Oz, You got me. What are your friends gonna do? Hold me down?"

Willow: "You better believe buster! You can't threaten a big murder without getting us pretty darn
 ticked!"

Freddy: "Murder? What murder? You're not here about the review?"

Oz: "The review?"

Freddy: "Yeah. Last Thursday."

Oz (reading from the paper): "Dingos Ate My Baby play their instruments as if they have plump
 polish sausages taped to their fingers."

Freddy (apologetically): "Sorry man"

Oz: "No....its fair."

Freddy: "I just get a lot of hate mail and, uh, I thought you were gonna come and deliver some
 personally."

Xander: "Hey, if you find any tasteful announcement about me from Larry..."

Willow: "Xander!...We have to figure this out."

Cordelia: "We have no shot. The killer could be anyone. We lose."

Buffy enters behind the gang: "We still have a few minutes."

Willow: "Buffy!"

Xander: "You're OK! Can you hear thoughts?"

Buffy shakes her head no

Xander (more or less to himself): "Just when I wasn't thinking about sex.."

Buffy: "OK. Here's the new plan. We're gonna get Snyder to evacuate the schoold and just hope
 the killer's not waiting outside..."

Cordelia (reading from a letter she just picked up off a desk): "By this time tomorrow. you'll all 
know what I've done. I'm sure you understand that I had to do it, and that although death is 
never easy, it's the only way.........God!....Doesn't anyone write in to praise the cheerleaders?! 
We are so unsung!"

Willow: "Jonathon!! Oh! I had him in my grasp. Slippery weasel!!"

Buffy: "Split up. Find him!"

Cut to Jonathan assembling the rifle.

Cut to Willow running through the library:

Willow: "Jonathan! Are you in here?!"

Cut to Xander running through the cafeteria:

Xander: "Jonathan!...... Jonathan!.....oooh, jello."

Cut to jonathan for a brief moment.

Cut to Cordelia entering a classroom where some students are gathered. She grabs a couple of 
them by the shoulder, spinning them around and looking at their faces.

Cut to Jonathan still putting together the rifle.

Cut to Buffy in the school courtyard, looking around. She notices Jonathan in the clock tower. 
She runs up the the stair railing, not the stairs, the railing. (These are the steps Harmony was 
pushed down by Marcy.) Several students notice Buffy and ooh and ahh. Buffy reaches the 
top of the stairway, still on the railing, and jumps at least 5 feet to grab the gutter of the roof 
and back-flips herself onto the roof. Nancy, who has been watching the whole thing:

Nancy (unimpressed): "I could have done that."

Cut to Jonathan loading the rifle. Buffy runs across the roof and smashes through the clock tower 
wall. Jonathan, startled, turns to face Buffy with rifle in hand.

Jonathan: "Get away from me!"

Buffy: "OK, Jonathan, you want to point that somewhere else?"

Jonathan: "Don't you try and stop me!"

Buffy: "No, no, no stopping. Just here for the view. Look, city hall."

Jonathan (frazzeled and sweating profusely): "Go away!"

Buffy: "Never gonna happen."

Jonathan: "You think I won't use this?"

Buffy: "I don't know, Jonathan."

Jonathan: "Stop doing that!!" (as he aims the gun at Buffy)

Buffy: "Doing what?"

Jonathan: "Stop saying my name like were friends. We're not friends. You all think I'm an idiot.
 A short idiot!"

Buffy (matter of factly and somewhat soothingly): "I don't. I don't think about you much at all. 
Nobody here really does. Bugs you, doesn't it. You have all this pain, all these feelings, and 
nobody really paying attention..."

Jonathan: "You think I just want attention!?"

Buffy (sarcastically): "No. I think you're up in the clock tower with a high-powered rifle because
 you want to blend in....believe it or not, I understand about the pain..."

Jonathan: "Oh, right! Cause the burden of being beautiful and athletic, that's a crippler!"

Buffy: "You know what? I was wrong. You are an idiot. My life happens, on occasion, to suck
 beyond the telling of it. Sometimes more than I can handle. Oh, it's not just mine. Every single
 person down there is ignoring your pain because they are dealing with their own. (Jonathan 
is losing his focus and resolve as he no longer has the rifle pointed at Buffy. She is getting 
through to him). The beautiful ones. The popular ones. The guys that pick on you. Everyone. 
(Buffy slowly walks past Jonathan to the window. Jonathan turns and is just off her left shoulder,
 looking out the window as well)..........If you could hear what they are feeling. The loneliness. 
The confusion. It looks quiet down there. Its not. Its deafening. (Turning to face Jonathan) 
You know, I could have taken that by now.

Jonathan (softly): "I know."

Buffy: "I'd rather do it this way." 

She holds her hand out to jonathan and he hands her the gun. She empties the cartridges.

Jonathan (softly): "I just wanted it to stop."

Buffy: "Well, mass-murder, not really doctor reccomended for that type of pain. Besides, prison,
you know, it's a lot like high school. But instead of noogies..."

Jonathan: "What are you talking about??"

Buffy: "Actions having consequences. You know, stuff like that."

Jonathan: "I, I, I wouldn't hurt anyone.....I came up here to kill myself."

Cut to Xander wandering into the kitchen looking for, and finding, Jello. As he is about to take a bite,
 he looks up and notices the big fat cook pouring rat poison into a big pot. Xander and the cook 
stare at each other without moving for about eight seconds. Xander drops the Jello and takes off
 running back into the cafeteria. The cook drops the poison, grabs a large butcher knife, and gives
 chase to Xander. Xander runs into the cafteria and manically starts knocking over tables where 
kids are eating and knocking trays out of students' hands.

Xander: " RAT POISON!! RAT POISON!!"

The cook enters the cafeteria behind Xander. Xander trips and falls. The knife is raised.........and
 before it can be lowered, Buffy appears and grabs the cook's arm (much like she did to Faith 
in Consequences.)

Buffy: "OK. Let's calm down."

Cook (hissingly): "Vermin. You little vermin. You come in here and you eat, and eat....filth..."

Buffy: "I don't see this being settled with logic."

The cook takes a swipe at Buffy with the knife, which Buffy easily knocks from her hand. Left, 
right, left. Bip bop boom. Roundhouse, roundhouse, and the fat cook is out. (Nearly crushing 
a student on her fall.)

Buffy turns to Xander who looks grateful but confused

Cut to Willow and Buffy outside the school. Most likely a few days later.

Willow: "So you feeling better about Angel?"

Buffy: "Well, we talked, he cut out the heart of a demon and fed it to me....and then we talked 
some more."

Willow: "See! That's how it should work!"

Giles approaches.

Giles: "Good morning."

Willow and Buffy together: "Hi Giles!"

Willow: "Oh. I should get to the yearbook office. I'm gonna give 'em the murderer profiles. They 
really are good reading."

Giles: "Bye."

Willow: "See ya."

Willow exits.

Giles: "How are you?"

Buffy: "Loving the quiet. No one in here but me."

Giles: "Jonathan. How's he?"

Buffy: "Pretty crappy. His parents are freaking. He got suspended. And toting a piece to school,
 not exactly winning him a place in the in crowd. But I think he's dealing."

Giles: "Well, it's good of you to check on him."

Buffy: "Well, it's nice to be able help someone in a non-slaying capacity. Except he's starting to 
get that look, you know, like he's gonna ask me to prom."

Giles: "Well, it would probably be good for his self esteem, if you umm..."

Buffy: "Oh, come on! What am I...St. Buffy?!?! He's like three feet tall!!"

Giles: "I'm glad to see you've recovered from your psychic encounter more or less
intact. Feel up to some training?"

Buffy: "Sure. We can work out after school....you know, if you're not too busy having
sex with my MOTHER!"

At which point Giles walks right into a tree.

Fade to black

{Enemies} {Choices} {The Series 3 Index} {The Index}