'Empty Places' Story Code '7ABB19' by Drew Z. Greenberg

Everyone is leaving Sunnydale. As Buffy walks down a crowded street she sees Clem, sitting in his red car; the demon comments on the traffic and tells her that he is leaving town because bad things are happening, more powerful than before, and he advises Buffy to leave town. They both say goodbye as he drives off. Meanwhile, Giles and Willow use magic to convince a police officer that they are Interpol agents, so that they can obtain a file on organisations that may be connected to Caleb. As the two of them leave to see Xander, the officer is joined by another policeman, with news of an escaped fugitive in town. At the hospital, Buffy passes the doctor’s comments onto Xander, who is slowly coming to terms with the loss of his eye. She is given the file by Willow, and then heads off, leaving Xander and Willow together. The two friends begin to joke about Xander’s condition, but it is too much for Willow, and she begins to cry; Xander begs her not to, as he needs her strength to get through his situation. In the Summer’s basement, Anya and Andrew give the Potentials a lecture on the First, the Bringers and the Turok-Han. When the Potentials complain that they are confused, Anya replies that she would rather be with Xander, and tells then about their break-up sex. Faith, Amanda and Kennedy escape from the lecture and discuss the lack of information on Caleb; Buffy arrives with the file, which she gives to Dawn and Faith to investigate, before sending Kennedy and Amanda back to the lecture. Buffy returns to the high school to collect the rest of her things, and finds the place totally deserted. However, Caleb is waiting for her. Buffy punches him, but the preacher easily overpowers her, sending her smashing through a window and into a wall. As Buffy lies unconscious on the floor Caleb calmly walks out the school. Back at the Summers house, Dawn and Giles study the file; Giles discovers a photograph of Caleb’s symbol located in a church in North California. He asks Spike to investigate, but the vampire accuses him of trying to kill him again; Giles then suggests that Spike take Andrew - who is being his usual extremely annoying self - along with him. Faith realises that the Potentials need to relax a little, and so decides to take them and Dawn out to ‘The Bronze’ for a night of fun and dancing. Buffy arrives home and tells Giles about her encounter with Caleb; Giles informs her about Spike and Andrew’s mission, but when Buffy then asks him where the girls are, his answer sends the Slayer angrily storming off to find them. Meanwhile, Caleb and the First discuss Buffy; the preacher assures the demon that Buffy is right where they want her, and that all she needs now is a little nudge. At ‘The Bronze’, the girls and Faith are having a great time - until the police arrive and drag the ex-Slayer outside. When Faith informs the cops that she is not going back to jail, they all pull guns on her and remark that this is fine with them. Faith tries to fight them off, but there are too many for her. Meanwhile, inside ‘The Bronze’, one police officer stands guard, preventing Dawn and the Potentials from going to Faith’s aid. The Potentials manage to overpower him, while Kennedy takes his gun; they get outside, but find that Faith has overpowered the remaining police officers. Buffy arrives and sends Dawn and the other girls home; she is furious with Faith, telling her that what she did was wrong - the girls are drunk and were not in a safe place. Faith asks how safe the girls were at the vineyard, but Buffy replies by punching her in the face. Spike rides his motorbike to the church, engaging in some unlikely conversation with his pillion passenger, Andrew. Faith sits on the Summer’s porch; when Principal Wood arrives she tells him about the cops, and of Buffy punching her. As they talk, Faith manages to work some things out about Wood, noting that he has issues with Buffy, but their conversation ends when Xander arrives home from the hospital. Spike and Andrew enter the church, but are immediately attacked; seeing that their assailant looks like a Bringer, Spike retaliates, but the man hood falls away to reveal an ordinary but terrified priest, with Caleb’s symbol burned into his cheek. Willow and Anya lead Xander into the living room, where everyone has gathered to welcome him home; Xander is touched by their gesture, but then Buffy walks in and announces that they are going back to the vineyard. Andrew and Spike interrogate the priest and realise that they are all against Caleb; the priest tells them that Caleb killed everyone else in the church, and gave him the mark. He then shows them a hidden room that Caleb found, which the priests were unaware of; on one wall is a plaque - when Caleb read it, he went mad, and began his killing spree. Spike translates the plaque from Latin: it reads ‘It is not for thee, it is for her alone to wield". Buffy talks to everyone, telling them that Caleb must be guarding something powerful, and they have to discover what it is. Faith replies that she is not going back without proof, and Wood tells Buffy to let Faith speak. Giles agrees with Faith: it is a big risk for them to take. Buffy tells them that she is just making decisions, and asks if they trust her, but Giles believes that she does not trust them. Everyone seems to agree with Giles and Faith, and Anya accuses Buffy of believing she is better that all of them because of her special powers, which were given to her, never earned. As Xander joins the argument, Kennedy says that as Faith is a Slayer too, they should all vote on which Slayer should lead them. Faith objects, as she does not want to lead. Dawn approaches Buffy and tells her sister that she loves her, but she has to leave. Faith follows Buffy as she walks out the door, and tries to tell her that she does not want this. Buffy tells Faith to lead them, as their lives are now in her hands. Faith understands, and returns inside. Defeated, Buffy walks out into the street…

Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), James Marsters (Spike), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn), Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Nathan Fillion (Caleb), Tom Lenk (Andrew), Iyari Limon (Kennedy), Indigo (Rona), Sarah Hagan (Amanda), Kristy Wu (Chao Ahn), Dorian Missick (TBC), Larry Clarke (TBC), D.B. Woodside (Principal Robin Wood)
Directed by David A. Contner

TX (US): 29th April 2003

Notes:
*Featuring Buffy, Xander, Willow, Anya, Dawn, Giles and Faith

*Working title: 'Empty Spaces'